Chapter 142: Eun Jarim (2)
The blue roof of a tiled house was covered with snow. Above it stood a woman in her mid-30s in a simple blue dress and a middle-aged man in uniform with a stiff face.
In front of the tiled house stood an old man with a gray beard and a robe.
"Huh! What do you mean by saying I can"t meet the Forest Lord? I can"t even see the Elders and warriors who have gone out for four days now."
The old man was Seong Jin-gyu. He was the last descendant of the Martial Sword family and held the post of Elder in Eun Jarim.
The woman responded to Elder Seong"s without changing her expression.
"It is what you heard, Elder Seong. Right now, my father is ill and it is difficult for him to talk, so please go back."
The woman was Ha Baek-ryeong. She was the only child of the Forest Lord and the head of Eun Jarim
Although she looked like she was in her 30s, she was actually in her late sixties.
Clench!
Elder Seong Jin-gyu clenched his hand and stared at the middle-aged man next to the woman.
"That b.a.s.t.a.r.d! Mak Wei-gang!"
The middle-aged man was Mak Wei-gang. He was an elder of the opposition force and the husband of Ha Baek-ryeong.
It was like the originality of the stone was being shredded. Ever since this man stepped foot, Snow Line’s Eun Jarim was slowly swaying into his control.
"I should have never let her meet him."
The men of Eun Jarim felt sorry for this child who spent her entire life in these snowy places and realized that she enjoyed Mak Wei-gang’s company.
Had they known that this would be the result, they wouldn"t have allowed her to meet him.
"… It is serious, Miss. Four or more elders can go out only under the permission of the Lord. It isn"t something that Elder Mak can decide on his own."
About 300 warriors of Eun Jarim had gone out without the Lord’s permission. The fact that Mak Wei-gang dared to give orders to have the Heavenly Killing Star killed without holding a meeting enraged Elder Seong.
It wouldn"t be strange to deprive this man of the position.
"And there aren"t many people following him!"
Normally, the line between the extremists and the moderates was quite tight, but at some point, more and more people moved to the extremist side. And two elders of the top three followed Mak Wei-gang.
80% of the Elders followed him now.
"This is a matter that I decided on behalf of my father. Is that such a big deal?"
At Ha Baek-ryeong"s words, Elder Seong clicked his tongue.
"Huh…"
Protecting that man.
At least before this man appeared, Ha Baek-ryeong was clever and sensible, but now she protected the man even if he was wrong.
"Nothing can be done."
He wanted her to know what was right and wrong, but it couldn"t be done anymore.
"Nothing can be done. Since he acted as the deputy, now allow me to organize a search party to find the Elders we have lost contact with."
Elder Seong asked with a bow.
It felt strange to treat this woman who lost her reasoning with respect, but he had to because she was the daughter of the Lord.
At one time, when the world was devastated by war, it was this Eun family that had accepted people.
"Nothing more can be done."
More than three hundred people have disappeared now. More than half of them were extremists, so he thought that people willingly went along with Mak Wei-gang.
Ha Beak-ryang answered with a delay.
"I can see her eyes moving. I know they are talking with that d.a.m.n telepathy."
Discussing something.
And then she opened her mouth.
"Obviously it makes sense. As a representative of the Lord, I give permission, so how could Elder Seong and Elder Hyang work together?"
The moment he heard that, Elder Seong"s face was distorted. Elder Hyang was the leader of the moderate faction. It meant that they were openly trying to keep an eye on this man.
Unable to contain his anger.
Grunt!
"How can you–"
It was then.
Before he could even say anything, a strange phenomenon occurred. The s.p.a.ce around them shook and began to crack.
Jjkkk!
"What?"
"W-what is this?"
The three of them couldn"t hide their shock as they watched it. The entire line was surrounded by a technique and it would look like vast land for people on the outside.
Fortunately, it was in the middle of the mountain, so no one could even come.
"Is the technique being broken?"
Elder Seong Jin-gyu hurriedly said,
"Miss. We need to head towards the entrance of the line right now."
The defense was located at the entrance. In case the outsider invaded, they could block them.
However, the two people who were surprised with it, didn"t even think about moving.
"Miss?"
"We will stay and protect this place."
"Huh?"
"The lord"s condition is critical. How can I move from here?"
It makes sense that she wanted to stay here and protect her father.
"Elder Gyeong is guarding it!"
Gyeong Cheon-guk, the best after the lord.
Even Mak Wei-gang, who was confident in his intelligence, wouldn"t be able to surpa.s.s that man.
And unlike those who came in recent times, Gyeong Cheon-guk has been protecting the family since ancient times.
"Didn"t you hear her? Elder Seong."
Elder Mak asked. However, that only enraged the man more.
"You b.a.s.t.a.r.d! Did you forget that Miss is the only one who can take the role of the Lord?"
"What do you think you say…"
Shh!
Ha Baek-ryeong raised her hand at Mak Wei-gang, who was getting angry, and then spoke to Elder Seong.
"If the enemy attacked right away, isn"t it absurd for us to repair the technique right in front of them?"
"That is…"
Elder Seong was speechless. She was right.
If the Lord, who was in critical condition, died now, then the entire thing would be revealed to the world.
