Chapter 28 : Ferreting Out
Clang!
Sword and spear clashed.
I, Hyeokryeon Yeom gave it my all from the beginning.
This place is the Mental World.
It is certain that my real body is stopped in front of the Ice Crystal.
Therefore, I thought I had to settle things quickly with the Ice Soul Spear Saint, Seol Yeong-jin.
“Demonic Cult follower...”
“Didn't I tell you... you have to listen to people until the end!”
Blaze!
Flames soar.
The time I met my death at the hands of Hyeokryeon Geuk began to come to mind.
-I have no intention of keeping my competitor alive.
-Don't you know that I... cannot be your competitor, Hyung-nim?
-Curse that you inherited the blood of the Heavenly Demon.
I cursed it.
Having experienced a modern life.
Having lived as a scoundrel in the Murim.
Even in the third life after that, although I couldn't use magic, I struggled to live somehow.
‘It is to land a blow on the guys who made me like this.’
I came back to achieve that.
“...Merely.”
For a ghost.
“Whether I am from the Demonic Cult or the Ice Palace.”
The place I wanted to make my home right now was the North Sea Ice Palace.
“Flame Wind.”
Blaze!
I countered the spear strike with a storm of soaring flames.
Sizzle-
With the hand holding the sword, the Snow Wind Sword Venerable's Extreme Snow.
With the hand not holding the sword.
Crackle!
I raised the Cold Snow Demon Queen's Cold Snow Secret Realm.
Handling Extreme Yang and Extreme Yin in one body is a very difficult task.
“A hundred years ago. I know there was a Martial God famous for his spear in the Ice Palace.”
I also know from stories passed down to descendants that Martial God was utterly crushed by the Heavenly Demon two generations ago, who was the Cult Leader of Our Cult.
The Heavenly Demon shattered the Ice Soul Spear that freezes souls.
How did he break it?
‘I don't know that either.’
Boom!
However, one thing is certain.
If I cannot do what the Heavenly Demon Founder did, he will end up dying to Hyeokryeon Geuk again.
‘Fuck it, yeah.’
Starting from Seol Ye-rin, I don't know how many times I've already fought against ice.
And the one who always won in every duel was me.
“Ice Crystal or whatever, I am also one of the people who wants to protect the North Sea Ice Palace!”
Blaze!
The Extreme Yang Qi reacted to Hyeokryeon Yeom's shout.
Extreme Yang Qi rising fiercely according to angry emotions.
The danger of Extreme Yang Qi lies in ‘emotions’.
The more angry one gets, the more one reveals ‘emotions’, the Yang Hard Art eats that will and flows while burning itself.
‘Ugh.’
At the moment when the heat and vigor rising as if to burn everything seemed like it would burn the qi and blood,
The swiftly flowing Yin Qi began to traverse every part of the blood vessels following the flow of Yang Qi.
At that moment, the burning agony disappeared.
Furthermore,
‘The control of energy has become free.’
Drip-! Drip-!
The frozen spear strike began to melt in the flames.
At that moment, the Spear Saint's eyebrow twitched.
“...A demonic practitioner of the Demonic Cult who handles Extreme Yang Qi and Extreme Yin Qi simultaneously.”
“Didn't I tell you several times that I am the Ice Palace's live-in son-in-law.”
The Spear Saint looked back at the Sword Venerable and Demon Queen who were watching the battle.
-Tsk tsk, what are you staring at?
-Huh? Master, but that friend seems to have his spirit significantly damaged...
The moment the Sword Venerable and Demon Queen's murmuring ended.
Whoosh!
The spear strike completely disappeared.
“If it is you... it might be worth entrusting it to you.”
“...?”
The purely white piled snow begins to melt.
As the spear strike scattered, the Extreme Yang Qi began to melt the snow.
“Check the Ice Crystal.”
Only then could Hyeokryeon Yeom check the Ice Crystal together with the Sword Venerable and Demon Queen.
The Ice Crystal, swaying with blue light, seemed to be emitting cold energy with difficulty as if breathing weakly.
Flinch.
The movements of the Sword Venerable and Demon Queen, who checked the Ice Crystal's condition, stopped.
-This... since when has it been like this?
“It was a hundred years ago. It is also the reason why I have no choice but to be here in this form now.”
“What is strange?”
-The Ice Crystal is... strange. It is in an unstable state, neither going berserk nor not going berserk.
A strange state of neither going berserk nor not?
What does that mean?
-Someone did something bizarre to the Ice Crystal. Did you catch the culprit?
At the Sword Venerable's words, the Spear Saint shook his head.
