Chapter 363

Due to Mu-gak exerting force in the center of the inn, all the young men had been pushed toward the walls.

Strangely, the middle of the inn was completely empty.

It wasn’t spacious for fighting, but it wasn’t cramped either.

Shaolin Temple had Mu-gak and two Vajra monks, five Arhat monks.

Since Mu-gak was being held by a Vajra monk, the actual number who could fight was six.

Jin Ja-gang’s side also had six, excluding the unconscious So-min.

Moreover, on the surface, this side had masters far superior to the Arhat monks.

The problem was Mu-gak, an existence with unknown tremendous power.

“Make space.”

At Mu-gak’s command, not only the Vajra monk holding Mu-gak but also the Arhat monks retreated slightly to clear the center of the inn. They also pushed aside the corpses of remaining young men.

Namgung Geol glanced at Jin Ja-gang. While other martial artists were preparing for battle and coming forward, Jin Ja-gang still remained a step back.

“What are you doing?”

Jin Ja-gang answered.

“Do I need to join in?”

“Not now, but… when the time comes?”

“Then, you may start first.”

The expressions of Namgung Geol and Yuk Ha-seon, who had to protect Jin Ja-gang, became displeased.

“You’re working the elders too hard.”

“There are still unresolved points.”

“Is it that proof thing you mentioned earlier?”

“I don’t know.”

Jin Ja-gang looked back at the young men.

“Ugh…”

“Huk… save me…”

Young men crashed against walls and blown away, writhing in pain and crying out in agony.

Why had these people, with not a single master among them, come to Henan, which Shaolin Temple was guarding?

He couldn’t help but think something was strange.

An Ryeong said to Jin Ja-gang.

“After this fight ends, we’ll probably have a lot to talk about.”

Jin Ja-gang looked at An Ryeong.

An Ryeong said again.

“I know, I know. If both of us are alive, that is. That’s what you want to say, right?”

“I will be alive.”

An Ryeong pouted with a “tsk” sound.

“Right. I’m talking about me. If I’m alive!”

Meanwhile, Im Yi-eon stepped forward.

“With all this chatter going on, I can’t tell if this is the martial world or a marketplace. Who from Shaolin Temple will receive my sword first?”

Im Yi-eon walked boldly toward Mu-gak.

Mu-gak, held in the Vajra monk’s arms, looked up with his bent neck and smiled. Im Yi-eon’s mouth twisted. Due to raising internal energy and high concentration, her hair fluttered upward.

As Im Yi-eon walked with her sword tip pointing down, wherever the tip passed, holes were carved in the floor with popping sounds and dust rose. Killing intent was manifesting as sword energy. Im Yi-eon’s expression was so cold it sent chills.

Mu-gak called out.

“Dam-gok… step forward.”

Dam-gok, one of the Arhat monks, stepped out.

Dam-gok drew a massive cleaver that looked like a blade split in half and faced Im Yi-eon. Though Im Yi-eon seemed quite displeased that an Arhat monk rather than a Vajra monk had come forward, she soon returned to a cold expression.

Im Yi-eon looked down while Dam-gok stared straight at Im Yi-eon as they began circling in a large circle around the cleared space in the center of the inn. Sharp sword energy continued crackling and bursting from beneath Im Yi-eon’s blade tip, piercing the floor.

The distance gradually closed. After about ten circles, Im Yi-eon and Dam-gok were close enough that their sword and blade would barely touch when extended.

Suddenly Im Yi-eon raised her eyes that had been looking at the floor. Dam-gok’s round eyes like a tiger met Im Yi-eon’s frosty cold eyes.

“Hei-it!”

Dam-gok raised his massive cleaver and swung it greatly. Im Yi-eon also swung her sword to meet it.

Clang! Clang!

After their sword and blade clashed and separated a couple times, Im Yi-eon brought her sword to waist level then twisted her arm like lightning and thrust the sword forward. The sword energy that had been crackling and popping freely extended its body. Like a newly hatched dragon writhing, the sword energy wriggled then burst forth in an instant.

