Chapter 86 – Northern Sea Ice Palace (10)

“I just thought of something fun.”

Kang Yu-jin said, lifting Bukri Eun into his arms and stepping outside. A chilly air washed over them, but neither he nor Bukri Eun paid it any mind.

Bukri Eun, however, had turned pale for a different reason. Though Kang Yu-jin’s room was off-limits, it would be a disaster if someone were to walk by.

“Sir Yu-jin! Not this!”

Bukri Eun resisted fiercely, but her struggles ceased the moment Kang Yu-jin entered her.

In the end, desperate not to be discovered, she clamped her mouth shut, trying to stifle her gasps.

But as if reading her mind, Kang Yu-jin thrust even more vigorously.

“I like it…! I like it…”

“I thought you would.”

At his words, Bukri Eun nodded her head up and down several times. Finally, she reached her climax in the palace hallway, accepting Kang Yu-jin’s release.

Back inside the room, she reached another peak alongside Na Ye-jin.

*Peaceful.*

It wasn’t a thought one would expect from the man who had just turned the Northern Sea Ice Palace upside down, but Kang Yu-jin believed it. He thought there would be no more trouble.

But the peace did not last long.

* * *

Kang Yu-jin had perfectly executed the emperor’s command. Regardless of what the warriors of the Ice Palace thought, they wouldn’t be considering any advances into the Central Plains for the foreseeable future.

How could they even think of coming to the Central Plains when a master like Kang Yu-jin was there?

However, not everything was resolved in the Northern Sea. Another incident had occurred. The cause was Na Ye-jin. Or, to be precise, it was because of the Ice-White Water Dragon Sword she possessed. The incident began while Na Ye-jin was walking through the Ice Palace.

“You.”

The Ice Sword, Un-ak, approached Na Ye-jin with a stern expression. It was a rare occurrence. Just as they avoided Kang Yu-jin, they had also kept their distance from his women.

“Is something the matter?”

Na Ye-jin looked at Un-ak with a puzzled expression. Then, she unknowingly furrowed her brow. A fierce aura was emanating from Un-ak’s entire body. He glared at Na Ye-jin with cold eyes and opened his mouth.

“I won’t ask twice. The sword you carry—is it not the Ice-White Water Dragon Sword?”

“It is, but why do you ask? I don’t understand why you’re releasing your aura without any reason.”

Hearing Na Ye-jin’s words, Un-ak’s face twisted into a demonic mask as he shouted.

“Did you really think you could walk away unscathed while carrying a sacred treasure of the Northern Sea Ice Palace!”

In the past, the Northern Sea Ice Palace possessed two sacred treasures: the Ice-White Divine Armor and the Ice-White Water Dragon Sword. Then, hundreds of years ago, a man from the Central Plains who called himself the Martial Emperor defeated the palace lord of that time and took the Ice-White Water Dragon Sword—a tragic incident.

The warriors of the Northern Sea Ice Palace were furious, but it was impossible to defeat the Martial Emperor, who had established the massive force known as the Martial Emperor’s Fortress in the Central Plains.

But they never doubted that they would one day reclaim the Ice-White Water Dragon Sword.

However, the Ice-White Water Dragon Sword became a sacred treasure of the Martial Emperor’s Fortress, and when the Martial Emperor died, it was buried with him in his tomb. Because of this, the sword had not returned to the Northern Sea Ice Palace for hundreds of years.

“You must be a wench associated with that man, the Martial Emperor! No matter how powerful you all are, we cannot forgive one who has desecrated our sacred treasure!”

Un-ak shouted and drew a sword made of ice from his robes, one befitting his title of Ice Sword.

A pure white ice aura surged forward to swallow Na Ye-jin whole. Though bewildered, Na Ye-jin swung the Ice-White Water Dragon Sword, and a sword aura of moonlight blocked Un-ak’s attack.

*CRASH!*

A massive explosion erupted, and their hair fluttered. But their minds were calm, their eyes locked on each other. From that single exchange, they knew their opponent was no ordinary warrior.

“Had we met under different circumstances, I would have enjoyed discussing the sword with you, but I cannot converse with the descendant of a thief who stole our sacred treasure.”

With those words, Un-ak rushed at Na Ye-jin and thrust his sword. It was so fast it was invisible to the naked eye, a testament to his mastery of swift sword techniques.

But Na Ye-jin smoothly swung her sword and blocked Un-ak’s attack. Of course, she didn’t expect his assault to end with a single strike.

As she expected, a second and third strike followed, cold sword energy flying toward her throat and solar plexus. Not only that, but blades of extreme yin light also shot toward four other major vital points.

*I’ve won.*

Un-ak believed it. This was his signature attack, a technique that had always brought death to his opponents.

But there was one thing Un-ak didn’t know. That when it came to swift sword techniques, no one was more skilled than Na Ye-jin.

With a cold expression, Na Ye-jin thrust her sword toward Un-ak’s.

*CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!*

The blades of extreme yin light were all deflected by the moonlight sword aura.

Un-ak was utterly astonished by the sight. Na Ye-jin didn’t press the advantage with her sword, instead extending a sleek leg and kicking him in the chest. It wasn’t that she couldn’t kill him, but she didn’t want to cause trouble by doing so.

“Keuk!”

But just because she used an angle didn’t mean the kick lacked power. A master who had reached the Transformation Realm could shatter boulders with their hands and feet. Struck head-on by such an attack, there was no way Un-ak could withstand it.

