Chapter 312 – Hyeon Won (7)

Argh! Argggh—!

Sudden commotion erupted in the forest covered with pure white snow. Jeon Baek, who had been thrown back, groaned in pain from a distance.

His severed shoulder seemed to have been stamped into the ground.

Jeong Yeon-shin’s eyelids rose slightly.

His energy sense range had decreased significantly. It was due to the mystical power of the Yin and Yang Divine Whip and the weight-increasing technique that had inflicted internal injuries, making it difficult to detect energy waves from afar in advance.

By the time he sensed the strike heading toward Jeon Baek, he had no particular desire to block it.

He was simply pleased by the unexpected encounter. Perhaps it was because he had come to know loneliness since entering Desolate Fortress.

‘Yu Hyeon…?’

Beyond the undergrowth surrounding their campsite, he saw the flower petal formation in the fist wind that had struck Jeon Baek’s body.

It came with an extremely familiar quality. Plum Blossom Fist Technique, Violet Mist Divine Skill. The essence of noble orthodox martial arts.

Had he fully digested the Great Violet Pill that Jeong Yeon-shin had dissolved for him long ago?

Mount Hua Hidden Dragon Yu Hyeon’s energy foundation was incomparable to before.

Though it would pale in comparison to Shaolin’s secret skill Hundred Step Divine Fist, the power of the fist wind that had rushed in from quite a distance was enough to send Jeon Baek flying.

His friend was clearly advancing, even if with short steps. Walking the long martial path of the orthodox sects that Jeong Yeon-shin found difficult to climb by nature.

‘He mentioned Shaolin’s spiritual beast?’

He clearly heard the voice that had long been familiar to his ears. It seemed they had been tracking Jeon Baek and Goon Yu-rin.

“What kind of b*st*rd!”

As Goon Yu-rin sprang to her feet and pulled out the large blade from her back, Jeong Yeon-shin’s eyes scanned the surroundings. There must be an unfamiliar animal nearby.

Spirit beasts with spiritual nature were all exceedingly rare. They were animals that had grown intelligent through the secret techniques of renowned clans.

They were generally said to have mastered tracking mystical skills, but each spirit beast was said to possess different abilities.

‘That child.’

On a branch of snow-white on one side.

A squirrel could be seen. With its rather large, puffy cheeks tinged with a gentle brown color, it was looking down at Jeong Yeon-shin.

Eyes flickering with light. Even at a glance, it was different from ordinary beasts. A hint of intelligence could be glimpsed.

“Come here.”

When he extended his hand, the squirrel’s eyes widened.

The small creature tilted its head back and forth with quick, short movements, examining Jeong Yeon-shin, then promptly jumped onto his palm and began sniffing with its tiny nose.

The sensation of its paws, split like thick needles, softly compressed in his grasp.

Just as Jeong Yeon-shin’s lips formed a faint arc.

Bang!

A roaring sound erupted from beyond the thicket. A strong wind suddenly swept in.

Whoosh—

It seemed Goon Yu-rin had swung her blade. Judging by the firmly delivered shockwave, it appeared that Yu Hyeon had managed to block it. Goon Yu-rin’s rough speech followed.

“You little rat! How dare you make the first move! Are you a young punk with a death wish?!”

“I’ve been tracking this one-armed martial artist posing as a scholar! They say he stole beef from the village below! Shaolin’s brown squirrel immediately caught the scent!”

“What?”

“Did you think there would be no consequences? When you get caught by a hero while banditry with your pathetic martial arts, you die away from home! Today will be next year’s memorial day for the demonic path!”

“Beef? When?”

“Don’t play dumb. Judging by your martial prowess, appearance, and conduct, you’re clearly his master. The person in front of you now is a Taoist from Mount Hua, and this monk is one of Shaolin’s four great…”

“I only ate wild animals! Hey, Jeon Baek!”

“Demonic cultivator Jeon Baek? You’re from the Profound Martial Alliance? As I thought…!”

“I, I just needed rest! Miss! With an external wound like this, I need to eat well so my acupoints don’t get damaged…!”

“You crazy b*st*rd, sneaking off to steal meat while your master wasn’t looking? Have you forgotten that I spouted flattery I’d never use just to save your life? The moment I saw mind-controlled sword, my heart nearly dropped out, and this is how a subordinate acts!”

