Chapter 353: Kunlun (2)
I handed the bell over to the Illusory Illusion Witch, who had shriveled up again.
“This is……??”
“It’s the Demon Bell. It seems this thing is deeply related to the current anomaly, so take a look.”
“I can tell it’s no ordinary object. But the energy feels unfamiliar. It’s neither from orthodox Daoist methods nor unorthodox techniques… then… Buddhism? But how could a Buddhist energy become this twisted?”
Despite her complaints, the Illusory Illusion Witch clearly had the ability, as she immediately saw through the bell’s nature.
I nodded at her and continued.
“It’s an artifact of the Blood Buddha I mentioned earlier. More precisely, it used to be the main body of the Blood Buddha.”
“Gasp! That monster who lived for hundreds of years by overlaying his memories onto others’ bodies?”
“Yeah.”
“Don’t tell me the memories inside are pulling some kind of trick—”
“That’s not it. The Blood Buddha’s memories are completely gone.”
“What? From what I heard, the Blood Buddha had reached a level above mine—just how did you block his technique?”
“I cut it.”
“…What?”
“I literally cut it. There were some twists and turns, but in the end, I cut him down with my own hands and killed him completely. There’s no need to worry about being eroded.”
“…Memories and techniques… those are things you can cut with a sword…?”
“Why are you surprised now? Didn’t I cut through the evil technique you used before?”
“If such things could be cut so easily, evil arts wouldn’t have the meaning of being ‘underhanded’ in Murim.”
She let out a hollow laugh, but seemed to understand that it was safe. She began examining the bell closely, injecting her energy into it and testing various things.
Before long, she seemed to reach a conclusion and spoke with a more serious expression.
“I think I have a rough idea why this happened.”
“What is it?”
Not just me, but everyone participating in this plan focused their gaze on her.
Though she flinched slightly under the pressure, her explanation flowed smoothly.
“It looks like this bell was originally made to contain a Heartscape. If used properly, it’s not dangerous. You simply shake the bell, and the sound conveys the contained Heartscape faintly to everyone who hears it.”
“Explain it more simply. Especially since many on the orthodox side aren’t familiar with such arts.”
“…In short, it means you can transmit emotions or vivid memories to others in a much more complete and direct form than words. The Blood Buddha must have amplified and abused this function. For a martial artist in the Flowering Stage, where jing, qi, and shen are unified, Heartscape and memory are practically the same.”
“A method more complete than words…”
Words were convenient, but never perfectly accurate. Like how something always felt off when trying to explain enlightenment through speech.
“Wait. If you’re bringing this up now, then don’t tell me—”
“Yes. The Heartscape within the bell reacted to my illusion technique.”
“Don’t tell me the Blood Buddha’s memories remained?”
“No. If something that intense remained, I would have noticed. Even if anything is left, it would only be scraps.”
“I see. Then it’s someone else’s Heartscape.”
“Probably. But like I said, it’s just traces… though if even that can cause this much change, we need to be careful.”
“I see.”
The first person I suspected was myself.
I had only just learned the proper way to use the bell, but hadn’t I used it multiple times to show my memories from before regression?
It wouldn’t be strange if some of my Heartscape had seeped into it during that process.
Well… it wasn’t confirmed yet, so it wasn’t worth bringing up.
With a faint smirk, I changed the subject.
“Anyway, it reacted to your illusion technique… which means this is your fault, not mine.”
“Y-you’re shifting the blame like that?! It might not necessarily be my technique—Kunlun Mountain is famous as a sacred site, and Potala Palace is skilled in esoteric arts, so it could’ve tangled with something they prepared—”
“I’m joking, so don’t overreact. If we’re assigning blame, then I’m also responsible for bringing the bell. What matters is what we do next.”
As soon as I finished, the Murim Alliance Leader, who had been listening quietly, spoke.
“The White Moon Sword Lord is right. Now that things have come to this, there’s no point discussing blame. Illusory Illusion Witch, can we get out of here? Or can you dispel the illusion? You’re the one who cast it.”
“Ah, yes. As long as we don’t die, we can definitely get out. It’ll just take a bit of time.”
“…Why say something so ominous all of a sudden?”
“Well… like I said earlier, the bell is meant to contain someone’s Heartscape. And now that Heartscape, which had been quiet, suddenly reacted and mixed with the technique.”
“So it’s no longer solely your illusion technique.”
“That’s right. I’ve been trying to dispel it, but it’s not working. I think we’ll only be able to leave after seeing… no, experiencing the Heartscape contained inside.”
“Ah… I see. That sounds familiar.”
The Murim Alliance Leader gave a dry laugh and looked at me.
I immediately understood what he meant.
He was referring to how I had shown my past-life memories to others with the help of Zhuge Bu, Monk Gak-jeong, and the Flowing Cloud Sword Immortal.
Now that I thought about it, it was quite similar. Though this was more unstable—almost like an accident—and it might not even be my memories.
Those who roughly understood the situation let out sighs mixed with relief and concern.
It wasn’t an incomprehensible problem, but it was clear that getting out wouldn’t be easy.
