Reincarnated Swordmaster

Chapter Title: Heavenly Realm

Taegong Mang of the River Prime!

He was also known as the Strongest, the Daoist who vanquished King Zhou of the Yin Dynasty, a grand strategist, and the de facto prime minister of the Western Qi. As the shining star of the Western Qi Revolution, Taegong Mang appeared in both official histories and unofficial tales without fail, an indispensable figure when discussing the history of China. Among historical luminaries, he held a peerless position, even more renowned than the emperors of nations.

Taegong Mang spoke.

[ Never before in history have so many Great Luo Immortals been summoned at once. ]

After a moment of silence, Taegong Mang continued.

[ I wish to bestow my blessing upon you all... but given your extraordinary nature, I shall grant you the right to choose. ]

"What choice do you mean?"

[ You may receive my protection, or choose once more the protection of another. What say you? ]

What was this? My mind blanked for a moment, unable to process, but Mangnyang quickly grasped his meaning and replied.

"The aura of a Great Luo Immortal cannot be borne by a human soul if stacked twice, can it? Isn't re-selection impossible?"

[ Ordinarily, yes. Thus, I shall use my power to ward off the destruction from the overlap. What say you? ]

"Does re-selection create a double-stacking effect?"

[ No. It is a single effect. ]

Mangnyang nodded.

"I understand. Since we delayed our choice due to the stacking issue, it makes sense for the Great Luo Immortals to offer us the right to reselect."

Taegong Mang affirmed.

[ Precisely. What will you do? ]

"We need to discuss it. Please wait a moment."

[ Do not dawdle. The ritualist's stamina is nearly spent. His true essence will soon be exhausted. ]

Sure enough, Cheon Woo-jin's body seemed to be reaching its limit. Mangnyang turned to me and said.

"Baek Woong, What do you think?"

"So... we can receive the blessing we passed over again."

"Exactly. But this is beyond even me. Follow your instincts."

I pondered deeply.

'Re-selection?'

Among the worthwhile options, there were four.

Taihuang Tianzun's great fortune, Queen Mother of the West's lifespan, Lu Dongbin's swordsmanship, Yuanshi Tianzun's martial arts!

Of these, Queen Mother of the West's lifespan protection was the least useful, and Lu Dongbin's was pointless since I'd already gained what I could through the oracle link. As for Zhang Sanfeng's martial arts, I hadn't even digested half of the Seven Great Ultimate Arts yet.

Thus, receiving Taihuang Tianzun's great fortune seemed wisest. That would be the ordinary choice.

But in the end, I said to Taegong Mang.

"I shall receive your protection, Lord Taegong Mang!"

Taegong Mang sounded surprised.

[ Are you certain? This re-selection was offered purely for fairness... yet you cast aside illustrious Heavenly Immortals to choose mine? ]

"Is it a poor blessing?"

[ The protection I offer is the summoning ability of the divine beast, the Four Anomalies. ]

"......"

A divine beast.

'Ambiguous...'

Divine beasts were sacred creatures of the Heavenly Realm, ridden only by high immortals. On the mortal plane, they were equivalent to spirits or divine creatures in their own right, possessing all manner of mystical abilities. They were called divine beasts because they rivaled immortals. According to Mangnyang's knowledge as an Earth Immortal, even in the Heavenly Realm, immortals who possessed divine beasts were exceedingly rare.

It was an excellent blessing, but how useful summoning the Four Anomalies would be for me remained unknown. Wouldn't re-selecting another Great Luo Immortal's protection be better? I hesitated briefly, but then saw Cheon Woo-jin spewing blood from both nostrils.

Drip, drip!

"Gah."

[ The ritualist's true essence is depleting. ]

Taegong Mang's calm tone sent chills down my spine. With Cheon Woo-jin on the verge of death, I hurriedly said.

"Understood! Grant me the summoning of the divine beast Four Anomalies!"

[ Very well. ]

Flash!

Moments later, amid a burst of light, the Great Luo Immortal departed from Cheon Woo-jin's body. Cheon Woo-jin staggered, then collapsed forward. I rushed to support him, but his face was deathly pale, as if his breath might stop at any moment.

He gasped for air. Soaked in sweat and writhing in agony, he said to Mangnyang.

"Senior Brother... I've caught divine fever... please carry me home..."

"Got it."

Without a chance to speak further, Mangnyang hoisted Cheon Woo-jin on his back and dashed off. I followed Mangnyang, who laid him in his home and began preparing porridge. I suggested offering spirit elixirs, but he said elixirs with strong auras would act as poison in his current state.

"Your junior brother has taken in too many powerful divinities, hence the divine fever."

"Is it dangerous?"

"I'm not sure. But if he survives, he'll show tremendous progress. Divine fever is simply an excess of immortal power flowing through his body."

I channeled qi into Cheon Woo-jin's back and used every medical technique I knew to tend to him. After about an hour, Cheon Woo-jin calmed and fell asleep. Mangnyang sat in a nearby chair and said.

"Poor fellow."

"Who? Cheon Woo-jin?"

"Yes. He lost his parents young and was raised by Master, learning only ritual arts ever since. A genius in a sterile environment, you might say. His personality is harsh and eccentric, true, but he's equally pure and kind. Otherwise, he wouldn't have helped us like this."

"......"

"Just something to think about."

Mangnyang stroked his hair. Though incomparable in ritual talent, Mangnyang cherished him as senior brother to junior brother, beyond such matters.

