Chapter 434: The Five Spirit Beasts (3)

Marakim, the Great Guardian, stayed by Chun Yeowun’s side most of the day.

However, whenever he had free time, he would visit the infirmary and check on the Former Lord, Chun Inji, who was unconscious.

The first buildings built by the Ice Palace warriors during the reconstruction were the infirmary and lodgings.

It was natural that there were many wounded people in the battle fought in the underground and against the dragon.

A separate infirmary was built for the members of the Six Swords.

Over there, an old man, full of wrinkles, was lying down on a bed.

The lightning seemed to have burned away everything from his hair, eyebrows, and beard, but the majestic appearance of the Former Lord of the Demonic Cult didn’t disappear.

“Lord…”

Marakim’s eyes, which had been looking through the gaps in his mask, were sad.

Since Chun Inji was the Lord he served, the words ‘Former Lord’ didn’t come to his lips.

Hu Bong, who was in the infirmary with him, didn’t blame him either.

“I think we should hurry up and head back to our place. Great Guardian.”

Marakim nodded at Hu Bong’s words.

The current condition of the Former Lord Chun Inji wasn’t very stable.

The damage to his energy was so great that he showed no signs of waking up even when Chun Yeowun and Marakim tried to infuse their internal energy.

All the members of the North Sea Ice Palace couldn’t figure out the cause.

Chun Yeowun could guess,

[… maybe it is the side effect of that worm in his head.]

Chun Yeowun used Nano’s assistance to bring out the worm from his brain and disintegrate it as it flowed out through his nostrils and mouth.

However, since it had been in his head for a long time, there was no way he could be fine.

[The Former Lord even suffered damage to his heart because of the side effects of the Blood Rever…]

It took several months for even the Former Lord Chun Yujong to wake up.

The exact cause was unknown, but since Chun Inji had been in the dark for a long time, no one could predict when he would wake up.

Chun Yeowun decided to hurry back to the Ten Thousand Mountains as soon as he absorbed the core and finished the work in the Ice Palace.

‘Lord… please wake up. A lot has changed while you were away. The cult was controlled by the six clans… the Blade God Six Martial clan, which you considered as a danger, is now afraid of the current Lord.’

It would be horrible if Chun Inji left the world without knowing all that.

“Lieutenant Hu. Please look after him.”

“Understood.”

It was the moment when he was about to leave the infirmary.

“Cough… cough!”

Marakim turned his head at the heavy cough.

Shockingly, Chun Inji, who had been lying on the bed, woke up.

“Lord!”

Marakim approached him right away and supported him so he could raise his upper body and cough.

His condition, with that haggard face and coughing, didn’t seem good.

“Cough… Great… Guardian…”

Marakim’s eyes trembled at the voice of Chun Inji, who called him after a long time.

Marakim asked Hu Bong in an urgent voice.

“Lieutenant Hu. Bring the Lord here right now!”

“Ah, understood! I will go fetch him right away!”

Tat!

Hu Bong, who was too shocked at the sight of the Former Lord waking up, hurriedly moved.

“Lord! Are you alright?”

“Cough… Cough… Great Guardian, to see you again like this.”

Although his condition was bad, Chun Inji looked at Marakim with happy eyes.

Seeing his subordinate for the first time in twenty years was a good sight for him.

“Cough! Cough!”

“Lord!”

Marakim’s eyes widened.

The corners of Chun Inji’s mouth had blood.

When they were infusing their internal energy, they found no traces of internal damage. The only damage was to the internal energy itself.

Flustered, he tried to help Chun Inji, but he refused.

“Cough… cough… I am fine. It isn’t mine.”

Drip!

He told Marakim to not worry, but the nosebleed which started seemed severe.

Chun Inji cleared his breath and soon tried to condense his energy.

Goo!

However, his body was giving out a gold hue, which was something completely different from what the cultists do.

“This?”

The energy of martial arts and Buddhism made it look like a halo was created behind Chun Inji.

