Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 590

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 590
I rose from my seat at her words.
From beyond the bed came shouts, screams, and self-recrimination.
“Is she… taking her own life…?”
Prince Han-bing asked, concern evident in his voice.
I shook my head.
“Probably not. I think she’ll be fine.”
Some time passed.
At her call to enter, I stepped inside.
The Holy Maiden’s long hair had been cut cleanly away.
It seemed she had put her heart in order.
“I will stop my father.”
At those words, I asked without sympathy or comfort.
“How do you intend to stop him, Holy Maiden?”
If her answer diverged from the path I sought to take—
‘Then we would each walk our own way.’
There was nothing to be done about that.
“We must go to the Sacred Ground.”
But the Holy Maiden offered an answer I had not anticipated.
“The Sacred Ground?”
How would going to the Sacred Ground create a solution?
In response to my question, the Holy Maiden explained her reasoning.
“The Sacred Ground holds… a secret treasure of our sect. If I use it and perform the ceremony, I can revoke the Gungju’s position. My father’s attempt to kill me was… to prevent that. I must ascend to the Sacred Ground and end this matter.”
Seeing the Holy Maiden’s resolute determination, I thought to myself.
‘Would the Gungju simply yield after a ceremony at the Sacred Ground? Or perhaps… there is some secret at the Sacred Ground that I do not know.’
I weighed the matter inwardly.
Should I trust the Holy Maiden’s words and believe in that possibility, going to the Sacred Ground?
Or should I employ my own methods?
The North Sea Ice Palace, not Hangzhou. If I, an outsider, were to intervene, there would surely be much bloodshed.
“He would kill his own daughter to prevent a ceremony that might not even work?!”
As I deliberated inwardly, Gongseon Yeong spoke in disbelief.
“Yes. As the Holy Maiden of the Suho Sect, the ceremony performed at the Sacred Ground carries absolute authority and power. To prevent that, my father… is still searching for me now.”
As she spoke, her voice trembled softly—
Because she did not wish to cry anymore, she deliberately bit her lips until blood came.
“So, Jin Sogakju, please help me. We must go to the Sacred Ground together.”
The Sacred Ground.
The peak of Cheonbing Mountain.
Did the answer lie there?
It was then that Hwang-gu’s ears perked up first in response.
BOOM—CRASH—!
A distant explosion echoed through the air.
The door burst open and the innkeeper spoke.
“Holy Maiden! We’ve been discovered. We’ll hold them off however we can—please escape!”
After careful deliberation, I made my decision.
I would trust the Holy Maiden’s judgment and ascend to the Sacred Ground.
Gongseon Yeong asked.
“Holy Maiden. Are you able to move?”
She answered his question.
“I apologize. In my current condition…”
“It’s fine.”
I spoke calmly.
Clang!
Hwang-gu panted, his tongue lolling out.
“Let’s ride.”
The Holy Maiden stroked Hwang-gu’s face with her remaining hand.
* * *
Upon leaving the inn, what greeted us could only be described as a civil war.
The explosion we’d heard before leaving the inn must have been the signal.
The martial artists of the North Sea Ice Palace clashed blades with one another.
“The Gungju has gone mad! A mad Gungju has no right to lead! Follow the Holy Maiden!”
“Cut down the traitors! Uphold the laws of the Ice Palace!”
“You fools! The Gungju is insane! Our brothers and sisters were imprisoned for crimes one day, and then simply vanished—how can you not see it?”
It seemed the people of the North Sea Ice Palace had dimly sensed something was wrong all along.
And they had good reason. Those countless test subjects had been their own people.
“Stop spreading rumors! They were criminals!”
“What does it matter what happens to criminals?”
They began fighting viciously against one another.
At that horrific sight, I clenched my teeth, and the Holy Maiden bit her lip.
She spoke.
“I understand So Ui-seon’s desire to intervene, but ascending is our priority right now.”
Prince Han-bing asked.
“Sister. If we reach the Sacred Ground, can we resolve this?”
“Yes. If we reach the Sacred Ground… we can end everything.”
I was surprisingly quick to settle my resolve.
“Once they’ve drawn their blades, these martial artists have already steeled themselves for their convictions. The commoners have evacuated, so that’s sufficient. We must hurry.”
I thought to myself.
‘Once you’ve taken up the sword, you have to live by your own choices.’
The longer we delayed, the more danger the commoners faced.
“Then… let’s go!”
As Prince Han-bing drew his blade, the martial artists under the Gungju’s command spotted our group.
“The fallen Holy Maiden is over there!”
“Seize her—gack!”
But.
Those who rushed forward suddenly collapsed into unconsciousness from the impact they felt.
Tanzi Cheon Tong. Silent bullets.
Soundless projectiles had rendered them unconscious.
“Ha-ryun. Subdue them without killing. I’ll do the same. And Holy Maiden.”
Jin Cheon-hee spoke with a grave expression.
“The sooner we end this, the fewer casualties there will be. Let’s move quickly.”
The Holy Maiden nodded.
* * *
The group rushed forward at full speed.
As they climbed Cheon Bing Mountain, they suddenly glanced back to see the sky stained crimson.
Gongseon Yeong spoke.
“The city! The martial artists are burning the city!”
Baekho City was a major metropolis. And part of such a city was now engulfed in flames.
The entire city wasn’t burning, but at least dozens of households seemed caught in the inferno.
“….”
The Holy Maiden gripped Hwang-gu’s fur tightly with her remaining hand.
Yeo Ha-ryun, observing this, asked.
“So what will you do? Will you turn back? Holy Maiden.”
“…Why do you ask such a thing. Demonic Cult member.”
At those words, Yeo Ha-ryun spoke in a voice devoid of laughter.
