Chapter 202: To the North Sea-3
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 202: To the North Sea-3
Sun-woo’s jaw dropped as he listened to their conversation.
He had never imagined that Ok-ryeong had achieved such a monumental feat.
In the descriptions of Ok-ryeong in High School Senior Goes to Murim, the text went into exhaustive detail about how beautiful her face was and how voluptuous her body was, but her background was only briefly summarized.
Hearing the details from Tang Seo-yoon made him see Ok-ryeong in a new, impressive light.
She had single-handedly annihilated a power comparable to the Nine Great Sects in just one year.
Even if she had reached the Transcendent Realm, it was said that one hand cannot match ten, yet she had accomplished exactly that.
Sun-woo felt his shoulders square with pride.
He couldn't help but feel smug knowing that such an incredible woman was his.
"...Lady Tang... you're exaggerating far too much."
Ok-ryeong spoke, her jade-like face flushed deep red.
"Exaggerating? I am merely stating the facts."
Tang Seo-yoon replied with a composed expression.
"Regardless, because of that, you cannot accompany Sun-woo, Senior. The elders of the Qingcheng or Emei Sects might recognize you."
Tang Seo-yoon spoke to Ok-ryeong in a firm, decisive tone.
"Perhaps... if I used a disguise..."
"No. Unless you can do it as perfectly as Sun-woo, a clumsy disguise will only get you caught."
".........."
At Tang Seo-yoon’s words, Ok-ryeong’s expression slumped, and she hung her head.
Every word the girl said felt undeniably true.
Because she was speaking nothing but the truth, Ok-ryeong had no rebuttal.
That fact made her incredibly sad.
In the end, she wouldn't be able to go with Sun-woo.
"......Senior."
Tang Seo-yoon looked at the dejected Ok-ryeong and continued.
"I fully empathize with how heartbroken you are. I, too, have experienced the pain of having to part with something precious."
Tang Seo-yoon’s face filled with sorrow.
"Parting is sad, but a parting without a promise of return is even sadder. Still, isn't your parting better, since there is a promise of reunion?"
Tang Seo-yoon’s eyes began to glisten with moisture.
"For me, there is no promise. Not unless I die."
Soon, a single tear rolled down Tang Seo-yoon’s cheek.
"I am truly sorry. I'm sorry for forcing this sad parting upon you. But if I don't send Sun-woo... the Tang Clan... the precious Tang Clan that my brother risked his life to protect... hic."
Overcome with emotion, Tang Seo-yoon couldn't finish her sentence and burst into tears.
Startled by the sight, Ok-ryeong rushed over and pulled her into a tight embrace.
Squeeze.
"I'm sorry... my stubbornness brought back your painful memories. I'm so sorry."
Ok-ryeong apologized repeatedly while holding Tang Seo-yoon close.
She truly believed her selfishness had unearthed the deep-seated trauma in the girl's heart.
"No. It’s all my fault. Everything... everything... is my fault. I'm sorry... I'm so sorry. Sob."
Tang Seo-yoon wept even more sorrowfully at Ok-ryeong’s apology.
The sight made Ok-ryeong’s heart ache even more.
Age-wise, this girl was young enough to be her daughter.
Seeing such a child weeping uncontrollably because of her made her heart feel like it was being wrung out.
How hard must it have been for this normally stoic girl to cry so piteously?
Tang Seo-yoon’s display began to trigger Ok-ryeong’s maternal instincts.
"No. I will endure it. It is sad that I won't be able to see Sun-woo, but I fully realize that this is necessary. I'm sorry for being so difficult."
Ok-ryeong spoke as she held Tang Seo-yoon even more tenderly.
"Senior... hic... sob."
As if moved by her words, Tang Seo-yoon cried even harder.
Ok-ryeong simply held her warmly.
.
.
.
.
.
After some time had passed, Tang Seo-yoon finally seemed to calm down and stopped crying.
"I’ve made a fool of myself."
Tang Seo-yoon spoke, her face flushing with embarrassment.
"Not at all. You are welcome in my arms anytime, Lady Tang."
Ok-ryeong gave her a bright smile.
"Thank you, Senior."
Tang Seo-yoon returned the sentiment with a pure smile.
"Don't mention it."
Ok-ryeong waved it off as if it were nothing.
A heartwarming atmosphere began to fill the office.
*
Meanwhile, Sun-woo felt as if he’d been struck in the jaw with a sledgehammer watching Tang Seo-yoon cry.
Why on earth was that woman, who was as solid as a rock, suddenly shedding tears?
Tang Seo-yoon was a woman so tough and strong that she wouldn't even let out a groan, let alone a tear, when being slashed by the Evil Ghost Squad Leader, having her internal organs twisted by internal injuries, being struck by arrows from the Blood Bow Unit, or having her face slapped bloody by Lee Ye-seol.
How could such a woman be crying so out of character?
What was even more amusing was that when he looked to his side, Geum Jeok-hwa and Yorang were also staring at the scene with their mouths agape.
