Ice Dragon of Namgung - Chapter 57

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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 57
The banquet stretched deep into the night.
Namgung Geom drank without refusal whenever offered a cup by those around him.
He accepted and drank whatever was given, knowing that declining would wound whoever offered it.
Yet he showed no signs of drunkenness, no loss of composure.
Everyone present seemed astonished by his capacity.
‘The boy’s a born drinker,’ Namgung Cho thought, his brow furrowing.
Namgung Cho had consumed several rounds himself and watched in frustration as Namgung Geom remained perfectly composed.
He’d expected the youth to surrender to intoxication, but there was no sign of it coming.
Still, one couldn’t monopolize the evening forever.
Namgung Cho ended the banquet, and Namgung Geom returned to the Guest Hall with his companions.
“You’re quite the drinker,” Namgung Chang remarked with obvious admiration.
Namgung Chang said it as though grudging the fact.
“If you’re envious, take up the Bing-gong yourself. Then you wouldn’t get drunk no matter how much you drank,” Namgung Geom replied with a slight smile.
It sounded like jest, but there was truth beneath it.
The Bing-gong, infused with cold Qi, neutralized alcohol’s heat the instant they met.
The cold energy of the technique froze the Alcohol Toxin before its effects could spread through the body.
That was why the masters of the North Sea Ice Palace never suffered intoxication, no matter how harsh the liquor.
“No thanks. Drinking is meant to be enjoyed when it makes you drunk.”
Namgung Chang waved the suggestion away.
“But if someone targets you the moment you’re intoxicated, it could be fatal.”
“Who would target me?” Namgung Chang spoke as though such a thing were unthinkable.
He was a direct descendant of the Namgung Clan and had lived his entire life in comfort, free from any real danger.
He had never needed to imagine a scenario where someone sought his life.
Namgung Geom, by contrast, had endured countless assassination attempts in his past life.
He had learned to remain vigilant in every moment, to show no openings.
He’d never truly relaxed while eating or drinking, always keeping his senses sharp.
That habit remained with him still, and he lowered his guard in no situation.
Even now, on the way to the Guest Hall, he maintained that alertness.
Once they arrived at the Guest Hall, Namgung Geom parted from his companions and entered his quarters.
He seated himself in a cross-legged position.
Before sleep, he needed to purge the Alcohol Toxin that lingered in his body.
Though the Bing-gong had blocked much of the poison, some remained within.
If he slept with the Toxin still present, it would embed itself in his Meridians like stubborn grime.
This would leave him unrefreshed upon waking, and removing the accumulated Toxin would demand far more cultivation time.
The best approach was to dispel it as quickly as possible.
Namgung Geom began his Inner Energy Circulation, sweeping away the Alcohol Toxin from his body.
The Inner Power of the Creation Palace Frost Transformation Divine Art cleansed it all cleanly away.
“Much better.”
Namgung Geom’s expression settled into satisfaction.
Though troublesome, he was glad he’d removed the Toxin.
With his cultivation complete, Namgung Geom lay down on his sleeping mat.
As he was about to drift off, a sudden thought made him deploy the Frost Web Thread.
The Frost Web Thread was one of the techniques recorded in the Frost White Divine Art—a method of spreading one’s Inner Power thin as silk strands, infused with one’s spirit.
It was a martial art designed to detect intruding enemies even while sleeping.
If anyone touched the silk threads of Inner Power, the sensation would immediately transmit to his consciousness, rousing him from sleep.
It was a technique that allowed one to sense an enemy’s approach even in slumber.
Once the Frost Web Thread was deployed, he could rest assured and sleep peacefully.
However, since threading one’s spirit-force through the Inner Power threads caused considerable mental fatigue, Namgung Geom rarely deployed it without good reason.
This place was the Cheonyang Branch of the Namgung Clan.
There should be no reason to fear enemy intrusion, yet something about Namgung Cho’s kindness troubled him.
And when something troubled him, caution was always the wiser path.
Deploying the Frost Web Thread was normally beyond the reach of one at the True Martial Realm.
It required at least the Absolute Realm to manage.
Yet Namgung Geom, through his experience in his past life, could deploy it even at the True Martial Realm.
The range would be diminished, and the mental exhaustion would be severe, but it was possible.
