Geom Mugeuk walked behind the Ice Palace Master.
He had naturally assumed the Ice Palace’s secret treasure vault was outside the Ice Palace.
He thought it would be somewhere deep in the Northern Sea, a place so cold it would freeze one's heart, perhaps on a snow-covered mountain whipped by blizzards.
However, the Ice Palace Master led Geom Mugeuk deep into the interior of the Northern Sea Ice Palace.
"This is the first time I am showing this to an outsider."
"It is an honor, Palace Master."
"It is a reward for saving our Palace."
After passing through a series of gates guarded by the Ice Palace's elite martial artists, they came upon a frozen lake.
"From now on, follow me by stepping exactly where I step."
Geom Mugeuk could tell.
A formation was spread across this seemingly ordinary lake.
The terrifying thing about this formation was its unpredictability.
He had never experienced a formation on a frozen lake before.
While everyone would be distracted by the tension of the ice potentially breaking, the real danger would devour them from elsewhere.
Geom Mugeuk followed behind her, stepping exactly where the Ice Palace Master had stepped.
What would happen if one couldn't find the Gate of Life? Would the ice break, causing them to sink into the frigid lake, or would they be forced to wander this lake for eternity?
The Ice Palace Master, who had been walking in silence, suddenly asked.
"That child named Lee Ahn, is she of demonic practitioners' blood?"
"No. She was entrusted to our Main Sect when she was very young."
The Ice Palace Master continued to walk in silence.
It seemed as if she had something more to say.
"But why do you ask?"
Whether in appearance or disposition, Lee Ahn was no ordinary person, but it didn't seem like the Ice Palace Master's personality to take such an interest.
"It is nothing. It just came to mind, so I asked. Watch your step."
Once again, the Ice Palace Master diligently stepped on the Gates of Life as she crossed the lake.
After passing through the formation, they reached a valley.
It was a narrow path between the cliffs, just wide enough for three or four adults to stand side by side.
Hwiiing.
The wind was cold from the entrance.
Not just cold, but truly frigid.
This was the path leading to the Ice Palace’s secret treasure vault.
"It has suddenly gotten colder."
A peculiar smile formed on the Ice Palace Master's lips at Geom Mugeuk's words.
"The cold hasn't even begun yet."
The Ice Palace Master was slightly excited at the thought of showing the Young Cult Master a taste of the cold.
Saving the Ice Palace was one thing, but she intended to show the biting cold winds of the Northern Sea to him, who had insisted on going to a place that could not be entered without an Extreme Cold Body.
"Now, let's go."
This time, the Ice Palace Master did not walk ahead but walked side by side with Geom Mugeuk.
She had to observe his condition as they walked together.
Regardless of whether one was a master or not, a single misstep could lead to death.
Truly, it grew colder with each and every step.
"Do not try to endure it too forcefully."
"It is still bearable."
The phrase 'freezing one's lungs' was probably meant for times like this.
It wasn't cold because of a harsh wind.
It felt as if they were approaching a place of extreme cold.
With one step, the space became colder, and the next step ahead was colder still; it changed drastically.
Shwiii.
The wind wasn't blowing, but a strange sound could be heard.
"Are you all right?"
From the halfway point, the Ice Palace Master checked Geom Mugeuk's condition with every step.
But Geom Mugeuk was fine.
He felt the cold, but it did not affect his body or lead to pain.
The Ice Palace Master worried that Geom Mugeuk might freeze solid while standing.
But Geom Mugeuk walked just fine.
In fact, he walked more vigorously than she did.
Shwiiiiii.
The wind did not blow, but the strange sound grew louder the more they walked.
The further they went, the more surprised the Ice Palace Master became.
If he did not have an Extreme Cold Body, it meant there was another Demonic Art that could withstand this cold.
'Did such a Demonic Art really exist?'
The cold intensified the further they went.
It was not a cold where water exposed to the air would freeze in an instant.
It was a cold that truly surpassed common sense and limits.
Neither Geom Mugeuk, who had consumed the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng, nor the Ice Palace Master, who was enduring with her unique inner energy, were in a position to talk.
The cold in that place was that immense.
At last, the two of them reached the end of the path.
There was a massive block of ice.
No, it was a massive wall of ice.
It was not ordinary ice.
As if it were the source of all the cold in the world, its chill was beyond words.
In other words, the two of them had walked toward the source of this world's cold.
And surprisingly, there was a door in that ice wall.
It was astonishing to think that someone had thought to carve out a space here.
The Ice Palace Master opened the door and went inside.
Geom Mugeuk followed her in.
The moment the Ice Palace Master closed the door, silence fell.
The strange sound that had been ringing in his ears completely vanished, and at the same time, the insane cold disappeared as if it were a lie.
Inside, it was not that cold.
It felt like entering a house made of ice.
In fact, he even had a premonition that the cold would lessen the further they went toward the center.
They could talk now, but the Ice Palace Master stared at Geom Mugeuk in silence for a long time.
Finally, she confirmed again.
"Do you have an Extreme Cold Body and you deceived me?"
