Reincarnated Swordmaster

Chapter Title: Heavenly Realm

When I used Flame Spirit to arrive at Daiwei, twenty young experts from the White Lotus Church were already there, locked in battle. Daiwei was a canyon region, and inside it lay the church's forward base and village, with corpses scattered here and there.

Rooaaaarr!

"Hah!!"

"Kill that bastard!"

Sword lights and palm winds flew about as the White Lotus members fought fiercely, drawing on their profound inner energy. Their opponents resembled giants. But these weren't ordinary giants—their mouths split vertically from the top of their heads, making it look like their skulls were cleaved lengthwise, and they had two pairs of arms branching out from the elbows in a grotesque fashion. No natural creature could look like that.

"Hetero Race!"

I let out a low groan. Right before my eyes was one of the otherworldly races born from some unknown demon. This Hetero Race giant appeared two or three times taller than an average human, with brutish strength that made it immensely threatening. Even its speed seemed extraordinarily fast.

Yet the twenty White Lotus members were overwhelming and pressing about eight of these Hetero Race giants. Though they held a numerical advantage, the giants' physical prowess far surpassed that of mere humans. Still, through the profound inner energy derived from the Sacred Lotus and the church's martial arts, they were driving back the giants.

"The Guardian Lion of the Thunder God School has come to reinforce us! Everyone, push harder!!"

I felt eyes turn toward me for a moment. Sensing what needed to be done, I surged my entire body's inner energy. As it reached its peak, I gathered power at my toes and shot forward like a released bolt.

Thunder God Sword Dance

Azure Sky Flower!

Sword aura flared along my blade, etching a floral pattern of lightning into the air for an instant. In the next moment, the bodies of the two Hetero Race giants I'd passed sliced into dozens of chunks and collapsed. The Azure Sky Flower's sword qi was an ultra-swift strike, so the giants hadn't even had time to react.

Boom!

Thud!

"Oooh!!"

Felling two in an instant shifted the battlefield's atmosphere dramatically. The Hetero Race giants, possessing at least some intelligence, hesitated as they realized their dire disadvantage, while the White Lotus members' morale soared. Feeling oddly pleased, I grinned and said.

"Let's finish this!"

"Yes!"

The fierce battle with the Hetero Race giants ended about a quarter of an hour later. It could have been done in half the time if we'd simply aimed to kill them, but ensuring no injuries or deaths among us took longer. The ground was a sea of the giants' blood, the foul stench wafting up the slope.

Once the fighting stopped, the apparent leader among the White Lotus members approached and clasped his hands in salute. He looked to be in his twenties, a refined young sword expert.

"I am Woo Young-pyo of the Fire God School, currently leading the Fire God Squad. It is an honor to meet the Thunder God School's Guardian Lion, Baek Woong, whom I've only heard of in tales."

"What's the damage report?"

Fire God Squad Leader Woo Young-pyo answered bitterly.

"The Fire God Squad has no injuries or fatalities. However, twelve villagers were killed, and twenty-nine injured."

"Hmm..."

I groaned as I surveyed the village.

"Heavy losses."

Even at a glance, it wasn't a large settlement—maybe two or three hundred people at most. Dozens of casualties in a place like that was devastating. As I silently inspected the ruined village buildings, Woo Young-pyo spoke.

"If not for the Guardian Lion's aid, our squad would have suffered losses too. Thank you once more."

"What are those bizarre monsters? Where did they come from?"

"Well... We suspect a Demon Cave has formed nearby."

"Demon Cave?"

I tilted my head at the unfamiliar term, and Woo Young-pyo explained.

"It's what we call the origin point when these Hetero Races appear out of nowhere."

"Such a thing exists?"

"Yes."

I couldn't help but be a bit shocked.

"Nothing like that in the Central Plains?"

No—the existence of these Hetero Race giants alone was unheard of in the Central Plains' Shaanxi region. In my fifty-odd years as an escort warrior, I'd never seen or heard of such otherworldly monsters. Yet upon arriving in White Lotus Church territory, Hetero Races and Demon Caves popped up out of nowhere. It was absurd. Fire God Squad Leader Woo Young-pyo continued.

"We would be grateful if you could help destroy the Demon Cave."

"Understood. Let's find it."

