Chapter 21

There was one thing I needed to make absolutely clear.

I never accepted that poison.

Snow-Infused Frost Poison was developed under the leadership of Heavenly Serpent Yin, the Poison Fiend of Serpent Valley.

Its mechanism unfolds in three phases:

Early stage, middle stage, and final stage.

In the early stage, nearby ice begins to turn a bluish-black hue. The surrounding Snow Qi—the natural spiritual energy of cold—is contaminated and begins to decay.

In the middle stage, the ice turns completely black. The Snow Qi reverses its flow and becomes corrosive. This causes practitioners’ meridians to freeze, and their internal energy to backflow, triggering Qi deviation.

Most ordinary martial artists are dealt with by the middle stage.

And then comes the final stage.

This is the critical phase.

The moment a martial artist taps into the water-attribute natural Qi—Snow Qi—from a contaminated area, anyone in the Four Realms of Heaven and Earth dies instantly.

The damage goes beyond meridian corrosion. The entire network collapses, and the dantian is torn apart.

That’s how powerful this poison is—it can even affect a master in the first stage of the Martial God Realm, the Unity of Heaven and Man.

Judging by the sample the Deputy Sovereign was holding now, it resembled the middle stage in form, but its effectiveness was still below the early stage. Most likely, this was the research prototype. Which meant... this was the beginning.

I held no personal grudge against the Poison Fiend or the Poison Empress.

But in this life, I intended to protect the Snow Palace.

And anyone trying to destroy it—I would rip to pieces without mercy.

My eldest brother spoke up to our father.

“I’ll investigate this. I’ll find out who’s behind it and eliminate them.”

As if waiting for that moment, the second brother immediately followed.

“If it’s the northwest region, that’s near the Ice Sea Domain. I know that area better. I’ll take the investigation.”

The fourth brother, who had been lurking silently in the corner, seemed about to speak but closed his mouth again. The third sister hadn’t shown any intention of joining the discussion to begin with.

They still saw this as just a power struggle for the position of Deputy Sovereign.

But unfortunately for them, this was far beyond that.

This would escalate into something that endangered the very survival of the Everlasting Snow Palace. And if it hadn’t been for me, that poison would’ve spread unchecked and caused a catastrophe.

It had to be uprooted now.

Strangely enough, that was when my father looked at me.

“Is this your first time attending a meeting like this?”

“Yes. I believe it is.”

“Do you have an opinion?”

Everyone turned to look at me.

Meeting their eyes, I let out a quiet scoff.

To be blunt, while this issue certainly threatened the very existence of the Snow Palace... it wasn’t a priority for me right now.

The battle for the Deputy Sovereign position, the internal political games—none of it mattered.

What I needed—

Was to speak with my father.

That was the only reason I’d come here.

In a quiet voice, I spoke.

“Serpent Valley.”

My father’s eyes narrowed slightly. The Deputy Sovereign furrowed his brow.

“...Serpent Valley?”

“Yes. The poison was developed under the direction of Heavenly Serpent Yin.”

Everyone except my father blinked.

The name Heavenly Serpent Yin wasn’t commonly known.

Most people referred to her simply as the Poison Fiend.

That was both her title and her name.

My father asked,

“Do you have proof?”

“I don’t.”

He blinked—genuinely taken aback by how firm I was. The Deputy Sovereign used that opening to interject.

“So you're accusing Serpent Valley without any evidence or basis? Lord Hyeon Seollin, you seem unaware of the weight this meeting carries—”

“It’s called Snow-Infused Frost Poison.”

The Deputy Sovereign’s face twisted in frustration, but I didn’t care.

I ignored him and continued.

My time here was too valuable to waste.

“Heavenly Serpent Yin wouldn’t have come herself. She likely sent her subordinates—her poison disciples.”

“Hyeon Seollin.”

“Yes, Sovereign.”

“What is Snow-Infused Frost Poison? Explain it in detail.”

I answered without pause.

“It’s a poison brewed from the venom of a thousand-year viper. Its toxicity is amplified using Cold Ice Hundred-Mile Grass, which holds a deeply yin-aligned energy. Then, the eternal glaciers of the Snow Mountains are melted down to stabilize the poisonous Qi. Once stabilized, it merges into the surrounding Snow Qi, and any martial artist who absorbs that Qi suffers meridian collapse.”

Silence fell across the room.

I continued, unflinching.

“The fact that ordinary martial artists’ meridians are freezing right now only proves that the poison is still in early development. But if we don’t act now...”

“...The Snow Palace will be wiped out.”

It was my father who completed the sentence.

Of everyone present, he had the greatest strength and the deepest knowledge. He immediately grasped the scope of destruction this poison could unleash.

And he wasn’t wrong.

Perfecting Snow-Infused Frost Poison would take time, and a tremendous amount of research.

We had to eliminate it now.

And prepare countermeasures.

Develop a formation or medicinal compound that could purify poisons that directly alter and corrupt Snow Qi.

The hall remained deathly silent.

“You seem to know a great deal. As if you’d seen it yourself.”

No one questioned whether such a poison could exist.

No one accused me of making it up.

Because my explanation had been too precise, too coherent.

I don’t usually like praising myself, but someone like my father would know I was telling the truth.

