The Patriarch of the Northern Heavens - Chapter 121

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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 121

“Grraaahhh!”
The Poison Cultivator caught in the tempest shrieked in agony.
Shhhhwwwiiissshhh!
His hardened skin, tempered by poison, tore open as wounds began to form across his body.
The hidden killing intent concealed within the storm ravaged his flesh like a beast’s claws.
“Haaahhh!”
Yet he was no ordinary foe—with a sharp cry, he projected his power in all directions.
Boom-boom-boom!
The tempest dissipated, and his body broke free from its grip.
Gasping for breath, he immediately created distance between us.
“You damnable bastard!”
“Damnable bastard, is it? Have you already forgotten who struck first?”
“I won’t let this slide!”
His eyes burned with pure fury.
Crash!
The Poison Cultivator stomped the ground with force and squeezed liquid from his palm, spraying it toward me.
“Not happening.”
I unfurled the Windgod Sword technique to evade it.
Whatever that substance was, there was no reason to take the hit.
“Watch out!”
At that moment, I heard Hyeok Un’s urgent cry from where he was battling the other Poison Cultivators.
I narrowed my eyes, watching the toxic liquid fly toward me like a sniper’s bullet.
‘Can it move freely at will?’
If so, this opponent was more troublesome than I’d anticipated.
This time, instead of evading, I extended my palm strike.
Kabooom!
A palm technique wrapped in fierce wind scattered everything in its path.
“Haaahhh!”
But the creature didn’t stop—it closed in and unleashed its claw technique.
The nails he’d honed for this moment were as sharp as a beast’s fangs, possessing a cutting power that could cleave steel itself. Cold sweat beaded on my skin despite my composure.
-You know, right? If you get hit even once by these poison bastards…
‘I know. It would become twice as troublesome than it already is.’
That was what made the Poison Cultivators truly dangerous.
They only needed one successful strike, and with their hardened bodies and internal poison, they could achieve it with relative ease.
I clicked my tongue and blocked the Poison Cultivator’s claw technique.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
To an outside observer, it might appear that I was being pushed back without mounting a proper counterattack.
But that wasn’t the case.
Even as I moved, my eyes were analyzing his every motion.
Through the Windgod Technique, I was predicting his next move.
Finally.
‘Now!’
Timing it perfectly, I slashed the Windgod Sword in a diagonal arc.
Schink!
A long gash opened across his chest where a momentary opening had appeared.
Splurt!
Through that wound erupted a spray of liquid.
“Gaaahhh!”
No—to be precise, it wasn’t blood but poison.
A toxic liquid so potent that an ordinary person would perish merely from being drenched in it scattered in all directions.
A considerable amount of hemorrhaging.
Yet it seemed insufficient, as the creature didn’t die immediately.
True to his nature as a Poison Cultivator, he possessed a remarkably resilient physique.
“You bastard…!”
Fury and bewilderment etched themselves across the Poison Cultivator’s face.
The expression of someone who never expected a youth with such a youthful appearance to drive him into such a corner.
“Go now.”
I delivered my final judgment upon him.
Simultaneously, I unleashed the Gale Slash.
Schink!
A sword strike wreathed in golden wind severed his head from his body.
The headless corpse convulsed briefly before collapsing backward.
Thud!
With a dull impact, the Poison Cultivator’s body crashed to the ground.
Our allies who had been fighting the other Poison Cultivators erupted in cheers at the sight.
“Their leader is dead!”
“Push back the rest!”
The warriors of the Wild Beast Palace roared as they drove back the invading Poison Cultivators.
I too wasted no time, immediately seeking out my next target.
In the end, we succeeded in cutting down every last one of them.
“Phew.”
After the battle ended, we gazed wearily at the corpses scattered around us.
Fortunately, we had seized the initiative and achieved victory without significant losses, but had we failed, it would have been considerably troublesome.
Above all, that initial poison cloud—had we inadvertently inhaled it, we might have suffered near-total annihilation.
“We must move. We don’t know when their reinforcements will arrive.”
Thus I urged Hyeok Un forward.
Fortunately, he seemed to understand the gravity of the situation and immediately nodded in agreement.
“We’ll depart right away. Fortunately, it’s not far from here to our territory.”
We followed Hyeok Un toward the Wild Beast Palace.
How much time had passed?
“Who goes there!”
After traveling for a while, a cautious voice blocked our path.
Hyeok Un showed no alarm and stepped forward, revealing his face.
“It’s me. Hyeok Un, Branch Master of Yunnan.”
“Great Warrior!”
“We greet you, Great Warrior!”
They recognized Hyeok Un’s face and quickly lowered their guard.
“And who are these?”
“They appear to be from the Central Plains…”
“They are very important guests. Would you not allow us to bring them inside?”
“Of course. Please, come in.”
The gatekeepers, following Hyeok Un’s words, admitted us into the Wild Beast Palace.
The Wild Beast Palace was extraordinarily vast.
Within the palisade walls stood countless buildings—enough to constitute an entire city—and no small number of people dwelt there.
And at its center stood a magnificent palace.
That was surely the heart of the Wild Beast Palace.
My suspicion proved correct as Hyeok Un led us toward it.
“Wait a moment. I must first report my arrival.”
He brought So Hye-rim and me to what appeared to be a reception room, then disappeared briefly.
Now that we had finally arrived, So Hye-rim’s tension seemed to ease as she exhaled wearily.
“Phew. We managed to get here at last. It really is quite far.”
“It’s so distant from the Central Plains that there’s little to be done about it.”
“But why did those Poison Cultivators attack us?”
“That’s what troubles me. By all appearances, we were their target.”
Yet what reason would the Five Poison Gate have to attack unfamiliar Central Plains guests?
‘It’s likely because of the Eternal Life Elixir.’
Regardless of how they learned of it, I could find no other plausible explanation.
Perhaps rumors had spread during the banquet.
‘I deliberately made our movements widely known to elevate the prestige of the Bukcheon Sword Family… I hadn’t anticipated such consequences.’
Still, everything turned out well.
In the end, So Hye-rim, Poong-ah, and I emerged without so much as a scratch.
While I was thinking this, someone approached with long, purposeful strides.
Likely a warrior of the Wild Beast Palace.
“You are the guests from the Central Plains, correct?”
My assumption proved accurate.
Before us stood a single warrior who appeared seasoned and experienced.
“That is correct.”
“Follow me, if you would. The Palace Master wishes to see you.”

