20demayo Chapter 228:
Chapter 228:
Beast Palace Princess
The Beast Palace Master’s astonishing proposal to become the Young Palace Master.
“Wookie?”
However, Mu-yul and the two monkeys hanging on his shoulders tilted their heads with identical expressions.
It looked like they had question marks over their heads, like in a comic strip.
It wasn’t that they didn’t understand the term “Young Palace Master.”
“#$@#$@#”
Since the Beast Palace Master spoke in the Southern Barbarian language, they couldn’t understand it from the start.
Realizing his mistake, the Beast Palace Master instructed one of the prostrated warriors.
“This is Anarun, a White Warrior of the Beast Palace.”
The man who stood up surprisingly spoke in the language of the Central Plains.
“The Palace Master requests that the young master become the Young Palace Master of our Beast Palace.”
“Ah!”
Finally understanding the words, Mu-yul nodded vigorously.
“But what is a Young Palace Master?”
Mu-yul’s innocent question made the man who stood up look confused. He then conveyed Mu-yul’s words to the Beast Palace Master in the Southern Barbarian language.
The Beast Palace Master replied in the same language, and the warrior translated it.
“It means to become the successor to our Beast Palace Master and lead us in the future.”
“The Beast Palace?”
“Yes.”
“Why me?”
It wasn’t sarcasm; Mu-yul genuinely asked with an innocent face.
Anarun, understanding this, conveyed Mu-yul’s question to the Beast Palace Master.
The Beast Palace Master answered.
“Long ago, the first Beast Palace Master was a friend to all the animals in this forest and fought alongside them to protect it. Before passing away, he said that one day, a friend of the forest like himself would appear to save the Beast Palace in times of crisis.”
Thanks to Anarun’s translation, Mu-yul and the others could understand the Beast Palace Master’s words.
‘So the prophecy was the first palace master’s will.’
That explained the extreme reverence and the reason for wanting to make Mu-yul the Young Palace Master.
In modern times, this might seem absurd, but this was a martial arts world. The Southern Barbarian Beast Palace was akin to a religious organization, like the martial arts sects.
While martial arts sects leaned towards Taoism or Buddhism, the Beast Palace was more like totemism.
As expected, religious folks tend to blindly believe in prophecies and legends.
Yet, Mu-yul still seemed puzzled.
“Aren’t we all friends?”
Mu-yul looked around at the prostrated warriors and the animals with them.
“Our warriors fight alongside their friends. However, even for our warriors, they can only form bonds with one or two friends in their lifetime, and only if they have continuously interacted with them since childhood. But you are different.”
The Beast Palace Master, stroking the chin of the large snake on his shoulder, continued.
“Even this Mangkr here, who didn’t show hostility despite my ‘request,’ is meeting you for the first time.”
Mu-jin, hearing Anarun’s translation, tilted his head.
‘Not showing hostility?’
Mu-jin had thought the snake was licking its lips at Mu-yul.
While Mu-jin was lost in thought, Mu-yul, having heard the Beast Palace Master’s explanation, turned back to look at Mu-jin and the others.
“If I become the Young Palace Master, do I have to stay here?”
“Yes.”
“Then no. I need to go back with Mu-jin and the senior brothers.”
Mu-yul’s response was overflowing with camaraderie.
“Mu-yul...”
Looking at the back of Mu-yul’s head, Mu-jin hung his head low.
“As I said before, we are warrior monks from Shaolin. So, why not test our skills to see if we can be of help?”
Was it Mu-jin’s confident attitude? Or perhaps his audacious bravery?
The Beast Palace Master laughed heartily, causing his massive chest muscles to shake.
“Ha ha ha! Fine! Let’s see if you’re just a glib northern coward or a true warrior!”
As the Beast Palace Master pointed his finger at Mu-jin, the giant python coiled beside him sprang towards Mu-jin.
The massive python moved with incredible speed, unwinding its coiled body.
Boom!
In an instant, dust clouds rose from the impact.
The revealed scene was beyond common sense.
Mu-jin was holding the giant python’s jaws wide open with both arms.
The sight of a mere human stopping the charge of a thirty-meter-long giant python seemed like a scene from a mythical mural.
“Damn.”
Of course, it wasn’t easy for Mu-jin either.
The python’s weight and strength were unimaginable.
Mu-jin’s muscles, built over years, swelled to the point of bursting, and his internal energy circulated madly through his body.
Sssss.
Meanwhile, the python, with its mouth held open, whipped its tongue like a lash and attacked Mu-jin’s body, while yellow saliva gathered at its molars.
It was clear that even a touch of this highly toxic substance would melt the skin. Although Mu-jin’s skin was impenetrable, it was uncertain if it could withstand acidic poison.
“Hmph!”
With a shout, golden energy surged from Mu-jin’s body.
As the energy barrier of the Golden Turtle Technique enveloped him, the yellow droplet from the python’s molars sizzled upon contact.
The barrier prevented direct contact with the poison, but as a former soldier, Mu-jin didn’t relax. Even if the poison evaporated, it could still spread into the air.
He needed to escape the python’s jaws.
He could have let go and retreated.
‘I won’t lose in strength!’
A sudden stubbornness arose within Mu-jin.
He had overcome many hardships to build his current body and had boasted to Hye-geol that he had created the world’s greatest vessel.
How could the greatest vessel created by mankind be overwhelmed by a mere oversized snake?
For Mu-jin, this was a matter of pride.
“Hmph!”
Holding his breath to avoid inhaling the poison, Mu-jin infused strength into his muscles, as if measuring his maximum weight lift.
Bang!
Mu-jin’s swollen muscles tore through his shirt.
At the same time, the vast internal energy gathered in his dantian surged through his body.
Mu-jin changed his grip on the python’s
jaws and twisted his upper body, pulling the jaws downward.
Like performing a judo throw.
The python, already charging towards Mu-jin, couldn’t withstand the added force of Mu-jin’s twist.
Boom!
With a tremendous crash, the python’s head was slammed into the ground by Mu-jin’s strength.
The combined force of the python’s own weight and Mu-jin’s strength caused its body to go limp and spread across the ground.
“This is human wisdom! Human technique, you damn snake!”
As Mu-jin shouted, releasing his held breath, Ou-yang Pae, watching from behind, looked bewildered.
“Is that... technique?”
Mu-gung and Mu-gyeong, standing beside him, patted his shoulder understandingly.
Mu-jin had somehow achieved a grand union of Shaolin and the Demon Sect.