Chapter 799: I Am the Blood Buddha
The darkness was pushed back by the light emanating from Demonic Buddha.
Swaaaaaaa.
The sight of darkness being driven away by Demonic Buddha’s golden radiance was truly spectacular.
As the light fell upon Dark Elder, his shadow appeared.
“No!”
Despite his desperate cry,
Srrr.
The shadow rose like a person lifting itself from the ground.
Then it wrapped around Dark Elder from behind, embracing him.
As though he already knew escape was impossible, Dark Elder did not resist.
Demonic Buddha recalled the words Dark Elder had spoken earlier.
, This is a place where shadows must not exist. It is a place where shadows devour their masters.
“So you really are being devoured as well.”
Dark Elder glared at Demonic Buddha with blazing eyes.
“Do you know what you’ve just done?”
“You seem to carry many wounds in your heart as well. If those wounds were multiplied a hundredfold, what would become of you?”
“You think I would fall to the Soul-Wound Collapse Art?”
He had never feared that technique being used against himself.
“If the Evil Shadow emerges, even I won’t be able to control what happens next!”
He called his own shadow the Evil Shadow.
“By summoning the Evil Shadow, one of us must die before either of us can leave this place.”
In other words, even he could not dispel this space anymore.
Chwaaaaaaak.
The shadow holding Dark Elder suddenly pounced, swallowing him whole.
“Aaaaaaaagh!”
His scream echoed.
Darkness burrowed into his body.
It felt like living flesh was being torn apart while something alien forced its way inside.
The moment the Evil Shadow merged with him, Demonic Buddha moved to attack immediately.
Waiting would be foolish.
But before his hand seal could form completely,
Whiiiiiiiing.
A violent storm of dark energy erupted around Dark Elder.
Demonic Buddha released the hand seal.
Attacking now would be pointless.
After a moment, the gale subsided.
Dark Elder emerged transformed.
Shadows covered his entire body.
It looked like armor made of darkness.
Half of his face was completely veiled in shadow.
Even now the darkness writhed, trying to swallow the remaining half.
“Demonic Buddha… you’ve done something that should never have been done.”
Demonic Buddha answered calmly.
“I only meant to let you see the wounds in your own heart. Who would have expected this result?”
Dark Elder radiated killing intent.
He looked as though he had merged with darkness itself.
“And besides, weren’t you planning to transform into that form eventually anyway? If we must see it, it’s better to see it while your strength is still at its peak.”
It was true.
If pushed far enough, he would have summoned the Evil Shadow regardless.
But there was a problem.
I must hurry.
Once fused with the Evil Shadow, his strength increased tremendously.
But as time passed, he would be devoured entirely.
When that happened, he would become a madman devoid of reason.
He would remember nothing.
That moment would effectively be his death.
Demonic Buddha pressed his palms together.
“A life steeped in sin, I shall grant you enlightenment.”
Dark Elder rushed forward.
“Shut up, you bald monk!”
He leapt into the air.
Dark Continuous Strike!
A flurry of powerful punches rained down.
Dark Elder was not merely a master of shadow arts.
Demonic Buddha did not dodge.
He met the attack head-on with a palm strike.
Kukwangkwang!
The collision of fist and palm sounded like mountains collapsing.
Demonic Buddha inwardly tensed.
His opponent’s internal force was far stronger than expected.
At the same time, fighting spirit surged inside him.
Though he disciplined his mind relentlessly, he was still someone who loved battle, and loved victory.
Demonic Buddha stepped forward.
Prayer beads wrapped tightly around his palm like knuckle guards.
Golden radiance burst from them.
KWAANG!
Dark Elder was forced backward.
“Isn’t a fight where we smash everything more enjoyable?”
Before the words finished,
Demonic Buddha’s hand seals were already formed.
Golden Vajra Demonic Art.
Killer Formation Being!
Golden waves of energy surged from his palms.
Swaeaaaaaak.
Dark Elder countered immediately.
Dark Shadow Waves.
Shadows surged from the ground like crashing tides.
Kwangkwangkwangkwang!
The clash shook the entire space.
Despite the internal injuries from earlier, Dark Elder was not pushed back.
