Chapter 90
Chapter 90
The Divine Monk (1)
'Where... am I?'
Se-woon's consciousness had returned, but his mind remained hazy, as if still trapped in a dream.
Not a single sensation could be felt anywhere in his body.
There was only one reason for this state.
'......It must be the aftermath of surrendering my body to the demonic energy that seized my upper dantian when I broke through to the Fourth Star of the Reverse Heaven Energy. The gates of the Blood Demon's hell have opened, just as he always warned.'
In that moment, he realized—
If he made even the slightest mistake here, he might never open his eyes again. He would die.
Slowly and meticulously, Se-woon activated the Golden Armor Energy.
The Golden Armor Energy was the only technique he could perform while lying incapacitated on the sickbed.
With no sensation to rely on, he had no choice but to repeat the process endlessly, guided only by memory.
Even the passage of time felt intangible.
No matter how hard he tried, his energy refused to settle into his meridians, scattering uselessly into the void again and again.
But Se-woon didn't give up.
He tried, and tried, and tried.
Until finally—
Whoosh!
Golden Armor Energy ignited and flowed through his entire meridian system, reviving his dormant senses.
And the first thing he felt was—
'—!!'
A pain so excruciating it nearly knocked him unconscious.
The price for lending his body to the demon lurking within the Reverse Heaven Energy was brutal.
From his dantian to the Eight Extraordinary Meridians, every inch touched by his energy felt as if it were being torn apart. Waves of agony crashed over him.
Gritting his teeth, he endured and focused even harder on the Golden Armor Energy.
'......Damn. At this rate, I'll need at least a month of dedicated treatment and recuperation.'
Frustrating as it was, this was entirely his own fault. He had no one to blame.
The moment he learned his sister had been attacked by the Blood Cult, he lost all reason and unleashed power far beyond his limits.
In the process, his stagnant Reverse Heaven Energy had indeed ascended to the Fourth Star—
'But if it hadn't been Sword Empress and the Flaming Mountain Sword Dragon who came to rescue us—if it had been Namgung Myeong instead—I would have been executed on the spot.'
As he'd said before, emotions played a part, but—
The root cause was exhausting too much of his Golden Armor Energy while forging a divine artifact to counter the Blood Rain ritual.
The moment the balance between his energies collapsed, the Reverse Heaven Energy seized the opportunity to burrow into his mind and shatter his defenses.
The Reverse Heaven Energy was a beast that could never be tamed.
The instant Se-woon showed the slightest weakness, it sank its fangs into his throat without hesitation.
He swore never to make that mistake again.
Just as he steeled his resolve—
Whoosh.
'—!'
A foreign energy lingering within his body pulsed cautiously.
It was warm, like sunlight.
'......Ha-young.'
It was none other than the Golden Summit Divine Energy left behind by Do Ha-young.
As it slowly spread through his meridians, accelerating his recovery, he could almost feel her warmth radiating from it.
The image of her—approaching him despite his attacks—flashed through his mind.
His chest ached.
This pain cut deeper than the agony tearing through his body.
He had tried to push her away.
Tried to run.
Tried to keep her at a distance.
Because he believed that was the only way to protect her.
But—
Perhaps this was a bond that couldn't be severed, no matter how hard he resisted.
'Was forcing myself to avoid her never the answer...?'
In that moment, a new realization struck him.
Running and hiding would change nothing.
'I must face everything head-on—even if it means getting hurt.'
After his regression, Se-woon had prioritized ensuring no one around him suffered.
He had always acted based on his knowledge of the past, carefully ensuring his words and actions didn't trigger unforeseen consequences.
But he'd been wrong.
Clinging solely to righteousness would never keep pace with the Blood Cult's schemes.
Yet abandoning all restraint would only drag him deeper into the path of demonic cultivation.
So, no matter how difficult—
He had to carve his own path forward, no matter how narrow or treacherous.
'I must stand at the forefront, weathering the storm myself, shaping the world's course.'
Only now did Se-woon finally understand—
The direction he needed to take.
'Yes, the path I must walk is...'
Just then, a voice suddenly echoed in his ears.
["Amitabha. Why has the Tathagata guided me here?"]
'......Who is that?'
It was a voice he had never heard before.
An aged tone, weathered by time—yet brimming with unfathomable profundity.
Just listening to it eased his pain.
["Hoh... What in the world is this?"]
The mysterious old man sounded startled.
Se-woon faintly sensed him approaching the space right beside where he lay.
He tried to sharpen his focus, but the old man's next words left him stunned.
["A mere mortal has escaped the wheel of samsara and returned to the beginning?"]
'—!!'
In Buddhist teachings, the "wheel of samsara" referred to the cycle of rebirth.
For someone to break free and return to their origin could only mean one thing.
'......How does he know about my regression?'
That's right—the old monk had discerned that Se-woon had traveled back in time.
Se-woon was so shocked his barely stabilized mind wavered again.
Even Sword Emperor Yoo Jin-hak hadn't noticed his regression.
Just who was this enigmatic figure before him...?
["Fear not, child. I merely see what is shown to me."]
The old monk spoke again, his words cryptic.
