Chapter 108
Chapter 108
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 108
Chapter Title: The Soul-Gathering Ritual
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Dokgo Wi, who appeared before them, locked eyes with Hyeok Mulin before shifting his gaze to Gwang Ui.
"Pleased to meet you. I'm Clan Patriarch Dokgo Wi."
"Likewise. I'm Gwang Ui."
"Truly the famed Gwang Ui. I've long heard of the Three Thousand Yi's reputation."
Gwang Ui brushed off Dokgo Wi's greeting appropriately and cut straight to the point.
"Enough of that. We should start by examining the patient."
"Very well. This way."
As Dokgo Wi took the lead, they followed behind him.
Crossing through the forest steadily, they soon arrived at a modest inner residence.
Dokgo Wi opened the door there, and Gwang Ui and Hyeok Mulin stepped inside.
Lying gracefully upon the bed in that room was a young boy.
Thud. Thud.
Gwang Ui approached the bedside and gazed steadily down at the boy.
The boy lay with his eyes closed, his face as serene as if lost in a deep slumber.
After a brief examination, Gwang Ui unhesitatingly named the affliction.
"It's God-Form Separation."
"What is that?"
"It means a state where body and soul have separated, just like this. I can see why even that quack doctor shook his head."
At Gwang Ui's words, a thread of trust took root in Dokgo Wi's heart. He'd been half-doubting until they arrived, but now...
Not even that quack had diagnosed it so cleanly.
Gwang Ui turned and asked him,
"When was the most recent seizure?"
"...Truth be told, the seizures have stopped entirely now."
Even during Hyeok Mulin's stay, there had been occasional fits, but now there was no movement at all. It seemed the condition had worsened.
He was practically indistinguishable from a corpse.
Gwang Ui rubbed his hands together and spoke.
"Well, then. That means we need to hurry with the treatment. Any lingering hope will soon vanish completely."
Dokgo Wi's pupils contracted briefly at those words, but he mulled over the rest and asked,
"Does that mean treatment is possible?"
But the response dashed his hopes.
"I don't know."
"...?"
If it could be cured, say so; if not, say no. What kind of vague answer was this?
As Dokgo Wi stared at him puzzled, Gwang Ui continued.
"I know the treatment method, but I've never actually tried it, so I can't guarantee success."
Swoosh—
At that, Dokgo Wi whipped his head around to glare at Hyeok Mulin.
His silent gaze accused Hyeok Mulin of contradicting his earlier words, prompting a shrug.
"Even so, this is our only option."
He was right.
The end was visibly approaching, plain as day. They couldn't afford more delays.
And Gwang Ui was the only one claiming certain knowledge of a cure.
Just as Dokgo Wi convinced himself, he posed one final question to Gwang Ui.
"Then, if we attempt treatment, what are the odds of success?"
"Odds of success..."
Gwang Ui stroked his chin thoughtfully before replying.
"Fifty percent. It should be around that."
"Half..."
Dokgo Wi lifted his head and closed his eyes tightly.
It was the hardest decision of his life, but retreat was impossible.
Having made up his mind, he looked at Gwang Ui and said,
"I leave it in your hands."
"I'll do my utmost."
There was no choice left.
In the end, he entrusted his son Dokgo Myeong's life and death to Gwang Ui.
"Shall we begin treatment right away?"
"It's not as simple as that. There are preparations to make first."
"Preparations...?"
"Several materials needed for the ritual."
"Name them. I'll procure everything immediately."
As Dokgo Wi showed his resolve, Gwang Ui began listing the required items one by one.
These were nothing like the herbs or tools an ordinary physician might use.
"Soulstone, Ghost Gate Stone, Living Spirit Divine Water, a vial of blood from a Three Hundred King Turtle, Forget-Self Reversal Incense, Demon-Exorcising Lamp and Forget-Hometown Lamp, and a Five-Colored Soul Jar..."
None of the items he recited were easy to obtain.
Yet Dokgo Wi merely nodded firmly.
He intended to mobilize his entire clan's resources, by any means necessary, to gather them swiftly—and he was confident he could.
Gwang Ui, sensing his determination, rattled off the list without pause.
Then, at one point, he scratched his goatee, hesitating.
Dokgo Wi promptly asked,
"Is there a problem?"
"The most crucial item remains, but I'm not sure you can obtain it. I don't even know where it is—or if it still exists."
"What could it be...?"
Gwang Ui, who had clamped his mouth shut, cautiously revealed it.
"The Soul-Gathering Great Bell."
The sacred relic of the old Sa Hon Cult.
It was a massive bell, four times the size of a burly man's torso, etched with tens of thousands of blades.
The former Sa Hon Cult Leader had always required it for their rituals.
But now that the Sa Hon Cult had vanished into history's shadows, its whereabouts were unknown—even to Gwang Ui.
Dokgo Wi knew of its fame, however faintly, and his eyes darkened with dismay.
But right then.
"No need to worry about that. I know where the Soul-Gathering Great Bell is."
Dokgo Wi's head snapped toward Hyeok Mulin at his casual declaration.
"Is that true?"
As Hyeok Mulin nodded, Dokgo Wi let out a relieved breath.
Gwang Ui, standing beside him, asked incredulously,
"I searched far and wide and eventually gave up. Where on earth is it?"
