Tainted by Evil (3)
[The Fifth Cheongryeong (Blue Spirit)... Extremely dangerous. Requires at least ten exorcists to perform a proper exorcism. A vengeful spirit that has existed for over a hundred years. It can cause immense disturbances within a defined radius, including auditory and visual hallucinations that inflict mental torment.]
So it was written in the Yinyang Family Root Text of the Chronicles of the Philosophers.
And in the latter part, it was stated:
A vengeful spirit that has existed for more than a hundred years loses its human characteristics and fully enters the realm of true anomalies.
A true anomaly refers to none other than the eerie and malicious supernatural beings—chimei wangliang.
Sigh...
Sealing.
It quite literally refers to the act of imprisoning something.
The moment the old prayer beads shattered after being compressed—an eerie spectacle unfolded.
—Ruuush!
Blood cascaded like a waterfall down the entire chamber wall from the ceiling, dyeing the entire space crimson.
The flowing blood quickly filled the floor, making it slosh with every step.
Mok Gyeongun's lips curled into a delighted smile.
His anticipation swelled.
A true anomaly...
There was no doubt.
This was one.
And it was something far beyond even the demonic horsemen (maseung).
He had hoped for a Green Spirit (Nokryeong) at best, but something far greater had emerged.
Any seasoned exorcist would be alarmed.
—Thump! Thump!
A heartbeat.
In the chamber gradually filling with blood, the sound of a heartbeat could be heard.
Then, something strange began to happen.
Amidst the sea of blood, the heartbeat grew louder, and from its source—a heart began to form.
—Shhhhhhhh!
Blood converged toward the heart.
One organ, then two, then three—forming rapidly.
Bones emerged, encasing the organs.
Then muscles grew along the bones.
—Tap tap tap!
Soon, pale skin covered the surface of the muscles.
The whole process was wondrous—like witnessing the birth of something.
—Shwaaah!
The blood, now a reversed waterfall, enveloped the forming body.
And when that bloody torrent was sucked back into the ceiling—
—Click.
The being revealed itself.
It wore a ceremonial crown.
Its long, disheveled hair cascaded down a porcelain-white face that was strikingly beautiful.
Clad in red inner robes and a black outer coat, it held a long smoking pipe between its lips.
More natural-looking than even the maseung.
—Hoo...
The being inhaled deeply from the pipe and exhaled smoke through red lips.
At a glance, it looked like a teenager in their late teens—but the outfit made it difficult to tell if it was male or female.
Of course, Mok Gyeongun didn't care.
"You've made quite the grand entrance. May I ask who—"
Before he could finish, he was forcibly pulled forward by an unseen force.
—Shwaaah!
The blood was already up to his thighs.
The being, still smoking, leaned its face toward Mok Gyeongun and looked him up and down.
"What exactly are you doing?"
—......
After a moment, the being gave a sly smile.
Then, its expression turned serious and it waved its hand.
In an instant—
—Whirl!Crash!
Mok Gyeongun's body was lifted and slammed into the chamber ceiling.
Then he fell into the rising blood again.
—Splash!
Soaked in blood, he staggered to his feet.
"Puh-ha."
He swept back his drenched hair.
The being watching him finally spoke.
"Foolish mortal. Empty your soul and offer me your spirit (baek)."
The voice rang clearly.
Unlike the maseung, whose murmurs were barely intelligible, this voice resounded from every direction.
Mok Gyeongun scratched his head and said:
"You know, the maseung did the same thing. Why are all vengeful spirits obsessed with possessing someone else's body? Can't do anything on your own, huh?"
—Tsk tsk.
The being clicked its tongue in disdain.
Then, tapping the pipe into the blood—
—Shwaaah!
Multiple blood tendrils shot up, forming whip-like strands that bound Mok Gyeongun's arms and legs tightly.
—Krrrrk!
He struggled, but the restraining force was far stronger.
Mok Gyeongun clicked his tongue in annoyance.
Now he understood why the Yinyang Root Text warned that this spirit required ten or more exorcists.
