Episode 3. Asura (2)
The fury clouding the old monk’s face deepened further. He knew that the greater the power the Blood Poison Banner unleashed, the more innocent people would be swept into death. He also realized that for the fiend before him to possess such power, no fewer than three hundred people with pure blood must have been offered up as sacrifices.
That villain was truly a man without a shred of conscience.
Even as the fiend approached right before his eyes, the old monk did not release Im Ryang-u from his hands. He merely used the green jade prayer beads in his left hand to draw a round circle in the air.
Curling his five fingers to trace the lion emblem unique to the Gyeolbulmun, the old monk murmured. A faint golden light swirled from his fingertips, and this light soon grew large enough to envelop his entire body.
The old monk’s brilliant golden light blocked the fiend, and the fiend charged again repeatedly. The creature continued to hold its ground in mid-air.
“This meager skill is quite usefu—”
Before the old monk could finish his mutter, his entire body suddenly trembled. He felt as though something had bitten the wrist of his right hand that was holding Im Ryang-u.
In an instant, an unbearable itch erupted throughout his body, and darkness clouded his vision. The old monk swayed, as though he might collapse at any moment.
At that very moment, the fiend screeched “Kya, kya” once more and attempted a grotesque transformation.
Another red eye opened, and a wind reeking of blood blew fiercely. The evil aura grew even more intense. Now nothing but the fiend’s howls filled the area.
The fiend, which had been flashing with blood-red light, gradually began to take on a golden hue.
In the end, the old monk’s Dao technique shattered into pieces, and the fiend struck his chest forcefully through the opening.
The old monk’s body soared into the air, and Im Ryang-u, whom he had tucked under his arm, fell to the ground as well. Judging by the dull thud, nearly all of the old monk’s ribs must have snapped.
*Thud!*
With a thunderous crash, the old monk’s emaciated body, suspended mid-air, slammed into the shrine wall. The wall collapsed, sending a cloud of dust into the air.
“Hahahaha!”
A triumphant laugh burst from within the black aura.
The old monk forcibly raised his trembling body. But his throat suddenly burned hot, and he vomited bright red blood. His kasaya was stained completely red.
His vision swam so badly he could not steady his mind. His entire body ached as if shattering, and the itching from earlier gradually crept toward his heart.
Somehow calming his mind, he rubbed his dizzy eyes and looked at Im Ryang-u, collapsed on the ground and losing consciousness.
But then, from the child’s garments crawled out a multicolored centipede. Surprisingly, that palm-sized centipede had a tail divided into seven branches, as though it possessed seven tails.
Moreover, each tail was a different color, and all were so brilliant that they were beautiful. Yet surely that beauty harbored deadly poison.
“A Seven-Tailed Centipede!”
The old monk’s words came out as a groan.
His complexion grew increasingly dark, and blood would not stop flowing from his mouth.
He looked as though he could endure no longer, yet he refused to fall and stubbornly held his ground.
Gazing at the evil aura in the air, he spoke.
“To think that on top of stuffing such a monstrosity into a child’s body, you hid your strength and bided your time to strike at me. Don’t tell me I was your target from the very beginning!”
The evil aura laughed coldly.
“Hehehe. You’re quick on the uptake. That’s right—you were the target from the start. Had I faced you head-on without such trickery, it would have been difficult to overcome the invincible martial arts of Cheoneumsa. Hand over the Blooddevouring Bead. Give me only that, and you may yet survive the Seven-Tailed Centipede’s poison!”
Even amid his agony, the old monk smiled proudly.
“Do you know that the character for wisdom is in my true name? Even if I did not know you wielded such a vicious Blood Poison Banner, do you think I would not know you coveted the Blooddevouring Bead?”
The old monk’s expression grew exceedingly grave.
“You would have me hand over this dangerous object? Wake from your dream.”
At the old monk’s reply, the evil aura spat coldly.
“Then crawl to your ancestors’ side!”
Red light flashed, and the wind stirred by the Blood Poison Banner surged with wailing cries.
A massive fiend showed itself again, tearing through the air and rushing at the old monk.
At that moment, a short shout burst from the old monk’s mouth. His blood-soaked kasaya began to flutter though no wind blew. Then, the old monk’s withered body gradually began to swell.
The old monk poured strength into his left hand. At that, the prayer beads began to shatter one by one in his palm with a clashing sound.
More than ten lustrous, transparent beads did not fall to the ground even after shattering, but continued to emit blue light before the old monk. Only the deep purple bead did not emit light and fell to the ground.
The old monk grasped the purple bead in his hand and drew a vase-shaped mudra with both hands.
Golden light bloomed across his body as he widened his eyes, and soon he chanted a mantra.
“Om Mani Padme Hum—the Avalokitesvara Spirit Mantra!”
Hearing the mantra, the evil aura cried out in a stiffened voice.
