Light Novel: Volume 25 Episode 1
Manhwa: N/A
“Amitabha Buddha!”
The elderly monk with a fierce expression looked at the large mountain visible in the distance.
The sacred mountain, radiating an unmistakable spiritual aura, was none other than Wudang Mountain.
The elderly monk’s dharma name was Un-seong.
He was an elder of the Shaolin Temple and known as the foremost martial monk of Shaolin.
As the Junior Brother of Un-ji, the abbot or head of the Shaolin Temple, he had been urgently dispatched to mediate the conflict between the Wudang Sect and Dragon Sky Valley.
At his back were dozens of disciples.
All of them wore solemn expressions as they were fully aware of the gravity of the situation.
The Shaolin Temple knew that if they could not prevent the conflict between the Dragon Sky Valley and the Wudang Sect, a great calamity would befall Jianghu. Thus, they dispatched Un-seong, known as the First Fist of Shaolin.
“Amitabha! Amitabha! I hope we’re not too late.”
As soon as they heard the news of the conflict between the two sects, they quickly gathered a group and departed, but because of the great distance, they had only arrived just now.
Un-seong spoke to his disciples.
“Everyone, hold on a little longer. Wudang Mountain is just around the corner.”
“Yes!”
The Shaolin disciples answered in unison.
They were all first-generation disciples of the Shaolin Temple, renowned for their exceptional martial prowess.
Their hearts were as urgent as Un-seong’s.
Although the distance between them was considerable, thus limiting their interactions, the Wudang Sect and the Shaolin Temple had always shared a close bond.
Both sects had more than a thousand years of history and had often joined forces to resist external threats.
While they regarded each other as rivals, they also saw each other as companions who must stand together.
“Hm?”
At that moment, Un-seong, who had been leading at the front, suddenly stopped with a puzzled expression.
“What is it?”
The first-generation disciple behind him looked at Un-seong with a curious expression. However, instead of responding, Un-seong only furrowed his brow deeply and looked straight ahead.
There, where his gaze landed, was a middle-aged man sitting on a rock.
The moment Un-seong saw the man, he felt the blood in his entire body turn cold.
It was as if he was staring at a finely honed sword.
Not just an ordinary sword, but a rare, exquisite blade seldom seen in this world.
Just looking at him gave the sensation that his entire body might be sliced to pieces.
Un-seong bowed and greeted him.
“Amitabha Buddha! I am Un-seong of the Shaolin Temple. May I ask who you are, blocking our path in this manner?”
“As expected, the Shaolin Temple sent you.”
“You know me?”
“How could I not know the First Fist of Shaolin?”
“You know me, but I don’t know you. That seems quite unfair.”
“Ah! It must be because my appearance has changed from before, so you didn’t recognize me. I am Jang Cheonhwa.”
“You mean to say the person in front of me is the leader of the Celestial Martial Sect himself?”
“That’s correct!”
“That appearance… Could it be that you have attained the Realm of Youthful Rejuvenation?”
“I was fortunate.”
“Amitabha Buddha!”
At Jang Cheonhwa’s answer, Un-seong unknowingly clenched his fists tightly.
The impact of hearing the word “Realm of Youthful Rejuvenation” was that overwhelming.
To reverse time and become young again—
It was a legendary realm that every martial artist could only dream of.
Even Un-seong yearned to reach the Realm of Youthful Rejuvenation, but it remained an unattainable goal.
Had it been anyone else claiming such a feat, he would not have believed it. But Un-seong was convinced that the person before him truly was Jang Cheonhwa.
The aura and energy radiating from his entire being were overwhelming.
There were only two men in the entire world who could exert such an aura that could overwhelm him.
They were Jang Cheonhwa and Lee Cheong.
Although Un-seong was fearless and even prideful, he acknowledged these two and conceded to them without question.
“Amitabha Buddha! Meeting Master Jang here does not seem to be a coincidence. Am I correct?”
“That’s right. I have been waiting for you.”
“Why?”
“What do you think it might be?”
“Amitabha Buddha! As the saying goes, those who come with good intentions do not arrive, and those who arrive are not well-intentioned.”1
“It is an eternal truth that stands unmatched throughout the ages.”
Jang Cheonhwa smiled and stood up from the rock.
In that instant, Un-seong and the Shaolin disciples took a step back.
The sheer force of Jang Cheonhwa’s aura had pushed them back.
Un-seong’s gaze sharpened.
“Amitabha Buddha! Could Master Jang’s appearance here be related to the Wudang Sect or Dragon Sky Valley?”
“I indeed have something to do with both.”
