Chapter 326: Bukgung Yeon, Stripped Bare
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 326: Bukgung Yeon, Stripped Bare
"Well now, what choice do you intend to make?"
The Evil Demon, Ju Do-san, looked at Bukgung Yeon with a repulsive smirk.
".........."
Hearing his words, Bukgung Yeon froze in place. She was thrown into a state of panic by a situation that was as sudden as it was unexpected.
She couldn't understand it. Wasn't the main gate being guarded by the martial artists of the Sichuan Alliance as if it were an iron fortress? How could they have possibly infiltrated the Ice Palace?
It made no sense.
"You bitch! Strip your clothes off this instant!"
When Bukgung Yeon hesitated, Ju Do-san raised his voice and bellowed.
"........How... did you do it?"
Bukgung Yeon stared at him, her voice finally escaping her lips in a slow, low tone.
"Do what?" Ju Do-san replied with a lecherous grin.
"How did you get inside the Ice Palace!" Bukgung Yeon shouted, her temper flaring.
It was impossible. The Ice Palace was surrounded by thick, towering walls. How could they have bypassed those walls and entered the palace grounds?
"We came through the door."
"That’s absurd!"
Bukgung Yeon snapped back, finding his words preposterous. If it was the gate he was talking about, she had been guarding it the entire time. How could he have entered through the gate without her knowing?
"Why do you think it's absurd?"
"I was guarding the gate the whole time! How could I not have known you were entering?!"
"Kuh-huh-huh-huh-huh... You're a fool, Bukgung Yeon." Ju Do-san let out a sickening laugh.
"What!"
"Don't you know better than anyone that there is another door?" Ju Do-san continued, his expression turning sinister.
"Another... door?"
Bukgung Yeon let out a confused murmur.
"No... It can't be!"
Her face began to turn deathly pale. She had just remembered the other entrance to the Ice Palace.
"It seems you've finally remembered." Ju Do-san spoke, looking as if he were enjoying himself immensely.
".......The secret passage."
"You know it well. I entered the Ice Palace through the very secret passage you used to escape twenty years ago."
"How? That secret passage should have collapsed!"
"Clearing away a mere pile of rocks was no difficult task for me." Ju Do-san replied with a grotesque smile.
"A mistake... I should have collapsed it completely back then," Bukgung Yeon muttered, her brow furrowing.
"I don't think that's what's important right now, is it?"
As he finished speaking, Ju Do-san slowly raised his right hand. Seol-hyang, whose hair he was clutching, was yanked upward with him.
"Agh!"
Seol-hyang’s painful groan echoed through the air.
"What matters is the fact that I hold the lives of everyone in the Ice Palace in the palm of my hand."
The smirk on Ju Do-san’s face deepened.
"Choose, Bukgung Yeon. What are you going to do?"
"..........."
"Will you turn a blind eye? Or will you submit? Whatever it is, you'd better choose quickly. I'm not a very patient man."
"There is another way."
Bukgung Yeon spoke as she glared at Ju Do-san.
"And what would that be?"
"Killing you right now and taking everything back!"
Bukgung Yeon reached out her arm and spread her palm.
Cr-cr-crack!
Long, sharp pillars of ice manifested in the air, floating ominously around her.
"I'll pierce your skull."
Bukgung Yeon glared at Ju Do-san with eyes that were colder than ice.
"Can... Can you not see the hostage here?!"
"Don't worry. My Ice Shadow will be aimed solely at your head!"
"...Eek!"
Perhaps her terrifying momentum had shriveled his courage, for Ju Do-san flinched as if gripped by fear.
"That's enough."
At that moment, a detached voice drifted from behind her. Hearing it, Bukgung Yeon slowly turned her head.
And there it was. A spear, leveled directly at her.
"Were you in league with them as well?"
"I am the one who ordered the Evil Demon to infiltrate the Ice Palace."
Lee Yeon spoke with a calm, indifferent expression.
"You cowardly bastard.... Do you even call yourself a martial artist?"
