Chapter 257: Even If You Try to Tear Us Apart (4)

Everyone inside the hall was fixated on the appearance of the Venerable Buddha.

The Venerable Buddha looked absolutely terrible.

He hadn’t been in good condition to begin with, but now he looked as though he might collapse at any moment.

“Ninth Heavenly Lord…”

“That beggar lost, huh?”

Hwan Pyeong and Gam Unbi frowned as they saw Ninth Heavenly Lord Human Division’s neck in the Venerable Buddha’s grip.

“Venerable Myeongjeong…”

I was startled by the Venerable Buddha’s arrival, but at the same time, I couldn’t understand it.

Even if he had been in peak condition, it was nearly impossible for him to resolve this situation alone.

‘Namgung San and the Emperor’s Sky-Piercing Sword Squad aren’t here. Not that their presence would change the outcome…’

The Heaven-Defying Society’s forces gathered here were simply too overwhelming.

Around a hundred awakened beings, another hundred warriors appearing to serve the white-masked woman, and even a dozen spellcasters presumed to be under Hwan Pyeong’s command.

No, even setting all that aside, just the presence of the Conqueror King Gam Unbi and the Illusion Demon Hwan Pyeong alone made a hundred strategies meaningless.

While the Venerable Buddha and the Heaven-Defying Society stood in that tense standoff…

“So this is the Venerable Buddha. First time I’m seeing you in person.”

It was the Grand Heavenly Lord who spoke first to the Venerable Buddha.

“Indeed, the one leading this continental disaster.”

“Hohoho, I must be truly hated. Well, from your perspective, I must be the unforgivable enemy who turned a blind eye to the death of the previous Ninth Heavenly Lord, Jang Yoyeon.”

“……”

“But your direct target of revenge must’ve been the current Ninth Heavenly Lord. So? How does it feel, having avenged yourself?”

To that question, the Venerable Buddha gave a rare sneer.

“It was unspeakably sweet. I now fully realize it’s a feeling unbecoming of a disciple of Buddha.”

“Is that so? Congratulations. The sense of fulfillment from vengeance can rival that of any accomplishment.”

A slight twitch appeared at the corner of the Venerable Buddha’s eyes.

Then, surprisingly, the Grand Heavenly Lord uttered something unexpected.

“I’ll let you live. Go back now. I won’t pursue grudges against you or even Shaolin.”

“…!”

The Venerable Buddha responded with unexpected surprise.

“To think the leader of the Heaven-Defying Society would be so merciful.”

“I favor martial artists who have attained mastery. In the world to which we shall return—our [Original World]—people like you have the qualifications to become its rulers.”

“Rulers, you say…”

“Especially someone like you who’s reached such heights. I’d rather not kill you if I can help it.”

This statement aligned to some degree with the ideology of the Heaven-Defying Society.

‘He’s serious.’

No wonder so many warriors had turned their backs on the righteous path to join the Heaven-Defying Society—his sincerity was undeniable.

“……”

The Venerable Buddha remained silent for a while at those words.

Had something in the Grand Heavenly Lord’s words stirred him emotionally?

The Venerable Buddha suddenly turned his body.

Then he approached me and said,

“I must apologize, benefactor.”

“…!”

“It seems I was slightly shaken by that man’s mention of Shaolin, having just completed my revenge.”

With a faint, sorrowful smile, the Venerable Buddha placed his hand near my heart.

“At the very least… for the final moment…”

“Not a bad choice.”

The Grand Heavenly Lord nodded with satisfaction at the Venerable Buddha’s demeanor.

Zzzzt!

“…Hm?”

Suddenly, a massive wave of demonic energy burst out from the Venerable Buddha’s palm, crackling like lightning.

Crackle! Crack-crack!

‘Th-this is…’

I could feel it.

Something erupting from the Venerable Buddha’s palm had pierced my skin and was moving toward the area around my heart!

“Venerable?!”

The Venerable Buddha spoke with a gentle expression.

“I obtained this in a cave in Guangdong Province.”

Zzzzt!

Zzzzzzt!

With the sound of something fusing into place, the Venerable Buddha continued.

“The volcanic emotion of vengeance had been suppressing ‘this’… but now the circumstances have changed. As time passes, I will become a scourge to the world, no different from that Heaven-Defying Society.”

