The Patriarch of the Northern Heavens - Chapter 41

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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 41

“H-how did you…?”
Dok-an-gwi asked with a flustered expression.
It was clear he hadn’t expected his secret to be discovered.
In contrast, Dang Ye-rin asked with a face full of confusion.
“Young Master. What is a Blood Jade?”
“It is an object that grants immense power for a short duration in exchange for one’s life force. Demonic beings frequently employ such artifacts.”
“What?! Then this wretch is connected to the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult?!”
“That remains unclear for now.”
More likely, he had colluded with the Black Night Fortress rather than the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
The Blood Jade was an item those villains favored using, especially when they wanted to incite chaos while making it appear the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult was responsible—they wielded it without fail.
‘I thought they would merely observe for a while…’
They had read my movements supporting the Sichuan Dang Family and supplied this Blood Jade in response.
Truly, they were unsettling adversaries.
“But what is certain is that for some time, his sword will have become formidably strong. Exercise caution.”
“Yes!”
Fortunately, Dang Ye-rin did not press further.
Her immediate priority was dealing with Dok-an-gwi before them.
She was indeed quick to assess situations. What mattered now was eliminating the enemy.
“Die!”
His momentary panic fading, Dok-an-gwi swung his blade and charged toward us.
“Hah!”
Dang Ye-rin burst forward before I could, intercepting his assault.
With elegant, flowing movements, she deflected his strikes in rapid succession.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
“Ugh!”
Yet her complexion grew visibly pale.
With each clash of blades, her hands trembled noticeably—the cumulative impact on her palms was mounting.
“Miss!”
The Green Snake Squad members following her moved to support Dang Ye-rin.
But this time, Dok-an-gwi’s subordinates blocked their advance.
Shouts erupted as combat broke out across the area.
I felt the murderous wind swirling from all directions and my eyes gleamed with resolve.
Indeed, the priority was clear…
‘Eliminate Dok-an-gwi.’
Clang!
“Gah!”
Dang Ye-rin’s body was sent flying back from the collision of blades.
“Khahaha! So much for the Sichuan Sword Pinnacle and all that nonsense—you’re nothing special!”
Dok-an-gwi burst into hearty laughter upon witnessing the sight. He had realized that his full strength, enhanced by the Blood Jade, surpassed Dang Ye-rin’s.
But before he could drive his blade into her body.
Kwaaang!
I, having stepped into the Gale Step first, burrowed into his embrace.
“Not a chance!”
He swung his sword along the precise trajectory where my neck would be.
I did not evade it; instead, I countered with the opening form of the Whirlwind Strike.
My blade became enveloped in a whirlwind, which then surged toward him.
Kwakwakwang!
“What!?”
This time, it was Dok-an-gwi who was sent flying backward.
He stared at me with an expression of disbelief.
He could not comprehend how he had been overwhelmed despite fortifying himself with the Blood Jade.
Moreover, my publicly known realm was hardly at an impressive level, was it?
“Miss. I shall restrain his movements, so seize the opportunity to sever his neck.”
“But… will you be alright?”
At Dang Ye-rin’s worried words, I let out a soft chuckle.
“I possess more strength than I appear to.”
Though I spoke it as a jest, it was the truth.
My body, honed through the Vajra Yaksha Divine Art, had long since transcended the realm of the supreme pinnacle.
I stomped the ground once more and unleashed a torrential barrage of sword strikes.
What followed was the sharp blade of wind itself.
“Where!?”
Dok-an-gwi, upon seeing it, immediately launched a counterattack. Yet with each clash of blades, it was he who retreated.
Kwang! Kwaaang! Kwang!
“What!?”
“It feels strangely different now.”
I muttered this while observing the bewildered Dok-an-gwi.
“Originally, you at this stage seemed like an insurmountable wall.”
But the current Dok-an-gwi did not appear nearly as formidable.
In terms of pure ability, was he not far below the Shadowless Poison Spider I had faced before?
Of course, I had possessed favorable matchup compatibility against him, allowing me to overwhelm him decisively, but now I felt I could handle Dok-an-gwi adequately even without such advantages.
Even with him having consumed the Blood Jade.
“What does that even…”
“Such things exist.”
With those words, I unfolded the techniques of the Gale Consecutive Sword.
Chyahahak!
A gentle breeze swept across, leaving wounds scattered throughout his body.
Sensing that this would not do, he hastily withdrew his blade and retreated, seized by a sense of crisis.
There was no doubt about it. He was probably trying to show me his trump card.
But the Nine Celestial Finger Technique only held meaning once it was fully deployed.
Whoosh!
“…!”
Clang!
I completely sealed his movements, preventing him from doing anything at all.
By unleashing my blade relentlessly, I forced him into nothing but defensive positions.
He furrowed his brow, concentrating solely on blocking my onslaught.
I pressed my advantage and shouted.
“Now!”
Swoosh!
Dok-an-gwi spun around in alarm, bracing himself for the attack coming from behind.
But there was no one there.
“What…!?”
“Ha, you fell for it?”
Thud!
My wind-wrapped blade pierced through his shoulder.
“Aaaahhhhh!”
He writhed in agony.
I twisted my sword to keep him immobilized and spoke.
“Miss Dang.”
And in that instant.
“Thank you for the opening, Family Head.”
Dang Ye-rin, who had been waiting for her chance, seized the moment.
Using a mysterious footwork technique imbued with profound principles, she closed the distance and unleashed a powerful slash.
It severed Dok-an-gwi’s neck as he struggled to free his sword.
Thump!
Dok-an-gwi’s headless body collapsed to the ground.
“B-Brother!?”
“No!”
His subordinates gasped in shock at the sight.
They never imagined their confident leader would fall so quickly.
“Strike now!”
“Press the attack!”
The Green Snake Squad seized the opportunity and began eliminating Dok-an-gwi’s remaining men.
Dang Ye-rin and I joined in the assault.
The battle ended swiftly.
Soon, no one but us remained alive on the battlefield.
“You fought well, Miss Dang.”
I spoke to her in a gentle voice.
It felt oddly gratifying, stirring something warm within my chest.
In the original timeline, Dang Ye-rin would have shielded me during this battle, only to be struck by Dok-an-gwi’s attack and fall into critical condition.
But in this life, neither of us suffered injury—we simply eliminated the threat.
And we did so against an opponent who had already consumed the Blood Jade.
“I truly cannot thank you enough. Without the Family Head’s intervention, we would have suffered devastating losses.”
Dang Ye-rin responded with a respectful fist salute.
Her courtesy was impeccable, as always.
She could have boasted about slaying Dok-an-gwi herself, yet not a trace of such pride crossed her features.
Perhaps she believed her own contribution had been minimal.
“Shall we return to the Bukcheon Sword Family? We have matters to discuss, and you’ll need time to recover and prepare.”
“I gratefully accept your kindness.”
One of the Green Snake Squad warriors retrieved a coffin that had been prepared beforehand and placed Dok-an-gwi’s corpse inside.
We returned to the Bukcheon Sword Family as soon as the task was complete.
We arrived bearing news of a decisive victory.

