Shula couldn't help but twitch his eyelids, staring at Bam with an increasingly grim expression. Beside him, the female demon warrior Melee and the ogre warrior Gola instinctively tensed up from the overwhelming pressure, their hands gripping their swords and massive hammers.
Bam kept his eyes closed, feeling waves of power surging from within him.
This feeling... it was incredibly pleasant, truly wonderful.
It was intoxicating, mesmerizing, impossible to resist.
"Wake up." Taro's hand pressed onto Bam's head, whispering in his ear. The voice was like the toll of a morning bell, striking at Bam's heart, pulling him from his trance of power. Cold sweat instantly appeared on Bam's body as he looked at Taro, his eyes full of shame.
Just now\... he had actually experienced a moment when he felt a sense of arrogance.
The expanding power brought about an expanding ego. Though the euphoric feeling was dispelled by Master Mu's voice, the memory lingered. Every time Bam recalled it, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of fear.
It was as if a devil had risen from the depths of his heart, whispering in his ear, tempting him...
"You've become so powerful... why should you sacrifice yourself for the weak?"
"With such strength, there's nowhere in the world you can't go. Why waste time on foolish deeds that no one will ever know?"
Taro waved his hand and said calmly, "There's no need to worry, this is a natural reaction. When caught up in such overwhelming power, who could remain unaffected and keep their heart steady?"
Back when the Holy Mage had used this spell to unlock his potential, Taro himself had once been lost in the surge of power. So seeing Bam's emotional shift, he wasn't surprised.
However, in the original story, when Krillin and Gohan underwent the potential unlock by the Namekian Elder, they didn't waver at all. Taro couldn't help but admire their resolve. He wondered whether it was due to their innate nature or the Elder's extraordinary methods. If given the chance, Taro would like to visit Namek and have a conversation with the Elder.
Shaking off his thoughts, Taro patted Bam's head, shaking his head and saying, "This method is still a bit of a shortcut. If you had more time to practice normally (it could take decades, even a lifetime, to unlock this much potential), I wouldn't have resorted to such a method to help you improve... But remember this: the true strength of a martial artist doesn't lie in the energy within you, but in your ability to truly control that energy."
"Muten..." Bam was deeply moved. He and Master Mh had only met by chance, yet he had received so much guidance and kindness along the way. The word "disciple" lingered in his throat, but knowing that Master Mu never acknowledged their teacher-disciple relationship, he couldn't bring himself to say it. His eyes filled with tears as he bowed, his voice choked with emotion, "Muten's kindness, Bam will never forget."
"Get up. I'm not someone worth bowing to." Taro extended his hand, and an invisible force poured from his palm, lifting Bam from the ground.
This simple and casual gesture, however, made Shula's head ache. Just thinking about the martial understanding, the comprehension of ki and power contained in that seemingly unremarkable motion made his scalp tingle.
"This human... has already transcended so remarkably? His power is truly extraordinary?"
The tiny Bird jumped from Taro's shoulder to Bam's head. It grabbed his hair with its claws, and as its head drooped to look at the tears in Bam's eyes, it stretched out its wings to wipe them away. However, its tiny wings couldn't reach...
Taro suppressed the slight stir in his emotions and turned to Shula, asking, "So… with this, does he have enough strength to enter?"
Shula observed Bam, whose aura had grown explosively, a massive shift in energy. Though he didn't possess Taro's ability to observe energy, he could sense that the young human's power had increased dramatically—by several dozen times in an instant! Looking at Taro, Shula felt as though he was staring at a mysterious monster.
Upon hearing Taro's question, Shula could only laugh bitterly, sighing, "Not only is it enough, even the Demon Kings of the Demon Realm... with his current strength, he could challenge them!"
When the Black Demon King and the Red Demon Queen invaded the human world with hundreds of demon warriors, Shula only sensed it briefly. Since he had no interest in either the human world or the demon race, he didn't pay it much attention. Therefore, he was unaware of the immense strength of the two Demon Kings. His judgment was based on his previous understanding of the Demon Realm.
"Then lead the way. Open the 'door.'" Taro said. Beside him, Bam also showed a determined expression... though the Bird was still mischievously pulling at his hair, making him look somewhat comical.
Shula narrowed his eyes and, without a word, turned and floated into the darkness at the end of the passage.
