Huuuuuuu...

Thick smoke, darker than shadow, swirled around Seolhwa, who wore a black mask.

Just as Zhuge Hwi had said, upon entering the gate within the formation, she was met with a dense cloud of poisonous mist.

However, it wasn’t lethal.

It was the kind of poison that, if one turned back immediately after realizing its presence, could still be neutralized and survived.

‘Given Manrishintu’s personality, I figured he wouldn’t set a trap that would kill so easily.’

The same had been true with the Celestial Palace Ghost Head, and the same held in the cave.

Manrishintu’s traps leaned more toward driving intruders away than killing them outright.

‘Then what about the Zhuge Clan’s martial artists whom Manrishintu supposedly killed?’

Did they die because they didn’t leave even after realizing it?

Perhaps they panicked and lost their way out.

...

Seolhwa came to a stop.

Come to think of it—something felt off.

Why hadn’t the Zhuge Clan sealed off the entrance to the formation, knowing it was filled with poisonous mist?

Surely, they were aware that the formation’s entrance connected to the outer residence.

If an outsider entered and was harmed, it could become an issue involving the clan itself.

Considering the Zhuge Clan’s tendency to avoid stirring up trouble, wasn’t it odd that they hadn’t stationed even a single guard?

Huuu...

A chilling breeze blew from somewhere.

The deeper into the formation she went, the more the previously warm air turned cold.

She’d taken advantage of a quiet night to slip inside, but the surrounding darkness was absolute.

So dark that anyone not accustomed to it—like Seolhwa was—wouldn’t be able to take even a single step forward.

Crunch. Crunch. Snap. Crunch. Crunch. Snap.

After walking a while, Seolhwa began snapping off branches one by one.

It was to avoid getting lost inside the formation.

How far had she walked like that?

“...”

[That’s the marker you left earlier.]

A snapped branch lay on the ground.

As she continued walking in that direction, she found more branches, broken at regular intervals.

[You’ve lost your way.]

Seolhwa stood still and looked around.

The poisonous mist had thickened considerably, and the air had grown not just cool, but cold.

Suddenly, a memory surfaced—the formation Namgoong Cheonghae had demonstrated at the family’s Heavenly Martial Gathering four years ago.

Those who entered the formation ended up endlessly circling a narrow dueling platform, unable to step off it.

That was exactly her situation now.

The range might have expanded, or perhaps she was even trapped in a smaller space than the dueling platform.

Formations were dangerous things.

‘There should be a Living Gate somewhere.’

But even though she had paid close attention to her surroundings on the way here, she had found no special markings indicating a path forward.

Still, there had to be a way to break this formation.

[One wrong move, and you’ll be stuck walking in circles for the rest of your life.]

Even the Imugi sounded worried.

Huuu...

Seolhwa continued walking.

Though she followed the trail of her own markers, she examined her surroundings even more carefully as she moved.

How much further had she walked?

A door appeared before her.

It was the same gate she had passed through at the entrance of the formation.

[Back where you started. It’s like being told to leave now that you’ve been thoroughly worn out wandering inside.]

[Seems the master of this formation isn’t ready to welcome guests.]

The Imugi believed that the Living Gate was in the hands of the formation’s master.

Only if the master came out to greet her could she exit through the gate on the opposite side.

But Seolhwa thought differently.

‘Not ready, huh...’

Click.

She pulled out the pendant she wore around her neck.

Fitting together its two pieces and examining it carefully, the corners of her lips lifted into a small smile.

“This is it.”

[Did you figure something out?]

“This jade token was a map.”

The pattern on the jade token—

It was the same one drawn on the gate when she entered the formation.

That pattern was a guide to the Living Gate of this formation.

As a single piece, the pattern would only cause one to circle endlessly.

But with the two separate pieces fitted together, it formed a path with a clear start and end.

Even if the pattern had many branches to confuse the eyes, there was only one true path that connected end to end.

[Hoh... Now that you say it, it does seem so. Hoooooh...]

“We’ll know once we try.”

Still holding the completed jade token, Seolhwa stepped back into the formation.

Since she had already returned to the gate, finding the path again wasn’t difficult.

Following the token’s pattern, she turned right at one fork, left at another, then went straight ahead.

Following the path like that, something unfamiliar emerged in the distance through the darkness.

A pavilion.

[That must be it.]

Seolhwa headed toward it.

The entrance to the grand pavilion stood quietly open, welcoming her.

On the front of the door was the same symbol as the one on the jade token, the one painted at the formation’s entrance.

