The Beloved Baby Deer of the Hwangryong Family - Chapter 138

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The sorcery guided Yi-eon into the Shadow World.

The Shadow World was a realm made of mental images, where all the sorcery unleashed by Yeong-gwi left its traces.

Surrounded on all sides by black shadows.

Quietly holding his breath as he swam through it, Yi-eon discovered light seeping from the distance.

And he gasped in shock.

‘That is…!’

Crack! Crackle!

There, a Golden Dragon and a pitch-black Yeong-gwi were clashing violently.

It was a scene where the Dragon Clan’s characteristic fierce aura and Yeong-gwi’s curse were colliding head-on.

When the Golden Dragon Family Head summoned his dragon aura to perform Beast Transformation, the curse would block it.

The curse kept changing its form to continuously hold onto the Golden Dragon. Sometimes it transformed into a snake to coil tightly around the dragon’s body, and sometimes it gripped the Golden Dragon’s wings firmly with Yeong-gwi’s long tail.

In such a state, he would have to endure tremendous pain every time he attempted Beast Transformation.

‘To have endured such pain, the Golden Dragon Family Head is truly an amazing person.’

It was such a vicious curse that an ordinary person would find even daily life difficult, let alone Beast Transformation.

Not only had he performed Beast Transformation in such a state, but he had even noticed the signal sent from the cliff. He was truly an extraordinary person.

After a moment of admiration, Yi-eon fell into contemplation.

He wanted to help the Golden Dragon somehow, but he couldn’t easily step forward.

The battle was so fierce that if he carelessly interfered, it might only make things worse.

‘I can’t break the curse right now.’

Yi-eon made his judgment coldly.

Being of the same clan, the difference in power felt even more clearly apparent.

The current Yi-eon could never defeat that Yeong-gwi. It would be fortunate if he didn’t get caught up in it, let alone break the curse.

However, he couldn’t just stand by and watch either.

The shadows were clearly Yeong-gwi’s domain.

It was a space where the Golden Dragon, who had been unwillingly dragged in, couldn’t properly exert his power, so ultimately the Golden Dragon would be the first to tire.

‘It’s already amazing mental strength that he’s held out this long… but he’ll reach his limit soon.’

At this rate, the Golden Dragon Family Head would eventually become unable to perform Beast Transformation. That would be equivalent to losing his identity as a beast-person.

No matter how strong a beast-person might be, it would be enough to drive him to despair, and there was no way Seo-yu wouldn’t be saddened seeing such a father.

‘I have to help the Family Head.’

Yi-eon, melted into the shadows, watched the clash between the two spirits while looking for an opportunity.

Although he couldn’t immediately stop Yeong-gwi, he could lend his power to help the Golden Dragon endure longer.

Closer, a little closer.

Yi-eon carefully narrowed the distance.

Every time the aftermath of the collision shook the Shadow World, he cautiously hid his body, and quickly moved forward between the flashing lights.

Crack!

Once again, fierce sparks flew. Yi-eon seized that moment to approach right behind the Golden Dragon Family Head.

‘Now!’

Yi-eon gathered the Yeong-gwi aura he possessed and pushed it toward the Golden Dragon.

Swoooosh—

Black shadows spread like waves, gently enveloping the Golden Dragon Family Head.

As if surrounded by a barrier, Yi-eon’s aura began to protect the Golden Dragon.

Thud!

Once again, Yeong-gwi’s curse attacked the Golden Dragon, but this time Yi-eon’s aura absorbed the impact. The pain the Golden Dragon felt was noticeably reduced.

‘That should be enough to hold out for a while.’

Yi-eon, feeling relieved, was just about to step back.

‘…What?’

Yi-eon’s eyes narrowed slightly.

When he had seen it from afar, he hadn’t noticed, but up close, Yeong-gwi’s movements seemed somehow unnatural.

When he focused and looked more carefully, something whitish flickered in his vision, barely visible.

‘Thread?’

Yi-eon’s eyes widened instantly. Threads so thin they couldn’t be seen without careful attention were restraining Yeong-gwi.

‘Is someone controlling that Yeong-gwi?’

It was an absurd situation, but if that were the case, it would also explain why Yeong-gwi was attacking the Golden Dragon, who had no connection to it whatsoever.

