Chapter 175: Heavenly Moon Palace-1
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 175: Heavenly Moon Palace-1
Heavenly Moon Palace.
"Lady Tang, I am truly sorry."
Lee Ye-seol spoke as she looked at Tang Seo-yoon.
She felt a profound sense of guilt toward the other woman. She felt that Seo-yoon had become an innocent victim of the tangled web of resentment between herself and Sun-woo.
Tang Seo-yoon merely stared back with cold eyes, offering no response.
"Ah, right."
Tap, tap, tap.
Realizing that Seo-yoon’s pressure points were still sealed, Lee Ye-seol quickly performed an acupoint striking release.
"Lady Lee, do you truly believe this is the right thing to do?"
As soon as her pressure points were released, Tang Seo-yoon spoke.
"I don't think my mother's actions are right either," Lee Ye-seol replied, hanging her head low.
To be honest, what Joo So-yang was doing now was no different from the deeds of an unorthodox gang. Kidnapping someone to settle a personal grudge was beyond the pale.
"It’s not too late. Let me go. If you release me now, I will let this matter pass," Tang Seo-yoon urged.
Fortunately, unlike Joo So-yang, Lee Ye-seol seemed capable of rational thought. Seo-yoon had to persuade her.
"No. We’ve already come too far for that."
Lee Ye-seol shook her head slowly.
"My mother intends to see this through to the end. She won't stop until she sees Jang Sun-woo’s blood."
"Just what on earth did Sun-woo do to make her go this far?!" Tang Seo-yoon shouted, unable to understand.
Joo So-yang had claimed that her daughter’s face had been ruined. But the Lee Ye-seol standing before her was far from ruined; she was as beautiful as ever.
"Just because the wounds have healed doesn't mean the disgrace has vanished."
Lee Ye-seol answered calmly.
It was true that her physical injuries from Sun-woo were gone. After seeing her wounds, Joo So-yang had scoured the land for famous doctors and ancient elixirs. However, that didn't erase the shame and humiliation she had endured.
She had wet herself in front of the rising stars who would one day lead the Murim. She had been robbed of her money and even the Dragon Tail Soft Sword, a family treasure. Joo So-yang could never tolerate such an insult.
"I am truly sorry that you were dragged into my grudge. I offer my deepest apologies. But I cannot grant your request to be released. I feel pity for you, but not enough to betray my mother."
In the end, Lee Ye-seol chose to follow her mother’s will, even knowing it was the wrong path. The die was cast, and revealing the truth now would bring her no benefit.
"Stop being such a hypocrite," Tang Seo-yoon spat back, her voice sharp.
To her, everything Lee Ye-seol said felt like hollow sanctimony. To stand by and watch while knowing everything was wrong, only to offer apologies? It looked like nothing more than a loathsome attempt to ease her own guilty conscience.
In fact, she was certain of it. This woman was a mass of hypocrisy and contradictions.
"No matter how much you apologize, you and your mother are the same trash to me. Don't think you can lighten your heart with apologies you don't mean."
Tang Seo-yoon glared at her with piercing eyes.
Flinch.
Lee Ye-seol trembled under that sharp gaze. A wave of shame washed over her. It felt as though Seo-yoon had struck her right where it hurt most.
"You... what do you know that gives you the right to talk like that?!"
Lee Ye-seol raised her voice, glaring back at Tang Seo-yoon.
"You have no idea what Jang Sun-woo put me through!"
"I don't. So tell me. Exactly what did he do to you?" Tang Seo-yoon challenged, her eyes cold.
".........."
Lee Ye-seol fell silent. Exposing her own disgrace was too humiliating. Ultimately, if one dug into the root of the incident, it had been her own fault. Knowing that, she couldn't bring herself to speak.
"Your silence tells me everything. At least I know Sun-woo didn't target an innocent person for no reason."
Tang Seo-yoon continued, sounding almost relieved.
"I don't know the details, but seeing your reaction, it’s clear your hands aren't clean. Aren't you ashamed?"
"..........."
Lee Ye-seol remained mute, unable to offer a single word of rebuttal.
