Chapter 146: Baek Seo-jun (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 146: Baek Seo-jun (3)
It was the dead of night.
The sky suddenly flared with light, drawing more than a few martial artists to their windows.
"What in the..."
Hwangbo Jun was no exception. Looking out, he saw the night sky stained a deep, violent crimson. An ominous fluctuation of Qi pulsed from that direction.
This was no ordinary occurrence. Something had happened.
Driven by instinct, Hwangbo Jun threw himself out the window.
As he sprinted across the rooftops, his Qi sensing picked up numerous other martial artists on the move. Because this was Henan, a significant number of Super Peak Realm experts were in the area.
He had already crossed paths with four others heading toward the source of the sunset-like glow.
What is going on?
No one in their right mind would cause trouble in Henan at a time like this.
Despite his doubts, Hwangbo Jun pressed on. His destination was the Imperial villa.
Upon reaching the top of the high perimeter wall, he could only gape in shock.
A pillar of crimson flame soared high enough to touch the heavens—but it was frozen solid, as if time itself had stopped.
Someone froze the flames?
It defied logic, yet it wasn't impossible for a true master of ice arts.
However, if those flames had been conjured through martial arts, the implications were staggering. It meant there was either an absurd gap in power between the two combatants, or the fire technique had been completely countered.
As Hwangbo Jun stared blankly, a sense of familiarity washed over him.
The energy radiating from those frozen flames was distinct, yet it possessed a subtly irritating, sinister quality.
"The North Sea Ice Palace...?"
His suspicion quickly hardened into certainty. He had seen the Ice Soul Divine Art of the North Sea Ice Palace once before.
Though that particular martial artist had been torn apart by a monster, the Ice Soul Divine Art had certainly lived up to its reputation as a Divine Art.
"So, you've come as well."
"Senior Hong Angae."
The Beggar Sect, headquartered in Hefei, Henan, and the Hwangbo Clan, located in Jinan, Shandong, maintained frequent contact. Although Hwangbo Jun and Hong Angae weren't personally acquainted, the familiarity between their respective sects brought a strange sense of camaraderie.
Hong Angae let out a low groan as he looked at the frozen flames.
"No matter how I look at it, this reeks of those North Sea Ice Palace bastards..."
"Do you think so too, Senior?"
"I mean, anyone with eyes can see that's the Ice Soul Divine Art."
Hong Angae scanned the surroundings with sharp eyes.
Martial artists had already begun gathering around the Imperial villa. Whoever the Ice Palace martial artist inside was, they couldn't have escaped in such a short amount of time.
Just then—
"Ah...!"
At someone's exclamation, Hong Angae turned his head and spotted an elderly monk.
"The Abbot?"
The Abbot of Shaolin had arrived.
Though taken aback, a smile played on Hong Angae's lips.
"This is perfect."
Anyone capable of freezing raging flames had to be a high-ranking figure within the Ice Palace. If they could capture such a person here, it would be a trump card capable of overturning the stagnant war in a single stroke.
Hong Angae surveyed the gathered martial artists and shouted.
"Abbot! A few of us will head inside to assess the situation. Please ensure the culprit cannot escape!"
They couldn't just rush into the building blindly. Who knew what traps had been set? Since the interior was quiet, it didn't seem like any fighting was currently happening. Maintaining the perimeter and approaching cautiously was the best course of action.
"I shall do so," the Abbot nodded.
Hong Angae grinned and called upon the martial artists he recognized.
"Junior Hwangbo, you're in, right?"
"Of course."
"You too."
"Yes."
Including Hong Angae, a group of four had gathered. Just as they were about to set off, one more person caught his eye.
"Oh, Jin Gi-jae-cheon! When did you get here?"
"Just now."
Seo-jun walked over with a wide yawn, strolling casually.
Hong Angae gave him a smirk.
"We're heading inside. You up for it?"
"Yeah, sure. Let's go."
Seo-jun gave a short laugh.
This is easy.
* * *
Just a few minutes ago, as soon as Seo-jun realized martial artists were swarming the area, he had used Shadowless Under the Moon to descend to the first floor of the building.
Aside from the martial artists outside, the ones currently inside the villa were in a state of total panic. Since their presences were so disorganized, slipping away hadn't been difficult.
Whoa.
Suddenly, Seo-jun sensed an overwhelming presence. It was an aura that seemed integrated with space itself, backed by the profound internal energy of the Buddhist faith. It was the Abbot.
Sensing that one wrong move could lead to disaster, Seo-jun moved with extreme caution.
The martial artists who had flocked to the scene were now standing on the walls, observing the villa. Simply hiding was fine, but if he tried to break through the perimeter, even he risked being caught.
Of course, even if he were caught, he could just flee as Baek Seo-jun and then secretly undo his disguise later—but why take the risk?
Seo-jun stealthily approached the base of the wall, boldly deactivated Shadowless Under the Moon, and leaned casually against the stone.
After a short while, a martial artist spotted him.
"Hmm? It's Jin Gi-jae-cheon. When did you arrive?"
It was an elder of the Wudang Sect. Recognizing the man's face from a previous meeting, Seo-jun smiled and waved.
"Just a moment ago."
"I wonder what on earth is happening... Ah, this old man is Heo-do of Wudang. In the Murim, I am unworthily called the Taiqing Sword Sovereign."
"You know who I am, right?"
"Of course, of course. I watched your duel the other day. Your skill is truly remarkable."
"Aw, it was nothing."
As Seo-jun chuckled, Heo-do offered a small smile.
"May I ask you something?"
"Sure."
"That Counter Form... the one that neutralized the Heaven-Sun Imperial Extreme Fire Divine Art..."
"That? What about it? Want me to teach you?"
