Chapter 54: The Epithet
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 54: The Epithet
Iron Blood Divine Art.
The name of the supreme technique practiced by the Iron Venerable, the former leader of the League of Four Tyrants, was inscribed on the cover of the manual.
“A name truly befitting a leader of the League of Four Tyrants.”
“It’s suspicious that it was just left there in the open like that.”
“Should we take it?”
“It certainly is tempting.”
Since they had braved the flames to get this far, they couldn't leave without that book. If Hyeok Ryeon-yeom’s group didn't take it, someone else surely would.
The problem was...
‘Why did this creature guide us to this pillar so willingly?’
Hyeok Ryeon-yeom stared at the Blood Eye Snake.
Gueeee—
The Blood Eye Snake opened its maw.
—Hmm? This fellow has lived for two hundred years; it seems it has become an imugi capable of transmitting its intent.
‘What is it saying?’
—It says it wants you to take the manual.
It seemed the Sword Venerable and the Demon Empress could communicate with the Blood Eye Snake.
‘I’d appreciate it if you could ask why.’
—It says there were others who entered before us.
‘Who were they?’
—Men in red cloaks. This feels ominous, doesn't it? Apparently, the snake had a hard time driving them away.
Men in red cloaks.
They were the ones who had leaked the treasure map to the warriors of the League of Four Tyrants and gathered the martial artists at Jade Tower Peak.
—Oh? It says its master told it to deliver this manual to someone possessing Extreme Yang Qi.
Ah.
The Blood Eye Snake’s red eyes flashed.
That was why the snake had remained still even as the other vipers were being scorched and boiled. The fact that Hyeok Ryeon-yeom possessed Extreme Yang Qi was something anyone—not just the snake—could easily notice.
‘But why Extreme Yang Qi?’
—That is…
“Cough! Cough! Where did this fire come from?!”
Just then, a commotion erupted from outside. Since they had sliced through the boulder to enter the cave, the smoke must have been drifting out.
“Captain, what should we do with this snake?”
They couldn't exactly turn a friendly snake into snake wine.
—...Yeom-ah.
‘Yes?’
—It wants you to burn it.
‘What do you mean by—’
—Look over there.
Following the Demon Empress’s gesture, Hyeok Ryeon-yeom looked at the Blood Eye Snake. He saw a red palm print stamped onto its chest.
‘The Blood Seal.’
Hyeok Ryeon-yeom’s brow furrowed. He had seen that seal before in his past life.
‘Why is the technique used by the one who killed the Myriad Enemy Sword Demon, the head of the Dokgo Demon Family, appearing here...?’
Before Hyeok Ryeon-geuk killed Hyeok Ryeon-mu and Hyeok Ryeon-yeom—that is, before the full-scale invasion of the Central Plains—he had dispatched experts from the Five Great Demon Families to the Central Plains in advance.
The issue was that a mysterious tragedy had occurred back then.
‘The death of the Sword Demon.’
It had been a shocking event for the Demonic Cult at the time. The Sword Demon, a core pillar of the Cult’s strength, had been killed in an instant, and it wasn't even by one of the Ten Great Masters.
It was only later that they discovered the cause of death was that Blood Seal. The terrifying thing about the Blood Seal was that it remained like a brand, slowly devouring the victim’s Innate True Qi. In other words, any living creature struck by that palm was living on borrowed time.
And the fact that the Blood Eye Snake bore that mark meant...
‘It is destined to die soon.’
Knowing this, the snake was likely asking to be cremated by his hand.
Hyeok Ryeon-yeom slowly approached the Blood Eye Snake. There was still one lingering question.
‘Could you ask why the Iron Venerable wanted the Iron Blood Divine Art delivered to someone with the Extreme Yang Body?’
At Hyeok Ryeon-yeom’s request, the Demon Empress seemed to converse with the snake.
—What?
The Demon Empress’s voice sounded bewildered.
—Bwahahaha! That man, the Iron Venerable... what a simple reason!
‘What is it? Share the joke.’
—I told you before that the Iron Venerable and I had a bit of a scuffle here on Jade Tower Peak, didn't I? It seems he was bitter about losing to me back then. He wanted to challenge me again, but due to unavoidable circumstances, he couldn't. So, to defeat me—who possesses Extreme Yin Qi—he hoped someone with Extreme Yang Qi would inherit his martial arts and do the job.
A sense of rivalry?
No, it wasn't just that. The fact that the Iron Venerable, the leader of the League of Four Tyrants, had built his tomb here on Kunlun Mountain meant he cherished the memories of Jade Tower Peak.
‘It’s practically a love story.’
Hyeok Ryeon-yeom placed his hand on the Blood Eye Snake’s scales.
“So you’ve been guarding this place all this time, waiting for someone with Extreme Yang Qi to appear.”
He could only imagine the effort the snake had made to avoid being discovered by the Taoists of Kunlun.
“You can rest easy now.”
Whoosh!
Flames began to envelop the Blood Eye Snake.
—Thank you, human.
In that final moment, he felt as if he heard the snake’s voice.
Hearing that, Hyeok Ryeon-yeom immediately snatched the manual from the center of the pillar.
Then...
Rumble!
“I knew this would happen.”
The cave began to vibrate. It seemed the person who had left the Blood Seal on the snake intended to kill anyone who struggled to take this manual.
“The boulders are rolling across the ground!”
“I saw True Person Cheongheo go inside!”
“It’s the tomb of the leader of the League of Four Tyrants!”
Thud, thud, thud!
