Chapter 474
Chapter 474
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 474
Chapter Title: The Arhat Formation
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Gwan Hae-geum’s expression was darker than ever.
With a deep sigh, he shook his head, then gazed at Bu Eun-seol and spoke.
“If you wish to find him, go to Shaolin.”
He paused for a moment before continuing.
“You will likely find your answer there.”
“Shalin… you say?”
“That is correct.”
Bu Eun-seol could not understand.
Shaolin was the pillar of the Orthodox Faction.
Why would he need to go to Shaolin to find a trace of his benefactor?
Did this mean his grandfather, Bu Jan-yang, was the shadow of the Seven-Fingered Demon, the one who had taught Gwan Hae-geum the saber arts?
“Ordinarily, I would never have been able to speak of him. But you have mastered all of the Seven Blood Tears Style, and…”
Shaking his head as if recalling something, Gwan Hae-geum muttered to himself.
“This… shouldn’t be a violation of my oath.”
Bu Eun-seol’s mind was in turmoil.
From Gwan Hae-geum’s words, he couldn’t tell if his grandfather was the Seven-Fingered Demon or his shadow.
But judging by his expression and gaze, he wasn't speaking nonsense.
And he could feel that Gwan Hae-geum held a deep respect for the benefactor who had taught him the saber.
‘If Grandmaster Gwan’s benefactor is at Shaolin, and his identity is the shadow of the Seven-Fingered Demon…’
Bu Eun-seol’s eyes deepened.
Bu Jan-yang had been poisoned with a lethal toxin, his eyes gouged out, and his arms severed. He had died a gruesome death.
And Bu Eun-seol had meticulously prepared his body and buried him with his own hands.
Unless he had clawed his way out of his grave, there was no way he could be at Shaolin.
Ultimately, the probability of his grandfather being the shadow of the Seven-Fingered Demon was slim.
‘Was it just that he lived by an ideology similar to my grandfather’s?’
“Thank you.”
Having sorted his complicated thoughts, Bu Eun-seol cupped his hands with the utmost respect.
To keep his promise to the benefactor who taught him the saber arts, Gwan Hae-geum had been pursued his entire life by the Three Realms and the Strange Old Man.
Yet, he showed no signs of suffering or complaint, upholding his oath even to this day.
That rock-like integrity alone was enough to earn Bu Eun-seol’s respect.
“But why are you telling me all this?”
Hunted by the Three Realms, he had become a man who could not trust others.
Despite that, he had told Bu Eun-seol everything that didn't violate his oath, without a shred of suspicion.
“Well.”
Gwan Hae-geum smiled bitterly.
“Perhaps it is because you are the successor who has inherited the legacy of the Seven-Fingered Demon. It is a saber art that cannot be mastered unless one is unbound by anything, completely free.”
At the lake, Bu Eun-seol had observed the traces of the saber forms that Gwan Hae-geum had arbitrarily altered and immediately replicated them.
In other words, he was able to instantly mimic the saber principles of the Seven Blood Tears Style as interpreted by a member of the Orthodox Faction.
He had no prejudice or restrictions regarding orthodoxy or heresy.
And that disposition was a perfect match for the state of mind of Bu Jan-yang, the creator of the Seven Blood Tears Style.
Though their paths and ages were completely different… Gwan Hae-geum firmly believed in Bu Eun-seol, simply because he had perfectly mastered the Seven Blood Tears Style.
The Seven Blood Tears Style.
It was a saber art engraved with the very soul of the Seven-Fingered Demon, Bu Jan-yang—a legacy he had left behind.
“After visiting Shaolin, I will be sure to return and inform you of the situation.”
The benefactor who taught Gwan Hae-geum the saber was, in effect, his master.
Therefore, Bu Eun-seol promised to find this benefactor at Shaolin and deliver news of him.
“Thank you.”
Sensing Bu Eun-seol’s consideration, Gwan Hae-geum also smiled.
“I hope you achieve what you set out to do.”
*Paaat.*
He immediately unleashed his movement technique and departed.
As Bu Eun-seol stared in the direction Gwan Hae-geum had disappeared, his eyes wavered greatly.
His mind was still filled with confusion.