Empowered by the Greed Annihilation Art and the Evil Shadow, he fought like a madman.
Then he unleashed another technique.
Dark Heaven Killing Rain.
Swaeaaaaak.
A black spear descended toward Demonic Buddha’s crown.
Paak.
Demonic Buddha twisted aside.
The spear pierced the ground.
“You think a single drop of rain can kill me?”
Dark Elder sneered.
“Do you think only one drop falls in a storm?”
Above Demonic Buddha,
Countless points appeared.
Like raindrops before a storm.
Then dozens of spears fell.
Shukshukshukshukshukshukshuk!
Demonic Buddha quickly formed hand seals.
Golden Vajra Demonic Art.
Lotus in Full Bloom.
Golden lotus flowers bloomed around him.
Papapapapapak!
The spears shattered against the lotus barrier.
“Lotuses blooming in the rain are even more elegant.”
The two men stared at each other.
Demonic Buddha saw urgency in Dark Elder’s eyes.
Even now the shadow was swallowing more of his face.
“What happens when you’re completely devoured?”
“You should worry about yourself.”
The result would be disastrous.
For both of them.
The Evil Shadow’s control increased by the second.
I must kill him.
If Demonic Buddha died, the Evil Shadow would feast on the malicious energy of his corpse.
Once satisfied, it could be subdued again.
But the problem remained,
Demonic Buddha was not someone who died easily.
As Dark Elder grew more desperate, Demonic Buddha seemed even further from death.
Damn it! If only I weren’t injured!
Dark Elder’s attacks became increasingly violent.
Then,
“No! Please!”
The final part of his face was consumed.
Those eyes looked at Demonic Buddha with hatred and despair.
“You idiot monk… you’ll die too.”
The Evil Shadow completely devoured him.
There was no reason left.
Only madness.
Demonic Buddha seized the moment the master changed.
Golden Vajra Demonic Art.
Heavenly Sky Oath Seal.
A beam of energy struck like lightning.
Peok.
Dark Elder was blasted backward.
Yet he stood up again almost instantly.
The wound had already been filled with shadow.
Devoured completely by the Evil Shadow, he had grown even stronger.
The Greed Annihilation Art was also at its peak.
I must end this in one strike.
To kill him, Demonic Buddha needed the Demon-Palm Annihilation Seal.
But the space was too small.
The technique’s weakness.
Woooooo.
Shadows rose from every direction.
Each carried a different weapon.
Their aura felt like the spirits of slaughtered martial artists.
Evil Shadow Thousand Army.
The final technique.
Demonic Buddha struck with his palm.
Peeoook!
One shadow shattered.
Another immediately replaced it.
They attacked endlessly.
Gradually, Demonic Buddha was pushed backward.
Until his back hit the wall.
The shadows continued appearing.
At this rate my internal energy will be exhausted.
He needed another move.
Then a thought flashed.
Will that work?
For a long time, he had contemplated a solution to the greatest weakness of the Golden Vajra Demonic Art.
He had pondered it while carving statues.
While searching mountains for poisonous herbs.
He had never actually practiced it.
Only imagined it.
But now,
It was his only option.
Demonic Buddha unleashed Lotus in Full Bloom, forcing the shadows back.
Inside the golden lotus,
He redirected his internal energy along a new meridian pathway.
May the Blood Buddha’s mercy guide me.
A new hand seal formed.
Then a final thought appeared.
Blood Buddha is me.
And I am Blood Buddha.
Hwaaaaaak.
Golden radiance erupted.
A palm-shaped energy expanded larger and larger.
Until it filled the entire space.
HUUUUUUUAAAAANG!
The palm surged forward.
This was not the Demon-Palm Annihilation Seal of a giant Buddha statue.
It was something new.
Not the palm of a statue,
But the palm of Demonic Buddha himself.
Kwakakakakakak!
The shadows blocking his path were swept away.
The palm continued forward.
Crushing Dark Elder behind them.
KUUUUAAAAANG!
A massive explosion followed.
When the dust settled,
Dark Elder was embedded deep into the wall.
A gigantic palm imprint surrounded him.
Though smaller in scale, its power rivaled Demon-Palm Annihilation Seal.
