전생검신 Volume 87, Chapter 16

I spoke to the Wheel King.

“So now I can resist the energy of isolation, which means I can endure the attacks of that hat-wearing weirdo, right?”

“That’s not certain.”

“Huh?”

“Just now, I released only raw energy, but whatever he wields is in the realm of martial prowess. Depending on his skill and level, it can vary in power.”

“……!!”

I felt my mind snap back to reality at those words.

‘That’s true!’

That strange sword technique the Hat Warrior used! If it’s a special martial art, the power contained within it could change based on the martial principles! As a master of martial arts, I sensed the validity in the Wheel King’s words.

The Wheel King continued.

“You have merely gained the basics of isolation. There are still many stages left before you can confront him.”

“Please tell me the next step.”

“Now you must feel and let go of the malicious fixation and evil thoughts contained in the Desert of Isolation. That is the next step.”

“Let go?”

“Isn’t it easier to understand if you think of it in terms of martial training? Once you’ve gained basic defensive power, you need to utilize techniques to let it go.”

“Ah.”

He was talking about releasing energy.

‘Right. Just earlier, I reinforced my connection with myself to develop the foundational physical strength needed to withstand an opponent’s force, and now it’s about learning the technique to release this energy known as isolation?’

Surprisingly, the Wheel King’s teaching was systematic and easy to grasp. As I nodded, the Wheel King summoned a sword and threw it to me.

Thud!

As I caught the sword, the Wheel King said,

“Whether you use the Peerless Technique or the Divine Skill, from now on, focus on releasing the energy of isolation to the maximum extent.”

“Um… will that work?”

I couldn’t help but express my doubts. Normally, I would have confidence in my techniques, but based on my previous experience, the Wheel King’s skills were no less than those of the Hat Warrior’s bizarre sword energy. And considering I had never truly defended against the Hat Warrior, it was clear that no technique would work against him.

With a sweep of his palms, the Wheel King shouted,

“Just try it!!”

Thump! Thump!

Dozens of powerful energy strands like a thunderstorm that the Wheel King emitted came rushing toward me. While it looked threatening, I knew that he was going easy on me.

‘If he unleashed a thick fog or a precise cut, I wouldn’t even sense it and would be taken down in an instant, but he purposely held back for me to practice blocking.’

Blocking the intangible was an incredibly high-level martial difficulty, but when the opponent’s attacks were tangible, blocking was significantly easier. I focused my mind and resolved to block the approaching energy of isolation with the Peerless Technique.

Sword Circle!

Peerless Technique!

I treated the sword like an extension of my hand and unleashed the Peerless Technique! Normally, using a sword would hinder the execution of the Peerless Technique, and it was most stable to execute it with bare hands, but since I had reached a decent level in the Peerless Technique, I could now materialize it even while wielding a sword. It was hard to describe, but even in a state of absolute mastery, the proficiency seemed to accumulate variably.

Whoosh!

As the circular barrier created by the sword established the transformation of the energy, the powerful energy dissipated like mist, spraying moisture all around.

‘Great! With the Peerless Technique, I’ve successfully neutralized the energy of isolation!’

I smiled triumphantly at my successful defense, but the very next moment, I realized something strange.

Thud, thud!

“…… Huh…?”

Suddenly, my hand and arm, holding the sword, turned black as coal and began to crumble and fall apart. I already had no sensation in my arm, and soon after, the sword and my entire arm transformed into burnt charcoal and dropped with a thud.

“……!!”

W-what?!

I had completely fallen victim to the energy of isolation!

As I panicked, the Wheel King said,

“You misunderstood. I thought you might…”

“What do you mean I misunderstood?”

“You unleashed the Peerless Technique to nullify the tangible energy by warding it off from external forces. But since you did not confront the energy of isolation head-on, the essence of death has mercilessly snatched your life.”

“…….”

“Recall the battle from just a moment ago. Didn’t you mistakenly think that you could evade the malice of isolation by employing an indomitable shield like the Peerless Technique?”

I pondered for a moment and realized what the Wheel King was trying to say.

“…… Even the Peerless Technique cannot nullify the essence of [death] that resides in the energy of isolation without truly confronting it, can it?”

“Correct. It is indeed a remarkable martial art, but to nullify all energy with the transformation of inaction, the force must first make contact with the opponent’s might. Thus, even if Jang Sam-bong, the creator of the Peerless Technique, cannot interpret the energy of isolation, he would still perish.”

“……!!”

