The Terminally Ill Young Master of the Baek Clan

“Gather your strength and stop the enemies coming from the northwest.”

Bodhidharma was a Great Ancestor of the thousand-year-old Shaolin Temple.

However, he did not take sides with Shaolin and rebuke the dark martial artists.

He merely guided them on the path forward, keeping a step back and maintaining distance.

Almost as if he were a seer who knew the future.

“The Demon Cult’s forces are already being manipulated by the worshipers of the Evil God. If they are not stopped, the Central Plains will be reduced to ashes.”

A call for the orthodox and unorthodox sects to cease their conflicts and join forces against the Demon Cult.

The worshipers of the Evil God referred to the Evil Cult.

Did that mean the Demon Cult was being controlled by the Evil Cult?

If it were true, then the Demon Cult and the Evil Cult were essentially one.

“At the same time, Mu Myung. Go and assist the Dalai Lama. He too is a seer and will benefit from your aid.”

“…I am an old and sickly man, Founder,” the Divine Monk spoke cautiously.

The Dalai Lama of Potala Palace had requested help through a letter.

Among those requests was a plea for the arrival of Grand Master Mu Myung.

The problem was that the Divine Monk’s condition was far from normal.

Losing most of his internal energy, his body began to collapse. The aging and illness that had been held at bay surged forth, baring their jaws, ready to consume him.

Even though Bodhidharma halted the Divine Monk’s self-immolation and restored his fractured dantian, his body did not return to its former state.

“What help could I possibly offer if I go?”

How many more months did he have left to live?

The Divine Monk felt the weight of reality—he was now just an old man.

“Even the Living Buddha must have foreseen the end of your lifespan. He too must have awakened the Divine Eye and Past-Life Cognizance.”

The word Living Buddha referred to the Dalai Lama.

It meant that the Dalai Lama had likely anticipated even the Divine Monk’s loss of strength.

Some of the dark martial artists chuckled dryly, but the Shaolin monks could only marvel in awe.

Bodhidharma continued, “Send two of the Four Great Vajra with him to assist. And…”

Until now, he had spoken in an emotionless, flowing manner.

But for the first time, Bodhidharma’s golden eyes hesitated slightly, “You, over there—you wouldn’t be a bad addition to the group either.”

His speech, which had been direct and decisive until now, carried a slight shift in tone.

The one he pointed at—standing quietly—was Yi-gang.

Yi-gang pointed at himself, as if asking if Bodhidharma meant him, and Bodhidharma nodded.

“This is just as important as stopping the Demon Cult’s forces.”

“I see…”

Yi-gang nodded for now.

There was still no clear reason for him to go to Potala Palace. It wouldn’t be too late to make a decision after hearing more details.

The Shaolin monks were deeply moved by the appearance of First Founder Bodhidharma.

No one doubted Bodhidharma’s words, and they accepted them as if they were absolute truth.

The orthodox martial artists were no different.

According to the Dalai Lama’s letter, the Demon Cult’s invasion had been significantly accelerated.

If that were true, it was something that had to be stopped. There was no reason not to prepare for it.

But what about the masters of the unorthodox sects?

Would they respect Bodhidharma’s words?

A young man with the appearance of a foreigner from the Western Regions claiming to be someone from a thousand years ago.

No matter how extraordinary he seemed, they were not the kind of people to simply accept his words at face value.

Even if they were convinced that he was truly Bodhidharma, they would not bow their heads so easily.

At that moment, the Unorthodox Union Leader suddenly stood up.

Was he about to rebel?

“Our Unorthodox Union and the warriors of the unorthodox sects will join forces to counter the Demon Cult’s invasion.”

Since these words came from the Unorthodox Union Leader, they could very well represent all of the unorthodox sects.

The other martial masters of the unorthodox sects would eventually follow his lead.

However, something about his willingness to cooperate seemed oddly unusual…

“That is, if you are truly Bodhidharma.”

With those words, the Unorthodox Union Leader took a step forward.

He was a blade master.

The long blade he carried was none other than the most famous blade in the world.

Its blood-red blade, as if it had been soaked in gore, was the unmistakable mark of the Shura Blood Heaven Blade.

That’s right.

At some point, Seomun Jae, the Unorthodox Union Leader, had already drawn his crimson blade.

No one could tell when he had unsheathed it.

“I need to confirm it myself—whether you are truly Bodhidharma.”

The Shaolin monks were enraged.

They were about to denounce the Unorthodox Union Leader for drawing a blade against their First Founder, but Bodhidharma raised his hand to silence them.

“You seek proof?”

Even as he stood before the Shura Blood Heaven Blade, a weapon that had consumed the blood of countless masters, Bodhidharma did not show the slightest hint of tension.