Gwang Ui and Dokgo Wi's gazes fixed on Hyeok Mulin.
Soon, the corners of his mouth slowly curved up.
"Heavenly Demon Secret Vault. That's where the Sa Hon Cult's relic is."
Several days had passed since Gwang Ui arrived at the Dokgo Clan.
In that time, the clan's gates had been firmly sealed, and an eerie silence blanketed the entire estate.
And finally, when Dokgo Wi informed Gwang Ui that all preparations were complete, the day of reckoning arrived.
A short distance from the wooded manor grounds lay a vast plain.
At its center stood a massive altar, and upon it lay Dokgo Myeong, his face serene.
"......"
Gwang Ui looked down at him, then surveyed the surroundings.
All the previously mentioned materials and tools were arrayed in order, and crucially, the enormous Soul-Gathering Great Bell loomed imposingly at the rear.
Though unseen for centuries, it gleamed without a trace of rust.
Smooth.
Gwang Ui touched its surface for the first time, feeling the countless blade marks—rough yet strangely polished—and an immense weight that no ordinary man could hope to shift.
As he examined the bell briefly, someone approached him.
"Get any sleep?"
Gwang Ui shook his head at Hyeok Mulin's greeting.
"Don't ask. My body was exhausted, but my mind was wide awake—no sleep came. I ended up pulling an all-nighter."
This patient was far from ordinary for him too.
This treatment was the most critical opportunity of his career.
Moreover, performing the Sa Hon Cult's great ritual with the Soul-Gathering Great Bell was a first in his life—a mix of excitement and anxiety.
"No need to feel burdened. Worst case, if it goes wrong, they won't kill you."
Gwang Ui scratched his cheek, recalling the Dokgo Clan's notorious reputation.
"For the Dokgo Clan, they just might."
"...Can't deny that."
They'd openly pressured even the Cult Leader—what would they spare for a divine physician?
But.
"Does that mean you'll back out?"
"Of course not."
Gwang Ui's lips twisted into a peculiar grin.
"Can't say an opportunity like this will come again."
Just like him.
Even with his life on the line, he was thrilled. It was easy to see why he bore the moniker Gwang Ui.
"Knew you'd say that."
Hyeok Mulin smirked, and Gwang Ui's gaze returned to the bell.
After tapping its surface several times, he spoke.
"Who would've thought it'd be in the Secret Vault. I scoured the Central Plains in vain. Never imagined it'd be in the Divine Cult's Heavenly Demon Secret Vault, of all places."
Who could have guessed a lost Sa Hon Cult relic was stored in the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's vault?
In truth, Hyeok Mulin hadn't recognized it until Gwang Ui described its appearance.
'It just looked like an oversized, useless bell.'
In his previous life, Hyeok Mulin had practically lived in the Heavenly Demon Secret Vault, memorizing every item.
Yet among the treasures, a few defied purpose—like this bell, one of them.
A hulking thing occupying a corner.
Given its place in the vault, no ordinary trinket.
Hyeok Mulin had studied it extensively but never unlocked its secrets.
"The Sa Hon Cult had no ties to the Divine Cult. How it ended up there is a mystery. Do you know anything?"
Hyeok Mulin shook his head at Gwang Ui's question.
"Same here. No records mention it."
"Strange indeed."
"If even you, a Sa Hon Cult survivor, don't know, who would?"
"I don't know everything about the cult. Though... now that I'm the last, there's no one left to ask anyway."
Hyeok Mulin spoke impassively to Gwang Ui's faintly bitter expression.
"You might run into another hidden Sa Hon Cultist someday."
"Unlikely. All descendants, however few, lived together."
The Sa Hon Cult, said to have fallen centuries ago, still had dozens of followers when Gwang Ui was born.
But one thing they hadn't realized.
The imperial pursuit hadn't ended after hundreds of years.
"About forty years ago, the imperial forces raided our settlement. They didn't stop until every last descendant was slain."
"How did you survive?"
"Death closing in sparked unusual ingenuity. I dug a hole, buried myself, and covered it up."
"Huh."
Not your average man.
Easy to imagine casually, but in that frantic raid's brief chaos? Few could manage it.
Hyeok Mulin naturally admired his boldness.
"I left a tiny air hole and cast the Turtle Breath Great Technique. Days later, when the presence vanished, I dug out—nothing but emptiness around."
The area was spotless.
As if nothing had happened.
"Fled immediately after. Learned medicine and became a physician."
Hyeok Mulin, having heard his Sa Hon Cult saga, voiced genuine admiration.
"Impressive."
"So I've spent my life desperately hiding any ties. Never dreamed I'd use a Sa Hon Cult great ritual, even for a patient."
Gwang Ui chuckled heartily before adding,
"Guess a normal life is off the table now."
"Your life as Gwang Ui was never normal to begin with."
"That's one thing; this is another. You wouldn't get it—never lived on the run."
As trivial banter flowed between Gwang Ui and Hyeok Mulin, Dokgo Wi approached the altar.
Gwang Ui grinned at him and spoke.
"Finally here. Let's begin."
Rumble-crack-boom!
A ferocious thunderclap flashed over Gwang Ui's smile, heralding the great ritual's start.