Chapter 417: They Say Even The Gate of Hell Opens For Someone
Endless streams of blood energy flew and collided, but they could not penetrate the Great Demon Wall.
Puk puk puk puk puk!
The last of the blood energy, which had flown in as if squeezed out, was all dissipated.
The dozen or so martial artists who had leapt into the air and used most of their blood in a self-destructive attack all ended up as corpses with holes in their chests, sprawled across the ground.
The Great Demon Wall did not immediately disappear but continued to gleam in the sunlight, revealing its majestic form.
The Drunken Demon slowly turned his head.
Geom Mugeuk, who had been behind him, was now standing at his side, thrusting the Black Demon Sword forward.
“I couldn't let you get hurt by such an attack.”
It was not an ordinary attack, nor was it a final desperate move unleashed in the heat of battle. This was a self-destructive attack unleashed the moment it was seen. Although it was known as a technique, it could not truly be called martial arts.
Geom Mugeuk had unfolded the Great Demon Wall because he did not want even a single hair of the Drunken Demon to be harmed by such an attack.
This scene was symbolic.
―The only existence in the martial world that can eliminate despicable and wicked evil in an even more despicable and wicked manner. I believe we must find our reason for existence here. Because we can stop the evil that ordinary people cannot.
The Drunken Demon bowed his head respectfully while looking at the Great Demon Wall. It was a gesture of respect toward the Nine Calamities Demon Art. Only then did the Great Demon Wall slowly vanish from the spot.
Only then did he look at Geom Mugeuk and speak respectfully.
“Thank you, Young Cult Leader.”
At this moment, when he was saved by the Nine Calamities Demon Art, they were not brothers but rather the Demon Supreme and the Young Cult Leader. Geom Mugeuk also conveyed his gratitude.
“I will never forget for the rest of my life that the Great Drunken Demon stepped up to protect me.”
It was a statement made with genuine sincerity. When the Drunken Demon had tried to block the self-destructive attack with his own body, Geom Mugeuk had been truly moved.
After sharing their hearts in this way, Geom Mugeuk drew in his energy to check if anyone else remained. There was no one left. Those who had been hiding near the shattered main hall were all dealt with.
At that moment, the main gate leading outside opened, and the Ice Palace Master entered.
In the distance behind her, several corpses could be seen lying on the ground. They were all completely frozen corpses.
“A few caught my eye, so I took care of them.”
She had tried not to intervene in this battle if possible. She had promised to give the Drunken Demon priority, which was why she had been staying outside.
Her gaze turned toward the dozen or so corpses lying on the ground.
‘They used self-destructive attacks all at once.’
She looked beyond the wall and saw the towering wall of qi. How could she not know what an incredible realm must have created that?
‘The Young Cult Leader has properly mastered the Nine Calamities Demon Art.’
Given that the Young Cult Leader's martial arts were at such a level, she felt a chilling awe at how extraordinary the Heavenly Demon's martial arts must be.
Geom Mugeuk spoke to her.
“They have corrupted the elders of the Northern Sea Ice Palace, allied with the Northern Blood Gate, and even used self-destructive attacks without hesitation.”
The Ice Palace Master realized that the situation was more serious than she had thought. Though she had always paid close attention to the affairs of the martial world to avoid falling behind, she had never once heard of such people until now.
The Ice Palace Master walked over to Seo Nak, who was lying collapsed on the ground.
Struck by the Drunken Demon's attack, his whole body was shattered, and he was barely clinging to life.
‘Just who have you joined hands with?’
The Ice Palace Master looked down at him with cold eyes before turning away without a word. She did not even want to grant him a final farewell.
As she turned away, Seo Nak spoke.
“……Han I-gyeong.”
For a moment, the Ice Palace Master flinched and froze in place.
She slowly turned back to look down at Seo Nak.
Seo Nak, lying on the ground, laughed. His mouth was full of blood, making the sight grotesque.
Han I-gyeong.
She was the Ice Palace Master's older sister.
Long ago, she had competed with her sister for succession, and her soft-hearted sister had left the Northern Sea for her sake. She had yielded the position of successor.
Since then, she had not sought her out.
It was partly because she thought that being entangled with her again would not be good for her sister.
To confess honestly, it was closer to a wound she had chosen not to reopen. She had worried that if they maintained their relationship, her sister might once again desire the position of Palace Master. At that time, she had truly feared that.
So she had let it be. At first consciously, and later naturally forgotten.
She only remembered her sister again because of Geom Mugeuk.
When she received the report that Geom Mugeuk had concluded the succession without shedding a drop of blood, she had thought of her long-forgotten sister.
Thinking back now, there might have been another way. Perhaps they could have selected a successor peacefully, just as Geom Mugeuk had done.
What had she been so afraid of back then? Looking back now, her sister and she had no real issue; it was the people around them who had panicked.
In any case, the Ice Palace Master carried a sense of debt toward her sister.
