Chapter 236: If the Root of All Things is the Same (3)
Nanhua Peak, Mount Emei.
The third-generation disciples were all summoned here, one of the training grounds of the Emei Sect.
Standing before the one hundred-odd nuns was Elder Geum-hye.
“The disciples whose names I just called will accompany me to Chang’an. After joining the disciples of other sects there, we will proceed to Luoyang. You will not participate in direct combat, but you will gain experience by performing auxiliary duties.”
The selected nuns could not hide their joy. It was only natural that their hearts fluttered at the rare opportunity to see the world.
However, their number did not exceed twenty. Those whose names were not called let out endless sighs of disappointment.
Among them, one nun had veins bulging on her forehead. Her expression was contorting, and a faint murderous intent began to seep from her.
The nearby nuns shrunk back in terror.
Spotting this, Elder Geum-hye shouted, “Hwa-ryeong, you insolent wretch! How dare you show such murderous intent here!”
“Why was I excluded? Answer me.”
As a mere third-generation disciple, she dared to glare directly at her elder. To make matters worse, she was talking back. Elder Geum-hye approached her, looking utterly dumbfounded.
She intended to slap her across the cheek, but she could not bring herself to do it.
The bloodshot, burning eyes of Hwa-ryeong seemed to convey a clear intent to kill her.
“Y-You dare…”
“Go ahead and strike me. I’ll let you.”
Hwa-ryeong took it a step further, stepping closer and raising her chin. Elder Geum-hye instinctively took a step back.
Although she was one of the top five experts of the Emei Sect, if the disciple before her, who had already reached the Flower Realm, decided to attack, she would be utterly humiliated. And judging by the look in Hwa-ryeong’s eyes, she was fully prepared to do so.
At that moment, a savior appeared to rescue Elder Geum-hye from her predicament.
“Your murderous intent is far too thick.”
Though spoken in a quiet voice, the majestic sound echoed as if it had been whispered right in their ears.
The lined-up nuns simultaneously pressed their palms together and spoke, “Greetings, Sect Leader.”
Sect Leader Geum-jeong spoke to the crowd with a bitter expression.
“Everyone except Hwa-ryeong, dismiss. And Junior Sister Geum-hye, take the children and set off immediately.”
“Understood, Sect Leader.”
The gathered disciples dispersed in an instant, like a retreating wave.
Soon, the surroundings fell silent, leaving the two facing each other.
“Do not be too resentful. I was the one who gave that order.”
“In what way am I lacking? Even my seniors are no match for me.”
Geum-jeong sighed, looking toward the distant mountains.
“You have obtained the power to command tens of thousands, yet you cannot even control yourself. Since you are not ready to face the world, study the Buddhist path and cultivate your mind.”
“Daoist Tae-heo of the Kongtong Sect told me that I am fully prepared.”
She was refusing to back down even a single inch, but that wasn’t the issue.
Sect Leader Geum-jeong suddenly sensed something strange in Hwa-ryeong’s words.
“I heard that Daoist Tae-heo has not returned to his sect for over half a year. And tracking his final movements, I heard he was last seen with you. What happened?”
“I do not know what you are talking about.”
“Do you truly know nothing? If you are hiding something, speak at once.”
“He mentioned he had somewhere to stop by, but I didn’t hear the details.”
Sect Leader Geum-jeong examined Hwa-ryeong’s face with suspicious eyes.
A moment later, she saw the girl smile faintly.
“I’m caught.”
A chill-inducing grin that sent goosebumps down her body. Instantly, Geum-jeong’s face contorted.
“It was you.”
Geum-jeong’s hand moved like a flash of lightning, drawing the sword from its sheath.
Though it happened in the blink of an eye, Hwa-ryeong had already lunged right into her chest. At the same time, her fist, dyed in a golden light, shot upward like an ascending golden dragon. It was the Flying Dragon in the Heavens, one of the stances of the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms.
But she was not the Sect Leader of Emei for nothing.
Her body slid backward like flowing water, dodging the strike.
The moment distance was established, Hwa-ryeong thrust her index finger forward. A flash of light erupted from her fingertip. It was Emei’s ultimate technique, the Buddha’s Light Single Finger.
