Chapter 21: Nine Yin White Bone Claws
The name was definitely Titanoboa.
It was the same name and species as the Snake Fist expert I hunted.
However, its size was beyond comparison.
According to the information I gathered with my wild instincts, this species could grow up to 15 meters. But that one far exceeded even that size.
Calling it an Imoogi from legends was not strange at all.
“Hissss!”
It flicked its tongue and glared at us.
My whole body trembled.
This creature was more dangerous than the Caiman.
Moreover, since this wasn’t near the water, there was no chance to escape.
“The martial arts you used on that small snake are from Shaolin.”
Baek Yeonyeong started to explain nonchalantly.
It was a trite explanation she’d given several times.
This was not the time to listen to it.
If we stayed still, we would be eaten by the snake.
I grabbed Baek Yeonyeong’s finger and pulled her.
“Gahk…!”
You fool.
What are you doing!
This was a situation where even running away wouldn’t be enough.
“I don’t like Shaolin martial arts. They preach non-killing, so how can I like them?”
…Right.
That was it.
Like the toad and turtle who did nothing in the face of death, this woman must have been frozen with fear.
Snap.
I bit her finger sharply with my teeth.
A person.
I couldn’t watch someone I just met die in front of my eyes.
Somehow, we had to escape together.
“Are you worried about me? How commendable.”
Baek Yeonyeong patted my head.
Then she walked.
Not towards me, but towards the Imoogi.
Her steps were natural.
She did nothing but walk.
However.
Rumble!
Heaven and earth started to shake.
The air was suppressed.
The profound inner energy made my body tingle.
It was an overwhelming power I had never felt in my life.
…Was this Baek Yeonyeong’s power?
“If all Shaolin martial arts had a non-killing principle, I wouldn’t even look at them.”
Baek Yeonyeong stroked the mural.
It was the part where the martial art I had seen and imitated was depicted.
“It’s Shaolin’s, but tyrannical.”
Baek Yeonyeong took her stance.
The Imoogi, overwhelmed by her energy, snapped back to its senses and made an aggressive sound.
“Hissss!”
“Do you know what that means?”
The snake’s huge maw rushed towards Baek Yeonyeong.
She simply waited with her fingertips pointed.
She didn’t even look at the snake.
“Shaolin martial arts draw curves. Monk’s martial arts weren’t made to kill people.”
Crash!
“That’s why I dislike Shaolin’s arts.”
The snake’s teeth flew towards her to swallow her whole.
Baek Yeonyeong was looking at me.
Her lips moved slowly.
“But Dragon Claws are an exception.”
Her white fingertips moved.
From point to point.
Like a renowned painter drawing a line in one stroke, her fingertips collided with the snake’s maw.
Smash!
All of the snake’s numerous teeth shattered.
“It’s a martial art like the claws of a dragon. Those haughty monks draw straight lines.”
Baek Yeonyeong withdrew her thrust hand.
Crash!
As she withdrew it, the snake’s head slammed into the ground.
“Every one of the thirty-six moves is a killing technique.”
Crack!
The overwhelming force split the cave floor.
“I don’t know how long this thing will hold out, but keep your eyes on it.”
The Imoogi soon shook its head and stood up.
Despite having its teeth shattered and head slammed, it still had strength left.
The snake lunged again with its remaining teeth to bite somehow.
“Do you know the difference between a fist and a palm?”
Thwack!
She struck the snake’s jaw with her palm.
“If you use a blade, it’s a fist, and if you use your palm, it’s a palm. That’s how it got twisted, but that’s not it.”
Crack!
Her punches flew at a speed invisible to the eye.
Smash!
“Traditionally, the fist refers to all techniques including the palm, fingers, and fists.”
Each strike was straight.
Each one contained the killing intent to destroy the enemy.
Snap.
It was a technique too brutal to be considered Shaolin’s.
Smash!
The Imoogi’s blood splattered everywhere.
Yet not a single drop stained Baek Yeonyeong.
She was looking at me.
“How is it? Shaolin’s, but truly tyrannical, right?”
The giant white snake now looked more like a red snake.
It had holes all over its body, and all its sharp teeth were gone.
“If I had to choose a martial art suitable for your body, this Dragon Claw would be perfect. You used it on the small snake because you knew that, right?”
I didn’t know that.
I just copied it because it was a hand-based martial art.
