Chapter 437: Chapter 437

“Heok… heok…”

“Heoheo… women don’t like it when you are too persistent.”

The North Sea Ice Palace Lord gasped for breath and fell to his knees.

The North Sea Ice Palace with a fighting force of thousands.

One could tell their strength from the fact that even the Nine Great Sects and One Union could not easily provoke them, but he had never even imagined that they would all die in less than half a shichen.

Not a single person survived.

His children, of course, and everyone who lived in the North Sea died.

The surroundings were filled with nothing but corpses.

He realized once again that it was a fight he could never win, but the North Sea Ice Palace Lord could no longer step back.

If he stepped back from this spot, he would be robbed of what his ancestors had protected for generations.

Since that meant the annihilation of the North Sea Ice Palace, it was a very shameful thing.

He wiped away the dripping blood and steadied his breathing.

“Wh… just who are you to do this?”

“I’m just an old man passing by.”

Could an old man simply passing by cause such a thing?

The North Sea Ice Palace Lord smiled with a dumbfounded expression.

However, he soon realized from those words.

He might be thinking that he wouldn’t understand even if he told him, so it would only make his mouth hurt to even try explaining.

He smiled bitterly without realizing it at such a sharp thought, but soon clenched his fist again.

“You cannot… go any further.”

“I think I could enter if you just moved aside.”

“Inside is… the land of absolute freezing… a land of extreme cold yin energy where a person’s very breath would freeze the moment they enter.”

“Ah… is that so? Heoheoheo, the young man knows how to respect his elders, you grew up very well. Thank you for your words for this old man. But I don’t need it, so step aside.”

The old man looked at the large door behind the North Sea Ice Palace Lord.

He had made that long journey to enter that place. He wouldn’t do something as foolish as turning back with his goal right in front of him, so the old man began to close the distance step by step.

The North Sea Ice Palace Lord raised his momentum with a determined expression.

If blocking him was impossible, he planned to unleash a move of mutual destruction.

“Tsk…”

The sound of the old man clicking his tongue could be heard.

At that moment, his vision suddenly blurred.

His hands and feet wouldn’t move, and pitch-black darkness suddenly swallowed him.

Thud-!

He collapsed out of nowhere.

The old man had done nothing more than click his tongue, but the collapsed North Sea Ice Palace Lord’s body was for some reason writhing about.

Blood began to stream from his nose and mouth, and soon, air leaked out from the swollen spots with a “Peok! Peok!” sound.

The North Sea Ice Palace Lord’s corpse literally scattered into pieces and disappeared.

“I was planning to leave one alive, but things don’t go as I wish.”

The old man shook his head.

He had no intention of killing everyone.

It was because a place like the North Sea Ice Palace was a necessary existence for the Central Plains.

Killing them perfectly like this would cause quite a long time to be wasted before the North Sea Ice Palace could be established again.

The old man approached the door slowly with a thoroughly reluctant expression.

A huge, wide door that would not be reached even if several adults were stacked up. Beyond it was the place called the forbidden land of the North Sea Ice Palace.

It was the place where the Ten Thousand Year Ice Crystal, which was said to have never been seen even by predecessors and possessed by no one, was sleeping.

The old man slowly raised his energy.

Finally, the moment he reached out and opened the door.

Extreme cold yin energy that seemed like it would freeze even the air began to pour out.

* * *

“Did someone else come in?”

“Yeah! He’s called Mister Bi! He’s at our house right now because he’s incredibly hurt, and everyone says it looks like he’ll just settle down there!”

“I-I see… I wonder just how amazing of a person he is.”

Hong Jin-rang wiped off her cold sweat and nodded.

It wasn’t anywhere else, it was the Hunan Dan Family.

Since every single one of them was someone who didn’t fall behind anyone else in skill, it was only natural that the person called Mister Bi wouldn’t be ordinary either.

Hong Jin-rang broke out in a cold sweat at the thought that the Hunan Dan Family’s power was becoming even greater.

‘If it comes to this, wouldn’t the Murim Alliance become unnecessary?’

Such a thought began to cross her mind without her realizing it.

In truth, after the Blood Heaven retreated, the Nine Great Sects and One Union and the Heavenly Path Society were trying to join hands again. Of course, it was unknown whether it would continue under the name of the Heavenly Path Society or be called the Murim Alliance just as before, but regardless, the Orthodox Murim would become one again.

But was it necessary?

She felt that no matter how much the Orthodox Murim united again to reign, it wouldn’t even reach the toes of the Hunan Dan Family.

“Wouldn’t he be an incredibly amazing person? They’re called the World’s Greatest Family, after all.”

At that time, Yu-baek opened his mouth as if he felt interested.

The Hunan Dan Family was making a name for itself as the World’s Greatest Family. They had built up enough records that no one could deny those words, and the power they possessed was enough to shock the whole world.

It seemed Yu-baek felt interested upon hearing that a new person had entered such a place.

“Th… the World’s Greatest Family, don’t say things like that. We have no interest in such things! By the way, are you curious, Yu-baek? About that mister?”

“Hmm… a little?”

Yu-baek smiled while slightly spreading his fingers.

Besides the fact that he was learning martial arts, his family itself was a Murim family. Even though its name wasn’t big, he considered himself a martial artist, so it was natural for him to feel interested in the Hunan Dan Family.

“Do you want to come to our house?”

“No, I’ll pass on that. Because it seems like it would be scary for some reason.”

“Huh? Our house isn’t scary at all…”

Dan So-mi tilted her head.

The sight of Yu-baek declining while shaking his head actually made her feel bad for no reason.

Because she thought that Dan Woo-hyun, Sa Do-hak, and everyone else were all just kind and not scary at all.

