Chapter 182
Mount Song, the Central Peak of the Five Great Mountains.
There lay Great Shaolin, known as the Leading Figure of the Orthodox Martial World.
Ta-aat!
In the massive training ground located deep within the Shaolin Temple, an immense number of martial monks were currently exuding a powerful aura against a single person.
“Deploy the combined formation!”
Soon, with a tremendous shout, the martial monks moved in perfect unison.
Discipline and vigor could be felt in their every movement.
These were the strongest martial monks Shaolin boasted of.
Among the martial monks of the Shaolin Temple, those with outstanding aptitude were appointed as arhats to protect the Buddhist Dharma. Typically, one hundred and eight were chosen and called the “108 Arhats”.
And now, all of them had gathered to deploy their Combined Formation.
Among them was Martial Dragon Doil, one of the Six Dragons and Three Phoenixes.
Soon, the Combined Formation created by the 108 Arhats took on the shape of a giant tiger.
The tiger’s fierce gaze was directed at the old monk in front of it.
“Hoho. Good.”
Despite the tiger’s fierce momentum, the old monk showed not the slightest waver and merely smiled gently, though it looked ready to pounce at any moment.
And the moment the old monk’s eyes seemed to flash as he clenched his fist,
Rumble.
A massive thunderous sound echoed throughout the space.
And then,
BOOOOM!
In an instant, the Combined Formation of the 108 Arhats collapsed completely.
It began with a single punch thrown by the old man before anyone realized.
It was unbelievable.
To think the 108 Arhats formation that Shaolin boasted of would crumble so helplessly.
However, none of the 108 Arhats felt humiliated or ashamed by this.
It was only natural.
Because anyone who knew who this old man was would surely accept this outcome.
This old man was the very symbol of modern Shaolin.
Fist Emperor Grandmaster Muheo.
The Abbot of Shaolin and one of the absolutes of the current martial world - that was the true identity of this old man.
“Ugh…”
As if the aftermath of the shock hadn’t faded, the 108 Arhats staggered, unable to steady themselves for a moment.
Grandmaster Muheo approached them.
“Is everyone alright?”
“W-We are fine.”
“As expected of the Abbot, you are amazing.”
“Hoho. You brats. What will you do if you can’t even handle a washed-up old man? All of you, devote yourselves even more to your training.”
“Yes!”
They answered vigorously, but none could hide their smiles at the Fist Emperor’s words.
And rightly so - who in the world of martial arts could possibly handle the Fist Emperor who commanded it?
“You punks! You dare laugh when the Abbot is speaking?”
When Hyesim, the master of the Scripture Pavilion, scolded them sternly, everyone hastily wiped the smiles off their faces.
But that wasn’t enough to stop Hyesim once his nagging began.
“Anyway, to have so many openings. You lack the training for an upright mind and a strong body. How can you call yourselves the 108 Arhats who protect the Dharma like this? Back in my day…”
“Hyesim. That’s enough.”
As the nagging started to drag on, Grandmaster Muheo stepped in.
“Pardon?”
“Even I find it hard to listen to your nagging.”
“Ahem. Yes. Understood, Abbot.”
“How did a fellow who hated being nagged so much in his youth become such a terrible nagger himself? Tsk, tsk. Did the Buddha tell you to do that?”
“No, why bring up the past now…”
“Why? Is the Abbot not allowed to nag you?”
“T-That’s not it, but.”
We must not laugh, absolutely not!
If we laugh, we’ll be targeted by the Master of the Scripture Pavilion for months!
Secretly pinching their arms and thighs, the 108 Arhats desperately held back their laughter.
It was then.
“Abbot!”
Someone came running in a panic.
“What is the matter?”
“I have urgent news to report! The cult leader of the Demonic Cult…! They say he is dead!”
“What?”
The eyes of the Fist Emperor, who had been wearing a gentle smile, snapped wide open.
Of course, the death of the Demonic Cult’s Cult Leader was something to be welcomed with open arms for the sake of Murim’s peace.
The problem was how such a powerful figure had died so suddenly.
With an incredibly serious face, Grandmaster Muheo spoke.
“Tell me in detail.”
“That is…!”
