Chapter 56

Chapter 56
Chapter: 56

Chapter Title: Shaolin’s Sword (1)

—

Shiiik!

The sharp whistle of a blade cutting through the atmosphere.

Sima Geon, having rapidly incapacitated the Four Great Vajras in a single sequence, halted his movement and shifted his gaze toward the left.

A figure had burst from the foliage of the darkened forest, sprinting with intense speed toward Cheol Woo.

“Be careful…”

Sima Geon began to shout a caution, detecting a powerful pressure from the newcomer, but he stopped mid-sentence.

A gilded Buddhist staff, adorned with nine metal rings, shot forward with the intensity of a sunbeam.

Sima Geon shoved Muyeon away and caught the oncoming weapon between his palms in a prayer-like gesture.

The staff vibrated with a savage strength far beyond the capacity of an average martial artist, yet Sima Geon absorbed the impact without significant harm. He merely retreated a few steps to dissipate the internal kinetic force.

The undergrowth parted, and Gonghu and Wonjin stepped into the clearing.

Gonghu’s features were contorted with rage, his gaze burning, while Wonjin maintained a relatively composed expression.

Judging by their internal signatures, it was obvious who had launched the staff.

Quite something.

Sima Geon’s attention wasn’t fixed on Gonghu, but rather on Wonjin.

His intuitive senses, which had been quiet since his homecoming, began to signal danger. While Gonghu appeared powerful, his presence was eclipsed by the aura radiating from Wonjin.

Gonghu, momentarily stunned to see his weapon held by Sima Geon, marshaled his inner energy and bellowed.

“You are the intruder who was lurking on the roof of the abbot’s quarters!”

Sima Geon offered neither a confession nor a rebuttal, choosing to remain silent rather than offer justifications.

As Gonghu’s face darkened with anger at being ignored, the staff in Sima Geon’s hand was suddenly hurled back toward him.

“Giving this back to its rightful user.”

This was a combatant who had monitored the abbot’s residence, vanished like a phantom, and effortlessly defeated the Four Great Vajras—the pride of Shaolin. Realizing the man had casually intercepted a strike intended to rescue his pupils, Gonghu knew he could not be careless. He braced himself to catch the returning staff.

“Hmph.”

A muffled grunt escaped Gonghu.

He pivoted his body to deflect the brunt of the force, yet the impact was still staggering. His palms stung as if they might split, and his arm went completely numb. Masking the injury, he immediately pointed the staff toward Sima Geon.

The weapon began to whirl in rapid arcs.

At maximum velocity, the ultimate form of the Ruyi Staff Method was unleashed.

Even though he used a monk’s staff instead of a light rod, for a practitioner of Gonghu’s caliber, the specific shape of the weapon was irrelevant.

Radiating outward from Gonghu, the blurring shadows of the staff claimed the surrounding air, trapping Sima Geon in a complex web of strikes.

Sima Geon watched the approach with a steady eye, then held his blade horizontally before executing a rising slash.

A wave of sword qi erupted from the edge, instantly disintegrating the network of staff shadows and surging toward Gonghu’s wrist. Panicked, Gonghu pulled the staff back to intercept the energy.

Bam!

A violent resonance filled the air, and Gonghu was propelled backward three zhang.

The staff that had served as his shield was now shattered in two.

Gonghu hit the ground and immediately threw the splintered remains at Sima Geon like a bolt of lightning. As Sima Geon sidestepped, Gonghu launched himself into the sky.

He followed with a sequence of rapid kicks.

The Boundless Leg Technique, capable of delivering eighteen blows in the space of a single breath.

This execution was far superior to the version Muin had used against Cheol Woo.

Gonghu’s strikes were infused with the total weight of his lifelong cultivation—each kick landing with the heaviness of Mount Tai.

Targeting vital areas from head to foot, the storm of kicks was relentless, but Sima Geon did not flinch. He drove his sword into the earth and met the assault with his bare fists.

Gonghu’s legs collided violently with Sima Geon’s knuckles.

The sound of the impacts echoed like thunder through the woods, the shockwaves flattening the nearby grass.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

With every successive hit, Gonghu’s complexion grew more ashen. Blood began to seep from his lips, and the accumulated force left him lightheaded.

“Guh!”

With a choked sound, Gonghu faltered.

What… have I done?

The realization of his error finally dawned on him, but the moment had passed. He should have understood the implications from the start—what it meant to evade the detection of Shaolin’s highest masters.

He was facing a crushing power unlike any he had ever encountered.

Every strike felt like being hit by a massive iron hammer.

