Reincarnation of the Cloud Dragon - Chapter 111

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This chapter is translated by Falnar Novels Team.
Support us by reading on our official site: https://falnarnovels.com
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Chapter 111.
The Demonic Path Seven Dragons held no rank within the Feng Yun Ranking.
It was not due to lack of renown.
Quite the opposite.
Their names were simply too grand.
The moment even one was placed upon the Feng Yun Ranking, the remaining six would bristle with displeasure.
Yet to inscribe all seven would introduce a different problem entirely—the matter of order.
Who ranks first?
Who ranks second?
Who claims the final position?
The instant such rankings were determined, the Feng Yun Ranking would cease to be a mere record of hierarchy and become instead a blade scraping against the pride of the Seven Dragons.
Yu Ha resolved the dilemma with elegant simplicity.
“All members of the Demonic Path Seven Dragons are excluded from the Feng Yun Ranking.”
Thus the Seven Dragons were placed not beneath the Feng Yun Ranking, but beyond it entirely.
Names above the hierarchy.
Called the Rising Generation, they were already dragons representing an entire era.
Such was the Demonic Path Seven Dragons.
In this manner, the Feng Yun Ranking coexisted with the epithet of the Demonic Path Seven Dragons without collision.
Until recently.
But a problem had emerged.
The birth of an eighth dragon.
The Black Dragon—Yun Cheon.
Until not long ago, he had been one whose name graced the Feng Yun Ranking.
A minor faction in Qinghai.
The leader of the Black Dragon Gang.
A man affiliated with neither the Ten Demon Sects, nor the Orthodox families, nor any special sect of the main organization.
Yet such a man had soared at the martial tournament of the Guang Feng Yalü Family, earning in a single stroke the title of the Demonic Path Eight Dragons.
It was only natural that those ranked high within the Feng Yun Ranking grew restless.
“Perhaps….”
“Could I….”
“If I were to defeat the Black Dragon….”
The thought spread faster than poison.
Moreover, unlike the other Seven Dragons, the Black Dragon was accessible.
He dwelt not in the Ice Palace of the Northern Sea, nor in remote places like the Valley of Ghosts or the Valley of Poison that forbade approach itself.
He occupied neither the deep halls of the Demonic Cult’s main sanctuary nor the iron-walled estates of the Twelve Orthodox Families.
The Black Dragon Gang stood wide open in Qinghai.
The threshold appeared low.
And so people came.
Those seeking entry into the faction.
Merchants desiring transactions.
Information brokers who peddle rumors for profit.
And.
Those who wished to rise by trampling the Black Dragon.
“Summon the master of the Black Dragon Gang!”
A man raised his voice before the Main Gate.
Clang—.
Nine rings on the Nine-Ring Saber at his waist clattered against each other with a cacophonous din.
Twenty-seventh rank of the Feng Yun Ranking.
Mak Cheong, the Nine-Ring Saber Master.
He was a warrior whose name was reasonably well-known in the vicinity of Qinghai.
“A Demonic Path Eight Dragon? How absurd. A man who bore a name on the Feng Yun Ranking mere days ago has become a dragon overnight?”
Mak Cheong sneered.
“Then I shall verify it myself. Whether the Black Dragon is truly a dragon, or merely a serpent that rumor has transformed into one.”
A low murmur rippled through the crowd before the gate.
Twenty-seventh rank of the Feng Yun Ranking.
It was no light distinction.
Those positioned above him were mostly late-stage masters descended from either the Twelve Orthodox Families or the Ten Demon Sects.
The crowd watched with quiet anticipation, gauging the reactions of Mak Cheong and the Black Dragon Gang.
“He obtained the title of dragon from a martial tournament held by one of the Twelve Orthodox Families…?”
“…Certainly. It does seem somewhat excessive.”
“If his opponent was the Nine-Ring Saber Master who has long held the upper ranks of the Feng Yun Ranking….”
“Even if he is called a dragon, he is no opponent to be taken lightly.”
The faces of the Black Dragon Gang members hardened.
But then it happened.
An unexpected rumor descended from the north of Qinghai.
“The Northern Sea Ice Pearl Sect is coming to Qinghai…!”
“Why would the Ice Pearl Sect come?”
“Who knows… Is there not an Ice Dragon in the Northern Sea?”
“Could it be… the Ice Dragon is testing the new dragon?”
The murmurs of the crowd reached Mak Cheong’s ears as well.
Mak Cheong was instead delighted by the rumor.
‘The Ice Dragon is coming?’
His lips twisted into a smile.
