Chapter 199

Chapter 199
## Chapter 199

### Chapter Title: Catch the Phoenix (1)

—

“Hm.”

During the initial break of day, as he moved solitary through the courtyard where the rain had recently ceased, Family Head Ak Gung inhaled a deep lungful of air.

The subtle, damp aroma brushing against his nose was delightful, as was the crisp emerald of the budding grass and the intense green of the trees heavy with dew.

It was a minor pity that shadows still clung to the earth, preventing him from witnessing the terrain illuminated by the sun, but there was a distinct peace in being the sole person awake while the rest of existence remained in slumber.

Advancing years had robbed him of the talent for sleeping late, though dawns like this—waking with the first light—were still infrequent. However, ever since the North Sea Ice Palace had devastated Hebei and moved to intimidate Shaolin Temple, and the Blood Cult had initiated its raids on the martial circles of Shandong, he had not experienced a single night of profound rest. The time he finally found sleep grew later each evening, and the time he woke arrived earlier still.

Ak Gung’s calm stroll through the greenery came to a standstill.

He stroked a jujube tree that stood solitary in the corner, appearing out of place among the more decorative garden plants.

Only a few seasons prior, its foliage had been thick and its branches heavy with fruit, but lately, withered wood was common, and it produced almost no jujube at all.

“It seems you don’t have much time remaining either, much like this old man.”

Ak Gung offered a bittersweet smirk.

He thought back to his tenth year, when his grandfather had presented him with a tiny jujube seedling because of his fondness for them. The flavor of the very first fruit it produced—tucked away in a garden corner and nurtured with diligent care—remained sharp in his mind.

“Even so, let us hold on. Even if the end is near, we must show them the capability of a veteran in his fading years, shouldn’t we?”

With a soft laugh, Ak Gung snatched a couple of unripened jujubes from the branches and put them in his mouth. They tasted of raw bitterness instead of sugar, yet he did not cast them out.

Boom!

A soft rumble of thunder rolled through the air.

Ak Gung’s eyes, which had darted toward the clouds in an instant, slowly drifted back down.

Boom!

The thunder sounded once more.

Ak Gung’s eyes narrowed slightly in sudden realization.

That was not the sound of the sky!

Ak Gung’s expression turned freezing.

He sprinted back to his living quarters and reappeared wielding a lengthy spear.

By the moment he stepped into the open gripping the weapon, screams were already ringing out from every direction.

“The invaders!”

With a shout resembling a wounded predator, Ak Gung’s body propelled forward like a gust of wind.

“Kaaak!”

“Kuhuk!”

Retainers of the Ak Clan, barely having had time to dress, were falling in bloody piles amidst their final cries.

Guided by Buk Rihae, the combatants of the North Sea Ice Palace had demolished the Shandong Ak Clan’s front entrance in a single surge and flooded inside. They showed no leniency in their movements.

Structures near the primary gate began to collapse one after another, in a steady line.

Taken by surprise by the abrupt raid before they had even fully stirred from sleep, the Ak Clan retainers were defenseless. A very few noticed the incursion and attempted to resist, but they were quickly overwhelmed.

The North Sea Ice Palace’s relentless charge only slowed after three separate buildings had been leveled, every inhabitant within slaughtered.

Shweeeek!

A long spear sliced through the atmosphere with frightening velocity, impaling the torso of a man holding a crimson-stained blade as he stepped out from one of the halls.

“Guh!”

The warrior fell over with a parting shriek, a hole the size of a fist ripped through his ribs.

“Ho! At last, a competitor worth fighting reveals himself.”

Buk Rihae moved forward at the sight of his subordinate killed with a solitary strike.

The spear that had transfixed the man’s chest had already flown back to its owner’s grip.

Contorting his features like a wraith in the gloom, Buk Rihae shouted to Ak Gung.

“Who are you?”

“That is precisely what this old man ought to be asking you. Who are you people?”

“You shall discover that shortly.”

With that answer, Buk Rihae’s blade cut through the air.

Startled by the abrupt attack, Ak Gung quickly shifted out of the way and swung his spear in response.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Buk Rihae’s sword struck against Ak Gung’s long spear, creating echoing blasts.

