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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: Heavenly Demon vs. North Sea Ice Palace (1)
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"What?! In the North Sea Ice Palace?"
The Heavenly Demon was greatly startled by the completely unexpected location and asked again.
"Why the hell would it be there?"
He had no idea about the reason and couldn't make sense of it at all.
"Huh?! You really don't know?"
Even more ridiculous was Sogang's response.
"Know what?"
"The first place you invaded when you set out to conquer the Central Plains was..."
"Not the Western Regions, but right here—this North Sea Star City!"
The Heavenly Demon spoke with a face full of pride no matter how many times he thought about it.
Normally, the Demonic Cult's base was located in the Heavenly Mountains in the Xinjiang region, which was at the extreme western edge of the Central Plains. To invade the Central Plains, they would have had to cross the Western Regions and Qinghai Province.
However, the Heavenly Demon and the Demonic Cult forces at the time had struck an unexpected blow by taking a detour through the long route to the extreme east, hitting North Sea Star City first.
"That's right. North Sea Star City eventually fell, but the North Sea Ice Palace, the representative sect of North Sea Star City and known as one of the sects beyond the borders, fought fiercely to the end and is said to have impressed the martial artists of the Central Plains."
"..."
The storyteller, Sogang, was excitedly rambling about a topic he knew well, but the Heavenly Demon's face subtly changed.
"Moreover, the palace lord of the North Sea Ice Palace at the time sacrificed his life heroically, and to honor his righteousness, after the Central Plains invasion was complete, the remaining Heavenly Lord Demon Dragon Sword was said to have been bestowed upon the North Sea Ice Palace."
Sogang's words were true.
The first place invaded always suffered the greatest damage.
Furthermore, among the major sects that lost their leaders, the North Sea Ice Palace was representative. To soothe their grudge even a little, the spoils of war left behind—the Heavenly Lord Demon Dragon Sword, sealed in Eternal Ice—ended up in the hands of the North Sea Ice Palace.
It was right then.
"Puhahaha! Hahahaha!"
The Heavenly Demon, who had been silently listening to Sogang's story, suddenly burst into mad laughter.
"Huh? Why are you laughing?"
Sogang asked with a bewildered face.
"Who said that?"
"Pardon?"
"Who said the North Sea Ice Palace resisted the most fiercely during my Central Plains conquest and that their Ice Palace Lord died?"
Sogang's voice grew subdued as he faced the First Heavenly Demon, who had stopped laughing and turned serious.
"That's officially recorded in the histories of the martial world and by various busybodies..."
"What a joke."
The Heavenly Demon snorted derisively.
'History is always written from the victor's perspective, but this is too much.'
At first, it was just amusing, then baffling, and finally, a sense of emptiness lingered.
Next, the Heavenly Demon blamed himself.
If he hadn't been sealed by the White Dragon Sword God Baek Un-hwi, the Heavenly Lord Demon Dragon Sword would never have fallen into the North Sea Ice Palace's hands.
"This won't do. Guide me there."
The Heavenly Demon made his decision.
"Pardon?"
Sogang looked at him with a 'no way' expression.
"I need to go to the North Sea Ice Palace and retrieve my weapon."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"Heh heh heh. It's always so impressive no matter how many times I see it."
Seol Tae-chong, the thirteenth palace lord of the North Sea Ice Palace and the foremost master of the North Sea, wore a pleased smile nonstop.
His gaze was fixed on a single decorated sword in the center of the path leading to the palace lord's chambers in the heart of the North Sea Ice Palace.
Its identity was none other than the Heavenly Lord Demon Dragon Sword, renowned as the world's greatest famed sword, and its appearance was extraordinary as expected.
The blade was a deep black sheen—not mere black, but close to an inky hue flowing with a mysterious glow—and the edge exuded not just sharpness but an eerie menace.
Swoosh!
Seol Tae-chong stared at the Heavenly Lord Demon Dragon Sword and unconsciously reached out toward it, as if entranced.
He knew the outcome already, yet he still extended his hand—perhaps truly bewitched by the sword.
Tzzzzz!
Surprisingly, the Heavenly Lord Demon Dragon Sword erupted with immense energy, repelling Seol Tae-chong's hand.
"Argh!"
Despite having learned from repeated failures, Seol Tae-chong blamed the sword instead of himself for this mistake again.
"You damn cursed demonic sword! Still rejecting me? Your filthy master has been dead for ages!"
Seol Tae-chong bellowed at the Heavenly Lord Demon Dragon Sword, which couldn't understand him anyway.
He didn't care if his subordinates inside the North Sea Ice Palace were watching.
And rightly so—for over 200 years since acquiring the Heavenly Lord Demon Dragon Sword, not a single successive Ice Palace Lord had succeeded in even grasping it.
'Damn it! I thought I'd definitely be able to after reaching the peak supreme realm!'
Above all, this was the source of Seol Tae-chong's confidence.
Excluding the Ice Palace Lord from the time of the First Heavenly Demon's Central Plains conquest—who fought heroically to the death despite the vast power gap—Seol Tae-chong boasted the highest martial prowess among Ice Palace Lords in nearly 200 years.
"Yet it won't even let me hold the hilt, let alone swing it. Damn."
Seol Tae-chong glared at the Heavenly Lord Demon Dragon Sword as if he hadn't been entranced moments ago.
Wasn't it said that truly superior famed swords recognize and choose their masters?
Surprisingly, it was true, and challenging to wield the Heavenly Lord Demon Dragon Sword had become a customary greeting for most visiting experts to the North Sea Ice Palace.
"Don't worry too much, Palace Lord."
"Yes. One day, it will yield."
