Chapter 252
Chapter 252
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 252
Chapter Title: Decision (1)
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After slaying Dam Kyung-ju, an overwhelming fatigue settled over my body and mind, leaving me utterly drained.
"Ha."
Looking around, it seemed we hadn't finished off all of the Demonic Cult's shamans yet.
I could still see fights breaking out to push back the remaining moving jiangshi.
'I can't collapse now.'
If I did, all the skeleton soldiers would crumble away.
I gritted my teeth.
And used Regret as a staff to prop myself up.
Then, without thinking, a comment slipped out.
"Eon brothers, I wonder if those guys are okay..."
My master responded to my words.
- Yong-un, you're exceptional, but the ones calling themselves your brothers aren't pushovers either. If they died carelessly, they'd be aggrieved enough in death, but then dragged back from the afterlife to get scolded again—they wouldn't dare die thinking of that.
'...?'
- What.
'...?'
- Anyway, it looks like we've gained the upper hand at the stern.
'Seems that way.'
In the process of dealing with the Demonic Cult's experts, some had died or been injured—I could see those in Ice Palace uniforms sprawled about.
Regardless, of the original six Demonic Cult experts, only two remained.
"Heavenly Demon Reborn!"
"Ten Thousand Demons Rise!"
The survivors shouted the Demonic Cult's signature cries and unleashed mutual destruction techniques.
Swaaaa!
Swaaaaaaaa!!
However, the Ice Palace warriors bravely threw themselves forward with the resolve to be torn limb from limb.
"Protect the Young Palace Lord and Professor Pang!"
Buoyed by their courage, Uncle Jae-hyeok's sword and Elder Wi's strikes joined in, turning the Demonic Cult experts into guests who would never return.
"Gah!"
"Kuhk!"
With the six Demonic Cult experts thus dealt with,
Uncle Jae-hyeok and Palace Lord Dam rushed toward me.
"Yong-un! You okay?"
"Iron Dragon! You alright?!"
The two first checked on my condition.
I nodded to show I was fine, and they followed up with their respective questions.
"What about that witch Yeon Ok-ran?"
"In the chaos, I thought I saw your brother, but was I mistaken?"
I answered in order.
"Yeon Ok-ran escaped. And Dam Kyung-ju..."
Rather than explain further to Palace Lord Dam, I jerked my chin toward the corpse.
"...This is my brother?"
Whether he couldn't imagine such a sight or because it differed from the Dam Kyung-ju he knew,
Palace Lord Dam wore an incredulous expression.
I addressed him.
"The demonic art we found—Sound Absorption Bone Drain Art—it seems Dam Kyung-ju had cultivated it too."
"...That must be it. He probably said that combining it with the Ice Palace's martial arts would eliminate any flaws."
"He admitted to absorbing blood jiangshi himself, and gradually his reason faded until he ended up looking like that jiangshi."
"...When I first saw that demonic art, I couldn't easily foresee the harm it would bring. If all the North Sea warriors had cultivated it, the North Sea Ice Palace would have become puppets of the demons that very day."
"That's the Demonic Cult for you."
"......"
Palace Lord Dam made a bitter face, then removed his outer robe and draped it over Dam Kyung-ju's body.
Meanwhile, I sent a transmission to Uncle Jae-hyeok.
[Uncle. I'm trying to head to the bow, but I'm short on strength. Could you support me?]
[Of course. But why the bow?]
[I've set up a trick to track the escaped Yeon Ok-ran.]
[Huh? Why say it via transmission? If you've set it up, we should gear up and chase her right now!]
[That's exactly why I told you and Brother Dam this way.]
"Ahem."
Uncle Jae-hyeok cleared his throat awkwardly at my words.
I continued.
[It felt like a trap. We can't chase right away. We need to prepare thoroughly before pursuing.]
[A trap?]
[Yes. It felt like they were luring me in. Think about it—a woman like Yeon Ok-ran protected by only six people? Doesn't add up. They must have an ambush waiting.]
Uncle Jae-hyeok tilted his head at my words.
[Hmm. But thorough preparation usually takes time. Does the trick you've set not depend on time?]
[Yes. Just us taking that time will render Yeon Ok-ran's trap useless. Even demons can't lie in ambush in the North Sea cold for days on end.]
[...Hmm. True enough.]
[And the ritual I've set doesn't particularly depend on time either.]
[Fair enough. You wouldn't say this without a plan. Got it.]
Supported by Uncle Jae-hyeok, I reached the bow.
