Reincarnation of the Cloud Dragon - Chapter 35

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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 35.
Boom―! Crash―!
The thick iron doors of the Demonic Physician Hall warped like taffy before snapping outward.
“Young Ah! Yun Cheon! I have arrived! Are you both still safe?!”
Wild, disheveled hair and silk robes caked in dirt—a sight far too wretched for the legendary Saengsa Jjon of the martial world.
Bursting through the swirling dust, he looked less like a sect patriarch and more like a desperate wanderer.
In his grip, he clutched the precious elixir of the realm—the Ethereal Azure Essence—as though it might shatter at any moment.
“…Grandfather?”
Beyond the veil of dust, Seol Young gazed upon him.
His frantic momentum came to an abrupt halt.
“…Huh?”
Her complexion remained pallid.
Yet the shadow of death that had so mercilessly strangled her was nowhere to be found.
Instead, a crystalline, frigid aura—like that of a freshly bloomed snow lotus—shimmered around her entire being like heat waves.
And across from her.
Yun Cheon slowly rose from his meditation, opening his eyes.
“Exhale…”
With an indifferent gesture, he wiped away the dark bloodstains clinging to his lips with his sleeve.
Profound exhaustion clung to him, yet his eyes burned with an intense, piercing light.
“You arrived a bit late, Elder.”
A mischievous smile played at the corners of Yun Cheon’s mouth.
“For now… I have extinguished the immediate crisis.”
Saengsa Jjon’s jaw fell open.
“…You cannot mean to say you controlled the Yin Demonic Energy on your own in that situation?”
His astonished gaze darted frantically between Seol Young, radiating pure luminescence, and Yun Cheon, who contained a cool, sinister aura.
The children who had stood at death’s threshold had seemingly shed their shells and been reborn.
There was no need to take their pulse to understand.
The critical danger had already passed.
“Hah… truly…”
Saengsa Jjon’s legs gave way beneath him.
He collapsed to the ground.
Relief and exhaustion crashed over him simultaneously.
“I am so astounded I cannot find words…”
Then his gaze unconsciously fell upon the jade vial in his hand.
A jade vial emanating a brilliant azure light.
The Ethereal Azure Essence.
The legendary elixir said to resurrect even the dying.
In that instant, the light in Saengsa Jjon’s aged eyes grew murky and dim.
‘Wait. If that boy has already overcome the crisis… then there would be no need to use this Ethereal Azure Essence, would there?’
A sticky, viscous greed flickered across the old man’s pupils.
At this moment, Seol Young had found stability by controlling the yin-cold energy within her.
‘If I were to consume that Gongcheong Seokyu in this state…?’
It could slow the progression of the severed pulse syndrome that even medicine could not improve, and buy her granddaughter more years of life.
‘No, with this Gongcheong Seokyu, beyond mere prolonging of life, I might be able to guarantee a decade or more of healthy existence…’
A vow made before the Ilwol Escort Bureau flashed through Saengsa Jjon’s mind.
‘I swore to become that wretch’s guardian, certainly. But he has already had his life saved… so is there truly a need to feed him such a precious treasure?’
Saengsa Jjon’s grip tightened.
His gaze slid quietly toward Yun Cheon.
Yun Cheon immediately grasped the meaning behind that sticky, humid stare.
‘Even a master called one of the Five Sovereigns becomes nothing more than a greedy old man before his own bloodline.’
Yun Cheon felt something closer to cold derision than bitterness.
After all, there was no immediate urgency for the Gongcheong Seokyu.
‘Rather… consuming the Gongcheong Seokyu while barely controlling the yin-cold energy to form the dantian would only become poison.’
In saving Seol Young, I had ended up controlling the yin-cold energy through the mysteries of the Bing Baek Divine Art, which itself was a gain greater than consuming the Gongcheong Seokyu.
‘The Gongcheong Seokyu was never something I obtained through my own power anyway, and it was an item I intended to use for negotiating with Saengsa Jjon. There is nothing to regret.’
Just as Yun Cheon had organized his thoughts and was about to close his eyes without pressing the matter further—
A voice as cold as frost-laden blades awakened Saengsa Jjon.
“Grandfather!”
It was Seol Young.
Her clear eyes pierced through her grandfather’s pupils, which wavered with desire, without a shred of hesitation.
“That elixir does not belong to me.”
Saengsa Jjon flinched and opened his mouth as if to make excuses.
“Young Ah, but… his condition has improved as well, and your body still…’
“I survived because the Benefactor risked his life to buy me time.”
Seol Young’s gaze was resolute.
It was not the petulance of a sickly granddaughter, but the unwavering eyes of a warrior protecting her honor.
“If I were to covet even the elixir brought for the Benefactor… I would become a beast that knows no gratitude.”
Her voice carried a chilling coldness.
“You did not raise me to be so ungrateful and disloyal. Do not shame me before the Benefactor.”
