Ice Dragon of Namgung - Chapter 121
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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 121
Shaolin Temple — the Sacred Ground of Buddhism and the Martial World’s Great Bear Star.
The Alliance Master of the Buddhist Alliance, a living legend of the Martial World who had steadfastly protected it from the threat of the Demonic Sage.
Namgung Geom stood before the mountain gate of Shaolin Temple.
Beyond the gate, Shaolin Temple spread out in all its majesty, radiating a grandeur that spoke of a thousand years of history.
“I never thought I’d come to Shaolin Temple.”
Namgung Geom gazed at the expanse of Shaolin Temple, lost in reflection.
In his past life, he had longed for Shaolin Temple.
But as the Young Master of the North Sea Ice Palace then, he’d never had the chance to visit.
Now, having lived another life, the moment felt strangely new to him.
Namgung Geom approached the mountain gate of Shaolin Temple.
A warrior monk guarding the gate bowed to Namgung Geom and asked a question.
“What brings you to visit us, honored patron?”
“I am Namgung Geom of the Namgung Clan. I sent word ahead with a Letter of Announcement before arriving—I trust it reached you?”
Namgung Geom had indeed sent a Letter of Announcement to Shaolin Temple before his visit.
“Ah! Master Namgung, it’s an honor to receive you. Forgive me, but might I verify your credentials?”
The warrior monk asked respectfully.
Namgung Geom produced an Identity Token of the Namgung Clan and showed it.
After examining the token, the warrior monk nodded.
“I shall escort you to the Jigak Hall. Please, come inside.”
The warrior monk led Namgung Geom to the Jigak Hall.
Upon entering, a middle-aged monk came out to greet him.
“It brings joy to meet the legendary Ice Dragon of the Martial World. This humble monk is Won Gak, who oversees the Jigak Hall.”
Namgung Geom studied Won Gak, the Hall Master.
Behind the gentle smile, he sensed a fierce and resolute aura concealed.
From that aura alone, Won Gak was at least a master of the True Martial Realm.
‘Indeed, this is Shaolin Temple.’
Namgung Geom felt anew the strength of Shaolin Temple and bowed respectfully to Won Gak.
“I am Namgung Geom of the Namgung Clan. It is an honor to meet you, Hall Master.”
“Ha! What honor is there in meeting this humble monk? I have heard that you’ve come to have your martial arts verified and to deliver a letter from the Zheng Tian Alliance. Is that correct?”
“Indeed.”
“The verification of your martial arts will take place in the Arhat Hall. Is that acceptable to you?”
“Of course.”
As the one seeking verification, he was in no position to dictate the method.
“The monks of the Arhat Hall can be somewhat rough in their manner. I ask your understanding beforehand.”
“As long as you can verify that my martial arts are not the Demonic Arts of the Northern Sea Ice Demon, I have no objection.”
“I shall take the formal letter from the Zheng Tian Alliance and present it to the Abbot for you.”
Namgung Geom handed the official letter from the Zheng Tian Alliance to Won Gak.
It would have been ideal to meet Shaolin Temple’s Abbot directly, but the Abbot was not someone one could simply meet on a whim.
Won Gak accepted the official letter carefully and set it aside.
“When would be a good time for the martial arts verification?”
“If possible, I would prefer we do it now.”
Namgung Geom had no desire to waste time.
The matter of Yuming Gok had already delayed him.
Moreover, he still had to resolve the matter of Jeon Seo-bang.
To reach Hangzhou in time for his maternal grandfather’s seventieth birthday, he needed to move quickly.
“Then you may proceed to the Arhat Hall at once.”
The Hall Master summoned a monk from the Jigak Hall to escort Namgung Geom to the Arhat Hall.
“Thank you.”
Namgung Geom bowed to the Hall Master and followed the monk toward the Arhat Hall.
The Arhat Hall.
The martial might of Shaolin Temple, composed of one hundred and eight Arhats.
All of the 108 Arhats were masters at the Peak Realm.
Among them, the eight with the greatest skill were called the Eight Golden Arhats.
The Eight Golden Arhats were all masters of the True Martial Realm and represented the true strength of Shaolin Temple.
Namgung Geom had long heard of the fame of the Eight Golden Arhats.
He recalled the most renowned name among them.
Gwang Hae — the Small Divine Fist.
