Chapter 121: Chapter 121
“Jianghu Martial Arts Rankings?”
A hollow laugh escaped him in disbelief.
The number of martial arts existing in the world was so vast it could not be counted.
And they divided that into rankings?
It was an absurd matter.
“Bi Ma wrote something weird as well.”
Cheon-hwi clicked his tongue as he spoke.
However, unlike his words, his gaze was not falling away from the book.
It was because he was curious on one hand.
Just how on earth they ranked them.
‘Should I take a look anyway. It’s not like Bi Ma would have left it here for no reason.’
Reaching out his hand, he opened the book.
And at that moment.
“Hm?”
Cheon-hwi’s brow narrowed.
Written on the first page was the author’s name.
However, it was a name he had never seen before in his life, neither Bi Ma nor the Shadowless Divine Thief.
“It wasn’t written by Bi Ma?”
Frowning, Cheon-hwi read the name aloud.
“Gongmang?”
A hollow laugh came out.
‘Empty and ruined,’ he thought.
At the untrustworthy name, Cheon-hwi considered closing the book, but he shook his head.
‘Still, seeing that Bi Ma left it here, there must be something.’
He lifted the book and turned to the next page.
And at that moment.
“…….”
The smile lingering on Cheon-hwi’s lips completely disappeared.
Instead, he focused his mind and carefully read the book.
The content written inside was exactly as the title stated: the Jianghu Martial Arts Rankings itself.
Two Great Hand Arts of the Black Path.
Buddhist Three Heaven Beyond Heaven Lineages.
Orthodox Eight Great Sword Arts.
Evil Path Two Great Ultimate Arts.
In addition to these, Confucian, Daoist, etc.
Regardless of Orthodox, Evil, or Demonic, they were divided and ranked according to the nature of each martial art.
At that time.
“Hm?”
Cheon-hwi’s hand, which was turning the pages, stopped.
It was because a very familiar martial art had appeared in the book.
“Purple Cloud Divine Art?”
The Purple Cloud Divine Art was written in the fourth place of the White Path Five Great Divine Arts.
‘It makes sense.’
He recalled the spar with the Sect Leader.
Although its power was weak because the Sect Leader’s martial prowess was still low, the Purple Cloud Divine Art showed surprising divine might and power.
‘If this is in fourth place…….’
Harboring anticipation for what could possibly be higher than the Purple Cloud Divine Art, he read the next part.
And the moment he saw it, he was convinced.
‘There were these.’
First place was the Bodhidharma Muscle-Altering Classic, which was said to have been perfected only by the legendary Grandmaster Bodhidharma.
Second place was the Taiji Divine Art, created by Zhang Sanfeng, and similarly perfected only by him.
Third place was the Heaven Centering Classic of the legendary monk, Great Dharma Master Heavenly Dragon.
They were all divine arts that would make one click their tongue in amazement.
Then, upon confirming the martial art written in the final fifth place, Cheon-hwi tilted his head.
‘Lingering Intent Divine Art?’
Although he prided himself on having mastered countless martial arts, he had never even heard of a martial art called the Lingering Intent Divine Art.
‘Just what kind of martial art is it that it’s mentioned alongside those divine arts?’
Intrigued, Cheon-hwi carefully read the explanation about the Lingering Intent Divine Art.
It was a mental method with unique content, stating that after learning the two conflicting mental methods called the Lingering Intent Divine Art and the Heavenly Secret Divine Art, one would ultimately combine them into one to achieve an incarnation.
Drawn by the highly interesting method, Cheon-hwi calmly appreciated the text.
After reading about three pages of explanation in that manner, Cheon-hwi nodded.
If it was as the explanation stated, it was a divine art that did not fall short of the other White Path Five Great Divine Arts.
‘To think a divine art whose name I don’t even know existed.’
Interest settled in Cheon-hwi’s eyes.
At the same time, his gaze piercingly stared at the wide-open Jianghu Martial Arts Rankings.
‘Then there might be more martial arts I don’t know in here…….’
He quickly turned the book to the next page.
How long had he read like that.
“Hmm. The Lightning Dividing Hand certainly deserves to be in the Two Great Hand Arts of the Black Path. But rather than the Five Elements Slaying Art, the Black Shadow Seven-Point Hand is…….”
Before he knew it, deeply engrossed in the contents of the book, Cheon-hwi ended up reading while comparing his own thoughts with the Jianghu Martial Arts Rankings.
Tak.
Cheon-hwi closed the fully read book.
‘Learning about martial arts I didn’t know, this is nice.’
The gaze of Cheon-hwi, who was smiling with satisfaction, landed on the five wooden boxes.
“Inside those wooden boxes over there, there must be things comparable to this, right?”
Cheon-hwi’s eyes sparkled.
Soon, he opened the leftmost wooden box among the five neatly placed wooden boxes.
