The World’s Greatest Martial Arts Instructor - Chapter 281

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 281. A Woman of the Evil Sect…

 

 

The sun had set.

Another night of sleeping outdoors.

At least it was the time of year when daylight lasted longest, so they could push harder in their tracking.

But at night, finding traces was difficult.

The Shaolin monks prepared to sleep outdoors.

A disciple came to find Yeon-jin, who was sitting cross-legged and chanting Buddhist prayers.

Hang San.

He was a quick-thinking and sharp fellow.

“Master Uncle.”

Hang San carefully opened his mouth before Yeon-jin.

Yeon-jin opened his eyes and looked at him.

“What is it?”

“While reflecting on the information we’ve gathered during our tracking, I’ve realized something.”

Yeon-jin’s eyes lit up.

If this fellow had specifically sought him out like this, it must be something important.

“Speak.”

“The person we’re currently tracking is probably not the enemy we were ordered to find by the main mountain.”

Yeon-jin looked at Hang San.

“The main mountain told us to find the Evil Sect warrior hiding in Muchang. We searched every corner of Muchang for two days.”

Even then, it was on their way back to Darim Tea House after finishing their search.

“But Master Uncle discovered traces of evil qi from Gyoryong Hall cadets who had just entered Muchang from outside and began tracking them. The traces of evil qi were only on those who had been hit by arrows. Such faint energy that none of us could detect. Since there was already an Evil Sect member inside Gyoryong Hall, it must be someone different from who we were looking for.”

Yeon-jin nodded.

There had been another Evil Sect enemy.

“That person infiltrated as a cadet and participated in Hatuje.”

Hadn’t Yeon-jin witnessed the entire process of coming to this place?

“If the enemy had mastered martial arts to the level where they could infuse qi into arrows, Gyoryong Hall couldn’t have failed to notice. With martial arts of that level, there would be no need to use the Prajna Bodhi Mind Eye.”

That was correct.

“But no one seemed to notice. That means their martial arts level wasn’t high.”

Yeon-jin calmly listened to Hang San’s words.

“Yet if evil qi was contained in the arrows, then the weapon that shot those arrows—the bow—must have evil qi dwelling within it.”

Yeon-jin’s eyes gleamed.

A weapon with evil qi dwelling in it.

It wasn’t an ordinary weapon.

Moreover, a bow with evil qi was extremely rare.

In itself, it would be famous as a divine weapon in the Evil Sect.

Its reputation would be known even to the Orthodox Sect.

“As far as is known, there’s only one bow with enough evil qi dwelling in it. The bow itself isn’t a weapon commonly used by Gangho people.”

That was true.

While bows were weapons heavily used in military circles, they weren’t preferred by Murim warriors of Gangho.

Even so, there was one bow famous in the Evil Sect.

One of the ten weapons that Evil Sect members called the Ten Evil Weapons.

“Four-One Thunder Bow.”

It was a bow Yeon-jin also knew.

Though he had never seen it, he had heard of its reputation.

It was one of the ten strongest divine weapons in the Evil Sect Murim.

“I think the same.”

Having said that much, Hang San closed his mouth.

Because Yeon-jin had a thoughtful expression.

The owner of the Four-One Thunder Bow, known to both Hang San and Yeon-jin.

Four Seas Alliance Leader Gong Ya-jang-cheon.

“If the Four-One Thunder Bow appeared at Gyoryong Hall, that female master must surely have a close relationship with Gong Ya-jang-cheon.”

Yeon-jin muttered.

It was a natural thought.

He wouldn’t entrust a divine weapon like the Four-One Thunder Bow to just anyone.

“Are you saying she’s either a disciple or blood relative?”

At Yeon-jin’s question, Hang San nodded.

“But could a disciple or blood relative of Gong Ya-jang-cheon have a low level of martial arts? Someone he would entrust the Four-One Thunder Bow to?”

Yeon-jin pointed out a contradiction in Hang San’s reasoning.

“…”

Hang San was silent for a moment.

Yeon-jin’s point was valid.

Someone with such a low level of Evil Sect martial arts that Gyoryong Hall couldn’t detect them, yet who had a relationship with Gong Ya-jang-cheon and possessed the Four-One Thunder Bow?

It was absurd.

“I lack knowledge and don’t know well, but might there be some artifact that restricts and hides evil qi?”

Yeon-jin’s eyes widened.

Why wouldn’t there be?

Even at Shaolin Temple alone…

Yeon-jin’s thoughts stopped there for now. That wasn’t what was important in the current situation.

As he searched his memory for whether the Four Seas Alliance had such artifacts.

There was one.

“Seven-Colored Ring…”

“Pardon?”

“It’s an artifact the Four Seas Alliance took as war spoils from the Demonic Cult in the last war. It restricts internal energy.”

