Chapter 509

Jin Ja-gang’s thoughts stopped in a state where unconscious and conscious were mixed.

As before, his consciousness suddenly expanded and he could see inside the cave.

Son-bi’s appearance, somewhat gaunt from caring for Jin Ja-gang day and night for several days, pained his heart, and the dew formed on the cold cave ceiling felt chilly.

Was this a dream? Or reality?

Jin Ja-gang’s eyes weren’t open, so even though he saw, he wasn’t seeing, and the chilly sensation wasn’t actually chilly since he didn’t feel it by touching with his hand. By overlaying human sensation and emotion onto essence, essence ceased to be essence.

Jin Ja-gang lay with eyes closed, yet his consciousness was looking at himself lying down, so which was the essence became unclear.

Previously, Jin Ja-gang met Taoist Haewol at the end of his consciousness expansion. The moment all meaningless things overlaid on essence were removed, Jin Ja-gang’s consciousness touched Taoist Haewol.

And he knew of Taoist Haewol’s return to heaven.

However, at that time Jin Ja-gang’s real body was at the Tang Family Great Estate.

Was what touched Taoist Haewol truly Jin Ja-gang’s reality? Was what Jin Ja-gang encountered truly Taoist Haewol’s reality?

Could one not doubt it was essence when seeing without opening eyes? Yet could it be essence just because one sees with eyes open?

On clear days, grass blades are a lively green, on cloudy days a dark and gloomy green, and on sunset days a brilliant red.

All colors we behold are emptiness, and the emotions felt from them are void.

Nothingness without distinction between you and me.

Nature was Jin Ja-gang, and Jin Ja-gang became nature.

But soon came sadness from “void.”

Through the lack of distinction between you and me, Jin Ja-gang gained freedom.

But what is the “I” that gained freedom?

Did I gain freedom, or lose the will to not be free?

Jin Ja-gang’s consciousness drifted in nihilism.

By not distinguishing between separate and different, even his own self was disappearing.

Suddenly Jin Ja-gang realized.

Seeing with eyes and touching with hands was an act to know essence, and simultaneously an act that obscured essence. Realizing through consciousness was also reality and also not reality.

Feeling heartache while looking at Son-bi was “void,” yet feeling that feeling was Jin Ja-gang’s reality. The chill of dew on the cave ceiling was the emotion of “void,” but it was Jin Ja-gang’s actual past known through experience.

Jin Ja-gang’s consciousness that met Taoist Haewol wasn’t reality, but knowing Taoist Haewol’s return to heaven was Jin Ja-gang’s reality.

Illusion and reality aren’t separate but coexist together in unity.

Nothingness without distinction between you and me means, paradoxically, that one comes to know there’s no distinction between you and me by distinguishing myself…

Distinction and non-distinction existing together.

You and me existing together.

Non-essence and essence existing together.

Dream and reality existing together.

Emptiness and void coexisting together.

In the final picture of the Eight Ox Pictures, nothingness and the circle representing nothingness coexisting.

That is unity.

Jin Ja-gang called forth the Calamity Slaying Demon Spirit.

The Calamity Slaying Demon Spirit appeared kneeling and said.

—I am you. But you are not me.

Jin Ja-gang said.

—You are me. But I am not you.

The Calamity Slaying Demon Spirit smiled and stood up. When fully standing, the Calamity Slaying Demon Spirit became part of Jin Ja-gang and completely disappeared.

Jin Ja-gang raised his hand and drew a circle.

Drawing one circle required tremendous internal energy. Internal energy was consumed as if being sucked out.

Person and Ox Both Forgotten, the circle of returning to emptiness, the internal energy was insufficient to complete the circle containing unity as one.

Jin Ja-gang’s acupoints emptied in an instant.

But Jin Ja-gang wasn’t afraid.

He reached out toward nature.

Nature’s tremendous energy surged toward Jin Ja-gang.

A small internal energy whirlpool formed in Jin Ja-gang’s body. The whirlpool grew larger and filled Jin Ja-gang’s entire body.

