Chapter 15

Seol Unwi let out a bitter smile.

“Even if the body has weakened and the realm has fallen to the depths of the earth,

one’s enlightenment and insight can never disappear.

The eyes of a man who once placed the world beneath his feet—

even if they fall to the ground,

they still reflect the heavens.”

The Blood Qi floating around Seol Unwi shimmered across the air like a dance,

painting the space around him.

“Just like this moment.”

All the Blood Qi around him surged inward and was absorbed into his body.

“I know exactly what I’m capable of.

And I know how far I can reach.

But you, Senior—you don’t.

You don’t know where your limits lie.

And you don’t know what you’re truly capable of.”

As the air around them grew colder,

so too did Seol Unwi’s gaze darken.

“That’s why, even in this very moment,

you’re standing there as if all you see is a bastard child.”

“...P-please... spare me...”

“Are you referring to yourself, Senior?”

Seol Unwi gave a short, dry laugh.

“And why should I?”

“I’ll... I’ll keep your secret... I beg you... Let me serve you.

Yes... I’ll become your sword... your servant... Please...”

“It’s too late, Senior.”

Seol Unwi’s left hand shot forward like lightning and seized Lee Jichang by the hair.

“Mercy is an emotion that reveals the limits of rationality.

That’s why the wise are wary of it—

and fools are seduced by it.

Senior, do I look like a fool to you?”

“A... ah...”

“You told me yourself, didn’t you?

To know when to crawl forward—and when not to.”

“...Th-that...”

“I’ll return the favor.

If you’re granted another life,

then may you finally learn when to crawl,

and when to stay down.”

Seol Unwi extended his right hand—

and drove it forward.

Squelch—

His hand pierced straight through Lee Jichang’s throat.

And without pause, he clenched his fingers.

He seized Lee Jichang’s windpipe—

—and tore it out.

Crunch—RIP—!!

__________________

Chapter 3

Seol Unwi silently looked down at ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) the corpse of Lee Jichang.

Then—cough—blood burst from his mouth.

His blood vessels raged like they were about to explode, spasming uncontrollably,

but he didn’t collapse.

He quickly activated the Grand Void Immortal Blood Heart Technique.

The surging, boiling madness in his bloodstream slowly began to calm.

He had suffered considerable internal damage—but it was fine.

He had pushed himself too far—but even that was fine.

This wretched body needed to suffer more.

The physical body he had in his previous life and this one—

they were far too different.

He would temper it. Again and again.

As he calmed his body in silence, his thoughts drifted.

His current cultivation was at Yang Radiance Appears.

So then—what kind of opponent could he realistically handle at this level?

He could deal with someone at Samhwa Meditation Hall fairly comfortably,

but this last fight had been borderline.

He hadn’t used the weapons in his possession—

he had relied solely on martial arts.

If he approached it this way again and faced a master from Five Origins and Five Essences,

his only option would be mutual destruction.

He needed to circulate his energy properly.

To create maximum efficiency with minimal internal force.

If he predicted the opponent’s martial arts and movements—

It would end easily.

Of course, that only applied to fighters within the Refined Qi Realm.

As for martial artists in the Heaven and Earth Realm—

they were absolutely beyond him right now.

No matter how well he predicted, no matter how lucky he got—

it was impossible.

There was one reason.

Until Refined Qi Realm, one manipulates ordinary Qi.

From Heaven and Earth Realm onward, they wield natural Qi.

And that—natural Qi—is the problem.

No matter how enlightened he might be,

to even attempt to face someone in the first stage of Heaven and Earth Realm, Realm of Harmony,

he would at least need to reach Samhwa Meditation Hall,

where the middle and lower dantian are unified.

Only at that level could he even hope to fight someone in the Realm of Harmony.

And once again, he felt it—

He had returned.

But now, he was the weak one.

Cough. Cough.

Blood poured from his lips without pause.

There was no regret in killing Lee Jichang.

Even if it happened again, he would kill Lee Jichang all over again.

Soon, his entire body grew cold.

It had been a while since he felt a real chill.

Hoo.

He spoke in a quiet voice.

“Inspector Seong.”

The sudden call was met with an equally sudden appearance.

Seong Yangho appeared beside him.

He said nothing—his face frozen in shock—

but he placed a hand on Seol Unwi’s back and began transferring energy.

Relief washed over him instantly.

Of course it did.

Inspector Seong was a martial artist of the Heaven and Earth Realm.

“...What exactly did I just witness?”

“You saw what you saw.”

“...When did you come into contact with the Central Blood Sect?”

“Did you only hear half the story?”

“...”

“Doesn’t seem like it.

Then why ask?”

“...Young Master... this really isn’t right.”

“Not as wrong as exposing your own identity as a member of the White Snow Spirit Guard, wouldn’t you say?”

White Snow Spirit Guard.

An elite secret force that protects the bloodline and secrets of the Everlasting Snow Palace.

Seol Unwi looked directly at him and spoke.

“Pure as a thousand years of snow.”

The response came without hesitation.

“...Shadowed like the soul that endures.”

The motto of the White Snow Spirit Guard.

This organization was directly under the command of the palace lord,

made up of one leader and numerous agents.

“Numerous” because not even the members knew each other’s identities.

Only the commander and the palace lord knew who was who.

Within the Everlasting Snow Palace, they underwent more than twenty years

of strict selection and training—

and it was a rule that they never reveal their identities to each other.

Even in death, they were bound by oath to protect their secret.

But there was one thing that was absolutely certain—

Every member of the White Snow Spirit Guard was at least Heaven and Earth Realm.

