Chapter 58: Soft Jade Poison Demon
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 58: Soft Jade Poison Demon
Cheon Deung-jin had been in a foul mood since the moment he woke up.
"Are you awake, Young Palace Lord?"
Since arriving at the Northern Sea Ice Palace, the person assigned to attend to Cheon Deung-jin was Weizhi Young, who had previously served as Hyeok Ryeon-yeom’s maid. Thanks to her, Cheon Deung-jin had been able to gather quite a bit of information about Hyeok Ryeon-yeom.
'The Young Master and the Young Palace Lord are promised to each other in marriage. Though, it was decided regardless of their own personal feelings.'
In other words, it was a political marriage.
However...
'It didn't seem like that was the case when I saw them.'
As proof, the moment Cheon Deung-jin arrived at the Ice Palace, he became a forgotten man to Hyeok Ryeon-yeom. Of course, he was told that Hyeok Ryeon-yeom was busy because he had to ask the Young Palace Lord of the Ice Palace to help circulate Extreme Yin Qi through Cheon Deung-jin’s body.
'But why do I feel so unpleasant?'
He couldn't help but imagine Seol Yerin and Hyeok Ryeon-yeom constantly together. That was why today, on the day of the engagement ceremony, he was late to the event. For some reason, he didn't want to see the Young Palace Lord of the Ice Palace and Hyeok Ryeon-yeom standing together for their betrothal.
But then...
Boom!
It seemed there were others besides Cheon Deung-jin who didn't want to see it happen. Watching the engagement hall explode before his eyes, Cheon Deung-jin shouted, "Lady Weizhi, find Young Master Hyeok Ryeon immediately!"
"Yes, Young Palace Lord! Thank you for your understanding!"
Following behind Weizhi Young as she sprinted away using a lightness technique, Cheon Deung-jin assessed the situation. As the Young Palace Lord of Potala Palace, facing such raids was practically a daily occurrence, so he knew exactly how to move during an attack.
"Everyone, evacu—"
Cheon Deung-jin, who was about to shout for people to flee, slowly came to a halt. He realized that the people gathered here were not the type who needed to evacuate.
Rather...
'Just who on earth dared to attack this place?'
Cheon Deung-jin actually began to feel pity for the assailants who had struck the Ice Palace.
"Well, it seems there are plenty of people here to celebrate our engagement day."
"Indeed. I didn't realize we would receive such an explosive congratulations."
Even before they could enter the engagement hall, masked martial artists lunged toward Hyeok Ryeon-yeom and Seol Yerin.
'They managed to break through even though I gave orders to strengthen the outer perimeter.'
What fools.
Hyeok Ryeon-yeom was well aware of just how much of a dragon’s pool and tiger’s den the Ice Palace currently was. The Family Heads of the Five Great Demon Families of the Demonic Cult and the strongest forces of the Ice Palace were all gathered in one place. The attackers might have thought they could take out all the key figures of the Ice Palace at once, but...
'It won't be that easy.'
Of course, they clearly had a different primary objective.
"Lady Seol, get behind me."
"Pardon?"
Cr-crack!
Seol Yerin, who had instantly frozen the masked man approaching her into an ice statue, tilted her head.
"No, I think we can each handle the people in front of us."
It seemed Seol Yerin was perfectly capable of surviving on her own without any protection.
Whoosh!
Hyeok Ryeon-yeom incinerated a masked man while trying to identify where the attackers had come from.
'Since rumors have spread throughout the Jianghu that the Ice Palace and the Demonic Cult are forming a blood alliance through this marriage...'
The culprits were likely either the League of Four Tyrants or the Martial Alliance.
"Kill the Young Palace Lord!"
Swish! Swish!
The masked men began throwing daggers. They were targeting Seol Yerin rather than Hyeok Ryeon-yeom.
Fwoosh!
Hyeok Ryeon-yeom raised a wall of fire to shield her and asked, "It seems their target is you, Lady Seol."
"And?"
"Are you not afraid?"
"Why should I be afraid when the Captain of the Little Snow Unit is here?"
"Young Palace Lord! Captain!"
Right on cue, the Little Snow Unit arrived.
Namgung Ho, the leader of the masked men and a member of the Martial Alliance’s Evil-Dispelling Sword Group, stared at Hyeok Ryeon-yeom and Seol Yerin before glancing to his side. At first glance, it looked like only masked men from the Evil-Dispelling Sword Group were gathered, but...
