Ice Dragon of Namgung - Chapter 50

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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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Episode 50
Namgung Geom already knew of Heuk Il-sal’s existence.
Even while facing Hwang Dae-in, he had kept his focus on Heuk Il-sal’s movements.
Had Hwang Dae-in’s martial arts been even slightly stronger—or had it not been for the Ice Dragon Sword’s power—it would have been impossible.
Thanks to the Ice Dragon Sword’s capabilities, he could overwhelm Hwang Dae-in.
That margin of dominance gave him the leisure to watch Heuk Il-sal’s approach.
Even so, catching the precise moment Heuk Il-sal moved proved far from simple.
Without his experience against two of the Black Kill Three Swords, Namgung Geom himself would have been in danger.
In any case, the instant Heuk Il-sal made his move, Namgung Geom perceived the ambush and unleashed a counterattack.
Caught off guard, Heuk Il-sal couldn’t properly respond to Namgung Geom’s assault and simply took the blow.
Having subdued Heuk Il-sal, Namgung Geom turned his gaze toward Hwang Dae-in across the way.
Hwang Dae-in’s face bore unmistakable shock.
Until Heuk Il-sal appeared, he had no idea of his existence.
When Heuk Il-sal suddenly materialized in the space behind Namgung Geom, his astonishment knew no bounds.
But the moment he saw Heuk Il-sal, he realized at once that this was an expert dispatched by the Black Cloud Lion.
He could surmise that Heuk Il-sal had been lying in wait all along, only to spring the ambush at the critical moment.
Watching the ambush unfold, Hwang Dae-in became certain.
Certain that Heuk Il-sal’s ambush would succeed.
Completely unexpected.
A distance of barely a zhang.
It seemed that even Namgung Geom could not possibly defend against such an ambush.
Yet Namgung Geom had stopped it.
As though he had known all along.
And in one smooth motion, he subdued Heuk Il-sal.
Hwang Dae-in could not help but despair.
His last bastion of hope had crumbled.
With his own strength, he could never defeat Namgung Geom.
Just moments before, had it not been for Heuk Il-sal’s ambush, Namgung Geom’s single strike would have ended everything.
Namgung Geom approached Hwang Dae-in and asked quietly,
“Why did the Green Forest Alliance attack my clan’s main house?”
There was no ancient enmity between the Namgung Clan and the Green Forest Alliance.
The Green Forest Alliance had no reason to attack Namgung Geom and his company.
“We merely followed orders from above.”
“You mean the Green Forest Alliance’s central leadership ordered the attack on our main house?”
Namgung Geom asked, his tone rife with suspicion.
“Would anyone be mad enough to target the heir of the Namgung Clan without reason?”
“Did the Green Forest Alliance’s central leadership also orchestrate Heuk Il-sal’s movements with the Black Kill Three Swords?”
Namgung Geom pressed further.
“Heuk Il-sal’s actions—I knew nothing of them.”
Namgung Geom recalled the shock in Hwang Dae-in’s eyes when Heuk Il-sal first appeared.
Hwang Dae-in’s claim that he didn’t know of Heuk Il-sal’s existence was likely no falsehood.
Yet it remained entirely possible that the Green Forest Alliance’s leadership had kept this secret from him.
Had Hwang Dae-in known of Heuk Il-sal, he might unconsciously have sought him out.
What was certain was that Heuk Il-sal bore some connection to the Green Forest Alliance.
‘Has the Green Forest Alliance joined hands with the Evil Sect Union?’
Otherwise, there would be no reason for the Blood Wolf Sect to attack him and his companions alongside Heuk Il-sal.
If the Evil Sect Union had allied with the Green Forest Alliance to destroy the Five Great Clans, including the Namgung Clan?
It was entirely plausible.
The formation of the Jeongcheon Alliance by the Five Great Clans would hold no advantage for the Evil Sect Union.
So perhaps they meant to eliminate the Five Great Clans before that alliance could take shape.
The Namgung Clan had become their first target among the Five Great Clans.
If so, this was no ordinary matter.
The Green Forest Alliance was no longer the faction of old.
With the emergence of the Green Forest King, Gyeong Cheon-ho, and his sworn brethren, the Green Forest Four Tigers, the Green Forest Alliance’s combat strength had grown considerably.
