Chapter 29: Shaolin Turbulent Night (1)
“What kind of guy do you think this is?”
He was someone who had launched an ambush out of nowhere. Since he was a complete stranger who swung a sword as soon as he saw us, he would have no right to complain even if he died.
“How should I know? Since someone turned him into a bloody pulp.”
Baek Mu-ho sneered.
Patting the back of his own head as if to show me.
Fussy guy.
It didn’t seem like a situation to exchange jokes. Should I beat him up a few more times?
“Come to think of it, I think Buddhist Monk Hye-won mentioned during the day that there are fellows like this.”
Reading the shift in my gaze, Baek Mu-ho subtly changed the subject.
Come to think of it, he did say something like that.
Didn’t he say there are those who secretly plot against us even now, although it wasn’t well known because it was blocked in advance?
“The unorthodox factions or the Demonic Cult?”
[The opening stance that opponent displayed just now was Minor Demon’s Sortie. It must be the Demonic Cult.]
Master Bodhidharma provided the answer.
Just like last time, he rarely told me anything when I was being ambushed, but once the situation ended, he told me this and that.
If it was Master Bodhidharma, he must have known beforehand that someone would launch an ambush.
Was it a sort of policy that he didn’t readily tell me in advance even though he knew?
Or some kind of heavenly rule?
Well, I had often thought that such a thing might exist.
Seeing the terrestrial world go to ruin like this, why did the great existences of heaven, who actually existed, just stand by and watch?
Thinking about that aspect, it seemed those great existences of heaven also had some restrictions.
If giving me direct advice violated that, it would make sense. Master Zhang Sanfeng also never gave direct advice, with only one exception.
In any case, this was a troublesome matter.
“The Demonic Cult… How strange. Since Mount Song is far from the west, which is their home territory.”
The north and east were where the orthodox factions exerted great influence, the south was for the unorthodox factions, and the west was where the Demonic Cult held major influence.
If it was Henan where Mount Song was located, it would have been more reasonable to view it as a move by the unorthodox factions, but contrary to thoughts, their identity was the Demonic Cult.
“Why are you suddenly so sure it’s the Demonic Cult?”
Baek Mu-ho also asked, finding it puzzling.
But how should I explain this?
If I said Master Bodhidharma told me in my head, he would punch me in the jaw telling me to snap out of it.
Filled with retaliatory malice rather than goodwill.
Saying that I recognized the martial art the opponent displayed was also problematic.
In the end, there was only one answer.
“Intuition.”
“In-tui-ton?”
His tone was that of someone who had caught a perfect loophole.
But it seemed we did not have the leisure to indulge that right now.
“I’m sure my gut feeling is correct. What does your intuition say?”
Snap!
“Those Demonic Cult bastards have no manners.”
At the question asked while cracking my knuckles, Baek Mu-ho meekly agreed.
Let’s leave it at that.
Rather than that, other things were more urgent. The faintly heard sound of a sword fight had still not ceased.
The battle was ongoing.
“This is bad.”
“Hmm?”
“Because I think I know who is being attacked.”
Those were the words Baek Mu-ho uttered after listening to the incoming sounds for a moment.
To me, who tilted my head, Baek Mu-ho continued his explanation.
“Who else would have brought clanking metallic weapons to Shaolin?”
Shaolin martial arts were famous for fist techniques and staff arts. Whichever it was, they were far removed from weapons with blades.
If the sound of metal blades clashing rang out in Shaolin’s territory?
“The disciples of the Nine Sects?”
“If the attackers really are Demonic Cult bastards, they would be a perfect target.”
Laying a hand on young, disciple-grade kids was considered a shameful act for a Martial World senior, so it was avoided.
Even the unorthodox factions put face first and wouldn’t act without reason.
But for the Demonic Cult, it was a different story.
In that neighborhood, there were far too many madmen who did not care about face.
In that case, negotiations wouldn’t work either.
The purpose was likely only one.
The annihilation of the Nine Sects’ disciples.
The gathering of the Nine Sects’ disciples this time was said to have gathered more people than usual due to Jang So-wol’s participation. If those future pillars were annihilated at once, it would be a huge blow to the orthodox factions.
“If this goes wrong, it might really lead to war.”
It meant it had to be stopped.
But was it possible?
Though I knew my skill had increased astronomically upon achieving the first stage of the Heavy Earth Divine Art, it still wouldn’t be enough to stand out in the Martial World.
At best, leading the young rising stars?
Although the growth rate was absurd considering the time since I began learning martial arts from Master Zhang Sanfeng or Master Bodhidharma, what was needed in a battle where blades clashed right now was current capability, not future potential.