What now...
He had read the book but still lacked mastery in exorcism arts.
At that moment, the being drew a straight line with the pipe toward Mok Gyeongun.
Then—
—Shrrrip!
A searing pain struck his chest, and his clothes were split in a red, straight line.
It felt as if he'd been cut—and the pain was intense.
Yet, Mok Gyeongun's expression barely changed.
The being raised an eyebrow, seemingly expecting a scream of agony.
"You're a child with remarkable endurance."
"I'm used to it."
"Used to it? Then can you withstand this as well?"
With that, the being raised its smoking pipe.
And then, without warning—
—SHWAAAAAH!
The blood that had risen up to Mok Gyeongun's lower body surged in reverse, shooting upward.
In an instant, the entire chamber filled to the brim with blood.
Inside the blood-filled chamber, Mok Gyeongun's body floated aimlessly.
Hup.
He held his breath.
It was no different from being submerged underwater.
The being watched Mok Gyeongun casually, almost amused by the situation.
Its sinister gaze was a stark reminder of its nature as a ghost.
—Ssshhhhh...
The being approached Mok Gyeongun.
Then, gripping his immobile jaw, it spoke:
"What you're feeling right now is called fear..."
But it didn't finish the sentence.
What it had wanted to see was the look of terror on Mok Gyeongun's face—choking on blood, on the verge of death.
In a sealed space with no escape and no air to breathe, fear was the natural response for any living being.
But Mok Gyeongun's eyes stared back without a hint of trembling.
"You... You're unusual. For a living human to have eyes like that."
The being's voice tinged with curiosity.
At that moment, Mok Gyeongun flicked his tongue.
This taste...
The sensation on his tongue was unmistakably that of blood.
The liquid flooding the chamber was redder than crushed cornelian cherries.
Its sticky texture was the very embodiment of blood.
Every one of his senses confirmed it.
And yet—
"It's wrong. This is only death."
Mok Gyeongun snorted.
He had been called a "Grimshade Ghost" and had seen more blood than he could count.
When he touched real blood, there had always been a hint of life.
But this—this was pure death. Nothing else.
"It's not real."
And because it wasn't real, no matter what his senses told him, he knew it was all false.
Then—
—Ssshhhhh...
All the blood in Mok Gyeongun's vision vanished, as if it had never existed.
This is what the exorcists call "Resolving Perception" (解感)—nullifying sensory perception by denying its reality and breaking free from hallucinations.
The theory sounded simple.
But even the most highly trained exorcists struggled to escape such illusions.
There's nothing easier to deceive than the human senses.
!?
The being's expression shifted.
It had fully expected Mok Gyeongun to succumb over time, gasping for air like any other being.
Yet, he had broken free by his own awareness.
"You're far more interesting than you look."
The being's crimson lips curled into a grin.
Then it approached Mok Gyeongun and lightly tapped his shoulder with the pipe.
At that moment—
—THUD!
Mok Gyeongun was forced to one knee on the floor.
It seemed like a mere tap, but the way his right knee sank into the ground revealed how much force was behind it.
The being inhaled from its pipe and blew smoke at Mok Gyeongun as it spoke:
"Mortal. If you offer me your spirit (baek) of your own will, I shall grant your wish."
"My wish?"
"Yes. A child with eyes like yours couldn't have lived a normal life. Offer me your spirit. In return, I'll tear your enemy into pieces so thoroughly not even their soul will remain."
"…You seem very confident."
At Mok Gyeongun's reply, the being burst into laughter.
"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!"
—RUMBLEEEEE!
The entire chamber trembled from its laughter alone.
This being was in a completely different league from the maseung.
It had surpassed the realm of ordinary vengeful spirits and entered the territory of chimei wangliang—true monsters.
This was clearly a Blue Spirit (Cheongryeong)-class entity.
After laughing for some time, the being smirked and spoke:
"You're only still alive because I want your spirit. You'd better be grateful I'm showing you mercy."
"Am I supposed to be thankful?"
"You really are fearless."