A beam of light also shot from Geum-jeong’s left index finger, colliding in mid-air.
Boom—!
A fierce storm of qi swept over both Hwa-ryeong and Geum-jeong.
“You demon of a girl, you’ve finally…!”
Geum-jeong stepped back, warily scanning her surroundings.
A moment later, a small shadow burst through the golden veil of qi.
Seeing the tip of Hwa-ryeong’s sword drawing a Taiji pattern, Geum-jeong’s face darkened.
‘To have already mastered the Taiji Wisdom Sword… Is she truly the Star of Heavenly Slaughter?’
The Star of Heavenly Slaughter. A child born with an innate talent for martial arts coupled with intense murderous intent.
The Taiji Wisdom Sword, the pride of the Wudang Sect, was not a technique to be taken lightly.
Gritting her teeth, Geum-jeong countered with the supreme technique she could muster: the Buddhist Lion Sword. It was a sword technique passed down exclusively to the Sect Leader of Emei.
The crimson sword energy erupting from the tip of her blade lunged forward as if to pierce the Taiji diagram.
Clash!
“Khh!”
A groan escaped Geum-jeong’s lips.
She felt an excruciating pain as if her wrist were about to be severed at the moment of impact. Although she had blocked the stance, she had been overpowered in terms of internal energy.
This was the consequence of having fed Hwa-ryeong all kinds of spiritual medicines in accordance with the treaty made by the Nine Great Sects and the Beggars’ Sect.
But she had no time to dally. Before she could recover her stance, a colossal amount of qi rushed in from her right.
Geum-jeong hurriedly thrust out her left palm in a strike.
Clang—!
“Gah!”
Blood sprayed from her mouth.
The Kongtong Sect’s ultimate technique, the Boundless Mystery Palm. It was far too powerful to be blocked from an unstable stance.
Once her balance was lost, everything spiraled out of control.
A merciless barrage of consecutive strikes that gave her no room to breathe. It was an instinctive combat sense that only a natural-born fighter could possess.
Driven into a corner, Geum-jeong grew increasingly desperate. She tried to create distance by executing consecutive stances, but it was not easy.
Clang! Clang!
The two swords locked, emitting deafening metallic screeches.
How could she have anticipated that she, the head of the Emei Sect, would be pushed onto the defensive by a mere third-generation disciple? Without her veteran experience, it would have been impossible to even hold out.
And after another breath, Geum-jeong’s footing faltered, and she finally let a blow slip through.
Thud!
“…Khh.”
A warm sensation pierced her abdomen. Simultaneously, the strength in her entire body drained away.
Looking down, she saw a gaping wound through her stomach, wide enough for a fist to pass through.
Hwa-ryeong flicked a drop of blood from the tip of her sword and muttered, “You made a mistake, Sect Leader. I can control myself perfectly well. Just like this.”
“How could such a demon be born into this world…?”
Geum-jeong struggled to keep from collapsing, but it was clear she wouldn’t last long.
Sensing she was at the end of her life, she looked up at the summit of Mount Emei, wishing to take in one last view of the home where she had spent her entire life.
“Are you done talking?”
“…How futile. Since all of this began from my own greed, how can I blame heaven? However, your evil deeds will not last long.”
Hwa-ryeong slowly drew her sword back over her shoulder.
“It must be true that people talk more as they get older. Just like that old man from Kongtong.”
“You dare…”
Squish!
“I really love this feeling.”
Hwa-ryeong grabbed Geum-jeong’s rapidly cooling corpse and threw it over the cliff. Then, without looking back, she darted away.
***
The Cheongmun Tavern.
Located at the foot of Mount Emei, the tavern was unusually bustling today because a large group of young nuns had come down and taken over the tables.
“This is so delicious!”
“That’s why they say worldly food is scary. Once you get a taste for it, you can’t stop.”
“Hehe. To go to Chang’an, we have to pass through Hanzhong, right? I heard it’s a completely different world there.”
“I heard that too. Is it true that no one starves in the State of So?”