The spirit-infused Inner Power threads spread wide throughout his quarters in the Guest Hall.

Now, the moment someone entered his room, it would transmit directly to Namgung Geom’s consciousness.
* * *
Past midnight.
Namgung Cho and his personal guard unit approached the Guest Hall in stealth.
Namgung Cho’s personal guard were men he had raised himself, their loyalty to him absolute.
What mattered most to them was Namgung Cho’s command.
When he ordered, they obeyed without question or hesitation—that was who they were.
“When you enter the Crown Prince’s chamber, don’t hesitate. Kill him.”
Namgung Cho issued the command to his personal guard.
Others would have been shocked and troubled by an order to kill Namgung Geom.
But Namgung Cho’s personal guard harbored no such doubts.
They did what he commanded, without exception.
The personal guard unit moved immediately toward the Guest Hall.
They knew the structure of the Guest Hall intimately and had already confirmed which room held Namgung Geom.
Twenty members of the personal guard took positions at the door, windows, and roof of his chamber.
Once Namgung Cho confirmed all were in place, he signaled them to begin.
The personal guard smashed through the door and windows, pouring inside.
They rushed toward the bed, blades extended.
Sword light flashed from both sides, raining down upon the bedding.
Crash!
The quilts tore to shreds and the bed splintered, collapsing to the floor.
But Namgung Geom, who should have been buried within the blankets, was nowhere to be seen.
As the personal guard began to spin around in confusion, searching the room, a wave of frigid energy crashed down from the corner.
Namgung Geom unleashed the Frost-Cold Sword Wind.
He had fallen asleep with the Frost Web Thread unfurled, and the disturbance of that web by the approaching energy had jolted him awake.
Sensing the presence outside, he slipped down from the bed at once and concealed himself in the corner of the room.
He waited for the intruders to strike first.
That way, he would have irrefutable proof of their intentions.
And then the personal guard burst through the door and windows.
They attacked the bed where Namgung Geom had been lying.
It was an unmistakably lethal assault.
Namgung Geom unleashed the Frost-Cold Sword Wind upon them without delay.
He showed them no mercy.
Namgung Geom was not a man to extend compassion to those who sought his death.
The Frost-Cold Sword Wind that erupted from his blade froze the air of the chamber as it bore down upon the personal guard.
The personal guard tried desperately to mount a defense, but the chill radiating from the Frost-Cold Sword Wind froze their bodies solid.
They were not encased in solid ice like statues, but they could not move for that crucial instant.
The Frost-Cold Sword Wind engulfed them where they stood.
Their frozen bodies cracked and tore under the wind’s force, and they fell.
Crash!
Then, several figures plummeted through the roof above.
Namgung Geom, who had already sensed their presence, showed no alarm and drew his blade.
The Frost-Cold Sword Wind erupting from his sword swept up the collapsing roof and the personal guard members falling in its wake.
Boom!
The personal guard who fell from the roof were seized by the Frost-Cold Sword Wind and hurled away.
Rather than pursue them, Namgung Geom turned his head to the left.
There stood Namgung Cho, his expression hardened.
“Branch Lord. You are well aware that an attempt on my life constitutes treason against the main house.”
At Namgung Geom’s words, Namgung Cho’s eyes flickered.
“And you cannot be ignorant that the price of treason is death.”
“Now that it has come to this, I have no choice but to kill the Crown Prince.”
Namgung Cho had nowhere left to retreat.
If he did not kill Namgung Geom, he himself would die.
Namgung Cho threw himself toward Namgung Geom at once.
Sword Energy exploded from his blade, tearing toward Namgung Geom’s entire body.
Namgung Geom raised the Frost-Cold Sword Wind to meet the attack.
Crack!
Boom!
Namgung Cho’s Sword Energy, colliding with the Frost-Cold Sword Wind, froze and shattered.
The Frost-Cold Sword Wind, too, dissipated as its force was exhausted.
The two exchanged one furious clash and retreated, putting distance between them.
A smile played at the corners of Namgung Geom’s mouth.
Namgung Cho’s sword energy was no weaker than the Frost-Cold Sword Wind in its sheer power.
Since entering Namgung Geom’s body, he had never faced a stronger opponent.
But rather than feel tension, he found himself exhilarated.
Until now, he’d had no chance to fight at full strength.
