Chapter 417: Someone Says They Can Even Open the Gates of Hell

TL: FoodieMonster007

Endless streams of blood qi flew in and crashed against it, but they could not pierce the Impenetrable Demonic Wall.

THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD!

The blood qi, which had flown in as if squeezed out to the very last drop, was completely dissipated.

The dozen or so martial artists who had soared into the air, using most of their blood for the Self Destruction Art, all lay sprawled on the ground, their chests gaping holes.

The Impenetrable Demonic Wall did not vanish immediately. Instead, it shimmered in the sunlight, revealing its magnificent form.

The Drunken Demon slowly turned his head. Geom Mugeuk, who had been behind him, was now standing beside him, his Black Demon Sword thrust forward.

"I couldn't let such an attack harm you, Hyung," Geom Mugeuk said.

This was not a normal attack, nor was it a final ultimate technique used at the end of a fierce battle. This was the Self Destruction Art unleashed the moment they saw him. Although it had 'skill' attached to it, it was an attack that could not be called martial arts.

He had deployed the Impenetrable Demonic Wall because he did not want the Drunken Demon to suffer even a single scratch from such an attack.

This scene was like a symbol.

"We are the sole existence in the murim capable of eliminating vile and malicious evil in an even viler and more malicious way, so we must find our reason for existence here. Only we can stop the evil that ordinary people cannot."

The Drunken Demon respectfully bowed his head towards the Impenetrable Demonic Wall, showing respect for the Nine Calamities Demonic Art.

Only then did the Impenetrable Demonic Wall slowly vanish.

He turned to Geom Mugeuk. "Thank you, Young Cult Leader."

In this moment, having been saved by the Nine Calamities Demonic Art, their relationship was not that of older and younger brother, but of Demon Supreme and Young Cult Leader.

Geom Mugeuk also expressed his gratitude. "I will never forget how you stepped forward to protect me, Demon Supreme."

He uttered the words with sincerity. He had been truly moved when the Drunken Demon tried to block the Self Destruction Art with his own body.

After sharing their sentiments, Geom Mugeuk raised his qi and scanned for anyone else, but there was no one. These were all the individuals who had been hiding near the broken great hall.

Just then, the great gate leading outside opened, and the Ice Empress entered.

Behind her, in the distance, three or four corpses lay sprawled. All of them were frozen solid.

"A few fellows caught my eye, so I dealt with them."

She had tried to avoid getting involved in this fight as much as possible, and give the Drunken Demon priority.

Her gaze fell upon the dozen or so corpses lying on the ground.

They used the Self Destruction Art all at once.

She too had seen the wall of enhanced qi towering beyond the fence. How could she not know what incredible martial art had created it?

The Young Cult Leader has truly mastered the Nine Calamities Demonic Art. Still, if the Young Cult Leader's martial arts are like this, then how strong is the Heavenly Demon?

Geom Mugeuk said, "Those fellows recruited an Elder of the North Sea Ice Palace, joined hands with the Northern Blood Sect, and even used the Self Destruction Art without hesitation."

The Ice Empress felt that the situation was more serious than she had imagined. Although she always paid close attention to the murim's affairs to avoid falling behind, she had never once heard of such individuals.

The Ice Empress walked towards Seo Nak, who lay sprawled on the ground. Having been struck by the Drunken Demon's attack, his entire body was a wreck, barely clinging to life.

Just who did you join hands with?

The Ice Empress gazed down at him with cold eyes, then turned away without a word. She didn't even want to offer a single word of farewell.

As she turned away, Seo Nak rasped. "Han Yigyang…"

The Ice Empress flinched, halting her steps. She slowly turned back, looking down at Seo Nak.

Lying on the ground, Seo Nak smiled. His mouth was full of blood, making his appearance ghastly.

Han Yigyang was the Ice Empress's elder sister.

Long ago, she went through a succession war with her sister, and her soft-hearted sister had left the North Sea for her sake, voluntarily relinquishing the position of Princess.

Afterward, she did not seek out her sister. She did not want to hurt her further.

To be honest, it was closer to deliberately not looking into it. She worried that if their relationship continued, her sister might once again covet the Empress's position.

So she lived forgetting. Consciously at first. Then, naturally, she forgot.

Her elder sister only came to mind again precisely because of Geom Mugeuk.

When she received the report that Geom Mugeuk had concluded the succession struggle without bloodshed, she thought of her sister, whom she had forgotten.

Looking back now, there must have been a way. Couldn't the successor have been chosen peacefully, just as Geom Mugeuk had managed?

What was she so afraid of back then? Thinking about it now, although both she and her sister had survived, but their circumstances had changed dramatically.

