Chapter 346

Black Thread.

The invisible Soul Seizing Thread passed through the Arhat monk’s face.

Swish.

The Arhat monk fell with his eyes rolled back. But when he hit the ground, thud! His severed head couldn’t maintain its form and was crushed as blood and brain matter burst out.

Woon-jeong and An Ryeong watched in a daze.

The Arhat monk’s face slid down in pieces, revealing the cross-section where it had been cut horizontally. Just moments ago, he had been a living person making vivid expressions. But now he was just a lump of meat.

“Ugh…”

Though Woon-jeong frowned deeply, he didn’t turn his gaze away. He pressed his lips together and bowed his head slightly, praying for the Arhat monk’s soul.

An Ryeong looked back at Jin Ja-gang with a complex expression.

Despite the cruel scene, Jin Ja-gang’s expression didn’t change at all.

Woon-jeong’s words about Poison Dragon killing people without batting an eye, just as he appeared on the outside, hadn’t been a joke.

Provoking the Arhat monk from the beginning had probably been a calculated move with this situation in mind.

Jin Ja-gang made eye contact with An Ryeong, then turned his head away, recovered Black Thread’s ring, and immediately began climbing up the slope.

Woon-jeong looked at Jin Ja-gang’s retreating figure and said to An Ryeong.

“Primordial Heavenly Venerate. If our paths differ, it would be better not to travel together. My master said that ordinary people should not follow the path of Asuras.”

Woon-jeong finished his farewell and followed Jin Ja-gang up the slope. An Ryeong looked up, gritted her teeth, and followed behind.

* * *

The three people quickened their pace without speaking.

Climbing the slope had saved them considerable time.

Woon-jeong noticed the lack of human presence, just like before.

“It’s the same as last time. Miss An Ryeong, be careful.”

Woon-jeong gave An Ryeong a hint. An Ryeong only nodded. Her gaze remained fixed ahead.

As they approached the estate where Physician Bell Healers was located, an increasingly ominous atmosphere could be felt.

“Just over this hill is Grand Harmony Courtyard.”

An Ryeong said. That brief moment when the estate behind was hidden by the hill became taut with tension.

For Jin Ja-gang, visiting Physician Bell Healers didn’t need to be such a difficult journey.

What Jin Ja-gang needed to do at Grand Harmony Courtyard was simply confirm whether Physician Bell Healers had stockpiled medicinal materials related to epidemics or not.

But things had become complicated because of Shaolin Temple… and because of one young lady called Burning Phoenix from the An family medical house.

Of course, if Physician Bell Healers cooperated, nothing could be more convenient and better, but it was still questionable whether it was worth enduring such annoyance.

The martial world was dynamically changing every moment.

If he became distracted for just a moment and missed the timing, he could lose all opportunities.

Even now, the martial world, Shaolin Temple, was moving faster than Jin Ja-gang had expected.

Soon he would know whether his predictions were correct, whether his anxiety would become reality.

Then.

They saw one person standing dazedly on the hill. No, he wasn’t standing but staggering down the hill, but his steps were so slow he seemed to be standing still.

The man couldn’t walk properly and swayed left and right as he walked.

He had no choice but to do so, as the left side of his head was severely caved in. Not broken and shattered, but pressed inward. Because of this, his left eye was completely blood-red, while his right eye was shifted toward the corner, making him cross-eyed.

That’s why he couldn’t walk properly and zigzagged back and forth.

“Ugh… ah…”

The man made barely audible groans as he continued coming over the hill.

An Ryeong’s hands trembled when she saw the man.

“Brother Bang…?”

The man with the caved-in left head, Bang Muk, spotted Jin Ja-gang, An Ryeong, and Woon-jeong and quickened his steps.

Stumble! Bang Muk’s feet got tangled and he fell forward. An Ryeong ran more than ten zhang in an instant and caught Bang Muk before he could collapse.

Then she quickly took out her acupuncture kit and placed needles all over his face. Since his left head was so severely pressed in that his brain was damaged, his right eyeball couldn’t fully return to center.

Bang Muk raised his trembling hand toward Jin Ja-gang, not An Ryeong.

In Bang Muk’s hand was a blood-stained cloth. It looked like a small flag, but half was torn so the front characters couldn’t be read, only the character “West” (西) at the back could barely be made out.

“The leader gave this…”

Jin Ja-gang took the blood-stained cloth from Bang-muk.

“I tried to keep… my word…”

An Ryeong shouted.

“Don’t speak anymore! Brother Bang, you can live. You can live, so shut your mouth and concentrate.”

“I’m sorry…”

Only then did Bang-muk smile weakly as if he had fulfilled his duty. His pupils slowly rolled back.

“Brother Bang!”

Bang-muk’s body convulsed. His breath was immediately cut off. Just lasting until now had been remarkable.

Jin Ja-gang looked down quietly at Bang Muk, clenched the blood-stained cloth tightly in his hand, and immediately headed over the hill toward Grand Harmony Courtyard.

The main gate of Grand Harmony Courtyard was destroyed, and the walls had collapsed in places. People’s corpses could be seen here and there.

Crash!

A middle-aged man burst out through the broken gate.

An Arhat monk leaped over the roof to block the fleeing middle-aged man’s path.

The middle-aged man gritted his teeth and attacked the Arhat monk with a weapon called an awl-like spike. The Arhat monk blocked the spike with his forearm while lightning-fast kicking the middle-aged man’s shin to break it, and kicked the back of his other knee from the side to dislocate it.

That entire sequence happened in a single breath. The middle-aged man screamed and collapsed from injuries to both legs. The Arhat monk grabbed the middle-aged man’s head with both hands.