What circumstances surrounded him? Why did the one who taught him the Seven Blood Tears Style go to Shaolin?
And why… was none of this known to the martial world?
‘What is certain is that the Seven-Fingered Demon also had a shadow.’
In the past, he had thought it impossible to deceive the eyes of the Demonic Heavenly Emperor.
But Hyeok-ryeon-eung had successfully hidden his identity, and the current Bu Eun-seol was also capable of deceiving the Demonic Heavenly Emperor.
And the Seven-Fingered Demon, too, was more than capable of deceiving him.
‘And my grandfather is a man of Shaolin.’
His grandfather, Bu Jan-yang, had practiced Shaolin martial arts, and Shaolin’s two great ultimate arts flowed within Bu Eun-seol’s body.
If his grandfather was the Seven-Fingered Demon himself…
Then the Vice-Lord of the Demonic Palace, the invincible saber master with the greatest skill of the age… was actually from Shaolin.
“I will find the truth when I go to Shaolin.”
He let out a heavy breath and slowly turned around.
In the end, fate was once again sending him to Shaolin.
***
In a deep cave in the Heavenly Mountains.
Bu Eun-seol, So Ok-rim, and So-yo had gathered once more.
“Ahh, it’s been a while since I got a good stretch.”
So Ok-rim swung her arms around as if refreshed.
They had dealt with over a thousand Soulless Ones in the Heavenly Mountains.
Worse, the last ones they encountered were Purgatory Demonforged who had mastered a variety of supreme ultimate arts.
“For Soulless Ones, they’d mastered all sorts of hodgepodge martial arts, didn’t they? One of them was even using something called the Flea Fist Technique, which the Beggars’ Sect’s founder supposedly used. Hahaha.”
Finding something hilarious, So Ok-rim rested her chin on So-yo's head and laughed, revealing a huge grin.
“There was even one that moved like a spider, connecting its hands and feet. Right? Right?”
As So Ok-rim’s chatter continued from above her head, So-yo simply stood like a doll with a vacant gaze.
Bu Eun-seol, ignoring So Ok-rim’s rambling, was lost in deep thought.
Fortunately, the Strange Old Man, who was a descendant of the Saber Emperor, seemed to have given up his search for the Great Hero of the Southern Sky, as he had not appeared again.
But he was a man he would have to face someday.
‘It was a saber art that nullified the external force of all martial arts.’
Bu Eun-seol would have to either deepen his mastery of the Seven Blood Tears Style or find a way to completely break the Saber Emperor’s technique.
“What’s wrong? Why the long face? You didn’t get to meet him?”
“I met him.”
Bu Eun-seol lied to So Ok-rim.
“But it seems he couldn’t trust people after all the hardships he’s been through. So I couldn’t hear anything.”
“Hmm. I guess that’s to be expected.”
So Ok-rim said something unexpected.
“Martial artists get fed up after being chased by assassins for just three days. Imagine how he feels after being on the run for so long. Of course he wouldn’t trust anyone.”
“Is that so.”
“Of course.”
So Ok-rim smacked her lips and said.
“So, what are you going to do now?”
“Since I didn’t learn anything, I’ll have to go back.”
Bu Eun-seol asked So Ok-rim.
“Will you return with me? To the Demonic Palace.”
“Hmm? Mmm.”
After a moment of thought, she crossed her arms and spoke.
“I think I need to train a little more.”
“Didn’t you say you finished your spiritual training?”
“No, this time I’m going to practice my martial arts.”
So Ok-rim’s eyes scanned Bu Eun-seol’s body as she licked her lips.
“You’ve gotten a lot stronger, haven’t you?”
Having witnessed Bu Eun-seol’s prowess as he fought at the lake, she had sensed that his martial skill now far surpassed her own.
“Heh, no need to look so smug. It’s not like I can’t catch up.”
“Right, I’m sure.”
For the first time, Bu Eun-seol showed So Ok-rim a casual smile.
He might not know much else, but So Ok-rim’s pure pursuit of strength… it felt like looking in a mirror, a strange sense of kinship.
‘What, is he trying to seduce me?’
