The World’s Greatest Martial Arts Instructor - Chapter 282

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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 282. Grown Stronger

 

 

“Phew.”

How refreshing.

How long had it been since she last bathed?

A fairly bustling village near the border between Hubei Province and Anhui Province.

Since it was a place with a large population, Gongya Hwi-yeon steeled herself and secured an inn.

Just as trees hide in forests, people must hide among people.

That way, pursuers couldn’t easily find them.

She couldn’t stay long.

However, she needed to prepare for what came next.

“If those monks investigated me…”

They would be chasing a woman.

Gongya Hwi-yeon had discreetly taken some things she glimpsed while coming to this place.

Supplies for disguising herself as a man.

Of course, she hadn’t simply stolen them. She had left money worth their value.

She hadn’t bought them directly to avoid leaving traces.

While it wasn’t uncommon for women to buy men’s items, she was an outsider.

If the Shaolin monks happened to ask around in this village.

They might catch some clue.

She couldn’t leave any room for that.

“Well, now I should move to a different inn.”

Gongya Hwi-yeon changed her clothes.

She bound her chest tightly with cotton cloth.

Only after binding it so tightly that it felt difficult to breathe from the stuffiness did she finally achieve a somewhat masculine appearance.

What remained was her face.

Looking in the bronze mirror.

She manipulated her face.

Her face gradually changed.

It would have been easier if she could use internal energy.

Still, being able to change her face without internal energy was something.

Ten Thousand Illusion Divine Face.

It truly was a treasure of the ages.

Like that, she gradually created the face of a man with such common features that could be seen anywhere, leaving little impression in memory.

She pushed and pressed the tip of her chin down toward her neck, then tapped it.

An Adam’s apple was formed.

Now she had the complete appearance of a male.

“Done.”

A satisfied word flowed from her lips.

Gongya Hwi-yeon looked at her belongings.

“It should heal in a month.”

Several small medicine bottles among her belongings.

She picked up one of them.

Then she poured the powdered medicine into her mouth all at once.

Rather than swallowing the medicine, she took a deep breath.

“Ah! Ah!”

She made sounds, then opened her mouth and took another deep breath.

“Kugh.”

She let out a groan and clutched her throat.

The middle of her throat felt burning hot.

After spending some time like that.

“Is it done?”

A rough, hoarse voice flowed from her lips.

Just hearing it, it sounded like a man’s voice that had gone hoarse.

“Damn monks making me even damage my vocal cords.”

Since she couldn’t change her voice with internal energy, Gongya Hwi-yeon had deliberately damaged her vocal cords with medicine.

She quietly slipped out of the inn through the window.

She had taken a room on the third floor for this very purpose.

She could sneak out secretly even without internal energy to this extent.

She had told the inn that she would leave on her own early in the morning.

So there would be no reason for them to look for her when she disappeared.

Like that, Gongya Hwi-yeon secured a new room at an inn quite far away, acting like a first-time traveler.

After paying and entering the third-floor room, she truly sought sleep on a soft bed for the first time in ages.

 

***

 

Deep night.

Shaolin Abbot Hyeon-gwang finally made his decision.

Even though he knew it would come to this anyway, it was such a grave matter that he had hesitated.

However, there was no other way.

Ha Mu-baek.

There was no method to deal with that monster.

Still, wasn’t the bait too tempting?

Prey that could put a bridle on the Four Seas Alliance Leader.

He picked up the Green Jade Buddha Staff.

The Green Jade Buddha Staff, the sect leader’s seal that held absolute authority in Shaolin Temple.

This was a matter that required its use.

“Buddha Lord. All of this is for the peace and justice of Gangho. Jema Myeolsa Pasa Hyeonjeong. Amitabha.”

Hyeon-gwang, who had quietly chanted a Buddha chant, left the abbot’s chamber.

The place his steps headed toward was the middle slope of Sosil Peak where Shaolin Temple was located.