Everything she enjoyed now could have belonged to her sister.
And now, Seo Nak, dying before her eyes, had brought up that sister.
‘Why?’
Facing her cold gaze, Seo Nak spoke.
“I chose you, not I-gyeong.”
It was not the delirium of a man on the verge of death. Seo Nak’s eyes, lit with the clarity of life's final flare, were clear.
“Don't you want to see her?”
Not wanting to hear any more, the Ice Palace Master’s hand began to glow white.
Just as she reached out to end him—
“There might still be family.”
Seo Nak smiled with an expression that suggested he knew something. Blood that had filled his mouth flowed out.
‘Is this it? His final revenge?’
Knowing a secret but refusing to reveal it.
At this moment, he knew that bringing up her sister would deal the greatest blow to her. No matter what else he said, she would not have blinked an eye.
“What if she has a daughter? She would live her whole life without knowing that her aunt is the Ice Palace Master, wouldn't she? Maybe she lost her parents early and is suffering somewhere as a servant. Or maybe she became a courtesan, selling laughter.”
The Ice Palace Master calmly replied while staring into his eyes.
“I am not curious. Whether she lives as a servant or a courtesan.”
The Ice Palace Master did not lash out at Elder Seo. She remained polite, as if no provocation of his could reach her.
“Did you think that after forgetting all this time, I would suddenly grow curious now? Did you think I would feel guilty because of your cheap words? You remain foolish even to your last breath.”
The corners of Seo Nak’s eyes twitched, and the smile disappeared from his face.
A pure white energy spread from the Ice Palace Master's hand and covered Seo Nak's body. Terrible pain flooded through him.
“Aaaargh!”
His entire body froze, and he thrashed in agony, screaming for someone to kill him.
“Even if you know, don't tell me where. It's just going to bother me. Keep your mouth shut!”
Even then, Seo Nak writhed in unbearable pain.
He died thrashing in agony, experiencing a suffering greater than anything he had ever felt in his life.
The Ice Palace Master looked down at his corpse with complicated emotions in her eyes. Deep inside, she had hoped. She had hoped he would beg for his life, that he would plead to tell her everything if only she would spare him from the pain.
But seeing that he died without saying a word even under such pain, she thought it must have been something he said only to torment her one last time. Even if it were not, she would think of it that way. She had no intention of dancing to his tricks.
The Ice Palace Master spoke to Geom Mugeuk.
“I ended up exposing an unsightly part of myself before you.”
“What do you mean, unsightly? You have finished your succession without spilling blood among family as well, Ice Palace Master.”
“My sister was the one who was admirable.”
“With such a wise sister, she must be living happily wherever she is.”
She knew it was said out of courtesy, but still, Geom Mugeuk’s words offered her some comfort.
The Ice Palace Master changed the subject.
“What are you planning to do next?”
“I am thinking of attacking the Northern Blood Gate next.”
Although in her heart she wanted to lead her subordinates and sweep away the Northern Blood Gate immediately, she knew that would result in too many sacrifices.
At that moment, Geom Mugeuk spoke unexpected words.
“If you permit it, Ice Palace Master, I would like to scout the Northern Blood Gate together with the Young Palace Master.”
Sending her daughter into the Northern Blood Gate? The Ice Palace Master was silent for a moment. She hesitated, as the enemy was overwhelmingly strong.
“Very well.”
When the war broke out, she decided that it would be safer to stay beside Geom Mugeuk. She had seen the wall of qi beyond the wall, and she had shared tea with her daughter. It was because of him that such things had been possible, and that was why she trusted him.
“Leave the sweeping away to me, Ice Palace Master. This time, we will give you priority.”
The Ice Palace Master nodded. The Drunken Demon and the Young Cult Leader had come to uncover the cause of the Former Master Brewer’s death. Now that they had revealed the truth and even taken revenge, they could simply return.
Yet they said they would stand and fight the enemy together. The Ice Palace Master felt grateful and reassured by Geom Mugeuk.
“Then, see you later.”
The Ice Palace Master greeted Geom Mugeuk and then politely said her farewell to the Drunken Demon as well.
After she left, Geom Mugeuk turned to the Drunken Demon.
The Drunken Demon handed the Blood Calabash to Geom Mugeuk.
“Drink.”
He never handed over the Blood Calabash, his uniquely poisonous weapon, to others.
The only one he allowed was Geom Mugeuk.
Geom Mugeuk took a refreshing drink of the ice liquor contained in the Blood Calabash.
“Ah, so good. This is the best ice liquor in the world!”
Receiving it back, the Drunken Demon drank the liquor from the Blood Calabash.
“Truly delicious!”
The two of them deliberately spoke loudly. The one who had brewed the liquor would be listening somewhere up there in the sky.
Having emptied the remaining liquor in the Blood Calabash, the two stood side by side and looked up at the sky.