“Miss? You’re really Crimson Phoenix Blade Goon Yu-rin? You’ll be a good whetstone for my Plum Blossom Sword. Come at me.”

“You arrogant brat! Do you think you’re Tamed Nezha or something?”

Rustle.

It was chaotic. Jeong Yeon-shin, who had been stroking the squirrel’s cheek with his index finger, turned his steps.

If Yu Hyeon were to be at a disadvantage against Goon Yu-rin even slightly, it would be shameful for both Jeong Yeon-shin himself and the Mount Hua Sect Leader.

It was then.

“Amitabha.”

It rang out right beside him.

The energy wave that spread from the low Buddhist call brushed against the hem of Jeong Yeon-shin’s shoulder.

It approached with an extremely refreshing yet solid feeling. It immediately evoked images of a hermitage and a wooden fish.

“What a strange companionship. Though you don’t seem to be from the demonic path, I wonder what you seek from those who treat the lives of common people lightly.”

It was an extremely pleasant voice. If the sound of a low flute were to transform into a human voice, it might sound like this.

Jeong Yeon-shin slowly turned his head.

First, he saw elegantly sharp ears. Next was the pale blue cleanly shaven head.

A pure air emanated from the monk’s robe that enveloped his entire body in dark orange.

A renowned elf monk.

Though his profile had not a single wrinkle, he didn’t appear simply young. With a long staff planted in the ground, he looked like a celestial guardian.

‘He came here with just one step. Transcending space.’

They say there are four body movements in the martial world that are discussed above the clouds.

The Cloud Dragon Great Eight Techniques of the extinct Kunlun Sect.

The Graceful Body Method of Blood Flame Cult.

The Dragon-Slaying Scale-Treading Body Technique of the Thirteen Evil Sects’ Golden Wing Sect.

And the Vajra Immovable Body Technique passed down at Shaolin Temple.

The word “immovable” was attached to the body movement. It meant the extreme of stillness within movement. Without showing any movement, he had suddenly appeared beside Jeong Yeon-shin.

It would be impossible without body technique principles comparable to spell techniques.

It was lofty yet extremely threatening.

‘Who from Shaolin is this?’

Jeong Yeon-shin felt curious. He wondered how he would have sensed it if his energy perception had been intact.

“This humble monk may be looking for the person who is you, patron.”

The monk did not look at him. He simply stared blankly ahead while slowly continuing his words.

“That brown squirrel is not even friendly to the child monks at the temple, yet it seems a quality similar to renowned clans flows in you, patron. If the children saw this, they might be envious. It’s quite a meaningful event for my clan.”… The squirrel sitting on Jeong Yeon-shin’s hand was moving its mouth. It seemed to have its cheek pouches full of something like acorns.

Jeong Yeon-shin’s hand, which had removed his index finger from the squirrel’s cheek, came down to his waist and twitched slightly.

The sense of unity emanating from the monk beside him was tremendous. Even with his dulled energy sense ringing alarm bells, he was clearly a supreme master who had achieved Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown, and one who had also mastered the mystical skills of thousand-year-old Shaolin.

Despite feeling no hostility, it was difficult to lower his guard.

“I am Won Jeok. I have forgotten my secular name.”

The monk said.

[TL Note- The person who met JYS early on was Won Jong, Both are from same generations of Shaolin Temple. In Taoist Sects, the Title is decided by the disciple’s generation.]

Jeong Yeon-shin was inwardly extremely surprised.

‘So this is the monk who is said to have practiced facing a wall for a hundred years.’

It was a formidable dharma name. He was widely known for his terrifying martial prowess.

One of Shaolin’s Four Great Vajras.

It meant he was among the top five even in the sect considered the strongest among the orthodox sects.

Clearly above the Eighteen Arhats, he was also called Great Master Won Jeok and was widely respected throughout the world.

He had long guarded the temple in Shaolin, which had lost its limits on distribution after the founding of the Ming Dynasty.

Won Jeok of the Four Great Vajras was a figure who had greatly contributed to Shaolin Temple’s recent fame for hundred-year wall-facing meditation.

“May I ask about the patron’s identity… Hmm, it seems rather chaotic around here.”

Suddenly, Won Jeok opened his mouth wide.

And shouted.

Gal—!

In that moment, as a powerful energy wave spread, all the undergrowth in front collapsed backward. It was as if a storm had suddenly descended.

