At the nun’s words, silence fell for a brief mont.
They could not even properly respond to those three jiangshi right now—if more of them were to appear from there?
“Elder! We must retreat from this place at once!”
“Khuhk! Understood.”
Seonghwa Jinni thought the sa.
But the jiangshi showed no sign of letting them leave peacefully.
Chwachachachak—.
“Krurururk!”
Then, from all directions, more than dozens of jiangshi erged from the thickets.
From ones small in size to hulking as large as bears, their sizes varied.
“Danger!”
Seonghwa Jinni shouted as she thrust her sword in haste.
Seogeok—.
Kang—.
One small jiangshi, so fast they could not even perceive when it had appeared, stood there.
The nun who nearly fell victim to it wore a startled expression.
“Khuhk!”
Her body in poor condition, Seonghwa Jinni could not draw up her inner strength properly and so could not wield sword qi; at most, she rely managed to push the jiangshi back.
What shocked her most was that, though she had not used sword qi, she had still responded with sword energy—yet the creature bore not a single scratch on its surface.
To face these things, the masters of Ei Sect who could wield sword qi would all have to be mobilized.
Even if they destroyed the jiangshi, that would still be a problem.
Their enemies would never leave the exhausted Ei Sect alone.
Surely they ant to drain them with the jiangshi and then send in their true force afterward.
Seonghwa Jinni’s face grew grim.
But then she shook her head.
At tis like this, one’s heart had to be firmly set.
The ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) problem was how to escape this place.
She looked at the nuns of Ei around her.
“Kkuung.”
Groaning in pain, Seonghwa Jinni gathered her strength.
Then she spoke.
“I will hold them here—hurry, you must ascend to the main mountain.”
“Elder! It is impossible alone!”
“She is right. Elder, your wound is the gravest of all!”
“This is not enough to kill . So you must hurry, go and bring back reinforcents. Before I die. Now, go!”
“Ah, understood!”
As the nuns rushed upward, Seonghwa Jinni let out a bitter smile and gazed at the stars in the night sky.
Since this would be the last sight she beheld in life, she wanted to take in sothing beautiful.
May I too be born as a disciple of the Buddha in the next life...
Muttering her final wish, she gripped her sword tightly.
“Co then! Co, you monsters!”
At Seonghwa Jinni’s cry, the jiangshi began to rush at her all at once.
Kkieeeek!
Kkuuuuek!
Kkkeeeek!
Uttering grotesque screams that chilled the bone, the jiangshi charged.
Woongwoongwoong—.
Enduring her pain, Seonghwa Jinni drew up all her remaining energy to forge one last sword qi.
“Demon-Subduing Karma Fla!”
From her sword spread a fire as if it would annihilate all evil in the world.
Hwarururuk—.
Each fla was itself sword qi unleashed by Seonghwa Jinni.
The blaze was about to engulf the jiangshi.
But two massive jiangshi blocked the others in front.
Tteodeodeodeong—!
The Demon-Subduing Karma Fla was stopped entirely by the giant jiangshi.
Seonghwa Jinni stared at the enormous beings in disbelief.
To block a bundle of sword force with their bare bodies and remain unscathed?
Unless they were Vajra Indestructible...
Vajra Indestructible?
“Could it be... the legendary Vajra Jiangshi ?”
A jiangshi whose body was as if Vajra Indestructible.
It could not be cut by sword qi, nor could it be killed.
Being a corpse, it felt no pain to begin with.
And on top of that, it was strong.
Kwaang—!
Jjeojeok—.
The hulking form, presud to be a Vajra Jiangshi, smashed its enormous fist down into the ground; the earth cracked and the surface shook violently.
The shock from the ground crashed straight into Seonghwa Jinni.
“Khuhk!”
She staggered, losing balance.
At that instant, the jiangshi behind the Vajra Jiangshi charged her all together.
At this rate, she would certainly be slain by the jiangshi.
