Tangmunjeon - Chapter 291



Only Noblemtl

Episode 291: Faith

Hwahwanogae’s story of risking his life was not a mere lie. He intended to raise his innate energy.

Although all sorts of extraordinary things have happened in the Central Plains martial arts world, there is one proposition that has not yet collapsed: any martial artist who uses the Innate True Energy dies without exception.

The ultimate uninhabited island where you can use the innate energy precariously, even the best master of Sapa who was considered the best in the world would die if he used the innate energy.

Hwahwanogae also knew that fact. Also, Hwahwanogae was a person far from being a hero by nature, so he had never thought of using the Innate Jinki.

About twenty years ago. Even when his life was in danger three times in the previous Jeongsa Daejeon, Hwahwanogae did not touch the Innate Jinki. Being in danger of death and actually dying are completely different stories.

There was no reason to be embarrassed. It wasn’t just Hwahwanogae.

Even if you are willing to pay the price of death, it is not easy to draw on the innate energy.

If you want to use the innate energy properly, you must not have even a single bit of hesitation left. Otherwise, you will most likely lose your life without being able to use the innate energy properly.

‘But I think it might be possible now.’

The backs of the later indices were visible. The later indices entrusted their backs to Hwa Hwa No Gae just by believing one word of her story.

In this situation, how could Hwahwanogae be concerned about his life?

Hwahwanogae remembered a story his teacher had once told him.

‘To become a hero, you don’t have to live like a hero every moment. If you can be brave just a couple of times in your long life when it’s absolutely necessary, everyone in the world will call you a hero.’

Master, that’s it for now.

The moment Hwahwanogae was about to circulate his internal energy more intensely and quickly than his limit, and draw up his innate energy, a thin finger came from behind and touched Hwahwanogae’s acupoint, the waist yang passage.

The internal energy that had been rising explosively began to slowly subside.

‘Who the hell is it?’

Hwahwanogae looked back. Then, her eyes met with Shinseung’s.

Shin Seung coughed up blood, but then smiled brightly.

“Hey, Hwa Hwa No Gae.”

“yes.”

Even in an embarrassing situation, Hwahwanogae answered politely.

Although both are old, there is a difference of more than ten years between Shin Seung and Hwa Hwa No Gae. The gap in Mu Wi is even greater.

“They say there is an order to people coming, but no order to leaving. However, unless it is an unavoidable situation, it is better to have an order to people leaving.”

When Hwahwanogae did not seem to immediately understand the meaning of the story, Shinsung added.

“They say it’s my turn today. Step aside.”

Shin Seung took a deep breath, enduring the sharp pain in his abdomen.

Hwahwanogae thought that Shinseung’s small body was growing explosively. In reality, his body had not grown in size.

The atmosphere was moving. The energy and air around him began to stir, along with the internal energy accumulated within Shin Seung’s body for over a year.

The lyrics soaked in Shinseung’s blood fluttered. Hwahwanogae took two steps back and looked at Shinseung.

‘Your Majesty!’

Instead of Hwahwanogae, Shinsung is raising the innate energy.

Since he was taken by surprise and had his abdomen pierced and his blood vessels distorted, it is unknown how much power the divine spirit will exert after raising his innate energy.

However, Shin Seung was a martial artist who was said to be the best in the Jeongpa martial arts world, so his power was likely to surpass Hwa Hwa No Gae.

Shin Seung said to Wan Li Seung.

“Cheong-wook.”

“Yes, Master.”

“For several years now, I have thought that the back wave of the Yangtze River is about to push the front wave. But I have come to think that the front wave of the Yangtze River is not there just to be pushed back.”

“···.”

“Until now, I have lived my life showing you the path I have walked. And now, I will show you the path I wanted to take. Keep it in your eyes. One day, you will get there.”

An atmosphere where something seems like it’s going to happen.

Dang Mu-jin and Hyeol-myeon Gwang-rang, who were in the middle of a fight, stopped for a moment and looked at Shin-seung.

Hyun-gong, Nam-gung-myeong, Hong-geol-gae, and even Gwi-wang and Gwang-yeom-ra were the same. Everyone hesitated as if they had made a promise. They knew that there was a life-or-death enemy right in front of them, but they couldn’t take their eyes off of it.

Shin Seung opened his eyes halfway, blood still flowing from his mouth and stomach.

And then a refreshing voice was heard that was hard to believe was coming from an old man.

“I bow to the compassionate Avalokiteshvara. With a thousand hands, you gather all living beings, and with a thousand eyes, you illuminate them with light.”

In a standing position, Shin Seung folded his right leg up and laid his shin horizontally. The posture was extremely precarious.

