Chapter 191
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 191
Chapter Title: Infernal Ghost (1)
“Heh heh heh! Heh heh heh heh!”
A wretched old man, teetering on the brink of collapse from age, shuffled closer, letting out feeble chuckles that leaked through the gaps in his missing teeth.
Old Bones.
Four Thousand Four recognized the man at once.
This... if he weren't an old man, if the respect for elders didn't apply, he'd be no more than a single punch's worth. Yet he was Old Bones, the strongest martial artist in the current martial world. Grandmaster Jigong of Shaolin Temple.
“Heh heh heh heh! Heh heh heh!”
The old man staggered forward in short, hurried steps.
Shing! Fwip!
The steel needles flew out silently.
No sound, no form. His body didn't move, nor did his gaze waver.
There was no attack.
“Heh heh heh heh!”
The old man raised his staff and traced a circle in the empty air.
Tat tat tat tat tak!
A sound like popping beans echoed from the empty space. Then, tiny sparks flared and vanished, just like metal clashing against metal.
“Heh heh heh heh!”
The old man's laughter rang out like the summons of the King of Hell.
Shing! Fwip fwip fwip fwip!
A second volley launched.
The steel needles shot forth without a sound. A perfect Shadowless strike targeted Grandmaster Jigong.
“Heh heh heh!”
The old man swung his staff.
The invisible steel needles only revealed themselves after clashing against it. As if they had burst from the staff itself, as if hidden needles within the staff had been fired. At that moment,
Sweeee!
Suddenly, from Four Thousand Four's right side, a sound like a gentle spring breeze arose. No, the sound was soft like a spring breeze, but its speed surpassed lightning itself.
“Heh heh heh! Second Flight Sword Draw. Good. Heh heh!”
Grandmaster Jigong uttered words that made no sense to others.
Only Merciless Ghost, the one who had launched the attack, could understand Grandmaster Jigong's words.
Second Flight Sword Draw was a technique from Merciless Ghost's martial art, the Heaven-Piercing Soaring Dragon Sword.
The Heaven-Piercing Soaring Dragon Sword was also called the Charging Sword.
Because it pierced through in a single breath before the opponent could even unleash their form, severing their breath.
Second Flight Sword Draw was one such technique.
By the second leap, the sword was already drawn.
The first leap was the attack, the second the finisher. It slew the foe and moved on to the next. While the opponent executed their form, Second Flight Sword Draw had already fulfilled its duty and sought another target.
Merciless Ghost was unleashing such a sword form.
“Heh heh! You, stay put!”
Grandmaster Jigong laughed as he swung his staff.
Clang clang clang clang clang!
The steel needles Four Thousand Four had subtly launched bounced off like striking an iron wall. At the same time, Old Bones' figure was no longer there. To the east—no, the west—no, five zhang behind. His movement was so fast only an afterimage remained.
Sweeee!
Merciless Ghost's sword sliced through empty air.
The Heaven-Piercing Soaring Dragon Sword had lost its mark. The sword that felled foes in one strike had swung wide.
Crimson Moon!
Four Thousand Four called out to Crimson Moon in his mind.
Right now, at this moment, Crimson Moon needed to attack. Merciless Ghost, having failed his first strike, would chain into a second, but a brief gap existed between the first and second.
For experts like Old Bones or Merciless Ghost, that gap... could decide life and death.
Crimson Moon was nearby. Crimson Moon! Come out!
But Crimson Moon did not appear. Four Thousand Four was unaware of the minor clash between Crimson Moon and the Shaolin monk warriors. Normally he'd have noticed, but focused on the approaching Old Bones, he hadn't paid attention to the events nearby.
Shring! Sweeee!
Four Thousand Four drew his sword. From his seated position, he shot straight toward Old Bones.
Shh! Clang!
Before Four Thousand Four could close in on Old Bones, a fierce clash erupted.
Old Bones and Merciless Ghost had clashed swords head-on. A common sword strike seen in any fight. But the result was unimaginably different.
“Urk!”
Merciless Ghost groaned and staggered back.
Red blood streamed from Merciless Ghost's mouth. Not spewed reverse blood, but flowing steadily.
He'd suffered such severe internal injuries he could no longer raise his sword.
The staff that had gravely wounded Merciless Ghost immediately turned toward Four Thousand Four, sweeping in.
Hoo!
Four Thousand Four sucked in a breath and flattened himself low.
Sweee!
The staff whistled over his head.
A truly hair's breadth escape. A fraction later, and his head would have been crushed.
“Heh!”
Grandmaster Jigong let out a scoff of disbelief.
For failing to strike Four Thousand Four? No. Even in that brief moment of ducking, Four Thousand Four had unleashed steel needles. From very close range... in the gap as Grandmaster Jigong attacked.
But Shadowless hadn't succeeded.
The needles were embedded in the staff. Stuck dead center, gleaming brightly.
“That's a fine trick. It must've worked on others.”
Old Bones looked at Four Thousand Four and spoke.
In the meantime, Merciless Ghost had leaped away and vanished.
Crimson Moon hadn't appeared. They'd planned a joint assault, but he'd bailed alone. Merciless Ghost was gravely wounded, and Four Thousand Four's steel needles kept failing.
To anyone watching, the tide had turned.
Merciless Ghost had quickly assessed the situation and withdrawn.
Old Bones didn't pursue. He furrowed his brow faintly and chanted a quiet Buddhist invocation.
“Amitabha, Namu Amitabha, Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva.”
Only now did he truly seem like a Shaolin monk. Before the chant, he'd been a martial world expert.
