novelraw Chapter 122 : Murim Hall (1)
Chapter 122 : Murim Hall (1)
Chapter 122: Murim Hall (1)
The warriors of the Ferocious Beast Palace were startled when they saw the green flame blazing in Sewoon’s hand.
“It's really a blue flame!”
“That’s practically the very symbol of the Original Tribe…!”
“Then this means he truly is Pa Taho’s…!”
No heat was felt from the green flame.
That was because it wasn’t the Heat Qi Art that used inner qi.
It was closer to the materialization of the power of the soul, honed through external arts.
Through this power, which the warriors of the Ferocious Beast Palace called the Blue Flame, the weapons forged became imbued with a special force.
That was why, when the Blood Cult absorbed the Gale Sands, they didn’t kill the slave Pa Taho, but instead made him the blacksmith of the smithy.
-This is a power that exists only within the blacksmithing techniques handed down through generations of my Original Tribe.
-The new insights I’ve gained since being dragged here, I will also hand over to you, Great Smith.
-…If one day I escape these demons and return to my homeland, I ask you to please pass this power on to my kin.
And it was this very power that he had revealed to Sewoon the day before his death in his previous life.
The human-skin mask naturally resembled Pa Taho.
That was because it had been crafted by imitating many of the features of Pa Taho that remained in Sewoon’s memory.
Seeing Sewoon kindle the Blue Flame, the very symbol of the Original Tribe, the eyes of the Ferocious Beast Palace warriors now all turned favorable.
Without much disturbance, waiting patiently for their king to speak, Sewoon shifted his gaze to one man.
To Meng Yung, the one who had sold the Ferocious Beast Palace to the Blood Cult.
In his past life, Pa Taho too had met his miserable end because of that man.
-Aaah! My son, my son!
As Sewoon’s achievements gradually raised the standing of blacksmiths within the Blood Cult, Meng Yung, feeling threatened, deliberately killed Pa Taho’s son.
Pa Taho, who lived solely for his child, had passed on all of his skills to Sewoon, and the next day charged at Meng Yung in revenge.
But of course, he could not possibly defeat Meng Yung, who wielded the Blood Cult’s power, and he met a tragic end.
-Why? Demonic Craftsman, do you also have business with me?
The memory resurfaced—Meng Yung placing his foot on Pa Taho’s corpse and provoking him.
As that sense of helplessness returned, Sewoon unconsciously clenched his fists tight.
‘In this life, it will be you who suffers a horrific end.’
Just as Sewoon was vowing in his heart to exact the revenge that had once gone unfulfilled—
At last, the Palace Lord of the Ferocious Beast Palace, Umun Geol, opened his mouth.
“It seems this settles it.”
Thud!
As soon as he finished speaking, Umun Geol placed a hand the size of a cauldron lid on Sewoon’s shoulder.
“Welcome back to the Ferocious Beast Palace, brother Pa Taeyun.”
“…!”
It was done.
Sewoon inwardly cried out in triumph.
The very moment his plan to infiltrate the Ferocious Beast Palace had succeeded.
Uoooooh!
Thud! Boom!
At the same time, the warriors of the Ferocious Beast Palace erupted into a heated roar, stamping their feet against the ground to express their welcome.
The brothers of the Ferocious Beast Palace shared bonds of camaraderie stronger than any other.
Umun Geol too gazed at Sewoon with softer eyes and spoke.
“Recently, those Diancang Sect bastards were picking a fight, insisting the disturbances in Yunnan were of our doing.”
“…!”
“But you, Pa Taeyun, saved your brothers who were caught in that crisis.”
Disturbances in Yunnan, was it?
In his past life’s memories, there had been no bloodshed in Yunnan around this time.
But a possibility arose in Sewoon’s mind.
‘Since the one dispatched here is the Demon of Prayers… it’s obvious what atrocities he must be committing.’
Sewoon was already resolved to eliminate that wretch, with his vile hobby of flaying people and wearing their skins, as soon as possible.
“It is truly praiseworthy, brother. To celebrate your long-awaited return, I shall also reward you for your battle merit.”
Oh? A gift?
For an instant, Sewoon’s eyes glinted before returning to calm.
Things were going more smoothly than he had anticipated.