“Of course, I think Jang Sam-bong could manage to some extent, but… you must devise your own method to confront the energy of isolation.”

That meant…

Even if I defend with the Peerless Technique, I need to confront and overcome that wicked malevolence each time?

And if I fail to interpret the essence of [death], I would die instantly?!

As I contemplated the sinister and relentless malice present in the energy of isolation, I felt a chill run down my spine. It was utterly unrealistic to think I could overcome that each time. While theoretically, the Peerless Technique might be able to block it, after a few hits, my mental strength would be depleted, causing me to lose my mind and die.

But how was I supposed to deal with this?

If direct blocking was impossible, what kind of technique of mine could I exploit to attack?

‘Then again, I do have another method I could consider….’

As I contemplated, I spoke.

“I’ll try again.”

“Good.”

Whoosh!

The Wheel King restored my arm and created another sword. I took my stance as the Wheel King swung his palms again, launching energy at me.

Thump! Thump!

This time, I didn’t deploy the Peerless Technique and focused my mind. Once all my concentration peaked and reached its limits, I stepped forward to read the [flow] itself.

Dark Night Slash!

Thump!

Unlike before, the energy of isolation didn’t dissipate silently. Instead, it clashed head-on with the Wheel King’s flowing energy, rotating and amplifying its potency, and I poured all my mental strength into maintaining the [flow] until the clash finally died down, and the energy of isolation gradually weakened, vaporizing into the air.

Excited by my successful defense, I couldn’t help but shout.

“I did it!!!”

I can’t believe this worked!!

As I jumped in joy, the Wheel King stroked his chin, saying,

“Indeed… there is such a method of defense. To clash with the energy of isolation using the Dark Night Slash….”

“Hahaha. Am I a genius or what?”

“Do you understand the principle behind it?”

“…….”

“Seems you don’t.”

The Wheel King hit the nail on the head, making me fumble. The truth was, I didn’t fully grasp the principle behind using the Dark Night Slash to block; my intention was just to throw everything I had at the challenge.

The Wheel King explained,

“The reason the Dark Night Slash can offset the energy of isolation is simple. When you reverse the [ring], it creates a ‘string’ that returns all chaos to the realm of nothingness, and you use that string to cut the opponent, right? Yet, that string happens to have properties that can nullify the energy of isolation.”

“Wha?! Is that how it works?”

At my exclamation, the Wheel King nodded.

“Though our pursuits differ, the Dark Night Slash is oddly similar to the energy of isolation. As if one developed from the other…”

“So now I just need to counter the Hat Warrior’s attacks with the Dark Night Slash, right?”

“If the Hat Warrior were to make his attacks visible, much like I am now, then yes.”

“Ah… Don’t tell me….”

I grimaced at the ominous feeling, and the Wheel King said,

“As you’ve experienced, the Hat Warrior’s strikes have no prelude, and they are practically intangible. If you could read the [flow] and accurately use the Dark Night Slash to nullify them, great! But if you fail…”

“…… I’d die instantly.”

“Exactly. Defending with the Dark Night Slash is only theoretically possible.”

“……”

I finally realized how ludicrous the Hat Warrior’s attacks truly were. The intangible strikes that defy causality could come crashing down without any warning, and if my ability to read the [flow] couldn’t keep up, I’d be dead in an instant! Given the difficulty, it was obvious that my chances were less than one in a million, making countering with the Dark Night Slash impractical.

I sighed heavily.

“Then… I need to enhance my ability to read the [flow] even further….”

“From a standard martial standpoint, that would be true. Someone like Jin So-cheong could probably even defeat the Hat Warrior in a single strike. However, would the Hat Warrior wait until you reach that transcendent level?”

“…….”

“What you need is a more practical defensive technique. And that’s what I’m going to teach you now.”

“Oh! What is it?”

Thud!

Suddenly, the Wheel King grabbed my head and thrust me into the Desert of Isolation. In an instant, my body was buried in sand, leaving only my neck exposed, and as I blinked in confusion, I looked up at the Wheel King.

The Wheel King sat cross-legged before me and said,

“Think about the essence of the problem again. You cannot face his attacks head-on with techniques or strength in a traditional sense… so what remains?”

“R-Running away?”

“No… you must deeply understand the opponent’s strength. You can only experience and comprehend it with your body, not your mind. Simultaneously, you must also fortify your resistance.”

“Y-You can’t mean…”

Crap!!

No way!!

What kind of training is this?!