A place filled with strange rocks and steep cliffs.

Repentance Cave.

A place where Shaolin disciples who had committed sins were confined to repent while practicing wall meditation.

He was heading there.

Most of the rooms were empty.

This was because there were hardly any disciples who had committed sins grave enough to come here.

The deepest dark cave within Repentance Cave.

It was firmly closed with an iron door.

“Keke keke. It’s been a long time. Senior Brother. What brings you here?”

A murky voice flowed out from inside the iron door.

Hyeon-gwang frowned.

Just hearing that voice made his internal qi waver.

‘Amitabha.’

Hyeon-gwang drew up his internal energy.

Clank.

He unlocked several tightly sealed locks and opened the iron door.

The interior was filled with a foul stench.

There was a monk.

A metal ring with a reddish glow was fitted around his head, and thick iron chains were embedded in the Mingmen acupoint on his back.

The Jianjing acupoints on both shoulders were also pierced and bound with thin iron chains.

Those iron chains were deeply embedded in the walls of the dark cave, restraining that monk.

The red-browed monk had red energy gleaming in both his pupils as well.

“Still the same, junior brother.”

At Hyeon-gwang’s words, the red-browed monk called junior brother, Hyeon-hwang, smiled broadly.

“Hehehe. What would there be for me to change? Thanks to being made like this, I merely meditate.”

A strange energy billowed up from his body.

‘He’s become stronger.’

They had suppressed his Mingmen acupoint.

On top of that, they had applied restrictions to his dantian, heart, and head.

Yet despite all that, he was growing stronger like this.

‘Now even I cannot suppress him…’

Hyeon-gwang’s hand holding the prayer beads trembled slightly.

He was a junior brother who had been a scholar monk at the Sutra Repository.

He had discovered and learned demonic arts, reaching this state and bringing chaos to All Under Heaven.

Mad Evil Strange Monk.

That was the junior brother’s alias that spread infamy throughout All Under Heaven at the time.

In the end, Master personally suppressed the junior brother and escorted him to Shaolin.

The result was confinement in this dark cave.

They applied restrictions and even embedded iron chains like that into his Jianjing and Mingmen acupoints.

However.

Though they used all of Shaolin’s various restriction techniques, none lasted even a year.

Each time the restrictions were broken, the junior brother grew stronger.

Finally, Master made a decision over ten years ago.

While the Blood Cult and Demonic Cult were bringing chaos to All Under Heaven, no one could predict what would happen if the junior brother made contact with them.

Sealing tools stored deep within Shaolin.

Three sealing tools with legends saying Buddha Lord used them to seal demons and monsters that brought chaos to All Under Heaven.

They used those.

One was insufficient, so they ultimately used all three.

Only then could they suppress junior brother Hyeon-hwang.

However.

Even in such circumstances, the junior brother gradually grew stronger, and now he seemed to have surpassed Hyeon-gwang’s level.

Hyeon-gwang’s current level was stronger than when Master had suppressed Hyeon-hwang.

‘Is this decision correct?’

The moment he saw his junior brother, his decision wavered briefly.

He hadn’t known he would become this strong.

Nevertheless, he had no choice.

At the same time, he felt hope that such a junior brother might be able to suppress or eliminate that man, Ha Mu-baek.

It was a contradictory emotion.

What was the reason for keeping the junior brother alive instead of killing him in the first place?

It was because there might be such contingencies.

That’s why they had kept him confined here even during the fierce war.

There was also the risk that if released, he might side with the Demonic Cult or Blood Cult, so they had no choice but to keep him sealed.

Rather, they had made the seal even stronger.

‘Using evil to suppress evil, using demons to suppress demons.’

Hyeon-gwang repeated to himself about suppressing evil with evil and demons with demons.

“There’s one thing you need to do.”

Hyeon-gwang spoke calmly.

“Something I need to do? Kukuk. How interesting. After keeping me locked up here like this for decades, now you come saying there’s something I need to do… Do you think I’ll obediently comply?”

“I’ll remove the Golden Restraint Ring for you.”

Hyeon-gwang’s calm words.

At those words, Hyeon-hwang’s eyes widened.

“Ho. You’re saying you’ll remove that thing squeezing my heart?”

Hyeon-gwang nodded.

“Can Senior Brother do that at will? No matter how much you’re the abbot, there must be Master’s orders?”

He was referring to the dying command of Gwang-hae, the former Shaolin abbot and master of both men.

“Though Master’s dying command is stern…”

Hyeon-gwang took out the Green Jade Buddha Staff he had brought.

Hyeon-hwang nodded.

If it was the Green Jade Buddha Staff with the highest authority in Shaolin, it could override Master’s dying command.

“Hehe. I don’t know what kind of task it is, but since you’re removing it anyway, how about also removing the ones on my head and dantian?”

“Maha Prajna Paramita Heart Sutra, Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva practicing deep Prajna Paramita…”

Instead of answering, Hyeon-gwang began reciting the Heart Sutra.

At that muttering, Hyeon-hwang immediately turned pale.

“St-stop…”

However, Hyeon-gwang did not stop.

Though it began as the Heart Sutra, soon the words flowing from Hyeon-gwang’s mouth changed.

From sutra to incantation.

“Tightening Mantra, Golden Restraint Mantra, Golden Restraint Mantra…”

“Kraaaak!!!!!”

At the same time, Hyeon-hwang screamed and collapsed.

He trembled with one hand clutching his head and the other his heart.

Hyeon-hwang screamed while breathing roughly with his eyes rolled back.

“Kiiiaak. Uhuk. Kkuak!!!”

Soon he thrashed his entire body.

Hyeon-gwang continued chanting the incantation with an indifferent face.

“Tightening Mantra, Golden Restraint Mantra, Golden Restraint Mantra, Tightening Mantra, Golden Restraint Mantra, Golden Restraint Mantra…”

“Se-Senior Brother. Kkeuhuk. Please, please. Stop! Stop! Kkuaaaak!”

Only after chanting the incantation for some time longer did Hyeon-gwang close his mouth.

“Kkeuhuk. Huk huk. Aaak. Hak hak.”

Hyeon-hwang continued screaming and breathing roughly.

“Th-this…”

He tried to say something but couldn’t bring himself to speak and only stared at Hyeon-gwang’s mouth.

His eyes were filled with fear, not knowing when the incantation might be chanted again.

“Tightening Ring, Golden Restraint Ring, Golden Restraint Ring. Even removing just one of the three would lessen that pain somewhat, wouldn’t it?”

It wasn’t wrong.

Head, heart, and dantian.

The pain of all three being squeezed simultaneously as if they might burst at any moment.

It was indescribable.

If one of them disappeared?

“Damn it.”

Hyeon-hwang, who had been thinking, spat out a curse.

It was the same.

Nothing had changed.

Tightening Ring, Golden Restraint Ring, Golden Restraint Ring.

Even just one of the three was a sealing tool that inflicted pain worse than death.

All three of them are sealing Hyeon-hwang.

Even if one disappears, two would remain.

The pain from three or the pain from two wouldn’t be any different.

“That’s enough. Three or two, it’s the same.”

Hyeon-hwang closed both eyes.

His attitude showed he had nothing more to hear.

Hyeon-gwang gazed intently at his junior brother.

Soon his mouth opened again.

After verses from the Heart Sutra flowed out.

“Tightening Mantra, Golden Restraint Mantra, Tightening Mantra, Golden Restraint Mantra….”

The incantation flowed out.

Hyeon-hwang’s eyes rolled back once again in hellish agony.

After a moment.

“How is it? Junior Brother?”

Hyeon-gwang asked calmly.

“Huff.huff.huff. If the day comes when I’m freed from this damn seal…. First of all, Hyeon-gwang! I’ll tear you to shreds….”