Yi-eon approached Yeong-gwi again to find out where the threads led.

One step, two steps.

Yi-eon, who had been cautiously approaching, raised his head.

At that moment, his eyes met with Yeong-gwi’s.

‘…!’

Yi-eon’s body froze.

Somehow, it felt familiar. Even though it was a Yeong-gwi he had never seen before.

‘Where have I seen this? Why does it look familiar?’

It was definitely a face he was seeing for the first time, yet he felt strangely familiar with it.

Just as something was about to surface in Yi-eon’s troubled mind.

[Run away.]

A low, deep voice echoed through the Shadow World.

“What…!”

At the same time, an enormous force pushed Yi-eon away.

Whoosh—!

Yi-eon was expelled from the Shadow World without any chance to resist.

“…!”

When he came to his senses, Yi-eon had returned to Hyeon-rang’s bedroom.

‘What was that just now?’

Though he was quite bewildered, Yi-eon first checked on Hyeon-rang while still keeping his presence hidden.

Fortunately, Hyeon-rang’s brow, which had been painfully furrowed, was slowly relaxing. His rough breathing also felt much more settled.

‘The immediate crisis has been averted.’

The aura Yi-eon had added was clearly acting like a barrier, reducing the pain the Golden Dragon Family Head was experiencing.

Of course, since he hadn’t been able to break the curse, it couldn’t be considered a perfect solution.

But what the Golden Dragon Family Head needed was time. The power Yi-eon had transmitted was enough to buy that time.

‘Family Head, please endure.’

Yi-eon silently conveyed his thoughts, then melted back into the darkness and barely managed to return to the guest room.

Thud.

Yi-eon collapsed onto the bed and released his Shadow Form while gasping for breath.

Extreme fatigue washed over him from using a special ability he hadn’t employed once since leaving the north.

At the same time, the moment when his eyes met with Yeong-gwi wouldn’t leave his mind.

‘It was definitely a face I’d never seen before…’

Why did it feel so familiar? What was that feeling of having seen him somewhere before?

And that voice he heard at the end.

[Run away.]

What did that Yeong-gwi want Yi-eon to run away from?

‘…I guess I’ll have to go to the north after all.’

What connection could there be between the Golden Dragon and Yeong-gwi, or if there wasn’t one, what reason would someone have to control Yeong-gwi?

To find out all these facts, he had no choice but to return to that land that had been Yeong-gwi’s territory.

Yi-eon realized that fate was leading him toward the north.

‘I need to find out what’s really going on.’

That’s what he had to do in order to become confident.

For Seo-yu’s sake, who considered him just a good friend, and to stop deceiving that child any longer, he absolutely had to.

Yi-eon lifted his trembling body and took out ink and an inkstone, then spread out paper.

In the deepening night, only the sound of grinding ink quietly echoed through the room.

* * *

The Emperor, Gon Hak-yeo, snapped his eyes open.

His red eyes, penetrated by moonlight, emitted an eerie gleam.

‘He’s rebelling again.’

Gon Hak-yeo immediately got up and headed to his private study connected to his bedroom.

When he tapped one wall in the proper sequence, the sound of stone grinding echoed as a hidden secret passage was revealed.

The dark passage led underground. Gon Hak-yeo walked that path familiarly without even lighting a fire.

Step, step.

Only the regular sound of footsteps echoed through the darkness.

What awaited at the end was a person bound by chains inscribed with all manner of incantations… no.

It was something that had once been human but was now covered in dark aura, making even its form unrecognizable.

“Haven’t given up yet?”

Gon Hak-yeo said coldly.

The being bound by chains made through sorcery had once been the head of the Yeong-gwi Family that led the north.

A gift his great-grandfather had left for the Phoenix Emperor. One who had been trapped deep underground for over a hundred years and reduced to a tool of the Phoenix Family.

“Yeong-gwi Family Head, you’re truly persistent.”

“…”

“Your soul belongs to our Phoenix. No matter how many schemes you devise, you’re caught every time you exert power, yet you still won’t listen—truly bringing suffering upon yourself.”

No answer came back to Gon Hak-yeo’s mockery.

Yeong-gwi had lost his physical body and was no longer able to speak human words. It had been well over a hundred years since he became like this.

