Chapter 339
The Residence of Bing Han-pung, Lord of the North Sea Ice Palace.
He lay on his bed, breathing laboriously.
This was a situation where no one could be allowed to detect that his injuries were feigned. That was why he had unhesitatingly allowed himself to be struck by the palm strike Bu Eun-seol had unleashed.
And as a result, he had sustained severe wounds—his chest area torn to shreds like a tattered rag—along with grave internal injuries.
"Truly remarkable insight."
Bing Han-pung murmured softly as he recalled the frigid energy of the Glacier Thousand Streams Art concentrated in Bu Eun-seol's palm.
"To create Ice Crystal with the Glacier Thousand Streams Art after only four days of practice..."
Though his external wounds were critical, that was only half the story.
The internal injuries could be healed in an instant if he so wished.
Because Bu Eun-seol had used the Glacier Thousand Streams Art to forge Ice Crystal—the very quintessence of Extreme Yin Qi—and embedded it near Bing Han-pung's Chest Center pressure point.
For a grandmaster of Ice Arts, having Ice Crystal embedded in his body was hardly harmful.
The only reason it appeared otherwise was because Bing Han-pung deliberately refrained from absorbing the frost essence's energy through qi circulation techniques, maintaining the illusion of severe internal damage.
This method was so cunningly devised that even the master of Medicine God Valley, renowned for his medical prowess, had been fooled into believing Bing Han-pung had suffered fatal internal injuries.
"You said this was the first trap..."
No matter how carefully the traitor inspected him, they would never detect this ruse.
They would be convinced that Bing Han-pung had sustained irreversible, life-threatening injuries.
"How impermanent time is."
A desolate silence lingered in Bing Han-pung's eyes as he lay on the bed.
There had been a time when he thought he might ascend to the pinnacle of the martial world.
The power of the Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Crystal was boundless, and when combined with the Ice Palace's martial arts, it could freeze even the mightiest adversaries in an instant.
In the past, he had secretly ventured into the Central Plains for martial duels, defeating countless masters.
That was, until he was bested by a legendary figure of the Demonic Path.
Seven Fingers Demonic Blade Bu Jan-yang.
This terrifying swordsman of the Demonic Path had shattered Bing Han-pung's Ice White Cold Spirit Art in just three moves.
The only mercy was that the Demon Blade had stopped after breaking his Ice Arts. Had he willed otherwise, Bing Han-pung's head would have been severed within ten moves.
'Contrary to rumors, he was a swordsman who showed unexpected leniency.'
Bing Han-pung's eyes narrowed as he reminisced.
—I had intended to extract a promise from you to never set your sights on the Central Plains martial world during my lifetime...
The Seven Fingers Demonic Blade had bared his white teeth in a grin as he looked down at the fallen Bing Han-pung.
—That won't be necessary.
The Demon Blade had discerned that Bing Han-pung, as palace lord, possessed a magnanimous and unpretentious character—but more crucially, that he had failed to master the Divine Arts and Supreme Techniques of the Glacier Great Emperor.
—Master the Glacier Thousand Streams Art first. If you cannot, then find a disciple who can.
And with that, he had left behind cryptic words.
—Otherwise... the North Sea Ice Palace will not survive the Great Blood Calamity in the future.
Truthfully, Bing Han-pung had never even considered coveting the Central Plains martial world.
Moreover, after witnessing Bu Jan-yang's terrifying strength, he had developed a profound reverence for the martial arts of the Central Plains—and a burning warrior spirit within himself.
Since then, he had devoted himself to studying the Glacier Great Emperor's martial arts and searching for a disciple capable of inheriting them... but all his efforts had ended in failure.
Of course, this was Bing Han-pung's personal affair, a secret he had never disclosed to anyone.
"But he disappeared long ago."
A deep, shadowed light flickered in Bing Han-pung's eyes.
"To think that the one capable of mastering the Glacier Thousand Streams Art—whom I sought so desperately—would turn out to be the Heir of the Demon Hall, the very institution he once belonged to... Is this fate's design?"
Knock, knock.
Just then, a soft rapping sounded at the door, followed by the hushed voice of an attendant.
