Chapter 88:The Forbidden Land

A month passed in silence.

For Lucifer, it was an unusually peaceful month.

No wars.

No assassinations.

No elders hunting him.

Only waiting.

Waiting for the answer that might rewrite the history of Murim itself.

Then...

One quiet morning...

A snow-white messenger pigeon landed on the windowsill of his room.

Tied to its leg was a small black ribbon—the unmistakable mark of the Hao Sect.

Lucifer untied the message.

Only a single sentence was written.

"The black cup awaits."

A faint smile appeared on his lips.

"...Looks like she found something."

A short while later...

Lucifer once again stood before the towering pavilion where he had first met Hao Bing.

He looked up at the familiar building.

"Well..."

"This brings back memories."

As if expecting him, the waiter immediately escorted him to the highest floor.

Unlike before...

The tea had already been prepared.

Hao Bing sat quietly beside the window, dark circles visible beneath her normally calm eyes.

She looked exhausted.

Lucifer took one glance at her and chuckled.

"...You look terrible."

She rubbed her temples.

"For you..."

"It was one peaceful month."

"For me..."

"It was a month of sleepless nights."

Lucifer sat opposite her.

"I doubt an information addict like you hated every second of it."

Hao Bing couldn't help smiling.

"...You're right."

"It was exhausting."

"But..."

"...also fascinating."

Lucifer picked up the black porcelain cup.

"So."

"My information."

Hao Bing didn't answer immediately.

Instead...

She calmly poured tea into both cups.

Only then did she speak.

"Before I tell you..."

"...what do I receive in return?"

Lucifer raised an eyebrow.

"You don't need gold."

"You don't care about spirit stones."

"You possess more information than treasures."

"So..."

"What could you possibly want?"

Hao Bing met his crimson eyes.

"When this mystery reaches its end..."

"I want to hear everything."

"Every truth."

"Every secret."

"No lies."

Lucifer laughed quietly.

"You know..."

"The people who learn this secret..."

"...usually don't live very long."

Hao Bing calmly lifted her cup.

"Then..."

"I'll simply stand beside the Devil."

Silence lingered between them.

Finally...

Lucifer smiled.

"Deal."

Hao Bing reached into her sleeve and unfolded an ancient scroll.

"The last confirmed location..."

"...where Daxia and Chunma were seen together..."

"...was the Silent Hills."

The moment those words left her mouth—

Chirin's expression changed completely.

"...This just became troublesome."

Lucifer frowned.

"It's only a place."

"What makes it so special?"

Chirin looked at him like he had lost his mind.

"...Only a place?"

"The weakest creature living there..."

"...is in the Saint Realm peak."

"And you're only at the Fifth Saint Realm."

Lucifer blinked.

"...That bad?"

Hao Bing slowly nodded.

"It gets worse."

"The Murim Alliance uses that place..."

"...as an execution ground."

Lucifer looked confused.

"They don't execute prisoners."

"They give them hope."

"They promise..."

"'Survive seven days inside the Silent Hills..."

"...and every crime you've committed will be forgiven.'"

She slowly folded the scroll.

"But..."

"No one has survived even one day."

"The place is overflowing with spiritual energy."

"Rare herbs."

"Ancient minerals."

"Extinct spiritual beasts."

"Lost inheritances."

"It should have become the richest land in Murim."

"But instead..."

"It became the world's greatest forbidden zone."

Even both the Murim Alliance...

...and the Demonic Cult...

Had abandoned the region centuries ago.

No kingdom ruled it.

No sect claimed it.

Only death remained there.

Lucifer rested his chin on one hand.

"If no one can enter..."

"How do you know your information is correct?"

Chirin nodded.

"Exactly."

"You couldn't have confirmed it."

Hao Bing smiled bitterly.

"We couldn't."

"But..."

"We found something else."

She slowly revealed another weathered manuscript.

"Our agents infiltrated one of the Murim Alliance's hidden archives."

"They died retrieving this."

Lucifer's smile disappeared.

"It was worth that much?"

Hao Bing nodded.

"The manuscript was burned."

"Torn."

"Almost unreadable."

"Yet..."

"It was protected more heavily than some legendary martial arts manuals."

Lucifer understood immediately.

"If something worthless is guarded that carefully..."

"...then it isn't worthless."

"Exactly."

Hao Bing continued,

"Every generation of Murim Alliance Leaders inherits this knowledge."

"They preserve it."

"Not because it grants power..."

"...but because they never want anyone searching for the truth."

Lucifer slowly stood.

"So..."

"It might be the real answer."

"...Or a trap."

Hao Bing smiled.

"Exactly."

"So..."

"What will you do?"

Lucifer's grin slowly widened.

"You already know."

As he turned to leave...

Hao Bing spoke one last time.

"...Good luck."

Lucifer didn't stop walking.

"Luck?"

He laughed.

"Who needs luck..."

"...when you're the Devil?"

Several hours later...

Lucifer stood before the entrance of the Silent Hills.

The forest before him looked...

Wrong.

The trees twisted unnaturally.

Gray mist drifted across the ground.

No birds sang.

No insects chirped.

Even the wind refused to make a sound.

It was as though the entire world had died.

Lucifer narrowed his eyes.

"So..."