Shin Seung recited the sutra again.

“The hundred thousand samadhi are accomplished in an instant. This body that holds the dharani is the hall of light, and the mind that holds the dharani is the field of divine power.”

Shin Seung lifted his left leg without putting his right leg down.

A person must touch the ground to stand. Even a god had to fall down in an ugly way.

However, Shinseung did not fall, but remained floating in the air, sitting cross-legged.

The whitish aura surrounding Shinseung gradually condensed, and soon followed Shinseung’s breathing and entered his nostrils.

And soon, three faint flower buds bloomed above Shinseung’s head.

A sight that should be described as wondrous or strange rather than great or wonderful.

In this situation, there was one person who took action first: the Ghost King.

The ghost king hesitated and turned around, then began to run away.

However, Shin Seung did not chase after the ghost king.

“I will save all living beings. I will cut off endless suffering. I will learn the boundless Dharma. I will attain the highest Buddhahood.”

Likewise, the light flame, having made a quick decision, also began to run away. The light flame and the ghost king were running side by side, almost shoulder to shoulder.

Shin Seung slightly stuck his chin out. Then he raised both his hands up to his chest, making his two hearts look up at the sky.

“Now I bow to the Buddha.”

Shin Seung uncrossed his legs and placed his feet on the ground.

And he stood upright, supporting the ground with both legs. Shinseung still looked precarious, and blood was flowing out of his stomach and mouth. However, the Ghost King and Gwangyeomra did not stop their legs.

The voice of the new god continued to pierce the ear of the ghost king.

“Great and perfect, unhindered great compassion.”

Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva has great and broad compassion, so there are no obstacles or hindrances in his mind.

This was a passage from a Buddhist scripture that even the King of Gwi, who was a monk like Shinsung, was familiar with. It was just a common verse praising Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva.

However, the phrase ‘no obstacles’ (無碍) made the ghost king feel something eerie.

The distance between Shinsung and Gwiwang is currently about one hundred steps.

Shin Seung’s right leg took a half step forward. His left knee was slightly bent in place, supporting his upper body.

And the tightly clenched right fist. The very basic posture of a regime.

Shin Seung extended his right fist.

A herbivore without even a divine name.

The air in front of the fist bursts out with a sound like lightning striking.

A wave of energy that seemed similar to the Ghost King’s secret sect’s but was clearly different advanced a hundred paces and rushed towards the two demonic sect’s warriors.

At that moment, the light flame that was running beside the Ghost King pushed the Ghost King away. The Ghost King’s eyes opened wide.

“You, you punk…”

It was a very unfair situation, but there was no time to scream for too long. The Ghost King still had a vague solution left.

The best season that the ghost king has learned, Miljongdaesuin.

The ghost king bent both knees, planted his feet firmly on the ground, and extended both palms toward the divine being. It was a response that was not too late.

‘She’s an old woman with a hole in her stomach. Even if I try to draw out her innate energy in that state, her power won’t be able to come out. My secret vassal will be able to overcome her···!’

However, the moment the image of the divine being’s outstretched fist was engraved on the Ghost King’s huge palm, the Ghost King’s thoughts changed slightly.

‘···If you’re lucky, you might be able to survive without dying.’

The very next moment, the Demon King heard the sound of bones breaking in his wrists, elbows, and shoulders.

Wood crunch.

The sound of bones cracking through the skin was eerie.

However, since his neck would break and his sternum would collapse if he lowered his arms, the Ghost King held on by force, holding both arms up.

‘Just a little more!’

The intense pressure quickly subsided. If things continue as they are, I think I’ll be able to survive with only two broken arms.

At last, when the pressure was relieved, the Demon King raised his head.

A new monk appeared, still standing. This was very good news for the ghost king.

And he also saw Wanli Seung rushing towards him. This was not a very pleasant thing.

‘I have to run away…!’

My legs just won’t move.

Wanli Seung’s large fist slammed into the Demon King’s abdomen.

The ghost king’s consciousness was cut off there.

*

Bloody Face Light started to run away a little later than the Ghost King and the Light Flame.

But at the same time, the person in the best situation was also a bloodthirsty person.

Since Bloody Face Light was pretending to sleep and giving the Gwangyeomra an opportunity to surprise the party, he had to start the fight on the opposite side from the Ghost King and Gwangyeomra from the beginning.

At first, I didn’t like the situation, but the situation changed when Shin Seung showed off his strange martial arts.

Shin Seung’s strange martial arts were aimed at the Ghost King and the Light of Flame instead of the Bloody Face, and during this gap, the Bloody Face was able to sneak away. Life is like a blessing and a curse.

