Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1943

The Blood King, who had been looking towards Bator, turned his gaze forward.

‘Indeed, compatibility is a terrifying thing.’

In the past, the Blood King had thought that battles between those who had transcended the wall [referring to a level of power or skill] would not be bound by compatibility.

All rivers eventually reach the vast ocean.

However, as he fought against those who deserved to be called superhumans, the Blood King’s thoughts were completely revised.

The convergence of all things does not mean that everything becomes the same in the end.

It means that someone who has perfectly mastered the spear can wield a sword as if it were a spear, and someone who has mastered the sword can use a spear as if it were a sword.

It’s not about compensating for weaknesses to achieve balance, but about honing strengths to the extreme, to the point where they cover even the weaknesses. That is the true convergence of all things.

In the end, the more one reaches the extreme, the more compatibility exerts a power beyond expectations.

The Blood King had now come to understand that much, but…

‘I never thought I’d encounter such a case again.’

The Blood King’s gaze turned to the strange monk standing before him. Having calmed his surging anger to some extent, the monk’s face was regaining its original color.

“…For a monk, you seem to have a rather quick temper.”

“Amitabha.”

“No, is it just the temper that’s quick?”

The Blood King’s gaze towards the strange monk was not very friendly. Of course, it wasn’t as filled with undisguised disgust as when he faced the Blood King earlier, but there was definitely hostility present.

“To think that a human wearing monk’s robes would reek of blood like this, your attire is meaningless.”

The Blood King glared at the strange monk with cold eyes.

Even when he fought the Divine Spear last time, his hostility towards the Twelve Evil Ways or the Black King wasn’t that great. They were walking different paths, so they had no choice but to fight, but there was no particular reason to hate them.

But the ones he was facing this time were different.

The Blood King, who was so disgusting that he couldn’t even be called human, and the strange monk in front of him were both grating on his nerves.

What annoyed the Blood King the most was the faint Buddhist aura emanating from the murderous monk in those robes.

It wasn’t just for show; he was truly someone who had mastered Buddhist martial arts.

At that moment, the Blood King’s eyes flickered slightly.

“…You, could you possibly be the Demon Buddha?”

“Amitabha, it’s been a while since I’ve heard that name.”

The Blood King’s face twisted horribly.

The Demon Buddha.

The infamous traitor born from the thousand-year-old Shaolin Temple. He was said to be a genius who surpassed even the Sixth Patriarch Huineng [a highly revered figure in Zen Buddhism], who was called the greatest genius in Shaolin history, and was considered a talent who would elevate Shaolin to a bedrock.

However, contrary to Shaolin’s wishes, he rejected the teachings of Buddhism and developed his own martial arts.

If it had ended there, there would have been no reason for him to earn the name Demon Buddha, nor would that name have been passed down to this day.

The reason why the Demon Buddha etched his name into the history of the martial world was simple. The Demon Buddha, who had confined himself in the Bodhidharma Cave [a cave associated with the founder of Zen Buddhism] to complete his new martial art, one day broke out of the cave and committed a brutal massacre against the Shaolin monks.

It is said that over three hundred Shaolin monks died at the hands of the Demon Buddha that day.

Eventually, unable to withstand the combined attacks of the Shaolin monks, the Demon Buddha fled Mount Song [the location of the Shaolin Temple]. He donned ordinary monk’s robes instead of Shaolin’s yellow robes, called himself Tathagata [a title for a Buddha], and continued his journey through the martial world.

Shaolin wept tears of blood, wanting to kill him, and everyone in the world shunned the Demon Buddha, but no one in that era could withstand the Demon Buddha’s martial arts. In the end, the martial world had to endure countless sacrifices until he disappeared on his own.

Such a person had now revealed himself before the Blood King.

“When I first heard your story, I thought you had gone mad from Qi deviation [a dangerous imbalance of internal energy] and committed such acts.”

“Is that so?”

“But… now I see that’s not the case. If it were Qi deviation, you would have regained your sanity in a new body after death and rebirth. Yet, the fact that I can still sense your wickedness means that it was all your will.”

The strange monk smiled faintly.

“That’s right, benefactor. This monk has never been mad, nor has he ever done anything that was not of his own will.”

“Then why did you do it?”

The Blood King gritted his teeth and glared at the strange monk.

He didn’t particularly identify himself as a disciple of Shaolin. The lineage of Shaolin’s martial arts had long been severed, and now Shaolin was just a large temple and tourist attraction.

However, he certainly had pride in being a successor to Buddhist martial arts.

That was why he couldn’t smile when facing the strange monk.

“Why…”

The strange monk smiled faintly.

“Benefactor, do you follow the Dharma [Buddhist teachings]?”

“Although I have not taken vows, I have never rejected the Dharma. If I had to categorize myself, I would be a lay disciple of Buddhism.”

“I see. Benefactor, then let me ask you one thing. What do you think about reincarnation?”

“…Reincarnation?”

“Do you believe in it?”

The Blood King hesitated to answer.

If he had to choose one religion he believed in, he would choose Buddhism without hesitation, but whether he believed in reincarnation was a separate matter.