Amid the air violently humming in all directions, the two figures beyond the thicket were revealed as they bounced in opposite directions. They had stopped their collision upon hearing the shout.

The Lion’s Roar, one of Shaolin’s symbols even though it wasn’t one of the Seventy-Two Excellent Martial Arts.

The Buddhist Lion’s Roar.

***

Read only at nineheavens.org

Translated by Nine Heavens!

https://discord.gg/XC9DTsTQ9Z

***

Disputes in the martial world are generally settled by the hands of the strong.

Goon Yu-rin, who had been rushing at Yu Hyeon as if to kill him, had calmed down. Sitting somewhat close to Jeong Yeon-shin’s side, she alternately glared at Won Jeok, Yu Hyeon, and Jeon Baek across the campfire.

With her legs slightly raised toward her chest and her forearms casually draped over her knees, she looked magnanimous. She seemed ready to stand up at any moment if necessary.

Jeon Baek wore a look of injustice on his refined scholarly face.

“Why me?”

“Shut up, you disloyal b*st*rd.”

Meanwhile, Jeong Yeon-shin was making eye contact with the young Taoist in white robes.

His cheeks had thinned somewhat, making the plum blossom embroidery in pink on his robe hem suit him even better. The voice embedded in his sound transmission had also become more dignified than before.

—…I was really shocked. To think you would pop up there. So, have you been well?

—Nothing special on my end. You’re the one who popped up. Anyway, how is Lady Lu Xian?

—Master? Well, she’s recovered a lot. I had a hard time stopping her from going to behead the Tyrant Sword Sect Leader. They say she’s thought of a new sword technique for the Plum Blossom Sword Style. Anyway, it’s extremely fortunate our paths crossed. I stopped by the Gongya family estate while tracking you. To let the brown squirrel catch your scent. Then we came this way and heard about the meat thief.

—Scent?

Brown squirrel.

The squirrel that had now climbed onto the shoulder of Won Jeok, who had closed his eyes.

It was said to be a spirit beast raised at Shaolin.

While helping to find commoners kidnapped by martial artists, it was also said to be a grim reaper that would pursue even to the netherworld to destroy the limbs, meridians, and dantian of disciples who had violated the sect’s rules.

—Fortunately, both Gongya siblings gave me your items. Things like torn cloth fragments and sword shards. They had them preciously stored in a wooden box like treasures. Both of them. Come to think of it, I heard the Gongya family’s second young master has your used sword as a decoration in his room. At this point, aren’t you closer to a spirit beast than a human?

—Not really…

—Your fame is incredible these days. Oh, right! How did you kill Zhuge Clan Leader? Was it really you who defeated him? What level of martial arts achievement…!

At that moment, the ear of Won Jeok, who was sitting in meditation with one eye open, moved very slightly.

The conversation between the two friends continued separately from him.

—That’s nonsense.

—I knew you’d be indifferent. After causing an event that’s starting to stir the entire martial world… Anyway, you said you’re hiding your identity? Are you sure she doesn’t know who you are? I’m worried I might have ruined things by making a fuss as soon as I saw you.

It was just as Yu Hyeon was gesturing toward Goon Yu-rin.

Suddenly, she snorted. It was an exaggerated behavior that even lifted the hair by her ears for a moment.

“What are you two whispering about with sound transmission, you underdeveloped punk?”

“Is it a point of pride for someone fully grown to be evenly matched with this Taoist Yu Hyeon? If it weren’t for that friend’s company, my sword would have painted plum blossoms with your blood.”

“Evenly matched? If the Shaolin monk wasn’t here, someone like you would have…”

She glanced briefly at Won Jeok, then at Jeong Yeon-shin, and her fingertips trembled slightly. She was caught between a rock and a hard place. The firelight flickered dark red over the back of her hand.

Amid the sparks that occasionally popped, the conversation unfolded like a comic dialogue, but the late winter air surrounding them was strangely cold.

An extremely ambiguous and sudden gathering.

That was the atmosphere of the campsite. Martial artists from the Thirteen Evil Sects and the orthodox sects were gathered in one place.

If not for Jeong Yeon-shin, who had to accompany Goon Yu-rin until she helped him find the Slaughter Sect, trouble would have broken out long ago.

“Patron.”

Suddenly, Won Jeok, who had opened his eyes, spoke.

The precept marks imprinted in two rows of three on his forehead had become somewhat reddish. Energy had risen within his body.

