Chapter 298: Diabolic Beast (1)

“It’s Cheonma… Cheonma (Heavenly Demon).”

‘!?’

As soon as Mok Gyeong-un finished speaking, the kind smile on the Grand Monk Gong-jeon’s face froze.

“Cheon… ma? Oh my.”

Grand Monk Gong-jeon reacted to the word ‘ma’ (魔), meaning demon, that came after the name.

Out of all the possible names, why choose to attach the word ‘ma’ (魔), which is undoubtedly ominous?

If you interpret the name literally, it means ‘the demon of heaven’.

This made him strangely nervous, but there was no rule stating that the word ‘ma’ (魔) couldn’t be included in a name, and there was no reason to view it negatively based on this alone.

‘There must be a reason for the patron choosing such a name.’

With that thought, Grand Monk Gong-jeon relaxed his expression and spoke.

“Hohoho. Amitabha. Cheon-ma… What a truly extraordinary name. In Buuhism, prestige and fame are said to be mere dust, but I sincerely hope that the patron’s prestige will last for a hundred, even a thousand years.”

“Thank you for your kind words. I hope it will be as you say, Venerable Monk. My grandfather said something similar.”

“Something similar?”

“Yes. He said there are two ways for a person to live forever.”

“Live forever? Oh? And what were those ways?”

“He said the first is to leave descendants and continue the bloodline for generations, and the second is to leave a name that lives on in people’s memories.”

“Hohoho. Those are wise words indeed. That is truly the only way to live forever. What else could be eternal? The patron’s grandfather is truly a man of great wisdom.”

Upon hearing those words, Mok Gyeong-un smiled wordlessly.

As they conversed, they finally reached the entrance of the Demon-subduing Cave.

The Demon-subduing Cave  [33]   was located right next to the Wall Contemplation Cave  [34]  .

In front of it, the Demon-Subduing Pavilion Master, who had gone ahead saying he had preparations to make, was waiting.

“Amitabha. Have you arrived?”

“Amitabha. Are the preparations complete, Demon-Subduing Pavilion Master?”

“Yes. I have already instructed the Demon-Subduing Pavilion monks guarding the cave that the patron will enter, in case of any eventuality. This humble monk will also accompany you, so there is no need to worry.”

“Then, if there are any precautions the patron should be aware of, could you please inform him?”

“Yes, I understand.”

The Demon-Subduing Pavilion Master looked at Mok Gyeong-un, then pointed to the Demon-subduing Cave with his hand and spoke.

“Patron, once you enter the cave, you will see several blocked cave entrances. Although those entrances are blocked, there are Demon-Subduing Pavilion monks chanting the Demon-Subduing Pavilion mantra in front of them, so please do not disturb them.”

“In other words, I should just pass by them.”

“That is correct.”

“The cave the patron will enter is located at the very back. Inside, there is an extremely ferocious demon. That demon was captured from Mount Shaoxian, north of Mount Daeham. Its strength is immense, and its demonic power is also formidable. Even the Arhat monks had to be mobilized, and it was only barely subdued using the Green Jade Buha Seal and thirty-six powerful demon-suppressing treasures.”

“It seems like it was quite a struggle to capture it.”

At Mok Gyeong-un’s words, one of the Demon-Subduing Pavilion Master’s eyebrows rose.

It seemed like his pride had been hurt somehow.

However, the Demon-Subduing Pavilion Master soon sighed and spoke.

“Phew. That demon’s evil nature is so strong and ferocious that even this humble monk, who has faced countless demons, cannot handle it alone under any circumstances.”

“It’s that dangerous, yet you managed to capture and bring it here. Wouldn’t it have been better to just kill it?”

“Amitabha. Taking life is a last resort. As a disciple of the Buha, how could one commit such an act without even attempting to enlighten it?”

“So you keep it locked up and continuously chant sutras?”

“That is correct.”

“Has any demon been successfully enlightened through this method?”

“……..”

At this question, the Demon-Subduing Pavilion Master gave no answer.

This was a clear negation.

Although the Demon-Subduing Pavilion monks took turns chanting the Demon-Subduing Pavilion mantra day and night to weaken the demons’ evil nature in an attempt to enlighten them, there was not a single being whose fundamental nature had changed.

Rather, as their evil nature and demonic powers weakened, many demons died before the 108 mantras were completed.

In the end, enlightening demons was practically impossible.

As such, the Demon-Subduing Pavilion monks still attempted to enlighten them but inwardly believed it to be impossible.

‘That complacency will soon disappear as well.’

As he was also well-versed in dharmic powers, he could gauge the strength of the monstrous bird’s demonic energy that had fallen in the Arhat Hall’s courtyard.

While he acknowledged that it was incomparably stronger than ordinary demons, it was on a completely different level from what they were about to witness.

It was not only powerful and ferocious.

It even possessed the intelligence to deceive humans, which is why it was locked up in a deeper cave than the other demons.