The North Sea Ice Palace warriors showered Seol Tae-chong with flattery and praise without restraint.
"Right. Soon, this body will reach the transcendent realm, and even a haughty demonic sword will have to submit then."
It was then, as Seol Tae-chong stared intently once more at the Heavenly Lord Demon Dragon Sword that tormented him with frustration and thirst.
"P-Palace Lord! Palace Looord!"
One of the guards at the palace entrance came rushing in, panting and clamoring noisily.
"What is it?"
After the First Heavenly Demon's sealing and the subsequent incompetence of later Heavenly Demons led to the Demonic Cult's annihilation, North Sea Star City had enjoyed peaceful days.
In particular, the North Sea Ice Palace, hegemon of North Sea Star City, had grown complacent in peace, lacking even tension, and Seol Tae-chong's reaction was dry as a result.
"A man claiming to be the Heavenly Demon has appeared!"
The gate captain barely managed to speak while catching his breath.
"Pfft, hahahaha!"
"Uhahaha!"
But all that returned was derisive laughter.
From the gate captain's perspective, he had risked his life to come report, only to be mocked, leaving him flustered.
"Heavenly Demon? Does the Demonic Cult still exist these days?"
"Not a Heavenly Demon, just a lunatic, right?"
"What? Trying to conquer the Central Plains starting from North Sea Star City again?"
It wasn't just Seol Tae-chong laughing uproariously.
The North Sea Ice Palace executives at his sides burst into laughter too, unable to hold back.
However, the situation was far more serious than they imagined.
"That guy... he completely destroyed our palace entrance and is advancing in!"
"What? The entrance was destroyed?"
"Lies! Our palace entrance, excluding the time it was ruined by those filthy Demonic Cult bastards in the past, is made of hard, cold millennial ice that no human can destroy!"
People still sneered in disbelief.
The gate captain spoke earnestly, heart bleeding, and then.
Rumble rumble!
An enormous vibration echoed, and only then did the executives and Seol Tae-chong's expressions change.
"Is that true?"
"How many of them are there?"
To the belated questions realizing the gravity, the gate captain raised two fingers.
"Two. Exactly two... but only one destroyed the entrance."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Returning to the peaceful morning in North Sea Star City.
The North Sea Ice Palace was the most famous sect in North Sea Star City and was counted among the three strongest sects beyond the borders—powerful factions on the Central Plains' periphery—despite their location.
"Yaaawn~ Nice weather."
"Even in blizzard-swept North Sea, days like this are rare, huh?"
"Yeah."
The North Sea Ice Palace warriors guarding the entrance made of beautiful millennial ice.
For nearly 200 years, not even fierce beasts had appeared, let alone invasions, so they were thoroughly lax.
It was right then.
Crunch!
A crunching sound came from footsteps on the pristine snowfield before the North Sea Ice Palace.
At the sound, the warriors eyed the front warily, just in case—but no way.
"Hm? Just two kids?"
"Kids, go back home."
"Looks like a servant and a young master out for a stroll?"
They still hadn't grasped the situation, mistaking Sogang and the Heavenly Demon—having come all the way to distant North Sea Star City—for some fortunate young master on an outing.
However, they weren't about to back down easily.
"This is the North Sea Ice Palace."
Sogang, who knew the geography from North Sea Star City to as far as northern Gansu Province, inside out, spoke up.
In contrast, the First Heavenly Demon had visited several times in the past but was poor with directions.
"Oho~ They've restored it pretty well. U-ryang and I smashed it to bits back then."
The Heavenly Demon chuckled nostalgically as he approached the North Sea Ice Palace entrance.
In the past, it had been even more ornate and sturdy, but the Heavenly Demon and his loyal subordinate, the Loyal Ghost Sword Yang U-ryang, had gleefully destroyed it.
"Hey! I said don't approach."
"From now on, no matter how young or naive you are, if you approach, we'll attack."
Sogang fidgeted anxiously, while the Heavenly Demon ignored their warnings outright, not even bothering to listen with one ear, and slowly advanced.
"If you don't want to die, step aside."
Sogang, who knew well that he was the Heavenly Demon, realized those words were the final warning.
"Hahaha!"
"Hey, young master. This isn't your house; it's the great North Sea Ice Palace."
"You're completely insane."
The moment the North Sea Ice Palace warriors, still oblivious to the gravity, tried to dismiss and laugh at the Heavenly Demon.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, an indescribably massive power surged from the Heavenly Demon's entire body.
"Huh? Wha! Wh-what?!"
"What's that?!"
The entrance guards finally sensed something amiss, felt an ominous chill, and retreated.
⚡ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚡
Mad Dragon Incineration
The Demonic Cult's supreme fist art, known only to the cult leader. Like the hellish karmic flames of purgatory, it incinerates all.
Roarrrrr!
The Heavenly Demon merely thrust his fist forward lightly, like playing rock-paper-scissors, but the result was utterly shocking.
Incredibly, a massive flame erupted, and a madly surging mad dragon, alive as if breathing, burst forth, perfectly incinerating the entrance of millennial ice—which even Eternal Ice couldn't match, and no human power could melt.
"Kuaaaagh!"
The Ice Palace warriors weren't even directly hit by the Mad Dragon Incineration technique; they merely caught the scorching hot aftershock, yet parts of their faces melted, plunging them into extreme agony.
But the truly important part was from now on.
Boom! Rumble rumble!
The North Sea Ice Palace's pride and symbol of reconstruction—the entrance made of millennial ice.
That ornate, beautiful millennial ice entrance burned from the roots and collapsed in an instant.
As if heralding the downfall of the once-peaceful North Sea Ice Palace.