“Ah…”

The gap in Hang San’s reasoning was filled.

Now things had gotten serious.

They had come to catch an Evil Sect warrior who had met the Academy Director.

But the Four Seas Alliance Leader had become involved.

“I suppose I must inform Master Uncle the Abbot.”

A carrier hawk flew up into the night sky.

The one they had brought for urgent communications flew away like this.

 

***

 

Ha Mu-baek arrived back at Moklan Mountain.

He had retraced the path he had taken.

Deep night.

No one was there.

Now he had to search again from here.

For the Shaolin Temple monks and the thoughtless Evil Sect woman.

‘A woman of the Evil Sect…’

When he was twelve years old.

He recalled the Evil Sect woman who had taken in him and Seol-ran when they were starving, given them food, and provided them with money to live on for a while.

It looked extremely urgent.

At that time.

Ha Mu-baek was being beaten by the local beggars, and she helped him.

She even traveled briefly with Ha Mu-baek and Ha Seol-ran.

She was worried that if she left quickly, those beggars would retaliate against them.

Perhaps she thought that taking them at least to another village would be taking responsibility.

‘Her daughter was around Seol-ran’s age, wasn’t she.’

Though her heart desperately wanted to take them with her, she said she couldn’t because she had to go to the battlefield.

That warrior who apologized.

The war was so fierce at that time that a woman with a daughter had to leave her child behind to go to the battlefield.

Those damn Demonic Cult and Blood Cult bastards.

She didn’t even tell them her name.

He could only remember her face.

‘She was truly beautiful. And she seemed incredibly strong.’

When he reconstructed her image from his memories now.

He thought she must have been a master of considerable level.

She must have surpassed at least the peak realm.

Until he met his Master, everyone who helped Ha Mu-baek was a benefactor to him.

A benefactor who helped him protect not only himself but also his younger sister Seol-ran.

That must be why.

He was concerned about that immature girl.

Even if it wasn’t directly repaying the favor.

The thought of returning it this way.

Ha Mu-baek spread his Ki Sense wide and kicked off the ground.

This was the last direction Gongya Hwi-yeon had moved.

 

***

 

From near Moklan Mountain to Songshan Shaolin Temple was a straight two thousand li journey.

It was quite a long distance.

However, for Jeon Seo-eung, it was a distance that could be covered in about six hours of flight.

Thus, around morning time.

Shaolin Abbot Hyeon-gwang was able to receive the message that Yeon-jin had sent.

Hyeon-gwang carefully read through its contents.

After reading to the end, he closed his eyes.

“Amitabha. Hehe. Gong Ya-jang-cheon…”

Even he hadn’t anticipated this.

No, even Yeon Ja-gyeong, who had leaked the information in the first place, couldn’t have imagined this.

And Yeon Ja-gyeong still didn’t know this fact.

How far the ripple effects of his scheme would reach.

“What to do…”

Hyeon-gwang fell into thought, rolling his prayer beads.

The message also contained details about Ha Mu-baek’s impression that Yeon-jin had met.

There was also a report about the meeting with Byeokryeokgae.

“That monster was always like that.”

Hyeon-gwang recalled Ha Mu-baek whom he had met in the last war.

That bastard showed no change whether he was looking at righteous sect warriors or unorthodox sect warriors.

The same look in his eyes.

Yet when fighting the Demonic Cult or Blood Cult, his eyes would flip completely.

To that bastard, righteous sects and unorthodox sects were the same.

The fact that he had been uncooperative meant.

He already had contact with the acquaintance of Gong Ya-jang-cheon that Yeon-jin was pursuing.

If Ha Mu-baek tried to interfere, Yeon-jin wouldn’t be able to stop him.

He wasn’t someone who would back down just because he was mindful of Shaolin.

However, to give up just because Ha Mu-baek had intervened.

That fruit was too tempting.

An acquaintance of Four Seas Alliance Leader Gong Ya-jang-cheon.

Of course, they couldn’t kill her.

That would lead to a war between righteous and unorthodox sects.

War was not what Hyeon-gwang desired in this situation.

But what if they captured and confined her?

What if Shaolin held that person captive?

They could put an excellent bridle on the Sahae Alliance.

Wasn’t it a tempting reward that absolutely couldn’t be passed up?

“Amitabha. Amitabha.”

Hyeon-gwang’s contemplation deepened.

He knew well.

That he would eventually choose the means he was now considering.

Yet the reason he continued to sit there contemplating was.

He was worried about the aftermath.

“Amitabha…”

The prayer beads continued to move in Hyeon-gwang’s hands.

 

***

 

“Master. Your disciple has found something like this.”

One of the Demonic Cult Leader’s disciples.