Marakim had seen that kind of energy before.

“The Yin Jin Jing (Reverse Health Preservation)?”

It was a supreme technique that only the highest monk of the Shaolin Temple could learn.

Bodhi Dharma, who created it, is said to have known and contained the true essence of Buddhism.

‘How does the Lord know the Reverse Health Preservation?’

It was a technique that was completely different from the things taught in the Sky Demon Order.

He knew that what was taught in their cult would enhance one’s internal energy, while the Reverse Health Preservation would strengthen the body.

However, since the characteristics are different, it could create conflicts with the techniques learned in the cult, which meant that one technique had to be abandoned to learn the other.

Pak!

Then someone opened the door to the infirmary and rushed in.

“Lord!”

It was Chun Yeowun.

He rushed over the moment he heard the message from Hu Bong.

Goooo!

“This is?”

Chun Yeowun frowned at the energy which was flowing in the infirmary.

Although he never directly experienced it, he knew that this was the energy of Buddhism.

“What the hell is going on?”

At Chun Yeowun’s question, Marakim shook his head.

“The Former Lord woke up, but his condition didn’t seem good as he was coughing up blood. And then he started this… as you can see that this is the Reversal Health Preservation.”

“Reversal Health Preservation? How does grandfather know the martial arts of the Shaolin Temple?”

“I think we will find out once he is done.”

The reason was unknown to Marakim too.

However, the haggard complexion on Chun Inji gradually turned brighter.

There was no other option than to wait.

How long has it been?

The energy which had been radiating for an hour slowly subsided.

When the golden energy completely disappeared, Chun Inji opened his eyes.

“Sigh…”

Chun Inji, who looked better, sighed.

And then found Chun Yeowun, who was standing near him.

‘!?’

He only looked for a moment, but he was shocked.

Even though Chun Inji’s internal energy had been damaged, he was still someone who reached the Supreme Master level, and he could understand the power of an opponent.

‘Who is this young one? And what amazing power…’

The young man in front of him, his power couldn’t be measured.

The aura of martial arts which was emanating from him was thrilling.

Chun Inji looked at Chun Yeowun with serious eyes and asked Marakim who was standing next to him.

“Great Guardian. Who is this young man?”

Chun Yeowun was the one who answered.

“… Chun Yeowun, who is here for his grandfather, the Former Lord.”

Wide!

Chun Inji’s eyes shook as he looked at Chun Yeowun.

“Chun Yeowun? Hwayeon’s child?”

He couldn’t have not known the name.

He remembered it correctly because he had intervened directly because of the riots of the six clans about Chun Yujong marrying her.

‘This man is her son?’

He was the one who was named Chun Yeowun before leaving the cult.

It was because Chun Yujong, who didn’t ask for names for the children born to his six other wives, asked him for the first time.

“He is the current Lord.”

“The current Lord?”

Chun Inji was more shocked at Marakim’s words.

“No?... Is, is that really true?”

It was unbelievable. Chun Inji blinked his eyes a couple of times while looking at Chun Yeowun.

He assumed that the current Lord was still Chun Yujong.

It was because he thought that Chun Yujong would carry out his words about taking down the Blade God Six martial clan.

‘How could this child be the Lord… what happened!’

He couldn’t help but be shocked.

He thought that the next Lord would be from the six clans.

Chun Yeowun didn’t belong to any of those clans, Chun Inji felt very upset that no matter how much Chun Yujong loved Lady Hwa and her son, he would be unable to protect the kid from the six clans.

‘What a miracle!’

He thought that the Cult would be bound by the six clans.

However, he couldn’t express his joy when he realized that the Lord was no longer bound by the other clans.

It was amazing, yet he wouldn’t have believed it.

However, seeing Chun Yeowun’s energy, he knew that it was achieved.

“It is amazing that you became the Lord… come closer!”

At Chun Inji’s words, Chun Yeowun calmly approached the bed.

Chun Yeowun felt strange at the mention of his mother, Hwayeon’s name.

