Chapter 012: Martial God
"Are you saying you're going to go down here with just your bare body right now?"
Eun Bin seemed to be barely holding back from asking if I was crazy.
"Yeah, I plan to go down."
"It's a cliff. Are you planning to die just to find the Martial God's legacy, which might not even be down there?!"
I looked at Eun Bin with a fascinated gaze.
Because the Eun Bin I knew wasn't this short-tempered.
"Are you worried that if I die, the Young Palace Head will die too?"
"That is..."
"It's fine, I won't die."
I pressed my feet against the cliff.
Then I infused qi into my Bubbling Spring acupoint.
'Inner Qi is Mana.'
That meant it was possible to change the properties of qi just like mana.
Chwa-ap!
The qi shot out through the Bubbling Spring acupoint stuck to the cliff.
I tried to pull my foot off with force, but it didn't budge.
'Perfect.'
Although I hadn't learned the Wall Lizard Art, changing the properties of my qi allowed me to perform a martial art similar to it.
"Kyaaak! Young Master!"
Wi Ji-yeong screamed as she saw me throw my body down the cliff.
"My ears hurt."
"...Young Master?"
Chwa-ap.
I was standing with my feet on the cliff and my body straightened out, looking at Wi Ji-yeong, Baek Mu-yong, and Eun Bin.
"I'll be back."
Eun Bin muttered as he watched me leisurely descend the cliff.
"Using Wall Lizard Art so naturally?"
"Young Master! You must come back safely!"
Listening to Wi Ji-yeong's voice, I smiled with satisfaction.
It was because I could feel it more clearly the further I descended the cliff.
-...Child.
A sound like someone desperately calling me could be heard.
A sound that could only be heard by me, who had already experienced multiple lives.
-Child.
I'm coming, I'm coming.
I didn't know he would be looking for someone this anxiously.
Well.
'Since his descendants haven't looked for him even once, it's understandable he's anxious.'
But if he wanted to be found, he shouldn't have left his legacy in a place like this.
As I went further down the cliff, a cold wind began to blow.
Hwaruruk-
Amidst the blowing frost, I conjured a flame.
"Your words and actions are different."
No wonder no one could find it.
The further down I went, the clearer it became where I had to go.
When I reached the middle of the cliff.
Tststs-
The Extreme Yin Qi I had received from Seol Ye-rin reacted.
'There is something here?'
I knew there was something like a formation, but I couldn't figure out how to break through it.
At that moment.
Woo-woong-
This time, Extreme Yang Qi was emitted through my Bubbling Spring acupoint.
Then.
Chiii-ik-
The cliff began to melt.
Then, a cave began to appear.
"Did the Extreme Yang Qi melt the formation surrounded by Extreme Yin Qi?"
This was why it hadn't been discovered.
Even if one possessed Extreme Yin Qi.
If they couldn't break through the formation, they wouldn't have been able to discover this place.
Ta-ak.
Upon arriving at the cave.
I could see the frozen cave shining brightly.
I had a strong feeling that the Martial God's legacy was here.
"Is anyone there?"
The voice that had called out to me stopped abruptly.
As I approached the entrance to enter the cave.
[No Entry]
A sign stating that entry was forbidden was written there.
Smirk.
A smile formed on my lips without me realizing it.
Isn't it human nature to want to do something more when told not to?
In my past life, I had entered many restricted areas for the sake of research.
And,
"I always came out having made everything inside mine."
Here would be the same.
Flames began to soar from my entire body.
The fire started to melt the ice.
Drip.
The ice wall where "No Entry" was written melted down completely.
Hwa-aak!
An immense energy burst out from the cave.
"Even if they found this cave, it seems they couldn't have entered if they couldn't melt that wall just now."
I carefully entered the cave.
There were a total of four Martial Gods of the North Sea.
It was because I hadn't yet figured out which one's tomb this was.
-...Child.
Just then, the sorrowful voice began to be heard again.
"Were you annoyed because you wanted to come out but no one came?"
Hwaruruk!
I conjured fire to illuminate the surroundings.
Then.
-We finally met.
Light flashed from an ice statue located near what seemed to be the center of the cave.
"Are you the Martial God?"