“I believe in it. I am also proof of it.”

The strange monk smiled faintly.

“I say again, I believe in reincarnation. I also believe without a doubt that if one accumulates merit and continues to reincarnate, one will eventually become a Buddha.”

There was not a hint of mockery in his voice. Rather, it even seemed quite reverent.

“It seems that the Dharma you believe in doesn’t teach you not to kill?”

“How could that be?”

The strange monk wore an exceptionally clear smile on his lips.

“Teachings are always right. But sometimes, there are more righteous teachings among them. The most precious teaching I learned in Buddhism is to have a compassionate heart. It also says that one should not spare oneself to save sentient beings, even if it means jumping into a fire.”

“And yet, you killed your fellow disciples, your master?”

“That is precisely compassion, benefactor.”

“What?”

The Blood King’s face contorted.

What on earth was this guy talking about?

“Compassion? Did you just say compassion?”

“That’s right. It is the ultimate compassion, benefactor.”

“Stop talking nonsense.”

The strange monk quietly shook his head.

“Look here, benefactor. What do you think reincarnation is?”

“…Isn’t it being reborn again? To be reborn again and again until one reaches enlightenment by cultivating the Dharma.”

“That’s right. That is reincarnation. But haven’t you also heard this? Life is suffering, and living itself is suffering.”

“In other words, living in this world, which is filled with endless suffering, is a punishment in itself. According to Buddhist teachings, we all inevitably suffer in life, and our goal should be to cultivate the Dharma in that suffering and escape this wheel of punishment.”

“…What are you trying to say?”

“Listen carefully, benefactor. But those who reach enlightenment are extremely few. Achieving enlightenment is incredibly difficult, and accumulating merit is not easy either. Especially in that era, it was even more so. In an era where people thought nothing of killing others for a handful of rice, accumulating merit was impossible.”

The Blood King closed his mouth. He couldn’t understand what kind of sophistry this guy was spouting.

“What does that have to do with you killing your fellow disciples?”

“Don’t you understand, benefactor?”

The strange monk’s face twisted slightly.

“In such a world, accumulating merit is almost impossible. Eventually, one cannot withstand the weight of the world and commits sins. But even if one accumulates merit for three lifetimes, if one commits a minor mistake, all that merit will be lost.”

“This wheel of reincarnation is as if it was made to torment people. It’s cruel. It’s incredibly cruel. It’s much more important not to commit sins than to accumulate merit, but the world is such that one cannot live without committing sins.”

“You…”

“That’s right.”

The strange monk’s face began to transform like a demon.

“Then it’s better to die quickly. The longer one lives, the higher the probability of committing sins. If one dies quickly and lives a new life with a pure soul, merit will increase and sins will decrease! Do you understand what I mean?”

“You crazy bastard!”

The Blood King roared.

“What kind of twisted logic is that, you demonic fiend! Where is the guarantee that you will commit fewer sins in your next life than in your previous one!”

“There is.”

“…What?”

The strange monk chuckled softly.

“Even if others don’t have it, I do. Because I know the future.”

The Blood King closed his mouth.

“You, who have lived for a long time, should know. How much cleaner people live now compared to when you were young. In just a hundred years, humans have become much freer from sin. But… do you think it would be possible to live without sin in that era when people killed and ate human flesh because they were hungry?”

The Blood King stared at the strange monk with an astonished face.

It was absurd sophistry. But the strange monk seemed to completely believe in his own words.

Tears flowed from the strange monk’s eyes.

“How could it be enjoyable to kill my beloved fellow disciples, those who cannot be saved? But all of that is a desperate measure to lead them to a better world. I am trying to save them by driving myself to hell.”

“You madman…”

He was completely insane.

“Are you saying that with a sound mind?”

“There’s no need to be so angry. Losing life is a sad thing, but in the end, one will live again in the cycle of reincarnation. Your current life is just one of hundreds of lives.”

“One must know how to let go of the small for the sake of the greater. When I took their lives, they may have resented me, but if they are freed from this cycle in the future, they will be grateful to me.”

The Blood King stared blankly at the strange monk.

He had met many enemies so far. But this was the first time he had met such a madman.

What truly astonished him was that this guy believed in his own logic like a religion. A firm belief that seemed like it wouldn’t even be scratched by a sharp sword.

That twisted belief was nauseating.

“If what you say is true…”

The Blood King gritted his teeth.

“Then me killing you here right now is also salvation and compassion!”

“It seems you understand, benefactor.”

The strange monk smiled faintly.

“But I will decline. I have already committed too many sins. I have decided to walk into hell with my own feet. Come, benefactor. I will save your life.”

“You crazy bastard!”

The Blood King roared and charged towards the strange monk.

The strange monk’s eyes, looking at the Blood King, were filled with a chilling wickedness.

“Amitabha! Death is salvation! Killing is compassion, so open the precept against killing to save sentient beings!”

The crimson blood light emanating from the strange monk’s fist and the Blood King’s golden fist collided head-on in the air.

Kwaaaaaaaang!