CHAPTER 367: INSIDE THE HEAVENLY DEMON PLAQUE (3)

Zhang Sanfeng died once again, having lost his concentration.

His opponent, the Heavenly Demon, was one who could pierce through even the briefest opening.

It seemed his speech had grown rather crude over the past few months.

“Damn it…!”

He barely managed to stop himself from cursing out loud.

Zhang Sanfeng came back to life once more.

Though he had once reached the realm of an immortal, the experience of dying and reviving still felt unfamiliar to him.

Of course, that was only when he had first entered the Heavenly Demon’s inner world.

Now, it had become so routine, it was almost tiresome.

Hundreds of life-or-death duels.

He had died more than a hundred times, and likely killed just as many.

He had originally waited for the Heavenly Demon to complete their third duel… never imagining that hundreds of battles would continue without end.

But even those strange reflections were already a thing of the past.

As soon as he gathered his wits, Zhang Sanfeng called out for Yi-gang.

“Priest Yi-gang! Are you there?!”

The Heavenly Demon might sense Zhang Sanfeng’s resurrection and come running, but he didn’t care.

After all, no matter how many times one died here, they always came back.

A brief silence passed. Zhang Sanfeng felt a twinge of anxiety.

Fortunately, Yi-gang responded.

「Sage, are you all right?!」

It wasn’t a hallucination.

As before, Yi-gang’s voice came from the sky.

“We’ve found a way to communicate!”

「Yes! Why did you suddenly stop speaking before?」

“Well… there were some reasons! How have you been holding up!”

Yi-gang couldn’t answer right away.

There was simply too much he needed to explain.

Yi-gang gave a brief summary.

First, he received treatment for his arm at Shaolin.

He defeated the Green Forest Tyrant King, Gal Sa-hyeok, and became one of the Twelve Masters of the World.

He met Bodhidharma and came to Potala Palace.

The Mad Wind Society invaded Potala Palace.

The lama monks summoned the Tathāgata to slay the Evil Cult’s Cardinal.

Mang-hon survived the Tathāgata’s strike, but Yi-gang killed him.

A desert monster called the Great Desert Yellow Dragon attacked, but Bodhidharma defeated it.

Bodhidharma helped Yi-gang undergo a complete transformation and then departed.

Right now, he’s on his way to Mount Kunlun, having heard that the Demon Cult broke through the righteous-sect coalition line.

Even in summary, far too many monumental events had occurred during that time.

“Well, that’s great! To have undergone a full transformation and cured your meridian blockage!”

Zhang Sanfeng offered his congratulations first.

It was just like him to say that.

「I found another fragment of the Heavenly Demon’s soul.」

“Oh!”

Zhang Sanfeng exclaimed with joy.

He had trusted Yi-gang and sealed himself in the Heavenly Demon Plaque together with the Heavenly Demon.

And during that time, Yi-gang had accomplished more than Zhang Sanfeng could have imagined.

「But I don’t know what to do next. The current Demon Cult seems to be nothing more than a pawn of the Evil Cult.」

Hearing Yi-gang’s story, Zhang Sanfeng nodded.

In this place, he hadn’t just fought the Heavenly Demon.

While locked in mortal combat with him, he had also uncovered many truths, through brief exchanges or by observing this inner world.

“Listen closely, Priest! The situation has gotten a bit more complicated!”

Just then, he was about to share what he had learned with Yi-gang.

Zhang Sanfeng leapt up in alarm.

From the direction he turned, the Heavenly Demon began charging at him.

That endlessly tiring fight was about to begin again.

Though there had never been such a thing before, Zhang Sanfeng shouted at the Heavenly Demon.

“Stop right there! I propose a ceasefire!”

He was asking to pause the fight for a moment.

The Heavenly Demon, up to this point, would have attacked without a word.

But for some reason, he stopped willingly this time.

“…A ceasefire. Just a brief one, since I’m in the middle of a conversation.”

“I was thinking the same.”

“You look skeptical.”

Zhang Sanfeng widened one eye and examined the Heavenly Demon’s expression.

Anyone could see that he didn’t believe him.

The Heavenly Demon gave a simple statement that convinced Zhang Sanfeng.

“He’s the one who killed the priest of the Evil God. He’s worth hearing out.”

“…Ahem.”

It seemed the Heavenly Demon had also heard Yi-gang’s words.

The ordeals Yi-gang had overcome were enough to make even the Heavenly Demon lend an ear.

“Understood. Ahem.”

