Book 10 Chapter 10

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: A Bloody Nightmare

"This… this can't be……."

Hyo-Ryong was frozen in place like a statue, his nerves paralyzed.

With scattered hair, tattered clothes stained black with blood, and bloody hands.

Because there was someone reaching for him.

Suddenly, he gasped. The sound seemed to catch in his throat, and his heart was beating so hard he thought it might burst. It felt as if his blood was flowing backwards!

It was painful, and most of all, heartbreaking.

Thick tears rolled down the corners of my eyes. It was an unstoppable flow of emotion. A man shouldn't cry, no matter what? Isn't that a sexist statement? The tears rolled down my cheeks, down, down, down.

"Tongue…tongue…tongue…tongue…ugh……. Tongue!"

He cried out, feeling as if he were vomiting up a thorn in his throat. His voice was still choked and cracked, but he broke through and called out for his brother. The man in front of him was none other than his dear brother, Galhyo-bong, who had cut off his last breath with his own hands and sent him up to heaven. Galhyo-bong was dressed in the same color as he had been on Mount Wudang that day.

"Aryong… Aryong!"

He called out to him in a very low voice. He covered his ears with his hands and screamed.

"No! You're not my brother! You can't be my brother! You can't be my brother! You can't be my brother! You can't be my brother! You can't be……."

"My brother must have died by my hand!" he couldn't bring himself to say, for it was too painful and terrible for him. He tried with all his might to deny the existence of what was in front of him. Otherwise, he felt he would go mad.

His eyes turned pitiful as he looked at Huo Feng, and Huo Feng couldn't help but feel his heart throbbing once again as his eyes filled with sadness. It felt like hundreds of nails were piercing his heart.

Hyo Feng opened his mouth again, and his words were filled with spirit energy.

'Hmph, hmph, hmph! So I'm not the same Hyo-bong you knew? Then what is this? Can you deny that I am me after seeing this?'

His eyes widened like tears as he ripped through the front of his shirt and opened his chest. For a moment, Hyorong's mind went as white as a blank sheet of paper. A tearing, desperate wail of anguish erupted from him.

"Argh! Argh! Argh! Argh! Argh!"

It was a howl of madness. His mind was too fragile to survive this ordeal. He was as fragile as a shard of glass. Suddenly, his vision went black. A vast darkness engulfed him.

Hyo-Ryong is finally consumed by the phantom.

"Can they all get over themselves?"

Mazinger asked in a somber tone.

"They'll get it done."

Binggum replied.

"The incense that wafts through the hall is a special kind of incense called the Dreaming Soul Incense. I don't think any of the contestants know the full effects of this incense."

"If you're a dreamer……."

"That's right. It's an incense that gives the wearer an illusion of their own subconscious mind. It's a kind of hypnotic incense. This particular hypnotic incense combines with the illusory seal of the cave to create a terrifying power. It shows them the horrors they've hidden deep within themselves, the most intimate fears they'd rather not face. There are few things in this world more terrifying and frightening. But there is one thing you must be careful about."

"What is that?"

"It's all about mental strength, I don't care if you're being eaten by an illusion, but if you let it eat you, it's all over!"

"What happens then?"

His own daughter, Guan Xueji, was also participating. Of course, as a Bing sword, he had no intention of stopping them, but as a father, he was understandably concerned when he heard Mazinger's story.

Mazinga said.

"If done wrong, the spirit may never return to the body. Some have gone insane and committed suicide. That's why it was closed for 18 years……. The key is that you need to face your fears. You have to be careful because if you turn away from it, it can feed your fantasies. There's no guarantee that you'll ever get back to your senses."