—TAP!
The being lifted Mok Gyeongun's chin with the pipe.
Then, as if evaluating him, it said:
"At least you have a face I like. It's no bad thing to have a beautiful spirit."
"You're really fixated on possessing my body."
"Once I've set my sights, your spirit belongs to me."
"And if I say no?"
At those words, the being sneered.
"Your baek (魄 — soul essence) may suffer some damage, but I will take it by force."
"There was another monster who tried the same thing, and it failed. It's right above us."
At Mok Gyeongun's reply, the being gave a slight laugh.
"You dare compare me to some lowly wandering ghost? If I so desired, extinguishing your soul and snatching your baek would be a trivial matter."
"If you're that confident, then go ahead and try."
"Insolent wretch. Since you wish for it, I'll gladly oblige."
Before he could even finish speaking, the being removed the pipe from Mok Gyeongun's chin and raised it above his head.
Just then, Mok Gyeongun lowered his head and his shoulders began to shake.
Seeing that, the being smirked.
"Have you finally become afraid?"
"No. I just thought of something amusing."
"Amusing?"
The being looked confused. In response, Mok Gyeongun grabbed something and lifted it with both hands.
At that moment, the being's eyes visibly trembled.
Even without seeing it clearly, the being immediately knew what it was the moment Mok Gyeongun touched it.
It was the book bound in human skin.
Soaked in the blood of the late Jo Ilsang, the book now gleamed with an eerie luster, unlike before.
"You..."
"I read in The Essentials of Yin and Yang that the older a specter is, the more it relies on some form of anchor or vessel to remain in this world. I'm guessing this book is yours?"
"...You're being foolish."
"You say that, but the fact that you're hesitating says otherwise."
"You dare... You truly dare to provoke my wrath."
No sooner had the being spoken than Mok Gyeongun's body was lifted into the air and violently slammed into the ceiling.
—BANG! BANG!
It didn't stop there.
He was then hurled to the floor with brutal force.
The being twitched its fingers again, and Mok Gyeongun was flung back into the ceiling, this time head-first.
—CRACK!
Blood began streaming from the gash in his head.
But the onslaught didn't stop. Now Mok Gyeongun was hurled back and forth across the walls of the chamber.
—BANG BANG BANG BANG!
"Kugh!"
Blood spurted from Mok Gyeongun's mouth as his body bounced violently off the walls.
After several impacts, his limp body floated weakly in the air.
The being extended a hand toward him and spoke:
"Put that down. Now."
"...cough, cough... Why not just take it? Why bother going through all this trouble?"
"Foolish mortal. I am giving you a chance."
"A chance?"
"Yes."
"…It's not that you can't touch it yourself, is it?"
"..."
The being did not respond to that pointed question.
From its silence, Mok Gyeongun was now sure.
This ancient ghost could not touch the book made of human skin directly.
If it could have, it would have taken it from the start. Instead, it inflicted pain to force him to let go.
"So you truly wish for death. Even if you hold that book, there's nothing you can do. You're neither Taoist nor exorcist. What could you possibly accomplish? Fine. I'll give up on your baek. I'll just kill you—"
Just as the being was reaching out to act—
—CRUNCH!
In that moment, Mok Gyeongun bit into the cover of the book.
—!!!!!!!
The Blue Spirit (Cheongryeong) was visibly stunned.
It had encountered countless exorcists, Taoists, and monks, and while many had tried to seal or burn the book—none had ever bitten it.
"You! You!"
That was because the book radiated such intense demonic energy (yogi) that it was near-impossible to destroy.
The same had been true for Mok Gyeongun.
He had tried to tear the book apart with brute force while being flung around, but to no avail.
Then, by chance, he discovered that only the outer cover of the book was made of human skin.
If that's the case...
So, his choice became very simple.
—CHOMP CHOMP!
Mok Gyeongun tore off the human-skin cover with his teeth and began to chew it in his mouth.
"Aargh!"
At that moment, the Blue Spirit's pristine, pale brow twisted in agony as it clutched its chest.