His vaunted Boundless Leg Technique ended with a fractured left leg. Even his final, desperate Palm Leaf Strike faded away like a hallucination in the sun. His internal energy and blood flow were in total chaos; the damage was so great he needed to begin healing meditation immediately.

It was a complete, undeniable loss.

As Gonghu stood there, dazed by his defeat, Sima Geon’s fist surged toward him.

The rotating afterimage of the fist shimmered like a star field in the midnight sky.

He had no strength left to resist and no spirit to fight.

Accepting his fate, Gonghu shut his eyes. However, the killing blow never landed. Sima Geon, who had been so aggressive, had halted his attack.

Before Gonghu could process what happened, Sima Geon turned his head and spoke.

“Why didn’t you move to defend?”

“There was no intent to kill. This old monk might be nearing his end, but he can still perceive that much.”

Wonjin looked over at the incapacitated Four Great Vajras and the stunned Gonghu, who was still processing the turn of events, before adding:

“It doesn’t feel like true animosity. Am I mistaken?”

Before Sima Geon could respond, Gonghu limped forward, gesturing at the fallen Four Great Vajras and yelling,

“No animosity? Elder! How can you claim that after seeing what he did to our brothers?”

“If his heart were truly black, he wouldn’t have merely restrained them in that manner. Isn’t that so?”

Sima Geon gave a small nod while meeting Wonjin’s eyes.

“As the elder suggests, I hold no specific grudge. I realize that is a difficult claim to accept under these conditions.”

“It is indeed impossible to believe. Lurking around the abbot’s home and infiltrating the Demon Subduing Yard at this hour—it is clear evidence of a dark motive.”

Sima Geon smiled thinly at Gonghu’s protest.

“That is a fair point. I have no defense for my presence here. However, I can state with certainty: if our goal was destruction, we would not have been so gentle.”

As Sima Geon’s steady look traveled from the Four Great Vajras back to Gonghu, the elder monk’s eyebrows flared with agitation. A wave of shame hit him. A loser has no ground for argument.

Wonjin placed a comforting hand on Gonghu’s shoulder and gestured toward Cheol Woo, who was currently engaged with Muin and the Eight Great Vajras.

“One must give credit where it is earned. Here, and over there as well. If that man had used his full strength, the outcome would have been far more than mere bruises.”

Gonghu turned to observe the struggle, biting his lip. He had already noted Cheol Woo’s incredible prowess—fighting off the simultaneous attacks of Muin, Muhae, Muyeom, and the others with ease.

“Since things have reached this point, why not observe for a moment? The light of the moon is ideal for seeing exactly how much Muin has developed.”

Wonjin took a seat on a nearby stone. After a brief pause, Sima Geon leaned against a tree trunk, crossing his arms. The chance to simply take the Great Reversion Pill and vanish into the night had passed.

Gonghu, stuck between the two, let out a resigned breath and stood near Wonjin—though he remained vigilant, watching Sima Geon for any sudden movements.

Bam! Bam!

Muhae, Museong, and Muyeom were struggling to hold back Cheol Woo’s primal lunges, but their efforts were failing.

They could only parry or avoid so many strikes. Each collision sent tremors through their frames—their blocks were only delaying the inevitable.

Muin, entering the fray late, launched the most precise and aggressive strikes to stop Cheol Woo, but he could not pierce the wall of Diamond Indestructibility.

By the time it would take to finish a cup of tea, only Muin remained standing against Cheol Woo.

Museong had collapsed, foaming at the mouth after a punch to the stomach. Muyeom was on the ground, holding a shattered leg. The most severe damage was taken by Muhae, the captain of the Eight Great Vajras, who had held out the longest. Trying to intercept a tackle meant for Muin, his internal organs were jarred and his ribs were completely crushed, leaving him senseless.

“S-Senior Brother…”

Muin, holding the broken body of Muhae who had just protected him, was paralyzed with shock.

“Hoo! I told you not to go too far.”

Sima Geon whispered with a frown, watching Muhae fall.

The injuries weren’t immediately fatal, but they were critical. Even the stoic Wonjin stood up in concern.

“Perhaps we should end this duel here…”

Sima Geon began to speak in a conciliatory tone, but his eyes suddenly sharpened.

Pure malice.

Even with his vast experience in war, this was a terrifying bloodlust he had rarely felt.

The source, which even shocked Sima Geon, was Muin—who was slowly standing up after placing Muhae on the grass.

Small and unassuming compared to the Four Heavenly Kings or the Eight Great Vajras, the killing intent now pouring out of him saturated the area, ready to tear Cheol Woo apart. It was a presence that rivaled a grandmaster.

