Ice Dragon of Namgung - Chapter 32

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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 32
Namgung Geom moved swiftly, deploying the Infinite Step to evade the opponent’s attack.
Before the man could shroud himself in the Concealment Art, Namgung Geom unleashed a Sword Wind.
Crack!
The sharp blade wind tore through the air.
The man in black raised his Sword Qi to block the wind.
Boom!
With a violent roar, the man was driven backward.
After sliding back about ten paces, the man spoke with an expression of surprise.
“You saw through my concealment. Your senses are keen.”
“I’ve heard tales of the Black Shadow Art from Heuksalman, but facing it directly, it’s nothing special.”
At Namgung Geom’s words, the man’s eyes flickered.
He had not expected Namgung Geom to recognize the Black Shadow Art.
“How do you know of the Black Shadow Art?”
Namgung Geom shrugged and replied.
“I merely guessed, and it seems I was right about Heuksalman.”
Murderous intent flashed in the man’s eyes.
“Do you think you can mock me and walk away unscathed?”
“Weren’t you trying to kill me anyway?”
The man fell silent at Namgung Geom’s words.
“But why does the Sapae Alliance involve itself in the Sahae Faction’s business?”
Heuksalman was one of the pillars of the Sapae Alliance—the Sadochilmun.
Their movement meant the Alliance itself was moving.
“So it’s acceptable for the Namgung Clan to interfere, but not for our Alliance?”
The Heuksalman assassin spoke with a cold laugh.
“There’s a difference between the Sahae Faction attacking the Seomun Clan at someone’s instigation and our clan aiding the Seomun Clan, who are long-standing allies.”
“On what grounds do you claim our Alliance instigated the Sahae Faction?”
“If not, what reason would the Sahae Faction have to attack the Seomun Clan?”
At Namgung Geom’s counter-question, the Heuksalman assassin’s expression grew exasperated.
“How would you possibly know whether the Sahae Faction has reason or not?”
“Then I suppose I’ll have to ascertain the Sapae Alliance’s intentions firsthand.”
Namgung Geom extended his blade toward the man.
A sharp Sword Wind split into two, streaking toward either side of the assassin.
The man retreated urgently, then kicked off the railing of the deck and leaped into the air.
Having cleared the Sword Wind in one bound, the assassin thrust a killing blade toward Namgung Geom.
The Sword Qi rising from his blade flashed like lightning.
The Heuksal Sword Technique.
The lethal blade of Heuksalman—a technique focused entirely on speed, dealing death in a single stroke.
The man’s blade closed the distance to Namgung Geom in an instant.
‘Perfect!’
The assassin was certain his attack would succeed.
Then, in that very moment—
An icy-cold Sword Qi erupted from Namgung Geom’s blade like thunder, blocking the assassin’s strike.
The Chamjeon Thirteen Sword Thunder.
The Namgung Clan’s supreme technique—its Sword Qi speed was so tremendous it mirrored the flash of lightning itself.
That speed surpassed the assassin’s Heuksal Sword Technique.
Moreover, the Chamjeon Thirteen Sword Thunder carried the essence of Icy Cold.
Boom!
The instant Namgung Geom’s blade met his own, extreme cold poured through the assassin’s weapon.
The man urgently shook off Namgung Geom’s blade and retreated.
But in that exchange, the seeping cold had frozen his meridians.
A strangled cry tore from his throat.
And as if that were not enough—
Namgung Geom unleashed another barrage of Icy Cold Sword Thunder.
The assassin gritted his teeth and moved his blade.
But the Icy Cold essence that had invaded his meridians prevented his Internal Power from flowing properly.
Boom!
Without sufficient Internal Power backing it, the assassin’s blade could not withstand the Icy Cold Sword Thunder.
Namgung Geom’s blade pierced through the assassin’s guard and drove deep into his shoulder.
A gurgling scream tore from the man’s lips.
The man convulsed like a fish struck by a harpoon, then collapsed to the ground.
Namgung Geom withdrew his blade from the man’s shoulder and moved to restrain him.
But the man suddenly clutched at his throat, his body wracked with what seemed like agony.
He had swallowed poison.
Before Namgung Geom could do anything, the man spewed black blood and went limp.