It seemed the Heavenly Demon wouldn’t interfere.

Zhang Sanfeng began to speak, relaying words to Yi-gang.

Yi-gang’s expression turned grave.

He was still standing beside the Heavenly Demon Plaque.

It had been exactly four hours since Zhang Sanfeng had let out a “Gwah!” and they reestablished communication.

Now that Yi-gang could convey words without opening his mouth, no one knew what he was discussing with Zhang Sanfeng.

They could only guess based on Yi-gang’s expression.

‘So it was all a scheme by the Evil Cult? Even the Heavenly Demon’s resurrection?’

Agents of the Demon Cult had infiltrated the Imperial Palace to orchestrate the Heavenly Demon’s revival.

They had succeeded—partially.

The Heavenly Demon had returned to life, but not completely.

「Indeed. Do you not remember what the Heavenly Demon said back then?」

Yi-gang also had his doubts.

At the time, the Heavenly Demon had said he was resurrected too early.

“We were played. My own cultists… and even you, Junbao.”

As he said that—

‘I remember.’

「It was all a scheme orchestrated by the Evil Cult.」

Yi-gang flinched and furrowed his brows.

He had expected as much, but hearing it confirmed made the gravity of the situation hit home.

「The Evil Cult kept an eye on the Heavenly Demon. He wasn’t their nemesis, but the magnitude of his accumulated karma made them see him as a threat.」

The Dalai Lama and the lama monks had built up karma through repeated reincarnations.

For those of extremely high cultivation, karma itself seemed to become a form of power.

「The Heavenly Demon… cough, his wickedness ran deep and wide. He even had a vile plan to resurrect centuries later with a complete body and devour the world! Isn’t that right?!」

It wasn’t that Zhang Sanfeng was scolding Yi-gang.

It seemed his enmity with the Heavenly Demon still ran deep.

After a few clearing coughs, Zhang Sanfeng continued.

「This cunning man turned his resurrection into destiny.」

‘He will rise again.’

The Heavenly Demon’s words had become prophecy.

Just like the Evil Cult would one day open the Sealing Casket, it was a future that could not be avoided.

「The Evil Cult twisted that prophecy so that the Heavenly Demon would return—but never in full.」

They incited and aided the Demon Cult’s infiltrators, ultimately helping conduct the resurrection ritual.

However, since the resurrection occurred without all the soul fragments gathered, the Heavenly Demon could not return completely.

「At the very least, the Evil Cult clearly considered Jo Gwang the Heavenly Demon an obstacle to their goals.」

「Calling me merely an ‘obstacle’—how diminishing.」

The voice that responded was much deeper and smoother than Zhang Sanfeng’s—it was the Heavenly Demon’s.

After a moment of consideration, Yi-gang spoke, ‘Then… should I collect the soul fragments and break the seal?’

「We cannot allow this man to run rampant in the world. He is undoubtedly the worst of villains,」 Zhang Sanfeng declared firmly.

Yet he soon added a seemingly contradictory remark,「But it doesn’t matter. For now, gather all the soul fragments. After all, he’s nothing more than a spirit without a body.」

For some reason, his voice carried a hint of joy and laughter.

「Alone, he can do nothing. Hahaha! Huuu!」

Then came a thunderous crash, as if something had collided violently.

A moment later, Zhang Sanfeng spoke again, a bit hurriedly,「First, merge the soul fragment you recently found with the Heavenly Demon Plaque. Your sahyeong should be able to do it! That will make communication much easier…」

‘Ah, yes…!’

「They say the enemy of my enemy is my friend. He—urgh—isn’t someone who can be controlled, but he bears a fate aligned with yours. Gather the remaining soul fragments first!」

Where the remaining fragments were, Yi-gang still did not know.

But if communication could be exchanged without this kind of ritual, they might be able to obtain a clue quickly.

Those were Zhang Sanfeng’s final words.

They could wait no longer.

The lamas and Dam Hyun had reached their physical limit.

Dam Hyun, drenched in cold sweat from the prolonged ritual, lifted his head.

“Is it over?”

“Yes, it’s finished. It’s time for us to leave.”

This matter had delayed their journey to Kunlun.

From Yi-gang’s perspective, he wanted to immediately confirm whether Ha-jun and the other young successors were safe.

“Right, but… let’s just rest for a moment.”

Dam Hyun collapsed onto the floor.

Yi-gang couldn’t bring himself to tell him there was still something to be done.

“Yes, please rest a bit.”

Infusing the soul fragment into the Heavenly Demon Plaque could wait until he got up.

In the meantime, Yi-gang intended to reassess the current situation.

‘So the Evil Cult feared the Heavenly Demon.’

And the sects of the Central Plains would be no different, they too would fear the Heavenly Demon.

But why was it, he wondered—

‘It might not be such a bad thing.’

‘The enemy of my enemy is my friend.’

Even in the martial world, that idea seemed to hold true.

Yi-gang’s group had finally finished preparing for departure.

There was no more time to waste.

Since the Divine Monk had not fully recovered, Yi-gang’s party would head to the Kunlun Sect first.

The defensive line that had been established to stop the Demon Cult’s invasion—

It had collapsed, and the warriors of the coalition had retreated.

“Kunlun has deep reserves of strength. There’s no way they would’ve fallen that easily. Go see for yourself.”

The Divine Monk, now significantly recovered, stood and patted Yi-gang on the shoulder.

Once he regained his martial arts, he would return to the Central Plains with the Four Great Vajra.

“I’ll be on my way. I thought I could finally rest, but now this old body has to move again.”

Despite his grumbling tone, the Divine Monk’s face was beaming with a smile.

It was because Bodhidharma had given him a new lease on life.

Yi-gang turned his head to look at someone else.

There stood Tsering, rubbing her swollen eyes.

“Goodbye… Hik.”

Gal Dong-tak wiped Tsering’s runny nose.

Tsering, who had clearly grown quite attached, began sobbing uncontrollably.

Yi-gang gave a wry smile and knelt on one knee.

Tied around his finger was still the thread knot Tsering had made for him.

“Let’s meet again someday.”

Tsering sniffled and shook her head.

Perhaps it meant she didn’t believe him.

Though she had been washed clean, Tsering’s hair was still wild and unkempt.

Seeing that, Yi-gang untied the band from his own hair.

“Do you see this?”

“…Yes.”

As expected of something belonging to Yi-gang, the hair tie wasn’t made of ordinary material.

Shimmering with a violet hue, it was something that couldn’t possibly be found here in the Qiangzhang Plateau.

Like a child, Tsering was instantly enchanted by the pretty ribbon.

Yi-gang used it to tie her hair back.

Just that alone made her look much tidier.

“It’s a token that we’ll meet again.”

Tsering still smiled brightly, her eyes puffy and swollen.

Yi-gang patted her head gently and stood up.

“Well then, we’ll be off.”

The Dalai Lama and the other lama monks respectfully pressed their palms together.

“May the Tathāgata’s blessing follow you on your journey.”

Yi-gang, Gal Dong-tak, and Dam Hyun departed on horseback.

Those who had come to see them off stood before Potala Palace, watching their figures grow distant.

“To think such a pillar exists in the Central Plains… truly a blessing,” the Dalai Lama said with a gentle smile to the Divine Monk.

“Haha, is that so?”

“Yes, in truth, ever since the master arrived here, it felt as if he had stepped out of a tale.”

“A tale, you say?”

The Divine Monk widened his eyes at the unexpected comment.

The Dalai Lama laughed heartily and replied, “Doesn’t it feel just like Journey to the West?”

“Wha—Ahahaha! Are you saying I’m Tripitaka?”

At that, Bansen Lama, who had been chuckling beside them, straightened his face under their gaze.

The Divine Monk burst into a wide grin.

“Then that makes that rascal Gal Dong-tak Zhu Bajie!”

Judging by Gal Dong-tak’s build, which seemed almost too much for a horse to bear, it made perfect sense.

His personality, too, fit Zhu Bajie the most.

“Then… is Dam Hyun supposed to be Sha Wujing?”

It was a bit of a stretch, but not implausible.

Sha Wujing was a peculiar yokai who wore a necklace made of skulls, after all.

“And Yi-gang would be Sun Wukong…”

But that last one felt a bit uncertain.

The Great Sage Heaven’s Equal, Sun Wukong, was a hothead who bossed around Sha Wujing and Zhu Bajie like a big brother.

Yi-gang was calm and composed. He seemed closer to Tripitaka, in fact.

“More like… huh?”

Just then—

Dam Hyun appeared to be saying something to Yi-gang.

Suddenly, Yi-gang glared at him and punched his sahyeong squarely in the side.

Dam Hyun grabbed his ribs and buried his face into his horse’s mane.

“…Hmm, maybe that does fit after all. Hahaha!”

“Hahaha!”

The Divine Monk and Dalai Lama laughed heartily.