Reincarnated Swordmaster

Chapter Title: Heavenly Realm

Paat!

I used Dimensional Shift to infiltrate the imperial palace. The first place I arrived was the innermost chamber of the palace where the Emerald Tablet was kept. It was a place that could be called a two-legged relic from the bottomless abyss underground, and I knew that only a tiny handful of high-ranking officials ever came here, so there were no guards.

I glanced at the Emerald Tablet. It contained a total of fourteen clauses, written in a style that mixed poetic phrasing with metaphors. I had examined it once before, so I knew its contents well.

[It is true without lying, certain and most true.]

[That which is below is like that which is above, and that which is above is like that which is below, to accomplish the miracles of one thing.]

[And as all things were from one, by the mediation of one, so all things were born from this one thing by adaptation.]

[The Sun is its father, the Moon its mother, the Wind carries it in its belly, its nurse is the Earth.]

[Here is the father of all perfection of the whole world.]

[Separate the Earth from Fire, the subtle from the gross, gently and with great ingenuity.]

[It ascends from Earth to Heaven and again descends to Earth, and receives the power of the superiors and inferiors.]

[Thus you will have the Glory of the whole world.]

[Therefore will all obscurity flee from you.]

[This is the strongest of all powers, it penetrates all that is solid and pierces all that is pure.]

[Thus was the world created.]

[Therefore am I called Hermes Trismegistus, having the three parts of the philosophy of the whole world.]

[That which I have said of the operation of the Sun is accomplished and ended.]

"... Hmmm..."

Looking at the Emerald Tablet again, I found myself swept up in questions. Until now, I had just grabbed it and run, but now I was curious about how this stele wielded such powerful sorcery.

'This Emerald Tablet comes from the West, and it's a treasure that Westerners are after. Too, so, was the one who first created this Emerald Tablet a figure named Hermes?'

I had left it to Mangyang and the sorcerers before, but now I felt the need to research the Emerald Tablet myself. Because my current task was my own growth, if I could wield the 'power' of the Emerald Tablet, I wouldn't need to rely on others.

I placed the stele in my spatial pouch and then headed to the Inner Palace Hall where the Nameless Sacrificial Records were kept. As expected, there was no one in the Inner Palace Hall, and the Nameless Sacrificial Records I sought were right in front of me. But I couldn't just take the Nameless Sacrificial Records alone, so I recalled Mangyang's advice.

[Baek Woong. This time, don't just take the Nameless Sacrificial Records—you need to bring the astronomical measurement data and the equipment for measuring the heavens as well.]

[Where are those?]

[As you know, the Nameless Sacrificial Records are on the third floor, Lord Zhuge Bu of the Inner Palace Hall is on the fifth floor. And the materials related to astronomy are on the fourth floor. About thirty volumes, all gathered on one bookshelf, so they'll be easy to find.]

[The fourth floor...]

[The astronomical equipment is the latest imported directly from the Western Regions. You must bring it.]

It would have been simple if I went with Mangyang, but if Lord Zhuge Bu appeared by any chance, it would be trouble if Mangyang's face was recognized. Right now, it was important to keep the imperial palace from reacting as much as possible.

'I'll take the Nameless Sacrificial Records later.'

If I took the Nameless Sacrificial Records, Lord Zhuge Bu would use teleportation magic to chase after me. Knowing that, I had only come to confirm its location for now.

Hiding my presence, I cautiously headed to the fourth floor.

Unlike the third floor, there was a sign of human presence on the fourth floor. I concealed myself and checked if it might be Lord Zhuge Bu's presence, but it was that of an ordinary scholar. With no martial arts cultivation, there was hardly any qi, so I thought I could easily evade the person's attention.

'The astronomical records are here...'

I quickly stuffed four bookshelves' worth into my spatial pouch, then scanned the surroundings and spotted a side chamber with the astronomical equipment. Unfortunately, two or three scholars were loitering right in front of that side chamber, making it tricky to extract. I could force my way in with Annihilation Step, but since Annihilation Step wasn't meant for stealth, there was a risk of detection.

'No choice.'

Invisibility Art

As I cast the spell, my body turned transparent. This was one of the most useful spells I knew; I had used it before to sneak into Nangong Hwan's room. By combining the Invisibility Art with footwork techniques to hide my presence, no one would notice me.

Then I entered the side chamber with the astronomical equipment and swiftly packed it all into my spatial pouch. Contrary to my expectations, the equipment had many unique shapes, so I couldn't distinguish them one by one. Thinking I had grabbed most of it, I returned to the Hidden Wolf Valley.

