Chapter 359 |
Chapter 359
Strange Dragon
When Mu-jin saw Mu-yul arriving on an elephant, his reaction was simple.
"Why is he showing up here?"
Of course, he had sent word to both Mu-yul and Hye-geol, who were training in Nanzhao. Specifically, during the process of leaking information about the demon cult to the apostates of Nanzhao, Jegal Muhwan had informed them as well.
Looking more closely, Mu-jin noticed that Hye-geol was also on the elephant, along with Mu-yul. Unlike the always cheerful Mu-yul, Hye-geol looked pale, as if he was suffering from motion sickness.
Furthermore, the elephant itself seemed peculiar. Back in the modern world, Mu-jin had learned through YouTube that elephants live in the region known here as Nanzhao. These elephants were of the species known in modern times as the "Asian elephant," which is relatively smaller than the African elephant we commonly think of.
However, this particular elephant was unusually large.
"Could it be... is that elephant a spiritual beast as well?"
This obviously meant that this was not the reinforcements Mu-jin had been desperately awaiting.
"Blare!"
As Mu-jin felt a pang of disappointment, the elephant trumpeted again, swinging its trunk. The sight of the warriors of Shinchun being swept into the air by the massive trunk filled Mu-jin's vision.
"Attack!"
Finally, the reinforcements Mu-jin had been waiting for appeared. Warriors clad in a variety of different outfits, with no uniformity whatsoever, began to emerge. However, amidst these warriors, a banner with the words "Southern Sky" fluttered.
"Break through the ranks!"
At the forefront, two masters wielding a spear and a sword respectively, were fiercely cutting down the warriors of Shinchun. They were none other than Pae Jin-seong, a master from the demonic sect who had been known as the Spear King for over a decade, and Dao Yuetian, recently hailed as a rising star within the demonic sect.
The reinforcements Mu-jin had been waiting for were the masters of the Southern Sky Association.
What Mu-jin didn't know was that Mu-yul and Hye-geol, on their way from Nanzhao, had coincidentally encountered the main forces of the Southern Sky Association. This chance meeting had led them to arrive here together.
As the sudden appearance of the Southern Sky Association's masters threw the battlefield into chaos, Mu-yul shouted towards the elephant carrying him.
"Play with the bad guys here, Bibi!"
"Blare!"
As if it understood Mu-yul's command, the elephant responded energetically, and Mu-yul leaped off its back. Hye-geol followed closely behind, with Ling-ling clinging to Mu-yul.
The three of them headed straight towards Mu-jin and the Hundred-and-Eight Arhats. Of course, countless warriors stood in their way.
There were warriors from Shinchun, but there were also many allies who were too engaged in combat to pull back. However, they paid no heed to these obstacles.
"Hiya!"
"Hah!"
"Ooh!"
They each let out their own battle cries as they charged across the battlefield. Sometimes they leaped into the air to avoid people, sometimes they twisted their bodies like snakes to weave through the crowd, and at other times, they bent backwards to slip under clashing swords and sabers.
If Mu-jin had seen them, he might have been reminded of a scene from an old movie that was once popular.
In the midst of this, they would occasionally swing their fists or legs, landing blows on those who appeared to be enemies as they passed by.
Mu-yul, Hye-geol, and Ling-ling were traversing the battlefield as if the people were trees in the Nanzhao rainforest and the weapons they wielded were branches.
Mu-jin, however, had no time to marvel at this circus-like spectacle.
"Hah!"
Having somewhat stabilized his internal energy, Mu-jin charged at Cheon-ju with a battle cry. His internal energy had not fully recovered, merely having calmed his turbulent insides and put out the immediate fire. But there was no time left to spend on recovery.
After enduring Cheon-ju's devastating divine techniques close to ten times, some of the Hundred-and-Eight Arhats were visibly pale.
As Mu-jin passed by the Hundred-and-Eight Arhats and stepped forward, Mu-gung and Mu-gyeong followed suit.
