Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 855

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 855
Corpse Ascension Immortal (尸解仙).
It refers to becoming an immortal while remaining dead.
In the Secret Records of Elixir Cultivation, considered the most authoritative text among all Daoist scriptures, the Book of the Master Who Embraces Simplicity states that even immortals possess hierarchies, divided into Celestial Immortals, Terrestrial Immortals, and Corpse Ascension Immortals.
Among these, the Corpse Ascension Immortal was regarded as the lowest tier of immortal, yet achieving this state was said to be extraordinarily difficult even after a lifetime of cultivation.
“There is a common misconception about Kang Si-gong. People wrongly believe that Kang Si-gong came into existence because it resembles the strength of creatures called jiangshi. However, Kang Si-gong actually originated from Daoism itself.”
This was content not even found in the Records of the Supreme Heavenly Demon.
My eyes gleamed with interest.
“So you’re saying one seeks to become a Corpse Ascension Immortal through Kang Si-gong….”
“Indeed. The main clan’s involvement in funeral services is part of this very pursuit. Do you understand that conducting proper funerals is also the accumulation of merit?”
I paused for a moment.
I recalled someone I had met in the Damjin Kingdom.
-Even so, to become a Hyeolseon, one must accumulate merit. Whether it be blood karma or virtuous karma.
-In true salvation, there can never be any deception!
Baekcheon-gun. Sama Hyeon from another world.
He had spoken those words.
“If one perfects the Dream Soul Ghost Spirit Kang Si-gong, can one truly become a Corpse Ascension Immortal?”
There was not much mention of Jin Ju-eonga in the Records of the Supreme Heavenly Demon.
So I didn’t actually know what their purpose was.
The dead cannot speak.
Besides, Yeo Ha-ryun had killed them all.
Furthermore.
I also knew that even if what they said was true, the likelihood of success remained uncertain.
There were virtually no actual immortals in existence.
Since Jang Sambon, the Founding Patriarch of the Mudang Faction, ascended, not a single person had become an immortal.
“Hehehehe…. Do you know where the main clan’s Dream Soul Ghost Spirit Kang Si-gong originated?”
“My knowledge is too limited to say with certainty.”
“You’re being overly modest. None of us could boast of our knowledge before you…. Still, I’m delighted to share this with you.”
He seemed genuinely pleased.
His pride in the main clan appeared quite profound.
“The main clan’s Dream Soul Ghost Spirit Kang Si-gong can be said to have originated from the Book of the Master Who Embraces Simplicity.”
‘Gal Hong’s Book of the Master Who Embraces Simplicity….’
While discussions of Corpse Ascension Immortals have existed since ancient times, it was Gal Hong who properly systematized and documented it—a figure who lived nearly a thousand years before Jang Sambon, the Founding Patriarch of the Mudang Faction.
He is said to have left behind several works, including the Book of the Master Who Embraces Simplicity.
On Earth, researchers drew inspiration from one of his works, the Emergency Remedies at the Elbow (肘後備急方), to develop modern malaria treatments.
‘And the researcher who developed that treatment even won the Nobel Prize, I believe?’
Thanks to this, the Research Institute is also developing a malaria treatment by low-temperature extraction of artemisia.
Even after completion, there is concern about the parasite developing resistance, so it must be used with extreme caution, and solo use is prohibited.
It must be administered mixed with other medicines, but even so, it could save many lives.
Quite a fascinating matter indeed.
I had always thought it was merely an old folk legend, yet someone’s insight has turned it into a technique that now saves countless lives.
Because of this.
The legend that Gal Hong became a Corpse Immortal after his death became far more widely known.
‘Even on Earth, it was the same… but here, Gal Hong must have certainly become an immortal. The Hyeolseon must have been immortals from long ago as well….’
I observed Gaju and Jeong Mu, who had mastered the Mong-hon Gwireong Gangsi-gong, a technique aimed at becoming a Corpse Immortal, while entertaining such thoughts.
“Do you understand the meaning of ‘mong-hon’ in the Mong-hon Gwireong Gangsi-gong? No, since you don’t know the main family’s martial arts, you wouldn’t understand. Let me explain. It’s like Zhuangzi’s butterfly dream.”