‘···Thanks to you, I survived.’

As Hyeolmyeon Gwangrang quietly walked out of the forest, the face of a guy who looked like Dang Mujin or something came to mind.

At first, I thought some idiot was just attacking me without knowing what I was doing, but after exchanging a few words, my thoughts changed. Dang Mu-jin was more dangerous than I had imagined.

Poisonous insects, poisoned swords, and the poison that secretly mixes in with the guy’s breath. This is the first time I’ve seen someone use poison in such a variety of ways.

‘How do I avoid the poisonous air that seeps in on the wind?’

Just because he was excellent at swordsmanship, it didn’t mean that Dang Mu-jin’s swordsmanship was inferior.

Compared to his age, his swordsmanship was also quite good. It’s just that his swordsmanship was relatively lacking because his poison was too far ahead.

‘It wasn’t enough to stop my sword, though.’

Hyeolmyeon Gwangrang felt regret.

‘If we had fought him cleanly one-on-one, I would have easily beheaded him. He was a poisonous man, but the situation was not good.’

The bloodthirsty man grabbed the tree and started to spit out some blood.

Black, dead blood flowed out for a moment, but soon normal, dark red blood flowed out.

Hyeolmyeon Gwangrang wiped the corner of his mouth. If it had been just a little poison, it would have ended at this point.

But Dang Mu-jin’s poison was extremely strong.

How many times has it seemed like all the poison was gone, only to have it surge up again?

I don’t even know how many kinds of poison I was poisoned with.

‘Why on earth is that guy mixed in with the Jeongpa and the unmanned?’

He relies more on poison and hidden weapons than on swords and fists, and the swordsmanship he occasionally uses is full of resentment and murderous intent. His methods of poisoning and the nature of the poison are also ingenious.

The poison of the Dangmujin does not aim for the windpipe like the poison of the fools. It just spreads little by little like morning dew slowly wetting the bottom of the pants, expanding its territory. Naturally, it forces the opponent into a corner.

Hyeolmyeon Gwangrang has met quite a few Sapha warriors. However, he has rarely encountered anyone who fights as insidiously as Dang Mujin.

Suddenly, it occurred to me that I would soon run into Dang Mu-jin again.

That’s more of a certainty than a prediction.

‘Should I go back and try to win now? No. That’s too hasty. First, I’ll take care of my physical condition, then I’ll hang around and wait for an opportunity…’

At that moment, an eerie intuition stopped Hyeomyeon Gwangrang’s steps.

‘come!’

As soon as the blood-stained dragon flew backwards, a metal disc fell from the sky and struck the ground.

‘···If I hadn’t looked around while thinking of something else, I would have been stuck in Jeongsu-ri.’

Then two more discs flew into the gap in the trees.

The orbits are all different. One disc falls from above. Another disc suddenly jumps from ankle height to heart height. Hyeolmyeon Gwangrang thought as he dodged the discs.

‘That guy could handle up to three discs… By the way, did he come alone?’

Bloody Face Light released all three discs, but instead of running out of the forest, he hid in the forest. It seemed that Dang Mu-jin had approached him alone, so he thought it would be better to eliminate Dang Mu-jin before leaving the forest.

You have to get rid of the guys who are likely to be a troublemaker early. You have to pay the price of your right ear too.

After looking around for a moment, Hyeolmyeon Gwangrang found Dang Mujin.

Dang Mu-jin was looking around as if he had missed Hyeolmyeon Gwangrang’s movements.

‘Don’t approach hastily. Approach carefully and take its life in one go.’

It made my blood boil and my senses spin.

If you constantly remind yourself of the existence of the wheel and focus your senses with your eyes and ears, you can easily avoid the wheel.

Hyeolmyeon Gwangrang held his breath and moved towards Dangmujin. The surroundings were strangely quiet.

But there was a strange sensation at the moment of the blow. It wasn’t the sensation of being cut by a blade or of allowing a fatal blow. It was a small rustling sound, along with the sensation of my toes grazing the ground.

‘···uh?’

At first glance, it may not seem like a particularly strange situation, but right now, Hyeolmyeon Gwangrang was concentrating his senses and secretly approaching Dangmujin.

It is very basic to be careful where you walk so that your feet do not make the sound of the fallen leaves.

I’m moving carefully, concentrating, but my feet are dragging on the ground. Something feels strange.

‘no way.’

Hyeolmyeon Gwangrang stretched out his hand and hurriedly looked around his leg. As expected, something strange caught his hand. A very thin and sharp needle was stuck in his calf.

Hyeolmyeon Gwangrang pulled out the needle and ran his hand over his calf. His senses were hazy.