Seonghwa Jinni squeezed her eyes shut.
That mont—
A cleansing energy that seed to purify body and mind enveloped her whole being.
What was happening?
Had she already died?
As the thought crossed her, she opened her eyes—and before her was a familiar back.
“Head Abbess Senior Brother?”
Seongmo Jinni was standing proudly before her.
And there, too, was a young woman sweeping through the jiangshi.
“Hye Seon?”
That child—so healthy now?
No, more than that, why so strong?
She was flinging the jiangshi about as though they were playthings.
Overwhelming force.
As Seonghwa Jinni stared at Hye Seon in shock, a man’s voice ca.
“You are wounded.”
With wide eyes, Seonghwa Jinni turned to the man.
In that instant she realized her robes were torn and hastily covered her front with her hand.
“Who are you?”
She asked, her voice full of wariness. Then Seongmo Jinni spoke beside her.
“Mind your manners. He is the benefactor of our Ei Sect.”
“What?”
“He is the one who cured Hye Seon. Show him courtesy.”
Ah, so this was the one who healed Hye Seon.
“Then... a physician?”
Yeon Woo Jin nodded.
“May I see the wound?”
“T-that...”
Hesitating briefly, Seonghwa Jinni then revealed the wound to him.
“Corpse poison.”
Yeon Woo Jin stretched his palm toward her injury.
A warm energy spread, bringing a refreshing sensation.
At once, the pain vanished and her body grew light.
In Seonghwa Jinni’s eyes appeared Seongmo Jinni’s expression—she was aghast at sothing she saw.
What was it?
It seed she was staring at Seonghwa Jinni herself in shock.
Seonghwa Jinni lowered her gaze toward the wound.
“...Hm?”
A deep gash had clearly marred her chest.
But it was gone without a trace.
The decayed flesh had returned to normal as though it had never been.
He said he was a physician.
But what physician in this world could heal a wound so swiftly?
Had he brought not a physician but an immortal?
The pain was completely gone now.
It seed even Seongmo Jinni had not known this—hence her astonishnt.
Well, with power like this, it made sense he had saved Hye Seon from being consud by the phoenix energy.
Just what was his true identity?
She could not help but wonder.
Hwarururuk—.
Feeling the heat, she turned her head to see Hye Seon battling the jiangshi with phoenix energy.
But just awakened, she could not wield its full force, and so could not subdue them easily.
Seongmo Jinni joined her, and Seonghwa Jinni too quickly raised her sword to join.
“Abbess! We have co as well!”
“Slay all those monsters!”
“Waaah!”
Masters of Ei began to arrive one after another, and the battle against the jiangshi horde comnced.
****
“Huff, huff, huff!”
The people of Ei, worn and weary, stared at the jiangshi.
“M-monsters...”
So, no matter how many tis they were cut, simply reattached and regenerated; others bore no wound at all however many cuts were dealt.
Those that attacked from underground disrupted the masters’ movent, preventing them from mounting proper attacks.
All were rapidly becoming exhausted.
Breathing heavily, flustered.
Only thanks to Hye Seon, who had awakened the phoenix energy, had they managed to reduce a fair number of jiangshi.
Through the clash, Hye Seon rapidly grew accustod to the phoenix energy.
So that now, unlike at first, she could wield it with ease.
Only eight jiangshi remained.
Glaring at them, Hye Seon drew a deep breath and raised the phoenix energy.
Woongwoongwoong—.
Her sword vibrated, red energy surging.
Seeing it, Seongmo Jinni instantly knew—Hye Seon was preparing to use Annihilation of Demons , the final technique of the Annihilation Sword Art .
Seongmo Jinni too raised her energy.
If the two of them unleashed it together, those jiangshi would surely be eradicated.
At Hye Seon’s side, Seongmo Jinni’s sword too began to ripple with crimson energy.
Sensing what her master was preparing, Hye Seon smiled and sent a transmission.
