The painting of Bodhidharma.

When Bodhidharma was portrayed in paintings, he appeared grotesque and terrifying.

The image showed a bearded monk with a hood pulled over his head.

His eyebrows were thick and dark, resembling crow feathers, his nose was large, and his cheeks sagged plumply.

The highlight, however, was his piercing eyes.

There was a legend about those eyes that seemed to penetrate a person’s mind.

While Bodhidharma was meditating facing a wall, he felt drowsy, and his eyelids grew heavy.

To stay awake, he supposedly grabbed his own eyelids and cut them off with a knife.

It was a terrifying act done simply to stay awake.

Because of this horrifying tale, Bodhidharma was described as having a fearsome appearance.

However, the Bodhidharma who appeared at Shaolin recently was different.

He was exotic yet handsome, with the dignified appearance of a young man.

As he introduced himself, his looks truly befitted a prince of Tianzhu.

Yi-gang looked down from the base of Shaoshi Peak together with the Divine Monk.

The sea of clouds lay white over Serpent Dragon Valley.

Beyond it stood a peak slightly smaller than Shaoshi Peak.

On that peak…

“That person is Bodhidharma.”

As the Divine Monk said, Bodhidharma was there.

However, his appearance differed from both the Bodhidharma Yi-gang had seen and the one described in oral traditions.

Bodhidharma was the third prince of Kanchipuram.

His surname was Kshatriya, and he received teachings from Prajnatara.

Originally, Prince Bodhidharma possessed an exceptionally handsome appearance and a robust physique.

His limbs were long and slender, and his eyes were a beautiful jade color.

His hair curled softly as if blessed by the sea, and his white teeth were neatly aligned when he smiled.

The king of Kanchipuram loved his third son the most and had him study under Venerable Prajnatara.

Bodhidharma, who was both a young prince and the jewel of Kanchipuram, inherited the teachings of Buddha from the venerable master.

He then became convinced that his mission lay in traveling to the Central Plains.

Bodhidharma set out for the Central Plains.

After a three-year voyage, he arrived at a port in Guangzhou.

Setting foot on the lands of the Central Plains for the first time, Bodhidharma journeyed inland to spread Buddha’s teachings.

It happened when Bodhidharma passed through a certain village.

A foul stench of rot permeated the village.

The villagers’ faces were sallow, and they had become ill from the stench. Bodhidharma, using his profound dharma power, discerned the cause.

Following the stream from which the villagers drew water, they climbed the mountain and found a deep, dark Dragon Pond.

There lay the corpse of an Imoogi, a serpent that had failed to ascend to dragonhood.

The massive body of the imoogi was decomposing, emitting a foul stench. The carcass was so enormous that it was impossible to remove.

After much contemplation, the young prince sat in meditation at that spot.

What he chose was astral projection, the separation of his soul from his body.

Bodhidharma became a spirit and infused himself into the dead imoogi.

It was said that he then flew directly into the blue sea.

When he returned to the place where he had been meditating, his original body had completely vanished.

In its place…

Such a legend existed.

It was said that what Bodhidharma found upon his return was the body of an ugly hermit.

As the story goes, this ugly hermit, known as Heiyan or Five-Power Immortal, had seen Bodhidharma’s young and handsome body and swapped bodies with him.

And Bodhidharma willingly gave up his body to this hermit.

Since appearance was of no importance to him, he continued living in the ugly body.

Looking back now, the legend might have been only half true or entirely false.

Because the Bodhidharma down below no longer had the form of a human.

“Were you surprised?”

Yi-gang was indeed surprised.

At first, Yi-gang thought the mountain’s terrain had changed.

A massive peak was being wrapped by something black.

It seemed more like a part of the terrain than a living creature.

What was partially obscured by the mist was its torso.

The torso’s diameter appeared to be at least two jang.

“A dragon…?”

Indeed, the thing coiled around the mountain peak had the appearance of a dragon.

However, Yi-gang, who had made that statement, soon corrected his judgment.

It was not a dragon. The scales were a dull black, unlike those of a dragon.

There were no gleaming white manes on its back, and most notably, it lacked any divine aura.

Moreover, the large black head slowly emerging from the mist clearly did not belong to a dragon.

It looked as though the black serpent he had seen recently had grown hundreds of thousands of times larger.

Even within the mist, its yellow eyes gleamed brightly.

「So, you have come.」

The black serpent’s breath could be felt as a damp wind.

At that fishy scent, Yi-gang realized Bodhidharma’s true identity.

“An imoogi…”

The Divine Monk cleared his throat.

While Yi-gang stood flustered, wondering why there was such a reaction, Bodhidharma lowered his massive head.

