Chapter 345

The three people hurried along their path urgently.

Since only half a day’s distance remained, if they hurried they could arrive within two hours.

“From here is Zhuma Station. The entrance to Grand Harmony Courtyard is behind that alley.”

A village at the entrance of Zhuma Station.

Behind houses and walls, a mountain path led upward. It was a small mountain path behind houses, densely covered by tree branches beginning to sprout new buds. Until coming around behind the houses, it was the kind of place one could pass by carelessly without even knowing a path existed.

The group entered the mountain path following An Ryeong’s guidance.

After continuously climbing a narrow mountain path that only one person could pass through for about one watch period, a wide open road appeared. It was a main road artificially created along the mountainside.

To the left was a cliff, and to the right was a nearly vertical mountain slope.

“Wow… there was such a wide road inside.”

Though Woon-jeong admired it, it wasn’t the time for Jin Ja-gang or An Ryeong to respond.

Jin Ja-gang examined the ground.

Having passed through the damp mountain path shaded by thick tree branches, wet soil had fallen on the ground. But from there onward, there were no footprints from the Great Power Divine Nail technique.

It was strange that Shaolin monks with high martial arts didn’t use light movement techniques because cliffs made it dangerous. Once they emerged from the mountain path, they should have naturally run.

But they hadn’t walked either. From that point on, no footprints remained at all.

“The traces are cut off.”

An Ryeong went toward the slope and examined upward.

“Wall Tiger technique.”

Holes like finger marks were scattered throughout the rocks on the slope.

“They climbed the slope to save time.”

Jin Ja-gang’s Capturing Dragon Claw was originally also a technique for climbing trees and cliffs. But it wasn’t to the degree of piercing rocks with fingers like Wall Tiger technique.

Jin Ja-gang checked whether he could climb by grasping tree roots and rock crevices in the slope. Then he began staring upward.

An Ryeong asked.

“Are you going to climb up this way?”

“No. I can’t go.”

Jin Ja-gang said while looking upward.

“Someone is standing guard.”

An Ryeong and Woon-jeong were startled and looked up. They made eye contact with someone.

About ten zhang up the steep slope, on a protruding rock, a Shaolin monk was looking down with tiger-like glaring eyes.

It was a Shaolin Arhat monk in gray robes.

The Arhat monk opened his mouth.

“Interference with Shaolin’s business will not be tolerated! Return the way you came!”

Rumble!

With internal energy contained, it made a thunderous sound as if the mountain was echoing.

Small stones clattered and fell from both sides of the slope and cliff.

Woon-jeong and An Ryeong looked up with tense expressions.

Woon-jeong had been afraid of Shaolin monks from the beginning, and An Ryeong seemed somewhat worried about the weight of Shaolin Temple’s name.

Jin Ja-gang spoke first.

“Haven’t we met before?”

The Arhat monk didn’t answer. He only repeated to go back.

An Ryeong asked Jin Ja-gang.

“What will you do? You know what happens if you interfere with Shaolin’s business, right?”

“What happens?”

“Usually later a Shaolin master visits the sect or organization of whoever interfered.”

Woon-jeong perked up and listened carefully to An Ryeong’s words.

“And then?”

“They ask what happened, what your position is, and listen to your explanation. Even if it takes several days, they hear everything and determine right from wrong.”

Woon-jeong breathed a slight sigh of relief.

“Several days is a bit much, but it’s a more ordinary resolution method than I expected?”

“If you refuse to explain, or the explanation is unreasonable, or even after determining right from wrong the other party doesn’t apologize, they start preaching right there.”

“Preaching?”

“For several days.”

“Ugh, preaching for several days!”

Woon-jeong shuddered. It seemed he unconsciously recalled being lectured by Master Bok-cheon.

“Mm, still, that’s somewhat peaceful.”

“I don’t think so. After the preaching ends, they beat up the sect leader and drag him away.”

“…”

“They take the half-dead sect leader to Shaolin Temple, forcibly shave his head, and lock him in a repentance hall.”

“…!”

Woon-jeong hunched his shoulders as if getting goosebumps.

Jin Ja-gang asked An Ryeong while continuing to make eye contact with the Arhat monk above.

“I heard the Embracing Sect and Breaking Sect have different methods. Is what you just described the Breaking Sect’s method?”

“No, Embracing Sect.”

“What’s the Breaking Sect’s method?”

“If there’s someone interfering, they help them achieve Buddhahood on the spot.”

“So as long as that Arhat monk is holding his position, we can’t just pass by.”

“Whether we ignore the warning and climb the slope or just go along the road, he’ll act the moment we try to pass.”

Jin Ja-gang thought briefly then gestured with his fingertips toward above.

“Come down.”

The Arhat monk’s thick eyebrows twitched slightly. However, he didn’t move.

“His immovable mind is impressive.”

“I told you. He’ll move when we try to pass.”

At those words, Jin Ja-gang continued watching above while trying to walk along the road beside the slope.

The Arhat monk suddenly shouted from above.

“UOOOOOO!”

The Arhat monk embraced a tree beside him. His temple points bulged and veins popped out on his head.

Crash!

The Arhat monk uprooted the tree beside him, roots and all. It was a thick pine tree several times taller than himself, too thick to encircle with both arms.

The Arhat monk lifted it over his head and threw it down.

Thoom!

Jin Ja-gang’s path was blocked.

Not only that, he pushed and dropped rocks bigger than people. It was tremendous strength.

Thud! Thoom! Thud!

By continuously throwing trees and rocks, Jin Ja-gang’s path was instantly blocked.

Jin Ja-gang stared up.

The Arhat monk held a thick tree trunk and shouted.

“Go back!”

If they rashly tried to clear the blocked path, he would throw more trees and stones from above.

