Chapter 358 |
Chapter 358
Arhat
Boom!!!
A massive explosion erupted around Mu-jin as he collided with the purple energy, sending a storm-like wave of intense energy swirling in all directions.
However, the purple energy that surrounded him was spread too widely for Mu-jin to handle alone.
Of course, he could try to withstand the purple energy by throwing himself left and right, but...
"Ugh..."
Mu-jin forced himself to swallow the blood rising in his throat and pushed forward with difficulty.
As he passed through the wave of purple energy, the Ho-shin Gang-gi protecting his body shimmered brilliantly in gold, flickering like a mirage before disappearing repeatedly.
Moreover, there was no reason for Mu-jin to face Cheon-ju alone from the beginning.
"Open the formation!"
A powerful lion's roar erupted from one of the men widely spread around Mu-jin, and over a hundred men began to move in unison.
Though they were dressed differently to conceal their identities, in reality, they were all masters belonging to a single sect.
At the center of the formation stood Hye-dam, surrounded by 108 monks who formed the battle formation.
The One Hundred Eight Arhats.
This was the ultimate martial force of Shaolin, the final bastion protecting both Shaolin and the Jangkyeong-gak.
These warriors, who had once swallowed their tears and abandoned Shaolin and the Jangkyeong-gak to avoid being defeated individually by Shincheon, revealed themselves here.
As the 108 Arhats aligned in formation and channeled their internal energy, their power resonated with one another, amplifying its magnitude.
Immediately afterward, the wave of purple energy, which spread wide like a tidal wave, collided with the solid gold energy that exuded the immovability of Mount Tai.
Boom!
A thunderous explosion, as if the entire mountain was shaking, and a massive wave of energy echoed across the battlefield.
After the collision ended, the Mount Tai that had withstood the massive wave of energy revealed that some of the 108 Arhats had been pushed several steps back from their original positions in the formation.
However, none of them collapsed, vomited blood, or lost their lives.
In fact, the 108 Arhats, prideful as the last bastion of Shaolin, quickly began to reorganize the formation, their eyes blazing with determination.
And while the 108 Arhats were reorganizing their ranks...
"Haah!"
Mu-jin, who had finally broken through the center of the wave, rushed toward Cheon-ju.
Even though his body was covered in Ho-shin Gang-gi, Mu-jin was already battered and wounded, showing just how foolish it was for a human to confront nature barehanded.
With a resolute expression, as if he had staked everything on this single strike, Mu-jin swung his fist at Cheon-ju.
Thwack!
But Cheon-ju casually swung his arm as if swatting away an insect, effortlessly deflecting Mu-jin's fist.
However, Mu-jin didn't mind.
After all, his role was merely to draw Cheon-ju's attention.
Swoosh!
At the moment Cheon-ju deflected Mu-jin's fist, a monk holding a small blade appeared behind Cheon-ju, as if he had torn through the very fabric of space.
This was Mu-gyeong's ambush, who had carefully approached Cheon-ju using concealment techniques until this moment.
Mu-gyeong's blade aimed straight for Cheon-ju's heart.
In addition...
Whirr!
Golden energy began to emanate from various parts of Mu-gyeong's body, converging on his blade and instantly forming a powerful Gang-gi.
Cheon-ju's response to Mu-gyeong's blade, now enveloped in Gang-gi, was absurdly simple.
Crackle!
As Cheon-ju's remaining right hand reached out to meet Mu-gyeong's blade, his left hand, which had just deflected Mu-jin's fist, began to gather purple energy, emitting an unpleasant crackling sound.
Crackle!
Then, with his hand now brimming with purple energy, Cheon-ju grabbed Mu-gyeong's blade.
"A predictable trick," Cheon-ju said in an indifferent tone, as if he had known about Mu-gyeong's approach all along.
But then, for a brief moment, Cheon-ju's eyebrows raised slightly as he looked at the blade he had caught.
Cheon-ju had not intended to merely catch Mu-gyeong's blade.
He had intended to shatter it, but to his surprise, the blade withstood his power.
No ordinary weapon, even one protected by Gang-gi, should be able to withstand his divine technique.
"Hmm. So you took the Yongsaldo after all," Cheon-ju muttered as he realized that the blade in his grasp was the Yongsaldo once wielded by the Salmakju and originally belonging to Shincheon.
Just as Cheon-ju prepared to use the Golden Locking Hand technique to seize the blade...
"Hahp!"
Mu-jin, seemingly intent on saving Mu-gyeong, charged at Cheon-ju once more.
This time, instead of swinging his limbs, he attempted a tackle, a move practically synonymous with his trademark.