While battling the Taoists of Kunlun, the warriors of the League of Four Tyrants also noticed the smoke rising from Kunlun Mountain. Convinced it was related to the treasure map, both groups ceased their skirmish and raced up Jade Tower Peak.
Upon discovering the cave, the warriors began to use their lightness techniques like madmen to get inside. This was the tomb of the former leader of the League of Four Tyrants. Obtaining his martial arts or his legacy alone could make one a peerless master. Thus, every warrior was desperate to enter the cave as quickly as possible.
And then...
“Aaaargh!”
“P-P-Poison!”
“There’s poison mixed in the smoke! Everyone, hold your breath!”
“Hahaha! If I can seize the Iron Venerable’s treasures, I can endure this much poison for a moment—!”
At first, people began to die from the toxic fumes. Those who managed to push through the poison were met by a massive wall of fire. Even the martial artists who could resist the poison couldn't stop the encroaching inferno.
To make matters worse...
Rumble!
“The—the cave is collapsing!”
Now, the cave itself was caving in. Those who had entered were facing a triple threat of death.
In particular...
“Cloud Dragon Eight Forms!”
Swish!
True Person Cheongheo, who had twisted his body in mid-air to create a gust of wind that blew away both the fire and the poison, could not stop the falling rocks.
Boom!
He drew his sword and sliced through the boulders, but advancing further in this chaos was impossible.
“Who on earth would commit such an atrocity on the sacred Kunlun Mountain?!”
All he could see was the silhouette of a massive snake being incinerated. True Person Cheongheo watched as the Blood Eye Snake burned from head to tail. Because of that, he failed to see the pillar standing beside it.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, a massive firestorm pushed the flames inside the cave outward.
“Aaaargh!”
“H-Help—!”
True Person Cheongheo quickly enveloped himself in Body Protective True Qi and stared at the source of the firestorm. Through the flames, he saw five figures who seemed to have avoided the brunt of the fire, escaping the cave. They were undoubtedly the culprits behind this disaster.
“You scoundreeeels!!”
Just as True Person Cheongheo’s roar was about to erupt again...
BOOM!
The cave collapsed completely.
That was a close call.
Once outside, Hyeok Ryeon-yeom discovered a staggering number of corpses strewn across the ground.
‘This isn't good.’
If nothing else, one thing was certain: the situation was unfolding exactly as some unknown force desired.
‘The Kunlun Secret History.’
In his past life, he had heard that the Demonic Cult had slaughtered countless martial artists on Kunlun Mountain. He remembered that the massacre of the Kunlun Sect’s warriors had marked the end of the era of peace. He remembered it clearly because it was when Hyeok Ryeon-geuk had begun preparing for the Great War of Demon Subjugation in earnest.
However...
Thinking about it now, something felt off.
The Blood Seal on the Blood Eye Snake’s body. The framing of the Ice Palace as being led by Demonic Cultists, and the whole treasure map incident here. Could Hyeok Ryeon-geuk alone have orchestrated all of this?
‘Hyeok Ryeon-geuk hasn't even become the Young Cult Leader yet. Would he have gone this far?’
The world knew the Kunlun Secret History as an invasion by the Demonic Cult. Because of that, the era of peace was declared over, and the Martial Alliance and the League of Four Tyrants began preparing for a full-scale invasion by the Demonic Cult and the Outland martial arts world.
‘If this was the work of a third party...’
Perhaps the Great War of Demon Subjugation that occurred after Hyeok Ryeon-yeom’s death hadn't unfolded the way Hyeok Ryeon-geuk wanted.
‘For now...’
That was a problem for later.
“Everyone, run with everything you’ve got!”
“Yes, Captain!”
Escaping Kunlun Mountain safely was the priority. Furthermore, to avoid being late for the engagement ceremony, the group had to push their lightness techniques to the limit.
—Why don't we check the manual first, even if it takes a little time?
The Demon Empress suggested.
‘That sounds like a good idea.’
The Iron Blood Divine Art. It was named so because it was said to turn a person into a man of iron. True to its name, the Iron Venerable was an outstanding figure who had mastered this art and unified the League of Four Tyrants with his fists alone to become its leader.
‘If I can refine it a bit...’
He might become an iron man who could run for days and nights without tiring. With that thought, Hyeok Ryeon-yeom opened the Iron Venerable’s manual as he raced down Kunlun Mountain.
[To the successor.
First, there is something I, the Leader, wish to tell you. I became one of the Ten Great Masters through this single martial art. Its name is the Iron Blood Divine Art. But tell me, would you believe me if I told you there are nine more such techniques?]
From the very first page, it was filled with bizarre nonsense.
“What does it say?”
Cheon Deung-jin approached and asked, curious about Hyeok Ryeon-yeom’s reaction.
“It seems the manual might have been swapped for a fake.”
Hyeok Ryeon-yeom couldn't believe that there were ten techniques, any one of which could make someone one of the Ten Great Masters.
[Do not close the book; read on with interest, and you will believe. You will see that I have not spoken a lie.]
He felt he finally understood why the expert who left the Blood Seal and entered the cave hadn't taken this manual.
‘Should I keep reading this?’
Just as he was debating, he saw the next lines.
[I learned this while conversing with the other Ten Great Masters. I discovered that all the techniques capable of making one a Great Master—including my Iron Blood Divine Art—were created by a single person.]
A name Hyeok Ryeon-yeom recognized appeared in the text.
[I shall tell you the epithet of the one who created my martial art. The Ten Great Masters called him the Ice Emperor.]
The epithet of the founder of the North Sea Martial Gods appeared in the manual.