“I was curious. If not for the Hyeolseonggyo, you would have smoothly become the next North Sea Ice Palace Master.”
“…The Holy Maiden cannot become the North Sea Ice Palace Master. We merely eliminate those without qualification.”
“I see. Then what’s your answer?”
Yeo Ha-ryun stared directly at the Holy Maiden and asked.
That was perhaps… pure curiosity from one who had died and killed countless times to become the Cheonma.
Even I couldn’t dissuade him on this matter.
What would truly happen when Yeo Ha-ryun became the Cheonma, I could not know.
Of course, I had seen it from the Jicheon Cheonma. But even so, I now understand.
‘The Yeo Ha-ryun of the Jicheon Cheonma and the Yeo Ha-ryun of now are different.’
Even if the beginning is the same, the paths we’ve walked are ultimately different, aren’t they?
I should stop judging people by fiction.
I thought to myself.
Soon, the Holy Maiden spoke.
“…I will not turn back.”
“Why not?”
“Because if I turn back here, I cannot stop my father.”
“I see.”
Yeo Ha-ryun nodded and moved forward first.
“So what’s the right answer?”
“There is no such thing. I’m simply curious about the consequences of the answer you’ve chosen.”
“…The North Sea Ice Palace Master is… No, my father is.”
“That person will be executed. He has aligned himself with Hyeolseonggyo, and such is the order of our sect.”
….
Yeo Ha-ryun turned to look back. Her eyes, bright crimson, resembled pomegranate seeds.
“Do you dislike it?”
The Holy Maiden did not answer.
Instead, she simply hurried to stroke Hwang-gu’s head.
* * *
During the journey toward Cheonbingsan, there were neither martial artists nor pursuers.
Because of this, the group arrived at the midpoint of Cheonbingsan.
They reached the entrance to the sacred grounds.
Had they been ordinary commoners without inner cultivation, the ascent would have required extensive preparation and considerable supplies.
Much like the preparations necessary to climb Mount Everest.
But those gathered here were among the most renowned martial artists of the Gangho.
Because of this, they were able to arrive in a short span of time.
Before their eyes, mist swirled so densely that not even an inch ahead was visible.
‘This is… a supreme formation indeed.’
She dismounted from Hwang-gu.
“Wait. A special ritual must be performed.”
Ah, that’s right.
The memory surfaced—that the Holy Maiden’s power was necessary to open the sacred grounds of Cheonbingsan.
The Holy Maiden first removed her shoes and stood barefoot upon the snow.
Then she cut her fingers to draw blood, scattering it across the snow.
Whoooosh—
Something flowed outward from her surroundings.
The snowy field began to stain crimson in an instant.
‘It resembles the sorcery of the Wannung sect.’
Watching this phenomenon, I realized it was not merely some formation technique.
A completely different kind of power flowed forth—utterly unlike the ordinary qi of martial artists.
For me, who had studied sorcery and even practiced some of it, this was a power I felt for the first time!
‘So… the Suho sect is not merely a simple religion.’
As I observed this, she began to perform a sword dance.
Despite having only one arm, her movements flowed with slow yet graceful elegance.
Dong-aaang—
Strangely, a bell toll resonated. Yet there was no bell in sight, nor any facility where people could dwell nearby.
As if answering, her sword too rang out with sound.
When the dance ended, the Holy Maiden staggered and collapsed.
Gongseon Yeong caught hold of her as she swayed.
“Holy Maiden!”
“Performing the ritual with only one arm grows tiring. However… now that the ceremony is complete, portions of the formation should soon open.”
As expected.
Whoosh—
Just as the Holy Maiden said, I felt the mist distinctly thinning.
“Now the Elders at the sacred grounds will see the mist and know that I am coming.”
She gazed down at her own arm.
“…Normally I would give advance notice and deactivate the formation, but given these circumstances, I trust you will understand.”
Holy Maiden though she was, she remained a swordmaster who had mastered the Icy White Divine Art.
She could not possibly harbor no regrets about her severed arm.
The sword dance she had just performed, attempting everything with a single arm, appeared more exhausting than usual.
There was little I could do for her.
She was my patient, yet also the Holy Maiden responsible for the North Sea Ice Palace.
There was no time for tears.
To stop the maddened Gungju, there was only one path—to cast aside despair and move forward.
“Please tell me if the pain becomes severe.”
“It is manageable for now. I can endure it.”
With those words, she gripped Gongseon Yeong’s arm firmly and rose to her feet.
“Would it be alright if I leaned on you for a moment? Gongseon.”
“Of course it is.”
At Gongseon Yeong’s words, the Holy Maiden nodded.
Following the thinning mist, they proceeded inward.
Before entering, I found myself gazing toward some distant place.
“What is the matter?”
At those words, I answered.
“Nothing. I was merely looking down the mountainside.”
“….”
Even as the sacred grounds opened, traps seemed to lurk hidden within, and the Holy Maiden guided us along the path at intervals…
Following thus, whenever I turned to look back, a thousand-zhang precipice was invariably visible.
‘Wow. One wrong step and I’d simply be trapped beneath the glacier.’
How much longer did we walk?
We reached the vicinity of the summit of Cheonbing Mountain.
“My chest feels strangely oppressed.”
At Gongseon Yeong’s words, I nodded.
“We are already at such a tremendous altitude. The clouds lie beneath our feet.”
Looking down, the forests, glaciers, and villages all appeared like toys.
The Holy Maiden turned to look back.
“All of this seems like a dream. Priest. I wish it had only been a nightmare.”
She gazed blankly at the burned village below.
“I should have stopped it sooner, but I lacked the courage. Would things have been different if I had?”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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