Episode 957
Enlightenment is (7)
“….”
How long has it been?
I went into meditation to straighten out my disturbed mind, but I could not truly reach the depths of my self. Then, I will truly forget about the world and walk in my own world for a long time.
However, it was not easy to read the passage of time at the peak of Seonhae. Even Takmuja, who had reached one of the highest levels in the history of the shaman faction, did the same.
After waking up from meditation, Takmuja took three Byeokgokdan tablets and went down the mountain.
Because it was a place so steep, it was impossible for ordinary people to easily climb up or down.
Takmuja came down from the peak by the simple method of throwing himself off the edge of the cliff.
Slurp.
Taksooja descended rapidly as if he had wings, but then gradually slowed down using internal force and stood on the ground.
“It’s been a while.”
Takmuja looked up at the peak.
The top of the peak was surrounded by a hazy cloud.
As I came down through the fog, I was able to feel the passage of time with my whole body.
“And what came down from there…”
Takmuja lowered his head and looked into the forest far away.
“Seeing you like this.”
Sararak.
The leaves rustled against each other in the blowing wind, making a cool sound.
And in between.
There was a monk walking very naturally on the babbling stream.
He was quite small in stature. He was so dry that even the gray monk’s robes under his robes looked very baggy.
However, the old monk’s presence was great despite his weak body.
It was as soft as the sea that surrounds the tip of that peak, and as empty as the invisible air. At the same time, it had a solid and heavy center like a wriggling mountain range.
There was a look of surprise on Zhuk Muzi’s face.
It was not because the old monk’s presence was great. No, it was true that it was amazing, but I was embarrassed because the old monk’s condition was much better than expected.
“Dangjung.”
“How are you?”
It was very nice to hear the old monk’s voice full of laughter.
Could it be said that it is like the sound of sutra chanting resonating in a quiet mountain temple? The melodious voice of a highly enlightened monk, carried by the wind that was not burdensome at all, cleared Takmuja’s complicated head.
Takmuja, who was looking at the old monk blankly, asked in a playful voice.
“Do I see something meaningless now that I’m old?”
“Have you ever thought that your enlightenment is too high to see nonsense?”
“Looking at that person’s embarrassing way of speaking, it seems like it’s definitely the Daengjung I know.”
“Since I haven’t even seen the end of Buddhism, I wonder if he came to visit me as a ghost.”
Takmuja burst out laughing. The old monk also smiled comfortably.
After a while.
Tak Mu-ja’s face, which had been laughing, became increasingly serious.
“What happened?”
The old monk turned his head towards the distant western sky.
Unlike when I was meditating in a quiet cave in Seongsan Mountain, my wrinkled eyes remained the same, but the fluid did not flow.
“You have ascended to heaven.”
“what?”
“To be exact, I don’t know if he ascended the Zenith or entered Nirvana. However, it is clear that he escaped from the reincarnation of the six paths and reached heaven.”
“…!!”
“Otherwise, how could the hell energy that was gnawing away at this body disappear as if it had been washed away?”
Takmuja opened his mouth wide.
“You said you took the light ship?”
“I don’t know because I haven’t seen it in person.”
“Tell me in detail!”
The old monk smiled.
“You came to visit me recently, and while we were talking about this and that, you said that you suddenly felt the presence of another yellow dragon.”
“…?!”
“I don’t know exactly what that means. But for the first time I saw some desire in his face. And I realized that in that desire was the answer to what had been troubling him.”
“so?”
“You went. And now the result is like this. “Before that, I asked you if you would like to raise a disciple, but perhaps in that short period of time, you may have met someone truly talented enough to become a disciple.”
“I heard it was a while ago?”
“You don’t know because you haven’t seen him in person, but I know that his power is enough to be called a godman.”
“….”
“If he wants, it’s not strange to pass on everything about yourself to someone else in less than half a day.”
A look of upheaval appeared on Zhuo Muzi’s face.
“You left a disciple behind?”
“I told you. I don’t know exactly. However, he always wanted an heir. “A person with a good nature who can inherit everything he has.”
“You said that. “The reason He held on to your life until the end was to find a worthy heir.”
“Who could drive him out of this world except by his own will?”
“But that object called Shin-ok….”
“You said it was broken.”
“Are you broken?”
The old monk relayed the exact conversation he had with Cheon In-ryong at the time.
Zhu Muzi’s expression became strange.
“Didn’t you say that the object called divine jade or blood jade is both a monster and a divine object? If it were something that could break so easily, you wouldn’t have gone through that trouble. “I wouldn’t have prepared like this either.”
“I think so too. But would He have any reason to lie to us?”
“That’s true, but…”
“I’ve been thinking about it. “The reason why Shinok has no choice but to break.”
The old monk closed his eyes.
“No matter how much I thought about it, there was only one answer.”
“What is that?”
“It is said that Shin-ok, or rather, blood-ok, inherently enables the trick of divorce, and furthermore, if all of its abilities are unleashed, it can even cause time reversal.”
“It’s unbelievable, but anyway.”
“I guess all the power contained in that monster was used up.”
“…!”
Zhuo Muzi’s face hardened.
“Are you saying that someone used all of the power of that divine jade?”