Called one of the Buddhist-Daoist Three Small Heavens alongside the Small Sword Immortal of the Wudang Sect and the Small Sword Saint of the Huashan Sect — a martial genius.
Namgung Geom wondered just how strong Gwang Hae was.
While he was at Shaolin Temple, he harbored a desire to test his martial skills against this opponent.
‘But how would they verify his martial prowess?’
The Patriarchs of the Five Great Clans had verified it by sensing his Inner Power.
He wondered whether Shaolin would employ the same method, or something different.
If the Jigak Hall Master was right about the Arhat Hall having a rougher approach, they could test his martial arts directly.
Namgung Geom preferred to confirm his martial prowess firsthand.
After all, it was a rare opportunity to witness Shaolin’s martial arts in person.
After a brief walk, an enormous hall surrounded by earthen-colored outer walls came into view.
Above the main gate of the hall, the characters “Arhat Hall” were carved in bold, unrefined strokes.
“This is the Arhat Hall. Please come inside.”
The Buddhist monk from Jigak Hall gestured inward.
Upon entering, bronze-hued statues of arhats lined the walls endlessly, overwhelming his field of vision.
The pressure emanating from these colossal arhat statues, carved far larger than life, was truly staggering.
Anyone entering the Arhat Hall would feel their spirit crushed by these images.
Namgung Geom shifted his gaze to the center.
A spacious training ground paved with smooth stone spread before him.
There, 108 warrior monks were conducting their training, bare-chested and disciplined.
They were the pride of Shaolin Temple—the 108 Arhats.
As the 108 Arhats sensed Namgung Geom’s presence at the entrance, they all turned their gaze upon him at once.
When their collective gaze fixed on him, an overwhelming presence crashed down like waves.
It felt as though he might be swept away by that sheer force at any moment.
Namgung Geom summoned his Inner Power to scatter the encroaching momentum.
Thump!
His Inner Power rippled greatly against the force of the 108 Arhats.
A flicker of interest crossed Namgung Geom’s eyes.
Such oppressive weight from mere observation alone.
They were indeed no ordinary warriors.
“All of you, withdraw.”
A warrior monk emerged from within the hall and called out.
The 108 Arhats immediately parted to both sides.
Namgung Geom watched the warrior monk walking toward him.
A man in his late twenties with an angular face and sharp, piercing eyes—like gazing upon a tiger.
His mere approach radiated an overwhelming pressure.
Namgung Geom found himself about to step back involuntarily, then stopped himself.
‘This is no ordinary master.’
Gwang Hae.
Namgung Geom recognized the identity of the approaching man.
No one else could emit such presence.
“You’ve come to prove you haven’t mastered the Demonic Arts of the North Sea Ice Palace?”
Gwang Hae asked.
“That is correct.”
“Then there’s no need for lengthy words. Let us verify it directly.”
“And how do you intend to verify it?”
Gwang Hae smirked and spoke.
“The most certain way to verify mastery of Demonic Arts is to beat someone to death.”
For when cornered, one invariably reveals the strength they’ve hidden away.
“What do you mean by—”
“Too much talk.”
Gwang Hae launched his body forward and thrust his fist.
Whoosh!
Against the punch that felt like the very space was collapsing, Namgung Geom hastily raised his sword to block.
Crash!
The Icy Cold Sword Wind erupting from his blade shattered pathetically.
In the moment of shock at the fist’s power—
A heavy piercing sound erupted from his left side.
Boom!
Gwang Hae’s right foot, somehow drawing near, drove at Namgung Geom’s temple.
Namgung Geom quickly spun his sword to block Gwang Hae’s kick.
Crash!
With the impact, Namgung Geom’s body was driven backward.
Gwang Hae rushed forward like a tempest, unleashing a barrage of fist strikes.
Namgung Geom deployed the Sky Wind Rotation.
The Icy Cold Sword Wind erupting from the Bing Long Sword spun fearlessly to meet Gwang Hae’s fists.
Crash!
Gwang Hae’s fist strikes tore through the Icy Cold Sword Wind without resistance.
‘What kind of absurd power is this?’
Namgung Geom’s eyes widened as Gwang Hae’s fists proved impervious even to the Icy Cold Aura.
Gwang Hae’s technique was simplicity itself.
But it was fast and devastating.
The moves were visible to the eye, yet so swift and powerful that they remained impossible to block even when anticipated.
