Chapter 411

Sa Cheonuk’s pupils trembled.

“...Insolent?”

Seol Unhwi looked down at him without a hint of warmth.

“You were ordered to observe the movements of Yangryeong Province, weren’t you.”

“....”

“You knew that Seol Cheonhwa of the Elder Council had issued a secret directive—and you allowed it.”

“....”

“The fact that your attitude hasn’t changed in the slightest from the past shows a certain consistency. That much is almost commendable. But what I truly want to ask is this.”

Seol Unhwi’s gaze sharpened.

“Who do you think you are, that a mere servant would dare to monitor a city governed by a direct bloodline Polar Heir of the Snow Palace?”

“....”

“This goes beyond insolence—you simply do not know your place. To ‘observe movements’ means to grasp everything within and place it under your control. That... is something permitted only to the Palace Lord, the Young Palace Lord, and those they personally authorize.”

His voice dropped, cold and final.

“Did you receive permission from the Palace Lord?”

Sa Cheonuk did not answer.

Because he had not.

That was why it had been called a secret directive.

Seol Unhwi extended his hand.

The Trueflame Heavenly-Spirit Sword, embedded in the ground, shot into his grasp as if drawn by an unseen force.

He clenched it tightly.

“You did not. There is a saying in Murim: when a servant dares to act like a master, tear off his limbs and kill him.”

“....”

“I hold my elder brother in high regard, and I have no intention of deliberately becoming his enemy. But if a dog that does not know its place continues to muddy the waters...”

His killing intent pressed down like a mountain.

“I will do what must be done—for the sake of the Snow Palace.”

“....”

“My words are finished. I will now °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° count to ten.”

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Seol Unhwi paused briefly, then looked straight at Sa Cheonuk and spoke quietly.

“Is your pride more important than the fate of the Heavenly Snow Sect?”

“....”

“Five.”

“....”

“Six. In a similar situation, the Cold Ice Sect avoided extermination—and has kept its head lowered ever since.”

“....”

“Seven. Unfortunately, I will not grant you many chances. This is the last.”

The white radiance around Seol Unhwi intensified.

A blizzard-like white mist began to swirl violently around him.

Eight.

His low voice—

spoke Nine.

Sa Cheonuk shut his eyes tightly.

Then, slowly—

he bent his knees.

Where did it all go wrong?

From the very beginning.

Everything had twisted out of place. In this snowy mountain domain, there had never been anyone capable of truly touching Seol Unhwi. That was precisely why he had devised a scheme—to subdue him publicly, preserve his authority, and secure practical gain.

But he gained nothing.

Trying to catch two rabbits—

he had lost both.

Seol Unhwi looked down at him in silence, then turned away.

Sa Cheonuk lowered his head, humiliated.

A voice entered his mind.

Voice transmission.

—This is the last time. Crawl up once more, and if not the others, you and your daughter will die in the most miserable way in this world.

Sa Cheonuk clenched his teeth and raised his head.

Seol Unhwi stopped, then turned slightly.

Their eyes met.

—Do not ever forget what I said. No matter the method, I will tear off your limbs. And your daughter—I will tear off her limbs and kill her as well.

Seol Unhwi had never failed to carry out something he declared he would do.

Finishing what one begins—perfectly—was the hardest thing in the world.

And yet he had done it countless times.

At the very least, the world Seol Unhwi walked was not the same world that Sa Cheonuk—or Man Seokcheong—lived in.

Seol Unhwi calmly brought his hands together in a formal salute.

“As the Sect Master of the Heavenly Snow Sect has personally confessed his fault and begged forgiveness in this manner, I cannot simply ignore it.”

“....”

“I will accept it. It seems we will not meet again for some time, so I will offer my farewell in advance. May you live long and well, Sect Master.”

Sa Cheonuk did not respond.

Seol Unhwi did not expect one.

He turned and walked away.

No one dared to stop him.

***

The carriage set off once more.

Leaving the Heavenly Snow Sect—

heading north, toward the Chaotic Heaven Region.

Namgung Wonyang held the reins. Inside the carriage sat Seol Unhwi, Chief Seong, and Ju Soa.

Chief Seong spoke first.

“Young master, forgive me—but may I explain the Chaotic Heaven Region?”

“Go ahead.”

“The Chaotic Heaven Region is vast. Its size alone is at least three or four times that of Geon’gon Fortress.”

“....”

“And from there come the Chaotic Heaven Ones. They are human—but without reason. They move purely on instinct.”

Seol Unhwi nodded.

He already knew.

He had seen it with his own eyes—the material used to create demonic constructs.

The ones that Xu Xiao had attempted to create under Yu Cheong’s orders... they were not mere corpses.

“They possess absurd physical strength and move without even the foundation of martial arts—chaotic, disorderly... yet they are monsters driven solely by slaughter.”

What if such monsters could be controlled at will?

