Chapter 1580
Take it where you want. (5)
“Amitabha!”
A resounding yet desperate Buddhist chant erupted.
Shaolin monks charging at the forefront exuded an aura that made it hard to believe they were followers of the Buddha.
To a warrior, their presence might seem majestic, but to fellow practitioners of Buddhism, their aggressiveness would appear excessive, even distasteful.
But for Shaolin monks, it was entirely justified.
Since the Yangtze River Disaster, they had endured the greatest suffering under the heavens. They had lost their honor and set aside their pride. They had even been forced to divide and oppose one another.
Though they had committed no wrongs themselves, they had borne the brunt of the harsh consequences.
And now, the cause of all their suffering stood before them.
“Vile scum!”
A shout rang out, deafening in its intensity.
The eyes of Shaolin monks sharpened.
Yes, it was him. The source of all the world’s suffering, the one who had taken countless lives, and who had even dragged Shaolin into the mire of filth!
‘Avoidance,’ he had said.
Could Jang Ilso even begin to understand how cruelly that single word had pierced the heart of Shaolin?
Did he grasp what it meant to tell them that all their bitter endurance and restraint were not just meaningless, but cowardly?
“Exterminate the enemy!”
The rage sparked by the word ‘avoidance’ was immense. Even Beop Gye, who had always led the monks with calm composure, couldn’t suppress his anger and let his aura surge.
And the rage and hostility only swelled as they looked at Jang Ilso, standing calmly and looking back at them with lazy eyes.
Yes, it’s him!
He is the one who caused all this, and even worse, he is the demon who has toyed with the world with his cunning tongue.
Amidst the chaotic swirl of countless people, his splendid red robe stood out like the Northern Star.
Everyone, including Shaolin monks, felt a burning thirst as they looked at that distinct red hue.
That neck!
No matter what hardships they might endure, if they could just sever that neck, they could end all of this.
Then the world would return to what they knew, and Shaolin and Gupailbang would once again be praised by the world.
If only they could kill him…!
Blood vessels bulged in the eyes of several Shaolin monks.
“Ooooooo!”
A golden aura burst forth from their entire bodies charging at the forefront.
As if in response, the monks following behind also began to emanate a brilliant golden light.
The effect of Shaolin’s supreme internal energy at its peak.
Clad in their yellow robes and enveloped in auspicious golden light, the monks resembled an army of gold racing across the earth.
It was a scene that perfectly demonstrated why Shaolin was revered as the guiding star of Gangho.
Terror to the enemy, and soaring morale to the allies!
The brilliant scene was enough to momentarily halt even the reckless steps of the Red Dogs, who were loyal to Jang IIso to the point of disregarding their own lives.
And the strength of Shaolin did not stop at mere momentum.
“Amitabha!”
Leaping into the air, Beop Gye thrust his palm forward. The force emanating from his palm formed a giant palm shape in mid-air, which then shot towards the oncoming Sapaeryeon’s forces.
“Tathāgata [여래(如來)]!”
Boom!
The advancing Red Dogs were struck by Beop Gye’s force, blood spraying as they were flung away.
“There is no mercy here! Do not hesitate to unleash the killing energy!”
“Amitabha!”
Shaolin monks, emboldened, raised their spirits even higher.
“Follow Shaolin!”
It wasn’t just Shaolin who were fired up by this surge of momentum.
Behind them, the Paeng family and Kongtong Sect also shouted battle cries, intoxicated by the sheer power displayed by Shaolin.
Gupailbang.
A name they never dared to hope for. The pride they held under that name was now exploding across this battlefield.
In contrast, those facing them at the forefront showed a markedly different demeanor.
Ta-da-da-da!
The atmosphere crackled with intensity as the two sides clashed, with the thunderous force of Shaolin leading the charge.
The Red Dogs surged forward like hunting dogs chasing their prey. Their bloodshot eyes and glistening killing intent were chilling to behold, but they neither shouted to reinforce their resolve nor sought to explode their boiling bloodlust.
Fighting, tearing apart, trampling, and defending.
These acts were as natural to them as breathing. Just as no one needs special preparation or rituals to breathe or eat, these warriors required no additional ceremonies for battle.
They fought and died on command, regardless of who the enemy was. Even if the only reward was a worthless death.
