Chapter 648

There wasn’t much worth calling a memory.

One day, his younger sister had fled to Zhongyuan, and when he traveled far to capture her, questions arose.

Why did the Palace Lord, who should have remained in the palace under the sacred vow, have to venture to Zhongyuan?

At the time, Yu Cheon, still quite young, couldn’t understand.

It wasn’t until much later, when he realized it was a father’s love for his daughter, that he came to understand the former Palace Lord.

Even so, Yu Cheon knew he would never have made the same choice.

After all, he was more of a Palace Lord than a father.

That year, Zhongyuan was unbearably hot.

Was it summer?

The sweltering weather brought forth a myriad of sensations to Yu Cheon.

He didn’t need to wear thick fur garments, and the cold that usually gnawed at him from the inside seemed a little more bearable. It was a curious and magical experience.

Perhaps, he thought, it was a fleeting moment of rediscovered romance.

Though the Palace Lord of that time bore a somber expression, the young heir, barely having reached maturity, couldn’t suppress his excitement.

A new land.

Searing heat.

People who seemed slightly more at ease with life.

All of it was a novel experience for Yu Cheon.

At least, it was until he met him.

Boom—!!

A deafening crash reverberated from the direction of Mount Tai.

The elder who reigned over Zhongyuan was said to be called the Sword Saint.

And now, the king of the Northern Sea was clashing with him in strength.

This wasn’t an official visit, but rather an unexpected conflict that had escalated into battle.

At that moment, however, the young heir of the Northern Sea faced someone else.

“I greet the young heir of the Northern Sea.”

The man had jet-black hair and crimson eyes.

He appeared to be of similar age to Yu Cheon.

Wearing a light blue cloak that billowed in the wind, the man stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at Yu Cheon.

Yu Cheon met his gaze, and after a moment, the man introduced himself.

“I am Gu Cheolwoon, Division Chief of the Divine Dragon Unit under the Murim Alliance.”

A sense of caution surged through Yu Cheon.

For some reason, the cold within him stirred, generating hostility of its own accord.

Even though he could sense nothing from his opponent, Yu Cheon’s instincts pulled his energy upward.

Boom—!!!

Another roar erupted from Mount Tai to the north.

Hearing it, Yu Cheon furrowed his brows and spoke.

“Step aside.”

At that moment, the Leader of the Murim Alliance and his father, the Palace Lord, were locked in a deadly struggle.

Yu Cheon had his own task to complete.

To eliminate the Moyong clan members who had taken his sister and bring her back.

Such were his orders.

In response to Yu Cheon’s demand, Gu Cheolwoon spoke calmly.

“I cannot comply.”

His tone was measured and unwavering.

“Your sister has already become one of the Moyong clan. As such, I must protect the members of that family under the orders of the Alliance Leader. I cannot step aside.”

“So, you’re saying you dare to block my path?”

At Gu Cheolwoon’s words, Yu Cheon let out a dry laugh.

“I couldn’t care less about the decrees of your so-called Alliance. We handle matters according to the laws of the Northern Sea.”

“I am unfamiliar with the laws of the Northern Sea.”

“And so? Are you expecting me to follow your rules instead?”

“No. As people of a different realm, you are not bound to Zhongyuan’s laws.”

Crack—!!!

The pressure in the air began to intensify.

Yu Cheon felt an increasing impatience behind his furrowed expression.

“All that matters is that each of us fulfills our role.”

Gu Cheolwoon’s steady gaze locked onto Yu Cheon.

“I cannot step aside. You have something to retrieve. If you wish to do so, try and take it.”

“What?”

The air of indomitable confidence was palpable, as if Gu Cheolwoon was certain Yu Cheon could never break through him.

His tone was both arrogant and weighty.

The manner in which he spoke only grated further on Yu Cheon’s nerves.

“Do you really believe,” Yu Cheon sneered, “that the Sword Saint, that old man, can defeat the Palace Lord?”

“Hm?”

Gu Cheolwoon tilted his head slightly, as if genuinely puzzled.

Seeing his reaction, Yu Cheon was convinced.

They knew nothing.

“No matter how exceptional you people of Zhongyuan believe you are, you’re just humans. You cannot defeat us.”

In hindsight, it was an embarrassingly arrogant remark.

He spoke as if the world belonged to him, a belief born of youthful ignorance.

And so, he regretted it.

If only he had known more about the world, he wouldn’t have left behind such memories.

“Soon, the Palace Lord will dispatch that old man and come here. When that happens, you’ll meet your end. It’d be wise to move before then.”

“Hm.”

Even at Yu Cheon’s words, Gu Cheolwoon tilted his head again, as if trying to make sense of them.

After pondering for a while, Gu Cheolwoon finally spoke.

“Let me ask. Are you truly that weak?”

“What?”

“Why do you assume you cannot get past me until the Palace Lord arrives?”

