Yu Jeong-shin was delighted to see Yi-gang standing beside the Divine Monk.

Even in a fleeting moment, his concern for his disciple was evident, a model behavior befitting a mentor. However, the Divine Monk showed slight irritation.

“A serious matter? What do you mean by that?”

Yu Jeong-shin and the Divine Monk were engrossed in something important.

If a problem had arisen with it, they couldn’t just stand by idly.

However, they didn’t even need to hear Yu Jeong-shin’s explanation.

Soon, they understood what was happening.

Dudududu—

The sound of the earth shaking came.

The ground was trembling. Small rocks rolled down the slope.

“…An earthquake.”

Yi-gang murmured in surprise.

An earthquake was not an unusual occurrence. But the Divine Monk’s face turned pale.

“What… why all of a sudden…!”

“The entrance to the cave is shaking. Could it be…?”

“Serpent Dragon Valley shaking is no ordinary sign!”

“Is something… trying to come out?”

“That can’t be. If so, it would have emerged long ago.”

The serious conversation between the Divine Monk and Yu Jeong-shin continued.

Was it true that someone or something was in this valley?

However, Yi-gang couldn’t ask them his questions.

Because, as if it were a lie, the earthquake had ceased.

“…Let’s go and see for ourselves.”

“Yes. Yi-gang, you come along too.”

The Divine Monk and Yu Jeong-shin used gyeonggong, a light footwork technique, to leap down into the valley.

Their movements were swift and exceedingly light. Only with utmost effort could Yi-gang barely keep up with them.

The bottom of the valley was shaded, despite it being midday.

There stood something resembling a hut that seemed to have been built recently.

Yi-gang’s eyes widened.

“This place is…”

“I have been staying here. I’m sorry, as your master, I should have been watching over your achievements.”

Yu Jeong-shin’s face was filled with genuine remorse. But Yi-gang shook his head.

What was there for his master to be sorry about?

While Yi-gang spent his time in Tranquil Manor, Yu Jeong-shin and the Divine Monk must have been dwelling in this damp valley hut.

“The reason you stayed here was…”

“We need to study what you have brought back.”

A sacred rope had been placed around the hut.

As they lifted the rope, which was meant to ward off wild beasts and malevolent entities, the object inside was revealed.

A metal plaque lay on an altar carved from stone.

There was no mistaking it—it was the Heavenly Demon’s Plaque.

“They say both Sage Sanfeng and the Heavenly Demon reside within this plaque.”

“That is correct.”

Yi-gang recalled the final battle in the imperial palace once more.

The Heavenly Demon had nearly resurrected.

It was Zhang Sanfeng who had stood against him.

Their unfinished third duel had taken place in Beijing, transcending time itself.

The outcome could be considered Zhang Sanfeng’s victory.

For he had sealed the revived soul of the Heavenly Demon within the Heavenly Demon’s Plaque, along with his own.

“I can feel an incredible spiritual energy from it.”

“Both of them had reached the realm of the immortals.”

Zhang Sanfeng was an immortal, but the Heavenly Demon was something beyond even that.

Calling someone like the Heavenly Demon an “immortal” felt strangely inadequate.

“I have heard a little about it from Dam Hyun, but could you explain it again from your perspective?”

How exactly had they sealed the Heavenly Demon in the imperial palace?

Yi-gang explained the entire process.

Yu Jeong-shin listened intently.

“A Four Symbols Seal using a directional formation… and the separation of soul and body with the Sacred Martial Bell.”

Without Dam Hyun’s assistance, it might have been impossible.

“You said that Sage Sanfeng spoke of returning someday?”

“Yes.”

Zhang Sanfeng had declared that he would personally suppress the Heavenly Demon.

He had also instructed Yi-gang to take the Heavenly Demon’s Plaque to Shaolin and let them decide the Heavenly Demon’s fate.

“When the time comes that you need me, or when you are ready to stand against the Heavenly Demon—”

Zhang Sanfeng had told Yi-gang to break the seal when that moment arrived.

Until then, he was to continue honing his martial arts and fortifying his body.

“To draw out the souls of Sage Sanfeng and the Heavenly Demon, we must first locate the remaining fragments of the Heavenly Demon’s soul…”

“Do you understand? I had a hard time grasping it myself.”

“Hmm. The Four Symbols Seal is much like placing something in a pot with four legs. Do you know what happens if you remove one of the legs?”

At Yu Jeong-shin’s question, Yi-gang pondered for a moment.

“The pot would still remain standing.”

“Exactly. That is why it is a stable seal. However, it also means that breaking or tampering with the seal through conventional means is nearly impossible. This is why the remaining soul fragments must be retrieved… No, enough of this talk.”

