Chapter 122: Chapter 122
Half a day later, the group led by the Tathagata Divine Fist and the Bright Moon Blade arrived at the iron gate.
“Finally…….”
“Have we arrived?”
Those who had passed through the traps in the Shadowless Divine Thief’s secret cave spoke in exhausted voices.
Their appearances did not look good at all either.
Clothes torn here and there.
Sparsely visible wounds.
All were things obtained while passing through the traps.
“Haa. It’s not a trap, right?”
One of the wanderers spoke in a small voice.
And understandably so, was it only one or two?
Iron spikes shooting up from the floor.
Iron maces suddenly popping out.
A giant axe swinging left and right.
Hidden weapons pouring in from all directions.
Everyone who was about to excitedly run toward the iron gate stopped at the wanderer’s words.
They observed the surroundings of the iron gate.
Just the number of people who had already died numbered over several dozens.
No matter if they had the Tathagata Divine Fist and the Bright Moon Blade, they were not grave robbers.
Of course, they had smashed a few traps with strength, but it had not been easy.
Especially the fourth trap!
In that place, even if the Tathagata Divine Fist cleared the path ahead, in the end, if one could not avoid the hidden weapons, they had no choice but to die.
“……It doesn’t seem like a trap.”
“You never know.”
They doubted and doubted.
If they were to die after barely making it here, how unfair would that be.
At that time.
“Go and take a look.”
When the Bright Moon Blade ordered his subordinates.
Swish…
A member of the Yellow Sun Squad moved.
Soon, he approached the iron gate, touched something, and sent a hand signal indicating there was nothing wrong.
“It seems there are no traps.”
The Bright Moon Blade immediately approached the iron gate.
Since they were close to arrival, there was no need to walk on eggshells around the Tathagata Divine Fist and the Arhat Monks.
From now on, they had to hurry.
“Heup!”
However.
No matter how much strength he exerted to open the door, the iron gate didn’t budge at all.
“Squad Leader.”
“We will also…….”
The Yellow Sun Squad members urgently clung to it, but.
“No, it’s useless.”
At those words, they immediately took their hands off and stepped back.
“This humble monk will try.”
As if taking his turn, the Tathagata Divine Fist approached and pushed the iron gate with all his might.
His veins bulged on his head from how much strength he was exerting.
However.
“…….”
As expected, the iron gate didn’t budge.
“It seems there is a separate way to open it.”
“Do you know?”
“I do not know.”
The two furrowed their brows.
The destination they had barely reached.
However, they could not enter.
“We can’t just keep waiting.”
The Bright Moon Blade drew the giant blade from his back.
Srrng!
At that moment, everyone could understand why he had obtained the title of the Bright Moon Blade.
As he raised his inner qi, the greatly curved giant blade spewed light like a new moon in the middle of the night.
“I have no choice but to break it.”
Holding the giant blade high, he struck down.
Hwuuung!
In an instant, along with a surging sword wind, a sharp blade light crashed into the iron gate.
Kigigigigik!
Sparks flew and a hair-raising sound spread.
While struggling with strength like that for a long while.
Teo-eong!
The Bright Moon Blade was bounced backward.
“……Was it not ordinary iron?”
His eyebrows furrowed.
He had executed the Bright Moon Blade Art laden with inner qi, yet he couldn’t even make a single scratch.
At that time, a wind surged from the side.
Teo-eo-eong!
Following that, something that crashed heavily into the iron gate vanished in an instant.
Turning his head, the expression of the Tathagata Divine Fist, who had thrown a punch, was stiff.
“Amitabha.”
He shed cold sweat.
He had executed the Hundred Steps Divine Fist to the extreme, but there wasn’t a single scratch on the iron gate.
“……Do we need to figure out a method?”
“It is complicated.”
Meanwhile, the Shadowless Sect Leader’s eyes shone.
‘It’s the door my master told me about once!’
He stealthily observed his surroundings.
‘They aren’t people who will just leave.’
It seemed absurd that Shaolin and the Sun and Moon Sect would leave this place.
If so, there was only one method left.
The Shadowless Sect Leader approached the two.
“I know the method.”
The Bright Moon Blade’s eyes shone.
“You know?”
“That’s right.”
“How do you know?”
As the Bright Moon Blade looked with eyes full of suspicion, the Shadowless Sect Leader spoke quietly.
“The founding patriarch of our sect was a disciple of the Shadowless Divine Thief.”
The Tathagata Divine Fist’s eyes widened.
“Hoho. So you were the Sect Leader of the Shadowless Sect.”
“Do you know of it?”