["In both past and present lives, you have endured much suffering."]
["To shoulder the karma of the world alone—how could it not be painful?"]
With those final words, the monk slowly approached Se-woon and—
Tap.
Lightly flicked his forehead with a finger.
Ooom—!
Like ripples spreading across still water—
Like the resonant chime of a temple bell echoing through the mountains—
The chaos in Se-woon's mind instantly cleared.
["Ah... Now I understand why the Tathagata has sent me here one last time."]
The monk's profound voice continued as—
Something round slipped into Se-woon's mouth.
The mysterious pellet melted the moment it touched his tongue, flowing down his throat.
Hwaa!
Hwaaa!
At the same time, Se-woon felt an immense energy surge through his limbs and meridians.
'......A pill?'
It reminded him of the Golden Morning Pill he had once taken from the Emei Sect.
No—that comparison didn't do it justice.
If the Golden Morning Pill's energy was a single wave—
This mysterious pill was an endless ocean.
Rumble—!
A deafening roar, like a thousand thunderclaps erupting at once, reverberated through his body.
["Listen well."]
["The demon within you cannot be subdued by anyone but yourself."]
["However, this old monk can at least ensure it does not control you as it does now."]
Se-woon realized this was an opportunity among opportunities.
He focused every ounce of his attention on the monk's words.
["What I shall teach you is the practice of cleansing the mind—washing away the filth and malevolence clinging to your spirit with the heart of the Tathagata."]
Whoosh!
As the monk projected his will, a new energy flow emerged in Se-woon's upper dantian.
'......!!'
Se-woon's energies had taken the form of a tree within him—
Divine Poison Energy as nourishment, Golden Armor Energy as roots, Reverse Heaven Energy as the trunk.
And now—
Under the monk's guidance, fruit blossomed upon that tree.
Like the Mani Jewel of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva—said to illuminate darkness—the fruit radiated brilliant light.
Whoooosh!
The Reverse Heaven Energy, which had spread like poison through his body, began flowing back to its original position under that radiance.
Just as the monk had said—while it couldn't be eradicated, it could be returned to its proper place.
'This is......!!'
In that instant, Se-woon realized—
The physical and mental torment plaguing him had vanished, as if washed away.
["Remember—the ancients called this practice 'Bone Marrow Cleansing.'"]
The monk's final words sent a shiver down Se-woon's spine.
The Bone Marrow Cleansing Scripture.
There was only one martial art in the entire martial world by that name.
Just as he began to grasp the monk's identity—
Crackle—!
Ooom!
Suddenly, his Eight Extraordinary Meridians and entire meridian system erupted in turmoil.
With the Reverse Heaven Energy—which had been obstructing his energy flow like poison—now restored to its rightful place—
The pill's energy surged through his limbs at breakneck speed.
'This is my chance!'
Se-woon concentrated with every fiber of his being.
The energy in his upper dantian and meridians was rapidly increasing.
As a result—
Golden Armor Energy rose from 5 years to 9 years.
Reverse Heaven Energy from 4 years to 5 years.
Innate True Energy skyrocketed from 5 years to 10 years.
The only disappointment was that his lower dantian's Divine Poison Energy remained at 6 years—
But since Divine Poison Energy only grew by absorbing toxins or death energy, this was inevitable.
Even so, Se-woon's spine tingled with exhilaration.
'Thirty years!!'
This was the moment he achieved half a jiazi—the internal energy threshold recognized for true peak martial artists.
Disciples of prestigious sects might scoff at celebrating mere half a jiazi—
But Se-woon knew better.
The quality and efficiency of his thirty years of internal energy rivaled that of a fully matured master in the Realm of Transformation.
Sssss...
The remaining traces of the pill's energy focused on its original purpose—restoring his body.
'Just a little more...!'
Unable to resist, Se-woon tried to divert even that into his cultivation—
["Tsk, tsk—greed always brings calamity."]
The monk's reprimand came instantly.
["Many await you—no more sleeping in. Rise!"]
Thok!
A sharp sting spread across his forehead—
'I'm... awake—!'
Whoosh!
In that instant, his consciousness was pulled elsewhere.
"......!"
Gasping, Se-woon sat up on the sickbed.
Cold sweat dripped from his forehead—
But the ashen pallor of his face had already regained color.
"Se... Se-woon!"
"Young Master!!"
Noticing he had awakened, Se-rin and Yeo-seon rushed over and embraced him.
His sister burst into tears, saying he had been unconscious for four days.
Seeing her cry for the first time, Se-woon quickly reassured her.
'Where...?'
But no matter how much he searched, the old monk was nowhere to be seen.
Yet Se-woon knew this hadn't been an illusion or a dream.
The monk's parting words still echoed vividly in his ears.
—Child, when you wake, come to the Tranquil Cloud Pavilion.
Within the Martial Alliance's headquarters, the Tranquil Cloud Pavilion stood in the deepest sanctum.
Only one person resided there—
A being older even than Sword Emperor Yoo Jin-hak.
The current martial world's oldest and greatest master—
The former abbot of Shaolin Temple.
'The Divine Monk......!!'
The Divine Monk—Great Master Kongseong—was its master.