“That’s…”

This was precisely why Cheon Yura and I had fought the Venerable Buddha.

He looked utterly content.

“Originally, I should’ve taken my own life right here, but… for some reason, I had a hunch. That you,Benefactor Jin, might be able to handle ‘this’ properly.”

“V-Venerable!”

“It’s fortunate that I still had something to do at the end of my life.”

Flash!

A burst of black light exploded from near my heart.

The Grand Heavenly Lord watched and muttered coldly.

“…A foolish decision.”

“What is that…?”

Even Hwan Pyeong frowned, sensing that something unusual was occurring.

Just as the black light began to fade…

The Venerable Buddha shouted with a lion’s roar in all directions.

“You, who are in hiding—take Benefactor Jin and flee! I shall try to hold this place off somehow!”

“…?!”

And right as those words ended—

“My apologies, Venerable!”

Gu Chil, who had been quietly hiding in the darkness, suddenly leaped out and grabbed my body.

“G-Gu Chil!”

“That bastard… he’s Murder Demon’s disciple?!”

Hwan Pyeong immediately recognized Gu Chil and scowled.

“Where do you think you’re going?!”

Hwan Pyeong began forming hand seals to chant a tracking spell.

However—

“Amitabha!”

Before the spell could be completed, the Venerable Buddha struck Hwan Pyeong and the surrounding area with a wide, destructive attack.

“…Kuh!”

Clearly intended to disrupt pursuit.

Thanks to that, Gu Chil managed to escape the hall with me in tow.

But—

“He’s weak.”

Gam Unbi gave a curt remark.

“He was already injured from the start, wasn’t he? Then he fought the Ninth Heavenly Lord in a fierce battle, and now he’s even passed something on to that brat…”

“Huff… huff…”

“He’s basically a walking corpse. I’ve lost interest.”

As the Venerable Buddha gasped harshly for breath, Gam Unbi turned away.

“I’m leaving. Finish up as you please.”

“Hm. I would prefer if you stayed until the end, though…”

The Grand Heavenly Lord commented, to which Gam Unbi sneered.

“Anyone can see his internal energy is running dry. Telling me to fight something like that is an insult.”

“…Hmph.”

“Damn. I thought I could finally have a real fight after a long time, but it’s ending with such a half-baked taste.”

Without the slightest hesitation, Gam Unbi stormed off.

“Tsk tsk. So impatient.”

The Grand Heavenly Lord clicked his tongue at Gam Unbi’s reckless behavior.

In the end, the Venerable Buddha’s intervention had only managed to delay the inevitable by a little.

Even with Gam Unbi gone, it wouldn’t significantly change the outcome.

‘But… I have a bad feeling about this.’

He had checked multiple times.

The Heavenly Demon Cult would not be coming.

There were no longer any people or factions nearby who could help him.

And yet.

Why did this crawling sense of dread tickle up my spine, as if something was about to go wrong?

“Hwan Pyeong.”

“Yes, Grand Heavenly Lord.”

The Grand Heavenly Lord pointed in the direction Gu Chil had escaped with his finger.

“Go after them. Make sure you kill them.”

He then turned his gaze back to the Venerable Buddha.

“I’ll finish this one and follow. The price of making a foolish choice in front of me must be paid.”

“Understood.”

Hwan Pyeong vanished like a dust storm.

The Venerable Buddha tried desperately to stop him—

“Graaaagh!”

“Kyaaagh!”

—but multiple awakened beings lunged at him, interrupting his movements.

“Guh!”

Each strike from the awakened beings, full of brute force, pounded against the Venerable Buddha’s entire body.

He couldn’t use Vajra Indestructible Divine Art or Supreme Great Art.

His body had already been ruined to such an extent.

And yet—

“Amitabha!”

The Venerable Buddha mustered every last ounce of his strength to somehow hold them back.

Dozens of fragmented fists struck all around in a wild frenzy.

Only two or three of them landed properly.

Unlike the wounded beast that was the Venerable Buddha, there were far too many fresh predators around.

It didn’t take long.

The Venerable Buddha, caught in a swarm of dozens of awakened beings, collapsed like a rag doll.

The Grand Heavenly Lord walked over to the Venerable Buddha, whose body was twitching like a bug, and spoke.

“A flawless performance. I didn’t expect a disciple of Buddha to have such acting skills.”