Bukgung Yeon glared at Lee Yeon, her face flushed with indignation. She felt a surge of white-hot fury. To her, a martial artist was someone who knew honor and took pride in their own martial arts.
How could someone who called himself a martial artist cast aside such honor and pride to commit such a cowardly act? To distract her and then use hostages for blackmail? How could such a person be called a martial artist?
"Unfortunately, I'm not a martial artist; I'm a soldier."
Lee Yeon replied to her outburst with the same calm demeanor.
"Do you have no sense of honor?"
"Is there any honor more valuable to a soldier than victory?"
Lee Yeon let out a slight, amused smile.
"What will you do? The moment you try to use your power, I will throw this spear."
Lee Yeon continued in a flat tone.
"The thrown spear will pierce your heart in an instant."
"What did you say!"
Enraged by his words, Bukgung Yeon summoned her cold qi.
Whoosh!
A fierce Snow Wind began to howl around her.
"Why don't you calm down? You should think about the hostages behind you."
Lee Yeon spoke, looking at Bukgung Yeon with indifferent eyes.
Grit.
Ssssh...
Hearing Lee Yeon's words, Bukgung Yeon ground her teeth and withdrew her energy. If she reacted emotionally here, not only Seol-hyang but the villagers as well would be slaughtered.
"Good girl. That's how it should be."
Seeing this, Lee Yeon spoke with a satisfied smile.
"You... you won't die a peaceful death," Bukgung Yeon warned him.
"Isn't that obvious? I will die on the battlefield. I plan to die a very honorable death in combat."
Lee Yeon replied in a steady voice.
"Madman."
Bukgung Yeon glared at him with frigid eyes.
"Kwahahaha! Did you see that, Bukgung Yeon! Even Lee Yeon is on my side!"
Watching the scene, Ju Do-san burst into a delighted laugh.
"So give up and do as I say! If you don't, the hostage dies!"
Grit.
Bukgung Yeon ground her teeth at Ju Do-san's words. His vulgar speech and behavior caused her a sense of shame so great it was beyond words.
"Hurry up and take off your clothes!"
The loud shout erupted again from behind her. Bukgung Yeon’s frown deepened. Irritation was rising alongside her shame.
'......What should I do?'
Bukgung Yeon fell into deep thought. She had no idea what choice to make. Her heart screamed at her to launch the ice pillars and pierce Ju Do-san's skull right now.
But if she did, she would be run through by Lee Yeon behind her. Yet, if she ignored Ju Do-san and continued the standoff with Lee Yeon, Ju Do-san would surely kill all the hostages. She couldn't bear to see that happen.
Bukgung Yeon felt a massive headache coming on.
"You'd better think carefully, Bukgung Yeon."
Lee Yeon's voice pierced her ears.
"Hundreds of lives depend on your choice."
"..........."
"A Sage King does not abandon their people. I wonder what kind of ruler you are?"
"Shut up."
Bukgung Yeon snapped back harshly.
"I know that!"
Having spoken, Bukgung Yeon slowly raised her gaze to the wall. There, she saw the hideous, demon-like Ju Do-san holding Seol-hyang up by her hair.
Bukgung Yeon’s eyes began to waver uncontrollably. A whirlwind of thoughts raced through her mind.
She had spent her entire life running toward the goal of killing Ju Do-san. Whenever she was lonely, tired, or exhausted, she had endured by fueling her resentment toward him. For her to kneel before Ju Do-san was no easy task.
How could she kneel before the very person who had completely twisted her life? It was the height of absurdity.
But if she didn't kneel here, not only Seol-hyang, with whom she had built a friendship, but all the villagers would be massacred. Everyone under her rule would die.
She was forced to agonize over the choice between her personal revenge and the survival of the collective.
"Now! Choose! Bukgung Yeon! Will you kneel! Or will you abandon the villagers! I lack patience! If you don't choose by the time I count to three, you'll witness this girl's virginity-breaking ceremony!"
Sensing her hesitation, Ju Do-san threatened her by lifting Seol-hyang even higher.
"Aaaaagh!"
