Chapter 433
Chapter 433
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 433
Chapter Title: The Secret Palace
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Jeok Mu-mi couldn’t hide her bewilderment.
“You’re going to refuse?”
“The reason I came here was for our Alliance and the Reha Sacred Palace to forge a good relationship.”
Bu Eun-seol’s expression was polite but firm.
“If I were to heedlessly refuse the Palace Master’s request, establishing a good relationship with your palace would become a distant dream.”
“Hmph, you’d do well to give up any thought of forming an alliance.”
Jeok Mu-mi said confidently.
“The Palace Master has absolutely no intention of doing so.”
“That remains to be seen.”
“Do you think you can persuade her as a mere Third-Rank Division Head?”
“Perhaps.”
Bu Eun-seol spoke with confidence.
“After all, the Reha Sacred Palace, which has never before allowed an outsider to approach, invited this Division Head personally.”
Jeok Mu-mi’s eyes narrowed.
Only then did she grasp that Bu Eun-seol was a man not only of martial prowess and strategic mind, but also of considerable nerve.
“You will die.”
She said, her expression tinged with pity.
“My words, telling you to refuse her request… they were also meant to save your life.”
“Is that so?”
“Does it sound like a joke?”
Realizing she could never persuade Bu Eun-seol, Jeok Mu-mi’s lips curled into a cold smile.
“Brilliant minds like yours often fall into delusion. You think you can control and manipulate every situation.”
Turning away, she spoke coldly.
“Do as you please. Even if you refuse, I have a backup plan.”
Then, without a second thought, she vanished using a covert movement technique.
As Jeok Mu-mi disappeared like a ghost, Bu Eun-seol let out a deep sigh and gazed out the window.
“I will die… she says.”
After deep thought, he nodded his head as if pleased.
“That must mean she’s going to ask a favor difficult enough to risk one’s life for.”
A faint smile touched his lips.
“This is actually for the best.”
If Palace Master Hwajeong were to ask for a favor worth risking his life for?
Bu Eun-seol, in turn, could make a strong request for an alliance. There’s no such thing as a free lunch… He might achieve an unexpectedly great merit.
The next day.
Summoned by Palace Master Hwajeong, Bu Eun-seol was ascending Mount Zhurong, a massive stone mountain at the north gate.
He was heading for the Sacred Fire Dais, halfway up Mount Zhurong, where the founder, the Sacred Lord of Reha, had trained his martial arts.
But something was strange.
He had expected the Palace Master to be waiting with several disciples in attendance.
Yet, Palace Master Hwajeong stood there all alone.
“Palace Master.”
“You’ve come.”
Hwajeong greeted Bu Eun-seol with a smile.
“I apologize for calling you here so suddenly. There is something I absolutely must show you, Division Head Seon-u.”
“It is no trouble.”
“Shall we go, then?”
Hwajeong and Bu Eun-seol began walking side by side, deeper into the Sacred Fire Dais.
Though called a dais, the ground was not flat but uneven, with strangely shaped rocks scattered everywhere.
As they walked, the two exchanged formal pleasantries, inquiring about the situations of the Martial Alliance and the Reha Sacred Palace.
Soon, they reached a deep part of the dais where a thirty-foot-tall stone statue stood.
An old man with dignified eyes stood tall, as if looking down upon the world. It was the image of the Sacred Lord of Reha, the founder of the Reha Sacred Palace.
“A magnificent statue.”
As Bu Eun-seol uttered his admiration, Hwajeong spoke with a serious expression.
“We are short on time, so I will be direct.”
Gazing at the statue of the Sacred Lord, Hwajeong said in a low voice.
“Our palace has a legend, passed down for ages, of a Secret Palace. It is said that the Divine Flute of the Fire Wheel, used by the Sacred Lord of Reha, is hidden there.”
A *yak* was a long flute made of bamboo with holes in it.
Could the Sacred Lord of Reha have also been skilled in the musical arts?
“The Divine Flute of the Fire Wheel is no ordinary flute. It is a divine object containing the Sacred Qi of Reha, the ultimate yang energy achieved by the Sacred Lord.”
Hwajeong explained calmly.
“By infusing the power of the Sacred Qi from the Divine Flute into someone who has learned an ultimate yang martial art, they can instantly achieve a major breakthrough in their meridians. Furthermore, their body will be transformed into a Sacred Fire Body, allowing them to master the ultimate yang arts.”
Bu Eun-seol could not hide his surprise.
“A simple flute possesses such power?”
“Originally, our palace’s ultimate yang martial arts were meant to be cultivated based on the Sacred Qi within the Divine Flute.”