“Does the butterfly dream that it is me, or do I dream that I am the butterfly?”
“Exactly. That is the meaning of mong-hon. What distinguishes dream from reality? Then how can we distinguish life from death? Is a corpse something living or something dead?”
It was peculiar. And it carried profound philosophical meaning.
I recalled the Poisonous Undead.
She certainly had a hundred years remaining, and some memories from her living days persisted.
She willingly served as a retainer of Jin Ju-eonga to care for her living family.
Yet that didn’t mean her sense of self was clear.
Even if she earned money, she couldn’t go to a shop and purchase things. She could only place it by her pillow.
That was the nature of memories from her living days.
Was she alive?
Or was she dead?
What is the definition of being alive?
“As one masters the Mong-hon Gwireong Gangsi-gong… the boundary of the spiritual realm becomes blurred, and one gains a sensation as if the boundary between life and death overlaps into one. However, should one reach completion…. Only then can one truly become a Corpse Immortal. That is what we believe.”
“Are you saying that Minor Sect Leader Eon became a Corpse Immortal in that manner?”
“Not yet. But he is drawing very close.”
Not yet?
Drawing very close?
Then did that mean Jeong Mu had already set foot in the realm of Hyeongyeong?
It was puzzling in many ways.
“Hehehehe. I see disbelief in your expression. What say you? Would you care to test yourself against my son? I heard you two once competed with wine cups at an inn before. Shall we do it again?”
I paused to consider.
‘I should test it once, shouldn’t I?’
And just as I was about to speak.
“Gaju Eon. I would like to step forward in my brother’s stead, if you would permit it…. What do you think?”
Sama Hyeon spoke while remaining seated, offering a respectful fist salute.
Then he gave me a meaningful glance.
A signal that there was no need for my brother to trouble himself with such a bothersome matter.
‘Hyeon seems confident.’
It could have been embarrassing. But Hyeon didn’t mind for my sake.
“Ho. You, Sama Mun-ju? Indeed. I’ve heard much of your martial reputation. Then Jeong Mu, will you test yourself against Sama Mun-ju?”
Now the ball had passed to Jeong Mu.
“I too shall learn from Sama Mun-ju.”
Saying so, he picked up his wine cup while still seated.
Then after pouring the wine, he simply threw it.
Ping!
The past.
A recreation of what had once transpired between Eon Jeong-mu and myself!
The cup flying toward Sama Hyeon moved with glacial slowness.
Even slower than when thrown normally, it seemed to drift and swim through the empty air itself.
I was quite taken aback by the sight.
The cup was spinning at tremendous speed while suspended in mid-air.
The inner force contained within that small vessel was truly formidable beyond measure!
Yet the cup remained unbroken—this meant my mastery of inner energy manipulation had reached the pinnacle.
Sama Hyeon smiled faintly and extended his hand.
With a whooshing sound, his hand shimmered with brilliant golden radiance.
The cup approached that hand.
And the moment he grasped it.
‘Oho. Quite weighty, isn’t it~?’
Sama Hyeon marveled.
‘However, it’s not enough to wipe the smile from my face.’
As his golden inner force—refined through the external cultivation my brother had pushed to its absolute limits—enveloped it, the cup’s rotation ceased entirely.
The golden inner force quietly suppressed the sinister energy within.
Soon the cup itself became tinted with golden light.
Sama Hyeon drained the cup in one smooth motion.
Clink.
The cup was set upon the table.
“Indeed. The martial prowess of Minor Sect Leader Eon is truly exceptional. Allow me to reciprocate this time.”
Sama Hyeon picked up the wine bottle.
His hand still gleamed with golden brilliance.
And that radiance infused both the bottle and the wine within.
Luminous golden wine filled the cup.
As he lifted the cup, it became brimming with golden inner force.
It took flight toward the sky.
Ping–!
This time, unlike with Eon Jeong-mu, it was extraordinarily fast.
A terrifying speed invisible to ordinary sight!
