CLS-Chapter 612

Chapter 612:

Do you know what happens to people who face war?

Hmm? You don’t know because you haven’t experienced it?

Are you playing games with me right now? Then is all the history you study something you’ve personally experienced?

Hmm? You think people would become extremely agitated?

No, no.

That’s what most would think. But in reality, it’s not like that. Because humans are animals that know how to learn.

The side that loses its composure is the one that loses in war.

This is something we hear so naturally from childhood that it becomes common sense.

That’s how people are. Whether they study on their own or not, things heard countless times remain in their heads.

So they try not to get excited.

Everyone strives to maintain composure.

Wouldn’t that be enough then?

Tsk tsk, this person.

Do you know how to become a master?

If you don’t know, I’ll tell you. Starting today, think seriously about martial arts and reduce your sleeping time to devote yourself to training. If you train and contemplate much more than others, you can become a master.

Who doesn’t know that?

That’s exactly my point, my friend.

Who doesn’t know that, right?

You must stay calm in war, getting excited leads to defeat, war requires maintaining ice-cold reason to achieve victory.

Who doesn’t know this?

But humans are human precisely because they cannot practice everything they know. There isn’t a single person in this world who doesn’t know what they should do right now or how to become a master.

The problem is that we cannot practice what we know, that’s what I’m saying.

Do you understand what I mean?

At that time, we thought we were calm. We believed so naturally since we were keeping ourselves in check.

But that’s how all worldly affairs are.

Excitement is something the person involved doesn’t recognize, isn’t it? When you realize you were excited, it’s already after the situation has ended. You don’t know it at the time.

So we couldn’t know.

……No, maybe not. Now that I think about it, maybe it wasn’t like that.

Perhaps everyone knew but just wanted to turn away from it.

What do you mean?

We didn’t think about it.

That the one we were facing wasn’t just Baek Sword Castle.

***

Mount Song.

Known as one of the Five Great Famous Mountains under Heaven, also called the Five Peaks.

Mount Song was famous enough for its elegant scenery and lofty mountain ridges alone, but there was another reason why Mount Song was truly famous.

Namely, that Shaolin was located at Mount Song’s Small Chamber Peak.

Thousand-Year Shaolin.

Shaolin, which had sustained the martial world as its North Star for ages, carried a weight that made people reverent just by its name alone.

Shaolin’s main gate.

A worn and small main gate that didn’t match the enormous name of Shaolin. Before that gate, a group of figures revealed themselves.

“Shaolin……”

It was a rough and sharp voice like scraping metal.

“How amusing. In the past, no matter how hard I tried to reach this place, I couldn’t, yet now I can reach it so easily.”

“Stop spouting nonsense.”

The white-haired elder turned his head. When his gaze met another elder behind him, the old man smiled coldly.

“You must have lived long enough. Seeing how you’re eager to die.”

“You’d better shut your mouth, Laughing Demon.”

The elder called Laughing Demon deepened his smile even more.

“Shaolin would be a most suitable place as a tomb for demons.”

“Perhaps. But I have no intention of dying here.”

“You……”

“Shh.”

The man brought his finger to his lips.

“It’s natural for people to talk more as they age, but it would be good to consider time and place. We came here with a purpose.”

“There seems to be enough time to kill you?”

“Perhaps. But would that person tolerate it?”

When that person was mentioned, the smile disappeared from Laughing Demon’s face.

He was called Laughing Demon precisely because he never stopped smiling. Laughing Demon was said to never lose that smile even at the moment of death, but the oppressive weight of that person erased even the faint smile from his face.

“……We should do what we came to do.”

“It seems you still have a thinking head. Fortunately.”

“You……”

“Don’t waste time.”

Laughing Demon showed a cruel smile.

“War Demon, you will definitely die in agony. I promise that for certain.”

“Death is simply death. Whether it comes easily or painfully makes no difference.”

War Demon’s eyes gleamed.

“And I do not fear death. If I were afraid of returning to the sacred holy fire, it would prove my faith is still lacking. What I fear is becoming unable to live or die because we have displeased that person.”

Laughing Demon also nodded.

Though their hearts didn’t align and their relationship wasn’t good, the topic of that person bound their hearts as one.

Fear.

The Demon Cult’s archbishops who had pushed the world into terror were trembling in fear at the thought of one person.

“Normally, I wouldn’t open my mouth no matter what you did. But not now. Laughing Demon, focus on your task. If your reckless actions cause me to fail to complete that person’s command, I will not lay a finger on you.”

“Usually at times like that, shouldn’t you say you’ll kill me?”

“I cannot let you escape that person’s judgment by killing you. I intend to definitely offer you alive before that person.”

“Damn bastard.”

Laughing Demon contorted his face.

It sounded absurd, but it was threatening enough.

Laughing Demon’s entire body trembled as he recalled that person in his mind.

“Why does the Heavenly Demon want this?”

“We don’t need to know.”

“……”

“What the Heavenly Demon does is truth itself. There’s no need to think about reasons or question the logic. Just as there’s no need to doubt that water flows downward.”

“I suppose so.”

“We’ve stalled enough time. Now we begin.”

War Demon strode toward Shaolin’s main gate.