-Tsk tsk, it seems about three hundred years have passed, are they revering me as a Martial God outside?
The ghost revealed its form.
The figure of an old man with fluttering white hair was visible.
"Yes, that is correct. I am Hyeokryeon Yeom. I am curious about the Martial God's name."
-Baek Un-han.
"Snow Wind Sword Venerable!"
-Tsk tsk, to think there is still someone who remembers me. I am grateful.
Perhaps satisfied with my reaction, the Martial God from three hundred years ago, Snow Wind Sword Venerable Baek Un-han, smiled.
"The North Sea Ice Palace's live-in son-in-law, Hyeokryeon Yeom, offers his greetings."
-Live-in son-in-law?
Baek Un-han's expression stiffened rapidly.
-To think someone who isn't a direct descendant heard my voice and came here. How can that be!
Baek Un-han quickly began to circle around me.
Baek Un-han, who was examining here and there as if taking my pulse, spoke.
-Ho-oh. Where did you get this Extreme Yin Qi?
It seemed Baek Un-han had detected the very small amount of yin qi circulating through my body.
"It is the yin qi of the person who will be my spouse."
-To handle an Extreme Yang Body, ordinary yin qi wouldn't suffice... Don't tell me, was she born with the Nine Yin Severed Meridians?
With just a few pieces of information, Baek Un-han quickly deduced Seol Ye-rin's situation.
I explained to Baek Un-han how I came to the Ice Palace and why I possessed Extreme Yin Qi despite having an Extreme Yang Body.
-To accept a bastard from the Demonic Cult as a live-in son-in-law, my descendant must be crazy too.
"Didn't I tell you earlier? I'm a guy from the Demonic Cult, but now I'm a guy from the Ice Palace."
I slowly approached the ice statue.
Inside the ice statue, a frozen skeleton existed.
"By the way, how did the Martial God end up in this state?"
I was curious why he ended up like this without being able to pass down his martial arts and legacy to his descendants at all.
-Tsk tsk, it is because of the Ice Crystal.
"If it's because of the Ice Crystal..."
-Well, if you want to hear my story, prove that you are from the Ice Palace.
"Proof, how should I prove it?"
-Let's make a pact. Then I will hand over my legacy, including the reason I became like this.
"What is it?"
-Revenge.
At the word revenge, I asked with a puzzled expression.
"Does the Martial God of the North Sea still have a target for revenge left?"
-Yes.
"Who is it?"
-The Demonic Cult.
At the Sword Venerable's single word, the corners of my eyes began to tremble slightly.
***
"Cult Leader. I have a question."
"What is it, Strategist?"
"Why was it the Ice Palace?"
There was the Potala Palace in the West, the Poison Palace in the South and the Great Thunder Temple in India.
He was asking why he sent Hyeokryeon Yeom to the North Sea Ice Palace.
"Why, you ask. Shouldn't I send him to the strongest place in the Outer Region Murim so that Yeom becomes stronger too?"
"So you thought the Ice Palace was the strongest among the Outer Region Murim."
"Why? Does the Strategist think otherwise?"
The Strategist, Sa Ma-ui, shook his head.
It was recorded in the archives as well.
The past patriarchs had always spoken of the Martial Gods of the Ice Palace as their most formidable enemies.
"I do not think otherwise. I asked to see if you were also aware of the stories about the Martial Gods of the North Sea."
"Ah, of course I know."
"Ah, that's right. The past Cult Leaders visited the Outer Region Murim whenever there was a Cult Leader inauguration ceremony, didn't they?"
"Correct, quite some time has passed already. But the Ice Palace Head felt very lacking to be called a Martial God."
Sa Ma-ui nodded.
"The archives state that the Martial Gods of the North Sea appear once every hundred years. Since the last Martial God appeared about eighty years ago, there is a high probability that a Martial God will appear right about this time."
"If Yeom cures the Young Palace Head, there is a high probability that the next Martial God of the North Sea will be the Young Palace Head of the Ice Palace."
The Cult Leader, Hyeokryeon Hwi, spoke decisively.
"Is that so? Then the Third Young Master might live under her thumb."
"You think so?"
