Myst, Might, Mayhem

Chapter 306 – Domineering Steps (4)

Boom!

A single stomp.

With that stomp, the ground cracked in all directions, and the hundred and eight Arhat warrior monks collapsed.

Without exception, they all convulsed and lost consciousness.

‘!!!!!!!!’

Faced with this sudden and unbelievable situation, everyone was dumbfounded, and the plaza was instantly filled with silence.

One of the legends symbolizing Shaolin was none other than the Hundred and Eight Arhats Formation.

Who would have imagined that this perfect formation, known to have never been broken by anyone officially, would crumble so effortlessly?

“……Hey. Are my eyes deceiving me?”

Seop Chun muttered in disbelief, his mouth agape.

However, even this didn’t register in Mong Mu-yak’s ears.

Even without Seop Chun’s words, this was a sight that was hard to believe even when witnessing it with one’s own eyes.

‘Is this a dream or reality?’

It was to the point where one might think they were seeing an illusion.

The masked Ma Ra-hyeon felt the same way.

Having even directly sparred with Mok Gyeong-un, he found it even harder to believe.

No matter how outstanding his natural talent was, how could a human become this strong at such a rapid pace?

This was way too fast.

Moreover,

‘Even if the Eight Stars or the Six Heavens came, would it be possible to crumble the Hundred and Eight Arhats Formation with just a single stomp?’

It couldn’t be asserted with absolute certainty, but it seemed unlikely.

This was something that would not only shock those present here but also astound all martial artists if it were made known to them.

The cracked ground of the plaza centered around Mok Gyeong-un and the hundred and eight collapsed Arhat warrior monks.

It was truly a spectacular sight.

“……This is unbelievable.”

“How can such a thing……”

The warrior monks were in an uproar as well.

Some overconfident masters had challenged the Hundred and Eight Arhats Formation in the past to prove their martial prowess, but the result was always the same.

It was to admit defeat and return.

Yet, a sight that even the warrior monks of Shaolin found hard to acknowledge had unfolded.

The gazes of the stunned and bewildered warrior monks naturally turned towards the elders of Shaolin.

‘How……how!’

The one with the most intense reaction was Precepts Hall Master Dae-deok, one of the Three Supreme Monks of Shaolin.

He was staring at Mok Gyeong-un as if he were in shock, unable to take his eyes off him.

He had been confident that although Mok Gyeong-un’s inner strength was stronger than his own, he would be able to hold out to some extent, but he would definitely fail to withstand the Hundred and Eight Arhats Formation and be defeated, just like before.

However, when the result turned out to be the complete opposite of his expectations, he was utterly confused.

At that moment, Commander Kang-hak, who was beside him, opened his mouth with wide eyes.

“Th-this is unbelievable. How can such a thing happen?”

“……”

“Is this really the Hundred and Eight Arhats Formation? Could it be that the warrior monks are acting to let them go on Shaolin’s behalf?”

“……Does it look like an act to you, military officer?”

“If it’s not an act, how can such a situation occur with a single stomp? I absolutely cannot believe it.”

Although his martial prowess was not that high, he was also a master who had reached the pinnacle of the peak realm.

Even in the eyes of someone who had learned martial arts, this was utterly unbelievable.

It was so absurd that it seemed more like a falsehood.

Then, suddenly, Kang-hak’s eyes met Mok Gyeong-un’s.

-Gasp!

In an instant, a chill ran down his spine, and his legs went weak.

Just by making eye contact, he could perceive that the gap between him and that monstrous fellow was beyond comparison, making it difficult to even approach him.

Once gripped by such fear, it was not easy to shake off, so he had no choice but to avoid Mok Gyeong-un’s gaze.

Seeing his reaction, Mok Gyeong-un chuckled.

Then, Cheong-ryeong’s voice rang in his ears.

-Mortal…… When did you even comprehend such a thing?

Cheong-ryeong, who had been with Mok Gyeong-un all day, couldn’t help but be even more astonished.

