Chapter 482
Chapter 482
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 482
Chapter Title: The Absolute Demonic Path Plan
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Sharp glints of light emanated from Dam-jeung’s eyes.
At last, the past of the Vice-Lord of the Demonic Palace—the greatest saber master of the Demonic Path, a master who had achieved all glory—was being revealed.
The past of the Great Star of Slaughter, the invincible saber master who had driven the martial world into terror, was coming to light.
“At that time, this humble monk was a Lecturing Monk at the Blood Shaolin Temple, managing the sutra repository and teaching the scriptures.”
Dam-jeung’s eyes darkened as if recalling events from long ago.
“Then one day, unidentified masked men and numerous young boys came to our Blood Shaolin Temple.”
It was an incomprehensible event.
How could people who weren't even disciples of Shaolin flock to the temple and be taught not only the ultimate arts of Shaolin but also the demonic arts stored within the Blood Shaolin Temple?
He had asked the abbot for the reason several times but received no answer.
But Dam-jeung was not only intensely curious but also a man of outstanding intellect and insight.
Sensing that something was amiss at the Blood Shaolin Temple, he began to investigate in secret. And eventually, he learned the entire truth.
—A calamity that will bring about the end of the martial world, one that no one can stop, will arise from the Demonic Path.
Moryun, the Seeker of the Law, who was the master of the former Martial Alliance Lord, Cheol Mu-hon, and was said to possess the ability to read heavenly secrets.
He had prophesied the coming of a calamity that would annihilate the martial world.
—Then what must we do?
Cheol Mu-hon had asked Moryun, but the only answer he received was, “It cannot be stopped.”
He even said it was impossible to know whether it would be an uprising of the Three Realms that had long ruled the martial world or the birth of a new great demonic figure.
—The only way is to mobilize all our power and raise someone from our side who can control the Demonic Path!
If the cause was unknown…
They devised a plan to dominate the Demonic Path from the outset, suppressing any such seeds before they could sprout.
Cheol Mu-hon discussed this matter with Hong-yeop, the Shaolin Abbot at the time.
Eventually, the figures who controlled the martial world of that era gathered in secret to discuss the issue.
And the result.
They would select the greatest geniuses of the realm and produce a supreme master of the Demonic Path from within the Orthodox Faction, thereby cutting off the very source of the calamity before it could begin.
It was a brilliant yet perilous plan.
—Create an invincible saber master whom none can match, allowing him to dominate the Demonic Path and simultaneously cut out the seeds of destruction.
That was the Absolute Demonic Path Plan.
They came up with a method to create an invincible saber master who would achieve the pinnacle of demonic martial arts, infiltrate the Demonic Path…
And find and eliminate the force or individual destined to bring about the end of the martial world beforehand.
And for the Absolute Demonic Path Plan to succeed, they needed a genius of the highest caliber, one who lacked nothing in terms of martial talent, aptitude, stamina, and insight.
However, the initial stages of the Absolute Demonic Path Plan ended in failure.
Even if one possessed the greatest aptitude in the world, the most crucial factor was one's character.
They had to learn demonic arts without ever being tainted by their demonic nature.
Ultimately, Cheol Mu-hon found the answer at the Blood Shaolin Temple.
—We will cultivate the greatest geniuses at the Blood Shaolin Temple!
The martial monks of the Blood Shaolin Temple could learn demonic arts while maintaining minds as clear as a mirror and hearts rooted in Buddhist principles.
This was possible because of the Blood Shaolin Temple’s unique mind cultivation techniques and the Land of Serenity, where they could be honed.
Once the solution was decided…
The most outstanding geniuses and instructors from across the land gathered once again at the Blood Shaolin Temple.
—We must not select just one outstanding genius. We must also select geniuses who can rise to key positions in both the Orthodox and Unorthodox Factions. And those who will support the one on the Absolute Demonic Path.
For the Absolute Demonic Path Plan to succeed, two more conditions had to be met first.
They needed to create shadows who would perfectly craft the identity and history of the one who would become the absolute saber master of the Demonic Path.
And they needed to create aids, helpers who would rise to key positions in the various Orthodox and Unorthodox sects to assist and support him.
“In the end, all the geniuses of the realm gathered at the Blood Shaolin Temple and, according to their talents and dispositions, learned not only the ultimate arts of the Orthodox Faction but also the various demonic arts scattered throughout the temple.”
