Chapter 216: Evil Demon Ju Do-san-2
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 216: Evil Demon Ju Do-san-2
The Evil Demon’s face turned a murky shade of black.
He was unable to maintain his composure after hearing such a shocking fact.
Bukgung Yeon was only about twenty-eight years old. She hadn't even reached the age of thirty.
How could someone that young have reached the absolute state known as the Transcendent Realm? It was impossible to believe.
"That’s absurd! How could a mere slip of a girl have ascended to the Transcendent Realm?"
"Did the Cheonmu Alliance Leader and the Sword Emperor not reach it at a similar age?"
Lee Yeon replied as if he didn't see the issue. To him, it wasn't particularly extraordinary.
"That’s different! Lee Jae-won was a once-in-a-lifetime genius, and Yang Tae-san was the joint successor who inherited every secret technique of the Nine Great Sects!"
The Evil Demon countered fiercely. Lee Jae-won was a talent the likes of which the Murim would never see again, and Yang Tae-san was the Orthodox Faction’s ultimate weapon, molded since infancy through procedures like Marrow Cleansing and the Great Opening Method. They were monsters born with different destinies.
But how could she—a woman who had lost not only the father who would have taught her but also the very sect that would have ensured her safety—have reached the Transcendent Realm? It defied all logic.
"Tsk, tsk."
Lee Yeon clicked his tongue. It was pathetic to see the man denying reality, blinded by jealousy.
"It is no different. She was strong, and she possessed martial prowess worthy of being called the Transcendent Realm."
"Dammit..."
The Evil Demon spat out a curse. He bitterly regretted not finishing her off back then.
The Evil Demon was the primary culprit behind the destruction of the North Sea Ice Palace. There was no way Bukgung Yeon would leave him be. While she would be no match for him, as he was nearing the peak of the Transcendent Realm himself, it was certain that a nuisance had arisen.
The Evil Demon’s expression grew increasingly grim.
"Find out the location of the Ice Essence from her."
Lee Yeon spoke to the Evil Demon in a calm, detached tone.
"She won't speak easily."
The Evil Demon shook his head. The Ice Essence was the greatest treasure of the North Sea Ice Palace. Why would she ever reveal its location?
"No matter how strong-willed a martial artist is, they cannot withstand torture."
"And where exactly do you expect me to find her?" the Evil Demon asked, staring at Lee Yeon.
"She was last sighted near North Sea Lake. She is likely somewhere in that vicinity."
"Why are you asking this of me?"
The Evil Demon threw out the question, filled with doubt. If Lee Yeon knew the location, he could go himself. Why order him to do it?
"Why use a dragon-slaying blade to slaughter a chicken?"
"What?!"
At Lee Yeon’s arrogant remark, the Evil Demon raised his voice. Was he not implying that the Evil Demon was nothing more than a common butcher's knife? His face flushed red with rage.
"Everything has its proper use."
Grind.
The Evil Demon ground his teeth. It was arrogant, but it was so undeniably true that he had no rebuttal. For someone at the Profound Realm to travel all the way to North Sea Lake just to capture Bukgung Yeon, who was merely at the Transcendent Realm, would be a grave waste of strategic power.
Lee Yeon was the one holding back the countless barbarians of the North alone. If such a man traveled to North Sea Lake at the northernmost tip of the North Sea, the front lines might collapse. Even visiting the North Sea Ice Palace today must have been a significant risk.
"And besides, I know you won't refuse."
"What makes you so sure?"
"You are her mortal enemy, are you not? You’ll want to nip her in the bud before she grows any stronger."
Lee Yeon continued with a cold smile.
"............"
The Evil Demon scowled and clamped his mouth shut. The logic was too sound to argue against.
‘Fuck.’
But he couldn't help the foul mood he was in.
"What will you give me in return?"
"What do you mean?"
"I asked what you would give me if I bring you the Ice Essence."
The Evil Demon spoke in a level voice.
"I will let you live."
Lee Yeon replied with a chilling smile.
"W-What!?"
The Evil Demon asked back, taken aback.
