Chapter 56
Chapter 56
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 56
Chapter Title: Shaolin's Sword (1)
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Shiiik!
The sound of slicing through the air.
Sima Geon, who had swiftly neutralized the Four Great Vajras in one go, paused and turned his head to the left.
Someone bursting through the dark woods was charging straight at Cheol Woo.
"Watch out..."
Sima Geon started to warn him, sensing the formidable aura of the approaching figure, but his words cut off abruptly.
A golden monk's staff topped with nine rings shot toward him like a beam of light.
Sima Geon tossed Muyeon aside and caught the staff as if in prayer, hands clasped together.
The staff carried a ferocious power beyond what most warriors could imagine, but Sima Geon took it without much damage. He simply stepped back a few paces to disperse the energy contained within.
The bushes rustled, and then Gonghu and Wonjin emerged.
Gonghu's face was twisted in fury, his eyes blazing, while Wonjin remained relatively calm by comparison.
From their auras, it was clear who wielded the staff.
Impressive.
Sima Geon's gaze wasn't on Gonghu, but on Wonjin.
His sharp instincts, dormant since returning home, sent out a warning. Gonghu seemed formidable enough, but he paled against the presence emanating from Wonjin.
Gonghu, momentarily flustered upon seeing his own staff in Sima Geon's hand, gathered his energy and shouted.
"You're the one who was hiding on the abbot's quarters roof!"
Sima Geon neither confirmed nor denied it, opting for silence instead of excuses.
As Gonghu's brows furrowed in outrage at the perceived slight, the staff in Sima Geon's grip suddenly flew toward him.
"Returning it to its owner."
This was a master who had spied on the abbot's quarters, slipped away like a ghost, and effortlessly felled the Four Great Vajras—Shaolin's future hope. Considering he'd casually caught the full-force throw meant to save his disciples, Gonghu knew better than to underestimate him. He carefully received the staff.
"Hmph."
A low groan escaped Gonghu's lips.
He spun gracefully, deflecting most of the energy, yet the transmitted shock was immense. His grip throbbed as if tearing, and his arm went numb. Hiding the pain, he promptly leveled the staff at Sima Geon.
The staff whirled in circles.
At peak speed, the pinnacle technique of the Ruyi Staff Method unfolded.
Though wielded as a monk's staff rather than a proper rod, for a master like Gonghu, the weapon's form made little difference.
Exploding outward from Gonghu, the staff's shadows dominated the space around them, ensnaring Sima Geon like a net.
Sima Geon calmly observed the assault, then leveled his sword horizontally before slashing upward.
Sword energy erupted along the blade's path, shredding the onslaught of staff shadows in an instant and aiming to sever Gonghu's wrist. Startled, Gonghu hastily withdrew the staff to block.
Bam!
A harsh impact rang out, sending Gonghu's body flying three zhang away.
The staff that had blocked the energy was now snapped in two.
Gonghu landed and immediately hurled the broken staff like lightning at Sima Geon. As Sima Geon dodged left, Gonghu leaped into the air.
Followed by a barrage of kicks.
The Boundless Leg Technique, capable of eighteen strikes in a single breath.
This was leagues beyond what Muin had unleashed on Cheol Woo.
Gonghu's kicks carried the full might of a lifetime's internal energy—each one heavy as Mount Tai.
Aiming for vital points from head to toe, the relentless kicks poured in, yet Sima Geon remained unshaken. He thrust his sword into the ground and punched toward Gonghu.
Gonghu's kicks clashed fiercely with Sima Geon's fists.
Thunderous collisions shook the forest, sweeping through their surroundings.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
With each repeated clash, Gonghu's face paled. Crimson blood trickled from his mouth, and the mounting shocks left him reeling.
"Guh!"
With a guttural groan, Gonghu staggered.
What... have I done?
He finally realized his mistake, but it was too late. He should have sensed it from the start—the meaning behind slipping away unnoticed from under the eyes of Shaolin's leaders.
An overwhelming pressure unlike anything he'd ever felt.
Each collision hammered his body like a massive mallet.
His once-mighty Boundless Leg Technique ended with his left leg shattered. Even the desperate Palm Leaf Strike, his last resort, dissolved like a midday mirage. His qi and blood churned wildly; his injuries were so severe he needed immediate meditation to stabilize.
A utter, indefensible defeat.
As Gonghu stood in dazed defeat, Sima Geon's fist flew toward him.
The fist's eerie, spinning afterimage glittered like the Milky Way in the night sky.
He lacked the strength or will to block.
Resigned to death, Gonghu closed his eyes. But the expected end never came. Sima Geon, who had pressed so relentlessly, had withdrawn.
Before Gonghu could question it, Sima Geon turned and asked,
"Why didn't you block?"
"No killing intent. This monk may not have long to live, but he can still read that much."
Wonjin glanced at the fallen Four Great Vajras and the still-dazed Gonghu, who hadn't fully grasped the situation, before continuing.
"Doesn't seem like outright hostility. Am I wrong?"
Before Sima Geon could reply, Gonghu staggered forward, pointing at the downed Four Great Vajras and shouting,
"No hostility? Elder! How can you say that after seeing what he did to them?"
"If there were true malice, he wouldn't have just subdued them like that. Right?"
Sima Geon nodded slightly under Wonjin's gaze.
"As the elder monk says, there's no particular enmity. I know it's hard to believe given the circumstances."
"Of course it's unbelievable. Spying on the abbot's quarters and coming to the Demon Subduing Yard at this late hour—it's proof of impure intentions."
Sima Geon gave a wry smile at Gonghu's retort.
"That's true as well. No excuses there. But one thing I can say for certain: if we'd come here with hostile intent, we wouldn't have held back like this."
As Sima Geon's steady gaze shifted from the Four Great Vajras to Gonghu himself, the latter's long eyebrows twitched violently. An unbearable humiliation washed over him. The defeated had no words to argue.
Wonjin gently patted Gonghu's shoulder and pointed at Cheol Woo, who was fending off Muin and the Eight Great Vajras.
"You've got to acknowledge what's due. Same here, and over there too. If he'd gone all out, it wouldn't have ended with mere injuries."
Gonghu turned to watch the fight briefly, biting his lip in frustration. He too had instantly recognized Cheol Woo's extraordinary skill—casually handling the combined assault of Muin, Muhae, Muyeom, and the rest.
"Since it's come to this, why not watch for a bit? The moonlight's perfect for gauging just how much stronger Muin has gotten."
Wonjin sat on a rock. After a moment's hesitation, Sima Geon leaned against a tree, arms crossed. It was no longer a situation where they could just take the Great Reversion Pill and slip away quietly.
Gonghu, caught in the middle, sighed in resignation and stood by Wonjin—but he stayed alert, ready to react to any move Sima Geon made.
Bam! Bam!
Muhae, Museong, and Muyeom desperately defended against Cheol Woo's beastly charges, but to no avail.
They could only block or dodge so many times. Each clash sent shockwaves ripping through their bodies—blocks that weren't true blocks.
Muin, joining late, unleashed the sharpest, most ferocious attacks to halt Cheol Woo, but he couldn't breach the indestructible wall of Diamond Indestructibility.
After the time it took to sip a cup of tea, only Muin stood before Cheol Woo.
Museong, gut-punched, frothed at the mouth and collapsed. Muyeom clutched his broken leg and slumped. The worst hit was Muhae, leader of the Eight Great Vajras, who'd resisted longest. Taking a body slam meant for Muin, his organs twisted and ribs shattered entirely, leaving him unconscious.
"S-Senior Brother..."
Muin, clutching Muhae's battered form after he'd shielded him, was at a loss.
"Hoo! I told you to go easy."
Sima Geon muttered with a displeased frown, watching Muhae fall.
No immediate death, but certainly life-threatening injuries. Even the composed Wonjin rose in alarm.
"How about we call the fight here..."
Sima Geon started apologetically, but his eyes flashed.
Killing intent.
Even with countless battles under his belt, this was a terrifying malice he'd rarely encountered.
The source, enough to startle even Sima Geon, was Muin—slowly rising after laying Muhae on the ground.
Slender and fragile compared to the Four Heavenly Kings or Eight Great Vajras, the killing aura now radiating from him dominated the surroundings, poised to shred Cheol Woo. It rivaled that of a grandmaster.
"Surprising. A Shaolin disciple emitting such killing intent."
Cheol Woo marveled at Muin's sudden change, yet looked thrilled.
The suffocating malice bore down on him, but he seemed unperturbed.
"Die!"
With a sticky, eerie shout, Muin charged Cheol Woo.
In a blink, he closed the gap. His left hand twisted at an unnatural angle toward Cheol Woo's nape, while his right stabbed at the eyes.
As Muin's claw-like fingers targeted his eyes—Cheol Woo's sole weakness despite Diamond Indestructibility from Overlord Blood Victory Aura and Ink Gang Asura Qi—Cheol Woo grimaced.
He tilted his head slightly, deflecting both attacks, then thrust a fist.
A concise punch, swift beyond his massive frame, hurtled toward Muin's face.
As Sima Geon flinched, fearing a fatal mistake, Muin arched backward completely. Cheol Woo's fist sliced empty air amid the counter-kick.
Cheol Woo's body swayed slightly from the force. Muin closed in instantly, pummeling vital points across his body. Hands one moment, then airborne kicks the next.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
Dull impacts rang out. Cheol Woo, taking hits all over without countering, was pushed back.
Onlookers, pitying Muin against this monster yet cheering him on, now shone with admiration. Alone, he'd achieved what their all-out efforts couldn't.
Muin roared beast-like, unleashing a frenzy of attacks.
Cheol Woo was helpless against the storm without pause. Especially when Muin retrieved his fallen staff and unleashed ultimate techniques—everyone sensed victory as blood streaked Cheol Woo's body, convinced the indestructibility had finally broken.
Then, Cheol Woo, on the verge of collapse, planted his feet firmly. He began deflecting Muin's assaults with fluid arm movements.
As Cheol Woo counterattacked, Muin's killing aura intensified. His techniques, now laced with it, were no longer Shaolin arts—ferociously vicious and relentless.
"Thought he'd purged it, but he still can't control the killing intent."
Gonghu sighed.
"The Heavenly Killing Star is a temperament bestowed by heaven. A Heavenly Punishment. No individual can erase it. I thought he'd overcome it to some degree, but I was wrong. Pushed to the brink, the dormant nature emerged."
Wonjin gazed pityingly at Muin, losing reason to bloodlust as time passed.
Muin's innate Heavenly Killing Star aura was inhuman— a horrific curse for heaven's chosen few. Few could face it calmly, yet Cheol Woo seemed unaffected.
"Truly remarkable. The brief pressure was just to test Muin's skill, as expected."
Wonjin hadn't favored Cheol Woo even when Muin's exploded aura left him defenseless, or when blood now marred his unscratched body from the Eight Great Vajras.
A monster fitting the phrase "strength to uproot mountains, aura to blanket the world." Cheol Woo's presence proved it. From some point, he began dominating the rampaging Muin completely.
Wuuung!
With a heavy vibration, energy burst from Cheol Woo's fist toward Muin's final frenzy.
Muin's techniques crumbled like sandcastles, the ambient killing aura shrinking rapidly.
Muin grimaced demonically, resisting to the end, but it meant nothing against Cheol Woo's full-force Overlord Sixteen Fists.
Bam!
A mighty clash sent Muin's frail body arcing through the air.
Crashing five zhang away, his arms and one leg twisted unnaturally, as if snapped.
All who had hoped moments ago now stared at Cheol Woo in despair at Muin's pitiful defeat.
Cheol Woo approached leisurely, as if it were inevitable.
As Sima Geon sighed lightly, about to stop him in his victory strut—
Wonjin, right beside him, moved silently. So fluid and profound that even Sima Geon flinched.
"Watch out!"
Sima Geon called to Cheol Woo. But no warning was needed. Though not Sima Geon's equal, Cheol Woo was a top demonic expert. His burly, seemingly brute form and arts belied keen senses.
Cheol Woo swiftly countered Wonjin's approaching aura.
Dazzling fist energy fanned out toward Wonjin like a peacock's tail.
Sensing Wonjin's prowess instinctively, it was at least twice the power he'd used on Muin.
"Hah!"
Cheol Woo gasped.
The fist energy, capable of crumbling mountains, sliced futilely through empty air. It had seemed to hit, but it was merely Wonjin's afterimage.
Wonjin's form, leaving nine shadows, reappeared beneath Cheol Woo's chin.