"You are a hypocrite."
Tang Seo-yoon’s words were like a sharp blade. Lee Ye-seol’s spirit broke, and her head slumped forward.
"And you are a weakling."
It was then. A sharp voice pierced Tang Seo-yoon’s ears. She quickly turned her head toward the source.
"How dare you spout such nonsense to my precious daughter!"
There stood a furious Joo So-yang.
"I didn't say anything that wasn't true, did I?" Tang Seo-yoon replied boldly.
"Hmph. You clearly don't realize that words like 'hypocrite' are what the weak use when they want to mock the strong."
Joo So-yang snorted in derision.
"Only weaklings like you mistake kindness for malice."
She spoke with an overbearing arrogance, a complete departure from the somewhat polite facade she had maintained earlier.
"Have you never considered that you might one day be the weak one?"
"Hohohoho!"
Joo So-yang burst into laughter at the question.
"You say the most amusing things."
Her eyes curved into crescents.
"I was born strong, and I have walked the path of the strong my entire life. Me, becoming a weakling?"
She shook her head as if the idea were absurd. She was a master at the peak of the Transcendent Realm. Who could possibly overwhelm her?
In her entire life, she had felt a sense of defeat only twice. Once was during a martial duel with the Absolute Martial God, Lee Jae-won, and the other was when she encountered the Heavenly Demon, the leader of the Demonic Cult.
Against those two, she had felt an insurmountable wall. She had accepted it cleanly—that they were walls she could never climb.
But Lee Jae-won was her husband, and the Heavenly Demon had died at his hands. In the end, there was no one left in the world who could suppress her. Whether it was the Poison King, the Sword Emperor, or the master of the Heavenly King Divine Fist, she was confident she wouldn't lose to anyone.
So who could possibly make her a weakling? It was nonsense.
"Then tell me. Who exactly is going to make me a weakling?" she asked with a smirk.
"Surely you aren't believing those ridiculous rumors that the Poison King has reached the Profound Realm?"
Joo So-yang spoke as if she had figured it out.
"Child, rumors in the Murim are not to be trusted. If he had truly reached the Profound Realm, the Hwangbo Clan wouldn't have gotten off with a mere sect seclusion."
She knew the power of those in the Profound Realm better than anyone. If the Poison King had truly reached that level, the Hwangbo Clan would have been swept away and annihilated. Thus, she was certain the rumors were nothing more than exaggerations.
"In the end, even if the Poison King comes, he can do nothing to me. And not just him. Whether it’s the Sword Emperor or the Heavenly King Divine Fist! No one can make me a weakling!"
She spoke with a fervor that went beyond confidence into the realm of blind faith—an absolute belief in her own martial prowess.
"There is someone."
Despite her fanatical declaration, Tang Seo-yoon spoke calmly.
"What!?"
Joo So-yang asked back, incredulous. Where in the world could such a person be? Though she wasn't the undisputed number one under heaven, she was a contender for the second spot alongside the Sword Emperor. Who could make her feel weak?
"A man scarier than the Poison King, the Sword Emperor, or the master of the Heavenly King Divine Fist is coming."
"Ha, what a load of—"
BOOM!
A thunderous explosion cut her off mid-sentence.
"!??"
Startled by the roar, Joo So-yang’s expression turned to one of bewilderment. What was that sound? Thinking she might have misheard, she looked at her daughter. Lee Ye-seol’s eyes were wide like a startled rabbit’s; she, too, was shocked by the sudden blast.
It seemed she hadn't misheard.
BOOM!
Before long, another massive explosion rocked their ears. It seemed to be coming from the entrance of the Heavenly Moon Palace.
"I told you. He’s coming."
Seeing the confusion on their faces, a smile played on Tang Seo-yoon’s lips.
"Hmph!"
Tap, tap, tap, tap.
Joo So-yang quickly struck Tang Seo-yoon’s pressure points again. She had no desire to hear any more useless talk.
"Keep a close eye on her."
Leaving Seo-yoon to Lee Ye-seol, she spoke.
"I will."