Mangnyang and I left Cheon Woo-jin's house.

Mangnyang said.

"I'll stay to nurse my junior brother. Wait a few days."

I wanted to test summoning the divine beast Four Anomalies, but the mood wasn't right. That would have to wait until I was alone. Irritated by the situation, I vented.

"Mangnyang Seonsa, your disciple is in that state, yet you just watch without helping?"

"That's Master's way. Laissez-faire isn't always ideal."

"......"

Annoyed, I glared at the shrine and strode toward it, shouting.

"You damned black cat! Your disciple's dying, and you won't even show yourself?!"

That instant.

"Guh..."

An overwhelming urge to sleep washed over me.

I deployed every mental technique from the Thunder Scripture and Thunder God Flow, but resistance was futile. I staggered, trying to hold out, but soon succumbed to the sleep demon.

.............

I realized I had entered Mangnyang Seonsa's dream once more. As I rose unsteadily, his voice echoed.

[ Hello. ]

A black cat strolled along a mountain path. Seeing Mangnyang Seonsa's incarnation ignited my fury.

"You bastard!"

[ Wrong. ]

"What?!"

[ I'm a cat, not a dog. ]

"......"

Absurd, I stared at Mangnyang Seonsa, who leaped onto a rooftop.

[ Kidding. Woo-jin will be fine, so don't worry. ]

"Fine? He spewed blood and passed out!"

[ That's not qi depletion. It's divine fever from excess divine power. A ritualist who has reached 幻神 wouldn't die from that — even a cat would laugh. ]

Mangnyang Seonsa declared confidently. I grumbled back.

"Even a dog would laugh."

[ No, a cat would too. ]

"Why so stubborn?"

Exasperated, I yelled, and Mangnyang Seonsa flicked his tail.

[ Not important. I have something to say. ]

"What?"

[ Why didn't you reselect? ]

My eyes gleamed as I regarded Mangnyang Seonsa. This damned black cat asking me directly like this was rare. After thinking, I replied.

"It's a waste."

[ What is? ]

"Reselecting something else might be efficient, but I don't know what Taegong Mang's protection is. That's it."

[ So you're curious enough about Taegong Mang's protection to choose it? ]

"Yes."

Now nearing the 20th cycle, what mattered to me wasn't immediate efficiency, but diversity for the big picture. Testing Taegong Mang's protection first, then factoring it into new combinations, seemed more efficient long term.

Mangnyang Seonsa said.

[ That's not human thinking. ]

"What?!"

Outraged, I shouted.

"What nonsense! What's wrong with what I said?"

[ Ordinary humans would pick fortune, lifespan, or martial arts. Your choice is something even a Great Luo Immortal with eons of life might do for amusement. ]

Mangnyang Seonsa's cat eyes stared at me emotionlessly.

[ Know why I asked? In the Heavenly Realm now, your choice has sparked massive interest and attention. Even Lu Dongbin, linked to you via oracle, found it annoying and fled to Celestial God Peak. ]

"......"

[ No immortal foresaw you'd choose that. All expected Taihuang Tianzun's great fortune. Thus, you're now the most intriguing being in the Heavenly Realm. ]

Dumbfounded, I gaped.

"That choice was so unusual?"

As I froze, Mangnyang Seonsa continued.

[ Divine beasts are immensely useful, so make good use of it. Farewell. ]

"W-Wait!"

[ Why call? ]

Cautiously eyeing Mangnyang Seonsa, I said.

"How do I obtain the Heaven-Breaking protection from you?"

The mighty protection that shattered all of Xiang Yu's ritual barriers in an instant!

I needed to learn how to get it. With unknown foes ahead, saving oracle uses was wise.

[...... ]

Mangnyang Seonsa jumped down and licked his leg against a wall.

[ What would you do with it? ]

"Just tell me how."

[ Offer tribute. That's the basis. ]

I recalled Mangnyang once offering a crystal stele and spirit incense to Mangnyang Seonsa for the Heaven-Breaking protection. But even then, the price for world secrets was insufficient, and the protection was given out of whim and favor. It likely demanded an enormous tribute.

Hesitating, I asked.

"How much tribute?"

[ Hmm... Visualize what you think is sufficient. I'll judge. ]

"Got it."

I pictured the crystal stele first. Astonishingly, its phantom appeared nearby, as real as life—possible in this dream realm.

Pawing the crystal stele, Mangnyang Seonsa said.

[ Insufficient. ]

I added five black-and-white lotus roots each.

[ Insufficient. ]

Grumbling at his pickiness, I added a chest of gold bars and the Nine Stars True Scripture.

[ Far short. ]

"......"

Outraged, I bellowed.

"You crazy black cat! This is insufficient? What the hell?!"

Absurd.

The crystal stele alone could make Zhuge offer the Heaven-Defying Great Law in exchange. Black-and-white lotuses were elixirs any martial artist dreamed of, the gold's value went without saying, and the Nine Stars True Scripture was a powerful demonic tome—from which I'd gained much from Astana's prophet.

Yet even all this combined fell short for Heaven-Breaking protection!

This was nearly my entire fortune!

[ What's odd about it? ]

"Damn it! You grant Heaven-Breaking freely to Shaolin and sages everywhere! Why demand such an insane price from me?!"

As I raged, Mangnyang Seonsa replied nonchalantly, far beyond my expectations.

[ Because it's a blessing for humanity. ]

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