Back at the Hidden Wolf Valley, I showed the equipment to Mangyang, who looked pleased.

"You did well."

"Mangyang. I have a question."

"What is it?"

"What do the fourteen clauses of the Emerald Tablet mean?"

"Hoo... You're curious about that? Looks like you've taken an interest in alchemy."

"Thinking about it, I realized I knew too little about the alchemy handled by alchemists."

Mangyang pondered for a moment at my response before speaking.

"Actually, alchemy isn't a technique unique to the West. In the East, there's a similar discipline called elixir refinement. But the Westerners seem to have developed it further into the realms of magic and numerology..."

"Can alchemy make gold too?"

"Of course. Look at the second clause of the Emerald Tablet."

At Mangyang's words, I took the Emerald Tablet out of my spatial pouch. Examining the second clause, it read: [That which is below is like that which is above, and that which is above is like that which is below, to accomplish the miracles of one thing.]

"Heavens and earth, above and below."

Mangyang pointed to the second clause with his finger as he spoke.

"The Emerald Tablet is essentially a manual for creating the Philosopher's Stone, the ultimate substance. The fourth clause states that the energies of the Sun and Moon, which form the world's most divine substance, the 'Philosopher's Stone,' were originally one, right?"

"Energies of the Sun and Moon?"

"The Sun symbolizes fire, energy, and sulfur, while the Moon symbolizes water, semen, and mercury."

"Ah."

"The fire existing in heaven is originally one with the water on earth, and the water on earth is originally one with the fire in heaven. It's easy to understand this through the Five Elements Mutual Generation."

Mangyang's quiet explanation continued.

"These two revolve around each other and combine to form the Mysterious Pearl, that is, the Philosopher's Stone. This symbolism is metaphorically expressed as [that which is below is like that which is above, and that which is above is like that which is below]."

Fascinated, I asked Mangyang.

"Mangyang. This text is like a riddle—how can you interpret it so precisely?"

"I told you. Alchemy is a discipline studied in the East as well. I'm well-versed in the theories of the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams, so interpreting this isn't difficult. Moreover, the theory of this Emerald Tablet touches the most fundamental aspects."

"Hmm."

"But these fourteen clauses have no effect on their own. They're just theory—the true wonder lies in the Emerald Tablet's mystical property that can manifest them."

Mangyang stroked the surface of the Emerald Tablet as he spoke.

"This Emerald Tablet was crafted with advanced alchemy and made of a material I've never seen before in my life. No metallurgical knowledge I possess can explain its composition. Probably only the alchemist who brought this Emerald Tablet from the West knows what material it is."

"So its mystical material allows it to wield such strong spiritual power?"

"Exactly."

I thought deeply and then said,

"Then if I break off a piece of this Emerald Tablet and use the fragment..."

"That won't work. This Emerald Tablet was made with advanced sorcery—doing that risks collapsing the whole thing. Moreover, it has additional content if you penetrate and read its interior, so you absolutely mustn't tamper with it."

Mangyang spoke firmly before continuing.

"Anyway, any more questions?"

"Looking at the thirteenth clause, it seems like a Westerner named Hermes made this Emerald Tablet—is that right?"

"Hmm... I'm not sure about that either. It's a riddle."

So even Mangyang didn't know everything. As I thought to myself, Mangyang said,

"Then let's go to Lord Zhuge now."

Mangyang and I went to the hut where Cheon Woojin was. Cheon Woojin, who had been tilling the field, stood up when he saw us approaching.

"Senior Brother. You're here?"

"Yes. We're here to see Lord Zhuge."

"Got it."

Paat

Cheon Woojin took out Lord Zhuge from the Mountain and River Protection Talisman painting, and a human figure burst out from the scroll amid a flash of light. Lord Zhuge stood there blankly, looking at us, and said,

"You rascal. Treating your uncle like this?"

As Lord Zhuge grumbled, Mangyang chuckled.

"I'll get straight to the point. Let's exchange the Emerald Tablet for the Separation Grand Law."

"..."

Mangyang had cut through all the preamble and gone right for the crux. Lord Zhuge paused, thinking for a moment, then said,

"The Emerald Tablet—you mean the one I know?"

"It's definitely the treasure of alchemy."

"Hmm... I've only heard rumors. Let me see what it looks like."

Mangyang shook his head at Lord Zhuge's suggestion.

"Uncle, first tell me if you're willing to make the exchange."

"Hm. If it's the real Emerald Tablet, I'm willing to trade."

