Chapter 389

Beom-hae continued to command advance.

They even passed several times through places that seemed destroyed as if battles had taken place while walking.

As if they were going around and around in circles.

The Shaolin monks’ expressions hardened. When they realized they had been wandering in the outer courtyard for half a day, they began to feel impatient.

Then one monk, feeling something strange, examined the broken traces. An expression of realization appeared on the monk’s face.

“This… this isn’t a wall we broke. It looks similar but it’s not our temple’s handiwork.”

The Shaolin monks were appalled by the Tang family’s meticulous methods.

In the meantime, they had recreated debris identical to where battles had taken place earlier.

If they had carelessly passed such places several times, they would have been completely lost.

Beom-hae leaped up onto a high wall.

On the surface, all the paths looked perfectly straight. But when actually comparing his current position with the far end ahead, it was greatly curved.

Moreover, the heights of the walls were all different. It meant they weren’t built just to curve left and right, but deliberately built with different heights as well. The thickness of the walls also gradually became thinner or thicker, confusing the eyes.

It was built so that even standing on top of the walls, one couldn’t properly grasp direction.

So precisely that even trained martial artists like Beom-hae would have their senses disrupted.

Furthermore…

The tall halls built at corners and various places couldn’t serve as reference points for direction at all. They weren’t square buildings with straight sides, but were actually irregular shapes with each side built at angles.

Beom-hae squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. Continuing to look at the wall positions and hall shapes was making his eyes feel strange.

Everything appeared to be straight lines but weren’t straight, appeared to be curves but weren’t curves.

Whistle!

Being up on the wall made him an exposed target. Hidden weapons and arrows flew from all directions.

Beom-hae swept away the hidden weapons with his sleeve and jumped down below the wall.

The Shaolin monks waited for Beom-hae’s command.

They were already in a situation where they couldn’t find a way to retreat.

Beom-hae looked at the Shaolin monks and opened his mouth.

“Disciples of Shaolin, listen.”

The Shaolin monks focused on Beom-hae with strength in their eyes.

Beom-hae said.

“From this moment on, destroy everything you see.”

“Yes!”

The Shaolin monks answered and scattered in all directions simultaneously. Spreading out radially with Beom-hae at the center, they charged forward smashing everything that blocked their path.

Whether walls, houses, or halls, they demolished everything indiscriminately.

Bang! Rumble rumble.

Sounds of walls and barriers being smashed could be heard from all directions.

As if they intended to eliminate the entire Tang Family Main House.

The more the Shaolin monks spread out, the wider the radius of the resulting debris became.

The Tang Family Main House buildings were collapsing from the outer courtyard.

* * *

“The fifteenth outer section has collapsed!”

“The thirty-seventh great hall has collapsed!”

Tang Qing listened to the warriors’ reports while drawing the entire Tang Family Main House in his mind.

“The monks finally understand our family’s structure. Since they can’t find the path, they’ve decided to spread out in all directions and smash everything. Those wicked monks.”

Tang Qing continued receiving reports, then at some point raised his eyes.

“Now it’s time to catch the thieves.”

Tang Qing decided to deploy the masters he had prepared. And he personally went out to the outer courtyard as well.

It was the point when twenty percent of the Tang Family Main House’s outer courtyard warriors and thirty percent of structures like halls had been destroyed.

* * *

Stone Vajra Gong-rin.

Among the other monks who had set out together, he was particularly burning with motivation.

Age forty. Until now, he had never taken a single step outside Shaolin Temple. If unlucky, that might have been his fate for life.

But opportunity came. Perhaps this was the first and last time in Gong-rin’s life. Gong-rin had to mobilize all his martial prowess to prove his worth and beliefs.

All the harsh training he had received was for this day and moment.

Gong-rin ran toward the archers who were shooting arrows with their backs to the wall ahead. The archers’ arrows were made of special iron but couldn’t penetrate Golden Orchid Iron Pillar.

“Urraaaah!”

Gong-rin pushed both the archers and wall with his head. The archers were startled and dodged to the side.

Crash!

The wall struck by his head crumbled down.

Splash splash.

Gong-rin struck his bald head with his palm and roared.

“Roaaaaar!”

The archers were shocked by the power of Iron Head technique but tried to nock arrows again to shoot Gong-rin. Gong-rin grabbed the archers’ limbs and threw them, kicking their heads with his feet. The archers hit the walls on both sides, breaking bones and bursting heads.

Five out of six instantly became scattered corpses. The remaining one trembled against the wall, staring at Gong-rin.

“Namo Amitabha Guanyin Bodhisattva. Achieve Buddhahood!”

Gong-rin raised his fist and swung toward the archer.

But.

Whiiiing!

His fist caught on something and couldn’t move forward. In the meantime, the archer turned and fled.

“What is this?”

Gong-rin let out a voice filled with killing intent.

Looking closely, numerous lines were drawn in the air. They connected wall to wall, trapping Gong-rin inside.

“Thread?”

Threads crossed in front of Gong-rin like a spider web that had just started being built, and his fist was caught. Gong-rin tried to pull his arm free.

Screech! Screech!

The threads caught on Golden Orchid Iron Pillar’s sleeves made chilling metallic sounds. Still, they didn’t break, showing they weren’t ordinary threads.

Swish!

Several more threads flew through the air and wrapped around Gong-rin’s body like bonds. Gong-rin became helplessly caught in the threads with his arms raised.

Then a martial artist with sharp features who appeared to be about his age walked up to the collapsed wall.

“Your rampage is permitted only that far. Stone Vajra.”

“Who might you be, benefactor?”

“Soul Seizing Hall Master.”

