Reincarnated Swordmaster

Chapter Title: Heavenly Realm

Heavenly Realm

Having arrived at the southernmost continent I'd never seen before in my life, I first returned to the Zhu Rong clansmen. The one inside the tower asked if I intended to go back, but I posed a different question.

"By any chance, do you know where Huayo is on this continent?"

"No."

"Is there no way to find out?"

"There are two options. Either comb through every secret library across the world for related information, or personally explore this continent to track it down..."

"......"

Either way, it was an utter hassle. The Zhu Rong clansman before me was circling around the issue but clearly admitting ignorance about Huayo. I pondered deeply before continuing.

"Yes."

"Have they developed on the scale of the Ming Empire?"

"No. Just small-scale hamlets."

With that curt reply, the Zhu Rong clansman spoke in a displeased tone.

"If you want knowledge, pay up."

Paat!

He vanished in the blink of an eye. My relentless questions must have annoyed him into hiding or relocating. Smacking my lips, I mused.

'Let's see. About ten days since leaving Jin Rang Valley.'

That left a bit of time before Jin So-cheong's training. With nothing pressing to do upon returning to Jin Rang Valley, I resolved to roam this continent as thoroughly as possible over the next twenty days.

'First, let's push further south.'

As I ran, it became clear this place was nothing but wasteland. Barren plains dotted with weeds and bizarre trees offered no human traces whatsoever. I expanded my senses to scan the surroundings, detecting only freakish animals I'd never encountered—humans were nowhere.

"Huh? What's that?"

What kind of creature is that?

Some hunched over in grotesque postures, while others stood doubly with offspring tucked in abdominal pouches. They weren't bipedal lifeforms, but the sight was utterly alien. Animals that carry their young in belly pockets?

They didn't seem predatory, so I ignored them and pressed on. The wildlife here was utterly foreign to the Central Plains, yet ferocious beasts were scarce. No sign of tigers or lions—it was odd.

Only after running a long while did the reason dawn on me.

'Hot! Vast! And no water!'

The wasteland I traversed was bone-dry, devoid of moisture. Sand was minimal, but it might as well have been a desert. Survival here was grueling. Carnivores burning high energy could scarcely endure such arid desolation.

Quite some distance later, a lake-like shimmer appeared. Yet I instantly knew the gleaming white wasn't water. Drawing near, I scooped up the crystallized white granules from the ground and examined them.

On impulse, I tasted one.

"Salty."

Salt. Astonishingly, this vast expanse mimicking a lake was pure salt. A natural rock salt deposit, no doubt. My first salt flat—it was intriguing.

No doubt about it: this region was uninhabitable. Shaking my head, I continued south. Surely the sea lay ahead if I kept going.

Veering slightly southwest brought true lakes and forests into view. I approached one but hesitated to drink. Parasites or diseases lurked unknown. Ultimately, I used the Return Stone to warp back to Jin Rang Valley, fetch village water, boil it, and quench my thirst.

Soon after, I Returned to the southern continent and resumed scouting. Something had to turn up further south. Two straight days of relentless running brought me to the coastline.

"Ooh!"

A pristine, radiant beach!

The sea unfurled clearer and more transparent than anything in Shandong's shores—utterly incomparable. "Emerald waves sparkling" was made for this. The sun's glare made it unlivable, yet nature's majestic beauty shone unbound.

I wandered the sands in a daze, soaking in the splendor. Shaded under a tree, staring vacantly, I came to my senses.

'Ugh. Made it here, but disaster.'

My nonstop travels revealed the continent's immensity. I'd imagined a modest archipelago—no such luck. It rivaled the Central Plains in scale. Never dreamed the world's southern edge hid such a behemoth.

In short, blind rushing wouldn't suffice for a proper survey. Ten or twenty years of circling might not cover it.

Reckless scouting was out. Chin in hand, I pondered onward.

'Huayo lies on the grandest rock mountain. The natives might know of it.'

Reaching the southern coast wasn't enough. Here already—time for gains. For the remaining days, I'd scour the continent for native tribes.

The interior was wasteland-equivalent, so humans hugged the coasts. Sticking to the shoreline, avoiding inland, seemed wise. Tribes had to lurk somewhere.

Sure enough, three days and nights hugging the coast yielded presences. Crude arrows whistled through the dense shore forest—hunting signs. First humans since arrival; joy stirred.

Tadat!

Deeper in, a nearly nude, dark-skinned man clutched a bird's neck. Spotting me, he startled and swung his spear.

"What? An attack?"

To me—who toyed with Central Plains Peak Experts—this native's strike was ridiculous. Wild-honed, it topped pirate swordplay, but feeble regardless. The spear was crude; stone lashed to wood. I flicked it aside with a finger and sealed his acupoints.

"Kraaak!"

I tried conversing, but it was gibberish. Gripping his nape, I plunged into the forest. Tracing qi flows revealed their hamlet by a river—a raw primitive settlement. Dragging him, I strode into the village square.