Having finished her explanation, Hwajeong gazed at the statue and let out a deep sigh.
“But because we have been unable to find this divine object until now… our palace’s martial arts have weakened with each passing generation.”
Finishing her words, her eyes sparkled as she spoke.
“But the heavens have protected us, and we have finally found the Secret Palace where the Divine Flute is hidden. It is right here.”
She pointed to the other side of the giant statue.
It was a place where large, unremarkable stones were piled up.
“Are you saying that is the entrance to the Secret Palace?”
“Indeed.”
Hwajeong took a deep breath and said.
“But even though we’ve found the Secret Palace, we cannot enter it.”
“What do you mean?”
“To open the door to the Secret Palace, we need someone with a Sacred Fire Body. This is because the long passage leading to it is simultaneously flooded with the Sacred Qi of Reha and the Ultimate Fire Wheel Qi, which only a Sacred Fire Body can withstand.”
Bu Eun-seol looked puzzled.
“Are you saying that in the Reha Sacred Palace, which bases its martial arts on the ultimate yang principle, there is not a single person with a Sacred Fire Body?”
“There were. Three of them, in fact.”
Hwajeong said.
“The late former Palace Master and the Young Palace Master. And Elder Gwangyangja were all born with Sacred Fire Bodies. But Gwangyangja died an ignominious death while committing evil deeds, and the Young Palace Master is refusing to open the Secret Palace.”
“Why is that?”
Hwajeong sighed deeply and said.
“The Young Palace Master despises me. She misunderstands, believing that the former Palace Master’s sudden death was my fault.”
She explained calmly.
“The former Palace Master’s body was severely damaged by the Reha energy flowing within him during his training. So he regularly consumed a lotus seed soup containing a Thousand-Year Snow Lotus Seed.”
Hwajeong wore a bitter expression.
“But when he passed away from a sudden illness, the Young Palace Master blamed me, claiming there was something wrong with the lotus seed soup I had always prepared.”
‘So that’s it.’
Bu Eun-seol could now understand Jeok Mu-mi’s rebellious behavior.
She believed that her stepmother, Palace Master Hwajeong, had killed her father to usurp the position of Palace Master.
“Of course, if we were to wander the martial world endlessly, we might one day find someone with a Sacred Fire Body. But our palace wishes to open the Secret Palace as soon as possible, which is why we invited you.”
“Why would you think that I… possess a Sacred Fire Body?”
Bu Eun-seol furrowed his brow.
His constitution was very ordinary, with no features that could be called a special ‘body’ of any kind.
So why did Hwajeong think he had a Sacred Fire Body?
“Our palace’s treasure, the Fire Wheel Crystal, constantly emits the Sacred Qi of Reha. Therefore, an ordinary person cannot carry it on their person for more than an hour.”
Hwajeong said with a smile.
“But I heard that you, Division Head Seon-u, returned to the Martial Alliance with the Fire Wheel Crystal on your person. The journey took roughly three days, did it not?”
Only then did Bu Eun-seol realize why Hwajeong thought he had a Sacred Fire Body.
Only those with a Sacred Fire Body, capable of withstanding the Sacred Qi of Reha, could carry the Fire Wheel Crystal for an extended period.
Since Bu Eun-seol had carried the Fire Wheel Crystal for three days on his way back to the Martial Alliance… she had naturally assumed he possessed a Sacred Fire Body.
‘So that’s why.’
At that time, while returning to the Martial Alliance, Bu Eun-seol had sensed a strange heat emanating from the Fire Wheel Crystal.
But he had suppressed it with the Glacial Flow Art, so he had been able to bring it back without much trouble.
He never imagined that would lead to this misunderstanding.
‘Placing the True Yang Jade of Scorching Heat in my bed was also a way to double-check if I had a Sacred Fire Body.’
He finally understood why the jade had been placed under his bed.
‘This means a Sacred Fire Body can’t be confirmed through pulse diagnosis, but is instead determined by one’s ability to withstand the Sacred Qi of Reha.’
As Bu Eun-seol was lost in thought, Hwajeong spoke again.
“Having discovered the Secret Palace, which has been our long-cherished wish, we had to find someone with a Sacred Fire Body as quickly as possible.”
“In that case.”
“Please open the door to the Secret Palace. If you do, I will reward you handsomely.”
—*You will die.*
Suddenly, Jeok Mu-mi’s words flashed through Bu Eun-seol’s mind.
According to Palace Master Hwajeong, only a Sacred Fire Body could withstand the Sacred Qi of Reha and the Ultimate Fire Wheel Qi.
Jeok Mu-mi also possessed a Sacred Fire Body.