Namgung Geom pressed a finger to the man’s nose and felt nothing—his breath had stopped.
He was already dead.
“A stubborn one.”
Namgung Geom’s brow furrowed.
He had not expected a Heuksalman operative to swallow poison so readily.
Namgung Geom had intended to extract information from the man—to prove the Sapae Alliance’s involvement in this affair.
But with the man dead, all of that had come to nothing.
Namgung Geom felt the loss, yet there was nothing to be done now that the Heuksalman operative was beyond reach.
Still, he had at least confirmed that the man was a martial artist of the Heuksalman—some gain from the encounter.
Setting aside his disappointment, Namgung Geom surveyed the situation around him.
The pirates aboard the Daejang Ship had been largely neutralized by the Four Blades of the Changryong Geom Unit.
Some remained, but they too would soon be finished.
‘Impressive.’
Namgung Geom’s expression showed satisfaction with the Four Blades’ performance.
They had never lacked skill to begin with.
But since taking the Soyeon Pill, their martial prowess had grown considerably.
And through actual combat, their technique continued to sharpen.
If they progressed at this rate, they would become a formidable force in time.
Namgung Geom checked on the situation at the other fronts as well.
The fighting there too was drawing to a close.
The Baekryong Unit’s pirates were no match for the martial artists of the Samgeom Unit.
When the warriors from the Changgang Waterway region joined the fray, the Baekryong Unit’s numbers crumbled rapidly.
And shortly after, the last of the Baekryong Unit fell or were subdued, and the battle ended.
Namgung Jihwan, commander of the Samgeom Unit, and Namgung Gwan, commander of the Changgang Waterway forces, approached Namgung Geom’s position.
“Are you hurt?”
Namgung Jihwan assessed Namgung Geom’s condition.
“I am unharmed. Do not worry.”
“For the Crown Prince to charge into the enemy vessel alone was far too rash. You must not do such a thing again.”
“I feared we might lose the Daejang Ship. And I was not alone—the warriors of the Changryong Geom Unit were with me.”
Namgung Jihwan’s eyes narrowed at Namgung Geom’s excuse.
“The Crown Prince’s safety is far more important than capturing the Daejang Ship.”
If something happened to Namgung Geom, what meaning would seizing the Baekryong Unit’s vessel even have?
“And the Changryong Geom Unit consists of only four men, does it not?”
There had been more than thirty pirates aboard the Daejang Ship alone.
It was reckless to think that four men could stand against more than thirty pirates.
“I believed their skill sufficient to dispose of dozens of the Sahae Faction’s pirates with ease.”
When Namgung Geom expressed his confidence in the Changryong Geom Unit, the Four Blades, including Namgung Chang, beamed with pride.
Namgung Jihwan, seeing that events had unfolded as Namgung Geom predicted, had nothing more to say.
“Still, I will exercise greater caution going forward.”
Namgung Geom spoke as if to show he understood Namgung Jihwan’s concern.
“And I must thank the Samgeom Unit for their efforts against so many pirates.”
He did not forget to acknowledge the Samgeom Unit’s contributions.
“Not at all. Compared to the Crown Prince, what we did was nothing.”
“We of the Changgang forces merely lent our aid.”
At Namgung Gwan’s words, Namgung Geom chuckled.
“The Changgang forces also deserve much credit.”
“But this man does not appear to be one of the Sahae Faction’s pirates.”
Namgung Gwan pointed to the Heuksalman operative sprawled on the deck.
“He is from the Heuksalman.”
Namgung Jihwan and Namgung Gwan were visibly startled at Namgung Geom’s words.
“If the Heuksalman is involved, then the Sapae Alliance is behind this attack on the Seomun Clan?”
Namgung Jihwan asked.
“It is only a suspicion, but I wonder if the Sapae Alliance hired the Sahae Faction to attack the Seomun Clan.”
Namgung Gwan tilted his head, bewildered.
“But what reason would the Sapae Alliance have to hire the Sahae Faction to attack the Seomun Clan?”
“The Sapae Alliance wouldn’t risk attacking the Seomun Clan directly—they must be using the Sahae Faction as a proxy, wouldn’t you say?”
The Seomun Clan’s territory was a critical nexus connecting the Changgang Waterway to the open sea.
It commanded immense commercial advantages.
