Chapter 100
Chapter 100
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 100
Chapter Title: Heavenly Dragon Eight Divisions
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Mun Won-bi looked worriedly at the passage, now narrowed to the point where barely two people could pass through.
"What do you mean 'as expected'?"
Han Ibi said.
"I figured something must be acting like wheels to move such a heavy mechanism."
Whether a primitive like you has ever heard of 'rails' is doubtful.
Without wheels and rails, how could anyone shift a stone wall this massive?
Even a ghost grandpa couldn't manage it.
Then Han Ibi raised his Hanjo Sword high and swung it with all his might at the iron axle serving as the wheel.
A resounding 'clang' echoed through the air, but the stone wall kept closing in.
Wang Qing-lin was wailing outright.
"I don't want to die here. Mom! Mom!"
Han Ibi muttered.
"They made it pretty sturdy. Let's see if this holds up too."
Taking advantage of the chaos, he quickly swapped his sword for the Mysterious Frost Blade without Mun Won-bi noticing and jammed it between the rail and the wheel.
Screeeeech!
A horrific screech, like nails raking a chalkboard, rang out, forcing Wang Qing-lin, Baek Mi-hu, and the others to clamp their hands over their ears.
At that moment, Han Ibi suddenly leaped toward the opposite wall.
He kicked off the wall with one foot, spun his body midair, and launched himself again.
Mun Won-bi gaped, wondering what on earth he was doing, as Han Ibi hurtled toward the derailed wall and thrust out both feet.
It was a crushing kick loaded with his full body weight.
Rumble rumble rumble thud.
A heavy grinding sound filled the air, culminating in a deafening 'boom' as the stone wall toppled backward.
With the supports snapped, it was only natural.
Surprisingly, behind it lay just an ordinary stone chamber.
Han Ibi brushed the dust from his clothes and spoke.
Mun Won-bi approached, still unable to close her slack jaw.
"This... how... this...."
Baek Mi-hu was just as stunned.
"Young Master Zhongli. How in the world did you do that?"
Han Ibi fought back a burst of laughter and replied as casually as he could.
"Eh, it's nothing much. Thinking outside the box... well, outside the crate, it's simple. Like this."
"Pardon?"
From a modern mechanical engineering perspective, it's basic physics, miss.
"No time now. I'll explain later."
At that moment, Baek Mi-hu turned to Mun Won-bi.
"Young Master Mun, is your sword alright?"
Mun Won-bi's face flushed red as she glanced at the shattered Haenang Sword lying on the floor and muttered.
"It's... odd. This was definitely forged from Gyeoan Iron...."
She hastily scooped up the broken blade, clearly embarrassed, then abruptly changed the subject by heading toward the front of the stone wall.
It was the spot engraved with strange markings.
Mun Won-bi said.
"We were probably meant to exit this way... but with the wall gone, it's wide open now...."
Han Ibi picked up.
"Then we can just head into the empty space."
Wang Qing-lin said.
"This... this is cheating...."
Han Ibi chuckled.
"No way. When lives are on the line, who cares about rules? Besides, we never got any warnings like 'don't break the mechanisms to escape' when we entered. If the organizers feel hard done by...."
Han Ibi caught his breath, then bellowed.
"...tell us right now it's not allowed! Otherwise, I'll smash through everything ahead! I mean it!"
Of course, silence was the only reply.
Wang Qing-lin said.
"What have you been yelling at since earlier? Who's around to hear?"
"Beats me. Just giving it a shot."
Baek Mi-hu smiled.
"Either way, thank you. Young Master Zhongli, you saved our lives."
"You're too kind. I was just desperate not to die myself."
Mun Won-bi clasped his fists in salute.
"I thank you as well, Brother Zhongli."
Han Ibi returned the gesture.
"Think nothing of it."
Baek Mi-hu said.
"Now, on to the next gate."
She stepped first into the gaping opening.
The remaining three followed her toward the next challenge.
In the space they left behind, only silence and swirling dust remained.
The ceiling slid open smoothly, revealing a woman and a man descending.
The man let out a brief groan before speaking.
"Sis, I'm regretting turning down those Jo Yang Clan kids so bluntly when they begged for help. They said just stop it at the right moment so the brats don't get squashed."
Zhuge Mun-ryeon of the Zhuge Clan—the one the man called "sis"—replied.
"What kind of brute is that? Zhuge Ho, who are those punks?"
The man called Zhuge Ho pulled a slip of paper from his bosom, rifled through it, and said.
"The last group is... Emei Sect, Beggars' Sect, and Qingcheng Sect. That handsome boy looks like he's from Qingcheng, so the brute has to be Mun Won-bi, the beggar from Beggars' Sect."
Zhuge Mun-ryeon gnashed her teeth.
"No surprise. Looks like a beggar, fights like one too."
Zhuge Ho walked slowly to the exit marking and caressed it.
"It was designed to open after decoding the cipher and tapping the mark... If the creator saw that, they'd lose their mind and flop around in rage. Tsk tsk tsk."
"Hmm...."
Mun Won-bi let out a groan.
How to even describe the scene before them.
Baek Mi-hu spoke up.
"It's narrow."
Han Ibi agreed.
"Yeah. Ridiculously narrow."