“……”

“But even putting that aside, I never imagined you’d actually hand over the fragment of the Demonic Ancestor. If you’d held onto that, you could’ve lasted a bit longer.”

“A…mi…”

Smash!

“If you love Buddha so much, I’ll personally guide you to Nirvana.”

The Grand Heavenly Lord was clearly displeased that the Venerable Buddha had handed over the fragment of the Heavenly Demon Founder.

He pressed his foot firmly onto the back of the Venerable Buddha’s head and twisted it side to side.

“Heh… heheh…”

Then suddenly, the Venerable Buddha let out a sound between a groan and a laugh.

“You’re impatient… aren’t you…”

“…!”

The Grand Heavenly Lord’s expression twisted immediately.

The Venerable Buddha forced his head up and laughed.

“Indeed… my eyes… were not mistaken. The one who can ruin your plan is neither Benefactor Cheon… nor Benefactor Heavenly Demon… nor anyone else… it’s that young man.”

“…You bastard.”

“Do you think my revenge is over just because that beggar died? At the deepest pit of the Black Abyssal Hell…”

With the last of his strength, the Venerable Buddha let out a manic laugh.

“I’ll be watching with joy… as your plan crumbles! Ahahahaha!”

Crack!

With a single kick, the Grand Heavenly Lord crushed the Venerable Buddha’s skull.

The Venerable Buddha, laughing until the end, died instantly—without even closing his eyes.

The Grand Heavenly Lord, who had killed him in one blow, now wore the twisted face of a demon god.

“This damned monk… I showed him mercy, and he forgot his place…”

He turned his head.

“Seventh Heavenly Lord!”

“Y-yes, Grand Heavenly Lord!”

At the sight of the Grand Heavenly Lord’s rage—something he’d never seen before—Seventh Heavenly Lord gulped and trembled.

“Take your men and follow. Tonight, we kill Jin Yeomyung.”

“Y-yes, my lord!”

Seventh Heavenly Lord, the martial artists of his upper command, and even many awakened beings left in the hall—

All the Heaven-Defying Society members, led by the Grand Heavenly Lord, began to move in pursuit of Gu Chil’s escape path.

Thus, in the center of the hall, only the corpse of the Venerable Buddha remained.

His skull shattered, brain matter oozing out—a gruesome, wretched body.

And yet, on that mangled face… there lingered a faint smile.

One of the Three Supremes of the Central Plains—Venerable Buddha, Venerable Myeongjeong.

Having devoted his entire life to revenge, he died at the age of ninety-three near his hometown of Akyang.

※

“Why the hell did you come back, Gu Chil? You could’ve just escaped.”

“Having memory issues, sir? I said I’d come back, didn’t I?”

Gu Chil, who was running with me on his back, continued to curse non-stop.

“Dammit, if I’d just run, I’d be pouring a funeral drink at your memorial by now!”

“Haha…”

“No, actually I’d be beaten to death by the Young Cult Leader or the Clan Head before I got the chance. We’re bound by the same fate, you know. Don’t go dying on your own.”

At present, Gu Chil was rapidly heading south.

Meeting up with Cheon Yura, who had already crossed Dongting Lake, was no longer an option.

In that case, it seemed best to head south as the Venerable Buddha had advised.

‘There’s still about one more hour until dawn. Can Gu Chil hold out until then?’

It was a doubtful thought, but right now, I had no choice but to trust Gu Chil.

What I needed to think about now was the true nature of what the Venerable Buddha had passed onto me.

‘There’s no doubt—it was the True Relic of the Heavenly Demon Founder that entered my body.’

What had he seen in me to entrust it?

Or rather, what could have driven him to hand over his final trump card?

‘Venerable…’

Even if it was only a fleeting moment, Venerable Myeongjeong had clearly embraced death.

Despite the fact that he and I had always been enemies!

‘Damn it…’

I clenched my fists in frustration.

Even with the relic of the Heavenly Demon Founder now within me, the internal energy injured by the Sword of Meditation still hadn’t stirred.

That was when—

“Young Master.”

“What is it?”

“I think… you’ll need to brace yourself.”

“…!”

“They’re really damn fast. Even carrying someone, they can still catch up?”

Gu Chil muttered a curse just as—

“Graaagh!”

A pack of werewolf-shaped awakened beings caught up to us and swung their long claws.

In an instant, Gu Chil’s body collapsed.

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