The cup, advancing like a golden thunderbolt, playfully aimed at Eon Jeong-mu’s face.
Crack!
Yet.
Eon Jeong-mu’s hand, like steel pincers, caught the golden cup with perfect precision.
The golden inner force spread from the cup, attempting to crush his hand, but it swiftly lost its power and the light vanished without a trace.
My eyes widened slightly.
‘Eon Jeong-mu has grown so strong in such a short time?’
Eon Jeong-mu.
Comparing his past conduct at the Yongbong Conference and his character, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he had become a completely different person.
‘Did he truly master the Poisonous Undead technique? Or could it be something else entirely….’
While I was still marveling at this.
Gaju burst into laughter.
“Hahaha! The Minor Sect Leader of the main branch is quite impressive, isn’t he?”
Jeong Mu simply cupped his fists in acknowledgment, then casually picked up his chopsticks and began eating.
“Remarkable martial prowess, Gaju. And Minor Sect Leader Eon. I was truly impressed.”
Sama Hyeon also cupped his fists in acknowledgment.
Truly, a master of social interaction.
The atmosphere became far warmer than before.
It seemed even more entertaining now that Hyeon’s prank had been accepted by Jeong Mu.
Amid everyone’s laughter, Eon-gwon asked.
“Well? Has your suspicion been dispelled?”
I cupped my fists lightly in acknowledgment.
“Of course, Gaju.”
In truth, my suspicion had not been dispelled.
But I couldn’t very well pry into the matter here!
“Haha. Now then, do enjoy the rest of the banquet. Begin the music!”
The banquet resumed once more.
* * *
“There was no poison.”
“That’s right.”
“The skill was excellent too. Clean and meticulous. They seemed to care about hygiene.”
The three sworn brothers lay on their respective beds, conversing.
It had been quite some time since the banquet ended.
Though they had drunk alcohol, it wasn’t enough to intoxicate healthy martial artists.
“Suspicion is a disease, right? Weren’t we just being paranoid?”
“Perhaps.”
“Definitely. I think Youngest Brother is right, Hyeong. The Hyeolseonggyo didn’t seem involved. There doesn’t seem to be any major problem.”
“True. That could be it.”
I pondered my two brothers’ words.
Jin Ju-eonga was originally consumed by the Hyeolseonggyo, becoming a sort of undead manufacturing factory.
They had become a group that produced countless armies of undead under the Hyeolseonggyo.
Because of this original history, I had harbored suspicions, but looking at it now, it seemed they had simply sought to research undead purely.
‘Have I been too suspicious?’
Could I have wrongly accused innocent people?
Perhaps suspicion itself is an illness.
It was at that moment.
Clang—
“Huh?”
A deep bell toll reached my ears—a sound I had never heard during my time here.
“A bell?”
Sama Hyeon lifted his upper body and spoke.
Then.
Doooong—
The bell tolled again.
But this time, my body reacted with a shudder.
“This isn’t an ordinary bell.”
“Huh? Really?”
“It’s sorcerous in nature.”
Sama Hyeon and Cheonwoo immediately understood what I meant.
The two of them felt nothing unusual, but I sensed something was amiss.
If that was the case, it could only be something sorcerous.
Among us, only I had studied sorcery.
“I should go check it out.”
“Yeah, we should.”
With that, Sama Hyeon and I naturally pulled out our night-traveling robes.
It was only natural that Cheonwoo’s single eye blinked at the sight.
“Hyeong. You’re naturally putting on night-traveling robes…”
“I prepared one for you too.”
“Won’t the Third Prince see through it anyway whether we wear it or not?”
Even in this situation, Sama Hyeon was throwing out jabs!
“Hyeon-a. What matters is making the effort to hide, even if it’s just for show. Why do you think propriety exists in human society?”
Even if he sees through it, there’s nothing to be done.
We have to maintain appearances, so we put on the night-traveling robes!
“Fair point~”
Cheonwoo sighed as he listened to our absurd reasoning.
‘Master, this is what I’m dealing with.’
Believing that Gwon Je was in the Immortal Realm, Cheonwoo also accepted the night-traveling robes.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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