Chapter 85 : A Secret Report (1)
Chapter 85: A Secret Report (1)
Master and disciple set out on a mission together.
As Namgung Jun climbed the mountain, his breathing grew deeper.
The air mixed with the pale mist felt unusually profound and solemn.
Mount Jiuhua in Anhui Province.
A sacred land of the Buddhist sect, said to house over three hundred temples and nearly six thousand Buddha statues.
Namgung Jun surveyed the mountain terrain of Mount Jiuhua.
A light blanket of mist lay draped over the mountain ridges that stretched endlessly into the distance.
‘This is my first time visiting this place.’
Namcheon Palace in his previous life had also been located in Anhui Province, but he had never had reason to visit Mount Jiuhua.
There were no notable martial sects here, only monks devoted entirely to the teachings of Buddhism.
As Namgung Jun took in the scenery of Mount Jiuhua, he turned his head.
“It is rather tranquil.”
“It would be nice if it stayed like this.”
There was an underlying meaning in Lee Se-ha's reply.
It was because of this mission.
“The Five Beasts of the Southern Barbarians.”
The title of the martial artists that master and disciple were pursuing.
Disciples expelled from the Savage Beast Palace of the Southern Barbarians, one of the greatest sects in the distant southern martial world.
Every time they appeared, the type and number of beasts they controlled differed, and each of their martial arts followed a path entirely unlike those of the Central Plains.
“They usually operated around Guangdong and Guangxi, so I have no idea why they've suddenly come all the way to Anhui to cause trouble.”
“I heard their martial prowess is considerable, yet they've chosen to target defenseless monks.”
As he climbed Mount Jiuhua, Namgung Jun recalled the information Lee Se-ha had given him.
‘She said twelve monks have already lost their lives.’
That was why master and disciple had come to Mount Jiuhua.
They intended to eliminate the Five Beasts of the Southern Barbarians, who had hidden somewhere on the mountain while preying upon its monks.
“Is it true that they control ferocious beasts?”
“It is. The animals they brought with them changed each time they appeared in the Gangho. It was probably a skill they learned from the Savage Beast Palace of the Southern Barbarians.”
The last time the Five Beasts of the Southern Barbarians had appeared, three years ago, they had been seen leading more than a dozen wolves.
Now, however, rumors claimed they controlled only a single Great Tiger.
This was reliable information personally confirmed by the Ink Scent Division.
“You're not afraid of beasts, are you? There are martial artists like that, you know. Supreme experts who are somehow terrified of mere wolves.”
“As if that were possible.”
Lee Se-ha continued probing him with a teasing smile, but Namgung Jun naturally brushed it aside with an expression as unmoving as stone.
“Then the stories about the Five Beasts of the Southern Barbarians using the beasts they've trained to hunt people for sport aren't exaggerated either.”
“That's right. There have been quite a lot of victims. Not just commoners, but martial artists as well.”
The Five Beasts of the Southern Barbarians never fed the ferocious beasts they raised separately.
Instead, they always made them hunt people to fill their stomachs, and there was a reason for that.
They modeled their martial arts after the way those beasts hunted.
That was why, despite being disciples of the same sect, each of the Five Beasts of the Southern Barbarians practiced entirely different martial arts.
Having raised numerous beasts over the years and selected only the traits they liked, both the forms and techniques varied from one to another.
“How troublesome. Martial arts modeled after beasts... And each of them has attained no small level of mastery.”
The leader of the Five Beasts of the Southern Barbarians, Sword Beast, was a supreme expert who had reached the realm of Three Flowers Gathering at the Summit, while the remaining four had all reached at least the peak stage of the Peak Realm.
“If we had dispatched ordinary Three-Clouds, we'd have needed at least five people, even including me.”
Lee Se-ha reached out and ruffled Namgung Jun's hair.
She had once been able to do it effortlessly, but that was no longer the case.
Namgung Jun had grown noticeably taller over a short period.
Lee Se-ha had to raise her arm considerably higher now, but it only made her happier.
Her disciple's growth felt all the more real.
“But if it's you, Jun, that won't be necessary.”