However, the Unorthodox Union Leader was different.

Others might not have noticed, but his entire body was filled with internal energy.

He was definitely tense.

And, true to his unorthodox nature, he was radiating an intense battle aura.

For the first time, the Unorthodox Union Leader, who had never displayed emotional turbulence before, revealed excitement.

He could sense it instinctively—the transcendent presence exuding from Bodhidharma.

It was because the Unorthodox Union Leader himself was an Absolute master.

A being who aspired to transcend humanity, standing near the very peak among the nearly hundred million people of Central Plains.

“That’s right! Prove it!”

The sheer intensity of the battle aura radiating from the Unorthodox Union Leader was enough to make one’s skin sting.

It was a burning martial spirit.

The only reason he had never displayed this side of himself before was simply that he had never encountered a worthy opponent to awaken it.

“If I cannot cut you down, I will believe that you are truly Bodhidharma.”

It was a unique combat stance.

The remarkable blade techniques of Seomun Cheong must have originated from his father.

Yet, Bodhidharma did not take a combat stance against Seomun Jae.

Bodhidharma simply raised his finger and pointed at the Unorthodox Union Leader.

“Then, I shall show you.”

Show him? Did he mean to display his skills?

As the Unorthodox Union Leader stared at Bodhidharma’s pointing finger, many thoughts crossed his mind.

A finger technique.

Could it be the Vajra Finger or perhaps the Flicking Finger Divine Art?

There was no way of knowing what kind of overwhelming attack would be unleashed.

But it didn’t matter what came at him.

The Unorthodox Union Leader made up his mind.

“Then I shall cut that finger off.”

Since this was not a formal duel, it didn’t matter.

The Unorthodox Union Leader, Seomun Jae, resolved to go all out from the very beginning.

From the start, he was determined to use his supreme ultimate technique. The third of the three he possessed.

A crimson aura began to emanate from the hand gripping his blade.

Chiiiik—

A thin white mist rose from the blade’s edge.

It was an insight gained from witnessing the Heaven-Shattering Thunder.

He had experienced enlightenment by observing the very explosive that had inflicted terrible burns on his own son.

An extreme heat-infused Qi technique. A vortex of flames that no human should be able to control.

Yet, it was being condensed into a single blade.

Even at that moment, Bodhidharma made no move, merely keeping his finger raised.

Even the Shaolin monks, though composed on the surface, were secretly worried for Bodhidharma.

At that moment, only Yi-gang’s expression changed.

‘That’s…’

Yi-gang could see it.

Surely, he was not the only one present with spiritual eyes, yet no one else seemed to notice.

Bodhidharma was not simply standing still.

The finger pointing at the Unorthodox Union Leader.

From that long, straight finger, threads of light were emanating.

Hundreds of threads of light gently wrapped around the Unorthodox Union Leader.

These were intangible threads composed of Qi, yet the Unorthodox Union Leader was completely unaware of them.

Yi-gang had seen these light threads before.

It was the same technique Bodhidharma had used when reading Yi-gang’s memories.

At first, he thought Bodhidharma might be trying to read the Unorthodox Union Leader’s memories as well—but that wasn’t it.

The threads of light suddenly turned red.

And the Unorthodox Union Leader…

As expected, he was an Absolute master.

He sensed the danger purely through instinct.

Instead of unleashing his supreme ultimate technique, he hastily retreated.

However, by then, the threads of light had already wrapped around his entire body.

The Unorthodox Union Leader trembled as if struck by lightning.

“Huff!”

The threads of light emitted by Bodhidharma were not extracting his memories.

Instead, they were implanting something into him.

Knowledge of a future that had yet to occur.

Through his brain, an endless stream of unexperienced reality flooded in.

He saw himself using draw-sword techniques to swing his blade.

He saw the Extreme Yang Heat Aura Qi he had infused into his blade dissipate uselessly into thin air.

He saw Bodhidharma shatter the Shura Blood Heaven Blade with his bare hands before striking his body.

He saw himself vomiting blood and fragments of his own organs as every internal organ was destroyed in a single blow.

It was vividly clear.

It was no illusion.

If he had truly swung his blade at Bodhidharma, this would have been his actual future.

The Unorthodox Union Leader was not one to be fooled by mere illusions. And because he had seen the undeniable future, in the end—he could not bring himself to draw his blade.

When he released the accumulated Qi without controlling it, the consequences followed.

“Cough!”

The Unorthodox Union Leader vomited a stream of bright red blood.

His Qi and blood had become disordered, and he would need to focus on recuperating for some time.

Yet, he let go of his sword and wiped the blood from his sleeve.

Then, standing tall, he made a fist with one hand.

“It seems you are indeed Bodhidharma. Cough.”

“Indeed.”