"Family Head Eom requests an audience with the Palace Lord."
'He's here.'
Bing Han-pung narrowed his eyes slightly.
Upon hearing rumors of his critical condition, the five family heads had grown restless.
The Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Crystal stored in one's dantian would lose its mystical power upon the owner's death—which was precisely why the North Sea Ice Palace selected its next lord earlier than other sects.
—The Palace Lord's condition has stabilized.
The master of Medicine God Valley, who had treated Bing Han-pung's wounds, had announced that the most dangerous crisis had passed.
But the family heads' hearts must still be aflame with urgency.
And so, under the pretense of paying their respects, they had begun visiting one by one—all except Han U-sang.
"Let him in."
At Bing Han-pung's command, the door opened, and Eom U-jung, the head of the Eom Clan, entered cautiously.
"Palace Lord. How is your condition?"
"Thanks to you, I am managing to cling to life."
Eom U-jung set down a wooden box containing spirit pills on the table beside the bed.
"This is the Blue Cloud Elixir I obtained long ago in Xinjiang. Taking just one pill will help Your Lordship recover your vitality."
"You have my gratitude."
Bing Han-pung offered a faint smile.
"I cannot recall the last time I received such kindness."
For a brief moment, Eom U-jung's cheeks flushed red.
Memories of days when he had long refused to acknowledge the palace lord's authority rose in his mind.
"It's because the palace lord didn't handle matters decisively all this time, isn't it?"
Eom U-jung sighed, shifting the blame onto Bing Han-pung's overly lenient nature.
"If you had severely punished that bastard Han U-sang from the start, none of this would have happened."
"That might be true."
As Bing Han-pung chuckled indifferently, Eom U-jung finally broached the real subject.
"And we can no longer delay selecting the next palace lord, can we?"
"Of course."
Bing Han-pung replied calmly.
"Once my body recovers, we will proceed with selecting the next palace lord."
"Thank you. And if possible... I hope you will consider it favorably."
Eom U-jung was an ambitious man—one who had pulled many strings to ensure his own son could become the next palace lord.
Even now, he had not abandoned such thoughts.
"Understood."
At Bing Han-pung's curt reply, Eom U-jung clasped his hands together and cautiously exited.
Once he had left, Bing Han-pung lay back on the bed and closed his eyes.
But shortly after, another attendant's voice called out.
"The Seol Family Head requests an audience with the palace lord."
"Let him in."
The Seol Family Head, Seol Se-geuk, had also come bearing a Spirit Pill beneficial to health.
And with an unprecedented expression of fury, he spoke.
"Who in the world dared to ambush the palace lord? Was it that Heir of the Demon Hall?"
"I don't know either. However... the Chief of the Law Enforcement Hall mentioned they are investigating multiple possibilities."
"Perhaps, now that the palace lord's innocence has been proven, the culprit panicked and resorted to this."
For a long time, Bing Han-pung had lost his authority as palace lord.
But after the truth behind Han Ja-uk's ambush came to light, public opinion within the North Sea Ice Palace had completely shifted.
Not only the disciples, but even the Family Heads had come to respect Bing Han-pung, who had silently endured without excuses all this time.
And Seol Se-geuk was no exception.
"If the Chief of the Law Enforcement Hall can't find the culprit, I will hunt down the assassin myself."
He continued to vent his rage against the perpetrator for a while longer before finally taking his leave.
The next visitor was the Baek Family Head, Baek Jin-yu.
After perfunctorily inquiring about Bing Han-pung's health, he quickly got to the point.
"Given that someone framed the palace lord and reduced our main palace to this state for so long... the culprit must surely be one of the five Family Heads."
This was not just Baek Jin-yu's opinion.
Though no disciple of the North Sea Ice Palace dared to say it aloud, they were all convinced—the one who ambushed Han Ja-uk and undermined the authority of Palace Lord Bing Han-pung had to be one of the five Family Heads, excluding the Bing Clan.
"That remains to be seen."
As Bing Han-pung shook his head bitterly, Baek Jin-yu continued.
"Regardless, it seems the palace's engagement with the outside world has become an unstoppable tide."
