Chapter 86
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 86
Chapter Title: The Iron-Faced Strategist
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A pitch-dark room.
Three people sat around a round table.
One of them spoke up.
“Are those bastards still in the Martial Alliance?”
Judging by her voice and the curves visible in the dim light, she appeared to be a woman. In response to her words, another shadowy figure replied.
“How would we know? There’s no way to find out anything inside Shaanxi Province. Even the Beggar Clan branches are keeping their heads down there.”
“That’s true. But we can’t just keep waiting here forever, can we?”
“We only arrived yesterday, and you’re already complaining?”
“Hmph.”
“Even so, we can’t just let them go. Once they leave the Martial Alliance, they’ll surely head this way, so we need to crush them outright! It’d be even better if we knew their exact route.”
“Isn’t there any way? They’re no pushovers. We might lose them if we’re not careful.”
The one who had remained silent until then finally spoke.
“I’ve been steadily infiltrating Shaanxi with spies because we can’t afford to give up. They were all wiped out until two days ago, but…”
“...?”
His eyes gleamed sharply.
“Starting yesterday, they report that operations have suddenly become much easier.”
“Huh? What on earth for?”
He shook his head at the woman’s question.
“I don’t know why. What matters is that we can now track their route.”
“Oh!”
“And just moments ago, I received word that we’ve pinpointed their location.”
“Good news!”
“We need to make full preparations from now on. To ensure we finish them off for good.”
“Hehehe, this Divine Maiden trusts only you, Strategist.”
“The plan is already in place.”
The man with a sinister smile was none other than Yi Jeong-myeong, the Iron-Faced Tiger, military strategist of the Bright King Sect.
* * *
Seol Hwa-un’s group, having left the Martial Alliance, raced northward and arrived in Yulin, the northernmost part of Shanxi Province, in just two days.
They still had a long way to go north, but since they were finally on the road back to the North Sea Ice Palace, the mood was cheerful.
“The weather’s finally cooling down a bit. Whew, the Central Plains are too damn hot.”
“True enough.”
Eom Mu-hwi nodded in rare agreement with Dong Ho-won’s words. In truth, for those who had spent their entire lives at the North Sea Ice Palace, the Central Plains climate wasn’t just warm—it was sweltering.
As masters who had reached a profound realm, they didn’t suffer much from the heat, but the stuffiness was unavoidable.
Dong Ho-won asked with a sly expression.
“I bet our exploits have reached the palace by now, right?”
“Probably.”
“Heh heh heh, then a ton of people will be clinging to us, begging for stories from the Central Plains.”
Eom Mu-hwi let out a scoffing laugh.
“What did you even do?”
“Huh? Don’t be so stingy. Forgot how I cornered that Shandong Evil Family punk at the gathering?”
“Didn’t that end without a clear winner?”
“I had him beat until those guys interfered! Right, Young Palace Lord?”
Dong Ho-won looked to Seol Hwa-un for backup, who nodded with a smile.
“That’s right.”
“See! Even the Young Palace Lord says so.”
“Fine, fine. I’ll give you that.”
“And that’s not all? I helped wipe out those bandits and made a huge contribution to destroying the Four Evils Heavenly Gate—one of the Eight Demonic Gates, no less.”
Eom Mu-hwi replied coolly.
“The bandit purge was mostly thanks to the Young Palace Lord and the North Wind Brigade Leader, and against the Four Evils Heavenly Gate, it was the Young Palace Lord who shone brightest by taking down the Blood Sound Four Devils. Isn’t that right?”
“…”
Dong Ho-won was momentarily speechless. He soon scowled and shot back.
“W-who doesn’t know that! But I still contributed my fair share!”
Eom Mu-hwi shrugged.
“Yeah, sure.”
“Tch! You’re always such a buzzkill.”
As the two bickered, the North Wind Brigade Leader quietly addressed Seol Hwa-un.
“The Young Palace Lord made his presence known at the grand assembly and even faced the Sword Demon with his sword. And you handled the Fist Demon single-handedly. …Come to think of it, so much has happened. We even visited sects that are hard to get into.”
“Indeed. It was a fulfilling journey.”
“More than that. The palace folk will be stunned, just like these guys say.”
“Hahaha.”
But for Seol Hwa-un, among all those encounters with masters, meeting the Undying Divine Victory stood out the most.
That single fist he unleashed had been that overwhelming, blurring his prior impressions of the Fist Demon and Sword Demon.
The day he met the Undying Divine Victory, Seol Hwa-un immediately replayed that fist in the training grounds.
‘I stayed up all night that day.’
Thanks to it, he gained considerable insights. It was a stroke of fortune, if nothing else.
‘Undying Divine Victory, next time we meet, I’ll show you a fist that surpasses that one.’
“There’s one thing that’s been bothering me, though.”
Seol Hwa-un asked at the North Wind Brigade Leader’s words.
“What is it?”
“The Demonic Path Alliance. I have a feeling they won’t let us go this easily…”
“A sound judgment. However, as long as we’re in Shaanxi, even they can’t touch us.”
“True.”
Shaanxi housed two of the Nine Great Sects, plus the Martial Alliance headquarters.
Not even the Demonic Path Alliance could act freely there.
“We should move quickly once we leave Shaanxi.”
Seol Hwa-un nodded.
“I agree. …Hm?”
Someone was racing toward them from afar. Their agile form suggested impressive lightness skill.
They were heading straight for Seol Hwa-un’s group—on this wide official road, they were the only travelers, making the intent obvious.
Unexpectedly, the figure was a woman in a form-fitting martial robe.
“Huff, huff, huff!”
“…”
She stopped in front of Seol Hwa-un.
