Chapter 556: Chapter 556

Geomdan was struck down by the old swordsman’s gesture.

The sharp blade wind faded into the distance, and the few lingering threads of sword gusts seeped soundlessly into the dust. The entire scene had been executed with extreme precision.

A single move from a peerless swordsman.

For a moment, Geomdan’s figure, collapsed in the smoke, began to sharpen. Silence spread among the commoners of the Gwanghon Mountains who had earlier been chanting his name as the Great Warrior of the King of Dragon Resonance—most of them Yozoku.

Towering men and women of all ages stood on the sharp-edged rooftops or saddles of warhorses.

Cold stares bore down on Geomdan.

This wasn’t like the martial world of Ming, where both victor and defeated were praised. Here, they bowed to the strong and scorned the lords who lost.

A triumphant report was hope—the only escape from their desolate land.

The defeat of Lord Geomdan.

Still, as the Great Warrior of the Northern King, he hadn’t lost consciousness from a single technique. Even now, from where he had collapsed, he shook his head and pounded the ground with one hand as he rose.

His bright yellow eyes flared through wild black hair, tousled like a wild stallion’s mane.

His pupils—still long and spear-like—flashed as they dilated and contracted, as though a beast had reached a master’s level through sheer instinct.

The Sword Saint spoke without reservation.

“What an enviable body. Strength of the strongest breed.”

He relaxed his knife hand and spoke leisurely.

To be sent flying by a peerless swordsman was as good as death. That was why the Sword Saint hadn’t bothered to follow up with another blow.

Jeong Yeon-shin silently agreed.

‘They say he has the Half-Dragon Body, like Senior Yong. I guess it might be true.’

If Yong Hui-myeong hadn’t been taken in by Ma Yeon-jeok as a child, would he have turned out ? Geomdan seemed just shy of twenty, yet the power radiating from him was so vast that it was impossible for Jing-Qi-Shen unification to occur. He was clearly far from ordinary.

Despite his words, colorless sparks burst from his body like a thunderstorm.

Still, Geomdan leapt back, retreating a great distance. It was a cautious move that belied the fierce glow in his eyes.

[Failing to achieve the Dull Blossom Crowning Form was my downfall. Northern King Yaryul has earned an apology from Lord Geomdan. Forgive my rudeness.]

“Not exactly a graceful concession. Still quite young, it seems,” murmured Shin So-bin.

But Jeong Yeon-shin saw his past self in Geomdan, and couldn’t bring himself to respond. It felt as though karma from a distant past was rising to the surface. Why had he been like that?

In the city at the entrance of the Gwanghon Mountains.

From the center of the marketplace behind Geomdan, a shockwave exploded.

A giant statue of a man stood there, and from its massive hand, a faint shock pulse burst forth into the air.

A moment later, a large shadow loomed over Jeong Yeon-shin’s group—

—and a towering woman landed before them, a fine warhorse slung across her shoulders.

The dust exploded outward in concentric rings from the hardened soles of her boots.

A deep vibration rang out, humming in their bones—a sublime technique that dispersed the landing recoil entirely into the dust.

The warhorse on her back hadn’t felt a single tremor.

The Sword Saint watched her silently for a moment, then spoke.

“The mare’s pregnant. Wouldn’t she be better off resting in a stable?”

“And what, let someone steal her?”

The woman, with sharply defined Han features but thick lines to her face, replied with a rough chuckle.

Her features clearly showed a mix of Yozoku and Han blood. Her smile was coarse, suited to someone tall enough to look down at both Jeong Yeon-shin and the Sword Saint.

Then she introduced herself in the formal customs of the Northern martial world.

“Strange Northern King, Great Warriors. I am the ruler of Yozhou and Chonse, heir to the late Flood Dragon Mu Maek, and sovereign over southern Gwanghon and Lord Geomdan.

Though I would never violate the noble law laid down by the War God, I will not let you pass through this place.”

“Be content with the lands you already hold and return. I am the one who will someday conquer the Han territory of Ming, and I am so obsessed with smashing the Shaolin’s 108 Arhats Formation that my head feels like it’s overheating... You, Yaryul, must honor the destiny placed upon me as a Northern King.”

Her presence was airtight.

A peerless master, worthy of calling herself a king.

A fortress-like transcendence surrounded her—no trace of someone who could be swayed. Though well-versed in etiquette, her principles and stubbornness were palpable.