Hyeon-hwang’s eyes gleamed with rage and killing intent.

At Hyeon-hwang’s reaction, the incantation flowed from Hyeon-gwang’s mouth once more.

“Tightening Mantra, Golden Restraint Mantra, Golden Restraint Mantra, Tightening Mantra, Golden Restraint Mantra, Golden Restraint Mantra….”

“Kyaaaaaaah!!! I, I was wrong!! Senior Brother!! This foolish junior brother went mad for a moment!!! Please forgive me!! Gaaaaaaah!”

Clank! Clank!

As Hyeon-hwang writhed on the ground, loud sounds rang from the iron chains restraining him.

However, Hyeon-gwang did not stop the incantation.

Only after some more time passed did the incantation cease.

“Huff huff huff.”

Hyeon-hwang gasped for breath roughly.

He was soaked with sweat.

His whole body trembled finely from the pain that still remained.

“How is it?”

Hyeon-gwang asked again.

“Cer, certainly… three is more painful….”

He had thought two or three wouldn’t make any difference.

But it wasn’t so.

Deliberately memorizing only two incantations and activating only those two.

Then memorizing all three incantations and activating all three.

On top of the indescribable hellish pain, another layer of hellish pain was added.

Truly.

It was a difference beyond imagination.

“In addition to that, you’ll be able to go out to the outside world for a while.”

At those words, Hyeon-hwang’s eyes flashed.

“You should have said that first, Senior Brother.”

It had been over twenty years since he was confined in this dark cave.

What suffocating times they had been.

The outside world.

“Don’t get any foolish ideas.”

“Kukukuk. Kuku.”

At Hyeon-gwang’s words, Hyeon-hwang merely let out laughter.

“What is it that I must do?”

“There’s a young woman. One related to the Four Seas Alliance Leader.”

“Should I kill her?”

“Capture her. Without touching a single hair on her head.”

Hyeon-gwang spoke with his eyes gleaming sharply.

“She’s hiding her martial arts through some method.”

“Finding out such a thing is no trouble at all. One cannot hide their essence. Kukukuk.”

Hyeon-hwang’s aura as he smiled, baring his teeth, was chilling.

“Don’t think of doing anything foolish. If I ever hear rumors….”

“If you do?”

“I’ll do nothing but recite incantations until I die.”

It was a threat that made one’s flesh crawl just hearing it.

To have to endure that pain until his senior brother died.

The location where the incantation was recited didn’t matter.

What mattered was that human called senior brother reciting the incantation.

Wherever he was, it would react immediately.

It was truly a divine artifact worthy of its reputation as an ancient artifact bestowed by Buddha Lord.

“I understand. I know very well how damned troublesome these things binding my body are.”

“Mad Evil Strange Monk. That rumor must not spread.”

Mad Evil Strange Monk.

It was the alias Hyeon-hwang had earned when he left Shaolin and caused chaos throughout All Under Heaven.

 

***

 

Ha Mu-baek’s face as he headed east was not entirely pleasant.

“Those monk bastards. They’re definitely quite capable.”

Those who had seemed to be moving in different directions from Moklan Mountain.

He had discovered traces that they were now properly tracking in the right direction.

Ha Mu-baek spread his ki sense widely.

He detected the ki sense of the Shaolin monks.

They were moving methodically.

Gongya Hwi-yeon’s ki sense was not detected.

It was natural since she was wearing the Seven Color Seal Transformation.

There were ways to find her presence, but since they differed from ordinary methods, it was difficult from far away.

In other words, Ha Mu-baek also didn’t know her current whereabouts.

“Hm?”

Ha Mu-baek’s eyebrows twitched as he spread his ki sense.

He couldn’t sense her presence, but instead felt other traces.

“No way? It can’t be?”

The place where he felt those traces.

She shouldn’t be there.

Because the Shaolin monks were approaching that place.

Ha Mu-baek kicked off the ground.

—————
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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