“...!”

Yu Cheon swallowed hard.

It was an unexpected question.

Why indeed? Why had he assumed he needed to wait for the Palace Lord?

As Yu Cheon’s body stiffened, Gu Cheolwoon, unbothered, continued speaking.

“Additionally, there’s a misunderstanding that needs to be corrected.”

Boom! Boom!

The terrain around them continued to crumble under the clash of titans. Gu Cheolwoon glanced toward the battle before returning his gaze to Yu Cheon.

“Even if the Alliance Leader were to fall, your goals would remain unachievable.”

“What…?”

“As long as I stand here with my eyes open, this is the farthest you’ll go.”

“...”

The nonchalant words left Yu Cheon momentarily speechless, struggling to comprehend what he had just heard.

“What… did you say?”

“It seems your hearing is poor.”

Gu Cheolwoon’s brow furrowed slightly at Yu Cheon’s reaction.

“I dislike repeating myself.”

With a swift motion, Gu Cheolwoon released his hands from behind his back.

Yu Cheon noticed they were empty, bare hands.

Then—

“You shall not pass through here. If you value your life, leave now.”

“...!”

“Does that make things clearer?”

“You bastard…!”

As Yu Cheon’s expression twisted with anger and he began to summon his icy energy—

Fwoosh—!!!

Flames erupted from Gu Cheolwoon’s body.

The surrounding air became unbearably hot.

The fire was an intense, crimson hue.

It didn’t look like mere light but rather like blood set aflame.

Unconsciously, Yu Cheon lifted his gaze.

“The sky…!”

The once-blue sky was gradually being dyed red.

While momentarily overwhelmed by the bizarre sight,

“What are you doing?”

Gu Cheolwoon’s voice rang out.

“Not coming? Then I’ll come to you.”

When Yu Cheon lowered his gaze again—

Gu Cheolwoon’s large hand was already reaching for his face.

Just as Yu Cheon prepared to counter the hand reaching for him—

Slap!

A sharp sound echoed, and his consciousness slowly began to awaken.

Slap! Slap!

“-Hey, don’t you think you’re hitting him too hard?”

“-Waking someone up requires this much effort. There’s no better way.”

Voices. Whose voices were these?

“-But what if you break his teeth?”

“-That wouldn’t be my fault.”

“-Huh?”

“-How would I know if he already had a cavity? That’s not on me.”

“-Disciple.”

“-Yes?”

“-You’re absolutely insane.”

“-I must’ve picked it up from having such a wonderful master. Just kidding. Now, could you move your hands?”

The ominous conversation brought Yu Cheon slowly back to reality. It wasn’t the voices that woke him—it was the pain radiating from his face.

“Urgh…”

Yu Cheon groaned as he opened his eyes, his body stirring painfully.

“Oh, he’s awake. See? I told you this method works every time! Why don’t you trust what I say?”

“…How… is this working?”

The voice in front of him sounded surprised. Yu Cheon looked toward the source.

Someone stood there, hand raised slightly, staring at him.

Through his blurred vision, the figure’s features began to take shape.

Black hair, faintly visible blue eyes, and a sharp gaze, as though fresh from the battlefield.

Recognizing the face, Yu Cheon muttered, “…Gu Cheolwoon?”

“Huh?”

The name seemed to annoy the figure, whose expression twisted.

“He’s not fully conscious yet. Should I hit him… no, nudge him a bit more?”

“Changing the wording doesn’t make it sound any better,” said another man, stepping in. He appeared to be around the same age but had a gentler demeanor.

As Yu Cheon’s mind cleared, he forced himself into a sitting position.

“Urgh!”

His body protested immediately.

Though his condition had been poor before, it hadn’t reached this level of pain.

Now, his entire body throbbed with sharp, intense agony.

“You should move slowly. There are likely a lot of broken bones,” the first figure said matter-of-factly.

“…Huff…”

Yu Cheon turned to face the speaker.

At first, he thought it was Gu Cheolwoon, but he was wrong.

“…Gu Gongja…”

It wasn’t him. It was his son.

“Are you all right?”

Gu Yangcheon.

The young man’s calm inquiry was met with silence.

Yu Cheon had mistaken him. Despite their similar features, something about him was unmistakably different, leading to the initial confusion.

“Can you tell me what happened?”

“What… happened?”

“I heard the Palace Lord was devoured by the Ice Essence.”

Devoured by the Ice Essence?

The words triggered flashes of memory in Yu Cheon’s mind.

He had been with the Ice Essence. Gu Yangcheon had left, and Yu Cheon had stayed behind to observe it.

But why? He couldn’t recall.

What he did know was that he was there, and after some time had passed, the Ice Essence began to glow…

And then—

“Argh!”

A splitting headache overtook him, forcing Yu Cheon to clutch his forehead.

