Chapter 335 |
Chapter 335
Tathagata
At Mu-gung's question, Chongpyo Paja, who was approaching them, tilted his head.
"You certainly look like one of our people, yet you're wearing a strange rag."
With a robust build and a fierce face, even without resorting to violence, just blocking the path with that face would make passing merchants hand over their money willingly.
"How about it? Do you want to become a brave Noklim bandit starting today?"
Faced with Chongpyo Paja's sudden offer of a job, Mu-gung managed to keep a straight face despite being dumbfounded.
"Hahaha. If it's the call of the brave Chongpyo Paja senior, this junior must certainly follow."
This was a kind of quick-witted response Mu-gung had learned from watching Mu-jin.
'... In the worst case, I must induce carelessness and at least injure him.'
It wasn't for his own survival, but a desperate act to protect those with him.
"Hahahaha! I didn't know there was such a talkative junior in the famously rigid Shaolin!"
"I've also always found Shaolin to be frustrating. Brother! Ah, may I call you brother from today?"
"Hahaha. What a bold brother."
The two laughed heartily as they looked at each other. With their equally fierce builds and sinister faces, they looked like bandit brothers to anyone who saw them.
Seeing that his flattery seemed to be working, Mu-gung cautiously asked again.
"But brother, what brings you all the way to this remote Hunan?"
At Mu-gung's question, Chongpyo Paja stroked his scruffy, black-bearded chin with the hand not holding the axe.
"What we do is obvious, brother. I came because I have some business with the goods you're transporting."
"... We don't have any goods we're transporting, brother."
"Haha. Why act so naive? For us Noklim, anything that brings money is a good, whether it's a person or anything else."
"..."
"Hehe. I heard from the Lianju that there is a female military officer of Jeongmumaeng in that carriage. She's quite a capable officer who has been conducting information warfare with Shaolin and Cheonryu Sangdan even before Jeongmumaeng was established."
Mu-gung involuntarily swallowed dryly.
'So the reason there were no attacks for two days was to investigate Lady Baek Ga-ryeong.'
Mu-gung sensed that this wouldn't be an easy situation to get through.
Whether Chongpyo Paja noticed Mu-gung's nervousness or not, he spoke leisurely.
"Hehe. Just looking at it, it smells like money, doesn't it? Still, thinking of my new brother, I'll make you a good offer. If you hand over the officer's ransom, I'll let you go."nn
Such a proposal was typical of Noklim.
"How much do you want?"
"Haha. I like that you don't add any useless words like other stupid righteous sect people. I'll give you a generous offer for my brother. Two thousand gold pieces. That much, and I'll pretend I didn't see anything."
Two thousand gold pieces was a ridiculous amount for a toll, but it was an amount that Cheonryu Sangdan or Jeongmumaeng could easily afford.
The problem was that they didn't have it right now.
"We don't have that much money with us right now because we're moving urgently. We'll contact the Cheonryu Sangdan branch and get the money."
"Hehe. Brother, do you think that makes sense? What Noklim bandit in the world would believe that and let you go?"
"What can I do if we don't have money because we're moving urgently?"
"Hehe. Then I'll show you my final mercy. Leave the officer and go."
"... That's impossible."
At Mu-gung's reply, Chongpyo Paja gripped the axe slung over his shoulder with a cruel smile.
"You refuse my offer and choose punishment."
As Chongpyo Paja's demeanor changed, the atmosphere instantly became cold.
The Noklim bandits who came with him also began preparing for battle, and Mu-gung and his group also prepared for a fight with solemn faces.
Seeing their defiant stance, Chongpyo Paja sneered.
"It's a pity to cut the throat of a brother I just met today, so at least tell me your name."
"... Mu-gung, a second-class disciple of Shaolin."
"Mu-gung. Mu-gung... It sounds familiar."
As if trying to recall, Chongpyo Paja tilted his head, and then burst into incredulous laughter.
"Haha! So it was you! The one who dared to impersonate a Noklim bandit and caused havoc in Guangxi Province as a Shaolin monk!"
He thought the fools who got tricked by a Shaolin monk were idiots, but seeing it in person, he could believe it.
Laughing loudly, Chongpyo Paja suddenly stopped and looked at Mu-gung with a fierce face.
Amusing as it was, he had to suffer because of that fool.
"Looks like, brother, you were destined to die by my hand no matter what."
With a tyrannical killing intent, Chongpyo Paja pointed his axe at Mu-gung and his group.
"Kill them all."
At his command, the Noklim bandits charged forward.
Bang!!
Chongpyo Paja soared into the sky, and as he descended, he swung his axe at Mu-gung.
nn
Already prepared for battle, Mu-gung unleashed the Tathagata Palm.
The extreme yang energy emitted from his palm shot towards Chongpyo Paja, but it was easily torn apart as Chongpyo Paja swung his axe.
As the axe, having torn through the Tathagata Palm, descended with Chongpyo Paja, Mu-gung barely evaded the attack by leaping to the side.
The Tathagata Palm he had just executed was not intended as an attack but to obscure the opponent's vision with flames.
He already knew from rumors that Chongpyo Paja was stronger than him.
"Tricks!"
With a thud, Chongpyo Paja landed on the ground and swung his axe again at Mu-gung, who had dodged to the side.
Mu-gung used the Vajra Immovable Body Technique to narrowly avoid the axe with minimal movement, but he couldn't completely evade it.
Slash!
His clothes and chest were lightly cut, and blood started to flow.
"Let's join forces!"
Realizing that it was impossible for Mu-gung to handle Chongpyo Paja alone, two Special Operations Unit members quickly joined Mu-gung.