“Is it possible that their conflict is because of you, Master Jang?”
“You have quite a clever brain, despite your appearance.”
A smile tugged at the corners of Jang Cheonhwa’s mouth.
Un-seong’s face, on the other hand, turned pale.
It was a thought that had come to him unintentionally.
He had asked the question thinking such a scenario was impossible, but he never imagined Jang Cheonhwa would answer so readily.
Un-seong commanded his disciples.
“All first-generation disciples, prepare for battle.”
“Yes!”
“Second-generation disciples, escape this place right now and return to Shaolin. You must inform the abbot. That the instigator of this great chaos is none other than Jang Cheonhwa.”
“Yes!”
With that, the second-generation disciples scattered in all directions like grasshoppers.
Some of them could have stayed behind and fought in defiance. But all the second-generation disciples chose to flee.
It wasn’t because they were cowardly, nor was it because they feared for their lives.
They chose to flee because they knew that it was important to inform the Shaolin Temple of Jang Cheonhwa’s scheme.
At least one of them had to survive to deliver this dire news to the Shaolin Temple.
So, with tears of frustration, they activated their lightness skills and fled.
Jang Cheonhwa saw the second-generation disciples fleeing, yet he did nothing.
Even if he didn’t lift a finger, not a single one of them would make it to Shaolin Temple alive.
That was because his followers were already in control of the area.
Jang Cheonhwa spoke to Un-seong.
“I don’t have much time. Let’s finish this quickly.”
“Things will not go according to Master Jang’s wishes.”
“I’ve long wanted to experience the martial arts of Shaolin firsthand.”
“You will not be disappointed.”
“I certainly hope so.”
Un-seong’s eyes twitched slightly at Jang Cheonhwa’s display of arrogance
Jang Cheonhwa was an unparalleled master, one who could not be matched all over the world.
Although Un-seong was known as the First Fist of Shaolin, he was still far inferior by comparison.
He had no confidence he could handle Jang Cheonhwa in a direct confrontation.
“Deploy the Eighteen Arhat Formation!”
“Yes!”
The first-generation disciples surrounded Jang Cheonhwa and pointed their Buddhist staffs and poles at him.
They were deploying the Eighteen Arhat Formation, one of the ultimate formations of the Shaolin Temple.
The Shaolin Temple had formations prepared for the event of an overwhelmingly powerful enemy breaching their defenses.
The most famous among them was the One Hundred and Eight Arhat Formation.
This formation, executed by 108 Arhats, was renowned for its absolute might.
It was said that even the greatest masters could not break through the One Hundred and Eight Arhat Formation. However, the formation could only be unleashed by mobilizing one hundred and eight martial monks who had undergone extensive training for many years to achieve perfect coordination.
For this reason, it was difficult to deploy it at its full strength. Therefore, the Eighteen Arhat Formation was created to replace the One Hundred and Eight Arhat Formation.
The Eighteen Arhat Formation was regarded as the pinnacle of formations designed to counter a single opponent.
Under normal circumstances, the first-generation disciples would serve as its core. However, Un-seong cast aside his pride and chose to become the core of the Eighteen Arhat Formation himself.
Swoosh!
With Jang Cheonhwa at the center, Un-seong and the warrior monks began rotating rapidly.
The faster they spun, the greater the pressure on Jang Cheonhwa grew.
Once the pressure reached its peak, the full-scale offensive would begin.
Jang Cheonhwa drew the sword at his waist and spoke.
Srrrng!
“Come!”
“Activate the Formation!”
At that moment, the Eighteen Arhat Formation was fully unleashed.
* * *
“Argh!”
With a scream, one of Shaolin’s second-generation disciples lost his life. The one who killed him was a martial artist from Jang Cheonhwa’s personal elite unit, the Silent Annihilation Squad.
The leader of the Silent Annihilation Squad was none other than Jeok-hon.
They systematically hunted down fleeing second-generation disciples of the Shaolin Temple.
Each monk was attacked by three to four members of the squad, leaving them no chance to retaliate.
The squad was highly experienced in this kind of hunting.
The second-generation disciples of Shaolin used their lightness skills and stealth techniques to escape, but they could not shake off the Silent Annihilation Squad.
“You bastards!”
One of the second-generation disciples shouted in fury, swinging his pole with all his strength.
Whooosh!
The shadow of the pole filled the air as it attacked the Silent Annihilation Squad members.
The Silent Annihilation Squad members didn’t meet the attack head-on.
The Shaolin’s pole techniques were considered among the best in Jianghu.
Although they primarily used blunt weapons without blades to avoid killing, their power was not to be underestimated.