‘How fortuitous. Whether it is the Black Dragon or the Ice Dragon, if I can trample one dragon, either will do.’
Soon a white banner appeared from the northern road.
A procession bearing the mark of the Northern Sea Ice Pearl Sect.
The clamorous crowd parted to either side.
And before the Black Dragon Gang, a pure white horse came to a halt.
A man in a white-furred cloak descended from the horse.
Silver-white hair.
Skin so translucent it seemed white as porcelain.
And eyes of a deep, crystalline blue.
Pupils carved from glacial ice itself gazed quietly up at the Black Dragon Gang’s signboard.
A handsome man with a cold countenance.
Yet that coldness was far more than mere appearance.
Wherever he stood, the air grew colder by a layer, and the surrounding chaos naturally subsided.
Like a snow-capped mountain just before a blizzard descends.
The Black Dragon Gang members recognized it instantly.
‘He resembles Seol Young.’
‘He resembles Seol Su Ryeon as well.’
The distinctive silver-white hair and blue eyes unique to the Northern Sea Ice Pearl Sect.
A bloodline bearing cool beauty regardless of gender.
The fact that he carried that blood was etched plainly across his face.
Yet where Seol Young possessed the fragile beauty of an ice flower,
And Seol Su Ryeon carried the ancient chill of long-harbored resentment,
This man bore the sharp ferocity of a young dragon that would freeze its opponent without hesitation.
Seol Mu Heun, the Glacial Dragon.
One needed only to see his face to understand his epithet.
As the crowd parted left and right, Mak Cheong instead stepped directly into the center of the path.
“Are you the Glacial Dragon?”
Mak Cheong’s lips twisted into a sneer.
“Perfect timing. Before I face the Black Dragon, let me show you just how impressive the name Seven Dragon truly is….”
His words never reached their end.
Because Seol Mu Heun looked at him.
It was merely a glance.
Yet Mak Cheong’s voice froze.
His breath scattered white into the air.
“…!”
Mak Cheong’s hand instinctively moved to his Guhuando blade.
Too late.
A whisper—saa.
Frost bloomed beneath his feet.
Silent. Soundless killing intent.
Like snow accumulating, the bitter cold enveloped his ankles.
Mak Cheong gritted his teeth and drew upon his inner power.
But in the next instant.
Crack.
A thin layer of ice formed on his blade’s grip.
His fingers stiffened, his ankles bound.
Then even Mak Cheong’s breathing grew ragged.
For that single person alone, the harsh winter arrived.
The entire season seemed to descend upon him at once.
“This… this is…”
Mak Cheong’s face turned ashen.
“How amusing.”
Only then did Seol Mu Heun speak briefly.
“You dared to measure yourself against a dragon, yet you cannot even endure this much?”
“…I… I was arrogant. Please… forgive me…”
Though Mak Cheong had lost face before countless witnesses, survival took immediate precedence.
Mak Cheong hastily begged for forgiveness.
Only then did Seol Mu Heun’s pale eyes grow quiet and still.
“I accept.”
With a light gesture of his hand, Mak Cheong’s knees buckled.
Thud—.
“Reflect for about two hours, and then you should be able to move again.”
With a single gesture, Seol Mu Heun had brought Mak Cheong to his knees in an instant.
The people at the entrance held their breath.
Only then did they understand.
Demonic Path Seven Dragons.
Why that name stood above the Feng Yun Ranking.
Seol Mu Heun no longer looked at Mak Cheong.
Instead, his gaze turned toward the plaque of the Black Dragon Gang.
As he gazed upon those three characters for a long moment, his lips curved upward with deliberate slowness.
“Black Dragon Gang, is it.”
His voice was clear and low.
Yet strangely, those who heard it felt frost settling upon their ears.
“For a dragon’s dwelling, it seems…”
At those words alone, the air before the entrance grew peculiarly frozen.
“Rather shabby, wouldn’t you say.”
His gait was leisurely, as though utterly indifferent to the gazes of those arrayed on either side—or perhaps even savoring them.
Seol Mu Heun’s steps were that unhurried.
“Perhaps I should verify directly whether this so-called Black Dragon truly deserves to be called a dragon.”
The people held their breath.
It was neither praise nor overt insult.
Yet in that moment, all present understood.
The Ice Dragon did not acknowledge the Black Dragon Gang.
And his purpose in visiting the Black Dragon Gang was not friendly discourse, but rather some manner of trial.
Knock. Knock. Knock—.
“Receive our guest.”
Seol Mu Heun knocked upon the gate of the Black Dragon Gang.
“I wish to challenge the Black Dragon. The Ice Dragon of the Northern Sea has come here personally.”
