The Azure Cold Serpent, which was thought to have retreated, left its nest and directly invaded the North Sea Ice Palace.

“This is insane.”

Though he hadn’t drunk much, the faint intoxication he had felt quickly evaporated as he dispelled it with his internal energy. First, he drew his sword.

Sreung—

The sound of a sword being drawn snapped the onlookers out of their daze. They had been staring blankly at the massive figure of the Azure Cold Serpent, which had smashed through the fortress wall. And then—

“Kyaaahhh!”

“What is that monster?! Everyone prepare to fight… No, run! We can’t win against that thing!”

Those unfamiliar with the Azure Cold Serpent screamed in confusion and fear. Some were frozen in place, others fled immediately, and a few ran to protect their families. But—

Very few actually grasped the situation. And those few ran directly toward the area where my group was.

Just like the Ice Palace Lord and Bing Yerin who were now in front of me.

“Didn’t you say the Azure Cold Serpent had been defeated?! What is going on… No, looking closer, its condition definitely doesn’t look normal.”

“Do you have any idea what could have happened?”

At their urgent questioning, Seo Mun-Hwarin, standing beside us, drew up her internal energy with her still-unhealed fist and replied.

“I’m not sure. I definitely inflicted serious wounds on it, yet… it seems even stronger than before, though unstable.”

“Does the reason even matter right now, Senior Seo Mun-Hwarin? What matters is that thing has lost half its sanity and is rampaging. And unlike last time, we don’t just need to drive it off, we need to kill it completely.”

“Indeed. In the end, there’s only one thing we can do.”

Seo Mun-Hwarin nodded and looked toward the Ice Palace Lord.

“I and Hwi-da will completely cut off its breath. In the meantime, evacuate the others. Since everyone here has learned martial arts, even if the buildings are destroyed, we can minimize casualties.”

“Understood. Is there anything else you need?”

“No. If anything, just be ready to leave this land if it comes to that.”

“…”

The Ice Palace Lord spoke as if she had no intention of ever abandoning this land.

Of course. After all, the root cause of this entire disaster was that the martial artists of the North Sea Ice Palace chose to protect their homeland rather than abandon it.

Conversely, the Azure Cold Serpent also sought to reclaim this place—once its home and the site of its parents’ death.

Some may leave the North Sea after witnessing the Azure Cold Serpent in person… but not everyone would. Some would stay behind.

I nodded inwardly, then pushed Seol Lihyang and Tang Sowol toward Bing Yerin.

“You two should get out of here as well. If it gets too dangerous, head to Sichuan ahead of us.”

“Don’t spout nonsense. Just come back alive.”

“Exactly! Without you, Cheon Hwi, we’re not going anywhere. So just remember that!”

“Heh…”

I didn’t expect to be scolded so firmly for saying nonsense. With a short sigh, I nodded.

“Then there’s no helping it. Let’s do what we must. Let’s go, Senior Seo Mun-Hwarin.”

“Mn, understood.”

Leaving behind the worried gazes of Tang Sowol and Seol Lihyang, we rushed toward the rampaging Azure Cold Serpent.

***

We arrived quickly using light footwork. Most of the surrounding buildings were already destroyed, and many had died in the resulting chaos.

No, perhaps that’s not quite right. They weren’t just caught in the chaos. The Azure Cold Serpent had deliberately killed them.

Puuhk!

The Azure Cold Serpent smashed its head into a nearby building. The shattered wood and stone fragments rained down on those hiding nearby.

They were members of the Ice Palace, so they had learned martial arts, but only to a second-class level. Dodging or deflecting such fast projectiles was impossible.

They would’ve died on the spot—if not for Seo Mun-Hwarin, who arrived just in time.

“Haaat!”

Seo Mun-Hwarin threw herself in front of the survivors, raising her fist. A dark crimson energy surged over her knuckles and shot forward in a straight trajectory.

Kkwaang!

The fragments exploded like bombs and flew back toward the Azure Cold Serpent.

But it had little effect. Perhaps the fragments were too small now, having broken further.

The Azure Cold Serpent’s energy was running rampant, the wild chill swirling around it twisting the trajectories of all incoming debris into a snowstorm.

“Tch. Seems it’s already broken free of the poison.”

“No, I don’t think that’s the case.”

I motioned for the stunned survivors to flee, then stood beside her and looked up at the Azure Cold Serpent.

“Because my transformed body has a deep connection to Tang Sowol’s poison, I can tell. That thing is still poisoned by the Python Venom. The black blotches rising beneath its scales are proof.”

“Then what is this blizzard-level cold it’s radiating…?”

“It’s just expelling all its energy.”

I had done something similar before while facing the Thousand Poison Gate. It’s merely qi deviation—a temporary surge of energy that pushes back the poison.

For reasons unknown, the Azure Cold Serpent had given up on living. A behavior contrary to most beasts, which prioritize survival.

As my finely honed senses reached it, our eyes met—its last remaining eye.

The moment it registered Seo Mun-Hwarin and me, a crazed killing intent erupted from it.

Unlike before, when it retained some sinister subtlety like a snake, now it felt like facing a rampaging beast. It didn’t care if it died—it just wanted to kill us.

