Chapter 27: Ice Soul Spear Saint
Ice Crystal.
A sacred item of the North Sea Ice Palace, and from what I heard from the North Sea Martial Gods, a monster that goes berserk every hundred years.
‘But what happens if the Ice Crystal goes berserk?’
At my question, the Sword Venerable and Demon Queen answered.
-Why do you think a Martial God was born every hundred years?
‘Is it related to the Ice Crystal's rampage?’
-Those who stopped the Ice Crystal's rampage became Martial Gods, and those who failed died.
I felt goosebumps at the Demon Queen's answer.
It must be the influence of the Extreme Yin Qi emitting from the Ice Crystal.
‘Then if the Ice Crystal goes berserk this time.’
It meant there had to be someone to handle it.
‘Is there a condition for the Ice Crystal to go berserk?’
-It is Extreme Yin Qi. You can consider it bursting because the Extreme Yin Qi accumulated by the Ice Crystal for a hundred years can no longer be contained.
I glanced behind me while approaching the brilliantly shining Ice Crystal.
North Sea Ice Palace Lord, Seol Baek-ho or the Young Palace Head, Seol Ye-rin.
Since they are the only two who get close to the Ice Crystal, one of them must have endured the Ice Crystal's rampage in the past.
And.
‘Considering I haven't heard any stories about the Young Palace Head...’
The probability was high that the one who took on the Ice Crystal's rampage was the Young Palace Head, Seol Ye-rin.
“I can't let that happen this time either.”
Seol Ye-rin is the link connecting me and the Ice Palace.
If Seol Ye-rin dies, I can no longer coil myself within the Ice Palace.
Therefore,
Sizzle-
Steam rises.
As I got closer to the Ice Crystal, the Extreme Yin Qi emitted by the Ice Crystal and the Extreme Yang Qi began to clash.
‘I can't... absorb it.’
It possessed a chill on a different level from the Extreme Yin Qi that Seol Ye-rin carried in her body.
Crackle-
It was to the point that frost formed on the Yang Qi I was emitting.
“How long do you think is left until the rampage?”
The Sword Venerable and Demon Queen, who became Martial Gods, were both people who had experienced the Ice Crystal's rampage.
-Hmm, it is hard to see it as a rampage yet at this level.
-I agree. I don't think the Extreme Yin Qi held by the Ice Crystal is full. It seems to be scattering Extreme Yin Qi in reaction to the Yang Qi.
-But you see. It is strange. This is not the reaction of the Ice Crystal I knew... So-ryeong, how does it look to you?
-It looks strangely different to me as well... To call it a rampage, or to call it the appearance of the Ice Crystal I've seen so far. But considering the cycle, it is indeed time for it to go berserk. Perhaps it is an appearance we haven't seen.
Just as I was about to get a little closer to the Ice Crystal watching the Sword Venerable and Demon Queen tilt their heads at each other,
“I recommend you do not get any closer.”
Before I knew it, my Father-in-law was standing behind me.
“Why is that?”
“Isn't it a sufficient distance to observe the possibility of a rampage? What did the Elder Sword Venerable say?”
“He says it is okay for now, but.”
I was bothered by the puzzled reactions of the Sword Venerable and Demon Queen.
But if the possibility of a rampage seemed clear,
‘It is right to deal with it before that.’
If it goes berserk because it is full of Extreme Yin Qi and the Ice Crystal cannot absorb any more Extreme Yin Qi.
‘If I extract the Extreme Yin Qi held by the Ice Crystal in advance, the rampage will not happen.’
Surely, the method must be here somewhere.
My eyes began to turn red.
No matter how much water you pour into a bottomless jar, it does not fill up.
Just like that.
If I can make the bottom fall out of the Ice Crystal as well.
‘Phenomena like a rampage will no longer occur.’
The problem was whether I could make a hole in that hard-looking Ice Crystal.
Furthermore,
I had to get permission to damage the Ice Crystal from my Father-in-law, who was watching keenly from behind.
‘Groan.’
It was difficult.
-Hoho, to think there would be someone thinking of injecting Yang Qi into the Ice Crystal.
-Hmm, I think it is a good method?
-Do you think melting the Ice Crystal is possible?
It is said that the Ice Crystal has existed since the Ice Palace was founded.