‘Poison sting?’

Did he have another sinister move hidden?

If you can’t approach quietly, then all that’s left is a quick solution.

Hyeolmyeon Gwangrang gritted his teeth and ran towards Dangmujin. Dangmujin’s hand moved, and Bi-ryun rushed towards Hyeolmyeon Gwangrang once again.

But the bloodthirsty madness did not slow down.

This is not a situation where the poison is widely spread like before, and there is no one to protect Dang Mu-jin’s back. All he has to do is cut the neck briefly and escape. The difference in the level of the two is obvious.

I twist my head to avoid the first flying wheel, then swing my arm and knock the side of the second flying wheel down with the back of my hand. The third flying wheel comes flying towards my ankle, but I narrowly avoid it.

And beyond the third wheel, Hyeolmyeon Gwangrang saw two poisonous needles flying towards him, shining faintly. The needles were so thin that they were barely visible.

Hyeolmyeon Gwangrang swung his sword and cut off the poisonous needle.

‘Even the plan was ruined!’

Hyeolmyeon Gwangrang looked at Dangmujin with that thought in his mind.

And then I realized that Dang Mu-jin was holding a strangely shaped cylinder in each of his hands.

It wasn’t particularly large, and its shape wasn’t threatening. But that made it even more suspicious. Bloodshot’s eyebrows twitched.

‘···What is that?’

But if he hesitates, he might call in the gang. At the moment when the bloodthirsty demon was charging forward without slowing down, Dang Mu-jin’s thumbs moved.

Tick ​​tick-

Dozens of needles poured out onto the bloodthirsty man with a dull sound.

I hurriedly swung my sword to block it, but I was unable to completely avoid the poisonous needles that suddenly poured out.

It was too sudden, the distance was too close, and there were too many stingers. Hyeolmyeon Gwangrang stretched out his sword to block the stingers as much as he could, and then stretched out his forearm to block the ones he couldn’t.

I feel the stinger piercing my skin and a faint venomous aura seeping in.

‘Thank goodness, it’s not a deadly poison.’

But backing down here would be like falling for Dang Mu-jin’s scheme.

‘We need to close the gap.’

Bloody Face Light continued to rush towards Dang Mujin. The two cylinders in Dang Mujin’s hands were still aimed at Bloody Face Light.

Tick, tick.

The poison spurted out again.

Now that we know what kind of weapon it is, we can deal with it somehow.

Bloody Face Kwangrang kicked the ground and flew his body to dodge the pouring poisonous needles once again. This was a response worthy of a true master.

Dang Mu-jin was seen throwing away the cylinders in both hands.

‘I don’t know what it is, but it looks like it’s all been used.’

The poison I had been slowly absorbing was slowly clouding my consciousness.

Hyeolmyeon Gwangrang gradually regained consciousness and guessed Dangmujin’s next move.

‘I’ll draw my sword. I’m pretty familiar with the way the sword is used. I’ll pretend to take some damage and then take the head off in one strike…’

As expected, Dang Mujin’s right hand pulled out the sword. A faint smile appeared in Hyeolmyeon Gwangrang’s eyes.

But that was a failure.

Hyeolmyeon Gwangrang was so busy examining Dang Mujin’s right hand, which held the sword, that he didn’t realize that his left index and middle fingers were pointing to the ground.

River (降).

The fourth ring fell through the branches and dug into the crown of the Bloodthirsty Demon.

*

The Ghost King woke up with a sharp pain in his abdomen. He still clearly remembers the moment just before he fainted.

I survived Shinsung’s final moments, and I remember being punched in the stomach by Manryuk Seung.

Although his stomach was in shambles, it seemed that his life was saved by the help of heaven.

“Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva.”

The ghost king opened his eyes and looked for Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva after a long time.

But the next moment, my heart sank because Hyun-gong was sitting in front of me.

Well, after waking up from a fight and passing out, there’s no way I’d be alone.

It’s much better than waking up in front of Wanli Seung or Hwahwa Nogae.

‘If it’s this guy…!’

The Ghost King tried to move his arms, but all he felt was pain. His face darkened as he belatedly remembered that both his arms had been broken.

‘I have to save my life.’

The moment the Ghost King staggered to his feet and tried to run away, Hyun-gong opened his mouth.

“Brother Ear, please wait. There are people not far away, so you cannot run away.”

No matter what the story was, it would have been normal to ignore it and run away, but the Ghost King’s steps stopped on their own. Regardless of the content, it was because Hyungong’s voice and title were strangely familiar.

Hyun-gong continued the story.

“People say that you can’t compensate for your faults with merit. But I think a little differently. Accumulating merit doesn’t make your faults disappear, but you can cover them up with merit.”

