“Baekryeongak, Seollyeongak, the Baeksul Mourning Legion, and even the infiltrators and turned agents from Yuhonmun—none of them could possibly be traced back to . That such a link would exist is, from the start, impossible. I acted with that in mind every single mont. So yes, you have no justification for restraining , a Lord of Cheonrim who serves as disciple to none other than Yu Cheong, the Deputy Sect Master of the Original Blood Sect.”
Seol Jungcheon looked at Yang Seoljin with a gaze tinged with curiosity.
“Now that I’ve reached the Union of Origin and Sovereignty, I suppose you think I feel like I’ve conquered the world. I understand. But if you release now, I’ll overlook today’s insolence—”
“Are you scared?”
“...What?”
“It sounds like you’re begging for your life. But unfortunately, you’re not leaving this place alive.”
“Hah! Seol Jungcheon, how long do you think it’ll take to undo these blades and formations binding ? A year? Two? Ten? No—just one day. That’s all I need to unravel every—kehkk!”
A strangled cry of agony echoed through the prison as Yang Seoljin scread in pain.
He was right.
His dantian had just been shattered.
“A... aagh... AAAAAAH!”
Seol Jungcheon, who had been standing still with a finger outstretched, simply flicked that finger.
Crackle—!
With a chilling sound, Yang Seoljin froze in place once again.
In the now-silent prison, Seol Jungcheon turned his body and walked onward.
The cell beside Yang Seoljin’s was not empty.
Inside sat a man, legs crossed, posture upright—like soone who had already resigned himself to everything.
Seol Jungcheon addressed him.
“How many were there?”
At that, Juche, commander of the Baeksul Mourning Legion, opened his eyes.
“...It will hurt to hear it, sir.”
“I still wish to know.”
The question referred to the number of legion mbers that Deputy Commander Yeon Suon and Chief Instructor Gok Jinbung had handed over to the Thunder Vein Demon Sect.
“Over eight years... a total of five hundred.”
“That includes new recruits and active-duty mbers?”
“...Yes.”
“I’m not blaming you, but you’re not the type of person to overlook sothing like that. So why didn’t you know? Didn’t you feel even the slightest hint of sothing wrong?”
“...I apologize.”
“I’m not asking for an apology—I’m asking for a reason.”
“...It’s the sa as yours, sir.”
Seol Jungcheon closed his eyes tightly.
“Yeon Suon was widely respected and, in my absence, was the most suitable person to lead the Legion. Had I not lost my inner power, I would’ve handed him the commander’s seat myself. As for Gok Jinbung... I truly never saw it coming.”
“......”
“I wasted too much ti trying to raise my cultivation realm, and I neglected my duties as commander. It was my failure—just as Hyeon Seollin once said, it was my incompetence.”
This wasn’t re self-reflection.
“Palace Lord. May I make one request?”
“Speak.”
“Kill . Reinforce the discipline of the Baeksul Mourning Legion and choose a new commander in my place.”
“You really wish to die that badly?”
“Yes. I only hope that my death will hold aning.”
Seol Jungcheon let out a quiet sigh and slowly sat down in front of Juche.
“It’s been a while. Care for a ga of Go?”
“...Palace Lord...”
“Don’t worry. I’ll prepare the stage for you to die. But just for today, let’s put everything aside—talk, and play a match. Will you indulge ?”
Strictly speaking, Juche’s inner power had only been sealed. If he wanted to, he could break free and walk out at any ti. But he didn’t.
Through all the recent chaos in Seolgung, Juche had never betrayed the palace.
He had simply been too distracted.
“...May I say sothing, sir?”
“Go ahead.”
“I keep thinking of what I missed.”
“......”
“What must those mbers have been thinking before they died? Their commander didn’t even suspect a thing. But even then... did they still believe in ? Still hold onto hope? I despise myself to the point it’s unbearable. So please, Palace Lord...”
“...Go on.”
“I must die. Just give the stage.”
Seol Jungcheon, while looking at Juche, was seeing sothing else entirely.
He wondered what he had been like in his past life.
When he lost all the Northern Polar Descendants... when Yang Seoljin took Seolgung from him—what had gone through his mind?
Had he not felt exactly as Juche did now?
The only reason he didn’t walk the sa path as Juche...
Was because Unhwi helped him.
Thanks to Unhwi, he was able to protect both the Northern Polar Descendants and Seolgung.
“...I’m sorry.”
“...Why are you apologizing to , sir?”
Without a word, Seol Jungcheon pulled out a cold-blue ice crystal Go board from his sleeve.
“Would you like to place the first stone?”
“...Then I won’t hold back. And...”
A single tear rolled down Juche’s cheek.
“Congratulations... on reaching the Union of Origin and Sovereignty.”
Seol Jungcheon gave a quiet nod.
***
Once the Baeksul Mourning Legion had been handled, there was no more reason to stay.
He returned imdiately to Yangryeong Province and resud his duties as Regional Commander.
He walked in silence, watching the falling snow.