—Let’s do it together, Master.
—Yes. Let us send those fiends back to the netherworld.
—Yes!
Master and disciple exchanged smiles, then simultaneously swung their swords at the jiangshi.
With a blinding flash, two colossal forces swept toward the eight jiangshi.
Kukuakuaaaang—.
Heaven and earth trembled.
From the overwhelming might, the jiangshi were annihilated without even form remaining.
Witnessing martial power of such magnitude for the first ti, the people of Ei stared wide-eyed at Seongmo Jinni and Hye Seon.
“Abbess, what martial art is that?”
At Seonghwa Jinni’s question, Seongmo Jinni answered with a weary face.
“The Annihilation Sword Art.”
“The Annihilation Sword Art... is that not Ei’s supre art, the one given to Martial Deity Heaven?”
“It is.”
“How then...?”
“It has been returned.”
“What?”
“Martial Deity Heaven has returned the Annihilation Sword Art to us. The original itself.”
“C-could that be true?”
“Yes. As you just saw, Hye Seon and I have learned it.”
“When was it returned that you have already mastered it? I had thought Hye Seon only recently recovered her state.”
“It has been days.”
“What? You mastered the Annihilation Sword Art in re days? That technique just now looked like Annihilation of Demons, the final form—is that correct?”
“Yes. It was Annihilation of Demons.”
At Seongmo Jinni’s reply, the people of Ei looked back at where the technique had struck.
The very terrain was transford, and they swallowed hard.
Then soone shouted in elation.
“With not one but two who know such martial art, none will ever again look down on our Ei Sect!”
“Congratulations, Abbess!”
“A great blessing to Ei Sect! Congratulations!”
At their rejoicing, Seongmo Jinni smiled.
“Thank you. Let us first clear this place, and then we shall speak further.”
“Yes!”
As the Ei disciples happily began clearing the field, a sinister noise was heard from afar.
As though countless beings were tearing through the brush, racing closer.
“Abbess... sothing else is coming.”
“N-no... surely not more jiangshi?”
Seongmo Jinni too fixed her gaze toward the sound, face hard.
Having used Annihilation of Demons, her inner strength was nearly spent.
Not just her—the people of Ei there had exhausted their strength as well.
Hye Seon, too, on the verge of collapse from overuse of phoenix energy.
Praying it was not jiangshi, they stared into the brush.
Paat—.
Kkieeeek!
What burst out from the undergrowth were jiangshi.
“Damn!”
“Amitabha!”
“Most rciful Buddha, protect us!”
The nuns of Ei cried out despairingly.
There was no one to call for help.
Then—
Seongmo Jinni cried out to soone.
“Benefactor! Aid us!”
At her shout, all eyes turned at once.
There stood Yeon Woo Jin.
At her plea, Yeon Woo Jin smiled and moved.
“I will aid you. But—the jiangshi, you must slay them yourselves.”
What did that an?
Yeon Woo Jin extended his hand toward the Ei disciples.
In that instant, the air shimred, and above their heads sothing sparkling was scattered like misting rain.
“Ahh!”
“Ooh!”
They felt it.
The inner strength that had been depleted was surging back.
Not only inner strength—their wounds closed, their stamina was restored.
In the eyes of the Ei disciples, Yeon Woo Jin seed like the Buddha himself, descended to protect them.
“Ah! The jiangshi!”
They were still charging.
They must quickly prepare—
“What?”
What was happening?
The jiangshi had halted mid-charge.
As if even ti itself had stopped.
“This...”
As Seonghwa Jinni and the rest of Ei were bewildered, Seongmo Jinni spoke.
“It is Benefactor’s power. Such things are possible because he is a divine man.”
“A divine man...”
“I believe the Buddha has sent him to save Ei.”
At her words, they all nodded.
“The Buddha wishes us to overco this trial ourselves. Disciples! Let us fight!”
“Yes!”
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