At last, a rival worthy of his complete power had appeared.
“Then let’s have ourselves a proper fight.”
Namgung Geom raised his sword with unmistakable anticipation.
“Arrogant!”
Namgung Cho, interpreting the gesture as contempt, could no longer contain his rage and charged forward.
Sword energy erupted from his blade, bearing down on Namgung Geom with vicious intensity.
Namgung Geom made no move to evade, instead extending the Frost Dragon Sword to meet the assault.
Frost-Cold Sword Wind poured from the blade in a torrent, colliding head-on with Namgung Cho’s energy.
Crack!
Boom!
Namgung Cho’s sword energy froze solid and shattered into fragments.
“Damn it!”
Namgung Cho’s face twisted in shock. Without hesitation, he deployed his movement technique and slipped sideways.
Crash!
The Frost-Cold Sword Wind plunged into the space where he’d stood mere moments before, freezing the entire floor beneath it.
Namgung Geom glided across the frozen surface as if skating, closing the distance in a heartbeat.
The Frost Dragon Sword erupted with Frost-Cold Sword Wind once more.
The spiraling wind froze the surrounding space solid all at once.
Faced with such overwhelming force, Namgung Cho gritted his teeth and summoned his sword energy.
The energy that poured from his blade burrowed into the Frost-Cold Sword Wind.
Crack!
Boom-boom!
But it penetrated less than halfway before freezing and shattering completely.
The Frost-Cold Sword Wind bore down on Namgung Cho with undiminished momentum.
Namgung Cho retreated urgently, unleashing a barrage of sword energy in succession.
A dozen blades of energy surrounded the Frost-Cold Sword Wind and tore it asunder.
Boom!
The Frost-Cold Sword Wind shattered, and shards of ice scattered in all directions.
But Namgung Geom was nowhere to be seen.
By instinct alone, Namgung Cho’s head snapped upward.
Namgung Geom’s blade descended from the void above, striking down toward him.
Frost-Cold Qi cascaded from the sword like a waterfall, engulfing Namgung Cho.
There was no time left to dodge.
Namgung Cho wielded his sword with everything he had.
Layer upon layer of sword energy erupted from his blade, forming a hemispherical barrier.
Above it, the concentrated Frost-Cold Sword Energy fell like thunder.
Crash!
The Frost-Cold Sword Energy pierced through the defensive wall Namgung Cho had erected.
Crack!
Boom!
The barrier froze, then shattered like breaking glass.
“Ugh!”
Gasping in pain from the impact, Namgung Cho’s chest was torn open by the Frost-Cold Sword Energy.
Clenching his teeth, Namgung Cho drew his sword in front of his chest, barely deflecting the energy.
Boom!
The force sent Namgung Cho’s body reeling backward until he crashed against the wall.
“Gah!”
With a cry of agony, Namgung Cho collapsed to the floor.
Namgung Geom advanced toward him to finish the fight.
It was then that warriors from the Cheonyang Branch came pouring out from behind Namgung Cho.
Namgung Myung, the branch master of the Cheonyang Branch, spotted Namgung Cho lying wounded and his expression hardened.
“Stop, Crown Prince.”
Namgung Myung shouted at Namgung Geom, who was closing in on Namgung Cho.
The warriors of the Cheonyang Branch placed their hands on their sword hilts, ready to draw at a moment’s notice.
Behind Namgung Geom stood Namgung Woo and the Four Immortals, their faces clouded with bewilderment.
At the sudden crash, they had rushed out to find Namgung Geom locked in combat with Namgung Cho.
And Namgung Geom had laid Namgung Cho low.
Though they did not understand what had transpired, if the warriors of the Cheonyang Branch moved to strike down Namgung Geom, they would fight to protect him.
Namgung Geom smiled at their readiness and turned his gaze toward the Cheonyang Branch warriors.
“The lord of the Cheonyang Branch sought to kill me—the eldest grandson of the main house.”
At his words, the Cheonyang Branch warriors stared at him in disbelief.
Namgung Geom leveled a stark warning at them.
“So unless you wish to become traitors, do not step forward.”
Namgung Bing-ryong
Author |
Baek Wol-geom
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Samyang C&C Co., Ltd.
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Editorial Department
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No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without the written permission 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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