“Well, it’s not like keeping it locked up had any meaning anyway.”

At Mok Gyeong-un’s sarcastic remark, the Demon-Subduing Pavilion Master put his palms together and replied.

“Amitabha. Then, let the patron demonstrate his ability to control demons using techniques that defy principles.”

“I understand.”

***

In this manner, Mok Gyeong-un followed the Demon-Subduing Pavilion Master’s guidance and entered the cave.

-Woooong!

As soon as he entered the cave, Mok Gyeong-un frowned.

-Why are you doing that, mortal?

Cheong-ryeong asked.

-…It’s quite similar to when we came into contact with the primordial energy.

-Primordial energy? Could it be that inside the cave…

-The dharmic power is much stronger than outside.

Mok Gyeong-un found the reason on the cave walls.

The entire wall was engraved with gold-plated Demon-Subduing Pavilion mantra characters, causing the surrounding area to overflow with dharmic power.

However, this dharmic power seemed to have a nature opposite to the energy of the dead within Mok Gyeong-un’s body, such as the death energy and demonic energy, causing the internal energies to surge.

He even developed a headache that wasn’t there before.

-Do you think you can endure it?

-More or less.

Although the energy was turbulent, it wasn’t agonizingly painful to the point of death.

It was just unpleasant to be in this space.

Moreover,

-Om somani somani hum arihanna arihanna hum arihanna banaya hum banaya hum baabam baara hum batak.

Just as the Demon-Subduing Pavilion Master had said beforehand, the Demon-Subduing Pavilion monks were chanting the Demon-Subduing Pavilion mantra in front of each cave within the Demon-subduing Cave, making even the ears sting.

Enduring this discomfort, they finally reached the deepest part of the Demon-subduing Cave.

On the way, the Demon-Subduing Pavilion Master said,

“The thirty-six caves located in the back garden of Shaolin are all interconnected. Therefore, if you accidentally stray from the guided path, you may lose your way. So, I humbly request that the patron be cautious.”

“Thank you for the advice.”

“And we will arrive soon, but if any problems arise after entering, please shout loudly. Although the demon’s legs have been restrained with dharmic tools, its demonic power is so strong that it may be dangerous if you’re not careful.”

“I understand.”

Eventually, they arrived at the cave located at the very back of the Demon-subduing Cave.

The entrance was incomparably larger than the other caves.

The blocked iron door was also engraved with gold-plated Demon-Subduing Pavilion mantras.

-Om somani somani hum arihanna arihanna hum arihanna banaya hum banaya hum baabam baara hum batak.

In front of the entrance, a single Demon-Subduing Pavilion monk was standing and chanting the mantra.

As they arrived, the Demon-Subduing Pavilion monk stopped and put his palms together.

“Amitabha. Have you arrived, fellow monk?”

“I told you to stop chanting the mantra and wait in the neighboring cavity, so why are you here, Deoksu?”

“I dropped my prayer beads at the entrance and went to retrieve them, but the demon, which I thought was exhausted and asleep, woke up and caused a commotion, so I was trying to calm it down.”

“Oh my.”

At his words, the Demon-Subduing Pavilion Master looked at the cave entrance with a worried expression.

Despite the prior warning, the demon inside was truly dangerous.

That’s why they had planned to send Mok Gyeong-un in when the dharmic power was at its peak and the demon was most exhausted from the Demon-Subduing Pavilion mantra.

But if the demon had woken up and caused a commotion, the situation was indeed concerning.

If they weren’t careful, they might end up being harmed instead.

Therefore, the Demon-Subduing Pavilion Master cautiously said,

“Patron, could you please wait a moment? I think we need to chant the Demon-Subduing Pavilion mantra a bit more to calm the demon down.”

At his words, Mok Gyeong-un shook his head.

“Will it make a significant difference even if you do that? Just let me in.”

“Oh my. Patron… This is for your sake as well. No matter how much you want to prove yourself, I cannot allow the patron to be in danger.”

“I understand your concern, Venerable Monk, but we don’t have much time either.”

Shaolin Temple was quite close to the imperial capital of Kaifeng.

If the imperial palace sent troops or trackers, they could reach here in no time.

Therefore, from Mok Gyeong-un’s perspective, he had no choice but to hurry.

“Could you not compromise for just a quarter of an hour?”

“If it seems greatly dangerous, I will let you know, so just let me in.”

“Oh my.”

The Demon-Subduing Pavilion Master clicked his tongue at Mok Gyeong-un’s stubbornness and approached the firmly closed iron door’s locks.

As the iron door was extremely large, there were a total of five locks.

The Demon-Subduing Pavilion Master took out keys from his waist and spoke.

-Clank!

“Patron, this iron door is made of hyeon-cheol, so no matter how skilled one is in martial arts, it cannot be cut or broken. Therefore, if it seems dangerous, shout immediately.”

“I will do so.”

