Chapter 310: The Dragon's Diary (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 310: The Dragon's Diary (1)
Swish.
The night was thick with killing intent, shrouding the cold winter in an oppressive silence.
Henan.
A black cloud drifted slowly towards the province, moving like a sinister omen.
“Hehe…”
A dry, raspy chuckle escaped the scarred throat of an old man with white hair, his form hidden within the murky, malevolent cloud.
He was the Black Dragon, a name that had once struck fear across the Central Plains. After unifying the Unorthodox Faction for the first time, he had attempted to seize control of the entire martial world, beginning from Sichuan.
“It’s Henan.”
In the distance, the lights of buildings pierced the night. This was the domain of the Murim Alliance and Shaolin Temple—the very heart of the Orthodox Faction.
The Henan Palace.
The Black Dragon’s chuckle deepened as the palace came into view. How long had it been since he last set foot here? How long had he yearned to tread upon this land again?
“Great King.”
A man appeared behind the Black Dragon, kneeling as he presented a letter. “A letter for you, Great King.”
“So fast. They must be desperate.”
The letter was from the one who had summoned him. The Black Dragon could tell from its tone. Something had stirred them up—perhaps something had happened to their child.
After reading it, he tucked the letter away and turned to his follower. “Set up a formation. We’ll need to wait for a while.”
“Your wish is my command!”
Those lurking in the fog sprang into action at the Black Dragon’s command, setting up defenses despite the risk of detection so close to the Murim Alliance’s territory. The Black Dragon, however, showed no concern.
“How about you join them, instead of just standing there?”
The Black Dragon’s gaze shifted toward a figure with dark, brooding eyes. The man stared back, unflinching.
“I am not your servant, Great King.”
The Black Dragon smirked at the Palace Lord. “I brought you here to repay your dues, and yet you stand there sulking.”
“What made you think it was a good idea to come to Henan?”
“What’s wrong with that?”
“This is Murim Alliance territory. You’ve been hiding in the shadows all this time—why show yourself now?”
The Palace Lord couldn’t comprehend the old man’s recklessness. It was utterly incomprehensible.
The Black Dragon simply smiled, his voice dripping with amusement. “It’s because the time is ripe.”
“…Ripe?”
“If you are so worried, then why did you decide to follow me, Palace Lord?”
“…”
“Hehe, I can see it all. You have hopes, don’t you? Hopes of finding something that can break the Shackle placed on you.”
The Black Palace Lord frowned. The Black Dragon had hit the mark.
Along with the other Four Emperors and Five Kings, the Palace Lord was barred from the lands of the Orthodox Faction due to his allegiance to the Unorthodox Faction.
No—it was now the Four Emperors and Four Kings, as one had died.
“Even with that mysterious power of yours, I suppose you can’t do anything about the Shackle?”
“Watch your words.”
Crack.
A black aura began to rise from the Palace Lord’s body. Despite the threatening energy emanating from him, the Black Dragon continued to smile.
“Are you still trying to escape the grasp of the Shackle that the Tiger Warrior placed on you?”
As the words left his mouth,
Swoooosh!
The aura surging from the Palace Lord coalesced into a massive shape and charged at the Black Dragon. But before it could strike,
Pss…
the black energy disintegrated into dust, scattering on the wind as if it had never existed.
All it took was a slight gesture from the Black Dragon.
“If you wish to flail about, you should pick the right opponent.”
“…Great King…!”
“I only brought you along because I was interested in the darkness you possess. Are you not aware of who you are facing?”
Crack.
The Palace Lord clenched his fist, pulling back his Qi at the Black Dragon’s words.
In the past, when the Tiger Warrior served the Orthodox Faction and the Flaming Demon championed the Unorthodox Faction, the Tiger Warrior had visited each of the Four Emperors and Five Kings, driven by his hatred for them.
No one knew of these encounters, but they remained a humiliating secret the villains never wanted revealed.
Yet the Palace Lord remembered it all too well.
-Leave the Central Plains, and never enter my sight again.
The young martial artist’s heat had been more intense than any flame, but instead of killing the Palace Lord, he had placed a Shackle on him and let him live.
Why?
The Palace Lord never understood why the Flaming Demon had spared him that day. He wondered if it was simply to watch him struggle pathetically.