The story that followed shocked not only Grandmaster Muheo but everyone present.
“…That Gwak Family bastard died? Hmph. You must be mistaken. What nonsense.”
Inside a massive cave.
A middle-aged man sitting on a stone seat, wiping a crimson blade, snorted.
His name was Jo Yeop.
He was a man called the “Blade Emperor”, one of the Twelve Venerables.
Above all, having clashed with the Heaven-Shattering Demonic Emperor, the Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult, a few times in his youth, he completely disbelieved the news he had just heard from his disciple.
“It’s all bullshit. Do you know what kind of bastard he is?”
“But Master, the rumors have already spread widely across Murim. They must be true.”
Unlike his master, who looked like one of the mountain bandits, the Blade Emperor’s disciple, who had a rather handsome face and looked like a scion of a prestigious family, answered with a serious expression.
“Right. If that’s true, who do they say that Gwak Family bastard was killed by?”
However, Jo Yeop still maintained a disbelieving attitude.
But then,
“What? Who?”
At the disciple’s subsequent words, Jo Yeop, who had been snorting the whole time, leaped up from his seat.
A completely unexpected name had popped out.
“…The Heavenly Demon, you say?”
Before he knew it, his eyes had widened to their limits.
A newly spreading rumor was shaking the Central Plains Murim.
It was none other than the death of the Demonic Heavenly Cult’s Cult Leader, the Heaven-Shattering Demonic Emperor Gwak Cheon-hu.
Furthermore, rumor had it that even his close confidants, the Ten Great Demon Stars, had all been killed.
But who could possibly slaughter him, a man hailed as one of the Absolutes of this era who had reigned for so long along with the Ten Great Demon Stars?
Thus, the majority of people considered the rumor to be false.
However, upon hearing the story that immediately followed, people were left speechless and had no choice but to accept his death.
It was none other than the news that a new Heavenly Demon had appeared.
The Heavenly Demon.
Did that mean the deaths of the Heaven-Shattering Demonic Emperor and the Ten Great Demon Stars were caused by the Heavenly Demon?
But no matter how much people expressed their doubts, the truth remained unknown.
The death of the Demonic Heavenly Cult’s Cult Leader and the second coming of the Heavenly Demon.
Just as the entire Murim began to be engulfed in fear, another shocking piece of news arrived.
The Demonic Heavenly Cult had announced Sealing the Gates.
It was unbelievable news to those who thought a war might break out at any moment.
However, that news did not bring relief.
Rather, the Demonic Heavenly Cult’s incomprehensible move brought tension to the entire Murim.
Just what were they plotting to even announce Sealing the Gates?
The shadow of a massive typhoon was gradually being cast over the entire Murim, like that.
An emergency meeting was convened at the Murim Alliance.
Given the gravity of the matter, the atmosphere inside the Alliance Leader’s Hall was incredibly heavy.
The Martial Alliance Leader, the Chief Strategist, and the elders were all putting their heads together with serious faces.
And rightly so, because something they didn’t even want to imagine had happened.
“Hmm. What should we do about this?”
“Exactly. A Heavenly Demon appeared out of nowhere. What is this…”
There was no news more terrible than this.
How much chaos had Murim fallen into every time a new Heavenly Demon appeared in the past?
Just thinking that all those wars and bloodshed would be repeated made them dizzy.
“Damn it. This is driving me crazy.”
The minds of the Elders were complicated, without exception.
They seriously debated whether they should step down from all their positions in the Murim Alliance and run away right now.
It was natural.
Now that the Heavenly Demon had appeared, the Murim Alliance was in a position where it had no choice but to fight against him.
They could only resent the heavens.
Looking at those Elders, Jegal Mun inwardly let out a hollow laugh.
In this situation, the people called Elders of the Murim Alliance were only trying to look out for their own safety.
They didn’t have the slightest will to sacrifice themselves and fight for the Orthodox Martial World.
This was the current state of the Murim Alliance. It was simply miserable.
“Is there a need to be so serious?”
At that moment, one of the Elders who had been deep in thought spoke up.
He was one of the figures leading the meeting alongside Jang Cheong.