‘The intel was correct. She’s a Northern King aligned with the War God.’

Jeong Yeon-shin carefully considered his response.

The War God’s law forbade life-and-death duels between Northern Kings. But not all kings obeyed the War God’s will—especially those who didn’t respect him.

It would’ve been easier if she had struck first. But now, drawing blood wouldn’t be so simple.

—Seems losing just one Great Warrior won’t be enough to take her land. She’s treating Yaryul with the bare minimum courtesy as a Northern King... and I doubt she’ll cooperate further.

That was Shin So-bin’s silent transmission, her back straight even before such a master. Jeong Yeon-shin felt the same.

The Sword Saint suddenly burst out laughing.

“You’ve got thick skin. I suppose that’s a requirement for kingship.”

But the King of Dragon Resonance didn’t lose her smile at the elder’s cutting remark.

“I’ve been a Northern King far longer than you’ve lived. My name weighs more than Yaryul’s. And you think Geomdan is the only one willing to fight for me? I know your aim is to expand your territory.”

Her words confirmed Jeong Yeon-shin’s suspicion.

‘She hasn’t fully grasped Master Hyeon So-baek’s strength.’

Sword Saint Hyeon So-baek.

Unlike the time he stood alone against the powers of Hanzhong at the Murim Alliance, he was currently hiding his true martial prowess.

His mastery of the Reversal Return Method rendered even high-level internal sensing techniques useless. It was the behavior of a peerless swordsman who’d lived as a vagabond, where survival always came first.

Just as Jeong Yeon-shin hadn’t been able to gauge the strength of Jin Myeong-jo, the sub-commander of the Divine Sword Corps, the King of Dragon Resonance clearly didn’t consider the Sword Saint as someone on the level of a king.

Could someone capable of claiming kingship truly serve another as king?

At least here, such a case was unheard of—and would be difficult to comprehend as a possibility.

“Are you planning a wheel formation with your other Great Warriors?” the Sword Saint asked with a tongue click. “Not sure if these old knees will last through that.”

But despite the levity in his voice, the only ones who seemed to have absolute confidence in him were Jeong Yeon-shin, Shin So-bin, and oddly enough, Lord of Hocheonseong.

‘Just who is that man?’

Jeong Yeon-shin glanced back at Lord of Hocheonseong’s steady presence. Then, turning to the King of Dragon Resonance, who now stroked the belly of her warhorse, he asked:

“How many more Great Warriors and lords do you have?”

“For now, only Geomdan. But unlike you, I have an alliance.”

“This land isn’t your personal playground, Northern King Yaryul. The other kings can think too—and for quite a while now, they’ve been looking ahead, scheming ways to crush you under their horses’ hooves.”

“Your movements were simpler than expected—always toward the nearest point. Even without a clan priest, it was easy to guess. It was clear your next target would be this place—my land.”

The warhorse on her shoulders neighed sharply, and the pressure it gave off was like the omen of a great technique, suffocating in its weight.

“You may have found a powerful Great Warrior, but war is not waged through one-on-one battles alone.”

The King of Dragon Resonance declared.

And for a moment, the tension that had momentarily relaxed over the Gwanghon Mountains—

—snapped back into place. Geomdan blinked with a slightly sullen expression, and the long-dried gorge suddenly surged like a river in flood.

The work of multiple Northern Kings and their lords.

[The Ice Emperor arrives!]

[Northern King Chi Geuk has descended!]

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Suddenly, male voices rang out in rapid succession, and the gorge trembled in response.

Each voice carried the overwhelming strength of a Sixfold Resonance, forged from tremendous inner energy. Especially the one that invoked the name "Ice Emperor"—his tone was strangely carefree, yet flowed with such commanding force it evoked a peerless master.

At the same time, the voice was uncannily familiar to Jeong Yeon-shin. It had the same charred tang as his own name.

From the echo of those shouts, rocks large and small tumbled down all around.

“You’ve heard the saying, haven’t you?” said the King of Dragon Resonance, shifting the warhorse on her shoulder.

“If three Northern Kings gather in one place, it becomes hell. From what I hear, Ipwang Fortress in the South has a similar saying. I don’t know which came first, but when it comes to the weight of the name—this land is far superior.”

She added, “And you’re a king too, aren’t you?”