Whatever the reason, the Shackle’s power was overwhelming, forcing the Palace Lord to live like a coward until he found his Heaven.
Even after receiving new power through a blessing, he could only suppress the Shackle, never fully break free.
He had believed he could kill the Flaming Demon if they met again, but contrary to his expectations, the warrior had grown even stronger.
One of the Hundred Masters of the Central Plains?
What a joke. A monster like him was no mere master.
The same was true for the figure before him now. The old man, who should have vanished in death, had instead become an even greater darkness.
“Are you done thinking?”
“…I hope you don’t forget our promise.”
Chuckle.
“Of course. After this is done, I shall remove the Shackle from your body.”
The Palace Lord wondered what this old man could do when even his Heaven couldn’t break the Shackle, but he had no choice but to believe him.
The Black Dragon turned away and looked at Henan once more. The lights shining brightly in the late hour were still beautiful, captivating his gaze.
It was splendid. The light was so beautiful it tempted him to extinguish it all.
“When will you start?”
“Start, hmm… Yes, a month from now should be fine.”
“Pardon?”
A month of preparation? The Palace Lord couldn’t understand why it would take so long.
Noticing his confusion, the Black Dragon provided an answer. “Their side also asked me to wait, after all.”
He recalled the contents of the letter. He was asked to wait, as something needed to be done beforehand.
Though it’s rude for that young blood to make such a request.
How dare he tell him to wait. It was disrespectful, but the Black Dragon knew the child would become a great darkness in the future, so he let it slide.
“More than that,”
Clack.
The Black Dragon held a marble in his hand, lost in thought. “I should wait, as I was told the reinforcements will take some time to arrive.”
“Reinforcements? Someone else is coming?”
“It might have been safe to proceed if only the Qinghai Sword were present, but unfortunately, I’ve heard the Sword Queen is there as well.”
“So who did you call?”
The Palace Lord spoke in an offended tone. The need for reinforcements implied that he alone wasn’t enough.
Hearing this, the Black Dragon looked back at him with a strange gaze. “It seems you still cling to your pride and guilt. This is why you cannot escape the Tiger Warrior’s grasp.”
Hundreds of sharp blades formed from the Palace Lord’s black aura, hidden within the darkness of night. The dense energy charged toward the Black Dragon once more.
However…
Crack.
The Black Dragon’s hand was quicker.
“Ugh…!”
“You weren’t like this in the past. I wonder what brought you to this state.”
Was it his Inner Demons, or his relentless pursuit of desire? The Black Dragon didn’t know, nor did he care. He just hoped the Palace Lord wouldn’t lose himself completely before he had been used to the fullest. A figure like him was a hassle to hide.
“You said you’re curious who the reinforcement is?”
Swish.
A cold breeze began to flow. Carried by the wind, tinged with the scent of blood, the Black Dragon spoke in his dry voice.
“The Dark King.”
“…!”
The Palace Lord’s eyes widened. He was one of the Seven Night Assassins’ chiefs, the king of assassins who had never failed a mission. The Dark King was coming to Henan.
“With him involved, there will be no failure. You have only one task, so remember it.”
The Black Dragon removed his hand from the Palace Lord’s neck and walked away. For a moment, it seemed as if his form grew larger beneath the rising moon.
“That girl with the Ten Thousand Poisons Immunity. The blood relative of the Tang Clan.”
The Poison Phoenix, Tang Soyeol.
“All you have to do is capture her and bring her to me. It’s a simple task.”
“…The Poison Phoenix? Not the descendant of the Sword Emperor?”
The Palace Lord was briefly aware of the Black Dragon’s enmity toward the Sword Emperor, which made the choice confusing.
The Black Dragon answered with a chuckle. “Hehe… Unlike you, I am not blinded by a desire for revenge to the point of ruining my plans.”
“…”
Leaving the now-silent Palace Lord behind, the Black Dragon walked into the forest. The formation was already in place. All that remained was to wait for the events to unfold.
This isn’t a bad opening act to announce my resurrection.
To let the world know that I, the Black Dragon, am alive… Wiping out the Heavenly Dragon, that symbol of the Orthodox Faction’s hopes and future, is not a bad idea at all.
The reactions would be amusing after slaughtering a host of young prodigies.