Thus, even when faced with the golden light spreading across the battlefield, they did not halt their advance.
“Kill them.”
The two forces, now like spears aimed at each other, collided with undiminished speed.
Boom!
Blood sprayed into the air like celebratory fireworks from someone’s body, redder than the setting sun. One of Shaolin’s backbones, Arhat Fist [나한권(羅漢拳)] demonstrated its power against the oncoming Red Dogs. Golden-hued fists relentlessly pounded into the bodies of the advancing enemies.
Thud!
The sound was like a giant hammer striking a Buddhist bell, a deep and resonant impact.
The Red Dogs, who intended to swing their blades to take the lives of Shaolin monks in one swift strike, were flung back even faster than the speed at which they had lunged, unable to even scream.
What was imbued in the glowing fist was ‘heaviness’ [重]. Not the force to break, tear, or slash, but the weight to push back the enemy with the same heaviness as the life they had upheld!
In their pursuit of strength, they had amassed everything recklessly, but as a result, it could only be crude. This crudeness couldn’t withstand the pure and unyielding internal strength of Shaolin.
At the moment when force clashes with force, it is not the size but the density that overwhelms everything.
However, the Red Dogs did not gain their fame lightly.
Even at the moment when a giant, iron-like fist was striking at his chest, the Red Dog’s blade was swung. Not towards the opponent’s neck, but towards the wrist of the hand that struck his chest.
Ka-kak!
Although the forearm, hardened like steel by internal energy, could not fully withstand the full-force blow of the Red Dog’s blade.
The cost was a single wound.
It was not about ‘giving up my flesh to cut their bone’ [肉斬骨斷], but about ‘giving up my bone to cut their flesh’ [骨斷肉斬].
A hunting dog’s role is not to strangle the prey but to wound and drive it in.
True to the name “Red Dogs” [홍견(紅犬) – hong-gyeon], their blade harbored no greed.
However, no matter how skilled a hunting dog may be, it cannot handle a great tiger.
To be satisfied with carving just one wound, the power of their opponents was far too immense.
“Amitabha!”
Shaolin monks’ fists, trained through years of asceticism, severe discipline, and strict precepts, surged with fury against their enemies.
Boom!
The Red Dogs warriors were thrown back, spraying blood.
The Thousand-Year-Old Shaolin.
Like the great Peng bird, which sleeps for a thousand years but can fly ninety thousand li when it spreads its wings, once Shaolin began to unleash its power, it was truly formidable.
Even the Red Dogs, notorious as the hunting dogs of Jang Ilso and feared throughout Gangho and beyond, could not withstand the might of Shaolin’s Arhat Fist.
“Push them back!”
Boom!
Beop Gye took a step forward and raised both hands.
Thousand Buddha Hands [천불수(千佛手)]!
The tens, the hundreds of hand strikes he created swept through the attacking enemies like the hands of the Thousand-Armed Avalokiteshvara driving away demons.
Beop Gye’s thunderous roar, having swept away dozens of enemies in a single move, reverberated.
“Punish the wicked and restore the divine law!”
It was not Shaolin monks but Kongtong and the Paeng family who were entranced by this spectacle.
“Indeed, Shaolin…!”
At the spectacle of overwhelming power unfolding before his eyes, Jongli Hyeong, the Sect Leader of Kongtong, trembled uncontrollably.
Strong. Overwhelmingly strong.
He could scarcely understand why they had remained silent with such power at their disposal until now.
Of course, the battle had just begun, and Shaolin’s fierce advance had only served to give them the initial momentum.
But isn’t there a saying that the beginning is half the battle? Gaining the upper hand at the outset of this great conflict was an immense advantage.
“We cannot fall behind! Do not leave everything to Shaolin!”
“Yes, Sect Leader!”
The swordsmen of Kongtong also held pride in being core members of Gupailbang. They could not let Shaolin take all the glory.
However, there were those quicker on their feet here.
“Sweep them away!”
“Lord Paeng!”
The warriors of the Paeng family, led by Paeng Yeop, charged into the enemy’s flank with formidable momentum.
When it came to aggressiveness, there was no place in the Just part of Gangho that could compare to the Paeng family. With enormous sword energy emanating from their mighty frames, they crashed down upon the enemy’s heads from all directions.