* * *

We washed briefly and reconvened in the Reception Room.
I had mentioned there was something I needed to discuss.
She changed out of her blood-stained garments into fresh clothes, then offered another respectful salute.
“The main family will not forget this. Once again, we are grateful for your cooperation.”
“One greeting is sufficient. But there is something you wish to ask me, is there not?”
“How did you…?”
“Your expression reveals everything. You’re curious about the Blood Jade, I presume.”
“Yes. You mentioned it’s something used by demonic practitioners… Is that truly the case?”
Dang Ye-rin’s expression grew grave.
If that were true, it meant Dok-an-gwi had connections to the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
And a demonic practitioner from the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult was operating openly in Sichuan?
This was an incident with potential to escalate far beyond what we’d anticipated. There was no choice but to treat it with utmost seriousness.
I paused briefly before responding.
“It is true. The demonic practitioners of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult commonly use such items.”
“Then…!”
“However, I believe there is a possibility this artifact did not originate from them.”
“Pardon?”
Dang Ye-rin’s expression flickered with confusion at my words.
She clearly didn’t understand what I meant.
I activated a qi barrier around us before continuing.
“Miss Dang, how much do you know of the Bukcheon Sword Family?”
“To be honest, I know very little.”
“Then you are equally unfamiliar with recent events concerning us.”
Dang Ye-rin nodded in acknowledgment.
I offered her a gentle smile and proceeded with my explanation.
“Our main family has recently faced a grave crisis. The clan head and I nearly fell victim to poison, and the entire family was on the brink of falling completely into the hands of corrupt elders. And behind all of this, there was an organization.”
“Is… is that really true?”
Dang Ye-rin’s mouth fell open.
The scale of what she was hearing seemed far too vast to comprehend all at once.
Yet I nodded without hesitation.
“Their name is Black Night Fortress. They are a shadow organization that lurks behind the martial world, operating in darkness. I suspect it was they who provided Dok-an-gwi with the Blood Jade.”
There was no other explanation that made sense.
In my first life, Dok-an-gwi had never possessed anything like the Blood Jade.
The only differences between then and now were my existence and the changed circumstances of the Bukcheon Sword Family.
Thus, it was only natural to deduce that they were responsible.
“And look at this. These are research materials on poisons that their subordinate organization was studying. As someone with expertise in such matters, you would surely recognize their value and danger far better than I, a mere layman.”
I produced the carefully preserved documents and the vial of poison that had been stored away.
As Dang Ye-rin read through the materials, her expression grew increasingly rigid. The documents were filled with such professional content that anyone could tell they had been compiled by someone deeply versed in poisons.
Yet at the same time, doubt flickered across her face.
“Why… are you suddenly telling me all this? Ah, could it be that you’re seeking an alliance to stand against them?”
“That is one reason, certainly. But not the only one.”
Truthfully, I had deliberated long and hard over whether to broach the subject of Black Night Fortress at all.
If word spread that I had been discussing such matters, they would undoubtedly become even more ruthless in their attempts to kill me.
But…
‘Dang Ye-rin is not the sort of person to carelessly spread such information to others.’
Despite being a precious jewel of a prestigious family, she possessed a noble character. Reflecting on my memories of the first life, I judged her to be trustworthy.
“To be frank, I would hope that you share this information with only one person besides yourself. If word of this spreads, it could bring danger not only to the Bukcheon Sword Family but to the Sichuan Dang Family as well.”
“Only one person? Who might that be?”
“Your grandmother, the First Sword of Sichuan, the Great Swordmaster Dang So-hye.”
“…!”
Surprise flashed across Dang Ye-rin’s face before it shifted to one of understanding.
“That makes sense. Grandmother possesses more than enough power to confront those from Black Night Fortress. So you’re asking for our grandmother’s assistance.”
“No, it is quite the opposite.”
“…The opposite?”
“Yes. Rather, I wish to warn your grandmother of the danger.”
“A… a warning?”
“Indeed.”
I recalled the memories of my past life and spoke with utmost gravity.
“Black Night Fortress has her life in their sights.”

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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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