“I don’t know if someone dragged it or if the monster itself used its power.”
“…I still don’t know. “It is said that there are spirit creatures and monsters in the world that exist even if you don’t see them directly, but no matter how much you think about it, the divine jade object is outside the standard.”
“When he first appeared, it was hard for me to believe that he had lived for well over three hundred years.”
This means that the existence of the Celestial Dragon, as well as the existence of Shinok, is outside the standard.
In other words, the world is still full of countless mysteries that we don’t know about.
“That’s not what’s important. The military leader has left this world. Collect all the hell energy contained in my body. “I don’t know if something was collected or destroyed.”
“Hmm.”
Zhuo Muzi’s face turned slightly red.
Is it a feeling of excitement? I didn’t know exactly. It’s been so long since I’ve felt such turbulent emotions.
“Does that mean I can now intervene in the affairs of the world?”
The reason I retreated to that peak for such a long time was to prepare myself to become the next vessel for the hell.
In the process, there were realizations and failures. It’s truly a shame that problems arose in the top division due to being greedy.
Furthermore, he realized the existence of Tong Tian Jin-in, who was possessed by the blood god, and kept an eye on him constantly to keep him in check.
At least one of the two reasons for going into hiding has been resolved.
“What about Tongtianjinin?”
“He came to me not long ago and proposed a deal that didn’t even seem like a deal.”
Takmuja also informed the old monk about the incident with Tongcheonjinin. Everything, including contacting the Murim Alliance.
“Hmm.”
The old monk stroked his chin.
“The Murim Alliance must have dispatched experts to the imperial palace.”
“I guess so.”
“Tong Tian Jin-in asked me to kill the Xinhua cult leader. Then he said he would die….”
“It was a deal I couldn’t understand at all. “Would he bring up something that would not benefit him as a deal?”
“In other words, you think Tong Tian Jin-in actually sees his own death as an advantage.”
“I don’t know if it’s for his own benefit or for the benefit of the Three Churches. Since he was possessed by a mischievous spirit, he might be of benefit to the blood god he serves. “If such a being really exists.”
“Then the answer is simple.”
“answer?”
The old monk smiled.
“Shall we go on an outing for the first time in a while and catch the leader of the Shinhwa cult?”
* * *
A vast continent.
These people, who had difficulty earning a living each day, did not care at all whether war broke out in this land or not. Rather, for them, every day was a battlefield.
Those who have lived in one village ever since they were born gave up on moving out into the wider world and chose stability, giving birth to future generations who inherited their blood and continued the endless cycle of life.
Scholars who devoted themselves to learning to revive the empire that had lost its power devoted themselves to studying day and night to restore the national power of its past glory. And it was the same for those aiming for military service.
Farmer, merchant, scholar, unmanned.
In addition, countless people who chose or were forced to choose lived their own lives in various parts of the vast continent.
But there was another world beyond their attention.
Those aiming for the fertile land mass of the continent, and those who roamed the world day and night to fight against them, glared at each other and shouted over the melody of blood and death.
Those who shed blood and sweat to stop the invasion, to kill, to save.
Their dark war, which they fought and fought and fought again, finally came to an end.
Fighting by exploiting or predicting each other’s loopholes also has its limits.
Those who cannot back out of this situation where it is clear what each other wants have only one choice in this critical situation.
All-out war.
In the distant future, when debating what event marked the beginning of the Great Three Wars, there was one event that most people picked.
It was an invasion of the imperial palace by the Shinhwa cultists.
But those who remained had a different argument. It was investigated exactly what event led to the war breaking out during the invasion of the imperial palace by the Shinhwa cultists.
The true beginning of the Great Three Kingdoms War, as they say, was the assassination of the emperor by the Xinhua religious leader Hogyoshinjang.
* * *
Late at night.
The Emperor, who was sitting alone on the throne and looking at the dark Daejeon, suddenly saw that the fire in the brazier to the right of the Grand Master was turning into a strange color.
Grumble!
The fire inside the turquoise-colored brazier flickered loudly for a moment and quickly soared up to the ceiling of the palace.
It was a mysterious and bizarre sight, but the emperor was not surprised. I just look at the brazier with deep eyes.
The huge bluish-green flame gradually took on a certain shape.
It was the upper body of a person. He was a flaming giant whose flexing muscles, thick beard, and long hair were clearly expressed.
The emperor looked at the flame in silence.
The giant opened his mouth.
“Emperor.”
It was a surprisingly clear and solemn voice.
The emperor asked, clenching his chin.
“Who are you?”
Was he surprised by the emperor’s calm and weak attitude?
The giant was silent for a moment.
The corners of the emperor’s mouth rose.
“Jim asked who you were.”
Although he was not as solemn as a giant, his voice and presence that would make anyone shiver were truly terrifying.
The giant opened his mouth.
“You’re so arrogant…”
At that time, the emperor threw the liquor bottle that was lying next to him into the brazier.
Push! Cheeeeeeeek!
A turquoise flame that disappeared in an instant.
The inside of the furnace cooled down and white smoke rose.
The emperor buried his back in the dragon statue.
“Where are you playing with ghosts?”