* * *
The Ice Dragon entered the Black Dragon Gang.
As the door closed, the commotion outside only grew louder.
“Urgent news!”
“The Ice Dragon has come to the Black Dragon Gang!”
“It seems the Ice Dragon and Black Dragon will clash!”
Swift-footed information brokers scattered into the streets.
To the inns.
To the trading companies.
To the gambling dens.
The area around the Black Dragon Gang was already a place where those who smelled money had swarmed on the day I ascended as the gang leader and at every inauguration ceremony.
This time was even greater.
The Black Dragon and the Ice Dragon.
A collision of dragons.
“This is a big game! Set up the tables!”
“Call the money men!”
“Take the odds! Black Dragon or Ice Dragon!”
The streets of Qinghai heated up in an instant.
The news reached the Ilwol Trading Company’s Qinghai branch immediately.
Geum Bu Dong shot to his feet.
“Send a carrier pigeon to the branch master— no, send a carrier eagle! This is a big game!”
“No need for that.”
A familiar voice.
Geum Bu Dong’s eyes widened.
“B-branch master?! When did you return?”
Yu Ha snapped open her fan with a flourish.
“I was already here.”
A smile played at the corners of her lips.
“How could I leave Qinghai empty when word of the Guang Feng Yalü Family’s martial tournament arrives?”
“As expected, branch master! You arrived at the perfect moment.”
Yu Ha’s gaze turned toward the Black Dragon Gang.
“What is the Black Dragon Gang leader’s current ranking on the Feng Yun Ranking?”
“Tenth place.”
“Quite exceptional.”
“We updated it each time victory reports arrived. If we ranked him any higher, the patrons wouldn’t have accepted it.”
Yu Ha nodded.
“A sound judgment. The top ten of the Feng Yun Ranking are those who, while not dragons themselves, are spoken of as comparable to dragons.”
Her eyes gleamed.
“But today’s game is different.”
Geum Bu Dong swallowed hard.
“What is your assessment?”
“If the Black Dragon loses to the Ice Dragon, whispers will spread that Feng Yun Ranking’s tenth position was undeserved.”
Yu Ha tapped the table lightly with the edge of his fan.
“Conversely, if he holds his ground or wins, the Feng Yun Ranking cannot record the Black Dragon.”
“Like the existing Seven Dragons… you mean he must be removed from the Feng Yun Ranking?”
“Precisely. And that is when the true game begins.”
The fan tapped the table once more.
“Until now, we have had no dragon.”
Yu Ha laughed softly.
“But now we possess a card worthy of our board—one we can finally place.”
Yu Ha’s gaze turned toward the Black Dragon Gang.
“A card stronger than any other.”
Geum Bu Dong held his breath.
“Do you truly have such faith in the Black Dragon?”
“I do.”
Yu Ha folded his fan.
“The Seven Dragons have never officially acknowledged their hierarchy among themselves. The Feng Yun Ranking deliberately refrained from touching that matter.”
Yu Ha’s eyes gleamed.
“But the eighth dragon is different. A name born within the Feng Yun Ranking, yet destined to transcend it. And the Jammajejon draws near.”
Geum Bu Dong swallowed.
“That name will provoke the other dragons.”
Yu Ha folded his fan.
“Yes. And so… the Jammajejon cannot ignore that name.”
Yu Ha’s eyes narrowed.
“The Black Dragon will ascend to the Jammajejon. The Ilwol Trading Company prepares with that certainty.”
“…Your will be done!”
* * *
The Outer Hall of the Black Dragon Gang.
Beyond these walls, the streets churned with fervor, yet here the air settled cold and still.
Seol Mu Heun stepped inside.
He moved with unhurried steps, surveying the halls of the Black Dragon Gang.
A ceiling not particularly high.
Pillars aged yet meticulously maintained.
A austere structure—no costly incense, no ornate screens.
The corners of Seol Mu Heun’s mouth curved ever so slightly.
“Immaculate.”
It could have sounded like praise.
But what followed was not.
“Or rather… austere.”
Seol Mu Heun’s pale eyes swept slowly across the interior of the Outer Hall.
“So this is where the dragon dwells? How disappointingly modest.”
His lips curved into the faintest smile.
“Had it not been for my aunt’s letter, I would never have set foot in such a place.”
The air in the Outer Hall froze solid.
It was not merely the result of Seol Mu Heun’s ice technique.
Kang Hui’s eyes turned vicious. So Ryong’s jaw clenched hard. Jin So Wol’s hand drifted down to her waist, where a spear shaft might rest.