It meant my capability alone in this situation could hardly be of much help.
Even if they targeted the disciple grade, if they moved to target Mount Song, there was no way they wouldn’t have an expert of Buddhist Monk Hye-won’s level.
If I chose the safe path, it would be running to Shaolin to ask for help, but if the Nine Sects’ disciples and Jang So-wol died in the meantime, it would be the start of a real war as Baek Mu-ho said.
The risky path of stopping the war, or the safe path that might cause a war.
‘Can I do it?’
My heart had already made the choice, but whether I could achieve it was a separate issue.
[Try it.]
Master Bodhidharma’s voice rang in my head.
[I have no intention of giving direct advice, but teaching martial arts as your master is indeed possible.]
Words that erased my doubts.
[Since you have achieved the first stage of the Heavy Earth Divine Art, I will now teach you how to use it properly.]
Above all, reassuring words pushed my back.
“Let’s go.”
No more worrying was needed.
Master Bodhidharma did not command impossible tasks.
I could trust Master Bodhidharma’s words.
At the resolute words stripped of doubt, Baek Mu-ho stared blankly at me. No playfulness was visible in his eyes anymore.
“You know it’s dangerous, right?”
“It’s fine.”
At least, I believed I had assessed my capabilities objectively.
The reason Master Bodhidharma told me to try it despite that must be this.
The proper way to use the Heavy Earth Divine Art.
What if it was something incredible that surpassed my imagination?
“I will win.”
***
Jeok Hong-pae, the figure who led the ambush on the rising stars of the Nine Sects on Mount Song this time, observed the situation with narrowed eyes.
Since they were said to be disciple-grade young ones, he thought handling them would not be difficult.
His only worry was that if the numerous targets scattered and fled, some might be missed.
Since he had no intention of letting a single person escape, he had even prepared ambushes.
Yet, contrary to expectations, these young ones were fighting hard.
The fellow Yin Seung-hwan, who had recently gained fame as a genius in the Zhongnan Sect, was one, and the kids of the Wudang Sect were also not to be underestimated. One was garbage, but the other was not inferior to that Yin Seung-hwan.
Although they held the upper hand due to the difference in skill, they had not been able to settle the fight.
As if the Martial World proverb that young experts come from the unorthodox/demonic factions and old experts come from the orthodox factions was truly an old saying now, the martial arts prowess displayed by these young fellows surpassed imagination.
Among them, the most eye-catching was the figure at the center of the children.
The girl currently clashing swords with Jeok Hong-pae.
Jang So-wol.
“Is that Jang Mun-gyeong’s Peak Swordsmanship?”
She was the daughter of Jang Mun-gyeong, a martial artist counted among the top ten swordsmen in the entire Martial World, orthodox and unorthodox alike.
A swordsmanship said to be created by gathering the strengths of all swords under heaven.
As such, it demanded high skill.
It was not a martial art for a young girl to use.
Was it because she recognized his sword energy?
Jang So-wol flicked the blood off her cut cheek and smiled quietly.
Normally, a woman would react when her face was wounded, but such a sight could not be found.
The way she calmly flicked away the blood was only resolute.
She was a martial artist, even if she was a woman.
And one with no ordinary courage.
Jang So-wol’s mouth suddenly opened.
“It is Dark Void Slaughter, is it not?”
“How?!”
“Since it is a forgotten ancient martial art, it took some time to recognize it. A martial art of a former demonic prestige family. I can guess for what reason you targeted this place, though.”
“Shut up.”
Jeok Hong-pae’s sword moved.
The sword flowing in the darkness extended faster than sound.
Kang!
Jang So-wol’s sword deflected it sharply.
However, Jeok Hong-pae’s sword showed its true value after being deflected.
Like sound resonating, the moment a clash occurred, the sword shook like a wave and seeped toward Jang So-wol.
The sword strike that had cut Jang So-wol’s cheek just now was like this.
Kang!
“I told you I recognized it.”
“…Peak Swordsmanship!”
Two times would not work.
As if saying so, Jang So-wol’s sword strike blocked the flow of the moving sword using a faint presence as a shield.
“Now that I have recognized it, I will not lose.”
A solemn momentum loaded onto Jang So-wol’s sword.
Jeok Hong-pae had an intuition.
To defeat this girl, he had to go all out. Even so, it would take time.
“Leader! Look to the right!”
In the midst of that, one of his subordinates urgently raised his voice.
Turning his eyes in that direction for a moment to see what was happening, Jeok Hong-pae’s body froze.