“Hmm. Even though a new Heavenly Demon has appeared, I don’t think it’s entirely a bad thing.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“From what I hear, didn’t the Heavenly Demon personally purge the Heaven-Shattering Demonic Emperor and the Ten Great Demon Stars? As everyone knows, they were the ones who would start a war against the Central Plains Murim at any moment. Well, I don’t know how it was stopped, but doesn’t the incident with the Peng Family also show the methods and tendencies of the previous Cult Leader, the Heaven-Shattering Demonic Emperor?”
“What are you trying to say?”
“Ahem. What I mean is that we need to focus on the fact that the Heavenly Demon dealt with those people himself. Why did the Heavenly Demon kill them? They were undoubtedly the Demonic Cult’s greatest fighting force, after all.”
“You mean…”
“I believe that purge happened because there was some difference in stance between the Heavenly Demon and the Heaven-Shattering Demonic Emperor.”
Oho. That certainly made sense.
“Perhaps this Heavenly Demon, unlike the previous ones, doesn’t have much intention of conquering the Central Plains Murim to establish a Demonic Cult world? And maybe that’s why they announced Sealing the Gates?”
“Oh. Oh. Then isn’t that a fortunate thing?”
“Indeed. Perhaps we were worrying too early. Hoho.”
Before long, everyone’s faces brightened.
Hope had emerged.
They hoped they wouldn’t have to give up their vested interests and leave the Murim Alliance.
That was how little intention they had of sacrificing themselves for the Orthodox Martial World.
However,
“That can’t be.”
When Jang Cheong, who had been quiet until now, opened his mouth, the atmosphere changed.
“As far as I know, the Third Heavenly Demon from long ago also started his moves in a similar way. But what was the result? The entire Central Plains Murim suffered unprecedented, catastrophic damage.”
That was one of the unforgettable histories of Murim.
“So it won’t be any different this time. We must never let our guard down.”
“But.”
“Perhaps he just beat the Cult Leader and the Ten Great Demon Stars to death because he didn’t like them.”
“H-How could that be?”
“That’s what those Demonic Cultist bastards are like. They are just mad for slaughter, biting and killing people like beasts following their instincts. But to do such a thing and then announce Sealing the Gates, I actually find it a bit terrifying.”
“Then what are your thoughts, Chief Elder?”
Martial Alliance Leader Song Il-do, who had kept his mouth shut the entire time, spoke up.
He, too, had maintained a stiff face throughout, as if tense about the current situation.
At Song Il-do’s question, Jang Cheong smirked, raising the corners of his mouth.
“We cannot know exactly what they are thinking or what their intentions are, but one thing is certain: now that the Heavenly Demon has appeared, the Demonic Cult has become a much more dangerous faction than before. There is a possibility they could start a war at any moment.”
The faces of the Elders, who had harbored hope for a brief moment, darkened.
“However, if they have announced Sealing the Gates, we have bought some time for now. If that weren’t the case, they wouldn’t have bothered announcing it, and breaking it right away would make them look ridiculous, so they won’t do that. Therefore, we must prepare.”
“By preparing, you mean.”
Chief Strategist Jegal Mun asked.
“As you all know, the power of the Orthodox Martial World is currently scattered to a useless degree. Now, we need to gather that power into one and crack down on those who interfere with it.”
“Ooh.”
Everyone nodded.
That was right.
There was no need for the Murim Alliance to fight alone.
Didn’t the Orthodox Martial World have the Nine Great Sects, the Beggars' Union, the Five Great Families, and many others?
If they gathered that power into one…
Meanwhile, Chief Strategist Jegal Mun’s eyes had narrowed.
“Just what is his ulterior motive?”
Every single word was absolutely correct.
But the problem was that the one who said those words was none other than Jang Cheong.
There was definitely a hidden motive behind his words.
And indeed, there was.
At this moment when everyone thought it was a crisis, Jang Cheong thought of using this crisis as an opportunity to further grow the power of the Murim Alliance.
Thus, he first came up with the idea of using the unstable situation caused by the second coming of the Heavenly Demon to deal with the thorns in his side.
And his first target was.
“So, I think it would be best to start with Hebei and the Peng Family.”
Jang Cheong slightly raised the corners of his mouth.
At that sight, Jegal Mun’s face hardened coldly.