The Mad Dog Inspector of the Martial Alliance

Jang So-gil took a step forward. Yang Gwan, without even wiping the flowing blood, forced his body up and tried to block the space between Jang So-gil and the blood jiangshi.

Jang So-gil held out his left hand and stopped Yang Gwan.

"You take care of your internal injuries first."

"But, Young Master So...!"

"It's not that you're not helpful, but that you should step back. That fellow is a monster that shouldn't be fought like this."

It was a tone as if he had grasped something.

Baek Yugyeong, glancing at Jang So-gil, asked.

"Then how should we fight?"

"You just have to not think about fighting."

"What? What does that mean?"

"That fellow is no ordinary monster. Despite being a jiangshi, he uses martial arts. And it's a surprisingly sublime martial art at that."

The blood jiangshi's martial arts were excessively great. The form just now had nullified the all-out attacks of Baek Yugyeong, Jang So-gil, and Yang Gwan in an instant, and had even returned the attacking force as it was.

This level of mastery and warrior's realm was a high-level realm that even the Black Killing Hegemon King Ha Hu-yeong, who was the strongest enemy Jang So-gil had faced, could not dare to approach.

"A jiangshi is ultimately something that forces the dead to move. So I don't know what kind of magic or medical art it is, but one thing is for sure. A jiangshi shouldn't be able to use martial arts."

"But that fellow uses it."

"Martial arts are no different from a strongman's trick if the person's mind does not follow, so how can a jiangshi without a mind use martial arts? That's the clue to defeating that blood jiangshi."

Jang So-gil took another big step forward. One step, two steps, three steps.

Baek Yugyeong and Yang Gwan, surprised by Jang So-gil who was approaching without hesitation to a distance where the blood jiangshi could reach if it stretched out its arm, shouted.

"How can a jiangshi without a mind use martial arts? It's because the martial arts have been deeply embedded in the body of the person who became the material for this blood jiangshi. In his lifetime, he must have been a renowned martial artist who had repeated harsh training with an endless pursuit of martial arts."

"This is not the time to be saying that! Is this crazy fellow trying to die in front of a blood jiangshi!"

"Young Master So! It's dangerous!!"

But for some reason, the blood jiangshi did not move at all.

Even if he stood still as if to show off, it did not attack. It was just looking at Jang So-gil with its ominous bloodshot eyes under the moonlight. It did not swing its sharp claws, nor did it extend its heavy, iron-like fists.

In front of the two dumbfounded people, Jang So-gil, as if he had expected this situation, confidently continued.

"But I've never heard of a master of that level from the Wudang Sect going missing. So isn't this blood jiangshi a person from a very, very long time ago that we don't know about? Perhaps he's a master from the time when the Blood Cult and the Quanzhen Sect were fighting, even older than the founder of Wudang, Zhang Sanfeng."

"Hey, is that important right now...? What's going on, really..."

"A blood jiangshi can use martial arts. It's because it has been repeatedly engraved on its body. But martial arts are not just about technique. As I said before, it becomes martial arts only when a person's 'idea' follows."

"Damn it! Don't give me a Zen riddle and just tell me the answer!"

"You're so impatient. The answer is one. This monster reads my 'idea'."

"It reads your 'idea'?"

"Yes. It reads the fighting spirit and killing intent of the attacking enemy. Then the memory of the fight engraved on its body awakens, and it can display its martial arts."

Jang So-gil narrowed his eyes.

This blood jiangshi's martial arts were passive and defensive. It was probably because the martial principle of Taijiquan was originally a counterattack, which was to take a step back when facing an enemy, observe the superiority and inferiority, and then attack the weakness.

That's why if there was no 'idea' to attack on this side, there was nothing to react to, so it was silent like this.

"They say that in stories, you give orders to a jiangshi with a talisman attached to its forehead. I don't know if it's actually like that... but it's probably a simple order like 'chase the fleeing fellow and kill him'. So if we try to run away from this place, it will react to our movements and keep chasing us. We have to defeat it and go."

"Then what are you telling me to do?"