In fact, had Umun Geol not offered, Sewoon had already planned to ask for it himself.
And what he wanted was already decided.
At the moment when all attention gathered—
“I wish to participate in the Sky Festival.”
“…!”
At the mention of the Sky Festival, everyone’s faces turned to shock.
Then murmurs and noisy chatter spread among them.
“He must have heard of it from his father.”
“Hm, it makes sense. Through the coming-of-age ceremony, he would want to prove himself a true warrior, a real son of the Ferocious Beast Palace.”
“Traditionally it’s too late now, but for this much, perhaps it can be permitted?”
The Sky Festival was the greatest event and ceremony of the Ferocious Beast Palace, held once every three years.
Among the many significant rituals that determined the palace’s future, the coming-of-age ceremony was the rite undertaken by young warriors of about Pa Taeyun’s age, proving their passage into adulthood.
“Hm, I understand your wish to undergo the coming-of-age ceremony, but to ask it as a reward for merit is rather too…”
“No.”
But Sewoon shook his head.
“What I wish to enter is not the coming-of-age ceremony, but the true event of the Sky Festival.”
“…!”
“The Heavenly Combat.”
Shaa—
Like a lie, the surrounding noise fell instantly silent.
Such was the immense weight carried by the very name of the Heavenly Combat within the Ferocious Beast Palace.
“…You wish to participate in the Heavenly Combat?”
“Yes.”
“Do you understand what it means to say you will enter the Heavenly Combat?”
“I understand.”
“That is not a matter to be spoken of so lightly!!”
Boom!
Umun Geol erupted in a lion’s roar, unable to contain himself at Sewoon’s unshaken reply.
“The Heavenly Combat is not like the coming-of-age ceremony! It is a death match where the warriors of the Ferocious Beast Palace stake their lives, fighting for succession to the throne!”
The Heavenly Combat was for the very seat Umun Geol now occupied.
It was the ritual where the foremost warriors of each tribe battled to the death to become the new Palace Lord of the Ferocious Beast Palace.
Those unprepared, those without resolve, often stepped onto that stage and died in droves.
“Moreover, the Heavenly Combat allows only the martial arts of the Ferocious Beast Palace. You cannot use any martial arts you have learned outside.”
“I am aware of that as well.”
“Even though only two days remain?”
“I learn quickly. Even if it’s only two days, it will be enough for me to fight.”
“Heh.”
Umun Geol let out a hollow breath at Sewoon’s stubbornness.
“It cannot be allowed!”
Suddenly, a desperate voice burst forth among the assembled tribe chiefs.
It was Pa Tamun, father of Pa Taho and chief of the Original Tribe.
The old warrior spoke desperately to stop his grandson’s reckless, mistaken decision.
“Great King! How can a warrior who hasn’t even undergone the coming-of-age ceremony take part in the Heavenly Combat? It is unthinkable! This is nothing but the rashness of a child who has yet to properly witness the battles of the warriors of the Ferocious Beast Palace—please reject this, my King!”
“Hmph, is the Original Tribe’s chief already making excuses to protect his grandson?”
“…!”
The one finding fault with Pa Tamun’s words was Meng Yung, chief of the Wolf Tribe.
A sly smile curled across his face.
“Hmph, if he says he’ll do it, what need is there to stop him? I am in favor.”
“Wolf Tribe Chief! How dare you say that now!”
Even as Pa Tamun grew heated, Meng Yung ignored him, picking his ear.
‘Hmph! Afraid you’ll miss the chance to properly crush that eyesore of a tribe you’ve always hated?’
From Meng Yung’s perspective, why should he stop someone who had come rolling in of his own accord to die?
Allow it, or forbid it.
The assembly grew noisy, divided in two.
“Silence.”
Once again, Umun Geol quieted the hall.
He gazed steadily at Sewoon with eyes gleaming strangely.
“To walk the path that is not easy—that is the mark of a warrior.”
At Umun Geol’s words, Pa Tamun clenched his eyes shut.
He had tried to stop it, but failed.
“I grant the wish of the warrior Pa Taeyun.”
‘It’s done!’
Sewoon exulted inwardly.
To any observer, however, his choice would seem incomprehensible.
Was he not being thrown into a battlefield where all martial arts were sealed, where life-and-death duels unfolded?