I took out a cursed paper talisman, smeared it with a mix of my blood and Yeon Ok-ran's, then tucked it away.
Then I spotted the Eon brothers rushing from the base of Ice Blood Mountain.
"Two, four, six, eight, ten, eleven. Everyone's safe."
The most bizarre night in North Sea Ice Palace history thus faded away.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ We joined forces with the Ice Palace warriors to hunt down the Demonic Cult shamans hiding throughout Ice Blood Mountain.
They clung to their jiangshi bells until the very last moment.
Since their tongues had all been cut out already, there was nothing more to extract from them.
Splash!
Splaaaash!!
So we killed every one we found.
Once no moving jiangshi remained,
I retrieved the black magic circle I'd hung in the sky.
Then, a fatigue incomparable to before washed over me.
"...I need some rest."
"Young Master Eon!"
"Jeong-hyeon. You catch Hwa-seong's dramatics? I'm just tired. I'll sleep it off and be fine. If you insist, have Dang Ok-gi take my pulse..."
After that, I slept for a bit.
'...'
How much time had passed?
I awoke on a bed.
Around me, the Eon brothers—who'd apparently been waiting for me to wake—were sprawled asleep.
Seeing their weary faces lost to the world,
I pitied them, figuring they'd struggled in this battle too.
But I couldn't afford to whine.
Having reconfirmed the Demonic Cult's threat,
What we needed now was the whip, not the carrot.
I woke the sleeping Eon brothers.
"Rise!"
The first to react was Woo So-ryeong.
"...Hyung Eon? You're awake?"
"As you see. How long was I out?"
"...Uh. We did two night watches, so third day."
"What? You all slept like this the whole time? Why?"
Eun Ha-yeon answered.
"Everyone was exhausted..."
"Exhausted? From what?"
"The Mara jiangshi..."
"You took down one puny jiangshi and rested two days? Judging by the vibe, that means no training for two whole days?!"
The Eon brothers, initially bewildered, now realized what I was upset about and reacted with shock.
"...Is Yong-un throwing a fit just because we rested a bit?"
"Seems so, Sister So-jin."
"Precisely, he's upset we skipped training. Rather than 'throwing a fit,' it's concern that our bodies might stiffen."
"He's lost it! Eon Yong-myeong! Say something. Mara jiangshi aren't just any jiangshi!"
"...How could I contradict big brother?"
"Ack!! We'll all die at this rate!"
"...I knew following wasn't smart."
Among them, Jeon Gal-seol urgently spoke up.
"I remember clearly—you said yourself it wouldn't be an easy opponent."
"That also means it's not that hard."
"...?"
"Everyone, assemble at the training grounds!"
Namgung Yun and Pang So-cheon, who'd been quiet, raised their hands then.
"I didn't skip training."
"Me neither. Muscle loss otherwise."
I furrowed my brow.
"Yun-i. Abandoning comrades?"
"...Not abandoning. Just stating facts."
"Exactly! Did it, so admitting it!"
"Squad responsibility! To the training grounds!"
Thus, we resumed morning training after a full two-day halt.
'It hurts my heart... but this is the path for my kids.'
- ...You're smiling awfully wide for that.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The next morning arrived after another day passed.
Uncle Jae-hyeok sought me out after I finished morning training with the Eon brothers.
"You seem recovered now. Ready to depart?"
"Not yet."
"Not yet?"
"Uncle. The thorough preparation I mentioned isn't just us recovering stamina. It includes movements from the Crane Palace Guard that Eung-yong should have relayed to Palace Lord Ung. But Eung-yong hasn't returned yet, has he?"
"Hmm. I get what you mean. But won't that witch Yeon Ok-ran have fled far by now?"
To Pang Jae-hyeok's words, I grinned.
"Could be. But it doesn't matter."
"Doesn't matter?"
"Think about it. To assemble an army of jiangshi this size and plot to swallow the entire North Sea Ice Palace, they must have bases twice the size of that safehouse and annex we found in the Wudang Mountains. That's what I'm after."
"Ah."
"They can't relocate a base that big overnight. It'd draw attention itself. And they have no idea we can track them, so no need to rush. Plus..."
"Plus?"
"The Demonic Cult's punishments are severe. Elder Kyung survived but returned dead. After losing the Ice Palace, if their base gets raided too, Yeon Ok-ran won't escape unscathed."
Uncle Jae-hyeok nodded and left my room.
Some time later,
as dusk fell, a messenger from Palace Lord Dam arrived at our quarters, inviting us to the North Sea Ice Palace's funeral.