“Hohoho. I heard that the Shadowless Sect’s Shadowless Footwork is truly absolute.”
Not expecting the Tathagata Divine Fist to recognize it, the Shadowless Sect Leader’s lips twitched.
“Ahem.”
“I was worried since you haven’t been active in Jianghu since a hundred years ago. Fortunately, you have still been maintaining your lineage.”
The Shadowless Sect Leader’s expression darkened.
“……There was a reason for that.”
The Tathagata Divine Fist was curious about why, but he first asked about what was urgent.
“More importantly, does the Sect Leader stepping forward like this mean you will open the iron gate yourself?”
“If you make one promise for me…….”
“Are you trying to make a deal with me now?”
The Bright Moon Blade exploded with killing intent.
“I-I want a fair price.”
Under the terrible killing intent, the Shadowless Sect Leader shed cold sweat and barely opened his lips.
“If…… not, I won’t open the iron gate.”
“Even in death you’ll babble…….”
“I am the only one in the world who can open this.”
As he spoke firmly, the Tathagata Divine Fist scattered the killing intent directed at the Shadowless Sect Leader and intervened between the two.
“They said the Shadowless Sect Leader never submits, and those words are exactly right.”
“You overpraise me.”
The Tathagata Divine Fist asked quietly.
“What kind of promise is it?”
“Hand over the Shadowless Divine Thief’s secret manual to me.”
“Understood.”
When the Tathagata Divine Fist unexpectedly and refreshingly accepted the proposal, the Shadowless Sect Leader’s eyes widened.
“……Really?”
“Why would one who has set his mind on the Buddhist path tell a lie?”
As he spoke, the Tathagata Divine Fist looked at the Bright Moon Blade.
“What will you do?”
The Bright Moon Blade looked at the Shadowless Sect Leader, who requested a deal, with extreme displeasure, but.
“I will do so.”
The foremost objective was the bizarre moon wheel of unknown name that the Sect Leader wanted.
‘And even if he takes the secret manual, he won’t be able to leave as he pleases.’
However, the Shadowless Sect Leader had already read the Bright Moon Blade’s thoughts and looked at the Tathagata Divine Fist.
‘I just need to go outside under the protection of the Tathagata Divine Fist.’
With the Shadowless Footwork, he was confident he could escape no matter if it was the Bright Moon Blade.
The Shadowless Sect Leader approached the iron gate.
“Then I will open it.”
Then, after touching it a few times, soon.
Clank!
The iron gate began to open.
“With just something like that…….”
“Was it a mechanism array?”
As the door opened with just a few flicks of the hand, making all the effort they had put in seem powerless, the Bright Moon Blade looked on in dejection.
But only for a moment.
As the inside of the iron gate became visible, his expression began to gradually stiffen.
No, it wasn’t just him.
Everyone’s gazes froze coldly.
The inside was chilly with cold air.
Some of the statues inside the secret cave were completely smashed, and there were things like sharp sword marks on the walls everywhere.
Moreover, the wooden box was lying on the floor with its mouth wide open.
“……How did this happen?”
* * *
Tak.
Cheon-hwi closed the last martial arts manual and moved his stiff neck left and right.
“Hmm. Good.”
He was quite satisfied.
The martial arts manuals organized by Bi Ma were all worthy of being called absolute arts of the world.
‘They are indeed worthy of all being in the rankings.’
If there was a regrettable point.
“There are fewer martial arts manuals than I thought.”
There were exactly twelve martial arts manuals inside the wooden box. And most of them were ones he already knew.
“If I hadn’t discovered these three books, it wouldn’t even reach twenty books…….”
Cheon-hwi looked down at the three martial arts manuals.
Heavenly Net Soul Locking Scripture.
Black Sword Continuous Ten Forms.
Heaven Beyond Heaven Demonic Scripture.
‘The Heavenly Net Soul Locking Scripture seems to be the original form of the martial art utilizing hidden threads that the Black Sand Courtyard used, and the Black Sword Continuous Ten Forms is practical.’
The two secret manuals were martial arts of the Imperial Family.
And the remaining one.
‘The Demonic Brain would have coveted this.’
Cheon-hwi looked at the Heaven Beyond Heaven Demonic Scripture.
The book itself was unusual.
The Heaven Beyond Heaven Demonic Scripture, made of human skin, had several terrible demonic path secret transmissions written inside instead of demonic arts.
‘Did he leave it intentionally for the Demonic Brain?’
Cheon-hwi chuckled.
Bi Ma and the Demonic Brain had an ill-fated relationship, but they still acknowledged each other’s skills.
