The Patriarch of the Northern Heavens - Chapter 3

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Master of the Bukcheon Sword Family – Chapter 3

The Diamond Yaksha Divine Art was a supreme martial technique I had obtained by sheer chance in my previous life.
They say it was once wielded by a great warrior known as the Radiant King?
Its function was to reconstruct the user’s body to match the name of the Diamond Yaksha—a being of unparalleled might.
In other words, it transformed the body into something extraordinarily resilient.
“Huh.”
I drew a deep breath and immediately began the Tai Chi Fist, the foundational martial art.
The Diamond Yaksha Divine Art was not a static meditation technique where one sat still and accumulated inner energy, but rather a dynamic cultivation method—one that drew energy while moving.
This required movements that allowed me to maintain focus while flowing endlessly.
“Haah.”
With each breath I drew in and released, minute changes began to accumulate.
As I cycled my breath and essence, the inner energy that gathered began to transform my body.
Crack. Crackle.
It slowly began to reshape my bones and sinews.
Even the bone that had fractured slightly began to knit together rapidly. Simply circulating my energy made me feel vitality coursing through me, my body growing lighter.
The efficacy was truly remarkable.
A bitter smile crossed my face.
‘If only I had obtained this even a little sooner in my previous life…’
Perhaps the outcome would have been different.
Even if I had to die, I could have struck a devastating blow against those Dark Shadow Force wretches before falling.
‘Well, it doesn’t matter now. I’ll simply work hard from this point forward.’
The Diamond Yaksha Divine Art was a technique whose effects grew stronger the more time one invested in it.
If I cultivated it steadily from now on, wouldn’t I possess bones and sinews counted among the finest in the Central Plains within a few years?
‘And with that, my resistance to poison would increase dramatically as well.’
I would no longer suffer from addiction as I had in my first life.
So I trained the Diamond Yaksha Divine Art with fierce dedication.
After practicing for some time, my body was drenched in sweat.
‘I suppose that’s enough for today.’
Since I was performing dynamic cultivation while moving, the physical exhaustion was severe.
There was no benefit in pushing myself further.
Feeling my body grow stronger, I returned to the Sleeping Quarters and bathed.
I had an important meeting ahead, after all.
So I made my way to a place suffused with the scent of medicinal herbs and the odor of sickness.
To the quarters where my father resided.

* * *

“Father. I have arrived.”
“*Cough*. Ah, Muyeol. Come inside.”
As I opened the door and stepped in, I saw my father lying in bed.
The sight of him stirred something turbulent within my chest.
Jin Yu-gwang, the sixth patriarch of the Bukcheon Sword Family.
That was my father.
In his youth, he had led the clan to glory through his exceptional martial prowess and abilities as patriarch, or so I had heard.
Now, like me, he was bedridden and helpless.
No—unlike me, who had only recently been poisoned and suffered relatively mild symptoms, he bore far more severe ravages.
As a result, all the duties that should have fallen to him had passed to me.
‘And that is because of the poison.’
I gazed at my father while suppressing the fury that threatened to boil over.
Father regarded me with an inscrutable gleam in his eyes.
Had he noticed that I was different from usual?
“You have stirred up quite a significant matter this time.”
Father’s words naturally referred to the incident where I had cut down Wang Ho, the chief steward.
I answered him in a measured tone.
“I merely did what needed to be done. I simply eliminated a parasite that was eating away at the Bukcheon Sword Family.”
“But that parasite is the nephew of Elder Wang Jin. He will not let you off easily.”
Wang Jin was one of the elders of the Bukcheon Sword Family and wielded considerable influence.
At least, people feared him far more than they feared a dying patriarch or a puppet young master.
Yet I felt no fear.
So what of it?
I had accumulated far too much experience to cower before such a man.
“Elder Wang will not be able to move against me immediately. The evidence of corruption found in Wang Ho’s residence is far too conclusive.”
“*Cough*. That much is true. But he will surely seek revenge.”
“Let him try. If he truly attempts to harm me, then this time I will simply cut down Wang Jin as well.”
“Do you mean that sincerely?”
Astonishment crossed my father’s face.
He had not expected his previously timid son to speak with such conviction.
But Father, I am sincere.
“Patriarch. No—Father. I am now working to set this Bukcheon Sword Family right.”
To purge all the parasites that gnaw at our clan.
To expose the dark shadows that manipulate them from behind.
I wished to restore the Bukcheon Sword Family to the brilliance it once knew.
I believed that my return to the past was for this very purpose.
“To achieve that, I will do whatever is necessary. Even if it means walking a path stained with blood.”
“Muyeol…”
Father spoke in a voice tinged with regret.
“If you proceed that way, you yourself may be corrupted. Look at me. Do you truly believe I have fallen into this state merely from illness?”
“No, Father. You’ve been poisoned—manipulated by those who seek to control the Bukcheon Sword Family.”
“And knowing this, you still intend to proceed?”
“Yes. I will succeed. And I will restore Father’s health as well.”
In truth, Father would pass from this world three years hence.
But I had no intention of witnessing that fate.
I would not simply repeat the failures of my past life.
Fortunately, I possessed a means to change it.
The opportunity I gained in the twilight of my previous existence was not limited to the Vajra Yaksha Divine Art alone.
“Father, from this moment forward, please memorize and practice the incantation I am about to teach you.”
“An incantation…?”
“Yes. I know a martial art capable of improving your condition.”
Its name was the Purification Incantation.
A martial art that could cleanse all poisons and malevolent qi.