Bing Han-pung's expression shifted slightly in surprise.
Baek Jin-yu had long been a man who wished for the North Sea Ice Palace to maintain its isolation.
Hadn't he even desired the five families to remain divided, ensuring the palace lord's authority stayed weak?
So why was he suddenly speaking positively about the marriage alliance?
"However, the Central Plains Demon Path is not to be trusted."
"Hmm."
"It would be wise to reconsider the marriage alliance. After all, the alliances of sects beyond the frontier have always been formed out of necessity."
He repeatedly emphasized the need for the sects beyond the frontier to unite, stressing the necessity of such an alliance.
Only then did Bing Han-pung grasp Baek Jin-yu's true intentions.
'Since he can't stop the marriage alliance, he's trying to position himself favorably within it.'
Unable to halt the tide of the marriage alliance, Baek Jin-yu sought to create a coalition of sects beyond the frontier that would secure his own power.
"If such an alliance is formed, naturally, you would have to be its leader."
At Bing Han-pung's unusually blunt words, Baek Jin-yu's face flushed red.
"How could I dare entertain such thoughts? I merely..."
As he began to deflect, Bing Han-pung nodded and cut him off.
"I'll consider that as well."
The last Family Head to visit was none other than Dong Yu-gak of the Dong Clan.
He had long been deeply concerned for Bing Han-pung's health and brought with him the Frozen Ice Harmony Yin Pill, a hereditary elixir passed down through generations of the Dong Clan.
"Palace Lord, how is your condition?"
"I'm managing."
"You've endured much hardship all this time."
Dong Yu-gak bowed his head with an awkward expression.
Then, gently holding Bing Han-pung's hand as he lay on the bed, he spoke with a pained look.
"All this time, the Family Heads have lived only for self-preservation. They never cared what happened to the palace."
"It's fine."
Bing Han-pung smiled generously.
"Unlike the others, you've never once criticized me or disobeyed my orders."
Dong Yu-gak had always remained a bystander to Bing Han-pung's struggles.
But unlike the other Family Heads, he had never disregarded him. Not once had he failed to treat Bing Han-pung with the respect due to a palace lord.
"I am grateful for the palace lord's magnanimity. However, I am deeply ashamed and remorseful that the truth behind the rumors that have tormented you for so long was only revealed now—and by an outsider from another sect."
"Hohoho. No need for such words. Pay it no mind."
"Please recover swiftly and rise once more to unite the Main Palace. That is the shared aspiration of all Family Heads."
"Understood. Thank you."
Finally, all the Family Heads had paid their visit to Bing Han-pung.
All except one—Han U-sang. He had been the first to pledge loyalty to Bing Han-pung and had kept vigil by his side throughout his treatment at the Medicine God Cave, refusing to leave even at night.
Only after Bing Han-pung's condition improved did he finally allow himself to relax and return to the Han Clan—which was why he had not come for this visit.
Creak.
Bu Eun-seol emerged from the secret passage, having overheard everything.
Bing Han-pung's eyes flashed as he saw him.
"Well? Have you identified the traitor?"
Bu Eun-seol nodded in response to the question.
"I have."
"How?"
"Because traitors go to great lengths to conceal their true intentions."
"I don't follow."
Bing Han-pung tilted his head in confusion.
The Um Family Head had spoken of ambition toward the palace lord.
The Dong Family Head had expressed a desire for a united North Sea Ice Palace.
The Seol Family Head had voiced fury toward the assassin who harmed the palace lord.
And the Baek Family Head had emphasized the need for a marriage alliance with sects beyond the frontier.
Their words aligned perfectly with the stances they had always held. Because of that, Bing Han-pung had found nothing particularly suspicious.
"There is also one fact only the traitor would know—that there is a high probability the ambush on the palace lord was staged."
Bing Han-pung nodded.
Within the North Sea Ice Palace, the only one who would ambush him—who would sow discord among the Family Heads—was the traitor.
"That is why the severity of your injuries was irrelevant to them. What mattered was confirming whether you had truly suffered grave injuries—and what hidden motive you might have. That was their true objective."
"Hmm."