Crash!
With a dreadful sound like an axe splitting wood, the bodies of enemies were cleaved in half and fell to the sides like chopped logs.
Unlike Shaolin, who pushed their enemies back, this was a ruthless killing move with no mercy. Regardless of the level of skill, the outcome of the mighty sword strikes was even more menacing than that of Shaolin.
“Oooh!”
Paeng Yeop’s sword swung horizontally. The blow sliced through the waists of several Maninbang members. The severed upper bodies spun in the air, spraying blood in all directions.
It was a violent slash devoid of the usual calmness, proving that the blood of the Paeng family indeed flowed in him.
Paeng Yeop roared like a tiger.
“Today, we claim the name of the world’s greatest clan! Destroy them all!”
Shaolin, the Paeng family, and Kongtong.
Each of these names alone could shake the world. Their combined strength was truly beyond imagination.
The successive bursts of Void Shattering Palm [격공장(隔空掌)] crushed the bodies of the retreating foes. The Divine Fists [신권(神拳)], unleashed with roaring force, crushed even those at a distance.
It was a truly unstoppable momentum. The battle seemed one-sided.
“Jang Ilsooooo!”
At that moment, Beop Gye let out a roar and leapt into the air.
He had spotted the man dressed in red robes, standing leisurely at the far end of the savage battlefield.
“Oooooh!”
The force from his fist shot straight toward Jang Ilso with a momentum that seemed capable of shattering anything it touched.
Yet, Jang Ilso, standing in front, did not even flinch as he silently watched the incoming force.
“How presumptuous.”
Instead, it was Jeok Ho, standing behind him, who sprang forward.
Kiiiiiing!
With an ear-piercing noise, Jeok Ho’s sword, emitting an incredibly fierce aura, split the incoming force in an instant.
It was as if Beop Gye was not worthy of challenging Jang Ilso.
Indeed, that assumption might not be wrong. However, there was someone on this side capable of confronting Jang Ilso.
“Amitabha.”
A low whisper of the Buddhist chant resonated softly.
At that moment, Jeok Ho felt his entire body trembling, as the hairs stood up. Then he saw it.
In the midst of the enemy camp, a gigantic Golden Buddha [금불(金佛)] appeared like an illusion, as if the Buddha himself had manifested in this world.
Jeok Ho’s eyes widened in shock.
He saw the immense figure of the Golden Buddha and the one person conjuring it.
“B-Beop Jong!”
In that instant, the figure of the Golden Buddha, radiating a golden light, shot towards Jeok Ho… no, precisely towards Jang Ilso standing behind him.
“Aaaah!”
The sense of danger was so overwhelming that every hair on his body stood on end.
Yet, instead of retreating, Jeok Ho swung his sword with all his might at the incoming Golden Buddha.
Crash!
But even with the strike that had easily severed Beop Gye’s force, he could not cut through the Golden Buddha. At best, he could only slightly twist its direction.
“Ryeonju, you must avoid it…!”
Boom!
The Golden Buddha collided with Jang Ilso, resulting in a massive explosion.
“Ryeonju!”
The ever-composed Ho Gamyeong was momentarily horrified and rushed towards Jang Ilso.
If he had been struck directly by that unbelievable force, even Jang Ilso…!
“Ryeonju! Are you all right, Ryeonju!”
Ho Gamyeong gritted his teeth and pushed through the rising cloud of dust.
As the turbulent battlefield winds began to blow, the thick cloud dispersed, and Ho Gamyeong froze in place.
It wasn’t the tremendous power of Beop Jong, which had caused the massive explosion, that astonished him.
It was Jang Ilso, who stood right in front of him, watching the battlefield without the slightest movement, despite the overwhelming force that had landed so close. The icy gaze, colder than the cutting winds of the Northern Sea, froze Ho Gamyeong in his tracks.
“Ryeonju…”
Jang Ilso wasn’t looking at Shaolin, Beop Gye, or even Beop Jong.
He was merely observing the turbulent battlefield. The battlefield, raging like a black hellfire, nourished by the blood of Sapaeryeon.
“It…”
His red lips curled up in an eerie smile.
“It seems you’re having fun.”
His sunken, gloomy eyes glinted with a sinister light, like those of a snake.
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