RDM (Novel) Chapter 484


 Meandering Steps-> Snake Steps
C 484


It was not difficult to find the Heavenly Origin Temple in the vast mountains.


Considering the enormous support from the New Moon Manor, the scale of the Heavenly Origin Temple was truly immense. Naturally, a wide path leading up to the Heavenly Origin Temple from the foot of the mountain was well-trodden.


Following the wide path where two carriages could run side by side, one would reach the Heavenly Origin Temple climbing up the mountain.


As seen in the pictures, the scale of the Heavenly Origin Temple was enormous.


Even though it was hidden in the darkness, and the whole view could not be seen, just a glimpse was enough to realize its magnificence.


It looked more like a massive castle than a temple.


Despite it being late at night, there were guards stationed at the main gate of the Heavenly Origin Temple.


The guards' aura was truly extraordinary.


Their sharp eyes and intense aura could be felt from quite a distance away.


News of Pyo Wol turning the New Moon Manor upside down hadn't reached the Heavenly Origin Temple yet, as the temple remained quiet overall.


Pyo Wol immediately took action.


If he hesitated and the news reached the Heavenly Origin Temple, the security would become much tighter.


Time was not on Pyo Wol 's side.


He had to achieve his goal as quickly as possible.


Pyo Wol approached the Heavenly Origin Temple while using his stealth technique.


There were guards stationed in various places, but they were not as strict as the New Moon Manor.


Thanks to that, Pyo Wol easily infiltrated the Heavenly Origin Temple.


The interior of the Heavenly Origin Temple was like a maze.


Like the New Moon Manor, each area was separated by high walls. The paths between the walls were so complicated that a newcomer would easily lose their sense of direction. However, a simple maze like this couldn't stop Pyo Wol .


Pyo Wol 's senses, honed deep underground, were so keen that he could accurately navigate through the darkness.


He sprinted through the grounds of the Heavenly Origin Temple as if he were a ghost.


The monks at the Heavenly Origin Temple were fast asleep, completely unaware of Pyo Wol 's infiltration.


He could tell their state just by listening to their breathing and presence.


Pyo Wol passed through all the monks' quarters.


After traveling for a while, he encountered a completely different space.


It was surrounded by tall walls like the other halls, but the atmosphere and air felt different.

Pyo Wol hid in the shadows and looked ahead.


Men dressed in white clothes with white cloth covering their faces were lined up.

Each of them emanated an extraordinary aura.


Even though it was late, they showed no signs of drowsiness, their eyes wide open, alert.


They were the White Ghost Squad(白衣鬼影隊), responsible for protecting Go Jang myeong, the lord of the New Moon Manor and the leader of Guryongsalmak.


Their energy was fiercer and sharper than any martial arts group Pyo Wol had ever encountered.


They were like white panthers, tensely coiled, prepared for anything.


Just around the Lunar East Gate alone, there were more than a dozen.


It was impossible to know how many more were hidden in the secret space inside Lunar East Gate, but one thing was certain.


The likelihood of Pyo Wol 's target being where they were guarding was high.


"Hu!"


Pyo Wol took a deep breath for a moment.


It was time to take a risk.


He stealthily approached the area guarded by the White Ghost Squad, completely suppressing his presence.


Holding his breath, muffling his presence, and even lowering his body temperature and heartbeat.


The senses of the White Ghost Squad were as sharp as blades, but they couldn't detect Pyo Wol at all.


His stealth technique was truly on another level.


Once he was close enough, he calmly waited for his chance.


No matter how tense and alert they were, they couldn't maintain their vigilance indefinitely. A moment of carelessness was bound to come.


That moment came quickly.


A warrior who had been looking in Pyo Wol 's direction suddenly closed his eyes, as if something had gotten into them. As the warrior lowered his head to rub his eyes, Pyo Wol silently climbed over the wall.


By the time the warrior removed the foreign object from his eye and raised his head, Pyo Wol had disappeared.


The warrior seemed to sense that something was off, but he never imagined that an outsider could have climbed over the wall.


Pyo Wol landed on the ground as quietly as a cat.


There were more White Ghost Squad guards inside the walls, but their guard seemed to be lower because they trusted the guards outside.


It was a golden opportunity for Pyo Wol .


Dodging their gazes, he slipped into the building.


Inside the building was a giant Buddha statue.


It looked like an ordinary temple hall, no different from any other.


