The Divine And Demonic Doctor [EN]: Chapter 403

Snow-capped mountains stretched endlessly into the distance.

The Potala Palace, standing tall against this majestic backdrop, possessed an unparalleled sacred aura.

But not as much as today.

Instead of a magnificent sunset, pools of blood were staining the red stone walls.

The Potala Palace, also known as Lhasa, was more of a fortress than a palace.

However, it was no match for the sudden onslaught of the Demonic Sect.

Even as the lamas hastily closed the gates upon realizing the attack, the demons swiftly crossed the moat and scaled the walls.

Hundreds of fiends, each emitting a chilling demonic energy, indiscriminately unleashed their murderous intent.

The lamas, their sacred ground violated by this unexpected raid, fought back fiercely from all directions.

But there was no way to reverse the already tilted scales.

By the time the Dalai Lama, accompanied by his chief disciples, emerged, a vast hellscape had already unfolded before their eyes.

“……!”

A deep pain washed over the Dalai Lama’s eyes.

For the Potala Palace was not only inhabited by lamas.

Women and the elderly preparing for the afterlife also resided here.

But the bloodthirsty demons, consumed by their murderous instincts, had no reason to distinguish between them.

They simply slaughtered every life in sight, creating a scene of utter carnage.

Moreover, at this very moment, the damage was spreading rapidly, like fire consuming dry straw.

“Om Mani Padme Hum!”

A thunderous roar, shaking heaven and earth, erupted from the Dalai Lama’s mouth.

The Six-Syllable Great Bright Mantra [a sacred Buddhist mantra invoking compassion].

A stern rebuke meant to make the demons repent.

“Kuh!”

“Keuk!”

Several Demonic Sect members, who had been rushing towards the Dalai Lama, clutched their chests and collapsed.

The lion’s roar, filled with profound inner force, violently shook their insides and disrupted their meridians.

But this was only a small fraction.

The demons, who had kept their distance, merely paused briefly, frowning, before continuing their festival of blood.

It was then that golden auspicious energy erupted from the Dalai Lama’s entire body.

“In the name of the Dalai Lama, I hereby permit the breaking of the precept against killing today!”

The Dalai Lama commanded the lamas, who were responding with mantras from all directions.

“Guide these demons, whom even Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva [a bodhisattva who vowed to save all beings] would turn away from, to the endless path of reincarnation!”

As soon as those words fell, the chief disciples standing behind the Dalai Lama shot forward.

Confusion mixed with terror.

The eyes of the lamas, who had been retreating as if fleeing, suddenly changed.

A resolute determination settled in their eyes, which had been filled with a sense of impending defeat.

The secret art of the Vajra sect of esoteric Buddhism.

It was then that the Dalai Lama’s subjugation mantra, imbued with the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill [a powerful Buddhist martial art], echoed throughout the area.

“Om Somani Somani Hum Harihanna Harihanna……”

The Universal Dedication Mantra, in the form of a hymn.

The lamas responded to the fervent resonance that forced all evil demons to surrender.

“Hum Harihanna Banaya Hum…… Phet.”

The morale that had been flagging was revived by the hymns echoing from all directions.

The presence or absence of their spiritual leader.

Made that much of a difference.

The lamas quickly reversed the disadvantage and stood their ground.

The Dalai Lama nodded silently as he confirmed this.

Originally, the Potala Palace would not have fallen so tragically.

Their martial arts inherently contained the nature of anti-demonic arts, which were the nemesis of demonic arts.

This was also the reason why the Demonic Sect had not dared to covet this place until now.

They had only been greatly shaken because the attack had been too sudden.

Moreover, there were over eight hundred monks residing here.

Unless the Demonic Sect had poured all their strength into the attack, they had enough power to repel them if they regained their senses and responded calmly, unlike now, where they had only mobilized a small number of people.

“Kuaaaak!”

For the first time, screams erupted from the demons’ side.

The Dalai Lama, confirming this, raised his voice even louder.

“Om Iderini Svaha!”

The Mantra of Guiltless Trampling.

It was an indirect permission not to hold them accountable even if they broke the precept against killing.

As if that were the signal, the number of demons collapsing while spewing blood began to increase.

Kwaang!

