The Patriarch of the Northern Heavens - Chapter 101

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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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Master of the Bukcheon Sword Family – Chapter 101

“It’s an honor to meet you, Founder. It has been a long time.”
“A long time?”
Pungsin tilted his head with a puzzled expression.
But soon, as if understanding what had transpired, a subtle smile crossed his face.
“You’re mastering the Windgod Technique. That means you’ve passed the trials at Hang Mountain.”
“Yes. That’s why I’ve been searching for the other arrangements you left behind.”
“And you even found the Windgod Sword? What a shame that I couldn’t greet him personally.”
“I’ll tell him that I met you later, Founder.”
“Heh heh. Remarkable. You’ve found two of my arrangements, and they’re not easy to obtain at all?”
Pungsin smiled as he spoke, his lips curving upward.
“Even if you said you searched everywhere, it must have been quite difficult. You’ve done well.”
“Was joining the Chukji Society a condition of this inheritance?”
“To be precise, the condition was that my true successor, bearing my blood, receive recognition from the Chukji Society and pass their trials. And you’ve accomplished that perfectly.”
“It was quite a difficult condition. If they hadn’t approached me first upon learning of my existence, I would never have obtained this inheritance.”
“That’s right. Of course, I left instructions beforehand that if any of my descendants existed, they should be prioritized for recruitment. But whether the Chukji Society’s successors would heed those words was uncertain. Still, it seems to have worked out well.”
“I’m fortunate.”
“Indeed you are.”
Pungsin laughed as he spoke.
“In any case, you’re the only one who has passed my trials so far. My descendant, what is your name?”
“I am Jin Muyeol.”
“A fine name. Well then, my descendant, you must have many questions for me, I imagine?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll answer what I can. Ask away.”
I immediately posed a question I had been pondering.
“I have returned to the past once. Did you notice?”
“I knew the moment I saw that ring.”
Pungsin answered calmly, surprisingly without any sign of shock.
“Then you must also know what I’m about to ask.”
“Why such an object exists?”
“Yes. I wish to know the true nature of this ring.”
“I don’t know its origins. I didn’t create it in the first place.”
“…!”
I was taken aback by Pungsin’s words.
Then who created it?
“It simply came into my possession due to a certain incident. And I made it so that only once, someone with an intense and fervent desire could use it.”
“Why did you do that?”
“As a precaution in case my descendants failed. I thought that the karmic debts I couldn’t resolve in my era might have carried over to that time.”
“An old grudge?”
“Have you ever heard of the alias Gwang Yeom-ra?”
“Gwang Yeom-ra…? I’ve never heard of it.”
Pungsin shook his head as if he hadn’t expected me to know.
“From your expression, it seems you don’t know. Well, that’s better. Perhaps by your time, he had long since died and vanished.”
“What exactly was this Gwang Yeom-ra that you speak of him so seriously?”
“To put it simply, I’d call him the greatest rival of my entire life. And he’s also someone I ultimately couldn’t finish, even after my comrades paid countless sacrifices.”
“…!”
Could it be that even Pungsin, who was the greatest master of his era, had such an opponent?
Moreover, I was astonished that the existence of such a person had never been recorded.
Even though records from Pungsin’s time were scarce, there were no records of such a powerful figure either….
There was something else strange about this.
“You said Gwang Yeom-ra.”
“That’s right.”
“Wasn’t he a human from your own era? Then why are you concerned about him…?”
There was more than a century of time between Pungsin’s era and mine.
Yet he modified the seal ring because of an old grudge from back then?
Could it be he thought his descendants would become our enemies?
“I can see exactly what you’re thinking. But that’s not it.”
“Pardon?”
“To be honest, I thought it was possible that he himself—not his descendants—might still be alive in this era. Of course, he wouldn’t have been in any normal state.”
“What do you mean… Was he not even human?”
“Who knows. I’m not entirely sure myself. He was truly a mystery incarnate, a being of bizarre power and strange phenomena. Even we who faced him directly in combat never managed to discern his true nature.”
Pungsin let out a sigh.
“That’s why I said he might still be alive. Though I thought it unlikely, one can never be too careful.”
“….”
I found myself at a loss for words.
Hearing Pungsin speak this way, I couldn’t even imagine what kind of monster he was.
He clapped his hands as if to lighten the mood.
Clap!
“Well, let’s leave old stories behind. Anyway, from your reaction, it seems that creature doesn’t exist in reality. Perhaps, contrary to my expectations, he died and disappeared.”
“Certainly… I’ve never heard of such a monster’s existence.”
“Right? If that creature were alive and well, the martial world couldn’t possibly function normally. That’s obvious. But it seems you’re facing a different enemy.”
“How did you know?”
“That seal ring doesn’t activate from a mere desire not to die. It requires intense emotions like rage or vengeance at the moment of death to trigger. And if that’s the case, the only explanation is that you were murdered by someone.”
“You’re perceptive.”
“Heh. I’ve heard that many times.”
Pungsin nodded with a pleased smile.
I pondered for a moment before speaking.
“It’s true that I am facing a formidable enemy.”
“Hmm, what sort of fellow are we talking about?”
“Rather than a single fellow, it’s a group of them. They call themselves Black Night Fortress.”
I recounted the entire story of my entanglement with them—from my first life until now.
How I had lived my entire existence as a puppet, only to discover Black Night Fortress’s existence and attempt to stand against them.
How that attempt had failed, and I was brutally destroyed and killed.
How I had returned to the past through the power of the seal ring and now stood in opposition to them.
“Hmm. Black Night Fortress, you say.”
“Does that ring a bell? Or could it be an organization created by that Gwang Yeom-ra fellow you mentioned earlier?”
“That’s unlikely. Gwang Yeom-ra always operated alone.”
He chuckled softly before continuing.
“Well, there’s always been some fool or another trying to reshape this martial realm. I’d wager there hasn’t been a century in the last thousand years without one.”
“That’s true enough.”
“I understand the situation now. You wish to grow strong enough to oppose them for the sake of your family, don’t you? That’s why you sought out the legacy I left behind.”
“To be precise, this was more by chance than design… but yes, that’s close.”
“Words aside, meeting like this is nothing short of fate itself. So I shall impart my teachings to you.”
Pungsin snapped his fingers.
Snap!
The landscape around us transformed instantly.
We now stood in an open expanse of the Northern Steppes, having left that pristine white space behind.
“Watch carefully.”
A sharp whistling filled the air.
Wind suddenly erupted around us.
I opened my eyes wide, watching Pungsin’s form.
More precisely, I watched as he dissolved into the wind itself.
“This is the true Gale God Step.”
In that moment, knowledge of the Gale God Step flooded into my mind.
As I watched the furious wind that was Pungsin devastate the surroundings with each step, my consciousness slowly faded.