A blow from their staff or pole would not just end with crushed flesh or broken bones.
Knowing this, the Silent Annihilation Squad members didn’t engage the monk head-on. Instead, they opted for a pack-hunting strategy.
Like a pack of wild dogs, they circled around, persistently exploiting every gap in the monk’s defenses. Cornered and overwhelmed like that, the second-generation disciple eventually succumbed to a fatal blow.
“Keuk!”
With a scream, the second-generation disciple fell to his knees, and the Silent Annihilation Squad simultaneously drove their weapons into his body.
Pupupuk!
The second-generation disciple died instantly, and the squad moved on to seek their next prey.
Most of the second-generation disciples had lost their lives, and now only two remained.
The two fled in opposite directions.
The one fleeing to the left was pursued by a group from the Silent Annihilation Squad.
While four members of the squad chased the disciple running to the right.
The second-generation disciple ran away with all his might, but in the end, he was caught up by the squad.
“Hiyahh!”
The name of the captured disciple was Ji-kyung.
Ji-kyung used his staff techniques to fight back against the squad. But he was quickly injured by their coordinated attacks and driven into a corner.
‘I… I have to tell the Shaolin Temple about this somehow…’
A glint of despair appeared on Ji-kyung’s face.
He didn’t mind sacrificing his own life. What filled him with despair was the thought of dying without delivering the truth to Shaolin Temple.
“Argh!”
A scream rang out from the monk who had fled to the left.
With the other one dead, Ji-kyung was now the only one left.
If he died as well, Shaolin Temple would never know the truth.
It was then.
Srrrk!
A blade from the Silent Annihilation Squad slashed through his side.
“Geugh!”
Overwhelmed by the fiery pain, Ji-kyung fell to one knee.
‘Is this… the end?’
A look of hopelessness crossed his face.
“Hyaah!”
“Die!”
The swords and blades of the Silent Annihilation Squad flew toward Ji-kyung to claim his life.
Unable to face them, Ji-kyung squeezed his eyes shut.
Boom!
A deafening explosion erupted, and Ji-kyung’s body jolted. Yet, strangely, he felt no pain.
Ji-kyung cautiously opened his eyes. What he saw was astonishing.
The Silent Annihilation Squad members who had been attacking him were now sprawled on the ground, their limbs twisted and bent in bizarre directions.
“W, What?”
“Hurry up and go to Shaolin Temple.”
Just then, an unexpected voice echoed in his ears.
Before he knew it, an elderly man with a transcendent air had appeared before him.
The old man was none other than Wind Saint.
Unable to stand by, he had intervened.
“Who… who are you?”
“Does my identity matter? Hurry to the Shaolin Temple and inform them that Jang Cheonhwa is the mastermind behind all of this.”
“Ah! Th-thank you.”
Ji-kyung bowed in gratitude and stood up.
After giving Wind Saint a respectful nod, he quickly left the area.
Wind Saint watched Ji-kyung’s retreating figure for a moment before starting to move.
His destination was the battlefield where Jang Cheonhwa and Un-seong were fighting.
“Hoo!”
A heavy sigh escaped him as his steps felt burdened.
It was then.
Boom!
A tremendous explosion erupted from the battlefield where Jang Cheonhwa and Un-seong were fighting.
Wind Saint quickened his pace.
When he arrived at the battlefield, a shocking sight unfolded before him.
Except for Jang Cheonhwa, all the monks from the Shaolin Temple lay bloodied and lifeless.
Among them was Un-seong, the First Fist of the Shaolin Temple.
Un-seong had died with his eyes wide open.
The frozen look of shock and terror on his face revealed how great a blow he had suffered before his death.
The other first-generation disciples were no different.
Although they had already taken their last breaths, their faces were filled with the shadow of fear.
Even though they had deployed the Eighteen Arhat Formation with all their might, the moment they realized they could not stop Jang Cheonhwa, they were crushed under the weight of terror.
Despite breaking through the Eighteen Arhat Formation and killing Un-seong and all the first-generation disciples, Jang Cheonhwa’s body didn’t bear a single scratch.
Jang Cheonhwa’s martial prowess had truly reached the Realm of God-level Mastery.
Wind Saint cautiously opened his mouth.
“Big brother!”
“I can smell blood on you. Who did you kill?”
“……”
“Could it be that you killed the Silent Annihilation Squad?”
“I’m sorry.”
“You continue to disappoint me more and more.”
“I’m sorry. But I had no choice.”
“Foolish…”
Jang Cheonhwa’s gaze turned cold as he looked at Wind Saint.
LUNA-CAVE
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