Chapter 267: Bloodline of the Ice Demon-2
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 267: Bloodline of the Ice Demon-2
Slump.
Impaled by the ice pillar, Seo Pil slumped forward, his head lolling. His breath had ceased.
Bukgung Yeon slowly approached him.
Step.
She placed her hand atop his head.
Cr-cr-crack!
The moment her palm touched him, Seo Pil’s head began to frost over. In an instant, the ice spread, encasing his entire body.
Once he was completely frozen, Bukgung Yeon slowly withdrew her hand.
Thwack!
She raised her foot and delivered a sharp kick.
Clatter!
Seo Pil’s frozen form shattered into countless fragments, collapsing into a heap. Where he had once stood, only glittering ice dust remained, scattering in the wind.
Watching the particles drift away, Bukgung Yeon turned her back. There were still many more who deserved to die.
*
Wang Du, one of the members of the Demon Troops, felt his eyes bulge like lanterns. An impossible sight was unfolding before him.
He had rushed back to the North Sea Ice Palace the moment he heard reports of an intruder. Initially, he had been furious. He had finally found a girl who suited his tastes and was in the middle of enjoying the pleasures of the bed when the palace drums began to thunder.
It was a mobilization order.
Wang Du had scowled. The order had come before he could even properly relieve his urges. He considered ignoring it and staying put, but he knew that if the Unit Leader or Vice Unit Leader found out, his life would be forfeit.
In the end, he had no choice but to stop his lovemaking and grab his sword. Wang Du had stroked the girl’s mons pubis a few times, promising to return later, and left. Behind him, the virgin who had suddenly lost her purity to him broke into tears.
But upon entering the North Sea Ice Palace, Wang Du was struck with pure horror. The entire palace was completely frozen.
The Ice Palace was originally a massive fortress built of marble. Now, it had become a literal palace of ice. His eyes couldn't help but widen in shock.
"What the fuck is this?"
Wang Du spat out a curse, his confusion mounting. He drew his sword and began to cautiously advance into the interior. Despite the overwhelming sense of unease, he couldn't simply turn tail and run.
How long had he been walking?
Wang Du felt a growing sense of doubt. He hadn't seen a single soul. Usually, most of the Demon Troops stayed within the palace, save for those on patrol. After the Evil Demon conquered the North Sea Ice Palace, he had confined the Demon Troops within its walls.
If those monsters were unleashed upon the civilian villages, everyone would be dead within a day. And if the commoners died, there would be no point in occupying the palace. The Evil Demon sought a life of luxury and ease; he needed slaves to cook his food and make his clothes.
Thus, despite fierce opposition from the demons, the Evil Demon had sequestered them inside the palace to keep their madness from reaching the villages. Inside, they spent their time playing with human skulls or idling away the hours with Golpae.
Yet, strangely, not a single demon was in sight. It was incomprehensible.
Tramp. Tramp.
Wang Du walked on. But no matter how far he went, he saw nothing but blocks of ice. Not a single human figure appeared.
Where did everyone go?
He tilted his head, continuing his search. After walking for some time, he came across an unexpected sight.
"Oh!"
It was an ice statue. It was crafted with such exquisite detail that it looked as if a real person had been frozen solid. He didn't know who had made it, but the sculptor was clearly a master.
Wang Du examined the statue closely. He realized it looked exactly like someone he knew.
"It looks just like Gu Gyeom."
It was indeed Gu Gyeom, a fellow member of the Demon Troops. Wang Du felt a sudden surge of petty jealousy. Why was there a statue of Gu Gyeom and not one of him?
Boom!
Wang Du kicked the statue, shattering it. A sense of petty satisfaction washed over him. Feeling refreshed, he resumed his walk.
However, upon entering the Great Hall, Wang Du froze in terror. Dozens, hundreds of ice statues filled the room. Like the one of Gu Gyeom, they were carved with terrifying precision. It was as if an entire crowd of people had been frozen in an instant.
Shiver.
A chill ran down his spine. Suspicion finally began to outweigh his confusion.
Gulp.
Wang Du swallowed hard. He gripped his sword, scanning his surroundings with hyper-vigilance, ready for whatever might jump out at him.
Crack.
A strange, alien sound reached his ears. Startled, Wang Du spun around, searching for the source.
Cr-cr-crack!
As he looked about, he realized the sound was coming from right beneath his feet. He looked down.
His leather boots were completely encased in ice.
"Aaaah!"
Wang Du let out a scream. What was happening?
"Urgh! Hngh!"
He struggled desperately to pull his feet free, but it was useless. The ice had already climbed past his boots to his ankles.
Cr-cr-cr-crack!
"Aaaaaargh!"
Wang Du shrieked as he felt the freezing sensation rapidly expanding. Past his ankles to his calves. Past his calves to his thighs. Past his thighs to his torso. Past his torso to his chest. And finally, past his chest to his head.
Cr-cr-cr-crack!
In an instant, Wang Du was frozen solid. He stood there, a delicate ice statue that looked as if it had been crafted by a legendary master.
Wang Du would never know that he had been the very last survivor of the demons remaining in the North Sea Ice Palace. Nor would he ever know that he would meet such a hollow, pathetic end.
Every demon guarding the North Sea Ice Palace had been turned into an ice statue by Bukgung Yeon.
*
"Sob... huff... sob..."
Un Seon, a third-generation disciple of the Emei Sect, wept bitter tears. Her heart was overflowing with sorrow. She was certain she was about to be violated—and ruthlessly so.
She had spent her life serving the Buddha, vowing time and again to remain pure and avoid the world of desire, yet it seemed that vow was about to be shattered. Why was this happening to her?
