Camellia 18

To descend Yeonhu Mountain as he had so confidently told the boy, Seolyeong first had to dismantle the formation barrier that surrounded the entrance.

Breaking a formation was, by nature, a process of reverse tracing.

First, one had to locate the object where the formation was anchored. Regardless of the type, all formations followed the principles of the Eight Trigrams. The eight symbols representing the logic of the world could be found in natural or manmade objects. Even a pebble rolling on the ground couldn’t be overlooked, and the ornaments hanging from a warrior’s belt had to be considered carefully.

Once the components of the trigrams (Geon, Dui, Ri, Jin, Seon, Gam, Gan, Gon) were identified, all that remained was to destroy them completely.

After he briefly explained the formations, Seolyeong took the boy’s hand. He never loosened his grip, as if he was convinced the boy might run away the moment he let go.

“Do you know how to find the objects used in a formation?”

In the vast snowfield, the only footprints on the white ground were Yujae’s. Seolyeong walked with featherlight, graceful steps across the snowy mountain as he spoke.

“You have to use your qi sense at full capacity. Let your internal energy rise close to the skin. Then an invisible door will open, and various energies will begin to brush against your senses. Everything in the world carries its own energy. Whether it’s clear and pure or turbid and muddled. The items used in a formation vary by case, but… let me think. The one set up at the entrance must have been a distortion formation.”

Yujae was dragged along as Seolyeong guided him, forced to listen to lessons he had never asked for while they circled the entrance over and over.

“Distortion formations are heavy with yin energy. These are usually constructed using dead wood, human spinal bones, or bluish jade infused with the power of martial artists from the Ice Palace… tsk. This is going to be a hassle. The mountain’s littered with dead trees. No way we can sift through them all… hmm.”

Seolyeong suddenly fell silent. His gentle steps stopped.

Could the trees of Yeonhu Mountain really be called dead?

The forest was full of trees frozen alive, preserved in ice as though taxidermied. These lives, neither fully alive nor completely dead, might be able to preserve their vitality forever because of it.

Did that mean the Sect Leader had saved those trees from death?

“I’ve just thought of something better than finding the trigram elements.”

Seolyeong raised his head, as if gauging the massive gates ahead.

He thought of a method for neutralizing the distortion formation. Tracking down all eight formation objects would take a long time. And if they were caught attempting to escape before getting anywhere, it would just sour the whole affair. So Seolyeong came up with a more audacious idea.

“The distortion formation at the main gate is mixed with a displacement formation. Its purpose is to twist space and relocate those who enter. But for the formation to keep activating as intended, the environment around it must remain unchanged. If even a little shifts, the directionality of the formation will be disrupted. So, I’m going to melt the snow here. Have you heard of the Fire Dragon Sword?”

Sensing his intent, Seonwol-do transformed into a form suitable for the Fire Dragon Sword technique. A broad sword with an unusually thick, straight blade. It had to be this thick to endure the heat of the fire dragon.

Seolyeong recalled the frigid cold he had felt in Gwanju Hall.

That same cold now stirred at the gates. He was confident he could handle it. The Sect Leader’s yin energy could be countered with his own yang energy. They were polar opposites by nature.

He might not be able to shatter the formation completely, but he could twist its flow in the opposite direction and repurpose it. It bothered him that he hadn’t thought of this brilliant approach when he first arrived on Yeonhu Mountain. Seolyeong opened his left palm, the one not holding Yujae, at a diagonal angle.

“Hey, mutt.”

Seonwol-do immediately leapt onto his palm. Gripping the cold hilt, Seolyeong selected one of the Fire Dragon Sword’s forms.

This sword art, which released flame by infusing the blade with qi, was a secret technique of the Murong clan, taught directly to him by Murong Wi. Just as he began to focus his energy.

“If you’re going to melt it, you’ll have to melt the whole of Yeonhu Mountain.”

The boy spoke in a calm voice.

