An odd silence hung between me and Great Master Jeonghyeon.
To be honest, I felt a bit wronged. If someone swings a staff at you without explaining anything, of course you're going to block it.
Still, I couldn't very well say that the fault lay with the one who'd failed to explain beforehand when they were trying to help, so I held my tongue.
It was Great Master Jeonghyeon who broke the silence.
"Ahem. I suppose my heart was too hasty. Allow me to explain briefly before we begin."
"Yes. Please do."
Great Master Jeonghyeon continued, his expression a half-and-half mix of embarrassment and apology.
"First, as I said before, this is a ritual to determine the nature of the seal placed on White Moon Sword Lord Si-ju. It doesn't seem to be an ordinary seal, so it would be better to know exactly what we're dealing with."
"Then why did you suddenly strike me with your staff? I assumed the mantra would be the main focus, as it was when Great Master Gakjeong did it."
"The mantra is important, of course, but in this case, we begin by striking your head with the staff to drive out any wickedness."
"How unusual."
"My skills are insufficient, so there's no other way. After that, we will proceed based on the Diamond Prajna Paramita Sutra…"
He had said he would explain briefly, but Great Master Jeonghyeon's story went on at length.
Still, thanks to that, I was able to understand in a bit more detail what he intended to do.
It seemed he had somehow combined the mantra, which was meant to instantly dispel the mind's discrimination, attachments, and afflictions, with the anecdote of the Buddha repelling demons while meditating under the Bodhi tree, weaving the two together into a single ritual.
Though my knowledge of Buddhist teachings was too shallow to grasp it fully, one thing was certain.
"…It's forced. He merely patched it together to make it sound plausible—look closely, and you'd see it's stitched together from scraps."
"That is the essence of Vajrayana, and its limit. Enlightenment is something one attains on one's own. Even if someone helps, they can only offer a few words from the side—they cannot directly do anything for you."
"But Vajrayana distorted the teachings in order to wield direct power."
"Correct. That is why it can accomplish what ordinary methods cannot, but the moment an improper thought slips in, everything falls apart, and you are devoured by the afflictions you nurtured yourself."
Wasn't it said that any technique that harms others, regardless of the reason, leads its user to Qi Deviation?
No matter how heinous the opponent, no matter how vile the Demonic Head, even if killing that one bastard could save thousands of lives.
In the end, killing is killing. The moment you resolve to strike, the Killing Heart inevitably takes root within you.
Of all things, I could swear to this—when it came to killing intent, I was among the most knowledgeable even in the Central Plains.
One could conceal killing intent, but no one could take a life without it.
If such a person existed, that would be the Heavenly Killing Star.
The Heavenly Killing Star I had personally encountered before was a peculiar being whose every conclusion led to slaughter, even without any intention to harm.
As I nodded inwardly, Great Master Jeonghyeon, who had been explaining without pause, caught his breath for a moment and asked.
"…That's all for now. Do you have any further questions?"
"No."
"Then let us begin again. …This time, you must not deflect."
Great Master Jeonghyeon, having given his final instruction, raised his staff high. Then, the stone staff descended toward my head.
Looking at it again, internal energy was imbued within it, but it wasn't wrapped around the surface to maximize power—it was simply held within.
The speed of its descent wasn't particularly fast either. Of course. That was why I had been able to deflect it so easily.
I closed my eyes in slight tension. And then, the moment the staff touched my head.
Thoom!
A shock completely different from what I had expected struck me, starting from my head and pounding through my entire body.
It felt as if I had been hit not by a staff, but by a massive bell.
Yet there was no pain. Only pure impact remained, spreading to the very ends of my flesh.
Strange. And stranger still.
Yet, the body of a Harmony Realm martial artist, who had united Essence, Qi, and Spirit and connected the three Dantians, whispered through the Intent that stretched into every corner of it.
The shock just now had been inflicted not upon the body, but upon the mind—or what one might call the soul.
It was as swift and powerful as a falling bolt of lightning, yet it carried no killing intent.
It merely swirled through my inner being, searching for something.
I had a rough idea of what it sought. As Great Master Jeonghyeon had said, it was surely trying to find my seal.
The sound of the mantra, which had been ringing since I was struck by the staff, grew fainter and fainter. The moment it vanished completely, along with a sensation of distance growing between us—
As if to confirm my guess, the energy that had wandered here and there for a long while began to concentrate in my head. And then.
"Ah…"
The unknown comfort enveloping my entire body made me let out a short breath before I could stop myself.
I know this sensation.
After losing control of my anger and charging at the Heavenly Demon, only to be struck down—amidst a body growing cold and breathing growing ever shallower, a single thread of comfort had bloomed.
Until now, I had believed this to be the sensation of approaching death.
And that was hardly unreasonable—not a few people who had been writhing in agony right up until the brink of death would depart with peaceful expressions the moment death finally arrived.
This was both an inner peace that came from setting everything down in one's final moment, and simply the pain disappearing as one lost too much blood and one's senses grew dull.
At least, that was how I had defined it in the days not long after my regression.
…But that wasn't it.
Right now, I had cut off all my senses and was focused solely on myself. That was why I could say it with certainty.
My heart was beating as regularly as ever, and my mind was clear and sharp to the point of refreshment.
In other words, both body and mind were in perfect health.
Which meant the comfort I was feeling right now wasn't actually the sensation of death.
The seal.
It was the noose lodged in my head along with my regression, the decisive cut that severed the past from the present, and the cause that forced me to keep a certain distance from everyone else.
And perhaps it was also the power that reminded me of the fear that even if I defeated the Heavenly Demon and reached a happy ending, I might repeat the regression over and over again, just as the Heavenly Demon had.
I have nothing but unpleasant memories of it. Yet the energy the seal actually emanates is more comfortable than ever before.
What a contradiction this is.
From the moment I realize that the source of this comfort is the seal, my mind wavers, unable to find its footing.
However, this does not last long. Not because I quickly compose myself.
It is because Great Master Jeonghyeon, whose consciousness has returned, strikes my head with his staff once more to wake me.
Thwack!
This time, it is just an ordinary impact and pain, as if I had simply been hit on the head, jolting my senses.
I only closed my eyes for a moment, yet when I open them, they feel as heavy as if I had woken from a long sleep.
No, in fact, quite a bit of time seemed to have passed—faint sunlight was squeezing through the gaps in the door and into the room.
The Great Master Jeonghyeon before me was clearly exhausted, and the faces of the others who had been watching also showed unmistakable anxiety.
"How much time has passed?"
"…A day and a half."
"???"
"You look as if you thought it was just a matter of staying up through the night."
"Yes, well. From my perspective, it felt like I had only closed my eyes for about a single shichen before opening them again."
That explained it. I had wondered why the Great Master Jeonghyeon, a master of the Harmony Realm, looked so worn out. And I had thought the others were worrying too much.
But if he had been at it for a full day, that made sense. I would have been the same.
I didn't know what he had used or how, but I nudged the scattered dharma artifacts aside with my foot.
The Great Master Jeonghyeon, who had been staring blankly at the Buddha statue, let out a deep sigh and opened his mouth.
"Hoo. Please understand. I've expended a considerable amount of internal energy, and at this age, no matter what realm you've reached, the body grows weak. …How does the Master manage to move so vigorously with a body that has no internal energy at all?"
"You said the Great Master Gakjeong was a master that no one could match in the External Arts, not just internal energy. I suppose that means even if the Dantian is gone, the body remains."
"Then I suppose I should focus a bit more on my External Arts training from now on."
With a hearty laugh, the Great Master Jeonghyeon continued in a much more relaxed tone.
"Yes. Well, is there anywhere that's uncomfortable? This is your first time with something like this, and it took longer than expected, so I was a bit worried."
