Reincarnated Swordmaster

Chapter Title: Heavenly Realm

The item I had given to Mangyang this time was an obsidian containing even the detailed spells, knowledge, and experiences of the Earth Immortal Mangyang. Thus, it could be said that Mangyang had inherited the experiences up to the point of becoming an Earth Immortal once again. Mangyang organized the knowledge in his mind and spoke.

"Baek Woong. We are currently facing a profound contradiction."

"What contradiction are you referring to?"

"The greatest power you can obtain right now is Suyo Makyah. If you normally liberate Suyo Makyah, the path to your goal will be greatly shortened. However, to do that, you must undergo the Sealing Ritual, which means clashing head-on with my father, the Vermilion Bird."

"That makes sense. The Vermilion Bird, as the Mount Tai Old Man, has been eavesdropping on all of Heaven's information."

"Therefore, let's put off liberating Makyah for a bit. This takes priority."

Mangyang was right. I nodded, and Mangyang continued.

"There is more than one way to obtain the right to the Sealing Ritual besides offering the spirit bamboo. It will take a slight detour, but there is definitely a method."

"Yes."

Mangyang pulled out the Five Flames Seven Metals Sword. He waved it around and said.

"The key is to present Heaven with a gift so immense they cannot refuse it. While Makyah's spirit bamboo holds tremendous value, there must surely be treasures of equal worth in the world. Baek Woong, you can use Bi-dung and Mokgap to find countless treasures, so first, let's gather relics of exceptional value."

"Hmm, that should work."

"When offering the spirit bamboo this time, it might be better to make a slightly different request. Do you have something in mind?"

I thought deeply and then said.

"I want to obtain a method to counter the [Ancient Ruler] through the Great Immortal."

At my response, Mangyang sighed.

"I understand why you said that, but it's impossible. No god in Heaven can give you that answer."

"..."

"Even in our past life, though we were defeated, it wasn't due to lack of power. The moment it was summoned was our defeat. You must not think of the [Ancient Ruler] as something that can be beaten in battle."

"Damn it."

I gritted my teeth.

Seeing my frustration, Mangyang's eyes gleamed.

"Baek Woong, You're not afraid of the [Ancient Ruler]?"

"Huh? It's not fear so much as frustration. Still, we have to find some way."

"...Your mental fortitude is truly remarkable. Far from breaking, you even feel anger..."

Mangyang shook his head for some reason and continued.

"If you insist, then let's do this."

Mangyang explained the plan to me. I thought it was a good plan and nodded. Soon after, we quickly headed to Mangyang Seonsa's village and began preparations to offer Makyah's spirit bamboo.

"Haat!"

As Cheon Woojin chanted the incantation at the altar, spirit possession occurred. And the first to possess him was, as expected, the Supreme Void Heavenly Lord.

[The spirit bamboo was delicious. Humans. But... something's off.]

I cut off the Supreme Void Heavenly Lord mid-sentence. I wanted to save time.

"Next!"

[What?!]

The Supreme Void Heavenly Lord was shocked by my sudden shout. I crossed my arms and said.

"The blessings don't overlap, right?"

[W-Well, that's true, but...]

"You're not being helpful."

[......]

For some reason, the Supreme Void Heavenly Lord seemed easy to deal with. It wasn't just intuition; something existential was telling me so. It seemed to be the influence of the Heavenly Dark Secret Book, though I didn't know why. Cheon Woojin's cheeks trembled, but I ignored it and said.

"Next!"

[Ugh... You insolent brat...]

The Supreme Void Heavenly Lord's body shook as he said.

"Fine... Then as an exception this time, I'll remove the remnants of the great fortune dwelling in your body and infuse a new blessing. Is that acceptable?"

I asked in surprise.

"Is that possible?"

"Of course."

"Then what abilities does this new great fortune have?"

The Supreme Void Heavenly Lord confidently replied.

"Your physiognomy will improve, and you'll be blessed with exceptional fortune in love, business, talent, health, and more—outstanding luck in all matters of good and ill! An energy several times greater than an ordinary human's lifetime great fortune will dwell in you."