“Only to you…”

Hong Jin-rang shook her head.

They were endlessly benevolent people to Dan So-mi. Also, Dan So-mi was still not trying to face reality, but one could tell how frightening and scary that place was just by looking at the fact that virtually no one survived unharmed after turning the Hunan Dan Family into an enemy.

Even Hong Won-chang had once feared the Hunan Dan Family, hadn’t he?

Dan So-mi was the only one who still didn’t know that.

“Anyway, amazing is amazing. Haha, by the way, So-mi, don’t you learn martial arts or something?”

Yu-baek chuckled and looked at Dan So-mi.

In fact, it was what he was most curious about.

It was a place called the World’s Greatest Family, and it was said that people comparable to the Five Emperors of the World were gathered there.

Since she was a child living in such a place, it wouldn’t be strange if she learned martial arts.

However, to Yu-baek’s eyes, Dan So-mi didn’t look that strong, and he couldn’t feel even a speck of internal energy from her.

That was why he was curious.

“Hmm? I learned something like self-defense arts occasionally… I’m learning properly from Dad these days.”

“Oho? From… the Dan Family Lord?”

Yu-baek’s eyes sparkled.

The Hunan Dan Family’s Lord Dan Woo-hyun was a master who had a track record of killing the person who struck terror into the Orthodox-Demonic Alliance with a single sword during the battle in Sichuan.

Since he was someone with the titles of World’s Greatest Family and World’s Greatest Person, Yu-baek clapped his hands and rejoiced as if he were amazing.

“Yeah! It hasn’t been long since I started learning, but I’ll become incredibly strong soon!”

Dan So-mi clenched her fists and resolved.

She resolved to definitely become an outstanding master, perhaps thinking that each and every one of the many incidents that had occurred, including the previous matter with Yeo Eun-wol, would never have happened if Dan So-mi had been strong.

Yu-baek chuckled while looking at that.

“What are you learning?”

“What was it? Dad said… Heavenly One, ah!”

“So-mi, let’s go eat that!”

The moment Dan So-mi was about to say something, Joo Ji-yak suddenly reached out and started pulling So-mi with large strides towards the marketplace.

Yu-baek, who had been listening to the conversation, made a blank expression for a moment, then soon shook his head and followed behind the two children.

‘Just now…?’

The one who had taken in that whole situation.

Hong Jin-rang trembled without realizing it.

When something was about to come out of Dan So-mi’s mouth, Yu-baek’s expression changed in an instant.

A different feeling she had never seen before.

That was not an expression a young child would make.

‘What is it?’

Hong Jin-rang harbored doubts about the unknown situation in her heart.

Perhaps Joo Ji-yak had also realized something and intentionally led Dan So-mi away.

Hong Jin-rang quietly looked at Yu-baek’s back.

She carefully followed behind him while embracing a feeling of discomfort.

* * *

“Ah! I’m telling you to clean up properly! You’ve been living here for months and you can’t even do that?”

“No, can’t we just do it like this? There’s so much dirt in the yard. It’ll just pile up again even if I sweep it.”

“But you still have to do it, don’t you?!”

“You damn brat! Where are you raising your voice!”

Noisy sounds rang out from all over the place.

Jang Sam-tae and Jeok Mu-seong’s voices grew louder because of cleaning, and Namgung So-hye and Gwon Mu-jin were in the middle of their martial arts training at a training ground on one side.

It seemed vitality had once again permeated the Hunan Dan Family, which had been quiet until now.

Dan Woo-hyun drank tea while watching that sight.

His figure sitting on the wooden veranda was calmer than usual. His expression still seemed to not reveal any emotion, but the wind flowing around him was gentler than ever, as if he was in a good mood just because they had returned.

He didn’t show it, but he too seemed glad.

“It’s noisy.”

“Heoheo, wasn’t it originally a place like this?”

Namgung Cheon, sitting beside him, sipped his tea and laughed.

It was a truly welcoming sight to him as well.

A scenery seen after returning from ravaging a battlefield with a strong stench of blood. It was a feeling that was always the same and gave a strange sense of nostalgia. Just looking at things like this made his mind at ease.

“This is nice… but I haven’t seen that old man Sa for a while now, where did he go?”

Namgung Cheon looked at Dan Woo-hyun with a strange expression.

He thought he would be the first to welcome him, but Sa Do-hak’s figure hadn’t been seen yet.

He was planning to play a game of Go at least, thinking of the guy who must have been lonely all this time, but he felt doubtful since he wasn’t coming out even though such a big commotion was being caused.

“He should be in his room.”

“At this time?”

“Yeah.”

Dan Woo-hyun nonchalantly turned his head.

Namgung Cheon had arrived late yesterday afternoon.

Also, it was quite late at night when Sa Do-hak and Dan Woo-hyun returned to the Hunan Dan Family, so Namgung Cheon had not yet seen Sa Do-hak’s state.

“That’s strange… is he sick or something?”

“Maybe…”

Dan Woo-hyun sweatdropped.

They had sparred for over a shichen. Unlike what he had said about it being only one shichen, it was because of Sa Do-hak tenaciously clinging to him.

Since he had gotten beaten up to the point of becoming a complete mess, it would be difficult for him to even move around for a while.

“I should go check on him for a bit…”

Namgung Cheon stood up from his seat.

Dan Woo-hyun groaned while watching that. He made a needlessly apologetic expression at the sight of him slowly walking towards Sa Do-hak’s quarters.

Shortly after, Namgung Cheon’s loud voice was heard.

“L-look here! Do… Do-hak! Do-hak! He’s turned into a piglet!”

At that loud voice, Dan Woo-hyun swallowed a groan and lowered his head.

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