By Zephyria 
It was a common occurrence for the Cult Leader to be absent from the cult’s headquarters.
Only Jangun, his shadow, followed silently in the Cult Leader’s wake; even his closest aides generally did not know where Cheon Mu-gyeong was going or where he stayed. This trip to the ice palace was an exceptional case where his destination was known.
Of course, only Chief Han Hee-ryeong, the Cult Leader’s two guardians, and The Sharp-Tongued Demon, Do-gyeon, were aware of the journey to the ice palace. Rather than not knowing where he had gone, knowing the location only made them wait more anxiously for his return.
Especially since Do-gyeon, who had set out to wipe out the seed of the blood demon valley, had returned with burns covering his entire body.
“Blood-flame jiangshi?”
Do-gyeon was receiving treatment on a bed in the Uimajeon, where the cult’s demonic physicians resided. He had even removed his eyepatch, leaving the torn scar around his eye fully exposed. It was a scar that clashed sharply with his otherwise genial impression.
“Not a blood jiangshi?”
When there was no answer to his question, Han Hee-ryeong asked Do-gyeon again.
“It was revived from flames, so it cannot be a blood jiangshi,” Do-gyeon replied, frowning slightly.
Originally, a blood jiangshi was created by soaking a corpse in human blood and injecting the secret arts of the blood cult to revive it. Blood jiangshi were vulnerable to fire attacks, and in most cases, they were suppressed using flames.
However, the jiangshi that attacked Do-gyeon wielded powerful lethality even within the fire. Far from being burned, they actually absorbed the heat to exhibit even greater power.
“If it was enough to cause a senior like you such severe injuries…”
Having heard about the situation Do-gyeon encountered, Han Hee-ryeong crossed his arms and let out a low sigh.
“They may have created countless blood jiangshi, but this is the first time for a blood-flame jiangshi, is it not?”
“How much do you know about blood-flame jiangshi?”
When Han Hee-ryeong asked seriously, Do-gyeon shrugged.
“I’m seeing it for the first time too, so that’s all I can tell you.”
“And yet, you call them blood-flame jiangshi.”
“Since they aren’t blood jiangshi, I just named them that on a whim.”
He chuckled, asking if his naming skills weren’t quite decent. Because he was aware of his own good looks and had fought to protect them, the skin on his face remained intact, but from the neck down, he suffered severe burns.
He was only able to talk because every precious medicinal herb in the Uimajeon had been brought in for his treatment; when he first entered the cult grounds, everyone thought Do-gyeon was dead. He had been in a state no different from a corpse, so it was a miracle he had even opened his eyes.
Do-gyeon sloppily applied medicinal herbs to the areas oozing fluid. When a demonic physician tried to stop him with a look of horror, Do-gyeon snapped back.
“Because you’re stitching me up one stitch at a time, it’s already agonizing enough; I’m about to wash myself with cold sweat.”
“I am the one who saved an elder who was on the verge of death.”
“Verge of death! Do you want to try dying first?”
“Still, seeing you this boisterous puts my mind at ease.”
Do-gyeon, who looked much younger on the surface, bickered with the elderly demonic physician.
“Physician Kang looked after you day and night, Senior.”
Han Hee-ryeong stepped in to calm Do-gyeon down. He then smiled at the physician, thanking him for his hard work.
“Physician Kang, please excuse yourself for a moment.”
“Yes, Chief. If the elder tosses and turns recklessly, please make sure to stop him.”
“I certainly will.”
Reassured by Han Hee-ryeong’s presence, the physician bowed and left.
“Of all times, for such a thing to happen while the Cult Leader is away.”
Han Hee-ryeong briefly cast his gaze toward the direction of the North Sea.
Do-gyeon was a master who had achieved returning to youth. At that level of attainment, restoring a broken physical form was not particularly difficult. However, because he was poisoned by the fire poison emitted by the blood-flame jiangshi, the tragedy of his skin continuing to burn repeated even as he attempted self-regeneration.
If it weren’t for the ice crystal grass brought in from the North Sea long ago, Do-gyeon would have suffered for a very long time. Furthermore, he could have fallen into qi deviation, causing his demonic energy to rampage and turning him into a madman.
“Chief Han, those blood jiangshi bastards are nothing more than lumps of meat that simply cannot feel pain.”
Do-gyeon groaned as he pushed himself up from the bed. Thick, blood-tinged fluid had seeped into the spot where he had been lying.
Han Hee-ryeong couldn’t help but frown. It wasn’t because it was disgusting, but because he imagined the pain must be immense. Additionally, he had immediately broken the promise he made to Physician Kang, but Han Hee-ryeong had no way to curb Do-gyeon’s temperament.
“The problem is that the levels of these blood-flame jiangshi varied.”
Do-gyeon suspected that the jiangshi might be able to draw out the martial prowess they possessed while alive.
“If that is true, wouldn’t the blood cult bastards become obsessed with collecting the corpses of masters?”
Do-gyeon nodded.
“At the very least, they’ll start with first-rate warriors who died recently and dig up every single grave of peak masters.”