"It seems key will be what kind of relationship he forms with the Ice Palace Head. The archives contain information that the past Cult Leaders completely smashed the Martial Gods of the North Sea, will that be alright?"
The question was raised whether the two families could become in-laws.
"That happened a hundred years ago. Surely, they wouldn't be that petty?"
***
-It is something I have dreamed of for three hundred years!
The Snow Wind Sword Venerable was a Martial God who held a grudge for a very long time.
"Revenge. Are you saying it was a past Cult Leader who made you like this?"
Flinch.
At my question, Baek Un-han made a troubled expression.
'Probably not.'
Among the past Cult Leaders of the Demonic Cult, there was no Cult Leader who used Ice Arts.
Maybe Fire Arts.
Becoming an ice statue in a cave where no one lived clearly had a different cause.
-Ahem, this is indeed because of the Ice Crystal.
"The Ice Crystal... you say?"
-Yes. Future descendants might not know, but the Ice Crystal makes its power go rampant every hundred years. While trying to handle the Ice Crystal's power...
Wait.
"If the cycle of the Ice Crystal exploding is one hundred years..."
There were four Martial Gods in history.
The fact that stories of the Martial God from a hundred years ago are circulating means that a hundred years have passed from the current point in time.
'It feels like there's one more reason for Seol Ye-rin to die besides the Extreme Yin Body.'
"Is there no way to stop it?"
-Unfortunately, I didn't have one, but you do.
"What is it?"
-Extreme Yang Body. Your constitution.
As I raised the flames, the ice statue began to melt.
"Then I should try my best."
Drip.
When the ice of the ice statue melted completely, the figure of the skeletonized Snow Wind Sword Venerable, Baek Un-han, was revealed.
-Tsk tsk, seeing that you found me like this, it seems it's already time for the Ice Crystal to start going rampant again.
"I need your help, Elder."
-Make the pact. Can you achieve my revenge?
"Of course."
I planned to take revenge on Hyeokryeon Geuk anyway.
To do that, I intended to build my strength in the North Sea.
The Snow Wind Sword Venerable looked into my eyes.
-You are sincere. Good. I don't know how much of my legacy you, with your Extreme Yang Qi, can accept, but try learning it!
Flash!
The Snow Wind Sword Venerable's skeleton spewed out blue light.
Hwa-aak-
"This place is..."
An endlessly stretching snowy field.
Even though I emitted Yang Qi, the snow did not melt.
"You are keeping your mind clear. Impressive child."
When did he appear?
The white-haired old man on the snowy field, Snow Wind Sword Venerable Baek Un-han, was holding a sword.
"Did you create a mental world?"
"You know of such things?"
"I created them a lot in the past."
Meditation was one of the things I did a lot in my immediate past life.
Since I couldn't use magic, training within the mental image drawn out by meditation was a necessary condition for survival.
This was similar to the image training I did in my first life.
However.
'The only difference is that this feels more realistic.'
Snow Wind Sword Venerable Baek Un-han smiled.
"Then I can transmit it more quickly."
"Transmit what?"
"Didn't you say you wanted my legacy?"
Seureureuk.
Baek Un-han's sword rose, drawing an afterimage.
The pure white sword flux blooming from the sword spewed out immense cold.
Then.
The wind began to blow.
"I will let you know why this old man was called the Snow Wind Sword Venerable."
Chiii-ik-
If my body hadn't been wrapped in Extreme Yang Qi, I would have frozen long ago.
"I would be very happy if you could teach me the sword arts of the North Sea."
I had to weigh whether that sword was truly stronger than the martial arts I had learned.
Hwaruruk-
Flames began to soar from my sword as well.
"Flames, truly like a bastard from the Demonic Cult. But you won't be able to keep up with this old man's experience."
A fierce wind rushed towards me.
Baek Un-han opened his mouth.
-This sword form is called Snow Wind."
Not only the cold wind of the north, but all the wind and cold air circling the surroundings were swirling into Baek Un-han's sword.
-Martial artists called this Perishing Snow. Come.
The legacy left by the Snow Wind Sword Venerable.
Three hundred years ago.
Baek Un-han's unique sword method, revered as the Martial God.
I rushed towards the Snow Wind Sword.