The Patriarch of the Northern Heavens - Chapter 81

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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 81

“KRRRRAAAAAAAGH!”
A scream that conjured images of infernal demons tore through the air.
I hastily shielded my ears with my inner energy and retreated from the spot.
I needed to be prepared for any unexpected counterattack.
“How dare you! How DARE you take my arm! A mere whelp of the Bukcheon Sword Family!”
The White Bone Old Demon was completely enraged.
Rather than pain and loss from losing his arm, he seemed to feel humiliation at having suffered such a defeat at my hands.
Clearly, he had never anticipated this outcome.
I looked at him, smiled, and raised my sword.
“Next time, it won’t be your arm—it’ll be your head.”
“IIIINSOLENT!”
The enraged White Bone Old Demon unleashed a thick, malevolent aura.
It was still a terrifying presence that made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end.
He gathered all his strength and lunged toward me.
‘Wait, hold on.’
That wasn’t aimed at me, was it?
“…!”
KRAAAAAAASH!
The White Bone Old Demon’s attack struck my Great-Uncle instead.
My Great-Uncle blocked it with a stern expression, but he was still forced back considerably.
In that moment, the White Bone Old Demon vaulted over the half-destroyed wall.
“I will never forget this! One day, I shall devour every last drop of your bloodline!”
With that, the White Bone Old Demon began fleeing at full speed.
It was a genuine escape executed by a master of the Heavenly Martial Realm.
In an instant, he had vanished so far into the distance that even my Great-Uncle couldn’t respond properly.
In the end.
“Tch…”
My Great-Uncle realized he couldn’t pursue and wore a regretful expression.
He awkwardly scratched his head and spoke.
“I apologize. I should have ended this here, but I let him slip away.”
“There’s nothing we can do about it.”
Objectively speaking, it still felt as though a threat to our family remained…
But in any case, he had fled with one arm lost.
Moreover, he had lost all his subordinates from the Shanxi Heterodox Alliance, so wouldn’t it be quite difficult for him to make a comeback?
‘Perhaps he might never show his face again.’
After all, he wouldn’t want to come back just to die.
Still, I couldn’t afford to be careless, so I would need to gather information while maintaining appropriate vigilance.
In any case.
“We’ve won.”
“Indeed.”
A smile crossed my Great-Uncle’s face at my words.
Our victory.
It was ultimately no different from a victory for the Bukcheon Sword Family itself.
In a sense, this conflict over the Sanseo region was nothing more than a struggle between the Bukcheon Sword Family and the Evil Faction forces.
And since we had achieved a complete victory, Elder Won-ju of the Bukcheon Sword Family could hardly contain his joy.
“From now on, there won’t be anyone in the Sanseo region reckless enough to move against us.”
“All those capable of doing so are dead. There are other forces remaining, but….”
“The Orthodox Faction may scheme in the shadows, but they won’t dare move openly against us. After all, we’re all part of the Orthodox Faction.”
“Quite right.”
Moreover, word of how we drove back the Evil Faction would spread far and wide.
This meant the prestige of the Bukcheon Sword Family would rise accordingly.
Though not to the heights of old, we had regained sufficient strength and legitimacy—the Bukcheon Sword Family would once again be treated as the foremost clan of Sanseo.
Those with keen insight would prefer to maintain friendly relations with us rather than exhaust themselves in futile opposition.
“Let us depart from this place.”
“Yes, let’s do that.”
My Great-Uncle sheathed his sword and strode over to rejoin us.
Though he showed no outward sign, he appeared considerably fatigued.
Given the intensity of that battle, it was only natural.
We managed to slip outside under the protection of Jin Seo-hong and Moyong Hyun-rak.
“Ah, you’ve returned. What of the White Bone Old Demon?”
“Unfortunately, he escaped. However, I did sever one of his arms.”
“You did? Remarkable!”
Dang Ye-rin’s eyes sparkled with genuine admiration and astonishment.
Her gaze gleamed with an almost dazzling intensity.
I smiled faintly and explained the results of the battle that had just concluded.
Dang Ye-rin’s delight was almost excessive.
“You truly are exceptional. I never imagined you could sever the arm of the White Bone Old Demon….”
“Hahaha. You speak truly. This young one may well be called the greatest swordmaster of Sanseo before long.”
“How could that be, with you present, Great-Uncle?”
“Is that so? Considering your rate of growth, I believe everyone would agree.”
“That much is certainly true.”
“It’s hard to deny.”
Even Jin Seo-hong and Moyong Hyun-rak added their own remarks.
I felt embarrassed and fell silent. Seeing this, my Sword Spirit chuckled softly.
-Why are you like that when they’re complimenting you?
‘But it’s embarrassing.’
-Good is good. You should take pride in your abilities. How many at your age can accomplish what you do?
Even the Sword Spirit joined in to praise me. I decided to accept their compliments gracefully.
“I will do my best to live up to your expectations.”
I could see everyone smiling at my humble response.
Dang Ye-rin’s two guards in particular seemed taken aback.
At this point, I could have easily let arrogance take hold, but I chose not to.
Yet I knew the truth—I was no true genius.
Even if I wanted to be arrogant, I simply couldn’t afford to be.
“In any case, we should head back soon. The Family Head will be worried.”
“Good. Let’s hurry back and deliver this news of victory.”
My Great-Uncle agreed with my words.
We departed from the ruins of Ho Won Gate and made our way toward the Bukcheon Sword Family.
We remained vigilant for any surprise attacks, but none came.
Our enemies likely lacked the strength to pursue us further.
We arrived safely at the Bukcheon Sword Family.
Bearing news of a perfect victory.