Melee, the female demon warrior, and Gola, the ogre warrior, exchanged a glance. Just now, when Shula had turned, the glance he gave them seemed to silence any warnings they might have had, and they dared not speak out.
"Follow us," Gola rumbled, carrying his giant hammer, gliding forward like a ghost, blending into the dark corners where the candlelight could not reach.
Taro and Bam followed.
---
They arrived at the same place where Taro had emerged from the Demon Realm's Demon Mountain all those years ago. Taro glanced around; it was a cave within a cave. On the far wall, there was a massive stone sculpture of a demon head with sharp fangs and a menacing expression. Two candlesticks, burning with eerie blue flames, stood on either side.
Bam took a deep breath, handed the Bird and his pack to Taro, and walked forward with solemn determination toward the grotesque demon sculpture.
"Continue." Taro's voice came from behind.
Instinctively, Bam turned around, extending his hand. With the sharp perception he had honed over the past days, he caught the object Taro tossed to him. Looking at it, he saw three unremarkable beans.
Now, he knew these were the "Senzu Beans" that Taro had referred to as magical medicine. As long as he had even a sliver of life left, these beans could bring him back from the brink of death. He had taken one before when he first met Taro.
"If you can return, come back," Taro said calmly, watching him.
Shula had already cast a spell, shooting a beam of light at the demon sculpture. A series of cracking sounds echoed, and though the sculpture itself did not change, a "portal" hidden within it was now open.
Bam didn't hesitate. He tucked the three Senzu Beans into his pocket, smiled faintly, and bid Taro a final farewell. "Master Muten…" Behind him was the demon's grotesque mouth, and with a decisive look, Bam sighed softly, his emotions too complicated to express in words. He said, "I'm going."
With that, Bam stepped forward, unhesitatingly "colliding" into the gaping demon mouth of the stone sculpture. His entire form disappeared into the stone wall. Taro knew that he had now passed into the Demon Realm's Demon Mountain, where countless demons awaited him.
In the instant Bam vanished, Taro cast a white ki blast, enveloping Bam's body. This process was so swift that as soon as Bam entered the stone wall, Taro's ki wrapped around him, and both disappeared at the same moment.
Shula revealed a barely perceptible smile... but suddenly, his expression changed!
His body was frozen in place!
"What do you mean by this?!" Shula's face darkened as he struggled to turn his head to look at Taro. The only one capable of immobilizing him here was Taro, with such an ability.
Taro slowly turned around, revealing his crimson eyes. He spoke slowly, "If my memory serves me right... you once said that you poured your human blood into the Demon Mountain. All attacks from the demons of the Demon Realm against Demon Mountain only serve to empower you. Any human who accidentally enters the Demon Realm, if they are strong enough, will be dissolved by your human blood within the mountain... Is that correct?"
At this point, Taro's crimson eyes shifted into the nine-tomoe Rinnegan, the divine eyes glowing with power.
Shula, unable to move, coldly replied, "So, what do you want?"
"I don't want anything. I just want you to be quiet for a while..." Taro's divine eyes flickered with energy, and with the help of his powerful mental magic, he completely controlled Shula, preventing him from making any moves against the Demon Mountain.
"Hmph..." Shula dared not speak his anger, and remained silent.
Taro ignored Shula's thoughts. He simply stood before the grotesque stone demon sculpture and waited. Bam did not emerge again. Based on the experiences of the Red and Black Demon, the flow of time in the Demon Realm was likely accelerated, much faster than in the human world. A short time had passed, but on the other side of the stone wall, in the Demon Realm, Bam would have experienced a far longer passage of time.
The Bird perched on Taro's shoulder, feeling a little bored. Although it was spiritually attuned, its intelligence was still limited, and it lacked complex thoughts. So, it began pecking at Taro's hair for amusement.
"..."
Taro sighed imperceptibly in his heart. He activated his mental energy and mentally called upon the North kai. His thoughts were projected, and the intense desire rippled through, eventually rousing King kai, who had been dozing on his Planet.
"What's going on? You're contacting me for something?" The North Kai recognized Taro's call and, yawning, got out of his recliner, stretching his back while searching for Taro's location on Earth.
