Chapter 524: Chapter 524

It was the hour when even twilight had vanished. Wisps of dusky wind blew from above to below, only to scatter and drift away again.

Every so often, they brushed against the desolate sea of sand that blanketed the earth.

Nor were there stars.

And yet it was not a dark night. A current of violet, as if pulled from the last remnants of sunset, flowed like a river across the sky.

Bold and vast, it swept across the heavens like the brushstroke of a young painter—yet from afar, it shimmered faintly like the exhale of a dying giant.

A man walking confidently beneath it suddenly paused and spoke.

“An aftershock of a Balgyung Wave... traces of a Force Disruption? I thought it was just a typical aurora...”

A murmur, barely louder than a whisper. He spoke aloud in an effort to overcome the fear pressing down on his body and mind.

He cast a brief glance up at the night sky.

At the same time, the dying glow in the air pulsed—like a human eyelid blinking.

Unfathomable. Incomprehensible in the truest sense. Even the greatest master would feel a chill at such a sight.

Terror flickered across the man’s blue eyes. His sharply defined jaw twitched as if in spasm.

Even his inherently authoritative nature seemed to dim for a moment.

He was Bukgung Myeong, Heavenly Envoy of the Celestial Court.

Among the countless sub-lords of the Northern Sea Ice Palace, he was one of the ten most powerful. His pace quickened.

‘This isn’t something a human can conjure. The Palace Lord made the right decision.’

After crossing the wilderness, Bukgung Myeong arrived at an estate—a manor so large it was nearly the size of a royal palace.

There were no gatekeepers.

Only the sound of breathing filled the walls, rooftops, and narrow paths throughout the manor.

The color and style of clothing varied wildly from person to person, giving no sense of unity—but the formless pressure of their energy that tore through the air was identical.

Over three hundred of them.

Just standing there, they quietly disturbed the ground beneath them. Even the air quivered in fine vibrations.

Bukgung Myeong infused his chest with inner power. As soon as he crossed the manor’s threshold, his breath had grown rapidly strained. He had to forcibly contract his insides just to catch it again.

‘Demons of the Ming Cult.’

Their presence matched the night sky that had swallowed moon and stars.

It was no different from the legends passed down in the Ice Palace. The old Ming Cult had once refused to bow even to Ipwang Fortress.

Bukgung Myeong barely managed to speak. He raised a transparent jade orb in one hand.

“May I enter? As you can see, this is a shard of Ice Crystal, and I am an envoy from the Ice Palace. I come to convey the will of the main palace.”

But he stepped forward anyway. It was enough that these inhuman beings didn’t attack him on sight. That alone was a sign of granted entry.

He passed through a garden filled with vibrant and bizarre flowers, all the way to the inner area of the manor, thick with the scent of liquor.

Bukgung Myeong did his best not to look left or right ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) as he walked. The Northern Sea Ice Palace Lord whom he served was the most terrifying figure in the north.

But separate from her looming presence, this land where the Ming Cult gathered gave the sensation that even shadows were being sucked beneath one’s feet.

‘Damn it. What could those monsters from the south possibly want up here...?’

He hardened his face and lifted his gaze.

Before him now stretched a stunningly ornate artificial mountain. Stones stacked and carved into a sculpture resembling a valley. Liquor, not water, trickled through its stream—decadence at its finest.

And standing atop one of its rocky peaks on the tip of her foot was a woman, her posture mysterious and poised.

Was she training her balance?

She was a swordswoman, with jet-black hair flowing long down her back.

The silk wrapped around her waist was Black Star Brocade, imported exclusively from the Western Territories. The sword at her belt bore the character for “Wilderness” engraved on the hilt.

Her pale white face looked as if it had mastered a mythical martial art, and her cold, expressionless face only added to the chilling aura.

She didn’t spare so much as a glance at Bukgung Myeong as he entered the inner garden. Like one of the many statues decorating the hall.