A thunderous roar that shook the heavens and the earth rocked the Potala Palace.

The firmly closed main gate of the Potala Palace was torn to shreds, hinges and all.

Splintered pieces of wood and nails that flew in all directions swept through the area like hidden weapons.

And someone was walking in leisurely through the gap.

The Dalai Lama’s eyes flickered slightly as he witnessed this.

He had wondered what their intentions were in attacking with only a hundred or so people, but it turned out they had a leader.

The Dalai Lama’s figure immediately rushed towards that place.

It was to defeat the leader and break the enemy’s will to fight.

But as the distance between them closed, the Dalai Lama sensed that the opponent was by no means someone to be taken lightly.

The opponent’s eyes, gazing at him with a faint smile.

There was no agitation to be found within them.

Instead, an unhidden curiosity replaced it.

The Dalai Lama drew the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill to its limit.

The golden light, layered several times and further intensified, surrounded him.

The Dalai Lama, transformed into a single mass of enormous energy, charged straight at the opponent.

Kwaang!

A roar that dwarfed all previous ones shook the heavens and the earth.

Golden fragments scattered in all directions.

The Dalai Lama, who discovered something amidst them, felt his heart sink.

“Celestial Demon?”

It was the first time he had seen the opponent in this place, but no other word came to mind.

Because of the alien presence he felt from the opponent, one that should never exist in the mortal realm.

And above all…….

‘Heavenly Descent Demonic Wall!’

The enormous black energy wall that filled his vision was undoubtedly the Celestial Demon’s unique martial art.

‘How on earth?’

The opponent was only in his mid-twenties at best.

The two stood opposed, with different, heterogeneous energies between them, for only a moment.

Jong Geuk-jin, who had been silently gazing at the Dalai Lama, smiled quietly.

“I hear you’re called a Living Buddha here?”

Shock spread across the Dalai Lama’s eyes.

Unlike himself, who was exerting all his strength, the opponent had enough leeway to speak.

Moreover, his golden energy, which possessed the nature of anti-demonic energy, was blocked by the translucent black barrier and could not advance at all.

‘Ah!’

The Dalai Lama, belatedly realizing something, swallowed a sigh.

In reality, it was a simple principle.

Just as a bucket of water cannot extinguish a forest fire.

No matter how much of a nemesis to demonic arts anti-demonic energy is, it is meaningless in the face of demonic arts that possess power that surpasses it.

But the problem was not only that.

A chilling energy suddenly felt beyond the opponent’s energy wall.

The haze, flickering in the air like black flames, slowly took shape and soon manifested as a burning demon.

The Dalai Lama, witnessing the demon’s hand piercing through his golden energy wall, slowly raised his lifelong power.

But it was useless.

Poouk.

The demon’s hand, which had changed shape in an instant, wriggled like a living tentacle and pierced through the Dalai Lama’s chest.

A stream of blood flowed from the Dalai Lama’s mouth.

“How on earth……?”

“We haven’t just been standing idly by all this time, either.”

The smile that had been on Jong Geuk-jin’s lips deepened even further at the Dalai Lama’s exclamation.

“Anti-divine Art. Or should I call it Anti-benevolent Art?”

“……!”

“Actually, it doesn’t matter what you call it. What’s important is that it’s the nemesis of orthodox martial arts based on Taoism and Buddhism.”

Jong Geuk-jin cast a more than satisfied gaze.

There was a good example right in front of him.

Kwak.

It was immediately after that that sharp energies flying from all directions pierced through the Dalai Lama’s entire body.

Jong Geuk-jin slowly raised his hand.

“Keuheuk!”

The Dalai Lama’s figure, with all the vital points of his body pierced, was lifted into the air.

Even in the face of the terrible pain of having his internal organs seared by the wriggling energies like a venomous snake’s tongue, the Dalai Lama focused his mind and sent a telepathic message somewhere.

It was then that Jong Geuk-jin suddenly opened his mouth.

“I wonder.”

As their eyes met, Jong Geuk-jin smiled coldly.

“Whether they will still praise you as a Living Buddha even if your limbs are torn apart before their eyes.”

With those words, Jong Geuk-jin slowly clenched his fist.

