The White Tiger Clan’s Baby Cotton Ball - Chapter 103

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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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Chapter 103

 

About fifteen minutes ago, Soya made a request to Seolyeo.

 

[Hey, Seolyeo. So, can you transform into the form of a demon beast too?]

 

When they first met at Horim Mountain, Seolyeo had been in the form of a demon beast.

 

Since Seolyeo could transform into any animal, she thought it might be possible for her to change into a demon beast form like back then.

 

[A demon beast… you mean something like this?]

 

Seolyeo tilted her head once, then with a ‘poof!’ transformed to mimic the other demon beasts in the underground palace.

 

[Amazing, Seolyeo! You really look like a demon beast!]

 

When Soya clapped and praised her, Seolyeo twitched her nose tip and smiled as if she hadn’t been scared and whimpering just moments before.

 

Then she hid Soya within her fluffy fur and entered the underground palace.

 

“Success!”

 

“Well done, Seolyeo!”

 

“Hehe.”

 

Pleased by the continuous praise, Seolyeo wagged her tail vigorously.

 

Then other demon beasts passing by looked at Seolyeo with suspicious eyes.

 

“Seolyeo. Your tail…!”

 

“Oops.”

 

Seolyeo quickly lowered her tail and walked leisurely, mimicking the gait of the other demon beasts.

 

Though it was a somewhat clumsy imitation, the demon beasts’ gazes toward Seolyeo soon turned away.

 

“Phew.”

 

Soya relaxed and released her grip on Seolyeo’s fur that she had been clutching tightly with both wings, then plopped down.

 

“I thought we were going to get caught for sure.”

 

“Sorry, Soya. I’ll be more careful.”

 

Seolyeo rolled her eyes toward Soya sitting on top of her head and apologized.

 

“But where should we go now?”

 

“First, let’s look for the Shrine of the Hyeonmu Clan.”

 

“Okay!”

 

Seolyeo moved nimbly as if to make up for her earlier mistake and went to find the shrine.

 

Usually, shrines were placed in the deepest and most secluded parts of estates.

 

This was because outsiders shouldn’t approach them carelessly.

 

Seolyeo easily found a black shrine in a secluded part of the underground palace.

 

Creak—

 

When she gently pushed open the old wooden door with her head, the interior of the shrine became visible.

 

The broken wooden door, sagging rafters, spider webs and dust everywhere—the old wooden building looked quite deteriorated from lack of maintenance for a long time.

 

When Soya hopped down and went inside, Seolyeo stealthily followed behind her.

 

Small bird footprints and plump demon beast footprints were left on the dusty floor.

 

‘They said Hyeonmu’s divine artifact is a black shield made of iron.’

 

Soya looked around and then fluttered up to get a higher view.

 

However, nothing that looked like a shield was visible anywhere.

 

As Soya walked across the dust-covered altar, she slightly raised her head.

 

Then she noticed a torn black tapestry hanging on the wall.

 

It was a Hyeonmu divine painting embroidered with the forms of a black tortoise and snake.

 

The damaged and torn tapestry revealed hatred and anger toward the divine beast.

 

Soya recalled that Hyeon Rabaek had severed all direct bloodlines himself.

 

‘Why did Hyeon Rabaek hate the Divine Beast so much?’

 

Divine Beasts were sacred and righteous beings who had protected the continent long ago. They were beings that everyone respected and revered.

 

Then she discovered another tapestry next to it, embroidered with symbols of the seven tribes.

 

Among them, the picture of the black snake tribe caught Soya’s eye.

 

It seemed a bit larger than the snakes Soya knew.

 

—That’s not a snake, it’s an imugi.

 

“An imugi?”

 

—A python that couldn’t become a dragon. But among those who inherited imugi blood, a dragon is born about once every thousand years.

 

“Ah.”

 

Soya nodded lightly and turned her gaze away.

 

The important thing wasn’t the seven tribes or imugi, but Hyeonmu’s divine artifact.

 

However, there was nothing that looked like a shield here.

 

The Divine Beasts had also told her that they couldn’t sense Hyeonmu’s energy at all.

 

‘Maybe it’s somewhere else.’

 

If it was that man who hated the Divine Beasts, there was a high possibility he wouldn’t have respectfully enshrined the divine artifact in the shrine.

 

‘But destroying or eliminating the divine artifact is impossible. It’s made from the spirit body of a Divine Beast.’

 

Soya fell deep into thought.

 

‘What would I have done if I were that man? Since it can’t be destroyed, I’d stick it somewhere and use evil magic or something… Wait, evil magic?’

 

She paused.

 

Soya twitched her beak and sniffed, then immediately showed a surprised expression.

 

“What’s wrong, Soya?”

 

“Seolyeo, can you smell this scent?”

 

“Scent?”

 

“Yes, this is from three years ago during the Mountain Lord Festival…”

 

Even Seolyeo, whose sense of smell was keen enough to detect the scent of evil beasts, just tilted her head with a confused expression.