'Those guys... are they from the League of Four Tyrants?'
He spotted masked men radiating a sinister evil qi. It seemed the League of Four Tyrants had also moved upon hearing that the Ice Palace and the Demonic Cult were joining forces.
Just as Namgung Ho suspected, Jin Sawol of the League of Four Tyrants’ Iron Sand Group was also eyeing the other masked men.
'The Martial Alliance dogs?'
Though they wore masks, the energy they radiated was incredibly pure. It seemed the Martial Alliance also found the blood alliance between the Ice Palace and the Demonic Cult problematic.
Normally, the Martial Alliance and the League of Four Tyrants were at each other's throats, but since they shared a common goal and their faces were hidden, the two organizations could cooperate. From their perspective as rulers of the Central Plains, the unification of powers from the Outlands was a direct threat to their dominance.
'The target is...'
'The Young Palace Lord...'
'Of the North Sea Ice Palace.'
Exchanging intent with just a glance, Namgung Ho and Jin Sawol lunged toward Seol Yerin once more. But at that moment—
"How dare you ruin the Young Master's engagement ceremony!"
"How dare you threaten the Young Palace Lord!"
"How dare you delay our mealtime!"
"Little Snow Unit, reporting for duty!"
Weizhi Young, Eun-bin, Tae Un-seo, and Baek Mu-yong appeared, blowing the masked men away as they stood before Seol Yerin and Hyeok Ryeon-yeom.
"Strike!"
A chaotic melee broke out. Both groups were targeting Seol Yerin, but they found it difficult to pierce through the wall of flames raised by Hyeok Ryeon-yeom and the ice barrier created by Seol Yerin. In the gaps between, Eun-bin and Tae Un-seo swung their blades, beginning to carve through the arms and legs of the masked men.
Unable to watch any longer, Namgung Ho shouted, "Deploy the sword formation!"
Clang-clang-clang!
The masked men instantly gathered and began to unfold a sword formation.
"Support from the rear!"
Jin Sawol coordinated his movements. As they began to hurl daggers from behind the cover of the sword formation, it became quite a nuisance. Furthermore...
Whirrr— Boom!
The thrown daggers exploded upon impact, generating a sandstorm. With their vision obscured, a sword strike could come from anywhere.
However...
"Hah!"
Baek Mu-yong slammed his heavy sword into the ground.
Rumble.
The earth heaved, creating a gap among the masked men.
Flutter—
A pair of butterflies flew into that opening.
"Flame Butterfly."
"Danger!"
Seeing the red butterflies, Namgung Ho quickly raised his sword to cut them down.
Clang!
'What?'
He had struck the butterfly, but it felt as if he had hit solid steel.
"Those have improved in durability now."
Having mastered the Iron Blood Divine Art of the Iron Venerable, one of the Ten Great Masters, Hyeok Ryeon-yeom had further evolved his Flame Butterfly technique.
"Iron Flame Butterfly Blood."
The moment the flame butterflies, now shrouded in iron-like hardness, fluttered their wings—
Spurt!
"Aaaargh!"
Blood erupted like a fountain.
Fwoosh!
A massive pillar of fire surged immediately after.
"It seems we didn't even need to come help," Weizhi Young remarked as she threw her daggers.
Clang! Clang!
The masked men swung their own blades to deflect the incoming daggers, but...
"How...! Gah!"
Their blades couldn't knock the daggers away; it was as if the daggers themselves were encased in iron armor. On their way back to the Ice Palace, Hyeok Ryeon-yeom had imparted the Iron Blood Divine Art to everyone. The Little Snow Unit, now able to incorporate the Iron Venerable's body-hardening technique into their own styles, had reached a new level.
"You've grown stronger."
"A month has passed, hasn't it?"
The strength of one's martial arts is proportional to time. Especially with the secret manual of one of the Ten Great Masters, the Little Snow Unit had grown significantly.
"I have as well."
Thump.
As Seol Yerin stomped her foot, a vibration rippled through the masked men.
"This is im—"
Before they could even finish saying it was impossible—
Cr-cr-crack!
The masked men, injected with Extreme Yin Qi through the ground, were instantly transformed into ice statues.
"The Extreme Yin Qi..."
"I didn't just play around for a month either, you know."
Hyeok Ryeon-yeom made a mental note never to get on Seol Yerin's bad side as he stared at the only two men who hadn't fallen.
