The Beloved Baby Deer of the Hwangryong Family - Chapter 157

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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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‘This power!’

It wasn’t simply light. It was sacred life force that could revive all things.

Even the current head of the Qilin Family was surprised by its intensely powerful presence.

Grooooo!

Soon, a heavy vibration that split the earth rang out, and something shot up from the soil at a terrifying speed. It was a massive ancient tree root.

The enormous root that instantly revealed itself above ground blocked Gi Tae-ha’s front like a shield.

Bang!

Immediately after, with an eardrum-splitting roar, the ferocious horn that had the momentum to pierce through anything crashed head-on into the wooden barrier.

“Grrrrrr!”

The demon beast let out a bizarre groan and struggled, but with its horn stuck in the solid tree root, it couldn’t move at all.

In that gap, Seo-yu ran to Gi Tae-ha and asked worriedly.

“Family Head, are you alright? You’re not hurt, are you?”

Gi Tae-ha’s gaze, which had been frozen for a moment by the sudden situation, soon turned to Seo-yu.

Only when their eyes met did Seo-yu remember how she would appear to him.

‘I’ve switched bodies with Miss Su-jeong right now!’

Seo-yu, who had been hiding in the back room of the annex to avoid meeting other people, had rushed out because of the two divine spirits that suddenly appeared.

[Seo-yu, this is terrible! I can sense a demon beast’s aura from outside!]

‘A, a demon beast? There are no demon beasts in the Western Lands!’

[I can feel it too. A foolish soul has finally crossed a line that should never be crossed.]

While going outside to find her family, Seo-yu discovered Gi Tae-ha and Su-jeong together.

But Su-jeong had suddenly transformed into a demon beast!

The moment she saw the fierce Su-jeong rushing as if to attack Gi Tae-ha at any moment, Seo-yu unconsciously unleashed her power.

In that moment, her only thought was that she had to protect the Qilin Family Head. She didn’t even have time to think about how she looked.

“Family Head, this may be hard to believe, but I’m not Miss Su-jeong, I’m…”

“I know.”

Seo-yu, who had been flustered and trying to make excuses, stopped short.

Gi Tae-ha’s gaze, which had calmly affirmed, fell upon the black hat that had come off as she rushed over.

“That child was you too.”

Seo-yu’s mouth opened slightly.

“How…”

“How could I not know? I should know. I should be able to recognize you no matter what form you take.”

At the voice that sounded lonely, Seo-yu felt strange.

Perhaps it was because the Qilin Family Head’s gaze looking at her was so tender.

Rumble!

Then, with a chilling sound, the ancient tree root shook violently.

The demon beast with its horn stuck was struggling with all its might to break free.

“…!”

When Seo-yu unconsciously flinched at the fierce vibration, Gi Tae-ha pulled her shoulder protectively and hid her behind him.

The next moment, a massive shadow fell over their heads.

“Seo-yu!”

What came flying with a fierce gust of wind was Hwang Hyeon-rang in his beast transformation.

Descending while his brilliant scales gleamed, he spread his house-sized wings wide and embraced Gi Tae-ha and Seo-yu protectively.

“Family Head Gi, hold on tight!”

At Hwang Hyeon-rang’s shout, his wings flapped powerfully.

Leaving behind the demon beast that roared with sharp ferocity, Hwang Hyeon-rang instantly created distance and set the two down in a safe place.

Hwang Hyeon-rang, who hurriedly returned to human form, immediately checked on Seo-yu first.

“Let me see, are you hurt anywhere? Why is your complexion so pale? You weren’t affected by poison, were you?”

Hwang Hyeon-rang examined Seo-yu with anxious eyes.

Gone was his usual composure – this was purely the appearance of a father worried only about his child’s safety.

“Father, I’m fine. I’m not hurt at all.”

When Seo-yu grasped Hwang Hyeon-rang’s hands reassuringly, only then did he let out a long breath he’d been holding and pull Seo-yu tightly into his arms.

