< Episode 646 > Cold Qi
When I opened my eyes again, it was a cold night.
The White Night created by my father had vanished, and the moon rose once more.
The blade-like chill remained, and I could feel the cold gradually intensifying.
Though it wasn't snowing, the cold qi was growing fierce.
Amidst that uncomfortable sensation, a sound was heard.
"Bi Oegun--!!"
It was the Black Lion's shout.
My gaze turned.
The Black Lion had already set down the Palace Lord he was supporting, and clutching his signature greatsword, he was glaring somewhere.
Following his gaze, I saw Woo Hyuk collapsed on the ground.
It felt like we were just talking a moment ago.
'Did he pass out just like that?'
I was about to ask what was going on, but seeing his state, that would be impossible for now.
'What is this?'
I grabbed my dizzy head and assessed the situation.
The encounter just now couldn't have been an illusion, so I needed to properly check my condition.
'It was definitely Namgung Myeong.'
I'm not sure if he was lying or not, but it's laughable to doubt him now.
It would be right to assume he was the real Namgung Myeong and think accordingly.
Let's gather the information.
I recalled the words Namgung Myeong had said.
-All ghost artifacts will bow their heads before you.
That was the first piece of information.
The reason I can use ghost artifacts with existing masters, including Noea, is because I am a 'Dragon'.
However, I could only forcefully use them; making them obey me like Namgung Myeong said was a different story.
I can use Noea, but making it follow me like Gwijeong would be different.
Because of this, Namgung Myeong said he was certain.
-You are the reincarnation.
Meaning, I am the physical body where Old Man Shin should have been reincarnated.
'What utter nonsense.'
How could that be?
Even hearing it, I don't understand. Even if that was the reason Gwijeong followed me so naturally, it wasn't something I could easily believe.
Only doubts remained.
'Why me of all people?'
I am not a disciple of Huashan, nor of a normal sect, but a bloodline of the Gu Clan.
If someone like me was, of all people, the reincarnation of the Old Man, that was something I couldn't understand.
Huashan's Divine Sword.
And the Number One Sword Under Heaven.
If I was truly the reincarnation of such an outstanding figure who could have accomplished anything.
'Damn it, I should have received something at least.'
Shouldn't I have been born just as outstanding?
Only now have I raised my level by consuming all sorts of fortuitous encounters, but looking only at my past life, I was far from it.
Also, what about the difference from the Old Man's conviction that Namgung Myeong spoke of?
'Live for the world? What a joke.'
Living for myself, maybe. I held the exact opposite conviction.
Even if I was a reincarnation, I didn't resemble him in any important way; was he telling me to naively believe this?
'...Besides, it's weird that the Old Man didn't know.'
Namgung Myeong, who saw me for the first time, recognized me immediately, yet the Old Man, who personally handed me Gwijeong, didn't know? That made no sense.
'In the end, does this mean I have to meet the Old Man and ask him, or ask Namgung Myeong again?'
It was too much to think about alone.
'And what if, even if I really am the Old Man's reincarnation.'
Would that take up such an important part?
I was just a little surprised; nothing really hit home for me.
Anyway, the residual thoughts are separate in my body, and I don't have the memories of living as the Old Man centuries ago, so should I care about that? I wasn't sure.
It's burdensome and cumbersome.
Right now, only those feelings remained.
This was inevitable.
'Either way, I have to do it whether it's true or not.'
The Old Man's business was included in what I had to do anyway, and even if there was a separate reincarnation, I planned to do it.
Given that position, it wouldn't matter whatever it was.
'Rather than that, right now.'
The latter part of what Namgung Myeong said was more important.
-Find Xinjiang.
It was what he said after poking my forehead.
I also knew that at that moment, Namgung Myeong's mental qi had seeped into my body.
'Why tell me to go to Xinjiang?'
Where is Xinjiang?
It's the very edge where you have to go a long way from Henan to the Western Regions.
'It's the region where the Demonic Cult was in my past life.'
It was the place where the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, the religious order created by the Heavenly Demon, had its main base.
It was a location called the Sanctuary by the cultists and considered sacred, and for me, it became a sort of hell.
'Why tell me to go to such a place of all places?'
What on earth was there that made him tell me to head to Xinjiang?
As far as I remember, just like the frontline the Gu Clan was in charge of, I heard it became a ruin when the Demonic Gateway appeared....
'Ah?'
Thinking about it, something comes to mind. Come to think of it, it was true.