There was no reason to rejoice—if anything, he should have been trembling in fear.
But that was exactly why Sewoon was glad.
‘In other words, this is the chance to eradicate every single infiltrator from the Blood Cult within the Ferocious Beast Palace, without needing any justification whatsoever!’
Indeed, in the Heavenly Combat, Sewoon intended to slaughter mercilessly every demonic practitioner he faced.
Including none other than Meng Yung, chief of the Wolf Tribe.
In his past life, the Blood Cult had used the Heavenly Combat to systematically cut away Umun Geol’s trusted aides.
But now, that grand design would collapse completely in his own hands.
Furthermore—
‘At the end of the Heavenly Combat, I will even defeat Umun Geol, and ascend the throne of the Ferocious Beast Palace.’
To seize the Ferocious Beast Palace as his own.
That was the first step toward the goal Sewoon had declared to the Alliance Leader—that he would become master of the unorthodox world.
“Two days from now, Pa Taeyun will enter the Heavenly Combat as the very first warrior!”
Uoooooh!
Boom! Boom!
As the roar of the Ferocious Beast Palace’s warriors shook the main hall—
‘Now it begins.’
Sewoon alone wore a meaningful smile.
“P-please, f-follow me. If you l-lose me, it w-will be t-terrible.”
Some time later, Sewoon was moving through a labyrinthine passage under the guidance of a boy.
The one leading the way through the formation-laid interior was a youth whose head only reached Sewoon’s chest.
-The guiding will be entrusted to the Hall Leader of the Wild Medicine Hall.
But he was no child.
It was only that he was small by nature, though his age was nearly thirty.
This was Na Taemun, Hall Leader of the Wild Medicine Hall, who bore responsibility for the healing of the Ferocious Beast Palace.
Because of his stuttering speech and timid nature, one could hardly imagine him as a warrior of the Ferocious Beast Palace.
And that was precisely why he was entrusted with the Wild Medicine Hall.
For the warriors of the Ferocious Beast Palace considered receiving treatment for wounds or injuries to be unmanly, and thus the Wild Medicine Hall was a place scorned even by those who belonged to it.
“W-we have a-arrived. T-tomorrow at this time, I w-will bring food.”
“Yes, thank you, Hall Leader of the Wild Medicine Hall. Thanks to you, I’ll be able to train in comfort.”
“Y-you’re w-welcome… Th-then, I’ll t-take my leave.”
But Sewoon did not dismiss him.
On the contrary, he treated him with such courtesy that Na Taemun was left flustered.
‘Good, I met him sooner than expected.’
That was because Sewoon knew of the secret Na Taemun carried.
Wooong!
At the sight of Na Taemun, something in Sewoon’s bosom gave a faint vibration before falling still again.
Left alone, Sewoon now looked toward the door before him.
Murim Hall (武藍堂).
That was the inscription carved upon it.
For some reason, Sewoon’s eyes glittered like the stars in the night sky.
‘At last, I’ve arrived.’
This place, Murim Hall, was one of the reasons Sewoon had decided to enter the Heavenly Combat.
Within Murim Hall was preserved the entire history of the Ferocious Beast Palace.
Not only the true martial arts of successive Palace Lords, but also the external arts handed down through the five tribes.
It was the complete collection of every martial art created within the Ferocious Beast Palace.
All warriors must be given equal opportunity.
That was the single guiding principle handed down through the Ferocious Beast Palace.
The warriors who decided to enter the Heavenly Combat were given three years within Murim Hall, to learn equally before facing the duels.
It was a system to distribute equal chances to all warriors.
This was the hidden strength that allowed the Southern Barbarian Ferocious Beast Palace to maintain its position as one of the Outer Four Palaces.
…But.
Sewoon had little interest in such things.
Even if all the external arts here were combined, they could not match a single insight from Flawless Heavenly Garment.
And yet there was one reason he had come to this repository.
A secret known neither to the Palace Lord nor to the Blood Cult.
‘Now then, time to devour you whole.’
For hidden here was the lost Divine Relic of the Ferocious Beast Palace—
Said to grant true ownership of the Ferocious Beast Palace to its chosen bearer.
Rumble!
At that moment, Sewoon opened the door and stepped boldly into Murim Hall.