Being inside the wooden puppet, it was difficult to accurately discern the flow of energy, but the Arhat warrior monks convulsed and fainted from the vibration that traveled through the ground.

Where did he learn such a bizarre technique……?

-It’s the Eight Thought-Shattering Techniques.

-What?

At Mok Gyeong-un’s answer, Cheong-ryeong couldn’t hide her surprise.

She had been trying to decipher the eight forms of the Eight Thought-Shattering Techniques for a long time but had failed to fully solve them.

Yet, did this fellow Mortal comprehend a form that even she was unaware of?

‘It’s quite useful.’

Mok Gyeong-un thought, looking at the instep of his foot with which he had stomped.

Even Mok Gyeong-un himself did not expect the newly comprehended form of suppression to have such power.

He had realized this by observing the footprint in front of the Wall Contemplation Cave and the flow of residual energy in its vicinity.

It was a technique that subdued the opponent through shock and vibration.

This technique also involved a kind of suggestion, but unlike the previous techniques of the Eight Thought-Shattering Techniques, it consumed a large amount of true energy.

To be precise, it consumed deathly energy, using nearly one-third of it in a single use.

As a result, only about two-thirds of the deathly energy remained in his body.

‘I can only use it once or twice.’

Despite the increase in deathly energy and demonic energy due to his enlightenment, it seemed difficult to use it multiple times with this level of consumption.

Of course, its power was so outstanding that even this single use was enough to break the opponent’s fighting spirit.

At that moment, someone finally spoke.

It was none other than Reverse Muscle Scripture Hall Grand Monk Museong.

“Patron……”

While most of those in the plaza had surprised and shocked expressions, Museong had a rather serious look on his face.

“Yes.”

“May I ask you one thing?”

“Go ahead and ask.”

“Does the patron have any connection with the Old Blood Cult?”

-Murmur murmur!

At his question, the monks of Shaolin stirred.

Because of Museong’s words, the monks of Shaolin, without exception, recalled one thing.

What flashed through their minds was none other than the tombstone in front of the Wall Contemplation Cave.

The anecdote about that footprint, called Shaolin’s humiliation, was remembered by all the monks of Shaolin to reflect on that time.

At that moment, one of the monks spoke.

“The Domineering Steps……! It must be the Domineering Steps!”

“Domineering Steps!!!!”

At the mention of the Domineering Steps, the commotion spread even further.

The Domineering Steps.

It is said that with a single step or a single stride, one can dominate over everything.

However, for the monks of Shaolin, these Domineering Steps were the unofficial but first-ever humiliating step that broke the Hundred and Eight Arhats Formation hundreds of years ago.

‘Oh……’

Sutra Pavilion Grand Monk Gong-jeon was dumbfounded.

Hundreds of years ago, when the Hundred and Eight Arhats Formation was broken by a single Military Step, Shaolin had gritted their teeth and worked hard to enhance it.

Everyone had been confident that the Hundred and Eight Arhats Formation would never be broken again.

Yet, the same humiliation from back then was being reenacted.

It was too much of a coincidence.

At that moment, Mok Gyeong-un spoke.

“I have no connection with the Old Blood Cult whatsoever.”

At Mok Gyeong-un’s answer, Museong’s right eyebrow rose.

Staring intently at Mok Gyeong-un, Museong said.

“That can’t be true.”

“I really have no connection.”

“No. You clearly said it yourself.”

“What did I say?”

“Didn’t you say, ‘Shaolin will have to erect a tombstone due to another misjudgment’?”

Museong had heard this clearly.

That was why, the moment Mok Gyeong-un stomped his foot, he had watched with disbelief, and he could clearly witness that disbelief becoming a reality with his own two eyes.

Because of this, he could be certain.

While there were people who knew that the erection of the tombstone was called Shaolin’s humiliation, no one except the monks of Shaolin knew who had left the footprint and why it was left.

Yet, that patron clearly knew the reason.

Therefore, he must have reenacted that moment.

-Shrug!

Mok Gyeong-un shrugged his shoulders and spoke.