* * *

How much time had passed?
“…!”
I awoke not in the space where I had met Pungsin, but in my own chamber.
Overwhelmed by the final vision I had witnessed, cold sweat streamed down my back.
I replenished my depleted moisture with water I had left before sleeping, and reflected upon the Gale Wind God Step.
‘It’s an absurd movement technique.’
The Gale Wind God Step was a movement technique, yet it differed fundamentally from the ordinary ones I had mastered until now.
It approached sorcery itself, capable of laying waste to everything around it through its mere aftermath.
I could easily foresee that the Gale Wind God Step, once perfected to the Ancestor realm, would become a calamity upon any battlefield.
“Exhale.”
I immediately drew the Windgod Sword and sought out the Sword Spirit.
And I explained to him what had transpired while I slept.
-What? You met that bastard Pungsin?
‘Yes. And from him, I learned of Gwang Yeom-ra and was able to receive the transmission of the Gale Wind God Step.’
-The fact that you mention Gwang Yeom-ra confirms it was truly him. So you’ve discovered a new arrangement.
The Sword Spirit analyzed the situation with gravity.
I nodded and posed a question to him.
‘In any case, it has proven to be tremendous aid, unintended though it was. It was worthwhile to accept the proposal to join the Chukji Society.’
-True. But be cautious. This Gale Wind God Step you’ve now learned consumes inner energy at an extraordinary rate. It would be wise to conserve it in ordinary circumstances and employ it only at decisive moments.
‘Yes. I shall do so.’
I nodded obediently.
It was not because of the martial realm’s maxim to conceal three-tenths of one’s power….
Rather, it was because my current reserves of inner energy would likely prove insufficient to sustain the Gale Wind God Step.
By conserving it ordinarily and deploying it when executing techniques like Gale Wind Slash—where sudden, instantaneous speed was paramount—it would become a killing stroke of the highest order.
With merely that, my path forward seemed to crystallize.
For now, it would be best to refine the harmony of my martial arts through cultivation.
‘Regardless, I must test it in actual practice.’
With that thought, I rose from my seat.
Though I had not yet broken my fast, my heart burned to rush to the Training Grounds at once.
-Eat breakfast first, will you? I’m curious what they’ll serve today.
‘Sigh. Very well.’
I nodded to the Sword Spirit’s entreaty and made my way to the dining hall.
Though I could have commanded the servants to bring a meal to my chamber, I preferred to dine in the hall myself.
“Jin Muyeol.”
As I proceeded toward the dining hall, I collided directly with a lean, middle-aged man.
He was tall in stature, his complexion pallid.
The martial prowess he emanated was extraordinary—roughly at the Johwa Realm level.
“Uncle. It has been some time.”
His identity was none other than my uncle and father of Jin Cheon-hui, Jin Yu-seong.
He was also a man who harbored ambitions for the position of Family Head and regarded my father and me with disdain.
“Are you heading out to eat?”
But I asked Jin Yu-seong in a rather gentle tone, careful not to show my displeasure.
After all, across both my lives, Jin Yu-seong had never forcibly tried to seize the position of Family Head.
At most, he had only attempted to subtly gain the support of family members by constantly pressuring his son, Jin Cheon-hui.
Because of this, I honestly harbored no great ill will toward him.
Though I couldn’t speak for how he felt.
“No, I came to see you.”
“Me, sir?”
“Yes. It would be better to say I came because there’s something we need to discuss in secret.”
Something to discuss in secret.
I narrowed my eyes as I regarded him.
Honestly, I had no idea what he was talking about.
So I asked in a more measured voice.
“What matter is this?”
“Follow me.”
Jin Yu-seong led me to a secluded place, confirmed there was nothing around us, and then spoke.
“The faction that stood behind the former Elder Council leader Lee Tae-gyeom—they’ve proposed that I stage a rebellion against you.”
“…!”

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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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