Cold. Cold. Cold. Cold. So cold.

Once the sensation of cold disappeared, what remained was pure pain. A bitter pain overlaid with numbing pain. The numbness was terrifying in an emotional way. But I wasn’t the only one suffering.

When even this tangled pain began to dull, I found myself unable to breathe.

If I’d had a straw stuck in my mouth while frozen, I could’ve at least breathed properly. But I’m not that kind of meticulous guy.

I can endure the cold, the pain, and even the suffocating air—but when I felt my consciousness fading, I laughed inwardly.

Hehehe, hehehe, hehehe, hehehehehehehe, hehehe.

I laughed to keep a grip on my mind. I laughed at Baekya and Palnoya, who were frozen just like me.

My pain was just pain.

But the chill those ghosts were enduring—that was the vengeance of the dead.

Serves you right.

I had no intention of releasing the Moonlight Cold Heart Technique, since I figured if I was still alive, then the ghosts must be alive too.

Thinking about undoing the technique reminded me that I hadn’t really thought about how to escape isolation.

But I’ve always been a solitary guy, so it’s fine.

There are one hundred and twenty-two methods to escape this kind of ice technique.

Two of them are Flame Realm and Zaha Divine Arts.

But the Zaha Divine Arts don’t seem to exist in the realm of logic.

So I resorted to the Flame Realm.

That’s when I suddenly felt warmth in the hand I was gripping.

Looks like the other guy was also desperately pushing out internal energy.

Whoa. This is impressive. Are these ghosts really just people too?

"......"

They must think I’m the kind of person who clings to the warmth of others to survive. But the truth is, I’m not that warm of a person.

If we’re going to freeze to death together, so be it. What’s with the pathetic display?

You’re trying to thaw my qi?

And for what? So you can keep killing the helpless and live your life serving the Cult Leader?

No way.

I scooped the frozen water inside the Heavenly Pearl like a bucket and doused myself with it, then kept transferring cold energy into the hand of the old man I was gripping.

What kind of bastard am I?

Even this Ice Hell was starting to feel familiar.

The moment those ghosts started leisurely following me around like they could kill me any time... that’s when this journey turned into hell.

Hehehehehehehe.

It was a pity I couldn’t laugh out loud.

I could feel the sensation of something like tears freezing before they even left my eyes.

Ah...

I remembered the first time I fell into water.

Some idiot once said that if you fall in water, a water ghost lying in wait will grab you. But even back then, I opened my eyes underwater and looked around.

Instead of a ghost, I saw a surprisingly beautiful landscape.

I remember following the ray of light upward and escaping the deep water.

Now, there was no light and the water was even deeper.

Still, no ghosts.

Suddenly, something blunt struck my body.

Who the hell hit me?

Just because I stayed still, you think I’m some frozen invalid?

That’s when I realized that besides the two I was holding, there were other ghosts nearby.

I figured the Four Villains must be fighting off an attack.

Poor Sword Demon. Stubborn Drunk. Damned Lecher...

Should I escape hell and help them?

Honestly, not many people fight as well as I do, even with the difference in cultivation.

It’s ironic—I rarely fight like I did in my Crazy Demon days, even after mastering Heaven-Piercing Sun-Moon Radiance.

Still, both the Sword Demon and the Lecher had once climbed as high as the Left Guardian.

The Drunk was a powerful man rarely seen among other villains.

They were the kind of men who kept growing if you watched long enough.

Had we regained our peak strength?

I didn’t know yet.

While frozen, my body started trembling like it was being rocked by an earthquake.

If you asked whether to kill first or save first, I’d say save first.

In a trance, I switched to the Flame Realm’s breathing technique and channeled it through the Golden Nine Free-Wandering Manual.

I imagined a fiery path running atop my frozen meridians.

Then I half-lost consciousness.

As if I were dancing madly in the rain, I began moving while walking that path of fire, eventually swinging a flame-covered wooden sword.

I melted my dantian.

Charged through my internal organs.

Then set my heart on fire.

I stabbed through my chest. Pierced through my throat.

And melted the blank expression that had frozen over my face.

Let’s try living with a smile.

I thawed my tongue.