Realizing what the Wheel King was planning, I thrashed about, but my body was buried in the Desert of Isolation and could not move. It was a place where spiritual energy and anything else got nullified, leaving me helpless. Still sitting cross-legged, the Wheel King continued,

“Soon, the desert’s force will permeate your body, relentlessly infusing you with death… You will continue to die, but I will protect you to prevent your true annihilation and help you endure as long as possible.”

“……!! N-No way!! I just experienced such pain and suffering, and now you want me to endure this?!”

I screamed, but the Wheel King ignored me.

“Baek Woong, have you ever thought about why Buddhism emphasizes suffering in its doctrine?”

Crack! Pop!

“Arghhh!”

I let out a scream. Even now, the energy of death began invading my limbs, horrifically tormenting my psyche. The pain I experienced was unlike anything I had endured before, and while I writhed in agony, the Wheel King’s words kept coming.

“Life itself is suffering… but life and death are two sides of the same coin… Therefore, the suffering of those abandoned in the realm of death cannot be imagined. Those forsaken from everything in this world have become so gruesome that even wicked deities occasionally feel compassion… The realization attained by the Gautama Buddha when he reached the [Great Cycle] was understanding the pain of death.”

“……!!”

“You can’t gain this without suffering… If you want to be recognized as a master of death like me… you must truly comprehend the death of the universe!”

Crack!

Unable to withstand the mental shock, I heard my brain crack.

I felt as if I was dying, dying, and dying again, with my consciousness fading away.

*

[…… Can you hear me?]

A voice echoed like a hallucination.

In my dazed state, I stared blankly ahead, and after a moment, it sounded like the apparition was trying to communicate.

[…… Can you hear my voice… Baek Woong….]

I examined the spectral figure more closely.

And soon I realized that the apparition was indeed the Master of the White Lotus Sect.

Yet, this wasn’t the same Gautama Buddha I knew from my past life.

Looking like rags wrapped around its body, emerging from darkness, the voice bubbled forth from its shadowy form…

I recognized that I had encountered this figure of the Master of the White Lotus Sect before, albeit only once.

[Suffering is endless… Intent, desire, and emotion provoke that suffering… Unless you abandon all and become without thought, pain shall never cease, nor shall you attain Nirvana.]

I could not respond.

I couldn’t even think.

I was far beyond grasping the context of my current hallucination.

[Don’t you remember… already… you felt the spirit of the Sun and Moon… that I could speak to you is also due to their compassion…]

That being…?

The Master of the White Lotus Sect quietly joined hands and bowed.

[Remember the moment of the Sun and Moon… understand that everything in this world is but a concept, not existence… you, of all people, can do this…]

And then the apparition of the Master of the White Lotus Sect vanished.

I couldn’t tell if what I had just seen was a vision or reality.

How could I discern if this was merely an apparition conjured by my own mind?

Concept.

Is it that there is no existence and merely a concept?

But if existence doesn’t exist, what meaning does life and death have?

And if there is no existence… then why do these malevolent beings lament their immense suffering and pain to me?

That pain shouldn’t even be a mere illusion, right?

I couldn’t make sense of it.

Why is this world filled with suffering?

With confusion and energy of death pouring into me, I felt it enveloping my body densely. Even in this moment of breath, I realized I was continued to die and that my sanity was rapidly diminishing. Severe pain can lead one to objectively detach from themselves, and the intensity of my agony was such that I felt I was half mad already.

And amid the torment of death, I discovered something.

I can’t take this anymore. Hah!

Boom!

Suddenly, with the Wheel King’s shout, I was ejected from the sands, gasping and regaining my senses.

Until now, the Wheel King maintained my existence as best as he could with his powers, but it seemed he had reached his limit.

The Wheel King glanced at me as I stumbled out of the sand and asked,

“Baek Woong, did you gain something?”

“…….”

With muddied eyes, I lay there motionless.

I felt as if I had just emerged from a bath of acid.

After quite some time, I eventually managed to speak.

“Wheel King… I have a question….”

“Speak.”

I struggled to voice a question.

“In the Desert of Isolation… I felt… life….”

“…….”

“Why… is this so… is it… my illusion… though I am a living entity, it feels like a deeper suffering….”

Just as I rambled, still trying to formulate my thoughts, the Wheel King looked up at the sky with a pained expression and sighed.

“It is not an illusion. And that’s why the Desert of Isolation is the ultimate death.”

“…….”

In that moment, I realized that the Desert of Isolation was far more horrendous than I had imagined.

Life and death intertwined and coexisted.

That is the essence of the worst kind of death itself.