* * *

I had obtained the Purification Incantation from a Taoist Master.
Not from a great Taoist sect like the Mudang Sect, Jongnam Sect, or Huashan Sect—but from a humble, ordinary Taoist.
Yet he shared my enemy. He too had fought against the same Dark Shadow Force.
‘I wonder how he fares now.’
Since he was alive when I drew my final breath, he would surely still be living.
I resolved to visit him someday.
Though not immediately, of course.
In any case.
“How… where on earth did you obtain such a martial art?”
“I cannot answer that at present. But I guarantee its efficacy. With this alone, we can prevent Father’s condition from deteriorating further.”
“My son…”
Father’s eyes glistened with moisture.
Perhaps he was moved by the fact that his son had gone to such lengths to obtain this for him.
Yet watching him, my own heart ached.
The image of Father in my first life—the one I could not save—surfaced in my mind.
I suppressed the surge of emotion and transmitted the incantation of the Purification Art to him.
As Father heard the incantation, his pupils trembled violently.
“This is… truly a divine art. Where could you possibly have found such a thing…?”
“Practice the Purification Incantation daily when no one is watching, expelling the poisonous qi from your body. If you do this, the poison will no longer harm you.”
“I am truly grateful, my son. That I should receive such a gift from you…”
“This is merely the beginning. As I mentioned, I intend to restore the Bukcheon Sword Family to its former greatness. I will undertake many endeavors toward that end.”
I spoke with emphasis, ensuring he understood my warning.
“However, Father, you must not fully recover from your condition just yet. I apologize, but please wait before becoming completely well. If there were some pretext, it would be one thing—but should those who poisoned you see you suddenly rise up completely healthy with no warning signs, I cannot predict what they might do.”
“You mean I should continue to feign illness even after expelling all the poison?”
“Until we uncover their exact scale and true identity, there’s nothing we can do. To uproot them completely, Father, you’ll need to put on an act.”
“So be it. I’m a dead man either way if I sit idle. Might as well make one final struggle.”
Resolve crystallized in Father’s eyes.
Father still possessed the will to fight the Dark Shadow Force.
That was reassuring. I bowed respectfully.
“Then, I shall take my leave. Please take care of yourself.”
“Very well. We’ll speak again.”
I left Father’s quarters and made my way to my own.
But it was then that it happened.
A middle-aged man leading a contingent of guards blocked my path.
Upon seeing his face, I spoke calmly.
“Elder Wang.”
The middle-aged man was none other than Wang Jin, my uncle.
His face burned with fury as he glared at me.
“Is there something you need?”
“Something I need? Ha!”
Wang Jin raised his voice in exasperation.
“You’ve brutally murdered my nephew, and you dare speak like that?”
His sudden outburst was utterly shameless.
So I decided to match his shamelessness.
“Wang Ho was nothing but a parasitic wretch who dared to embezzle the family’s wealth to line his own pockets. Moreover, he attempted to take my life in that very moment. Yet Elder, what grievance do you have that I refused to die by his hand?”
Wang Jin faltered, caught off guard.
Regardless of how little respect I received, I was still the sole direct heir and Young Master of this household.
He could not justify an attempt on my life.
“That is… well…”
“No matter your station as an Elder, I cannot overlook such words. I’m deeply curious what justification you have for saying such things.”
I delivered the final blow.
“Or have you come to kill me as well?”
“…!”
My harsh words shook Wang Jin’s gaze.
He clearly hadn’t anticipated I would respond so boldly.
‘Perhaps he thought I was hiding my claws all along.’
But regardless of what he thought, it mattered little to me.
I continued to stare him down.
As if to say: go ahead and try to explain yourself.
Wang Jin then cleared his throat and spoke.
“Ahem. Of course not. But no matter how wrong Wang Ho was, Young Master’s methods were far too cruel. You should have captured him and held him accountable rather than taking his life.”
