Chapter 1209
Bu Eun-seol's gaze grew infinitely deeper as he set down the scroll.
"So they trained those who mastered martial arts capable of altering ley lines in order to open the treasury found through the Dragon Vein Map."
According to legend, after the First Emperor unified the realm, he ordered the alchemist Xu Fu to create the Dragon Vein Map in search of the secret to immortality.
And along the Dragon Vein Map—which perfectly depicted the flow of the dragon veins, the paths through which the energy of the land coursed across the mountains and rivers of the realm—
He was said to have hidden treasures capable of gathering or altering the earth's energy flowing throughout the Central Plains.
Moreover, it was said that within those veins lay dragon lairs—
Where martial arts training would progress at an accelerated rate, and prolonged residence could even extend one's lifespan.
"It wasn't complete."
What was drawn on the scroll were only parts of Shanxi and Henan.
In other words, the Empress Dowager had found Wooden Buddha and had clearly secured some degree of his cooperation.
"Then—"
Bu Eun-seol's eyes gleamed.
"The Great Monk might be here."
And immediately, he frantically scanned the area around the altar.
If Wooden Buddha was here—?
They would have imprisoned him in an extremely secluded place, locked away as if in confinement.
'He's not here.'
But no matter how much he searched, there was no sign of any hidden mechanisms or concealed spaces.
"Would they even need to use mechanisms?"
After pondering for a long while, Bu Eun-seol struck his forehead.
This Jade Dragon Pool was a place where unique ley lines flowed—and they had been freely manipulating them.
From the start, there was no need for secret mechanisms or special formation studies.
KWA-A-A-ANG—!
With an ear-splitting roar, the altar trembled violently.
The Thunder Essence Divine Qi Bu Eun-seol had infused clashed fiercely with the energy of the Jade Dragon Pool, scattering violet lightning in all directions.
ZZZZZT—!
Spiderweb-like cracks spread across the floor's surface, faint light seeping through.
The violent force of the thunderbolt energy burrowed deep into the earth, twisting the flow of the ley lines.
GRRRUMBLE—
As tremors strong enough to shake the very axis of the earth continuously rattled the entire cavern—
ZZZING—
The ancient patterns carved into the altar's surface began to glow one by one, writhing like living serpents.
CRRREEAK—
At the same time, a thin fissure split down the exact center—
And with a heavy CLANK, the massive altar began to split apart to the sides.
GRRRRUMBLE—
Beyond the fissure, stone steps leading into the depths of darkness became visible.
Perhaps because they had been sealed for so long—
A musty scent of earth rose from the steps, mingling with a chilling cold.
Without hesitation, Bu Eun-seol descended the staircase in a single breath.
A passageway came into view—its walls smoothly carved and embedded with faintly glowing phosphorescent stones at regular intervals.
The ceiling was high enough that two grown men could stand on each other's shoulders, and the width allowed five people to walk side by side comfortably.
After sprinting about a hundred zhang down the passage, his vision suddenly opened up—revealing the majesty of a massive underground hollow.
The height was easily several dozen zhang—
Where enormous stalactites hung precariously, reflecting light as if they might crash down at any moment.
"This place—"
On one side of the hollow was a small cavern that seemed fit for human habitation.
Stepping inside, he found a worn and tattered bed placed midway along the elongated passage.
Beside the bed stood a simple wooden table, atop which rested a teacup and a bronze candlestick, both thick with dust.
On one side of the wall, old wooden tablets inscribed with sutras were neatly arranged.
There was also an old brazier, a few earthenware vessels, and a water jar that had likely once held water—but now, its bottom was exposed.
"Great Monk..."
A quiet sigh escaped Bu Eun-seol's lips.
There was no need to ponder who the owner of this place was—nor any need to unfold the Empty Mind Spirit Communion.
The old prayer beads placed at the head of the bed, the Buddhist scripture tablets on the table, and the faint traces of Sanskrit characters on the walls—
Just these alone made it clear at a glance that this had once been Wooden Buddha's dwelling.
"He left long ago."
Even the air was heavy and cold, as if stagnant for ages—any trace of human presence had completely vanished.
Judging by the thick layer of dust, it had been empty for quite some time.
Bu Eun-seol slowly walked further inside.
At the deepest part of the cavern stood a cliff face that appeared at least ten zhang in height.
Its surface was smoothly polished, but no special patterns or carvings could be seen.
It was just a massive, ordinary wall—devoid of anything.
'There's something here.'
Bu Eun-seol approached the stone wall, closed his eyes, and carefully extended his Empty Mind Spirit Communion to probe the energy within.
'This...'
Traces of torture had been left in this place.
Wooden Buddha had not been resting peacefully here—he had endured humiliation and excruciating torment.
Zzziiing.
Then, a low vibration pulsed from Bu Eun-seol's wrist, accompanied by a searing heat.
No, to be precise—it was the Nine Heavens Radiant Cloud Pearl within the Dragon-Phoenix Ring on his wrist, trembling violently in response.
Zzziiiiing—!
The ring itself began to grow scorching hot, radiating a burning sensation as if it were aflame.
And that heat flowed outward, seeping into the stone wall before him.
Sssssss.
A sound like a red-hot brand pressed against ice.
The heat surging from the Dragon-Phoenix Ring transformed into threads of light, tracing over the stone wall.
Huuuummm.
Wherever the light passed, something previously unseen began to rise slowly to the surface.
Countless characters—and multiple images.
Mysterious patterns, as if gold dust had been sprinkled onto black rice paper to form intricate paintings, now adorned the entire wall in dazzling splendor.
'Venerable Monk...'
Bu Eun-seol held his breath as he took in the sight.
'You knew I would come here with the Nine Heavens Radiant Cloud Pearl and the Dragon-Phoenix Ring.'
Wooden Buddha had foreseen everything.
This wall bore a message—one that only the person possessing the True Demon's Corpse and the items resonating with it could read.
Only one who possessed both the Nine Heavens Radiant Cloud Pearl and the Dragon-Phoenix Ring.
"You knew I would come here, Venerable Monk."
That he would eventually face the Empress Dowager in battle.
That after countless trials, he would uncover the secret altar of Jade Dragon Pool.
Perhaps Wooden Buddha had even allowed himself to be captured by the Empress Dowager deliberately—
Offering the location of the slumbering First Emperor's treasury within the dragon vein as bait.
All for this moment.
To deliver his message here.
And now, the tale Wooden Buddha had sought to convey was unfolding majestically upon the stone wall.
Bu Eun-seol assumed a reverent posture and began imprinting each character and image into his mind.
And then—something he had never anticipated.
Alongside the birth of the True Demon, one of the Baekri Clan's hidden secrets was unveiled.
It is said that heaven and earth emerged from chaos
Only when a stone, bearing the principles of the world, was erected between the sky and the land.
Thus, the world was made whole—yet human existence remained steeped in suffering.
The shackles of birth, aging, sickness, and death.
Endless desire and hatred.
The ceaseless cycle of death and rebirth.
And so, ascetics arose—those who sought liberation from suffering.
After ages of contemplation, they arrived at an answer to sever the chains of torment.
—Life itself is a sea of suffering.
To never be born again—that is true salvation.
This truth later echoed in the Buddha's teachings of Nirvana.
To escape the cycle of reincarnation, to never again be born into this agonizing world—
That was the ultimate salvation humanity could attain, the pinnacle reached by the ascetics.
—To break free from reincarnation, one must find the stone that once separated heaven and earth.
Thus, the ascetics began their search—
For the legendary, colossal stone said to have cleaved the heavens from the earth.
Within it, the laws and principles of the world were condensed.
The wisdom, will, and divine power of the Creator who shaped existence itself.
But what if a mortal were to claim it?
To trespass into the domain of the gods was to invite annihilation under the law of causality.
Yet one seeker still pursued it.
In his youth, he had endured a horrific war.
He had watched his family die in agony—his wife, his young children, his elderly parents—all reduced to cold corpses in a sea of blood.
He swore vengeance, and after years of hunting, he slaughtered every last one of his enemies.
But even after his revenge was complete, the void in his heart remained unfilled.
Instead, a deeper darkness consumed him.
Those he had killed had families of their own—and their children now dreamed of vengeance in turn.
Hatred bred hatred.
Death summoned yet more death.
—Life is endless suffering.
That day, he cast aside his sword and became a seeker.
In snowy mountains, in deserts, in jungles—he subjected himself to relentless asceticism.
Fasting, seated meditation, contemplation, and repentance.
As the years passed, his body withered to bone, his hair turned white.
Yet the embers of suffering in his heart still burned.
—One must never be born again. Never again set foot in this world of torment.
Life was the beginning of suffering.
Even death was merely a link in the chain leading to the next life.
To sever this vicious Chain of Reincarnation—
That was the only true salvation.
And thus, to reach complete annihilation—never to be born again.
That was the perfect liberation all living beings dreamed of.
Had the ascetic's sincerity finally reached the heavens?
At the edge of the world, where the boundaries of causality blurred into chaotic rifts—
he discovered, at last, the towering stone that had once split heaven and earth.
At its peak, all knowledge and laws must swirl together, pulsing with the will of gods no mortal could ever comprehend.
No matter how far he craned his neck, he could not see its end. Just standing before its overwhelming presence felt like his soul was being torn apart.
Whoosh.
The ascetic began to climb.
There were many hollowed-out footholds, and occasional ledges where he could sit and rest.
At first, the ascent was smooth, but as he climbed higher, the footholds vanished, the resting places grew scarce, and—
every time he pressed his hand against the stone, the agonies of human existence surged through him.
Sometimes, wicked demons whispered temptations. Other times, a Heavenly General descended from the skies, thundering warnings to turn back.
But he did not yield.
Though his body had withered to the brink of death,
time seemed to slow—his limbs moved ceaselessly, and the hellish torment in his mind never ceased.
Decades? Centuries?
At last, he reached the summit.
There, only a single small, glimmering stone lay waiting.
Can this truly sever the cycle of rebirth? Can it free me from this hellish suffering?
One thing was certain: he had finally reached the end of this long, arduous journey.
Without hesitation, the ascetic reached for the radiant stone—
—then froze.
A staggering realization pierced through his body.
"......."
He turned and gazed down at the abyss below.
Then, without hesitation, he flung himself off.
Thud.
A dull impact—his body crashed to the ground.
What had taken decades, centuries to ascend—
was over in the blink of an eye when he fell.
When his eyes opened again, the true shape of the stone became clear.
What he had climbed was not the colossal pillar that split heaven and earth—
but a small, ordinary cliff on the back of a mountain, the kind found anywhere.
Hahahaha!
He burst into mad laughter.
In the end, the way humans perceive the world is shaped by their own minds.
There is no objective reality.
All truths are not facts—they are interpretations.
Though my eyes seem to behold an unchanging reality, though I believe I see something absolute—
in truth, it is nothing but the projection of my own mind.
Hell and heaven are not places—they are states of being.
There are those who live in abundance yet drown in anxiety and greed, suffering hell every day—
and those who drink putrid water yet live in gratitude and joy.
Everything is karma. The will creates the world.
The moment he grasped this, wisdom, will, and power unlike anything he had ever known flooded into him.
His very being expanded infinitely—a sensation that struck his mind like lightning.
The memories of the cosmos, the moment of creation, the laws governing the stars' movements—
a fragment of the power that governs the life and death of all living things surged into his soul like a deluge.
This sacred enlightenment was, for a mortal, liberation itself.
For the instant a human soul touches a realm beyond mortal reach—
its very existence dissolves into causality, vanishing without a trace.
But then, the unexpected happened.
Why did you not teach us? Why make humans creatures doomed to suffer?
Humans were incomplete from the very beginning, designed to feel suffering.
Why? Why?
In the midst of enlightenment, fury kindled in the ascetic's heart.
CRACK!
Was this the will of heaven?
Or was it the natural consequence of reaching what should never have been reached?
By all rights, he should have attained liberation, becoming one with the universe—
but the moment this transcendent being felt wrath, a bolt of thunderfire suddenly fell from the sky with thunderous flames.
BOOM!
His body was torn apart, scattered across the world, and his great enlightenment vanished—
yet his soul did not perish.
As if he had absorbed a fragment of divine power, he became something outside the natural order—an anomaly.
One who slipped free from the mold.
A being beyond classification.
One who deviated from reason and order.
A transgressor of taboos.
A rebel against heaven's decree.
A fallen... Buddha.
Before the true Buddha was born, he had been the first to reach enlightenment—
a corrupted Demon Buddha.
Stripped of his flesh, the ascetic's soul could no longer proceed toward annihilation.
Instead, he became bound to the world of life with an even more powerful gravitational pull.
His soul would borrow the body of a newborn somewhere in the world, be reborn, and then meet death once more.
And retaining all the memories of his past lives, he would be born again.
In the end, through endless cycles of life, he came to understand the principles of existence and perceive the workings of the universe.
In one life, he became the greatest martial artist under heaven. In another, a sage ruler who governed the world.
And in yet another, he became a demonic being who destroyed everything.