Upon hearing her daughter’s reply, Joo So-yang immediately activated her movement technique. She had to find out what was happening.
*
BOOM!
She flew toward the entrance of the palace. Judging by the sound, someone was definitely hammering on the iron gates.
The entrance to the Heavenly Moon Palace was blocked by a massive iron gate. When an unauthorized person attempted to enter, it would lock down even tighter, becoming immovable.
Joo So-yang reached the gates in no time and quickly identified the source of the noise. It was exactly as she suspected: someone was striking the gate.
SLAM!
Someone outside was hitting the iron gate with incredibly powerful energy.
SLAM!
As time passed, the force grew even more violent, and the roar intensified.
She snorted. The iron gates of the Heavenly Moon Palace could never be broken by ordinary strength. They were five inches thick. At that thickness, even a group of high-level masters wouldn't be able to break through.
However, the situation began to unfold in a direction she never expected.
CRASH!
Creeeeeak—crack!
Following a massive boom, cracks began to spiderweb across the iron gate.
`What?!`
She gasped in shock. The gate was over five inches thick. How could it be cracking?
BOOM!
Crr-ack!
Another explosion rang out, and the fissures grew even wider.
KABOOM!
Finally, with a deafening roar, the iron gate shattered into pieces.
Joo So-yang quickly drew her sword. Shards of iron were flying toward her from the explosion.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Deflecting the flying fragments, she stared straight ahead. she wanted to see the culprit behind this impossible feat.
Through the falling debris of the gate, she saw him.
The culprit was a young man. He wore a black dragon robe embroidered with golden dragons, and in his hand, he held a sword that looked incredibly familiar.
`Wait...`
Joo So-yang focused her eyesight to examine the sword more closely. She recognized it instantly.
"The Dragon Tail Soft Sword!?"
Wasn't that the martial treasure that Lee Ye-seol had lost to the Poison King’s disciple, Jang Sun-woo?
She let out a cry of shock and stared at the man. She had a good guess as to his identity.
"Are you Jang Sun-woo?" she asked, her gaze dripping with murderous intent.
"That's right. And are you that bitch Joo So-yang?"
Sun-woo countered her question with a savage tone.
"You have a foul mouth, boy."
Joo So-yang frowned at his insolence. Considering the age gap, she was old enough to be his mother; how could he speak so rudely?
"It’s not like we’re on friendly terms, is it?" Sun-woo replied, staring her down.
"I suppose that's true."
Joo So-yang nodded in agreement. They were here to kill each other. Why bother with pleasantries?
"How did you get into the Heavenly Moon Palace?" she asked, her voice laced with suspicion.
The palace was protected by the Thousand-Transforming Illusionary Mist Formation. How could anyone navigate through a thousand shifting illusions and suffocating mist? It was impossible. Even for her, a master of the Transcendent Realm, it would have been a struggle.
"That's not what you should be asking."
Sun-woo shook his head.
"What!?"
Joo So-yang asked, confused. What was he talking about?
"You should have started with 'I'm sorry,' you dog-like bitch."
Sun-woo began to circulate his Yin-Yang Harmony Divine Art to its peak. Immediately, a terrifying aura of Yin-Yang Harmony Qi began to ripple around his body.
Vroooooom!
Sensing his energy, Joo So-yang refused to be outdone and summoned her own power. Soon, a massive aura began to surge from her body as well.
Vroooooom!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The massive energies radiating from the two of them clashed in mid-air, creating thunderous echoes.
"You truly have no manners," Joo So-yang said, knitting her fine brows.
"Fuck off. Why are you flapping your gums so much? Just like a typical wench, trying to fight with your mouth."
Snap.
Joo So-yang’s face contorted at Sun-woo’s vulgarity. A man supposed to be a pillar of the Orthodox Faction was speaking like a common thug.
"Fine. Let’s see if you can still talk like that after I’ve taken your head!"
Joo So-yang raised her sword and lunged at Sun-woo. Sun-woo charged straight at her in return.
CRASH!
Their swords collided, and a massive shockwave exploded outward.