If all that was needed was to open the door and retrieve the flute, her refusal to do so could only mean one thing.
There must be another, more terrifying trap inside the Secret Palace.
‘Does Palace Master Hwajeong intend to kill me too? To keep the secret?’
That was unlikely.
No matter how low his rank, Bu Eun-seol was a Division Head of the Martial Alliance. For the Reha Sacred Palace to kill a Martial Alliance Division Head just to keep a secret?
That was unthinkable.
“When I say reward, I don’t just mean material wealth.”
As Bu Eun-seol seemed to hesitate, Hwajeong spoke again.
“Our palace and the Martial Alliance will also become very good allies.”
It was now clear that she knew exactly what Bu Eun-seol wanted.
‘I have no reason to refuse.’
Even if opening the door to the Secret Palace was a perilous task, it didn’t matter.
If it meant the Martial Alliance and the Reha Sacred Palace could form an alliance, it was worth the risk.
“Very well.”
As Bu Eun-seol readily agreed, Hwajeong bowed her head respectfully.
“Thank you.”
She took both of Bu Eun-seol’s hands in hers.
“Please, you must bring back the Divine Flute of the Fire Wheel.”
Hwajeong’s attitude was respectful, not authoritative.
It was a world apart from the demeanor of the Young Palace Master, Jeok Mu-mi, who maintained an arrogant gaze and a condescending tone.
Thus, on the surface, Palace Master Hwajeong appeared far more sincere and truthful.
“I will be sure to bring it back.”
“Shall we begin, then?”
“Right now?”
Bu Eun-seol looked around with a surprised expression.
This was the opening of a mysterious Secret Palace that had never been opened before.
But they were proceeding with just the two of them, without a single person from the Reha Sacred Palace present?
“As they say, strike while the iron is hot.”
Hwajeong, as if guessing Bu Eun-seol’s thoughts, wore a quiet smile.
“This place is a sacred ground of our palace, and no one but the Palace Master and a few elders are allowed to set foot here. It was never a place where others could come in the first place.”
After a moment’s thought, Bu Eun-seol nodded.
“Understood. I will begin immediately.”
“Excellent.”
Hwajeong looked at the statue of the Sacred Lord and flicked her fingers.
*Flick! Flick! Flick!*
It looked as if she were randomly flicking her wind pressure.
But Bu Eun-seol, with his keen eyes, could surmise that her wind pressure was pressing the mechanisms carved into the statue in a specific sequence.
‘It seems to be the internal energy art of the Reha Sacred Palace.’
He even realized that the sequence followed the circulatory path of a certain internal energy art.
*Crack. Crack.*
Perhaps due to its age, faint cracks began to appear on the statue each time the wind pressure grazed it.
But Hwajeong paid it no mind and continued to flick her wind pressure.
‘What a shame. That statue must also be a treasure of the Reha Sacred Palace.’
Even as cracks continued to appear, her hands moved without hesitation.
It was as if she didn’t care if the statue of the Sacred Lord, passed down for generations, was destroyed, so long as she could open the Secret Palace.
*Rumble.*
Finally, when she withdrew her hand, a low vibration emanated from the statue, and then,
*Clank.*
A large garden stone on the opposite side of the statue sank down, creating a wide passage leading below.
‘So that’s why it was so hard to find.’
This statue was a treasure revered by all the disciples of the Reha Sacred Palace.
Therefore, aside from touching it for maintenance, they would never have dared to tamper with it.
But Hwajeong had no such qualms, so she had been able to investigate the statue freely and find the Secret Palace.
“If you follow that passage to the end, you will see the entrance to the Secret Palace left by the Sacred Lord.”
“It seems you’ve already been inside.”
“That’s right. But not having a Sacred Fire Body, I had to turn back after just a few steps.”
“Could you not just use a movement technique to rush in and open the door?”
“The passage to the Secret Palace is not just filled with the Sacred Qi of Reha and the Ultimate Fire Wheel Qi. The floor has a mysterious mechanism… if you try to walk quickly or use internal energy to perform a movement technique, a powerful suction force is generated, making it impossible to move.”
“I see.”
He had found it a bit strange that they couldn't open the door to the Secret Palace, even if one didn't have a Sacred Fire Body.
After hearing the full explanation, Bu Eun-seol could finally understand why the Reha Sacred Palace, with its many masters, had been unable to open the door until now.
“Take this.”
Hwajeong took out a wooden box containing the Fire Wheel Crystal from her robes.
She then took it out and handed it to Bu Eun-seol.
“According to the diagrams we found, the key to opening the door of the Secret Palace is this Fire Wheel Crystal.”
