The Terminally Ill Young Master of the Baek Clan

Chapter 235: Crown Prince’s Teacher Yi-gang (1)

Immortal Divine Sword.

Ancestor.

Grandfather.

…

Yi-gang suddenly opened his eyes.

It seems he had dozed off for a moment. He had a dream.

「…Priest.」

“…”

「Priest…!」

Even though Zhang Sanfeng called Yi-gang, he almost forgot to respond right away.

This wasn’t a place like the Sa-mun or some other comfortable location, but rather one of the halls in the Forbidden City, and yet he had dozed off.

He had relaxed too much and made a mistake. Yi-gang scolded himself.

「Are you alright?」

‘Yes? Of course, I’m alright.’

「No, it’s just that… your eyes.」

Yi-gang wiped his eyes and was startled.

His sleeve was wet.

「I instructed you to meditate, but I was surprised to see you shedding tears. I thought you were dozing off, and I was about to scold you, but it seems that wasn’t the case. Haha.」

‘Ah, yes. I was too immersed.’

Yi-gang brushed it off like that.

Why did he cry? It seems he briefly thought about the Immortal Divine Sword.

He had passed on all his spiritual energy to Yi-gang and achieved nirvana.

The resentment and obsession that had tied the Immortal Divine Sword to the earth were resolved as he stayed with Yi-gang.

The fact that he seemed extremely content when he achieved nirvana was the only consolation.

‘What has become of his Ancestor who achieved nirvana?’

「A soul that cannot immediately achieve nirvana is usually a vengeful spirit, but…」

What happened when a person died?

Yi-gang had never gotten an answer to that.

Even the immortal Zhang Sanfeng couldn’t give a precise answer.

「I’ve heard that thanks to you, your ancestor was able to resolve his resentment. He has yet to reincarnate, but… he’s probably resting.」

‘That’s right. At least he’s doing well.’

Zhang Sanfeng nodded heavily.

Among the many beings Yi-gang had encountered, Zhang Sanfeng was the one who knew the most about the secrets of the world.

Yet, there was little he could tell Yi-gang.

It seemed that revealing secrets was forbidden by the laws of the heavenly realm. He couldn’t even hear how the Heavenly Demon remained on earth.

Normally, he might have felt frustrated. But not today.

This morning, while meditating, Zhang Sanfeng suddenly gasped and broke out in a cold sweat.

And then he told Yi-gang, 「Permission has been granted from the heavenly realm. I never imagined they would allow it…」

It seemed that the heavenly realm was that closed off.

In any case, Yi-gang was now able to hear the secrets of the Heavenly Demon.

「It seems the heavenly realm is convinced that you, priest, and the Heavenly Demon are intertwined.」

He never imagined such a thing would happen.

To say otherwise would be a lie.

Yi-gang, who was traveling with the legendary immortal Zhang Sanfeng, had lost the limits of his imagination, so it wasn’t such a shocking thing to him.

「The Heavenly Demon isn’t lingering on earth as a spirit like your ancestor or I.」

He had imagined that as well.

He wondered if the Heavenly Demon might be floating around somewhere.

「But as you know, there’s nothing one can do in a spiritual state.」

Yi-gang had become so accustomed to being possessed that it was like second nature to him.

But in truth, it was said to be a miraculous occurrence.

Even the most exceptional shamans possessed the qualities of a medium, but it was impossible for them to let their body be fully taken over unlike Yi-gang.

On top of that, the spirit possessing Yi-gang had even used his own martial arts.

「There’s no one else in the world like you, priest. To be able to use even a portion of martial arts from a past life is incredible.」

‘A portion? Well, it’s fortunate that only a portion can be used. Otherwise, I would have died from the recoil.’

「Ah, it’s not just for that reason. It’s not that we don’t use it, it’s closer to we’re unable to.」

Yi-gang’s eyebrow slightly twitched.

「Your ancestor never used his supreme ultimate technique either. Neither did I.」

“That’s… true.”

「Through sheer will, it’s possible to temporarily connect your meridians and use some of your true Qi. But utilizing martial arts of the Absolute realm is no easy feat. You might be able to attempt it now that you’ve reached the Supreme Peak realm, but…」

Yi-gang had physically experienced the supreme ultimate technique through the Sword Emperor.