“It’s come fully prepared. I’ll open the path, Senior Seo Mun-Hwarin. I leave the rest to you.”

“Very well.”

I rushed past Seo Mun-Hwarin straight toward the Azure Cold Serpent.

Shaaaat!

The Azure Cold Serpent amplified its chilling aura and unleashed a fierce snowstorm. The debris it touched froze instantly, and the corpses rolling on the ground turned to ice.

Even if one had reached resistance to cold and could shield themselves with energy, taking that head-on was suicidal.

So I raised my sword high.

Feet planted shoulder-width apart, back straight, gaze fixed forward. The internal energy circulating my body began to converge around my willpower.

Wuuuung.

Pale white sword energy surged over my dark sword.

With the sole intent to cut, I swung.

A slash through the air. The strike cleaved the storm of icy wind in half.

Ssskuk.

The whirling storm unnaturally split, momentarily revealing the Azure Cold Serpent’s body.

Seo Mun-Hwarin wasted no time. She charged and slammed her fist down.

A crimson-black meteor seemed to rise from the earth and crash into the beast’s head.

Kwajjik!

The sound of something breaking. The Azure Cold Serpent’s head snapped downward violently from the hit. But that was all.

There was no collapse, no scream of pain like before.

It simply rolled its remaining eye to glare at Seo Mun-Hwarin, who hovered in the air.

Instead of scales, the top of its head released nearly invisible shards of transparent ice.

Using the blow to its head, the Azure Cold Serpent tucked its head close to its body, compressed its massive frame and coiled muscles, then sprung upward with explosive force.

Like a spring uncoiled, it launched a lightning-quick counterattack.

Seo Mun-Hwarin initially tried to escape with aerial steps but saw the gaping maw and braced herself instead.

Aerial stepping only allows one to stand on empty air—not to use footwork or movement techniques.

She couldn’t dodge. She’d have to block.

They didn’t seem to consider my presence at all. I felt a twinge of irritation.

I gathered all my internal energy and detonated it through my Dragon Fountain Point.

Kkraang!

A thunderous roar. With the explosive recoil of my qi, I shot forward like something had shoved me.

But that wasn’t the end. My next step detonated more qi following the principles of Thunderous Steps.

With each step, thunder resounded, and vivid footprints marked my path as I shot toward the Azure Cold Serpent.

Last time, I hadn’t noticed the secondary layer of scales—transparent ice that acted like defensive energy.

I stomped on it mercilessly with the full speed gained from consecutive Thunder Steps.

My foot shattered part of the ice, digging into the serpent’s body.

Using that as a springboard, I leapt upward, channeling the remaining momentum into my sword arm using the principle of Fusion Reversal.

My body shot up vertically as if inertia didn’t exist. The Azure Cold Serpent, about to devour Seo Mun-Hwarin, turned its eye toward me.

Realizing something was off, its head twisted rapidly—but too late.

“Huu.”

Exhaling lightly, I spun my wrist and gripped my sword in a reverse hold. Then I twisted my entire body and swung wide.

A sword strike not meant for humans, but for something much bigger and tougher.

It didn’t aim precisely, nor was it flashy—but it was fast, forceful, and wide.

A technique I had conceptualized with Seo Mun-Hwarin. It wasn’t perfect yet, but the power was enough.

The blade surged toward the inside of its mouth. If it connected, it could pierce the palate and scramble its brain from below.

But things are never that simple.

Half a beat late, the Azure Cold Serpent reacted and twisted its head. A massive fang, like a pillar, blocked my sword.

Zzzeok!

I sliced through 80% of the thick fang. The rest snapped under the force.

But the Azure Cold Serpent had still blocked my sword.

“Tch.”

I clicked my tongue reflexively. Seo Mun-Hwarin then kicked the broken fang toward the serpent’s intact eye.

But then the raging cold surged again, and the unnatural blizzard distorted the fang’s trajectory.

It grazed the serpent’s temple and flew off somewhere.

Twisting its body with that momentum, the Azure Cold Serpent spun its entire form toward us.

Then—its massive tail flew at us like a missile.

“What the…?!”

A snake shouldn’t move like that. But then again, no snake grows to this size or commands such energy.

I hurriedly raised my defensive energy. So did Seo Mun-Hwarin, who struck at the tail with her fist, brimming with crimson-black energy.

Though she shattered the ice and scales, she couldn’t stop the tail’s force. Only dampen it slightly.

And then—

Thud!

“Kuhugh!”

Even wrapped in protective energy, the impact rattled us to the bone. Seo Mun-Hwarin and I were slammed into the ground.

Nothing was broken, and we had no internal injuries—but a huge chunk of qi was drained. All from withstanding a single strike.

Climbing out of the rubble, we saw the enormous figure of the Azure Cold Serpent.

I let out a hollow laugh and gripped my sword again.

“If we get hit like that again, Senior Seo Mun-Hwarin might get even shorter.”

“Then you’ll just have to carry me around.”

Unfazed, Seo Mun-Hwarin clenched her fist.

***

In the safest inner chamber of the Ice Palace, where the Ice Essence was kept, Tang Sowol and Seol Lihyang were watching everything unfold.

Because there was nothing else they could do.

Seol Lihyang bitterly resented her own weakness.

As always.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep