Chapter 284
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 284
Chapter Title: Four Evils Thunderclap Bow!
"St-stop!!"
In response to Ha Mu-baek's sudden action, Yeon Jin launched himself forward and thrust out his fist.
Boom!
A torrent of fist force erupted from Yeon Jin's punch.
Hundred Paces Divine Fist.
One of Shaolin's Seventy-Two Special Skills unfolded from his hand.
Ha Mu-baek emotionlessly withdrew the fist that had shattered the well cover and swung it back in retaliation.
Boom!
Another surge of fist force poured forth.
Crash!
The forces unleashed by the two clashed in midair.
"Urk."
Yeon Jin was flung in the opposite direction from which he'd leaped, collapsing limply to the ground.
A thin trickle of blood ran from the corner of his mouth.
He had sustained internal injuries from just a single clash.
"Patron Ha! Do you truly intend to interfere with Shaolin's proceedings?"
Yeon Jin bellowed at Ha Mu-baek, his voice thick with rage.
Ha Mu-baek smirked.
"What about Shaolin?"
At those words, the faces of the young Shaolin monks flushed red.
They burned with fury at seeing their sect insulted right before their eyes.
"And what proceedings? The person you're looking for isn't here."
Ha Mu-baek said in a leisurely tone.
"What do you...?"
Yeon Jin stared at him in disbelief.
"You're not thinking of sneaking away the female patron hiding in that well, are you?"
His eyes brimmed with suspicion.
Ha Mu-baek looked at Yeon Jin as if he were utterly absurd.
"Why would I? That's way too much hassle. If I really wanted to help whoever you're chasing, it'd be far easier to just sweep all of you aside."
The young Shaolin monks' faces looked ready to explode.
Their anger had reached its peak.
This level of disdain was unprecedented.
Yet Yeon Jin merely bit his lip and held his tongue.
He knew Ha Mu-baek was speaking the truth.
"Then why are you blocking our path?"
"I told you. I have business here too."
With that, Ha Mu-baek yanked the well cover clean off.
And what lay before them was...
A fairly large rock amid scattered pebbles.
The typical sight of a dried-up, sealed well.
"They sure covered it up nicely."
A brief observation.
At that moment, Yeon Jin crept cautiously toward Ha Mu-baek.
Ha Mu-baek saw no need to stop him.
He had only countered because Yeon Jin had swung first without warning.
His internals must have been thoroughly shaken by now.
Even standing there took tremendous endurance.
Yeon Jin's expression hardened as he peered into the well.
It was only natural.
There was no way anyone could be hiding in there.
Yet his eyes still detected an evil aura.
The Prajna Wisdom Eye wouldn't deceive him.
Ignoring Yeon Jin's reaction, Ha Mu-baek extended his hand.
Vacuum Claw Capture unfolded.
Rocks and pebbles of moderate size floated lightly upward and were swept aside from the well.
Revealed beneath was sand and bare earth.
Ha Mu-baek smirked, keeping his hand outstretched as he stared intently at the sandy bottom.
The ground began to heave.
Something seemed about to rise from the churning spot.
And it shot straight up into Ha Mu-baek's grasp.
It was an iron bow of ordinary appearance.
"Th-that's..."
Yeon Jin's eyes widened.
The evil aura his eyes perceived was emanating from that bow.
A bow leaking evil aura like that.
It had to be the possession of the one they were pursuing.
Who would have thought it had been hidden here like this.
"F-Four Evils Thunderclap Bow!"
Ha Mu-baek nodded.
"This is my business."
A weapon leaking evil aura like a stream.
Ominous.
Extremely so.
Such a weapon needed to be recovered and sealed deep within Shaolin.
That was the only way.
But the one holding it...
Was Ha Mu-baek.
"Patron Ha."
Yeon Jin called out.
"No."
Ha Mu-baek cut him off, as if reading his mind, his tone brooking no argument.
"Th-that's..."
"Ah, that's your assumption. Or why didn't you lot pull it out first?"
"For the peace and safety of the martial world..."
Yeon Jin desperately tried to persuade him.
But such justifications rang hollow to Ha Mu-baek—pure nonsense.
This Four Evils Thunderclap Bow had been with the Four Evils Alliance all this time.
Had the martial world lacked peace and safety for it?
Since victory over the Blood Cult and Demonic Cult, the world had enjoyed a measure of peace.
If anything, it was these self-righteous fools squabbling among themselves that threatened stability.
"If you're so worried about the martial world's peace and safety, take it by force."
Ha Mu-baek dangled the Four Evils Thunderclap Bow right in front of Yeon Jin's eyes as he spoke.
Yeon Jin ground his teeth.
Reasoning wouldn't work with this man.
And force was even less likely.
"You bastard!"
Unable to contain his rage, one of the young monks lunged at Ha Mu-baek.
Just moments ago.
Despite witnessing Yeon Jin suffer internal injuries from clashing with him, he swung without hesitation.
The Great Vajra Fist form unfolded from the young monk's hand.
"St-stop! Hang Jin!"
Yeon Jin cried out urgently, but the fist was already flying toward Ha Mu-baek's face.
Muscles bulging as if to burst his robes, a massive frame.
If not for his shaved head, no one would take him for a monk.
A physique perfectly suited to the Great Vajra Fist.
However.
Crack.
With a sharp crack, he clutched his right hand and collapsed to his knees.
All his fingers bent in unnatural directions.
Every one broken.
Ha Mu-baek hadn't moved a muscle, simply watching.
"Wh-what protective aura is th-that...?"
Yeon Jin stared at Ha Mu-baek in disbelief.
A true monster.
Hang Jin was a second-generation disciple, but his fist power rivaled that of first-generation ones.
Yet Ha Mu-baek had blocked the Great Vajra Fist with mere protective aura.
Hang Jin's fingers shattered instead.
All five broken.
The rebound from the aura was that immense.
Ha Mu-baek hadn't even flinched, while Hang Jin was in that state.
"Tch."
Ha Mu-baek clicked his tongue lightly at the sight.
Then he turned to Yeon Jin.
Yeon Jin's grip tightened fiercely on his prayer beads.
In that one exchange, Ha Mu-baek had clearly demonstrated his level.
Are you still going to come at me? his gaze asked.
The second- and third-generation disciples gradually calmed their excitement.
Witnessing Hang Jin's fate brought home the reality.
Only one remained serene from the start.
Hang San.
His gaze was fixed not on Ha Mu-baek, but on the bow in his hand.
That's... the Four Evils Thunderclap Bow...
A weapon of the unorthodox, yet legendary.
Among the ten strongest unorthodox weapons.
The weapon of the Four Evils Alliance Leader.
Its previous owner: the Unorthodox World's Greatest Archer.
Seeing a legendary weapon up close sparked boundless curiosity.
That curiosity had led him to pore over the Hall of Scriptures' histories.
Now, his eyes were glued to Ha Mu-baek's hand, unmoving.
Ha Mu-baek wasn't one to miss Hang San's gaze.
He turned his head, meeting Hang San's eyes.
"Eek."
Startled, Hang San took a step back.
He hadn't realized it facing only Senior Brother Yeon Jin.
What kind of person's eyes were those?
They seemed calmly appraising, yet Hang San found them overwhelming.
"What is it?"
At Ha Mu-baek's words, Yeon Jin stepped sideways.
Blocking Hang San and shielding him from Ha Mu-baek's view.
"Yeon Jin. Not you. The one behind. What?"
Ha Mu-baek singled out Hang San.
"We'll be taking our leave now, Patron Ha."
Yeon Jin said hastily.
Hang Jin had charged in blindly and gotten injured.
Now Ha Mu-baek was pointing out Hang San.
p> Unknowing what trouble might befall his disciple, he chose retreat to protect him.
"If you're leaving, at least answer my question. Staring at me with such burning eyes—you gonna tell me or what?"
Ha Mu-baek didn't avert his gaze.
His eyes remained fixed on Hang San.
Urging him.
Speak up. Tell me why.
Hang San couldn't withstand the pressure.
"Uh, that..."
"Stop."
As Hang San opened his mouth, Yeon Jin urgently intervened.
All to protect his disciple.
"The one who needs to stop is you, Yeon Jin."
Ha Mu-baek's pressure shifted entirely to Yeon Jin in an instant.
"Kuh."
Yeon Jin gritted his teeth and circulated his energy.
"Speak. Why were you staring at this so intently?"
Ha Mu-baek lightly raised the Four Evils Thunderclap Bow.
Hang San's eyes followed it.
"Hang San...?"
Yeon Jin glanced at him. Ha Mu-baek's pressure had already lifted.
"Since I'm not gonna eat you, step back, Yeon Jin. Why this bow?"
"Uh, well... It's a divine weapon I've only read about in books, right there in front of me..."
Hang San mumbled awkwardly.
Ha Mu-baek glanced once more at the plain iron bow.
He had recognized it as the Four Evils Thunderclap Bow from its aura.
Even he had first seen the real thing when he met Gong Ya Hwi-yeon.
Weapons held little fascination for Ha Mu-baek.
He had long surpassed the realm of choosing specific arms.
Ha Mu-baek grinned.
A Shaolin monk's eyes sparkling at a weapon was amusing.
An unorthodox one, at that.
"The Ten Great Evil Weapons?"
"Yes. According to the newly compiled Martial World Weapons Compendium from ten years ago..."
Hang San's eyes lit up as he responded to Ha Mu-baek's question.
Yeon Jin and the other Shaolin monks looked faintly exasperated.
They knew Hang San's deep interest and studies in such matters.
But to carry on like this in the current situation...
"It says it's an ancient divine weapon whose form changes with the user's realm. When fully revealed, it gleams in platinum with a ornate dragon motif. The last to show its final form was the Heavenly Flower Bow."
Ha Mu-baek's expression turned faintly exasperated too.
A Shaolin monk acting like this.
Suitability for monkhood seemed questionable.
Yet curiosity stirred in him as well.
A weapon that shifted form based on the user's realm.
Gong Ya Hwi-yeon's realm was no slouch for her age, yet it appeared as a plain iron bow.
The bow had deemed that realm merely average.
Amusing, if ridiculous, for a mere weapon to judge a warrior's attainment.
"How?"
"Pardon?"
Hang San reflexively asked back.
"How to change this bow's form."
"Ah. It says the owner infuses it with internal energy. But as one of the Ten Great Evil Weapons, it only responds to unorthodox arts. An orthodox warrior attempting mastery might even be devoured by its evil aura..."
Hang San continued his explanation at length.
Ha Mu-baek had heard what he needed, but the monk's mouth didn't stop.
What a talkative fellow.
Ignoring Hang San's words, Ha Mu-baek channeled energy into the Four Evils Thunderclap Bow.
"Whoa, as I mentioned earlier, that bow only reacts to unorthodox arts..."
Hang San noticed and spoke up urgently.
At Ha Mu-baek's level, no risk of being consumed, but he saw it as pointless.
Yet.
Hummm...
The bow responded.
Stunned, Yeon Jin whipped around to Hang San.
"Didn't you say it only reacts to evil arts?"
"Yes. That's one reason it's called one of the Ten Great Evil Weapons. Only unorthodox warriors can wield it properly."
"Then how...?"
Yeon Jin's eyes trembled.
The bow seemed to be reacting to Ha Mu-baek's energy.
"P-Patron Ha... does that mean he practices evil arts...?"
Yeon Jin muttered, then his eyes widened in realization.
"That's why you're hunting that unorthodox villain..."
An orthodox master practicing unorthodox arts.
Undeniable betrayal.
Rage flickered in Yeon Jin's eyes as he glared at Ha Mu-baek.
I must report to headquarters.
Yeon Jin resolved himself.
Inform Shaolin, then block this traitor's path, even if it meant sacrificing everyone.
Whether Yeon Jin thought that or not.
Ha Mu-baek watched the bow's transformation.
After a low vibration.
It began to glow faintly.
Then it erupted in blinding light.
Those watching the bow squeezed their eyes shut against the sudden flash.
When the light faded.
Hang San had been right.
A resplendent bow shaped like an ascending dragon rested in Ha Mu-baek's hand.
"Huh?"
But something differed from the description.
Thus Hang San's surprise.
Definitely.
It was supposed to shine in platinum.
The pure white platinum bow matched that.
However.
It gleamed with mysterious, iridescent rainbow hues.
Not mere platinum.
"H-how...?"
The Martial World Weapons Compendium recorded everything about arms.
It couldn't be wrong.
This form differed from the books. Unrecorded.
"N-no way?"
A thought flashed through Hang San's mind, startling him.
Perhaps the form in the compendium was the highest known until now.
And what Ha Mu-baek now revealed surpassed even that.
The Shaolin monks were entranced by the true form of the Four Evils Thunderclap Bow.
An unorthodox weapon.
Yet it looked almost divine.
Ha Mu-baek too stared at it blankly.
Th-this is...
His hand trembled finely around the Four Evils Thunderclap Bow.
His eyelids quivered.
Ha Mu-baek looked at Hang San.