Namgung Jun nodded.
“We've just come through a fierce battle in Jiangxi Province. It would be better for us to handle it ourselves.”
His confident reply brought an even broader smile to his master's face.
“See? I told you I made the right choice.”
Namgung Jun nodded before looking around.
Temples built along the winding mountain paths came into view everywhere.
Even at a glance, he could see dozens.
Across all of Mount Jiuhua, there were said to be well over three hundred such temples.
Under those circumstances, there was no way to know where the Five Beasts of the Southern Barbarians would appear next to slaughter more people.
“Hmm.”
The sheer number of temples before his eyes made the situation seem rather daunting.
If the Five Beasts of the Southern Barbarians hid themselves inside one of the temples, finding them without precise information would be difficult.
“Master. Do you have a way to find them?”
“Of course. There's somewhere that can help us.”
Lee Se-ha led Namgung Jun onward with brisk, confident steps.
---
Master and disciple arrived at a temple on Mount Jiuhua.
A small temple called Bojeon Temple.
An elderly monk, who appeared to be the temple's abbot, welcomed them.
“Welcome, benefactors.”
While a serene atmosphere gently enveloped the temple, Namgung Jun sensed a peculiar busyness hidden beneath it.
Perhaps noticing his gaze, the abbot looked toward Namgung Jun.
“Young benefactor, your instincts are sharp.”
Namgung Jun gave no reply.
He merely lowered his head quietly.
The abbot led master and disciple to the innermost hall.
Namgung Jun and Lee Se-ha sat cross-legged before the Buddha statue.
Like any other pilgrims visiting the temple, they lit incense and quietly enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere.
It was then.
A large crow descended onto the Buddha statue's outstretched palm.
The tips of its feathers were ash-gray, and even its eyes carried the same gray hue.
Perhaps because black and gray blended together, the intelligence shining within the crow's eyes stood out all the more.
As he continued feeling the crow's gaze upon him, Namgung Jun shifted his attention from the Buddha statue to the bird.
After meeting Namgung Jun's eyes for some time, the crow left the statue first and flew off somewhere.
Watching this silently, Lee Se-ha immediately rose to her feet.
There was not the slightest hesitation in her movements.
“Shall we go?”
Leaving the temple, Lee Se-ha turned her gaze in the direction the crow had flown.
Seeing her, the abbot brought his palms together.
“Amitabha.”
Lee Se-ha bowed her head before leaving Bojeon Temple.
Namgung Jun followed behind his master, though Lee Se-ha seemed to be heading aimlessly into the depths of the mountains.
“Master?”
Despite Namgung Jun's questioning voice, Lee Se-ha entered the forest without hesitation.
Soon, Namgung Jun realized where Lee Se-ha was heading.
The crow was visible beyond her path.
Only then did Namgung Jun understand the situation.
‘That's no ordinary crow. A spiritual beast?’
Bojeon Temple, which kept such a crow, could not possibly be an ordinary temple either.
He was curious about the temple and the abbot's true identity, but Namgung Jun chose to focus on the matter at hand.
Meanwhile, the crow spread its wings wide above the treetops beneath the night sky.
The crow had clearly noticed Lee Se-ha and Namgung Jun approaching.
Only after checking once or twice to make sure they were following did it flap its wings and head onward.
How far into Mount Jiuhua had they gone?
The once numerous temples had become few and far between.
The crow, which had remained silent until now, opened its beak for the first time.
Caw!
Letting out a loud cry, the crow flew away.
Swoosh!
At that very moment, the branch where the crow had perched split apart with a crack.
A sharply rising sword wind sliced through the branch as it aimed for the crow, but narrowly missed.
Lee Se-ha had drawn her sword at precisely the right moment and leapt high into the air, dispersing the sword wind.
Meanwhile, Namgung Jun dashed straight ahead.
The sword strike unleashed together with his draw tore through the darkness before him with a blue brilliance.
Clang!
His sword had split apart the darkness of the forest, yet the sound of metal clashing suddenly rang out.
He clearly sensed something retreating, but Namgung Jun stopped instead of giving chase.