It seemed clear that some trouble had occurred in the Ice Palace during the time the Spear Saint was called a Martial God.
“There were guys trying to seize the Ice Crystal. They barged into where the Ice Crystal was in one breath. Well, we caught the ringleader who laid his hands on it directly, but... since he committed suicide, we haven't been able to uncover the mastermind. Although there were several suspicious guys...”
The Spear Saint looked at Hyeokryeon Yeom with a fierce expression.
It seems the Demonic Cult was also a target of suspicion.
“That alone was insufficient to pinpoint them.”
-Tsk.
“...However, the spies they planted must still remain within the Ice Palace. That is also the reason I had to put my spirit into the Ice Crystal. If there is a fortunate thing, it is that their tails seem quite long...”
-Even if that is so.
Whoosh-
As the Sword Venerable swept his hand around the Ice Crystal, unstable cold energy flowed along his collar.
-What do you intend to do in this situation?
“Yes, the current Ice Crystal is dangerous without me.”
Wait.
“Then Elder Spear Saint...”
“The moment I take my hands off the Ice Crystal. The Ice Crystal will explode.”
Not a rampage but an explosion.
The Extreme Yin Qi the Ice Crystal harbored seemed hundreds of times more than the Extreme Yin Qi Seol Ye-rin possessed.
In other words.
‘If this explodes, everything will truly freeze.’
Those who can survive... do not exist.
“How can we... stop it?”
Ice Soul Spear Saint Seol Yeong-jin clearly said that.
That he would entrust something to Hyeokryeon Yeom.
“The First Founder, Ice Emperor Seol Cheon-u. Find him and bring him here.”
***
Blink blink.
When I opened my closed eyes again,
“Have you come to your senses?”
At my Father-in-law's voice coming from behind, I, Hyeokryeon Yeom, could realize that I had returned to reality again.
“Did you see it?”
I asked my Father-in-law.
“If you are talking about being bewitched by the Ice Crystal, guys who saw the Ice Crystal for the first time always showed symptoms like you.”
“Does that mean the Palace Lord also met him?”
“Who do you mean?”
“...No.”
-Keulkeul, it seems he was unreliable.
-Isn't it because he is the Palace Lord? It would have been difficult to ask a descendant.
Talking with him, my Father-in-law did not meet the Spear Saint.
So, he probably has no idea that a Martial God from a hundred years ago is sleeping here.
“So, tell me your impressions. There must have been a purpose for wanting to see the Ice Crystal.”
“It harbors tremendous Extreme Yin Qi to the point that I paused for a moment. Please prevent Miss Seol from coming close to the Ice Crystal.”
Bringing Seol Ye-rin in front of an explosive that doesn't know when it will go off was a suicidal act.
“Surely... Ye-rin didn't become like that because of the Ice Crystal, right?”
“That is not it.”
The Extreme Yin Body is just a constitutional reason.
More than that,
“But Palace Lord, is there anyone else besides me who was shown the Ice Crystal?”
“Generations of Seol family direct lineages are the only ones who can see the Ice Crystal. I have never shown it to anyone other than you.”
Never shown it, huh.
Indeed, a hundred years ago, my Father-in-law wouldn't even have been alive.
‘The First Founder...’
It was good that I could hear stories about the North Sea Ice Palace's First Founder, Ice Emperor Seol Cheon-u, thanks to the Spear Saint, but.
‘How am I supposed to know where the tomb of the World's Best, whom even the Central Plains people trembled at, is and go find it?’
-Well.
-Isn't ferreting out the spy who touched the Ice Crystal the priority?
The Demon Queen is right.
“If you have seen everything, let's go back. Also, regarding the merchant guild matter, I sent a letter saying I would take you to the border of Liaoning Province in a week.”
I gained some time.
“That is fortunate.”
“Fortunate?”
“I think there is a need to turn the Ice Palace upside down once.”
“What does that mean?”
Hyeokryeon Yeom thought for a moment and then spoke.
Isn't Seol Baek-ho, who will become his father-in-law in the future, practically family now?
I had been thinking it was strange since the horse bandits entered the Ice Palace so easily.
“Perhaps someone is thinking of overthrowing the Ice Palace.”
I heard it from the Spear Saint.
He said there was a group trying to seize the Ice Crystal a hundred years ago.
That guy, who possessed martial prowess to the extent of not being pushed back even against the Spear Saint guarding the Ice Crystal, damaged the Ice Crystal when he couldn't steal it.
The aftermath of that damage could be said to be the current state of the Ice Crystal.
Even after that, if someone infiltrated the Ice Palace and was watching the Ice Palace, they would consider Hyeokryeon Yeom a thorn in their side.