The Sapae Alliance had long eyed the Seomun lands with predatory patience.
They had ample incentive to strike at the Seomun Clan using the Sahae Faction as their instrument.
“But surely you realize—if the Sahae Faction seized the Seomun Clan’s territory, the Orthodox Faction wouldn’t simply stand idle.”
“If the Sahae Faction were to take the territory and then petition the Sapae Alliance for protection, the Orthodox Faction would find it difficult to act without provocation.”
An assault on the Sahae Faction under Sapae protection risked escalating into outright war between the two powers.
So the Orthodox Faction would hesitate to move.”
“Then what does the Sahae Faction gain from this arrangement?”
The Sahae would exhaust themselves conquering the Seomun lands only to surrender everything to the Sapae Alliance.
From the Sahae’s perspective, there was no profit in an all-out war with the Seomun Clan.
Moreover, if they fell under the Sapae’s dominion, they’d become little more than servants, rendering whatever service the Sapae demanded.
“The Sapae must have promised substantial compensation, or the Sahae must have no choice but to obey them.”
“No choice? You mean the Sapae Alliance is coercing them?”
Namgung Geom shook his head at Namgung Jihwan’s words.
“Mere speculation. We won’t know for certain until we interrogate the Sahae’s leadership.”
“Yeom Changson, the Sahae’s deputy chief—surely he knows something of this.”
Yeom Changson, serving as the Sahae Faction’s second-in-command, might well possess answers they sought.
“That’s precisely what I intend to find out.”
Namgung Geom went directly to Yeom Changson.
“Did you attack the Seomun Clan on orders from the Sapae Alliance?”
“I haven’t the faintest idea what you’re talking about.”
Yeom Changson’s expression betrayed genuine confusion.
“Then explain the elite assassins from Heuksalman aboard the Daejang Ship of the Baekryong Unit.”
Yeom Changson’s eyes flickered—a momentary crack in his facade.
“Heuksalman assassins on the Daejang Ship? That’s news to me. I knew nothing of it.”
Namgung Geom recognized the lie instantly.
“Let’s see how long you can maintain that.”
He seized Yeom Changson by the wrist.
Yeom Changson cried out in desperation.
“Stop! I’ll talk—just stop!”
He had no wish to endure the Icy Cold’s agony again.
“Well? Out with it.”
Namgung Geom held his grip, his tone a threat.
Deception would invite the surge of Icy Cold through Yeom’s meridians.
“What I know is this: a master from the Sapae Alliance came to our headquarters, and our faction chief decided to attack the Seomun Clan after speaking with him.”
Namgung Geom’s brow furrowed at the revelation.
“You don’t know what conditions the Sapae Alliance imposed?”
“I don’t. I asked, but the chief revealed nothing.”
The aggrieved cast of Yeom Changson’s face suggested he spoke truth.
“How many operatives did the Sapae Alliance provide?”
“Five elite assassins from Heuksalman, as far as I know.”
“Only five? They sent just five?”
Surprise registered in Namgung Geom’s voice.
“What if one of them was from the Three Heuksal Blades and the other four from the Ten Heuksal Shadows?”
Namgung Geom’s expression hardened.
The Three Heuksal Blades were Heuksalman’s elite—assassins capable of killing even Jinmu Realm masters.
The Ten Heuksal Shadows ranked below them but were premium killers who could fell Peak Realm experts.
One of those Shadows had fallen to Namgung Geom’s blade not long ago.
“An elite and four premium operatives—calling that ‘merely five’ would be an understatement.”
That single Heuksalman assassin he’d faced earlier possessed strength sufficient to kill most Peak Realm masters.
If the Sapae’s elite hunters targeted the Seomun Clan’s warriors, evasion would prove nearly impossible.
Indeed, the Seomun Clan had suffered considerable losses to Heuksalman assassins.
This accounted for their struggle against the Sahae Faction.
Namgung Geom relayed what he’d learned from Yeom Changson to Namgung Jihwan and Namgung Gwan.
“What do you intend to do now?”
Namgung Jihwan asked.
Namgung Geom answered without hesitation.
“We strike the Sahae Faction’s main base and capture the Heuksalman assassins.”
Namgung Bing-ryong
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Baekwol Geom
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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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