The Martial Arts Prodigy Who Grows Through Chapter 31 : Chapter 31

Chapter 031. To the North

Namgung Mu-ryong tended to the injured mbers of the Azure Palace Sword Squad and prepared to withdraw.

"Please, take good care of the Young Family Head."

He bowed his head to Dam Jeok-san and spoke.

Short words.

However, the emotions contained within were never simple.

Guilt for not being able to protect the successor until the end because his strength was lacking.

Loyalty to follow Namgung Yeon's choice despite that.

Even acknowledgnt of Dam Jeok-san, who showed formidable martial prowess at a young age.

"Do not worry."

Dam Jeok-san spoke with a faint smile.

Since his voice contained clear conviction, Namgung Mu-ryong turned his back with a slightly relieved look.

From now on, there was nothing he could do.

He had to trust the Young Family Head. And also the Third Young Master of the Martial Sovereign Castle whom she trusted.

"Let us see each other again in the North."

Namgung Yeon spoke to Namgung Mu-ryong while maintaining her dignity as the Young Family Head.

"Yes, Young Family Head....... I will follow your command."

Namgung Mu-ryong left that final farewell and went back the way he ca.

He too would tend to the injured, pack the remaining escort goods, and go to the North.

......To the North where the Young Family Head is.

Namgung Mu-ryong decided not to doubt that fact anymore.

"The situation is roughly sorted out."

Dam Jeok-san muttered as he roughly rubbed off the blood on his face.

The real crisis starts now.

If he succeeded in this task, he could have the Namgung Clan as an ally.

If he failed?

They would all die together by the hunters of the Yin Heaven Cult.

However, the option to ignore the Namgung Clan did not exist for Dam Jeok-san from the beginning.

'Because my forces are far lacking compared to Eldest Senior Brother.'

It is the sa even if I take control of the Northern Branch after arduous efforts.

The Imperial Dragon Battle Group of the main castle is in a state practically no different from having fallen into the Eldest Senior Brother's grasp.

It is highly probable that the situation in the Western Branch is not much different either.

Furthermore, if the Namgung Clan collapses, there is a high probability that the Imperial Dragon Battle Group of the Martial Sovereign Castle will expand its influence south of the Yangtze River.

'If the logistics system of Namjikrye collapses, the blow to the main castle will be significant too.'

If that happens, the Eldest Senior Brother's influence will increase further.

'The Namgung Clan must beco my ally while preserving its forces.'

Only then can I at least balance the scales.

Well, ultimately, the most important thing to ascend to the position of the Lord of the Martial Sovereign Castle is one's own martial power, but.......

'If that is similar, then it becos a struggle for power.'

For Dam Jeok-san, he had no choice but to prepare for every situation.

Because losing in the contest for the Castle Lord's throne ant death.

* * *

"We will arrive at the gateway crossing into the North within two days."

Dam Jeok-san spoke while looking back at the group with his arms crossed.

"Two days....... Will it be possible?"

Namgung Yeon asked back with a slightly anxious look.

Perhaps in normal tis.

But right now, her physical condition was close to the absolute worst.

If she had not accumulated internal energy by consuming all sorts of spiritual dicines as the successor of Namgung, she would have vomited blood and collapsed right away.

"We have to make it possible, right?"

Dam Jeok-san spoke in a light tone as if asking what the problem was.

"Pardon......?"

How does he an to make the impossible possible?

Even if she could endure the external injuries, for the internal injuries, it would be difficult unless at least a Peak Realm expert infused genuine qi to treat them.

Of course, with Dam Jeok-san's skill in handling genuine qi, it might be helpful, but.......

'A person who cultivated the Extre Heaven Strange Sovereign Technique cannot do it.'

The Extre Heaven Strange Sovereign Technique is the most overbearing cultivation thod among the countless thods in Murim.

If Dam Jeok-san's genuine qi entered her body, her already tattered heart ridians would be torn apart as is.

What on earth does he trust to be so confident?

"Young Family Head, you should also know that I once lost my dantian and regained it."

Dam Jeok-san opened his mouth as if he read Namgung Yeon's mind.

"Ah......!"

Only then did shock spread across Namgung Yeon's face.

Her thinking was too short-sighted.

Who in the current world would be more well-versed in treating internal injuries than Dam Jeok-san, who restored his dantian?