-Clank!

After unlocking all the locks except for the last one with an unusual elongated shape, the Demon-Subduing Pavilion Master handed Mok Gyeong-un a torch hanging on the wall.

“It will be dark inside, so take this with you. There is a torch holder inside.”

“I understand. But why are you leaving one lock unopened?”

“As a precaution.”

“Precaution?”

“This lock is specially designed so that the iron door only opens wide enough for a person to barely pass through.”

“Ah.”

“If it opens wider than that, the demon might escape. The demon inside is not only ferocious but also cunning, so be careful.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

“Then, go and return safely. Amitabha.”

-Screech!

As the large iron door opened, a gap barely wide enough for a person to pass through sideways, as the Demon-Subduing Pavilion Master had said, was created.

Through this, Mok Gyeong-un entered with the torch.

As soon as he went inside, the Demon-Subduing Pavilion monk outside immediately closed the iron door.

-Screech! Thud!

Although he tried to close it as carefully as possible, the door was so large that the sound of it closing was quite loud.

Paying no heed to this, Mok Gyeong-un raised the torch to illuminate the inside of the cave, the cavity.

‘It’s huge.’

The cavity was much larger than he had expected.

How large was it? The torch couldn’t illuminate the entire space.

Part of the cavity was shrouded in shadows, and…

-Tak!

Without bringing the torch all the way there, Mok Gyeong-un placed it in the holder next to the iron door.

Then he looked at the area covered in shadows.

Without even needing to search, a strong demonic energy was emanating from there.

-Can you see it?

-Yes, I can see it.

The demon’s eyes, faintly blinking and staring at him, were visible.

A red light was flickering in its eyes, and just from the size of its pupils, one could imagine how enormous it must be.

“Kekekekek.”

At that moment, an eerie laughter echoed from the shadows.

The laughter was naturally quite different from a human voice, closer to the sound of scratching one’s throat.

In response, Mok Gyeong-un grasped the sword finger in his right hand and prepared his techniques.

They said it had undergone a process of suppressing its evil nature with the Demon-Subduing Pavilion mantra for ninety-nine days, but the demonic energy it exuded made one question if it had really weakened.

-How strong does it seem?

-It appears to be above the level of a demon beast.

-Above a demon beast?

-Yes.

-Then could it possibly be a Diabolic Beast (魔獸)?

Monsters, or unidentified creatures, are referred to differently based on their level of danger.

The lowest grade is Fierce Beast, and as it goes higher, it becomes a Monstrous Beast (怪獸) and Demonic Beast (妖獸).

The Heum-won that Mok Gyeong-un had made his servant could also be considered a Demonic beast, but the level of demonic energy he sensed now was far stronger than that.

At that moment, along with the laughter, a voice was heard from the shadows.

“Kekekekek. I should thank those damn bald monks. After being stuck here for ninety-nine days, chanting nothing but those annoying sutras, they’ve finally brought me such a delicious meal.”

Surprisingly, this monster could speak.

The sound of its voice, like scratching its throat, was extremely eerie, but it knew how to accurately convey its thoughts.

-Thud!

The sound of footsteps reverberated throughout the entire cave.

-Thud!

The cave floor shook.

Eventually, the monster revealed itself within the radius illuminated by the torch.

‘Huh?’

It had horns on its head, resembling a dragon.

Its entire body was covered in red fur, and its shape was like a mixture of a dog and a cow, but it had hooves like a horse.

Its size was so immense that one had to look up to see it.

As soon as he saw this, Cheong-ryeong spoke in a surprised voice.

-Mortal… It’s Alyu.

-Alyu?

-I had a feeling when they mentioned Mount Shaoxian, but these crazy bald monks have actually captured a diabolic beast.

Cheong-ryeong was dumbfounded.

The existence known as a Diabolic beast was so dangerous that even dozens of skilled Taoist priests had to gather to barely confront it.

Seeing that they had captured and imprisoned such a being, it was clear that Shaolin’s power was no ordinary feat, but the situation had become quite serious.

-…This is bad. Aside from being strong, diabolic beasts possess intelligence as well.

-We have to subdue it first.

Controlling it or making it a servant was only possible after subduing the monster.

Fortunately, the demonic energy emanating from this diabolic beast wasn’t the worst among the unidentified creatures he had recently encountered.

Should he say it was thanks to having experienced even worse than this?

Right at that moment…

“Kekekekek!”

-Thud thud thud thud thud!

The slowly approaching diabolic beast, Alyu, suddenly leaped towards Mok Gyeong-un with agile movements.

‘Fast, despite its size.’

In response, Mok Gyeong-un moved his body to widen the distance and tried to deploy the Six Directions Formation.

However, the charging Alyu suddenly stopped.

-Bam!

Then, after maintaining some distance, it opened its mouth with trembling eyes.

“Kiririk. You… What are you? Why do you… reek of that monstrous fox?”

‘!?’