The moment the energy that had pierced through the Dalai Lama’s body twitched once.

The Dalai Lama slowly closed his eyes.

“Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi……”

The supreme value, Bodhicitta [the mind of enlightenment], that he had been constantly pursuing since he had devoted himself to Buddhism.

The Dalai Lama’s figure turned into a thick mist of blood and scattered, uttering a short prayer of Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi [perfect supreme enlightenment] as his last words.

Jong Geuk-jin, who had taken the Dalai Lama’s life, looked around with arrogant eyes.

Was it because they had lost their spiritual leader before their eyes?

The sight of the lamas weeping in shock and chanting the Buddha’s name in a daze, and the sight of the cultists cutting them down so easily, caught his eye.

Jong Geuk-jin slowly turned around as if he were not very interested.

His gaze was directed towards Qinghai Province.

“Next is Kunlun.”

A cruel smile hung on Jong Geuk-jin’s lips.

“If we erase them, those guys will have no choice but to turn back.”

* * *

“It’s terrible.”

Dan Ak-seon, looking down at the demon writhing at his feet, shuddered briefly.

It was an opponent who could not accept his defeat and eventually used the Demonic Sect’s suicide technique, Reverse Blood Great Art.

And now he was paying the price for using the Reverse Blood Great Art.

The Reverse Blood Great Art is a technique that reverses the flow of true energy to simultaneously detonate innate energy and potential.

Through this, one can temporarily use explosive inner power, but it comes at the cost of the user’s life.

In the end, one cannot avoid being possessed by a devil like this.

As soon as the demon in front of him breathed his last, Dan Ak-seon silently retrieved the needle that had been stuck in the opponent’s Baihui point [a vital acupuncture point on the head] and stood up.

“Let’s go.”

Gadu-dal flinched at Dan Ak-seon’s cold eyes, which showed no agitation.

On the other hand, Han Seol-hwa was inwardly worried about Dan Ak-seon’s appearance.

Han Seol-hwa, who had slowly approached Dan Ak-seon, raised her true energy.

Dan Ak-seon was startled by the coldness that suddenly enveloped his entire body.

But he smiled awkwardly at Han Seol-hwa’s voice that followed.

“Control your mind. Cool your head a little.”

Dan Ak-seon turned his head and looked at the group.

They did not seem particularly tired, but they were quite disheveled from the long journey.

Only Han Seol-hwa was maintaining her clean appearance from the beginning.

In the meantime, the group was approaching the Divine Land little by little, destroying the Demonic Sect’s strongholds one by one.

And they were realizing with their skin that the goal was not far away.

That was because the demons’ martial arts were getting higher and their counterattacks were getting fiercer.

“Come to think of it, there’s an oasis over there, should we wash up a bit?”

“Shall we?”

Beom Gye-wi was delighted at Dan Ak-seon’s words.

Most of this place was desert, but there were also rare oases like the one in the distance, where groundwater had accumulated.

Immediately after arriving at the oasis.

Beom Gye-wi suddenly hugged Dan Ak-seon tightly.

Then he flew straight into the oasis.

Splash.

Dan Ak-seon, who was soaking wet amidst the soaring spray, looked up at Beom Gye-wi with bewildered eyes.

“Why all of a sudden?”

“Euhahaha! Isn’t it cool?”

Dan Ak-seon, who had been standing there with a dazed look, soon laughed along with Beom Gye-wi.

“Yes. Very much so.”

“Take off all the clothes that are getting in the way. I’ll dry them all later.”

“Yes? But…….”

Before Dan Ak-seon, who glanced at Han Seol-hwa, could say anything, Beom Gye-wi was already throwing off his clothes.

Han Seol-hwa frowned at the sight.

“Is that crazy bastard?”

Jjeok [sound of ice forming].

“Euhuk! Hey! Witch! Stop!”

Beom Gye-wi burst out in embarrassment as he discovered the ice that was instantly covering the oasis.

Dan Ak-seon could not help but laugh at the sight.

Relief finally appeared on Cho Ak-ryang’s face as well.

After leaving the Divine Demon Valley.

He realized that Dan Ak-seon’s original self had not completely disappeared, even though he had been trying to hide it behind his indifferent expression.