Wasn’t the supreme ultimate technique what created a chasm as vast as the sky and earth between the Absolute realm and the Supreme Peak?

If so, the Immortal Divine Sword and Zhang Sanfeng, who had possessed Yi-gang, must not have been able to exert even a tenth of their original divine power.

Suddenly, a question popped into Yi-gang’s mind.

‘Didn’t you use the Telekinetic Sword Technique?’

Previously, when Zhang Sanfeng had possessed him, he used the Telekinetic Sword Technique through Yi-gang’s body.

Such divine-like swordsmanship indeed seemed like a supreme ultimate technique no matter how he thought about it.

「I merely played a trick by using a small realization. You could do the same, priest.」

‘I could…?’

It was hard to believe, but there was no reason for Zhang Sanfeng to speak nonsense.

Was he saying that someday Yi-gang could also wield a sword from thin air like Zhang Sanfeng?

Not just one sword, but he might be able to control multiple swords at once.

「There’s a reason why you learned the Telekinetic Sword Technique… Oh dear, the conversation has gone off track. Let’s return to the matter of the Heavenly Demon.」

‘Yes. I heard that he tore apart his soul.’

「He tore his soul apart, sealed it into various objects, and scattered them across the entire Central Plains. All in preparation for his eventual resurrection.」

The first thing one should ask is “why?”

「The Heavenly Demon believed he was born in the wrong era. He thought he was born several centuries too early. So instead of achieving nirvana upon death, he chose to tear apart his soul and remain on earth.」

‘The reason for tearing his soul apart was…’

「He was hated not only by the people of the earthly realm but also by the great immortals of the heavenly realm. If he had remained in a vulnerable spiritual state, the heavenly realm would have captured him.」

The Heavenly Demon tore apart his soul to hide his existence.

After “why?” the next question was “how?”

‘A person’s soul isn’t like jerky; how could it be torn into multiple pieces?’

「That’s because, in his human body, he had already surpassed the level of an Earth Immortal.」

Zhang Sanfeng’s voice was somber when he said those words.

A person surpassing the state of an immortal.

It was shocking to even imagine, considering how powerful the Sword Master who aimed to become an immortal was.

Then what should Yi-gang do?

What should he prepare for?

「One of the fragments of the Heavenly Demon’s soul is likely here in the Forbidden City.」

‘How do you know that?’

「The imperial family at that time was of the Zhao clan, and the current imperial family is of the Zhu clan. Yet, an emperor is still an emperor.」

What could be the connection between the emperor and the Heavenly Demon?

For Yi-gang, who was unaware of the tale of the Heavenly Demon threatening the Emperor of the Song Dynasty, it was an unfamiliar topic.

「The Heavenly Demon despised the imperial family, yet one of the fragments of his soul must be within the imperial court.」

‘Why are you so certain about that?’

「That’s because…」

Zhang Sanfeng revealed a secret that no one in the Central Plains knew.

「The Heavenly Demon was actually the emperor’s grandson.」

‘…What?’

「He was a member of the imperial family, and not just any member, but one in the direct line of succession.」

The one who reigned as the Cult Leader of the Demon Cult and drove the entire Central Plains into a bloody abyss—

He was once the Crown Prince of the now-fallen imperial dynasty.

Yi-gang remained silent for a moment.

The tumultuous secret history of the martial world did not stir his emotions.

He merely calmly grasped the crucial fact.

‘Then, does the Demon Cult know about this?’

He asked, just to be sure…

「They know. They are likely the ones who most desire the Heavenly Demon’s resurrection.」

The answer was obvious.

“Gwoooo.”

The emperor, soaking in the bathtub, made such a peculiar sound.

Yi-ryong, the grand figure of the Seven Great Immortals, glanced at the emperor.

There was still time left.

“The Heavenly Demon’s divine power is truly magnificent.”

“Indeed, it is.”

The Seven Great Immortals were members of the Demon Cult.

Among them were the key figures of the faction that desperately desired the resurrection of the Heavenly Demon.

There were also foolish individuals who, blinded by earthly power, did not wish for the resurrection of the Heavenly Demon.

Though they wished to eliminate them in one fell swoop, reality prevented them from doing so.

What they could do was find the fragments of the Heavenly Demon’s soul, and they were finally nearing success.

“To transcend the physical and embed his soul fragment in the emperor’s bloodline—it’s simply astonishing.”