First Light Stage, Second Light Stage, Third Light Stage… Even building eight dikes at the Eighth Light Stage couldn’t contain all of nature’s energy.

Jin Ja-gang knew the difference between himself and nature. By sharing nature’s energy through unity, Jin Ja-gang could become nature, but nature wasn’t Jin Ja-gang. His real body couldn’t handle nature’s energy.

The moment he acknowledged difference, Jin Ja-gang could righteously govern his own consciousness.

By learning to distinguish, by knowing difference, Jin Ja-gang no longer needed to distinguish.

Sameness and difference also coexist together in unity.

Now, it was time to build the ninth dike.

It is Jin Ja-gang himself, unified with nature yet not losing existence within nature.

Rumble!

All acupoints throughout Jin Ja-gang’s body awakened anew. Keeping the energy of the past, they welcomed new air.

Jin Ja-gang gathered all the surging power and drew the circle with all his might.

* * *

A single tear fell from Son-bi’s eyes.

The moment the circle was completed, tears suddenly came.

The circle was a perfect circle like no one else could draw. Yet despite being complete, it somehow looked incomplete.

The circle’s incompleteness brought sad thoughts, as if representing human existence’s incompleteness.

Jin Ja-gang awoke after five days and was looking at Son-bi.

Jin Ja-gang’s skin became more pale beyond clear, and his eyes deepened further. A subtle orchid fragrance emanated from his body.

Son-bi held back her desire to embrace Jin Ja-gang for a moment.

Instead, she quietly stood up and went outside.

While Jin Ja-gang reached the enlightenment of Person and Ox Both Forgotten, Son-bi had continuously watched over Jin Ja-gang without eating or sleeping.

Splash. Splash.

The sound of water being poured came from the stream outside the cave.

Jin Ja-gang waited silently.

It took a very long time for Son-bi to return to the cave.

Son-bi returned completely groomed.

Son-bi conveyed her heart to Jin Ja-gang with earnest eyes.

—I want to be compensated for the time I worked for you.

Jin Ja-gang nodded.

* * *

Son-bi left.

Jin Ja-gang changed into the clean clothing Son-bi had obtained from the village and left behind. He took the broken Ladle River Divine Sword and left the cave.

Even reaching the Realm of Returning to Emptiness, Jin Ja-gang was still Jin Ja-gang.

Though he attained the Dao, Jin Ja-gang who didn’t seek the Dao and Jin Ja-gang who sought the Dao still coexisted together within Jin Ja-gang.

His vengeance remained as well, and he knew well what needed to be done.

His worry for Tang Ha-ran and desire to see Poison Heaven remained.

He was hungry. Even having attained enlightenment, the fact that Jin Ja-gang was human hadn’t changed.

Jin Ja-gang pulled out a poisonous plant he spotted by its roots and chewed it.

The lump root was called Shanglu, pokeweed also used as medicine.

While chewing grass, Jin Ja-gang muttered.

“Hungry Ghost King.”

And muttered again.

“Bright Demon God.”

Jin Ja-gang, who had been thinking briefly, put grass in his mouth and lightly tapped the ground.

Without any particular lightness technique, his body moved forward as if using lightness technique.

* * *

Mu-gak asked Yuk Ha-seon.

“I need to properly reattach this damn finger. Internal energy isn’t circulating properly.”

Yuk Ha-seon massaged Mu-gak’s wrongly attached and stiffened index finger.

“It will hurt.”

“If Poison Dragon slacks off and can’t come, I’ll go meet Buddha. Since I’m a fallen monk, I can’t meet Buddha and will tour hell first…”

While Mu-gak was speaking, Yuk Ha-seon broke Mu-gak’s twisted index finger.

Snap!

“Ahhhhh!”

Mu-gak screamed.

“Where is such a wicked person…”

“Exaggerating. I still have more to do though.”

Snap!

Mu-gak couldn’t even close his mouth and only sweated profusely.

“Be gentle!”

“How do I break bones more gently?”

Yuk Ha-seon poured liquor into Mu-gak’s mouth and applied thin splints to his fingers.