Seeing Mu-jin dive toward him, attempting to grab his knees while protecting his body with Ho-shin Gang-gi, Cheon-ju employed a stepping technique, shifting his body to the side.
Kwon Je's immense strength and strange fighting style were something that even Cheon-ju had heard of, so he didn't see the need to face him head-on.
As Cheon-ju moved sideways, a fierce red energy wave, Yeol-yang-ji-gi, came flying towards him.
This was the Tathagata Palm technique, unleashed by Mu-gung after surpassing his limits following the duel with the Noklim Leader.
However, even the Tathagata Palm of Mu-gung, who had broken through his barrier, could not compare to Cheon-ju's divine techniques.
With a simple wave of his hand, Cheon-ju generated an immense energy that effortlessly neutralized the powerful force of the Tathagata Palm.
"Hmm?"
But as Cheon-ju blocked Mu-gung's ambush, he raised an eyebrow in surprise.
While he was momentarily distracted, Mu-gyeong had used the Golden Locking Hand technique to retrieve the Asura Path that Cheon-ju had been holding.
Immediately after Mu-gyeong escaped, Mu-jin charged towards Cheon-ju once more, his body fully shielded by Ho-shin Gang-gi, rushing forward like a wild boar.
"Click."
With a displeased click of his tongue, Cheon-ju extended both palms towards Mu-jin.
The purple energy of the Hunwon Divine Elixir Technique burst from his palms, tearing through Mu-jin's Ho-shin Gang-gi once again.
And so, the battle continued in a similar fashion.
Mu-jin would repeatedly generate Ho-shin Gang-gi and charge straight at Cheon-ju, while Mu-gung and Mu-gyeong would assist from the sidelines, using the Tathagata Palm, Golden Rain Technique, or assassination techniques to launch surprise attacks.
Standing a few steps back, observing the fight between Cheon-ju and the three Second-class Disciples, Hye-dam found himself deep in thought.
'...Is this the Buddha's guidance?'
These young Second-class Disciples were leading a battle that would determine the fate of Shaolin, and by extension, the martial world.
Even his own disciple was among them.
Perhaps the Buddha had granted these talented children to Shaolin to safeguard Shaolin and the martial world during these perilous times.
But at the same time, Hye-dam considered another possibility.
'Or is it because of our own foolishness?'
Perhaps Shaolin had been too rigid, secluding itself in the mountains for too long.
These children had left Shaolin, experienced countless real battles, and seen the world with their own eyes, learning and growing.
The disciple he had once thought still had much to learn had, before he realized it, reached a level equal to his own. It was only natural for Hye-dam to feel ashamed of himself, having secluded himself in the mountains for so long.
'The next generation of disciples should be allowed to experience the world more.'
Of course, that would only be possible if they succeeded in defeating Shincheon in this battle.
But that didn't mean that Hye-dam, the leader of the One Hundred Eight Arhats, intended to leave everything to the Second-class Disciples and merely watch.
Just as the young disciples had their roles to play, Hye-dam had his own role, honed through his years of growth.
Boom!!
After Cheon-ju's Hunwon Divine Elixir Technique and Mu-jin's Ho-shin Gang-gi clashed once more, Mu-jin was forced back three steps, coughing up blood. His Ho-shin Gang-gi, which had previously flickered like a mirage when clashing with Cheon-ju's divine techniques, had now completely disappeared.
As Cheon-ju saw this as an opportunity, he prepared to unleash the Hunwon Divine Elixir Technique again to kill Mu-jin.
"Advance!!"
At that moment, Hye-dam's powerful voice resonated like a lion's roar, and the overwhelming force of the One Hundred Eight Arhats descended upon Cheon-ju.
The One Hundred Eight Arhats Formation was a formation that symbolized the Thousand-Year Shaolin, encompassing various changes within it.
Under Hye-dam's command, the Arhats divided into six groups of eighteen, forming the One Hundred Eight Arhats Formation and launching an attack on Cheon-ju.
In the meantime, Mu-jin, who had been severely wounded, was being supported by Mu-gyeong as they retreated.
"Do you think gathering like insects can bring down the heavens?"
With a calm tone, Cheon-ju swung his arms leisurely, once again unleashing a massive storm of blood energy.
As the One Hundred Eight Arhats gazed upon the natural disaster-like purple energy, they channeled their internal energy once more.
Divided into six groups, each consisting of eighteen Arhats, they gathered their energy and withstood the storm of energy.
This was the power that the One Hundred Eight Arhats had cultivated over decades at Shaolin.
Although they hadn't ventured into the world to gain countless experiences, they had honed their skills together for decades, perfecting their harmony.
That was the essence of formation techniques.
And it was for a similar reason that the Jeongmumaeng had collapsed so easily before Cheon-ju.