“But it’s ambiguous.”
Cheon-hwi stroked his chin.
All the martial arts manuals were outstanding, but.
“I can’t execute them.”
Most of them were martial arts of sects that were still openly active even now.
It would have been different if it was his past life, but as long as he was currently a Daoist of the Mount Hua Sect, he couldn’t execute them.
Of course, there were also fine martial arts secret manuals.
For instance, the Severing Prison Total Annihilation Art of the now-destroyed Quanzhen Sect, or the Immovable Heart Mantra that now had no owner.
However, he wasn’t particularly drawn to them.
“I’d rather learn other martial arts instead.”
Cheon-hwi, who had already mastered all kinds of martial arts, knew of martial arts superior to those.
‘The one that is at least worth learning is this.’
Cheon-hwi’s eyes were fixed on one place.
The only martial arts manual that was not categorized into the five classes.
That was none other than Bi Ma’s martial arts manual.
‘Flying Heaven Footwork…….’
A chuckle leaked out.
“It’s a footwork art fitting of Bi Ma.”
Perhaps because he had not neglected his martial arts training his entire life, Bi Ma had created a footwork art.
A footwork art that displayed the best efficiency with little inner qi.
And it was a footwork art perfectly suited for Cheon-hwi, who currently lacked inner qi compared to his past life.
“Besides, it’s not a demonic art either.”
Was it because Bi Ma used to be the Sect Leader of the Flying Dragon Sect before devoting himself to the Heavenly Demon Cult?
Right now, this Flying Heaven Footwork didn’t feel like a demonic art.
Rather, it was so neat that it gave off a strong feeling of his sect, the Flying Dragon Sect.
‘He might not have aimed for it, but it’s a footwork art perfectly suited for me right now.’
“Tsk.”
Cheon-hwi scratched his head.
‘It seems quite some time has passed.’
He couldn’t figure out how much time had passed at all because he had been continuously reading the martial arts manuals.
“Have I seen everything I need to see now.”
Cheon-hwi looked around.
The inside of the room was a good place with martial arts manuals and a place to rest, but there was just one thing.
There was no food.
To be exact, there were Fasting Pills that Bi Ma had prepared in the past, but they had completely rotted away as a long time had already passed.
‘Bi Ma probably didn’t know that I would only arrive after three hundred years had passed.’
Cheon-hwi, who was glancing at the stone chest that had contained the Fasting Pills, raised his body.
“Then should I go outside and fill my stomach a bit.”
He calmly adjusted his clothes.
After that, he tied the two swords he had placed next to him to his waist, finishing his preparations to leave.
“Then before I leave…….”
Cheon-hwi’s eyes shone, and he reached out his hand to the wooden box where he had put the martial arts manuals back.
And then, he sparked the True Fire of Samadhi.
Fwoosh!
As the books and wooden box burned, dense smoke rose up and obscured his vision.
“Shall I go now.”
There was no meaning to this place anymore.
Since he had stored the martial arts manuals in his head, and he had packed the demonic sword prepared by Bi Ma on his waist.
Srrng-
Cheon-hwi drew the demonic sword without delay.
Hwaaak!
The demonic sword that slipped out of its scabbard spewed out demonic qi as if it had been constantly waiting.
Cheon-hwi, engulfed by the demonic qi, grinned.
“It would be better if the end is fiery, right?”
Cheon-hwi’s eyes half-closed.
At the same time, as he flowed the energy of the unfolded Absolute Reigning Art into the demonic sword.
… Wuuuung!
The demonic sword trembled with pleasure.
This intense energy!
Absolute momentum!
When the demonic sword was about to get intoxicated by the wave of indescribably intense energy.
“Watch closely, Bi Ma.”
Cheon-hwi slowly raised the sword.
At the same time, a terribly cold light shone from his eyes, and soon an indescribable momentum erupted from the demonic sword.
“The sword that led you to the Cult.”
At that moment, the world split in half.
Jjeojeojeok!
Those who were looking at the empty secret cave of the Shadowless Divine Thief with vain gazes were flustered when the wall suddenly cracked.
“E-Earthquake?”
As the wall with complex patterns drawn on it split wide open in half.
Step… Step…
A figure walked out from inside.
Uniquely, it was a handsome young man with a sharp impression who wore two swords on his side.
“A person?”
“Why is there a person from there?”
Everyone burst out in bewilderment.
It was a natural matter since a person appeared from a split wall.
Meanwhile, the handsome young man scratched his head, looked around, and opened his mouth.
“Does anyone have anything to eat?”
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