It was a very enticing offer. By provoking the Supreme Void Heavenly Lord, I had made him step out of spite to grant the blessing.

'This is different from what I expected.'

Glancing at Mangyang beside me amid this unexpected situation, he was deep in thought before speaking.

"Supreme Void Heavenly Lord, I have something I wish to know first."

[What is it...?]

"Can the Nine Heavens Profound Woman also descend in this ritual?"

Surprised by the unexpected question, the Supreme Void Heavenly Lord fell silent before answering.

"The Nine Heavens Profound Woman cannot."

"Why not?"

"She lacks the magnanimity to bestow blessings on others. She's busy enough with her own karma. Leave her be."

"Is it truly impossible?"

"It is possible, but I do not recommend it."

Mangyang then gave me a look. It was clearly a signal to skip the Supreme Void Heavenly Lord's offer and call the Nine Heavens Profound Woman. To confirm, I sent a transmission to Mangyang, and he replied firmly.

[Call the Nine Heavens Profound Woman. It's better.]

[Understood.]

After exchanging thoughts with Mangyang, I said to the Supreme Void Heavenly Lord.

"Supreme Void Heavenly Lord! I apologize for my earlier rudeness. However, I cannot accept that offer. Instead, I wish to receive a blessing from the Nine Heavens Profound Woman."

[Ugh... Fine.]

Flash!

The Supreme Void Heavenly Lord departed from Cheon Woojin's body, and soon a chilling energy settled over everything. It was akin to killing intent, filling the air with a murderous aura as if battle could erupt at any moment.

Moments later, Cheon Woojin opened his eyes. His pupils shone with a pure silver glow, divine and ethereal, and a feminine halo emanated from him.

Whooooch!

The being possessing Cheon Woojin's body assumed a posture as if cradling an orb in both hands. Gazing at us, it spoke.

[Who are you to summon me, the Nine Heavens Profound Woman?]

It was a curt tone.

Yet, upon glimpsing her spirit form through spiritual revelation beyond the words, even I—who had seen many peerless beauties in the world—could not help but gasp in admiration. A flawless beauty that inspired awe! It rivaled the moon palace fairy Hang Ah, said to embody the dew of the moon. Her transcendent allure was so pure and aloof that it lacked any sensuality.

Mangyang, seemingly familiar with her appearance, spoke directly to her.

"Nine Heavens Profound Woman! My companion Baek Woong and I practice the Corpse Liberation Art. To fully master its spells, we require qualification to enter the Heavenly Realm."

[What...?]

The Nine Heavens Profound Woman seemed startled.

And rightly so, for the Corpse Liberation Art was a unique spell possessed solely by the Great Immortal Nine Heavens Profound Woman, even in the vast Heavenly Realm. There were Immortals known as Corpse Liberation Immortals who shed their flesh and ascended as souls alone, and many notable Immortals in history had attained ascension through mastering this art. In truth, the Nine Heavens Profound Woman passed her spells down to Earth Immortals, her disciples of sorts, who then allowed predestined Daoists on earth to chance upon and cultivate them for decades, thus perpetuating the art.

The Nine Heavens Profound Woman looked at Mangyang with a sharp expression and said.

[It is true that cultivation in the Heavenly Realm is part of the Corpse Liberation Art. However, that secret is known only to those who have reached its final stage, and even then, it is strictly controlled by the Earth Immortals. Moreover, I have heard no recognition of you from the Dao Lineages.]

"..."

[How do you know that secret?]

Mangyang replied calmly.

"That is unimportant. What matters is that Baek Woong and I already know the full content of the Corpse Liberation Art."

With that, Mangyang began reciting a sutra as if from memory. The murmured words flowed leisurely for a time, totaling over 500 characters, and when he finished, the Nine Heavens Profound Woman stood frozen in shock. What Mangyang had just recited was a unique incantation possible only for one who had fully mastered the art.

Mangyang continued.

"We already qualify to enter the Heavenly Realm. Please grant us permission."

[......]

The Nine Heavens Profound Woman let out a deep sigh.