Because Snow-Infused Frost Poison was absolutely possible to create—both in theory and in practice.

“I saw it in a dream.”

Everyone except my father grimaced at that.

No one here was a fool. “I saw it in a dream” was just a polite way of saying I’m not going to tell you more.

“You seem to have more to say. Let’s hear it.”

“Will you end the meeting early if I do?”

My father smiled faintly.

“If your answer is satisfactory, I promise the meeting will end immediately.”

“Very well. Then I’ll continue. They’re likely conducting their research somewhere within these snow mountains. So the question is—where are they hiding? That location must meet three specific conditions.”

“Three conditions?”

“Yes. First, a place that’s in contact with underground water veins, but still allows deep permeation of cold energy. Second, a location close to an area with dense Snow Qi, yet remains outside the usual surveillance grid. Third, a place warm enough to sustain the body temperature of a Thousand-Year Viper.”

I paused and looked toward my fourth brother—the one who liked to wander aimlessly all over the snowy peaks.

“Do you have any place in mind?”

“You’re... asking me?”

I said nothing. And I wasn’t the only one.

Everyone’s eyes turned to the fourth brother, who swallowed repeatedly, then shook his head, saying he didn’t know.

He spent all his time wandering these mountains and couldn’t even capitalize on this golden opportunity?

That’s not my problem anymore.

“Looks like we’ll need our eldest brother to answer that instead.”

Most of those present probably had some ideas already. I didn’t know where it was.

I hadn’t lived in the snow mountains that long. Not even a third of my lifetime had been spent here—so it’d be weirder if I did know.

My eldest brother took a moment to think, then spoke with clarity.

“If those are the conditions... then the underground cave of Cheonghan Valley, or the old weapons vault beneath Cold Spirit Peak would fit.”

Just as he finished, the second brother, who’d been silent, added without inflection—

“There’s also the ice fissure in Frozen White Gorge.”

I turned my head and met his gaze.

Cold eyes stared directly at me.

I returned the look. A glint sparked in his.

“...Of the three, the fissure in Frozen White Gorge fits your conditions best. Even has abundant drinking water. There’s no better place ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ for long-term hiding.”

“Then I suggest we split the martial forces and strike all three locations. Stealth is essential. And speed—”

“Wait, little brother.”

It was my sister.

She looked at me with trembling eyes as she asked—

“...How do you know all this?”

“...”

“You’re not just familiar with the internal workings of Serpent Valley—you even seem to know their entire plan, don’t you?”

“I told you. I saw it in a dream.”

“...Little brother, do I look like an idiot to you? Even if you don’t want to talk, ‘I saw it in a dream’ is way too lazy of an excuse. Even if this was just speculation, no one could know that much without a basis—”

The atmosphere in the council hall turned frigid.

Everyone’s gaze was pinned on me—but I didn’t flinch.

I simply looked at my father.

He, unlike the others, would be judging me not by the source of my information—but by my bearing.

“Do I need to say more?”

My father, who had been quietly watching, gave a small smile.

“Good.”

“...”

“Great Snow Kirin.”

“Yes, Sovereign.”

“You’ll be assigned fifty Cold Spirit Guards from the White Spirit Guard, along with three of the Twelve Cold Spirits. Go to Cheonghan Valley.”

“At your command!”

“Second Snow Kirin.”

“Yes.”

“You’ll also be assigned fifty Cold Spirit Guards and three of the Twelve Cold Spirits. Go to Frozen White Gorge. And—Ice Snow Spirit, Third Snow Kirin.”

At that, my sister and fourth brother rose from their seats at once.

“You two will be assigned six of the Twelve Cold Spirits. Go to Cold Spirit Peak.”

“At your command!”

The Everlasting Snow Palace has several armed forces.

Among them, the Snow Spirit Guard is one, but the White Spirit Guard is in an entirely different class.

They are the palace’s elite.

Their structure is simple: one Commander, twelve Cold Spirits, and all others beneath them are Cold Spirit Guards.

The Commander must be a master at the Martial God Realm. The current Commander is a man named Hyeon Sim, and his cultivation has reached the second stage of the Martial God Realm—Manifestation of the Infinite.

Beneath him, each of the Twelve Cold Spirits must be at least in the late stages of the Four Realms of Heaven and Earth, and they each lead their own independent units.

Among them, First Spirit and Second Spirit are masters of the Unity of Heaven and Man, while the remaining ten are split—six in the Realm of Harmony, four in Heaven and Earth Initial Realm.

Below them, the Cold Spirit Guards are composed entirely of martial artists at Samhwa Meditation Hall level or higher. Their total number never exceeds 150.

They are, without question, the elite.

“Everyone, you are dismissed.”

With that single line, the council began to stir.

Some seemed to think they should raise objections—shouldn’t we at least discuss before launching coordinated attacks?

But this was the Everlasting Snow Palace.

And its master?

Was none other than my father—Ice Heaven Supreme, Seol Jungcheon.

His gaze was locked on me, and mine on him.

I didn’t look away.

Had no intention of doing so.

Those watching began to file out quietly.

Because they could sense it too.

There was a conversation that needed to happen between my father and me.

And it would be serious.