Even his genius talent regarding martial arts paled in comparison to the achievent of restoring a dantian lost to qi deviation.

Because that was truly a unique occurrence.

"My thinking was short-sighted. Please forgive my rudeness."

Namgung Yeon said as she sat cross-legged.

"Then, may I ask for your help?"

"I intended to do so from the start."

Dam Jeok-san answered with an indifferent look.

"Still, it is not sothing to ask for without offering anything in return."

Is this not the touch of a person who restored his lost dantian with his own hands after several years?

Perhaps it might be a greater fateful encounter than having the Lord of the Martial Sovereign Castle personally guide genuine qi.

"Did you not say you would not forget the grace? That is enough."

"......I understand."

Namgung Yeon, realizing the weight contained in the word 'grace', nodded her head.

From now on, she was in the sa boat as Dam Jeok-san.

Even if Namgung Yeon did not want it, the world would think so.

Even if she had to bear that risk, joining hands with Dam Jeok-san would benefit the family. This was a judgnt made as the Young Family Head, excluding personal feelings.

"Then let us begin. Do not circulate your cultivation thod separately and stay still."

Along with those words, Dam Jeok-san's cool hand touched Namgung Yeon's back.

"......!"

However, the genuine qi extending from Dam Jeok-san's hand was incredibly warm and vigorous, unlike the temperature of his hand.

It felt not like the Extre Heaven Strange Sovereign Technique, but like a Buddhist ntal cultivation thod.

She felt the pain in her heart ridians, which had been throbbing as if they were about to tear, slowly decrease.

It was a sensation like smoothly sandpapering a roughly cut cross-section.

A subtle heat, unknown in nature, spread throughout her body.

She felt her internal injuries improving little by little along with a strange sense of stability.

Namgung Yeon closed her eyes comfortably and surrendered her body.

'It's warm.'

A peacefulness she had never experienced before swirled inside Namgung Yeon's body.

How could a person who mastered the Extre Heaven Strange Sovereign Technique perform such a feat? Namgung Yeon had no energy left to be surprised anymore.

'As expected, this level of internal injury is easily resolved.'

However, Dam Jeok-san continued the treatnt with a nonchalant look.

The aftereffects of qi deviation are disastrous beyond comparison with other internal injuries.

Should he say that the part of Namgung Yeon's heart ridians that was particularly tattered was in a similar state to the relatively intact parts of Dam Jeok-san's heart ridians?

Therefore, healing her internal injuries was not that difficult for Dam Jeok-san.

'Although guiding soone else's genuine qi is a bit burdenso.......'

Even that was not a serious problem.

This was because Dam Jeok-san was the owner of an innate sense that could handle even genuine qi emitted outside the body like his own limbs.

He healed Namgung Yeon's heart ridians one by one, just as he did when fixing his own internal injuries.

"Haa......."

A low sigh flowed from Namgung Yeon's mouth.

Every ti a torn heart ridian was sealed, an uplifting sensation pierced through her whole body.

By the ti one tea-ti had passed, she felt her body becoming noticeably lighter.

Would even the Divine Doctors famous throughout the world be unable to perform such a feat? It was enough to make her think so.

One thing was certain: Namgung Yeon's own choice was not wrong.

He would not just stop at sitting on the seat of the Lord of the Martial Sovereign Castle, but would beco a massive storm that would change the world.

It felt like what was rely a vague intuition was slowly turning into a concrete picture.

She felt an unspeakable reassurance from the hand touching her back.

It might be a vain belief, but if Dam Jeok-san was there, it felt like they could survive sohow even if a Cardinal of the Yin Heaven Cult manifested in person.

Also, perhaps, they might be able to use 'that' included in the cargo.

'No matter how much I look, I don't know the depth.'

Just as ordinary human eyes cannot see the bottom of the deep sea.

Namgung Yeon thought she would never be able to see Dam Jeok-san's bottom with her own eyes.

Clearly, it wasn't to this extent when they sparred before.

He was just a rising star with overwhelming martial prowess.

The hardship called qi deviation had tempered him.

'Maybe I should try qi deviation once...... No, no.'

Namgung Yeon pushed aside the nonsensical thought and focused her mind again on the sensation of her heart ridians being healed.

A thrill that she couldn't tell if it was pain or pleasure repeatedly encroached upon her body and disappeared.