Each time he faced death, his soul did not vanish—it simply borrowed another body and was reborn anew.
What if this cycle of reincarnation continued endlessly?
A being who defies the natural order, who resists the will of heaven.
A fallen Buddha, capable of bringing about the end of the universe, might emerge once again.
Fortunately, nature inherently seeks to return to its original state.
Whenever a certain existence appears, its opposite inevitably arises to maintain balance.
Where there is righteousness, its antithesis is naturally born.
Where there is strength, there is weakness; where there is life, there is death.
If the scales tipped too far in one direction, the entire system would collapse—
So the counterweight is created to preserve equilibrium.
When a being capable of accumulating transcendent knowledge and enlightenment through death was born—
The Primordial Dragon, capable of annihilating that infinite wisdom, was also born, and with it, a bloodline capable of inheriting its power.
That was the Baekri Clan.
Their ordained fate was singular:
To prevent the ascetic who gained enlightenment and knowledge through endless reincarnation—
From ever being reborn again as the Demon Buddha, capable of severing the laws of the universe.
Thus, the Baekri Clan hunted down the one who reincarnated—
No matter what great achievements he amassed, no matter what abyss of despair he fell into, no matter what pinnacle he reached in any field—
They would find him and pierce his heart without fail.
And each time they slew the reincarnator with the Primordial Dragon's authority—
The divine wisdom and universal principles he had accumulated over countless lives vanished alongside him.
At first, they believed this was the natural order.
But as generations passed, the descendants of the Baekri Clan who had cut him down time and again came to a realization:
—This knowledge was far too precious.
What they were erasing was not merely the memories of a single being.
The secrets of creation, forgotten ancient arts, medical techniques capable of curing any disease, wisdom that could unravel the movements of the stars...
The act of punishing one who sought to destroy nature had, paradoxically, also destroyed the world's most invaluable treasures.
—To lose this great knowledge forever would be another tragedy for mankind.
After much anguish, the Baekri Clan made a decision:
—Kill the reincarnator, but preserve his knowledge.
They resolved themselves differently—
To accomplish the contradictory tasks of destruction and preservation, they devised two Secret Arts.
Dragon Transformation Manifestation.
The ultimate secret technique, fully embodying the Primordial Dragon's power within the flesh—
Transcending mere empowerment, it temporarily transforms the caster into a demigod capable of crossing the boundary between life and death.
The Secret Art of Soul Separation.
A technique that splits the mind in two, housing both within a single vessel—
A safeguard to protect the caster's soul from the corrupted will within the reincarnator's knowledge,
And from nature's will, which demanded the knowledge's annihilation.
With these two Secret Arts as their foundation, the Baekri Clan defied nature's decree, erected a vast Absolute Boundary, and concealed themselves from the world.
And they left behind their own Secret Vault.
The secret hidden within that vault was shocking enough to horrify even heaven and earth.
—At the moment of death upon the cycle of reincarnation, when the body crumbles and the soul transfers to its next vessel—
There exists an infinitesimally brief gap where all causality in the world comes to a halt.
The Baekri Clan aimed precisely for that moment.
A demigod, transformed through Dragon Transformation Manifestation, would intervene in that gap—
Forcibly glimpsing fragments of the knowledge and authority within the soul, stealing portions of it away.
But this divine knowledge was an unbearable poison to mortals.
This was where the Secret Art of Soul Separation proved its worth.
While one personality fought against the reincarnator's divinity, enduring its will—
The other personality safely imprinted and sealed the stolen knowledge within their own soul.
This was the darkness the Baekri Clan had ultimately concealed.
—Why hoard such invaluable knowledge, capable of saving countless lives?
In the end, within the Baekri Clan—
There was one who learned the clan's secret and realized they were becoming no different from the being who defied nature.
Seeking a new contract with the Primordial Dragon, he sought to prevent such atrocities from continuing.
His name was Baekri Mu-ha.
The words and images carved into the stone wall slowly faded away.
Bu Eun-seol stared at them, a dazed expression flickering across his face.
He had long suspected that the Baekri Clan was not purely an organization of righteousness.
But for a sacred clan said to oppose the True Demon to have been stealing his knowledge all along?
In the end, even the power of Dragon Transformation Manifestation and the birth of dual personalities were merely tools to plunder the True Demon's knowledge.
Thanks to the True Demon, the Baekri Clan had been able to advance endlessly... and had monopolized that knowledge all along.