Chapter 107: The Old Temple (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 107: The Old Temple (3)
The Mount Hua Sect, the Zhongnan Sect, and the Shaolin Temple.
These great pillars supporting the Nine Great Sects and One Alliance had made the arduous journey for a single reason: to find the legacy of Vajra Divine Monk, a man known as the strongest under heaven hundreds of years ago.
If you were to ask any passerby what first came to mind among his legacies, eight or nine out of ten would answer: the Formless Vajra Art.
An unparalleled divine art, said to have been created by Vajra Divine Monk himself after reinterpreting Shaolin's martial arts.
Of course, one couldn't forget the Prajna Divine Pill, which Vajra Divine Monk was said to have carried with him wherever he went.
It wasn't that there was nothing else to gain, but from the perspective of the major sects, there was little else worth coveting.
No matter that Vajra Divine Monk was the strongest under heaven, he was, at his core, a monk. One of the conditions for attaining nirvana was to abandon greed. It was unthinkable that Vajra Divine Monk, a renowned great master, would have amassed a fortune to leave behind as a legacy.
Furthermore, even the Formless Vajra Art was little more than a dilemma for the Mount Hua and Zhongnan Sects. The martial art of Vajra Divine Monk, once the abbot of Shaolin, was essentially Shaolin's martial art, and as a rule, a sect's techniques were strictly forbidden from being shared with outsiders.
Just like the righteous bastards of the Orthodox Faction, who live for justification and are crazy about honor, they had already agreed to return the Formless Vajra Art to Shaolin the moment it was found.
Of course, the true desire of the two sects was to keep it, but unless they wanted an all-out war with Shaolin, the so-called Mount Tai and Big Dipper of the martial world, they had no choice but to return it.
The "if you've got a problem, come at me" mindset was eternal, transcending all eras and dimensions.
Naturally, Shaolin had promised a suitable reward, so while it was a bit of a shame for the other sects, it wasn't a loss.
The Prajna Divine Pill wasn't mentioned, so Shaolin must have conceded that.
In reality, this investigation was basically a scramble for the Prajna Divine Pill. As such, they seemed to have no intention of letting an outsider like me join the treasure hunt.
“Wait at the entrance, he says...”
I'd been waiting at the entrance of the old temple for thirty minutes now, along with a few third-generation disciples left behind by each sect.
For the record, the Zhongnan Sect elder, who I presumed was Yoo Sowol's master, and Shaolin's Four Great Vajras had left long ago. Their role was simply to guard the temple until the investigation team arrived.
And now, I had inherited their guard duty. Those third-generation disciples over there? Could a bunch of second-rate martial artists even do a proper job of guarding anything?
Guard duty? More like they left them here to watch me.
Bringing me all the way here was likely for the purpose of keeping me where they could see me. The reason they didn't send me back from the campsite was probably because they were anxious about where I might run off to.
If they were going to watch me, they should have at least left two elders behind.
Though it still would have been tough for them.
[Phantom Shifter]
My body turned transparent.
My presence faded as if I had never been there in the first place. This was the 3rd Grade Common Magic, ‘Phantom Shifter,’ an esoteric spell from the grimoire I received from Gilenium back at the Seongbuk Choi family estate.
I had become an invisible man, the dream of every middle school boy.
It was my first time using it, but the result was quite satisfactory. On top of that, I cast another new spell.
[Hallucination]
Another me appeared in the spot where I had been sitting. It went without saying that this was merely an illusion, not a real person.
Of course, just because it was an illusion didn't mean it was a shoddy trick that would be easily discovered. It would move appropriately based on the data accumulated over the last thirty minutes—stretching occasionally, going to the bathroom, and so on.
This should be enough to minimize the disciples' suspicion. This was also a 3rd Grade Common Magic, an esoteric spell I received along with ‘Phantom Shifter’ from the Seongbuk Choi family.
-I'm heading out.
-Be careful.
For the record, Cheon Yeo-hwa had decided to stay here. To maintain the spell's duration for as long as possible, I had to move alone.
Besides, someone needed to remain here to deal with any unexpected situations.
I walked past the third-generation disciples, who were lazily standing guard, and climbed the stairs.
I held my breath and concealed my presence.
They say a master who has reached a high realm can run across a snowy field without leaving a single footprint, but I hadn't reached that level yet. I moved carefully toward the temple's interior, making sure not to leave even the slightest trace.
Passing through the large main gate, I was greeted by a scene even more magnificent than what I had seen from over the wall.
With its dozens of pavilions and well-paved streets, it could have passed for a beautifully maintained small town.
However, it was completely unmanaged. The buildings were so dilapidated they looked ready to collapse at any moment, and the streets were covered in a thick layer of dust.
It was as if not a single gust of wind had blown for hundreds of years.
The investigation team... went to the largest pavilion.
It made sense. With a limited number of people, it would take too long to search every building.