“It’s not just at the entrance. The formation surrounds the entire mountain. If you only poke at it, you’ll end up getting swallowed instead.”

It wasn’t that he was worried about his bride being in danger. He didn’t care whether the blood fiend died or not. There were more where he came from in Yonyeong.

The problem was that he himself was currently stuck here in this form, alongside his bride. If Seolyeong wanted to die alone, fine. But he wouldn’t sit by and let himself be dragged into a double suicide.

The one who had personally designed this formation, Tang Yujae, proceeded to strike at Seolyeong’s pride.

“It doesn’t look like you have the strength to pull it off just yet.”

Seolyeong laughed awkwardly.

“Ha… being lectured on martial skill by a child. It’s a strange feeling. And who are you to judge your master’s abilities? Or are you secretly an old master disguised as a child?”

He was making it clear that unless that were true, the boy’s opinion was meaningless.

To drive the point home, Seolyeong grabbed Yujae with one arm. The blade, gleaming in the sunlight, was raised to meet the boy’s eye level. Seonwol-do radiated a brighter sword aura than usual, as if determined to prove its worth now that its master had been mocked.

“Watch closely as the Fire Dragon Sword bursts into flame and melts the world. It’ll look just like a dragon ascending with a pearl in its mouth.”

Grrr. The ground shook. The energy packed into his lower danjeon surged through his middle danjeon and reached the upper danjeon. Though still unopened, the upper danjeon began to slowly absorb qi. When he could channel it smoothly, Seolyeong would reach the Hyeongyeong realm.¹

He focused power in his soles and heels, then launched himself upward. He soared high into the sky, high enough to see the imugi statue’s back.

From that height, Seolyeong unleashed the final form of the Thirty-Six Styles of the Fire Dragon Sword.

Fire Dragon’s Benevolent Light.

The dragon that carries flame radiates benevolence. The warm energy purifies the world as the dragon ascends.

In a flash, heaven and earth turned white with light. A beam of searing brilliance swept over Yeonhu Mountain. The pure white world met the pure white flame and began to melt. The formation shattered with a series of explosive sounds.

Seolyeong quickly sheathed Seonwol-do and pulled the boy tightly into his arms. A solid barrier formed, and silence followed. Yujae blinked.

It had happened in the blink of an eye.

Suddenly, they were outside the gate. Back where Seolyeong and Yujae had first met, beneath the imugi statue. Yet snow still crunched underfoot.

Seolyeong muttered in confusion.

“The form worked… so why didn’t it melt? That can’t be right.”

The boy wriggled out of his arms and grabbed a handful of snow. It was warm. The everlasting snow now carried a heat close to human body temperature.

Snow should melt in sunlight. So how had something so strange occurred?

Following Yujae’s lead, Seolyeong scooped up a handful himself. The snowflakes radiated a gentle warmth, and he flinched.

“What… what is this!”

Then he suddenly burst into loud self-praise.

“What kind of extraordinary talent am I? I heated the eternal snow! And even after heating it, I kept its shape from melting away! Ah, what a radiant five-star genius I must be!”

But even as he gloated, the snow began to lose its warmth. The momentary change had already begun to fade.

Still, Seolyeong proudly placed his hands on his hips and declared,

“It didn’t last long, but you saw it and I saw it! I created an incredible sight!”

Even after Yeonhu Mountain reclaimed its savage cold, Tang Yujae’s expression remained unchanged.

That loudmouthed blood fiend had shattered a formation no one else could unravel. And he did it not with destructive force, but with a technique meant for purification. Yujae looked at the smug Seolyeong with a meaningful expression.

An absurdly gifted martial artist. His potential sparked curiosity, but also cruel thoughts.

If left alone, this man would only grow stronger. So maybe it was best to break his wings now.

Whatever Yujae was thinking, Seolyeong went on showing off. Then, scooping the boy up again, he shot forward with smooth, arcing steps. He laughed like a child as he went.

1. 현 (玄) mysterious, profound, hidden 경 (境) boundary, realm, state ↩︎