"I wanted to ask to give King Yama a heads-up and have him keep an eye on a martial artist from Earth named Long Bam. If possible, perhaps he could allow him to bring his physical body to train with you." Taro mentally responded, his gaze still fixed on the demon sculpture.
Though Taro had Shula under control, he didn't notice the fleeting gleam of joy that flashed across Shula's lips.
"Who's this now\..." North Kai mumbled, not immediately agreeing. "I don't mind letting someone you send over come train here, but... having a body in the underworld isn't something just anyone can do! Even though I'm the North Kai, I can't casually interfere with King Yama's rules."
Under the authority of the Great Kais, the four Kaioshins couldn't recklessly disrupt the order of the realms.
Taro's voice echoed in North Kai's mind, "That won't be a problem... Given this person's achievements and status as a martial artist, he is fully qualified to bring his body and enter the Heavenly Realm."
In the original story, Goku only needed to defeat King Piccolo, not even completely eradicating him, and later, he perished with the alien Raditz, who had done nothing to Earth. Yet, he was still eligible to carry his body into the underworld. This showed that while the standard existed and excluded most beings, it wasn't particularly difficult to meet the requirements if one was determined.
"Oh? What achievements does this person have?" North Kai asked.
"I sent him into the Demon Realm... I'm sure he's already slain many demons," Taro replied.
"That's certainly enough. Hm... Killing demons always earns great merit," North Kai said without much thought. "Wait there, I'll give King Yama a call." With that, his spiritual sense flew toward the Hall of Yama in the Netherworld, where King Yama was busy with his duties.
Taro waited in the Shula cave for a while, and soon, not long after, North Kai returned with a response.
"Well... the person you mentioned has already reported to King Yama. His physical body has been arranged, and King Yama agreed to let him come to me. He's still with King Yama, and the underworld officials are sending him to the Snake Wat. What do you think?" North Kai said.
Taro slightly furrowed his brows, then relaxed, letting out a soft sigh. He glanced at Shula, who was still bound and unable to move. Shula, feeling uneasy under Taro's indifferent gaze, couldn't hear the conversation between Taro and North Kai, but quickly spoke up, "I didn't do anything! Don't look at me like that!"
"From this day forward, any demon or monster in this cave that dares to step outside... shall await death." Taro said coldly without elaborating. Though he didn't release any Ki, his voice was enough to send a chill down Shula's spine, and he quickly claimed he wouldn't dare.
"King Kai, I'll go visit you."
With that thought, Taro and the Bird left the dark cave. The faint blue candlelight flickered against the stone demon sculptures on the walls, the light shaking and undisturbed by the years. Shula let out a long breath, feeling the immense, invisible pressure lift from his heart. A smile crept onto his face as he looked at the grotesque stone demon sculpture, his eyes piercing through all barriers as if he could already see the Demon Mountain of the Demon Realm. Deep within that mountain, boundless blood had formed a human body...
"Soon, soon... I'll finally be free from this demonic body..."
A long sigh echoed through the dim cave.
---
Bam felt a sense of relief as he raced through the winding Snake Way. He hadn't expected that the afterlife would be like this... Actually, it wasn't so bad. This thought felt a little strange and humorous. Bam shook his head, sighing inwardly, wondering how long it had been since he left Earth. Was Taro still doing well?
Having lived for over a hundred years, with his immortal appearance, Taro should still be on Earth. He wished he could thank him in person, but he didn't know when that would happen... As Bam thought, the yellow clouds around him thickened. According to the underworld officials, below him was hell... He looked down, but the yellow fog was too dense for his eyes to penetrate. He could only vaguely sense many presences beneath it.
"Underworld Master... I really can't wait to see them," Bam thought. With his powers enhanced by Taro's potential-boosting magic, Bam had already undergone a transformation. Not to mention his years of fighting and honing his martial arts in the Demon Realm, his skills were now incomparable to before. As he made his way through the Snake Way, he didn't run but flew directly, transforming into a streak of white light, bypassing the twists and turns of the path and flying in a straight line.
Thinking back to what the underworld official had said earlier, "Before you, there was another Earthling who took the Snake Way. I don't know if he ever made it to King Kai's place, but you seem much stronger than him. I hope you surpass him," Bam couldn't help but smile. He also began to look forward to visiting the "King Kai's place," which Taro himself had been to.