262 - Murim Login

Chapter 262 What awaited us as we arrived with all our might was a scene so horrific it was almost unbearable to witness. Corpses, pools of blood, dismembered arms and legs... If a year ago the landscape of Shaolin Temple was a beautiful painting, what lay before our eyes now was a vision of hell. 'These insane bastards.' It was evident they had been killing indiscriminately, slaying both civilians and martial artists alike. Beyond the masked men clashing with the Shaolin monks, a red-bearded old man came into view. “Hwa-Wang…” Without taking my eyes off him, I asked, “Do you know him?” “No.” "And the monk beneath him?” “Gongcheon. He’s the youngest disciple of Gongdo. He’s grown a lot since I last saw him.” “…Indeed, he seems to have aged past seventy.” Just as I momentarily lost my words, the old man’s fiery gaze swept over us. “Is it just you lot?” Jeok Cheon-Gang replied in an indifferent voice, “And if it is?” “Hehe, looks like this old man has finally found his resting place.” “No matter how empty your head is, speak correctly. It’s not your resting place, but your killing ground. That includes everyone, including you.” The old man's eyebrows twitched. “You’re as arrogant as ever. Nothing has changed.” “Nothing has changed? Have you met me before?” “I observed from afar once. It was a regret that we couldn’t measure our strength against each other.” “What’s your name?” “Yeonho! The Tiger of the Southern Barbarian Tribes, that’s me!” “Yin-Yang Double Ghosts? Perfect. Since there’s another one, there’s no need to capture you alive.” Jeok Cheon-Gang clicked his tongue. “You’re quite the lucky one, though, stepping back from the brink of the River Styx.” “Are you sure about that?” Flames erupted from Yeonho’s eyes. At the same time, his fist, resembling rugged stone, was charged with an intense energy. As expected, this old man was an extraordinary master, having trained in the same fiery energy technique as us. “You arrived faster than expected, but… nothing will change regardless.” Faster than expected? A thought crossed my mind, questioning how Yeonho had received information so swiftly. ‘Even using carrier pigeons, we should have been quicker.’ But there was no time to dwell on it. Yeonho had grabbed Gongcheon’s head as if to crush it. Blood trickled from the mouth of the old monk bathed in crimson. “Cough, cough.” “Do you want to save this wretch?” “… ...” I felt Jeok Cheon-Gang tense up. The distance between Yeonho and us was about thirty meters. No matter how capable Jeok Cheon-Gang was, making a reckless move would surely lead to Gongcheon’s head being smashed like tofu. “Will you not put him down immediately?” Underneath the calm voice lay a simmering fury. Yeonho chuckled sinisterly. “I heard the Dharma King had a close connection with that monk, seems like it’s true. Did he entrust his disciple to you as he died?” “Gongdo was a wise high monk above all. His name does not deserve to be sullied by your filthy mouth.” “Yet he’s already dead. He’s probably crossing the River Styx by now.” Jeok Cheon-Gang, who had been observing Yeonho with calm eyes, parted his lips. “Keep talking.” “What?” “I said keep talking. Do you think you can shake me with this?” “You, you damn old monster.” Yeonho, his face flushed red with anger, shook Gongcheon’s head. “You mean to say it doesn’t matter if this wretch dies?” “It doesn’t matter.” “What, what?” “It’s regrettable not being able to save him, but Gongdo entrusted not his disciple to me, but the Shaolin itself.” At that moment, a massive amount of power gathered into Jeok Cheon-Gang’s hands. It swiftly formed, shooting out like an arrow. Not at Yeonho, but at the masked men who had been ceaselessly swinging their swords. Kwahhh! The dreadful concentration of energy from Jeok Cheon-Gang’s hand accurately struck the center of the enemies. Like a roaring fiery dragon, it devoured and burned everything it touched. Whoosh! For the first time, emotion surfaced in the indifferent eyes of the men revealed beneath their masks. It was fear and pain. “Screeaah!” “Aaagh!” Amidst the horrific screams, flames leapt high. Dozens of them stumbled away, ablaze and fleeing. Many others had already ceased breathing. With the sight, the masked men faltered, and the monks’ attacks and commands flew towards them. “It’s not over yet!” “Drive out the wicked!” Swish! Thud! The situation turned in an instant from being at a disadvantage, and Jeok Cheon-Gang glared at Yeonho with cold eyes. “If you’re going to kill him, do it. If not, put him down gently. Don’t pretend to be a fox when you’re just a bear.” “You, you damn old man!” Screeech! Yeonho kept up his act, pretending to be cunning. He hurled Gongcheon towards us while following close behind. His intent was clear: to use Gongcheon as a shield and aim for a gap. - You take care of Gongcheon. A voice pierced my ears. Without saying a word, Jeok Cheon-Gang and I pushed off the ground. Four figures darting towards each other. I caught Gongcheon’s body, while Jeok Cheon-Gang leapt over him to attack the fox, or rather the bear, hiding behind him. Kaboom! With a terrifying clash, I entrusted my body to the surging pressure. I slid about twenty meters and laid Gongcheon down in the nearby grass. Then I charged towards the two supreme masters exchanging fiercely. Of course, Yeonho wasn’t one to stand by and watch with a grin. “You!” Shuk, thud! The kick as thick as a log struck my knee, sending shivers through it. But that was all. The gap between the supreme and the high level could never be bridged by luck alone, but I was blessed not with luck, but with heavenly fortune. The heavenly fortune called the system. ‘He's manageable.’ One-on-one would be impossible, but Yeonho was already struggling just to handle Jeok Cheon-Gang. The old man’s only mistake was underestimating my presence. “Four months without dentures.” I grinned, and Yeonho’s face turned beet red. “You green brat!” “You yellow-bellied old man!” “Kraaaah!” Yeonho, brushing off Jeok Cheon-Gang, came charging at us with a howl. “I’ll kill you first!” Whissh! A powerful, ferocious strike. Taking his attack charged with that intense energy head-on would be disastrous for me. I took a step back, grabbed the White Flame that I carried on my back, and swung it. Bang! With a thunderous noise, his fist came to a halt. Yeonho’s eyes widened in shock. “Eternal Cold Steel?” “A good weapon is always worth its price. Don’t you agree, sir?” Jeok Cheon-Gang didn’t respond. Instead, his fist, imbued with a blue and white aura, was already flying towards Yeonho. Boom! The earth shook with a thunderous impact. Two mighty fists collided, but one of them had bones crushed and blackened. Yeonho muttered in disbelief. “H-How?” “Did you think mastering the Heat Yang Qi made us all the same?” A voice, calm but with eyes simmering with lava, responded. The heat emanating from Jeok Cheon-Gang's entire being was overwhelming, far surpassing the flames of a mere Yeonho. Yeonho muttered in agony, “Hwa-Wang…” “Yes. I am Hwa-Wang Jeok Cheon-Gang, the seventeenth successor of the Flame Sect.” “No way… cough!” I hurled myself at Yeonho, who was trying to escape, coughing up blood. “Where do you think you’re going?” Crash! My foot came crashing down on his foot, shattering it and driving it into the ground. Blood gushed with a pained groan from between Yeonho’s clenched teeth. In the next instant, two streaks of light pierced into his staggering abdomen. Whissh! The power was in proportion to the difference in our mastery, but the name of our martial arts was the same. 'Flaming Divine Fist.' Thud! Yeonho’s protective energy, like armor enveloping his entire body, shattered. Blood spouted from his gaping mouth. “Gaaah!” Even though we were both supreme masters, the difference was significant. Jeok Cheon-Gang looked down coolly at the heavily wounded and gasping Yeonho. “This is the end of your luck.” “Cough. W-Wait a moment.” “There’s no reason or time to do so.” “I’ll tell you everything! Yes, about Amcheon! I’ll reveal all…” “I told you, stop pretending to be a fox.” Swoosh, thud! There was no hesitation in Jeok Cheon-Gang’s actions. Yeonho’s headless body stumbled before collapsing into a pool of blood. I wiped away the blood splattered on my face and spoke. “Wouldn’t it have been wiser to leave him alive?” “Fools like him are never entrusted with critical secrets.” “Even so…” “The bear is dead, now we must catch the fox.” Jeok Cheon-Gang remarked cryptically, turning his gaze. In the distance, about a hundred meters away, an old man stood frozen, staring at us. In his hand was a short staff radiating a green glow. “Emerald Flame Staff!” “In-Gwi Han-Soo. He’s next.” As if understanding those words, Han-Soo’s figure shot forward at dazzling speed. Shwiiish! Han-Soo exerted full power in his movement technique, feeling two presences gradually closing in from behind. 'Damn it!' He recognized it at first glance. Hwa-Wang Jeok Cheon-Gang. He hadn’t anticipated that one of the most formidable among the Ten Kings would arrive this quickly. ‘Who’s that young one?’ Such a question flickered in his mind but was quickly dismissed. The young one’s identity wasn’t important. What mattered was that Yeonho, who held a power comparable to his own, was slain by their hands. ‘Foolish guy. To challenge Hwa-Wang instead of Raijindō…’ He had met Yeonho during the Great War and spent decades together, but they weren’t blood-brotherly allies. Han-Soo had no intention of dying alongside Yeonho that day. ‘Just a little more. Just a little bit further!’ The mission was accomplished. The Emerald Flame Staff in his hand was proof. If he could reach the arranged meeting point and link up with 'him'… he was certain he would survive. 'He’s a master even Hwa-Wang can’t handle.' 'Yeonho, if it comes to that, I’ll avenge you.' Clenching the staff tightly, Han-Soo’s face turned rigid. ‘This is…!’ A different aura was closing in fast from the front, not behind this time. Initially thinking it might be reinforcements from the orthodox sects, he realized it was only a single presence. It wasn’t particularly strong either. 'Damn. Things are getting messy.' If he got held up, he could be caught by Hwa-Wang. Biting his lip hard, Han-Soo squeezed out every last bit of strength and burst through the underbrush at that moment. “Ah!” A cry, and a face transformed by joy. No emotion could compare to the relief of surviving the brink of death. With a voice filled with excitement, Han-Soo called out to 'him.' “Blood Lord!” * * * Simultaneously, Jeok Cheon-Gang and I stopped. Han-Soo, who had been fleeing desperately, now stood waiting for us, transformed into a predator. “It’s them! That accursed old Hwa-Wang and that brat killed Yeonho!” No, Han-Soo wasn’t the predator. He was merely a fox borrowing the power of a tiger. The true predator stood quietly next to Han-Soo, an unsettling presence felt only by its silence, making it even more dangerous. But Jeok Cheon-Gang was different. With a hardened expression, he asked, “Who are you?” “I am your nemesis.” The young man grinned as he continued. “The one who killed your most cherished friend.” …What?