Boom, boom, boom!

Seolhwa grabbed the door ring and knocked.

How long did she wait?

At last—creeeeeak—the door opened.

The moment Seolhwa stepped inside—

Whoooosh—

The poisonous mist vanished instantly, and her vision cleared as the surroundings brightened.

She looked up at the sky.

Under the clear night sky, gray clouds, dyed by the bright moonlight, floated lazily above.

As if it were all a lie, she had finally escaped the formation and returned to reality.

Seolhwa looked at the building before her.

The pavilion, bathed in moonlight and standing dignified, looked just a little lonely.

She sensed a person inside.

Seolhwa walked forward and entered.

She passed through the corridor and stopped in front of a room where light leaked out from within.

She was about to knock, but a voice came from inside first.

“Come in.”

Seolhwa opened the door.

A sweet fragrance greeted her first.

Inside, there was nothing but a round table and two chairs.

A man sat on the far side, pouring tea into two cups.

Small and slight, but with a firm and steady presence.

His upright posture faintly reminded her of Zhuge Hwi.

Thick brows, a straight nose, tightly closed lips.

Aside from his small frame, he resembled him quite a bit.

“I’ve been waiting.”

The man placed one of the filled cups across from him and lifted his gaze to meet the guest who had arrived in the middle of the night.

His eyes trembled slightly when he saw Seolhwa in her black mask.

But he quickly hid his surprise and gestured toward the chair ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) across from him.

“Sit. The tea will grow cold.”

Seolhwa took her seat.

She lifted the teacup in front of her and took a sip.

“Aren’t you suspicious of what might be in that tea?”

She set the cup down and looked at him.

“You of all people should know it doesn’t matter what’s in it.”

“We’ve only just met. What could I possibly know?”

“That I’ve mastered Wall Poison Steel Qi.”

Black smoke coiled around her like a shimmering mirage.

“You’re the one who helped me attain this unmatched martial art, aren’t you?”

During her journey here, Seolhwa had protected herself with Wall Poison Steel Qi, rendering the toxic mist harmless to her body.

It was a martial art she had learned using a manual and elixirs she’d found in the two hidden chambers of Manrishintu.

Manrishintu had prepared a way to break through the poisonous formation in those hidden chambers.

“This is our first time meeting face to face, but I’ve encountered you many times before.”

“You know me?”

Zhuge Myeong feigned innocence and asked coolly.

“You’re Zhuge Myeong, the younger brother of the Zhuge Clan Head.”

He let out a short scoff, as if the tension had deflated, and nodded.

“That’s right.”

But his expression hardened instantly at her next words.

“And also... Manrishintu.”

“...!”

“You’re him too, aren’t you?”

Zhuge Myeong stared directly at Seolhwa.

His face, frozen in an instant, turned unreadably cold.

“Are you the Demon Alliance Mistress?”

“So you do know me.”

“Is it true?”

“It is.”

Zhuge Myeong fell silent, his lips tightly sealed.

Seolhwa’s eyes curved inside her mask as she asked,

“You look disappointed. Didn’t you leave those clues hoping someone would come find you?”

“I hadn’t meant for it to be you.”

“Because I’m from the Black Path?”

“....”

Zhuge Myeong said nothing.

His silence was an answer in itself.

In truth, Seolhwa had expected this reaction from him the moment she entered the formation disguised as the Demon Alliance Mistress.

‘If it didn’t matter who came, he wouldn’t have hidden the final piece inside the Zhuge Clan.’

Even so, he must’ve hoped someone from the White Path would find him—hence why he hid himself here.

Someone who could easily pass over the Zhuge Clan’s walls would have to be from the Orthodox factions, at the very least.

“Really now. I came risking my life, and this is the welcome I get? I’m offended.”

“I did serve you tea.”

“Tea’s not what I came for, is it?”

“....”

“I’ve come for the third piece.”

Seolhwa’s gaze cooled in an instant.

Black smoke once again began to rise from her body.

Though she had arrived in the guise of the Demon Alliance Mistress, Seolhwa was without a doubt the rightful heir to the final piece—one who had passed countless trials set by Manrishintu.

“They say that with the three pieces, one gains the world. I’ve come to claim the last piece and take the world.”

“....”

“I said—give me the final piece.”

Manrishintu lowered his gaze and fell silent.

How long did the silence last?

At last, he lifted his eyes to Seolhwa and spoke.

“...I’m sorry. But the final piece doesn’t exist.”