No matter how many hundreds of people face one opponent, only a limited number can actually coordinate and combine their strength.
If those attempting to combine their efforts were out of sync, it often led to the ridiculous situation where their own weapons ended up harming each other.
For a force of over a hundred people to fully exert their strength—or even surpass the combined strength of each individual—a tremendous amount of training is required.
That's why the One Hundred Eight Arhats and the Muja Group chose to fight in a rotational manner rather than fighting together.
Seeing the One Hundred Eight Arhats stubbornly withstand the immense energy he unleashed, Cheon-ju smirked crookedly.
"The ones who hid away when Shaolin Temple was destroyed are now giving it their all here."
During the process of the Jeongmumaeng relocating to Shaanxi Province, Shaolin completely evacuated its main temple, summoning all its disciples to Shaanxi.
Shincheon then burned down the now-empty Shaolin Temple.
To the One Hundred Eight Arhats, whose purpose was to protect Shaolin and the Jangkyeong-gak, this was an unspeakable disgrace.
"Charge!!"
Hye-dam's powerful roar calmed the anger of the One Hundred Eight Arhats.
As if mocking even that sight, Cheon-ju twisted his mouth and swung his arms again, unleashing another massive storm of energy towards the One Hundred Eight Arhats.
Boom!!
Watching the clash between Hye-dam and the One Hundred Eight Arhats against Cheon-ju, Mu-jin quickly regulated his breathing.
The time they could buy was limited.
Even though only three or four exchanges had taken place, some of the Arhats were already bleeding from their mouths or turning pale.
So, before the One Hundred Eight Arhats Formation collapsed, Mu-jin had to step forward again.
"Phew."
Breaking free from Mu-gyeong's support, Mu-jin took a deep breath in and out, calming his turbulent internal energy.
Then, he hurriedly gathered the energy he had exhausted by continuously using Ho-shin Gang-gi.
It was impossible to quickly gather internal energy just through breathing alone, but Mu-jin had a special method.
The natural energy around Mu-jin began to gather towards him.
Not only through his mouth, but natural energy was absorbed into his body through every pore in his skin.
Since breaking through the barrier with the Jade Vajra Technique, he had diligently trained and had finally managed to breathe through his skin.
Perhaps because his skin was stimulated by the blows he received from Cheon-ju, it felt even more refreshing than when he was training.
However, this wasn't entirely good news.
Even though the One Hundred Eight Arhats, as well as Mu-gung and Mu-gyeong, were fiercely clinging to Cheon-ju, the situation was not in their favor.
While the fight was dangerously close, with either himself or the One Hundred Eight Arhats potentially collapsing at any moment, Cheon-ju still appeared to have plenty of energy left.
Moreover, Cheon-ju wasn't the only problem.
Since Shaolin was focusing all its attention on Cheon-ju, other sects had to deal with the rest of Shincheon's forces.
At Wudang, Cheongsu, who had just completed his closed-door training, was leading the battle against the Ji-ju but was struggling to handle him and his disciples.
The Namgung Family was dealing with Hyeok Jin-gang and his followers, but they weren't exactly in a comfortable situation either.
Furthermore, with the sects and families holding the greatest strength being preoccupied, the remaining forces of Jeongmumaeng were nearly incapable of holding off Shincheon's warriors.
Especially on their side, where a master wielding a Pan-gwan Pil (Judgment Brush), who appeared to be an In-ju, was causing them to be on the brink of collapse.
The reason they were able to maintain the encirclement despite the overwhelming difference in power was simple.
'When are they coming? For heaven's sake!'
They were expecting reinforcements.
And it wasn't Ou-yang Pae they were counting on.
There was no guarantee that Ou-yang Pae would help. He was originally from the Demon Cult, so he might prefer to see the sects of the Central Plains fall.
If Ou-yang Pae arrived as reinforcements, that would be ideal, but the basic plan was only to have Ou-yang Pae expel the Igongja who had infiltrated as the Left Envoy of the Demon Cult and prevent the Demon Cult from joining forces.
They believed they could win if only those 'reinforcements' arrived in time.
And as if Mu-jin's wish had been granted...
Thump!
Thump!
Thump!
Through the cacophony of the battlefield, a heavy, resounding noise echoed.
Curious, some turned their attention in the direction from which the noise was coming.
Crash!
With the sound of trees and bushes being crushed, a massive creature appeared.
Bwoo!!!
It towered as high as a two-story building, with a size that defied reason, and an unusually long trunk.
It was an animal with a shape unseen in the Central Plains—a giant elephant.
"Mu-jin-ah!!"
On top of the elephant, Mu-yul, spotting Mu-jin, waved brightly and smiled.