"The Young Palace Lord requests the Central Plains' guests attend the funeral."
We changed into clean ceremonial robes with the Eon brothers and headed to the mourning hall at the base of Ice Blood Mountain.
"The Central Plains' guests have arrived!"
The distant sounds of funeral music abruptly stopped.
Led by Palace Lord Dam, the Ice Palace's retainers bowed toward us.
"We meet the benefactors of the North Sea!"
We returned the courtesy.
"We merely did what was right!"
Then the retainers turned back and resumed their drinking.
"Have a drink!"
"One drink? On a day like this, pour the whole jar!"
Palace Lord Dam approached me then.
"It's different from Central Plains funerals."
"I've heard, but seeing it, it feels more like a festival than a funeral."
"North Sea folk must head back to the harsh lands tomorrow, even if grieving today. No time for prolonged sorrow. We believe in a better afterlife where ancestors watch over the living. Thus, we can't grieve on the funeral day itself. Come, follow me."
Palace Lord Dam led us to the Ice Jade Hall.
There, he politely clasped his sleeves and bowed deeply.
"Thank you for saving the North Sea. The Ice Palace."
He presented a rectangular wooden box toward us.
Inside were rows of pure white pills that looked molded from frost.
"Ice Jade Pills? You're giving us this many?"
"Just ten... That's all the North Sea Ice Palace currently holds. Regretful we couldn't match your numbers exactly."
"...More than enough. We can only express gratitude."
Our group numbered thirteen.
But Uncle Jae-hyeok and Brother So-cheon had no affinity for North Sea spirit medicines containing cold energy due to the Pang family's cultivation method.
And I had energy directly passed from Elder Dam Cheong-gyu, so they'd have no effect on me.
Ten was perfect.
"You saved the North Sea folk from becoming demon puppets. Mere elixirs we can make given time—what's the big deal? Take them without refusal."
I nodded,
and distributed the Ice Jade Pills one to each Eon brother.
"Absorb them here. Three who skip will stand guard."
The Eon brothers, except Brother So-cheon, all looked troubled.
They thought I was yielding mine.
Not wanting to bring up Elder Dam Cheong-gyu here, I just scowled.
"No backtalk. Do as I say. The stronger you get, the less burden on me."
Some Eon brothers muttered oddly.
"...Can't be honest."
"Right? Always like this."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Overnight, the Eon brothers absorbed the Ice Jade Pills.
There were time differences, but no mishaps.
Soon after, Eung-yong returned.
Gulp!
Tied to its leg was a letter from the Crane Palace Guard Lord.
The letter stated they'd informed the Murim Alliance of the news I'd relayed, and that Sub-leader Ya Hul-wi and select elite warriors from the Crane Palace Guard were being dispatched urgently.
"Brother Dam. Take a look."
I showed the letter to Palace Lord Dam,
and explained my plan.
"...I arranged that back then. Now, I plan to strike there with the Crane Palace Guard warriors mentioned. Will you join?"
"Obviously! We'll mobilize the Ice Palace's full might!"
"...That'd get spotted early. Select a detachment like the recent one."
Thus, the Ice Palace detachment was formed.
Under the pretext of escorting us to the plains, we departed the North Sea Ice Palace with the Ice Palace folk.
Heading south, we linked up with Ya Hul-wi and the plains warriors at the rendezvous point.
"Brother Yong-un!"
"Shh. Brother Ya Hul's great, but your voice is too loud."
"Excitement got the better of me. Oh, this transmission arrived while we were en route."
"...Murim Alliance is sending an inspection team?"
"Yes."
I pondered whether to merge with the Murim Alliance team.
Jeon Gal-seol noticed and spoke.
"Thinking of joining the Alliance?"
"Considering it."
"No word on who's coming?"
"Correct."
"As expected, that's the dilemma. If old faction elders are mixed in, they might not align with our goals. But with our current numbers, we can raze a decent-sized base, no?"
I nodded at her words.
"Let's move on our own first. Eung-yong, come here."
Gulp!
I smeared inner blood on Eung-yong's white forehead,
then
rustle.
burned the talisman made with Yeon Ok-ran's blood, casting the Blood Trace Ritual to let it sniff the owner's passed scent.
"Eung-yong will guide us from now."
Following Eung-yong's lead westward,
when it halted flight and perched on my shoulder again.
Gulp!
We faced a small fortress nestled in mountains, invisible from below amid layered snow peaks.
"!"
Of course, "small" was relative to a fortress.
"...That size means our current prep falls short. We need to link with the Murim Alliance."