But I wonder what kind of expression you’ll make.
When the Central Plains were drenched in blood once more, all because he failed to finish the job.
Wi Hyogun.
The Black Dragon was deeply curious what expression his old friend would wear.
After entering the forest, the Black Dragon leaned against a huge tree and closed his eyes, hidden from the moon.
It really isn’t long from now.
He would not fail this time. The Sword Queen’s presence was unexpected, but the Dark King had been called to deal with her. The Black Dragon had found a way to avoid the gaze of the Heavenly Eye.
As long as he acted cautiously to evade the Harmonic Sword, his plan would not fail.
As long as…
No one like Wi Hyogun is present at the Heavenly Dragon Academy at this time.
* * *
It had already been a month since I started attending the Academy.
That meant I’d repeated this tedious routine about thirty times already. If I had to complain about one thing, it was the daily morning reminder that I had to endure this for an entire year.
What even is ‘hands-on training’?
I’d heard that in a week, we’d be doing practical exercises to apply what we’d learned in lessons. I was working pretty hard, since skipping training risked suspension.
Not that I mind the lessons.
As I’ve always said, it’s unlikely anyone here knows more about Demons than I do. If anyone did, it would be an instructor. There was no way I’d fail a student-level test on Demons.
Thanks to that…
-The True Dragon has a violent personality, but he is also smart.
Rumors like that were spreading again. Everything was fine, I suppose. But couldn’t they just say I’m smart? Why did they have to add the part about a violent personality?
How absurd.
I seriously need to find the person who started that rumor and fold them into a rectangle.
Who’s the bastard getting on my nerves? I will find you, no matter what.
Sigh.
A sigh escaped me naturally. The rumors, the stares, the fact that I had to stay here for a year—all of it was annoying. But something else irritated me even more.
“…Fuck, how do I do this?”
I was currently near the Headmaster’s building, sitting in the grassy field where I’d spoken with Wi Seol-Ah last time. My goal was the same as before: to find the secret vault in the basement of the Heavenly Dragon Academy, and I was searching for a way to break through the formation protecting it.
However,
I can’t feel it…!
I couldn’t find the formation I’d sensed last time. Back then, it had become clearly visible when Wi Seol-Ah was fidgeting with it.
After waving my hand in the air for some time, I frowned as a thought crossed my mind.
…No way… Can I not do it alone?
Wi Seol-Ah had guided my hand to find it. Did that mean I couldn’t locate the formation on my own?
That’s a bit problematic.
I’d thought I just needed to find it again since I knew its general location, but it was a serious issue if I needed help.
Should I go get Wi Seol-Ah right now?
It might confuse her, but I needed to make a quick decision. I didn’t have much time.
Glance.
I turned my gaze to the Headmaster’s building behind me.
I have to finish before he comes back.
The Qinghai Sword wasn’t in his room at the moment, thanks to the ‘request’ I’d made to the Sword Queen.
…But I don’t know where Wi Seol-Ah is. What do I do?
If I’d known this would happen, I would’ve brought her with me. I thought I could find it alone since I’d felt it last time.
What should I do?
I wasn’t sure if I had enough time to fetch Wi Seol-Ah and return. But it was also impossible to cause an explosion here and hide the recoil. To break the formation, I’d need something as powerful as a Flaming Sphere. But if I used that, there was no way the Qinghai Sword wouldn’t notice.
Tsk.
I was stuck, unable to act. But I couldn’t afford to space out. I didn’t have time to hesitate.
Just as I was about to leave to find Wi Seol-Ah,
“What are you doing here?”
A voice came from behind me. “…What, are you observing ants or something?”
I’d failed to notice their presence.
Damn.
I remembered now. Some unknown power from a treasure or another source had dulled my senses in this place.
When I quickly turned my head, I saw a person staring at me with a strange expression.
“…What are you doing here?” I asked, my tone speechless.
The bastard mirrored my expression. “That’s what I want to ask you.”
Standing there was a tall young man; I had to tilt my head up to meet his eyes. Tall height, a handsome face, and a somewhat tired expression. The young man, wearing a Wudang outfit, was someone I knew very well.
Seeing him, I questioned him again. “Why are you here?”
The Sleeping Dragon, Woo Hyuk. The bastard was watching me.