Intrigued by Bu Eun-seol's deductive reasoning, Bing Han-pung pressed further.
"Explain in more detail."
"The clans of the North Sea have sworn loyalty to the palace lord, but deep down, they each desire their own clan's prosperity above all else."
"Naturally."
"Though public opinion in the North Sea Ice Palace has shifted, and the palace lord has regained authority, only one person refrained from revealing their true thoughts. And they came solely to confirm the details of your condition. Because they knew you had truly been injured."
At that moment, Bing Han-pung's eyes trembled faintly.
Only now did he realize who Bu Eun-seol was pointing to as the traitor.
The other three Family Heads had clear objectives beyond just visiting. But one had come with no apparent purpose.
Because the only thing that mattered to them was confirming whether Bing Han-pung was truly injured—or merely feigning it.
"So, he was the mole."
"Correct."
Bing Han-pung's expression darkened with anguish.
Among the five clans, this was the one who had never criticized him—yet had never voiced any opinions either, remaining silent all along.
And the only one who had clasped his hands and drawn close to meticulously examine his internal injuries...
To think that the Dong Family Head, Dong Yu-gak—the very man who had always kept his distance—was the traitor behind it all.
"But we have no proof."
Bing Han-pung swallowed his bitterness and let out a sigh.
"The reason we haven't caught the assassin yet is precisely because there's no evidence. Even if we devise some scheme, we won't be able to expose him as the traitor."
"Do not worry."
Bu Eun-seol spoke calmly.
"If we employ the last method I proposed, we can obtain proof."
"A scheme? What scheme?"
Yu Un-ryong blinked in surprise.
Instead of answering, Bu Eun-seol reached into his robes and handed him something.
It was the scroll he had shown Bing Han-pung earlier—the one detailing the entire plan.
After scanning its contents, Yu Un-ryong's eyes widened in realization.
"This plan is far too dangerous."
"The palace lord even harmed himself for this. Why should I hesitate?"
Yu Un-ryong shook his head firmly.
"There are too many flaws. The probability of them seeing through the trap is too high."
"That's true."
Yet a faint smile lingered at the corner of Bu Eun-seol's lips.
"But they will have no choice but to take the bait."
"What do you mean?"
A sharp glint flashed through Bu Eun-seol's eyes.
"Because they've staked everything on what they've longed for."
At that, So Ok-rim, who had been listening silently, folded her arms.
"Well, human desire is hard to control."
She smiled faintly as she looked down at Yu Un-ryong.
"After meticulously planning for ten whole years, only to see it all crumble—no one would just stand by and watch."
Yu Un-ryong's expression shifted in surprise.
Just like Bu Eun-seol, So Ok-rim seemed deeply attuned to the ways of the world—and the emotions of men.
"Hmm."
Yu Un-ryong let out a thoughtful hum and nodded.
"That could very well be the case."
Bu Eun-seol spoke with confidence.
"They will undoubtedly reveal their true nature. If not all of them, then at least some of them."
Bu Eun-seol's final plan—
It was to use something irresistibly tempting as bait... to force the descendants of the Eight Emperors and Three Stars and the Dong Clan Head to expose their true colors in one fell swoop.
The North Sea Ice Palace was thrown into chaos.
—While investigating the assassin who harmed the palace lord, the Heir of the Demon Hall escaped from our palace!
It was said that Bu Eun-seol, who had been imprisoned in the underground prison for interrogation, had suddenly attempted to flee.
Upon closer inspection, it turned out that the ambush on Bing Han-pung had also been his doing.
And that his true motive was not a marriage alliance—but the martial arts manual in the palace lord's possession.
—Does this even make sense?
None of the disciples of the North Sea Ice Palace could hide their bewilderment.
The successor of the Demon Hall—the very coalition of the Central Plains' demonic factions—had come to the Ice Palace just to steal a martial arts manual?
—The Demon Hall wanted a marriage alliance with the Blazing Flame Sacred Palace! They demanded our manual as a condition for the alliance!
Shockingly, the Demon Hall's heir had sought a marriage alliance with the Blazing Flame Sacred Palace, and to achieve that, he had come to steal the North Sea Ice Palace's secret manual.
