Chapter 47: Fire Spirit Energy
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 47: Fire Spirit Energy
“Warrior Tae, what on earth did you say to them?!”
“I said exactly what you told me to!”
“Tell me again, word for word!”
“I said I came to pick up the Young Palace Lord, so lead me to him! Oh, and I also mentioned that I was hungry, so I’d appreciate it if they served some food first.”
“Did you not mention that we’re from the Ice Palace?”
“Ah, I missed that part!”
Sending Tae Un-seo had been a mistake.
Currently, we were in a standoff with a crowd of monks who had poured out of the Potala Palace.
“Where are you from, and why are you looking for the Young Palace Lord?”
“It seems my subordinate made a mistake. I am Hyeok Ryeon-yeom of the Northern Sea Ice Palace. Did you not receive word of our arrival?”
Flinch.
At the mention of the Northern Sea Ice Palace, the expression of the man who appeared to be the leader of the monks stiffened.
“I am Jin Gang-pae. I did not realize you were from the Ice Palace. Please, come inside. Everyone, stand down!”
Rumble—
At Jin Gang-pae’s command, the monks holding staves retreated.
‘It seems they aren’t as wary of outsiders here.’
When I first arrived at the Northern Sea Ice Palace, people there had shown extreme caution. Excluding outsiders is a natural behavior for factions with a strong sense of belonging and little interaction with the world.
In fact, the Demonic Cult was the same.
Whenever someone from the Central Plains joined the Cult, the original members would treat them with suspicion or hostility, constantly picking fights. They were treated like "rolling stones" that didn't belong.
It was a dog-eat-dog society where you were accepted if you endured, and beaten or killed if you didn't. After all, the martial world is a place ruled by the powerful.
Glance.
Hyeok Ryeon-yeom looked at Jin Gang-pae, who was leading the monks of the Potala Palace.
‘His martial prowess is roughly… on par with Baek Mu-yong?’
It was impressive that he wore a saber at his waist instead of a sword, especially since the other monks were carrying staves.
“Was your journey here comfortable?”
Jin Gang-pae’s polite tone made me feel like we were being treated with great hospitality. As they say, kind words beget kind words.
Surrounded by the monks as if being escorted, we began to enter the Potala Palace.
“Aside from the distance, there were no major issues.”
“The Western Region and the Northern Sea are indeed far apart. Now that you’ve visited the Potala Palace in person, what do you think?”
This time, he addressed Weizhi Young.
“I think it’s fine, except for the heat!”
“I suppose coming from the cold Northern Sea makes it difficult to adjust to the warmth. I shall have some cool water prepared for you.”
“Thank you.”
Baek Mu-yong tilted his head and sent a secret voice transmission.
—This is strange, Captain.
—What is?
—The warriors of the Potala Palace aren't usually this humble. They’re the type who should be wary of outsiders like us. They’re being far too docile.
I suspected there had been a clear order from the top.
If anything, the Ice Palace was the strange one. Even if we were outsiders, they had treated the people coming to treat their Young Lady with such coldness. The Potala Palace seemed different.
“We have arrived.”
At Jin Gang-pae’s words, we looked up.
A massive gate, even larger and more ornate than the gates of the Northern Sea Ice Palace, revealed itself.
Rumble.
As the giant doors opened and we stepped inside...
“Which one of you is the Ice Palace Lord’s son-in-law?”
A man with bronze skin, radiating an aura similar to the Ice Emperor Seol Baek-ho, made his appearance.
*
The Palace Lord of Potala, the Lion King Cheon Jeok-pa, scanned the faces of the group that had entered.
There were four in total.
One woman and three men.
The one who immediately caught his eye was the handsome man in black standing in the center. He possessed a noble dignity that made the woman—clearly a warrior herself—look like a mere maidservant. There was also a large man who looked like a bodyguard and a strange fellow with a kitchen knife at his waist instead of a sword.
‘To think only four of them dared to visit the Potala Palace.’
They certainly had guts.
“I am Hyeok Ryeon-yeom, Captain of the Little Snow Unit, the unit that protects the Young Lady of the Ice Palace. I greet the Palace Lord of Potala.”
When Hyeok Ryeon-yeom gave a fist salute, Cheon Jeok-pa’s expression turned intrigued.
“The Captain of the Little Snow Unit, is it?”
“Palace Lord, you should introduce yourself.”
At that moment, the guardian monk standing beside him, Arhat, spoke to Cheon Jeok-pa.