It was because, after her death, Chun Yeowun never felt any kind of love.

“You are very similar. Just like your mother…”

With that short word, he said everything he wanted to say.

Chun Yeowun spoke, despite trying to stay blunt, his voice seemed emotional.

“I am glad you are safe… grandpa.”

Chun Inji’s eyes trembled at the last word, grandpa.

He, too, had no choice but to soften his heart at the sight of his flesh and blood after 20 years.

‘Grandchild…’

Just the word made him cringe.

“Heh heh heh.”

At that thought, Chun Inji smiled.

Although he was strict with Chun Yujong and his other kids, he couldn’t help but soften as he looked at his grandson, who was all grown up.

‘… he’s different.’

It was Chun Yeowun’s first time seeing Chun Inji since he was a baby.

For the first time, Chun Yeowun was able to feel emotions rising inside him, feelings of love when he looked at his grandfather’s smile.

‘Family…’

A feeling, an emotion he never felt since childhood.

Blood was really strange.

It made even Chun Yeowun’s frozen heart melt.

‘I wanted the Lord to see how much we have changed.’

Marakim, who looked at those two, decided not to speak.

Sometimes, men do not express much, yet an exchange of emotion gets communicated through the eyes.

And now there was such a situation.

Somehow, Chun Inji’s complexion darkened as if he remembered something.

“Great Guardian! This place is?”

“Calm down. This is the North Sea Ice Palace.”

Marakim, who noticed how Chun Inji became, tried to calm him.

When he heard the word ‘North Sea Ice Palace’, he wondered.

“North Sea Ice Palace? Then… kuek!”

“Grandpa!”

He grabbed his head with both hands.

When Chun Inji was in pain while breaking down in cold sweat, Chun Yeowun and Marakim tried to support him only to get refused.

“I’m fine, fine. It’s because my memory isn’t perfect.”

Chun Inji was in a confused state.

As he got released from the clutches of the worm, his memories were mixed.

There was only one thing he could remember.

“Yeowun-ah!⁽¹⁾ W-we need to stop them right now! We shouldn’t let the core of the Dragon Turtle fall into their hands.”

“Calm down.”

“There is no time for that! When they get the cores of the five spirit beasts!”

“Grandfather!”

As Chun Inji staggered and tried to get up from bed, Chun Yeowun pushed him back onto the bed gently.

Thud!

‘This power?’

Although his condition wasn’t perfect, Chun Inji could still feel the overwhelming power from Chun Yeowun.

He guessed it by seeing him, but the feel of it said that he was way stronger than he thought.

“The core hasn’t fallen into their hands, so don’t worry.”

“It-it didn’t fall into their hands?”

With a smile on his face, Chun Yeowun answered by scratching his head.

“I took the core of the dragon.”

“What?”

Perhaps it was an unexpected answer. Chun Inji looked at Yeowun in shock.

It was flustering how just a minute back, he was trying to prevent them from getting the core.

“Y-yeowun-ah. You took it?”

To prove it with action rather than words, Chun Yeowun gathered thunder qi on his hand.

Crackle!

“This! This is… true?”

At the lightning flashing in his palm, Chun Inji was shocked.

He never imagined that Chun Yeowun would have obtained the core of the dragon.

“haa…”

Thud!

With a sigh of relief, Chun Inji leaned back onto the bed.

He was genuinely happy about it.

Hesitating for a bit, Chun Yeowun asked with a worried expression.

“… grandfather. You just woke up, but I have been meaning to ask, what happened? Rather than trying to get the five spirit beasts… why did you get caught by the Blade God Six Martial clan and used by them?”

There were so many questions, and he unintentionally asked them all at once.

Maybe Chun Yeowun was in a hurry.

Even if the questions weren’t answered, Chun Yeowun wouldn’t be upset.

“Ahh…”

Chun Inji closed his eyes as he sighed deeply, and the eyes of Marakim and Chun Yeowun, who were looking at him, were mixed with curiosity and worries.