Regardless, the Ice Empress felt a sense of debt towards her sister, because she could have enjoyed all that she herself was now enjoying.

Why is the dying Seo Nak talking about Unnie now?

Under her cold gaze, Seo Nak uttered, "I chose you, not Yigyang."

It was not the babbling of a dying man. Seo Nak's eyes, filled with terminal lucidity, were clear.

"Don't you want to see her?"

Not wanting to hear any more, the Ice Empress's hand glowed white, and she stretched out her hand to finish him.

"She might even have a family."

Seo Nak smiled, a knowing expression on his face. Blood overflowed from his mouth.

Is this it? His final revenge?

He knew some secret but refused to tell her. He knew that at this moment, anything concerning her sister would strike her the hardest. She wouldn't even bat an eye at any other words.

"What if she has a daughter? She would live her entire life without knowing her aunt is the Ice Empress, wouldn't she? She might have lost her parents early and be suffering as a servant somewhere. Or perhaps she's become a courtesan, selling her smiles and even body?"

The Ice Empress stared into his eyes, her voice calm. "I don't care whether she lives as a servant or a courtesan."

The Ice Empress did not speak harshly to Elder Seo. She remained respectful, as if no provocation of his would work.

"I've lived forgetting until now, did you think I'd suddenly become curious? Did you imagine I'd feel a pang of conscience from such trivial words? You are foolish until your dying breath."

Seo Nak's eye twitched, and the smile vanished from his face.

A pure white aura extended from the Ice Empress's hand, engulfing Seo Nak's body. Horrific pain spread through him.

"AAAAAAARGH!"

His entire body froze, and he writhed in extreme agony. He screamed for death.

"Even if you know, don't tell me where she is. It would only bother me. Shut your mouth!"

Even amidst that, Seo Nak writhed in agony, feeling a pain more extreme than any he had ever felt in his life until he died.

The Ice Empress gazed down at the corpse with a complex expression. Deep down, she had hoped. She had hoped he would beg for his life, pleading for the pain to stop, promising to reveal everything he knew.

However, seeing him die without speaking even through such agony, she concluded that his words were a final attempt to torment her. Even if it wasn't, she would choose to believe so. She had no intention of playing into his schemes.

The Ice Empress said to Geom Mugeuk. "I inadvertently revealed my weakness before you."

"Weakness? Empress, you too concluded a succession dispute among kin without bloodshed, and admirably so."

"My Unnie is the admirable one, not me."

"If she is such a wise Unnie, she will surely be living happily and well wherever she is."

She knew he spoke out of courtesy, yet Geom Mugeuk's words still offered her some comfort.

The Ice Empress changed the subject. "What do you intend to do now?"

"Next, I plan to strike the Northern Blood Sect."

The Ice Empress, in her heart, wished to lead her subordinates and sweep away the Northern Blood Sect entirely, but doing so would result in many casualties.

Just then, Geom Mugeuk uttered something unexpected. "If the Empress grants permission, I intend to visit the Northern Blood Sect with the Princess, on a reconnaissance mission."

Send her daughter to the Northern Blood Sect? The Ice Empress remained silent for a moment. Given how powerful the enemy was, she couldn't accept this easily.

"…So be it."

She had decided that if war broke out, it would be safer for her daughter to be by Geom Mugeuk's side. She had seen the wall of enhanced qi beyond the fence, and her daughter had shared tea with her. She trusted him because he was the one who made that possible.

"Please take charge of sweeping them away, Empress. This time, I will grant you priority."

The Ice Empress nodded. The Drunken Demon and the Young Cult Leader had come to uncover the Brewmaster's death. Now that they had revealed the truth about her death and exacted revenge, they could simply leave.

However, they were offering to fight the enemy together.

The Ice Empress felt grateful and reassured by Geom Mugeuk. "Then, we shall meet again."

After bidding farewell to Geom Mugeuk, the Ice Empress also respectfully parted ways with the Drunken Demon.

Once she departed, Geom Mugeuk turned to the Drunken Demon.

The Drunken Demon handed the Blood Gourd to Geom Mugeuk. "Drink."

He never handed his unique weapon, the Blood Gourd, to anyone else, but this time, he allowed Geom Mugeuk to take it.

Geom Mugeuk coolly drank the Ice Wine from the Blood Gourd. "Ahh, so tasty! This must be the most delicious Ice Wine in the world!"

The Drunken Demon took back the Blood Gourd and drank its wine. "Yes! It's truly delicious!"

The two men deliberately raised their voices. The one who had brewed the wine would surely be listening from somewhere in heaven.