I did it.
Even Demonic Buddha was astonished.
Had he already been prepared for success?
He named the new technique.
“Demon-Palm: Lesser Man.”
He acknowledged himself as a small man.
This form succeeded not because of the Blood Buddha’s mercy,
But because he had broken through the Soul-Wound Collapse Art.
He had accepted even his own smallness.
Small people create small things.
Yet that smallness could surpass anything.
“Ugh…”
A groan escaped Dark Elder’s mouth.
The Evil Shadow had vanished.
Life was fading from his eyes.
Demonic Buddha pressed his palms together.
“Be grateful you can die as a human.”
“Go peacefully.”
At that moment, he truly resembled an enlightened monk.
Dark Elder stared silently at him.
Then his head fell.
His breath stopped.
The space around them began to dissolve.
---
Meanwhile,
Gaye, Priestess Palace Master, ran down the corridor.
She had fled when the battle reached its peak.
As she exited the room, she met the gaze of the Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress.
The woman silently watched her leave.
When Gaye realized the emotion in those eyes was not hatred,
But something else,
A bitter feeling rose inside her.
How unpleasant.
Was it pity?
Or mercy because of some prophecy?
There was no way the Soul Reaper Demon Supreme had failed to notice her escape.
She must have spared her at the Pavilion Mistress’s request.
I don’t believe it.
Of all times,
Inside this cursed ship filled with dark energy,
She received a prophecy?
Don’t make me laugh.
There was no way the heavens would choose such a moment.
And the Dark Palace Master had not abandoned her.
That old man must have lied because he lacked confidence to protect her.
She would confirm it herself.
She ran toward the Dark Palace Master’s room.
Debris littered the corridor, but she ignored it.
As she turned the final corner,
Thud.
She collided with someone.
“Oh my, that startled me!”
The man turned around theatrically.
Geom Mugeuk.
“Well now. Isn’t this our Priestess?”
Gaye froze.
She had never imagined encountering him here.
“Our Dark Palace Master is quite cowardly, you see.”
“He’s locked the door and refuses to come out.”
The Greed Annihilation Art enveloped the entire room.
Only the Dark Palace Master could open it.
“I can’t open it either.”
Geom Mugeuk looked at her quietly.
“Did the Sky Flower Pavilion Mistress spare you?”
Gaye flinched.
Her reaction already answered.
“Why would you think that?”
“If you ran here in such a hurry, it means your side is losing.”
“And our Demon Supremes don’t consider you special.”
He had guessed everything perfectly.
“All your Demon Supremes are dead.”
Geom Mugeuk smiled.
“Then they must be doing just fine.”
“Ah… I miss our Demon Supremes.”
Even now, he showed leisure.
No wonder the Dark Palace Master had been driven into this corner.
Gaye glanced at the door.
Surely the Dark Palace Master inside was listening.
“It seems he doesn’t consider you special either.”
Geom Mugeuk spoke while staring at the door.
“If my person stood outside with the enemy, I would open that door.”
“Don’t try to sow discord.”
Gaye sat down and closed her eyes.
“Kill me or spare me.”
Geom Mugeuk shouted toward the door.
“If you don’t open it, I’ll kill the Priestess!”
He raised his hand to strike.
But there was no response.
He lowered his hand.
“Is there even a relationship left to divide?”
Gaye remained silent.
Then Geom Mugeuk spoke again.
“Hey, ugly old man.”
“I know you treat your subordinates like tools.”
“But you shouldn’t treat the Priestess like this.”
“The Priestess Palace is the reason you exist.”
“Without it, you’re just a back-alley thug.”
Beneath her closed eyes, Gaye trembled slightly.
“I can ignore the Priestess.”
“But you cannot.”
He continued calmly.
“If the Priestess can’t receive prophecies anymore, that means you’ve strayed too far from heaven’s will.”
“Why blame her?”
“For someone in charge, that’s pathetic.”
Still,
The door remained silent.
Then Gaye finally spoke.
“What would you know?”
Her voice was quieter.
Geom Mugeuk walked over and sat beside her.
“Does that make you feel a little better?”
“If you want, I can curse him more for you.”