'If it's Xinjiang around the time the Demonic Gateway erupted...?'
In my past life, it was where the Demonic Cult was, but when the Old Man and others were active,
'It was also the place where the Blood Cult was.'
Just like the divine cult created by the Heavenly Demon, the place where the religious order created by the Blood Demon existed was also Xinjiang.
'Why didn't I think of this?'
Was it because it was too far in the past?
Thinking about it now, it felt significant.
'Is there something in Xinjiang?'
Why did both the Blood Demon and the Heavenly Demon establish their main bases in Xinjiang of all places?
It felt too unsettling to call it a coincidence.
Was it because Namgung Myeong specifically pointed to Xinjiang and sent me there?
'Whatever it is, I guess I have to go.'
It was a place I thought about visiting someday.
I just hadn't chosen to because I had neither the time nor the justification.
If I pull forward the schedule to overlap with important matters, there wouldn't be a problem.
'I've roughly organized it... Now, the remaining thing is.'
Perhaps the most important last words.
-Beware of Yeon Il-cheon.
"..."
A regressor like me, the former Number One Under Heaven, and the figure who led the transcendents of that era, including the Old Man.
Geumcheon Fist King, Yeon Il-cheon.
Why did Namgung Myeong mention him and warn me to be careful?
'Hadn't this guy already disappeared?'
From my standpoint, I don't have very good feelings for him.
When I faced his residual thoughts in the hidden pavilion of the Divine Dragon Pavilion. If not for the Old Man's help, I would have been killed by Yeon Il-cheon there.
He also had a record of pinpointing and defining me as a disaster.
That I would destroy the world.
That I would thus become a disaster. He definitely concluded so.
'But... strangely enough, it seems to be going exactly as he said.'
If what he said back then was bullshit, that would be one thing. But my body, which was no longer human, and the series of situations unfolding were pushing my back as if to prove I really was a disaster.
In that situation, for Namgung Myeong to tell me to be careful of him...
'Does this mean I'll meet Yeon Il-cheon someday?'
It meant that whether I liked it or not, my relationship with him still remained.
I don't know why Namgung Myeong was so certain, or what his residual thought was doing looking for the North Sea in the first place, but...
'To know that, it means I'll eventually have to meet him again, right?'
It meant that right now I was in a situation where I had to meet Namgung Myeong again and ask him, and perhaps... I thought Namgung Myeong might have intended this situation.
Otherwise.
"He wouldn't have made it so I had no choice but to step out like this."
Stepping forward, I twisted my waist and swiftly swung the tip of my foot.
Kwagagak-!! My foot, wreathed in Gang Qi, collided with the blade of the greatsword, bursting out a shockwave.
The wind pressure mixed with Qi pressure swept the snow on the ground.
"Keuk-!"
The Black Lion, who blocked my kick, let out a groan and slightly distanced himself.
Whoosh-! The heavy greatsword was swung, aiming its tip at me.
"What is the meaning of this?"
The Black Lion was glaring at me with burning eyes. Enduring that gaze, I slightly raised both hands and showed them to him.
"Please calm down?"
"Calm down? Did you just say calm down?"
"Yes, you heard well. Please calm down."
I spoke while reaching my hand out.
As my fist reached the air, a sword gang rushed into that spot.
Kwoong-!! I shattered the sword gang with my fist.
The tips of my fists were numb. It seemed my body wasn't in perfect condition either.
"I said calm down. Seriously..."
Despite my continuous words, the Black Lion emanated fighting spirit and killing intent as if he could absolutely not calm down.
The fighting spirit was directed at me. The killing intent was directed at the guy lying behind me.
Bi Oegun in the North Sea.
To the guy known to me as Woo Hyuk.
"Do you know what you are protecting right now?"
"I know very well."
"Knowing that, you're telling me to calm down?"
"Yes."
The story of Woo Hyuk plotting the North Sea's rebellion had spread everywhere.
I also knew that this guy was actually involved to some extent.
Even if he had his own unknown reasons, that fact didn't change.
'So whether he did or not, I was going to let it slide to some extent.'
Getting beaten up was one thing, but dying was a problem.
The Black Lion looked like he would kill Woo Hyuk right away.
No, he would definitely kill him. That killing intent was real.
That was why I stepped in.
"If this guy dies here, it's troublesome for my side. Please bear with it."
I still had things to ask Namgung Myeong. For that alone, Woo Hyuk couldn't die.
"Bear with it...?"
The problem was that these words seemed to draw the bowstring, as the Black Lion's fighting spirit grew even thicker.