“Thank goodness, truly thank goodness. I suddenly felt an evil aura and was so startled…”

Soon after, Bi-yeon and Li-han also came running with pale faces.

“Young Miss!”

“Seo-yu, are you okay?”

Li-han said he had gone to the back room of the annex looking for Seo-yu, and his heart nearly dropped when he saw the empty room, then he clutched his chest in relief upon seeing Seo-yu safe.

Bi-yeon also cupped Seo-yu’s cheeks in relief.

Hwang Hyeon-rang approached Gi Tae-ha and asked.

“Family Head Gi, what happened? I would appreciate an explanation of the situation.”

“We encountered her by chance on our way back. She seemed to be in distress, so when I approached, she was clutching her stomach and then suddenly underwent demon beast transformation.”

After Gi Tae-ha answered calmly, he looked at Seo-yu who had Su-jeong’s appearance and asked back in an even more subdued voice.

“It seems the child from the Nok family has finally dabbled in sorcery.”

“This wouldn’t be something she planned alone.”

How could a child who had been imprisoned learn such advanced sorcery?

There must surely be someone behind this.

And that mastermind would be someone with authority to access the Imperial Prison.

It was when the two family heads were exchanging glances.

“Um, Family Head. Did Miss Su-jeong perhaps spit something out before she transformed into a demon beast?”

Seo-yu asked while glancing sideways at Su-jeong, who was stuck in tree roots far away and unable to move.

Gi Tae-ha, who was looking at the demon beast with sunken eyes following the child, shook his head.

“Nothing like that happened. Rather…”

Gi Tae-ha’s brow furrowed slightly. He recalled the rustling sound he had heard just before Su-jeong transformed into a demon beast.

“It seemed like she was taking something out from her belongings. Yes, it happened right after that.”

Seo-yu’s eyes filled with puzzlement. The Dragon Spirit, who had been quietly observing the situation, spoke up.

[I can feel Yeong-gwi’s aura more strongly from that child. It seems she swallowed another shell fragment.]

‘Then did she transform into a demon beast because of the shell?’

[The shell itself is not at fault. However, if evil intent was imbued in it, that’s a different story.]

‘…Are you saying someone deliberately turned Miss Su-jeong into a demon beast?’

It was the moment Seo-yu gasped at the shocking hypothesis. The Demon Beast’s roar tore through the air.

“Kyaaaaaaak—!”

The roots creaked and shook underground, and it seemed they wouldn’t be able to hold Su-jeong for much longer.

Seo-yu was troubled. She needed to separate Su-jeong from the shell she had swallowed to break the sorcery, but she was at a loss for how to extract the shell in such a frenzied state.

Hwang Hyeon-rang, sensing her feelings, spoke with determined eyes.

“I’ll try to capture that child alive.”

It was the moment Hwang Hyeon-rang was about to transform and fly away.

Kukukukung!

A massive tremor echoed as if an earthquake was occurring in the earth.

At the same time, dust clouds began rising from all directions like black fog, starting to thickly cover the entire area.

“Wh-what is that?”

Seo-yu’s eyes widened at the ominous energy, and everyone’s gaze converged on one spot.

Shortly after, Bi-yeon shouted in a voice filled with horror.

“Hwang Hyeon-rang, it’s a rift! A rift is occurring!”

Through the cracks where the earth split open, Demon Beasts that had been sealed in the Underground World began crawling up one by one, making eerie cries.

It was the beginning of a disaster that had never occurred in the Western Region ruled by the Qilin.

* * *

A flock of birds took flight all at once over the southern sky.

At the moment when the sound of hundreds of wingbeats cut through the air like screams, the Imperial Audience Hall meeting at the Imperial Palace was in full swing.

“Ugh!”

Gon Hak-yeo groaned and clutched his chest at the sudden pain.

As his complexion turned pale in an instant, worried cries poured out from all directions.

“Your Majesty! Are you feeling unwell?”

“It must be from overwork lately. Please take some rest.”