"Tsk."
Cheon-ju, realizing that Shaolin was aiming for a rotating battle strategy, clicked his tongue lightly.
Rather than looking scared or overwhelmed, his expression was one of genuine annoyance, as if he were looking at a bug.
However, despite that annoyed expression, the energy that Cheon-ju was emitting remained enormous and fierce.
Even the internal energy he had used so far was beyond absurd, yet its potency still showed no signs of diminishing.
It was hard to fathom how a human body could contain such immense energy.
"How many children did you kill to get this, you damn monster!!!"
As Mu-jin clashed against the purple energy emitted by Cheon-ju, he shouted in anger.
Facing a single master, over a hundred men were engaging in a wheel formation battle.
Even Mu-jin was among those hundred men.
It might have seemed petty from the Shaolin side, but Mu-jin felt nothing but righteous.
How many children had that piece of trash absorbed to obtain such seemingly infinite internal energy?
The man who called himself a demigod was, in reality, nothing more than a monster, an entity composed of the souls of hundreds, if not thousands.
Breaking through the energy waves of Cheon-ju with a face full of rage, Mu-jin launched his fist at him, filled with killing intent.
At the same time, Mu-gung's Tathagata Palm flew from the rear, and the dozens of Golden Rain droplets sent by Mu-gyeong aimed at Cheon-ju's vital points, encircling him.
For a brief moment, Cheon-ju stood still in the midst of the fierce onslaught as if his feet were nailed to the ground.
Just before Mu-jin's fist could land, Cheon-ju suddenly utilized his qinggong to swiftly evade to the left.
As a result, Mu-gung's Tathagata Palm, now without a target, collided head-on with the charging Mu-jin.
Although the Golden Rain droplets were also heading toward Cheon-ju's left side, Cheon-ju effortlessly neutralized them with a light flick of his hand.
Meanwhile, as Mu-jin momentarily lost his vision due to the flames of the Tathagata Palm, Cheon-ju redirected his path and once again charged towards Mu-jin's back.
As the purple energy-laden palms aimed directly at Mu-jin's body—
"Don't hit Mu-jin! You bad man!!"
Mu-yul, who had finally succeeded in crossing the battlefield, appeared with a flying kick towards Cheon-ju.
'These pests are multiplying.'
Cheon-ju slightly furrowed his brows and redirected the path of his palm, which had been aimed at Mu-jin.
His palm, imbued with terrifying energy, now targeted Mu-yul's leg. Though Mu-yul's leg also carried strong energy, it was no match for Cheon-ju's.
If they collided like this, at the very least, it would result in a fracture, or possibly, Mu-yul could lose his leg in one blow.
"!?"
As Mu-yul flew through the air towards Cheon-ju, he suddenly disappeared.
Thud!
Ling-ling, who had been moving in tandem with Mu-yul's shadow, pulled him down to the ground, causing him to fall.
At the moment when Cheon-ju's palm cut through the air thanks to Ling-ling's quick thinking—
"Hah!"
Mu-jin, who had already closed in on Cheon-ju, lunged at him with both hands outstretched, while the Golden Rain droplets surrounding him flickered, searching for Cheon-ju's openings.
Cheon-ju, with an expression of displeasure, stepped back to evade Mu-jin's reach.
Determined not to let him escape, Mu-jin, surrounded by Ho-shin Gang-gi, pursued Cheon-ju, but with just one step back, Cheon-ju regained his composure and lightly waved his hand, sending a wave of purple energy towards Mu-jin.
Boom!!
A loud explosion reverberated as Mu-jin's Ho-shin Gang-gi shook violently.
However, that alone held significant meaning.
Unless a group like the One Hundred Eight Arhats borrowed the power of formation, there was no one else on this battlefield who could withstand Cheon-ju's divine techniques alone—except for Mu-jin.
And while Mu-jin endured Cheon-ju's energy—
"Ookki!"
"Ookki!"