“There might be... a spy?”
“Yes. I was certain after seeing the state of the Ice Crystal.”
Like this, the Ice Palace is in danger, Father-in-law.
“I have been neglecting many things while treating Ye-rin all this time.”
“I will ferret them out, Father-in-law.”
Everything is just speculation.
Since quite some time has passed, I couldn't conclude just by listening to the Spear Saint.
However, at the end of that causality existed Hyeokryeon Yeom of the past life who knew how the Ice Palace moved in the past.
If time flows without doing anything like this, the Ice Palace will...
‘Will end up burning at Hyeokryeon Geuk's hands.’
“Third Young Master!”
As I came outside, I saw Seol Ye-rin standing with General Manager Seol Su-hyeok holding Tamya.
“Miss Seol?”
“Ye-rin!”
“Dad! What if you take the Third Young Master to where the Ice Crystal is!”
Hyeokryeon Yeom made a troubled expression at the sight of his Father-in-law being persecuted as soon as he came out.
“I let him in because this guy wanted it.”
“But still!”
“It is fine, thanks to that I had a good experience.”
I did obtain information that would be helpful to the Ice Palace.
-Pant, pant.
I picked up Tamya who was held in Seol Ye-rin's arms.
Sizzle-
Whether he had been consuming Extreme Yin Qi again in that short time, as soon as he came into my arms, Tamya began to suck up Extreme Yang Qi.
“Stop eating, you'll get sick.”
-Growl!
Tamya snorted as if telling me to mind my own business whether he gets sick or not.
“For now, I will return first, Father-in-law.”
“Okay. Let's talk about the rest later.”
“Yes, Father-in-law.”
I bowed to Seol Baek-ho and Seol Su-hyeok, then left the Palace Lord’s Hall.
“Let's go together.”
“Wait, Ye-rin, you stay. Let's talk for a moment with this father.”
“Pardon? ...Understood.”
Seol Ye-rin, who tried to follow, seemed to be caught by my Father-in-law.
I waved my hand looking at Seol Ye-rin.
-Keulkeul, where do you intend to go now?
At the Sword Venerable's question, Hyeokryeon Yeom stroked his chin.
“First, I intend to hear those guys' thoughts too.”
-Those guys?
“Who is there that I can trust in this harsh Ice Palace?”
I, Hyeokryeon Yeom, returned to the lodging.
“Kyak! Warrior Tae! I told you not to put in just anything!”
“I'm sorry!”
Clang, Clang!
“Squad Leader Baek, there are still many lacking areas!”
“Vice Captain. May White Night intervene?!”
-Roar!
Tae Un-seo and Wi Ji-yeong who made a mess in the kitchen while cooking.
And I could discover Eun Bin and Baek Mu-yong sparring.
While the Captain is slaving away outside, the squad members seem to be completely carefree.
“Assemble.”
At My one word, the Small Snow Squad members stopped what they were doing.
**
Slurp-
“Oh, it's delicious today too. Did Ji-yeong cook it?”
“Warrior Tae played the role of assistant properly.”
“Thank you, Tae Un-seo. I will enjoy the meal.”
“Th, thank you!”
We, sitting around the table, began to talk while eating the wheat noodles Wi Ji-yeong and Tae Un-seo made.
“I heard you came back from seeing the Palace Lord?”
Eun Bin asked, opening his thin eyes slightly.
“I did.”
“Is it a mission where you have to go outside again?”
At Baek Mu-yong's question, I shook my head.
“This time I intend to look around the inside.”
“...?”
Question marks appeared on everyone's heads at Hyeokryeon Yeom's answer.
“Going around the inside, what do you mean by that?”
“I mean I think I need to clean up the inside completely.”
Eun Bin's thin eyes opened more than halfway.
“Did I understand correctly right now?”
“Correct.”
“...It won't be the Snow Tiger Squad or Ice Wolf Squad. Then the remaining places are... clans excluding the Guardian Squad and the Seol family?”
I shook my head.
“I intend to meet the people who should take their hands off the Ice Palace's affairs.”
“Then...”
Excluding the Snow Tiger Squad and Ice Wolf Squad, there is one place left.
Eun Bin, who recalled that place, opened his mouth.
“Captain, are you crazy?”
Pfft,
I almost spat it out.
“Vice Captain, saying that to the Captain right now...”
“You are talking knowing that there are no people who touched them within the Ice Palace and survived, right?”
Listening to it, they are even more vicious guys.
So the probability was high that they festered and rotted even more.
“We are going to the Council of Elders.”
Because those who lived through the previous generation would know best about the past events.