"I will say it again, I do not have an Extreme Cold Body."
"Then do you have a Demonic Art that can withstand the cold?"
"No. No Demonic Art of our Main Sect would be able to endure this cold."
She even began to wonder if the Young Cult Master knew the signature martial arts passed down only to the Ice Palace Master.
"Is there not one way to withstand any cold? I am talking about the legend passed down in the Northern Sea."
The Ice Palace Master, who had been dazed for a moment, recalled a certain fact.
"Don't tell me? You?"
Geom Mugeuk told her honestly.
He did not want to leave any lingering doubts in her mind by being evasive.
"Yes, I have consumed the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng."
Geom Mugeuk confirmed it.
Just how wide the Ice Palace Master's eyes could get when she opened them to their fullest.
The Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng was an elixir passed down like a legend.
It was the greatest of elixirs with the effect of making one resistant to the cold, and it allowed one to comfortably accept not just cold, but any energy of a cold attribute.
"Did the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng truly exist?"
Even the Ice Palace Master considered it a legendary elixir.
A mystery that existed but did not exist.
"I was lucky and the opportunity came to me."
The Ice Palace Master shook her head firmly.
"The Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng is not something that can be obtained through luck alone."
If that were the case, the Spirit Fruit would not have been passed down as a legend.
The person who obtained it is the Young Cult Master of the Demon Sect?
And yet, that Young Cult Master saved the Ice Palace.
Was this a coincidence? The hidden forces were after the Ice Palace’s secret treasure vault, but was it a coincidence that he came here with the very Young Cult Master who eliminated those forces? Was all of this just a coincidence?
Or were they standing face to face like this within the inevitable flow of destiny?
"Let us go inside."
They slowly walked down a corridor made of ice.
At the end of the corridor was a large space, and that was the Ice Palace’s secret treasure vault.
The walls, ceiling, floor, and even the display cases—everything visible was made of ice.
This vault was different from others.
Surprisingly, all the treasures were encased in ice.
As if packaged in blocks of ice, they were frozen in various sizes.
The ice was incredibly transparent.
Because of that, the weapons stacked inside the ice looked as if they were floating in mid-air.
Geom Mugeuk had never seen such a mysterious sight.
"It is truly magnificent."
The Ice Palace Master smiled.
"It cannot be easily melted even with considerable Extreme Yang Energy."
It was difficult to even get here, but even if one did, it would not be easy to retrieve the treasures from within the ice.
She was curious about what Geom Mugeuk would want from this place.
Geom Mugeuk pointed to a sword among the treasures stacked in front of them, encased in ice, and spoke.
"Is that sword by any chance the Heaven Freezing Divine Sword?"
"It is."
It was a legendary sword known to double in power when used by someone who had mastered Ice Arts.
"And the one next to it is the Shattering Blade."
"You truly have an excellent eye for weaponry."
Not only that, but many other Divine Weapons were stored there.
They were things the Northern Sea Ice Palace had collected over long years.
Nevertheless, the Ice Palace Master could sense it.
'He will not choose a sword.'
Although he had not drawn the Black Demon Sword in front of her, she could feel that the sword Geom Mugeuk wore was better than any sword here.
Indeed, Geom Mugeuk was surprised and admired each weapon, but he did not choose any of them.
Next to them, jewels floated in the air.
Encased in small pieces of ice, the jewels looked even more mystical.
Among the jewels were some that were truly expensive.
Jewels that made the highest-grade Poison-Resistant Bead and Night Light Pearls floating beside them look shabby.
But Geom Mugeuk passed by them as well.
Of course, he walked slowly, just in case the Secret Vessel might react.
So far, the two orbs the Secret Vessel had obtained had not been among precious things.
They were abandoned and hidden.
So, as a twist, he had hoped one might be proudly displayed among these precious jewels, but the Secret Vessel did not react at all.
How nice would it be if it were proudly placed at the very top of these treasures?
Next was a place where elixirs were displayed.
It was filled with elixirs that were hard to obtain even with money.
Even the least effective among them were precious things that martial artists would wish to consume even in their dreams.
Geom Mugeuk passed that place as well.
Instead, to avoid giving the impression that he was looking for something specific, he examined various things closely.
"Is there nothing you want?"
"I intend to choose something if my heart is drawn to it, but there has been nothing yet."
He looked around the areas where weapons, elixirs, and all sorts of artifacts were displayed, but the Secret Vessel did not react.
'Is there nothing in the Northern Sea Ice Palace for the Secret Vessel to absorb?'
He thought it might not be reacting because it was inside the ice.
But there was nothing he could do about that.
Everything here was inside ice.
He could not ask her to melt it all.
Just as he was about to give up, Geom Mugeuk's eyes caught sight of a large mural painted on a distant wall.
It depicted a white dragon ascending, so large it was visible even from a distance.
Geom Mugeuk walked toward it.
And when he got near the mural, the Secret Vessel in his robe reacted.
Geom Mugeuk was startled.
He had not expected the Secret Vessel to react to a mural.
Looking closely, he could see why.
The mural was not just a painting.