Having finished all the wine remaining in the Blood Gourd, the two men stood side by side, looking up at the sky.

The Drunken Demon was smiling brightly.

Geom Mugeuk had a thought. Perhaps, from the heavens above, the Brewmaster is looking down at him and smiling.

"Don't worry."

Hearing words from behind, Lee Ahn, who had been standing by the window, turned her head. Han Seol was perched on the bed, having just spoken.

"Mother went with him."

Lee Ahn had been staring blankly out the window, apparently looking worried.

She answered honestly. "To be frank, I was thinking about something else. I don't worry about Young Master's affairs. My own worries are already enough to crush me like a mountain. Why should I worry about whether the sun will rise tomorrow?"

Han Seol, who had been gazing at her for a moment, asked. "Because he's a transcendent being?"

Lee Ahn thought she was being teased. Of all the expressions to use, this one will haunt me forever!

"Yes, to me, he is a transcendent being."

Wanting to discuss this matter someday, Han Seol asked again. "If the Young Cult Leader told you to die, would you?"

It was a question she thought would not be answered easily, but Lee Ahn replied without hesitation. "Yes. I can die. I'd throw open the gates of hell and declare, 'Our Young Master sent me!' Ah, but if it's the Young Master, he'd probably make friends with the King of Hell and get an exemption while I suffer in a pit of fire."

Han Seol shook her head, barely holding back the words that had risen to her throat. After spending a few days together, a certain affection had formed, so she couldn't say it outright.

Lee Ahn uttered the words for her. "You were thinking I'm crazy, weren't you?"

At Lee Ahn's words, Han Seol wore an expression that conveyed, 'You know it then.'

Lee Ahn smiled brightly and looked out the window again. "Actually, that was the easiest question to answer, because he's absolutely not the kind of person who would tell me to die. That's why I can confidently boast about being able to die for him."

Han Seol looked at her back. Could such a deep bond truly form between people?

"Wouldn't that burden the Young Cult Leader?"

She felt she would be burdened. If someone looked at her with such expectation, thinking 'I must do better, I must show a better side,' the pressure would be immense.

"He wouldn't be."

"Why are you so sure?"

"Because he's not foolish enough to consider my words a burden. He'll simply be pleased. Thinking, 'My efforts were worth it.'"

Honestly, Han Seol envied Geom Mugeuk. Earning someone's absolute trust and support was truly no easy feat.

Just then, Geom Mugeuk and the Drunken Demon returned to their dwelling.

Seeing the two men, Han Seol urgently asked. "Where's Mother?"

"The Empress has gone to the Ice Palace."

The news that Elder Seo was indeed a traitor and that he had died was conveyed.

Han Seol felt a sense of unfamiliarity. It wasn't Elder Seo's betrayal that felt strange, but the fact that someone was behind him.

She had treated him as an uncle since childhood, so he was like a significant elder figure to her. Yet, to think there was someone else pulling the strings of such a seemingly powerful person.

Han Seol worried about her mother. Her mother must have placed great trust and reliance on Elder Seo.

Suddenly, she realized this feeling was new to her.

I'm worrying right now.

To her surprise, she realized she had never once worried about her mother until now. Her mother had always been strong, and there had never been a reason to worry like this.

Still, just a moment ago, she had asked about her mother's well-being, and now she was concerned her mother might have been hurt. She felt a warmth in her heart for the very first time in her life.

Can a person's heart change so easily? No, am I even allowed to change like this? Will such a change make her hate me even more?

Han Seol suddenly felt like asking Geom Mugeuk about such matters. She had a feeling he would give her a clear answer. Still, she didn't ask.

"What do you intend to do now?" she said instead.

"By killing Elder Seo, we have declared war on them."

Now, the real fight had begun.

"Our next target is the Northern Blood Sect. Before striking them, we need to find out why the Northern Blood Sect wants the Extreme Cold Body Constitution. It would be good to infiltrate their ranks."

At that, Han Seol recalled a fact and offered, "When I met the two Young Lords of the Northern Blood Sect some time ago, I told them I would visit again with the Young Cult Leader. Let's go together."

Geom Mugeuk honestly conveyed the current situation. "It will be extremely dangerous. An opponent you were just speaking with might suddenly unleash the Self Destruction Art right before your eyes."

Is it because I can feel a burning passion in her heart that I've never felt before?

Han Seol felt strangely unafraid. She only thought that since it was an affair of the Ice Palace, she should take the lead in resolving it.

"Someone says they can even open the gates of hell." Han Seol looked at the smiling Lee Ahn and added with vigor. "I might not be able to do that, but I can at least open the Northern Blood Sect."