"This is the Silent Hills."

Chirin quietly spoke.

"...I don't like this place."

"Neither do I."

Lucifer smiled.

"Which usually means..."

"...it's going to be interesting."

He stepped forward.

The instant his foot crossed the invisible boundary...

The world changed.

The sunlight vanished.

Everything became darker.

Colder.

The air grew damp.

Massive fungi covered ancient trees.

Strange glowing moss spread across broken rocks.

The silence became overwhelming.

It felt less like entering a forest...

...and more like entering another world.

Then...

Lucifer stopped walking.

"..."

"I can feel them."

Thousands of gazes.

Watching him.

Not murderous.

Not friendly.

Simply...

Hungry.

They surrounded him from every direction.

Hidden within the darkness.

Waiting.

Watching.

Studying.

Lucifer sighed.

"If you're done playing hide-and-seek..."

"...come out."

Silence.

Then—

One pair of glowing eyes appeared.

Then another.

Then another.

Within moments...

Thousands of crimson eyes illuminated the darkness.

Shadowy creatures slowly emerged.

Some walked on four legs.

Others crawled.

Some floated above the ground.

None possessed a stable shape.

Their bodies constantly shifted like smoke.

Lucifer smiled.

"Now..."

"That's more like it."

Without hesitation—

He swung Chirin.

"Cleave."

A crimson slash tore through the forest.

It passed...

Straight through them.

Not a single creature was harmed.

Lucifer frowned.

"...Interesting."

The monsters attacked.

Their claws...

Connected perfectly.

Lucifer narrowly escaped.

"What are these things?"

"Ghosts?"

"Spirits?"

"Yokai?"

Chirin answered honestly.

"I have absolutely no idea."

Lucifer activated Sin of Sloth.

His body blurred.

Every claw...

Every fang...

Every strike...

Missed him by mere centimeters.

Then came Sin of Envy.

He attempted to read their thoughts.

Nothing.

No emotions.

No instincts.

Nothing.

"...Empty?"

"They don't even think."

He slowed time itself using Sin of Greed.

The monsters' movements became sluggish.

Even so...

His sword still couldn't touch them.

Every attack simply passed through empty air.

Worse...

His Qi continued draining.

Normally...

Sin of Gluttony would replenish everything.

But these creatures possessed no physical bodies to absorb.

For the first time in a long while...

Lucifer found himself at a disadvantage.

He stopped attacking.

Instead...

He observed.

His Demonic Eyes carefully followed every movement.

Every fluctuation.

Every distortion.

Every attack.

Minutes passed.

Then...

His lips slowly curved upward.

"I see."

Chirin looked confused.

"What?"

Lucifer pointed toward one of the charging monsters.

"When they attack..."

"Their bodies become solid."

"Only for an instant."

"They have to."

"Otherwise..."

"Their own attacks would pass through me."

A grin spread across his face.

"So..."

"I don't need to hit ghosts."

"I only need to hit..."

"...the moment they stop being ghosts."

The next creature lunged.

Instead of dodging...

Lucifer charged.

Both attacks collided simultaneously.

His shoulder was torn open—

—but Chirin sliced straight through the creature.

For the first time...

The monster screamed.

Its body split apart.

Then dissolved into dark spiritual energy.

Lucifer activated Sin of Gluttony.

The energy surged into his body.

His exhausted Qi instantly recovered.

His wounds rapidly healed.

Lucifer laughed.

"So that's how this place works."

The creatures hesitated.

For the first time...

They felt fear.

Not because one of their own had died.

But because...

The man before them...

Was smiling.

A smile far more terrifying than death itself.

Lucifer rolled his shoulder.

"This is getting fun."

Another wave rushed him.

Lucifer no longer dodged.

Every attack became an opportunity.

Every wound became power through Sin of Lust.

Every absorbed spirit restored his Qi through Sin of Gluttony.

His sword danced endlessly.

The Silent Hills...

Had unknowingly become...

His newest hunting ground.

Far beyond the forbidden land...

Across the endless sea...

The heavens darkened.

Massive warships sailed through the clouds.

Hundreds of them.

Each one large enough to carry an army.

Black cannons lined their decks.

Formation arrays glowed beneath their hulls.

Wherever the fleet passed...

Cities below shut their gates.

People hid inside their homes.

Even seasoned cultivators lowered their heads.

One volley from those floating fortresses...

Could erase an entire city.

Yet...

Among the countless warships...

One vessel dwarfed them all.

Its enormous shadow covered the fleet beneath it.

Upon its highest deck...

A crimson throne overlooked the horizon.

Seated upon that throne...

Was a man wrapped in scarlet robes.

His mere presence made the surrounding air tremble.

One of Murim's oldest monsters.

One of the Four Great Elders.

The Great Elder...

Vermilion Bird.

His eyes slowly opened.

"At last..."

"The opportunity has come."

He gazed toward the distant darkness where the Silent Hills lay hidden.

A cold smile spread across his face.

"Let's erase..."

"...the most disgusting stain in Murim's history."

The countless warships changed direction.

Their destination...

The Silent Hills.

Unaware of the approaching fleet...

The Devil continued carving a path through the endless darkness.

And for the first time in centuries...

The forbidden land was about to witness a war that would shake the very foundations of history.