‘Wilderness...? No way she’s from Ipwang Fortress.’

But Bukgung Myeong didn’t have time to study her for long.

[You’ve got decent insight.]

“It’s one of our sect’s virtues. We make a point of observing all amusements and customs that arise on this land.”

From beyond the artificial mountain.

One of two figures playing Go on a wooden bench turned his head. A man with a deeply drawn straw hat that obscured his face.

“Regrettable, but I’m the earlier guest. I came from Yeoryeong.”

A strange voice flowed out from beneath the hat. It sounded like metal being scraped.

Then the man under the hat quietly asked,

“You said you’re from the Ice Palace?”

But Bukgung Myeong only spared him a passing glance. He had no reason to speak to him.

Because the woman seated across from the straw-hatted man radiated a presence so vast it seemed to encompass the heavens. The owner of that faint violet aurora was here.

The youngest First of Tibet in all of history.

The Master of the Ming Cult—So Cheonmujuk.

She rested one elbow on her knee, which was bent at an angle. The very picture of extreme boredom. Even the way she rolled a Go stone in one hand carried that same lethargy.

The soft cascade of aurora-light shimmered against the bridge of her high nose, casting delicate shadows. Her features were so striking they could steal one’s soul.

Bukgung Myeong snapped back to his senses.

Her face wasn’t dreamlike. It was a terrifying beauty that itself evoked mastery of martial arts.

‘They say the Cult Master of Ming can convert someone to the faith with just a few words...!’

It was long said that the Heavenly Demon bewitched others by existing alone. Her bearing, appearance, and martial prowess all belonged to something beyond human. Seeing her now, the rumors weren’t wrong.

Fortunately, the current Cult Master was as blunt as her presence was overwhelming. She gave Bukgung Myeong no chance to fall into a daze before demanding he speak.

[What’s your business?]

Her indifferent voice made the air itself hum.

Bukgung Myeong felt a shock in his ears like a drumbeat but kept his expression steady. As a direct envoy of the Ice Palace Lord, he could not allow his dignity to crack.

“...I respectfully ask the Cult Master of Ming—why have you not halted your march northward?”

[The world is in chaos. My cult’s masters must secure places to live—places to belong.]

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

With just that brief exchange, Bukgung Myeong assessed her nature.

She would reveal nothing to anyone. He grasped this instinctively.

It was thanks to the brutal successor war within the Ice Palace that he had refined such keen awareness.

‘With this one, I’ll need to be completely honest. Anything else might provoke her...’

“An unexpected development... but it makes things easier to say. Since I’m the guest, I suppose I should speak first, shouldn’t I?”

Perhaps he hadn’t anticipated he would be granted an audience with the Church Leader alongside Bukgung Myeong. The man in the straw hat, a master from Yeoryeong, placed a white stone on the board and continued speaking.

“The current power of the Demonic Sect is clearly the strongest among the Thirteen Heavens. More than anything, it’s not a full-scale war—if it’s just to steal the Ice Essence they possess, it’s entirely feasible. It would be even easier if the Church Leader lends a hand.”

Bukgung Myeong realized it immediately.

If the Church Leader accepted this man’s proposal, his life would end here. There was no way they’d let someone from the Ice Palace who overheard a plot about the Ice Essence live.

[Hmm... And what’s the price?]

“Whatever you desire.”

That was the straw hat man’s reply.

At that, a subtle curve appeared at the corner of So Cheonmujuk’s lips.

That was the end of it.

In the blink of an eye, Bukgung Myeong’s entire field of vision was swallowed by pitch-black light, and the aurora-like current that had stretched across the sky turned from violet to a murky black.

What is the first virtue that the Commander of the Divine Sword Corps of Ipwang Fortress must possess as the highest-ranking officer of the martial artists under them?

Jeong Yeon-shin had read the writings of countless sages since he was young. Naturally, he knew the answer.

‘Tolerance. To embrace one’s comrades...’