"Do you know what that bastard has done--!!"
A rough Lion's Roar burst out. It was even louder because it was loaded with emotion and internal qi.
"Because of the rebellion, how many warriors died and how many people of the North Sea who got caught up in it died-! Yet, you tell me to calm down when looking at the main culprit who caused this?"
A sobbing tone seeped into his shout. I felt like I knew exactly what emotions the Black Lion harbored.
However.
"Well."
"What...?"
"Do I need to know how many died and how many got caught up in it?"
His emotions didn't reach me.
I know there's a justification and it's a rightful anger.
But.
"You should have done better from the start. Isn't the idiot who thought the regime would be maintained forever under the sacrifice of the bloodline the real problem?"
"You--!!"
The Black Lion, who erupted his fighting spirit to the maximum, bulged his muscles.
So much force was put into his eyes that his blood vessels looked like they would burst.
Even seeing that, I was nonchalant.
I lightly tapped the fallen Woo Hyuk with my foot and continued speaking to the Black Lion.
"I understand this idiot caused trouble. But from the start, the North Sea was a place where it wouldn't be strange if it collapsed at any time."
Probably from the time I met Yuri and heard about the Palace Lord.
And it was something I realized the moment I came to the North Sea and walked around a few times.
"The Palace's military power was managed somewhere other than by the Palace Lord. And seeing it, wealth and everything else were handled elsewhere too, right?"
They said the Palace Lord's permission was needed to move this.
Regardless, the Palace Lord wasn't managing the important things overall, but entrusting them to internal personnel—and not distributed, but solely to a specific family.
I understand.
"They did well. The bloodline had their duties, so they must have let them do it. But."
I understand, but.
"Power shouldn't work like that."
Doing that makes desires inevitably sprout in humans.
"Humans are mostly like that originally. When they handle big things, they're bound to get greedy."
How many years did they say they were in charge of the military power?
I heard it's been managed by the Blue Wolf or whatever for over a hundred years now.
A single family is in charge of not just their family's military power, but most of the Palace's?
And the Palace Lord lets this slide?
'They could think of that as recognition and heighten their loyalty.'
Seeing the situation that had unfolded, that clearly wasn't the case no matter how I looked at it.
"They left it alone until it became a mess like this, so the problem blew up."
Even if they started a rebellion, what about those who joined in?
They had been holding back because there was a restraint preventing them from betraying the Palace Lord, but once they gained confidence they could, didn't they immediately latch on?
They had implicitly hoped for it. That's why they gathered so quickly.
"Seeing this, the Palace Lord is also somewhat responsible..."
"How dare you-!"
Unable to contain his anger, the Black Lion grabbed his greatsword and leaped into the air.
As the blade grazed the air, it left a trace like ripples forming.
High-level internal energy.
"Tsk."
I clicked my tongue as I watched the Black Lion flying in.
'It's not like I said anything wrong.'
I was so appalled when I heard that most of the military power was handled by a single family.
'If it's like that, it's no wonder a rebellion could break out at any time.'
As long as the Ice Palace's bloodline existed, it was maintained because they couldn't withstand the North Sea's cold wave without them.
But when a means to replace them appeared, it immediately turned out like this, didn't it?
Hwiiiik--!!
I dodged the greatsword and thought.
Why was the rebellion successful?
'It's because they didn't lay the groundwork from early on, duh.'
There are many reasons. But the most fundamental reason was that the Palace Lord didn't have the capacity to manage this.
'Because they were busy.'
They had to withstand the cold wave and manage the Ice Formation.
It was just a title of Palace Lord; it was likely only good in name.
Doing all that while also handling politics and managing public sentiment? They would truly have to be called a transcendent.
'Reality isn't ideals and romance.'
If you can't, you get torn apart. This was reality.
That's why it was amazing.
'How is it still maintained until now?'
In that situation, it would make sense to take some vicious measure like locking the bloodline in a dungeon and only using them to block the cold wave. The fact that the Palace was still maintained was somewhat miraculous.
'Not that I would have definitely done that.'
Humans have a conscience; how could they lock someone up and suck the life out of them?
That was the kind of thing power-crazed lunatics would do.
'Ah, am I not human anymore either?'
Anyway.
It meant the Ice Palace was that precarious.
In such cases, there were a few methods to secure a firm position.
If there was the easiest method among them, the Heavenly Demon could be cited as an example.
She had no interest in power or politics.