“S-save me…!”

Then the Arhat monk and Jin Ja-gang’s eyes met. The Arhat monk’s eyes took on a strange light. The Arhat monk twisted the middle-aged man’s head.

Crack. The middle-aged man’s neck broke as his head spun around once.

Jin Ja-gang glared at the Arhat monk and approached.

But unexpectedly, the Arhat monk stepped aside.

The meaning of not wanting to fight was clear. It could also be seen as meaning to go inside.

Jin Ja-gang looked at the Arhat monk briefly, then passed him and went through the broken main gate.

Inside the estate was also full of corpses. Heads and chests were caved in, limbs broken and scattered. These were traces left by Shaolin’s external martial arts.

And occasionally, parts cleanly cut as if by swords were scattered about, spraying blood. Since the Arhat monks wore great precept swords at their waists, these might have been traces of using those swords.

Jin Ja-gang continued walking.

Sounds of fighting could be heard.

“Shaolin Temple will never succeed!”

An old man’s voice could be heard shouting desperately.

An old man wearing a long official hat was flying around on top of walls. From his extraordinary movements, he seemed to be the leader of Physician Bell Healers. But one shoulder was already crushed, and his head was bleeding profusely from a split on the side.

A Vajra Monk in golden orchid robes chased him. Each time the Vajra Monk stepped on walls and leaped, they crumbled with crashing sounds.

The old man climbed up to the roof, raised his good hand above his shoulder, and waited for the Vajra Monk to climb up to the roof. The moment the Vajra Monk climbed onto the roof, he folded his thumb and spread his other four fingers, then swung his arm forcefully.

An enormous amount of acupuncture needles spread in a circle and poured down.

“Die!”

The golden-robed Vajra Monk stomped his foot.

Bang! The roof tiles flew up. The Vajra Monk took a deep breath, assumed a horse stance, and punched the floating tiles. His fists moved at invisible speed.

Bam bam bam bang!

Countless fragments of broken tiles shot toward the old man. The tile fragments deflected all the needles while embedding in the old man’s body. Some sharp fragments cut his body, while pointed ones pierced through bone and flesh.

Countless holes appeared in the old man’s body. Like a water jar with holes, blood leaked steadily.

The old man knelt, bleeding. The Vajra Monk walked toward the old man step by step. The old man raised his head to look at the Vajra Monk.

Without a moment’s hesitation, the Vajra Monk struck down on the old man’s head with his fist.

Thud! The old man’s head was completely caved in. The old man died falling forward with his eyes bulging.

The Vajra Monk wiped his bloody hand, bowed with clasped hands, and lowered his head.

“Poison sect faction. Physician Bell Healers, concluded.”

The Vajra Monk looked down at Jin Ja-gang below with expressionless eyes.

Jin Ja-gang also made eye contact with the Vajra Monk.

For a while, neither spoke.

But it was the Vajra Monk who spoke first this time.

“What happened to Arhat Dan-sang?”

“Who is that?”

“A disciple of our temple who went to meet you.”

“I didn’t hear any names.”

The Vajra Monk’s eyes widened.

“This humble monk’s dharma name is Gong-eup. If you harmed Arhat Dan-sang, you will hear my dharma name again before long.”

“I’m not interested in monk’s dharma names even if I heard them a hundred times.”

Vajra Monk Gong-eup’s lips twitched.

Jin Ja-gang glared at Gong-eup and asked.

“Why did you let him go?”

“Who do you mean?”

“Bang Muk.”

Gong-eup’s lips stretched into a long line.

“I don’t know the names of demonic soldiers worth less than dust. But I do remember there was one whose head I crushed but who didn’t die and ran away.”

Though it essentially returned Jin Ja-gang’s words back to him, Jin Ja-gang wasn’t shaken at all.

“You knew I would come and deliberately sent him in a half-dead state for me to see, didn’t you?”

Gong-eup didn’t answer. Jin Ja-gang raised his hand to show the blood-stained cloth.

“‘West’ (西). Did you let him go because you know the character in front of this?”

Gong-eup still didn’t answer.

Jin Ja-gang slowly raised his killing intent.

“Should I find out by force?”

Tingling killing intent reached toward Gong-eup. Goosebumps rose on Gong-eup’s neck and forearms. Gong-eup’s internal energy reacted to Jin Ja-gang’s killing intent, making his qi and blood boil hot, and veins bulged on his shaved head marked with precepts.

Gong-eup raised his internal energy. Yellow aura gathered around his eyes.

“Namo Amitabha Guanyin Bodhisattva!”

Bang!

A explosive sound rang from Gong-eup’s chest, and a great wave rippled through the air. In an instant, Jin Ja-gang’s killing intent scattered and could no longer greatly affect Gong-eup, deflecting around him.

Shaolin Temple’s internal energy, along with Taoist internal energy, was considered among the most stable mental techniques in the martial world.

Gong-eup looked down at Jin Ja-gang with an arrogant expression and sneered.

“Do not rush, Poison Dragon! Your death is not predetermined! Do not throw away the opportunity of heavenly protection obtained through Master Sa-baek’s life-lock!”

Jin Ja-gang’s lips twisted.

“If you thought I was begging for my life because of the life-lock, that’s a huge miscalculation. While people are speaking nicely, you should spill what you know.”

Of course there was no answer. Rather, the sneer at Gong-eup’s lips deepened.

For a moment, it felt almost like killing intent mixed with mockery.

Jin Ja-gang bared his teeth at Gong-eup’s smile and awakened the sleeping beast within.