Dam-gok drew his massive cleaver from top to bottom and faced it head-on. Im Yi-eon’s sword energy struck the cleaver and made a brilliant sound.

Clang!

The sword energy and cleaver tangled and scraped against each other.

Screeech! Screech! Screech!

The cleaver’s material seemed extraordinary, sparking but barely getting scratched.

“Hmph!”

Im Yi-eon snorted and changed her stance. She gripped the sword handle tightly and stretched her arm fully, swinging in a large figure-eight. It was like the posture of splitting firewood with an axe.

Dam-gok also lowered his stance with horse stance and held his cleaver diagonally to deflect Im Yi-eon’s sword.

Clang! Clang!

Im Yi-eon’s arm became faster. Her right arm looked like six or eight arms.

Clang clang clang! Clang clang clang!

Though Im Yi-eon pressed frantically, Dam-gok also didn’t retreat a single step and held his ground. The floor gradually cracked and Dam-gok’s feet began sinking in.

While receiving the attacks, Dam-gok lifted his left foot to step on Im Yi-eon’s front foot. Im Yi-eon spread her feet left and right to dodge.

Crack! Dam-gok’s foot pierced through and embedded in the floor. Im Yi-eon stepped on Dam-gok’s thigh and leaped up, pushing with both feet against his chest.

“Heo-up!”

Dam-gok instead spread his chest and clothed himself in Iron Shirt while shouting a battle cry.

Thud thud thump!

Dam-gok’s body, struck in the chest, vibrated greatly and was pushed back about half a step. The floor crumbled and broke, leaving traces of being pushed back.

Im Yi-eon did a somersault in mid-air and thrust her sword down into Dam-gok’s crown from above. Dam-gok placed one hand on the face of his cleaver and lifted it up to block.

Whiiiing!

Im Yi-eon’s sword was blocked by the cleaver and couldn’t advance, bending almost like a bow from the downward pressing force.

Ping!

Im Yi-eon was bounced backward by the sword’s expanding elasticity. Dam-gok shouted with tremendous force and threw his cleaver.

“Kraaah!”

The cleaver spun and flew toward Im Yi-eon. Im Yi-eon made another leap in mid-air and twisted her body several times.

Crash!

The cleaver grazed past Im Yi-eon and flew off, destroying the upper floor railings and room walls inside the inn. An Arhat monk behind threw Dam-gok another cleaver. Dam-gok received the cleaver overhead and leaped up to exchange moves with Im Yi-eon in mid-air.

Clang clang! Clang clang clang!

Im Yi-eon actively deployed Swallow Brave Slanted Cliff Sword. Like the sword technique’s name derived from swallows flying around sheer cliffs, Im Yi-eon’s sword was fast and nimble.

In contrast, Dam-gok’s cleaver had extremely few movements, giving a heavy feeling. Using only the angles of wrist, forearm, and shoulder, he accomplished both defense and attack simultaneously with minimal movement.

From mid-air until landing on the ground, Im Yi-eon and Dam-gok swung sword and blade nearly dozens of times.

Upon landing, Dam-gok swung with the back of his cleaver, toward the outside, to strike away Im Yi-eon’s sword. Im Yi-eon’s sword turned slightly and the blade face stuck to the cleaver’s surface.

Dam-gok’s eyebrows twitched. Dam-gok shook his arm trying to shake off Im Yi-eon’s sword. But Im Yi-eon’s sword stuck tight as if glued and wouldn’t fall off. Nor could Dam-gok freely withdraw his arm. If he did, Im Yi-eon’s sword would follow and pierce his chest.

This was the technique Im Yi-eon had shown Jin Ja-gang before. If Im Yi-eon now twisted her arm and applied force to her wrist, the cleaver would be knocked away.

Im Yi-eon’s eyes flashed brilliantly.

Then Mu-gak shouted.

“Immovable!”