Click…
Subsequently, the moment he saw what was inside.
A hollow laugh burst out.
“He aimed for this.”
Why one wooden box had been in front.
And why he had put a strange, bizarre book called the Jianghu Martial Arts Rankings in there.
“Not bad, Bi Ma.”
Inside, there were three books.
And the titles of those books were all familiar.
It was because they were all secret manuals of three Buddhist qigongs, including the Buddhist Three Heaven Beyond Heaven Lineages that had been mentioned in the Jianghu Martial Arts Rankings.
Click…
He also opened the wooden box right next to it.
This time, four martial arts secret manuals were placed there.
Click, click.
It was the same for the wooden boxes next to them.
“Buddhist, Confucian, Immortal, and Mundane.”
Cheon-hwi’s eyes sparkled as he recited the nature of the secret manuals in the wooden boxes one by one.
“And Evil, huh.”
The corners of his mouth rose.
The collection of martial arts that Bi Ma had gathered while traveling all over the world was right here. At the thought of looking at them, his heart fluttered and he felt very good.
“Then starting with the Buddhist qigong first.”
* * *
The next day after Cheon-hwi entered the Heavenly Demon Reincarnation Path, the entrance to the secret cave was in the midst of a commotion.
“S-Sect Leader. What should we do about this.”
The Sect Leader of the Shadowless Sect shouted while looking at the disciple trembling beside him.
“Stay still! This isn’t a place for us to interfere.”
His voice shook.
‘Damn it!’
Hearing the rumor that the secret cave of the Shadowless Divine Thief, which had recently caused an uproar in Shanxi, had been discovered, he rushed to Mount Bang in a hurry.
However, he had struck out several times.
Only today did he manage to discover the entrance to the secret cave with difficulty and come inside, but.
The situation was desperate.
Not only had a large number of personnel already arrived.
In the center, two giant sects representing the Orthodox and Evil factions were confronting each other.
‘Why are Shaolin and the Sun Moon Sect here!’
The Shadowless Sect Leader bit his lip.
‘Damn it! The secret cave of the Shadowless Divine Thief belongs to our Shadowless Sect!’
The Shadowless Sect was a sect established by the Thousand Faced Thief, who had received brief teachings from the Shadowless Divine Thief in the past, and prided itself on continuing his true legacy.
Therefore, they had sufficient justification, but they couldn’t possibly assert it.
The head of the Nine Great Sects and One Gang, Shaolin Temple.
One of the pillars of the Five Imperial Sects, the Sun Moon Sect.
It was because he lacked the guts to raise his voice against those two.
“……For now, we fall back.”
He wanted to yell at everyone to get the hell out right this instant, but the only words that came out of his mouth were humiliating ones.
Around the time the disciples of the Shadowless Sect pressed closely to the edge.
“Step aside.”
A middle-aged man carrying a giant blade on his back parted the disciples of the Sun Moon Sect and stepped forward.
“Nice to meet you.”
Standing at the front, he smiled slyly while looking at the Luohan monks ahead.
“I am Song Yeong of the Sun Moon Sect.”
Instantly, the air in the secret cave sank.
“Bright Moon Blade!”
“A-An elder of the Sun Moon Sect came all the way here.”
“Gasp. Of all people, that guy…….”
The martial artists were terrified.
Although the Bright Moon Blade was an elder and master of the Sun Moon Sect, he was a figure widely rumored in the Jianghu for being a cruel person who showed no hesitation in his strikes.
‘They’re not budging.’
The Bright Moon Blade’s eyebrows twitched.
Unlike the other terrified martial artists, the Luohan monks didn’t waver in the slightest.
As he looked at them with coldly chilled eyes.
“Amitabha.”
A Buddhist chant rang out from among the Luohan monks.
Following that, an elderly monk slowly walked out from between the Luohan monks.
Seeing him, the Bright Moon Sword’s expression hardened.
“Shaolin has firmly drawn their sword. To think you came, Tathagata Divine Fist.”
Tathagata Divine Fist, Won-eum!
As a master who could be counted among the top ten in present-day Shaolin, he was a grandmaster of fist arts.
“T-Tathagata Divine Fist?”
“Why did someone like him come all the way here?”
The secret cave stirred greatly.
Just the Bright Moon Blade appearing was surprising enough, but this time it was the Tathagata Divine Fist.
At the appearance of masters who were hard to see even once in a lifetime, the martial artists who were not affiliated with Shaolin or the Sun Moon Sect chewed on their lips.
“……Was this not the day.”
“Damn it!”
They had endured even when Shaolin and the Sun Moon Sect appeared, but it was useless now.
Meanwhile, the Tathagata Divine Fist surveyed the surroundings.
His quickly moving gaze captured those who were stuck flat against the wall.
‘At this rate, they are in danger.’
Looking at the Bright Moon Blade, he proposed.