Swish! The sound of a fan cutting through the air echoed in the Uimajeon. Han Hee-ryeong and Do-gyeon, having already sensed the presence of the two guardians, turned around without surprise.
Right Guardian Il Gang-gun and Left Guardian Ji Hyeok-gyeong, both holding fans, bowed to Do-gyeon. They had rushed over immediately upon hearing the news of Do-gyeon as soon as they returned from their trip.
“Indeed, I heard that graves were being frequently desecrated in the Kunlun immortal mountains; hearing your words, it seems it wasn’t the work of beasts.”
Il Gang-gun skipped the empty pleasantries about whether he was alright and got straight to the point. The two guardians were on their way back after bestowing the azure sky sword, given by the Cult Leader, upon the supreme true human Yu Cheong-pung.
Yu Cheong-pung had expressed his anger, insisting he would not accept it, but upon seeing the appearance of the azure sky sword, he had said, “It cannot be helped. It is not a virtue of this old man to refuse when someone is so insistent on giving it,” and had carefully laid it beside the treasures collected in his residence.
The place where Yu Cheong-pung resided looked like a thatched cottage from the outside, but the interior was filled with rare treasures that one would only see in the imperial palace. He was already someone who couldn’t resist rare treasures, and the azure sky sword was the masterpiece of the father of divine weapons, the demonic art master Yu Son-son. It was a weapon that anyone who knew swords would covet, and its material was ten-thousand-year cold iron.
Unlike Yu Cheong-pung, who could not hide his joy, the two guardians felt as if they were swallowing gall, as if their own child were being taken away. However, nothing was more important than the Cult Leader’s command.
Moreover, since the news they heard while away connected in this way, while it wasn’t exactly a reward for offering the azure sky sword, there was something to be gained.
“In the Kunlun immortal mountains?”
Do-gyeon asked, sloppily applying herbs to his forearm again. Then, this time, Ji Hyeok-gyeong stepped forward to speak.
“Yes. They said only the graves of those who had been buried for less than a year were dug up, so they thought it was the work of starving beasts, but it seems Kunlun misjudged the situation.”
Only after Do-gyeon let out a low groan did he turn toward Han Hee-ryeong.
“Chief Han, I think I’m fine now, so please stand guard for me.”
Now that the fire poison was purified, he intended to enter meditative breathing to restore his physical form.
“Both guardians, please step outside.”
At Han Hee-ryeong’s words, the guardians nodded without complaint. There was no benefit to Do-gyeon staying on the bed for long. Everyone present was certain that the blood cult’s blood-flame jiangshi had been created specifically to deal with the Cult Leader.
“Now that I’ve ended up like this, I can see how much pain Cheon Mu-gyeong must have gone through.”
Do-gyeon chuckled as he crossed his legs in a lotus position. To dare speak the Cult Leader’s name so casually—it would have been appropriate to be angry—but Han Hee-ryeong, sensing a denial in those words that even the previous Cult Leader hadn’t shown, remained silent.
Cheon Mu-gyeong felt the presence of Ho-yeon diligently following behind him.
Ho-yeon hid himself behind tree trunks or rocks every now and then, seemingly believing he was concealing himself very well. A chuckle escaped Mu-gyeong as he remembered the sight of Ho-yeon crouching behind a jar at a strange rock cottage.
Mu-gyeong put more speed into his lightfoot technique and left the ice palace. The place he was heading toward was the eternal snow mountain that towered behind the ice palace. The snow mountain, where a massive mountain range stretched, was also a place that Cheon Mu-gyeong had turned into a sea of fire several times in his previous life.
Passing through the north gate, the black ice gate, and going straight for about a hundred zhang toward the eternal snow mountain, one reaches a region of strange rocks; from there, heading northwest leads to an icy ridge. Climbing for about fifteen minutes, one finds three snow pines, which served as the entrance to the cave leading to the ice dragon’s lair.
If he climbed the sheer ice wall, he wouldn’t have to take this detour, but if he did that, Wi Ho-yeon wouldn’t be able to follow and would only be left staring up at the void.
Ho-yeon followed well using the lightfoot technique taught to him in the lands of the ethnic minorities. Though he hadn’t properly mastered martial arts, his learning speed was quite fast. Even as Mu-gyeong intentionally increased his speed bit by bit, Ho-yeon followed without hesitation.
However, as they approached the destination, hesitation began to seep into Ho-yeon’s footsteps. Nevertheless, Mu-gyeong did not slow down. Although hesitation was evident, he was still following well.
Cheon Mu-gyeong stopped moving at a place where rocks and snow blocked the path.
The location, which he had once found by scouring the ice palace’s library, was no different from his previous life. Just as before, the entrance was collapsed and covered with massive boulders and snow.
The memorial stone placed nearby was also the same as before. Thus, it wasn’t the first time he had seen the memorial stone covered in snow and ice. Back then, he had ignored it and passed by, but this time was different.
Cheon Mu-gyeong fixed his gaze on one particular stele that caught his eye. Among the numerous memorial stones without names, it was a stele that showed clear signs of having been crafted with great care.
Beneath the three snow lotus flowers carved into the stone, a very familiar name appeared.
Wi Ho-yeon.