“Indeed. And even after the Zhu clan took power… the records still…”

The sacrifice and effort required to get close to the emperor were immense.

Even though they received outside help, they managed to bewitch the emperor and stay close to him.

The faces of the Seven Great Immortals were all filled with fervent emotion. Some even had tears welling up in their eyes.

Yi-ryong calmed the group’s excitement.

“However, the problem still remains. Extracting the soul fragment is impossible.”

They had confirmed the presence of the Heavenly Demon’s soul fragment.

The next issue was how to extract the soul fragment.

“Killing the emperor…” started the most impatient among them, Jeok-woong, but then fell silent.

Yi-ryong’s gaze briefly lifted to the ceiling and then came down.

“That is impossible.”

If they could extract an enormous amount of the emperor’s blood, they might be able to extract the Heavenly Demon’s soul fragment.

However, if they did that, the emperor would surely die.

While they didn’t care whether the emperor lived or died for the resurrection of the Heavenly Demon, such an act would cause many practical problems.

The Forbidden City would be thrown into chaos, and the Imperial Crown Prince, who was next in line for the throne, along with his faction, would hunt down and kill the emperor’s murderer in the name of justice.

The Guardian, who could be lurking anywhere in this place, would no longer stand idly by.

Yi-ryong spoke, “Heuk Seok-gye, you know what to do if the sample is insufficient during the blood ritual, right?”

Heuk Seok-gye calmly replied, “If you can’t obtain more of the original sample, you must prepare a similar sample.”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

Yi-ryong, as expected of a leader, provided the direction.

“We will gather a large amount of blood from other members of the imperial family and use it to resonate.”

“It would be best if the donors were young boys and girls with pure blood and minimal impurities.”

“If possible, it would be better if they were girls.”

Everyone offered their opinions.

They were the most knowledgeable about sorcery, even within the Demon Cult.

That was why they dared to attempt the resurrection of the Heavenly Demon.

“Finally, the prophecy of the Heavenly Demon will be fulfilled.”

The Heavenly Demon had promised to return.

That record still remained within the Demon Cult.

“Even so, kidnapping a member of the imperial family is not an easy task.”

Yomyeongsa, the most composed among the Seven Great Immortals, flicked his snake-like tongue as he spoke.

It was a valid point.

“It would be difficult with just our strength. But now, there’s no need to remain in hiding.”

The imperial family members in the Forbidden City were numerous, and the power dynamics were incredibly complex.

There were many seeds of conflict ready to burst with just a slight push.

And they had the emperor and the imperial seal.

With an edict bearing the imperial seal, overturning the world was not impossible.

“If we lock the gates of the Forbidden City and release the snakes of the Eastern Depot, enough blood will flow. Meanwhile, we’ll kidnap a suitable target.”

“Yes.”

“Find an appropriate target.”

A poor member of the imperial family to become the sacrifice in place of the emperor for the Heavenly Demon—

Who that would be, no one knew yet.

It was a stormy night.

Though the emperor was the sun of all the people in the Central Plains, it still rained in Beijing.

Tonight, the sky was particularly fierce, and a thunderstorm raged.

“Kyaaah!”

The Crown Prince, who hadn’t woken to the sound of thunder, suddenly opened his eyes to the piercing scream.

Crack-crack-crack!

Lightning struck nearby, its light flashing across the Crown Prince’s face.

His complexion was pale, and cold sweat beaded on the back of his neck.

Perhaps due to a terrifying experience in his childhood, he always had nightmares on nights like this.

“Aaah, aaah!”

“Sister!”

But it was his sister who suffered more on stormy nights.

Even though gender distinctions were typically observed between siblings, the Crown Prince still shared the same bedchamber with his twin sister.

He had insisted on it to his strict father, and even King Gye-yeong eventually gave in with an apologetic expression.

“Sister!”

The Honorable County Princess was trembling in bed.

Her entire body was drenched in cold sweat, and her face was a mess of tears.

The Crown Prince felt as if his heart was being torn apart.

“No, no, please no.”

“It’s okay. It’s nothing. It was just thunder.”

Even though he held her tightly, his sister’s body continued to tremble.

“It’s okay. No one will harm us.”

As if reassuring himself, the Crown Prince stroked the Honorable County Princess’s shoulder as he spoke.