 

But Soya could definitely smell it.

 

This was definitely the same fragrance as the scent pouch that Eun Siyo had used three years ago during the Mountain Lord Festival.

 

‘The scent of Northern Lands evil magic…’

 

Having quickly made her judgment, Soya hopped onto Seolyeo’s head and shouted in her ear.

 

“Please, Seolyeo! Go out and turn right!”

 

“Y-yes!”

 

“Left at the front!”

 

Seolyeo quickly moved in the direction Soya indicated.

 

Then, deep inside the palace, a cave revealed itself.

 

About a dozen demon beasts were guarding in front of it.

 

They were acting as if they were protecting something.

 

Soya and Seolyeo exchanged signals with their eyes, then immediately…

 

Poof!

 

Soya released her beast transformation, drew the White Tiger Sword and charged while Seolyeo enlarged her body and pounced on the demon beasts.

 

The demon beasts shrieked at the sudden attack and were helplessly overwhelmed.

 

Soya and Seolyeo easily wiped out all the demon beasts and entered the cave.

 

The inside of the cave, lit here and there with candles, had an eerie atmosphere as if some suspicious ritual had been performed.

 

Soya followed the scent of evil magic deeper into the cave.

 

“Soya, there’s a shield over there!”

 

And deep inside, they found a shield bound tightly with chains and sealed on top of a long black box.

 

—It’s the Shield of the Flame King, Baby Bird!

 

—They sealed it with evil magic. How detestable.

 

Soya approached the black shield engraved with Hyeonmu’s emblem.

 

‘This is the divine artifact of the Northern Lands, the Hyeonmu Iron Shield…’

 

It was when Soya carefully reached out her hand.

 

“Soya!”

 

—Dangerous, Baby Bird!

 

Swoosh—!

 

At the sudden attack, Soya quickly dodged.

 

Whoosh!

 

When she turned around, a black figure in the form of a woman was pointing a long crescent-shaped scythe at Soya.

 

“Don’t… don’t come… any closer…”

 

It was a rough, metallic voice.

 

“I am… the Shield Bearer… who guards the divine artifact… of Northern Deity Hyeontoyeomwang…”

 

‘Shield Bearer?’

 

Soya’s eyes widened in shock.

 

Originally, the Shield Bearer of the Black Tortoise Clan was known to be held by one of the seven tribal chiefs.

 

‘But the direct lineage of the Black Tortoise Clan was completely severed by Hyeon Rabaek’s hand. So there shouldn’t be any seven tribal chiefs remaining.’

 

Moreover, that appearance was clearly not human.

 

However, it was also too close to human to be a demon beast, leaving Soya bewildered.

 

―It’s a thought entity.

 

Cheonghae Yongsin explained in brief words.

 

“A thought entity?”

 

―Yes. The soul of the dead is trapped, unable to leave the earthly realm. It awakened in response to an object containing their life’s desire.

 

“An object containing desire… do you mean that shield?”

 

―It’s impossible for a mere human’s desire to dwell in a divine beast’s spirit body. Probably something else…

 

―More importantly, the fact that a thought entity can exert such strong power means the main body is nearby. Find the main body, Baby Bird.

 

“Nearby? But…”

 

As Soya looked around, her eyes caught sight of a long black box.

 

‘Could it be…’

 

While Soya was looking in that direction, the thought entity attacked again.

 

“Soya!”

 

Seolyeo quickly snatched Soya away and dodged.

 

Boom―!

 

The long scythe struck down where Soya had been just moments before, creating a large crater.

 

“Seol Yoya, please.”

 

Soya left the thought entity to Seolyeo and ran toward the black box.

 

The thought entity noticed Soya’s intention and swung its scythe, but was immediately blocked by Seolyeo.

 

“Grrrowl…!”

 

While Seolyeo held off the thought entity, Soya removed the lid of the black box.

 

Inside lay the corpse of a woman.

 

What she had thought was a long box was actually a coffin containing a corpse.

 

‘Yeonghakyi…!’

 

The woman in the black coffin had her spirit core severely corrupted, with half her body as a beast-person and the other half twisted black like a demon beast.

 

Soya spread both hands and ignited the Purification Flame.

 

The flame that started from her fingertips soon blazed brightly, enveloping the woman’s corpse.

 

“Ah… ahh…”

 

The thought entity that had been swinging its scythe at Soya and Seolyeo suddenly hesitated and let out an incomprehensible moan.

 

Soon the woman’s corrupted spirit core was purified, and her blackened, twisted body cleanly returned to its original form.

 

At the same time, the thought entity’s black surface peeled away, becoming a clear soul with a translucent human form.

 

‘The thought entity has been purified.’

 

Soya gasped as she watched this.

 

“Ah…”

 

After a brief silence, the woman’s soul slowly blinked and let out an exclamation.

—————
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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