Yu Jeong-shin shook his head, as if to say this wasn’t the most pressing issue.

Then, as if emphasizing the point, Yu Jeong-shin spoke, “This is the great sacrifice of Sage Sanfeng.”

“Sacrifice…?”

“Do you know what is happening inside the Heavenly Demon’s Plaque?”

“…I do not.”

Yu Jeong-shin spoke in a low voice, “A battle.”

“A battle…?”

“Sage Sanfeng and the Heavenly Demon are continuously dueling within the mental realm.”

Yu Jeong-shin’s words were astonishing.

Yi-gang knew what the mental realm was.

Hadn’t he experienced it before—when the Immortal Divine Sword attained enlightenment, and he had beaten Dam Hyun in that place?

“It has been several months since the incident at the imperial palace. By now, they must have fought at least hundreds of times.”

“How could you possibly know that…?”

“Look.”

Yu Jeong-shin placed the Heavenly Demon’s Plaque into a basin filled with water.

Yi-gang’s eyes widened.

He hadn’t noticed it before, but the Heavenly Demon’s Plaque was emitting powerful waves of energy.

Ripples formed on the water’s surface, expanding irregularly from the submerged Heavenly Demon’s Plaque.

To an uninformed observer, it might have seemed like nothing more than a strange phenomenon. But Yi-gang knew better.

“It’s real.”

That was undeniably a duel.

The moment the Heavenly Demon’s hand clashed with Zhang Sanfeng’s, each collision sent massive shockwaves, their intensity transcending the mental realm and even affecting reality.

Although it was called a duel, it was more likely a battle of life and death.

Neither Zhang Sanfeng nor the Heavenly Demon would hold back against each other.

In a realm where neither could truly die, they had likely been relentlessly decapitating, piercing hearts, and obliterating each other’s bodies—over and over again. Hundreds of times.

The Heavenly Demon attempting to break free, and Zhang Sanfeng desperately fighting to hold him back.

Yi-gang clenched his jaw.

He had been completely unaware. He had simply assumed that sealing them together had been enough.

Never had he imagined that an endless, merciless battle was raging inside that plaque.

What had he been doing all this time?

Ending the war between the orthodox and unorthodox Murim was certainly important. But compared to Zhang Sanfeng, who was personally restraining the Heavenly Demon, Yi-gang had done nothing.

At that moment, the Heavenly Demon’s Plaque ceased emitting its energy waves.

Yu Jeong-shin’s face brightened.

“Another duel has ended. Now is the time!”

He hurriedly retrieved a drum-like leather panel from inside the hut.

Yi-gang examined the object closely.

“Isn’t this a Soul Echo Board?”

It was a relic from the Azure Forest, allowing one to hear the voices of spirits or the unheard.

For Yi-gang, who could already see and converse with spirits, it was unnecessary.

Yu Jeong-shin explained why he had brought out the Soul Echo Board.

“We need to communicate with Sage Sanfeng.”

Zhang Sanfeng was not only an immortal but also someone who possessed deep knowledge of the world’s secrets.

If they could speak with him, it would greatly aid their future decisions.

They could even obtain intelligence on the Evil Cult and the Demon Cult, which were bound to make a move soon.

Thus, they had sought ways to use the Soul Echo Board to communicate with Zhang Sanfeng. Unfortunately, they had yet to achieve any success.

“Yi-gang, it seems that you must assist us.”

“Me?”

“You were born with a unique constitution. Since you can resonate with spirits and communicate with them, you might serve as a conduit between the Heavenly Demon’s Plaque and the Soul Echo Board.”

Yi-gang had also studied Taoist arts and mysticism under Yu Jeong-shin.

Upon hearing Yu Jeong-shin’s plan, he quickly grasped how it would work.

Following his master’s instructions, Yi-gang began preparing for the ritual.

He placed his left hand on the submerged Heavenly Demon’s Plaque and his right hand on the Soul Echo Board.

Yu Jeong-shin lit incense, circled it three times in the air, and then placed it in the censer.

“Focus. Imagine your body as a flowing river.”

Yu Jeong-shin guided Yi-gang deeper into his focus.

“A sage’s body is but a vessel, flowing like a river. Sense and perceive the will that Sage Sanfeng expresses.”

He explained that if the connection succeeded, Yi-gang would first hear a voice in his mind.

Yi-gang quietly concentrated.

Yet, no matter how much he focused, he could not hear Zhang Sanfeng’s voice.

“Focus harder. Surely, Sage Sanfeng will sense your presence as well. Try telling him that you are here.”

Yi-gang did as instructed.

In his thoughts, he spoke, “I am here.”

There was no response.

So Yi-gang called out once more.

This time, he reached deeper—

Not with his mind, but with his soul.