The Five Great Clans had become a force no longer to be dismissed lightly.
‘Could the Janggang Water Path Alliance be involved as well?’
Namgung Geom recalled the previous encounter on the Janggang River, when he had come under attack by the Black Water Sect.
At the time, there had been many suspicious elements to their assault.
If the Janggang Water Path Alliance had also allied with the Evil Sect Union?
And on top of that, the Four Seas Faction.
The Evil Sect Union had long sought to consolidate the underworld’s forces.
Methodically, they gathered scattered sects and criminal gangs to expand their power.
But the three great underworld powers—the Green Forest Alliance, the Janggang Water Path Alliance, and the Four Seas Faction—refused to join them.
If those three were to change their minds and enter the Evil Sect Union’s fold…
Even if the Jeongcheon Alliance was formed, it would be no easy task to stand against a unified underworld under the Evil Sect Union’s banner.
‘Have I let my imagination run away?’
Namgung Geom shook his head, scattering the thoughts swelling in his mind.
The Blood Wolf Sect and Heuk Il-sal had moved in concert, but it was difficult to conclude definitively that the Green Forest Alliance and the Evil Sect Union had joined hands.
Even if they had, he doubted they would act so brazenly and openly.
Moreover, only the Black Kill Sect was moving while the rest of the Evil Sect Union remained still—something felt off about it.
It was possible the Black Kill Sect was acting independently, without the Evil Sect Union’s sanction.
After all, Heuk Il-sal had grievances against Namgung Geom; he might simply be seeking vengeance.
That could be verified later.
For now, Namgung Geom decided to subdue Hwang Dae-in first.
Further conversation seemed unlikely to yield any more useful information.
“It seems you know little of value. Shall we end this?”
Namgung Geom lunged toward Hwang Dae-in, extending his sword.
The Icy Cold Sword Wind erupting from the Ice Dragon Sword engulfed Hwang Dae-in from all sides.
Hwang Dae-in wielded his saber with all his strength.
The Blood Wolf Fangs rising fiercely from his blade collided with the Icy Cold Sword Wind.
Crash!
The Blood Wolf Fangs froze and shattered against the Icy Cold Sword Wind once more.
Through the fracturing fangs, the frigid force of the Icy Cold Sword Wind drove inward.
Hwang Dae-in’s saber froze solid as the Icy Cold chill penetrated his body.
Hwang Dae-in clenched his teeth and forced the freezing cold outward.
But his Inner Force was too weak to expel it completely.
“Ugh!”
The Icy Cold chill that had seeped into Hwang Dae-in’s body ravaged his Meridians.
Until now, his Inner Force had managed to hold it back somehow, but he could no longer stem the tide of encroaching cold.
As his Meridians froze and hundreds of ice needles seemed to pierce them, Hwang Dae-in lost all sense of clarity.
‘Such a ferocious Ice Art…’
Hwang Dae-in was astonished by Namgung Geom’s mastery of the Ice Arts.
Though he had never witnessed the Ice Arts of the Northern Sea Ice Palace firsthand, he doubted they surpassed Namgung Geom’s.
That the eldest grandson of the Namgung Clan had cultivated such Ice Arts seemed impossible.
But Hwang Dae-in’s thoughts could not continue.
Namgung Geom had already closed the distance and swiftly suppressed both his Vital Points.
Having subdued Hwang Dae-in, Namgung Geom moved immediately toward where the Changyong Sword Brigade was stationed.
The Changyong Sword Brigade was engaged in fierce combat with the Blood Wolf bandits.
Namgung Geom surveyed the condition of the Changyong soldiers first.
All of them bore tears and gashes across their bodies, bleeding freely.
Some of the more seriously wounded had withdrawn from the fighting.
Yet none appeared to have lost their lives.
By contrast, more than half of the Blood Wolf bandits lay defeated.
The remaining Blood Wolf fighters were being driven back fiercely by the Changyong Sword Brigade.
At their center stood Namgung Chang and the Four Captains.
All of them were masters of the First-Class Realm.
While the ordinary soldiers held their own, the Four Captains were a different matter—the Blood Wolf bandits’ strength could not withstand them.
In fact, most of the fallen Blood Wolf fighters had been defeated by the Four Captains.