Un-ak coughed up blood and was sent flying. But before he was thrown too far, he hastily formed a protective aura to cushion the impact and managed to get back on his feet. Soon, numerous warriors of the Ice Palace arrived.

“Elder, why the sudden battle?”

one of the warriors asked. Un-ak spat out blood, glared murderously at Na Ye-jin, and spoke.

“That wench is carrying the Ice-White Water Dragon Sword! She is not of the Ice Palace, yet she desecrates our sacred treasure!”

Hearing Un-ak’s words, the Ice Palace warriors looked at the sword in Na Ye-jin’s hand in disbelief. Then, one by one, they began to radiate a fierce killing intent, just like Un-ak.

Na Ye-jin sensed the gravity of the situation. She had no intention of losing, but it was clear winning wouldn’t be easy. Moreover, if she killed even one of them, the negotiations Kang Yu-jin had worked so hard(?) to achieve would likely fall apart, so she couldn’t bring herself to swing her sword again. It was then.

“Hey, hey. What do you think you’re doing to another man’s woman?”

The voice of Kang Yu-jin—the good man who always protects his women—rang out, and Un-ak and the other members of the Northern Sea Ice Palace froze involuntarily.

Suddenly, a dark green flame erupted in their midst, and Kang Yu-jin’s voice echoed out.

Kang Yu-jin slowly walked out of the dark green flames. It was all a deliberately staged entrance, but the warriors of the Ice Palace watching it felt nothing but terror and fear.

“Daring to harass my woman. Were you that eager to die?”

The moment they heard Kang Yu-jin’s words, the men felt a shock, as if their bodies were freezing solid.

Kang Yu-jin’s voice and presence were utterly ominous, causing them to tremble even though he had done nothing.

As Kang Yu-jin’s presence dominated the entire hallway, even Un-ak, a master in the Transformation Realm, couldn’t help but be overwhelmed. Kang Yu-jin glared at them for a moment before turning to Na Ye-jin.

“It seems this Ice-White Water Dragon Sword is their sacred treasure. That’s why he attacked me.”

At Na Ye-jin’s words, Kang Yu-jin recalled the origins of the Ice-White Water Dragon Sword.

It was a detail he had forgotten, as it hadn’t seemed particularly important to him.

According to his memory of the sword, their anger was understandable.

But just because their anger was justified didn’t mean the crime of harassing his woman was erased.

“There are many ways to die. I fail to understand why you would provoke my wrath by touching my woman.”

Kang Yu-jin gave a cold smile and looked at Un-ak. At the blatant mockery, even the terrified Un-ak felt a surge of anger. He gathered all his strength and glared back at Kang Yu-jin.

“Even if she is your woman, she is a sinner who possesses the sacred treasure of the Northern Sea. If you intend to protect her, you too will feel our wrath.”

Hearing this, a smirk formed on Kang Yu-jin’s lips. Un-ak’s words were absurd.

Deciding that defeating Bukri Hwan wasn’t enough, Kang Yu-jin let the atmosphere begin to tremble. Nature itself was reacting to his mood. At this unbelievable sight, even Un-ak couldn’t help but be flustered.

“Ugh!”

Un-ak bit his tongue and dug his nails into his own fist, trying to force his stiffening body back to normal.

But even so, he couldn’t completely break free from Kang Yu-jin’s pressure. With the very air radiating killing intent toward him, there was no way he could escape.

Kang Yu-jin deliberately lessened his aura to allow Un-ak to move. However, Un-ak, thinking he had overcome Kang Yu-jin’s energy, charged at him.

“Haaat!”

Having steeled his resolve, his sword began to emit streams of tyrannical energy, incomparably stronger than before.

Un-ak swung his sword as if performing a magnificent sword dance. A continuous stream of white aura flowed from his blade, weaving complex patterns in the air.

The cold was so intense that even the moisture in the air froze. For a moment, the Ice Palace warriors thought he was overwhelming Kang Yu-jin. But it didn’t take long for them to realize they were mistaken.

“This can’t be…”

Despite the overwhelming display, Kang Yu-jin blocked Un-ak’s sword with just a single index finger.

Seeing this, the Ice Palace warriors felt as if that not-so-long finger was longer than the sword Un-ak held.

As time passed, Un-ak’s complexion grew paler and paler, and thick beads of sweat dripped from his forehead.

“So this is the extent of your wrath, the wrath of the Ice Palace. I thought there might be more to see, but I suppose not.”

*CRACK!*

A loud crack echoed from Un-ak’s sword. The broken blade spun through the air and embedded itself in the floor.

The sword, forged from ice formed under pressure deep beneath the Northern Sea, had shattered against Kang Yu-jin’s single finger.

The Ice Palace warriors, and Un-ak himself, were too shocked to speak. Kang Yu-jin approached the petrified Un-ak.

*Tch.*

Sensing a powerful presence rapidly approaching, Kang Yu-jin frowned and stepped back. Soon, Bukri Eun appeared with a hardened expression.

“What is the meaning of this? These people are now guests of the Northern Sea Ice Palace. How dare you draw your swords against our guests! Where have you thrown away the pride of the Ice Palace!”

Snapped back to his senses by Bukri Eun’s words, Un-ak cried out as if wronged.

“They have our lost sacred treasure, Young Palace Lord! They are carrying the Ice-White Water Dragon Sword!”

As Un-ak screamed in desperation, a flustered Bukri Eun looked from Kang Yu-jin to the sword in Na Ye-jin’s hand.