The Sword Venerable said that melting such an Ice Crystal would be difficult even if the dead first North Sea Martial God, Ice Emperor Seol Cheon-u, returned.
“Well, I will know once I try.”
Shing-
As I drew my sword.
“What are you doing?”
My Father-in-law's questioning voice came from behind.
“I apologize, Father-in-law.”
Whether it was a sacred item or whatever, the best plan was to deal with any potentially dangerous elements as much as possible.
Fire Art Sword-
“-Flame Butterfly.”
Flutter-
A butterfly flapping its wings while raising flames flew towards the Ice Crystal.
***
Seol Baek-ho stared at me with a dumbfounded expression.
‘Is the scene I am seeing right now reality?’
He truly did not expect me to wield a sword against the Ice Crystal.
He was so dumbfounded that he could not even stop me.
Naturally, I, Hyeokryeon Yeom's sword did not touch the Ice Crystal.
Crackle-
The sight of the flying butterfly freezing and falling was spectacular.
“Stop it. In a space of Extreme Yin, anything will freeze.”
“You mean it is Absolute Zero.”
“Absolute Zero?”
“There is such a thing.”
Hyeokryeon Yeom did not look like he had given up.
Blaze!
Rather, he seemed to burn his fighting spirit even more.
“Let's see who wins.”
Tremendous heat poured out from Hyeokryeon Yeom.
“This is... Extreme Yang Body.”
Hyeokryeon Yeom spewing out Extreme Yang Qi was worlds apart from the appearance Seol Baek-ho had seen until now.
“Flame Wind-”
‘That is...’
It is the sword of the Ice Palace, the Snow Wind Sword.
It is definitely the Snow Wind Sword.
The energy emitted from the sword is not Extreme Yin Qi but Extreme Yang Qi.
Flames swirled and stretched out towards the Ice Crystal.
Sizzle-
Tremendous steam is generated.
Seol Baek-ho, seeing the collision of Extreme Yin and Extreme Yang for the first time, could realize why I , who was merely at the Weak Crown age, could go around beating up the martial artists of the Ice Palace.
‘Was spreading the rumor that he is a scoundrel all planned?’
A guy possessing such martial arts could not possibly be unfaithful.
Even if I possessed a constitutional characteristic.
‘He is dodging all the Ice Crystal's attacks, shot into the space where it meets the Yang Qi.’
It is a tremendous dynamic vision.
Dynamic vision cannot be developed without continuous training.
It was clear that he had gone through harsh training since childhood.
‘Furthermore.’
Although little by little, the distance to the Ice Crystal was decreasing.
The will to reduce the distance no matter what.
That will is also not cultivated overnight.
It is an enthusiasm only possible if one possesses the will to constantly and passionately dig into something.
‘As Su-hyeok said.’
A lucky charm rolled in the vine and all.
However.
“No matter how much of a lucky charm he is...”
As the Lord of the Ice Palace, he could not allow damaging the Ice Crystal.
Just as he was about to use his hand to pull me away,
Sizzle-
Flames rose around my body.
‘Samadhi Divine Fire?’
The range is too wide for that.
Furthermore.
“The color... is changing?”
“To melt Absolute Zero, I just have to raise the temperature to the melting point.”
The orange flames began to turn pure white.
The moment Seol Baek-ho covered his eyes at the sight of the White Heat Flame rising,
Flash!
Light began to burst out from the Ice Crystal.
“That is...”
A light he had never seen before burst out from the Ice Crystal.
***
“...Where is this?”
When I opened my eyes, it was a strange space.
-Keulkeul, I really didn't expect him to have hidden it in the Ice Crystal.
-I wondered if there would be another madman who would attack the Ice Crystal like Hyeokryeon Yeom, but it seems the gamble succeeded.
The Sword Venerable and Demon Queen appeared.
“What do you mean by that?”
-I mean you were lucky.
I, who did not understand the two Martial Gods' story at all, looked around.
A pure white space.
It looked like a space filled with snow.
At least, it is a space that does not exist in my past memories.
Then,
“Come out.”
It means it is a space artificially created by someone other than me.
“You are a child with very excellent mental strength.”
“Is that so?”
It was a man holding a spear.
An appearance completely different from the current Ice Palace Lord, Seol Baek-ho.