But Vajra Divine Monk wasn't an idiot. Would he really have left a martial arts manual and an elixir, things more important than his own life, in a place like that?
This spot should be good.
Kneeling on one knee, I placed my palm on the ground and closed my eyes. By blocking my sight, I could focus on the information coming in through my other senses.
[Detection]
A wave of magic spread from my palm, sweeping through the ground beneath. While Magic Detection reveals the location of living beings with magic within a certain range, Detection reveals the shape and structure of the terrain and objects.
Though its range wasn't very wide.
...Found it.
After dozens of attempts, I located an artificial structure buried about fifteen meters below the surface. It was a kind of dungeon, created by modifying a natural cave.
I was almost certain that the Formless Vajra Art and the Prajna Divine Pill were in there.
Is the way down over there?
There were passages leading underground scattered throughout the temple grounds. I headed for the one closest to me.
I arrived at a small pavilion tucked away in a corner. The inside was completely empty. All that was there was a single rusty Buddha statue and a large table supporting it.
The stairs to the basement are under the table.
I tried pushing the table, but it wouldn't budge. It seemed to be rigged with some kind of mechanism. If I broke it, there was a chance someone would notice the commotion.
I had no choice but to search the pavilion thoroughly for a switch or a lever. But after looking for a long time, I couldn't find anything of the sort.
I frowned without realizing it. In games, the mechanism was often hidden in another building in cases like this. At this rate, I might not find the way down by sunset.
...Should I just break it?
Just as magic began to gather in my right hand, something strange caught my eye.
By the way, why is there just a lone Buddha statue here?
At first, I didn't think much of it. This was a temple, after all. But the more I thought about it, the stranger it seemed. It was unlikely that Buddhists would use a Buddha statue as a mere decoration, and if this were truly a main hall, it would have at least the basic furnishings.
But there was nothing here. Just one table and one statue. There wasn't even any sign that there had ever been other furniture. It was as if nothing else had ever been placed here.
That must mean this place was used for a purpose other than being a prayer hall.
...There are marks around the Buddha statue, as if it's been swept clean.
It was a trace I would have missed if I hadn't looked very carefully. I grabbed the dust-covered statue and pushed it back. A vibration, as if the entire pavilion was shaking, ran through the air.
Rumble—
With the sound of something turning, the entire table slid backward, revealing a staircase leading down into the darkness.
“...A mechanical contraption.”
This was clearly the high technology of a wuxia novel.
“Hah... If I'd known it would open so loudly, I would've just smashed it from the start.”
Someone might have felt that vibration. Feeling a sense of urgency, I hurried down into the basement.
RUMBLE!
I hadn't gone far when, with the same sound as before, the entrance slammed shut behind me.
...Is this an automatic door?
How absurd. At this rate, I wouldn't be surprised if an automatic turret popped out next.
Shaking my head, I continued my descent. The high humidity was unpleasant.
*
The underground area wasn't very large. It was incomparably smaller than the last underground dungeon I'd been in. The ceiling seemed to be about 2.5 meters high, and the width was around 2 meters.
It was fine for walking, but it would be a difficult environment to use magic in if a fight broke out. One wrong move and the ceiling could collapse, burying me alive.
[Detection]
As expected, this place was a maze. A rather complex one at that. It was obvious I would have struggled for a long time without the Detection spell.
Should I use Magic Detection?
I considered it for a moment, then shook my head. Unlike Detection, Magic Detection carried the risk of being sensed by the elders above.
It was a bit frustrating not being able to use it, but since it was unlikely any magical beasts would pop out here, I walked on with some peace of mind.
...Monsters and stuff won't show up, right?
I walked on in silence, hoping this world wasn't some fusion with a xianxia setting. I didn't hit any dead ends, as I only chose paths that Detection showed were clear.
I walked for a long time, but there was no end in sight.
Ten minutes, thirty minutes, and then after about an hour, it became difficult to maintain Phantom Shifter. The magic consumption was surprisingly high, and my lack of familiarity with the spell didn't help. Moreover, since Hallucination was also active, the magic drain was doubled.
My magic was being consumed faster than it was recovering.
If I meditated, I could maintain the spell and recover my magic more quickly, but I wanted to avoid such a risky move in an unsecured location.
After pondering for a while, I finally decided to deactivate Phantom Shifter.
Swoosh—
As I released the spell, my body materialized out of thin air. It felt like taking off a veil that had been covering me.
At the same time, I raised my guard even higher.
A considerable amount of time had passed since I entered the maze. It wouldn't be strange if someone else had entered by now.
...For now, I'll walk slowly and recover as much magic as possible.
Another twenty minutes should do it. When it came to magic recovery speed, I was confident I wouldn't lose to anyone.
Surely I won't run into someone else in a place this big in just twenty minutes, right?
Without much thought, I rounded a corner.
“Ah.”
“...Huh? B-Brother?”
My eyes met with Yoo Sowol's, who was sitting slumped on the floor.
...I'm screwed.