Even the great Saengsa Jjon found himself speechless before his granddaughter’s rebuke.
“…!”
His face burned as though he had been struck across the cheek.
“Ahem… I have shown myself in an unseemly light. It seems I fell into delusion for a moment.”
Saengsa Jjon cleared his throat loudly to hide his embarrassment, then abruptly thrust the jade bottle he had been holding toward Yun Cheon.
“Here, take it. With this… your condition should improve greatly as well.”
Yun Cheon accepted the jade bottle.
The touch of the jade against my fingertips was cool, yet the spiritual energy stirring within it was crystalline and pure.
A treasure whose mere rumor could shake the heavens.
Yet instead of bringing the jade bottle to my lips, I returned it to Saengsa Jjon.
“I am grateful, but it is not necessary at this time.”
Saengsa Jjon’s eyebrows twitched.
“What? Why? Are you afraid my resolve might waver?”
“That is not it. My dantian is like walking upon thin ice right now.”
I pressed gently upon my lower abdomen.
“I am barely maintaining a precarious balance through the rotational force of the Yin-Cold Energy. If I were to introduce such a massive wave as the Gongcheong Stone Jade into this delicate equilibrium…”
I added with a self-deprecating smile.
“It would spiral beyond my control. I would lose the dantian I have painstakingly cultivated. Excess becomes deficiency.”
“Hmm… let me take your pulse and see.”
Saengsa Jjon placed his fingers upon my wrist.
The dantian he sensed from my body was unlike anything he had felt before.
“…This! The dantian is rotating? It appears unstable, yet maintains a peculiar equilibrium. Moreover…”
What was remarkable was not merely the rotating dantian.
‘The yin and yang energies of the Yin-Yang Supreme Meridian, and there—an unidentifiable toxic force as well. What manner of body does this boy possess?’
A strange triangular configuration maintained a precarious balance.
As the boy had said, introducing the Gongcheong Stone Jade into this delicate equilibrium would be like pouring oil upon a burning house.
A boy who scarcely understood medicine had instinctively grasped the true state of his own body.
‘Remarkable for his years. One would think his eyes might be dazzled by the spirit medicine before him…’
The restraint to suppress desire and halt with cold clarity.
Perhaps that was the boy’s true talent.
Saengsa Jjon inwardly clicked his tongue in admiration.
“Then what do you intend? Rejecting spirit medicine?”
“Reserve the Gongcheong Stone Jade. There may come an urgent need for it…”
My gaze turned toward Seol Young.
“Grandfather is right. We have only extinguished the immediate crisis, but either of us could become unstable at any moment. It is wise to prepare for that eventuality.”
Seol Young nodded in agreement with my words.
“From this ordeal, we have each gained understanding. I believe our research will progress further.”
The glances exchanged between us two.
It was not romantic affection between man and woman, but the trust between comrades who had fought together against an incurable curse and survived.
The bond of survivors who had pierced through the heavenly punishment of Pulse Severance Syndrome.
Yet in Saengsa Jjon’s eyes, that scene appeared entirely different.
‘Ho… look at those two.’
Saengsa Jjon stroked his beard and narrowed his eyes.
For the first time, he saw his granddaughter—that sharp and cold-hearted girl—gazing at a man with such trusting eyes.
In that moment, Saengsa Jjon regarded Yun Cheon through a different lens.
‘Now that I observe him… is this not a youth lacking in neither talent nor character?’
A boy with a terminal constitution who carved his own path forward, facing masters of supreme cultivation with no inner energy to his name.
Now that he commands even the Yin-Cold Energy through his cultivation, he has grown wings.
His appearance is refined as well; his only shortcoming is his origins.
‘Yet… such matters of birth mean nothing if I, a Five-Venerable, vouch for him. Besides, I have already sworn to take him under my wing…’
Saengsa Jjon coldly evaluated Yun Cheon in his mind as a suitable son-in-law for his granddaughter.
‘If I can truly overcome even the incurable Severed Meridian Syndrome, then perhaps I could entrust my precious granddaughter to him?’
However, judging by Yun Cheon’s temperament, overt pressure would only heighten his wariness.
So… I must ensnare him naturally, very subtly.
‘Joint research… it’s an excellent pretext to keep them together.’
Saengsa Jjon laughed heartily and sprang to his feet.
“Excellent. Truly excellent!”
He strode toward Yun Cheon and gave his shoulder a firm pat.
“Your noble intentions warm my heart. I shall offer my full support. Tell me if you need anything for your research.”
He had already positioned himself as a patron before the Ilwol Escort Bureau.
With so many witnesses present, word would spread quickly.
“However… the fact that you saved Young Ah without the Public Clearance Token deserves my sincere gratitude. Public and private matters must be kept distinct.”
Saengsa Jjon withdrew a heavy black iron tablet from his robes.
It was no ordinary iron tablet.
*Clink.*
Upon its surface, suffused with a blood-red radiance, were inscribed two characters: “Life and Death.”