Seeing Bu Eun-seol smile with his teeth showing, So Ok-rim pouted and turned her head away.
‘Making a girl’s heart all fluttery for no reason.’
As if to hide her true feelings, So Ok-rim puffed out her cheeks and spoke deliberately harshly.
“Hmph, laugh all you want. I’ll catch up to you in no time.”
“Don’t overdo it. You can return whenever you want.”
Bu Eun-seol said with a snort.
“The Grand Lords and the squad members are all eagerly awaiting your return.”
Bu Eun-seol didn't actually know much about So Ok-rim.
But sometimes, some things were understood without words.
That So Ok-rim was by no means an evil person.
“Hahaha! So those little rascals are waiting for me?”
So Ok-rim laughed happily, as if realizing anew her status as a Commander of the Four Shadows Hall.
“Right, right, tell them I’ll be back soon. I’ll train them until they cry their eyes out again.”
It was always a good feeling to have a place to return to.
So Ok-rim laughed for a while longer, then turned to So-yo.
“See you later, little squirt.”
Then, as if reluctant to part, she gently pinched So-yo’s cheek and patted her head.
“Look forward to it. I’ll be back soon. Hahaha.”
After a hearty laugh toward Bu Eun-seol, she vanished into the air.
Bu Eun-seol stared for a long time at the spot where she had disappeared, then took a deep breath and said.
“So-yo. I am going to Shaolin now.”
“Shaolin?”
“That’s right.”
So-yo shook her head.
“Shaolin. It’s dangerous.”
There were two places that even the most skilled informants of the Demonic Path would never infiltrate.
The Martial Alliance and Shaolin.
Both places were teeming with countless formidable masters, and there were innumerable undetectable traps and mechanisms installed.
No matter how ghost-like one’s stealth was, discovery was inevitable.
“It’s fine. I’m not going there to fight.”
Bu Eun-seol then entrusted the Ice Soul Sword from his waist to So-yo.
As the sword symbolized his identity, he could not take it with him when infiltrating Shaolin.
“Help Seo Jin-ha until I return.”
“Okay.”
“You should head back first.”
“Mhm.”
Taking the sword, So-yo immediately unleashed her movement technique and left.
She departed at once with a nonchalant expression, knowing that showing her worry would only weigh on Bu Eun-seol’s mind.
Left alone, Bu Eun-seol took a deep breath.
Infiltrating Shaolin alone was, in truth, a gamble even for him.
The one silver lining was the secret passage he had discovered before… at the very least, he could reach the center of the temple grounds without much difficulty.
“There is no time.”
Bu Eun-seol immediately shot forward.
He had many tasks ahead of him. That meant he had to resolve the matter at Shaolin as quickly as possible.
***
A full summer breeze was blowing on Mount Song.
Bu Eun-seol, disguised as Seol-so, was climbing the mountain path toward the Shaolin Temple.
This was a deeply personal endeavor for Bu Eun-seol, not for the heir of the Demonic Palace.
Furthermore, given Shaolin’s atmosphere of extreme aversion to the Demonic Path, he couldn't formally knock on their gates, no matter how benign his intentions.
“The atmosphere is strange.”
The gates of Shaolin were firmly shut, and the monks of the Guest Reception Hall who would normally greet visitors were nowhere to be seen.
After a moment of thought, Bu Eun-seol covered his face with a cloth used by wanderers and stealthily leaped over the wall.
*Tssstss.*
Having broken through to the sixth level of the Counter-Polar Divine Art and achieved a Spiritual Aperture Breakthrough, Bu Eun-seol had reached a level where he could clearly predict the movements of most martial artists.
When combined with the ghost-like Art of Stealth and Concealment from the Extreme Speed Shadowless Art, his movements were like the legendary Earth Shrinking technique.
‘Strange.’
As Bu Eun-seol moved stealthily, observing his surroundings, a strange light flickered in his eyes.
The numerous martial monks within the temple grounds were standing guard with solemn vigilance, as if monitoring for an external intruder.
‘Something has happened at Shaolin.’
Before departing for Shaolin, Bu Eun-seol had mobilized his intelligence network to grasp the latest trends in the martial world one more time.
But he had not received any news of trouble at Shaolin.
This meant… something serious had occurred, and Shaolin was doing everything in its power to hide the situation, preventing any word from getting out.
“I heard the culprit’s goal was the Cave of Repentance, which hasn’t been opened for decades.”
Just then, a middle-aged martial monk passing near the Hall of Precepts spoke to his companion.
“I’m talking about those great demons of the world whom the temple mercifully spared, only crippling their internal energy.”
At the sound of the voice, Bu Eun-seol’s eyes glinted.
The Cave of Repentance at Shaolin was known as the Wall-Gazing Cave, where monks who had sinned would face the wall in contemplation.
But there were great world-shaking demons there? What was the meaning of this?
“That could be it.”
His companion then replied in a low voice.
“The Cave of Repentance holds great demons whose very existence is a threat to the world…”
The two martial monks, muttering in low voices, crossed the temple grounds and walked off somewhere.
Bu Eun-seol, silently hidden, wore a dazed expression for a moment.
According to those two monks, Shaolin had a prison for great demons, created under the name of the Cave of Repentance.
‘It’s possible.’
The person who had taught the saber arts to the Great Hero of the Southern Sky, Gwan Hae-geum, was likely a figure from the Demonic Path.
If so, could he have intentionally gotten captured by Shaolin and chosen the Cave of Repentance as his final hiding place? The thought struck him.
‘I must investigate that place at once.’
Bu Eun-seol immediately headed toward the location of Shaolin’s secret mechanisms.
Given its name, the Cave of Repentance would also be hidden in some secret location within Shaolin.
In that case, the best option would be to infiltrate the area with Shaolin’s mechanisms and find it from there.
‘It’s a good thing I know the secret passage.’
Moving stealthily, Bu Eun-seol made his way toward the Pagoda Forest, where the sariras of past high-ranking monks were enshrined.
He had come to Shaolin in the past for the Divine Calculator’s test and, while investigating with Dang Cheong, had discovered a secret passage here.
It led to the Sutra Pavilion and the secret underground sutra pavilion of the Blood Shaolin.
*Sreureuk.*
He went to a certain pagoda and moved a stone that had fallen there, and a secret passage in the Pagoda Forest opened.
After checking his surroundings, Bu Eun-seol immediately entered the passage.
Finally, the interior of the Sutra Pavilion was revealed, and Bu Eun-seol immediately gathered his Thousand-Pound Drop to take a step.
‘No, they could have changed the pressure.’
In the past, one had to step inside with a weight of nearly two hundred fifty catties to avoid setting off the alarm in the Sutra Pavilion.
But a number could always be changed.
—The answer can always change depending on the situation. That is why the immutable, eternally unchanging truth is so precious.
His grandfather, Bu Jan-yang, had always taught Bu Eun-seol to be wary of fixed frameworks or answers, to cultivate the habit of thinking twice.
It was the same when performing last rites.
Even if a wound looked like a common one he had seen hundreds, even thousands of times, he was taught to always think once more and confirm.
That was why Bu Eun-seol had always been able to accurately determine the cause of death for the deceased.
‘If they set the pressure for the Sutra Pavilion’s mechanism to be lighter than an ordinary person’s weight… I’ll be discovered instantly.’
The previous mechanism was two hundred fifty catties, roughly the weight of three average adult women.
But what if the new weight was about sixteen catties, the weight of a dog?
The alarm would sound the moment he stepped on the floor.
‘There’s this method.’
Surveying his surroundings, Bu Eun-seol looked at the bookshelves.
Even if they installed a mechanism on the floor, they wouldn't have installed it beneath the bookshelves.
If they did, they would have to set different floor weights for the areas with and without bookshelves.
The mechanism would become far too complex, so they wouldn't have made it that way.
*Whoosh.*
Bu Eun-seol made his body as light as possible and lightly stepped on top of a bookshelf.
*Tak. Whoosh.*
The wood of the bookshelf was sturdy but quite old.
If he applied force even slightly incorrectly, it could collapse.
But Bu Eun-seol moved forward, his body floating as light as a feather.
*Tak.*
He finally crossed the Sutra Pavilion, but there was no sign of anyone rushing from any direction.