Gon Hak-yeo reluctantly dismissed the meeting and headed to his bedroom. He repeatedly declined suggestions to call the Royal Physician and locked the door alone.

In the silent room, Gon Hak-yeo staggered and sat on the edge of the bed.

It was then that a different being, not himself, appeared in the mirror.

“It’s been a while, Phoenix.”

The man with sinisterly gleaming eyes exuded a rough, beast-like atmosphere.

“How is your task coming along?”

Gon Hak-yeo asked, pressing his forehead as if trying to endure the pain. The man replied smugly as if mocking him.

“Tsk tsk, don’t be so stiff. News will arrive soon.”

“You haven’t caused trouble to the point where it can’t be handled, have you? Don’t forget who it is that allows you to set foot on This Land.”

At Gon Hak-yeo’s cold warning, the man shrugged his shoulders.

“Of course I’m grateful, Phoenix. But you too are sitting on the Emperor’s throne thanks to me, aren’t you? We’re excellent business partners.”

“How dare you!”

Heat instantly filled Gon Hak-yeo’s red eyes. The man pretended to step back and continued leisurely.

“Yikes, I get it. Stop there. You’ll have plenty of occasions to use your power soon anyway, so there’s no need to waste it on me.”

It was when Gon Hak-yeo was still glaring at the mirror with cold eyes.

The urgent voice of a messenger from outside the closed door echoed through the corridor.

“Your Majesty! Urgent news! A rift has appeared in the Southern Region!”

“What?”

Gon Hak-yeo asked with feigned surprise. However, the urgent news didn’t end there.

“There’s also news that a massive rift has formed in the Great Antlered Deer Family Territory in the west!”

“Convene an emergency meeting immediately!”

“Yes!”

As he issued the command with an authoritative voice, the momentarily chaotic outside soon regained its silence.

Gon Hak-yeo only quietly opened his mouth after all signs of presence had completely disappeared.

“Yeong-gwi doesn’t have much life left now.”

“An old friend is departing, shouldn’t we at least hold a farewell banquet?”

“Does this sound like a joke to you right now?”

Even as the coldly sunken gaze turned toward the mirror, The Man still maintained his brazen attitude.

“Judging by your reaction, the shells must be running out? It’ll be hard to find another sorcerer of that caliber, so Your Majesty must have many worries.”

“Do-cheol, shut that mouth of yours.”

Gon Hak-yeo ground his teeth, having been hit right on target.

Though he didn’t want to admit it, the words of the Four Fiends’ Do-cheol had annoyingly struck the mark.

He had accomplished countless things through the Yeong-gwi Family Head left behind by his great-grandfather, but now even that power had reached its limit.

Various experiments had been conducted on the Yeong-gwi captured during the Yeong-gwi Rebellion, but only one Yeong-gwi Family Head had survived.

Unable to find new useful Yeong-gwi, Gon Hak-yeo’s concerns could only deepen.

“Don’t worry. The Death Spirits will be too busy trying to stop these rifts anyway.”

“Eung-ryong is there.”

“You know this already. The current Death Spirits don’t have that kind of power, do they? Unless they’re calling forth the Primordial Spirit Commander or something.”

At those words, the tension in Gon Hak-yeo’s jaw loosened somewhat.

The tactic of summoning Demon Beasts to divert attention whenever a crisis arose was always effective.

The rift in the Western Lands had been arranged to occur on an especially large scale, so it would be complete chaos by now.

‘It would be nice if a few Eung-ryong disappeared in the process too.’

That might be too greedy, but the Great Antlered Deer Family would disappear into the back alleys of history.

Any evidence that might have constrained him someday would also be buried underground forever.

Since the land wouldn’t become completely contaminated as long as the Qilin Clan existed, all he needed to do was properly seal the rifts after everything was over.

“Everything is flowing according to plan.”

Do-cheol chuckled, and Gon Hak-yeo quietly closed his eyes.

Soon, a satisfied smile appeared on The Man’s face in the mirror.

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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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