It meant her tears were just that rare and bizarre an occurrence.
Sun-woo watched her with a stunned expression.
But a moment later, when Tang Seo-yoon was buried in Ok-ryeong’s embrace, Sun-woo saw it.
He saw Tang Seo-yoon’s expression return to its usual blank state.
And then he realized.
That bitch is running a scam.
Tang Seo-yoon was deceiving Ok-ryeong with fake tears.
It had felt strange. How could a woman who seemed like she wouldn't bleed even if pricked with a needle suddenly burst into tears?
Shudder.
They say a woman’s transformation is no crime, but Tang Seo-yoon’s shift made even Sun-woo’s skin crawl.
How could she turn the waterworks on and off so freely?
They say women are enchanting foxes, and it seemed even the tomboyish, rock-like Tang Seo-yoon was no exception.
What a cold-blooded woman.
Yet, on the other hand, he understood her position.
To be honest, she wasn't exactly in a place to tell Ok-ryeong what to do, and from her perspective, Ok-ryeong was a legendary senior as high as the heavens.
How could she treat Ok-ryeong with a high-handed, commanding attitude?
It was better to win her over by appealing to her sympathy with fake tears.
"Senior, I’m truly grateful."
Then, he heard Tang Seo-yoon’s voice, now tinged with a soft, nasal tone.
"No, I should be the one apologizing to you, Lady Tang."
Looking again, Ok-ryeong and Tang Seo-yoon were radiating a heartwarming vibe, as if they hadn't just been arguing moments ago.
The hostile atmosphere had been flipped in an instant.
She’s incredible.
Sun-woo marveled at Tang Seo-yoon.
He had always thought of her as just stiff and upright, but now he saw a different side of her.
With just a few tears and some clever words, she had instantly pacified the agitated Ok-ryeong.
He couldn't help but be impressed.
Whether she noticed Sun-woo’s admiration or not, Tang Seo-yoon simply smiled and looked at Ok-ryeong.
*
Many people of the Central Plains say that their land is the center of the world.
And many others say that only the Central Plains Murim, located at the world's center, is the true world of martial artists.
It was an incredibly arrogant claim, but few ever dared to refute it.
The Heavenly Demon, who was said to have come from India in the past, was defeated by the brilliant talents of the Central Plains, Bodhidharma and Zhang Sanfeng, and reduced to a pool of blood. The Blood Buddha, called the absolute strongest and a living god of the Indian Murim, was also defeated by a Central Plains martial artist, the Poison Emperor, and turned into a handful of toxic fluid.
Thus, throughout hundreds of years of Murim history, there had been numerous invasions by outer forces, but the Central Plains Murim had never once been defeated.
That history became the pride of the Central Plains martial artists, a pride they believed would last forever.
Or so they thought—until the invasion of the Three Outer Powers.
The Central Plains Murim once faced its most humiliating moment in history.
It was the moment they were completely occupied by the very outer forces they had so looked down upon.
There was no warning.
Suddenly...
From the Southern Barbarian lands, the beasts of the Southern Savage Beast Palace, each more grotesque than the last...
From the Great Desert, the Fire Demons of the Great Desert Sun Palace, who wielded Yang-heat Energy so extreme that fire ignited with every step...
From the North Sea, the Ice Demons of the North Sea Ice Palace, who wielded Yin-Cold Qi to such an extreme that even their breath could freeze the air...
They invaded the Central Plains without provocation.
At first, the Central Plains martial artists scoffed and ignored them.
No matter how much they banded together, they were still just Outer Murim.
There was a gap as wide as the heavens and the earth between them and the Central Plains Murim.
Or so they thought—until the head of the Wudang Sect, the Sword Venerable Taeheoja, had his skull crushed by the Beast Palace Master, Ya Yul-je.
The Outer Murim forces that invaded the Central Plains struck the Wudang Sect first.
At the time, the Wudang Sect was known as the "Southern Sovereign Wudang" and served as the spiritual pillar for countless Central Plains martial artists.
Yet, the leader of such a sect had met his end at the hands of an Outer Murim warrior they had so despised.
Many martial artists cursed the Outer forces, claiming they must have ganged up on him and calling them cowardly.
However, they were soon forced into silence by the rumors that followed.
The rumor was that the Sword Venerable Taeheoja had met his death in a fair duel against Ya Yul-je, the Master of the Southern Savage Beast Palace.
When they first heard the rumor, the martial artists denied it vehemently.
How could a primitive tribe that didn't even know how to properly handle internal energy defeat Taeheoja, who had reached the pinnacle of martial arts?
It was preposterous.
But when they heard that the source of the rumor was one of the survivors of the Wudang Sect, the people of the Central Plains had no choice but to shut their mouths.
The truth had been confirmed.
Once the truth was verified, many realized the gravity of the situation.
The Wudang Sect held a peerless position even among the Nine Sects.
For such a sect to suffer damage bordering on annihilation by an Outer sect they had looked down upon... it was nothing short of a crisis.