“The Six-Syllable Great Bright Mantra?”
The instant the old monk spat out the final syllable, all the prayer beads spewed forth blue light. At the same time, the fiend that had been attacking the old monk charged again, reeking of thick blood.
The moment it touched the blue light, the fiend instantly lost its form. It could no longer approach the old monk, of course, and merely floated in the air.
However, though the old monk may have momentarily escaped danger, his body continued to tremble. The Seven-Tailed Centipede’s virulent poison was a burden even to an old monk who had cultivated for hundreds of years.
“Uraaah!”
The old monk’s roar, like a lion’s howl, shook the surroundings.
The prayer beads received the power of Buddhism and emitted an even more intense light.
Then, suddenly, one prayer bead shattered with a whoosh, and the form of the character “Buddha” was drawn in the air. This form immediately flew forth and struck the fiend’s face.
“Kraaak!”
The fiend screamed in pain and stumbled backward. Judging by how the massive red glow surrounding its body was weakening, this attack was clearly fatal.
The evil aura roared in fury.
“How dare this bald cur!”
The old monk had originally planned to buy even a brief moment, but in that short span, all eighteen prayer beads reacted to the Buddhist mantra and assaulted the fiend.
The fiend continued to howl and desperately tried to flee with a fearful expression.
Then, after receiving the ninth prayer bead’s attack, it finally let out a long groan as all five of its eyes burst simultaneously.
*Thud!*
With a heavy sound, the fiend fell to the ground. It thrashed a few times, then soon ceased. Its body dissolved into a pool of blood, emitting a thick, fishy stench.
At the same time, the old monk vomited another gush of blood. It was black.
As the battle between these two supreme experts reached its climax, voices could be heard from beyond the thatched shrine door.
The evil aura and the old monk turned toward the door in shock.
Standing there was the little boy they had seen during the day, Jang Sobom. There was no way to know why he had come all the way here.
Jang Sobom stood before the shrine door, looking around with a bewildered expression.
The evil aura sneered coldly. By some means, the Seven-Tailed Centipede, which had been crawling atop Im Ryang-u’s body, suddenly leaped up and flew at Jang Sobom like a lightning flash.
The old monk’s eyebrows shot up, and he urgently flicked a prayer bead with his right hand.
The centipede saw this as well, but sensing the divine power within the bead, it did not resist in the slightest. Fluttering its tails like wings, it crawled back into the darkness surrounding the evil aura.
The evil aura spoke in a gloomy voice.
“Hehe. Truly, you are worthy of being called one of the Four Great Experts of Cheoneumsa. To think you dispersed my Blood Poison Banner even with such injuries. However, after taking my blows and being exposed to the Seven-Tailed Centipede’s poison, how much longer do you think you can endure! You would do well to obediently hand over the Blooddevouring Bead.”
By now, black blood was flowing from the old monk’s eyes as well.
But the old monk cackled and roared at the top of his lungs.
“Even if this old body dies here today, I shall take you with me!”
As soon as he finished speaking, all the prayer beads on his body emitted light simultaneously.
The evil aura started in surprise, and a whooshing sound suddenly rang out as blue light collided with the evil aura.
At that moment, the old monk secretly controlled the prayer bead he had shot at the centipede, launching a surprise attack on the evil aura from behind. The ambush proved effective, and the evil aura let out a scream filled with rage.
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*
Three consecutive explosions rang out. The blue light grew larger, shattering the darkness into pieces, and finally the darkness filling the surroundings vanished.
There, a tall, thin figure slowly descended from the air. Wrapped entirely in black clothes, his detailed features were invisible. Only two eyes radiating killing intent were visible, and he carried a greatsword on his back.
The old monk spoke in a low voice.
“Why does an expert like you hide his true appearance?”
The man in black glared fiercely and answered with menace.
“Bald wretch, even if you die today, your corpse will never be buried in the ground!”
With those words, he reached out and drew the greatsword from his back with a sharp ring.
The greatsword, clear as an autumn sky, emitted a faint, chilling light.
“What a fine sword!”
The old monk inwardly exclaimed in admiration.
The man in black scoffed at the old monk in a low voice. Gripping the sword hilt, he pointed its tip toward the sky and took seven steps, reciting an incantation.
“Profound forces of the nine heavens, become divine thunder! Majestic heavenly might, drawn forth by this sword!”
In that instant, the dark clouds looming in the sky suddenly churned as thunder rumbled deafeningly.
Lightning continuously flashed at the edges of the dark clouds, and an eerie aura covered the earth as a fierce gale rose.
“Divine Sword Controlling Lightning True Formula!”
The old monk’s face turned pale with shock. At the same time, despair, rage, and all manner of emotions surged in his heart.
“How… how can you… are you saying you are from the Qingyun Sect!”