“Unbelievable. A monk of Shaolin producing such a murderous aura.”

Cheol Woo was surprised by Muin’s transformation, yet he looked excited.

The heavy pressure of the malice bore down on him, but he stood his ground.

“Perish!”

With a strange, haunting cry, Muin lunged at Cheol Woo.

He closed the distance in a flash. His left hand whipped toward Cheol Woo’s neck at a jagged angle, while his right fingers jabbed at his eyes.

Because Muin’s clawed fingers were aimed at his eyes—the only vulnerability in the Diamond Indestructibility granted by Overlord Blood Victory Aura and Ink Gang Asura Qi—Cheol Woo’s expression tightened.

He shifted his head slightly to avoid the strikes, then countered with a punch.

It was a direct blow, incredibly fast for a man of his size, aimed straight for Muin’s face.

Sima Geon tensed, worried about a lethal hit, but Muin bent his body backward entirely. Cheol Woo’s fist met nothing but air as Muin launched a counter-kick.

Cheol Woo’s frame shook slightly from the impact. Muin moved in closer, striking at pressure points all over his opponent’s body. He used his palms one moment and his feet the next.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

Dull thuds echoed. Cheol Woo, absorbing the hits without returning fire, was forced back.

The monks watching, who had been fearful for Muin, now looked on with hope and pride. Alone, he was doing what their combined strength could not.

Muin roared like a wild animal, continuing his frantic assault.

Cheol Woo seemed unable to find an opening in the storm. Especially as Muin grabbed his dropped staff and executed high-level techniques—everyone believed the end was near as blood began to appear on Cheol Woo, thinking his defense had finally cracked.

Then, Cheol Woo, who looked to be on the verge of failing, set his feet deep into the ground. He started to parry Muin’s strikes with smooth, flowing movements of his arms.

As Cheol Woo began to fight back, Muin’s dark aura intensified. His moves were no longer recognizable as Shaolin techniques—they were savage, cruel, and unending.

“I thought he had cleansed it, but he still lacks command over that killing urge.”

Gonghu let out a heavy sigh.

“The Heavenly Killing Star is a destiny granted by the heavens. A Divine Sentence. No man can truly wipe it away. I believed he had mastered it to an extent, but I was mistaken. When pushed to his limit, that hidden nature woke up.”

Wonjin looked at Muin with sadness as the boy lost himself to his bloodlust.

Muin’s natural Heavenly Killing Star aura was beyond human—a terrible fate for those few born with it. Very few could remain calm in its presence, yet Cheol Woo seemed unfazed.

“He is truly something else. The initial pressure was just a means to gauge Muin’s ability, as I suspected.”

Wonjin had not changed his opinion of Cheol Woo even when Muin’s aura peaked, or when Cheol Woo finally began to show signs of damage from the previous fights.

He was a titan who embodied the idea of “strength that moves mountains and an aura that covers the world.” Cheol Woo’s very being was proof of it. Eventually, he started to completely suppress the out-of-control Muin.

Wuuung!

With a deep thrumming sound, energy surged from Cheol Woo’s fist against Muin’s last-ditch effort.

Muin’s defense fell apart like a sandcastle in the tide, and the surrounding malice evaporated.

Muin made a final, desperate face, trying to fight until the end, but he was powerless against the full execution of Cheol Woo’s Overlord Sixteen Fists.

Bam!

A massive collision sent Muin’s slight form flying through the air.

He tumbled five zhang away, his arms and a leg bent at unnatural angles, clearly broken.

The monks who had been hopeful just a moment ago now looked at Cheol Woo with dread as they saw Muin’s broken form.

Cheol Woo walked forward calmly, as if the result were never in doubt.

Sima Geon sighed, intending to intervene and stop his friend from gloating—

But Wonjin, who had been standing next to him, moved without a sound. The movement was so smooth and deep that even Sima Geon was caught off guard.

“Look out!”

Sima Geon yelled to Cheol Woo. But the warning wasn’t necessary. While not on Sima Geon’s level, Cheol Woo was a premier master of the demonic path. His large, powerful exterior hid incredibly sharp instincts.

Cheol Woo reacted instantly to Wonjin’s approach.

A brilliant display of fist qi spread out toward Wonjin like the tail of a peacock.

Recognizing Wonjin’s skill immediately, he put forth twice the energy he had used against Muin.

“Hah!”

Cheol Woo let out a sharp breath.

The energy, powerful enough to level a hill, passed harmlessly through the air. It looked like a direct hit, but it was only Wonjin’s lingering image.

Wonjin’s body, trailing nine distinct shadows, suddenly appeared directly beneath Cheol Woo’s chin.