“Huff… huff…”

The Palace Lord of Ice took slow, steady breaths, enduring the pain.

As air seeped into his lungs, his eyes widened slightly.

“…What is this?”

Something felt off about the air.

The usual discomfort he always felt was absent.

Or perhaps it was the absence of that discomfort that now felt so alien.

“Ahem.”

Gu Yangcheon let out an awkward cough, drawing Yu Cheon’s attention.

“…Well, there’s no need to dwell on it. You look unwell, so let’s focus on getting you some treatment first,” Gu Yangcheon suggested, his voice forced and overly casual.

Ignoring Yu Cheon’s scrutiny, Gu Yangcheon moved to support him.

Watching this, Paejon, standing nearby, gave him a disbelieving look.

When it seemed Paejon was about to speak, Gu Yangcheon quickly interjected.

“What are you standing around for? If your hands are free, why don’t you carry that lump of muscle—uh, I mean, the Black Lion Commander?”

“You want me to carry the guy you knocked out?”

“Knocked out? No, no. It was a gentle accident.”

“If there’s a second ‘gentle accident,’ he’ll be a goner.”

“Well, accidents usually happen in pairs, don’t they?”

“…”

The logic was oddly compelling.

Sighing, Paejon turned away but threw a glance at Gu Yangcheon.

“Explain everything before the day is over.”

“…Understood.”

Acknowledging the firm tone, Gu Yangcheon nodded.

As Paejon moved toward the Black Lion Commander, he stopped short.

“Huh?”

Someone was already carrying the massive man.

It was Seong Yul.

“Should we leave now?” Seong Yul asked with an expressionless face.

Paejon tilted his head slightly in approval.

Efficient and perceptive without needing to be told—this one was dependable.

“Unlike my disciple…” Paejon muttered, lamenting his own situation.

While Seong Yul worked quietly without complaint, Gu Yangcheon was insubordinate, ill-tempered, and lacked any respect for his master.

“...If only his talent were mediocre, I’d have kicked him out long ago.”

But unfortunately, Gu Yangcheon’s potential was extraordinary.

When Paejon first met him, he had dismissed him as a bit slow for someone at such a high level.

Yet, before he even turned twenty, Gu Yangcheon had reached the pinnacle of mastery.

And not long after, he brushed the boundaries of Hwagyeong.

For the Murim Alliance to conceal this fact and for Gu Yangcheon himself to show little interest in it—it was unprecedented.

In truth, Gu Yangcheon might have been the youngest in history to reach such heights.

Still, he lacked confidence, and his martial talent seemed modest at best, leaving Paejon puzzled.

But in the end, martial talent wasn’t the key.

What mattered was how much pain one could endure while training the Tua Pacheonmu and whether the body could handle it.

Years passed under Paejon’s watchful eye.

And now, his perception of Gu Yangcheon had changed.

“That kid’s a genius.”

It was a certainty.

Even if his martial skills seemed lacking, his control over inner energy was uncanny.

He didn’t realize it himself, but his precision surprised even Paejon.

“To wield and suppress such flames… it’s ridiculous.”

Recalling Gu Yangcheon’s performance earlier, Paejon couldn’t help but feel a mix of awe and disbelief.

It was a sight that bordered on the miraculous.

The sheer volume of energy Gu Yangcheon handled—power that didn’t even belong to him—was something no ordinary human could endure.

And yet, he had controlled it effortlessly.

“That insane brat…”

Shaking his head, Paejon let out a chuckle.

Though reluctant to admit it, he couldn’t deny the boy’s brilliance.

Even so, Paejon decided it was best not to tell Gu Yangcheon just yet.

He didn’t need the boy getting arrogant.

“Let him figure it out on his own. That’ll be enough.”

Still, Paejon couldn’t help but wonder why Gu Cheolwoon, as both a father and a master, had never mentioned his son’s talent.

“Did he think it was too obvious to point out? No… that’d be absurd.”

Dismissing the thought as ludicrous, Paejon continued moving forward.

Suddenly—

Whoosh!

A massive shadow loomed over the group.

Everyone stopped and looked up, including Seong Yul and Gu Yangcheon.

The difference was that Gu Yangcheon’s face twisted into a scowl.

“That damn thing…”

Looking up, he cursed.

“It never shows up when I call, but now that everything’s over, it finally decides to crawl out.”

Rooooar!

A deafening cry echoed as the massive creature revealed itself.

Its colossal body writhed in the air, casting a shadow over the entire area.

Gu Yangcheon’s narrowed eyes followed its movements.

“What the hell…?”

Something was off.

Roooooar—!!!

The ground trembled beneath the beast’s roar. Gu Yangcheon muttered in disbelief.

“…Why did it get so big?”

The creature, nicknamed Dol-dol, had grown to twice its previous size.

Age: Three years.

And yet, its already massive body had swelled to an absurd extent.