“···.”

“Everyone wanted to kill Brother Gwi. However, I saw potential in Brother Gwi’s eyes. They were the eyes of someone who had repented his past mistakes and had the potential to cover up his sins by accumulating merits. They were eyes full of regret and longing. I also saw potential in Brother Gwi’s past when he was a monk. Brother Gwi wasn’t a fundamentally evil person. He just made a mistake.”

The story of Hyun-gong immediately penetrated deep into the heart of the ghost king.

Those who commit sin tend to rationalize their actions a hundred times over.

There’s nothing we can do about it. It was his fault. It’s unfair. It was just a mistake – and so on, making excuses.

This is true not only for petty criminals, but also for criminals who have committed serious crimes, such as the King of Demons.

The ghost king recalled the day he turned his back on Buddha because he was in love with women.

Now I’ve accepted it all and given up, but I can’t tell you how much I regretted it at the time.

It’s not because I’m such a useless piece of trash. I couldn’t help it. It was just a mistake I made because I couldn’t control my temper. I remembered the past when I muttered like that.

Of course, the Ghost King was not a fool, so he could guess that there was an intention in the Duke’s tongue.

“What do you want from me? Aren’t you going to kill me anyway?”

“No. I hope that you will reflect and find a new life. Tell me the truth about this war. Tell me what will happen in the future. I am sure that you know a lot. You will be able to save many people’s lives. Then people will forgive you.”

It was a really sweet story. But the ghost king came to his senses. It was because the Duke of Xuan’s story was too sweet.

If it were that easy to cover up a sin, then there would have been no need to run away to the devil’s cult.

“Nonsense! I won’t be fooled! I killed the leaders of the Cheongseong and Jongnam factions. Even if I confess everything, all that will be left for me is the resentment and revenge of the Jeongpa faction’s soldiers!”

Hyun-gong still sat still and looked at the ghost king. The two people’s eyes met.

People say that they read each other’s minds through their eyes, but in reality, it is closer to the moment when they reveal each other’s inner thoughts than reading each other.

The ghost king observed the feelings revealed through the eyes of the prince.

The only emotion contained in Hyun-gong’s eyes was deep regret. Hyun-gong spoke in a wet voice.

“···I know. I’m sure it will be like that.”

“Okay. So don’t do anything stupid…!”

“However, sacrificing your own life to lead others to a brighter life is the greatest virtue, and it is the fastest way to reach the highest level. I am speaking as a Taoist master, not as a martial artist.”

Hyun-gong continued his story in a passionate tone.

“Just as I am a Taoist, the martial artists of Cheongseongpa and Jongnampa are Taoist artists before they are martial artists. They will also know that merit can cover up faults to some extent. At the very least, they will know that you are much better than someone who does not even have the heart to accumulate merit.”

There was a subtle premise inserted into Hyun-gong’s story. The premise was, ‘You have already decided to accumulate virtue.’ However, the ghost king did not realize this fact.

The ghost king answered mumblingly.

“Deed… You wouldn’t know it since you’re young. Resentment isn’t such a shallow emotion. They’ll try to kill me in one fell swoop as soon as they see me.”

“I will stop it. I will stop it even if it costs me my life. Of course, I cannot be completely sure that they will forgive you, brother. But no matter what, I will give them a chance to judge you again. Wouldn’t that be okay?”

Hyun-gong grabbed the ghost king’s fingertips with very careful hands.

It should have been extremely painful, with his bones shattered into pieces, but the Ghost King felt no pain.

When was the last time someone had held his hand? He couldn’t quite remember.

Hyun-gong whispered.

“Repent and return to Buddhism. Return to the side of the great, compassionate Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva.”

The ghost king’s breathing quickened. Such a sweet whisper.

The demon king shouted in anger.

“Don’t fool me! How could I, how could I believe such a story! Why would you help me, your enemy! I won’t be fooled!”

When Hyun-gong heard that story, he asked instead.

“Hey, bro. Do you know what my nickname is?”

There’s no way I’d remember the nickname of the Jeongpa Huji Index. It had to be that way.

But when I thought about it, I thought of that guy’s nickname. I don’t know if I heard it from the Gongdongpa, from Giryeonsan, or from the fight just now.

The ghost king opened his mouth, groping.

“Really…?”

“Yes, I never lie.”

Hyun-gong stood up from his seat and looked down at the ghost king with a most dignified smile.

The sun shone brightly beyond Hyun-gong’s shoulder.

“Please believe me.”

The last story was obviously an afterthought.

Because the ghost king already trusted Hyeon-gong.