Chapter 343: Chapter 343 Shaolin Ancient Martial Arts (Part 2)
Six monks did not rush forward immediately but each stood in a different position, taking out Small Blood Pills to eat and temporarily replenishing their Qi.
The camel fell down but did not die immediately, continuing to let out anguished roars.
After resting for a moment, the monk elder suddenly flashed forward, turning into a shadow that moved extremely fast, sweeping past the camel’s neck. The blue longsword in his hand glinted as it slashed a deep, more than three-meter long wound across the camel’s neck.
With a shriek, the camel flailed wildly with its legs, trying to stand up, but ultimately it lacked the strength to do so.
The wound on the neck seemed to sever the camel’s fatal artery, blood spraying out, and a great amount of fresh blood formed a stream on the grass.
Subsequently, the camel no longer moved, finally dead.
The six monks breathed a sigh of relief and wiped the sweat from their foreheads.
The monk elder turned to look at the distant Yang Xiao and said:
"Thank you for your help just now. May I ask where you come from? What is your honorable name?"
Smiling, Yang Xiao replied:
"I come from Nanmu City, my name is Yang Xiao. May I know the venerable monks’ names?"
"We are disciples of the Shaolin Temple."
"The Shaolin Temple?"
Yang Xiao was surprised; that was the martial arts sanctuary he once yearned for. In Xuanming Country, nobody was unaware of the Shaolin Temple, and nearly every boy had a dream of becoming a hero which, more or less, involved martial arts experts.
When Yang Xiao read wuxia novels in junior high, he dreamed of going to Shaolin to learn martial arts, defeating all opponents to become an unparalleled hero.
After the apocalypse, Yang Xiao never thought whether Shaolin Temple still existed in this world, and he did not expect to encounter Shaolin monks in the desert today.
Perhaps Yang Xiao’s display of the One Finger Splitting Earth had greatly shocked these monks, as the rest looked at Yang Xiao with a mix of admiration and respect.
The monk elder clasped his hands towards Yang Xiao and said:
"Benefactor, you also contributed to the hunt of this camel, so you should receive a portion of the spoils."
Yang Xiao rode his Flame Horse over and said:
"It was just a small effort on my part. It was the result of the masters’ fierce fighting; how could I accept a share?"
"You are too modest, benefactor. If not for your stopping the camel from escaping just now, we might have wasted the entire day."
Yang Xiao was surprised and said:
"What, you’ve been chasing this camel all day?"
"Yes, this camel belongs to a mutant monster stronger than Primordial Gene Advanced level. It has thick skin, high Defense, and remarkable stamina. What you see now is only the Combat Power it has when it’s tired. It was very tough for the six of us brothers to attack it together."
Yang Xiao asked:
"May I know the venerable monks’ honorable names?"
"I am Ben Yin, these are my junior brothers, they are respectively Ben Guo, Ben Xun, Ben Huan,"
Upon hearing this, Yang Xiao laughed and said:
"Are the other two perhaps Ben Bao and Ben Shuang? Cause and effect, circle, retribution, dissatisfaction – doesn’t it seem like we’re just missing two masters?"
Hearing this, Ben Yin laughed heartily and replied:
"Benefactor Yang is indeed clever. We did have eight brothers in total, but unfortunately, two of them met with misfortune in the central area of the desert while hunting monsters."
"Ah!"
Yang Xiao was taken aback; these Shaolin monks actually ventured into the core area of the desert to hunt, their Genetic Evolution Level must be very high.
"Benefactor Yang, let’s first see what equipment this camel has dropped."
Yang Xiao nodded and walked with Ben Yin and the others toward the camel’s corpse.
The camel’s corpse lay like a small hill, with a few things shimmering with a golden glow near the camel’s head on the ground.
Master Ben Guo waved his hands, and the golden objects on the ground flew into his palms.
Yang Xiao immediately asked:
"Has Master Ben Guo cultivated a Spiritual Control Technique?"