As Dam-jeung recalled the past, an untold secret history of the martial world flowed ceaselessly from his lips.
“And among them were those who became the shadows of the Absolute Demonic Path, and others who became successors of mysterious sects whose origins were unknown.”
“So you taught them Shaolin's ultimate arts as well?”
“That is correct. To learn demonic arts without being tainted by them, and to maintain their spiritual fortitude, they first had to master our temple's martial arts.”
“Then did you also pass down secret arts like the Muscle-Tendon Change Classic?”
“That is something this humble monk cannot know. However…”
Dam-jeung’s gaze deepened as he recalled that time.
“As the fate of the martial world hung in the balance, if it had been necessary… the abbot would have permitted its transmission.”
Bu Eun-seol finally understood something that had been puzzling him for a long time.
Why the Lord of Sa-hyang had been able to use the Great Prajna Art.
He, too, must have been an agent from the Blood Shaolin Temple, sent into Sa-hyang as part of the Absolute Demonic Path Plan.
“Who exactly are these people who would bring about the end of the martial world?”
“That, I do not know.”
“If you, a Great Monk, do not know, then who does?”
“All of this is what this humble monk discovered through secret, lengthy investigation. No one would have imagined that a single Lecturing Monk would be prying so persistently. And…”
Pausing for a moment, he let out a deep sigh and said.
“I was able to survive precisely because no one knew that I was aware of the Absolute Demonic Path Plan.”
“What do you mean by that?”
Dam-jeung spoke in an incredibly heavy voice.
“All the figures who were involved in that plan were either murdered or went missing.”
*Thump.*
Bu Eun-seol’s eyes widened.
As he listened to Dam-jeung’s story, one question had persisted.
No matter how tightly security was maintained, if a plan of this scale was carried out?
After so much time had passed…
It would be normal for there to be at least one or two others who knew about the Absolute Demonic Path Plan.
But for not a single person in the martial world to know of it? That was truly unbelievable.
“Are you saying they all died?”
“The only ones I knew to be involved were Alliance Lord Cheol and the Abbot. But they must have all died.”
A light of fury flickered in Dam-jeung’s eyes.
“The masters who controlled the martial world at the time, all those connected to the Absolute Demonic Path Plan, either died or vanished. In the end, with no one left to lead, the Absolute Demonic Path Plan failed.”
Clenching his fist, he spoke as if coughing up blood.
“Including all my martial brothers of this Blood Shaolin Temple!”
Dam-jeung’s eyes were tinged with a light of bitter resentment that a man of Buddhism could not—no, should not—display.
“If I had not been tasked with retrieving scriptures from the Western Regions at that time. No, if it had become known that a mere Lecturing Monk was aware of the Absolute Demonic Path Plan…”
He spoke in an incredibly heavy voice.
“This humble monk would never have survived.”
*So that’s what happened.*
Bu Eun-seol finally understood why Dam-jeung was so determined to make the Blood Shaolin Temple strong, even if it meant reforming villains.
Though a Buddhist disciple, his heart, too, was filled with the same bitter desire for revenge as Bu Eun-seol.
Moreover, the existence of the Blood Shaolin Temple could not be revealed to the outside world.
Even though Shaolin disciples had been massacred, there was nowhere to appeal their unjust fate, and the incident itself had to be quietly buried.
“Hmm.”
Hearing Dam-jeung’s circumstances, Bu Eun-seol felt a sense of solemnity.
In the end, he was the only person who knew about the Absolute Demonic Path Plan, a secret operation conducted by the Orthodox Faction.
And the sole survivor of the Blood Shaolin Temple.
*Is this why so many past masters of the Orthodox Faction vanished without a trace or died of mysterious illnesses?*
An unusually large number of past masters from the Orthodox Faction had mysteriously disappeared, like those of the Seven-Fingered Demonic Path, or had simply vanished.
And to think the reason was the Absolute Demonic Path Plan.
*Does that mean there's another dark power in the martial world besides the Three Realms?*
Bu Eun-seol’s gaze deepened.
Even for the Three Realms, quietly assassinating the leaders of the Orthodox Faction, including the Martial Alliance Lord and the Shaolin Abbot, was by no means an easy feat.
*No, it's also possible the Three Realms worked together.*
If the Three Realms had not been divided as they were now. If they had united for a specific goal…
It might have been possible for them to commit such an act.
“Have you investigated?”