Bashed my frozen teeth with an imaginary hammer until fire burst out.

As pain surged through my nostrils, I jammed the wooden sword in there to open my airway.

Was the nose always this painful?

More urgent than the pain was the need to breathe.

I swung my sword wildly.

It felt like sticking a chopstick into a bleeding nose.

After taking shallow breaths and confirming the air wasn’t poisoned, I gathered fire in my eyes.

My eyelids felt like they were tearing, so I didn’t open them fully.

I remembered there was a way to fill my eyes with fire—but what was it again?

Anger...

I melted the frozen tears with anger.

After that opening salvo, I signaled my dantian.

And from it, I summoned the Sacred Flame.

I hoped it would be the hottest fire within me.

Raising the Sacred Flame, I measured my body’s weight and lightness and unfolded Jeunjong.

While holding the flame in my hand, I blasted through key meridian points—Gekgol, Gihae, Hawan, Jungwan, Geogweol, Jungjeong, Seongi, Cheondol, and Yeomcheon—finally placing the Sacred Flame into Baekhwehyeol.**

At once, my crown burned and hot steam surged upward.

No way! Am I going bald?

Please no. A bald head doesn’t suit my personality at all.

Despite the heat on my scalp, I heard nothing.

And then... my eyes opened on their own.

"......!"

A piercing ring echoed in my ears, and amidst this bizarre pain, the rest of my senses awakened.

Touch. Smell. Hearing. Taste.

Each one writhed in its own pain as it returned.

So this is life. Just regaining what was always mine... hurt like hell.

Huh?

Baekya’s body twitched first.

Then Palnoya’s shifted slightly too.

Still alive. These geezers aren’t ordinary.

They must have been melting their frozen bodies using internal energy too.

Did they have deeper reserves than me?

Or had they, too, secretly absorbed internal energy meant for the Cult Leader?

Since my Flame Realm could melt even ghosts, I finally released their hands.

Suddenly—psssshhh!—smoke rose from Baekya’s scalp.

Soon after, Palnoya’s crown steamed as well.

Were the hottest parts of a martial artist’s body really the center of the palm and Baekhwehyeol?

These weren’t your average old freaks.

The realization that moving slower than these old men meant death weighed heavily on me.

I had entered Ice Hell first...

But now, cloaked in flames, I tried to escape.

I waited at the entrance.

While my body thawed, I slowly reached for my wooden sword and melted the frozen sheath with the Flame Realm.

Smoke rose from Baekya and Palnoya’s heads like their skulls had holes in them.

I pried open my frozen lips and laughed first.

"Heheh."

Holding my sword-drawing stance, I heated the blade.

At that moment, Baekya and Palnoya snapped open their eyes and locked onto me.

In that eye contact, a thousand emotions passed between us.

You escaped from Ice Hell, did you?

Then allow me to escort you... to Flame Hell.

With all my strength, I stared down their melting ice arts and ghostly eyes—

—and drew my wooden sword.

Slice!

The flaming blade struck cleanly, severing both Baekya and Palnoya’s heads at once.

The two heads flew into the air before falling to the ground.

Staggering like a newborn calf, I rose and looked around.

"......."

The area was full of frozen corpses.

I noticed something faintly moving in the distance and instinctively swung my wooden sword toward the approaching Black-Clad Person.

As I thought, their inner strength was intense—right before a deafening shockwave hit me.

KWAAAAAAANG!

By the time I regained my senses, I was still flying through the air.

From my upside-down view, I saw the Black-Clad Person approaching.

Ah, the main character finally makes their entrance.

Where had they been hiding at the end of the night?

Come to think of it, they couldn’t absorb me while I was frozen.

This was their perfect moment.

I swung my sword at them, but I realized I was slightly slower than usual. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

To a skilled opponent, my movements must’ve looked sluggish.

They batted my wooden sword aside and struck with a right palm.

I countered with my left, and our palms stuck together.

Then their other hand pushed toward my throat.

I let go of my sword without hesitation and grabbed their wrist.

Exploding my internal energy, the ground beneath us caved in and energy waves rippled out.

The Black-Clad Person kept advancing, trying to get a grip on my neck.

"......."