Red blood dripped from the Imoogi’s body.
“How is it? Did you memorize it well?”
I couldn’t tell if I was dreaming or seeing things.
She definitely didn’t look that strong.
I thought at best she was a third-rate martial artist.
Her teaching me martial arts felt so awkward.
But that wasn’t the case.
She was someone who had reached a level I couldn’t even fathom.
So she couldn’t teach me. Geniuses can’t teach others.
“I’m worried I didn’t use the Dragon Claws well.”
Didn’t use it well?
Worried about making mistakes?
After turning that huge snake into that state?
Even if she did make a mistake, who would dare to say so?
“…Gahk gahk.”
I wouldn’t complain even if you touched my stomach.
“Gack…”
That was when it happened.
Gwoooooo.
A strong light burst from the Imoogi’s body.
Crunch.
Crack.
A large egg-like shell formed.
I instinctively knew what it was.
Evolution.
“Gahk!”
I hurried to convey that to Baek Yeonyeong.
If that monster evolved, who knows what would come out.
We had to destroy it before it finished evolving.
…I couldn’t break it, so you do it.
“It was worth holding back. I can show you more.”
What did you say?
Baek Yeonyeong waited for the white snake with a relaxed expression.
Crack.
Cracks started to form on the egg.
Boom!
With a tremendous noise, it began to hatch.
A giant white snake with five heads emerged.
[Unable to appraise the target.]
The same message appeared as when I saw this woman.
From my meager knowledge, that thing was a Hydra from mythology. Or something like Yamata no Orochi. Its five huge heads proved it.
And if it was what I knew, simply cutting its heads wouldn’t be the end.
No matter how strong she was, fighting this thing without a plan was dangerous.
“Gahk gahk!”
It was already too late, so running away was the best option.
This woman could safely escape.
…Of course, taking me with her.
I bit Baek Yeonyeong’s finger.
“Little lizard.”
Baek Yeonyeong pulled out her finger and patted my head again.
“They say martial arts must be practiced with the right mental method to be effective.”
This was not the time for explanations.
We had to attack while it was still not moving, or find a way to escape.
“The current martial world considers that to be common sense. Without the mental method, martial arts are incomplete and can lead to madness.”
She stopped patting my head.
She stared straight at the snake breaking out of the egg.
“But that’s not always the case.”
She walked slowly.
Step.
Boom.
Step.
Crash!
Tremendous inner energy spread everywhere as if dominating the space.
“There is a martial art called Nine Yin Divine Claws.”
But the white snake raised its head proudly as if that wasn’t enough.
It had become much stronger than before.
“Grab the enemy’s skull with force in your five fingers.”
Baek Yeonyeong spread her hand.
“People say that’s the correct phrase.”
Step.
Boom!
Another step.
“But you know, I’ve never read the Nine Yin Manual.”
Step.
Boom!
The five heads lunged at Baek Yeonyeong simultaneously.
Each one was stronger than the Imoogi she faced earlier.
No matter how strong she was, dealing with five combined attacks seemed impossible.
Baek Yeonyeong evaded the five snakes’ attacks with fluid movements.
“I didn’t learn anything. Born as the daughter of a handyman, what could I read or study?”
Step.
Another step.
Boom!
“I found a book by chance. It was labeled the Nine Yin Manual, but it didn’t look original no matter how I saw it.”
Step.
Boom!
“White bones rolled everywhere. The neighbor’s child died for touching the Five Great Families. I was hungry. I was thirsty. It was like a diary full of someone’s lamentations.”
Finally, Baek Yeonyeong reached right in front of the white snake.
“I believed it to be the Nine Yin Manual.”
The snake didn’t miss the opportunity. All five heads attacked her at once.
Each one was dangerous enough to claim her life.
“And I interpreted it differently.”
It was a dead zone with no place to escape.
“Destroy the enemy’s head with your five fingers.”
Crunch.
Each of her fingers brimmed with killing intent. Her hand resembled a dragon’s claw.
Baek Yeonyeong swung her hand.
Yes.
She merely swung it.
Boom!
Simultaneously, all five snake heads exploded.
A rain of blood poured down.
“This is my Nine Yin Divine Claws.”
Again, she wasn’t stained by the blood.
Standing proudly amidst the blood fountain, her figure was the most beautiful scene I had ever seen.
“No, Nine Yin White Bone Claws.”