He slowly looked around.

Seats surrounding a massive round stone table, all carved from rare marble. The white-gray backrests towered higher than the height of an average man.

Looking again, the design seemed familiar—it was reminiscent of the Grand Counselor’s Chair crafted beyond the door by that fallen Yong family official who’d been swept away like the front waves of the Yangtze.

Eighteen seats in total.

This was the Divine Sword Field of Ipwang Fortress. At present, eight seats were occupied, including Jeong Yeon-shin.

The Lords of Cheonrim, Seonmok, and Yullyeong, the Lord of Mugeuk Hall, and Namgung Hwa-shin—who entered with bandages wrapped around his upper body—were all focused intently on the proxy leader.

Not a single one of them had buried their fallen comrades lightly in their hearts. Yet no one made the atmosphere heavy.

As if to make light of the business of war, they welcomed it as if it were routine. Amid them, the dust floating silently in the room shimmered like stardust.

“We’ll begin the meeting.”

Jeong Yeon-shin’s voice echoed like a ripple. At the same time, to his immediate right—virtually the second seat in rank—Jin Myeong-jo, the Divine Blood Extreme Demon subtly trembled.

He seemed deeply moved by the sight of a junior who had grown into an upright man.

To the left sat Ak Su-rim, brows tightly furrowed.

A fitting expression for someone barely sixteen. Despite being the top flagbearer of Ipwang Fortress, she had tossed her personal weapon beneath her feet, yet Jeong Yeon-shin did not presume to interpret her stormy emotions hastily.

That was the attitude of a true adult.

“The matter of supplies has already been resolved, so it has been removed from the agenda. Next, we must form the unit structure.”

“You’re starting with something that’ll take forever. This is the kind of thing we should be debating until nightfall. I assume everyone’s eaten well enough...”

Before Ak Su-rim could finish her interjection, Jeong Yeon-shin’s steady voice overrode hers.

“It’s already complete.”

Her response came out in polite disbelief. It was indeed a difficult task, worthy of surprise. Jeong Yeon-shin gave a small nod and snapped his fingers.

A scroll rose from within his robes and landed in the center of the round table. When Cheon So-so tilted her head curiously and extended a finger, the scroll unfurled wide, revealing its contents.

His unwavering voice echoed as if to announce the success of their first meeting.

“First, the Divine Sword Unit. The members who survived breaking through the Thousand-Net Maze that had confined Senior Yong will be kept, and we’ve drawn additional personnel from each corps. Except for the Unit Leader and Vice Leader, all Divine Sword members will be outfitted in blue.”

As Jeong Yeon-shin had said, the deployment structure for the Divine Sword Unit was listed first. It had been written in one flowing stroke, with only a few areas showing signs of hesitation.

[Acting Commander and Divine Sword Unit Leader: Jeong Yeon-shin.

Divine Sword Vice Leader, Divine Blood Star: Jin Myeong-jo.

Divine Sword Member, Ipwang Divine Hero: Hуeon Won-chang.

Divine Sword Member, Divine Sword Sharp Pen: Yeon So-ha.

Divine Sword Rank-and-File, Tae Yeom Dragon: Hwangbo So-and-so.

Divine Sword Member, Hidden Fist: Sambok.

Divine Sword Prisoner, Crimson Robe Mad Blood.

Divine Sword Member, April Palace Ghost: Wi Ye-ryeong.

Divine Sword Member, Wise Blade: Oh Wol-hyang......]

The word "Acting" written beside the Commander title was faint, but no one paid it any attention.

Suddenly, multiple bursts of internal energy flared up simultaneously inside and outside the Divine Sword Field. They were overwhelming.

Two people leapt up in an instant, reacting like a seizure.

Another presence was gliding in from outside, as smoothly as a divine dragon swimming through clouds.

‘...Is this rebellion?’

Jeong Yeon-shin’s face, ever so slightly, was painted with shock.