He may have been a Lecturing Monk in the past, but now Dam-jeung was the proper abbot of the Blood Shaolin Temple.
He surely must have tried to find the fiend who had annihilated his temple.
“Of course. I have clung to it for decades, yet I could not even find out who the culprit was.”
“Then couldn't you have sought out the geniuses who were trained? If you could find them, you might have found the culprit.”
“I could not do that.”
“Because they would have already put down roots in the Demonic Path. You couldn't search for them openly, I presume.”
“That is also a reason. But there is a bigger one.”
Dam-jeung frowned and said.
“What genius of the realm would risk their life to learn the martial arts of both the Orthodox and Unorthodox Factions, and wish to live their entire life as a double agent?”
“Don’t tell me.”
“That's right. They were all orphans, and most of them were tricked or brought here by force.”
Dam-jeung shook his head.
“Though they learned martial arts within the Blood Shaolin Temple, in reality, they were in the Land of Serenity, an environment even harsher than the Cave of Repentance… They lived like beasts as they mastered their arts.”
“…”
“For most of them, the sudden death of the leadership and the collapse of the chain of command must have felt like a liberation.”
Bu Eun-seol let out a deep sigh.
What had begun with the sole intention of saving the martial world had, in the end, turned into a horrifically cruel plan.
“But there was hope. I found traces of a few who, despite the disappearance of the leadership, still intended to carry out the Absolute Demonic Path Plan.”
Dam-jeung continued with his astonishing story.
“But by the time I found them, their identities had already been exposed and they were either eliminated or had vanished without a trace.”
“So there were traitors among them.”
“Indeed. To escape the Absolute Demonic Path Plan, they had to first kill the comrades who knew their true identities.”
Dam-jeung’s eyes narrowed.
“And I have always suspected one person.”
“Who is it?”
“Bu Jan-yang of the Seven-Fingered Demonic Path.”
A glint as sharp as a blade flashed in Dam-jeung’s eyes.
“His past is unclear. He appeared in the martial world like a comet and vanished just as suddenly. After slaughtering figures from both the Orthodox and Unorthodox Factions without distinction.”
“Hmm.”
“As I continued my investigation, a man claiming to be of the Seven-Fingered Demonic Path came to the Blood Shaolin Temple. And he entered the Cave of Repentance of his own accord.”
Dam-jeung's gaze grew infinitely deep.
“He had certainly mastered the Seven Forms of the Blood Tears, and his authenticity was confirmed before the abbot and myself. And once he was acknowledged as being of the Seven-Fingered Demonic Path, he destroyed his own internal energy and entered the prison.”
Taking a deep breath, Dam-jeung stared intently at Bu Eun-seol.
“But I knew. The truth was that he was not the real Seven-Fingered Demonic Path.”
“How so?”
“Because I have seen the real one.”
*Swish.*
Dam-jeung pushed back his robes to reveal his shoulder.
The skin there was dark and discolored, as if all vitality had been drained from it.
It was a wound grazed by the saber energy of the Seven Forms of the Blood Tears.
“You met him in person?”
“I did. He was wearing a mask, but… I happened to witness the scene where he murdered the Three Swords of Yejung. And I received this wound trying to stop him.”
Dam-jeung shook his head as if it were a useless memory.
“In any case, it was only after the fake Seven-Fingered Demonic Path came to the Cave of Repentance that I knew. The real one was still alive, and he could very well be the key figure of the Absolute Demonic Path Plan.”
“…”
“It’s not just that a figure from the Demonic Path knew the exact location of our Blood Shaolin Temple. He couldn't possibly know about the real ‘Cave of Repentance’ where we imprison demonic practitioners.”
A demonic practitioner who knew the location of the Blood Shaolin Temple.
There was a high probability that he was part of the Absolute Demonic Path Plan.
Furthermore, he was willing to sacrifice his life for the sake of the Seven-Fingered Demonic Path.
This led him to think: could the Seven-Fingered Demonic Path be a righteous person, the key figure of the Absolute Demonic Path Plan?
“You imprisoned him even though you knew he was a fake?”
“A man of his caliber willingly destroyed his own power and sacrificed his entire life.”
Dam-jeung spoke with a hazy look in his eyes, as if in pity.
“How could I possibly stop him?”
Hearing those words, an indescribable emotion surged within Bu Eun-seol.
The Nameless Old Man, too, was an outstanding figure who could have left a great mark on the martial world.