* * *

As I followed him, a magnificent gate appeared—the kind one might see in a royal palace.
This was likely where official matters were conducted.
Yet I focused not on the gate’s grandeur, but on the formidable aura emanating from within.
-Muyeol. A powerful one.
‘Yes. I sense it clearly.’
Whoever was inside made no effort to conceal their strength.
The evidence was undeniable—despite the thick door before us, an overwhelming presence radiated outward.
“Kaaak….”
Even Poong-ah, a spirit creature, trembled visibly.
I stroked his fur to barely calm him down.
“Palace Master. I have brought them.”
“Let them enter.”
Just as I was thinking this, the warrior from the Wild Beast Palace finished his report and opened the door.
Kuguguong.
The door swung open, revealing a vast chamber.
At the far end, elevated and solitary, sat a jade throne.
Upon it reclined a middle-aged man with a wild, untamed appearance, his arm propped casually beneath his head.
There was no doubt.
This was the Beast Palace Master.
“Jin Muyeol of the Bukcheon Sword Family pays respects to the Beast Palace Master.”
“So Hye-rim of the Jinwon Sect pays respects to the Beast Palace Master.”
“…Remarkable.”
The Beast Palace Master regarded us with eyes filled with admiration.
“One of you has reached a profound realm that belies your youth, and the other harbors a tremendous killing intent within yet conceals it outwardly. Have you both undergone cultivation to master your minds?”
“Yes. Something like that.”
“But such achievement surely required immense effort. I offer you my respect.”
The Beast Palace Master spoke thus while gazing at So Hye-rim.
So Hye-rim seemed startled by the sudden praise, but soon bowed her head.
“Thank you. It is an honor to receive such words from a master of the Wuji Realm.”
“You deserve my praise. And you as well.”
This time, he turned his gaze toward me.
The Beast Palace Master locked eyes with me, his gaze piercing.
“To achieve such heights at your age alone warrants commendation. And to be acknowledged by a spirit creature of such caliber—that is extraordinary.”
The spirit creature he spoke of was none other than Poong-ah, perched upon my shoulder.
I clasped my fist lightly and bowed.
“It is thanks to the aid I have received from your esteemed palace’s divine creature.”
“Of course, without the Eternal Sovereign Seal, I wouldn’t have even attempted it. But thinking that possessing the Eternal Sovereign Seal grants dominion over all spirits is a grave miscalculation. You’ve experienced it yourself, so you understand—it simply isn’t that kind of artifact.”
“That’s certainly true.”
“Which means subjugating that spirit was purely a feat of your own ability. That’s what makes it all the more impressive.”
The Beast Palace Master said this with a knowing smile.
I withdrew the Eternal Sovereign Seal from my waist and extended it toward him.
“I’ve made good use of it, so now it’s time to return it to its rightful owner. Here is the Eternal Sovereign Seal.”
“You harbor no greed? With this in hand, you could subjugate other spirits as well. Surely that thought must have crossed your mind.”
“They say treasures beyond one’s capacity to bear invite calamity. I have no desire to incur the enmity of the Wild Beast Palace for such a thing.”
Of course, if I were to flee to Sanseo and use this, the Wild Beast Palace would be powerless to stop me.
The Yunnan Blood Calamity had occurred in Kunming, not far from Wild Beast Palace territory, so it was certainly plausible. But they couldn’t possibly pursue me all the way to Sanseo.
Still, that didn’t mean I had any particular use for it.
Frankly, spirits aren’t so common that possessing this would serve any real purpose.
It was far better to use this to earn the goodwill of the Wild Beast Palace and elevate the reputation of both myself and the Bukcheon Sword Family than to needlessly create enemies and invite worry.
“Hahaha! Wise indeed. At such a young age, it would be natural to covet treasures, yet you’ve made the proper judgment.”
The Beast Palace Master laughed heartily, clearly pleased.
His laughter resonated through the space where we stood, reverberating with tremendous force.
It felt as though his voice alone could shake one’s very spirit.
‘Truly a master of the Boundless Realm.’
Though he hadn’t earned recognition from the martial artists of the Central Plains and thus wasn’t among the Thirteen Venerables, this man before me was on par with the Dark Emperor and the Sichuan First Sword.
I could never afford to let my guard down.
“In any case, you are the benefactors who have recovered our palace’s lost divine artifact. By the name of the Beast Palace Master, I recognize you as honored guests and shall ensure you are treated accordingly.”
“Thank you.”
“Moreover, I cannot let this pass with mere words. I shall bestow upon you treasures befitting your deeds. If you have no objection, I shall guide you personally.”
“Treasures?”
“Indeed.”
The Beast Palace Master nodded and smiled knowingly.
“I shall grant you the legacy of the Solar Holy Palace, which ruled Nam Man before our Wild Beast Palace came to power.”
“…!”

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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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