“Understood.”
The moment he took the Fire Wheel Crystal, a sharp glint flashed in Bu Eun-seol’s eyes.
But he showed no sign of it, calmly accepting it and bowing his head.
“Please don’t overexert yourself; just open the door. Doing so will disable the mechanisms inside.”
“I will do my best.”
Bu Eun-seol clasped his hands together.
And without hesitation, he entered the passage.
As he disappeared into the passage, Hwajeong wore a peculiar smile, different from before.
Her eyes, which had resembled the sea, grew somewhat dark, and a sharp aura flowed from her pupils.
“It has been a long time.”
As she muttered briefly,
*Swoosh.*
A black shadow materialized beside her.
It wore a mask with a strange luster, and its eyes shone with a light as immense as a great mountain.
It was the Messenger of the Three Realms.
[You have finally done it.]
The Messenger’s voice held neither pitch nor emotion.
[If we can obtain the Divine Flute of the Fire Wheel, which contains the Sacred Qi of Reha… we will be able to create an artificial inner core with no side effects.]
But unlike his voice, his eyes were trembling greatly.
An artificial inner core with no side effects.
How long had they strived for this? Moreover, completing it would be the first step toward solving the problems that the martial world, and the Three Realms, had been facing.
Joy also brimmed in Hwajeong’s eyes.
But she soon spoke with a composed gaze.
“Even if his rank is low, he is a Division Head of the Martial Alliance. If the cleanup is not handled properly, the Reha Sacred Palace will be finished.”
[There is no need to worry. No matter if he has a Sacred Fire Body, even if that man possesses over three hundred years’ worth of internal energy… he will melt in an instant.]
The Messenger rolled up his sleeve and looked at his palm.
There was a mark where the flesh had melted like taffy and clumped together.
[That Ultimate Fire Wheel Qi… it seems to be of a nature that cannot be blocked by internal energy.]
Even with the Messenger’s internal energy, he had been unable to block the Ultimate Fire Wheel Qi that had poured out from within.
[He will melt and die without a trace. Proceed with the cleanup as planned, then retrieve the Divine Flute and send it to our realm.]
Looking at the wound, Hwajeong nodded.
The Messenger had cultivated a mysterious martial art that transcended levels of prowess and had learned a unique internal art similar to the Adamantine Body Art.
Yet even he could not defend against the pouring heat…
No matter if he had a Sacred Fire Body, a Third-Rank Division Head of the Martial Alliance would never be able to survive.
And that was Hwajeong’s plan.
Seon-u Jin.
He was merely a tool to open the door, and he would disappear without a trace.
***
At that moment, having entered the passage leading underground, Bu Eun-seol’s gaze grew heavy.
‘The Young Palace Master’s words were true.’
When Hwajeong handed him the Fire Wheel Crystal, Bu Eun-seol had deliberately activated the Heaven’s Will Heart Art.
Her attitude and tone were gentle and benevolent, but he felt a sense of dissonance, as if she were wearing a mask.
And sure enough.
Palace Master Hwajeong had cultivated a unique internal energy art completely unrelated to the Reha Sacred Palace.
That wasn’t all.
Through the Fire Wheel Crystal, he had felt from her fingertips the same thing he had felt from those who possessed artificial inner cores.
A very unpleasant and strange killing intent.
Moreover, those traces were so faint he could barely confirm them. That meant she had either perfectly assimilated the artificial inner core, or…
‘It has undergone another stage of refinement.’
Bu Eun-seol took a deep breath.
‘Furthermore, there’s no reason for the Palace Master of the Reha Sacred Palace to be co-opted by the Three Realms.’
The Reha Sacred Palace, like the North Sea Ice Palace, possessed immense power.
There was simply no leverage for the forces of the Three Realms to co-opt or persuade the Palace Master of the Reha Sacred Palace.
‘In that case, she is either a descendant of the Eight Desolations, Three Stars… or a member of the Three Realms herself.’
Perhaps Hwajeong, like the Old Beggar of the Beggars’ Sect who was a descendant of the Eight Desolations, Three Stars, had entered the Reha Sacred Palace as a spy from the very beginning.
‘Then that means Palace Master Hwajeong assassinated the former Palace Master, Jeoksa.’
Although she was a second wife, the relationship between the former Palace Master Jeoksa and Hwajeong was known to be very good.
But the fact that Hwajeong, after becoming Palace Master, had consumed an artificial inner core…
It was proof that their meeting had been intentional from the start, and that she was involved in the death of Palace Master Jeoksa.