「I am here.」

The Heavenly Demon’s Plaque did not tremble, nor did anything visibly change.

But Yi-gang received an answer.

「…I.」

The Soul Echo Board resonated.

“…Are you there.”

Yu Jeong-shin sprang to his feet, even the Divine Monk was startled and rushed forward.

Yi-gang remained focused, keeping his lips firmly shut.

“…Are you there.”

The Soul Echo Board was unmistakably transmitting someone’s voice.

“Sage Sanfeng! Can you hear my voice?”

“…Come.”

Whether true communication was happening remained uncertain.

Yu Jeong-shin said something, but the voice coming through the Soul Echo Board only spoke what it wanted to.

“Come, enter.”

“What? Into the Heavenly Demon’s Plaque—?!”

“Enter inside.”

“Sage!”

At that moment, Yi-gang stopped Yu Jeong-shin.

“Master, no.”

“Hmm? Yi-gang, you…”

Yu Jeong-shin looked at him in surprise.

Yi-gang had already removed his hands from both the Soul Echo Board and the Heavenly Demon’s Plaque.

Despite that, the Soul Echo Board continued to tremble on its own.

“…Enter.”

Yu Jeong-shin felt chills run down his spine.

Yi-gang spoke, “That is not Sage Zhang Sanfeng.”

The voice responding through the Soul Echo Board was not Zhang Sanfeng.

Something else—an external presence—had interfered.

Yi-gang could not discern its identity.

“Come inside.”

The expressions on the Divine Monk and Yu Jeong-shin hardened.

Without hesitation, they stepped out of the hut.

Yi-gang followed them.

Their destination was the deepest part of Serpent Dragon Valley.

There lay the cavern—

A cave where aged monks nearing the end of their lives would enter willingly, never to return.

It was a place where Shaolin’s secrets remained hidden. A massive boulder had always sealed its entrance. Yet now—

“…It has opened on its own.”

“No, someone must have opened it.”

They turned to Yi-gang.

Yi-gang wore a puzzled expression, unable to grasp the situation.

“You are being invited in. Will you go?”

“…What?”

“Didn’t you say you were curious about what lies within Songshan?”

The Divine Monk and Yu Jeong-shin seemed to already know what was inside.

“They never allow outsiders to enter. If they are calling for you, there must be a reason…”

“What is inside? No—who is inside?”

To Yi-gang, whatever lay within felt akin to a yokai.

However, the Divine Monk’s cautious tone suggested that it was not a mere yokai.

“If you are willing to go in and meet them yourself, I will tell you.”

“…What?”

“Will you go?”

The Divine Monk’s tone was resolute.

Yi-gang hesitated for a moment before finally sighing.

“I’ll go in.”

He had come this far—turning back was not an option.

Tododododo—

Came the sound of something crawling. Yi-gang raised his torch, angling it forward to illuminate the darkness.

The red glow of the torch illuminated the walls of the cavern.

There, clinging to the wall, was a giant centipede, so large it could have been mistaken for a snake.

Chik—

Looking down, Yi-gang spotted a large field rat tearing into a millipede with its sharp teeth.

“Come inside. What are you hesitating for?” the Divine Monk urged Yi-gang, who was lingering behind.

As he followed, Yi-gang couldn’t shake a thought.

“This is no place for a human to live.”

Yet, the Divine Monk had spoken respectfully when addressing whoever was inside.

That implied that a person might actually be dwelling here.

But the conditions made that impossible. Anyone forced to live here would lose their sanity within days.

More than anything—there was not a single source of light.

“Divine Monk, do you come here often?”

“Not very often.”

Even the usually playful Divine Monk had grown somber the moment they entered this place.

Meanwhile, Yi-gang’s master, Yu Jeong-shin, remained outside. He had no right to enter.

“…Yi-gang.”

After a moment of silence, the Divine Monk finally spoke.

The flickering torchlight cast shadows over the aged face of the Divine Monk.

“Do you know why Shaolin practices half palm instead of joined palm?”

Shaolin’s joined palm gesture was unique.

Instead of bringing both hands together, they kept only one hand open, pressed to the chest.

Thus, rather than calling it joined palm, it was more accurate to call it half palm.

“…I do not know.”

“It is because of the founder.”

Shaolin was known as the birthplace of Zen Buddhism.

And among its founding figures was a one-armed monk.

“The one who severed his own arm…”

“Are you speaking of the Second Founder Huike?”

Before the Divine Monk could answer, something happened.

The torch’s light had a short reach, so Yi-gang noticed it too late. Someone was sitting ahead, their back turned toward them.

A monk with a severed arm—

Seated in meditation, deep in the darkness teeming with insects and rats.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep