Chapter 146
Chapter 146
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 146
Chapter Title: The Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon
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A brief moment of silence fell.
Beneath where Great Master Wuseong's mask had fallen, the haggard face of an old man was revealed.
Sensing the shift in the atmosphere, Great Master Wuseong hurriedly moved his lips.
“Th-this is…”
“…”
It was a fleeting moment before those words came out. But Great Master Munjeong's mind had already been made up for some time.
‘Great Master Wuseong wields demonic energy? That man is an impostor!’
Great Master Munjeong clenched his right fist.
The dark demonic energy emanating from Great Master Wuseong felt as though it was churning inside his nostrils.
“To think there is one who dares reveal demonic energy on these sacred grounds!”
At those words, Great Master Wuseong realized things had gone completely awry.
At this rate, he would be facing a pincer attack from the Shaolin Temple, whom he had believed to be an ally.
Great Master Wuseong hastily withdrew the demonic energy inward.
*Junior Brother!*
At those words, a wave of betrayal and anger, from having been deceived until just moments ago, washed over Great Master Munjeong.
*Who is your Junior Brother! I know no Buddhist monk who wields demonic energy!*
A silvery-gray Buddhist energy began to gather in each and every bead of the prayer beads around Great Master Munjeong's neck.
When Great Master Wuseong sensed a battle was imminent and blinked his eyes.
Great Master Munjeong was already clutching the prayer beads in his hand, murmuring Amitabha's name.
The light that formed in his pupils resembled the profound mystique one might see only in paintings.
“What are you all doing! Go to the Disciplinary Hall and the Arhat Hall at once!”
A fierce roar erupted from Great Master Munjeong's lips, sweeping through the area. A young warrior monk, belatedly coming to his senses, left his post.
Ouyang Jue watched this series of events unfold and smirked.
“How about it?”
“…You bastard!”
Wondering how on earth his mask had been broken, Great Master Wuseong recalled several martial arts.
But it was already too late to salvage the situation.
Gritting his teeth, Great Master Wuseong swung his right palm, intending to quickly dispose of Ouyang Jue, who was blocking his way.
*Fwoosh!*
The fierce internal energy was heavy enough to crush Mount Tai, and the fist pushed through the wind, shooting toward Ouyang Jue's Baihui acupoint.
It was far too fast and precise for an old man's body.
Ouyang Jue felt a momentary chill at Great Master Wuseong's strike, but he didn't lose his smile.
There were too many allies for that.
Sensing a presence from behind, Ouyang Jue sidestepped to the left.
*Clang!*
The sword that blocked the heavy blow trembled, transmitting the shock to its owner.
But the sword's owner, Liu Zhangming, approached Ouyang Jue's side with an unfazed expression.
He then met Ouyang Jue's gaze.
A mental message, or words.
They shared neither. Great Master Wuseong's power was too formidable for that.
“…Hoo.”
*Shhhk.*
Ouyang Jue took a deep breath, assuming a left-handed sword stance.
Liu Zhangming had surely retrieved the Dragon's Tear Sword and was waiting for his move.
Just stepping forward with his right foot.
That was enough.
Between sworn brothers, long words were unnecessary.
“Hah!”
Great Master Wuseong shouted and struck with both hands simultaneously.
His left hand held the essence of Shaolin's Eighteen Arhat Palms, while his right hand contained the principles of the Internal Energy Piercing Hand, capable of penetrating even a sword.
And what of his lower body?
It possessed a flexibility that allowed him to advance and retreat at will. A single misstep in response would result in a crushed sternum.
Seeing this, Ouyang Jue swung Severing Manifestation a beat later.
*Swish!*
The sword, imbued with the unique flamboyance of the Plum Blossom Sword Arts, flew toward the crook of Great Master Wuseong's left hand.
But Great Master Wuseong did not stop his attack.
No, he pivoted on his left foot, twisting his entire body toward Ouyang Jue.
‘…Is that the Iron Mountain Lean!’
Liu Zhangming shuddered at the sight of Great Master Wuseong instantly changing his technique, intending to shove Ouyang Jue aside.
If it were some trivial martial artist, it would be one thing, but when a warrior of Great Master Wuseong's caliber used the Iron Mountain Lean, it was no less than a Life-Taking Lean.
Especially now, when he was genuinely trying to kill Ouyang Jue…
Liu Zhangming's expression hardened.
“You are truly serious.”
Liu Zhangming's words were filled with lament. But his sword was different.
The Realm of Plum Fragrance.
The realm he had reached without knowing how had advanced through Bai Duanxian, and was finally sufficient to make a single blossom bloom.
“……!”
Sensing this, Great Master Wuseong halted the Iron Mountain Lean midway, stomped his right foot, and retreated.
Because he had stopped his attack abruptly, black blood rose to the corner of his mouth.
It was already difficult to conceal his demonic energy and forcibly draw upon Buddhist energy; fighting like this, he would surely struggle.
“Where in the world did these bastards come from…!”
Just as Great Master Wuseong took a step back and lamented, Great Master Munjeong's shout was heard.
“Arhats, deploy the Buddha's Shadow Gate formation!”
‘Have the Arhats already assembled?’
Spitting out the blood that had pooled in his mouth, Great Master Wuseong gave a bitter smile.
“The laws of Shaolin are so strict that they would even cast me aside after I've dedicated my entire life to this temple!”
At that cry, the high-ranking monk from the Disciplinary Hall who was commanding the Arhats flinched.
It was already baffling to have been summoned here in the middle of his training, but it was even stranger that the enemy was Great Master Wuseong.
As the high-ranking monk from the Disciplinary Hall glanced at Great Master Munjeong, Great Master Wuseong seized the moment and roared.
“What illusion are you all seeing! Do you intend to turn a blind eye as a martial artist of the Mount Hua Sect entraps this humble monk?”
A Buddhist energy, too profound to be described as merely solemn, was imbued in his words and swept through the surroundings.
It was enough to momentarily bewitch even Great Master Munjeong.
One who practiced demonic arts could never master Daoist or Buddhist martial arts.
Far from mastery, it was natural that their meridians would twist and they would become cripples.
And yet, what about Great Master Wuseong?
Was he not effortlessly commanding a Buddhist energy that would be insufficient even after a lifetime of cultivation?
The doubt that crept in turned into belief, making the situation peculiar.
Great Master Wuseong's reputation also contributed to the thought that it couldn't be true.
Watching this, Ouyang Jue fiddled with his fingers.
‘I expected this much.’
No matter if I exposed his demonic energy and broke his mask to reveal his true face, this was ultimately the Shaolin Temple.
If Great Master Wuseong's honor were to be tarnished, the Shaolin Temple's would fall as well, so they had no choice but to side with him.
From the sect's perspective, it was easier to persecute a mere junior like himself.
Ouyang Jue snorted as he watched Great Master Wuseong make excuses, claiming he had suffered burns on his face.
“Isn't there something more certain than a hundred words?”
“…”
“Try binding Great Master Wuseong with the Buddha's Shadow Gate. Then I will believe it for certain.”
I don't know how he managed to contain both demonic and Buddhist energy in one body, but he surely wouldn't be able to overcome the power of the Buddha's Shadow Gate.
If that were possible, he wouldn't have been detected by the Diamond Fist-Seal Armor.
At those words, the composure vanished from Great Master Wuseong's face.
“Great Master Wuseong, are you afraid?”
“…”
As Great Master Wuseong glared at him in silence, Ouyang Jue tightened his grip.
That bastard must have realized by now that his escape route was cut off.
In that case, there were only two actions he could take.
Kill everyone.
Or escape from this place.
Ouyang Jue wiped the cold sweat from his left hand on his uniform and steeled his fighting spirit.
“It seems you are afraid after all.”
As if he had made a choice, the look in Great Master Wuseong's eyes changed.
“…To think my grand plan would be ruined because of a mere brat like you.”
Great Master Wuseong's pupils slit vertically, distorting into a bizarre shape.
“I will take payment for that in blood and lives.”
*Kwaaaa!*
The demonic energy that erupted from Great Master Wuseong's entire body instantly enveloped the whole of the Shaolin Temple.
It was as if Mara, as spoken of in Buddhism, had descended upon the mortal world.
The force of it seemed to cover the sky in darkness, and the faces of the Arhats forming the Buddha's Shadow Gate twisted in despair.
At that moment, Great Master Wuseong shouted.
“I am one of the Eight Evils! The Buddha's Mask, the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon!”
As soon as those words were out, another mask covered the face of the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon.
Seeing it, Ouyang Jue recalled the Black Dragon, or more precisely, the mask that had covered his face.
‘So that's the symbol of the Eight Evils!’
Ouyang Jue shuddered at the thrill that ran up his spine.
Liu Zhangming also shook his head, as if to resist the roar of the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon.
And the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon did not miss this opening.
‘I must deal with this one quickly and shatter the Buddha's Shadow Gate!’
*Kwoong!*
The one who took the initiative was, as expected, the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon.
It was because he had judged that Liu Zhangming's strength was not inferior to Ouyang Jue's—no, perhaps even greater.
If left alive, he would return later as a fearsome enemy.
The Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon swung his arm without hesitation.
*Kaang!*
The Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon's hand clashed with Severing Manifestation, and a sharp sound rang out.
“…Keuk!”
It was only for a moment, but he was nearly pushed back.
Ouyang Jue let out a faint groan and readjusted his stance.
At the same time, he shouted loudly.
“Quickly, the Buddha's Shadow Gate!”
“…Hurry and deploy the formation!”
Great Master Munjeong deeply reproached himself for reacting slower than Ouyang Jue.
‘A single misstep and the Buddha's Shadow Gate could have been dismantled!’
The demonic energy controlled by the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon was several times more potent than his usual Buddhist energy.
Furthermore, his physical body seemed to have already far surpassed that of a human.
The mere wind generated by a swing of his arm could sever the pillars of a building, and a simple stomp of his foot was enough to make a powerful martial artist lose their balance.
Watching the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon's martial arts, Great Master Munjeong could only foresee the worst.
‘If the Buddha's Shadow Gate is breached… Shaolin Temple is finished!’
The guilt of nearly entrusting the hundreds, nearly a thousand years of Shaolin's history to such a monster weighed on Great Master Munjeong's ankles.
The martial prowess subsequently displayed by the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon left his mouth numb.
Great Master Wuseong had perfectly inherited the orthodox martial arts of the Shaolin Temple. Responding with the same Shaolin arts was useless; their realms were far below his.
The despair of being unable to win blanked out his mind.
Nevertheless, the reason he could regain his senses was the presence of the two juniors blocking the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon.
The Plum Blossom Divine Dragon, Ouyang Jue.
The Plum Blossom Cloud Dragon, Liu Zhangming.
If even sworn brothers from another sect, barely around the age of twenty, were fighting so valiantly, how could he just stand there dumbly?
‘At this rate, I won't be able to face anyone.’
Great Master Munjeong launched himself forward to take the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon from behind.
*Thud!*
The sound of footsteps that shook the earth.
A roar, as if a hundred men were charging across a battlefield, pierced Ouyang Jue's ears.
The demonic energy enveloping the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon's fist flickered indistinctly, distorting its shape.
Before it could materialize into another form, Ouyang Jue swung Severing Manifestation to restrain the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon's movements.
*Kaaang—!*
His wrist smarted from the repulsive force of clashing with the demonic energy.
He had never neglected his training, but after exchanging hundreds of techniques, fatigue was already soaking his entire body.
Sixty-four Arhats forming the Buddha's Shadow Gate.
Great Master Munjeong attacking from behind, and twenty-two masters circulating their energy, ready to join the formation at any moment.
Any other master from the Central Plains would be unable to overcome such a force, but the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon was different.
‘Unlike the Black Dragon… this one is seasoned.’
He must have lived as Great Master Wuseong for decades, and perhaps even lived under other identities before that.
The proof was in the martial arts of other sects he occasionally displayed while using Shaolin techniques, and his proficiency was no less than that of a Shaolin orthodox.
Because of that, he couldn't help but be taken aback at times.
He never knew when or where a strange martial art would emerge.
‘It's a wonder that Senior Brother, with his scant experience in life-or-death battles, is still holding on.’
Even the composed manner he showed while parrying the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon's attacks seemed to transcend his age and martial skill.
But eventually, the limit was reached.
*Drip.*
The cracks that appeared as his internal energy began to deplete started to distort Liu Zhangming's expression.
Seeing this, the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon's lips curved into an arc.
“That pathetic swordsmanship of yours ends here!”
The moment the Buddha-Slaying Divine Demon ignored all attacks and executed a movement technique to take Liu Zhangming's life.
*Wuuuuung…!*
A sword's cry rang out from the blade of Severing Manifestation.