Humans possessed reason.

But creatures without reason—naturally drawing upon the spiritual energy of heaven and earth—

If such beings could be fully controlled?

If they could be taught martial arts—

refined—

weaponized—

Then they would become nothing less than instruments of massacre.

“Their strength varies greatly. The weaker ones do not even reach the Three Divine Realms, but the stronger... require those at the Heaven and Man realm—or even higher—to suppress.”

Seol Unhwi listened in silence.

“Originally, the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Palace had no such threat. About five hundred years ago, there was a nation in that region—called On-guk. The Snow Palace maintained close relations with it. Then suddenly, the gate appeared.”

“The Chaotic Heaven Gate.”

“And the Chaotic Heaven Ones poured out.”

“And the nation fell.”

“Yes. Even with martial forces at the God-grade level and below, they were unprepared.”

“Mm.”

“It took exactly one day. The nation was not small—yet it collapsed in a single day.”

“And then...”

Seol Unhwi finished calmly,

“The Palace Lord at the time, Seol Yangseo, gathered the Snow Palace’s forces and prepared.”

“Yes. He fought three Chaotic Heaven Kings and won—but suffered severe internal injuries. And from that...”

“Windwall was established.”

Windwall.

The greatest northern stronghold.

A fortress.

A place where the Seolhwa Mountain Manor stood as its pillar.

“The manor serves as the base. The Baekryeong Guard and Seolcheon Guard rotate their forces there regularly.”

Seol Unhwi looked out the window.

“I hear the gate is about to open again.”

“...Yes. I confirmed it myself. It is no longer a sign—it is certain.”

Hundreds of years had passed.

The gate had appeared many times.

They had learned to predict it.

Ten years.

Originally, it should have appeared two years from now—

but now, the signs had already begun.

If not for that... I would not be going there at all.

“So. Are you worried?” Seol Unhwi asked.

Chief Seong smiled faintly.

“I will worry even if you become the supreme ruler of Murim.”

“That sounds about right.”

“Yes, young master.”

“Then do not change.”

“....”

“That is enough.”

Chief Seong’s excessive concern—

strangely—

brought Seol Unhwi a faint sense of stability.

“What is this atmosphere?” Ju Soa cut in.

“You two grew closer after going to the Heavenly Alliance together.”

Seol Unhwi let out a small chuckle.

At that moment—

the carriage stopped.

Namgung Wonyang’s voice came from outside.

“My lord. There is someone collapsed ahead.”

Chief Seong stood.

“I will check.”

Seol Unhwi and Ju Soa stepped out as well.

Snow.

The world was covered in white.

Ahead, in the snowfield—

a body lay motionless.

Chief Seong approached, examined it—

and his expression hardened.

“...Young master. This is... a Chaotic Heaven One.”

“A Chaotic Heaven One?”

“Yes. It is dead. But... something is strange.”

“What is it?”

“This is far from the Chaotic Heaven Region. How did it reach here...?”

At that moment—

Seol Unhwi spoke.

“Step back.”

Chief Seong did not question it.

He immediately retreated to Seol Unhwi’s side.

Then—

five figures burst up through the snow.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Five.

Five men.

They wore thick clothing—merchants, by the look of them.

“...Damn. We only just realized it fell behind—”

They stopped when they saw Seol Unhwi’s group.

Silence fell.

“...Where are you all headed?” one of them asked.

Chief Seong answered calmly.

“To Windwall.”

“Windwall... I see. We are merchants of the Northern Wind Trading Company, traveling toward the Central Plains.”

“I see.”

“Yes. We do not know your business in Windwall, but we wish you success.”

“And that corpse?”

“Oh, that is ours. Our cart fell into a snow pit earlier—must have dropped then.”

He gestured casually.

“We will take it and be on our way.”

Several of them began moving toward the body.

Then—

Seol Unhwi spoke.

“Stop.”

They froze.

His presence alone made it impossible to ignore.

Seol Unhwi stepped forward slightly.

“You said Northern Wind Trading Company.”

“...Yes.”

“Who are you within it?”

“...I am Shin Yanghe, a regional manager of the Western Central Plains branch.”

“Shin Yanghe.”

Seol Unhwi’s gaze sharpened.

“Answer me. Where are you transporting the corpse of a Chaotic Heaven One?”

Shin Yanghe hesitated.

He scratched his head awkwardly.

“...I do not think it is proper to disclose internal matters of our trading company to outsiders.”

“Outsiders...”

Seol Unhwi’s lips curved faintly.

“Very well. Then I will ask as Seol Unhwi, a Polar Heir of the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Palace.”

The air froze.

“As far as I know, the corpses of Chaotic Heaven Ones may only be traded through two designated companies under the authority of Commander Ma Suhyeok of Windwall.”

His eyes locked onto Shin Yanghe.

“The Northern Wind Trading Company... was not one of them.”

“....”