Gong-rin’s mouth fell open.

“Soul Seizing Hall Master Tang Sang-yul. Yes… now the moles’ heads are finally crawling out?”

The corners of Soul Seizing Hall Master Tang Sang-yul’s eyes rose.

“You’re mistaken. Thinking you came this far on your own merits.”

“Is that so?”

Gong-rin put strength into his body and took a step forward.

Screech! The threads crossing in front of Gong-rin caught on his front and pulled taut. Gong-rin pulled his arms and moved his body forward.

Tang Sang-yul also pulled the Soul Seizing Thread to resist.

A taut struggle of strength ensued.

Gong-rin walked forward little by little.

Step… step!

The Soul Seizing Thread caught on Gong-rin’s Golden Orchid kasaya made squeaking sounds as it was pushed back. The walls on both sides where the Soul Seizing Thread was fixed shook. Three strands of Soul Seizing Thread were also blocking Gong-rin’s face.

“Wooooooh!”

Gong-rin shouted with his energy and pulled his arms with all his might.

Neither did the Soul Seizing Thread break nor was Gong-rin’s arm cut by it.

Instead, the surrounding walls that the Soul Seizing Thread was hooked to were sliced off.

Swooooosh!

The taut Soul Seizing Thread suddenly loosened and swirled greatly in the air. Raindrops that had been on bodies and the Soul Seizing Thread scattered in all directions.

Tang Sang-yul flew through the air, rotating and retrieving the Soul Seizing Thread.

Because walls had been connected and blocked by Soul Seizing Thread, pieces of wall fell sharply cut to the ground.

On Gong-rin’s face, three long marks remained from being scraped by the Soul Seizing Thread. Blood flowing from his face was washed away by rainwater.

Gong-rin looked at Tang Sang-yul and laughed.

“How crude. If this is all your skill amounts to, today you will reunite with King of Hell in hell.”

Tang Sang-yul glared at Gong-rin and said.

“Stupid monk. You don’t know you’ll die yet keep making big talk.”

Gong-rin touched the three streaks of wounds on his face. Pain came that was numb beyond stinging.

Strong poison.

Gong-rin smiled with a killing expression and said.

“Seeing your overflowing confidence, it must be quite an amazing poison.”

Gong-rin took out a small box from his bosom and slowly put the pill inside into his mouth.

Gulp.

Gong-rin’s Adam’s apple moved.

Tang Sang-yul wore a bitter sneer at that sight.

* * *

Beom-gon was fighting one of the Tang family’s masters.

“Achieve Buddhahood!”

He leaped into the air and moved his feet dazzlingly.

Bang! Bam bam bang! The Tang family master continuously struck Beom-gon’s feet with both hands. He was pushed back several steps and shook his hands as if they were numb.

“Did you think you could block this old monk’s kicking technique with bare hands?”

As if those words weren’t false, two of the Tang family master’s fingers were bent in the opposite direction.

Beom-gon landed and simultaneously bounced forward like a spring. The Tang family master dodged to the side.

Bang! Beom-gon’s kick blew away the wall in one strike.

However, the Tang family master wasn’t overwhelmed in momentum either.

“Old monk? You’re just a young punk who’s only learned superficial style!”

Beom-gon was indignant and shouted.

“Hah! Young punk, this old monk has lived more years than you…”

The Tang family master bit off his broken finger with his teeth and thrust out both palms.

Yellow powder shot out along with palm force.

Beom-gon stood on one foot and kicked the air with the other to create wind. The Tang family master twisted his palm to the side. The powder flying toward Beom-gon curved and burst with a pop. The powder that spread in the air covered Beom-gon. The powder mixed with rainwater stuck to Gong-rin’s body. But the poison powder didn’t wash away in water; rather, it stuck viscously.

When Beom-gon touched it and pulled away, it was sticky like glue.

“What is this bothersome thing?”

The Tang family master said.

“Our family has various types of poison. Among them is poison that sticks like glue and won’t come off.”

Beom-gon snorted.

“Can you stop this old monk with such trivial poison?”

The Tang family master stopped the bleeding from his severed finger and asked back.

“Have you prepared against poison?”

“Need you ask? Coming to the Tang family, would I not have such preparation?”

“Oh my… then even the only path to survival has disappeared.”

“What do you mean?”

At that moment, Beom-gon realized his head was spinning and his vision was going dark. His lower abdomen cramped severely.

Beom-gon had already taken a poison-resisting pill earlier.

But why were poisoning symptoms appearing!

* * *

While the Shaolin monks spread in all directions destroying the Tang Family Main House, Beom-hae continued moving down the middle path as before.

Quietly walking with palms together as if strolling through a back garden. As if he couldn’t hear any of the surrounding commotion.

A high wall blocked the way ahead.

Beom-hae pulled back his fist then drove it straight into the wall.

Crack!

Fissures starting from Beom-hae’s fist instantly spread throughout the entire wall, collapsing it all at once.

Rumble rumble.

But this time was somewhat different from before.

The earth piled up for the wall crumbled and the gravel filled inside poured out, but the wall’s structure itself still remained. Finger-thick iron frames were complexly tangled inside, firmly maintaining the framework.

Beom-hae raised his hand and struck down with his blade-hand at the iron frame.

Crash!

The iron frame bent like taffy. But it didn’t break. This too didn’t seem to be ordinary iron frame. Beom-hae raised his hand again and struck the iron frame.

Smash! The iron frame still didn’t break, but instead the walls on both sides holding the iron frame all collapsed.

Crash.

The iron structure also fell together and the way ahead opened.

But a small human figure stood before it.

“Ignorant monks.”