Mu-yul and Ling-ling, having regained their balance, launched a coordinated attack against Cheon-ju.
Mu-yul, who was taller than Ling-ling, aimed a punch at Cheon-ju's chest, while Ling-ling, from below, swung her arm at Cheon-ju's legs.
As the two attacked simultaneously from above and below, Cheon-ju swung the right leg he had used only for footwork until now.
A straight kick, starting from the ground and rising up to head height.
His leg was imbued with an aura so terrifying it seemed as if it could destroy anything it touched.
"!?"
Cheon-ju's eyes shook once more as he had expected Mu-yul and Ling-ling's arms to be obliterated by the kick.
But Mu-yul and Ling-ling, who had been swinging their arms together, twisted their bodies in an uncanny manner, evading Cheon-ju's kick by a hair's breadth, like contortionists.
This movement was something even Mu-jin, who had spent many years alongside Mu-yul, was seeing for the first time.
It was subtly different from Serpent Fist.
While their legs remained firmly planted on the ground, their torsos swayed like snakes.
Though surprised by their bizarre movements, Cheon-ju lowered his leg to stomp and attack the two once again.
Perhaps thanks to the strength of their lower bodies, which remained steady despite the odd swaying of their upper bodies—
"Whoa! Scary!"
"Ookki!"
Mu-yul and Ling-ling managed to narrowly evade the second attack with agile movements.
After several more exchanges with Cheon-ju—
'They've learned something in Nanzhao!'
Mu-jin quickly realized the truth.
Upon closer inspection, it wasn't just an imitation of a single animal.
When Cheon-ju deflected Mu-jin's hands and evaded the Golden Rain droplets and Tathagata Palm sent by Mu-gyeong and Mu-gung, this time Ling-ling leapt into the air and kicked at Cheon-ju, while Mu-yul, aiming at Cheon-ju's legs, swung his arm.
Mu-yul's lowered legs moved with the agility and speed of a leopard, but his arms, moving smoothly like a snake, adapted to follow Cheon-ju's movements.
Even as Mu-yul leapt through the air, his arms swayed like those of Crane Fist, while his legs, as they swung toward Cheon-ju, came down with the weight of something incredibly heavy.
'They're mixing the movements of two or three different animals at the same time!'
In the past, Mu-yul had displayed his genius by mimicking the movements of any animal he saw for the first time, but he had always imitated one animal at a time.
However, before leaving for Nanzhao, Hye-geol had said something.
Dragons, after all, are mythical creatures that possess the characteristics of countless animals.
That's why he wanted to observe and mimic the various animals of Nanzhao to find the key to Dragon Fist.
'So, could this be Mu-yul's own Dragon Fist?'
Even as he clashed once again with the purple energy emitted by Cheon-ju, Mu-jin couldn't hide his astonishment.
The reason being—
'It sounded plausible enough...'
A martial art that incorporates the features of dozens or hundreds of animals at once.
And Mu-yul's movements matched that description. Each part of his body moved like a different animal.
But why? To Mu-jin's eyes, it didn't seem like a dragon.
Rather than a dragon, it resembled something out of the fantasy novels he had read in his childhood at the bookstore.
'It's like... a chimera...'
A chimera. A monster with the head of a lion, the tail of a snake, and the body of a goat.
Although Mu-jin preferred martial arts novels, he occasionally read fantasy genres from the novels in the bookstore.
And the chimera in those fantasy novels didn't always consist of just those three animals.
In fantasy novels, a chimera was a term used to describe a monster made up of various animals.
That's why, to Mu-jin, it seemed more like a chimera than a dragon.
Each part of Mu-yul's body was imitating different animals.
'...Well, even a chimera could become a dragon.'
There were some novels like that.
A middle boss, or something like that, would appear as a Chimera Dragon.
If he were to express it in the language of the Central Plains—
"A monstrous dragon..."
It somehow seemed both fitting and unfitting for Mu-yul.