Perhaps from the extreme pain of her hair being pulled, Seol-hyang let out a scream. And that scream sent ripples through Bukgung Yeon’s heart. it made her even more frantic and anxious.
Finally, with a hardened expression, Bukgung Yeon spoke slowly.
"......If I truly... bow my head, will you spare those inside the Ice Palace?"
"Of course. And as a bonus, I'll make you my wife. Kuh-huh-huh."
Ju Do-san replied with a lecherous laugh.
"No need for that."
Bukgung Yeon replied in a firm tone. Then, she slowly began to lower her body. She intended to kneel on the ground.
"Not like that!"
Ju Do-san's shout rang out from the wall again.
"Didn't I tell you clearly! Strip stark naked! I said strip everything! Show me those voluptuous tits and that ass!"
Ju Do-san screamed, his eyes bloodshot with excitement.
"You're the same piece of trash you've always been."
Bukgung Yeon knit her brows. She hadn't imagined that even that perverted demand was serious.
"I'll make it clear! Just kneeling and bowing isn't enough! Strip everything! Return to the state you were in when you were first born!"
"......Fine."
Bukgung Yeon slowly began to unfasten the front of her snow-white robes. As she did, her deep, voluptuous cleavage began to reveal itself.
Gulp.
Watching this, Ju Do-san swallowed hard. But then he suddenly scowled. The distance was too great to see clearly.
"More! More! Come closer! I can't see properly!"
Ju Do-san shouted hysterically. He felt a sense of regret—regret that he had to witness such a rare and mystical sight from atop the wall.
Crunch, crunch.
Hearing him, Bukgung Yeon slowly began to walk toward the wall. Her fair, bare feet made soft crunching sounds as they touched the snow.
Crunch, crunch.
After walking for a while...
"Stop! Stop right there!"
Ju Do-san's urgent voice reached her ears.
Thud.
Bukgung Yeon stopped in her tracks. She had stopped exactly at the midpoint between Lee Yeon and Ju Do-san.
"Whew."
Seeing this, Ju Do-san let out a sigh of relief. He had told her to come closer, but he couldn't let her move out of Lee Yeon's range. At a glance, she looked like a cute cat, but in reality, she was a snow leopard who would sink her teeth into his throat the moment she got the chance.
"Now, strip. And show me! Show me that beautiful body!"
Ju Do-san bellowed as he looked down at Bukgung Yeon. At this distance, it was enough. Even the texture of her blemish-free skin was clearly visible. From this range, he could surely sear the image into his memory.
Ju Do-san looked down at Bukgung Yeon, trembling with excitement. His eyes were filled with a sticky, viscous desire.
".............."
Slide.
Bukgung Yeon slowly began to remove her white robes. She slowly untied the tightly bound sash and pulled open the firmly wrapped front. Her skin, as white as the fallen snow, was revealed to the world.
Gulp.
Ju Do-san, watching the scene, swallowed hard. He couldn't help it; her skin was simply too beautiful.
Soon, she had stripped completely, leaving only the inner garments covering her breasts and lower body. A beautiful sight unfolded, as if one were looking at a primordial goddess.
"Haah... haah... haah..."
Seeing this, Ju Do-san began to breathe heavily. It was beautiful. No, "beautiful" was an understatement for such transcendental beauty.
He wanted to take her. He wanted to run down from the wall right now, massage those voluptuous breasts to his heart's content, strip away the small undergarment covering her lower half, and lick her everywhere.
"More... more... strip even more!"
The overexcited Ju Do-san raised his voice and screamed. It wasn't enough yet. He hadn't seen everything. He wanted to see it. He wanted to see the secret flesh of this woman who looked like an ancient goddess from myth.
"..........."
At his command, Bukgung Yeon slowly began to remove the inner garment covering her chest. She untied the knot at the back and slipped the string from around her neck.
Flop.
The inner garment that had been hiding her breasts fell away completely. Bukgung Yeon quickly covered her chest in shame and hung her head low. An unbearable sense of humiliation washed over her.