Kwaaaaang!

“What’s that!”

“What’s happening!”

At the tremendous explosion, everyone’s gaze turned to the main gate.

Shaolin was a vast place.

Though most Shaolin monks had left their posts for the decisive battle with Baek Sword Castle, they couldn’t completely empty the main temple. Shaolin was a temple before being a martial sect. The incense visitors and scholar monks studying Buddhist scriptures had no relation to martial world affairs.

Therefore, they had left the minimum personnel to guard the main temple. Their gazes turned toward the main gate.

Through the dust-filled main gate, an old man walked in. Then he threw something he was holding inside.

Thud!

The Shaolin monks’ eyes widened as if they would tear upon seeing the round object that fell to the ground.

A head.

The identity of the round object was a human head. The head of the one guarding the main gate had been severed and thrown.

“Amitabha!”

“Such cruel acts!”

Those who witnessed that horrific scene couldn’t hide their agitation.

Where was this place?

Shaolin. This was Shaolin itself.

Who would dare invade Thousand-Year Shaolin and commit such acts?

“Demon Cult!”

Only the Demon Cult would do such things. And the demonic energy they were emanating proved that fact all too clearly.

“Kek kek. Shaolin monks, it’s been a while since I’ve seen them.”

War Demon slowly turned his head.

“All the substance has drained away, leaving only the dregs.”

“Didn’t we already know that when we came?”

At Laughing Demon’s words who followed behind, War Demon nodded.

“I knew, but it’s still disappointing. Definitely disappointing. I was hoping to taste monks’ blood after so long.”

“I’m definitely disappointed about that too.”

War Demon licked his lips.

Shaolin’s martial arts were strong. They too acknowledged Shaolin’s martial arts. Especially Shaolin’s martial arts, specialized in Demon-Breaking and Demon-Subduing, showed definite advantages when facing Demon Cult members.

But that wasn’t everything.

The reason Shaolin was fearsome was because they didn’t fear death. Like the Demon Cult, Shaolin also didn’t think death led to complete annihilation.

Wasn’t it the teaching of Buddhist law that by sacrificing this life, a new life would be granted?

Beings who fight without fear are always strong. That’s why Shaolin was always strong.

“What kind of acts are these!”

An old monk in yellow robes burst out from somewhere.

“Ho?”

“How dare you cause disturbance at Shaolin’s mountain gate.”

“Who are you?”

At War Demon’s calm question, the old monk bit his lips tightly. There was probably no need to answer such an absurd and ridiculous question, but he was the one in a difficult position now.

This is serious.

All Demon Cult members were targets of vigilance. But among them, those old men seemed far beyond ordinary no matter how he looked at them.

The demonic energy inadvertently emanating was blocking his breathing. If the demonic energy casually flowing was this level, what would happen if they seriously used their demonic arts was terrifyingly unimaginable.

In a situation where he couldn’t gauge the opponent’s full strength, he had to buy even a little time.

“This monk is called Gong Ryeong.”

“Gong character generation…… Much time has indeed passed. To think the Gong generation is taking responsibility.”

“That’s understandable. Didn’t all those upper generation bastards die off?”

“Right, they did. I think I killed quite a few myself.”

Gong Ryeong’s eyebrows trembled.

The meaning of their words was all too clear.

“By any chance……”

Gong Ryeong swallowed dry saliva and opened his mouth.

“Are you archbishops?”

“The young one has good eyes.”

“Good time to die. Much better than dying ugly when your vigor has dulled.”

Gong Ryeong squeezed his eyes shut.

Archbishops. Two of them at that.

If such beings came together, Shaolin’s fate was all too obvious. Even if the abbot and all the arhats were present, they couldn’t guarantee victory, let alone Shaolin left without a master could not possibly handle them.

‘I must save at least the scholar monks.’

The novice monks too.

“May I ask the reason you’ve come here?”

“No need to waste time stalling.”

War Demon said coldly.

“Your shallow tricks are plain to see. And there’s no need for that anyway. We came here to make a deal.”

“You said a deal?”

“That’s right. Open the Sutra Pavilion. Half a shichen will be enough. If you let us enter there, we’ll withdraw without harming anyone.”

Gong Ryeong’s face hardened.

‘Sutra Pavilion?’

What was in that place that they demanded the Sutra Pavilion be opened?

‘Open the Sutra Pavilion to save everyone?’

It wasn’t a bad proposal. Of course, the soul of Shaolin was in there. The secret manuals of the Seventy-Two Arts including the Muscle-Tendon Change Classic and Marrow-Washing Classic were all stored in the Sutra Pavilion.

Opening such a place to Demon Cult members was absolutely impossible.

But those were just external things after all.

Could those mere secret manuals be more important than human lives?

After repeated deliberation, Gong Ryeong finally made his decision and opened his mouth.

“That cannot be done.”

“……Cannot?”

Gong Ryeong nodded.

“If you are Demon Cult followers, your purpose is obvious. Though I can endure Shaolin’s spirit being tainted, I cannot help you dye the world in blood.”

“Is that so?”

War Demon smiled lightly.

“I too hoped you would respond that way. I’ll get to taste monks’ blood after a long time.”

War Demon charged forward without another word.