Ben Guo looked at Yang Xiao, not understanding what he was saying.
Beside him, Master Ben Yin said with a smile:
"Benefactor Yang, what my junior brother Ben Guo used was the Tiger Claw Hand from our Shaolin Temple’s Seventy-two Skills, not any kind of Spiritual Control Technique."
"Ah!"
Yang Xiao exclaimed in surprise. Could the kung fu of Shaolin Temple actually take objects from afar? Had the times gone in reverse, landing him in a martial arts novel?
Ben Guo walked over to Ben Yin and handed over the items in his palms, saying:
"Big brother, this camel dropped a pair of Wind-controlling Boots, twenty Genetic Balls, and a piece of Armor."
Ben Yin nodded and said to Yang Xiao:
"Benefactor Yang, you have meritoriously intercepted the camel, so whether it’s the Wind-controlling Boots or the Genetic Balls, or the Armor, feel free to pick one."
Yang Xiao laughed:
"That’s not necessary. The Wind-controlling Boots I have on are pretty good, and my pangolin Armor’s Defense is also very high. It’s better to leave them for the masters to use. What I want to know is, how do you deal with the camel’s body?"
"Merciful Buddha, monks originally do not kill or eat meat. However, this is the post-apocalyptic world, and we have been forced to do what we must. Since the precept against killing has been broken, the precept against eating meat no longer exists. We’ve been chasing all day and night and are just in time to be hungry. Let’s have a big meal. Benefactor Yang, join us."
Yang Xiao said:
"Alright."
And so, Yang Xiao and the six other masters from Ben Yin gathered around the camel, each taking out a sword to cut and eat the meat.
Yang Xiao cut off a large chunk for his Flame Horse and then sat down with Ben Yin, chatting while eating.
"Master Ben Yin, there is something I’d like to ask."
"Benefactor Yang, please speak."
"After the apocalypse arrived, has the Shaolin Temple encountered any disasters?"
"Our Shaolin Temple is located deep in the mountains and could not escape the calamities of the apocalypse. In one night, the temple collapsed, countless masters and brothers died, and in the end, only forty to fifty brothers survived."
"Ah, I see. May I ask about your current level of Genetic Evolution?"
"Ah, it’s rather embarrassing; we are only at the Primordial Gene Advanced level."
"Primordial Gene Advanced?"
"Hmm, why? Is there something wrong?"
"But when I saw you fighting the camel, your leaping and dodging was extremely Agile. Merely Primordial Gene Advanced would not be a match for this camel." Yang Xiao expressed doubt.
Beside him, Master Ben Guo laughed and said:
"Benefactor Yang, don’t forget that we are disciples of the Shaolin Temple, martial monks. Ever since the Mutation, each of us has undergone a transformation, whether it’s the Qinggong we previously cultivated or various Boxing and Swordsmanship techniques; their power has increased more than tenfold. Take my Tiger Claw Skill, for instance. Before, it could only break a brick or so, but now it’s as if it has become a mechanical arm, sharp and powerful."
After speaking, Ben Guo raised his right claw and swiped at the camel’s corpse in front of him. With a crack, Ben Guo’s right claw made a deep bloody hole on the camel’s tough back, directly tearing off a large piece of flesh with the skin.
But Ben Guo’s right claw hadn’t even touched the camel’s body; it was still at least 3 meters away from the corpse. Could he really achieve such an impressive effect from such a distance?
Yang Xiao believed he could do it with his bare hands too, but to kill from a distance of three meters, definitely not. No wonder these individuals at the Advanced Primordial level could enter the heart of the desert to hunt Monsters.
"You must also have Soul Skills and Beast Souls, right?"
Ben Yin nodded and said:
"However, we later discovered that if we combine Gene Evolution with the cultivation of Shaolin Ancient Martial Arts, we could revitalize Shaolin Kung Fu and bring forth new vitality."