"Kuak!"
"Go quickly. The lord will be protected by us two."
Elder Seong stared at Elder Mak and then turned.
He couldn"t force them anymore.
Phat!
When Elder Seong was long gone, with an irritated expression, Ha Baek-ryeong mumbled.
"How long are you going to treat me like a child? This is…"
The elegance she had disappeared. Mak Wei-gang hugged her and comforted her.
"It is fine. After all, everything will change soon. Don"t worry too much, wife."
"Hubby."
Her expression brightened. She truly loved her husband, and wanted to do anything for him.
"We were interrupted, so let"s finish what we were doing."
Mak Wei-gang said while looking at the entrance of the snow line.
If the enemy really invaded, the time of chaos was the best time to do what they aimed for.
Click!
They opened the door to where the Lord was living, which had a musty smell and the smell of flesh rotting.
In that dark room, the figure of the Lord was lying in bed.
Blink! Grind!
The Lord opened his eyes and grunted his teeth. His condition was strange.
Starting with the blue blood vessels, a large part of the skin was rotting. Her father"s condition was critical, yet the daughter was looking at him coldly.
Mak Wei-gang approached him and pulled a small bottle with a dropper. He opened it, sucked liquid into the dropper, brought it to the Lord’s eyes, and said,
"Now, Lord. Let"s continue what we were doing earlier. Please tell me how we can open the chest."
With that, he dropped the liquid into the wide-opened eyes of the Lord. At that, the man groaned in pain.
"Ackkkkk!"
His fists clenched as if he was trying to endure it. Seeing that, Mak Wei-gang mumbled,
"The patience of the person who inherited such blood. How long will that last?"
He dropped another drop of the liquid. And the eyes of the Lord began to tremble and his eyes lost focus.
Mak Wei-gang smiled at it.
Meanwhile, at the entrance of the Snow Line,
"Unbelievable."
Ark Young couldn"t stop being shocked. Chun Yeowun cracked the entire defense technique with one slash from a sword. And then the bridges which connected the cliffs appeared.
"It is as if he broke the world apart."
The technique used to cover this place was an ancient one and the man who did it was the forefather of Green Forest Lord. It was the first time for it to be broken.
"That sword just…"
A sword that destroys anything. Superior Sky Demon Sword.
Surprisingly, it could even cut through such things. It was the first time Chun Yeowun tried it for such a thing, and it seemed to work.
"Hehehe. My lord is amazing!"
Hu Bong gave him a thumbs up. A gesture he recently learned and enjoyed using.
"Let"s go."
When Chun Yeowun took the lead, Ark Young was out of the dazed state.
As they crossed the bridge, the s.p.a.ce shook, and the moment they pa.s.sed it…
"Ah!"
A new world opened up. The mountain peaks with a flat top were connected by swinging bridges and buildings with tiles.
"How was such a place hidden?"
Chun Yeowun found it interesting. Until recently, it was hidden, but as he entered, he could feel the strong energy from here and there.
"Amazing. To hide all this energy."
Chun Yeowun was a bit skeptical. He thought Ark Young was deceiving him, but that didn"t seem to be the case.
He wondered who made it.
Swos!
As they crossed the bridge and stepped onto the first peak, numerous soldiers in yellow uniforms flocked in front of them.
Ark Young said,
"Teacher. They are warriors of the Eight squad, the entrance line."
Eight Squad. The name of the first peakof the Snow Line.
The Snow Line consisted of 9 peaks.
And the first was Eight peak, the second was Seventh peak, the third was Sixth peak, the fourth was Fifth peak, the fifth was Fourth peak, the sixth was Third peak, the seventh was Second peak, the eighth was First peak and the ninth was Heavenly Mountain Peak where the Lord resided.
If they were normally invited, they could easily enter. Through that, the next peak can be reached and those who reach higher will be given the t.i.tle of Elder.
However, Chun Yeowun broke into the place.
And eventually.
Rumble!
Soldiers in yellow uniforms with their weapons surrounded them.
They were enemies.
A middle-aged man.
"Entrance Peak leader."
Ark Young mumbled. This man was the leader of this peak. He was second to no Elder, yet he remained in his place to help nurture the new people.
"Ark Young. What are you doing by bringing in people of the world into our place without the permission of the Lord?"
The people of Eun Jarim called outsiders people of the world.
Ark Young tried to answer it.
Sh!
"Teacher?"
Chun Yeowun stepped ahead and stretched out his hand. The leader was puzzled wondering what he was doing when Chun Yeowun suddenly lowered his hand.
And,
Thud!
"Ugh!"
He was brought to his knees by force.
"Wh-what strength does he possess…"
Unbelievable energy. But not just him, the hundreds of warriors all were on their knees.
"Kuaaak."
"M-my body…"
Ark Young couldn"t hide his shock. Each of the warriors here were Master level in the outside world. And who could bring them all down to their knees?
Goo!
The energy was making it hard for them to breathe. One by one, people were beginning to lose consciousness.
"T-teacher!"
Since Ark Young too was an Elder, he was trying to talk to him.
Chun Yeowun said,
"What? Were you about to talk?"