But he had sacrificed his life to protect his grandfather.
Bu Eun-seol himself had an exceptional figure named Seo Jin-ha as his shadow, treading a fine line between the Demonic and Orthodox Factions.
And Seo Jin-ha, too, would sacrifice himself without a moment's hesitation if Bu Eun-seol were in danger.
*I must never let such a thing happen.*
Bu Eun-seol resolved himself once more.
He would not be defeated by any power, by anyone. He would never allow the lives of others to be sacrificed.
“You asked me about the relationship between the Seven-Fingered Demonic Path and this Blood Shaolin Temple.”
Dam-jeung let out a deep sigh.
“This is everything I know.”
Bu Eun-seol took a deep breath.
If Dam-jeung’s deduction was correct…
The Seven-Fingered Demonic Path was a spy for the Orthodox Faction, artificially created by the Absolute Demonic Path Plan.
He must have slaughtered members of the Orthodox Faction to gain the trust of the Demonic Path, and as a result, grew weary of life.
In the end, he abruptly left the martial world and lived a quiet life through the sacrifices of many, including the Nameless Old Man.
*But if Grandfather was the Seven-Fingered Demonic Path… he would never have left the martial world for such a simple reason.*
His grandfather, Bu Jan-yang, was a man of stronger responsibility and conviction than anyone.
He was not the type of person to abandon a sacred mission to save the martial world midway… he would see things through to the end and atone with his death.
—The entire martial world is in his debt. It is because of his sacrifice that they have survived until now…
The Nameless Old Man had clearly said that the people of the martial world survived because of the sacrifice of the Seven-Fingered Demonic Path.
That means…
Even if all of Dam-jeung’s deductions were correct, there must be another reason why the Seven-Fingered Demonic Path left the martial world.
“So that’s why you conspired with the Martial Alliance Lord to test me.”
Having organized his thoughts, Bu Eun-seol subtly posed a leading question.
“To pursue the fiend who harmed the Blood Shaolin Temple, you would have needed the information network of a large organization like the Martial Alliance.”
Shaolin was called the leader of the Orthodox Faction, but unfortunately, it did not have its ears in the martial world or the various sects.
Dam-jeung, in particular, who was searching for the culprit who annihilated the Blood Shaolin Temple, must have desperately needed the power of an excellent intelligence organization.
He would have had no choice but to board the same ship as the Divine Strategist, no, Jeong-cheon-je.
“Such things are not important.”
Dam-jeung stared intently at Bu Eun-seol.
“Now, this humble monk will also ask a question.”
Dam-jeung spoke with an expression of incomprehension.
“Why are you looking for the Seven-Fingered Demonic Path?”
The question was unexpected.
At the time, the Divine Strategist had seemed to know who Bu Eun-seol was and why he was looking for his grandfather.
But for Dam-jeung to ask such a question? Did that mean he wasn't sharing any information with the Divine Strategist?
“Do not worry. This Blood Shaolin Temple is a place that has no influence on the affairs of the martial world.”
Dam-jeung spoke calmly, as if he had seen through Bu Eun-seol’s thoughts.
“Our only purpose is to protect Shaolin. The only places this humble monk keeps an ear to are those related to the fiend who attacked our main temple.”
Bu Eun-seol nodded.
The Blood Shaolin Temple possessed great power, but it was not a place that appeared in the light to exert a strong influence on the state of the martial world.
Even if Bu Eun-seol were an immortal instead of the Martial Soul Lord, there would be nothing for them to interfere with, and nothing would change.
Their existence was solely for the protection of Shaolin.
In other words, the Blood Shaolin Temple was a dark guardian that only involved itself in Shaolin's affairs, a secret weapon that could only appear in times of crisis.
“What's this? After diligently listening to the secret history of this Blood Shaolin Temple and this humble monk’s secrets, you're not planning to hide your own circumstances, are you?”
“Hmm.”
After a moment of thought, Bu Eun-seol looked at Dam-jeung.
For a high monk of Shaolin, he was eccentric, flippant, and had a personality that didn't shy away from any means to an end.
But he didn't seem to have lied, nor did he seem to have a wicked nature.
Besides, telling him about the Absolute Demonic Path Plan meant he didn't consider Bu Eun-seol an enemy, right?
*He’s different from my first impression.*
Bu Eun-seol found himself slightly liking Dam-jeung, whom he had initially thought of as a vicious, strange monk.