The remaining Blood Wolf bandits could not endure the onslaught of the Four Captains’ attacks and fell one by one.
Yet the other soldiers were far from idle.
Despite their wounds, they fought with stubborn determination.
Their attacks, which bolstered the Four Captains and pressed the Blood Wolf bandits back, were no less formidable.
Namgung Geom watched them with a satisfied expression.
It seemed his direct intervention might not be necessary.
If his only concern were the Changyong Sword Brigade’s safety, he should step in.
But doing so would hinder their development.
The Changyong Sword Brigade desperately lacked experience.
Sometimes one must face danger and shed blood to grow stronger.
For the brigade’s growth, he must simply observe for now.
Unless the soldiers were facing certain death, that is.
At last, the final bandit from the Blood Wolf Sect fell, his throat severed.
The Changyong Sword Brigade bore the marks of their struggle.
Some of their members had sustained considerable injuries.
Yet not a single life had been lost.
“Everyone fought well. Team leaders—see to the wounded among our ranks.”
Namgung Geom instructed the less-injured team leaders to tend to those who had fallen in combat.
Namgung Cheol-ung and the other two captains immediately set about examining their comrades’ wounds.
“These appear to be bandits from the Blood Wolf Sect, operating out of Cheonju Mountain. Do you know anything of them?”
Namgung Chang approached Namgung Geom, his expression grave as he posed the question.
“They are indeed from the Blood Wolf Sect of the Green Forest Alliance.”
“Then do you know why the Blood Wolf Sect attacked us?”
Namgung Geom shook his head.
“According to the sect leader, it was on orders from the Green Forest Alliance’s command. But the reason behind those orders? I know nothing of it.”
“Not even a suspicion?”
“I suspect the Green Forest Alliance may have joined hands with the Evil Sect Union.”
“What do you mean by that?”
Namgung Chang’s face showed his alarm.
Namgung Geom explained how Heuk Il-sal had lain hidden while the Blood Wolf Sect attacked, then ambushed him.
“Then is it the Black Kill Sect pulling the strings again, using the Blood Wolf Sect?”
Namgung Geom shook his head.
“The Black Kill Sect alone lacks the power to command the Blood Wolf Sect. The Evil Sect Union might, though.”
“But the Green Forest Alliance would never simply obey the Evil Sect Union.”
The Green Forest Alliance had refused to join the Evil Sect Union until the very end.
It was unthinkable they would now bow to its orders.
“Which is why I suspect the Evil Sect Union and the Green Forest Alliance have formed an alliance of their own.”
Namgung Chang tilted his head in thought before speaking.
“But what reason would suddenly drive them to join forces?”
“They may feel threatened by the formation of the Jeongcheon Alliance, which the Five Great Clans are promoting.”
Namgung Chang nodded, finding the logic sound.
“But if the Evil Sect Union and the Green Forest Alliance truly are allied, what then?”
Namgung Chang spoke with clear apprehension.
“Then we must hasten the formation of the Jeongcheon Alliance.”
Once established, the Evil Sect Union and Green Forest Alliance would hesitate before striking recklessly.
In terms of raw numbers, their combined forces were far larger.
But in the number of masters, the Jeongcheon Alliance held the advantage.
So both the Evil Sect Union and the Green Forest Alliance would find it difficult to attack without careful consideration.
Unless, of course, the Janggang Water Path Alliance also sided with them.
But he saw no need to raise that concern now.
There was no point in worrying others prematurely.
“I wonder what will come to light if we interrogate Heuk Il-sal and the Blood Wolf Sect leader.”
Namgung Geom shook his head.
“Even with interrogation, I doubt they’ll open their mouths easily.”
“Still, shouldn’t we try?”
Namgung Geom had not said he would avoid interrogation.
“Of course we must interrogate them.”
He entrusted Namgung Chang with overseeing the cleanup, then moved to question Heuk Il-sal and Hwang Dae-in.
He chose Hwang Dae-in first.
The sect leader’s tongue would be looser than Heuk Il-sal’s.
Namgung Geom pulled Hwang Dae-in aside.
“Now then, shall we have an honest conversation?”
Namgung Ice Dragon
Author |
Baek Wol-geom
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Samyang C&C Co., Ltd.
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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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