“...Since when did you know?”

“From the beginning.”

“...How?”

Seol Unwi turned his head to look at him.

“Inspector Seong.”

“...Yes, Young Master.”

“I don’t care if you’re White Snow Spirit Guard or whatever.

To me, you’re just Inspector Seong.

The one who’s stood by me since I was a child.”

“...Young Master...”

“You heard everything I said earlier.

If you’re asking me again,

it’s either because it’s too hard to believe,

or you want to hear it directly from my mouth.

Which is it?”

“...Both.”

He answered quietly.

“I went back in time.”

“...Is that true?”

“How else could I possibly explain this situation?”

“...”

“Just like I told you that night in the residence—

I didn’t exaggerate what was true,

and I didn’t make up what wasn’t.

I only spoke exactly as things are.

Whether you believe it or not, that’s up to you.”

“...Young Master...”

“I’m getting tired of repeating myself.

So—is that the only thing you’re curious about?”

“...In your previous life... what happened to the Everlasting Snow Palace?”

He answered plainly.

“It was annihilated.”

“...By whom?”

“By me.”

Inspector Seong’s jaw dropped.

****

Thanks to the energy that Inspector Seong had injected into him,

Seol Unwi stood up with a body that now felt significantly better.

He staggered a little—but this much was manageable.

Though apparently not in Inspector Seong’s eyes.

“...You should rest a little longer.”

Seol Unwi shook his head.

“There’s still something I need to do.”

“...Unbelievable...” muttered Inspector Seong, supporting him for now, then asking:

“What are you planning to do?”

“What else? I need to erase the traces.”

“...The blizzard is fierce. The Blood Qi you released will be wiped out naturally.”

“And the body?”

“...”

“Inspector Seong.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

“Lee Jichang came to Seolap, bowed his head in apology,

confessed everything I didn’t know about Yangnyeong’s corruption,

and disappeared on his way back to Yangnyeong.”

“...”

“Isn’t it strange?

A martial artist at Samhwa Meditation Hall—

one of the so-called ‘strongest of the strong’—suddenly vanishes?”

“...I think I get what you’re thinking... But please. Just end it here.

If you push this further, it gets dangerous.”

“‘End it’... meaning I should let all the friction go

and move in a more... constructive direction?”

“Yes.”

“As I suspected—Inspector Seong is still the idealist.”

“...Why are you saying that?”

“If I back off now, do you think the other side will back off too?”

“...”

“Grudges in the martial world aren’t as simple as you think.

Think about why a phrase like ‘uproot the source’ exists.”

“Young Master...”

“This fight has already started.

And I wasn’t the one who started it.

They made the first move.

All I did was respond.

So why should I be the one to stand down?”

“But still...”

“Six years. That’s not a short amount of time.

And during those six years,

in my name—and in the name of the Everlasting Snow Palace—

they plundered and schemed.

There’s only one kind of forgiveness for bastards like that.”

“...What kind?”

“Death.”

“...”

“To me, clearing grudges means exactly that.

That is my mercy.

That is the price they’ll pay.”

He took a breath, speaking quietly.

“When I passed the Beggars’ Union branch in Seolap,

I took a look at its condition.”

“...”

“It looked bad.

Seolap owns an entire mine—yet the people there looked like starving beggars.

Whose fault is that?”

Inspector Seong didn’t answer right away.

So Seol Unwi made it easier for him.

“It’s my fault.

I ran away, I hid—

and the people under me paid the price.”

“...So, you’re going to see this through to the end?”

“That’s how I’ve always lived.”

“...And if you die?”

“Then I’ll have died living how I wanted to.

That means I died as a martial artist—

and that would be an honorable death.”

“...You really are different.”

“What is?”

“...Just... everything.”

Inspector Seong, as if he had come to a decision, stepped back from Seol Unwi.

“Will you be able to walk alone?”

Seol Unwi nodded.

“Then go on ahead. I’ll stay behind and clean up the scene.”

Seol Unwi smiled faintly.

“Trying to help?”

“...Honestly, it’s not the first time I’ve cleaned up after you.

I can handle this much.”

“I don’t mind that choice of words—‘cleaning up after me.’”

“...”

“Well, good luck.”

Without hesitation, Seol Unwi walked away.

He could clearly imagine the look on Inspector Seong’s face,

staring at him in disbelief.

But that was fine.

Right now, he had to return to Seolap.

There was still one thing left to deal with there.

****

Returning to Seolap,

Seol Unwi stopped in front of a rather large manor.

He looked up.

The sign above the pavilion read:

Iron Mountain Sword Sect.

This was the most powerful sect in Seolap.

The sect leader, Yang So,

was a martial artist at Samhwa Meditation Hall—

and possessed respectable talent.

He was also quite young.

Barely thirty.

Seol Unwi addressed the two guards at the gate.

“Open it.”

There was no response.

As if unsure what to do, the two warriors stared at him, visibly flustered.

Seol Unwi repeated himself.

“I said—open it.”

The two guards swallowed hard and moved to open the gate—

—but surprisingly, it opened from the inside.

Standing there was a man with short hair and sharp, clear features.

Strapped to his waist was a sword about six cheok long.

Etched on the right side of the blade were the characters: Iron Mountain.

It was the Iron Mountain Sword—

the best weapon of the Iron Mountain Sword Sect,

and considered a sacred treasure.

Of course, calling something a “sacred treasure” when it was held by

a mere Samhwa Meditation Hall martial artist was a bit ridiculous—

but to them, they were serious.

And Seol Unwi didn’t mock people like that.