Chapter 85
Chapter 85
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 85
Chapter Title: Superlative Realm (1)
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Thanks to Hwan Gwi, he avoided the hassle of having to explain himself.
Returning to his lodgings, Dang Yu-wol took stock of his condition once more.
'At this rate, I'll be able to wield my intent even more freely.'
That wasn't all.
He would now be able to destroy the three artifacts and absorb their energy without any strain.
"Are you there?"
A knock came at the door.
When he opened it, there stood the Shaolin Iron Fist and an old monk.
"We've come to check if Donor Dang is alright."
"I'm perfectly fine."
"Haha. That's a relief."
"And who's the one behind you..."
Standing behind the Shaolin Iron Fist was an old monk.
He was one of the monks who had accompanied them earlier when they captured the Thousand Faces Venerable.
"Fate has brought us to greet each other like this. Pleased to meet you, Donor. Call me Ji Yeol."
"The Mad Striking Monk...!"
"Heh heh. I never thought I'd hear that old nickname from my youth again."
Dang Yu-wol had heard of him before.
The Striking Monk, a master of the Hundred-Step Divine Fist who had crushed countless Demonic Cultists in his younger days.
"It's an honor to meet such a renowned monk."
"Renowned? Hardly."
With a mischievous grin that belied his age, he bantered on.
"I'm just a doddering old fool who hasn't even glimpsed the doorstep of nirvana yet."
Chuckling to himself, Ji Yeol looked at Dang Yu-wol with genuine warmth.
"Anyway, we can't keep chattering out here."
Without hesitation, he took a step forward.
"Donor Dang, care for a cup of tea?"
"I'd be delighted if you're offering."
"Immortal Hwan Gwi, you too."
"Haha. Very well."
Ji Yeol led Dang Yu-wol and Hwan Gwi to his humble quarters.
-Isn't the Mad Striking Monk the current abbot's senior brother?
Yet the place he stayed in looked dilapidated, on the verge of collapse.
It didn't seem fitting for someone of higher standing than the abbot in Shaolin Temple.
'That just means he's a genuinely good person.'
Grinning, he ushered the two inside and returned from the kitchen.
In his hands were three chipped bowls.
"I've got the finest tea in all of Shaolin."
What filled the chipped bowls was a milky-white liquid.
Cheap murky liquor.
"Heh heh. You see, this is Shaolin's finest tea. Made from rice, and..."
"That's booze."
"Exactly why it's Shaolin's finest."
Laughing heartily at their bewilderment, Ji Yeol gulped down the liquor.
Then wiped his mouth roughly with his sleeve.
"Even the abbot's quarters can't enjoy this."
Hwan Gwi hesitated.
He was a Daoist, but that didn't mean he couldn't drink.
Still, booze in Shaolin Temple felt a bit...
"L-Little Brother?"
"Yes?"
"We just drink it like that?"
"Why do you think this is liquor, Immortal Hwan Gwi?"
"Well..."
"It's merely tea. Made from rice, with a touch of fermentation."
Dang Yu-wol downed the grain brew without hesitation.
"By your logic, even gukbap would be tea..."
Sighing, Hwan Gwi took a sip as well.
It wasn't great liquor.
The aftertaste was murky, and it burned fiercely.
The three kept pouring and drinking without end.
"Ugh..."
Hwan Gwi was the first to falter.
As he groaned and set down his bowl, Ji Yeol grinned at Dang Yu-wol.
"You hold your liquor well."
"At my age, even poison goes down easy."
"Heh heh heh. I see, I see. Excellent. Oh, and that thing you took earlier—wasn't it a Taecheong Pill?"
"Yes."
"You carry fine treasures."
"Connections opened the way."
Dang Yu-wol downed his bowl in one go and set it down.
Ji Yeol chuckled with delight and pulled a box from his robe.
"Take this."
"What's this?"
"Something worthy of replacing the Taecheong Pill."
Hwan Gwi's eyes widened.
Something to replace a Taecheong Pill?
No way it was...
"...Great Return Pill."
An elixir that didn't pale in comparison to the Taecheong Pill.
Hwan Gwi stared at Ji Yeol in shock as he offered it freely.
But Dang Yu-wol was indifferent.
"Did you think I captured the Thousand Faces Venerable just to score a single Great Return Pill?"
"If it's too little, just say so."
Dang Yu-wol laughed.
This monk was easier to talk to than expected.
"If there's anything you need, just tell me."
He brimmed with confidence.
"I'm the sect leader's senior brother, after all. I can pass it along if you'd like."
"Even later is fine. When the time comes, I hope Shaolin will aid the Tang Clan once."
"You want Shaolin's power?"
"Yes."
"What kind of formidable foe are you facing?"
"A very formidable one."
"How formidable, exactly..."
"To the point where the full might of the murim is needed."
"......"
Ji Yeol fell silent.
Dang Yu-wol's expression showed no hint of jest.
"Could it be... you're thinking of the Demonic Cult?"
-A shame.
"Not just the Demonic Cult."
"Not just the Demonic Cult means there are others too... Perhaps the Blood Cult as well."
Ji Yeol shrugged.
Blood Cult or Demonic Cult, neither were good sorts.
"But the Blood Cult and Demonic Cult are already enemies of the murim."
"True."