「Yes… I am an imoogi.」

There was undoubtedly a tone of gloom in that voice.

The transcendent presence Yi-gang had seen just a few days ago was no longer there.

「An imoogi that failed to become a dragon.」

Bodhidharma was not human.

He was an imoogi, a serpent that had lived for at least a thousand years.

“I… I see.”

Yi-gang showed an awkward expression, both because of this bewildering truth and Bodhidharma’s reaction.

Bodhidharma flicked his purple tongue and remained silent.

It was the Divine Monk who explained the fact that the Great Ancestor of Shaolin Temple was, in truth, an imoogi.

“An imoogi is often portrayed in legends as a yokai or a wicked beast, but I believe you know that this is not necessarily true, Yi-gang.”

“I… didn’t know that.”

The Divine Monk poked Yi-gang in the side with his staff.

“Ah, I mean, I think I’ve heard that before.”

“Good. Bodhidharma, who came from Kanchipuram, infused himself into an imoogi to save the suffering villagers. But he lost his original body due to the wicked Five-Power Immortal.”

It seemed that the old legend about Bodhidharma was at least partially true.

“But for one with such profound dharma power and noble spirit, what does a mere shell matter? The Founder could change his visible form and still save the beings who sought the Law.”

This meant that when Bodhidharma ushered in the age of Zen Buddhism, his true form had already become that of an imoogi.

It was undoubtedly an extraordinary matter.

However, despite the Divine Monk’s desperate defense, Bodhidharma did not seem pleased.

No, in fact, it was impossible for a human to read the facial expressions of an imoogi in the first place.

Somehow, Yi-gang felt he could understand Bodhidharma’s feelings.

“And after a millennium in seclusion, you remained in the cave, continuously sacrificing yourself for Shaolin and all living beings. How noble that is…”

「Enough, enough of that.」

“Ahem.”

Bodhidharma flicked his tongue like a serpent.

「An imoogi is indeed a wretched creature. It is nothing more than a lowly beast that failed to become a dragon, destined to die if it cannot eat meat.」

There was a clear tone of self-loathing in Bodhidharma’s words.

「I did not step forward to help a pitiful imoogi out of genuine goodwill. It was likely a sin born of cheap sympathy and a fleeting sense of justice before an important undertaking.」

It seemed that Bodhidharma regretted even the noble act of helping the villagers.

「Tired of seeing my reflection in the water, I began to ponder a way.」

“Ah…”

「And finally, I remembered…」

It appeared that the reason Bodhidharma had called them here was to share the story of his sorrowful past.

He explained.

「It was to become a dragon.」

Even Bodhidharma, who had performed astral projection and infused himself into the body of an imoogi, seemed unable to find a way out from there.

Thus, he resolved to become a dragon altogether.

Yi-gang inwardly understood.

“A dragon is a spiritual being, comparable to an immortal…”

That was what he had learned in the Azure Forest.

After all, there were beings like the South Sea Dragon King, weren’t there?

「To become a dragon, I dug a cave beneath Shaoshi Peak and entered seclusion. There, I meditated facing the wall and repeated my training.」

The result seemed obvious, even without hearing it.

Bodhidharma did not become a dragon.

「However, after a thousand years, something did change.」

“What changed?”

「My body grew larger.」

If Bodhidharma coiled his massive body, it would easily match the size of a hill.

「Since there was nothing to do but eat while confined, I inevitably gained weight.」

Yi-gang’s expression became peculiar.

Was there really enough food in this mountain for such a gigantic imoogi?

Bodhidharma somehow managed to read the expression of Yi-gang, who looked as small as an ant compared to him.

「Hmm, wasn’t this child told how to create the Great Recovery Pill?」

It was the Divine Monk who answered.

“That is treated as the greatest secret.”

Yi-gang reacted immediately.

“Ugh.”

His sharp mind had already reached a conclusion.

The place where the high monks of Shaolin, whose lifespans had ended, would go.

The final place where they would enter nirvana was right before Bodhidharma.

Bodhidharma had once mentioned, “Mu Gyeon has entered nirvana,” and handed over a single Great Recovery Pill.

“Ugh…”

As Yi-gang covered his mouth in disgust, the Divine Monk quickly intervened.

“I don’t know what you’re thinking, but it’s not like that.”

“Are you saying Bodhidharma didn’t devour the monks?”

“That’s…”

As Yi-gang grimaced, the Divine Monk stepped forward.

“You rascal! How could you even think of cannibalism at a temple? Would the Founder ever do such a thing?”

It was understandable that the Divine Monk would be outraged.

“The ten types of impure meat”— human flesh was considered absolutely forbidden.

“Even a thousand years ago?”