But Pyo Wol didn't trust what he saw on the surface.


He placed his palm on the floor and closed his eyes.


Woo-woong!


A faint vibration could be felt on his palm.


'There must be a passage somewhere.'


Pyo Wol lay down and examined the floor closely.


He soon discovered a mysterious space in front of the Buddha statue.


As he slightly lifted the floor, a secret passage leading to the underground appeared.

Air was flowing in and out of the space.


He cautiously entered the underground space and restored the floor to its original state.


Looking at the interior of the Buddha statue, it was impossible to even imagine that someone had intruded.


Thus, Pyo Wol infiltrated the underground of New Moon Manor.


After walking down the stairs for a while, a massive underground space appeared.


In the center of the enormous underground space lit by only two torches, a man was sitting.

His stature was exceptionally small. However, he exuded an incredible presence, making it seem as though he was much larger.


He was Go Jang Myeong, the ruler of New Moon Manor and Guryongsalmak.


Go Jang Myeong appeared to be asleep with his legs crossed, not moving at all.


Pyo Wol's gaze went beyond Go Jang Myeong to the space with iron bars.


Thick iron bars, as thick as a child's arm, were closely installed, and an old woman was trapped inside.


Even though the old woman was asleep, she kept mumbling something. The already dreary atmosphere was intensified by the old woman's behavior.


That's when it happened.


"The White Ghost Band seems to not be doing their job properly. They let a rat in."

Suddenly, Go Jang Myeong opened his mouth.


He stood up and looked back.


His gaze was directed precisely at where Pyo Wol was.


It was ridiculous to keep hiding when the other party was fully aware of his presence.


Pyo Wol walked out of the darkness.


Go Jang Myeong's eyes widened.


It was due to Pyo Wol's pale white face, which stood out even in the darkness. He immediately recognized Pyo Wol's identity upon seeing his unusually elegant face.


"So, you're Pyo Wol."


"Are you Go Jang Myeong?"


"How did you find out about this place? Only a few people know that I'm staying here."


Instead of answering, stared at the Buddhist sutras in the closet of the underground space.


These were the scriptures he had stolen after killing Snow Cloud Manor’s Yoo Gi-cheon.


Go Jang Myeong muttered.


"He's been tracking that scripture? What a bastard."


The sutras, which he had obtained with difficulty to cure his mother's madness, had brought the disaster called Pyo Wol.


Go Jang Myeong thought the world's ways were truly mysterious.


Nothing is given for free; a price is always demanded.


It demands balance in some way.


Pyo Wol walked to the scripture shelves.


With a soft sound, he took out one of the scriptures and opened it.


It was filled with incomprehensible Sanskrit.


Pyo Wol asked Go Jang Myeong with the scripture still open.


"Did the scriptures have any effect on suppressing madness?"


"Not as much as I had hoped."


Go Jang Myeong read the scriptures daily for his mother.  But it only worked when he recited it. When the recitation was over, she would have a seizure as if it had never happened before.


"It must have been disappointing."


"Disappointing, yes. But I didn't despair. There must be a way to control my mother's madness."


"You're a filial son!"


Pyo Wol returned the scripture to the shelf and changed his course.


He was heading towards the direction of the room with iron bars where the old woman was trapped.


The old woman was still mumbling incoherently, unable to fully regain consciousness.


Most of the words were incomprehensible, but a few phrases were distinctly heard.


Words like "sorry," "regret," and "I miss you" were among them.


As Pyo Wol tried to get closer, Go Jang Myeong warned him.


"That's far enough. Don't approach my mother any further."


"Did you build this massive temple for her? You are such a dutiful son."


"I have no reason to listen to mockery from an assassin like you."


A sticky murderous aura emanated from Go Jang Myeong's entire body. However, Pyo Wol didn't care and approached the iron bars to look at the trapped old woman.


Her name was  Goo Moon-hye.


Once upon a time, she was known as a saintess in the Celestial Demon Troupe.


Due to a momentary lapse of judgment, she was exiled to this place, having to hear the news of her loved one's death through rumors. A woman with a tragic fate.


Unable to overcome her guilt, she was consumed by madness and became what she was now. However, she raised a small manor called the New Moon Manor and nurtured it into a ruler of the underworld, Guryongsalmak.


She was indeed an extraordinary woman.


Her actions had even changed the course of the martial arts world.


 Goo Moon-hye had not yet noticed Pyo Wol's arrival.