Yalü Hee stood with her arms crossed, regarding Seol Mu Heun. Her lips curved upward in a crooked smile.
“Does the Northern Sea teach its guests to appraise their host’s home upon entering? Or were you simply never taught manners?”
Seol Mu Heun’s gaze shifted to Yalü Hee.
First, her eyes.
Then, the contours of her face.
And from her shoulders to her feet.
He appraised her slowly, deliberately, with the naked scrutiny one might use to assess the balance of a well-honed blade.
“Hmm….”
Seol Mu Heun’s lips curved gently.
“Who are you?”
At his insolent manner, Yalü Hee’s eyes turned glacial.
Seol Mu Heun did not wait for her answer.
“For a member of the Black Dragon Gang, you’re quite beautiful.”
The soft breeze that had been flowing into the Outer Hall ceased abruptly.
Kang Hui’s hand moved toward his waist. So Ryong’s eyes narrowed dangerously.
Yalü Hee laughed instead. But there was no warmth in that laughter.
“Beautiful?”
She stepped forward.
“Judging a woman’s face before even asking her name—it seems the Ice Palace taught you manners fit for a pleasure house.”
The faces of the Northern Sea Ice Pearl Sect warriors hardened.
Yalü Hee’s smile grew more twisted.
“Ice Dragon, is it? Your name may be grand, but your tongue is remarkably crude. How disappointing.”
Yalü Hee returned the insult to the Black Dragon Gang in kind.
Yet Seol Mu Heun’s laughter did not fade.
Rather, it deepened slightly.
“A flower with thorns.”
“Don’t call me that.”
Yalü Hee’s eyes narrowed to slits.
“Coming from your mouth, it sounds worse than weeds.”
Kang Hui let out a low chuckle.
“Kheh.”
So Ryong did not laugh, but his lips twitched ever so slightly.
The eyes of the Northern Sea Ice Pearl Sect warriors grew colder still.
Yet Seol Mu Heun seemed utterly unbothered.
Rather, he appeared to relish Yalü Hee’s very reaction.
Seol Mu Heun’s gaze, hands clasped behind his back, shifted toward Jin So Wol.
“Now that I observe it… even such a place bears flowers worth admiring. Are these the women of the Black Dragon Gang? They possess a refined eye for beauty.”
“Women of the Black Dragon Gang? To your eyes, do all women appear as nothing but someone’s possessions?”
“Mind your tongue. Such words disrespect not only us, but the Lord as well.”
Yalü Hee and Jin So Wol reacted in unison.
Yet Seol Mu Heun spoke as though he paid them no mind.
“A composed countenance. Breathing that does not waver. Calluses at the fingertips. A refined beauty distinct from the thorny wildflower—a rare bloom indeed. Both of you are uncommon flowers. Is this the allure of the vast Central Plains?”
His pale eyes lingered upon Jin So Wol’s fingertips.
“Do you wield a spear?”
Jin So Wol’s hand came to rest at her waist.
“Should you conduct yourself with propriety, there will be no need for me to use it.”
“How can appreciating beauty be deemed discourteous?”
Seol Mu Heun’s gaze swept across Yalü Hee and Jin So Wol in turn.
“Only regrettable.”
Seol Mu Heun’s gaze brushed past Yalü Hee and Jin So Wol in succession.
“The Black Dragon Gang recognizes beauty, yet knows not its proper place. Were you in the Ice Palace of Buk Hae, your allure would shine far brighter than it does now.”
He surveyed the Outer Hall slowly.
“Ice Dragon! Maintain your dignity!”
So Ryong spoke in a low voice.
Seol Mu Heun’s gaze turned toward So Ryong.
“Who are you? Ah, never mind. There is no need to hear your name. Keep your mouth shut.”
He who had been asking for identification waved his hand dismissively.
So Ryong’s brow twitched.
Seol Mu Heun continued with leisurely indifference.
“Only take heed—when one as unsightly as you intrudes upon a gathering to admire flowers, does it not spoil the mood?”
A glint of killing intent flashed in Kang Hui’s eyes.
“This bastard really…”
“Kang Hui.”
So Ryong called softly.
Kang Hui clenched his teeth.
So Ryong’s eyes held no amusement.
“He may lack courtesy, but he is a guest who has come seeking the Lord.”
So Ryong was not merely enduring.
He simply believed that he was not the one to confront the Ice Dragon.
Then, a low voice pressed down upon the Outer Hall.
“That is enough.”
It was Yun Cheon.

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This chapter is translated by Falnar Novels Team.
Support us by reading on our official site: https://falnarnovels.com
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