Not a simple old man to deal with.

Though taken aback by Ak Gung’s proficiency far surpassing his assumptions, Buk Rihae maintained his pressure without pausing. Any mistake could result in his death.

As Buk Rihae and Ak Gung exchanged violent strikes, the Shandong Ak Clan—initially paralyzed by the North Sea Ice Palace’s surprise attack—finally organized its defenses.

Ak Clan masters from the inner residence began appearing one by one, compelling Buk Risong and Mo Gongjeong—who had been observing Buk Rihae’s duel—to enter the combat.

Mo Gongjeong dove in with enthusiasm, and after a short trade of three or four techniques, he struck down Elder Ak Chung of the Ak Clan. The Ak masters, discarding their dignity, immediately crowded him in a coordinated assault.

Mo Gongjeong’s martial skill was elite even within the North Sea. Some even argued he was more powerful than the Ice Palace Lord himself—such was his capability.

He did not lose his cool amidst the pressure from every side. If anything, those attacking him stumbled against his graceful transitions.

Ak Clan elders and protectors were individuals held in high regard everywhere. Yet even their united effort failed to seize the advantage. Quite the opposite—they struggled fruitlessly whenever Mo Gongjeong launched a counterstrike.

Buk Risong, certainly no amateur himself, systematically crushed his opponents with similar simplicity. Dealing with fewer foes than Mo Gongjeong, his skirmish concluded even more rapidly.

Woooom.

Buk Rihae’s face twisted in hopelessness at the sight of the violent qi rushing toward him.

The hand holding his sword was already mangled from their encounters, and though no direct strikes had connected yet, the grazing impacts had left him painted in injuries both large and small.

Most damaging of all were his internal traumas.

He had already coughed up blood on three occasions, and more continued to rise in his throat.

I shall not perish by myself.

Clenching his jaw, Buk Rihae extracted his final reserves of internal power and swung his blade.

Ak Gung’s face shifted.

Buk Rihae’s frantic countermove, fueled by a determination for a mutual death, turned out to be far more intense than he had envisioned.

Kwaaang!

The explosive roar and the shockwave from their direct clash cleared the immediate area.

Skin was torn, and blood sprayed.

Ak Gung’s beard, which extended down to his midsection, grew more crimson by the second, while Buk Rihae—trapped in the spinning vortex of the terrifyingly fast spear—faltered in rags.

His left shoulder was useless, the bone likely crushed; the gash on his left flank was so profound his internal organs were visible.

Even so, Buk Rihae would not back down.

He recognized all too clearly how dangerous his enemy was, but his ego would not allow retreat.

Sustained only by that ego, Buk Rihae held his ground. But Ak Gung’s spear became more precise and rapid.

It was then.

Feeling a sudden frost, Ak Gung pulled back the spear that was set to finish Buk Rihae and pivoted away in a hurry.

Blood splattered in the path his body turned.

Ak Gung ground his teeth at the stinging pain in his neck.

It had been a matter of millimeters. A moment slower, or if the foe’s blade had been slightly deeper, and he would have been killed.

“B-Brother!”

Buk Rihae glared at Buk Risong’s unexpected interference.

“I am sorry. I intended to let you finish it, but I had no other choice. It is better to swallow some pride than to watch a brother die.”

Buk Risong exhaled a sigh and looked toward Ak Gung.

“Buk Risong of the North Sea Ice Palace.”

“Ak Gung.”

“The Divine Spear! So it was you.”

Buk Rihae, his face distorted in lethal pain, looked up and shouted.

Ak Gung, the patriarch of the Shandong Ak Clan and the Divine Spear.

He might not have recognized the man, but the fame of the name had reached even the North Sea.

“An excellent opponent.”

Granting respect to Ak Gung’s prowess, Buk Rihae stepped back without delay.

“This area is finished.”

Buk Rido gave a serious nod at his subordinate’s update.

Even with the benefit of a surprise attack, their deaths surpassed their estimates.

Nearly half of the soldiers assigned to the Ak Clan raid were lying dead.

“Whew! Far too many deaths.”