Wang Qing-lin shuddered dramatically.
"Now just seeing narrow spots makes me queasy!"
Han Ibi said.
"Still, it's not dark, so that's a plus."
Indeed.
Unlike the previous rooms, blazing torches lined the walls of this new chamber, illuminating it brightly.
Han Ibi quickly scanned the room's layout.
It resembled a long corridor.
Lining both sides of the narrow passage were statues spaced at intervals.
Han Ibi counted them roughly: twelve in all.
Each towered at least a head or two above an average person.
Han Ibi muttered.
"They lit it up so we could admire the artwork, huh."
Baek Mi-hu said.
"What was that, Young Master Zhongli?"
"Oh, nothing. Just mumbling."
Mun Won-bi, who had been scrutinizing the statues, spoke.
"Not sure what they are, but they seem forged from some dark gray metal."
Wang Qing-lin teased.
"Not that Gyeohan Iron you can only get down south, is it?"
Mun Won-bi's face reddened.
"N-No, it couldn't be... That's far too rare a material...."
"So rare it snapped like a twig...."
"Qing-lin! That's enough. It's rude."
Wang Qing-lin pouted but fell silent.
Han Ibi felt a strange surge of satisfaction.
He lifted his gaze again, studying the statues intently.
He searched for common traits, but their forms were so wildly varied that uniformity was impossible to find, even squinting.
Han Ibi said.
"No clue what they're supposed to be. Demonic cult worshiping freaky monsters? Hard to even guess most shapes, but the only ones I recognize are those four with dragon heads on human bodies."
Baek Mi-hu said.
"Hmm... these aren't mere monsters. They look like depictions of the Four Seas Dragon Kings."
"Four Seas Dragon Kings?"
"Yes. One of the Eight Legions from Buddhist lore."
Mun Won-bi chimed in.
"Ooh, Lady Baek truly knows no bounds. How are you so versed in Buddhism too?"
Wang Qing-lin cut in.
"Young Master Mun must have forgotten Emei Sect's origins."
Baek Mi-hu said.
"Qing-lin's right. Emei Sect's roots lie in Buddhism. Though time has faded it. As you all know, our arts now blend Buddhist and Taoist techniques."
Meanwhile, Han Ibi mulled over Baek Mi-hu's term "Eight Legions."
Eight Legions... Eight Legions.
I've definitely heard it before.
Then it hit him.
Right! A staple in wuxia novels—Dharma protectors known as the Heavenly Dragon Eight Divisions. There's even a famous novel with a similar title....
Han Ibi said.
"If Lady Baek is correct, then these statues are all from Buddhism...."
"Exactly. Based on their forms, they seem to depict the Eight Legions. However...."
All eyes turned to Baek Mi-hu.
"...they differ greatly from the versions I've seen or heard described."
Han Ibi asked.
"In what way?"
"Well, they're usually anthropomorphized as generals."
Han Ibi scratched his neck.
"Then since these barely look human... they must follow the original archetypes passed down."
Baek Mi-hu furrowed her brow briefly before continuing.
"But that's not quite it either, which is confusing."
"What do you mean?"
"These don't match the scriptural originals at all. Um...."
They've been made pretty grotesque, I suppose.
"Looks like they twisted the forms into something monstrous."
"You could put it that way."
"No wonder they all look so ugly."
Wang Qing-lin said.
"Tweaked to suit the demonic cult's tastes, probably. What would barbarians like them know of art?"
Baek Mi-hu said.
"Possibly, but I was taught the North Star Cult didn't worship gods with physical forms."
Han Ibi said.
"Aigoo, talk of religion gives me a headache. We've rested and chatted plenty—time to break this gate. What trap lurks here?"
Mun Won-bi said.
"Could it be something like Shaolin's Arhat Wooden Men Array?"
Han Ibi pondered.
Hmm, that's a solid guess. The Arhat Wooden Men—or Shaolin Wooden Men Array—is a go-to obstacle for Shaolin disciple protagonists. Often marks a boy turning into a man. Like a rite of passage or proving one's prowess....
The foes could be wooden figures, iron ones, or even real monks like the 108 Arhats.
Han Ibi said.
"Anyway, we'll find out by heading through."
Wang Qing-lin stomped her feet.
"Wait—if so, then the folks with the Shaolin monks must have breezed through this room. They've probably passed Arhat Wooden Men or Beggar arrays back at the temple."
Mun Won-bi cleared his throat awkwardly.
Wang Qing-lin realized her slip and added.
"Forget I said Beggar array."
Baek Mi-hu smiled.
"Maybe, but based on what we learned earlier...."
Mun Won-bi interjected.
"Precisely. It just came back to me. Instructor Na Shin-su said these statue mechanisms have very limited motion—mostly symbolic. It shouldn't be too tough. I'll go first."
With that, Mun Won-bi strode boldly toward the statues.
Baek Mi-hu called after him.
"Young Master Mun, still—be careful."
Mun Won-bi glanced back with a bright smile, revealing neatly aligned white teeth, as if he'd forgotten his beggar roots entirely.
Han Ibi felt inexplicably irritated.
When Mun Won-bi was about half a zhang from the statues.
At last, a cacophony of noise began to echo.
(To be continued)