*Step. Step.*
By the time he reached the bottom of the underground passage, an endlessly long corridor came into view.
*Swoosh.*
An immense suction force rose from the floor, grabbing hold of Bu Eun-seol’s legs.
At the same time, an invisible, scorching heat rose from all directions.
It was a heat so intense that even those who had mastered ultimate yang martial arts would not be able to withstand it.
‘This is the Sacred Qi of Reha.’
The Sacred Lord of Reha was born with a Sacred Fire Body, and he used it to create an outstanding ultimate yang martial art.
Therefore, only those with a Sacred Fire Body could inherit his true ultimate arts.
After much deliberation, he created the Divine Flute of the Fire Wheel, which concentrated the Sacred Qi of Reha, to transform the bodies of successive Palace Masters into Sacred Fire Bodies.
He had also designed it so that no one without a Sacred Fire Body could pass through, to keep the Divine Flute safe.
Bu Eun-seol took a deep breath and raised his internal energy.
‘I may not have a Sacred Fire Body, but I will break through.’
*Swoosh. Swoosh.*
The mechanism on the floor was very mysterious; if one walked slowly, step by step, there was no problem.
But if one tried to move quickly or use powerful internal energy to perform a movement technique…
An immense suction force would immediately generate, clamping down on their legs.
‘This is… going to be difficult.’
About halfway down the passage, Bu Eun-seol’s vision blurred, and white steam rose from his entire body.
‘There’s another energy mixed in besides the Sacred Qi of Reha.’
Along with the Sacred Qi, an unknown, formless power was continuously invading his body.
—*The long passage leading to the Secret Palace is simultaneously flooded with the Sacred Qi of Reha and the Ultimate Fire Wheel Qi, which only a Sacred Fire Body can withstand…*
Recalling Hwajeong’s words, Bu Eun-seol’s eyes narrowed.
‘So this power is the Ultimate Fire Wheel Qi.’
The Ultimate Fire Wheel Qi.
This mysterious power was shaking and boiling the liquids within Bu Eun-seol’s body, such as his blood and internal organs.
Because of this, no matter how much he cloaked himself in the Glacial Flow Art, his entire body felt hot, and he felt the pain of his organs being cooked by fire.
*Crack.*
Bu Eun-seol pushed the Glacial Flow Art to its maximum, cloaking his entire body in a powerful cold energy.
But it was useless.
The power of the Ultimate Fire Wheel Qi easily penetrated the cold energy of the Glacial Flow Art, heedless of it.
It continued to violently shake Bu Eun-seol’s internal organs and blood.
‘Is this an energy whose nature cannot be blocked even by the Glacial Flow Art?’
Bu Eun-seol’s lips became parched.
His faith had been in the Glacial Flow Art.
He believed that no matter how great the ultimate yang energy, the Glacial Flow Art could easily block it.
But contrary to his expectations, the passage was filled with a deadly power called the Ultimate Fire Wheel Qi, and even the supreme ice art of the North Sea Ice Palace could not block it.
This was because the Ultimate Fire Wheel Qi was a wave of a completely different nature from the Sacred Qi of Reha…
It vibrated continuously, easily piercing not only the Glacial Flow Art but also the protective true qi surrounding Bu Eun-seol’s body.
“Ugh.”
A groan finally escaped Bu Eun-seol’s lips.
In the end, this mechanism was a death trap that even a Sacred Fire Body, which was unaffected by the Sacred Qi of Reha, could not enter.
*Step. Step.*
His pace grew slower and slower.
The only reason Bu Eun-seol had been able to walk this far was due to his immense internal energy, which transcended common sense.
Especially after breaking through the sixth stage of the Reversal Heart Art, Bu Eun-seol’s internal energy level was close to five hundred years’ worth.
But the Ultimate Fire Wheel Qi possessed a strange and mysterious nature that could not be blocked even by such powerful internal energy.
As he got closer to the entrance of the secret chamber, the power of the Ultimate Fire Wheel Qi grew even stronger… to the point where it could evaporate the blood in his body.
If he hadn’t learned the Glacial Flow Art and been able to block the Sacred Qi of Reha, his body would have already melted into a pool of liquid.
*Thud.*
As the pain intensified, Bu Eun-seol, while maintaining the Glacial Flow Art, also deployed the Ruyi True Art to create a spherical barrier of true qi.
But as the annoying vibrations continued to penetrate his body, he unconsciously recalled the heart art of the Martial Emperor’s Enlightenment in his mind.
“…!”
Then, something astonishing happened.
*Swoosh! Swoosh!*
The Yin and Yang qi in his body split into his two hands, and the two great martial arts began to manifest alternately.