“I am Cheon Jeok-pa, the Palace Lord of Potala. You have worked hard to travel such a long distance.”
“Not at all. I heard that your Young Palace Lord is quite ill, much like our own Young Lady. Would it not be best to check his condition immediately?”
“I heard you possess the Extreme Yang Body.”
Whoosh—
Hyeok Ryeon-yeom showed him through action rather than words.
Cheon Jeok-pa’s eyebrows twitched as he saw the flames flickering around Hyeok Ryeon-yeom.
“I do not know what kind of constitution the Young Palace Lord has, but mine is likely more severe.”
“Do you… feel no pain?”
“Too much time has passed for me to feel pain.”
It wasn't just this life. In every life, Hyeok Ryeon-yeom had possessed the Extreme Yang Body and remembered the struggle to escape its burden. Of course, in this life, the issue had been resolved by meeting Seol Yerin.
‘But...’
What was this sensation?
It was a feeling he had never experienced before. Ever since entering the Potala Palace, his Extreme Yang Qi had been fluctuating. It felt as if something, somewhere, was calling out to him.
—It’s hot, so hot.
—This place is like poison to us.
The voices of the Sword Venerable and the Demon Empress reached him.
—Is something wrong?
—Did you not feel it?
—Feel what?
—The energy of the Fire Spirit Jade.
The Fire Spirit Jade?
—Just as the Northern Sea has the Ice Crystal, the Potala Palace possesses a sacred artifact called the Fire Spirit Jade. Just as the Young Lady of the Ice Palace was affected by the Ice Crystal, it’s possible the Young Palace Lord here is affected by the Fire Spirit Jade.
—Then this pounding in my heart since earlier is because of the Fire Spirit Jade?
—Since you possess Extreme Yang Qi, it’s only natural that you would resonate with it.
Suddenly, he wanted to see it.
“Very well. If the Captain of the Little Snow Unit cannot treat the Young Palace Lord, I would like him to be taken to the Ice Palace immediately.”
“I will do my best.”
Just as it had been in the Northern Sea, the meeting with the Young Palace Lord happened swiftly. However, once again, only Hyeok Ryeon-yeom was allowed to enter the Young Palace Lord’s hall.
As he entered the hall with Palace Lord Cheon Jeok-pa and the guardian monk Arhat, Hyeok Ryeon-yeom asked, “Does the Young Palace Lord also have a special constitution like the Extreme Yang Body?”
“It is not that.”
If not, then why was he suffering from Extreme Yang Qi?
“If I were to define it… it would be something like a Fire Spirit Body.”
“A Fire Spirit Body...”
Even if he hadn't known about the Fire Spirit Jade, Hyeok Ryeon-yeom could easily deduce that it meant a body influenced by the artifact.
“Now, this is the room where the Young Palace Lord resides. We have tried to keep it as cool as possible, but it has not been easy.”
“Young Palace Lord. The Palace Lord and a guest from the Northern Sea have arrived.”
The guardian monk’s voice carried through the door.
“It’s… hot...”
A labored breath could be heard from within.
“Jin-ah, a person with an Extreme Yang Body similar to yours has arrived from the Northern Sea. May I let him in?”
At Cheon Jeok-pa’s words, a voice drifted out.
“Can he… endure this heat?”
The gazes of Cheon Jeok-pa and Arhat turned toward Hyeok Ryeon-yeom.
*
Heat?
He had never experienced such a thing in his life.
“I am fine.”
“He says he is fine.”
“Then… please come in.”
When the Palace Lord of Potala nodded, Hyeok Ryeon-yeom grabbed the door and opened it.
It felt slightly warm.
‘Warm?’
If it felt warm to Hyeok Ryeon-yeom, it meant the heat was at a level ordinary people could not handle.
“Are you alright?”
“No problem. I’ll be back.”
Slide.
He closed the door and stepped into the Young Palace Lord’s room.
—Ahem.
—The Fire Spirit Energy has practically saturated the room.
The two Martial Gods looked uncomfortable. It was likely because the energy was the polar opposite of their own. However, to Hyeok Ryeon-yeom, it provided a cozy warmth, almost like a sanctuary.
There was no furniture in the room. Everything had likely melted or scorched from the heat. In the center of the room, he saw a figure lying down as if collapsed.
“Greetings. I am Cheon Deung-jin. I apologize for greeting you in such a state.”