* * *

Naturally, the Bukcheon Sword Family erupted into chaos.
Of course, when we first departed, people had joked with half-serious expectations that we might actually topple the Shanxi Heterodox Alliance….
But no one truly believed we would actually accomplish it.
Especially when they learned that I had killed Ho Won-mun and the Bamboo Forest Sword Master, and severed the White Bone Old Demon’s arm, everyone gasped in amazement.
“Truly worthy of the Young Master! To sever the arm of a master at the peak of the Heavenly Martial Realm!”
“I wish I could have witnessed that sight myself.”
“Then we can say the threat from the Evil Faction has been completely eliminated, can we not?”
“Not entirely, but the danger is far less than before.”
I spoke calmly at the banquet held to commemorate our victory.
“However, to sustain this peace we have won, our future actions will be crucial.”
“Future actions?”
“Yes. There remains a possibility that those who have lost their leaders might regroup and seek revenge. Furthermore, though unlikely, with the local Evil Faction weakened, forces from other regions could attempt to encroach here.”
“I see—with a power vacuum created, there are more vultures circling?”
“Precisely.”
I nodded at Moyong Hyun-rak’s words and continued.
“Therefore, I believe we should mobilize forces immediately to eliminate the remaining scattered remnants. Starting with Ho Won-mun and the Bamboo Forest Sword Sect, who have lost their leaders, we should subjugate the leaderless Evil Faction forces and firmly establish the Bukcheon Sword Family’s dominance.”
“However, the main family may lack the resources to govern so many territories.”
“There is no need to govern them all. What matters is the fact itself—that we took action against them. Once that becomes known, others will think twice before acting for some time.”
And during that time, we could gradually strengthen the family’s power.
By expanding the military forces, increasing alliances, and accumulating wealth, we would eventually be capable of projecting power across all those regions.
Father nodded, seeing merit in my words.
“Then we shall proceed as you suggest. I will dispatch the Iron Blood Sword Squad and the Wind Cloud Unit tomorrow at once.”
“I would appreciate your assistance.”
Not long after, the two martial forces crushed the two sects that had lost their leaders and were floundering in disarray.
Unsatisfied with that alone, they swept through the nearby Evil Faction sects in the area, earning the cheers of the common folk who had suffered their oppression.
“To think they’d eliminate those despicable wretches—truly worthy of the Bukcheon Sword Family!”
“Could it really be that they’ve shattered the Evil Sect Alliance…?”
“Extraordinary hidden strength. At this rate, they wouldn’t fall short of the glorious Bukcheon Sword Family of old.”
“I hear it was all orchestrated by the Young Master, the Wind God Dragon?”
They praised me and my family.
Our reputation soared to the heavens.
From their enthusiasm alone, I could gauge just how brutally the Evil Faction had oppressed the common people.
And perhaps they believed the tide had turned?
“Master. Another guest has arrived.”
“I see.”
The frequency of visitors seeking to establish connections with the Bukcheon Sword Family had skyrocketed.
Not only escort agencies and merchant houses from Sanseo, but various martial sects as well.
They sought me out nearly as often as they sought my father.
Their stated purpose was to meet the hero of this battle, yet each time they arrived bearing expensive gifts.
“This is quite fine silk. It rivals what the Western merchants bring.”
“In your assessment, Miss, what would you say it’s worth?”
“Well, I’m not certain, but I’d estimate it’s worth several dozen silver taels.”
The supplementary income was quite substantial.
I collected the gifts and stored them in a small warehouse for emergency funds.
‘Black Night Fortress’s response remains unclear.’
I knew that Black Night Fortress hadn’t involved itself in this incident.
This was something the Evil Faction had brought upon themselves.
Yet with an incident of this scale, I would have expected some reaction from them, but their silence was unnervingly suspicious.
‘Could they be scheming something elsewhere?’
No, that was quite likely.
Black Night Fortress didn’t operate solely in our Sanseo region—they plotted against the entire martial world.
Surely even now they were lurking somewhere, devising plans to topple the martial realm.
Perhaps they were simply too preoccupied to concern themselves with us.
‘From their perspective, they likely have far more pressing matters than the Bukcheon Sword Family problem.’
I pondered for a moment.
‘Should I investigate the Chung Won Escort House again?’
Until now, I had refrained from involving myself with them excessively, fearing suspicion.
But I thought it wouldn’t hurt to probe them when the opportunity arose.
‘Perhaps their information network changed after the Cheon Sal-seong incident, so it’s worth verifying.’
If I summoned the Chung Won Escort House Master again and utilized Nam Cheon, I might obtain valuable intelligence.
As I was contemplating this,
“Um, Young Master.”
After spending considerable time in the Administrative Office, Dang Ye-rin came to find me.
“Welcome, Miss Dang.”
I greeted her warmly.
She was no longer merely a friend—she had become a comrade-in-arms, someone who had fought beside me through trials of fire.
I could not help but treat her differently than before.
“What brings you here?”
“It’s just that….”
Dang Ye-rin’s expression darkened.
I immediately sensed that something grave had occurred.
The fact that she, always so radiant, would react this way meant something had gone terribly wrong.
“Compose yourself and explain what happened.”
“I… I just received word….”
Dang Ye-rin’s voice trembled as though she might break into tears.
“My Grandmother was attacked by unknown assailants.”
“…!”

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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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