He then returned to his original position and sat down.

The surrounding onlookers were left in confusion, their faces twisted in disbelief.

In their eyes, the recent events made no sense.

The Unorthodox Union Leader had confidently challenged him, only to suddenly vomit blood and lower his blade.

He then acknowledged his defeat and returned to his seat.

Up until that moment, Bodhidharma had done nothing but point at him with his finger.

Had this been anywhere other than Shaolin, they might have suspected poison had been used.

The only one who had grasped the situation, even in part, was Yi-gang.

‘…Incredible.’

Bodhidharma had shown something—Yi-gang instinctively sensed it. Whether it was the future, he wasn’t sure.

“Prepare yourselves.”

With that, Bodhidharma spoke and disappeared in a flash.

It was an almost ghostly occurrence.

Once again, only Yi-gang was able to see the transformation of Bodhidharma.

As before, he had turned into a black serpent.

Disappearing into the forest, he suddenly raised his head and turned back to look at Yi-gang.

Their eyes met—golden eyes, gleaming brightly.

「Baek Yi-gang.」

Before leaving, Bodhidharma passed a message to Yi-gang.

「You are…」

Soon, Yi-gang’s expression turned strange.

Just as he had appeared, Bodhidharma vanished once again, as if a mirage.

The Divine Monk’s Golden Basin Hand-Washing Ritual ended in an unexpectedly anticlimactic manner, leaving everyone confused.

However, the dark martial artists had at least confirmed what they sought.

The Divine Monk had truly discarded his internal energy.

The once-great Shaolin Grandmaster, who had ranked among the Ten Grandmasters Under Heaven, was now just a frail old monk.

Naturally, it was a joyous occasion for the unorthodox martial artists, but…

“Tch, a troublesome matter has arisen.”

However, they could not afford to be happy.

The Shaolin’s First Founder Bodhidharma had appeared.

The legendary figure did not seem likely to intervene in the power struggle on Shaolin’s side, but his mere presence was enough to instill fear.

Now, no faction would dare to underestimate Shaolin.

Only then did the unorthodox martial artists begin to leave Mount Song.

Only Gal Sa-hyuk, who still had a long and difficult journey ahead, and his son remained at the Medicine King Hall, unashamed.

And Yi-gang too sought out Medicine King Hall.

Of course, it wasn’t to visit Gal Sa-hyuk’s sickroom.

“You little bastard! What nonsense are you talking!”

“Father!”

Though Gal Sa-hyuk and Gal Dong-tak seemed to be shouting and arguing in one of the buildings of Medicine King Hall, Yi-gang ignored them and passed by.

Soon, the purpose of his visit was accomplished.

He encountered the Divine Monk after he had received treatment.

“Oh, you’ve come.”

The Divine Monk’s voice was quieter than before, barely audible.

Yi-gang’s gaze lingered on his right hand.

The Divine Monk muttered with an embarrassed expression.

“That fool insisted on offering it, even though I told him I don’t need the cane.”

The Divine Monk was holding a cane in his hand.

He used the cane to support himself and hurried his steps.

“Let’s go quickly.”

“Take your time.”

“Hah, they treat me like I’m an invalid just because my time is near. Though, I suppose I am sick,” the Divine Monk said with a chuckle.

Even after Bodhidharma’s departure, the dantian had not lost any more energy.

However, after an examination by the physician monks of the Medicine King Hall, it was determined that the Divine Monk was still dying.

Assuming the dantian remained intact, they estimated his time to be about six months.

The Divine Monk and Yi-gang headed toward the Serpent Dragon Valley.

“…Did Bodhidharma say that?”

“Yes, he asked me to come separately.”

Yi-gang answered the Divine Monk’s question.

Just before Bodhidharma disappeared, he had spoken to Yi-gang in a manner similar to voice transmission.

「Will you visit me once more at my place?」

Compared to his dignified and transcendent demeanor, his speech was rather plain.

“Yes, so Shaoshi Peak was completely enveloped in mist.”

After Bodhidharma’s appearance, suddenly, one of the peaks of Mount Song was entirely shrouded in mist.

The mist, which did not disappear even when the wind blew or the sun became stronger, was certainly strange.

“Yes… that’s what happened.”

Yi-gang and the Divine Monk headed toward Shaoshi Peak.

No one was attempting to climb the mist-covered Shaoshi Peak.

Yi-gang and the Divine Monk silently ascended the mountain.

The Divine Monk began to breathe heavily, his breath growing ragged.

Yi-gang attempted to help, but the Divine Monk firmly refused.

After reaching the peak of Shaoshi Peak, the Divine Monk silently gazed down at the mountain below.

Yi-gang looked down at the Serpent Dragon Valley.

And then, at the absurd sight, his hair stood on end.