A man with pale skin, tall stature, and impressive white hair appeared in front of me.
I could notice who he was.
The Martial God from a hundred years ago, Ice Soul Spear Saint Seol Yeong-jin.
The one I met third among the North Sea's Four Martial Gods, and the one who held the title of Martial God most recently.
“You put your soul in the Ice Crystal.”
“Correct. Because I hoped that someone like me would not appear in the next generation.”
The Spear Saint looked me up and down.
“But I never imagined that someone who is not an Ice Palace person would wake me up.”
“Was it a bit hot?”
“It was burning.”
-Nice to meet you, I am the Sword Venerable.
-It's the Demon Queen, descendant.
The Spear Saint tilted his head at the sight of the two Martial Gods snooping around next to me.
“Are you perhaps the Elder Snow Wind Sword Venerable and Cold Snow Demon Queen...?”
-Correct.
-I didn't know I would meet a descendant with a whopping two hundred years difference.
“The current generation has a three hundred year difference with Elder Sword Venerable.”
-Keulkeul, it means I don't even qualify to be treated as a senior.
In fact, looking at the lineage of Martial Gods, it is true that the Sword Venerable has the highest seniority for now.
The problem is that such things are not very important here right now.
“If Spear Saint putting your soul into the Ice Crystal was for the next generation, then naturally you called me here to give me help, right?”
This space right now could be said to be the space where Ice Soul Spear Saint Seol Yeong-jin put his soul.
The Ice Soul Spear Saint stroked his spear at my question.
Something, an ominous feeling began to arise.
-Keulkeul, stop it. That guy is here for a different reason. I know now that I'm here. There was a problem with the Ice Crystal, right?
“It is difficult to say right now. Elder Sword Venerable.”
The Ice Soul Spear Saint said while casting a wary gaze at me at the Sword Venerable's words.
“You. You are not an Ice Palace person.”
-Look at that guy's eyes. It is a look that shows he doesn't like that Yeom is not an Ice Palace person.
At the Ice Soul Spear Saint's words, I clasped my hands and said.
“Thinking about the surname, you are a distant ancestor of the person who will become my Father-in-law.”
“Father-in-law?”
“The person who uses the characters Seol, Baek, and Ho is the current Ice Palace Lord.”
“What about you?”
“I am Hyeokryeon Yeom, engaged to the Ice Palace Lord's daughter, the Young Palace Head.”
Twitch.
The moment I revealed my name.
The Ice Soul Spear Saint's brow twitched.
I had seen that twitching of the brow through my Father-in-law.
‘What did he not like?’
I only revealed my name.
‘Name?’
The thing one can associate as soon as they hear the name Hyeokryeon Yeom.
‘Damn it!’
The Hyeokryeon surname.
It is the surname of the family that produced the Heavenly Demon of the time.
And I know that the Hyeokryeon Clan has been ruling the Demonic Cult for over a hundred years.
In other words.
The North Sea Martial God from a hundred years ago, the Ice Soul Spear Saint, and the ancestor who possessed the surname Hyeokryeon, the Heavenly Demon of the Demonic Cult, must have met.
And,
‘Didn't they say the Ice Palace and the Demonic Cult have been enemies since ancient times?’
“You were a Demonic Cult bastard.”
Ice Soul Spear Saint, Seol Yeong-jin raised his spear with an expressionless face.
“I am a live-in son-in-law. I mean I am a person who will become an Ice Palace person!”
“It seems the descendant made a wrong choice. How did he think of bringing in a Demonic Cult follower as a live-in son-in-law? Ice Crystal or whatever, I will have to deal with you myself.”
Whirrr!
The spear began to spin.
The snow piled up around fluttered and a tremendous snow wind began to blow.
I truly didn't expect this.
Since I was with the Sword Venerable and Demon Queen, I thought I could easily obtain the legacies of other North Sea Martial Gods as well.
I realized once again that such things are not important.
In the end.
‘It means I have to get on the Ice Soul Spear Saint's good side.’
I raised my sword at the fact that surviving in the North Sea is truly damn hard.
I couldn't just stand there dazed and get hit.
“It won't be easy, Spear Saint.”
Because I also decided to survive with all my might in this life.
Ice Soul Spear Saint, Seol Yeong-jin's spear flew towards me.