Arrows flew en route, but I batted them away effortlessly. Natives howled and lunged with spears and blades, but I slammed my foot down hard.

Kwoong!

"Kyaaak!"

"Hueok!"

The shockwave hurled them skyward like ragdolls. I tossed the nape-gripped man into the square and eyed them coolly, arms crossed. They milled about, unwilling to charge.

"#*%*#%*#..."

Sensing no malice, a wrinkled elder shuffled forth and spoke. But this southern native tongue was bird chirps to me. After a moment's thought, I snatched him up and warped straight to Namman's Wuchang Tower.

Paat!

Zhu Rong clansmen glanced askance at my sudden arrival. I set the elder down and addressed them.

"I want to talk with this one. Care to translate?"

"Why would we?"

"This as payment—covers next time too."

I proffered two gold ingots from my neck pouch. After a pause, they accepted.

"Fine."

A Zhu Rong placed hands on our shoulders. Instantly, the elder's words rang in Central Plains tongue. Impressive mental prowess—their translation gift.

"Being of godlike might! Where is this place? Why drag me here?"

"I'm hunting Huayo. One of the seven secret treasures passed from the gods' era, said to be on this continent's largest rock mountain. Ring any bells?"

"......"

The elder's eyes bulged. He pondered long before replying.

"You're not here to assault our tribe?"

"No cause to kill you. Spill the info, and you're free."

"Grant one request, and I'll share all I know."

His tone turned deferential. I glanced at the Zhu Rong, who stated flatly.

"He truly holds a clue to the Seven Treasures."

"Hmm."

They'd read his mind. Amused, I replied.

"Out with it. What's the request?"

"North of our home, a yellow-haired, blue-eyed monster slaughters indiscriminately. Slay it for us."

"A monster, eh."

I gleaned the location and situation from him, then accepted.

"Done."

A people-killing fiend would cross my path exploring anyway. Intel gained, monster felled—perfect. Honoring the deal, I Returned to the native hamlet.

Then headed for the northern coast he'd described. Per him, twenty-odd tribes dotted the area with hamlets—half butchered by the sudden blond monster. They'd trembled in fear until I appeared.

Deep night blanketed the starry coast. Afar, the bonfire he'd mentioned flickered. Peering from a cliff a hundred zhang distant, I spotted figures by the flames—and my eyes widened.

'Monster? No way. That's...'

Fair-skinned foreigners!

Some fifty encircled the fire. They'd pitched tents nearby, with a massive ship anchored close—warship-sized, like Shandong's. Natives slaved about, hauling cargo.

Nine in ten chance these were Western sailors from overseas kingdoms. "Yellow-haired monsters" fit them. Each bore firearms akin to those in Namman's royal palace.

Uniform garb marked them as seamen. Among unfamiliar guns, one stood out.

'Huh? What's that?'

The sleek one exuded an odd aura. A fancy Westerner—likely the commander—wore it. Unlike any I'd seen. Head tilted, but duty called.

Tadat!

I charged, compressing space with Soul Extermination Step, beheading several before chaining slashes. They bellowed in their Western tongue, raising guns and axes—far too sluggish. I carved through twenty-plus in a flash.

Tang! Tatang!!

Gunfire boomed distinctively. Musketeers had me in their sights.

'Reloads are glacial!'

Dodging sans trajectory reads was child's play. Whirling my blade severed four more necks when the commander leveled his bizarre gun.

Tang! Tang!

"......!!"

Shock propelled me backward.

'What the hell's its mechanism?'

Incredible—no priming pan, no flintlock, short barrel. It fired twice in two or three breaths. Worlds beyond the North Sea Ice Palace Lord's matchlock.

Mass-produced, it'd be nightmare fuel. Frontal clash? Even First-Class Experts perish helpless.

Chwaaak!

Power disparity absolute. I amassed sword gang and unleashed—surviving sailors bisected instantly. I slaughtered them wholesale, sparing only the commander.

"#*%*&#*%*...!!"

Terror wrecked the foreigner as he failed. Interrogation beckoned, but not now. Another Zhu Rong translation fee? Too lavish on treasures. Black-white lotus and gold were near-irreplaceable once spent. Defer it.

I stuffed the foreigner into my neck pouch too, then crammed their guns and the ship's valuables helter-skelter inside. Fleet obliterated, satisfaction swelled as I reconvened with the elder.

Sensing the translation trick, he followed meekly and shared his lore.

"Per our tribe's legend, the gods' flame hides atop the grandest rock mountain. Evil shamans veil it from mortal eyes normally, but it reveals when the sun vanishes."

I cocked my head.

"Sun vanishes? Emerges at night?"

"No. The day the sun is devoured by darkness."

"......?"

The riddle confounded me. Sun swallowed by dark? He merely recited tribal myth.

Tsk... what's next?

Partial yield, yet nagging incompleteness lingered before Huayo. Mulling the Western spoils' use, I opted to haul them to Mang Ryang. He'd assay their worth and chart the path forward.

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