“Is it better?”

Mu-gak answered while sweating profusely.

“I’m dying.”

“No, not you monk, the finger. Did the acupoints loosen a bit?”

“The finger comes before me!”

“If we remove your finger and mouth from you monk, what’s left to see?”

“Ah, that’s true.”

Mu-gak laughed with an expression like he would cry.

“The bones won’t heal by the time Bright Demon God comes, but the acupoints should open.”

Yuk Ha-seon asked.

“Is Bright Demon God that scary?”

“Scary but also annoying.”

“Pardon?”

“In skill he’s slightly below the Great Buddha, but what he does drives people crazy. Why else would he be called Bright Demon God?”

“What does Bright Demon God mean?”

“Bright Demon God (昍魔神) uses the character 昍 for bright, so it means bald devil.”

At the words bald devil, Yuk Ha-seon laughed absurdly.

Mu-gak said.

“Originally Bright Demon God was the Great Buddha’s eldest martial brother. The Great Buddha surpassed Bright Demon God in skill and became sect leader.”

“So he’s called bald because he was originally a monk. But how did the Great Buddha become sect leader when it’s not decided by martial arts and their skills don’t differ much?”

“Bright Demon God mastered Golden Bell Shield. But Golden Bell Shield can’t beat Vajra Indestructible Body. After losing to the Great Buddha, he went mad trying to forcefully achieve Vajra Indestructible Body.”

Golden Bell Shield is external training that hardens skin. Though not a state impervious to everything like Vajra Indestructible Body, it’s already a body close to Vajra Indestructible Body as the stage below it. Ordinary treasured swords and sword energy don’t work.

“Ahhh.”

Yuk Ha-seon sighed.

“A madman gone mad while achieving Golden Bell Shield. Horrifying just to think about.”

“To be precise, a madman who became half Vajra Indestructible Body.”

“A more horrifying madman than a madman who mastered Golden Bell Shield.”

“What’s the point of saying. The Great Buddha is a proper madman, and Bright Demon God is just a madman.”

“How mad is he? Haven’t we seen plenty of madmen too?”

“For instance…”

Mu-gak made an expression like it was horrifying just to think about.

“He’s someone who could kill all the common people in Sichuan until they bring out Poison Dragon’s wife and child.”

“Is he really a monk?”

“A fallen monk. Originally his martial arts should have been stripped, but the Great Buddha left him for a day like this.”

“Then what should we do?”

“What else. Lock the Tang Family Great Estate’s gates tight and endure.”

Yuk Ha-seon also shook his head.

King of Hell Tang Qing was tired of Shaolin Temple’s protective energy techniques and devoted himself to methods to break them. But Shaolin Temple had far more vicious people than Tang Qing knew.

Even if Tang Qing had directly commanded the operation… it was doubtful he could have succeeded.

* * *

A man two heads taller and built like a mountain walked wearing faded gray monk robes.

His build looked somewhat similar to the Great Buddha at a glance. However, his randomly grown disheveled hair didn’t match the monk robes.

Bright Demon God.

Before being defrocked and confined to Shaolin Temple, he had the dharma name Beom-ga.

But now that had nothing to do with Bright Demon God. Whatever he was called, he was Bright Demon God.

Mumble mumble. Bright Demon God muttered.

“Telling me to kill a woman and child. Did my junior brother also go mad like me?”

Just hearing his tone, he seemed normal, but his eyes were strangely distorted.

Bright Demon God suddenly turned his steps in another direction.

One Arhat monk following behind shouted at Bright Demon God.

“The Tang Family Great Estate isn’t in that direction!”

Bright Demon God smoothly looked back at the Arhat monk.

“I know. Since I must kill a woman, I’m going to practice killing women first.”

“What?”

“It’s an important matter my freedom depends on, so don’t interfere.”

Bright Demon God’s eyes were cold. The Arhat monk ground his teeth. But he couldn’t talk back to Bright Demon God. His task was only to watch whether Bright Demon God properly completed his mission.