“That is something you say out of ignorance. My martial prowess was not exceptional, and Wang Ho surpassed me in strength. When someone stronger than you comes at you with murderous intent, how can you subdue them without being prepared to kill? His death was unavoidable. I nearly died myself in that exchange.”
“…”
“In any case, if you’ve come to interrogate me over Wang Ho’s death, I’d ask you to step aside. I have no desire to quarrel further over this matter.”
I believe I have now made my position sufficiently clear.
Wang Jin should understand by now.
With that thought, I turned my gaze toward Wang Jin, only to find him wearing an unexpectedly subtle expression.
I had anticipated anger or bewilderment, but perhaps I had misjudged.
He spoke.
“…You have changed.”
“Pardon?”
“The Young Master, that is. You have changed considerably. You do not seem to be the Young Master I once knew.”
“When a person faces the brink of death, they inevitably transform. It seems your nephew provided me with that catalyst. Though I cannot say I am grateful for it.”
At my barbed words, Wang Jin’s expression twisted into something akin to amusement.
“Yet Young Master, change is not always a positive thing.”
“Is that so?”
“Indeed. There is a saying, you see—when a man changes overnight, it is a harbinger of his death.”
“Ha. How amusing. Surely that is merely a saying invented by those who fear transformation.”
“Ha ha. One could certainly view it that way. But such sayings arise among people for a reason, Young Master. I would hope you would give that some consideration.”
“I appreciate the counsel. Though it seems your concern for my welfare is not entirely genuine, I shall nonetheless lend it my ear.”
“You would do well to. Otherwise, who knows what might transpire? Enemies bearing ill will toward the Young Master may yet emerge.”
Ha.
This was nothing short of open extortion.
In an ordinary clan or sect, would such a thing even be conceivable?
Only here, in the Bukcheon Sword Family, where the patriarch’s authority had crumbled and my own position as Young Master hung by a thread, could such an act occur.
I did not flinch at his threat, instead allowing the corners of my mouth to rise.
“I am grateful for the warning. Now, if you would take your leave.”
It was a clear dismissal—he had said all he needed to say.
“…”
Wang Jin regarded me with a sidelong glance for a moment, then departed with his subordinates in tow.
I watched his retreating figure for some time.
‘Considerable animosity indeed. He may well resort to more direct methods.’
Such as dispatching an assassin, for instance.
Or perhaps poisoning my food.
‘It matters not.’
With that thought, I let out a soft laugh.
It was no mere bravado, but genuine conviction.
By the time such threats materialized, I would have grown considerably stronger and could handle them with ease.
Though I had lived as a puppet all these years, I possessed over two decades of experience.
Thus, I would not fall victim to a small fry like Wang Jin.
‘And should he dare attempt such treachery…’
I could seize the evidence and turn the tables upon him.
I might even send both nephew and uncle to hell together.
With such thoughts, I made my way back to my quarters.
To achieve that, I had to grow stronger as quickly as possible.
But just as I had resolved to do so and resumed my training with renewed determination, it happened.
“Young Master. A message has arrived from the Elder Council Chamber.”
A martial artist approached me and delivered the news.
“From the Elder Council Chamber?”
“Yes. The Elder Council Chairman is convening a family meeting, it seems.”
“A family meeting.”
It was a gathering of the family’s senior members—a meeting to address matters of great importance.
‘I wondered when it would be held, and now it finally comes.’
This family meeting was undoubtedly being convened to settle the aftermath of Wang Ho’s embezzlement scandal.
If that were the case, there was no reason not to attend.
In fact, I had been waiting for this moment.
I smiled coldly and spoke.
“Guide me there. I shall depart at once.”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————