Seeing the once-spirited subjugation force gradually lose their momentum, I stepped forward and raised my voice.
“We got caught up in this unexpectedly, but that also means the rogue monks of Potala Palace must have been caught as well. Right?”
“R-right! They were at the center of the technique, so they’re probably struggling right now. I don’t know what kind of Heartscape was inside the bell, but since it was drawn out by the horrific scene you personally described, it definitely won’t be ordinary!”
The Illusory Illusion Witch nodded rapidly in agreement. She seemed to be helping, but… somehow it felt like she was taking a jab at me.
I shot her a glare and continued.
“Then what we have to do hasn’t changed. We go inside and deal with those monks who are probably panicking right now. The rest will rescue the hostages. The place is on fire, but it’s still the Kunlun Sect buildings, so you won’t get lost, right? I even made a map for you.”
As I joked, the tense atmosphere finally eased.
Only after confirming that did I turn my gaze toward the Kunlun Sect before us.
Flames blazed as if someone had poured oil over everything. Yet strangely, despite burning so fiercely, the buildings themselves remained intact. There wasn’t even any heat.
Well, this was an illusion—one that had become strangely twisted. It wasn’t surprising that things didn’t behave as they should.
Nodding inwardly, I took the lead and stepped into the burning Kunlun Sect.
As expected, along the way, I saw corpses of monks wearing only kasaya robes—slightly different from those of Shaolin.
Their appearances matched what the Illusory Illusion Witch and I had envisioned beforehand… but something was different.
Each corpse had a sword nearby.
Some were broken, some hadn’t even been drawn, and some were still tightly gripped in their hands.
But one thing was certain—every corpse had a sword.
Just in case, I asked,
“Illusory Illusion Witch. Did you do this with the swords?”
“Of course not. I know Potala Palace is quite different from Central Plains Buddhism, but even so, I know they don’t use weapons.”
“Abbot Jeong Hyeon. I believe there was contact with Potala Palace until recently.”
“That is correct. I came into contact with them while trying to fulfill my late master’s lingering wishes, but after learning they had strayed onto a dark path, I cut off ties.”
“Still, you know what kind of weapons they use.”
“Unlike Shaolin, which balances external and internal cultivation, they focus solely on internal energy, so their bodies are often frail. They do not use blades, but neither do they wield ordinary staffs—instead, they use various ritual implements.”
“So at the very least, they don’t use swords.”
“Correct.”
Then those swords must be related to the mixed Heartscape.
…Was it really mine?
No. Everything bad was Potala Palace’s fault. If they hadn’t attacked Kunlun Sect in the first place, none of this would’ve happened.
I shook off the unnecessary guilt and continued deeper inside.
Eventually, we reached the point where the combat group and rescue group would split.
“One-Saber Asura. The situation has changed, so you should assist the rescue group.”
“Understood. But you’re not telling me to bow to that Namgung brat, are you?”
“He’s my sworn brother. Watch your mouth… but I’m not telling you to submit either. Namgung and the Tyrant Hall Master will cooperate but move separately—coordinate between them and take the lead. You’re still a sect leader, aren’t you?”
“Heh. I’m not like some inexperienced brat or someone who’s only led a dozen people. Fine. Leave this side to me.”
With a confident grin, One-Saber Asura joined the rescue group and moved away.
I watched his back briefly before speaking.
“We’ll keep going.”
We continued forward.
And the moment we reached a deeper part of Kunlun—
A scream echoed from afar.
“—Kyaaaaagh!”
It came from the direction we were heading. Most likely, a rogue monk of Potala Palace.
I drew my sword in advance and asked the Illusory Illusion Witch,
“You said illusions can’t kill. That just now sounded like a death cry.”
“Th-that’s usually true. But there are exceptions.”
“Exceptions?”
“If the illusion feels so real that someone believes they’ve died… no, if they truly accept it—then their heart stops for real.”
“…That’s possible?”
“It is. But it’s not easy. Usually, it only happens when a powerful illusionist uses everything on an ordinary person who knows no martial arts.”
Meaning most martial artists wouldn’t fall for it.
Something was definitely wrong.
Steeling myself, I headed toward the source of the scream.
And then I saw it.
A madman radiating overwhelming killing intent, enough to dominate the entire area.
It had the shape of a human, but its body was made of black, flickering shadows instead of flesh.
Only its eyes burned red as it slaughtered the rogue monks of Potala Palace.
The sight was far too familiar.
Because that martial art… was none other than the Raging Wave Death-Stealing Art.
The owner of that horrifying killing intent, reminiscent of the Heaven-Slaughter Star—the owner of the mixed Heartscape—…was me.
At this point, everything was already a problem, but if I had to pick the biggest one—
It would be that level of power.
Its actions were mine from before regression, but judging by the more refined swordsmanship and the vivid blood-red sword aura, its strength was on par with my current self.
In other words—
A monster who had reached the Flowering Stage while still being the Sword Demon was running rampant.
“…We’re screwed.”
It was an opponent second only to the Heavenly Demon in sheer terror.