Nano Machine c411 to 424

 Chapter 411 - North Sea Ice Palace (1) Chapter 411: North Sea Ice Palace (1) If one goes up the Great Plains and to the north, one will reach an area called Seeu. Although the northern side of Seeu is often regarded as a place with blizzards year around, it still consisted of dense and coniferous mountains and grasslands. Of course, it’s cold year-round, making it difficult to compare with Jianghu. One could tell by just one look at the snow, which hasn’t melted on the peaks of the mountains. It was cold, and it snowed often. There was a huge lake hidden on the northern side of Seeu. The name of the lake is Lake Baikal. It was a huge lake incomparable to an average lake which you could find anywhere on the continent. The people who settled on Lake Baikal called it several different names. Sacred sea. The blue eyes on the cold earth. There were several names, but the name most known to the people of Jianghu is Vast Lake, the sanctuary of the North Sea Ice Palace. And inside it was a vast island. Although the lake is enormous, the island’s total area is about 18 billion pyong (Korean unit of measurement). It was unreasonable to dismiss such a massive island as a mere island. That island contained shorter than average mountains and fields, and between mountain peaks on the southeast side, there was a huge palace nestled in like a fortress. The exterior of the magnificent structure was not inferior compared to the main building of the Forces of Justice. The un-melted white snow piled up on the red tiles made the fortress look like a castle made of snow. People called that fortress the North Sea Ice Palace. Just looking at it revealed beauty and tranquillity, making people feel calm, but currently, there were subtle tremors in the North Sea Ice Palace. Grrrr! Not just the huge palace, but also the walls were shaking violently. The epicenter of the tremors wasn’t that far from the North Sea Ice Palace. The further north, the stronger the vibrations. Grrrrrrrr! Further north, where the vibration was getting stronger, there was no grass, just barren land. If you go up to the northwest, there was a place made of solid bare mountains that look like they were made up of piled soil. This was the only place on the island which had no living things. There was even a feeling of death spreading around that place. Surrounded by the bare mountains, there was the tallest bare mountain, and the entrance to the cave was located at the bottom of that mountain, which had been cracked because of the strong vibrations. The cave was deeper than it looked. If one entered the cave and walked along a narrow passage for a long time, there would be a vast and expansive space in the cave, made entirely from blue ice. The ice-like stones are called Adularia stones which had the property of turning harder as the cold increased. Whoop! The space was lit with numerous torches. Nearly five hundred warriors in white fur had their hands on the floor of the space, which was lit with torches emitting cold qi. Jirik! The intensity of the cold they radiated barely maintained the ice’s hardness. The warriors, dressed in white fur, were the people of the North Sea Ice Palace. They were playing the role of infusing cold qi so that the Adularia stones wouldn’t break. However, they all looked exhausted. “Hold on a little more! The next shift will come. Until then, we need to keep the cold qi flowing!” “Y-Yes!!!” The shouts of the North Sea Ice Palace warriors were vague. A middle-aged man with short silver hair played the role of encouraging them. He was an elder of the North Sea Ice Palace, Oh Mubang. Jririk! Oh Mubang’s face was drenched in sweat. He too was holding his palms on the floor, but he was also exhausted as he had been instilling cold qi into the cave for more than three hours straight. Crrrrk! Rumble! The glacial cave shook. The vibration got worse with time. Despite cold qi being injected into the cave, the cracks in the Adularia stones only worsened. Oh Mubang’s face, who had been resting his palms on the ice floor, was unusual. It felt more vivid when he had his palms on the floor. The terrifying beating of the monster, who was struggling to climb up through the sealed ice. Creep! Every time he felt a throb, he was terrified to the point of nearly having a heart attack. ‘Any more than this is impossible.’ The Dragon Spirit, whose seals were released, kept growing stronger as the warriors turned weaker. The cold qi injected in the Adularia stones in three shifts ended up reaching its limit. That was how the cold worked. Uh! The new shift of five hundred men arrived at the exit side of the cave. Seol Yi-jong was the one who brought them, but despite having their breakfast, they all looked utterly exhausted. “Elder, we are here to change.” That was when Oh Mubang responded to Seol Yi-jong with a serious expression. “I don’t think that this will last any longer.” “… I felt the vibration while coming here. The vibrations are strong enough that they can be felt from the palace too.” “Kuak! It would be better for us to fight the bloody Dragon Turtle with all our forces in the palace than keeping this one locked up and exhausting ourselves.” At the complaint of elder Oh Mubang, elder Seol Yi-jong nodded. It was very evident that their warriors were exhausted. Everyone was scared, but some people thought that fighting and dying was better than this. “Be patient. Once the Yulin contingents come, even those who don’t want to fight will have to go and fight that monster to the death.” “Ha! That bastard! He!” “Elder! The men are listening, so…” “Did I say anything wrong? There is no guarantee when those strangers will arrive, and we are being forced to sacrifice ourselves here… huh?” Ttatata! While the elder Oh Mubang complained in anger, someone rushed to the exit side of the cave and shouted so that all the people inside could listen. “Y-Yulin contingents have arrived!!!” At that cry, both the elder’s eyes widened as they looked at each other. Right when they were all getting frustrated with the work, the Yulin contingents finally arrived. Oh Mubang got up from the ground and asked. “Where are they all now?” “They are in…” -------- The pier in the southeast of the island. The scale of Baikal Lake was so vast that it could be called a river or sea. Naming it a lake was a ridiculous decision. There were two ways to enter the island. Crossing by boat from the southeast or crossing by taking the ferry for a short distance from the northwest, it was better to cross by boat, as the latter took up too much time. At the dockside, many palace officials from the North Sea Ice Palace gathered. After hearing the news that Yulin’s contingents were crossing the lake, they rushed to greet them. Looking out from the pier, one couldn’t even see the other side of the lake. Above the watchtower perched up on a nearby hill, a middle-aged man and an elderly-looking man with white hair in grey robes with ornate pattering looked at the lake. They were Dan Jucheon, the deputy king of the North Sea Ice Palace, and 1st elder Seol Young-gwi. “See over there, my lord. It isn’t large, but we need to be happy.” The Yulin’s contingents came a long way and were waiting to be greeted by the deputy king. “Don’t call for them just yet. 1st elder.” “You right my king, excessive humility isn’t good either.” Dan Jucheon smiled lightly at Seol Young-gwi’s words. Most people were already calling him the king instead of deputy king, as he had 80 percent of the control in the North Sea Ice Palace. Dozens of ships could be seen in the middle of the vast lake. In half an hour, they’ll arrive. “I hope that the prince is not on their ship.” Dan Jucheon’s eyes, which smiled at Seol Young-gwi, turned cold. Although the roles changed, at one time, the prince was his nephew, whom he taught martial arts. “… don’t talk about the prince anymore.” “Even if you are offended by this old man’s words, there is nothing we can do about it. Without him, the king will be able to unite the remaining people more naturally. I think we would be fortunate if the Demonic Cult took care of him.” All the elders opened their arms and welcomed the report from Dan Juseong that their prince was going to ask the Demonic Cult for reinforcements. Even outside Jianghu, everyone knew that the infamous Demonic Cult would never grant people’s requests. If he came back alive, it would be a miracle. “Huh!” Seol Young-gwi spoke while looking at Dan Jucheon, who seemed pissed. “Don’t you think that the former king brought this all upon us? If the former king hadn’t promoted the prince, who had no talent, as the crown prince, such a mess wouldn’t have happened.” Most of the elders, even 1st elder Seol Young-gwi, were against it. North Sea Ice Palace had a strict system based on merit. In such a place, it was unacceptable for a person who achieved nothing as the prince to get placed on the throne just because he is the eldest son of the king. “…” “Maybe the former king thought that if the treasure was found the situation wou…” “Huh?” Seol Young-gwi, who had been talking for a long time, was taken aback. It was because Dan Jucheon was staring at another side of the lake. ‘What is he looking at?’ Dan Jucheon was known to be a Supreme Master who was skilled among all the warriors of the North. “King?” At the call from an elder, Dan Jucheon frowned. “… it seems that the situation is completely different from our expectations.” “Huh?” “They are still far away so I can’t see clearly, but those black… I think it’s them.” “What do you mean?” Dan Jucheon, the deputy king of the palace, spoke in a low voice. “Demonic Cult!” ‘!?’ At those words, Seol Young-gwi’s expression hardened. -------- Slasp! Splash! Dozens of ships were crossing Lake Baikal. Among them, the leaders of Yulin were aboard the ship furthest ahead. Everyone in there couldn’t help but admire the vast lake, which was transparent and beautiful, almost forgetting about the Dragon Turtle. A view which they could never see in Jianghu. If it wasn’t for the cold weather, they wouldn’t have felt such a difference. Jegal Sohi, who was admiring the superb view for a while, approached commander Kang Soah, who was looking at the faintly visible island from the ship. “Leader Kang.” Kang Soah didn’t respond to her call. He kept looking ahead. Jegal Sohi held back a bitter smile on her face as if she was getting used to his cold attitude. “Leader Kang. The warriors of the contingent haven’t rested properly because of our plan to get here quickly. Why not ask the deputy king about giving them one day to rest if the situation isn’t urgent?” Because of Dan Juseong, who said that the situation in the North Sea Ice Palace was urgent, their journey was made in haste. Except for when the horses were given some time to breathe, no warriors had ample sleep. All the warriors in the contingent were tired. It was highly unreasonable to travel as far as they did in just ten days. “Commander Kang?” At Jegal Sohi’s repeated call, Kang Soah responded coldly. “As the commander, it is my decision to make. I didn’t come here as a warrior, so pay attention to what you are supposed to do.” ‘Ah…’ This made her upset. She even thought it would have been better if she asked Moyong Kang, one of the leaders, to deliver the message to Kang Soah. She knew how much Kang Soah hated everything related to Yeon Buso. ‘What I don’t like is my second priority, I don’t get why he had to insist on such an unreasonable march. If our warriors get too exhausted, dispatching them would be difficult.’ They knew that the situation was urgent, but after the meeting with the Great Hung Clan’s chief, Kang Soah hastened their advance. He even decreased the break for the horses to rest from five times to three times a day. Thanks to that, more than 30 horses died from exhaustion. ‘Something doesn’t feel right.’ It was because of the unique gut feeling that Kang Soah had recently. He had a better sense of situation than others, and the night he negotiated with the Great Hung Clan, he felt something ominous. That unsure instinct made him hurry even more. “Huh, I can’t do this anymore. Do as you wish.” Jegal Sohi, who had been holding her anger back, couldn’t anymore. Having said what she wanted to, she went into her cabin on the ship to get some rest. It was then. Woong! Woong! A commotion was heard from the rear of the ship. To be precise, it seemed like the sound was coming from the ships following them and not the one they were on. “What is it?” “I think something has happened. Miss Jegal.” Moyong Kang, who was resting in his cabin, came out and said to her, “I think we should go and take a look.” As a result, Jegal Sohi and all the leaders moved towards the tail of the ship. Since dozens of ships were crossing the lake, the entire back of their ship covered, they couldn’t see the cause of the commotion, only the loud shouts could be heard. ‘What is it?’ Puzzled, Kang Soah focused on the sounds coming from the ships. The warriors on the ship seemed to be shouting in shock and awe. “There!” “No way… that is ridiculous!” “No, they are running on water!” “Is that even possible?” The shouts from the back ships were all about someone running on water. It had been nearly a day since their ships set sail, and they were still a long way from land. They were supposed to be halfway there. Hwang Bo-neung, the head of the Hwang Bo clan, spoke to Moyong Kang. “What do they mean by running on water?” Moyong Kang frowned and mumbled. “Water Step?” Water Step. People who reached a certain level ascended light⁽¹⁾ allowing them to use this technique to run on the surface of water. Though not as known as walking in the air, warriors who have reached a certain level require a high energy level to run even on the shortest distance on water. However, running on such a vast lake is close to impossible. “Is that possible? This is such a wide lake. What the heck did they see to speak those nonsensical words… huh?” Hwang Bo-nueng, who was complaining, stopped. He doubted his own eyes. “Go-goodness!” Not just him, but everyone at the back of the ship looked at the same place with gaping mouths. To their surprise, they saw a figure running across the lake at great speed. Pat! Pat! The water rippled where this man stepped, making the water look like a soft bed. A genuinely electrifying skill. ‘How can such a thing be possible in this huge lake?’ Everyone was shocked. However, the figure moving towards them suddenly climbed onto the back of one of the ships Yulin contingents were on. Tap! “Ugh!” “En-enemy!” Srrng! Srrrng! The people on the ship, the warriors of the contingent, pulled out their weapons. At that time, Moyong Kang and Jegal Sohi shouted at the same time. “Lo-Lord Chun!” The white-faced man swept his long hair to the back. He was the Lord of the Demonic Cult, Chun Yeowun. Everyone was startled, but Chun Yeowun looked at everyone on the ship with sharp eyes and spoke with a cynical voice. “Who is Kang Soah?” Kang Soah’s face turned perplexed as he heard his name coming out of Chun Yeowun’s mouth. Chapter 412 - North Sea Ice Palace (2) Chapter 412  North Sea Ice Palace (2) Above the southwest pier’s watchtower, Dan Jucheon looked across the lake in shock. He only looked at the scene with a stiff expression until a moment ago, but seeing how his eyes were now trembling, 1st elder Seol Young-gwi asked in wonder. “King! Did something happen?” To that question, Dan Jucheon answered with a trembling voice. “… The Demonic Cult has such monsters in it?” “Monsters?” “I’m doubting my eyes. To run across half the lake at that…” “Wh-what do you mean?” “Someone broke away from the Demonic Cult’s group, and ran across half the lake at a high speed.” ‘!!!’ Lake Baikal is as vast as a sea or river, so running halfway across it in such a short period of time is ridiculous. Although the flow of the water was indeed calm. It was impossible for even Dan Jucheon, one of the strongest warriors in the North, to traverse the lake at such a high speed. “How can that happen!” “No way… did Chun Yujong, one of the five strongest warriors, come here directly?” Dan Jucheon, the deputy king of the palace, mumbled while narrowing his eyes. He didn’t know the current news in Jianghu, so he had no way of guessing who it was. On the other hand, at this moment on the furthest most ship. Dan Juseong, an envoy from the North Sea Ice Palace, who was next to Moyong Kang, looked at Chun Yeowun in surprise. No matter how much he looked at him, it seemed like he was a member of the cult. However, as soon as Moyong Kang called the man Lord Chun. “Lord? Leader Moyong?” At the cautious question of Dan Juseong, Moyong Kang answered in a hushed voice. “… you might not know, but that person is the Lord of the Demonic Cult.” “Th-the Demonic Cult!” Dan Juseong wondered if it was true, but the man really was the Lord of the Demonic Cult. He knew that the new Lord was young, but for it to turn out to be true. The significance of the Lord of the Demonic Cult’s appearance in the North Sea Ice Palace became clear. ‘Did Baekhyun really persuade them? How… with what means?’ It was amazing. He thought that Baekhyun was bound to fail. The elders also expected him to get expelled from the cult, and in the worst case, they thought that the Demonic Cult would deal with him. However, it was shocking that one of the three major forces that divided Jianghu in recent times appeared. Woong! ‘The Lord of the Demonic Cult?’ ‘Is he really the Demon God?’ The people were all in thought. When they learned the person who came onto their ship’s real identity, their faces turned fearful. In particular, Moyong Kang, who was the only one who had seen what happened in the Jin Castle, was already breaking out in cold sweat, despite the cold weather. ‘This is bad!’ Moyong Kang looked at Jegal Sohi. She, too, nodded her head with a puzzled expression. Rather than suddenly appearing on their ship, the problem was that Chun Yeowun was looking for someone. ‘He must have bumped into the Great Hung Clan.’ Moyong Kang had heard from Jegal Sohi that Kang Soah, the commander of their current troops, devised a scheme with the War Chief. They were worried about the scheme from the start. They even thought that it would be better to dissuade Kang Soah, or maybe they felt like they should let him deal with the possible consequences. However, as a result of various thoughts, they ended up thinking that even if the Demonic Cult did send troops, it was unlikely for Chun Yeowun, their Lord, to come. ‘We should act calm.’ Although it was an alliance, the relationship between the Yulin and the Demon Cult had been in disarray recently. If it weren’t for the Blade God Six Martial clan, they would have been aiming for each other’s throat. The situation in Jin Castle, the harm done to Yeon Buso, the massacre of people belonging to the Forces of Great Heaven, and the change of State Religion because of those reasons, all the factions of Yulin became outraged at the mention of the Demonic Cult. ‘For Lord Chun to appear here.’ Jegal Sohi was at a loss on how to solve this situation. At first, she wanted to dissuade Kang Soah, but thinking of what Chun Yeowun did to her fiancée Yeon Buso, she decided to stay back. She was literally on the lookout. [Miss Jegal! If we don’t take any measures right away, Kang Soah will be in danger!] [Huh?] [You might not know since it has been a long time since you’ve seen him, but any person who threatens Chun Yeowun never leaves alive.] Chun Yeowun killed Nam Gung-kyong, the head of the Nam Gung clan, without even blinking an eye while in front of the Yulin leaders. Even the Great Leader Yi Mok was unable to stop him. It wouldn’t be strange if he killed Kang Soah. Jegal Sohi sent a message. [For now, I’ll get Lord Chun’s attention.] No matter how much she disliked Kang Soah, he was still the commander of their troops and the child of Yi Mok. She couldn’t let him get hurt. But, “It must be you.” However, Chun Yeowun found Kang Soah. ‘Ahh!’ Jegal Sohi touched her forehead. When he asked who Kang Soah was, everyone on the ship looked towards Kang Soah, allowing him to be found. Diverting his attention was a failure from the beginning. Jegal Sohi moved in front of Chun Yeowun, who hurriedly tried to approach Kang Soah. Pak! She politely greeted him. “Lord Chun. It has been a long time. I am Jegal Sohi, warrior of Yulin and the Forces of Justice.” There was only one thing she knew. They had a small relationship that was created when she went to the Demonic Cult. At that time, Chun Yeowun was the prince who saved the Yulin envoy, who fell into a trap because of the Blade God Six Martial clan, that was probably why she didn’t think of Chun Yeowun as arrogant and self-righteous as the rumors said. At least, that was what she thought. But Chun Yeowun didn’t even act like he knew her and spoke in a cold voice. “Move.” ‘Ah…’ It was disappointing. Even Moyong Kang, who was watching it, couldn’t hide his embarrassment. He knew how great Jegal Sohi’s beauty was and thought that he would certainly talk to her out of consideration. When the envoy went to the Demonic cult, he thought Chun Yeowun helped them because he saw the beauty of Jegal Sohi. ‘Is he a person who has no sympathy?’ Men tend to be weak in front of beautiful women, but not every man would wait for a beautiful one. Even so, they would still show interest in beauty. “Lord Chun. Why did you suddenly come onto our ship?” She had to divert his attention. She had to keep a conversation going. But unfortunately, nothing worked. “Are you deliberately pretending to not know?” “!?” At those words, Sohi’s eyes trembled. She didn’t say anything for a long time, but she knew what Chun Yeowun meant. ‘We are in a crisis because we neglected that moment.’ She bit her lip. Her face was hot. Because it was the same as Chun Yeowun pointing out that they are protecting Kang Soah. It seems that he came onto an enemy ship in the vast lake because he had to do something. Kang Soah’s voice came from behind, while Sohi was in a pinch. “He is my guest. Step aside.” “B-but Leader Kang.” “Don’t disturb us and leave.” Jegal Sohi frowned at the stubborn voice. ‘Haha… this isn’t a place where your pride should be saved.’ There was nothing she could do. She was disappointed at Kang Soah’s cold words towards her, but she stepped aside. In the current situation, there was no other way than for Kang Soah to overcome the problem he created alone. She just hoped that he wouldn’t do anything stupid. ‘… Leader Kang.’ His opponent was one of the best warriors in the world. If he put his mind to it, not a single person on the ship would survive. Apologizing seemed like the best method to reduce damage to the warriors. ‘This man is the Lord of the Demonic Cult, Chun Yeowun!’ Kang Soah’s eyes narrowed. He was a monster who turned his brother, Yeon Buso, who was a genius, into a cripple. And if he could deal with the Lord of the Demonic Cult, it would be the shortest way to elevate his position in his clan, and he could even get a position in the Forces of Justice. ‘However, I was not supposed to make any mistakes.’ But of course, there were mistakes. He never thought that the Lord of the Demonic Cult would personally lead their contingent. ‘He is not an opponent to easily take.’ Kang Soah looked into Chun Yeowun’s eyes. It wasn’t normal to feel such pressure from a warrior by just looking into their eyes. No frivolous tricks would work on such a person. ‘To destroy evil and reach heaven, I am prepared to make sacrifices!’ Pak! Kang Soah put his hands together and greeted. “It is an honor to meet the Lord of the Demonic Cult. I am Kang Soah, the one in charge of this contingent and the Black Shadow force.” Strong voice. A face with courage without a hint of fear. ‘Please…’ Jegal Sohi and Moyong Kang were both concerned. But something unexpected happened. Thud! Kang Soah knelt on one knee. And once again clasped his hands and said. “If the Lord who came to our ship like this is angry because of the barbarians, I have no excuse. I asked them to stop anyone who pursued us.” ‘Ah!’ Everyone was shocked by Kang Soah’s attitude, despite seeing Chun Yeowun. They thought that he would speak subtly but never imagined that he would be so direct. Moyong Kang praised him. ‘Right. This might be the best way to deal with this.’ It could be humiliating, but this was a lot better than provoking the Lord of the Demonic Cult. Now it was a matter of how Chun Yeowun responded. Chun Yeowun, who had an expressionless face, opened his mouth. “Then pay the price for it.” Srrng! With those words, Chun Yeowun drew the White Dragon Blade, which was on his waist. He was relentless even though he could have chosen another option. Jegal Sohi, flustered and scared, shouted. “Lord Chun! We are allies. Are you trying to harm the leader of the contingent sent from the alliance without even considering the circumstances?” At that, Chun Yeowun spoke in a tone that said that nothing mattered to him. “With what reason did you all plot that?” “T-that…” “Stop wasting my time and pay up.” With those words, Chun Yeowun’s blade went for Kang Soah’s right shoulder. It was then. Clang! Someone stopped Chun Yeowun’s White Dragon Blade. It was none other than Hwang Bo-neung, the head of the Hwang Bo family. Trrrrn! “Kuak!” A gasp escaped from Hwang Bo-neung’s mouth. He was prepared to act if anything happened, so he managed to block it at the right moment, but the two palms holding the blade tore and oozed out blood. ‘It looked like he swung it lightly, what is this formidable power?’ If one looks closely, one can see that the floor around Hwang Bo-neung was dented. If it hadn’t been for him, Kang Soah would have lost his right arm. “Are you blocking me?” At the question of Chun Yeowun, who was releasing energy strong enough to burn his opponent’s insides, Hwang Bo-neung exclaimed. “Commander Kang is in charge of this contingent which is moving to help North Sea Ice Palace! How could I let you harm him!” Despite suffering internal injuries, Hwang Bo-neung didn’t back out. Considering the fame of Chun Yeowun, it was terrifying to be there, but seeing Kang Soah like that, he didn’t want to back out from the situation. “Even if everyone calls you Demon God. I will not be afraid of you! Haa!” Hwang Bo-neung raised his internal energy and straightened his bent knee. After all, once he pushed Chun Yeowun, everyone would come up to help Kang Soah. However, there would be those who would end up losing their lives in the process. Kwk! ‘Th-this…’ His legs, which he was trying to straighten, dug further into the floor of the ship. Of course, Hwang Bo-neung knew that the Demon God wouldn’t let himself get pushed, but the difference in power was too great. “Kuaaak!” Blaze! Blaze! It was so strong that his veins stood up all over his body. Even when he tried to use all his internal energy, it didn’t make any difference. As Chun Yeowun raised his energy further, Hwang Bo-neung fell to the floor. “Ugh!” Thud! Everyone’s faces on the ship hardened. Hwang Bo-neung, the head of the great Hwang Bo clan, a renowned martial artist, and a leader in the Forces of Justice, was one-sidedly taken down. With the title Demon God, Chun Yeowun was truly undefeated. “If you disturb me once more, I will really kill you.” One last warning was given by Chun Yeowun, who approached Kang Soah, but the members of the Black Shadow forces drew their weapons and tried to stop him. “St-stop!” “If you want to kill our leader, you’ll have to kill us first!” No matter how terrified they were, they couldn’t let Chun Yeowun have his way. As Chun Yeowun’s face turned colder, Kang Soah shouted. “Everyone stop!” “?” The warriors of the Black Shadow force couldn’t hide their embarrassment at the unexpected order. If they stepped down, the Lord of the Demonic Cult, Chun Yeowun, would cut off his arm, so why would Kang Soah order that? It was then. Clash! Tear! “Kuaaak!” “Le-leaderrr!!!” Something unexpected happened. Kang Soah pulled his sword from his waist and cut off his left hand from the wrist down. Jegal Sohi, Moyong Kang, and Dan Juseong were too startled at what they witnessed. ‘Wh-why?’ “Kuaaak! Haaa… haaa…” Drip! Drip! Drip! Kang Soah screamed in pain as he slowly kept pressuring the blood points to stop the bleeding. He did it with his own hand, but even so, it was so painful that he couldn’t speak. While enduring, his lips opened. “Haa… Haaa… ugh, I know that this doesn’t quench your anger. But this time, we are being sent to the North Sea Ice Palace.” “…” “Kuk, pl… please give me time to finish this job. If you ask me later, I will pay the full price!” At Kang Soah’s words, Jegal Sohi admired him. It was the ‘to solve one’s problem at the cost of their own body’ strategy. Sacrificing the body before the opponent could puts pressure on the opponent, and the man would be able to avoid further pain. ‘Haa… haaa… if I can get rid of this situation by giving up my left hand, it isn’t a huge price to pay.’ If he did that, even the Lord of the Demonic Cult would feel troubled. After all, seeing that he aimed for the shoulder, it looked like Chun Yeowun only wanted his arm. It meant that he had no intention of killing Kang Soah. ‘The rumors that those who can’t kill aim for arms are true. Then, doing this to myself will reduce the damage.’ Kang Soah boldly cut off his hand. The perfectly calculated outcome, as he was a right-handed person, and at the same time, it would give the impression that he paid for his sins with his left hand. ‘He will stop if he considers his prestige.’ The Lord of the Demonic Cult, one of the three major forces, if he pushed further, people would laugh at him. Kang Soah looked at Chun Yeowun with a pale face. Chun Yeowun looked at this and opened his mouth. “… this is the first time something like this happened. phew.” As he said those words, Kang Soah cried in joy inside. It meant that his gamble paid off. Rather, it was better this way than making some excuse to Chun Yeowun. ‘I just need to hope that the Dragon Turtle’s blood and core will work properly.’ Kang Soah wanted the blood of the Dragon Turtle. According to ancient documents, it was said that if one took the blood or core of one of the five spirit beasts, severed body parts could be restored. Taking that into account, he cut off his hand. ‘I need to get that blood.’ Kang Soah’s true purpose for volunteering for this mission was because of the Dragon Turtle. He believed that if he took the core of the four-headed dragon, he would be able to explore its power which would make him rise closer to becoming one of the five great warriors. Chun yeowun looked at Kang Soah and shook his head. “I was thinking of taking your arm, I didn’t know you would make the first move. This is quite nice.” At those words, everyone sighed in relief. It looked like they were able to avoid the battle with the Demon God. ‘It was foolish, but the method worked.’ Jegal Sohi smiled bitterly. Kang Soah expressed his gratitude to Chun Yeowun by enduring the pain in his wrist. “Thank you for your generous mercy.” ‘I will repay you for this disgrace in the same way someday.’ His outside actions and inside thoughts were different, but he didn’t show his true intentions. As the saying goes, a gentleman’s revenge is never too late. He was enduring this disgrace in order to destroy the Demonic Cult later. ‘He is scarier than Yeon Buso.’ Even Moyong Kang, head of the Moyong family, couldn’t help but admire Kang Soah. Maybe in the future, when Kang Soah has the power and wits, he would be able to deal with the Lord of the Demonic Cult. At that time, Chun Yeowun approached Kang Soah, who was relieved and asked. “What do you usually do if someone who is likely to turn into a pain tries to get out of your sight?” “Huh?” “Seeing what kind of person you are, I only wanted to end this matter with one arm, but I changed my mind after seeing what’s rolling in your head.” Kang Soah’s face turned pale at Chun Yeowun words. He realized that the plan wasn’t going in the way he wanted them to. ‘N-no way!’ Confused, he tried to step back. Kwak! Chun Yeowun, who grabbed Kang Soah’s collar, calmly told him. “Die here.” “W-wait! What are you doing now…” Slash! At that moment, Chun Yeowun’s White Dragon Blade passed through Kang Soah’s neck leaving behind a white trajectory. Kang Soah blinked his eyes at what happened so quickly. “Da… damn… it… it…” Slash! Before he could finish speaking, his severed head fell to the ship’s floor. Roll! Looking down at Kang Soah’s head, which had its eyes wide open, Chun Yeowun muttered in a cold voice. “Your head is indeed rolling.” Chapter 413 - North Sea Ice Palace (3) Chapter 413: North Sea Ice Palace (3) Everyone onboard the ship thought that the situation had been resolved amicably. Although the commander suffered the humiliation of cutting his hand off, it was far better than confronting the Lord of the Demonic Cult, Chun Yeowun. But, Clash! Roll! Everyone was shocked to see Commander Kang Soah’s head rolling on the floor. Who would have imagined that he would meet his end like that? Even though Kang Soah is the second son of Yi Mok, the head of the Forces of Justice, with whom they had an alliance, there wasn’t an ounce of hesitation. “Kang Soah!” “Commander!” Everyone on the ship cried out. Their cries held both shock and resentment at the death of their commander and the leader of the Black Shadow force. Jegal Sohi, the strategist of Yulin, shouted at Chun Yeowun with red eyes. “Lo, Lord Chun! Isn’t this too much!?” “Too much?” “Commander Kang said he was guilty and cut off his own hand. Besides, apart from that, isn’t your cult and the Forces of Justice allies, isn’t this excessive action on your part?” Jegal Sohi wouldn’t have acted like that if it was some other day. However, when her fiancée Yeon Buso had returned half-dead, and now that she witnessed the death of Kang Soah, it ended up triggering her anger. Pat! At that time, Hwang Bo-neung, who had fallen through the ship because of the dent, came up. Looking at the bloodstains on his face and mouth, it seemed like he barely had the energy to come back up, as he had a hard time stopping the energy which had invaded his flesh. “H-how could you do this!” Hwang Bo-neung was shocked to see Kang Soah’s severed head lying on the ground. He never thought that Chun Yeowun would kill him. Thud! “How dare you kill our leader!” “I cannot forgive you!” The members of the Black Shadow force, who had been staring at the head of Kang Soah in despair, couldn’t hold back their anger anymore and ran ahead with their weapons in hand. The situation had taken a turn for the worse, and there was no point in holding back with Kang Soah dead. Shhh! Two warriors of the Black Shadow force simultaneously ran for Chun Yeowun. The tactic of their strife, which was out of anger, wasn’t common. “I will kill you!” However, they couldn’t even reach Chun Yeowun. Slas! “No?” At some point, an unidentified monster with a mask that held a unique pattern appeared in a black robe and blocked their attack. As if blocking them wasn’t enough, he threw them to the other side of the ship. Thud! “Ouch!” “Ack!” Plop! After being hit in their chests for the second time, the two of them got thrown out of the ship and fell into the cold lake. Moyong Kang of the Moyong family yelled with a stiff face. “The Dark King!” The man in the unidentified mask was Marakim, the Great Guardian of the Demonic Cult. Of course, there was no way that Marakim would let Chun Yeowun go anywhere alone. “Haa… Haa…” Harsh breathing sounds came from behind the mask. Although he was a Supreme Master, he seemed pretty tired as it wasn’t an easy task to cross the vast lake. [Haaa… Lord.] “Hmp. Hmp.” Chun Yeowun coughed at the soft telepathy message from Marakim. He felt bad. He left a message saying that he would come back once he resolved something and then left them behind. The others had no choice but to stay still as it was impossible for them to follow Chun Yeowun. Even if they could, they wouldn’t be able to follow Chun Yeowun’s speed. ‘Did he also run on this wide lake? Haha… the current Demonic Cult is full of bloody monsters.’ Everyone was shocked. The eyes of everyone on the ship filled with tension. Even the infamous Dark King appeared as if Chun Yeowun wasn’t hard enough for them to deal with. They couldn’t see a favorable solution. While everyone was hesitating, Chun Yeowun opened his mouth and pointed to the head of Kang Soah. “I am making this clear. This incident happened because of this person. But, if you think that losing your colleague is so unfair, come at me.” It was a calm voice filled with arrogance. And that was enough for them to understand. Chun Yeowun was strong enough to annihilate everyone on the ship. Moyong Kang clenched his fists hard enough that they were bleeding and spoke. “Lord Chun! Do you think that the alliance between the Forces of Justice and the Demonic Cult isn’t important? When forming an alliance, your sense of right and wrong needs to be left behind!” It wasn’t Chun Yeowun who responded to that. Marakim, who calmed his breath to some extent, spoke as he pulled out his sword from his waist. Srrrng! “I think that is something that our cult is supposed to ask. Did you really value the alliance, when asking the barbarians to attack us?” “Th-that…” It was like being stabbed in the throat. He forgot it in his moment of anger, but the culprit was none other than Kang Soah. They could have stopped it, but they stood aside and neglected the issue. ‘The Demon God and the Dark King…’ The pressure from the tip of Marakim’s sword made them feel even more nervous. If things went any further, the result would be everyone aboard dying. ‘Ah… from the beginning, they weren’t blindly hurting us.’ Jegal Sohi, who failed to control her anger until a moment ago, sighed. They had to accept what was done. To put it bluntly, it was the only solution to rectifying the mistakes done if they supported the Demonic Cult’s words. ‘Is this what a person without power feels like?’ Up until now, the Yulin had the leading position in Wulin. Not just in the Imperial family, but the entire Wulin respected them. Although they had constant battles with the Demonic Cult, they were never pushed back. However, with the new Lord of the Demonic Cult, their position took a complete change. ‘Is there no one who can stop Lord Chun? Ahh…’ It was upsetting, but that was the reality. Perhaps the enemy they really needed to worry about wasn’t the Blade God Six Martial clan but the Demonic Cult. [Leader Moyong…] ‘Jegal…’ Moyong Kang closed his eyes when he saw Jegal Sohi shake her head. After Kang Soah, who had been appointed as the commander, died, all authority directly went to Moyong Kang, who had the highest position. Whoops! Moyong Kang killed the resentment inside him and spoke. “… this contingent has no intention of confronting Lord Chun. And… you have been paid. Please, for the sake of our alliance, I hope this ends here.” Everyone waited for Chun Yeowun’s answer with tense faces. As Moyong Kang said, Chun Yeowun had to be the one to end this fight, and luckily he nodded with affirmation. “Phew.” Although it was humiliating, they were all relieved. The presence of Chun Yeowun, who is the Demon God, made them all turn nervous. ‘Is that a relief?’ Chun Yeowun laughed as he looked at the response of the Yulin’s contingents. Right now, they were all thinking that the situation had been solved with the sacrifice of Kang Soah. However, they didn’t know that the Great Hung clan was going to chase them to death. ‘I don’t have to tell them.’ It was something they had to face. Without Kang Soah, the contingent would have to deal with the wrath of Asara, the War Chief who lost both his arms. [Let’s go. Great Guardian.] ‘!?’ Marakim’s pupils shook as he heard Chun Yeowun’s message. The direction he was headed wasn’t towards the Six Swords, who were on a ship behind them. [Now that we have come this far, it’s better to go to the island first.] [… yes!] It was obvious, but Marakim reluctantly replied as he just barely managed to catch his breath, but the thought of crossing the lake once again seemed hard to him. Shh! First, Chun Yeowun left, and then Marakim too disappeared from the ship. Shortly after leaving the ship, the people of Yulin looked at them and waited until they completely disappeared. While everyone was doing that, someone lifted Kang Soah’s head with both hands. He closed the eyes of Kang Soah, which were open, and silently opened his mouth. The man had a smirk on his face, which no one noticed. ‘My leader. Your noble sacrifice for the heavens will be remembered forever.’ A shocking truth had been revealed. The hidden identity of Kang Soah, the second son of the Forces of Justice’s Great Leader Yi Mok, and leader of the Black Shadow force, was one of the leaders of the Forces of Great Heaven. As he was silent, Jegal Sohi brought in the flag of the Black Shadow force and helped them retrieve the body. “Lieutenant Mak. It must be difficult, but the mission isn’t over yet, so please lead the Black Shadow force on behalf of leader Kang.” “… I understand.” A middle-aged man with droopy eyes and half-white hair accepted the role; he was Mak Wijong, the lieutenant of the Black Shadow force. -------- Above the watchtower on the southwest pier of the island, Dan Jucheon, the deputy king of the palace, stared intently at the other side of the lake and suddenly spoke to Seol Young-gwi. “Elder Seol. I guess we will have to go down right away.” “Why so sudden?” At those words, Dan Jucheon pointed his finger. Seol Young-gwi looked at where he pointed and saw something he hadn’t seen before. It was on the side which could be seen from the pier. And as if they were running on flat ground, someone was approaching the island. “Is-is he really doing that?” Seol Young-gwi couldn’t contain his shock. When he heard Dan Jucheon speak about that, he couldn’t believe it, but now that he saw it with his own eyes, he couldn’t help but be surprised. “What?” However, they had never seen any person who performed such an arduous feat. A bit behind, but there was another person who was keeping a stable pace. “Ugh, not just one person… Who the hell are those people?” Dan Jucheon, one of the best among the warriors of the North, saw two people do something he could barely achieve. “I think we should go meet them.” “Understood!” Their exact identity was unknown, but they had to meet them to know. It was clear that they had come from the Demonic Cult. When they hurried down and arrived at the wharf, around a hundred people were waiting in advance, all from the North Sea Ice Palace. “You have come? Deputy King of the palace!” They were all soldiers of the palace, the Snow Sword Troops, one of the five battle troops of the North Sea Ice Palace. The Snow Sword Troops leader, Baek Gojung, was about to report to the deputy king that the ship of Yulin hadn’t arrived yet when the surroundings became noisy. “There, look over there!” “Oh my gosh! They are running on the lake!” “Wa-wait! Did they come all the way here like that?” ‘What kind of nonsense are you talking about! Even if you are exhausted, your eyes should be working fine!’ The Leader of the Snow Sword Troops, Baek Gojung, looked towards the lake while mumbling. And he finally said. “Th-that is?” Shockingly, two people were approaching them by running on the lake. It was unbelievable. They were crossing the lake, which was usually crossed by ships, on foot. “That’s not possible.” Everyone was shocked, and the two people who were running on the lake stepped onto the dockside and approached them. Woong! The docks turned noisy. Who were the two people who arrived earlier than the Forces of Justice of Yulin? The first one Dan Jucheon looked at was the man in the mask. ‘A mask with a unique pattern.’ He heard about it from somewhere. When he went to Jianghu to research the most famous people who could be a threat to the North Sea Ice Palace. There was one who was mentioned. “The Dark King?” There was only one person in the Demonic Cult who would wear a mask. The man was known to rule death on the battlefield. Marakim, the Great Guardian of the Demonic Cult. ‘Is he really the Dark King? Does that mean that the Demonic Cult really sent a contingent?’ He guessed that it was the Demonic Cult based on the black flag and the red characters written on it but seeing Marakim. His guess turned into a correct answer. This meant that prince Baekhyun really succeeded in requesting their support. ‘Wait!… The Great Guardian only moved beside the Lord of the Demonic Cult, then that means?’ The young man standing next to him. The Lord of the Demonic Cult is supposed to be Chun Yujong, a man in his fifties, but the person next to Marakim seemed too young. The young man moved a little closer and greeted him. “Chun Yeowun, the Lord of the Sky Demon Order.” ‘Wah!’ All the people that heard him couldn’t hide their shock. Unlike others, the people of the North Sea knew nothing about them. Woong! Woong! ‘Aren’t we hearing something wrong?’ ‘The Lord of the Demonic Cult?’ ‘The De-demonic Cult, has come here?’ The dock turned even more chaotic. Of course, though shocked, Dan Jucheon tried to hide his expression. He tried to protect his dignity as the person representing the North Sea Ice Palace, yet he couldn’t stop his trembling eyes. ‘Unbelievable…’ The prediction he made on the watchtower. It turned out half wrong and half right. It wasn’t Chun Yujong, the Lord of the Demonic Cult, that Dan Jucheon knew who had come to the North Sea Ice Palace. “Uh, why, why is the Lord of Sky Demon Order here?” Seol Young-gwi was surprised and stuttered until Chun Yeowun smiled at him and spoke. “We have received a request to dispatch warriors from the prince of your palace.” Chapter 414 - Collapse of the Ice Palace (1) Chapter 414 : Collapse of the Ice Palace (1) The office of the North Sea Ice Palace. The intense vibrations caused all the furniture to vibrate and the office decorations to fall. Two people were casually talking. Perhaps they were getting used to the continuous vibration, which only got worse with time. They were Dan Jucheon, Deputy King of the Palace, and Seol Young-gwi, the 1st Elder. “This is a problem. Word is quickly spreading among the officials in the palace.” “… how long has it been?” Dan Jucheon shook his head with a disappointed face. The news that prince Baekhyun, the previous king’s rightful successor and the Lord of the Demonic Cult, led a contingent into the palace spread quickly. Thanks to that, news of the successful arrival of Yulin’s contingent got buried. “Hm, it is going completely different from the original plan. Ugh!” Dan Jucheon wanted to use the success of his dispatch request to change the minds of several officials and direct members of the palace who didn’t support him becoming king. Instead, the prince, whose credibility had been lost in the palace, came back to highlight the unreasonable selection of the heir. ‘The Lord of the Demonic Cult can’t be considered since there was no official request sent to them. Haa.’ They could have used that excuse if it hadn’t been for the Lord of the Demonic Cult, Chun Yeowun. Everyone hated admitting it, but after seeing his high skill level while crossing the lake, it was hard for anyone to make a move. The Ice Palace was already having a hard time dealing with the Dragon Turtle, and they couldn’t afford to create a stronger enemy. ‘Even if it was too much, should I have tried to defeat the monster with just the palace warriors?’ It was a regret. But soon after, he realized that such a thought was foolish. A four-headed dragon is almost a disaster class spirit beast. It was completely unknown if there would be any piece of the North Sea Ice Palace left if they dealt with the Dragon Turtle alone. ‘Right. It’s impossible to ascend to the throne of the palace without making any sacrifices.’ Dan Jucheon wanted absolute power in the North Sea Ice Palace. The fact that he was able to overtake the prince and take office as the Deputy King was only possible because of the support of the senior officials. It was better to act safely than sacrifice everyone around him. “It is highly unlikely that the prince will stay in the limelight for a long time.” “Well, the senate officials are showing interest in the Lord of the Demonic Cult.” “Those old people in the back room are quite meddlesome.” Crack! The handle of the chair that Dan Jucheon was sitting on cracked as he released his energy. The senate officials had stopped him from time to time. Starting from the time when the former deceased king competed with Dan Jucheon for the position of king. ‘This much should be enough.’ Seol Young-gwi was satisfied looking at Dan Jucheon’s expression. His real purpose was to stimulate ill feelings towards the prince and make the Deputy King consider the prince a threat. He thought that the Deputy King wouldn’t make a move since the prince is his nephew and disciple, but that didn’t seem to be the case. ‘You shouldn’t turn weak just because the person who decided to walk alongside you is a blood relative. Sympathy is not a good emotion.’ In order to do that, the bloody path should be faced head-on. In his mind, Seol Young-gwi wanted to advise Dan Jucheon to eliminate the prince right away, but looking at his reaction on the watchtower, it wouldn’t happen anytime soon. Dan Jucheon asked. “And their accommodations?” “For now, only the leaders of both Yulin and the Demonic Cult are being given entry into the Royal Palace’s VIP side, temporary barracks are being set up on the west side of the palace.” “Ugh, too many people…” Originally, they only prepared residences for the Yulin contingents. However, as the number of people increased, the accommodations inside the palace weren’t enough, so they had to set up barracks. “Once the dragon affair is resolved, we will have to expand the palace and increase the number of guests. I don’t think the prestige of the palace will stand tall if we don’t change.” “I understand. Leave it to this old man.” Elder Seol Young-gwi agreed to it. Since the North Sea Ice Palace had never accommodated so many guests before, it felt like an expansion had to be done. “I hope nothing goes wrong tonight.” The vibrations had recently grown stronger. Now it was almost like an earthquake was happening right below their feet. The source of the vibrations was where the Dragon was sealed, yet the tremors would shake the entire palace. There was something wrong, and they tried to think of what was wrong, but they couldn’t understand why the entire palace shook. “It’s strange how no one is surprised that the palace is shaking like this! Isn’t it? Mun…” Hu Bong, who was looking at Mun Ku, was shocked by the shaking and looked to the side. Instead of standing tall, Mun Ku was clinging to Chun Yeowun. She wasn’t scared at all. Instead, she was smiling. “Hehehehe. I am fine. My support here is pretty strong.” Grab! “You, you~ Do what you want~.” The Six Swords all laughed at Hu Bong’s ridiculous words as he pouted. “What kind of stupid expression are you making?” “Puaahhhh!” Chun Yeowun ended up laughing out loud. Walking down the hallway to get to the VIP residence reminded him of the old days in the academy. In a way, those were enjoyable times for him. “Don’t worry too much. Our palace is built out of a single stone, it is unlikely for it to collapse despite the shaking.” The lieutenant of the Snow Sword Troops, Oh Young, who was guiding them to the VIP rooms on the fourth floor of the palace, spoke with a smile. Although the palace shook quite a lot, it was weird to see that there were no cracks. Unable to believe, Hu Bong spoke. “If this is moderate shaking, then fine, but won’t this come down with stronger shaking?” “W-well? I think it will be fine.” “Ah! here! Here! There are cracks on this side.” Looking at the wall of the hallway, Hu Bong pointed to the thin cracks. It wasn’t that bad, but Hu Bong, who never witnessed such a thing, couldn’t help but worry that the palace would collapse. Puck! “Ugh!” “Calm yourself. Such nonsense. Is this your bedroom? You keep making noises.” Hu Bong only became silent after being hit on the back of his head by a huge palm. Oh Young smiled awkwardly at that. Actually, he was shocked in his heart. The Demonic Cult he knew was supposed to be made up of rude and strong people with warlike tendencies, but seeing them up close, they were no different from normal people. Tak! Chun Yeowun placed his hand on the cracked wall. ‘Nano. What is the condition of this building?’ [I will scan and check the condition.] Along with Nano’s voice, a faint light escaped from Chun Yeowun’s palm. Mun Ku, who was the only one next to him, looked at Chun Yeowun. Eventually, Nano told him the results. [As a result of scanning the cracks in the wall, it is a crack that has progressed recently. As the damage is progressing at a rapid rate, the building is…] Rumble! “Woah!” The palace shook again. This time, it was a lot stronger than before. The palace even wobbled a little. “Ah…” Even Oh Young, the lieutenant of Snow Sword troops, who just comforted Hu Bong, looked around bewildered. ‘What? Did it shake like this before?’ Until yesterday, there was only one huge vibration at a time. And then it would get quiet for a long time, but this time, the interval between the vibrations was very short. This time, Sama Chak, who had been calm till then, asked. “Is this really okay?” It was scary. And Oh Young couldn’t tell the guests of the North Sea Ice Palace that they weren’t in a safe place. Firstly, he felt like he had to calm the anxious people and then report to the deputy king right away. “Although the vibrations are a bit severe, the palace is built out of a single stone, so it won’t collapse…” Rumble! Crack! Before he could even finish his words, the entire palace shook again. As a result, fragments from the cracked area fell to the floor. Everyone’s faces went stiff. And Hu Bong began to break out in cold sweat. “… excuse me, is this really okay?” There was a crack in the ceiling of the palace, which was supposed to stand strong. They didn’t fall since they were all well-versed in martial arts techniques about keeping their balance, but if there were any civilians inside, they would have fallen. “I will report this to the deputy king of the palace, so I think that it would be better for our distinguished guests to go outside the palace! Follow me!” Oh Young took the lead and tried to guide them outside. It was then. Rumble! Drrrk! “Waahhh!” “T-the building!” This time the palace swayed from side to side along with the vibrations and ended up leaning to one side. Perhaps, it was the impact that caused a huge change in the ceiling on the side of the wall, which was already cracked. Crack! The ceiling and wall, which was supposed to be made of a single stone, cracked and was about to collapse. Flustered, Oh Young pointed to the window at the end of the hallway and screamed. “You need to jump out!” He wanted them to get out. However, the fact that they were on the upper floor, which was collapsing, made it difficult. Rumble! Rumble! “Ugh! The floor!” The floor cracked like it was going to break. Even Oh Young, who had gotten used to the vibrations, couldn’t help but lose his balance. At that very moment. Bang! Crack! Even those who learned the North Sea’s Cold Qi wouldn’t be able to create such a chill. At that moment, frost began to form on the floor, which was about to collapse, and the cracks ended up freezing. Shockingly, that wasn’t the only thing. As if the ceiling that was about to collapse was held by someone, every piece which was falling stopped mid-air. Gooooo! A heavy dust cloud filled the floor. “Wh-what is this?” Oh Young saw that Ko Wanghur, Hu Bong, Mong Mu, and Great Guardian Marakim all had their hands stretched out. Three Superiors Masters and one Supreme Master had stopped the fragments falling from the ceiling mid-air. And, “No way…” Cold energy radiated from the center of Chun Yeowun, the Lord of the Demonic Cult’s, right foot. The cold energy made the floor freeze. ‘How, how can he use such extremes…’ Unlike Oh Young, who was surprised, Hu Bong was on the verge of death. ‘Kuak! I knew this would happen! This was why I was anxious.’ He raised his energy to the sky in a hurry, but it was impossible for him to support the floor. If it hadn’t been for the four of them acting at the perfect time, the ceiling would have collapsed right away. Shaking! “Ugh, this is too hard. I think you and the Lord should head out first.” “Huh… he is right. Lord.” Marakim spoke in a trembling voice as he was also struggling with the task at hand. What they were doing was a temporary measure. They couldn’t stand there and keep the ceiling up forever. All they could do was hold it up temporarily. “Lord! Mun Ku! Sama Chak! Che Takim! Move!” As Ko Wanghur shouted at them. Chun Yeowun, who was holding the floor with cold energy, asked Oh Young, who was on the ground. “This is collapsing, it shouldn’t matter if we break it, right?” “Huh?” It was an incomprehensible choice of words. Irrespective of that, Chun Yeowun ordered the four people holding the ceiling. “Ugh. Hang on a little longer.” “Y-yes!” Leaving the four struggling warriors behind, Chun Yeowun raised his hand. That was the moment when something amazing happened. Crrrrk! The frost condensed with a stronger energy, and hundreds of ice swords were created in the hallway. ‘Nano! Panel Mode!’ [According to the user’s command, the remote panel system has been activated.] ‘Destroy it all without leaving anything behind.’ [Understood. Target Lock On.] When Chun Yeowun gave the command to Nano and extended his hand to the ceiling, the Ice Swords all aimed for the ceiling. Wheeing! And the swords pierced the ceiling. Slash! Sha! Sha! Bang! The ice swords all dug into the ceilings at once. Even Lieutenant Oh Young of the Snow Sword troops couldn’t help but feel astonished. “Goodness…” He could see why Chun Yeowun asked him that. The ice swords that had dug into the ceiling were smashing the walls too. Kwa! Kwa! Kwa! Kwang! Shockingly, the wall and ceiling fragments shattered so fast that not a single person was hurt or scratched. It was a truly marvelous sight. ‘Is-is he… human?’ Chapter 415 - Collapse of the Ice Palace (2) Chapter 415 : Collapse of the Ice Palace (2) Rumble! The building collapsed because of the strong tremors. The palace didn’t just collapse on the guest rooms side of the Northern Sea Ice Palace. It happened all over the entire palace at the same time. Everyone who thought that the palace made out of a single stone would never collapse saw that it could. Crack! Cracks appeared on the walls of the palace’s main building, which had its red tiles covered with white snow. The walls began to crack, and the structure wobbled. “E-earthquake!” “Escape!” Shouts erupted from everywhere, and the people in the palace began to run out. No one was an exception. Elders, the deputy, and the officials who were on the top floor of the main building all tried to escape from the palace, which was going to fall. Bang! Dan Jucheon broke the wall of the building and jumped out. He was lucky that he was in a corner room on the top floor. If he had been in the middle of the palace, it would have been difficult for him to escape. Thud! “Th-this can’t be…” Seol Young-gwi, an elder, jumped from the palace and landed next to Dan Jucheon, he couldn’t hide from what he was seeing, the Ice Palace was collapsing in all directions. Dan Jucheon had the same reaction. He looked at the main building, which had cracks in the walls with distraught eyes. ‘Why… why is this happening when I am trying to get my position…’ A disaster that had never happened since the creation of the Ice Palace. Dan Jucheon’s gaze turned to another place. “Achkk!” “Help me!” As the main building collapsed, the screams from the inside grew louder. Just as there were people who managed to escape at the right moment, there were also those who couldn’t, and they were killed or stuck under the rubble. What used to be a single stone which would never collapse turned into rubble. If it were built with wood, except for those with horrible luck, everyone would have managed to escape outside. Rumble! The main building, which had tilted to one side, couldn’t bear weight since the palace’s pillars were broken, and the building was on the verge of falling. “Kuak!” Dan Jucheon, deputy king, hurriedly moved and spread cold qi on the broken pillars. Swoosh! White cold air gushed out of his hand and supported the broken pillars. Thanks to that, the collapse of the main building, which was going to happen right away, was postponed. Looking inside, he shouted. “Come on, escape!” He escaped in a hurry, but half the people and officials inside hadn’t come out yet. And those who heard the shout from Dan Jucheon hurriedly ran out. Whoop! Many were found by rocks that fell from the ceiling. Many were in shock. “Help the others escape and freeze the building!” “Y-Yes!” The warriors of the Ice Palace, including the elders who escaped, all joined in to delay the collapse of the palace. Suddenly, they remembered that the leaders of the Wulin were being escorted to the VIP rooms. “Elder Seol! Find our guests first!” “Understood!” Seol Young-gwi stopped using cold qi and got on the move. It was because the VIP side of the room was quite high up, and it would be difficult to get them out if that part collapsed. Seol Young-gwi’s face hardened as he moved towards the VIP building. “This!” The VIP building, which couldn’t handle the vibrations, had collapsed to the ground. ‘This is bad!’ When a guest gets into an accident or gets wounded, such a situation can never be rectified. Shocked, he hurried towards the building, and fortunately, he saw the guests from the Demonic Cult a little further away. And it wasn’t just them. Even those from the Yulin who were all covered in dust and gasping for air were there. “Haa… Haaa…” “It could have been worse.” Hwang Bo-neung of the Hwang Bo clan sighed in relief as he looked at the wreckage. Seeing that, Moyong Kang too nodded and answered. “If the ceiling hadn’t been broken, we would have died.” The leaders of the Yulin were in their rooms on the third floor, and they were almost crushed to death by the sudden collapse. However, the ceiling, which should have collapsed first, suddenly froze, giving them time to escape. “I’m so glad you are okay! Thank god!” Seol Young-gwi approached the officials of the Yulin. The one who responded to him was Jegal Sohi, whose shirt was soaked in blood. Since she was a woman, she had been given a separate room, and because she wasn’t able to react quick enough, debris had fallen on her. “Haa… haa… What just happened? Didn’t you say that the cave where the Dragon Turtle has been sealed is far from here?” It was the movement of the dragon which had been trying to escape that created the vibrations. It was said that the vibrations became stronger as the Dragon Turtle grew, and it seemed like it was moving. “This old man is shocked as it all happened suddenly. If the Dragon Turtle has broken through the Adularia stones, someone must have… Ah! No! Has the seal been lifted?” Seol Young-gwi looked in the direction where the Dragon Turtle had been sealed. At the same time, from the mountains to the north of the Ice Palace. Heeeing! Unlike the Ice Palace, where the vibrations were at the peak, that place looked exceptionally quiet, except for the sound of cold winds. The mountain that had the Dragon Turtle sealed inside it. There was nothing but silence around it. Five hundred warriors emit cold qi in the cavity lit by fluttering torches with their palms to the floor. ‘This is strange.’ Elder Oh Mubang and Seol Yi-jeong, who were concentrating on the ice, were confused. Their expressions were stiff. Their hands were placed on the floor, infusing cold qi, but something felt off. ‘I can’t feel the heartbeat.’ Usually, when they would place their palms on the ground, they could feel the dragon moving. The floor was supposed to shake because it kept on trying to break through the ice, but it wasn’t happening anymore. Not a single movement. ‘There is no way it died from exhaustion.’ It was the Dragon that hadn’t died despite being frozen for hundreds of years. Elder Seol Yi-jeong, who thought that something was strange, suddenly remembered something and stood up. “Move, I need to check something.” With that, he looked at the opening of the cave. He climbed out of the cave and went to the top of the mountain. ‘Please… please…!’ He hoped that his premonition would turn up wrong. Shortly after, a shocking sight greeted his eyes. The building, the Ice Palace in the south, was collapsing. “N-No way…” At the scene that followed, Seol Yi-jeong’s eyes trembled. Bang! Although it had fallen, there was something which could be seen. In the middle of the collapsing Ice Palace, something long and humongous appeared from the ground. It had long black scales on his body and a dragon’s head. “Dr-Dragon Turtle!” It was their delusion that they thought it was locked up in the cave. Kwakwakwakwang! The sound of something trying to come up from the ground. Everyone could hear it. It wasn’t a simple earthquake. Everybody was warned by their five senses. ‘Well, something is coming.’ Grrrr! And the ground in front of the main building of the Ice Palace curved in on itself with slight tremors until something huge appeared. Crack! Keeooooo! Everyone held their breath as they looked at it. A long and broad shadow was visible through the dust. At first glance, it looked like a dragon, no, more like an Imoogi, but the body seemed different. It looked like the Spirit Beasts that people once looked at in ancient books. The only unexpected part was that it was so much bigger than what they imagined. “How could this happen? Does that mean that it didn’t try to climb up the Adularia stones but went through the ground to get out instead?” Looking at the long and huge neck of the dragon which appeared in front of him, Dan Jucheon couldn’t hide his shock. The reason why the vibrations were getting stronger wasn’t because the dragon was getting stronger. It was because he was getting closer to the Ice Palace. “We felt him until a while ago!” Elder Oh Mubang looked at the dragon in fear. This meant that the evil creature moved away by digging up the ground and only kept on returning to the original place to deceive the humans. ‘We kept looking down on the dragon!’ Spirit Beasts aren’t ordinary animals. Their wickedness could be compared to that of humans. Grunt! Dan Jucheon looked at the Ice Palace, which had been destroyed by the dragon, grunting as he took out his weapon and flew for the dragon’s long neck. “You! You destroyed the Palace, so in return for that, I will take your head!” Visor! Dan Jucheon took out a single weapon, the Snow Field Blade, which began to release cold qi to strike down the dragon covered in black scales. But, Woah! “N-No way!” Even when the sword was releasing qi, it couldn’t pierce the scales. It was as if the scales were made of cold iron. The sword was the only thing that trembled. He was shocked for a brief moment, but Dan Jucheon didn’t give up as he swung his sword again. Clang! Clang! Clang! Instead of piercing the scales, all his sword could do was leave behind a small scar. The only damage happening was to Dan Juecheon’s pride. “Kuwaaaakkkkk!!” “Ugh! My ears!” Everyone covered their ears at the loud roar. It was then. Flash! Flash! “Ack!” “Run!” A flash of light appeared in the body of the roaring Dragon Turtle, causing a strong electric current to bounce everywhere. Everything was so sudden that no one knew where to escape. And Dan Jucheon was no exception. Shock! He created a shield using cold qi, but it broke in an instant as he got thrown thirty feet away. “Kuak!” Thud! Dan Jucheon, who stopped rolling on the ground, couldn’t hide his disappointment. There were no significant injuries, but he couldn’t hide his displeasure. It had been a few years since he reached the Supreme Master level, and no one was a match for him. However, he didn’t realize that he would be so powerless in front of that creature. It was indeed a creature worthy of being called a disaster. ‘How can we succeed?’ The fact that he could only scratch the scales meant that no physical attacks would work on that monster. The body of the Dragon Turtle was as strong as a gold ingot. ‘We need to work together to find a weakness!’ Or they wouldn’t be able to kill it. Dan Jucheon looked around. He shouted to the warriors who were wandering around the wave of lightning that the Dragon caused. “Calm Down! Warriors! If we don’t get rid of the monster today, the palace will never stand!” “Y-yes!” Dan Jucheon, including the elders who were panicking, calmed down. As the top leaders stepped forward, the warriors who were scattered were brought under control. Rumble! At the same time, the troops of the Yulin, who were on the outskirts of the palace, discovered the Dragon Turtle and tried to come over. It was then. Kwakwakwakwakwang! Another vibration came from the ground, along with another head of the dragon popping up from the broken ground. “Ugh! A… a different head?” The Dragon Turtle sealed in the Ice Palace was a four-headed spirit beast. The newly protruding head of the dragon let out a menacing roar, preventing people from moving. “Kwaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!” “T-this! Everyone move!” “Avoid!” The ones in the lead shouted. At the same time, just as it happened a moment back, a wave of lightning occurred from the Dragon Turtle’s roar. Crack! Crackle! The warriors of Yulin turned around to run. However, it was difficult to respond immediately as the dragon’s attack was fast. “Kuaaak!” “Keep going!” Some warriors bounced away after getting hit by the wave of lightning. They all fell since they were electrocuted. “Get up!” More than half of them had died from cardiac arrest. In an instant, more than 80 people died. “It can use lightning?” Hwang Bo-nueng of the Hwang Bo clan, spoke. He just realized that what he signed up for wasn’t a battle with a wild beast. Spirit creatures use energy. “Miss Jegal, are you okay? It would be better if you stepped back for a while.” Moyong Kang of the Moyong family tried to comfort Jegal Sohi, who had been hurt. Even if she wasn’t severely injured, he felt that it would be better to ask her to back off. Despite their concern, Sohi tried to go somewhere with a serious expression. Clench! Moyong Kang grabbed her wrist. “Where are you going?” “W… we need to move. Leader Moyong. We need to inform the Lord of the Demonic Cult right away.” “About what?” “That dragon, it’s trying to defeat us individually!” “?” “If I am right, the first head appeared to examine the situation above. And it was no coincidence that our men were stopped. The other head should probab…” Kwakwakwang! Before she could finish her words, the ground shook once again. The vibration was rushing to the northwest side where the Demonic Cult’s troops were located. Just as Jegal Sohi predicted. “Leader Moyong! We need to tell them to keep their distance from that thing!” The contingents of the Yulin approached it hastily, and they ended up losing their lives. If the Demonic Cult’s men were also hit by the Dragon Turtle’s lightning without any defense, they would die. Moyong Kang frowned. He didn’t want to help the Demonic Cult, but it would be difficult to deal with the Dragon Turtle if they lost too many troops. ‘Ah, there is nothing to decide.’ “Yuu!” “Yes father!” “Tell the Demonic Cult’s contingents to keep as far away from the Dragon Turtle as possible. Hurry up!” “Yes!” Moyong Kang’s son, Moyong Yuu, who had been listening to Jegal Sohi’s words, hurriedly moved to the northwest where the Demonic Cult was located. Moyong Kang, who sent him away, shouted to the surviving warriors. “Keep your distance! Bring in the fire arrows!” “Yes!” Since he was the only one who witnessed a dragon before, Moyong Kang had gone through all the ancestors’ records and came to know about the use of the fire arrows. Upon receiving the orders, the warriors began to light up the arrows which they had prepared in advance. Meanwhile, Moyong Yuu, who was heading to the northwest, couldn’t hide his shock. “Da-damn it! Already!” Kwakwakwang! He tried to outrun the dragon, but he couldn’t beat the speed at which the dragon’s huge neck moved. Suddenly, the third head of the dragon popped out from the ground. “D-dragon!” “Move away!” The cries of the members from the Demonic Cult could be heard. Unlike when it blocked the advance of the Yulin troops, the dragon came up from right in the middle of their unit this time. If the dragon used the lightning in that position, everyone would die. Moyong Yuu, who wanted to say it, shouted as loud as he could. “Spread out right now!” But the moment he shouted, the dragon’s roar echoed everywhere. “Kwaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!” “N-No!” In front of Moyong Yuu, a white flash of light appeared in the dragon’s body and then made its way outside, causing lightning. Crackle!!! Naturally, he thought that all the cultists would get electrocuted and thrown away. But something unbelievable happened. “Ugh?” The lightning from the dragon didn’t spread out like before but went to one place in the ground and got absorbed by something. “Wh-what went wrong?” When he looked closely, all the cultists were bowing down, and they looked unharmed. In various places, something like iron bars were stuck in the ground. As if it had absorbed the lightning that the dragon emitted, they lit up blue. Crackle! “Unbelievable! Did they stop the lightning from the dragon with that one thing? Wh-what the hell is that?” What was even more shocking was that the lightning that had descended through the iron rods flowed into the ground, and the cultists were slowly breathing, making sure that they weren’t affected by it. And when the lightning completely vanished. “Success!” “Wahhhh!” All the cultists shouted at once. Chun Yeowun looked at the footwear they were wearing. It was footwear, which had a sole that was made from hardening the sap of a tree brought in as an imperial trade item. All the cultists were wearing them. [Current dissipated to the ground had been reduced by over 90%.] ‘Lightning rod and rubber? I was skeptical, but this is a success Nano!’ Chun Yeowun’s lips formed into a smile as he looked at the dragon. Chapter 416 - The Dragon Turtle (1) Chapter 416 : The Dragon Turtle (1) Chun Yeowun had heard from prince Baekhyun that the dragon was using powers related to qi, so he had, in advance, taken measures with the help of Nano. At the very least, he managed to prevent everyone from getting shocked to death. The measures prepared were a remarkable success. “Grrrrrrr!” Was it because of what happened? The yellow eyes of the Dragon Turtle, which didn’t achieve its purpose, looked down with an unpleasant gaze. It used lightning, yet not a single person had died. ‘Is this the first time I’ll see a live Spirit Beast?’ Chun Yeowun thought as he looked at the long and broad dragon. He obtained the core of Imoogi and then the core of the Flame of QIlin, which was sealed in the Royal Shrine of the Imperial Palace. However, it was always the core and energy of beasts that had been captured ages ago. ‘Those people were indeed great. To kill such monsters.’ He knew that the energy he felt from the dragon was completely different from other warriors. As it was called Spirit Beast, it was safe to say that it is an entity different from humans. ‘But the entire time I was here, we were strategizing.’ He wasn’t just concerned with rushing to the north. Chun Yeowun sent a message to someone. And 6th elder, Mong Mu, who was in charge of the troops, came ahead and shouted. “Now is the time, counterattack! All swordsmen draw your swords!” “Yes!” When the order fell, the six hundred warriors under the Six Swords yelled and drew their swords which were engulfed in energy. Woah! The scene of six hundred warriors raising their weapons was spectacular. Moyong Yuu, who came to inform the Demonic Cult about the dragon, was in awe. “Wow, they brought their elites with them.” The warriors under the Six Swords were made up of talented individuals within the Demonic Cult. Raising sword and defense units was a natural thing. Sword and defense units are known for having the highest amount of military and discipline training. It was shocking to see the formation of the sword and defense units perfectly harmonious. ‘Let’s start.’ When Chun Yeowun raised his hand, 6th Elder Mong Mu shouted. “All the 1st class warriors aim your swords for the neck of the dragon!” “Yes!” The cultists at the 1st class were close to Master level and could use sword qi. Of the six hundred men, sixty Master level warriors surrounded the dragon and kept blasting the dragon’s thick neck with sword qi, internal energy, and other attacks. Chachachacha! The energy they were producing hit the neck of the dragon with a sharp sound. The sword attacks weren’t giving out huge wounds, but if they kept hitting the same place multiple times, the scales of the Dragon Turtle would tremble at the blows. Pa! Tha! Cha! The Dragon Turtle wasn’t expecting such harmonious attacks, so it twisted and tried to counterattack to prevent qi attacks from being used on its body. At that time, Great Guardian Marakim shouted. “Six Swords and Lieutenant Hu, next step!” Phat! As Marakim moved to the sky, Hu Bong and the Six Swords simultaneously flew to the air and created a strong release of internal energy. Woong! Their target was the head. If the six hundred men attacked and the dragon moved to avoid getting hit, they decided to target the head. The seven of them, at the same time, made their effort to hit the head. The first things used were Hu Bong’s Illusion Sword technique and Marakim’s Twenty Four Demon Sword. Chachachachachacha! Kakakakang! The slashing sword attacks spread across the dragon’s head. The head was also covered in hard scales that no attack pierced, but the dragon roared as if the attacks were reaching its body. “GUOOOOOOOO!” “Keep attacking!” The Six Swords, including Ko Wanghur, all aimed for the dragon’s head at the same time. Surrounded by strong attacks, they once again created distance and struck the demon. Chachachachacha! “KUOOOOOOO!” The Dragon Turtle couldn’t move and kept howling at the rain of attacks that came onto it. The lower body was being attacked by the warriors, the neck was being attacked by the 1st class Master level warriors. ‘Th-that is! The Demonic Cult might be able to take down that dragon head…’ Moyong Yuu, who was watching, couldn’t help but admire it. No matter how hard the dragon’s scales were, it seemed like the dragon despised getting attacked. It seemed like Jegal Sohi, and his father’s concerns were for nothing. ‘We’re the ones in trouble.’ Moyong Yuu, who thought there was no need to worry about the Demonic Cult, tried to move back to where the Yulin troops were. It was then. Wooong! “Th-this energy is?” Moyong Yuu turned his head, startled at the tremendous energy he felt from behind. The dragon’s head, which was covered in black scales, was rapidly radiating intense white light. It was scary and ominous for some reason. “A-avoid!” Marakim, who continued to hit the dragon head, exclaimed urgently. Similarly, Six Swords, who were startled by the ominous energy, withdrew at once. It spread in all directions, but what the dragon seemed to aim for was the direction where Hu Bong was present. A ray of blue light flickered through the mouth of the Dragon Turtle, who was barring its sharp teeth. It seemed to be emitting something different from lightning. Crackle! “Th-this!” “Avoid at all costs!” Shocked, they all tried to release shields knowing that the other warriors wouldn’t be able to hold their defense with their internal energy. “Damn… it!” Hu Bong looked at the dragon’s mouth, which was wailing. Both its eyes seemed to be dyed white. “Kwaaaaakkk!” Crackle! And then it paused, and a beam of pale blue lightning flashed from the dragon’s mouth and split the air. It was different from the waves of lightning it used before. This one was stronger. Kwakwakwakwa! Everything the lightning touched was destroyed, even clouds. Mun Ku and Ko Wonghur were trembling at the tremendous power and shouted. “Hu Bong!!!” “Che Takim!!!” It wasn’t an attack that could be stopped. Anywhere the lightning passed had black smoke spreading around. It held a power that no martial artist could defend. Hu Bong and Che Takim, whom the dragon aimed at, wouldn’t survive. Mun Ku reached for the ground with red eyes. “H-how could… this… happen… Hu…” She didn’t even know that the dragon was aiming for Hu Bong and Che Takim. It was such a tragic end. She was on the verge of bursting into tears when she heard a familiar cry from afar. “I’m not dead yet!” “Huh?” Mun Ku’s eyes widened as she looked in the direction where the voice came from. Both Hu Bong and Che Takim were in the air. And they were holding onto Chun Yeowun’s hand, who was in front of them. When it was about to attack, Chun Yeowun quickly pulled them down from the air. If he was even a little late, both of them would have turned into a crisp. “Hiing! I thought you were dead!” “… we are not dead yet.” “Hehe.” Mun Ku smiled broadly, wiping away her tears. Che Takim, who was too shocked, mumbled with a pale face. “Lo-Lord, I almost died. Thank you.” At those words, Chun Yeowun looked at the dragon with serious eyes, not responding. It was because the dragon was once again condensing energy and was ready to shoot another beam of lightning. Woong! “A-again?” Everyone looked at the dragon’s head with scared expressions. Float! “Ugh!” Two people fell to the ground on their butts. “Everyone get down!” At Chun Yeowun’s cry, every member fell flat on the floor, no matter where they were. Gooooo! Strong white light condensed from the dragon’s mouth, and Chun Yeowun extended his hand towards it. Crackle! Cold qi rose in the air, and hundreds of ice swords appeared around the dragon’s head. The dragon’s eyes widened, looking puzzled, but Chun Yeowun didn’t care as he clenched his hands, and the ice sword rushed towards the dragon at once. Chachachachachacha! “KUUAAAAAAKK!” Hundreds of ice swords hit the dragon’s head and chin simultaneously, the dragon’s mouth, which was about to release lightning, shut, and the attack disappeared. Chun Yeowun frowned. ‘… it’s unpenetrated!’ Shhhhhh! As the ice swords hit the dragon’s head, each sword shattered due to the scales. Even then, the cultists who fell to the ground watched and shouted in excitement when the lightning beam was blocked. “Woah!” When everyone’s morale rose, Chun Yeowun and Marakim shouted at the same time. “Down!” “No one gets up!” The dragon roared. “Kwakkkkkkk!” Along with the roar, a wave of lightning rose from the dragon’s body. Crackle! The startled warriors quickly lowered their heads and bodies, lower than the lightning rods. The wave of lightning emitted by the dragon got sucked into the rods, just like it did before. But that wasn’t the end. Unlike the previous waves of lightning, which would end, the Dragon Turtle kept releasing more and more waves. Crackle! Crackle! Crackle! Everyone was stuck to the ground, not moving, because of the constant waves of lighting. “W-what?” “H-how long does it plan to release waves of lightning?” The faces of the cultists who leaned to the ground looked at the lightning rods, which were turning darker and darker. The lightning rods, which were absorbing the lightning, were turning redder and curved. It should have been exhausted, but the Dragon Turtle kept spewing lightning as if it had infinite power, driving the lightning rods to their limit. Crack! “Ugh!” And the lightning rods began to bend one after another. There were around sixty rods, and more than ten had already turned red and bent. Now the Demonic Cult was in a dangerous situation. [The lightning exceeds the limit the rods can withstand.] Chun Yeowun’s face went stiff at Nano’s voice which echoed in his head. ‘This can’t be.’ He tried to eliminate the Dragon Turtle by using strategy, but it looked like he misunderstood its power. If things continued like this, everyone would die. It had to be stopped, but the power emitted by the dragon was something that Chun Yeowun couldn’t even understand. In addition, the range of the emitted lightning was so wide that he wouldn’t be able to cover it. ‘Nano, is there any other way to withstand lightning?’ [The higher the thermal energy, the higher the wavelength of the atom impeding the movement of electrons.] ‘… can you break it down into a simple way?’ [As the heat increases, the flow of the current decreases. However, the current emitted by the Dragon Turtle is too strong. It may be dangerous.] ‘Ugh, it has to be dangerous.’ Otherwise, it would have been killed by now. When Chun Yeowun slowly tried to stand up, Che Takim and the other cultists around him tried to stop him. “Lo-lord! It’s dangerous!” “Get away from me.” “What?” Wooong! “Ahh?” When Chun Yeowun slightly waved his hand, the warriors who were around him got pushed away. Everyone was shocked, but then they felt the ferocious energy that was engulfing them. Woong! “Th-this is?” At that moment, a change occurred in Chun Yeowun’s body. Wheeeing! Black flames rose all over his body. It radiated a different level of heat from what Hu Bong showed his members. Just being close enough would burn them down. “B-black flame?” As his whole body was covered in black flames, the yellow eyes of the dragon, which continued to release lightning, suddenly turned towards Chun Yeowun. It seemed like the dragon had sensed the energy of another Spirit Beast from him. “Kwaaaak!” The Dragon Turtle emitted stronger lightning and tried to push Chun Yeowun down. Crackle! Crack! Crack! Nearly half the lightning rods broke in an instant burning up in blue flames. As a result, the remaining lightning rods couldn’t completely absorb the attack, and the members close to the attack screamed in pain. “Ackkk!” “Kuakkk!” Chun Yeowun moved to the air, his eyes filled with anger at the shouts and screams of his members. Crackle! Chun Yeowun’s blinked a couple times. Sparks were bouncing in all directions, but he seemed less affected with the black flames around him. It was a tingling sensation. ‘Cut it at once.’ An invisible sword made of the black flame was created in Chun Yeowun’s hand. Only by beheading the Dragon Turtle at once will he be able to prevent the worst from happening. Swoosh! Chun Yeowun broke through the lightning waves and reached for the dragon’s neck. At that moment, something unexpected happened. “Ugh?” The Dragon Turtle stopped the waves of lightning, and a white flash appeared in its mouth. Cunningly, it waited for Chun Yeowun to approach it. ‘Shit!’ Phat! Phat! Shocked, Chun Yeowun immediately tried to change sides and move away. But, “Kwaaaaa!” Once again, the intense lightning erupted as the Dragon Turtle opened its mouth. As the dragon turned its neck to the side and kept on following where Chun Yeowun was moving. Crackle! Crackle! In an instant, Chun Yeowun’s figure disappeared in the light. “L-Lordddddd!” All the members of the cult, including Mun Ku, shouted in shock. However, there was no time for such things. They all had to try their best to avoid the lightning. The ray of lightning didn’t end after engulfing Chun Yeowun. Crackle! “A-avoid!” The cult members who escaped waves of lightning spread all over the area to avoid the damage. However, it wasn’t an easy task to outrun the lightning, which was moving at the speed of light. Crack! Shock! “Kuaaak!” “Ack!” About 20 members of the team who couldn’t escape got hit and instantly turned black. Fortunately, the Dragon Turtle’s target was Chun Yeowun, so it stopped. As the members looked at the corpses turning into soot and the smoke rising from the dead, they became bewildered. “L-Lord…” Che Takim was the most shocked. He blamed himself for letting Chun Yeowun get close to the dragon. It was then. “There, look over there!” At the cry of one member, everyone turned their scared eyes. Wheeing! “B-black flame?” In thick smoke, black flames flickered. And the form seemed much larger than before. “Wahhhh… how can this be!” “The Lord is safe!” “Woaahhh!” All the members of the cult who thought that their Lord was dead began to scream and cheer. “Haaa…” Chun Yeowun gasped for air in the black flames. He too, thought that he was done for when he saw the lightning get close to him. But he survived. Besides, [Lightning qi charge 400%] ‘Huh?’ As Nano announced, the white light particles in the augmented reality unfolded. His energy, which he thought would be rapidly consumed to block the lightning, actually increased by four times. It turned into a situation where he was overflowing with power. [In the process of absorbing the lightning weakened by thermal energy, it was converted into the user’s internal energy. Cause unknown. Analysis required.] ‘Ha?’ Nano’s emergency measure was to protect Chun Yeowun from the lightning. However, something unintended happened. Chun Yeowun’s mouth rose into a smile. It was a strange phenomenon that even Nano couldn’t explain, but it was great news that the lightning emitted by the Dragon Turtle no longer worked on him. Chapter 417 - The Dragon Turtle (2) Chapter 417 : The Dragon Turtle (2) At first, dozens of people died by a single lightning bolt emitted by the Dragon Turtle. As a result, they couldn’t help but keep a certain distance between them and the dragon to avoid getting hit. ‘Thousand White Ice Sound!’ Thousand White Ice Sound and the Divine Palm of Ice God. It rained white frost as the deputy king, Dan Jucheon unfolded technique after technique. It wasn’t possible because he was alone, but because the elders of the North Sea Ice Palace used the same techniques simultaneously. Shhhh! “Kwaahk!” The Dragon Turtle roared as the cold frost rained on his head. It wasn’t because of the pain, but instead, it was the anger that rose as the frost reminded him of the cold ice that had imprisoned him for hundreds of years. Shhh! Shhhh! Lightning erupted from the dragon’s mouth. Dan Jucheon and the elders, who were using the cold qi, immediately moved to make ice shields. As they rotated their hands clockwise, transparent ice appeared in the form of a body shield. Crackle! “Kuk! Everyone! Hold on!” “Y-yes!” When the lightning hit the ice shields, it glided in a different direction. Their bodies bounced because of the power of lightning, but not a single person died. Thud! “Kwak!” The elders and Dan Jucheon, who fell to the ground, looked at the dragon yelling out in rage. As the fight continued, they managed to discover one thing. Although they couldn’t pierce the dragon scales or give direct blows, the lightning didn’t hit them if they defended with ice. For some unknown reason, it happened, and thankfully because of it, they managed to hold onto their lives. ‘But this can’t keep going on.’ The dragon showed no signs of being tired. On the other hand, they were all tired. As was the case with Dan Jucheon, most of the warriors had exhausted more than half their strength. ‘The remaining power…’ Looking around, there were more than six hundred warriors with tired expressions. At first glance, that number was huge, but the number of corpses on the floor exceeded three hundred. ‘We need to find a way to kill it, not a way to stop its attacks.’ Otherwise, the humans will be the first to fall. That was when someone’s voice was heard. [Deputy King!] When he turned his head in the direction the sound was coming from, he saw a woman. [Miss Jegal?] She was none other than Jegal Sohi, the strategist of Yulin. He was puzzled as she suddenly sent a telepathic message, but it was encouraging. “The scales are vulnerable to fire?” Dan Jucheon frowned while looking at the dragon, which was snorting smoke. On the other hand, the dragon head on Yulin’s side was, Pak! Pak! Pak! “Shoot! Keep Shooting!” The warriors kept on shooting fire arrows. He didn’t believe it at first as the fire arrows didn’t seem to penetrate it, but then something changed. As they continued to use fire arrows, the lightning produced by the dragon became weaker. ‘Oh my! That worked!’ Of course, for that to happen, half of their troops had to be sacrificed. Nearly two hundred people died from the waves of lightning alone. Although the Yulin men were keeping their distance while fighting, only half of the troops had survived. At that time, Hwang Bo-neung, who was shooting fire arrows like everyone else, shouted to Moyong Kang. “Leader Moyong! An arrow is stuck!” An arrow had never pierced the dragon’s scale before. It was the first time in the battle. When he looked at the place where Hwang Bo-neung pointed his finger at, an arrow was indeed stuck. “Oh oh oh!” Just as his ancestor’s records said, the fire arrows really did work. But the problem was, there weren’t any arrows left. It was a situation in which they were picking up anything that would work and shooting it. ‘We need to win at all costs.’ Moyong Kang gulped. They kept shooting fire arrows while continuing to widen the distance so that they could avoid lightning. Although it had weakened, it was still difficult for them to get close to it. ‘Someone has to sacrifice themselves at this point.’ Moyong Kang looked at the dragon’s head with determined eyes. Even if it meant getting struck by the lightning, he had to die while taking down one head. [Leader Hwang!] Moyong Kang informed Hwang Bo-neung of his plan. Hwang Bo-nueng, who paused for a moment at the mention of sacrificing himself, nodded his head. If they didn’t kill the dragon, everyone would die. “Give me a bottle of oil!” “Here!” At Moyong Kang’s cry, one of the warriors of the Moyong family, who was shooting arrows, threw half a bottle of oil. Grab! Moyong Kang, who caught the bottle, poured it on his sword. And as he put it close to a fire, it caught fire. Hrrrrk! Hwang Bo-neung also poured oil on his great sword and made it catch fire. It wouldn’t last long. They had to make sure the task was done before the fire went out. “Let’s go!” “Nice!” At the exhilarating cry of Hwang Bo-neung, Moyong Kang followed him. It was impossible for the dragon to remain still when he saw two people rush towards it with their swords lit on fire. “Kwaaaaahhhhh!” The dragon roared, and lightning erupted from its body. Although weakened, the lightning was still too dangerous for people to get close to it, and it kept shooting the lightning in front of them as if it didn’t want them to get closer. Crackle! ‘Endure this!’ Moyong Kang bit his lip as he kept moving forward. It was then. Crackle! Crackle! “Huh?” In front of the two men, middle-aged men in white fur blocked the waves of lightning with ice shields. The lightning which hit the ice shields glided away. The people who blocked the lightning were officials from the North Sea Ice Palace. “Go ahead!” Path! After blocking the lightning, they shouted to the two men behind them. Thanks to them, Moyong Kang and Hwang Bo-neung didn’t die because of the lightning. They sent their thanks to the men and ran ahead with their swords still on fire and struck the dragon’s neck. Slash! The swords pierced through the scales, which were supposed to be impenetrable. “KOOOOUUUUU!” The dragon screamed as it twisted its long neck. The life-threatening adventure looked like it ended in success. Hwang Bo-neung exclaimed as he put more force into the sword. “You monster! Dieeee!” Chak! The swords of the two simultaneously pierced the thick neck of the dragon and cut it. The swords entered the neck through one side and then came out from the opposite side. Slash! Kwang! The dragon’s severed head fell to the ground. The warriors of the Yulin all looked at the fallen head of the dragon, and once it lost the light in its yellow eyes, they screamed. “Wahhh!!!” “We killed a dragon!!!” Two heroes valiantly beheaded the dragon, which wrecked the place. The moments where they battled with fear and doubted whether they could kill that monster were finally rewarded. Hwang Bo-neung slumped to the ground, tried, and waved his hand to Moyong Kang, who was near him and smiled. It was then. Thud! Crackle! A gooey liquid dripped all over the place as they rejoiced. Moyong Kang, puzzled, raised his head to look at what was happening. Wooong! White flashes were visible in Moyong Kang’s eyes which were looking up. At that moment, a ray of intense lightning swept past Hwang Bo-neung, who was seated on the ground close to the warriors. Kwakwakwang! When the lightning passed, nothing but black soot remained. Moyong Kang yelled. “Hwang Bo-neungggggggg!!!” The northwest side of the Ice Palace. The invisible sword made of huge black flames in Chun Yeowun’s hand, cut down the dragon’s neck. Slash! Bang! As they looked at the huge head falling to the ground, the warriors of the Demonic Cult shouted. “Woahhh!” “Sky Demon Order! Lord Chun! Lord Chun!” They shouted at the sight of Chun Yeowun, who cut off the dragon’s head in one stroke. The tornado of black flames which surrounded him slowly disappeared. Swoosh! “Phew…” The white particles in the augmented reality, which were only visible to Chun Yeowun, who was panting, rapidly fell. [The remaining amount of lightning qi 324%] [The remaining amount of lightning qi 323%] The energy, which soared to four times the normal amount, was rapidly consumed. Perhaps, because it had exceeded the normal limit, the speed at which it decreased was fast. ‘A temporary phenomenon?’ The lighting absorbed by Nano to protect Chun Yeowun was a temporary amplifier. His body turned weary as he exhausted his stamina. [Exact cause is unknown. Analysis required.] ‘Okay. Well, once the flame is down…’ Crackle! At that moment, an unidentified liquid fell all over Chun Yeowun. ‘What?’ Chun Yeowun, who raised his head at the unknown phenomenon, was shocked by the words that erupted from everywhere. “Th-the dragon is still alive!” “That is absurd! Despite it’s head being severed?” It was shocking to everyone. The dragon’s severed head reformed. Perhaps it regenerated from the neck up, or a dragon head with scales lighter than the original was created. The liquid seemed to ooze out of the regenerated body. “W-what kind of regenerative power is this?” 6th elder Mong Mu mumbled in shock. He heard of Spirit Beasts with excellent regenerative power, but what he just witnessed is supposed to be impossible. “Grrrrr!” Wooong! A white flash of condensed lightning came from the mouth of the resurrected dragon. Marakim was the first to shout. “Lighting!! Everyone get away!” “Run away!” “Wahhh!” Everyone spread out as the light formed. Contrary to their thoughts, the dragon had a clear goal in its mind. It was to take down Chun Yeowun, who cut its head off. Crackle! From the dragon’s mouth, sparks burst along with intense lightning flashes. ‘Shit!’ Chun Yeowun’s face hardened. Chapter 418 - : The Dragon Turtle (3) Chapter 418 : The Dragon Turtle (3) ‘Shit!’ Chun Yeowun hurriedly raised his hand and tried to pull his energy up. Black flames once again radiated and whirled around him, creating a huge body shield. Crackle! As the lightning hit the shield of the black flames, the electric charge dispersed in the heat and disappeared. However, Chun Yeowun’s body was pushed back by the intense power the lightning held. “Kuak! What amazing power!” Crackle! After he got pushed back around thirty feet or so, the lightning from the Dragon Turtle extinguished. The newborn head of the dragon had an intense yellow glow in its yellow eyes and was glaring at just one person. “GRRRRRRRR!” The one which made its existence feel threatened. From the viewpoint of the cultists, who felt elated at its death, they ended up in frustration and fear as the head regenerated even after it was decapitated. In other words, they were dealing with an immortal monster. ‘Why isn’t it dead?’ Chun Yeowun stared at the dragon as that question ran through his mind. Perhaps it weakened after its head was resurrected. Unlike the immediate attacks done before, the dragon seemed to gather energy before attacking. The dragon did suffer damage, but the one at a disadvantage was still the cult. Chun Yeowun turned his head in the direction of the other Dragon Turtle’s head. ‘Ah?’ Looking elsewhere, he saw that dragon’s heads on the other side had relatively pale scales as if its heads were cut once. Which meant that the Yulin and the North Sea Ice Palace had cut down the other heads of the Dragon Turtle once. ‘So the head regenerates just like the normal body does? If all four heads are present, and then we die… wait, I don’t see one head.’ Chun Yeowun realized something. If the other dragon head appears, then the Dragon Turtle would end up killing everyone. From the information he was given, it was clear that the Dragon Turtle had four heads and a shell like a turtle. However, like a mole, only three of its heads stuck out. ‘No!?’ Pak! Chun Yeowun put his palms on the ground. Looking at that, the concerned cultists hurriedly yelled out. “Lord! It is about to shoot once again! Avoid it!” Despite the shouts, Chun Yeowun focused on the sensation that his hands would pick up from the ground. Da-Dum! Da-Dum! An intense beating under the ground. It seemed like what was underneath was excited and started to gradually beat faster. ‘I knew it!’ As if he realized something, Chun Yeowun got up from the ground and shouted at Hu Bong. “Hu Bong!” “Yes!” “Its lightning can be weakened by fire or extreme heat. Be at the center and protect the members of the cult!” “Ugh! Me, Me? Ahh… I understand!” Flustered at the heavy-duty he had been given, Hu Bong hesitated as he responded. Among the cult, Hu Bong was the only one who possessed flame qi from the Flame Qilin. He was someone who could manipulate flames like Chun Yeowun. Phat! Chun Yeowun, who gave the order, quickly moved away and headed somewhere else. He went to the middle point of the triangle from where the three heads popped out from, namely, right above the ruins of the Ice Palace. Da-Dum! Da-Dum! Da-Dum! ‘Here it is!’ The place where the heartbeat felt strongest. The body of the dragon was right below it. ‘If the heads keep regenerating, it’s a waste of time and effort to cut it.’ It was a gamble, but Chun Yeowun decided that he should aim for the dragon’s body. [Lightning qi remaining 189%] He still had double the amount of energy he typically possessed. Except for the original amount he possessed, he had to release all the extra energy. Phat! Chun Yeowun quickly flew into the air. Rising into the air, he stood over the collapsed palace ruins and raised his hands. The wreckage and rubble began to rustle and tremble. Drrr! Drrrrr! Amid the rubble, the fallen warriors and officials began to float into the sky. The sight of hundreds of dead people rising into the air was a spectacular and, at the same time, scary sight to witness. Koooooo! There was no way that the warriors and skilled masters around wouldn’t notice the intense energy, which was strong enough to cover and shake the entire island of the Ice Palace. Even Dan Jucheon, the deputy king of the Ice Palace, who was dealing with the resurrected head of the dragon, was in shock. ‘That can’t be possible.’ Weapons responded to the energy. The weapons dropped by the dead warriors and officials shook as they floated up to the sky. Dan Jucheon and the other elders looked at the strange phenomenon. “Lord of the Demonic Cult?” “H-how did this happen?” It was Chun Yeowun, who was in the middle of the ruined Ice Palace, causing such unbelievable things. They weren’t the only ones seeing that. Moyong Kang, who was madly attacking the dragon to avenge Hwang Bonueung, looked at the sky as the warriors mumbled something. “Th… that… that light is!” Something which was seen in the Jin Castle of the Tongho region, which earned Chun Yeowun the title of Demon God. The technique which had engulfed the entire Jin Castle with blood and death was about to manifest. “Is that something a human can really do?” Moyong Yuu, who was guarding the wounded Jegal Sohi and Jegal clan’s warriors, looked at the air with a pale face. When they first met, he thought that Chun Yeowun was a great man, but now, he looked like a monster. He must have been trying to release the absolute technique of Sky Flash, the rumored technique which brought annihilation in the Jin Castle. “Is that the one I heard about?” “Ah, No!” “Miss Jegal. What do you mean by that?” “Look at those dragon heads!” ‘!?’ At Jegal Sohi’s words, Moyong Yuu looked at the dragon heads. It was impossible that the dragon heads, which belonged to a Spirit Beast, didn’t feel the energy that Chun Yeowun just released. Suddenly, the heads of the dragon all turned towards Chun Yeowun and opened their mouths. Their goal, after sensing the crisis, was to end the source of their fear. Woong! White flashes with condensed energy and sparks. At that, all the people from the Demonic Cult, North Sea Ice Palace, and the Yulin, who were fighting the dragon, shouted. “Lo-Lord, protect the Lord!” “Stop the attack from the Dragon Turtle right away!” “We need to make room for Lord Chun to attack!” Everyone tried to cut the dragon’s heads to help Chun Yeowun. But, something unexpected happened. Grrrrrr! “L-land is?” “An earthquake!” The ground they were standing on began to shake violently. With the land shaking so much, it was difficult for them to stand. The dragon, which only used its three heads until now, sensed a crisis and finally moved. Crack! “Uh-huh?” “Avoid it! Stay away from the cracks!” Ominous sparks spouted from the cracked ground. It was a sign that lightning was about to come up from the ground. Despite flying away from the cracked ground, many people got caught by the lightning, which soared up from the ground. Crackle! “Kuaaack!” “Euuuk!” Screams from those who were near the palace. Instead of stopping the dragon, people were busy running away and trying to protect themselves. In the meantime, the dragon’s three heads, which had gathered condensed energy in their mouths, simultaneously shot lightning towards Chun Yeowun. “Avoid!!!” The cultists shouted in shock. However, Chun Yeowun didn’t even move, as if he had no intention of avoiding it. The Six Swords screamed, but it was too late. Crackle! Streaks of lightning flashed from three different directions, all aiming for Chun Yeowun, who was surrounded in black flames. Kwang! Crackle! Flash! When the beams of lightning, which were strong enough to turn everything into soot, came in from multiple directions, people began to lose hope. “H-How could this…” “Why… why didn’t he avoid it?” “M-my Lord…” Everyone stared at one place in the sky with bewildered eyes. This time, despite being called the Demon God, they thought that their Lord wouldn’t make it out alive. It was suicide. “GRRRRRRR!” The heads of the dragon, who gathered all their strength to eliminate their common enemy, constantly snorted as if they were showing their satisfaction. The dragon turned its heads and focused on the people who were still standing on the ground until their yellow eyes widened at what they saw. “GRRRRRRR?” Likewise, even the people who looked at that shouted. “Woahhhhh!” “Lord Chun is safe!!!” They were people from different factions, but for that moment, they were allies. Surprisingly, Chun Yeowun, who was supposed to be dead, was still standing in the air. “No way… to survive even after being… hit by the three… Lord of the Demonic Cult… you really aren’t… a human.” Moyong Kang shook his head. He thought Chun Yeowun had died for sure, but this man was alive even after being hit. Besides, Crackle! Chun Yeowun’s entire body, which was already covered in black flames, now had lightning crackling around it. It was as if he had turned into a God of Thunder and Black Flames. Everyone shouted and cheered for Lord Chun. [Lightning qi 1200%… at… limit… it is… dangerous… for the user… to use.] Crackle! Nano’s voice cracked and then got cut off from Chun Yeowun’s head. The gamble of risking his life made him collect stronger energy. However, it looked like Nano was overloaded or overheated in the process of absorbing such tremendous energy. Crackle! Flash! “Phew… ugh… just hold on… Nano.” It was the same with Chun Yeowun, whose veins were popping out. If he didn’t quickly release the energy, it seemed like he would end up suffering massive damage to his body. “I always give back what I receive.” Chun Yeowun reached out towards the shaking ground. And, Woong! The weapons he gathered in the air, which had turned black because of the lightning, were now burning in black flames. It seemed like he had to discard them and use sword qi, as was the case with the invisible sword, which would be used as an Air Sword. Typically, such a thing should be impossible. “Oh!” “Is, is this Sky Flash!?” Moyong Kang, the only one who witnessed Sky Flash, stared at the sight with trembling eyes. “No. This is different. That is… that isn’t what we saw.” “Huh?” Everyone’s attention focused on Chun Yeowun as he stretched out his hand and ordered Nano. ‘Nano, Target lock.’ [Multi… lock… on system…] Crackle! Nano’s cracking voice resonated in his head. Numerous red targets in the form of trajectories worked around Chun Yeowun, whose augmented reality was opened. Some of them aimed for the three heads of the dragon, which shot lightning towards him. Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! ‘Activate!’ At that moment, the black flame lightning, and the gathered swords bombarded and slammed into the ground where the Dragon Turtle was hiding its body. Kwakwakwakwang! Bang! Crack! Break! A black ray of light with lightning in it split off in three directions and passed through the dragon’s heads at once. The Dragon Turtle heads didn’t even have time to gather condensed energy. In an instant, the parts where the necks got cut turned black as if they got burned. Crackle! Crackle! The heads of the dragon soon fell to the ground, just like they did in the past. Thud! Thud! Thud! There was no sign of regenerating. Seeing the thick and long body of the Dragon Turtle lying on the ground, the deputy king of the palace, Dan Jucheon, was shocked. “Su-such absurd power!” Decapitating dragon heads seemed like a futile thing after the sacrifices everyone had to make. But that wasn’t the end. Rumble! The floor shook violently as the rays of black flame and lightning poured down, and the scream, which was different from the existing dragon heads, came out. “KWAAAHHHHHH!!!” The sound was coming from the body of the dragon below the ground. Everyone who watched that cheered for Chun Yeowun, who was still alive. “Th-the dragon is…” “In pain!” The power of the Demon God’s Sky Flash, which they only heard of, was a thrill for the eyes. Even then, Moyong Kang, who saw that, mumbled in a trembling voice. “Who the hell can stop that monster.” It didn’t need an explanation to know whom he was referring to as a monster. Chapter 419 - The Battle for the Core (1) Chapter 419 : The Battle for the Core (1) Kwakwakwakwang! “KUAHHHHHHH!” A scream rumbled the sky. It was the cry of the Dragon Turtle, which was suffering from the rays of black flames and lightning that rained on it. Rumble! All the people on the site of the North Sea Ice Palace tried to hold their balance as the land shook violently and the ground below their feet cracked. “Woahhh!” “Run as far as you can!” “You need to get away from that!” At first, they were shocked by the amazing technique which unfolded in front of their eyes, and then they ran as they watched the dragon change. Chun Yeowun’s power was beyond everyone’s imagination. Kwaarrrrr! Crackle! “Ugh! Split up!” “But where are we supposed to escape to?” The problem was that the technique was so painful for the dragon that it seemed like the Dragon Turtle was moving wildly underground. Even the officials of the Ice Palace, who were cheering, ran away, fearing for their lives. “It… it’s breaking everything.” “Seven hundred years since the palace… damn it!” If it was just the palace, they could build it once again. However, as the ground began to break in random places, rebuilding the palace seemed impossible. [Lightning Qi… remaining… 339… percent.] [Lightning Qi… remaining… 335… percent.] Crackle! Nano’s voice echoed in Chun Yeowun’s mind. Looking at how the words of Nano kept cracking, it seemed like Nano wasn’t in good condition. ‘I have already consumed most of the energy?’ Although Nano was helping him out, the Sky Flash consumed a lot more internal energy than other techniques. Besides that, the energy drained so fast that it was making Yeowun dizzy. Even with such an attack, it would be dangerous if the Dragon Turtle endured it. [Lightning Qi… remaining… 203… percent.] [Lightning Qi… remaining… 197… percent.] It was around that time when the number displayed in augmented reality fell. The land, which was shaking, then trembled and finally turned calm. Finally, the dragon seemed to have stopped moving. ‘I avoided a huge disaster.’ It was fortunate that he went right to attacking before exhausting his energy. Swooosh! The black flames which covered Chun Yeowun’s body slowly subsided. When the energy fell, all the rubble and weapons which were still floating in the air scattered. They weren’t proper swords made out of qi, yet they stayed strong till the end. “Haa…” ‘Nano. Good Work.’ Without Nano, this adventure wouldn’t have been possible. However, something felt strange. [Ove… overloaded… energy… rate… error… self… recovery… and… system… update… needs to… be done… in standby… more… for… duration…] Beep! Nano’s voice ended as if someone had halted it. The augmented reality which was drawn by the white particles in his eyes also disappeared. ‘Nano? Nano! Nanooo!’ […..] Shocked, Chun Yeowun called for Nano, but there was no answer. It was like it didn’t exist anymore. When he judged that there was a problem with Nano, with whom Chun Yeowun lived with for more than four years, Chun Yeowun’s complexion darkened. Sting! Sting! At that moment, intense pain engulfed all of his body. It wasn’t muscle pain but rather pain in the meridian veins which his energy flowed through. ‘Ugh! Is this a side effect of using a technique which exceeded my original strength?’ Yeowun grunted, trying to hold back the pain, but. “Kuak!” Flinch! The pain made it impossible for qi to flow freely in his body, so he couldn’t fly anymore. “KUAK!” Swoosh! As he staggered, Chun Yeowun finally moved to the ground. As he was having trouble standing still, the cultists who were watching him ran towards him at once. “Lord!” “Are you okay?” He couldn’t answer Marakim, who was concerned for him. There was no way he could be okay. The meridians in his body were about to burst out in pain; it felt like his vessels which were flowing with qi, were empty. “First, clothes!” Hu Bong took off his long robe, which he was wearing, and tried to cover Chun Yeowun, who was naked. “Kuakk!” Crackle! “Ugh!” Sparks spread around Chun Yeowun, which turned into lightning sparks. “Fi,firstly what should we do about the lightning sparks around the Lord’s body?” 6th elder Mong Mu also nodded his head as he agreed with Ko Wanghur’s words. “I will try to drive out the qi from his body. Everyone stays back.” “No. Elder Mong. This way…” As the Great Guardian was about to say something, Chun Yeowun, who had his eyes closed, groaned. “Haa… Haaa… I’ll take care of that thing, just take care of me.” “Lord!” Crackle! “Ugh!” With those words, Chun Yeowun soon sat down in the lotus position. Qi was still emanating from his body, but at the same time, steam was escaping from his body. “A-are you really fine with it?” Hu Bong responded to Mun Ku, who asked the question with teary eyes. “… for now, we must obey his orders.” When he asked for them to take care of him, he meant that he would try to recover on his own. What they had to do as subordinates was to ensure that no one would harm Chun Yeowun. There were way too many people who could take advantage of Chun Yeowun’s current situation. Marakim slowly gave the orders. “Six Sword’s men, take positions!” “Yes!” All the warriors responded in a low tone and moved in unison, forming a circle around Chun Yeowun; they took up defensive stances. Elder Mong Mu spoke to Marakim with a concerned expression. “It will be dangerous if we get attacked by the Yulin or the North Sea Ice Palace. Wouldn’t it be better to take the Lord and go to a far away place instead of staying here?” Mong Mu had a lot of experience on the front lines, so he didn’t trust the other forces. The only reason they didn’t fight among themselves was that they had a common enemy called the Dragon Turtle, but now it was removed. It wouldn’t be unusual for them to attack the Demonic Cult. Besides, didn’t Chun Yeowun kill the second son of the Yulin and the Forces of Justice’s Great Leader, Yi Mok, Kang Soah? At those words, Marakim shook his head. “The Lord’s words are absolute. And if the Lord was in a situation where he can’t handle himself, he would give us a different order.” “But…” “I know what your concerns are. But you don’t have to worry about that.” “Huh?” “There is the core and the blood of the Spirit Beast, which can boost one’s internal energy, so what will their first choice be?” “Ahhh!” All the people around were martial artists. Beyond revenge, what martial artists wanted most was to elevate their skills. And the prediction of Marakim was turning into a reality. “Leader Moyong! Now is our chance! An opportunity like this will never come again.” The opinions of the people from the Yulin were divided. The people of Black Shadow forces, who lost their leader Kang Soah, insisted that they take revenge on Chun Yeowun. In front of their eyes, Chun Yeowun had fallen down after losing his strength. When else would they have such a great opportunity? However, Moyong Kang shook his head at their requests. “No.” “Wh-why? If we can take him down, we get to take our revenge for our leader and it’s a needed outcome for the future of Wulin too…” “You don’t know, but this has happened before.” “Huh?” Even in Jin Castle, Chun Yeowun used the Sky Flash technique. At that time, everyone thought that Chun Yeowun ended up using all his internal energy. “At that moment, the Masters of the Blade God Six Martial clan tried to take advantage of the weakened Chun Yeowun, do you know what the results were? Everyone died, not a single person lived.” “!!!” “Lord Chun. That person will never be beaten by others. Even then, he will cleverly come up with something to deceive his enemies. And now, with our current force, can you break into their defence formation?” Compared to the Yulin’s men, the Demonic Cult’s warriors didn’t suffer extensive damage, while the Yulin lost four hundred men. In addition to having over five hundred people, the Demonic Cult had the Six Swords and the Great Guardian standing unharmed. If they moved to fight, Yulin would be the one to suffer. “But it is clear that there is something wrong, seeing how he landed and staggered…” The warriors weren’t convinced. Opportunities to kill a monster were rare. It would be advantageous to Yulin if just one of them could stick their sword in the Demon Lord’s throat. “What do you think about this, lieutenant?” When Moyong Kang didn’t speak, the members looked back at lieutenant Mak Wijong, who had been temporarily placed as the division leader. As Hwang Bo-neung was killed, there was no one else left to back Moyong Kang. Mak Wijong, too, stared at Chun Yeowun. “Ah! Right! How about we join forces with the North Sea Ice Palace warriors, won’t we have enough people to fight them? A temporary truce.” Even the warriors of the Ice Palace were heavily damaged. However, since it was their stronghold, they still had power. The warriors like Dan Jucheon and the elders who were skilled could join them. ‘There is a definite chance to win. Even if I have to face the Great Guardian, I can try to make a sweeping blow…’ Like Moyong Kang said, this could be a trap. What if this time, too, it was a trap laid out by Lord Chun Yeowun? Rather, the warriors didn’t look like they’d get convinced. Besides, “I agree, but there is no guarantee that they will help us.” “Huh? What is that… ah!” When they looked at the direction Mak Wijong pointed at, the surviving warriors of the Ice Palace were gathering somewhere. They headed for the headless dragon’s body with a clear purpose in their minds. “They have something more urgent to do than deal with the Lord of Demonic Cult.” Mak Wijong pointed to the dragon near them and spoke to Moyong Kang. “Leader Moyong. In the current situation, it would be better for us to find a way to get the dragon’s blood. It is a dangerous force which we shouldn’t pass on.” Spirit Beasts blood and core. There was a legend that they would increase one’s internal and external energies. From that, the Yulin side also thought that they should get the blood once the dragon died. ‘If the legend is indeed true…’ The Dragon Turtle’s core can reverse the Yulin forces’ situation, which ended up taking too much damage from the Demonic Cult and the Blade God Six Martial clan. ‘Now might be the right chance. If the Lord of Demonic Cult is really recovering, it would be right for us to take away the core of the Dragon Turtle.’ If he woke up, Chun Yeowun would make the first move. And if that happened, there is a high probability that both the blood and core will fall into the hands of the Demonic Cult. Moyong Kang, who had been pondering, made a decision. “The core is our priority!” Meanwhile, Sama Chak, who was standing near Chun Yeowun, was restlessly watching the movements of Yulin and the Ice Palace warriors. He looked to see if anyone was moving in to target their Lord, but he got angry when he saw the two forces head for the fallen dragon’s body. “Great Guardian! Is it alright if we just leave it?” Strictly speaking, the ownership of the blood and core belonged to Chun Yeowun, who killed it. He spoke the words of the people in the cult who held the same opinion. They all wanted to go stop those people. “The Lord is our priority. Let’s stay here and do our role.” Marakim answered him rather stiffly. For him, the safety of the Lord was the priority. Shockingly, Hu Bong, who would usually become furious at the other clan’s actions, was rather calm, making Che Takim ask. “Hu Bong. Don’t you have anything to say? The blood and core of the Dragon Turtle will be stolen by them.” “Hehehe, those people? When one swallows a fish with thorns, one will get hurt or stung inside.” “Huh?” It was something everyone should have understood. And soon, they all came to understand what Hu Bong meant. A shattering scream came from the Ice Palace warrior’s side, which were clustered around the dragon’s body. Crack! “Kwaaak!” The palace warriors of the Ice Palace were surrounding the dragon body, which was on their side. They looked at the dead body and the black soot all around them with shocked expressions. “Ho-how could this happen?” Crackle! Lightning sparks and streaks flew across the dragon’s body. Chapter 420 - : The Battle for the Core (2) Chapter 420 : The Battle for the Core (2) The huge body of the dragon lay dead on the ground of the Ice Palace. Black blood oozed out from the severed part of the body where the heads had disappeared from. What was unusual was the sparks which were bouncing little by little as if lightning was still flowing. Crackles! Crackles! Everyone stared at it blankly, knowing that approaching it would be difficult. They tried to take the blood from the area of the body closest to them, but they hesitated to touch it. But even more disturbing was, ‘This is the blood of the Dragon Turtle!’ ‘It is said that those who take the blood will gain great power. Opportunities like that don’t come easily.’ There was no one among the warriors who didn’t display greed for the blood. And such a reaction was natural. And if they could take this back to Yulin, it would create a mess for them, such a strange sight that the blood of a Spirit Beast was in front of them, and they wanted it. There was only one problem. “How about someone tries the dragon’s blood first? Legend says that it can increase the internal energy, but we don’t know if that’s the truth, right?” Chul Yi-myeong, the third seat of the Black Shadow force, spoke as the others agreed. In such a situation, it wasn’t uncommon for most of them to covet the blood. Moyong Kang objected to that. “No.” At the words of Moyong Kang, everyone turned stiff. Most of them wanted to consume the dragon’s blood, but their commander was against it. To that, Moyong Kang spoke in a serious voice, as if he was warning them. “The blood of a spirit beast isn’t something that can be consumed so easily.” “What do you mean?” “I know that you all think that you can have it and…” Even before he could finish speaking. Crackle! “Kwaack!” A scream erupted from the North Sea Ice Palace’s side. The people of Yulin looked over there with puzzled expressions, and Moyong Kang spoke as if he didn’t have to see what was happening. “Heard that?” “What’s that?” “What do you think? People die if they take the blood of a spirit beast without diluting it, the body can’t take the raw energy. Would you like to scream like that too?” A member from the Black Shadow force, who kept an eye on the North Sea Ice Palace warriors, rushed back to report. “Haa, did you hear that? Someone from the Ice Palace took the blood and then lightning qi engulfed his body and he turned into black soot.” “Unbelievable!” Woong! Moyong Kang’s words were indeed true. Everyone looked at him in amazement. It was natural for Moyong Kang to know that taking the blood from the spirit beast would have side effects. It was because, while the Yan Dynasty was doing well, they defeated a twoheaded dragon. “How did Leader Moyong know?” “… ages ago, the ancestors of my clan caught a dragon spirit.” “Ah! Then, does the leader know how the blood of a spirit beast needs to be consumed?” Everyone looked at him with anticipation. However, Moyong Kang shook his head. No one in the Moyong family was able to consume the blood of the dragon spirit which they killed. “You don’t know?” “… I am sorry, but I have no idea either. Because it was stolen before we were able to try.” “Stolen? Ha!” According to the records, the dragon had a qi attribute. It had sparks around it, and it was impossible to get close to the body, so the warriors left to look for a means to move it. However, when they returned in the middle of the night, the core, which was supposed to be covered in lightning sparks, disappeared. “Did the Moyong family catch the culprit?” “… we tried, but we couldn’t.” Rather, both units which were sent to search for the thief ended up getting annihilated by the criminal. So, all the military forces of the Liaoning were mobilized to drive the criminal into a valley of Neungbong Mountain, but then he disappeared. As if he evaporated into the sky. The only trace the criminal left behind was that he was a master of a clan that had never existed in the Wulin. Everyone was puzzled at the sight of the criminal’s sword use. “It’s like the story of someone from the Blade God Six Martial clan, like the Blade God.” Because that was the only awing sword technique that the warriors were aware of. “Well, you might think so, but it happened a long time ago.” It was a long time ago, even before the establishment of the Blade God Six Martial clan. “To be honest, it wasn’t the Blade God, but it looked similar to the techniques of the Sky Demon Order. It isn’t that important. I’d rather try and find a way to move this sooner… huh? Where is lieutenant Mak?” The temporary leader of the Black Shadow force, Mak Wijong, was nowhere to be seen. At the question of Moyong Kang, 3rd seat Chul Yi-myeong pointed to the huge defense line created for Chun Yeowun. “The lieutenant went there with a few others saying that he would bring us the core of the dragon.” “What? When?” “It hasn’t been that long.” At the words of the 3rd seat, Moyong Kang turned nervous. According to the records, the core of a Dragon is supposed to be full of qi. Obviously, it would have a lot more qi than a two-headed dragon, so how are four to five people going to bring it out? ‘He left without even reporting it to me.’ It was strange, but he had to hurry up. If they touched the core in haste, they would turn into black soot, just like the warriors of the North Sea Ice Palace. “They shouldn’t. Hurry up! Miss Jegal!” “Yes leader.” “I think we need the help of your warriors. Come over with everyone.” The warriors and scholars of the Jegal clan who mastered the Book of Qi and All Knowing⁽¹⁾. With them, Moyong Kang thought that he would be able to move the core. “Leader Moyong… really wants to go there?” Jegal Sohi asked as she looked at the Demonic Cult’s side. It was natural what she was concerned about. Moyong Kang took a deep breath and answered. “Phew. It is better to take the core away from the body instead of letting the Lord of the Demonic Cult take it away. Did you see his power? We can’t let that happen.” At those words, Jegal Sohi’s complexion darkened. The Lord of the Demonic Cult seemed like he was the strongest in the current Wulin. However, if he ends up taking the core and the blood of a Spirit Beast, the balance of power in the Wulin will be completely destroyed. The world will be under the foot of the Demonic Cult if that happens. “… understood.” Jegal Sohi thought about it and agreed with Moyong Kang. She thought it would be better to take away the core for the sake of the future of Yulin. “Hurry.” Moyong Kang hurriedly led the troops and headed for the hole. Meanwhile, on the Ice Palace’s side. Crackle! “Kuak! Save… me!” Pst! A man whose body was covered in sparks was shocked to death. Everyone who looked at that had bewildered expressions on their faces. They paid the price for their greed and excitement. “Why?” Even Dan Jucheon couldn’t understand the reason. He could feel the raw qi flowing in the blood of the dragon. He could feel how strong people would become if they had it. He, too, thought that taking it would increase their internal energy, so why were people dying because of lightning. “King. It seems like we should stop. Why not freeze the blood and disperse the qi first?” He nodded at the words of elder Seol Young-gwi. They had already confirmed what would happen from the two people who tried and died. It felt like it would be better to reduce the qi and then ingest the blood. “… that would be better. Are the elders okay with it?” “I think so too.” “What the 1st elder said is correct.” At the question from Dan Jucheon, everyone nodded their heads. But one person didn’t answer. “Elder Won?” They looked, but couldn’t find the sixth elder, Won Sangho. Two elders had died, and elder Seol Yi-jeong was near the ice cave, but the man who had been here until a moment ago disappeared. It was suspicious, but Baek Gojung of the Snow Sword troops rushed in to report. “Deputy king. The Yulin men are heading into the underground tunnel right now!” “How!” Their purpose of heading into the underground was obvious to everyone. “They are going for the core.” The most important thing was the core. The core is where the raw natural power of the spirit beast is gathered, a true treasure. “King! We must not let them get it.” “We need to head there right away.” The elders, who knew that the situation wasn’t favorable for them, asked their deputy king to act. Dan Jucheon, who had the same idea, made the elders and the warriors move to the underground. And ordered Baek Gojung of the Snow Sword troops. “Leader Baek. Go to the ice cave and tell the elders there to follow the tunnel which the dragon drilled all the way here.” “Yes!” Dan Jucheon felt that it was fortunate that they didn’t lose too many warriors. If they went into the underground tunnels and the Yulin warriors were indeed there, and Elder Seol Yi-jeong brings in another 500 warriors from the cave, they could attack the Yulin from both sides. If that all happened, then the core would belong to them. Under the command of the deputy king, Baek Gojung and lieutenant Oh Young hurriedly went to the cave where the elders were. Baek Gojung, who arrived right away, entered the cave. But as soon as he went down, something strange happened. “What is this?” “Leader… this is the smell of blood.” A foul odor that tickled their nose wafted from the underground cave. A strange chill crept down Baek Gojung’s spine as he went down, but when he reached the last level, he was in shock. “H-how did this happen?” Five hundred men that were supposed to be there guarding the Adularia stones. Were in the form of numerous corpses scattered far and wide with traces of fierce fighting everywhere. A single glance was enough to know that five hundred bodies were there. This didn’t mean that the battle happened when the dragon broke out. “Who the hell raided this place?” Judging from the cuts on the corpses, they must have collided with an armed group of people. “Leader here!” While examining the bodies, Oh Young found footprints that headed somewhere. And that place was, “This…” The tunnel the dragon dug. It looked like someone raided the place when the battle happened outside and went into the underground tunnel. Whoops! “Who the hell entered this place?” Baek Gojung, unable to contain his anger, ground his teeth. Then, he quickly contained his anger. “You must go back immediately and report this to the deputy king!” “Bu, but leader, you?” “I will track them, hurry up. Only then will they be able to know!” “Yes!” Baek Gojung looked at Oh Young, who exited from the cave, and then he hurriedly entered the tunnel. Crackle! Lightning qi, which flowed through his body’s meridians. In order to control it, Chun Yeowun focused on his breath. The most effective method was something he had learned while controlling the Sky Demon Force, but with his current body, he chose to use the method he used for the Twenty Four Demon Sword. It wasn’t the greatest one, but it had the greatest effect when meditating. In a situation where it was difficult to control his body and the lightning, nothing else could be done. “Kuak!” Crackle! Every time he inhaled, sparks from the lightning qi flashed all over his body. The unfamiliar qi simulated his meridians and disrupted the flow of energy in his body, but the Sword Force of the Sky Demon was protecting him. If it wasn’t for that, which was in his Dantian, the lightning qi could never be controlled, and Yeowun’s body would have burst. ‘If Nano protected my meridians through self healing, this would be a lot quicker.’ The Sword Force of the Sky Demon didn’t have the speed. However, Yeowun would try to hurry up, but if he did so, the meridians in his brain would be damaged, and the lightning qi would run wild. He never thought that something would go wrong with Nano The moment when he was focusing on the qi. Crack! [Error! Error! An error… has… occurred… in… the… system] ‘Nano!’ At the sudden voice of Nano in his head, Yeowun called out for it. However, Nano didn’t respond and kept repeating, error, error. ‘Nano. Are you hurt?’ He asked with concern, but suddenly something changed in Chun Yeowun’s vision. Though his eyes were covered, his pupils saw white light particles and the augmented reality opened. ‘Why augmented reality?’ Crackle! [vi… video… devi… device… lock is… temporarily… released… need… to… fix… system… error… self… recovery…] Crackle! Nano’s voice got cut off, and a space that he never saw before opened up in the augmented reality. It was a phenomenon that Nano used in the past for Chun Yeowun. It was the 3D (Three Dimensional) augmented reality. ‘Where is this place?’ In front of Chun Yeowun, a different world appeared. There were many devices that displayed three-dimensional images around, and space was entirely filled with unknown machines. There was only one thing he was familiar with, the picture of heaven, which was written in red letters and background, which symbolized the Sky Demon Order. Below it was something written in English, not Chinese, but English which Nano had injected into Yeowun’s head. [Sky Corporation Development Room.] At the incomprehensible view, Chun Yeowun looked at the white particles, which showed something above the augmented reality. [AD Year 2940.12.24] ‘What the hell… what is this recorded video?’ Editor’s Note ⁽¹⁾ Before anyone asks, “All Knowing” is the full name of the technique. We don’t know what they are “All Knowing” about. We will have to wait until the author hopefully clarifies it in the future. Chapter 421 - The Battle for the Core (3) Chapter 421: The Battle for the Core (3) The entire wall was filled with items he had never seen before. It was the first time he saw a wall made of cold iron and not of stone or wood. In addition, there was a transparent and thin wall that showed the other side, and Yeowun instinctively thought that the place might not be the current Jianghu. There was no movement in the video. When he realized that what he was seeing was a 3D stereoscopic image, he thought that the image would be jumbled, but it felt like the video was fixed in one place. ‘Is this a record which has been locked?’ There were a few instances when the system was locked when he asked Nano for something. However, due to an error, the lock was released, and it was clear that what he was seeing was a video that shouldn’t have been shown to him. ‘Can I move in this state?’ He tried to concentrate. However, his vision seemed fixed. ‘Nano! Nano!’ He called for Nano several times, but there was no answer. It seemed like he was seeing this video because of an error, but what use is it if he can only see one area? It was boring. Weigh! ‘Uh?’ The door on the left wall split down the middle and opened up automatically. And a young man in his early thirties and a middle-aged man in white came in wearing strange outfits. But the bizarre outfits seemed familiar. It was a long time ago, and his memory was hazy, but Yeowun was sure that he saw them. And the middle-aged man in a white coat opened his mouth. “Director Chun, you are a stubborn man. If the Nano Machine has been implanted into the eye, can’t you just give out prescribed glasses to avoid vision problems? Tch. Tch.” “Eh, how can a doctor say that? The ID chips are dangerous and I know that if one gets implanted with a Nano Machine, tracking by the TP will be faster.” At those words, the middle-aged man who was called a doctor stuck out his tongue. Chun Yeowun, who watched this, was bewildered. He could understand what they were talking about, but the content of their conversation was somewhat difficult. ‘Are they talking about Nano from Nano Machine? What the hell is a TP?’ Regardless of his questions, their conversation continued. “Doctor Baek. Is there any way to remove the ID chip from the body?” “How many times have I explained it to you? If the chip stops, it will be recorded as dead. And to get rid of the chip flowing through the blood, we would have to dialyze all of the blood, which would mean losing all of one’s martial skills. Does that sound nice?” “Ah…” At those words, the young man in a bizarre outfit frowned. He seemed concerned about losing his martial arts. “Even if it isn’t hemodialysis, shouldn’t there be a way to stop it with an electric shock or an EMP (Electromagnetic Pulse)?” “You do know that the ID chip has been equipped with an EMP canceller, right? And as Chun knows, it would have to exceed over 10 million volts to induce the chip into failure because of electric shock… afterwards, I don’t have any intention to stop you if you want to die, and your younger sibling who is training in the Demonic Academy would like the results.” “Huhhhuhu, I see that there is no easy way.” “I heard that he passed the fifth test, and if a position turns vacant, he can join the board without taking the sixth test.” “… I can’t let him join the board that easily. I barely managed to beat Mong to enter.” Knowing that the doctor’s stubbornness would give him no results, the young man called Chun slowly walked around the space and approached the side where Chun Yeowun could see him. ‘Ah…’ He didn’t notice it until the young man passed by him, but the young man’s face strangely resembled him. He had a pure white face, sharp eyes, and if someone who knew Chun Yeowun saw him, they would totally think that the two of them were brothers. ‘Ah?’ The young man suddenly stretched out his hand towards Chun Yeowun’s field of vision. And Chun Yeowun looked at what was just lifted and placed between the young man’s fingers. As if his hands were holding onto something, Chun Yeowun sensed the alien liquid for a while as he looked. ‘What is he up to?’ The young man called Chun turned his head to Dr. Baek and said. “Because of this liquid, the 7th generation Nano Machine… What if the Nobel Prize for Science flies away? Doctor.” “… don’t know. Had it not been for his lifelong research and contract, I would have taken the sample to Sweden at once.” “Hahahaha, don’t joke. After all, the metal extraction would be considered illegal by the Gate, and you know that what you stole will never be deemed as legal.” “Are you trying to get revenge on me or something?” At the words of Chun, Dr. Baek shook his head with a dissatisfied expression. “Doctor. Just in case, is there enough metal left in the Gate to mass produce the 7th generation?” “If there was so much metal left, those Gatekeepers would have already come in with warrants in hand. Or maybe the guys from the other side of the Gate would come in.” “Well… that’s a pity. There is only enough for one person.” No matter how much he listened, Yeowun couldn’t understand their conversation. Even when he understood the English words mixed in the conversation, it was difficult to interpret as they seemed to be referring to something. “It would be great if we can mass produce an untraceable Nano Machine.” “If that happens, the Sky Corporation will become a law-breaking company from that day forward. Phew, to be honest, I don’t understand what you mean.” Dr. Baek approached Chun and continued speaking. “Although most of the systems of the 7th generation Nano machines have been locked, don’t you know how dangerous it is to hand over an untraceable device which can withstand magnetic fields and the time portal to someone from the distant past?” “Wasn’t it said that when the time axis changes it creates a different dimension? Then why are you so concerned while knowing that the present world won’t be affected by it?” The young man called Chun waved his hand while saying that. But Dr. Baek spoke in a serious voice as if he couldn’t shake off his concern. “Do you believe that the Blade Six group will disappear if we stop the founding of the Blade God Six Martial clan during the time of the South Lord, and the Slashing Demon Emperor? Don’t you know that they can’t do anything as long as they are a start-up company that partnered with the government?” These were the only words he could understand. ‘South Lord?’ South Lord was the title of the former lord, Chun Yujong. Who the hell is the Slashing Demon Emperor? ‘Slashing Demon Emperor? The one who went after the arms?’ It was his first time hearing about it, but it oddly felt familiar. And listening to what they were saying, it felt as if this wasn’t the present either. At the words of Dr. Baek, who was dissuaded, the one called Director Chun, who had a smile on his face, opened his mouth with a cold face. “Doctor, you always said that the time axis is different, so stopping them wouldn’t be possible. But how would you explain the historian’s extremism?” “… What’s that supposed to mean?” Push! Director Chun took out a small device from the pouch hanging around the left side of his waist. And when he lightly pressed that small device, a hologram was formed by a bright light. Wheeing. The hologram showed the face of a middle-aged man with thick eyebrows and strong features. Next to him, white particles were drawing just like the augmented reality for Chun Yeowun. [Blade God Born: AD 1967.XX.XX~ Education: Doctor of Martial Arts, Beijing Martial Arts University Award: President of People’s Republic of China Award: AD.2018>XX>XX United Nations Peace Service Citation: AD.2352.XX.XX Asia Gatekeeper Achievement Award: AD.2380.XX.XX …………….. Experience: AD 2013. Professor of Law, Beijing Martial Arts University. AD 2025. President of Beijing Martial Arts University AD 2134. 1st level commander of the Blade Six Group. AD 2225. Honorary Chairman of the Blade Six Group.] In addition, a lot of other information came out. Seeing that, Chun Yeowun couldn’t understand. Speaking of the Blade God, isn’t he the forefather of Blade God Six Martial Clan, who disappeared while fighting the Sword Demon in the past? But seeing what was written in front of him, it was as if the man had lived for over a thousand years. ‘What the hell does this mean?’ Everything became confusing. It could have been the record of someone who shared the same name, but Yeowun couldn’t calm his heart. Aside from the anxiety, the young one called Chun spoke while looking at the hologram. “A hero who broke the Six Dimension Gates alone, which was a catastrophe to mankind, a history chart that states that he has lived for over a thousand years and on top of that he’s the strongest living being on earth. Do you really think that this man, who did all of that, and lived all of those years, managed to find success with martial arts alone?” There was a reason for saying that. “It’s impossible to live that long without the aid of medicine or technology especially with today’s degenerated martial arts.” “But, don’t many keepers and those of their family’s lineage not admit that he is a legend who reached the level of natural wonder?” “Not a single person knows what it is, so would they have any means to prove their words?” At the words of Dr. Baek, Chun asked back. The martial arts of this era seemed to have deteriorated considerably compared to the past. In an era when martial arts degenerated, the Blade God, who reached the state of natural wonder, was a living legend and divine existence. “Hmm, if you put it that way, then the president at the headquarters who reached the Super Master level acknowledged it, you should know that, right?” “…” “You must know that if one has a Nano Machine or an ID chip inside their body, they are being tracked by the Time Patrol? Trying to make this excessive guess about him time travelling after asking for the development of the 7th generation Nano Machine…” “Not a speculation.” The young one, called Director Chun, pressed the other side of the device. The hologram on which the information of the Blade God was written had disappeared, and numerous photos appeared. There were scans of very old photos uploaded to the web. [Blade God, was he really born in 1967?] There were a few photos that had questions on them. What was more shocking was that, 1870.XX.XX had been developed on the bottom of some photos, and the Blade God seen in the hologram looked similar to the one in the pictures. “How do you plan on explaining this? Are you going to tell me that this is just a rumor floating around the web? And…” Wheeing! Once again, the hologram changed. However, the data which appeared this time. ‘Sky Demon Order’s Historical Records?’ It was a book that recorded the history of the Sky Demon Order. The holographic book opened with a complicated process, starting with a retina scan and then entering the password as if it was a forbidden item. “W-wait a minute. Director Chun. Historical data can only be viewed by the direct descendants of Chun, right?” Dr. Baek turned away in embarrassment. At that, the young man, Chun, said that it was okay. “It doesn’t matter. I will only show you what you need to see.” ‘Is he a direct descendant of the Chun family? What are they talking about? And why is the Cult in a 3D image?’ What was incomprehensible was that this man seemed to be keeping a 3D image of the Sky Demon Order’s Historical Records, which should have been stored in a safe made of old cold iron in the mountains. Besides, it looked much older than what Chun Yeowun saw. At that moment, Chun Yeowun’s eyes caught a familiar name. -the 24th Lord. Chun Yeowun, the Slashing Demon Emperor. ‘Chun Yeowun, the Slashing Demon Emperor?’ He was dumbfounded. His name was attached, along with a title that sounded familiar. Chun Yeowun tried to look closer, but the young man moved the hologram with his hand, and the page turned over. ‘Damn it!’ It was something he was very curious about, but he didn’t get to see it. But there was one thing he knew for sure. Although it was very confusing, this video could happen in the future. ‘Future…? Is that really possible?’ When that thought came to his mind, the existence of Nano became increasingly suspicious. He didn’t know how it came to him, but Yeowun knew that Nano wasn’t a thing of the present. Starting with the amount of information it held, Yeowun had doubts about its abilities, such as its body-healing, and its secrets were gradually revealed. -The 7th generation Lord. Demon Sword, Chun Muhui. ‘Ah!’ Chun Yeowun gasped. It was the time when the Blade God had made his first appearance. At first, he only heard of the story from Lee Hameng, but after taking over the title of Lord, he learned more about it through the Historical Records. “How is this…” Dr. Baek, who was examining the contents of the hologram historical records shown by Chun, couldn’t hide his shock. “Did the 7th lord get killed by Blade God? How could that…” It was his first time seeing this as no one except for the Chun family could see the records. Director Chun spoke to Dr. Baek, who couldn’t keep his mouth shut in shock. “… what if the present time axis and reality were manipulated by the Blade Six in the past? Is that why the martial arts degenerated in the current era but just not in the Blade Six?… Dr. Baek, isn’t this quite suspicious?” At his serious question, Dr. Baek was dazed for a while before opening his mouth. “If that is true… it can’t just be a theory. Why didn’t you disclose this information?” “Because of what the Doctor said.” “No way… The time axis?” “Yes. If it happened to the time axis, then reality would be changed… moreover, if the past was really changed and just not on the time axis, the reality will disappear or change⁽¹⁾.” Something called the butterfly effect. Even a small intervention can cause a significant impact on the future. Although the direct descendants of the Chun family had their doubts, they didn’t want to change the past. It was because they weren’t sure how their existence would change. “Wait. If so, then you are going to use the Time Portal even after considering all of this, is this really your goal?” “Yes?” “Then why do you have five time portal packs in your suitcase?” Dr. Baek was pointing to the pouch on his waist. He seemed to have peeked through the pouch when Chun opened it. “You only need two to make the trip, why get five? Your goal isn’t just to inject Nano…” It was at that moment. Beep! The video in the augmented reality stopped. And everything turned dark. ‘Wh-what?’ At the moment when something important was going to be said, everything turned black around Chun Yeowun. He couldn’t comprehend what happened, but they seemed to be talking about the past. He thought he should know that, but then it got cut off, making him irritated. At that moment, he heard Nano’s voice. [Lock on… video… records… have… been… placed… again… quickly recover from errors…] Crackle! ‘Kuak!’ The pulsation of his mind ran through his entire body. At the same time, Nano’s voice got cut off again. Grrrr! Pick! ‘Huh?’ A blue flash flashed in front of him, and then the paused augmented reality was activated again. However, the white particles were all floating in the dark space, and there was nothing to see. Instead he heard a sound. Taktaktak! The sound of something bumping. A familiar voice could be heard. “It must have been like this.” The voice of the one called Chun. He didn’t know why he only heard Chun’s voice, but the young man seemed like he was looking for something. And then a scream rang through the air. Push! Flash! “Kuaaak!” Another scream was heard. About six people seemed to be dead. He heard the rustle and movement of Chun, who soon spoke. “Uhm, you have your identity engraved. Let’s see… escort? Ah… what! Did I get something wrong? Were these people trying to protect the Slashing Demon Emperor? Damn it!” Chun seemed like he was blaming himself for something. And then the sound of a machine close by was heard. Visor! Visor! “Found it.” Once again, rustling sounds could be heard in the dark. This time, there was no scream as if everyone had been killed properly. Then, “Achkkkkkk!” The scream of someone running away, and then the sound stopped. It seemed like he had been killed. At that moment, Chun Yeowun, who was scared, heard something. “Nice.” A voice he had heard for a while. Chun Yeowun was turning more and more frustrated at it. He wanted to look past the darkness. At that moment, Chun’s voice was heard. “Yah, my ancestor must be in a good mood to die here.” At that moment, Chun Yeowun felt his wandering mind go still. It was no mistake that Chun’s face and voice felt familiar. ‘No… no way?’ Beep Beep! With a beep, the Director’s perplexed voice could be heard. “Did they find me already? Damn it! Nothing more can be done. I was going to teach you how to use this.” Click! With those words, his dark vision brightened. Finally, not only the sound but also the sight was seen. He covered his eyes at the sudden influx of light, but what shocked him was the sight he saw through his fingers. ‘No… this is ridiculous!’ It was his childhood self, dying from blood loss. Editor’s Note ⁽¹⁾ Honestly, I don’t even know what to say about this line. It doesn’t make sense in Korean or English. I figure either the author is trying to be vague, or it’s just wrong. I have an idea of what it could possibly mean, but I could be wrong, so it’s staying like this. Chapter 422 Chapter 422 : The Battle for the Core (4) It was a different experience to see yourself from a third person’s point of view. Chun Yeowun’s mood right now was more than just chaos. ‘I… it is me…’ The sight of him four years ago when he was wounded and dying at the hands of assassins. He was confused and bleeding, so he thought that it was guard Jang who saved him. However, the vague memories that remained in his mind weren’t false. [Yah. My ancestors must be in a good mood to die out here.] [Boo! Seeing you hurts me. It’s done now. Ancestor?] [Please be successful and let your descendants also reap the benefits. Since this Nano Machine is the latest version, using it will be easy, so please learn it well.] The young man in the bizarre outfit was the one called Director Chun. His words overlapped with the video record. ‘Ancestor… ancestor…’ Stunned, he kept thinking the same words again and again. His head, which had been filled with chaos and confusion, suddenly turned clear. He seemed to know one thing for sure through the video. ‘This one… he is my descendant!’ It wasn’t a guess. It was a fact now. Looking at the circumstances, in the Sky Demon Order Historical Records, which Chun showed, there were things that weren’t written yet, which meant that Nano must have been created in the distant future. ‘Is that what this is?’ Unbelievable. But it was real. Nano’s ability to make the impossible possible is a gift from future generations. When he accepted the truth, it felt like his vision which had been narrow, widened. ‘Even in the future, the Demonic Cult existed. Ha!’ Excitement came out of nowhere. It was amazing. Even in a world that was completely different from the present, the Sky Demon Order continued its legacy. It was shocking. ‘Wait… but my name wasn’t the Demon God.’ His title was Slashing Demon Emperor. For some reason, he thought that his title felt familiar, but he tried to ignore it. ‘Ahh! The fact that the title changed is because reality changed when my descendant gave me Nano.’ If his descendant heard such thoughts, he would be amazed by the insight. It may not be a reality that would be believed. But, he accepted it because of his exposure to future technology through Nano and the broader view of thoughts he gained after reaching the Divine Master level. ‘My descendant from the future intended to change the past.’ There was a part that bothered him all the time he watched the video, That was. ‘Blade God!’ The future, he saw in the video, knew of the existence of the Blade God? In the information on the hologram, the Blade God had been said to be more than a thousand years old. However, if they looked at the records left in the Sky Demon Order’s Historical records, the Blade God appeared a lot earlier than mentioned. ‘Maybe they had the same name…? No, that can’t be that… ah!’ Chun Yeowun suddenly remembered something when he thought of the Blade God. Come to think of it, there were traces of Extreme Blade Art on the sword of Chun Muhui, the 7th lord, and that was when the Blade God first appeared. ‘It seems weird when I put it like that. The slashes in the valley were a lot more developed than those on the slab of the treasury.’ Thanks to that, Chun Yeowun managed to learn the Extreme Art of the Blade God. It wasn’t based on internal energy, and it was a method that was developed as time went on, but he knew that the skill of the past was superior to the one people were using in the present. ‘Is the Blade God really someone from the future? But why did he have to come to the past?’ He couldn’t understand that. At that time, Chun Yeowun’s vision was about to go off again. Pick! The video which was played in augmented reality got cut off. And a blue flash along with a sting went through his head. Crackle! ‘Kuak!’ He was trying hard to not get dizzy, but then he heard some noise, and the white particles of the augmented reality drew lines to create text, and a familiar voice resounded in his head. Whoops! [Self-healing of the chip damage caused by an overload of energy and strong lightning has been completed.] ‘Nano!’ Finally, Nano was done completing the repairs. ‘Nano! Are you okay now?’ Despite the question, Nano only reported its status. [The upgrade has been completed so that the gaterinium consisting of Nano can handle the current chart of energy.] Woong! ‘Upgrade?’ An amazing performance. The ones from the future would be shocked to know that. Of course, it would have been absolutely impossible if Nano was made of general material, but the metal called gaterinium, which Nano was made of, was a material that wasn’t from earth. A metal that changed based on the impact. That was the core technology of the unique 7th generation Nano Machine. It was possible because of this technology that it could withstand the flame, the lightning, and the cold energy that all existed in Chun Yeowun’s body. [Some locks have been released during self-recovery. Do you want to lock them again? Y/N] ‘!?’ Chun Yeowun’s eyes lit up at the sign that the locks had been released. He couldn’t help but wonder because the locks which never got lifted were open. He asked, questioning what all had been locked from him. ‘Is it okay if I decide what to lock?’ It was only natural that he would hesitate to ask. [If locking hasn’t been decided, the user can use the functions then decide.] ‘Can I see what the functions are?’ [Understood.] When Nano’s voice ended, the unlocked functions were displayed. Chun Yeowun, who looked at the functions, couldn’t hide his shock. Among the functions, when Chun Yeowun asked about various things in the past, Nano said that it couldn’t respond because they were locked. ‘Is… is this really?’ There were too many. Almost 60 functions were unlocked, and most of them were really questionable. [In addition to the energy generated in the body, functions that weren’t available have been activated.] Chun Yeowun, who was examining the functions, gave orders without any hesitation. ‘I’m not going to lock them.’ [Understood. I will unlock them.] Woong! The white particles on some of the displayed functions, which were written inside triangles, turned into circles. After Nano’s restoration and the locks had been released, Chun Yeowun ordered the most urgent matter. ‘Nano. The lightning qi remaining in my body will be absorbed, so repair the damaged meridians.’ He had to deal with his injuries. [Understood. I will self-repair the damaged parts of the body.] Sting! Sting! When Nano’s voice ended, the nanomachines throughout his body, which had been stationary, were activated, and he once again felt like numerous ants were crawling in his body. Because of that, he was able to tell that Nano had been completely revived. On the other hand, in the underground of the North Sea Ice Palace, which was pierced by Sky Flash. The power of the Sky Flash was so strong that underground holes had been drilled. For a long time down, the light that entered through the Sky Flash holes could be seen. The North Sea Ice Palace’s warriors, who went down in a hurry to avoid losing the core of the Dragon Turtle, were able to encounter the Yulin’s men without pursuing for long. Rumble! A vibration that couldn’t be felt above ground reverberated throughout the underground cave. The Ice Palace warriors, who filled the underground cave with lit torches, and the Yulin warriors, conversed. Dan Jucheon, the deputy king, spoke in disbelief. “Even after being attacked, it’s still alive… huh…” “We came here to see it too, but the body of the dragon couldn’t be found, and all we saw was a hole.” Moyong Kang pointed to a huge hole on the right side of the cave. It was on the eastern side, and unlike the hole in the mountain, this one was newly created. Surprisingly, the dragon, which everyone thought was dead, was alive. It was the fundamental reason that the two sides who coveted the core didn’t fight. Rumble! Watching the underground tremble, it seemed like the beast was still digging a tunnel. Crack! Cracks broke out in the ceiling, and debris fell. It was quite unstable because it was dug by the dragon while trying to escape; rather than a properly created tunnel, this tunnel had no support. Jegal Sohi looked up at the ceiling and spoke. “Leader Moyong. It’s better for us to retreat. If we go deeper into the cave, the ceiling might collapse onto us and we would get buried in ice.” As she said, chasing the dragon was dangerous. For now, the ceiling was fine, but if they went further deeper inside, there was no guarantee that they could save everyone’s life. “Khm.” A situation where both sides had to worry. At that time, Seol Young-gwi, an elder of the North Sea Ice palace, spoke in a serious voice. “King! Come to think of it, if the dragon continues to drill holes to the east, it would lead to the lake.” “No!” Everyone couldn’t hide their shock at those words. If the dragon continued to break through the ice and reach Lake Baikal, where the pier was located. Which wasn’t that far away. Then the water in the lake will enter the island through the hole it dug. Not just certain people would get buried, everyone would die. ‘What should we do now!’ Moyong Kang was troubled. The situation was too restrictive to pursue the dragon. At that time, the elder Oh Mubang pointed to the underground path. “Deputy King! Are we letting go of this opportunity? Look here!” It was hard to see as the crowd was large, but when they looked at the ground, sticky liquid was all over the place with sparks flashing around it. Crackle! The blood of the dragon. It seems like he suffered a lot of damage. “The dragon is wounded now and running away. If we don’t follow it and kill it now, we will face dire consequences in the future. We cannot retreat!” “Elder. As you said, it is injured, but if we chase him too hard, he could end up rushing outside!” Seol Young-gwi objected to Mubang’s words. At that, Oh Mubang spoke in a frustrated tone. “How do you plan on taking out a spirit beast without taking any risks? If we miss it now and the dragon reappears later, how do you plan on stopping it?” “That…” Answering it was difficult. Obviously, a spirit beat, an evil dragon would come back to take revenge on the Ice Palace, which kept it imprisoned. If all it wanted was freedom, it would have run away by now. Grrrrr-! The ground shook. The longer they delayed, the harder it was to do anything. Whoops! Oh Mubang bit his lip before talking to Dan Jucheon. “We don’t have time to hesitate. King! We need to go ahead and decide!” In that situation, Jegal Sohi sent a telepathic message to Moyong Kang. [Leader Moyong. We are being held back. Whatever the decision of the Ice Palace, we need to retreat now. Chasing it isn’t the problem.] Moyong Kang also nodded his head in agreement. There were multiple reasons why they wanted the core, but strictly speaking, the Yulin wanted to take it to prevent the Demonic Cult from getting it. If the dragon ran away to the lake, there was no need for them to pursue it. Moyong Kang, who decided to retreat, was about to tell Dan Jucheon that they would resign. But from afar, someone showed up. “King!” Dan Jucheon’s eyes looked in that direction. It was Oh Young, the lieutenant. He had commanded them to bring in elder Seol Yi-jeong and the five hundred warriors on the other side of the cave, but only one of them had come, and they weren’t that far from the other side. “Huh, huh… huh… we have a problem. Deputy king!” The man was gasping for air as he came over. Feeling something ominous, Dan Jucheon asked right away. “What happened?” “Huh… huh… king! All the warriors in the cave have been annihilated!” ‘!?’ Dan Jucheon was astounded at what he heard. “What? How is that possible? Did the Dragon Turtle attack them?” “Hah… hah… no! I went there to give your orders along with the commander. They seem to have been attacked by an unknown group.” “An unknown group?” Dan Jucheon already had enough things to deal with because of the dragon. But he couldn’t help but be shocked at the new information he had been given. Looking at the side of Ice Palace warriors who seemed to have turned serious, Moyong Kang also had a hard time figuring out what to do. ‘What are they talking about? Were there other people who attacked the Ice Palace?’ It meant that there was someone other than Ice Palace warriors, Yulin, and the Demonic Cult. At that time, Sohi looked around and spoke. “… no vibration.” “Huh? Miss Jegal, what do you mean?” “Look. The whole cave was shaking before, but now, I don’t feel it.” “Ah!” As she said, the vibration had stopped. The cave, which had been trembling until then, went silent. ‘Did the dragon make a hole in the lake? No, then…’ The water from the lake would have reached them if the dragon had escaped. Moyong Kang, thinking that something had changed, tried to inform the Ice Palace side, who turned serious. It was then. ‘Huh?’ Something felt weird in the tunnel where the dragon had escaped to the east side of the island. It was when Moyong Kang looked intently at that side of the hole. Swoosh! “Kuak!” “Ack!” The place where the Yulin’s men had gathered. In an instant, a group of ten people got cut in half. It was like an ambush. “We are being attacked!” “Defend!” Visor! Visor! As a response to the sudden attack, the Yulin warriors and the warriors of the Ice Palace took out their weapons at once. “Sword Qi?” It was said that those who are that skillful with sword qi are people who reached the Supreme Master level. Flustered, Moyong Kang looked in the direction where the ballistic sword qi came from. ‘Ah!’ To the east, where the dragon went, unidentified men wearing iron masks and more than 30 people with swords stood at the cave entrance. All of them had strong energy. “Blade God Six Martial clan!” In Moyong Kang’s mind, the story told by Dan Juseong came to his mind. The group that deceived the king of the Ice Palace and aimed for the dragon spirit. “Blade God Six Martial clan!” It was definite that they were strong. At that, one middle-aged man who didn’t wear an iron mask spoke. “I didn’t think that there would be visitors for the Palace.” The middle-aged man didn’t deny his identity at all. At that, Moyong Kang yelled in anger. “I am leader Moyong Kang, of the Forces of Justice of Yulin! Do you think that you would be able to escape after committing such an act?” They were the ones who awakened the dragon which had been asleep in the North. It was obvious that they were aiming for the entire fight to end. The middle-aged man, who seemed shocked at the words of ‘Forces of Justice of Yulin’, spoke with a sly smile. “Forces of Justice? Hmm, I was planning on walking away after I was done with my work, I guess my plan won’t go as planned.” The middle-aged man lifted up the bell he was holding in his left hand. And he waved it lightly and spoke to the ones wearing iron masks. “It’s time to work.” At the sound of the bell, a huge clear blue rose from their weapons. Woong! Woong! One can estimate the level of a person by the energy which radiates from the body. Tension stood on the faces of everyone, including Moyong Kang and Dan Jucheon. “… they are all masters at the superior level.” Shockingly, everyone in the iron masks were skilled. Some of their levels couldn’t even be estimated. The middle-aged man laughed as he looked at the nervous faces of the Yulin and the Ice Palace. “I would have spared your lives if you hadn’t come down here trying to covet that core. Huh?” Swoosh! At that time, the middle-aged man looked at the sound which came from a distant place. A sound which seemed like something was getting close, and two eyes which shone in the dark. ‘Wh-what?’ In the blink of an eye, a creature with luminous eyes appeared. A being that flew through air landed on the ground in the middle of the two sides, which were facing each other. Thud! From the head, it was as if black armor had been attached to its body tightly, making sure no gaps were there. Everyone stared at the mysterious being, dressed in black armor with a puzzled look. Woong! ‘Is that flying?’ ‘a person…?’ If it wasn’t for the glow in the eyes, everyone would have thought it was human. The middle-aged man frowned as he asked about the new existence. “What the hell is your identity…” Swosh! The middle-aged man’s eyes widened. His arm, which had been pointing its finger, suddenly fell to the floor. “My… arm? Ackkkkkkkk!” A voice came from the inside of the black armor of the unidentified person. There were no gaps in the armor, except for the eyes, yet the voice came out without being muffled. “Can you at least release the one on my head?” Ssssss! With an unknown word, the helmet of the black armor suddenly disappeared, revealing its identity. A young man with sharp eyes, a pure white face, and fluttering long black hair. Seeing that, Jegal Sohi mumbled in a trembling voice. “Lord, Lord Chun?” The monster inside the black iron armor was the Lord of the Demonic Cult, Chun Yeowun. Chapter 423 - Nano Machine Advent (1) Chapter 423: Nano Machine Advent (1) The faces of the Demonic Cult’s warriors who were waiting for Chun Yeowun to respond were stiff and calm. The most important thing for them was the safety of their Lord. However, while they stood guard, they saw that the warriors of Yulin and the palace warriors of the North Sea Ice Palace were heading down to the underground. The fear that their Lord, who defeated the dragon, would end up losing the core of the Dragon Turtle pissed them off. ‘Damn bastards. It is true that there is no sage in front of the treasure.’ It was just like that. The Dragon Turtle, which brought disaster when alive, turned into a treasure that everyone coveted once it died. To the extent that the whisperings of eternal life and the regeneration of the body turned every faithful man into a greedy bastard. ‘Lord. Please get up.’ Everyone wanted Chun Yeowun to recover quickly. They wanted him to show his anger to those who revealed their true colors. At this time, impatience was spreading. Crackle! “Oh?” The sparks which were on Chun Yeowun’s body suddenly began to shine a lot brighter. The cultists standing around the Lord immediately moved back a couple of steps as they didn’t want sparks to fall on them. “The lightning is becoming stronger!” The faces of the Six Swords who were watching it darkened. However, Chun Yeowun, who was supposed to control the qi, seemed to be having trouble. But, it was a concern for only a moment. Wheeeekkkk! The lightning and sparks extending out in the shape of a circle were absorbed into Chun Yeowun’s body. A strong energy emanated from Chun Yeowun’s body, which hadn’t been giving out any energy except for the lightning qi. “Ah! Finally!” “Lord!” As expected, Chun Yeowun succeeded in subduing the lightning qi. As the new energy got absorbed, which was in the middle of his dantian, a true coexistence of energies existed in his body. But, ‘It’s out of balance.’ Compared to the demonic energy and the Qilin’s flame, the lightning qi seemed insufficient. He absorbed the qi emitted by the dragon, so it temporarily increased, but in order to balance out the lightning with the other energies, a constant formation and balance of lightning qi was needed. And that source was, ‘I need to have that core.’ The novelties of the other three attributes naturally replenished when Chun Yeowun consumed them. Unlike the lightning qi, the other energies would restore when used. In the same way, it seemed like he could only balance out the true spirit of the four energies in his body with the core of the dragon, which is known to have infinite energy. When he opened his eyes, the cultists who had been waiting for Chun Yeowun shouted. “Wahhhh!!!!” “Lord has woken up!” Hu Bong hurriedly ran with the robe in his hands, trying to cover Chun Yeowun. Seeing that, Chun Yeowun realized that his clothes got burnt out. Chun Yeowun, who covered his naked body with the long robe, asked. “What happened? Hu Bong.” Chun Yeowun sensed that many of the people who stayed on the ground disappeared. Except for more than three hundred white-haired people of the North Sea Ice Palace, who watched from a distance and the cultists, no one could be seen. “Lord! Just a while ago, the men of Yulin and the North Sea Ice Palace went down to get the core of the dragon.” Chun Yeowun shook his head at the words of Hu Bong. He expected people to covet it, but he didn’t like how they actually went. “And them?” Not all the warriors of Ice Palace had gone down. Looking at the ones in the distance, it seemed like those warriors were keeping an eye on the Demonic Cult rather than trying to fight. It was Marakim who gave the answer. “Lord. They are warriors and officials directly under the control of the Ice Palace’s king.” “Officials?” “I can answer that.” At that time, Baekhyun, who was outside the defense circle, approached Chun Yeowun. It seemed like he had been waiting for a while to explain it. “Lord, those people…” The remaining royal officials of the Ice Palace were the followers of the deceased former king. They didn’t support Dan Jucheon, the deputy king, who was currently in power. The corners of Chun Yeowun’s lips went up. “Nice.” “Huh?” “Those who have to be dealt with and those who are on our side are separated.” Baekhyun’s face turned pale at the words of Chun Yeowun. It sounded casual, but he couldn’t overlook it. He didn’t know about the clans of Jianghu, but Chun Yeowun, the Lord of the Demonic Cult, was someone who kept his word. “We need to hurry.” “I’ll bring you some clothes.” “No. You don’t need to.” When they tried to summon the cultists to replace Chun Yeowun’s clothes, he refused. After all, there was something he had to test. It was one of the three features he had been most curious about. ‘Nano. Gatelinium Nano suit!’ [Equipping Gatelinium Nano suit.] Ssssss! “Uh?” Numerous black particles came out of Chun Yeowun’s body and covered it. The black particles that came out were agglomerated and covered the entire body of Chun Yeowun, creating an ultra-thin, black armor. Wheeing! Even his entire face had been covered, leaving only two holes for the eyes. [Nano suit has been equipped.] Woong! Nano’s augmented reality opened up in Chun Yeowun’s vision. All the preparations were completed as white particles drew lines and marked up information. At the tremendous change that happened, all the cultists were shocked. “A-armor has been made!” “Lord, what is this?” Gatelinium Nano suit formed without gaps, making him look like a nonhuman. In the same way, his appearance looked more like a real demon. The word of ‘Demon God’ kept flowing out from everyone’s mouth. ‘It’s a lot more conspicuous than I thought.’ He thought that there would be subtle changes, but seeing the reactions of everyone around, it seemed a lot more extravagant. Chun Yeowun briefly explained while looking at the Six Swords, Marakim, and elder Mong Mu. “It’s Nano armor.” Woah! With those words, Chun Yeowun’s body floated into the air. While light magnetic-field particles spewed out from the two feet of the Nano suit. [Using the magnetic-field force of both hands, it is possible to change the direction and balance.] The suit’s hands were also emitting some magnetic-field particles. As he floated into the air, everyone was nothing short of amazed. Chun Yeowun flew away after saying two words to them. “Follow me.” Phut! Swoosh! Chun Yeowun’s body wearing the Nano suit flew through the air in an instant and then disappeared to the underground, which got pierced by the Sky Flash. The cultists, who were amazed at what their Lord was doing, shouted. “Woahhhhhh!!!!” Hu Bong, who looked at Chun Yeowun fly away, spoke one word. “Nano armor!” It made his heart skip a beat. Jegal Sohi wasn’t the only one who was flustered when the face behind the Nano suit was revealed. Moyong Kang was equally shocked at Chun Yeowun’s appearance. What the hell was the armor on his body? And it was astonishing for him to see Chun Yeowun recover from qi deviation in such a short time. ‘This…’ Dan Jucheon, the deputy king of the palace, was also perplexed. Before the Lord of Demonic Cult recovered, he wanted to absorb the core and explode his internal strength, so he didn’t expect the man to appear so quickly. ‘How did he recover so quickly after being attacked by the dragon?’ It wasn’t that the internal energy had been exhausted, but his body had taken too much lightning qi, and to recover from that, despite being a Divine Master level, it would take a long time. They all thought that it would take half a day or so, but this was too fast. “Lord, Lord Chun, I am glad to see you are safe.” Moyong Kang, who was confused and not sure what to do, spoke cautiously. If Chun Yeowun had appeared, then there is nothing good that would come from fighting him. At that, Chun Yeowun turned towards him and opened his mouth. “Quite refreshing, how people who covet other people’s belongings were worried for me.” “Kuk!” Moyong Kang became quiet at those words. It was because he didn’t know how Chun Yeowun would react if he said anything else. However, the North Sea Ice Palace didn’t stand still. “What do you mean by other people’s belongings? Although Lord Chun did the most work, strictly speaking everyone joined together to fight the dragon, it doesn’t belong to just one person.” Among the elders of Ice Palace, the warlike one, Oh Mubang, spoke out. Oh Mubang too had rushed down to where the dragon was to covet the core and gain strength for himself and himself alone. Seol Young-gwi, too, came out to help out. “What the elder said is right. And Lord Chun. While you were recovering above, we only came here to confirm the death of the dragon. Please clear this misunderstanding that you have.” Seol Young-gwi made up excuses. So far, they haven’t been able to directly occupy the core of the Dragon Turtle. He thought that no matter how great of a Lord he was, he couldn’t do anything if they hadn’t occupied it yet. [Good Job. Elder.] Dan Jucheon, the deputy king, praised Soel Young-gwi for his quick words. He, too, didn’t want to confront the monster who just restored his strength. ‘A pity, but since elder Seol had to make up a justification for this, I think we should only deal with the ones from the Blade God Six Martial clan, and discuss the core at a later time.’ Nothing good ever came out from the presence of those men. However, the expressions on Yulin’s side weren’t good. Moyong Kang looked at them and shook his head with a disapproving look. ‘What?’ When he was puzzled. Clang! Chun Yeowun, who was at the entrance of the opening, suddenly appeared in front of Oh Mubang. ‘Wh-what amazing speed?’ Tat! Instinctively, Oh Mubang tried to spread the distance, Slash! “Kuak!” Thud, roll! With a short scream, the head of Oh Mubang, which had been decapitated, rolled on the ground. Seol Young-gwi, the elder next to him, was startled at what happened so quickly. “Lord Chun! What the hell…” Slash! Seol Young-gwi’s right arm flew through the air before he could even finish speaking. Seol Young-gwi’s expression distorted with pain that came from the slash, and a terrifying scream erupted. “KUAACCCCKKKKKK!” All the warriors of the Ice Palace were shocked as they saw the bloody arm. “No way!” One elder had his head cut off and the other his right arm cut off. They were both Superior Masters. Even outside the Ice Palace, the Superior Masters were treated with respect, but they seemed like kids in front of Chun Yeowun. Chun Yeowun looked at Seol Young-gwi, who was grunting in pain and spoke in his usual cold voice. “You keep making excuses that don’t even make sense.” “Kuuuuuu.” ‘Are our positions being changed here? This, this isn’t good.’ Only then did Dan Jucheon, the deputy king of the Ice Palace, understand why the appearance of Moyong Kang and Yulin changed upon the arrival of Chun Yeowun. They knew how the Lord of the Demonic Cult would act. ‘Too… strong.’ He could clearly feel it with just one movement. Although Dan Jucheon is one of the strongest in the North, this man in front of him was on a completely different level. ‘How can this be?’ When he was in a moment of shock, The middle-aged man who had his arm cut off waved a bell and yelled. “Ack! Ki-kill that bastard!” Tring! With the sound of a bell, the people in iron masks, who had been waiting in stance with their weapons, rushed for Chun Yeowun. Swoosh! “Hm.” Chun Yeowun looked at them. They were above the Superior Master level, but the martial arts they were using weren’t that of the Blade God Six Martial clan. Chun Yeowun’s eyes narrowed as he looked at them. ‘The former lord was also said to be wearing an iron mask.’ There was a possibility that the former lord of the cult was among them. The easiest way to check would be to battle all of them at once. Chun Yeowun, in his armor, went for the people in the iron masks who were rushing at him. Shhh! Clang! Clang! Clang! When Chun Yeowun and the iron masks collided, the entire cave was filled with sounds of clashing. Just the clashing sounds from the swords were enough to shake the entire cave. At that time, Jegal Sohi spoke to Moyong Kang. “Leader Moyong! Now is our chance! We need to retreat!” They weren’t sure what would happen if Chun Yeowun turns out to be in a bad mood after the fight. Moyong Kang also nodded as he agreed and spoke to Dan Jucheon. [Deputy King, as you can see, we need to retreat right now. I know that nothing good will come out of trying to touch Lord Chun’s belongings.] Dan Jucheon’s face hardened. It was a shame, but it was an undeniable fact. Dan Jucheon quietly ordered his men. “Retreat quickly!” The warriors all nodded their heads and moved to retreat. The passage created by the dragon was so wide that even if they all moved at once, it wasn’t cramped. They were in a hurry to get back onto the surface, but Dan Jucheon suddenly stopped and raised his hand. As a result, the Ice Palace and the Yulin warriors stopped. Someone was walking into the dark cave. Moyong Kang, who frowned at that, spoke in a bewildered voice. “The Dark King!” The one walking in was the Great Guardian, Marakim. Marakim drew his sword from the waist. Visor! With the sound of the sword being pulled out of the sheath, he pointed it at the Yulin and the North Sea Ice Palace forces. “In the name of our Lord. Overpower everyone who rebels and kill them!” Woong! Woong! Woong! As soon as his words fell, many white and black flags fluttered in the dark passage behind Marakim. Hundreds of swords illuminated in the darkness. Everyone held their breath at the sight of the people emitting immense energy with vicious blood lust. Clench! Even Moyong Kang and Dan Jucheon, who held onto their swords, were scared for their lives. ‘… this is the worst.’ Would this situation go well with the phase of ‘regression and dilemma’? The shadow of despair engulfed the warriors of North Sea Ice Palace and the Yulin forces. Chapter 424 - : Nano Machine Advent (2) Chapter 424 : Nano Machine Advent (2) Are people aware that when a mouse gets cornered by a cat, the mouse bites the cat? It was the same with Dan Jucheon, the deputy king of the palace, who was flustered. In reality, the only person he was afraid of was the Lord of the Demonic Cult, Chun Yeowun. Even though the Demonic Cult was one of the top three forces in the Jianghu region, the North Sea Ice Palace was the hegemon of the North, and he was one of the strongest men in the North. ‘They have looked down on me!’ Dan Jucheon’s gaze was fixed on one person. Among every warrior, there was only one person who could be his opponent. It was the Dark King, Marakim. [Leader Moyong. I will deal with the Dark King. Can you deal with one of those three over there?] At the telepathic message, Moyong Kang looked at one of the three Dan Jucheon was referring to. A muscular man with a huge beard, it was Ko Wanghur, one of the Six Swords. ‘To reach the level of Superior Master at such a young age.’ It wasn’t just that. It was the same with the hooded young man next to Ko Wanghur. Just looking at them, it was clear that both of them were in their midtwenties, but they were both Superior Masters. ‘Those two are fine, but that person is the problem.’ The person Moyong Kang felt uneasy about was the strong middle-aged man in blue armor. The one he heard of. The swordsman with a high reputation, the man who showed his skills in the battle between the Demonic Cult and the Forces of Evil. ‘Those two are at the beginning of their bloom, but that man, Mong Mu will be really difficult to deal with.’ If he had to deal with someone, he’d rather deal with someone stronger. The two Superior Masters could be handled by the elders of the North Sea Ice Palace. However, if they fought, the Demonic Cult would consider them as their enemy. Carefully looking at Jegal Sohi, he noticed how she too nodded at the plan. To that, Moyong Kang responded to Dan Jucheon’s request. [Understood. Let’s try and solve this problem by working together.] [Understood!] There was only one answer. They all had to end their battles before the Lord of the Demonic Cult dealt with the Blade God Six Martial clan members. Visor! “Do not be afraid! I’ll take the lead!” Shhh! As Dan Jucheon drew his sword, an intense chill spread all around. He was relatively exhausted as he had to deal with the Dragon Turtle. However, he was a Supreme Master who could use cold qi. When being compared to the five strongest warriors, he wouldn’t be pushed too far. Phat! Marakim and Dan Jucheon, the best on both sides, took the lead. As the two men took the lead, the warriors of both sides advanced in unison. “Waaaaa!!!” The cave the dragon had built turned into a battlefield. A fierce fight began to unfold. ‘This can’t be compared to the crown prince.’ Dan Jucheon’s sword had such an intense chill that ice formed whenever his sword passed through the air. Just as Marakim was shocked, Dan Jucheon couldn’t hide his shock. Choo! First, in order to subdue the opponent right away, Dan Jucheon used the Ice White God Sword. However, Marakim dodged the attack despite being very close to getting hit. And suddenly moved behind him to attack. ‘He is called the Wind God. What amazing speed!’ Before the sword could even touch his back, an ice shield formed around him. He would temporarily achieve a defense better than a shield if he managed to produce more than six layers of shield with the Ice White God Sword. Chachachacha! The Twenty Four Demon Swords unfolded by Marakim kept breaking down the ice. In the meantime, Dan Jucheon unfolded a light foot technique as he twisted his body and aimed for the heart by shifting his sword to his left hand. Wheeik! Marakim did a backwards roll to avoid getting hit. Dan Jucheon frowned. ‘He avoided this? He’s an annoying one.’ He always thought he hadn’t met a proper opponent ever since he reached the Supreme Master level. However, when he finally met a talented person of the same level as him, it felt like he was nowhere close to being strong. ‘We need to subdue them quickly.’ As if it was a life-and-death battle, they were all desperate, all because of Chun Yeowun. In the end, Dan Jucheon decided to avoid useless battles. ‘Eighth level of New Body!’ Anyone who reached the eighth level was known to be a supreme being in the North. Jjjjjak! White steam formed around Dan Jucheon’s body, then frost began to form all over his body. It seemed like anything he touched would turn into ice. “Dark King! Let’s end this!” Dan Jucheon’s sword created a thick white frost and tried to corner Marakim, who moved around freely. ‘Hmm!’ Marakim judged that it would be hard to keep dodging the attacks when the opponent was going all out, so he raised his internal energy tenfold and unfolded the Twenty Four Demon Sword again. Chachahcahcang! The two people’s swords collided in the air, causing sparks. Like their fierce confrontation, Moyong Kang, too, was engaged in a battle with Mong Mu. Although they were experienced leaders in the clan and cult, it was their first time fighting each other. Mong Mu, who had dealt with the masters of the Forces of Evil head-on, had the upper hand in this confrontation. “Hahah! Very good!” Chachachahcang! He was so excited that he laughed as he fought. ‘I’m excited!’ Unlike him, who was full of courage, Moyong Kang was impatient. It was the same with Dan Jucheon. If they couldn’t hurry up and end their battles, they knew how the situation would be overturned, and that scared them. ‘We have the numbers!’ In terms of warriors, since the Yulin and Ice Sea combined their forces, their warriors exceeded six hundred. ‘The problem is execution.’ The Demonic cult, including the Six Swords and the other warriors, were of the Super Master level and above and in good condition. The only way to win would be to take down their leaders. As predicted, the North Sea Ice Palace elders worked together to subdue Ko Wanghur and Hu Bong. ‘If we can’t control them, we will be at a disadvantage.’ On the battlefield, one should always subdue the higher-level ones. As the higher-level ones are the first to attack the enemy and move back, they must be taken down. ‘Ugh, if my arm was still intact, I wouldn’t have struggled this much against a kid.’ Elder Seol Young-gwi was facing Ko Wanghur. He lost one arm, and because of that, he lost a great deal of balance. Originally, he could have overpowered the kid, but the balance in his movements was broken, leading to an equal level confrontation. ‘If this person wasn’t hurt, I would’ve been pushed back.’ Ko Wanghur could feel that. Seol Young-gwi’s martial arts skills were very detailed despite having to use only one arm. If his other arm wasn’t cut, Ko Wanghur would have been in danger. Jeez! ‘I blocked it with my energy, but the cold qi penetrated my body.’ It was his first time competing with a master who used cold qi, which made it even more difficult for him to fight. He had to subdue his opponent while maintaining a minimum distance with the opponent. ‘We need to show them that we can subdue them with our own strength even if the Lord doesn’t intervene.’ Just as the Ice Palace and Yulin thought about escaping, the warriors of the Demonic Cult were fighting with a sense of duty to show their Lord how strong they have become. No one was fighting without reason. From the beginning, the battlefield inside the cave became more and more intense, Meanwhile, ‘W-what kind of monster is he?’ The middle-aged man who got his arm cut off wasn’t able to hide his embarrassment. He couldn’t tell if he was really seeing a monster or imagining it. Kwak! When Chun Yeowun’s hand in the Nano Suit touched their head, the warrior with the iron mask died. Five of the iron mask warriors had already died from getting their heads snapped. He had never met such an opponent. The same thing kept happening over and over again, and Chun Yeowun didn’t seem like he was exerting any power. Chachang! “Not you.” Kwa! Kwaaak! “Kuaakkkk!” After checking the sword skills of each man in the mask, Chun Yeowun would kill them without hesitation. It was as if he was doing a verification process. Of course, not everyone in the iron mask were weak. Bang! The internal energy which stretched out from the fist of a master in an iron mask struck the back of Chun Yeowun, who was dealing with three people at the same time. Woah! Along with the sound of something getting blasted, the fist didn’t even touch his back before the energy scattered. “No, how can energy scatter? What the hell is that armor?” The middle-aged man was shocked as he saw the Nano Suit block the energy. Even if the attack got dispersed, the fact that Chun Yeowun didn’t even budge made it even more shocking. [Dispersed the impact of the concentrated energy attack.] ‘Nice.’ Chun Yeowun responded to Nano. The Gatelinium metal could absorb and withstand a tremendous amount of energy, even the lightning qi of the Dragon Turtle. If the suit could handle that much, a simple attack wouldn’t even scratch him. “Kuk!” Perhaps resentful that his attack was blocked, the master in the iron mask tried to use the same attack again. There was no way Chun Yeowun would leave it alone. When Chun Yeowun stretched out his hand towards the iron masked master, a black flame sword appeared in the air and clashed with him. Chaa! Tatatk! As a master who seemed to be above Master level, the one in the iron mask bounced backwards. Phat! As he flew quite a distance back, the master in the iron mask ended up getting between the Yulin and the Demonic Cult’s battles. “Ugh?” Moyong Kang was shocked when he saw that someone had suddenly interrupted their fight and backed away. The ones in the iron mask were all Superior Masters, and there was no way Moyong Kang could charge them recklessly. Chow! Crack! The iron mask split in half and fell to the floor. He flew backwards because of the impact, but he was unable to avoid the attack from the black flame sword. But when his face was revealed, Moyong Kang was shocked. “Th, this can’t be…” Blood was dripping from his messy white hair and his face full of wrinkles, but when he saw the six seals on his forehead, Moyong Kang knew who he was. “Saint Gu-jung!” The old man’s identity hidden behind the iron mask was Saint Gu-jung, the former head of the Shaolin temple. He was a famous saint who disappeared eighteen years ago. Moyong Kang, who had been in Yulin for a long time, recognized the man’s face because he had a close relationship with Saint Gu-jung. “Saint! How could you side with the Blade God Six Martial… huh?” Swoosh! He approached the man and tried to talk with him, but Moyong Kang suddenly increased the distance as the man unfolded the Shaolin Dragon Tide with his hands. ‘Why is he attacking me?’ Saint Gu-jung was a good-natured person. He was a man who devoted himself to justice and stayed humble despite having outstanding martial arts skills equivalent to the five strongest warriors, and he learned half of the seventy-two rites of Shaolin. It was shocking to see such a man attack him. “Saint! What is this! Do you not remember me? Moyong…” “…” He kept announcing himself, thinking that the man would recognize him, but the saint kept looking at Moyong Kang with blank eyes as if he knew nothing. ‘Ah!’ There was no light in his eyes. It was strange as if the man had no emotions or thoughts running through his mind. Moyong Kang didn’t like what he was seeing, as he saw the saint gather energy into his fists once again, and then Saint Gu-jung flew to the place where the Lord of the Demonic Cult was. “Uh? Saint!” It seemed like the man only had thoughts about Chun Yeowun. ‘What the hell happened to Saint Gu-jung to act like this and follow the Blade God Six Martial clan?’ However, apart from Moyong Kang, who was shocked, there were many people equally shocked. “No way! That is the Fourteenth Plum Blossom Sword!” “No! That one! That master in the iron mask is using the fortune sword!” “He-he is using the Wudang clan’s sword?” Shockingly, among the masters in the iron masks, some belonged to the 9 great clans. Moreover, their movement was so refined that it was definite that they all were the top seat in their factions. “The Sword of Four Kings!” Even in the Forces of Evil, there weren’t many who used the Sword of Four Kings. The problem was that very few people practiced such martial arts, and only the direct descendants of the clan were taught it. There was no way any of the great clans would teach or let outsiders steal their martial arts. “Wh-what the hell does this mean?”