“The information from the Blood Cult was incorrect. There were many more survivors than they claimed.”

“Yes, it appeared that way.”

“Their abilities were more honed than we thought as well. The first enemies were one thing, but those who showed up later had real power. If the Grand Elder hadn’t occupied the Ak veterans, our losses would have been much worse.”

“That is certain.”

Buk Rido nodded, his attention turning toward Mo Gongjeong who was walking over after his battle.

His messy appearance told the story of a fierce struggle: his hair was a chaotic tangle where it had always been perfectly smoothed back, his white robes were torn to shreds, and bloodstains were everywhere.

“Have you been hurt?”

Buk Rido inquired with worry.

“Just some minor cuts, nothing of consequence.”

“But…”

As Buk Rido gestured to the blood on his attire, Mo Gongjeong gave a sudden laugh.

“This isn’t mine, so do not fret. Those old fools fought like demons until the very end.”

Mo Gongjeong thought back to the Ak Clan elders who struggled until their final breath, even using the corpses of their allies to gain an advantage. Enemy or not, their stubbornness was worthy of admiration.

“Is this side finished as well?”

“Yes. There might be some fleeing, but they are nobodies not worth the hunt.”

“Then only one battle remains.”

“Indeed.”

The eyes of Buk Rido and Mo Gongjeong turned simultaneously.

Buk Risong took advantage of Ak Gung’s moment of instability.

This is the end.

His sword flickering like a bolt of lightning, he was certain that a massive force would soon vibrate through his grip.

The realization that he had fallen for a ruse hit him in a fraction of a second.

A terrifying vibe—and meeting Ak Gung’s cold, calculating eyes—Buk Risong realized he had stepped into a snare.

The redirected spear suddenly twisted and lunged.

Curses!

Regret always arrives too late, regardless of how fast one is.

Buk Risong bitterly hated his hurried confidence in success as he tried to adjust his sword.

Boom!

Ak Gung’s spear, backed by his full power, smashed Buk Risong’s sword into shards.

The relentless weapon still aimed for his windpipe.

A situation of absolute peril.

Buk Risong moved with all his strength to put space between them, but the fiercely rotating spear was faster and more lethal.

“Kaaak!”

Buk Risong let out a scream.

His left arm, caught by the spear’s path, disappeared from the shoulder entirely.

Ak Gung stabbed once more at the tumbling Buk Risong.

In that instant, Buk Rihae’s sword and Mo Gongjeong’s hurled blade flew in from a short distance away.

Discarding all thoughts of self-preservation, Ak Gung directed his final secret art at Buk Rihae who was obstructing his way. His instincts screamed about the weapon coming from his rear, but having fully analyzed the state of the battle, Ak Gung felt no need to stay alive.

His surviving retainers would seek their revenge.

For now, taking down the enemies in front of him was enough.

The strike meant for death sent Buk Rihae’s blade flying.

Buk Rihae moved in a panic, but the spear had already gone through his torso.

“Guh!”

Buk Rihae let out a cry.

Ak Gung’s spear had transfixed him.

As his consciousness began to dim, Buk Rihae thought of Buk Risong behind him. Instinct forced him to grab the spear—to stop it from taking his brother as well.

The spear’s progress through Buk Rihae’s chest came to a sudden halt.

Good…

Buk Rihae felt a sense of peace at having protected Buk Risong, his chin falling to his chest.

But speaking truthfully, it was not his own power that halted the weapon. Mo Gongjeong’s fast-moving blade had pierced Ak Gung’s back directly through his heart.

Ak Gung stumbled, holding the blade that stuck out from his front, and turned toward Mo Gongjeong who had thrown it.

“A pity. We could have had a legitimate duel.”

Mo Gongjeong, standing before him, showed sincere regret.

“Do not… fret… The genuine Divine Spear… will discover… you people…”

Ak Gung thought of his grandson, the successor to his greatest skill—the Ak Clan’s supreme art—and fell over lifelessly.

Ak Gung passed away, with tears of blood running down his face. Mo Gongjeong looked at him for a moment before speaking without emotion.

“Do not bet on it.”