He looked as if he didn't even have the strength to stand. Sweat was pouring off Cheon Deung-jin’s entire body like rain.
“Are you in much pain?”
“It’s not so much pain as it is… agonizing.”
As Hyeok Ryeon-yeom tried to approach Cheon Deung-jin...
Wooooong—
His Extreme Yang Qi reacted.
‘What is this?’
It wasn't like Tam Ya, but his Extreme Yang Qi began to surge out as if it were craving something delicious.
‘They say excess is as bad as deficiency.’
He first brought his Extreme Yang Qi under control. He needed to judge whether this was something he could consume or not.
“Let me take a look first.”
As he reached out to take the other's hand...
Whoosh!
A rebound force erupted.
“The flame energy is rejecting me?”
This was a first.
—Just as the Extreme Yin Qi of the Ice Crystal is different from the Yin Qi gained through martial arts...
—Ordinary fire energy is different from Extreme Yang Qi. However, among them, the Fire Spirit Energy of the Fire Spirit Jade is certainly powerful enough to rival Extreme Yang Qi.
He wanted to see the Fire Spirit Jade more and more.
“...Are you alright?”
“Ah, yes. There’s no problem.”
He channeled qi into his eyes and visualized the mana circuits before him.
Then...
Flash—
The Fire Spirit Energy swirling through Cheon Deung-jin’s body revealed itself. His eyes, capable of seeing the circuits, were an immense help in times like this.
‘No wonder he’s in agony.’
The Fire Spirit Energy had completely filled the acupoints through which qi traveled. It was a miracle he was even alive.
Deciding that removing the Fire Spirit Energy from Cheon Deung-jin’s body was the priority, he attempted to approach again.
Flash—
The rebound force flared up, but this time it was useless. He pierced through the Fire Spirit Energy with his own Extreme Yang Qi.
Contact was the first step. Just as he had touched Seol Yerin to receive her Extreme Yin Qi. Whether he would push his Extreme Yang Qi into Cheon Deung-jin or suck the Fire Spirit Energy out, he would only know once he touched him.
Fortunately, it seemed the Fire Spirit Energy had stopped pushing back against his Extreme Yang Qi. He quickly reached for Cheon Deung-jin’s wrist.
Grab—
The moment he seized the wrist...
Swoosh!
The Fire Spirit Energy surged into Hyeok Ryeon-yeom’s body as if trying to swallow him whole.
‘Foolish.’
It was laughable that the energy thought it could win. The Extreme Yang Qi welcomed the intrusion of the Fire Spirit Energy.
To put it simply, the relationship between Extreme Yang Qi and Fire Spirit Energy was like this: Fire Spirit Energy was like the Yangtze River, a massive, flowing current of fire. However, even the Yangtze is merely a single stream once it meets the ocean.
In other words, the Extreme Yang Body was no different from a vast ocean of fire within a human frame. Just as the waters of the Yangtze simply become part of the sea, the Extreme Yang Qi was warmly embracing the Fire Spirit Energy.
As if inviting it in, his dantian began to absorb the Fire Spirit Energy.
Gush, gush—
As it did, Cheon Deung-jin’s complexion began to improve.
“I don’t think I’ll even need to take him to the Ice Palace.”
If his Extreme Yang Qi could absorb all the Fire Spirit Energy like this, there would be no need to take the Young Palace Lord to the Northern Sea.
“Ugh...”
As the Fire Spirit Energy drained away, Cheon Deung-jin began to groan. Only then did Hyeok Ryeon-yeom’s gaze truly focus on him.
His body looked incredibly slender, and his face was more beautiful than any man Hyeok Ryeon-yeom had ever seen. It was a different kind of beauty from Hyeok Ryeon-mu.
“You’re going to break quite a few hearts once you step outside.”
It was a pity. Both Seol Yerin and Cheon Deung-jin were suffering so much due to their constitutions. Though, in both cases, it seemed to be caused by artifacts like the Ice Crystal and the Fire Spirit Jade.
For now, it seemed Cheon Deung-jin would be fine as long as all the Fire Spirit Energy was removed.
At that moment...
Whoosh—
“Huh?”
Something unexpected happened.
As the Fire Spirit Energy left him, Cheon Deung-jin’s body began to weaken rapidly. Sensing this, the Fire Spirit Energy that had saturated the room began to target Cheon Deung-jin’s body once again.
Then, Cheon Deung-jin’s body began to burst into flames.