Namgung Geom withdrew the Icy Cold Sword Wind and unleashed the Flash Lightning Ice Strike instead.
Flash!
The sword qi of the Flash Lightning Ice Strike, as swift as Gwang Hae’s fists, cut across his path.
Boom!
Yet it shattered without mercy against Gwang Hae’s fist strike.
The Diamond Arhat Fist.
Gwang Hae had mastered but this single martial art.
And as a result, he had gained a fist strike capable of shattering anything.
Even the Icy Cold Aura was powerless before Gwang Hae’s Diamond Fist.
Crash!
The sword qi of the Flash Lightning Ice Strike shattered brutally beneath Gwang Hae’s fist.
As fast as Gwang Hae scattered the sword qi with his fists, he advanced toward Namgung Geom.
That alone exerted tremendous pressure on his opponent.
‘Now this is worth fighting for.’
Namgung Geom’s competitive spirit ignited at the sight of Gwang Hae.
He no longer held back his full strength.
Crack!
The Heaven-Earth Freezing of the Ice White Divine Art unfolded, and the space around him froze solid.
Namgung Geom did not stop there—he deployed the Spear-Sky Ice Heaven.
The Bing Long Sword amplified the cold qi as an ice heaven opened within the Heaven-Earth Freezing space.
The ice heaven, merged with Heaven-Earth Freezing, froze the entire surroundings in an instant.
Gwang Hae, too, found himself trapped in that space.
For the first time, Gwang Hae’s expression shifted to one of surprise as the ice heaven’s sword stance surrounded him.
The space on all sides crystallized, seeking to freeze his body as well.
“Impossible!”
Gwang Hae shouted and stamped his feet with tremendous force.
Boom!
The power of the Diamond surged through his entire body, clashing against the ice heaven’s space.
Crash!
The ice heaven’s sword stance, which had frozen the space, shattered against the Diamond’s power.
Cloaked entirely in Diamond Divine Force, Gwang Hae tore through the ice heaven’s space with his bare body.
Crash!
The frozen space shattered wildly with his charge.
Namgung Geom poured the Icy Cold Aura relentlessly into the ice heaven’s space.
Crack!
The ice heaven’s space, which had been piercing through, froze thicker still and grasped at Gwang Hae’s body.
Gwang Hae hurled his fist toward the ice heaven’s space.
The Diamond Divine Force erupted from his fist, penetrating the ice heaven’s space.
Crash!
The ice heaven’s space burst asunder, and Namgung Geom was violently thrown back by the shock.
Gwang Hae surged forward immediately, hurling another fist strike.
In that moment, Namgung Geom extended his hand toward Gwang Hae.
Crack!
The space above Gwang Hae’s head froze solid, and a colossal ice dragon’s claw erupted forth.
Simultaneously, chains of freezing bound Gwang Hae fast.
Caught off guard, Gwang Hae braced for impact as the ice dragon’s claw descended like thunder.
The Ice Dragon Claw Strike.
The first technique of the Ice Dragon Transformation Art.
Boom!
The Ice Dragon Claw Strike crashed down upon Gwang Hae, unleashing a tremendous roar.
The practice hall of the Arhat Hall shook, dust swirling up in thick clouds.
The Arhats of the hall rose in alarm, wondering if something had gone wrong with Gwang Hae.
As the dust settled, Gwang Hae emerged unharmed, his form intact.
But his expression was deeply tense.
In the final moment, he had barely managed to block the Ice Dragon’s claw strike, though the internal shock had been severe.
Gwang Hae stared at Namgung Geom, unable to hide his astonishment.
“The Namgung Clan has raised a monster.”
Namgung Geom smiled faintly before asking, “So it seems I have learned Demonic Arts?”
Gwang Hae shook his head.
“I don’t think so, but the final verification will be made by the Abbot of our headquarters.”
Namgung Ice Dragon
Author |
Baek Wol Geom
Publisher |
Samyang C&C Co., Ltd.
Editor-in-Chief |
Editorial Department
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Samyang C&C Co., Ltd. – Dream Books
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7th Floor, Gwangseong Building, 28 Bongeunsa-ro 114-gil, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Korea
UCI |
G720:N+A063-20260511103
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Submissions |
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No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of Samyang C&C Co., Ltd. – Dream Books.
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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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