"You two must be the leaders."
Namgung Ho and Jin Sawol muttered as they looked at the six individuals who had wiped out dozens of their elite members.
"As expected... the blood alliance between the North Sea and the Demonic Cult is too dangerous."
"In this case..."
"It seems we are of one mind."
Whoosh—
The two turned and began to run. The moment they realized the outcome was clear, they executed the ultimate technique: running away.
"We can't let them escape!"
"Wait."
Hyeok Ryeon-yeom stopped Weizhi Young as she prepared to give chase.
"You're not going after them?"
"It should be fine."
Hyeok Ryeon-yeom looked at the man standing in the path of the two fleeing masked men. It might have been a wiser choice for them not to run at all.
"Who is... that person?"
"The Soft Jade Poison Demon, Yayul Cheon-woong. He is the Family Head of the Yayul Demon Family."
Sizzle!
The two men who appeared to be the leaders of the masked group were instantly dissolved into a handful of bloody water.
"Vermin like these are such a nuisance."
The raid was settled, far too easily.
The Soft Jade Poison Demon, Yayul Cheon-woong, looked at the two individuals dressed in their ceremonial finery. First, Seol Yerin’s beauty was truly celestial, as if a goddess had descended to earth. But what caught Yayul Cheon-woong’s attention more than her beauty was...
'The Third Young Master.'
The wastrel Third Young Master had completely changed. Just as the Second Young Master, Hyeok Ryeon-mu, had said, it was shocking. He knew the boy had the Extreme Yang Body, but he hadn't expected him to be able to wield it so freely. Yayul Cheon-woong had refrained from stepping in until the masked men were dealt with specifically to confirm Hyeok Ryeon-yeom’s martial prowess.
He glanced to his side. The Young Family Head of the Yayul Family, Yayul Jin, stood with his mouth agape, his gaze fixed more on the Young Palace Lord of the Ice Palace than on Hyeok Ryeon-yeom.
'Foolish boy.'
Though he knew comparing one's own child to others was a bitter thing, Yayul Cheon-woong couldn't help but compare Yayul Jin to Hyeok Ryeon-yeom. The Cult Leader’s sons were all exceptional, while his only child fell far short by comparison.
'Regardless... if the Eldest Young Master sees this, there will be an uproar.'
The Eldest Young Master, Hyeok Ryeon-geuk, was a man of immense ambition. He not only desired to become the Young Cult Leader of the Divine Cult but also harbored the desire to command the Five Great Demon Families once he became the next Cult Leader. Above all, he was someone who had to be the most prominent figure in every aspect. That was why Yayul Cheon-woong remembered him always keeping the Second and Third Young Masters in check.
Because of that, Hyeok Ryeon-mu had avoided public activity and focused solely on training, while the Third Young Master had grown up as a fool who did nothing but act like a wastrel.
'...Or so I thought until a moment ago.'
He was wrong. Hyeok Ryeon-yeom had been deceiving everyone in the Divine Cult.
'Did the Cult Leader know about this?'
If so, the story changed. Hyeok Ryeon-yeom, who was set to become the matrilocal son-in-law of the Northern Sea Ice Palace. And Hyeok Ryeon-geuk, who was set to become the Young Cult Leader. Naturally, it was right for the Yayul Family to support Hyeok Ryeon-geuk.
However...
'Is it not a waste?'
Having witnessed Hyeok Ryeon-yeom’s martial arts just now, Yayul Cheon-woong could see glimpses of the Heavenly Demon, Hyeok Ryeon-hwi—the man he had once roamed the martial world with—within the boy. The ruthless hand dealt to enemies, the determination to protect what was his at any cost. The way Hyeok Ryeon-yeom shielded those under his wing appealed greatly to Yayul Cheon-woong. He even thought, for a brief moment, that he wished the Young Cult Leader were Hyeok Ryeon-yeom instead of Hyeok Ryeon-geuk.
'No.'
It wasn't too late. If the Yayul Family could successfully sway Hyeok Ryeon-yeom... this engagement... could it not be called off? If that happened, they might be able to reshape the power structure of the Divine Cult.
'What should I do?'
But in this situation, it wasn't as if they could just postpone the engagement ceremony... wait, could they?
Naturally, Yayul Cheon-woong’s gaze shifted toward Seol Yerin.
'Hmm.'
There was still exactly one way left to delay the engagement ceremony.