Jin Ja-gang said to Woon-jeong.

“Could you run up the slope and get past that Arhat monk?”

Woon-jeong was horrified.

“What for!”

“I told him to come down but he won’t come down and is blocking the path.”

Woon-jeong shouted upward.

“Excuse me! Won’t you come down for a moment!”

The Arhat monk glared at Woon-jeong with a frightening expression.

Woon-jeong grumbled.

“If you don’t want to, just refuse. Why look so scary?”

“If you can’t get through, you can come back down.”

“Sigh…”

Anyway, it was a role to lure the Arhat monk. Knowing Jin Ja-gang’s light movement techniques weren’t excellent, Woon-jeong had no choice but to prepare to leap.

Though the slope was steep, Woon-jeong’s light movement techniques could climb it to some degree. The problem was the Arhat monk.

Woon-jeong steadied his breathing several times, then leaped with all his strength and began climbing the slope.

Tap! Tap!

Using rebound by kicking with his feet, he rose one zhang at a time steadily upward. Using trees growing diagonally on the slope, he could climb more comfortably.

The Arhat monk watching from above threw a tree trunk.

Woon-jeong’s body was light, so he immediately moved sideways to avoid the tree trunk.

The Arhat monk struck the ground where he stood with his fist. The ground broke and soil and stones rolled down wildly. Woon-jeong raised his hands to cover his eyes and leaped sideways again to avoid them. Then he immediately kicked off and tried to rush upward to break through the Arhat monk.

The Arhat monk also moved sideways to block Woon-jeong’s path. The Arhat monk glared and clenched his fists.

Gulp.

Woon-jeong swallowed dry saliva. Unable to climb further, he made his feet heavy with Thousand Pound Drop and came down. He stepped on sparsely placed trees in the middle and moved left and right seeking a path to climb, but couldn’t find a way up past the Arhat monk.

“I can’t do it!”

At Woon-jeong’s words, Jin Ja-gang answered.

“That’s enough. Please come down.”

But Jin Ja-gang’s answer came from right below Woon-jeong’s feet. Woon-jeong was startled and almost fell. Jin Ja-gang had been climbing up the slope.

Jin Ja-gang grabbed a protruding stone beside the tree Woon-jeong was stepping on, climbed up, then began leaping up the slope as if it were flat ground.

Tap tap tap!

The Arhat monk opened his eyes fiercely blue and gathered his fists. After Jin Ja-gang leaped to about one zhang in front of the Arhat monk, he crossed both arms in front of his chest.

Rattle. Poison needles protruded between his fingers with gleaming edges.

Jin Ja-gang launched his body and rose into the air. The Arhat monk and Jin Ja-gang came to nearly equal eye level.

Jin Ja-gang spread both arms forcefully left and right while in the air.

Whiiiish!

Ten poison needles flew toward the Arhat monk. The Arhat monk bared his teeth, crouched, and covered his head with both forearms.

“GRAAAH!”

His gray monk robe inflated tautly as Iron Cloth technique took effect. The poison needles hitting Iron Cloth bounced off futilely easily.

After throwing the poison needles, Jin Ja-gang fell downward. Simultaneously, he shook his left wrist to separate Soul Seizing Thread’s ring, grasped the ring and threw it.

White Thread. White Thread’s ring flew long, aiming for the Arhat monk’s legs. The Arhat monk lifted his foot to avoid White Thread. However, White Thread’s ring went up a bit more and wrapped around a tree growing behind the Arhat monk.

Jin Ja-gang was falling when White Thread fixed to the tree, so he pulled the ring and shot upward again. The Arhat monk extended double fists toward Jin Ja-gang’s chest as he rose. Jin Ja-gang gathered internal energy in the palm points of both soles and received the fists.

Bang bang! Soles and fists clashed continuously with explosive sounds. Jin Ja-gang was pushed backward in the air by rebound and pulled White Thread to charge at the Arhat monk again.

Then suddenly he put his right hand fingers to his mouth and whistled.

Piiiii!

It was Chilling Sound.

The Arhat monk’s face contorted. The Arhat monk gathered internal energy and covered his ears with both hands. His body swayed.

Jin Ja-gang forcefully wound and pulled White Thread while trying to kick the Arhat monk’s chest with both feet. The Arhat monk straightened his posture and tried to block with Iron Cloth, but Jin Ja-gang injected internal energy into White Thread.

Slice! White Thread cut through the trunk of the tree it was wrapped around and flew toward the Arhat monk’s back. The Arhat monk quickly lowered his posture.

White Thread grazed past above the Arhat monk’s crown. The Arhat monk shouted and stepped half a step forward, striking Jin Ja-gang’s abdomen with his fist.

Bang! This time too Jin Ja-gang blocked the fist with his sole, but having nothing more to hold onto, he was blown into empty air. Jin Ja-gang spun several times in the air, then threw White Thread’s ring to wrap around a tree in the middle of the slope and landed safely below.

The Arhat monk looked down while touching his head with his hand. The scalp where White Thread had grazed was peeled off. Skin about half a palm’s worth had peeled off and blood was flowing severely. His face instantly became covered in blood.

After recovering White Thread’s ring, Jin Ja-gang once again gestured toward the Arhat monk.

The Arhat monk’s face contorted like a demon.

The enraged Arhat monk leaped down from the slope. Like Woon-jeong, the Arhat monk crossed his arms and used Thousand Pound Drop to fall straight down.

But when he had descended about halfway,

The Arhat monk’s body spun around as if caught on something. Trees on both sides at the height where the Arhat monk was falling bent greatly.

On the face of the Arhat monk spinning in the air, a long horizontal line appeared across the bridge of his nose. The same line appeared between his upper and lower lips.

At that moment, Jin Ja-gang raised his right hand and pulled.