In the spot where the white dragon held the dragon’s pearl, a blue jade was embedded, and in its eyes, red jades were embedded.
That was not all.
Jades of various colors were embedded in its claws and all over its body.
And among those various jades, there was also a white jade.
The Secret Vessel was reacting to it.
'It's the white one!'
If he hadn't come over to look at the mural, he would never have found it.
Who on earth hid these things like this, and why?
It was something he could not know now.
Since it had come to him through fate like this, he could only hope that the day he found out would come.
Geom Mugeuk said to her.
"May I choose one of the jades embedded in that mural?"
Naturally, the Ice Palace Master was surprised.
She probably never expected him to ask for a jade embedded in the mural.
"Do you want the dragon's pearl?"
"No."
What Geom Mugeuk pointed to was the white jade embedded at the tip of the tail.
"Please give me that tail."
Although the white jade was precious, it could not compare to the treasures they had seen earlier.
"May I ask why you want that one in particular?"
"In our Main Sect, people have often used metaphors for me, like a hidden dragon or an ascending dragon. However, I have always wanted to live as the tail. I want to have that white jade so I do not forget that feeling."
The Ice Palace Master still had a look of incomprehension.
She leaped up, plucked the white jade embedded in the wall, and came back down.
No matter how she looked at it, it was just a white jade.
"Will this really be enough?"
"Yes, it is more than enough. And just looking around the Ice Palace’s secret treasure vault was a priceless experience for me."
Geom Mugeuk received the white jade and carefully tucked it into his robe.
Because she did not know the meaning of the white jade, the Ice Palace Master misunderstood.
'He does not want to impose on me.'
If so, she could not send him off just like this.
The Ice Palace Master said something unexpected.
"It is not enough for me."
If he hadn't come, that would be one thing, but now that he was here, she could not send away the one who saved the Ice Palace with just a single white jade.
The Ice Palace Master went to where the elixirs were.
Using her energy, she brought down the block of ice at the very top of the stacked elixirs.
"In any case, you are the only one who can consume it."
As the Ice Palace Master's inner energy was infused, the ice melted, revealing a small orb.
At a glance, it looked like ice frozen into the shape of an orb, but this was the greatest elixir of the Northern Sea.
Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Crystal.
Among elixirs with a cold attribute, it was the best, but because it possessed such an extreme energy, it was known that only someone who had consumed the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng could take it.
"Am I allowed to receive something this precious?"
"If you do not eat it, it will remain frozen here forever."
Geom Mugeuk already possessed more inner energy than anyone in the Martial World, but he was still thirsty for more.
Mastering the Nine Calamities Demon Art required a lot of inner energy, and on top of that, he had to train it using the Heavenly Time Secret Art within the Space-Time Displacement Art.
To Geom Mugeuk, inner energy was time.
To him, inner energy was the power to protect everyone.
"Hurry and take it."
"Then I will no longer refuse and accept it with gratitude."
Geom Mugeuk consumed the Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Crystal right on the spot.
It was a truly cold energy.
If his body had not been in a state to withstand any cold thanks to the effect of the Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng, his entire body would have frozen solid the moment he swallowed it, killing him.
No, he would not have been able to swallow it in the first place.
The immense energy of the Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Crystal raged through Geom Mugeuk's meridians.
It raged like a mad north wind, but its opponent was a body that had already braved even madder winds.
After carefully controlling his energy a few times, the energy of the Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Crystal gathered in his energy core and became pure inner energy.
Until now, he had vaguely thought he might have the most inner energy in the Martial World, but now he could be certain.
That his inner energy was the greatest.
He was not happy because he had more inner energy.
He was happy because he could raise his mastery of the Heavenly Time Secret Art and the Nine Calamities Demon Art even a little bit faster.
Today was a series of surprises for the Ice Palace Master.
She had not known he could absorb the Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Crystal so quickly.
Because of that, she could decide on a third favor even more easily.
"Choose one more."
"This is more than enough."
"I have three reasons for giving you three gifts."
"What reasons are they?"
"The first is a reward for uncovering the truth of the brewer's death and eliminating the ones behind it."
Yes, he understood that much.
He was the benefactor who had saved the Ice Palace.
"The second is for making me look back."
Geom Mugeuk could tell.
It was because he had told her that her daughter was still standing behind her.
It was out of gratitude for reconnecting the relationship with her daughter that she might have lost forever.
"The third is a gift given in advance."
"What do you mean?"
"You will understand someday. What that means."
It was an investment for her daughter.
When Han Seol became the Ice Palace Master, this Geom Mugeuk would have become the Heavenly Demon.
She was asking a favor in advance.
To please take care of the Northern Sea Ice Palace, and her daughter, in the future.
If that request came with a single treasure, it was a cheap price to pay.
Geom Mugeuk guessed her thoughts.
That was why he accepted her feelings for her daughter.
"Then I will choose one more."
Geom Mugeuk looked around the place once more.
Since this one was not a gift for himself, he chose more carefully.
"Then for the last one, I will take this."
What Geom Mugeuk chose was a wine cup.