Lord Zhuge continued with a sly smile.

"To begin with, if you had come to the Long Ridge Pavilion right after leaving the imperial palace, Hyun, I was willing to pass on the Separation Grand Law. Didn't I tell you before?"

"..."

I looked at Mangyang in surprise. If what he said was true, that meant Mangyang had once had the chance to become the next cult leader of the Demonic Cult? It also revealed that Lord Zhuge held Mangyang in high regard. Mangyang was silent for a moment before saying,

"Baek Woong. Take it out and show it."

"Got it."

I pulled out the Emerald Tablet and displayed it in the room. Lord Zhuge admired it, running his hand over the stele.

"Splendid! No need to check—it's genuine."

"Uncle. Will you make the exchange?"

"Of course... but..."

Lord Zhuge trailed off before saying,

"For my part, I'd like to hear why you need the Separation Grand Law now."

"What if I can't tell you?"

"Then I can't trade either. The Emerald Tablet is tempting, but I can live without it."

It was heading in a bad direction. Mangyang let out a groan before saying,

"I'm planning to use the Separation Grand Law to measure the heavens of the New Continent."

Lord Zhuge's expression turned bizarre.

"Huh? What nonsense is that?"

"I can only tell you more if you promise to help us, Uncle."

Lord Zhuge waved his hand dismissively, as if fed up.

"Man! You won't yield an inch."

"Who would?"

"Let me think for a bit."

"Do that."

Lord Zhuge crossed his arms behind his back and pondered deeply for a long time. Then he said,

"Fine. I'll help as much as I can. If I can't, that's not my problem."

"Do you have to add that caveat?"

"It's not my affair anyway, so what does it matter."

"...You're really impossible to respect."

Mangyang sighed and explained the full situation to Lord Zhuge.

He told him about the faction in the imperial palace, their conspiracy, everything about the Seven Essentials, and about the Mount Tai Old Man. The information was so extensive that even I, listening on the side, was shocked.

'He's revealed almost seventy percent of it...?!'

Was it okay to divulge so much to Lord Zhuge?

But Mangyang seemed to believe that pulling in Lord Zhuge was worth exposing our secrets. And the quality of the information Mangyang shared was so high-level that even Lord Zhuge sat there stunned for a while, just listening.

After a long moment, Lord Zhuge came to his senses and said,

"...Zhuge Yuryong, one of the Three Great Righteous Elders, is the Mount Tai Old Man? And a priest serving an evil god..."

"I'd stake my neck on it being true."

"..."

Lord Zhuge looked deeply shocked. Then he broke into a loud mocking laugh and muttered,

"Zhuge Yuryong, you hypocrite... And yet when I joined the Demonic Cult, he called it evil and such, exiling me? Hahaha..."

"I'm not defending my father, but it was the natural choice at the time."

Mangyang continued calmly.

"The Demonic Cult was an evil denomination worshipping the [Ancient Overlords], and the sorcery they practiced involved wicked human sacrifices. How could the Zhuge family tolerate that?"

"Heh heh! I knew that, so I accepted the restrictions without complaint and left the family. I wanted to sever ties with my brother and live my remaining years as I pleased. But for him to actually serve the [Ancient Overlords]..."

Lord Zhuge covered his face with his hand and chuckled.

"What a bastard! Makes me sick."

"What will you do?"

"Cooperate, of course. Until I kick that bastard's ass."

Flick

With that, Lord Zhuge summoned a book from subspace and tossed it to Mangyang. As Mangyang caught it, Lord Zhuge said,

"It's the Separation Grand Law. But for my part, I'll say that method is inefficient."

"What?"

"Using the Separation Grand Law on natives to gather dozens or hundreds of times more astronomical observation data... Sounds plausible, but isn't it too straightforward?"

Lord Zhuge chuckled and said,

"Just destroy the imperial palace first, seize the [Gate], then lead ten thousand troops to conquer the barbaric continent. Beat the tribal chiefs until you find one who knows the timing of the total solar eclipse, right? That would be easier."

"Hm!"

Lord Zhuge's words sounded plausible to me. It did seem simpler. Mangyang replied steadily,

"I've considered that method too. But there's no guarantee we can definitely win against the imperial palace, nor that the tribal chiefs know the legends of the Fire Essence ruins. That's why we're seeking a more certain timing."

"Hmph... Do as you like."

Lord Zhuge grumbled, but at that moment, I could truly feel it.

Lord Zhuge had joined us as a comrade, with his own motivations.

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