Seo-jun didn't know much about the Imperial family, but at the moment, he didn't like them one bit. While his specific counter-method might not be very helpful to other martial artists in general, it was still useful for dealing with the Imperial family.
He figured that teaching the counter-method to a Super Peak expert of Wudang would be a decent way to screw over the Imperial family.
However, Heo-do immediately declined.
"Ah, that's quite alright. Doing so might cause massive friction between our factions."
That was a shame.
"Then what is it?"
"How on earth did you counter the Heaven-Sun Imperial Extreme Fire Divine Art? Surely you couldn't have gotten your hands on the Imperial family's exclusive martial art."
Surprisingly, he had.
Seo-jun could now use a technique almost identical to the Heaven-Sun Imperial Extreme Fire Divine Art. Of course, he didn't say that out loud.
"That, too, must be the grace of the Divine Sword Geum Family..."
"Ah, is it one of the Geum Family's techniques? My word. Then again, it wouldn't have been impossible for Senior Sword God to create such a martial art."
Heo-do laughed and offered a fist and palm salute.
"In any case, congratulations. The matter of the Geum Family had been weighing on my mind, but seeing that its legacy continues makes me feel a bit more at ease."
"Ah, thank you. Please look out for our Chun... no, Hee, as well."
"Of course. If anything, I should be the one asking for your favor."
As he shared a warm conversation with True Human Heo-do, the surrounding martial artists began to chime in as well.
Seo-jun wondered if it was okay to be this relaxed given the situation, but it seemed no one took the incident very seriously. It wasn't their own sect's problem; it was a problem for the Imperial family, with whom they weren't even close.
Perhaps they thought nothing major had happened since they had arrived so quickly after the incident began.
"Oh, Senior Hong Angae is here too? I'll go talk to him for a bit."
Before more people could gather, Seo-jun slipped away and approached Hong Angae and Hwangbo Jun. As soon as he arrived, he was invited to enter the villa.
Hong Angae, taking the lead, quickly entered the building.
"Nothing is being caught by the Qi sensing of all these martial artists. There's a high probability the Ice Palace martial artist is currently hiding inside the villa."
If a battle were still ongoing, the Righteous Faction martial artists wouldn't be this relaxed. The current situation was like a rat in a trap. They just had to find the Ice Palace martial artist hiding inside.
The "Ice Palace martial artist hiding inside the villa," Lee Seo-jun, spoke up.
"Uh... so are we going straight to the top floor?"
"The attack itself seems to have occurred on the top floor, so we should."
Hong Angae nodded and explained the current situation.
"I asked the villa staff just now, and they said General Cheonyang was on the top floor..."
— G-General...!!
As a scream rang out, the martial artists reacted instantly.
The five martial artists bounded up to the top floor as if flying, only to witness the carnage inside.
There stood General Cheonyang, his face frozen in a distorted grimace amidst the icy flames.
"I had a feeling, but still."
Hong Angae clicked his tongue. The other martial artists looked extremely uncomfortable and began to curse.
"It seems they've taken the Righteous Faction for fools...!"
Even if they hadn't been particularly fond of the General, a dog of the Seven Evil Black Sect had crawled all the way into Henan to assassinate a master of the Righteous Faction. As martial artists of the Righteous Faction, they couldn't help but feel insulted.
Hong Angae calmed them down and quickly scanned the area.
"For now, let's start from here and sweep every floor as we go down."
Hwangbo Jun offered a different opinion.
"How about we just destroy this building? Then we won't even have to search."
"You..."
Hong Angae clapped his hands.
"You've got more brains than you look! Right. Let's get everyone out."
Under Hong Angae's lead, the martial artists evacuated everyone inside the building. It wasn't easy, as the Imperial staff protested.
"You're going to destroy this entire building?! Why on earth would you do that!"
"Do you plan on playing hide-and-seek in this massive building? It's better to just tear it down."
"That's preposterous!"
It would have taken some time if they had to force them out, but fortunately, the Third Prince, Ju Yang-il, cooperated.
"Instead of bickering over details, think about taking the enemy's head! Enough! Clear the building!"
At the Prince's command, the Imperial personnel obeyed immediately.
The four courtesans who had been in the room with the General ran out, their faces pale, covering only their vital parts.
The General was dead, but the courtesans survived? They likely wouldn't survive for long. The Imperial personnel, extremely displeased by this fact, would probably dispose of them.
I should take them with me when I leave.
Seo-jun made a mental note. It would be pretty shitty for them to come here to earn money, only for that money to turn into funeral expenses. Whether he dropped them off at a brothel in Hefei or employed them as maids in the Namgung Clan, the Imperial family wouldn't be able to touch them.
Since looking after them was now as easy as breathing, there was no reason not to.
"There is no one left inside."
An Imperial official bowed to Hong Angae. The General's body had also been respectfully moved outside.
Seo-jun also confirmed with his Qi sensing that no one was left in the building.
What if the Ice Palace martial artist had used a disguise technique to blend in with the crowd and escape? A disguise technique only changed one's face and physique, not their energy.
Even if they hid their energy, the Shaolin Abbot was outside. If they couldn't find the Ice Palace martial artist after destroying the building, they could just inspect everyone's energy one by one.
To utilize the Ice Soul Divine Art, one had to imbue their internal energy with sinister Qi, making it impossible to hide. (At least, that was the common sense.)
"Then, shall I break it?"
Seo-jun took charge of destroying the building.
He mixed the energies of Yin and Yang above his palms and unleashed the Primordial Unity Sun-Moon Art.
BOOOOOOOOM!!
With a massive explosion, the building vanished without a trace.
Only a large crater remained where the building had stood. People looked at each other with bewildered faces.
Seo-jun also shouted in feigned shock.
"W-Where did he disappear to?"
This Baek Seo-jun fellow... he was truly elusive.