She was quite beautiful, appearing to be in her mid-twenties, her body drenched in sweat, giving off a seductive air.
“Whew…”
Catching her breath at last, she looked at Seol Hwa-un and said.
“North Heaven Dragon… no, Young Palace Lord of the North Sea Ice Palace, right?”
“That’s me.”
The woman stared intently at Seol Hwa-un’s face before continuing.
“You’re as handsome as the rumors say. No, the rumors don’t do you justice.”
“Did you rush here just to say that?”
“Oh, sorry. I’m Bi-seon, from the Beggar Clan.”
A light sparked in Seol Hwa-un’s eyes.
“Pleased to meet you.”
“The reason I sought you out so suddenly is an urgent message from Branch Head Jo.”
“Branch Head Jo?”
“Jo Il-pyeong, the Transport Division Head. You know him, right?”
“The Yulin branch chief?”
“Yes. Though he’s not a branch chief anymore.”
“Impressive. Already promoted to division head so quickly.”
Bi-seon grinned broadly.
“Who do you think it’s thanks to?”
It seemed to stem from the Four Evils Heavenly Gate incident.
“So, what’s the message?”
Bi-seon lightly tapped her head.
“What am I thinking? We barely uncovered this a few days ago. The Bright King Sect is on the move.”
“Hm?”
“Some of their combat units are heading north at high speed, per our intel. We don’t know exactly which unit.”
“…”
“And the Heavenly Chaos Church is moving too. One of their higher-ups is missing. Don’t know who, but… quite the coincidence, huh?”
The Bright King Sect aside, the Heavenly Chaos Church’s base was in Guangdong Province. They had little reason to cross into the northern regions.
Seol Hwa-un’s gaze deepened.
“They’re targeting our palace—no, our group.”
“Branch Head Jo figured the same. That’s why he sent me to warn you quickly.”
“Do you know their final destination?”
“No. The Bright King Sect moved so fast they slipped out of the Central Plains… We confirmed they went north, but tracking after that has been tough…”
Seol Hwa-un politely cupped his fists.
“Thank you for the warning. Tell Branch Head Jo we won’t forget this favor.”
“Hehehe, worth the hard run here. And getting the Young Palace Lord’s thanks to boot.”
“…”
“What will you do?”
“Nothing changes. We expected them to move anyway.”
Bi-seon’s eyes shifted.
“You’re just going to keep going? Isn’t that too dangerous? Staying in Shaanxi and waiting for North Sea Ice Palace reinforcements…”
Seol Hwa-un shook his head.
“We can’t wait forever. Better to break through fast before they finish preparing.”
With their strained relations to the Martial Alliance, lingering in Shaanxi wasn’t ideal either.
“It’s your call, Young Palace Lord… Got it. Safe travels, then.”
After a brief farewell, Bi-seon departed. The group, having overheard, wore serious expressions.
Seol Hwa-un turned and said.
“As you heard, they’re already lying in wait for us.”
“…”
“From now on, we push to the North Sea Ice Palace with minimal rest. Prepare yourselves.”
“Yes, Young Palace Lord!”
Soon, Seol Hwa-un’s group unleashed their lightness skills at terrifying speed.
* * *
Leaving Shaanxi swiftly, Seol Hwa-un’s group didn’t head straight north but veered off course.
They aimed to bypass likely ambush points set by the Eight Demonic Gates.
This brought them to Dongseung, a small city in the northern region.
Upon arrival, Seol Hwa-un rented out an entire modest inn.
“We rest here tonight.”
“Yes, Young Palace Lord.”
“You’ve all worked hard. Inns might not be an option going forward, so take a full rest today.”
Since meeting Bi-seon, they’d traveled two straight days via lightness skill.
They’d taken short breaks, but fatigue had built up, so they decided on a proper night’s rest.
Shortly after the North Wind Brigade entered the inn, their leader arrived late.
He reported to the waiting Seol Hwa-un.
“No suspicious activity in the area.”
He’d scouted the surroundings.
“Good work. Go rest now.”
“Yes.”
But the North Wind Brigade Leader’s face was grim. With no knowing when the enemy might strike, tension ran high.
“Hm.”
Seol Hwa-un scanned the surroundings once more, extending his senses widely. Nothing caught his attention.
‘Turning course was the right call?’
Time had passed since leaving Shaanxi, yet no attack came, contrary to expectations. Still, they couldn’t let their guard down.
They needed at least half a month more to reach North Sea territory. Anything could happen.
‘I’d prefer to slip through quietly if possible…’
After dinner, Seol Hwa-un’s weary group turned in early.
Night deepened.
North Wind Brigade members stood watch in shifts of four every half hour, two at the entrance and two in the rear courtyard.
As the Yin hour (3-5 AM) passed, the watch rotated.
“Yaaawn.”
“Got plenty of sleep, but still tired.”
The North Wind Brigade member at the entrance replied to his comrade’s words, who nodded.
“Can’t be helped. Two days of non-stop tense lightness skill. Bound to be exhausting.”
“Hmm.”
“You’ll get a short nap after our shift.”
“Yeah. I’ll crash hard.”
How much time passed?
Dawn was breaking. The two sharp-eyed warriors felt their vigilance slacken slightly.
One, realizing it, shook his head vigorously.
“Damn! Snap out of it!”
Slap, slap!
He smacked his cheeks with both hands. His mind cleared a bit.
“Feeling sharper now. Hey, you…”
He turned—and his eyes widened.
His fellow North Wind Brigade member stood with eyes bulging, dead.
‘W-when?!’
A black hole pierced his forehead, blood trickling out.
‘I didn’t notice a thing?’
Shocked, he tried to shout an alarm.
Whoosh!
In that instant, a thin cord wrapped around his neck.
‘Gurk!’