‘I should secure this one firmly while I’m at it.’
The tablet Yun Cheon accepted without thinking was far heavier than expected.
“Carry it with you. It is my symbol—the Life and Death Tablet.”
“…Why are you giving this to me?”
“From this day forward, I shall be your patron.”
Yun Cheon’s eyes widened.
This was far more than mere assistance.
One of the Five Sovereigns of the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect, Saengsa Jjon himself, was officially declaring his backing.
Saengsa Jjon watched Yun Cheon’s bewilderment with a sinister smile hidden within.
‘Take it. The moment you do, you fall into my palm.’
This was both a symbol of patronage and a shackle binding a prospective son-in-law.
“…Thank you, Elder.”
Even Yun Cheon could not see through Saengsa Jjon’s true intentions and accepted the tablet with a bow.
‘Like the Inspection Bureau incident before… Saengsa Jjon’s patronage will prove invaluable.’
His medical expertise was absolutely essential to treating the Severed Meridian Syndrome and detoxifying the poison.
Moreover, he had gained a stable position within the Demonic Cult—hardly an unfavorable arrangement.
‘Not bad at all.’
They harbored different dreams beneath the same roof.
But Yun Cheon did not know.
What upheaval this tablet from Saengsa Jjon would bring to the power structure within the Demonic Cult, which had only recently quieted.
Nor did he sense the Yang Qi coiled deep within his body beginning to stir faintly in response to the rotation of Yin-cold energy.
* * *
At the same moment.
Near the Demonic Way Hall, at the Drunken Immortal Pavilion, a tavern favored by Demonic Cult disciples.
“Waiter! The wine is empty! Bring more barley wine!”
Yu Ha, a noble youth draped in a silk robe as deep and lustrous as ebony, raised his wine cup high.
Around him, a dozen burly escort agents erupted in cheers.
“Wow! Our captain is the best!”
“Ahhh, this wine tastes magnificent!”
Yu Ha waited for the fervor of the crowd to reach its peak before speaking in a measured tone.
“Do you have any idea who that person is? He is none other than one of the Five Great Sages—Saengsa Jjon himself.”
“…!”
In an instant, the clamorous atmosphere of the tavern froze.
The ears of the Demonic Cult warriors at nearby tables perked up.
“What’s even more remarkable is that he personally accepted our escort contract and guaranteed it—claiming to be the patron of the cargo owner!”
“Gasp!”
Exclamations of shock erupted from all corners.
That Saengsa Jjon, who had remained independent like a lone general, had never aligned with any faction—for him to become someone’s backer was an event that would crack the power structure within the Demonic Cult.
“Who exactly is this person that Saengsa Jjon is backing?”
“Is this truly the case? In all my years, I have never heard of Saengsa Jjon taking anyone under his protection!”
Exclamations of shock erupted from all corners.
“Well, the reputation of the Ilwol Escort Bureau is at stake, so I cannot reveal that much… but isn’t this remarkable news nonetheless?”
Yu Ha set down his empty cup on the table with a decisive tap, his smile laden with meaning.
‘With the Gongcheongseok Jade, he should have fully recovered by now.’
As his words ended, the tavern erupted into animated chatter from every direction.
Some of the martial artists hastily abandoned their drinking and immediately rose to leave.
‘Yun Cheon. On the stage I’ve set, display your full capabilities. And rise higher still.’
Yu Ha was acutely aware of the ripple effect his words would create.
By tomorrow morning, the rumor would spread beyond the Demonic Way Hall throughout the entire Demonic Cult.
And Yun Cheon, now at the center of this rumor, would become the nucleus of a massive vortex, whether he wished it or not.
It was then.
At a table shrouded in shadow in the corner of the tavern, a man wearing a bamboo hat slowly lifted his head.
“Saengsa Jjon has taken on a patron’s role, has he…”
His rolled-up forearms were covered in bulging muscles as if forged from twisted steel.
Rough, bronze skin scorched as if by sparks.
Rather than a martial artist, he bore the crude appearance of a blacksmith who hammered metal.
Leaning against the table was a massive black iron hammer.
Its surface bore a vivid pattern of crimson flames devouring black metal.
It was the symbol of Yeom Hwa Jjon, one of the Five Great Sages of the Demonic Cult, renowned for wielding the most destructive fire techniques.
The man drained an entire bottle of potent spirits in one gulp.
“Heh, how interesting. My master said that Saengsa Jjon would never allow anyone by his side except blood relatives….”
The man’s eyes gleamed like flames dancing in a furnace.
“I was planning to slack off a bit longer while I’m out, but now I’m curious. I simply must know.”
As the man rose to his feet, the air around him shimmered like heat haze, instantly becoming scorching hot.
“Let me see if this patron from the rumor can withstand my flames.”
A belligerent smile played at the corners of Gong Ya Pae’s mouth—Yeom Hwa Jjon’s disciple.

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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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