Sama Hu-do carefully placed a secret manual in front of the iron door.

An extremely worn secret manual.

Most of the written characters had been erased.

But the title was still readable.

There was no response from behind the iron door.

However, knowing that his master was listening, Sama Hu-do carefully withdrew.

The time he could meet his master who was in seclusion was extremely short.

A day after Sama Hu-do had withdrawn.

Creeeeak.

The iron door opened by itself.

And the secret manual that Sama Hu-do had left floated up and entered through the gap.

The one who grasped the manual chuckled upon seeing the title.

Void True Heaven Technique.

The name sounded plausible.

However, Sama Hu-do was not a disciple assigned to search for fragments of the Void.

They had found three of the five fragments, and knew that one fragment was in Muchang.

If they found the last remaining fragment and retrieved the one in Muchang, it would be complete.

It was troublesome that the fragment in Muchang was related to that damn bastard.

So even seeing the name Void True Heaven Technique didn’t give him any particular thoughts.

Nevertheless, he turned the pages.

Sama Hu-do.

He was quite outstanding among his disciples.

The belief that such a fellow wouldn’t bring this without any reason made him turn the pages.

His hands began to tremble slightly as he turned each page, one by one.

And when he turned the last page.

He trembled all over with his eyes wide open.

‘Im, impossible… How could this happen…’

It was definitely said to have been scattered into five pieces.

Five hundred years ago.

But.

The Void Heaven Technique in his hands.

Was identical to one of the pieces he had already recovered.

How could this be possible?

Wasn’t it divided into five pieces?

Confusion set in.

He took deep breaths and calmed his excitement.

He organized his thoughts.

He had four pieces so far.

Two of them were duplicates.

In the end, he still only had three pieces.

But the piece Sama Hu-do had brought was strange.

It was definitely a piece of the Void technique.

“It’s become garbage.”

He knew this was a piece of the Void because he had obtained other pieces.

But if someone who knew nothing saw it, they would have dismissed it as worthless trash martial arts.

The other three pieces he already possessed weren’t like that.

Each piece by itself was already excellent martial arts.

Wasn’t the piece that had flowed into the Dan Mok Family’s family martial arts the same way?

“What on earth…”

He needed to hear this directly from the person himself.

He ordered the subordinate guarding outside the closed training room to call Sama Hu-do.

“Master. This is your disciple Sama Hu-do.”

“Where did you obtain this?”

He got straight to the point.

“It was at an old bookstore in Sichuan.”

“Why did you bring this?”

Sama Hu-do fell into thought for a moment at his master’s question.

“I don’t know. Actually. It was a book I happened to pick up and flip through. It was an ordinary book you’d find in an old bookstore. Despite being called the Void Heaven Technique, it really had worthless content.”

“But you brought it?”

“Yes. I was strangely drawn to it. Should I say my martial arts reacted to it? So I brought it thinking there might be something to it.”

“…”

There was no response from his master.

He was lost in thought.

His martial arts reacted to it.

The martial arts he had learned…

The Asura Thunder Spirit Return Origin Heart Method.

It was a mind technique he had transmitted thinking it suited Sama Hu-do best among the Eight Great Heart Methods of the Demonic Cult.

‘Could the Asura Thunder Spirit Return Origin Heart Method have something in common with the Void pieces…’

Such a hypothesis occurred to him.

He needed to verify it.

He picked up the piece identical to the Void Heaven Technique among the pieces he possessed.

He copied only a portion of it.

About thirty percent of the whole.

With this much, it would be difficult to properly understand what kind of martial art it was.

“Look at this.”

Creeeeak.

The iron door opened slightly and the copied paper floated toward Sama Hu-do.

Sama Hu-do looked at it as his master commanded.

“This disciple is too dull to recognize even the world’s most supreme divine technique before my eyes.”

Sama Hu-do spoke while bowing his head.

“Is that all?”

“However…”

“However?”

“It feels similar to the Void Heaven Technique. My internal energy trembles faintly and shows a reaction.”

“I understand. Leave it and withdraw.”

Sama Hu-do bowed his head and withdrew.

After sending his disciple away.

The current Demonic Cult Leader, Seok Cheon-gyeong, was engulfed in contemplation.

This was an unexpected development.

There was a martial art in the cult that reacted to pieces of the Void?

No one had known.

Those who knew about the Void were the Sect Leader and his successor.

They didn’t learn the Asura Thunder Spirit Return Origin Heart Method.

The martial art they learned was the Heavenly Demon Divine Technique, the strongest martial art of the Demonic Cult.

“I should examine this more closely for now.”

Seok Cheon-gyeong decided he needed to properly investigate the contents of the Asura Thunder Spirit Return Origin Heart Method.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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