Even while running numerous cultists and several legions, there was no betrayal; there were only demonic practitioners who died for her.
Then, how was that possible? The reason was simple.
'Because she was too strong.'
It was also because the demonic qi made it impossible to betray the Heavenly Demon, but even without that, the Heavenly Demon was strong enough that one dared not disobey.
That was all.
Being so strong that no one can betray you.
Otherwise, it's an unmanageable act.
There could be talk of a wise ruler or whatever, but those are words I cannot understand.
Of course... even considering this and that.
'The one who started the rebellion is at fault.'
No matter how poor the security was, the thief who ultimately stole is the one in the wrong.
This was a natural principle, but it was just something I couldn't bring up now.
Kung-!! Kung-!
While blocking attacks and continuing the offense and defense.
The Black Lion, who infused Gang Qi into his greatsword, spoke to me.
"If you say you'll protect Bi Oegun, I will cut you down too."
I could see killing intent mixing into the fighting spirit directed at me.
Seeing that, I widened my eyes.
'He's finally mixing it in.'
I was surprised it was somewhat late.
The Black Lion hadn't shown killing intent to me until the end, but after spitting out a warning, he was now displaying it.
He was truly an inflexible person.
'Is that why he never betrayed them until the end?'
He was one of the few good people.
I had such a thought, but hiding my feelings, I said to the Black Lion with a smirk.
"If you try, you can, right?"
"Even if I can't, I cannot back down. Therefore, I will do it."
"...Hmm."
It seemed like a pretty good answer in many ways.
'Pass.'
Hearing the answer, I nodded inwardly.
With a satisfactory answer, I could finalize what I was pondering.
'I shouldn't kill him.'
Originally, I intended to kill him because he was being annoying, but leaving a person of his caliber alone seemed a bit better.
I lowered my stance slightly. At the same time, I raised my qi.
As the qi took form and became visible, vigilance seeped into the Black Lion's body.
Now.
"Gasp-! Over there! There's something there!"
With an urgent expression, I raised my upper body and pointed somewhere.
Seeing that, the Black Lion's thick eyebrows furrowed.
"What are you doing now? Do you think I'd fall for such a cheap trick...!"
In the unfolding situation, the Black Lion gasped.
It didn't matter if it didn't work anyway.
What was important was to disrupt his concentration even for a moment.
My body was already right in front of the Black Lion.
At the unexpected speed, the Black Lion reacted too late.
Yes, too late. When the Black Lion reacted to this.
Tuk-!
"Keuk!?"
My fist had already slammed into the Black Lion's jaw.
Having taken it head-on, the Black Lion immediately lost consciousness.
Kung-! The large body collapsed onto the snowy field.
Seeing that, I let out a slight sigh.
"That was close."
If I had been a little later, the surprise attack would have failed.
It was partly because my realm had risen, but it was also thanks to the Black Lion, a Transformation Realm martial artist, being exhausted from fighting the demonic beast.
While I was catching my breath and calming down for a moment.
"It seems it's all over."
Paeejon and Seong Yul, who had been watching from afar, approached me.
Seeing them, I had to make an expression of disbelief.
"Didn't you appear a bit too late? I knew you were watching. You could have helped."
"Why intervene in someone else's fight? There is nothing as fun as watching that."
Paeejon laughed heartily.
"And. You wouldn't have wanted me to intervene either."
"...Tch."
He was right.
It was something I could handle alone. And because I thought it was something I had to do alone, I wouldn't have been too happy if Paeejon had intervened.
Sabaak.
I slowly passed the Black Lion and stepped forward.
It was where the Palace Lord was.
"Are you going to kill them?"
Seeing that, Paeejon asked.
Hearing the question, I had to let out an empty sigh.
"What a terrifying thing to say. Who am I killing?"
For a man who is one of the Three Venerables of the Righteous Faction to spout such words so casually... He was absolutely ruthless.
'The funny part is that it's hard to deny it in the meantime.'
To be honest, I originally intended to kill.
To be exact, it was more like I didn't care whether they lived or died. And since the Palace Lord dying was an advantage to me, I just leaned towards the former.
Only if the Palace Lord died would it be easy to escape the North Sea, which would become somewhat of a mess.
I could just take Woo Hyuk and run in that chaos.
'The situation got a bit twisted.'
Because of what Namgung Myeong had said, I couldn't do that anymore.
This was also the reason I knocked the Black Lion out.
I didn't have the leisure to explain everything annoyingly. It was easier to just knock him out.