“How about a temporary truce?”
“A truce?”
“Wouldn’t it be better for everyone to enter the secret cave of the Shadowless Divine Thief together rather than shedding blood uselessly at the entrance?”
The Bright Moon Blade’s eyes widened.
Actually, he was also having the same thought as the Tathagata Divine Fist.
No matter if he had brought the Yellow Sun Squad members, one of their martial factions, the opponents were the Tathagata Divine Fist and the Luohan monks.
That they were difficult to deal with remained the same.
‘If we clash like this, it will result in mutual destruction.’
Besides, his objective was just one.
The single item the Sect Leader had told him to retrieve.
He only needed to seize the strangely shaped chakram whose name was unknown.
‘But this is fascinating.’
The Bright Moon Blade looked at the Tathagata Divine Fist.
‘To think Shaolin, which shudders at the mention of the Evil Path, would propose it first.’
It was surprising that Shaolin, famous for crushing evil and destroying demons, would request a truce first from them, who were of the Evil Path.
‘Or perhaps they have some hidden agenda.’
Opening his eyes sharply while looking at the Tathagata Divine Fist, the Bright Moon Blade accepted the proposal.
“Good. I was just thinking the same thing. Even if we fought among ourselves here…….”
His gaze pierced through the surroundings.
“It would only have benefited others, after all.”
At those words, several people swallowed their breath.
And the Shadowless Sect Leader, who was one of them, gulped.
‘Damn it! I planned to sneak in and steal it while the two fought, but…….’
The clash between Shaolin and the Sun Moon Sect.
Planning to seize that opening to steal the item, the Shadowless Sect Leader bit his lip.
And watching that sight, the Bright Moon Blade gave a fishy smile as he spoke.
“Do you all agree as well?”
Everyone nodded.
No, they had no choice but to nod.
Since the two sects, Shaolin and the Sun Moon Sect, had decided to cooperate, didn’t they have to follow along?
Around the time the situation calmed down like that.
“Then I will take it as a truce.”
The Tathagata Divine Fist put his hands together in prayer and stepped back.
The Bright Moon Blade laughed pleasantly and looked at the martial artists, speaking as if he was doing them a favor.
“Is there anyone who wishes to go first?”
At the question, one of the vagabonds stepped forward.
“Is it really alright to go first?”
“Do as you please.”
The vagabond looked at the Bright Moon Blade with a suspicious expression, then turned his head.
Glancing at the Luohan monks lined up right next to him, he gulped.
‘No matter if it’s the Sun Moon Sect, as long as the Luohan monks are here…….’
With gleaming eyes, he opened his mouth.
“Then I will go first.”
“Good.”
The Bright Moon Blade refreshingly cleared the path.
The vagabond sneakily glanced at the Bright Moon Blade, thought this was his chance, and ran while unfolding the Three Talents Footwork.
When he had taken about two steps.
‘I discovered it first…….’
His thoughts were cut off.
To be exact, they had no choice but to be cut off.
Squelch!
Before anyone knew it, iron spikes that surged from the floor had completely pierced through his head.
“Gasp!”
“What is this!”
The martial artists covered their mouths.
The vagabond was dangling on the iron spikes like meat on a skewer, scattering brain matter and blood all over the place.
‘As expected, there was a trap.’
The Bright Moon Blade twisted the corner of his mouth.
Being the first to arrive here, he had discovered the bones of those who seemed to have fallen into a trap and intentionally cleared them away beforehand.
To find out what kind of trap it was, he let someone else step forward first.
And just as he thought, one of the greedy vagabonds had moved for him.
‘It triggered the moment the soles of his feet touched it.’
He recalled the situation from a moment ago.
At the moment the running guy’s foot touched the ground, the iron spikes reacted and shot up.
“T-To think there’s a trap!”
“Is this really a secret cave!”
Around the time everyone was in shock.
“……Greed brought about disaster.”
The Tathagata Divine Fist retrieved the corpse.
Having moved the corpse to a safe place, the Tathagata Divine Fist clenched his fist while looking at the trap.
“Amitabha.”
Along with a low Buddhist chant, the Tathagata Divine Fist thrust his fist out.
At that moment, a massive fist wind raged.
Kwaaang!
The floor where the iron spikes were located exploded.
And belatedly.
Ting, ting.
On the floor that had become a mess, the shattered iron spikes bounced up.
“T-That is!”
The Shadowless Sect Leader looked on in shock.
Shaolin’s fist that could destroy such a solid trap from this far of a distance.
There was only one such thing.
“H-Hundred Steps Divine Fist?!”
“Gasp! That is the Hundred Steps Divine Fist?”
When the martial artists were looking in shock, the person in question, the Tathagata Divine Fist, stepped toward the destroyed trap and opened his mouth.
“Everyone, follow me carefully.”
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