“Well, being so foolish, it’s no wonder he ended up like this.”

Gon Hak-yeo, who had been staring at him intently, muttered as if sighing.

When he first saw him as a child, he seemed to have felt pity for him. After all, they were both Four Spirits.

But now he had grown numb and no longer felt such thoughts. Rather, that attitude of refusing to submit to the end only irritated him.

‘More than that, his form has deteriorated considerably.’

Gon Hak-yeo frowned.

Among the Four Spirits, the Yeong-gwi had the longest lifespan, and this Yeong-gwi Family Head had lived quite long even among them.

Thanks to that, he had been able to conveniently drain his power, but now the end was slowly coming into sight. It was inevitable.

Using Yeong-gwi’s power to open the sealed land and summon demonic arts, and making him cast curses on none other than fellow Four Spirits—it would be abnormal if his body didn’t deteriorate.

‘It’s still too early though…’

There were still many things Yeong-gwi needed to do.

He hadn’t collected all the Four Death Spirit Herbs yet, nor had he perfectly solidified his imperial power.

For the Phoenix to continue remaining as emperor of Jusang Kingdom through generations, he needed to show more achievements. To do that, he had to create incidents.

‘I should have captured a new Yeong-gwi.’

Some mediocre, powerless Yeong-gwi wouldn’t do.

Even if they couldn’t match the Yeong-gwi Family Head’s power, he needed a Yeong-gwi who could become a chess piece to carry out his will.

But the skilled Yeong-gwi were unnecessarily quick-witted and had already hidden themselves.

Since he couldn’t recklessly ransack the Northern Lands, he had to make use of even this dying Yeong-gwi.

‘Those rat-like bastards anyway.’

Grinding his teeth, Gon Hak-yeo thought of the Golden Dragon.

A clan that was ignorantly strong and had occupied the imperial throne for a long time.

If not for them, he wouldn’t have needed to spend so many long years on this effort, and the passing time felt like such a waste.

On top of that.

‘Who would have thought the Qilin’s child would become the Golden Dragon’s adopted daughter…’

With even such unimaginable events occurring, it was nothing but ill fate.

Hwang Seo-yu.

The Qilin’s child who bore the Golden Dragon’s surname.

Thinking of this existence he absolutely couldn’t welcome, Gon Hak-yeo’s eyes gleamed coldly.

‘She probably hasn’t awakened her special abilities yet.’

If she had, Cho-a would surely have told him when he was still alive.

But he couldn’t just wait around feeling relieved.

If she manifested Qilin’s power and awakened the Four Death Spirit Herbs, his plans would be ruined.

‘I must eliminate her before then. Let’s see, something to use…’

His eyes gleaming coldly, Gon Hak-yeo thought of a young girl imprisoned in the prison. That foolish deer who had ruined even her own future with excessive greed.

‘If done well, I might be able to handle two troublesome matters at once.’

A cold smile spread across Gon Hak-yeo’s lips.

He raised his hand and began drawing something in the air.

Swoosh—

Black aura formed characters in the air. It was sorcery.

That very sorcery that had once been the exclusive domain of the Yeong-gwi.

The chains connected to the Yeong-gwi Family Head trembled violently as dark aura flowed toward him.

Sorcery that temporarily enhanced power at the cost of life force engulfed Yeong-gwi.

“…!”

The Yeong-gwi Family Head’s body convulsed violently. It was an agonizing struggle.

“You still have some use left, so you need to work a bit more. Wouldn’t that be better for you too?”

The dark aura from the Yeong-gwi Family Head grew even thicker and spread to the surroundings, but Gon Hak-yeo didn’t even blink.

“Keep maintaining the curse on Golden Dragon, and the Qilin’s child… I’ll deal with soon enough.”

Muttering, Gon Hak-yeo turned his back.

“You’ll have to endure until then, Yeong-gwi Family Head.”

The regular sound of footsteps faded away into the darkness once more.

Left alone, the Yeong-gwi Family Head trembled faintly while bound by chains.

A single tear fell from the formless shadow.

However, the tear consumed by the dark aura disappeared before it could even hit the floor.

Like his existence that remained hidden from the outside world, utterly silent.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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