In the meantime, I felt a gaze from behind.
It would be Paeejon and Seong Yul.
Paeejon said nothing more and watched me with interest.
He must be curious about what I was going to do.
'Honestly, I wish that old man wasn't watching either.'
But it's not like he'd stop watching just because I told him not to.
I figured it was about time I could show this much to Paeejon.
I approached the Palace Lord, lowered my posture, and reached out my hand.
As my hand touched their chest, I felt their breath.
Shallow. The breathing was so frail it seemed like it would cut off at any moment.
If left like this, their breath would stop before long.
Pasasak-! A strange sensation was felt from the body.
It felt like something was freezing.
I wondered what it was, but before long, I noticed.
'...The internal qi is freezing.'
Perhaps because the weakened body was the problem, the Palace Lord's qi was freezing incredibly fast.
How was I supposed to save them from this?
When I saw it from afar, I thought it might be something I could handle. But touching it directly, it was on a different level from Murong Hui-a's cold qi.
Melt this with heat? Was that really possible?
'My body isn't in great condition right now either.'
My body condition was also a problem. That made me hesitate for a moment, but recalling Namgung Myeong's words, I changed my mind.
'Telling me to save them and then come find Xinjiang later meant that I could do it now.'
Even if not, it meant there was a way I could do it, somehow.
I nodded slightly and sent heat to the Palace Lord.
Hwaaaaah....
The heat formed in my heart surged and flowed through my hand into the Palace Lord's body. Up to this point, there was no problem.
The heat calmly infiltrated the Palace Lord's body, and fortunately, I could feel the cold qi melting to some extent.
The problem was.
'It's slow?'
The speed at which the heat spread was noticeably slow.
It was far too slow compared to the speed at which the cold qi was freezing the qi.
It was barely at the level of preventing it from freezing. Was it already too late to do anything?
Still, just in case, I tried to inject more heat, but...
Jjeojeok-!!
"...!"
Instantly, cold qi flowed in from the Palace Lord's body.
At the cold and chilling energy, I tried to pull my hand out right away, but...
Heoeoeoeo--!!
As soon as the cold qi rushed into my body, the Demonic Path Heavenly Absorption Art activated and began to swallow the cold qi toward itself.
Ujeok-! Ujeok-!
The Demonic Path Heavenly Absorption Art greedily devoured the qi and began to fill its stomach.
Seeing this, I could realize.
'This bastard was sucking it up.'
The cold qi didn't suddenly infiltrate my body; the Demonic Path Heavenly Absorption Art had activated on its own to eat the cold qi.
Thanks to that, a cold energy gradually began to accumulate in a corner of my heart, and like it did with the demonic qi, the Nine Flames Wheel Art began to purify the cold qi little by little.
'Hmm.'
Feeling the energy increase in my heart, I had to make an awkward expression.
'Should I call this a fortuitous encounter too?'
My internal qi capacity was already vast, but if I devoured all the energy I was feeling now, I could probably add about two Hal.
Saying two Hal made it sound small, but it was an immense amount.
By my standards, two Hal was equivalent to the internal qi capacity of a normal Peak martial artist.
'Fortunately, it seems this cold qi can be dealt with this way.'
I wondered if this would work, but since I could do it even this way, wouldn't it be a success?
Besides, gaining internal qi while I was at it made me think it was quite a harvest, but... Saaaaaaaah--!
'Hmm?'
Suddenly, an anomaly was felt.
Kuaaaaaa---!!!
A strange sound came from the sky.
I couldn't lift my head.
Thus, the moment I tried to focus on forcefully absorbing the cold qi.
Kuwoooooong--!!!
"...!!!"
An enormous qi poured down on me from the air.
"...Keuk...!"
Under the tremendous pressure, I couldn't even scream and barely gathered my senses.
'What the hell is this, crazy.'
I couldn't move.
It was a situation where I couldn't even let out a scream.
Since qi was moving back and forth, if I made a mistake, I would suffer Qi Deviation. In a word, I had to endure it.
"You--!!"
"Young Master---!"
The shouts of Paeejon and Seong Yul were faintly heard.
And then, I recalled regarding this.
What was this qi right now?
It was hard to think of it as a sudden situation, but somehow I could know instinctively.
This was the cold qi that had spread across the North Sea.
The vicious cold qi that the Ice Formation created and the bloodline was blocking.
That which was finally released as the Ice Formation shattered.
The moment I touched the Palace Lord's cold qi, it gathered at a single point and poured down on me.