"I'm perfectly fine. Actually, I feel even more refreshed than before."
Perhaps it was the soothing energy the seal had been emitting. My body was in what could only be called peak condition right now.
"Glad to hear it. It wasn't a dangerous ritual, but if any problem arises later, contact me immediately."
"Will the Great Master Jeonghyeon take care of it?"
"I plan to ask my master personally."
The Great Master Jeonghyeon let out a small chuckle and shook his head. Only after straightening his relaxed posture did he speak.
"Well then, the most important matter remains."
"Have you found out the identity of the seal…?"
"I do not know what kind of seal it is. However, I have a guess as to who placed it."
"…!"
My eyes widened involuntarily. I leaned forward slightly, ready to listen intently.
Receiving my gaze, the Great Master Jeonghyeon pressed his palms together with a faint smile.
"Amitabha… In the seal placed upon the benefactor, I could feel the power of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva."
"Pardon?"
Even I, who knew little of Buddhism, was familiar with the name Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva.
I had only ever heard the name, however, and did not truly know what kind of being he was.
Great Master Jeonghyeon noticed the state of my knowledge and added an explanation.
"Have you heard of the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara?"
"Ah, of course."
Avalokitesvara was so popular among the common folk that it was impossible not to know of him.
He was, if I recalled correctly, a bodhisattva who rescued and guided suffering sentient beings. In essence, he was a symbol of mercy and compassion.
It was only natural that common folk, who struggled just to survive day by day, would turn to Avalokitesvara.
Hearing my answer, Great Master Jeonghyeon nodded.
"Correct. If Avalokitesvara is the one who rescues the sentient beings of the present world, then Maitreya Bodhisattva rescues those of the future world. And Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva rescues those of the past—more precisely, the sentient beings in hell before their reincarnation."
"Reincarnation… birth?"
In Buddhism, it was said that after death, a person is judged in hell, and after paying for the sins of their past life, they are reborn as another being.
But I did not head to hell after death—I traveled back in time to the past.
In other words, reincarnation was not granted to me.
…Or perhaps this very life is itself a rebirth.
I had long suspected that my regression was the work of transcendent beings—not humans, but immortals or Buddhas—so accepting this was not difficult.
"If this is an arrangement left by Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, then it is most likely something I was born with. As it has been so far, it will continue to restrain the actions of White Moon Sword Lord, but it will never harm him."
"I see…"
If the seal had been placed by a being like Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, then there must be a reason it should not be fully removed.
Not that I had any way to remove it anyway, but even if I did figure out how, I would need to be cautious.
Which made it all the more urgent to find a way to work around the seal while keeping it intact.
As I organized my thoughts, Great Master Jeonghyeon let out a deep sigh.
"But I don't believe this seal was placed by Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva alone."
"What do you mean by that…?"
"As I probed the seal, the energy I felt at its core was definitely left by Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. Among the few Dharma treasures of the Shaolin Temple, there was one that carried that very energy, so I could not have been mistaken. However…"
"Is there something else?"
The energy surrounding the outer edge of the seal was not the energy of Buddhism, but that of Taoism. Unfortunately, my knowledge in that area is lacking, so I cannot say which master's power it is… but what is certain is that it belongs to someone of considerable standing."
"Surely not?"
"I will try to find a way to break the seal at the core, but… if we are to lift the seal, we must resolve both of these at the same time. The strength of the Shaolin Temple alone will not be enough."
I was stunned, never having expected talk of Taoism to come up here.
Great Master Jeonghyeon let out a hollow laugh and shook his head.
"Benefactor White Moon Sword Lord. Just what did you do in your past life?"
"…"
I had killed quite a few people, it was true. But that was because of the war with the Demonic Cult. Before the war, I was probably about average for the Unorthodox Sects.
No matter how I thought about it, I couldn't find a single thing that stood out.
Of course, this too was sealed by the restriction, so I couldn't answer.