“They say there is so much delicious food. I want to go see it quickly.”
The tavern was filled with the lively chatter of the nuns.
As the noise grew louder, their guide, Elder Geum-hye, barked, “Maintain silence! How can those who study the Buddhist path behave so frivolously?”
The inside of the tavern fell silent in an instant. Just as the nuns shut their mouths and quietly resumed eating, the entrance of the tavern swung open, and an unwelcome guest entered. It was Hwa-ryeong, who had been causing a stir on Nanhua Peak of Mount Emei just moments ago.
Elder Geum-hye blinked in disbelief.
Amidst the silence, one of Hwa-ryeong’s usual companions asked in confusion, “Hwa-ryeong, what happened? How did you get here?”
“Yeah. The Sect Leader permitted it. She told me to go along too.”
The moment Hwa-ryeong finished speaking, Elder Geum-hye stood up abruptly. She could not hide the suspicion on her face.
“Before whom do you dare lie?”
Hwa-ryeong smiled brightly and held out something.
“Lying? The Sect Leader told me to deliver this to you.”
It was a crude jade plaque—the sacred token held by the Sect Leader of the Emei Sect.
“Are you saying she entrusted this to you?”
“Of course. How else would I have it?”
Entrusting this to a mere third-generation disciple was highly suspicious. She wanted to send Hwa-ryeong back immediately, but she could not simply ignore the sacred token.
Elder Geum-hye turned her head away, unable to bear even looking at Hwa-ryeong’s face.
Hwa-ryeong smiled indifferently and approached the table where her gang was gathered, muttering suggestively, “I’m hungry after using my strength for the first time in a while. Shall we order some more food?”
***
The basin at the summit of Mount Yangzhu.
Yeon Seo-hwa stood on the grass with one hand behind her back, reciting the martial manual.
“The light of the Buddha that awakens all living beings shall manifest for the first time to annihilate evil. The First Form of Buddha’s Palm, Buddha’s Light Appears!”
Standing before her and regulating her breathing, So-so reacted instinctively.
A colossal amount of internal energy gathered in her palm, heavy and deep like tidal waves.
A golden palm force erupted from her small hand, charging forward like a massive mountain.
Rumble—!
Where the palm force passed, a massive trench stretched out, as if a great serpent had burrowed through.
Gulp!
It was the sound of the Mountain Lord swallowing hard nearby. The beast sat meekly beside Seo-hwa, quietly blinking its eyes.
Stroking the Mountain Lord’s head, she continued to recite the mnemonics of the Buddha’s Palm. Every time she did, So-so’s body responded, unleashing terrifying palm force.
Each form was a martial art of unimaginable power.
After about thirty minutes, they reached the final form of the Buddha’s Palm. Since the ultimate technique consumed an extreme amount of physical strength, they had only practiced the motions so far; this was her first time actually executing it.
“All rivers flow into the sea and become one, so how can the roots of the world be different? Therefore, my palm is no different from the Buddha’s palm. The Ultimate Form of Buddha’s Palm, Myriad Buddhas Pay Homage to the Source!”
At Seo-hwa’s shout, So-so’s body shot up from the ground.
Her small frame soared constantly as if to pierce the clouds, before flipping and turning upside down in mid-air.
With a sharp shout, a colossal palm print descended from the sky like a heavenly punishment.
“Yap!”
The lightning-fast speed was such that one wouldn’t even dare to try and dodge it.
The Mountain Lord, who had been sitting and watching blankly, recoiled in shock and tried to flee, but it was a step too late.
Ka-boom—!
Heaven and earth shook, causing a landslide.
Due to the massive shockwave, the huge tiger lost its footing and was launched into the air.
Roar!
It was the cry of the Mountain Lord flailing in the air. Though not injured, it looked utterly terrified.
Even Yeon Seo-hwa, who had been caught off guard, stumbled and barely managed to steady herself.
“What kind of absurdly destructive martial art is this…?”
She was too dumbfounded to finish her sentence. As the thick dust cleared, So-so hopped down from the sky.
She then craned her neck to look at the massive, palm-shaped crater she had created.
“Mommy, a well has appeared here!”