"As long as you don't become an enemy of the murim, Shaolin will surely..."
"At that time, Murim Alliance, imperial court, wherever—it doesn't matter."
A chill entered Dang Yu-wol's eyes.
Infinite hatred for the Blood Cult.
Sensing it, Ji Yeol swallowed subtly.
'What killing intent...'
"At that time, follow only my orders."
At the bold claim of using Shaolin's power at will, Ji Yeol closed his mouth.
"Do you know what it means to wield Shaolin's power freely?"
"I do. Shaolin is the leader of the orthodox factions."
As such, Shaolin's will could sway the entire orthodox murim.
"And yet you need that immense power?"
"Yes."
"What exactly are you aiming for?"
To Ji Yeol's question, Dang Yu-wol replied without a flicker.
"The complete extermination of the Blood Cult."
Ji Yeol said no more in the face of that fierce resolve in his eyes.
Returning to his Shaolin lodgings, Dang Yu-wol sat cross-legged.
Beside him lay the three artifacts.
-Shall we begin?
'We must.'
He had taken the Taecheong Pill.
His dantian had expanded, his meridians strengthened.
And now, this room was guarded by the warrior monks.
There was no reason not to do it now.
-Focus.
'I'm more focused than ever.'
A single lapse.
A single moment of delusion could ruin everything.
Dang Yu-wol sent his internal energy toward the artifacts around him.
-Craaaack...!!
The baleful energy within the artifacts, drawn by his internal energy, began absorbing into him.
-As expected, only the Taiji Manual remains intact.
Of course.
Unlike the other two, the Taiji Manual only needed the baleful energy it contained.
-It's incredibly potent. Far beyond the Poison Lord or Bloodwheel Sword.
Ye-ui examined the reverse heaven energy flowing into Dang Yu-wol.
-One misstep, and it'll be disastrous.
'I know.'
-It's a treacherous path over a thousand-ri cliff. Let me assist.
Taking deep breaths, Dang Yu-wol circulated his energy.
His internal energy clashed with the reverse heaven energy.
Violent waves began to surge.
-Stay alert. It'll hurt, but endure.
'This much is bearable.'
His meridians tore and expanded.
Pain no ordinary human could endure.
Thus, Ye-ui kept encouraging and watching over him.
-If you lose consciousness here, what of the Tang Clan?
He was right.
'Shall I betray Father and the elders who've labored for me my whole life over mere pain?'
Trample their kindness and love because it hurt a little?
Dang Yu-wol smiled.
'This is nothing.'
In the tsunami of energy, Dang Yu-wol swiftly steadied his mind.
He sent the storm-like clashing energies throughout his meridians.
-Crack...!!
The internal energy, burrowing into fine vessels and finding its place, halted.
It had encountered two massive meridians.
'Reached the Conception and Governor Vessels.'
The Transformation Realm was said to be a transcendent state.
To reach it, one must open those two vessels.
'Greed.'
Yes, greed.
Dang Yu-wol suppressed the urge to pierce them right then.
'Plenty of chances ahead.'
Now was the time to solidify his foundation.
Thus, he didn't waste the remaining energy on breaching the Conception and Governor Vessels.
He focused solely on expanding and fortifying his meridians.
-A wise choice.
Ye-ui had worried Dang Yu-wol might get greedy.
But as the former Martial God, he controlled his desires.
-Not called Martial God for nothing.
Failing to breach those two could cost him all his internal energy.
Yet human greed, the arrogance of 'I can do it,' had ruined many.
-Countless warriors have despaired and perished before that great wall.
All the more admirable.
He moved with thorough planning.
-Good thinking. Opportunities abound.
Amid Ye-ui's praise like comfort, Dang Yu-wol swiftly gathered his energy.
"Huuu..."
Exhaling, he slowly opened his eyes.
They were deeper than before.
-Superlative Realm now. Disappointed?
'As if.'
Dang Yu-wol smirked at Ye-ui's jest.
Disappointed?
He had been through too much for that.
-Best wash up first.
Grey impurities oozed from his pores everywhere.
No reason to wear the toxins he'd just expelled.
Feeling refreshed, Dang Yu-wol opened the window.
'Night already.'
He'd started in the morning; now the sun had set.
-Six full hours sitting. Not tired?
'Hungry, though.'
Opening the door, he found Hwan Gwi waiting.
The immortal smiled and clasped his hands in greeting.
"Congratulations on your achievement. You're on my level now."
"Uh... Did you stand guard too, Immortal Hwan Gwi?"
"Indeed. I sensed it from early morning."
He had guarded the door, offering a wry smile.
"Truth be told, I wanted to enter and properly protect you."
"I see."
"But you locked the door, so I stayed out."
He figured there was good reason.
Despite his worry, he trusted him.
"Thank you."
"Shaolin monks guarded the room too."
"Yes, I knew. I should thank them properly."
"That said..."
"Haha. I reek, don't I?"
"No, more that you're in the Superlative Realm."
Many in the murim grew jealous when someone weaker reached their level.
"At your age, Superlative Realm is nothing to be ashamed of, whatever you do."
"Hahaha..."
"Excessive humility can insult the other party."
But Hwan Gwi was Hwan Gwi.
He rejoiced in Dang Yu-wol's achievement as if it were his own.
-What a fine fellow.
'Indeed.'