Un Seon simply cried. She missed her master terribly.
"Sob... hic..."
After crying for what felt like an eternity, she heard footsteps outside the stone chamber.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Un Seon flinched. Someone was approaching. A whirlwind of thoughts raced through her mind.
Should I just let it happen? Shouldn't I do something? Should I bite my tongue and end it all?
But she quickly shook her head. For a disciple of the Buddha to commit suicide was unthinkable. She would only suffer more in the next life. She continued to weep, preparing to simply accept her fate.
Stop.
The footsteps ceased right outside.
Gulp.
She swallowed hard, her body taut with tension.
Clank. Rattle.
Creeeeeak.
The door to the stone chamber slowly swung open. She stared at the opening with eyes full of despair.
"Huh?"
Confusion replaced her terror. The person who stepped through the door was someone she had never seen before.
It was a woman. A beautiful woman with hair as white as fresh snow fluttering about her.
Un Seon stared blankly. The woman’s beauty was so ethereal that even Un Seon, a woman herself, found herself entranced.
"Who are you?" the snow-white woman asked, looking at Un Seon.
"I... I am..."
Un Seon hesitated. She wondered if it was wise to reveal her identity to this mysterious stranger. But she quickly realized how foolish that thought was. Given her appearance, it wasn't hard to guess she was a nun. What was there to hide?
"I am Un Seon, a disciple of the Emei Sect," she replied, looking up at the woman. "And who are you?"
Un Seon asked with a look of pure curiosity. This woman did not look like one of the monsters from the Demon Troops who ruled this palace. Moreover, if she were one of them, she wouldn't have bothered asking for Un Seon's identity.
"My name is Bukgung Yeon," the woman answered. "The true master of the North Sea Ice Palace."
Un Seon’s face went slack with shock.
*
"Dammit, dammit, dammit!"
Evil Demon Ju Do-san spat out curses as he marched. He was in a foul mood. To catch Bukgung Yeon, he had to travel all the way to the North Sea Lake.
It was a week's journey from the Ice Palace to the lake. That meant a fifteen-day round trip. How could he not be furious?
"How much further!"
In his irritation, Ju Do-san barked at the demon leading the way.
"We... we're almost there, Unit Leader," the demon replied, shrinking back.
Though he was a monster who had terrorized the Central Plains with his cruelty and cunning, he was as submissive as a lamb before Ju Do-san. Such was the result of Ju Do-san’s overwhelming martial power and a malice that surpassed all the other demons combined.
Thwack!
"You said that before, you son of a bitch!"
Dissatisfied with the answer, Ju Do-san swung his fist and struck the subordinate on the back of the head.
"Gah!"
Thud!
The demon was sent flying, face-planting into the dirt.
"This is such bullshit," the Evil Demon muttered, his anger still unappeased. "I told you idiots not to eat the Blood-Sweating Horses!"
He turned and shouted at the rest of his men. In truth, the distance from the palace to the lake wasn't that far if they had horses. They could have reached it in three days. But the problem was that Ju Do-san had no horses left. He had allowed his men to slaughter and eat them all to prevent the villagers from escaping.
That decision had come back to haunt him. Ju Do-san’s irritation peaked. He felt like ripping out the intestines of the man who had suggested eating the horses and strangling him with them.
"Get up, you bastard!" he barked at the fallen subordinate.
The demon scrambled to his feet instantly.
"I won't get mad, so tell me—how much further is it really?"
"It's right there, I swear! You should be able to see the North Sea Lake any moment now."
"Then why the fuck can't I see it!"
Ju Do-san roared. No matter how much they walked, the lake remained out of sight. Only the endless glacial terrain filled his vision.
"That... that shouldn't be..."
"Useless piece of shit."
Ju Do-san clicked his tongue, looking at his subordinate. He decided the man was utterly worthless.
Crack!
He infused his palm with internal energy and struck the man's head. The skull shattered instantly, and brain fluid began to leak out. Ju Do-san casually wiped the fluid from his hand and kept walking. Killing someone had actually improved his mood slightly.
After walking a bit further, he saw something shimmering on the horizon. It was the North Sea Lake.
Ju Do-san’s face brightened. They had finally arrived. He urged his men forward, increasing their pace until they reached the shore.
A massive, seemingly endless lake revealed itself. Ju Do-san looked on with a satisfied expression. Now, all he had to do was find Bukgung Yeon.
He was about to order the search to begin when he stopped.
"Hmm?"
A sudden, inexplicable sense of unease washed over him.
What is this?
Puzzled by the feeling, he narrowed his eyes and scanned the lake. But at first glance, nothing seemed wrong. It was a lake deeper and wider than the sea, with icebergs floating here and there. And the lake was frozen...
"Wait."
The source of the unease finally clicked. Ju Do-san leaped forward.
Thud.
He landed on the surface of the lake. Despite his weight—nearly two hundred pounds—the ice didn't even show a hairline fracture. It was incredibly thick.
Ju Do-san’s expression turned grim.
The North Sea Lake does not freeze. Especially not in the middle of summer. Yet here it was, frozen solid.
What did this mean? It meant someone had frozen the lake artificially.
Ju Do-san’s face paled visibly. He knew of a technique powerful enough to freeze even the North Sea Lake.
It was the signature technique of the Ice Demon, who was said to have frozen the entire region of Hangzhou twenty years ago. A legendary martial art passed down only to the direct bloodline of the North Sea Ice Palace.
The Heavenly Yin Ice Soul Divine Art.
Ju Do-san’s face turned the color of ash.