Dam-gok opened his eyes wide and gathered strength while forcefully stomping his feet. The floor cracked and burst in a circle. At the same time, Im Yi-eon’s sword vibrated.

Bang!

Two sounds occurred almost simultaneously as if they were one.

But what was knocked away was actually Im Yi-eon’s sword.

Tremble tremble tremble!

Im Yi-eon’s sword was shaking severely. Dam-gok’s hand also trembled. But he remained holding his cleaver forward. Having heard Mu-gak’s advice, Dam-gok had counterattacked Im Yi-eon’s technique.

At that moment.

A massive bulk dropped down in front of Dam-gok.

Large enough to completely hide even the already big Arhat monk Dam-gok.

A Vajra monk. And Mu-gak held in his arms.

Mu-gak’s trembling hand extended from his embrace toward Im Yi-eon.

Im Yi-eon was greatly alarmed and forcibly infused sword energy into her still-untamed raging sword, swinging it while bringing forth plenty of sword light to the front. Swallow Brave Slanted Cliff Sword was fully deployed.

Mu-gak’s finger touched the flashing sword light.

Along with silence, all sounds died.

The sword light, the energy emanating from the sword, all dropped down in an instant.

“CRAAASH!”

The floor was completely smashed and crushed. It was just enough space for one person to stand. The tremendous attack power was chilling.

If Im Yi-eon had been standing there, she would have been turned into mincemeat.

“Kugh…”

Im Yi-eon’s complexion changed slightly. As her sword energy was abruptly cut off by Mu-gak’s tremendous internal energy, she suffered slight internal injuries.

The Vajra monk holding Mu-gak retreated smoothly as if his job was done.

Im Yi-eon shook her still vibrating and trembling sword once greatly to calm it down. Then she shouted in an angry voice.

“To interfere in a junior’s fight! How cowardly!”

Mu-gak didn’t even reply and just laughed. It meant this was a fight to kill from the beginning, not a martial contest.

Namgung Geol, who had been watching for an opening, exchanged glances with Yuk Ha-seon and leaped in.

“Since the master lent a hand, this side should add one more hand as well!”

Mu-gak commanded.

“Dam-woon. Step forward.”

From Shaolin Temple’s side, following Mu-gak’s command, Arhat monk Dam-woon also joined in.

Namgung Geol was a master counted among the best even in the Namgung family, renowned for swords. An Arhat monk was somewhat inferior in rank compared to him. But having just seen an Arhat monk confuse Im Yi-eon with one word from Mu-gak, Namgung Geol didn’t let his guard down.

Namgung Geol immediately pressed Dam-gok before Dam-woon could enter the arena.

Heaven Sky New Sword.

Like freely swinging a sword at will toward the empty sky, it was a sword technique that continued sword forms alone without regard for the opponent’s movements.

Clang! Unlike his speech pattern, Namgung Geol deployed techniques consecutively with sharp eyes. No matter how much Dam-gok blocked and deflected, he didn’t care. Even if techniques were interrupted midway, the next technique naturally continued.

Dam-woon belatedly joined and threw punches. Namgung Geol’s sword, as if it had originally intended to, swept past Dam-woon’s forearm that intruded from the side.

Slash! Swish!

But Dam-woon’s forearms were wrapped with tough leather guards, so his arms weren’t severed. Mu-gak had clearly planned this.

Mu-gak added another word.

“Impermanence!”

Dam-woon actually began advancing step by step toward the sword. Thud! Thud! Making footsteps with Arhat steps, he pressed forward solidly. As if telling him to cut his arms, he offered his leather guards to the sword, striking, sticking to, and pressing the sword with his forearms. It looked as if he was fighting the sword rather than Namgung Geol.

But this was quite effective against Heaven Sky New Sword. Namgung Geol’s sword was unable to inflict any significant fatal wounds and kept cutting the guards.

“Hmm.”

If time was dragged out, Mu-gak might suddenly appear. Namgung Geol couldn’t go deep and somewhat reduced his offensive.