"You have to attack the enemy, but you shouldn't put your 'idea' into it. Organize your 'idea' in your mind. Engrave the 'idea' that you have no intention of attacking."

"You mean I have to move my body and mind separately?"

Baek Yugyeong frowned. When one achieved the Three Flowers Gathering at the Summit, the body would automatically operate its internal energy just by thinking, so it was rather difficult to attack without the intention of attacking.

"I have no intention of attacking. I have no intention of attacking at all..."

Baek Yugyeong muttered and approached the blood jiangshi. And after catching his breath, he suddenly swung his sword. It was a fast attack, to the extent that the sound of the wind was heard a beat late.

But it was useless. The blood jiangshi's Taijiquan was unfolded without fail, and his weapon was snatched away in an instant, and he was hit in the chest.

Baek Yugyeong, spraying blood, got angry.

"Cough... It's not working!"

"It's no good. You shouldn't do it like that. For a moment, I felt the 'idea' of attacking."

"Really?"

"In the first place, would such a sharp attack be possible without an 'idea'?"

"Damn it! Then you do it!"

Jang So-gil licked his lips. Objectively speaking, the level of Baek Yugyeong and Jang So-gil was similar.

But that didn't mean that just because Baek Yugyeong couldn't do it, Jang So-gil couldn't do it either.

"I don't want to get hit."

"This, you bastard... what are you saying..."

In front of Baek Yugyeong, who was grinding his teeth, Jang So-gil suddenly let out a cry of 'ah'.

"I see. I made a mistake."

"What, what is it?"

"Come to think of it, there's no way that the thick skin of a blood jiangshi would be pierced by a bland attack without an 'idea'. Hahaha."

"..."

In a situation where it could only be pierced by wrapping it with strong qi, to attack without even wrapping it with strong qi? There was no way it would work.

The corner of Baek Yugyeong's mouth twitched.

"If you attack with an 'idea', it counterattacks with Taijiquan. And if you attack without an 'idea', you can't even wrap it with strong qi, so you can't pierce its defense?"

"Yes. It becomes like that."

"Then it's invincible, isn't it?!"

"Hey, it's not invincible. If you're a master who is better than that fellow, you can win even if you fight head-on."

"How many people like that are there in the Central Plains!"

"Probably about a handful?"

"Damn it... there's no choice. Let's just run."

If they ran, it would chase them, and the level of that blood jiangshi's lightness skill was similar to that of Jang So-gil, who was the fastest among the party. No one here could run away to the end.

But Baek Yugyeong was not unaware of that.

"Let's split up in three directions and run. The unlucky one will die, but the other two can live. How about it?"

"It's a rather attractive proposal, but I'll refuse."

Jang So-gil, smiling slyly, waved his hand. Baek Yugyeong, who was dumbfounded by that attitude, stared blankly at Jang So-gil.

Why is this fellow so relaxed in front of such a crisis?

"Because, you see. I have something good."

Before the words were finished, a silent lightning bolt shot out from Jang So-gil's bosom. At the same time, the blood jiangshi's head disappeared cleanly.

To think that the blood jiangshi, which had been so threatening, was gone. Baek Yugyeong's mouth dropped open at the unbelievable sight.

"W-what...? That...?"

"As expected, the Thunder and Lightning True Monarch is the best. From now on, you should think of the Thunder and Lightning True Monarch once a day and bow to the east, west, south, and north."

If it reacted to an 'idea', he just had to attack without an 'idea'.

Still, if what Jang So-gil had was an ordinary crossbow or something, it would not have even been able to scratch the skin of the blood jiangshi.

It was possible because it was the 'Jincheonroe', one of the two precious items of the Explosion Demon that shook the world.

In fact, if this were used on a human master, it would only have the effect of creating an opening. Even the Dark Cloud Guest, Pungchan, who was the fifteenth in rank in the Four Black Alliance, had not been neutralized by a single Jincheonroe.

But the blood jiangshi, which was clearly and overwhelmingly a stronger master than the Black Killing Hegemon King Ha Hu-yeong of the Four Black Alliance, had its head blown off without even being able to react.