Her wrinkled face seemed filled with regret for some reason. However, Pyo Wol didn't pity her.


He knew the harm Guryongsalmak, which she had raised, had caused the world.


In a way, Guryongsalmak was even more harmful than Heavenly Martial Sect. At least Heavenly Martial Sect's existence was known to the world, while almost no one knew of Guryongsalmak's existence.


If not for Pyo Wol, they would still be operating underground, causing all sorts of harm.


Pyo Wol muttered.


"What's the point of living like this?"


"The meaning of life is not for you to decide. Assassin!"


"Can being insane and unable to recognise yourself really be called living as a human being? It would be better for her if you killed her."


"How dare you!"


Suddenly, an overwhelming killing intent emanated from Go Jang Myeong.


Bang!


A loud explosion followed.


Go Jang Myeong had appeared in front of Pyo Wol and attacked him.


His movement defied common sense.


Pyo Wol was flung far away, his hand shielding his face instinctively. Even though he had blocked the attack with his palm, it felt like it was about to shatter from the impact.


Go Jang Myeong's movements resembled the legendary martial art of Buddhism, the Immovable Bright King's Body Technique.


A technique that, although unmoving, exists everywhere, akin to the Bright King.


T/n- Bright kIng is a deity in Buddhism(Wisdom Kings)


It was impossible for the human eye to keep up with his divine method of shortening space and time.


Even with Pyo Wol's eyesight, he could only see a blurred image, unable to perceive any clear movement.


The Ten-Step Flash.


A name given for moving as fast as lightning within ten steps.


Bang!


Another explosion, and Pyo Wol was thrown backward again.


It was the Ax-Moon Kick, a technique where the leg descends from the air like an ax


Once again, a loud explosion erupted, and Pyo Wol was thrown back.


Go Jang Myeong possessed a terrifying martial arts skill that did not match his small stature.


At the moment, there was no ultimate technique among the martial arts he was displaying.


Nevertheless, the power was unbelievably terrifying.


When martial arts reach their peak, even ordinary methods can become extraordinary.


Go Jang Myeong had reached such a level.


Boom! Crash!


Explosions rang out one after another.


Each time, Pyo Wol's body was thrown away.


Pyo Wol's face quickly became bloody.


He barely managed to block the attack, but he could not completely dissipate the impact.


That's how powerful Go Jang Myeong's techniques were.


Pyo Wol retreated backward with the snake steps. However, Go Jang Myeong suddenly appeared behind him.


Emerging from the darkness, he aimed a swift strike at Pyo Wol's forehead.


Swoosh!


Pyo Wol narrowly moved his head to avoid the attack. However, he could not entirely dodge it, and he suffered a long gash on his shoulder.


Blood splattered in all directions.


Intense pain engulfed Pyo Wol.


This was not a simple wound.


An alien energy had infiltrated through the injury caused by Go Jang Myeong.


It was the energy called Ming Jade Qi.


The core of Go Jang Myeong's martial arts, Ming Jade Qi, tore through the meridians and shattered the heart when it infiltrated the body.


Because of this, no one could survive after being invaded by Ming Jade Qi.


As evidence, Pyo Wol was writhing in pain.


Watching him wobble as if intoxicated, Go Jang Myeong spoke in a soft voice.


"Die quietly. Do not disturb my mother's rest."


"So, that's your weakness."


"What?"


Go Jang Myeong furrowed his brow at Pyo Wol's unexpected response.


In the meantime, Pyo Wol's shaking had stopped.


He raised his head to look at Go Jang Myeong.


His eyes, filled with a fierce light, stared directly into Go Jang Myeong's black eyes.


Nowhere on Pyo Wol's face were there signs of ruptured meridians or a shattered heart.


It was clear that Ming Jade Qi was a terrifying energy. However, Pyo Wol had the energy built up through the Aguido and Thunder Snake Heart techniques.


That snake-like energy devoured the Ming Jade Qi that had infiltrated Pyo Wol's body. Thanks to that, Pyo Wol was able to remain unscathed in the face of Ming Jade Qi.


"You?"


"You fear your mother awakening greatly."


Pyo Wol's revelation exposed Go Jang Myeong's vulnerability, hinting at a turning point in the battle at New Moon Manor.[a][b][c]

[a]Is this nearing the end of the novel?

[b]Ends at chapter 650

[c]Ok

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