If they thought about it, the man had sacrificed himself for the sake of protecting the Yulin and the Demonic Cult.

‘I was stupid. I was overconfident in my strength.’

But it was arrogance.

Even when all the masters had combined and tried to take the enemy down, they got caught.

Fortunately, one of the five cores was absorbed by Chun Yeowun.

Chun Inji, who cleared his thoughts, opened his eyes and spoke.

“Everything is this old man’s fault. Because of me, Saint Gu-jung and ‘they’ too got sacrificed.”

“Saint Gu-jung?”

The saint Gu-jung was the head of the Shaolin temple, who disappeared eighteen years ago.

The man from the Moyong clan was indeed talking about Saint Gu-jung.

As they were confused, Chun Inji spoke.

“They came to the North Sea Ice Palace to take the core of the dragon, those ones.”

“Are you talking about the Blade God Six Martial clan?”

“… you know about them too. Ugh, I was just trying to stop them from waking it up.”

‘Ah!’

Marakim’s eyes lit up at Chun Inji’s regretful words.

He vaguely guessed why he disappeared.

It could be because of the Blade God Six Martial clan.

The Former Lord continued to speak.

“I don’t even know where I am supposed to start… right. This is the right place. Do you know about the five spirit beasts? The Imoogi, the Dragon Turtle, the Flame Qilin, the Great Bird and the Feng bo.”

Chun Yeowun and Marakim also knew them.

These are the five spirit beasts mentioned in the books.

“We came to the North Sea Ice Palace, but then came to learn that the Blade God Six Martial clan were aiming for the core of the five spirit beasts.”

‘I knew it.’

At those words, Chun Yeowun nodded his head as one of his questions was answered.

Thanks to the recent incident, he assumed that they were trying to gather the cores of the spirit beasts.

“It is really fortunate that you took one of them, the Dragon Turtle. My memory isn’t perfect, but they are aiming for the cores of the other ones too.”

“That… I guessed that to some extent.”

At Chun Yeowun’s words, Chun Inji looked puzzled.

“You guessed?”

“I prevented them from taking the core of the Flame Qilin in the Royal Shrine of the Imperial Palace.”

“… what?”

Chun Inji couldn’t hide his embarrassment.

The core of the Flame Qilin, which was in the Imperial palace, he was about to say that they shouldn’t be given it.

“Considering what grandfather just said, the reason why they had planted the spies in our cult was because they aimed for the core inside the cult.”

“No. What now?”

Chun Inji knew nothing about the Imoogi.

Chun Yeowun showed his right arm, which was covered in a black band, soon to change into the shape of a sword.

Chachachacha!

“Thi-this is?”

“The Sky Demon Sword.”

“Sky-Sky Demon Sword!!!”

Being the Former Lord of the cult, there was no way that he was unaware of the Sky Demon Sword.

The legendary sword which could only be obtained by the true heirs of the Sky Demon Order.

It was shocking that Chun Yeowun was the one holding it.

But the surprise didn’t end there.

“The Sky Demon Sword contains the core of the Imoogi. As you can see… I took this away too.”

‘!!!’

Chun Inji looked at Chun Yeowun as he heard the words of the Imoogi core being with him.

He wondered what all happened when he was being held behind the iron mask.

“Ye-Yeowun-ah! Yeowun! You said you stopped them from the Royal Shrine. Did you take the core of the Qilin too?”

“Yes.”

“What? What… the… what… ha!”

Chun Inji was at a loss for words.

He had to make a lot of sacrifices to get that information.

He even tried very hard to somehow let the cult know that the five spirit beasts had to be taken away from the Blade God Six Martial clan, but it was absurd that his grandson, Chun Yeowun took three cores.

‘… did he take the core of the Great Bird too?’

Seeing Chun Inji’s reaction, Chun Yeowun became a little worried.

⁽¹⁾ “-ah” is a term used to show closeness in Korean.