“What do you mean?” Yeon-woo’s eyes gleamed coldly. ‘What the hell is this guy saying? Is he saying that I won’t succeed in the end and just die?’ The Snapping Turtle, the Tortoise’s incarnation, seemed to emphasize the second part of its statement more than the first part, as though implying that Yeon-woo had already died. “Are you saying I’m not a living person?”

Yeon-woo released a bloodthirsty aura that raged like a storm, and it seemed that he might pull out Vigrid at any moment. Instantly, Yeon-woo felt watchful eyes peering behind him—Kiku. He was giving Yeon-woo a warning that he would not stand idly by if Yeon-woo drew his sword. This was the palace where the Jade Emperor, the supreme deity and king of the heavenly world, was resting. It was absolutely forbidden to take out a weapon.

Still, Yeon-woo did not seem to care. He had to know what the exact meaning of the Snapping Turtle’s enigmatic words were, instinctively feeling that they would affect whether or not he would achieve his goals.

“I don’t know either. I only understand as much as you do.” The Snapping Turtle looked at Yeon-woo’s hand, which had opened his subspace, and then shook his head. “If you were destined to die, especially if it were to happen soon, I would see it right away. Bong-Le Mountain would have shown you how you die as well. But you didn’t see anything, nor did I.” The Snapping Turtle’s eyes penetrated into Yeon-woo’s soul. “If you ask me if you’re dead, I can’t really say that you are. If you were truly dead, you wouldn’t have seen anything on Yung-Ju Mountain....