A strange pressure emanated from his body. It was enough to make the campfire in front suddenly feel eerie.

—I wonder what you seek from those who treat the lives of common people lightly.

These were his earlier words.

Shaolin’s compassion generally extends to the common people.

Phrases like “suppressing demons and eliminating evil” or “breaking evil and revealing truth” are words that demonstrate the orthodox sects’ treatment of demonic martial artists.

The edge of orthodox martial artists is extremely sharp. There is no mercy for enemies.

Shaolin is the same. While they avoid accumulating killing karma, their fists, palms, and staffs are the foundation of martial world martial arts that encompass mystical, pure, and tyrannical qualities.

They have easily shattered the limbs of demonic martial artists.

Moreover, those who do not know the Four Great Vajras are extremely rare throughout the vast world. Time, martial prowess, and fame have made it so.

“Would you be willing to exchange hands with this humble monk? Just for a moment will suffice.”

“…!”

Yu Hyeon, Goon Yu-rin, and Jeon Baek each showed surprised expressions…. One of Shaolin’s Four Great Vajras had requested a martial arts duel. It was a weighty matter that required consideration of the context in which it had occurred.

***

Won Jeok could hear others’ sound transmissions.

When his wall-facing meditation reached seventy years, he felt his ears opening. The Shaolin abbot called this the beginning of the Six Supernatural Powers.

Saying it was an extreme sensory ability mainly given to renowned clan monks.

It had no particular significance.

Won Jeok had lost his family to a branch of Ming Cult over a hundred years ago and had become a monk.

Even on the day he first set foot on Mount Song, even on the day his head was shaved and precept marks were imprinted, the faces of his parents screaming in black flames flickered in his mind.

It was the Samadhi True Fire of the Ming Cult Leader Heavenly Demon that appears in any era.

It is difficult to approach with mere senses.

To counter demonic energy and mystical power, a fundamentally opposing method is needed, but Shaolin’s warrior monks had not been able to restore the Avalokitesvara Azure Unyielding Palm imbued with dharma power.

It was a skill whose lineage had been broken long ago and was difficult to find even in the sutra repository.

Moreover, the Shaolin abbot did not like scribbling lost martial arts on blank paper. He said to master the martial arts already in the temple.

—I will find Radiant Demon Wing Leader… Yes, I knew you would say that as soon as you emerged from seclusion. But I cannot send you alone… The problem is that there is no suitable disciple to accompany you. If I tell them to serve you, everyone will be terrified. Couldn’t you have cultivated a gentler disposition?

—What is wrong with expecting a warrior monk to have a warrior monk’s cultivation? I can go out alone.

—That might be fine for you, but not for Shaolin. What culture and refinement could a monk who has just stared at a wall for a hundred years have? This old monk is very concerned.

He listened with one ear and let it go. Won Jeok was accustomed to the abbot’s empty talk.

After hearing the conversation between the Mount Hua disciple Yu Hyeon and the boy before him, he confirmed that the one facing him now was indeed Desolate Fortress’s Radiant Demon Wing Leader.

He was holding both hands down naturally.

His stance was close to a natural posture yet perfect. It revealed glimpses of martial talent that would impress anyone from Shaolin.

‘However.’

He is one who forms connections with demonic martial artists for his own purposes.

That should not be. If Radiant Demon Wing Leader truly possessed dharma power, he should display conduct befitting his strength.

A far junior needed guidance. He wasn’t sure with what mindset the other had accepted the duel, but.

‘I must face him as a senior of the martial world.’

With that in mind, as he was preparing the Hundred Step Divine Fist.

Suddenly, a strange energy flowed from Lightning Genius’s body. He had opened the power he had been tightly concealing.

Won Jeok narrowed his brow. He tried to calm his mind with dharma power that could not be obtained even through a hundred years of wall-facing meditation.

The possessor of divine energy should fulfill their heavenly mandate. Guidance came first.

However.

Saaaa—

The energy that filled the forest with a semi-transparent white light and mystically brushed against the skin.

Was too.

Too auspicious.

The energy wave that slowly spread conveyed extreme refreshment throughout his body. This feeling was close to paradise.

Even the abbot’s Supreme Great Power seemed like a needlessly powerful skill in comparison.

Hehe, hehehe.

Won Jeok’s mouth corners began to twitch and loosen.