A middle-aged swordsman thrust his sword into the gap created by Chongpyo Paja's swing at Mu-gung, while a man from the Tang Clan threw concealed weapons to cover him.
But Chongpyo Paja dodged the swordsman's surprise attack with a slight turn of his body and swung his axe to deflect all the concealed weapons.
Moreover, using the momentum from deflecting the concealed weapons, he swung his axe at the swordsman who had approached him.
The seamless movement of the axe left the swordsman with no time to retrieve his sword and defend himself.
"Haah!"
Mu-gung was the one who saved the swordsman.
At close range, instead of using the Tathagata Palm against Chongpyo Paja, Mu-gung shot extreme yang energy towards the axe.
The extreme yang energy struck the side of Chongpyo Paja's axe, causing it to slightly deviate from its path, allowing the swordsman to narrowly avoid the axe using the Narietagon technique.
The battle between Chongpyo Paja and the three Special Operations Unit members continued.
Mu-gung and the swordsman drew Chongpyo Paja's attention, engaging in close combat, while the Tang Clan member supported them with concealed weapons.
However, they were far from overwhelming Chongpyo Paja. The situation remained dangerous, where even a minor mistake could result in someone's death.
But the most urgent issue was not Chongpyo Paja.
Slash.
"Ugh..."
The sound of cutting and groaning echoed from various spots.
The enemies were among the top-tier Noklim bandits, led by Chongpyo Paja.
It was nearly impossible for Baek Ga-ryeong's guards to handle them alone.
n
The three most skilled Special Operations Unit members were tied up with Chongpyo Paja.
"Uncle Hong-gu! Step back! Warrior Kang! Assist the left side!"
What was keeping them holding on was Baek Ga-ryeong, who was in the center of the formation, giving constant instructions from the carriage.
Despite her face turning pale from the exhaustion of the long journey, she coolly observed the formation and quickly made adjustments whenever there was even the slightest sign of disruption.
The sounds of cutting and screaming from all directions, the unpleasant clashing of weapons, and Baek Ga-ryeong's voice, shouting as if coughing up blood, all drilled into Mu-gung's ears even as he fought the precarious battle where a single mistake could mean death.
At this rate, they would inevitably be annihilated.
'Damn it! If only Mu-jin were here, or even if just Mu-gyeong were here...'
Such thoughts naturally occurred to Mu-gung, but they were followed by anger.
Anger at himself for thinking of his disciples even in this situation.
Anger at himself for being unable to resolve the situation, unlike his disciples.
Having spent nearly ten years with Mu-jin and Mu-gyeong, he thought he had grown accustomed to it.
No, it wasn't that he had grown accustomed; he had given up.
He couldn't keep up with them.
So, he followed his master uncle's advice. Slowly and steadily, he would become stronger in his own way.
But that was just self-deception.
In the most critical moment, he could do nothing.
As his actions grew rougher with self-directed anger, Chongpyo Paja's axe flew towards Mu-gung, seizing the opportunity.
At that very moment.
- Stop.
The voice of his master uncle, Hye-dam, which he had heard countless times to the point of irritation, pierced his mind.
Slash!
In the final moment, Mu-gung barely managed to steady his breath and threw his body aside, narrowly avoiding being split in two by the axe.
Of course, this resulted in a wound on his arm, with blood flowing, but it was better than dying.
However, the emotions that followed were again self-reproach and anger at himself.
In this desperate situation, he couldn't control himself.
- Endure.
As if brainwashed, led by the constant voice of his master uncle Hye-dam, he operated his internal energy.
'Damn it. Damn it. Damn it.'
His anger kept rising.
And in response to his anger, the extreme yang energy in his danjeon roared.n
His anger, which had initially been directed at himself, gradually transformed into anger towards the world.
Why hadn't the world given him greater talent?
Why could such a heinous bandit reach such a high level?
Why did the world try to kill Baek Ga-ryeong, who had barely survived?
As his anger grew, so did the extreme yang energy, which started from his danjeon and coursed through his meridians.
Like a dormant volcano reactivating, the extreme yang energy was ready to rampage.
- Halt!
With the constant ringing voice of his master uncle Hye-dam in his mind, his last bit of rationality suppressed the rampaging wild horse-like extreme yang energy.
As Mu-gung struggled to calm his raging energy and mind, he heard a faint groan.
It was a familiar voice.
One of the bodyguards who had traveled with them had let out a death rattle.
"Fall back one step at a time and close the gaps! Cough..."
Following that, Baek Ga-ryeong, who was giving orders, coughed violently, her voice piercing Mu-gung's ears.
For some reason, even though he only heard it, he could picture Baek Ga-ryeong coughing up blood in his mind.
Simultaneously, the extreme yang energy that he had barely managed to calm started rampaging again.
His head grew hot with anger, and his vision wavered.
- Endure and persevere.
On the brink of losing his mind and going berserk, Mu-gung, like a blind man relying on a single cane, followed his master uncle's voice and guided his extreme yang energy.
Despite feeling like it was impossible to control the greatly amplified energy, he relentlessly suppressed it.
And when the condensation reached its limit.
Bang!!
The heavy extreme yang energy burst forth with a loud noise, forcibly widening the narrow meridians as it surged.
The continuous explosions within his body caused a ringing in his ears and turned Mu-gung's vision white.
On the verge of losing his mind.
- Cast away all distractions and idle thoughts.
Like clutching at a straw, Mu-gung continued to condense the extreme yang energy running through his meridians.
And when the extreme yang energy, which had grown to the limit, and Mu-gung's endurance reached their breaking point.
Bang!!!
The infinitely condensed anger, contained within the palm of Tathagata, erupted towards the world.