The Drunken Demon smiled brightly.
Geom Mugeuk thought to himself. Perhaps the Former Master Brewer was smiling down at them from the sky right now.
* * *
“Don't worry.”
At the voice coming from behind, Lee Ahn turned her head from where she was standing by the window. The person who had spoken was Han Seol, sitting on the edge of the bed.
“Because Mother went with them.”
Apparently, when Lee Ahn had been staring blankly out the window, she looked like she was worrying.
Lee Ahn answered honestly.
“To be honest, I was lost in thought. I'm not worried about the Young Master. I already have enough worries just looking after myself. Why would I worry about whether the sun rises tomorrow or not?”
After gazing at her for a moment, Han Seol spoke.
“Because he's a transcendent being?”
Lee Ahn thought Han Seol was teasing her. Of all expressions, why did she have to use that one and cause me endless suffering!
“Yes, he is a transcendent being to me.”
Hoping to talk about this properly one day, Han Seol asked again.
“If the Young Cult Leader told you to die, could you do it?”
It was a question Han Seol thought would not be easy to answer, but Lee Ahn replied without hesitation.
“Yes. I could die. I would throw open the Gate of Hell and shout, ‘Our Young Master sent me!’ Ah, if it's the Young Master, he would probably make friends with the Death King and be exempted. Meanwhile, I would suffer in the flames.”
Han Seol shook her head, barely holding back the words rising to her throat. After spending a few days together, she had grown attached, and she couldn't say it out loud.
Lee Ahn said the words instead.
“You thought I was crazy, didn’t you?”
At Lee Ahn’s words, Han Seol gave a look that said, ‘As long as you know.’
Lee Ahn beamed and turned back toward the window.
“Actually, that was the easiest question for me to answer. Because he’s absolutely not someone who would ever tell me to die. That’s the kind of question where I can boast and say I’d die for him.”
Han Seol looked at her back. Could such a deep bond really form between people?
“If you're like that, won’t the Young Cult Leader feel burdened?”
If it were her, she thought she would feel burdened. If someone looked up to her with such expectations, she'd feel the pressure to do better, to show a better version of herself. The weight would be enormous.
“I don’t think he would.”
“Why are you so sure?”
“Because he’s not foolish enough to consider something like that a burden. He would simply be happy. He’d think, ‘So all her suffering was worth it.’”
To be honest, Han Seol felt jealous of Geom Mugeuk. Gaining someone’s absolute trust and support was no easy thing.
Just then, Geom Mugeuk and the Drunken Demon returned to their quarters. Seeing them, Han Seol quickly asked,
“What about my mother?”
“The Palace Master has returned to the Ice Palace.”
News arrived that Elder Seo had truly been a traitor—and that he had died.
Han Seol felt strange. Not because of his betrayal, but because someone else had been pulling his strings.
Since childhood, she had treated him like an uncle, a figure like a great elder to her. And yet there was someone who could move such a person. Someone who had always seemed so strong.
Han Seol began to worry about her mother. She must have trusted and relied on Elder Seo deeply.
Suddenly, she realized this was the first time she had ever felt such an emotion.
‘I’m... worried right now.’
Surprisingly, she realized that not once in her life had she ever worried about her mother. Her mother had always been strong. Nothing had ever happened that might give her cause to worry. And yet just earlier she had asked about her mother’s well-being first, and now she was worried that her mother might have been hurt. She felt a warmth stirring in her heart for the very first time.
Do people’s hearts change this easily? Or rather, is it even right for them to change this way?
If one could change like this... didn’t that also mean one could develop even deeper feelings of hatred?
Han Seol suddenly felt the urge to ask Geom Mugeuk about that very issue. Somehow, she had the feeling that Geom Mugeuk would give a clear and decisive answer—“It’s like this”—without hesitation. Well, even so, she didn’t ask.
“What do you plan to do now?”
“We killed Elder Seo. That was our declaration of war.”
The real fight had now begun.
“The next target is the Northern Blood Gate. Before we strike them, it’s urgent that we find out why they were seeking the Extreme Cold Constitution. It would be best if we could get inside their ranks.”
At that, Han Seol recalled something and spoke up first, even though Geom Mugeuk hadn’t asked.
“When I met Young Master Yang of the Northern Blood Gate before, I told him I’d come again with the Young Cult Leader. Let’s go together.”
Geom Mugeuk relayed the current situation frankly.
“This is going to be extremely dangerous. The person we were just speaking with could suddenly use a Self-Annihilation Technique right in front of us.”
Was it because she felt a heat in her heart that she’d never experienced before? For some reason, Han Seol wasn’t afraid. Since it was a matter concerning the Ice Palace, she felt that she had to take the lead and resolve it herself.
“They say some even open the Gate of Hell.”
Looking at Lee Ahn’s smiling face, Han Seol added with firm resolve.
“I’ll be the one to open the Northern Blood Gate.”