She included Jeong Yeon-shin among the Northern Kings without hesitation, displaying an aloof pride that truly suited royalty.

But Jeong Yeon-shin had already shifted his focus elsewhere long ago. That was natural—because he trusted the Sword Saint absolutely. In this moment, he also began to sense waves of inner energy rising alongside Shin So-bin’s shout.

“We’re being surrounded from below the mountain! It’s not just a few—they’re at the level of elite sect forces... no, both sides are too strong...!”

[King Yaryul, no need to panic.]

A drowsy Sixfold Resonance interrupted her. It was the same man who had invoked the "Ice Emperor."

[I am Hwangbo-someone, the First Consort of the Supreme Ice Emperor. On the way here, I made a short detour to Yeokluseong and accepted the surrender of both the previous Yeokluseong Lord and the Northern gatekeeper.]

[Which means you’ve now lost your staging ground. Unless you’re claiming to have conquered the entire Gwanghon Range in just the past few hours.]

At that moment, Shin So-bin’s darting gaze slowly came to a stop.

Ahead of them, Lord of Hocheonseong was now holding out a brittle weed stalk to the King of Dragon Resonance’s warhorse. Whether he had switched sides or was preparing for an ambush was unclear.

Yet the First Consort’s provocative words continued, unhurried:

[The former Lord of Yeokluseong held deep resentment against you for the death of his former master, the Flame King. They say you were that king’s Great Warrior. Were it me, I would’ve taken your head long ago. To be honest, you’re more a generous knight than a fugitive from Ming. So what are you, exactly? Well, I’ll be seeing you soon.]

—From the absolute master of Ice Arts, one who now serves a truly new Northern King.

So ended the words of Tae Yeom-ryong.

‘What kind of lunatic...?’

Jeong Yeon-shin wondered to himself. Why is he so damn competent?

South of the Demon Realm—

A land where subordinate lords symbolize the power and prestige of a Northern King.

Here, in the jagged rocklands of the Gwanghon Mountains, the King of Dragon Resonance, King Chi Geuk, the rising King Yaryul, and the Lord of the Northern Ice Palace all came face to face.

Each sat the harsh winter wind like a cushion or throne mat.

Some, masters of wind techniques, had already begun to call this event the Gwanghon Assembly—so swift had word spread.

The King of Dragon Resonance and King Chi Geuk were known to be those waiting for the War God’s return.

Thus, in truth, this was a battle between the Great Warriors of four Northern Kings. And most of the Northern martial world gathered below Gwanghon Mountain had climbed the heights just to witness the overwhelming coronation of the Lord of the Northern Ice Palace.

The odds were already tilting in that direction.

Even the seasoned experts who had secured early seats on the rocky slope of Gwanghon felt the same.

“A kind of sacred rite. Or a festival, if you prefer. Our Palace has finally descended to the South.”

“Well... you never know.”

They were twin siblings.

Their long, silvery-blue hair trailed down, and their sharply defined features were etched with an air of authority.

Bukgung Hu and Bukgung Lin—personal attendants and bodyguards to the First Consort of the Ice Palace.

Lin, the older sister, looked down the slope as she spoke. At this moment, a subtle silver shimmer danced in her eyes as she spotted King Yaryul’s entourage.

“I heard that two of the Six Origin Lords from the eastern Demon Realm have emerged from seclusion. They say those two can read the Heavenly Mechanism. I wonder if Her Highness knows.”

“Two of them? What, just out for a stroll?”

“That’s a terrible joke. In any case, we have to secure our position here quickly—before a storm we can’t control begins to blow.”

The air beneath the ridge twisted with searing heat, a booming distortion as if invisible fireworks had detonated.

A rift in space tore open, and a man and woman emerged in full form.

A fitting entrance for those who bore the name "Ice Emperor."

The Lord of the Ice Palace and her First Consort had arrived ahead of King Chi Geuk’s faction.

The First Consort, Tae Yeom-ryong, dressed in pale blue silk, smiled faintly but cut his sentence short, as if his internal breathing ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) had briefly tangled.

From atop the ridge, Bukgung Lin clicked her tongue.

“Didn’t he quit that opium flower? They say our Palace Lord is a peerless elixir...”

“There’s no way that wastrel ever could.”

Bukgung Hu chuckled quietly.

Meanwhile, down below—

King Yaryul silently watched the Ice Palace couple.