The corner of Jang So-gil's mouth twitched.

He was about to say something like, 'After all, it's just a jiangshi that can't even form its own 'idea'. It's just an automaton, so even if it displays the sublime martial arts of its lifetime, it's no match for me.'

The reason why those words did not come out of his mouth was.

"I'm going crazy..."

Because behind the blood jiangshi, which had lost its head and was slowly collapsing to the ground, other blood jiangshi were beginning to appear.

Their number seemed to be well over thirty. Jang So-gil reflexively took a defensive stance.

Then, one of the blood jiangshi suddenly popped out and charged at Jang So-gil, thrusting its long claws.

A flash that reached him before he could even blink. The extreme fast sword, no, should it be called a fast claw, that was unfolded with the momentum to pierce and drop the sun?

Jang So-gil, who had barely avoided the claws that were dripping with corpse poison, screamed.

"This is crazy! It's the Sun-Shooting Sword Art!"

"What?! Isn't that the sword art you use! Isn't that the secret of the Diancang Sect's sect leader! How can a jiangshi... no, more than that, were you trying to attack them just now?"

"No! Damn it, this fellow seems to react to the 'idea' of protecting oneself!"

Unlike the previous blood jiangshi, which had used Taijiquan as a counterattack, this blood jiangshi was a blood jiangshi with the extremely aggressive martial art, the Sun-Shooting Sword Art, engraved on its body.

The instinct to protect oneself is a stronger instinct than any other. Jang So-gil, while trying to suppress that natural instinct, slowly backed away.

"I don't have many Jincheonroe left either...!"

It was at that moment.

Yang Gwan, who had been quietly treating his internal injuries until now, opened his mouth.

"Young Master So, I am not afraid of death."

"No, I'm afraid. You should be afraid too."

"Don't worry. I will definitely protect you, Young Master So."

Yang Gwan closed his eyes and began to mutter something. At first, it sounded like the mad ravings of a madman, but it was a Buddhist scripture.

Behind Yang Gwan, a shining fire wheel revealed its form.

"The 'Four Kinds of Rebirth' are the four forms of rebirth, and they are called 'Right Mindfulness Rebirth', 'Frenzied Rebirth', 'Unrecorded Rebirth', and 'Idea Rebirth'. One who is not shaken in mind at the time of death (Right Mindfulness) has no hesitation in rebirth, but one who has committed the ten evils and the five rebellious acts will run wild in fear (Frenzied), so without the teaching of a prophet, there is no rebirth, and one whose faith has been deep throughout his life will be reborn indifferently even if he dies unfortunately. Even if one cannot recite the Buddha's name aloud at the time of death, trapped in the frame of the body, if one recites the Buddha's name in one's heart, one can be born in the Pure Land. 'Idea' is the mind, and the mind transcends all things."

As Yang Gwan's muttering grew longer, the fire wheel rotated more fiercely.

The iron wheel turned, the copper wheel turned, and the silver wheel turned.

"Hey! What's with him?!"

"Gwan-ah? Are you okay? Don't do anything strange!"

Baek Yugyeong and Jang So-gil, with their eyes wide open, watched Yang Gwan with bated breath.

In contrast, Yang Gwan, with his eyes closed and a peaceful face, concluded his words.

"The mind is born from the qi. When the mind goes, the body follows. The 'idea' comes first, and the body only follows behind. If the 'idea' is upright and correct, a mere deceased person cannot be an opponent. I believe that my heart, which pursues the right law, can overcome the heart that has created an unholy deceased person."

Behind Yang Gwan, following the silver wheel, a golden wheel unfolded.

That was not all. On his head, where sweat had formed in beads, three flowers bloomed.

Three Flowers Gathering at the Summit.

Yang Gwan, without the help of any elixir, any secret, or any master, had leaped into the realm of a transcendent master in an instant.

The sudden enlightenment of a martial artist.

The quality that was said to be among the ten rising stars who would be responsible for the future of the martial world had now bloomed here.

(End of Chapter)