Behind him was Wonyang—and behind her, twenty n and won, the mbers of the Yangun First Squad under her command.
“Wonyang.”
At his call, Wonyang stepped up beside him.
“Yes, my lord.”
“Once the patrol is done, return to headquarters with the squad.”
Wonyang looked montarily puzzled but then nodded.
“As you command.”
After sending them off, he turned down an alleyway beside a building across the street. It was a dead-end with no side exits, rarely traveled by anyone.
There, he slowly turned his body.
A man stood waiting.
Soone whose appearance utterly clashed with a place like this—yet among all the tis he had seen him, never had he seed more imposing, more like a master.
Unhwi brought both fists together and bowed with the utmost formality.
“Greetings, Palace Lord.”
His father shook his head.
“There’s no need to be so formal in front of your father.”
His voice was deeper than before—resonant, like a mountain collapsing.
It was fitting. No—exactly as it should be.
“You’ve completely stabilized your footing in the Union of Origin and Sovereignty.”
His father smiled gently. In that smile was a newfound sense of ease.
“Your help was invaluable. The hidden cave of the First Palace Lord... what I found there, and the words you spoke that awakened to my own shortcomings—all of it ca together and brought enlightennt. No—”
He reached out and brushed Unhwi’s shoulder with a warm hand.
“I said that wrong. It wasn’t help—you were entirely responsible.”
“Your words honor , Father. I rely showed the path.”
The wind blew gently between them, but neither paid it any mind.
His father’s heart—and his own.
The two were now united. At this mont, nothing could intrude between them. Their bond was unshakable.
“Unhwi.”
“Yes, Father.”
“This father... no longer feels worthy to face you.”
The sudden remark caught him off guard.
“You orchestrated the rebirth of Cheonyeong... exposed Unhae’s betrayal... dismantled Yang Seoljin’s plot... sorted through the nas of those who turned their backs and those who didn’t. You even dirtied your own hands to make my decisions easier, laying the board and providing justifications... I’m ashad to have placed so much on your shoulders.”
Unhwi shook his head.
“I only did what needed to be done.”
“...To be honest—I’ve always believed you were the man closest to Heaven in your past life.”
He did not deny it. To do so would not be humility—it would be a lie.
He had stood near the heavens. He had built Blood Heaven’s dominance through the Original Blood Sect.
It was no exaggeration to say he accomplished feats akin to those of the Thousand-Year Demonic Cult that once unified the central plains.
“To be nad Blood-Heaven Sovereign ant that in truth, you—not Yu Cheong or even the Celestial Daoist—were the one who ruled the sect. That’s why entrusting you with these burdens seed the most logical way forward.”
Unhwi looked into his father’s eyes without speaking.
“Now that I’ve reached the Union of Origin and Sovereignty... I’ve beco painfully aware of my own inadequacies.”
“You needn’t say that. Who could dare call you lacking, Father?”
His father shook his head.
“You think I don’t understand what it ans to involve ourselves in the revival of Cheonyeong?”
“......”
“You intend to extend Seolgung’s influence from the outer Murim world into the central plains—and solidify it.”
“That’s correct.”
“But if things don’t go as planned, you’re ready to erase Cheonyeong entirely.”
“That’s also true.”
His father’s eyes turned serious.
“Then it’s ti I pulled my weight too.”
“...If by that you an—”
The hand resting on his shoulder radiated warmth.
“My son. I will shoulder so of your burden.”
“Father...”
“I too wish to protect this Everlasting Snow Palace. How could I dump all that weight on my son and sit back like so retired old man?”
Since beginning this new life, Unhwi had never once complained of hardship—yet his father had felt it all the sa.
“You once told : to make Seolgung into an impregnable fortress, certain conditions had to be t.”
Those conditions were clear: either he or his father had to reach the Union of Origin and Sovereignty.
“One of those conditions is now fulfilled. But there are others—such as the vacancy of the Lesser Palace Lord seat.”
“That’s right.”
“I’m going to join you at the table you’ve set. I will appoint Horyeong as Lesser Palace Lord—and send you to Cheonyeong.”
“You’ll announce this at the succession ceremony?”
His father nodded.
“It’s ti this father helped you walk your chosen path.”
Unhwi smiled softly.
There was no denying that the situation demanded attention from all sides.
His realm was still only at the Five-Foundation Stage, and due to the Lightblood Veins, he couldn’t accelerate his cultivation like others could.
He had rely used what he had, to the fullest, and moved events forward.
Fortunately, things seed to be progressing well.
“I’ll send Unhae to Pungbyeok.”
Pungbyeok was one of the most dangerous places in Seolsan.
Known as the ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) northern fortress, it was the front line against invading barbarians.
“You’re giving him the chance to die a warrior’s death.”
“When Horyeong was cleaning up internal corruption in Seolgung, the support of Hanbing Gate was invaluable. According to the Three Ice Guardians, you were the one who advised the Lady of the Gate—is that true?”
“Yes, it is.”
“...Perhaps, the person with the coldest heart... paradoxically... is the warst of all.”
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