CLS-Chapter 614

Chapter 614:

“What an unpleasant smell.”

Laughing Demon frowned.

The scent wafting from the dust-covered ancient books was stinging his nose.

“The Scripture Pavilion…”

Laughing Demon’s smile deepened.

Shaolin’s Scripture Pavilion wasn’t simply a place where Shaolin’s secret manuals were stored.

There’s a saying: All martial arts under heaven come from Shaolin. This means all learning under heaven—that is, all martial studies—originated from Shaolin.

This phrase proves that Shaolin is the source of Central Plains martial arts. Shaolin’s Scripture Pavilion, where all of Shaolin’s martial studies were preserved, was like a sacred ground of the martial world.

The Demonic Cult’s Cult Leader, whom they least wanted to let in, was entering the most sacred place in the martial world.

‘How interesting.’

Trampling the Scripture Pavilion underfoot would provide quite a base pleasure. Laughing Demon took a deep breath.

“When I so desperately wanted to burn this place down, I couldn’t even approach it, yet now I enter so easily.”

How refreshing this felt.

During the past war, they had made relentless efforts to crush Shaolin. But that goal was ultimately never achieved until the war ended.

To accomplish it so easily now felt somewhat anticlimactic.

“There’s nothing particularly special here.”

“What, did you expect the books to fly around?”

At War Demon’s teasing, Laughing Demon’s smile grew even deeper.

“I’m already quite heated up, so it would be best not to provoke me.”

“Hmph!”

Though War Demon snorted, he didn’t provoke Laughing Demon any further.

‘How irritating.’

He too felt strange, for the same reason. From the moment they entered this place, something felt unsettling.

It wasn’t just the pressure of entering the Scripture Pavilion. War Demon wasn’t the type to feel such things.

This unsettling feeling was… what should he call it…

‘It feels like something opposing me.’

Was it because of the scholarly aura pervading the entire Scripture Pavilion?

He’s been feeling uncomfortable for a while now. If they didn’t have business here, War Demon would have left this place without looking back.

“Hmm.”

“You seem uncomfortable.”

Wei San-ho spoke coldly.

“That’s understandable. This place is filled with the energy of Breaking Death. Trash like you couldn’t dare approach such a place.”

“Oh?”

War Demon turned to look at Wei San-ho.

“The energy of Breaking Death… Quite an interesting phrase. So you can emit such energy too, Demon-Slaying Sword Wei San-ho?”

Wei San-ho’s eyebrows twitched at the words “Demon-Slaying Sword.”

Demon-Slaying. Literally meaning to destroy demons. It was a mocking reference to someone with the nickname Demon-Slaying Sword moving together with the Demonic Cult’s leaders.

“Hah…”

Wei San-ho took a low, deep breath.

“Indeed, the ridiculous one is actually me.”

When Wei San-ho readily admitted it, War Demon clicked his tongue as if it were no fun.

“There’s no point wasting time. Let’s do what we came to do and return.”

“Hmm.”

War Demon extended his hand. Black demonic energy billowed from his hand. That demonic energy immediately spread out and quickly filled the entire Scripture Pavilion.

“Hmm, it’s pushing back.”

It was a curious thing.

Though they were merely books without life dwelling in them, the texts filling the library were emitting a faint golden light that was pushing back War Demon’s demonic energy.

“Are these Dharma Artifacts?”

War Demon slightly bared his teeth.

He didn’t like that mere books were pushing back his demonic energy.

‘I’ll tear them all apart…’

That was the moment.

Paaang!

A sharp sound of a sword being swung through air rang out, then a large hole appeared in the building as books were flung backward. All the books filling the Scripture Pavilion were blown outside in a single stroke.

Looking at the now-empty Scripture Pavilion, War Demon turned his head.

Sring.

Wei San-ho was sheathing his sword.

“Should be easier now”

“…”

War Demon frowned slightly.

‘Annoying bastard.’

He had planned to tear apart and burn all the books in this place. But because Wei San-ho had blown away all the books, that had become difficult.

He could collect and gather the scattered books to burn them, but that too would be utterly undignified.

“Don’t think I’ll tolerate your arrogance forever.”

“I’m counting on that. You know that too, don’t you?”

“…Hmph!”

War Demon turned his head away.

There was no point in exchanging words. If Wei San-ho had truly devoted himself to the Demonic Cult, War Demon would have already broken every bone in Wei San-ho’s body and thrown him into a pool of blood.

Being arrogant toward a superior was also a sin.

‘Demon Blood…’

But even within the Demonic Cult, Demon Blood was a special existence.

“Wei San-ho.”

“…”

“Wei San-ho.”

“My ears work fine. You don’t need to call me so many times.”

War Demon narrowed his eyes.

“It would be good to clarify your position. There are limits to tolerating you out of respect for the Great Demon Emperor.”

“You’re spouting nonsense.”

“What?”

“When have you ever left me alone out of respect for that man? That’s not it. You’re just scared and keeping your heads down because you don’t want to die.”

“…You bastard!”

War Demon’s body trembled with rage.

It couldn’t be more insulting.

“Don’t speak as if you revered that man. You were just puppets being used, weren’t you?”

“You!”

No one under heaven could speak this way.

Who was the Great Demon Emperor?

Though he was now dead and gone, he had once led the Demonic Cult. Who would dare insult such a person like this? Even those wicked Orthodox sect lackeys wouldn’t dare insult the Great Demon Emperor so openly.

Moreover, Wei San-ho was the Great Demon Emperor’s son.

How could he humiliate his own father like this?

“You ungrateful bastard.”

“Being told that by Demonic Cult members doesn’t feel very good.”

“…How did such a creature come from him?”

“I don’t know that either.”

When Wei San-ho smiled quietly, War Demon’s face contorted.

“I’d prefer if you stopped there. Whether it’s you or me, we both find each other distasteful anyway. Exchanging words will only sour our moods.”

War Demon sneered.

“But I’d prefer not to be treated the same. I don’t want to be considered on the same level as someone whose death date is already set.”

Wei San-ho said nothing more.

Then War Demon turned his head and emitted demonic energy again.

It was being pushed back.

Even though all the ancient books that had been here were gone, his demonic energy was still being repelled.

“Over there.”

War Demon withdrew his demonic energy and walked toward one spot.

The floor.

It was where the massive central bookshelf had been. An unknown energy was emanating from that floor.

“To hide a tree, you must hide it in a forest. To hide Dharma Artifacts, hide them among Dharma Artifacts… What an unimaginable method.”

The Scripture Pavilion was an incredibly important place.

It was the source of Shaolin, and all of Shaolin’s martial studies—which could be called the source of the entire martial world—were stored here. How could it not be important? It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say there was no more important place in the entire martial world.

This was true both practically and symbolically.

But War Demon had no interest in such martial texts. To him, Shaolin’s martial studies were just miscellaneous writings he couldn’t learn nor needed to learn.

Their purpose wasn’t secret manuals or anything like that.

“Hmm.”

War Demon carefully knelt on the floor. Then he began digging into the floor with both hands. For someone who had wanted to burn down the Scripture Pavilion, his touch was unbelievably careful.

After digging into the floor for a while, something caught War Demon’s fingertips.

“Kuk!”

A burning pain was felt at his fingertips.

His face contorting, War Demon ignored the pain and continued digging into the floor.

Eventually, a small wooden box revealed itself from the floor.

War Demon carefully picked up the wooden box.

“Ummm.”

Veins bulged over his hands. The burning pain made him tremble.

“A mere object…”

“You can’t call it a mere object.”

Wei San-ho reached out and picked up the wooden box. He didn’t seem to feel any particular pain.

“Among Dharma Artifacts, there probably isn’t a more important Dharma Artifact than this.”

“…That’s probably true.”

Though War Demon and Laughing Demon wanted to object to everything Wei San-ho said, they had to agree with his current words. Literally, that could be called the most important Dharma Artifact existing in the world.

It might be more important than Shaolin’s entire Scripture Pavilion. That’s why Shaolin had buried and carefully preserved it under the Scripture Pavilion.

“Shaolin didn’t know either. How amusing.”

“The most important things are often considered unimportant. When you reduce the number of people who know something for security, eventually it stops being passed down. Everyone forgets.”

“Stupid fools.”

War Demon clicked his tongue.

Wei San-ho quietly reached out and opened the wooden box. The moment the box opened, golden radiance burst forth from within.

“Keuuk!”

War Demon and Laughing Demon, seeing that radiance, stepped back.

It wasn’t unbearable, but just being hit by the light caused twisting pain throughout their bodies.

“Damn… Should I say ‘as expected’?”

Even while feeling the eye-piercing pain, War Demon opened his eyes wide. That object wasn’t something easily seen. So he had to confirm it with his own eyes at a time like this.

Inside the wooden box lay a small stone.

A small stone the size of a pinky nail.

It wasn’t beautiful like a jewel, nor was it smooth—just an ordinary stone fragment. But anyone who knew the identity of that stone couldn’t call it ordinary.

“Bodhidharma’s True Body Relic…”

War Demon licked his lips.

Though Buddhism had numerous Dharma Artifacts and treasures, there was no Dharma Artifact more important than Bodhidharma’s True Body Relic. How could those who serve Buddha worship material objects… but the relic of Dharma, the founder of Central Plains Buddhism and Shaolin, had a special significance.

“They preserved it well.”

“Because it’s important.”

“Since it’s important, we should put it to good use.”

Tak.

The closed wooden box went into Wei San-ho’s embrace.

“The mission is complete. I wonder if the others are doing well.”

“You should have checked then.”

“There was no one more unreliable than you lot.”

“Hmph.”

Wei San-ho walked ahead.

Then War Demon and Laughing Demon watched him before following behind.

They wanted to mock him thoroughly, but at this moment, they couldn’t mock that bastard.

‘How cruel.’

Considering how that Dharma Artifact would be used, the sight of Wei San-ho carrying Dharma’s relic was tragedy among tragedies. But Wei San-ho was voluntarily playing such a role. That’s why the Cult Leaders were tolerating his rudeness.

‘Foolish Central Plains people.’

They wouldn’t understand. Why the Cult Leaders had come to the Central Plains, why the Demonic Cult was acting so foolishly.

But they would know soon.

What they would face wasn’t the Demonic Cult they had been thinking of.

A god who would collapse the world and establish a new order was descending upon this world.

As War Demon left the Scripture Pavilion, he saw novice monks and scholar monks still trembling in fear.

“No need to worry.”

Because he wouldn’t kill them.

They would all die soon anyway. Until then, it wouldn’t be bad for them to experience hell on earth.

War Demon laughed lowly as he followed behind Wei San-ho.