It was a sense of kinship between eccentrics who 달려가는 for a single goal.
*However… there is a huge, unbelievable flaw in his story.*
In fact, Bu Eun-seol had discovered a critical flaw in the story Dam-jeung had told him.
But he didn't bother to point it out.
If Dam-jeung had spoken truthfully about what he knew… then even if he pointed out the flaw, he wouldn't be able to give an accurate answer.
*I'll have to investigate this myself as soon as I leave Shaolin.*
Having made up his mind, Bu Eun-seol opened his mouth.
“Bu Jan-yang, who was working as a coroner in Hwangju, was my grandfather.”
After a brief silence, Bu Eun-seol spoke frankly.
“And he was murdered by an unknown demonic master. I came to the martial world to pursue him.”
And he honestly explained his situation up to now.
How, in his continuous pursuit of his grandfather's avenger…
He came to realize that the paths of the Seven-Fingered Demonic Path and his grandfather, Bu Jan-yang, overlapped considerably.
“Heh.”
Dam-jeung let out a soft exclamation, his eyes growing deeper and narrower than ever before.
Only then did he realize that the madness that constantly flowed from Bu Eun-seol’s body was a thirst for revenge.
“So that’s what it was.”
The successor of the Demonic Palace made no distinction between the Orthodox and Unorthodox Factions.
To think he was wandering the bleak and cruel martial world solely to avenge his cruelly murdered grandfather, Bu Jan-yang.
“It is karma. Karma indeed.”
Dam-jeung sighed deeply.
If he had entered the martial world through a good connection, he could have become a renowned hero who protected the righteous spirit of the world.
But alas, he had stepped into the martial world out of revenge, and this peerless genius had flowed toward the Demonic Path.
“So you’re saying the vanished Seven-Fingered Demonic Path could be the coroner, Bu Jan-yang.”
Dam-jeung nodded and let out a sigh.
“But unfortunately, there is no way to confirm if the two are the same person.”
Bu Eun-seol nodded.
If his grandfather was a peerless genius raised as a demonic practitioner by the Orthodox Faction…
The moment he entered the Absolute Demonic Path Plan, all records related to him would have been completely destroyed.
“I see.”
His intuition had always told him that his grandfather was the Seven-Fingered Demonic Path.
And since his grandfather was a man of Shaolin, he thought that if he spoke with the leadership of Shaolin, he would surely learn the truth.
After going through hell and high water to speak with Dam-jeung, yet still unable to learn the exact truth… Bu Eun-seol was greatly disappointed.
“Hmm.”
Was it because of that pitiful and earnest expression? Or was it because he knew that all of Bu Eun-seol's words were sincere?
Dam-jeung’s impassive eyebrows twitched slightly.
He thought deeply about something for a moment, then nodded as if he had recalled something.
“Among the geniuses who entered the Blood Shaolin Temple at that time, there was one who stood out from the rest.”
Dam-jeung, who had gone out somewhere for a moment, handed an old book to Bu Eun-seol.
“While training in martial arts, he constantly read the Buddhist scriptures. I don't know if it was to train his mind or simply a hobby.”
“What is this?”
“From the time he completed his training in the Land of Serenity and gained a status that allowed him to enter the Blood Shaolin Temple's sutra repository, he constantly borrowed and read this book.”
Dam-jeung’s wrinkled eyes narrowed into a fold.
“Perhaps he found it frustrating, as he began to write commentaries, as if creating an annotated version. I found it commendable, so I pretended not to notice…”
Bu Eun-seol hastily opened the book.
The cover of the old book was in Sanskrit, so Bu Eun-seol couldn't read it.
But when he opened the book, next to the words written in Sanskrit were annotations and interpretations in a neat, standard script.
“Ah.”
Looking at the small script, Bu Eun-seol’s body trembled.
The handwriting in which he had translated the Sanskrit was none other than his grandfather’s.
“Grandfather…”
With his eyes turning red, Bu Eun-seol hugged the Sanskrit Buddhist scripture tightly.
His guess had been correct.
His grandfather was a figure who had participated in the Absolute Demonic Path Plan.
Considering his skill and martial prowess, he was almost certainly the protagonist of the plan.
A peerless martial artist with a tragic fate… who became the Seven-Fingered Demonic Path to become a cornerstone of the martial world, only to lose his life at the hands of the Three Realms.
That was his grandfather, Bu Jan-yang.