Around the ti she felt confident that her internal injuries were almost healed and she could exert about ninety percent of her full power.

"It is done."

Dam Jeok-san finally spoke as he removed his hand.

Namgung Yeon instinctively felt regret, but she suppressed it and exhaled.

Phew.......

"How is it? Is two days possible?"

At Dam Jeok-san's question, Namgung Yeon slowly nodded her head.

"Yes, sufficiently."

Namgung Yeon answered, her eyes flashing with a deep blue essence.

She spoke with a montum that nothing under the blue sky could hinder.

"Young Master Dam, do you think there will be a battle?"

Namgung Yeon asked directly.

"I am almost certain."

They were guys targeting the Sword King behind Namgung Yeon.

The ti and effort invested for the operation must also be imnse.

They would not abandon everything in an instant just because a variable arose.

"We will choose the battlefield."

Dam Jeok-san continued speaking, recalling the map of the North he had seen before.

The plain stretching out just before arriving at the gateway. The land where silver silvergrass was in full bloom.

The Yin Heaven Cult would definitely not leave Namgung Yeon alone once she reached there.

They would try to eliminate her before she entered the gateway.

The thought that it is fine as long as she does not enter the gateway; that very thought would beco their opening.

"......Alright. If the battlefield is a plain, this might be helpful."

Well, that is only if we can use it.

Namgung Yeon added that as she rummaged through her travel bag and took sothing out.

Cylinders emitting an ominously dark sheen.

Attached on top were wicks written with ancient characters of unknown aning.

"......Heaven-Shaking Thunderbolt!!"

Seeing that, the Black Panther Spear shouted in surprise.

Because it was an item he himself had only seen a couple of tis in his entire life.

Thunderbolt bombs modified by adding special spells to explosives.

The Imperial Court strictly controlled production, so it was an item difficult to see easily even in the Martial Sovereign Castle.

As such, its power was also incredibly strong.

A level that could deal significant damage even to high-ranking monsters or Peak Realm experts.

"However, they are sealed."

It is a powerful seal that only experts of the Entering Transformation Realm can break.

That is why she could not even dare to use them when facing the Butcher.

'If it is you.......'

Namgung Yeon, having seen Dam Jeok-san's ability to control genuine qi, pinned a little hope on him and handed over the Heaven-Shaking Thunderbolts.

* * *

North, a barren land adjacent to the Demonic Realm.

"Cough......!"

Dead black blood flowed profusely from the mouth of the Northern Heaven Sword Venerable Un Wol-hyang.

She suffered internal injuries due to demonic energy penetrating her heart ridians.

It was not at a serious level.

Just a degree where moving would be slightly uncomfortable for the ti being.

Unless she moved unreasonably, the internal injuries would not worsen to an irreversible point.

Fortunately, she had roughly obtained the ingredients needed to refine the spiritual dicine to give to Dam Jeok-san. She had also cleared the Demonic Realm to so extent.

There was only one problem.

It was the very fact that an expert of Un Wol-hyang's caliber had suffered internal injuries.

'......The atmosphere inside the Demonic Realm is unusual. It is certain that the worshipers of the evil cult or the supernatural beings lurking deep within the Demonic Realm have moved.'

Sooner or later, she would need to gather the leaders of the Unorthodox Alliance, the Murim Alliance, and the Imperial Army stationed in the North to discuss counterasures.

As she was letting out a sigh—

A sound of wings flapping, FLAP FLAP FLAP, was heard from the sky above.

Un Wol-hyang instinctively stiffened her body and looked at the empty air.

A large hawk was circling the ash-colored sky.

Seeing a letter tied to its ankle, it seed to be a carrier hawk.

'Fortunately, it is not a flying-type monster.'

Originally, flying-type monsters rarely appear in places other than the Demonic Realm.

However, with the atmosphere these days, it would not be strange if any variable occurred.

She let out a sigh of relief and called the carrier hawk.

As she read the letter delivered by the carrier hawk, her expression darkened.

'Why at a ti like this, of all tis.'

No, perhaps it was because it was a ti like this.

Since there was no such thing as coincidence in this damned world.

It was quite a complicated situation, but Un Wol-hyang's choice was simple.

Because she could not let Dam Jeok-san, who had lost his dantian, die like this.