[Sigh... I wish to refuse, but the offering of spirit bamboo you provided holds too great a value. After a conference among the Great Immortals, we have decided to accept you as members of the Heavenly Realm.]

"Entry to Kunlun Mountain is permitted?"

[Yes. You may enter the Heavenly Realm via the Heaven-Earth Passage whenever you wish. Once there, come find me immediately.]

"Thank you."

[Then...]

Flash!

The Nine Heavens Profound Woman vanished from the spot. Cheon Woojin, returned to his senses, smacked his lips and said.

"That's not like you, Sa-hyung."

"What?"

"You never liked the Heavenly Realm much before."

Mangyang chuckled.

"People change. And fully mastering the Corpse Liberation Art is necessary."

"If it's your choice, I won't stop you."

"What, you always do as you please anyway? Now you're talking like you ever tried to stop me."

"Hmph."

Cheon Woojin turned his head away, embarrassed by Mangyang's teasing tone. They truly were an odd pair of master and disciple. Feeling no need to recruit Cheon Woojin immediately this time, Mangyang left the village with me.

As we walked the mountain path, Mangyang said.

"Baek Woong. It went according to plan."

"It did, but... explain in more detail. Why did we have to make that choice?"

My question was natural. Mangyang and I had planned from the start to summon the Nine Heavens Profound Woman. To gain entry to the Heavenly Realm under the pretext of mastering the Corpse Liberation Art, Thus the Supreme Void Heavenly Lord had intervened midway, causing some surprise, it had worked out. We had intended to slowly gauge the situation by skipping from the Supreme Void Heavenly Lord to the Queen Mother of the West, Yeo Dongbin, and others, but the result was much the same.

There were two reasons for seeking entry to the Heavenly Realm.

The first was to search for the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors there. Jeonuk had used the strange phrasing that they existed in the Heavenly Realm yet did not exist, and to understand that, we needed to explore it ourselves.

The second was that I now needed to cultivate and master spells myself. The Heavenly Realm possessed far denser spiritual energy than earth, allowing spell cultivation several times faster. Moreover, mastering the Corpse Liberation Art—one of the supreme spells—would be immensely helpful going forward.

However, I had questioned it because the Supreme Void Heavenly Lord had intervened and offered the [Blessing of Great Fortune]. Frankly, the blessing seemed far more appealing than entry rights for spell cultivation. Hadn't I achieved overwhelming results with the great fortune blessing in the past?

"The Blessing of Great Fortune is a top-tier blessing. Why enter the Heavenly Realm while forgoing such a good one?"

"Hmm... Honestly, I feel a bit regretful myself, Baek Woong."

"Then why?"

Mangyang said.

"Because it's the Supreme Void Heavenly Lord's blessing."

"Huh?"

"Baek Woong. Don't you find the Supreme Void Heavenly Lord suspicious?"

He sat on a nearby rock and continued.

"In your past life's memories, the Supreme Void Heavenly Lord stood at the forefront when the [Ancient Ruler] clashed with Heaven. He directly blocked the immense authority known as Makyah Cheonbing. Moreover, Ithakwa seemed to know him as well."

"Ah."

"That's not all. The Supreme Void Heavenly Lord lied to the prophet of the moderate winged tribe about Suyo Makyah's secrets, giving distorted information. Furthermore, in Earth Immortal Mangyang's memories, no one knows where he resides in Heaven normally. At present, he is Heaven's most mysterious and insidious being."

"...!!"

"Accepting a blessing from such a suspicious entity is unwise. It only increases the chance of unexpected risks and a blow from behind."

"I see."

I could accept Mangyang's reasoning.

The Supreme Void Heavenly Lord was indeed suspicious. Though presumed to hold the third rank in Heaven, how he controlled great fortune and what he truly was remained utterly unclear. Mangyang had chosen to avoid this risk, even at the cost of immediate gain.

Mangyang chuckled.

"Anyway, now you and I can go to Kunlun Mountain anytime to cultivate spells. We've obtained the right to ascension that any human sorcerer dreams of."

=================================== Works Afterword ===================================

The aftermath of the last reserve army training is intense... I'll push hard and write tomorrow.

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