“Hm. So this is how it is?”
He had sensed an enormous presence instantly occupying the space behind him.
Twisting his waist, Namgung Jun slashed in a graceful arc.
What the sword strike of the Cloud-Treading Layered Wall Stance deflected was not a weapon.
A massive forepaw covered in coarse fur.
Between the thick fur protruded enormous claws, as sharp as blades.
It resembled the Tiger Claw weapons commonly used by the Demonic Path, but its size and thickness far exceeded those of ordinary weapons.
Large enough to kill an opponent with a single blow.
As the pungent stench of a beast reached his nose, Namgung Jun spoke softly.
“Seeing it in person is rather fascinating.”
Looking at the face of the Great Tiger that had attempted to ambush him from behind, Namgung Jun showed genuine interest.
The tiger before him showed not the slightest fear of sharp steel.
Within its large eyes fixed upon Namgung Jun lived only the savage instincts unique to a ferocious beast.
Half of the Great Tiger's long body remained concealed within the darkness, yet Namgung Jun's eyes, glowing with blue radiance, pierced through it clearly.
“It is quite large.”
A size fully worthy of the name Great Tiger.
It looked capable of biting even a full-grown bull to death in an instant.
Yet Namgung Jun felt curiosity rather than danger.
To the young swordsman, who had harmonized essence, energy, and spirit while aiming for the realm of Three Flowers Gathering at the Summit, the Great Tiger before him was little more than an oversized cat.
‘Judging purely by strength and speed, it's probably comparable to a Peak Realm expert. And if I factor in the unpredictability unique to beasts...’
It would certainly be troublesome.
After all, fighting a beast was fundamentally different from fighting a person.
Even so, Namgung Jun gripped his sword once more.
The Great Tiger before him, clearly accustomed to killing martial artists, opened its jaws and lunged for the hand holding his sword.
It knew how to fight martial artists.
Clack!
As Namgung Jun twisted his sword, the Great Tiger's jaws, which had tried to bite through the blade, were forcibly pried open.
At the same time, the beast's enormous right paw swung toward his temple.
Namgung Jun paid it no mind.
He simply held his sword horizontally and quietly gathered strength.
“You certainly look like you've eaten quite a few people.”
Along with Namgung Jun's quiet voice, his sword shot forward with terrifying force.
Splurt!
It happened in an instant.
The Great Tiger's jaws were torn apart from top to bottom.
With its tough hide and densely packed muscles, even a remarkably sharp weapon would have struggled to wound it properly.
Yet Namgung Jun's sword advanced as though slicing through soft mud.
Together with the cleanly extending sword strike, the Great Tiger's severed corpse crashed heavily onto the ground.
It was a single strike.
After slaughtering the Great Tiger in an instant, Namgung Jun turned his gaze into the darkness.
“I killed it cleanly. If you sell the hide, it should fetch quite a good price.”
A moment later, multiple voices echoed from the forest.
“Has this bastard gone insane? Do you know how carefully we raised that thing?”
“Tearing him apart won't even be enough to make up for it.”
“One strike. He's at least beyond the peak stage of the Peak Realm. He may even be standing at its very limit.”
Despite witnessing the sword strike that had split the Great Tiger apart in one blow, those hiding in the darkness did not hesitate to reveal themselves.
Four middle-aged men emerged from the forest.
If it was true they had been expelled from the Savage Beast Palace of the Southern Barbarians, then their appearances were unmistakably different from ordinary people of the Central Plains.
Taking them all in at a glance, Namgung Jun spoke.
“Now that your Great Tiger is dead, whose back will you hide behind next?”
Killing intent began to gather in the eyes of the Five Beasts of the Southern Barbarians as they stared at Namgung Jun.
Even so, Namgung Jun remained completely unfazed.
“You truly have the eyes of beasts.”
Drip.
Raindrops began falling onto the pool of blood created by the Great Tiger's corpse.
Through the pouring rain of the night, the murderous glints in the eyes of the Five Beasts of the Southern Barbarians gradually blurred.
Only Namgung Jun's blue eyes continued to shine brilliantly.