"Ju Do-san, the notorious murderer who slaughtered hundreds, thousands of commoners in the Central Plains."
Lee Yeon stared at the Evil Demon with eyes of a murky, dull grey. His aura was so sinister that the Evil Demon felt his body begin to tremble.
"I shall grant you a special pardon. However, should you fail to bring the Ice Essence, you will be executed on the spot."
Tremble.
The Evil Demon’s entire body began to shake. It was obvious that Lee Yeon intended to obtain the Ice Essence without getting a single drop of blood on his own hands, using nothing but a few words.
‘You son of a bitch.’
Yet, the Evil Demon had no choice but to obey. He knew all too well that Lee Yeon could kill someone like him in an instant if he so desired. If he refused here, his head would roll.
The Evil Demon bit his lip and nodded.
A small smile played on Lee Yeon’s lips, seemingly satisfied with the Evil Demon’s submissive attitude. Seeing that smile, the Evil Demon spat out a thousand curses in his mind.
*
"Welcome back, General!"
When Lee Yeon returned to the camp, his subordinate, Chief Ma Kang-pae, greeted his return.
"Chief Ma."
Lee Yeon spoke as he looked at Kang-pae.
"Give your orders!"
"Follow the Evil Demon. If you see even the slightest hint of betrayal, take his head immediately."
Lee Yeon’s expression turned murderous. He hadn't trusted the Evil Demon from the start. How could he trust a man who had slaughtered countless innocent people without a shred of remorse? Though he had yielded to threats for now, he might turn his back the moment the Ice Essence was in his hands. Precautions were necessary for any eventuality.
Thump.
"I shall obey your command!"
Chief Ma Kang-pae immediately dropped to one knee and shouted. Lee Yeon nodded firmly. Someone of Kang-pae’s caliber should be enough to at least keep the Evil Demon in check. He, too, was a master who had reached the Transcendent Realm.
Lee Yeon’s gaze began to deepen with unfathomable intensity.
*
At the edge of the North Sea, by North Sea Lake, lies a glacial region where snow has accumulated over a long period without melting, forming a thick layer of solid ice.
This glacial region contained numerous ice caves, formed by water channels created when parts of the glacier melted during the summer.
And in the deepest, coldest of these many caves, a woman sat cross-legged.
She was breathtakingly beautiful. With hair as white as fresh snow, skin fairer than white jade, a sharp nose, and crimson lips, she looked as if all the beauty in the world had been distilled into her form.
Snow-white energies drifted and swirled around her, making her look like a celestial maiden floating above the clouds.
Sssssss.
After some time had passed...
Suddenly, the energies floating around her began to envelop her body.
Sssssss.
Soon, the energies surrounding her were absorbed directly into her body.
Flash!
As all the drifting energies vanished into her, the woman, who had been sitting with her eyes gently closed, snapped them open.
She slowly turned her head.
Crack, crack.
The sound of her joints popping echoed. It seemed she had been in meditation for a very long time.
After loosening her neck, she checked her condition by clenching and unclenching her fists. She felt her grip strength was still intact. Then, she slowly stood up.
She gave a light wave of her hand.
Cr-cr-crack!
The moisture in the air instantly froze in the direction she waved. Before long, the frozen moisture formed sharp, jagged pillars of ice.
Seeing this, the woman—Bukgung Yeon—let a bright smile spread across her lips. She had completely absorbed the Ice Essence.
She wanted to test her power further.
She turned toward the entrance of the cave.
Crunch, crunch.
She began to walk out slowly. She felt the cave was far too cramped to properly test her strength.
After walking for a while, she finally emerged from the cave.
Whirrrrrrr!
Outside, a lake so vast it could be mistaken for an ocean stretched out before her eyes. It was North Sea Lake.
She began to circulate the Heavenly Yin Ice Soul Divine Art, the secret martial art of the North Sea Ice Palace.
Immediately, a terrifying wind of cold qi began to surge around her. Soon, the frigid wind turned into a blizzard, blanketing everything in the vicinity.
Whirrrrrrr!