Sensing the danger, the Nine Sects and countless other Central Plains martial artists united as one to form an alliance and began to fiercely resist the Outer forces.
They fought with the single-minded determination that they could not surrender the Central Plains to them.
However, their determination was utterly shattered before long.
Yong Un-ak of the Mount Hua Sect, who was the Alliance Leader at the time and hailed as the Greatest Sword of the Central Plains, met his death at the hands of Bukgung Geol, the Master of the North Sea Ice Palace.
That wasn't all.
Not long after the Alliance Leader died, Great Master Mu-ak of Shaolin, who served as the Vice Leader, was also killed by Ouyang Cheon, the Master of the Great Desert Sun Palace.
And he had died without even being able to put up a proper fight.
Countless martial artists fell into despair.
They had thought they only needed to be wary of Ya Yul-je, who killed Wudang’s Taeheoja, but they realized the others were equally monstrous powerhouses.
In the end, the Central Plains Murim was forced to endure the humiliation of falling under the rule of the Outer forces they had so despised.
For those who believed the Central Plains was the center of the world, it was a moment of ultimate disgrace.
Fortunately, however, their moment of humiliation did not last long.
Internal strife broke out.
The Outer forces, having completely conquered the Murim, each wanted more territory, leading to numerous disputes.
Starting from those disputes, the sparks grew until they escalated into a full-scale war.
As a result, the blood of countless Outer martial artists began to stain the Central Plains.
The warriors of the Beast Palace brutally tore many apart, the warriors of the Ice Palace froze countless to death, and the warriors of the Sun Palace burned many alive.
Having achieved their goal of conquering the Central Plains Murim, they now fought solely to become the one and only absolute ruler.
After a month had passed, their war for the Central Plains came to an end.
Realizing that the fighting between their forces was a meaningless war of attrition, the Palace Masters proposed a three-way duel and met in a secluded mountain valley for a life-and-death struggle.
The fierce fists of the Beast Palace Master, Ya Yul-je, shattered mountains; the Yang-heat Energy of the Sun Palace Master, Ouyang Cheon, incinerated forests; and the Yin-Cold Qi of the Ice Palace Master, Bukgung Geol, froze the world.
They fought for three days and three nights without eating or sleeping.
And on the final night of the third day, only one man remained standing on his two feet.
It was Bukgung Geol, the Master of the North Sea Ice Palace.
He had frozen the head of Ya Yul-je, who had trained his external arts to the limit, and he had frozen the heart of Ouyang Cheon, whose energy was considered his natural opposite.
An absolute ruler who encompassed both the Central Plains and the Outer Murim had been born.
He let out a great roar of laughter.
He had finally become the one and only Supreme Being.
He couldn't help but be overjoyed.
But his joy did not last long.
The Central Plains martial artists, who had been watching their fight, ambushed him.
Despite their sudden attack, Bukgung Geol resisted with all his might, but eventually, his heart was pierced.
He had simply consumed too much energy in his fight with the other Palace Masters.
As he lay dying, Bukgung Geol was filled with immense resentment.
His dream of becoming the Greatest of All Time, a dream he had cherished for centuries, had been crushed by the cowardly Central Plains martial artists.
With eyes full of spite, he prayed and prayed again.
He prayed that one day, a successor who inherited his legacy would once again bring absolute terror to the people of the Central Plains.
Thus, Bukgung Geol, the first person to ever rise to the position of Supreme Being over both the Central Plains and the Outer Murim, passed away without even being able to close his eyes in his resentment.
A small cavern with a massive block of ice situated in the center.
Crunch, crunch.
The sound of someone walking into the cavern entrance began to echo.
Crunch, crunch.
The sound of footsteps echoing in the cavern grew louder and louder.
It was evidence that they were drawing closer to the inner part of the cave.
After some time...
Crunch, crunch.
Whoosh.
Along with the crunching footsteps, a white mist began to rise within the cavern, soon enveloping the entire interior.
And not long after...
Crunch, crunch.
The snow-white mist cleared, and the figure of the person behind the footsteps began to reveal itself.
Surprisingly, the owner of the footsteps was a woman.
And an incredibly beautiful woman at that.
Hair as white as snow, snow-white eyebrows, large eyes with crystal-clear blue pupils, a sharp nose that looked as if it were sculpted by a god, and a slender, small face—all crowned by flushed, red lips.
Furthermore, she was quite tall for a woman, and her exceptionally curvaceous body added to her unrealistic beauty.
She possessed a beauty that transcended the mortal realm.
Like a goddess from ancient mythology.
Crunch, crunch.
The goddess-like woman walked toward the massive block of ice with crunching steps.
She was barefoot, but she stepped lightly as if the frozen floor didn't bother her at all.
Thud.
Stopping right in front of the ice, she began to slowly stroke it.
She continued to caress the ice for some time.
A deep smile spread across the goddess-like woman’s lips.
Like a child who had found exactly what they wanted.
Swoooooosh!
Soon, a white mist swirled around her and began to fill the cavern.
The interior of the cavern became filled with nothing but pure white mist.