‘Hmm.’
Bu Eun-seol hesitated for a moment.
Should he pass through the Sutra Pavilion as is? Or should he enter the underground passage to the Blood Shaolin, like last time?
‘If they imprisoned great demons, they would have locked them away in the most secret of places. In that case, this way has a higher probability.’
After checking his surroundings, Bu Eun-seol immediately opened the door to the underground passage leading to the Blood Shaolin.
*Grrrrng.*
As the door opened, Bu Eun-seol stepped inside at once.
Once again, a wide stone chamber appeared.
It was the sutra pavilion of the Blood Shaolin.
“This is strange.”
Something unexpected had happened.
The bookshelves that should have been piled with heretical demonic texts had all vanished, and the interior was completely empty.
*Shuf, shuf.*
And from the opposite side, footsteps echoed as if they had been waiting.
In an instant, over a hundred martial monks poured out and stood opposite Bu Eun-seol.
At the very front of the monks stood an old monk with white eyebrows and a solemn face.
It was the Head of the Sutra Pavilion, Gong-gong.
“As expected, you used this passage.”
Gong-gong looked at the cloth-masked Bu Eun-seol and bellowed.
“Now that the Abbot has survived, have you come back to finish the assassination for good?!”
Bu Eun-seol couldn't help but be greatly surprised.
Judging from Gong-gong’s words, before Bu Eun-seol arrived, some master had used this secret passage to stealthily enter the depths of Shaolin and ambush the Shaolin Abbot.
‘A dead end.’
Bu Eun-seol let out a sigh.
This was a secret passage in the basement of the Shaolin Temple grounds.
With the Shaolin martial monks having intentionally set up an encirclement, there was no way out.
‘To think something like this would happen right before I arrived.’
“You wouldn't believe me even if I said no.”
Bu Eun-seol shook his head.
Having entered through Shaolin’s secret passage, they wouldn't believe anything he said.
Besides, wasn't he the heir of the Demonic Palace? He couldn't very well reveal his identity honestly.
“Remove your mask and kneel!”
At Gong-gong’s words, Bu Eun-seol’s eyes narrowed as he took a defensive stance.
Seeing him lower his posture as if to resist, Gong-gong immediately shouted to the martial monks.
“Deploy the Arhat Formation!”
*Whiriririk.*
Instantly, one hundred and eight disciples surrounded Bu Eun-seol in a dizzying pattern.
The One Hundred and Eight Arhat Formation.
Shaolin’s signature formation, the very foundation of all Orthodox Faction formations, was being deployed in this underground passage of the Blood Shaolin.
The mere encirclement by the martial monks unleashed an immense pressure, sealing off all escape routes.
‘I have to break through the formation and escape, no matter what.’
Left with no choice, Bu Eun-seol immediately drew upon his internal energy and unleashed a punch.
It was, by all accounts, a basic, unadorned first move.
But it was a punch containing nearly three hundred years of internal energy, with enough power to shatter mountains and split the earth.
*Tuuung.*
But then, something strange happened.
When Bu Eun-seol’s fist energy poured out, the formation, instead of collapsing, erupted in a white light.
Simultaneously, the figures of the surrounding martial monks vanished…
And in front of him, a vision unfolded, as if a single, giant martial monk was standing tall.
‘How fascinating.’
Bu Eun-seol once again launched three consecutive punches.
*Papak!*
The giant, light-wreathed silhouette of the monk then began to casually deflect the punches with a single fist of its own.
Despite the immense internal energy capable of leveling a mountain range in a single blow, it was deflecting the force as if it were child’s play.
*All martial arts under heaven originated from Shaolin.*
Just as the saying goes that all martial arts in the world began at Shaolin, Shaolin’s martial arts could be called the foundation of all Orthodox Faction techniques.
And Shaolin had not rested on its laurels; along with its Seventy-Two Ultimate Arts, it had continuously improved and developed all of its martial arts.
As a result, the One Hundred and Eight Arhat Formation, which was once at a level of firmly trapping an enemy while enhancing the power of the one hundred and eight monks, was now displaying a function that seemed to merge the power of Shaolin’s finest elite monks into one perfect, elite entity.