The fierce blizzard covering the world enveloped North Sea Lake. Bukgung Yeon thrust her palm forward. She began to compress the frigid cold of the raging blizzard into her palm.
Swoooooosh!
The swirling blizzard was sucked directly into her palm.
After a few moments, every bit of the blizzard covering North Sea Lake had been drawn into her hand. Her palm now glowed with a white energy as pure as snow.
Then, she swung her palm toward North Sea Lake.
Swooooosh!!!
The compressed cold qi in her palm instantly shot out toward the lake.
Cr-cr-cr-cr-crack!
The unleashed cold qi began to freeze North Sea Lake solid.
Cr-cr-cr-cr-crack!
The cold qi she emitted only stopped after freezing an area the size of a decent-sized village.
"Huff... huff... huff..."
Bukgung Yeon panted heavily after releasing the cold qi. Even though she had absorbed the Ice Essence, unleashing such a massive amount of cold qi at once was bound to take a toll on her body.
Yet, even as she gasped for breath, she couldn't hide her smile. She had obtained an unbelievable, monstrous power. To freeze an area the size of a village in a single strike... even Bukgung Geol, said to be the greatest master in the history of the North Sea Ice Palace, likely never possessed such power.
Bukgung Yeon turned around. She began to walk away slowly.
Crunch, crunch.
Now that she had gained this power, she had no more business here. With this overwhelming strength, she would now carry out a desperate, bloody revenge.
Crunch, crunch.
There were two targets for her vengeance.
One was the Evil Demon, the root cause of the North Sea Ice Palace’s destruction. He had swallowed the Ice Palace whole while its main forces were away. In the process, he had slaughtered the men and raped and murdered all the women.
Among those raped and murdered women was Bukgung Yeon’s mother.
Grind.
Bukgung Yeon ground her teeth. The mere thought of it sent a wave of immense fury through her. Fortunately, thanks to her mother’s sacrifice, she had escaped through a secret passage, but her mother’s moans and screams echoing from behind were something she could never forget, even twenty years later.
Bukgung Yeon would kill the Evil Demon. She would do it in the most cruel way possible—so cruel he would regret ever being born.
Crunch, crunch.
And once her revenge against him was complete, she would seek out her other enemy.
The butcher who had cruelly slaughtered countless northern tribes. The Emperor’s dog who followed orders without a shred of personal conviction. The greatest master of the Imperial Palace, who looked down even upon the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Eastern Depot, organizations that made even Murim masters tremble.
The First Sword of the Imperial Palace.
Lee Yeon.
‘Just wait.’
And so, the avenger set out to find her enemies.
*
Thump, thump.
Seol-hyang calmed her racing heart and quickened her pace. She had heard from the Tang Clan that Jang Sun-woo had joined the search party. Her heart couldn't help but flutter. Her steps grew faster as she thought of meeting him soon.
Grab.
However, her progress was halted by a hand grabbing the back of her collar. She turned her head back with narrowed eyes. Behind her stood Bulheo Satae, looking stern.
"Where do you think you're going?"
"I have to go and greet him quickly!"
Seol-hyang replied, glancing at Bulheo Satae.
"Do you even know the way?"
"............"
Of course she didn't. Having just arrived in Sichuan, there was no way she knew the geography.
"How can you try to lead the way when you don't even know where you're going?"
Bulheo Satae gave Seol-hyang a mischievous smile.
"I can just ask! Is there anyone in Chengdu who doesn't know the location of the Tang Clan?"
"How embarrassing!"
Bulheo Satae snorted at her rebuttal.
"Embarrassing? How can there be shame in learning?"
"It is plenty embarrassing for a disciple of Emei not to know where the Tang Clan is located."
"It’s my first time here, so of course I might not know!"
"Enough! Don't talk back and just follow me!"
Having said her piece, Bulheo Satae took the lead. Seol-hyang wanted to argue further but instead puffed out her cheeks and followed behind her. She figured it was better to follow Bulheo Satae, who knew the way, than to wander off and get lost.
Stomp, stomp.
Following behind them, fifteen other Emei disciples began to march. They were all members selected for the search party.