“A signal fire?”
Smoke was seen rising into the sky not far away. Although small, it was smoke that could be confirmed even from a distance.
If they did not finish it at once, reinforcements from Shaolin would rush over.
“Clearly no one escaped!”
“This is Mount Song. It wouldn’t be strange even if someone was nearby. More than that, if you want to flee, this is your last chance.”
“You are offering to open the path?”
“It’s better than casualties appearing.”
A cornered rat bites the cat. Let alone now, what was cornered was not a rat but a wild beast.
Jang So-wol’s words had a depth that did not suit her age.
“I didn’t come here to see that kind of result!”
But paradoxically, those words provoked Jeok Hong-pae.
“Everyone, ingest the Latent Burst Pill!”
Pulling something from his chest, Jeok Hong-pae threw it into his mouth and shouted.
Latent Burst Pill. Just from the name, one could tell what its efficacy was.
Indeed, the momentum of Jeok Hong-pae, who ate it, changed.
Following Jeok Hong-pae, the other men also took a pill from their chests, put it in their mouths wrapper and all, and began to chew.
Seeing the aura they exuded transform in an instant, even Jang So-wol’s face stiffened.
Kwaang!
Meanwhile, something harboring a terrifying aura flew toward Jeok Hong-pae’s back.
“Kuek!”
Accompanied by a bizarre scream that was not very pleasant to hear.
***
We chose the path of going to rescue the disciples of the Nine Sects, but to prepare for any contingency, we lit a signal fire.
For the record, this was Baek Mu-ho’s idea.
“We won’t start a forest fire, right?”
“You’re the one who dug the ground.”
It was a mountain. Since it could easily lead to a forest fire if we were careless, we lit the fire in a pit dug out of the ground.
The ground was dug by me, who had become ignorantly strong. When I swung using the martial art Master Bodhidharma taught me as a test, it dug out easily with thuds.
However.
“You’re the one who lit the fire.”
“They say human life is in the hands of heaven. Is a forest fire important? Human life is what’s important.”
“I hope that argument works well.”
Because if a real forest fire started, it would leave a bad aftertaste even if things went well.
Anyway, helping the disciples of the Nine Sects is the priority right now.
As I ran with all my might with that mind, someone’s angry voice caught my ear.
“I didn’t come here to see that kind of result!”
It seemed there was a person over there who really provoked someone’s temper.
Who could it be?
Apart from that, the Heavy Earth Divine Art was ready to burst out of my body at any moment.
I had only used it a few times under the pretext of digging the ground, but as if that had become a spark, the activated Heavy Earth Divine Art wriggled.
This martial art Master Bodhidharma taught me was incredible.
Indeed, its very name was unusual.
[Although the Great Strength Vajra Palm is a strong martial art, it has its rough aspects. So I tried to compress the power more cleanly and make it efficient. However, increasing compression and efficiency left empty space in the martial art itself. When I filled that space, it became rough again, and when I increased compression and efficiency once more, empty space appeared. After refining that process about a thousand times, this is what came out.]
Master Bodhidharma had clearly said he could not properly complete the Heavy Earth Divine Art before ascending to heaven. The secret manual of the seemingly incomplete Heavy Earth Divine Art was proof of that.
This was the martial art he taught me, saying it was the way to use the Heavy Earth Divine Art properly. Naturally, it wouldn’t be a martial art refined on earth.
A thousand times.
A martial art refined a thousand times in heaven by none other than Master Bodhidharma.
[It is called the Ultimate Strength Strike.]
Ultimate Strength.
Strength with nowhere further to go.
Strike.
Hitting with that strength.
The martial art of that name, which suited its birth story so well, was.
Puh-eok!
Hwiiiiik!
Kudangtangtang!
Truly, ignorantly strong.
The figure of a person flying off as a bloody mess flew toward the back of someone presumed to be an enemy for a moment, and then even to the person facing him.
Although it was thrown at the guy who seemed to be the enemy, because that guy dodged, an unintended person ended up being targeted.
Was she Jang So-wol? She wasn’t to the level of Sister Seol-ah, but she was indeed a beauty hard to forget. It felt like throwing a human body as a hidden weapon at such a person.
Somehow, it felt even stronger than when I deployed it during practice earlier.
Since it was simple, it seemed depth was required to bring out its true power.
Then it meant it was a martial art whose power would increase the more skilled one became…
What is this? Scary.
No, before that!
“I’m an ally! I wasn’t targeting you!”
First, let’s apologize for throwing a person like a hidden weapon.
It was a mistake, I tell you.
Why is the atmosphere like this?