Beyond them, I saw the Four Villains clashing with new enemies under the moonlight.

Even in this mess, I wanted to rip off the Black-Clad Person’s mask and see their face.

A kick came from below, and I lost my balance, but I held them tight with my left arm and right hand.

The sky spun, and we crashed to the ground, tumbling together.

I couldn’t help but laugh.

"Pathetic bastard."

A headbutt came flying in, so I met it with one of my own—getting hit without retaliating would cost me teeth or a nose.

Thud!

Recalling the Fist King's martial techniques, I held both of their arms, shifted our weight midair using Jeunjong, then yanked their right arm and slammed them into the ground.

Feigning a wrist snap, I headbutted their masked face again.

Thud!

I channeled all my internal energy into Hundred Battles Tenfold Technique.

The Black-Clad Person’s dark robe crackled and burned, exposing skin underneath.

Their sleeve blew away, revealing scorched skin and a demonic tattoo.

As their shoulder vaporized in a flash of lightning, part of their mask burned, but their face remained hidden.

From their left palm, I felt them trying to drain my internal energy.

But I countered with the Heavenly Pearl Absorption Technique and blocked it without much trouble.

They had no more inner strength than I did.

If anything, my external strength was slightly greater.

Just as I was about to crush their throat, someone in red robes descended nearby.

I immediately recognized them as an enemy and hurled the Black-Clad Person toward the new arrival to block the unknown attack.

KWAAAAANG!

Forced back by the pressure, I assessed the situation.

"......."

The Black-Clad Person, who had taken the hit to the back, stood up.

The man in red robes supported them.

I saw the fine embroidery on his robes and his calm expression and immediately thought of one man.

"Right Guardian...?"

The man I suspected to be the Right Guardian ignored me and said to the Black-Clad Person,

“Retreat.”

The Black-Clad Person spoke for the first time.

“How can I retreat?”

The Right Guardian looked at me and said,

“There are more enemies. Even reaching this place wasn’t easy. Now, go.”

At that moment, the White-Robed Scholar descended nearby, his robes fluttering, and stared at the Right Guardian.

“Blood Demon. Where do you think you’re going? We haven’t finished our match.”

“Let’s continue next time.”

Grabbing the Black-Clad Person by the collar, the Right Guardian launched into the air and waved a hand at the White-Robed Scholar.

Startled, the White-Robed Scholar leapt back—but nothing actually flew at him.

I locked eyes with him just as he fell for the bluff.

“You fell for that?”

“......”

He glared at me, then turned his head and looked at the frozen battlefield.

“Was that your doing?”

I glanced around, then saw the Four Villains still fighting.

Without answering, I used light footwork to join the fray.

On the way, I picked up my fallen wooden sword and, after a few steps, stopped and looked at my left hand.

My palm had turned pitch black—but luckily, it didn’t seem poisoned.

Still, my body didn’t feel quite right, so I looked at the White-Robed Scholar.

“I almost died because of Moonlight Cold Heart Technique.”

The White-Robed Scholar approached with his hands behind his back and nodded toward the Four Villains.

“Join up first.”

“Understood.”

TL Note: **

🔥 Path of Flame Through the Energy Points:

Gekgol – Located on the back, near the lower end of the spine. Governs the flow of energy through the spinal channel.

Gihae – Known as the “Sea of Qi,” this ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) is the center of energy located just below the navel. It serves as the main reservoir of internal energy.

Hawan – The lower stomach region.

Jungwan – The center of the abdomen, also known as the solar plexus. Regulates digestion and emotions.

Geogweol – Located just beneath the sternum. Acts as the connection point between the heart and internal energy.

Jungjeong – The middle of the chest, level with the heart. Frequently referenced as the point that governs emotional control.

Seongi – The area just above the heart. Commonly activated in martial arts for breath control.

Cheondol – The throat, just above the jugular notch. Regulates the respiratory pathway and voice.

Yeomcheon – The base of the tongue, within the inner throat. Used for circulating internal energy upward.

Baekhwehyeol – “Hundred Convergences Point,” located at the crown of the head. It is the final convergence point where all energy channels meet and where “spirit” and “mind” unite with the body.