At that moment, Yi-gang made a sharp observation.

A thousand years ago, it had not been the same. There had been times when human sacrifices were common.

If Bodhidharma had consumed high monks with great dharma power to create the Great Recovery Pill, then Yi-gang would have…

At that moment, Bodhidharma spoke.

「I did not eat human flesh.」

What a truly relieving statement.

「The original owner of this body may have been an imoogi who wouldn’t resist cannibalism, but I could not do such a thing. Those who attained Nirvana before me—I cremated them myself.」

It was a somewhat reassuring explanation.

「However, I did survive by absorbing the Qi they left behind. I refined what remained into the Great Recovery Pill, an elixir, and gave it to Shaolin.」

Only then did Yi-gang regain his composure.

At least it wasn’t a story that would make his stomach turn.

However, Bodhidharma seemed to think differently.

「But what difference does it make? Instead of consuming flesh, I consumed the Qi of humans and gained weight.」

And thus, instead of becoming a dragon, he became an imoogi that had lived for a thousand years.

「After a thousand years, the forces of the Evil God began to rise again, and the Saha World stood on the brink of destruction.」

Bodhidharma declared that the end of the world was approaching.

If it were true, it would be a terrifying matter.

「Thus, I gave up the meaningless wall-facing meditation to become a dragon. I shall no longer consume humans.」

Bodhidharma, who had not appeared even when the Sutra Pavilion was set ablaze by the Demon Cult in the past, showed himself now for that reason.

「The fate of a lowly creature is to die if it does not eat. Soon, I will die, no different from you.」

The Divine Monk quietly clasped his hands in prayer.

Bodhidharma blamed himself, but the Divine Monk did not see it that way.

“Did the Founder not endure a millennium of sacrifice? We are unworthy.”

For a thousand years, Bodhidharma had guided high monks to nirvana.

He had refined most of the Qi he consumed into the spiritual elixir known as the Great Recovery Pill.

Had he not done so, Bodhidharma might have already become a dragon and ascended.

「Go to the Dalai Lama and aid him. That is my advice.」

With those words, Bodhidharma fell silent for a moment.

To Yi-gang’s eyes, Bodhidharma seemed to hesitate.

「And then…」

It was unlikely that Bodhidharma had summoned Yi-gang here merely to reveal his identity.

Yi-gang suspected that the next words would be the main point.

「I wish to accompany you.」

“Accompany?”

「Yes, I have a request.」

Bodhidharma looked directly at Yi-gang, not the Divine Monk, as he spoke.

He wanted to follow the path leading to Potala Palace.

“Is the request about accompanying us?”

「No, actually…」

The thousand-year-old imoogi hesitated for a while before answering.

「I wish to meet a dragon.」

“A dragon…?”

「On the way to find the Dalai Lama, could you stop by a few places where dragons reside?」

Places where dragons reside?

The request was so absurd that Yi-gang didn’t know where to begin pointing out the issues.

“Uh, well… where exactly are these dragons?”

「There are places I know—locations that are quite famous in the world.」

“But… how would someone who spent a thousand years in a cave know that?”

「Are you not aware that I possess the Divine Ear?」

“…But isn’t the Dalai Lama’s matter urgent?”

「Meeting a dragon won’t take that long. Besides, there should be about ninety days of leeway from now.」

Bodhidharma spoke solemnly, as if making a prophecy.

As Yi-gang hesitated, the Divine Monk signaled him to quickly agree.

Yi-gang was just about to respond affirmatively.

「This is not a suggestion but a personal request. If you fulfill it, I will give you compensation.」

“Compensation?”

Yi-gang thought he might as well hear him out.

Then, Bodhidharma said something completely unexpected.

「I know that you find your innate constitution detestable.」

“Yes… that’s true.”

「You’ve managed to mend your body through reconnecting your major meridians, but you must have hit a wall by now.」

That was indeed the case.

Yi-gang had extended his lifespan by at least five years by reconnecting several major meridians.

However, saying “five years” was misleading—it meant he would still die young, likely in his late twenties.

Moreover, each time a major meridian was reconnected, an enormous amount of energy was required for the next one.

Since Zhang Sanfeng had connected Yi-gang’s most recent major meridian, there had been no way to proceed.

In terms of medicinal ingredients, it would require five jars of Pure Sky Oil and about thirty roots of Ten Thousand Year Snow Ginseng.

As Yi-gang was on the verge of giving up after exhausting all options, Bodhidharma made a promise.

「I will heal your body.」

“You mean you’ll connect my major meridians?”

「No, I will change your constitution.」

He reaffirmed his statement.

「I will completely cure your meridian blockage disease.」

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep