Chapter 85

Storm of Sorrow (1)

Master and disciple set out on a mission together.

As Namgung Jun climbed the mountain, his breathing deepened.

The air mixed with the pale mist felt unusually profound and solemn.

This was Mount Jiuhua in Anhui Province.

A sacred Buddhist site said to contain more than three hundred temples and nearly six thousand Buddha statues.

Namgung Jun surveyed the mountain range.

A thin blanket of mist lay draped across the long, uninterrupted ridges stretching into the distance.

This is my first time visiting this place.

His former life's Namcheon Palace had also been located in Anhui, but he had never had a reason to come to Mount Jiuhua.

There were no notable martial sects here—only monks wholly devoted to the teachings of Buddhism.

As he took in the scenery, Namgung Jun turned his head.

"It's peaceful."

"It'd be nice if things stayed this way."

There was a hidden meaning in Lee Seha's reply.

It was because of their mission.

"Namman Osu."

The martial artists the master and disciple were hunting.

Disciples expelled from Namman Beast Palace, one of the most prominent sects in the distant Southern Martial World.

Every time they appeared, the types and numbers of animals they controlled were different, and the martial arts each of them practiced followed principles unlike those of the Central Plains.

"They used to operate mainly in Guangdong and Guangxi. No idea why they've suddenly come all the way to Anhui and started causing trouble."

"I heard their martial prowess is considerable. Yet they target defenseless monks."

As they climbed Mount Jiuhua, Namgung Jun recalled the information Lee Seha had given him.

Twelve monks have already lost their lives.

That was the reason they had come here.

The Namman Osu were hiding somewhere on Mount Jiuhua and hunting monks, and the master and disciple had come to eliminate them.

"Is it true that they control savage beasts?"

"It is. The animals they bring with them change every time they show themselves. It's probably a skill they learned from Namman Beast Palace."

The last time the Namman Osu had appeared, three years ago, they had been accompanied by more than ten wolves.

Now, however, rumors spoke of a single enormous tiger under their command.

Myeonyeong Pavilion had personally confirmed that information.

"You're not afraid of animals, are you?" Lee Seha asked teasingly. "You'd be surprised how many martial artists are. Some top experts are terrified of nothing more than a wolf."

"Of course not."

Lee Seha continued probing him, but Namgung Jun let the remarks slide with the expressionless calm of a stone statue.

"Then the stories about the Namman Osu hunting people with their trained beasts aren't exaggerated."

"Not at all. The number of victims is considerable. Not just commoners—quite a few martial artists have fallen prey as well."

The Namman Osu never fed their beasts separately.

The animals were forced to hunt humans for food.

There was a reason for that.

They modeled their martial arts after the way those beasts hunted.

As a result, although they came from the same sect, each member practiced entirely different martial arts.

Over the years, they had raised many kinds of beasts and adopted only the traits they admired, causing the forms and techniques of their martial arts to differ greatly from one another.

"Troublesome. Martial arts modeled after beasts... and each practitioner's level is far from ordinary."

The leader of the Namman Osu, Geomsu, was a peak expert who had reached the Second Wheel of the Three Flowers Gathering at the Summit.

The other four were all at least seasoned Peak Realm experts.

"If we were sending ordinary Third Cloud operatives, we'd need at least five people, even including me."

Lee Seha raised a hand and ruffled Namgung Jun's hair.

It wasn't as easy as before.

Namgung Jun had grown considerably taller in a short period of time.

Lee Seha had to raise his arm much higher than he used to, yet he felt even happier because of it.

His disciple's growth had suddenly become very tangible.

"But if it's you, Jun, we won't need that many."

Namgung Jun nodded.

"After the fierce battles in Jiangxi Province, it would be better for us to handle this ourselves."

His confident answer made his master's smile broaden.

"Exactly. I told you my choice was the right one."

Namgung Jun nodded and looked around.

Temples could be seen scattered all along the winding mountain paths.

Even at a glance, there were dozens within sight.

Across the entirety of Mount Jiuhua, there were said to be well over three hundred such temples.

Under such circumstances, there was no way of knowing where the Namman Osu might appear next to commit murder.

"Hmm..."

The sheer number of temples was overwhelming.

If the Namman Osu chose to hide within one of them, finding them without reliable intelligence would be exceedingly difficult.

"Master, do you have a way to find them?"

"Of course. There's someone who can help us."

Lee Seha led Namgung Jun forward with brisk, confident strides.

The master and disciple arrived at a small temple called Bojeon Temple.

An elderly monk, apparently the abbot, came out to greet them.

"Welcome, benefactors."

A serene atmosphere gently enveloped the temple.

Yet amid that tranquility, Namgung Jun sensed a strange undercurrent of activity.

Perhaps noticing his gaze, the abbot looked toward him.

"You have keen instincts, young benefactor."

Namgung Jun did not reply.

He simply bowed his head.

The abbot guided the pair to the innermost hall.

Namgung Jun and Lee Seha sat cross-legged before a Buddha statue.

Like ordinary worshippers visiting the temple, they lit incense and enjoyed the calm atmosphere.

Then it happened.

A large crow landed atop the Buddha statue's upraised palm.

The tips of its feathers were ash-gray, and its eyes shared the same gray hue.

Perhaps because black and gray mingled together, the intelligence shining within the crow's eyes seemed especially striking.

Feeling the crow's gaze lingering on him, Namgung Jun turned away from the statue and looked back at it.

After staring at him for quite some time, the crow was the first to break eye contact.

It left the statue and flew off toward some unknown destination.

Lee Seha watched it in silence before immediately rising to his feet.

There was not the slightest hesitation in his movements.

"Shall we go?"

Leaving the temple, Lee Seha turned his gaze toward the direction in which the crow had flown.

Watching him, the abbot pressed his palms together.

"Amitabha."

Lee Seha bowed his head and left Bojeon Temple.

Namgung Jun followed behind his master. At first, Lee Seha seemed to be heading aimlessly deeper into the mountains.

"Master?"

Despite Namgung Jun's question, Lee Seha entered the forest without hesitation.

It did not take long for Namgung Jun to realize where his master's steps were leading.

The crow was visible ahead of them.

Only then did he fully understand the situation.

So it's no ordinary crow. A spiritual beast?

A temple that kept such a crow could not be an ordinary temple either.

He was curious about the true nature of both the temple and its abbot, but for now, Namgung Jun focused on the task at hand.

Meanwhile, the crow spread its wings wide against the dark sky hidden beneath the dense canopy.

It was clearly aware of Lee Seha and Namgung Jun's approach.

Only after checking once or twice to ensure they were following did it flap its wings and fly onward.

How far into Mount Jiuhua had they traveled?

The temples that had once been everywhere had become few and far between.

Then, for the first time since guiding them, the crow opened its beak.

Caw!

Its loud cry echoed through the forest as it flew off somewhere.

Swoosh!

At the same moment, the branch on which it had been perched split apart with a sharp crack.

A sword wind shot upward, slicing through the branch and aiming for the crow, but it missed by a hair's breadth.

Lee Seha had drawn his sword at precisely the right moment and leapt upward, unleashing the sword wind.

Meanwhile, Namgung Jun dashed forward.

The sword strike unleashed with his draw tore through the darkness before him in a blue flash.

Clang! Clang!

He had cut through nothing but darkness, yet the unmistakable sound of metal rang out.

Something had clearly retreated.

However, Namgung Jun did not pursue it.

Instead, he stopped.

"Hmm. So that's how it is."

He had sensed a massive presence suddenly appearing behind him.

Twisting his waist, Namgung Jun unleashed a graceful arc.

The attack he deflected with a strike from Cloud-Layering Wall Stance was not a weapon.

It was a gigantic paw covered in coarse fur.

Between the thick hairs protruded enormous claws as sharp as blades.

It resembled the tiger claws often used by practitioners of the unorthodox path, except these claws were far larger and thicker than any ordinary weapon.

Large enough to kill a person in a single strike.

The pungent scent of a predator assaulted his nose.

Namgung Jun spoke quietly.

"It's more fascinating seeing it in person."

He looked at the face of the giant tiger that had tried to ambush him from behind.

The beast showed no fear whatsoever toward sharp steel.

Its massive eyes held only the savage instinct unique to predators.

Most of its long body remained concealed in the darkness, but Namgung Jun's eyes, shining with a blue radiance, saw through it clearly.

"It's quite large."

The title Great Tiger suited it perfectly.

It looked capable of killing a full-grown bull with a single bite.

Yet Namgung Jun felt not the slightest fear.

If anything, he found it interesting.

To a young swordsman who was harmonizing essence, energy, and spirit in pursuit of the realm of the Three Flowers Gathering at the Summit, the beast before him was little more than an oversized cat.

Judging purely by strength and speed, it's comparable to a Peak Realm expert. And if I factor in the unpredictability unique to beasts...

It would certainly be troublesome.

After all, fighting an animal was fundamentally different from fighting a human.

Nevertheless, Namgung Jun tightened his grip on his sword.

The tiger opened its jaws with practiced ease, targeting the hand holding the sword as if it had killed many martial artists before.

It knew how to fight martial artists.

Crack!

Namgung Jun twisted his sword.

The tiger's jaws, attempting to bite down and shatter the blade, were forcibly pried open.

At the same time, its enormous right paw swept toward his temple.

Namgung Jun paid it no mind.

He simply held his sword horizontally and poured power into it.

"You've clearly eaten quite a few people."

His quiet voice drifted through the darkness.

Then the sword surged forward like a bolt of lightning.

Slash!

It was over in an instant.

The tiger's maw was split open from top to bottom.

Its hide was thick and its muscles dense enough that few weapons could have properly wounded it.

Yet Namgung Jun's sword carved through it as easily as soft clay.

His blade cut cleanly through.

The severed corpse of the great tiger crashed to the ground.

One strike.

That was all it took.

Having butchered the beast in a single blow, Namgung Jun turned his gaze toward the darkness.

"I killed it cleanly. Its hide should fetch a decent price if sold."

A moment later, multiple voices emerged from the forest.

"You insane bastard! Do you know how carefully we raised that thing?"

"Tearing you apart still wouldn't make up for the loss."

"One strike. He's at least beyond a seasoned Peak Realm expert. He may even have reached the very pinnacle of Peak Realm."

Despite witnessing the tiger split apart in a single blow, the figures hidden in the darkness did not hesitate to reveal themselves.

Four middle-aged men stepped out from the forest.

If the rumors that they had been expelled from Namman Beast Palace were true, then it was obvious from their appearance—they looked markedly different from ordinary people of the Central Plains.

Taking them all in at a glance, Namgung Jun spoke.

"Now that your tiger is dead, whose back are you planning to hide behind?"

Killing intent began to gather in the eyes of the Namman Osu as they stared at him.

Yet Namgung Jun showed no sign of backing down.

"You've got the eyes of beasts yourselves."

Drip.

Raindrops began to fall upon the pool of blood spreading from the tiger's corpse.

As the night rain intensified, the murderous glints in the Namman Osu's eyes grew hazy.

Only Namgung Jun's blue eyes continued to shine brilliantly in the darkness.