“I only know that because that venerable monk over there told me about it on the way to the Demon-Subduing Cave.”

Mok Gyeong-un pointed with his eyes at none other than Sutra Pavilion Grand Monk Gong-jeon.

At this, Museong frowned and looked at Gong-jeon.

Then, Gong-jeon clasped his hands together and bowed his head.

“Amitabha. I apologize, Master. I told the Heavenly Demon Patron about the anecdote of the tombstone.”

Meanwhile, murmurs could be heard from here and there.

“Did he say Heavenly Demon?”

“He definitely did.”

“Heavenly Demon? How can such an ominous……”

“No, then does that mean he has a connection with that Bloody Demon?”

“The master just said there was no connection at all.”

At their murmurs, Mok Gyeong-un’s eyes narrowed.

‘Bloody Demon?’

Are they referring to the man with the demon mask who left that footprint?

While he was puzzled, Reverse Muscle Scripture Hall Grand Monk Museong asked Gong-jeon.

“Is that true?”

“It is. However, as it was decided to keep it a secret, I did not reveal who left the footprint.”

At his answer, Museong fiddled with the prayer beads he held in his left hand.

He had thought that the patron might be related to ‘that person’ when the humiliation from hundreds of years ago was reenacted.

But if it wasn’t true, how could the same situation occur?

It was truly a bizarre occurrence.

Thereupon, Museong, after being puzzled for a moment, asked.

“Patron. Then, are you saying that you reenacted it solely based on hearing the anecdote from Gong-jeon?”

“I wouldn’t say I intended to, but should I say I saw it in my mind’s eye?”

“……Did you just say ‘mind’s eye’?”

“Yes. In my mind’s eye, I saw how the one who left that footprint broke the Hundred and Eight Arhats Formation. That demon mask was quite impressive.”

‘!!!!!!’

At Mok Gyeong-un’s words, Museong’s eyes widened.

When he first mentioned seeing it in his mind’s eye, he thought it was because his martial prowess had become high and his senses had become keen.

However, when Mok Gyeong-un mentioned the demon mask, he couldn’t help but be surprised.

“Oh my……”

An exclamation involuntarily escaped his mouth.

Museong looked at Mok Gyeong-un with a genuinely astonished gaze.

‘What a fearsome talent. How can he engage in such a profound mind’s eye technique at such a young age?’

The mind’s eye technique was something that could only be achieved when one’s mental cultivation was deep.

Even he, who had cultivated the Buddhist path for many years, could only enter the mind’s eye state by looking at formulas or traces after turning sixty.

Yet, for that patron, who appeared to be in his mid-twenties at most, to have reached this realm was truly astonishing.

‘Perhaps it was a predestined answer.’

An unbelievable aptitude to reenact what he saw in his mind’s eye.

In a way, it could be said that it was a talent even more fearsome than the owner of the footprint that first brought humiliation to Shaolin.

Thus, Museong finally clasped his hands together, bowed his head, and spoke to Mok Gyeong-un.

“Amitabha. Patron, or should I say Heavenly Demon Patron?”

“……”

At his question, Mok Gyeong-un silently nodded his head.

“Yes.”

“The patron’s stomp can indeed be called the Domineering Steps. Therefore, as an elder of Shaolin……”

Museong swept his gaze over the surrounding monks.

Then, with a deep sigh, he opened his mouth.

“I acknowledge the defeat of the Hundred and Eight Arhats Formation.”

‘!!!!!!!!!’

His words acknowledging defeat divided the reactions.

Mok Gyeong-un’s subordinates were delighted, and some even cheered.

On the other hand, the warrior monks of Shaolin had dark expressions due to the second humiliating situation they had to face.

‘How can such a thing……’

‘Ah……’

Some warrior monks thought that this incident might also need to be kept secret.

However, contrary to their thoughts, this result would spread throughout the martial arts world faster than expected.

It would be said that Shaolin’s Hundred and Eight Arhats Formation had knelt before the Heavenly Demon’s Domineering Steps.

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