Shing! Sh sh sh shing!
A light movement stirred behind Four Thousand Four.
This time, Four Thousand Four sensed it clearly. Behind him... from where Crimson Moon had been, three figures emerged.
So that's why Crimson Moon...
Four Thousand Four understood why Crimson Moon hadn't moved.
Interference from the Shaolin Six Warriors. No, not quite interference. The Shaolin Six Warriors' skills didn't match Crimson Moon or Merciless Ghost. A head-on fight, and they'd already be dead.
Crimson Moon could have shaken them off and charged, but he hadn't.
The timing was too late. That's his judgment.
Four Thousand Four accurately guessed why Crimson Moon hadn't appeared.
Crimson Moon could have brushed them aside. But he hadn't because... it was already too late. Charging into a prepared Old Bones, where he anticipated an ambush, would negate the surprise effect.
Only martial arts against martial arts would remain.
In that fight, Crimson Moon judged he had no chance against Old Bones.
That judgment was correct.
Crimson Moon's timing would come after Merciless Ghost. After Merciless Ghost's first strike failed, during his follow-up. Meaning, the attack that wounded Merciless Ghost could have targeted Crimson Moon.
The skill gap between Old Bones and the three was vast as heaven and earth.
Unless they chained attacks simultaneously, separate strikes would only lead to defeat.
Crimson Moon knew this, so he held back.
Merciless Ghost, however, didn't. He'd faced interference from the Shaolin Six too, but he'd appeared anyway.
Merciless Ghost was a step below Crimson Moon.
Of course, this was Four Thousand Four's assessment. An instant judgment wasn't enough to debate their skills definitively. Still, Four Thousand Four believed Crimson Moon stronger than Merciless. Based on that very judgment that such debate was premature.
“Brothers Gwangjin and Gwang-eung have entered nirvana.”
One of the Shaolin monks clasped his hands in prayer and spoke.
“Heh heh! I see. Didn't I tell you not to?”
“We apologize.”
The three warrior monks bowed their heads in unison.
“Where's Gwangsu?”
“Drinking tea with Hanbi and Vanguard.”
“Bring him. Bring him, and all of you examine those two fools together. Their bodies contain the time-honored ultimate art Heaven-Piercing Soaring Dragon Sword. There's much to learn.”
“Understood.”
The three Shaolin warrior monks clasped hands once more and quietly withdrew.
Only Old Bones and Four Thousand Four remained.
Merciless might be hiding somewhere in the woods. Or he might have fled far away already. Crimson Moon could be there too. North Bright and South Small were somewhere as well.
Many people, but only two left in this spot.
“What a shame. Heh heh! Such a waste. A vessel too fine for the Heavenly Annihilation Division. Heh heh heh!”
Old Bones shook his head and muttered.
Not to Four Thousand Four. To Crimson Moon, who still hadn't appeared.
Everyone had made a mistake.
The Shaolin Six Warriors, Merciless and Crimson Moon, even North Bright who hadn't shown— all erred.
None truly knew Old Bones.
The Shaolin Six didn't know their master. They knew his strength and greatness in their heads, not their hearts. So they couldn't fully trust him.
Merciless and Crimson Moon were teaming up.
The master was the world's best, but could he handle it? Might he even fall?
That lack of perfect faith made them block Merciless and Crimson Moon.
It wasn't necessary.
Even if Merciless, Crimson Moon, and Four Thousand Four chained attacks together, they couldn't handle Old Bones.
Crimson Moon saw Merciless Ghost gravely wounded and gauged Old Bones' skill. That's why he's still watching from the woods.
At least Crimson Moon trusted Old Bones more than the Shaolin Six did.
“Those two over there died. Do you know why?”
Old Bones looked at Four Thousand Four and asked.
“Not my concern.”
Four Thousand Four let his shoulders droop and slowly sidestepped.
He still had the mission to kill Old Bones. Until fulfilled, he had to keep trying. That was the fate of Heavenly Annihilation Division assassins.
“Then what is your concern?”
“How to kill Grandmaster Jigong, I suppose.”
“Found the answer?”
“Still looking.”
“Isn't it too late?”
“I don't think so.”
“Not too late? Even though you're about to die?”
“Death is just death. I don't think it relates to being late.”
“Do we know each other?”
“Hardly.”
“Then why the formal speech? We're enemies. Hoping it'll make me spare you?”
“Just habit. Don't read into it.”
“No agitation even facing death. No stray thoughts, only thoughts of survival. You've mastered the Killing Path to a ruthless degree. Surpassing even the Green Death.”
As Old Bones said. Four Thousand Four felt no agitation. An opponent beyond him, he'd seen Merciless Ghost wounded and retreat, yet he didn't abandon the intent to attack.
He calmly watched for an opening.
Shadowless failed. Sword blocked. No way to attack. This was the first such perfect foe. He'd scanned from head to toe, but not even a needle's gap existed.
The Shaolin Six—his disciples—hadn't trusted such a master?
Dared the cat-like pups step up to protect the tiger?
Grandmaster Jigong spoke.
“I've seen the Killing Path... and you obtained the Bow Path too, they say. Care to show it?”
“Why not show it while they were alive?”
“I've seen theirs already. I want to see yours. When Killing Path and Bow Path merge, a madman emerges. But you don't look mad. Ah! Too soon? Not fully merged yet? Heh heh! Must be it.”
Beating drum and gong alone, Grandmaster Jigong questioned and answered himself.
“Anyway... sorry, but I can't let you live. Those who master the Killing Secrets are fated to die like this.”
Old Bones raised his staff.