—Our palace was too naive!
As this plausible reason spread through the rumors once more, half the disciples of the North Sea Ice Palace burned with rage, while the other half resigned themselves in despair.
—The family that captures the fleeing Martial Soul Lord will select the next successor! And they shall immediately inherit the Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Crystal!
Bing Han-pung, seemingly furious, issued this decree to all the families of the North Sea Ice Palace.
He had now fully reclaimed the palace lord's authority, and even if he were to name his own son as the next palace lord, no one would dare oppose him.
Moreover, the Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Crystal had to be passed down while he was still alive for it to retain its power.
This was precisely why the six families of the North Sea had been able to unite—and why forcibly usurping the palace lord's position was impossible.
All because of this unique treasure of the North Sea Divine Palace.
And yet, he had declared that the family who captured the Martial Soul Lord Bu Eun-seol would choose the next palace lord?
Every family except the Bing Clan was sent into a frenzy.
—Capture him!
The five families aside from the Bing Clan immediately set out in pursuit of the fleeing Bu Eun-seol.
Escaping alone across the endless snowfields of the North Sea without leaving a trace was nearly impossible.
Moreover, Bu Eun-seol had forced his way out by destroying the Ice Palace's mechanisms, leaving him severely injured.
If they could capture him, the North Sea Ice Palace would finally welcome a new master.
The snowfield, dyed pure white.
There, five separate pursuit parties raced in different directions.
With Bu Eun-seol's trail splitting into multiple paths, the five families had no choice but to divide and pursue him separately.
"Stop!"
Dong Yu-gak, leading one of the pursuit teams, halted his movement technique and stared intently at the ground below.
There, faint traces remained.
"His injuries must be severe—he can no longer maintain Treading Snow Without Trace."
Dong Yu-gak's lips curled into a faint smile as he discerned that the indistinct marks were footprints left from using lightness skill.
Bu Eun-seol, in his escape, was too injured to sustain stable lightness movement.
As if to prove it, the path of his flight was clearly marked by fresh blood trickling from his wounds.
"If I capture him, no one will be able to object."
Dong Yu-gak gave a light shudder.
For a long time now, he had been scheming with outside forces to swallow the North Sea Ice Palace whole.
Originally, he had planned to frame Bing Han-pung for Han Ja-uk's ambush, provoking Han U-sang into forcing him to step down as palace lord.
But Han U-sang, though he loathed Bing Han-pung to the core, refused to take decisive action.
And Bing Han-pung himself remained stubbornly in place, indefinitely delaying the selection of a successor until the assassin was caught.
In the end, even as the bloodline froze to the brink of collapse, Bing Han-pung refused to relinquish the Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Crystal, driving Dong Yu-gak to the edge of madness.
—Heaven's favor is with me!
And then, out of nowhere, the Demon Hall's successor had arrived at the North Sea Ice Palace, supposedly to investigate Han Ja-uk's ambush—only to wreak havoc instead.
But from Dong Yu-gak's perspective, it was as if another opportunity had fallen into his lap.
Just as he was meticulously preparing his conspiracy, the Demon Hall's heir had conveniently self-destructed.
'Perhaps this, too, is a scheme orchestrated with the palace lord.'
Dong Yu-gak already knew that Bing Han-pung and Bu Eun-seol were hiding something.
Even the factions cooperating with him had advised caution, but Dong Yu-gak saw this as yet another chance.
—If I capture him, the North Sea Ice Palace will fall obediently into my grasp.
Bing Han-pung had publicly declared that the next palace lord would come from the family that captured Bu Eun-seol.
No matter what hidden schemes were at play, if he caught Bu Eun-seol, there would be no stopping the Dong Clan from producing the next palace lord.
Impatient, Dong Yu-gak shouted to his subordinates.
"Hurry and follow the Family Head!"
Then, he unleashed a gale-like movement technique and raced forward, following the trail of blood.
After about half an hour of pursuit—
In the distance, a battered figure crouched before a small cliff.
It was none other than the Demon Hall's successor, Bu Eun-seol—who had escaped from the North Sea Ice Palace's underground prison.