I immediately followed the Fire God Squad to track it down. They had an expert in pursuit arts who reverse-tracked the Demon Cave using the monsters' fluids, scent, and traces. As I trailed them silently, Zhuge Sa spoke.

[No doubt about it. This area is unstably linked to the Dark Heaven Realm.]

I flinched!

"What's wrong?"

"Ah... Nothing."

I waved off Woo Young-pyo and replied to Zhuge Sa.

[Is that true?]

[Can't you sense the demonic energy spread across this land? Only the Dark Heaven Realm could erode the real world with this level of demonic energy. For some reason, the dimensional barriers overlap here.]

[......]

Dark Heaven Realm!

It was the land of illusions and nightmares where the [Ancient Overlords] and Hetero Races dwelt. Even Great Law Immortals risked annihilation there—a place of utter peril. After pondering, I asked.

[So a Demon Cave is essentially a passage to the otherworldly Dark Heaven Realm?]

[Likely. The dimensions are unstable, punching holes through. Temporary passages that could vanish anytime.]

[Why is this happening?]

[How should I know? Figure it out with that brain of yours, you idiot.]

I really wanted to kill him.

As my murderous intent toward Zhuge Sa swelled inwardly, he cackled.

[If I had to guess, it's tied to the White Lotus Church Lord.]

[The Church Lord? Why?]

[Ugh... Idiot. Remember how the Church Lord clashed with the [Ancient Overlord] in the past? That's probably when it happened. This unstable space is the aftermath.]

[Hmm... That makes sense.]

I nodded at Zhuge Sa's hypothesis. It explained why the Central Plains remained fine while this area teemed with Hetero Races. The clash between the White Lotus Church Lord and the [Ancient Overlord] must have generated massive resonance waves, destabilizing this spacetime.

I questioned Zhuge Sa again.

[Is there a way to sever the link to the Dark Heaven Realm and stabilize the area?]

[Since contact creates the holes, widening the dimensional distance should work. Of course, it'd take a grand sorcerer decades of effort.]

After his rough explanation, Zhuge Sa grumbled on.

[Listen, moron. This is someone else's problem. Why complicate your life? You barely have time to chase your own gains.]

[People are getting hurt and killed by Hetero Races. How can I ignore that?]

[Who cares? Cares reincarnate here next time to save them? No profit, just multiplying your workload.]

[...That's...]

Zhuge Sa sneered.

[Listen well. This isn't your responsibility. The one who caused it should handle it. Try fixing everything, and you'll just get screwed over.]

For some reason, Zhuge Sa's advice felt genuinely sound, leaving me with a strange discomfort. I wasn't used to this mad scholar helping me lately, and he seemed oddly adapted to our dynamic. Given his true nature, it was bizarre.

Unable to hold back, I asked Zhuge Sa.

[What's your angle? Why help me so much?]

[Obviously, I have to. So you'll transfer my soul into a spirit tablet. Can't wander as a ghost for eternity.]

[I can't trust you.]

[Suit yourself...]

Zhuge Sa smirked, as if hiding something.

[If I were you, I'd have so much more fun. What a tiring life.]

[Wouldn't be anything proper anyway.]

[Kekeke...]

Mid-conversation with Zhuge Sa, we'd arrived at the Demon Cave.

Whoooosh—

A pitch-black void gaped in midair! Roughly three zhang across, it formed a circular portal. Around this rift in the plain swarmed all manner of monsters—grotesque things unfit for this world. Especially the tentacled one with dozens of eyes; just looking made my stomach turn.

Frowning, I said.

"You don't fight things like this every time, do you, White Lotus folk?"

"It's not frequent. Once every two or three years. A tough mission, but..."

"First, wipe out the monsters. Then we think."

"Please do."

I nodded and strode forward. Channeling my inner energy to its limit, I formed a massive sword aura. An absurd technique useless in human duels, but since the foes weren't human, they just watched me gather qi.

Ruuumble

As the energy surged, forming a blade of light far exceeding three zhang, I sensed some power left—about thirty to fifty percent reserve.

"This matches what I used at the Zhongnan Sect back then, but my reserves have grown far more."

Shaking off stray thoughts, I unleashed the qi—forged solely for destruction—forward in the Thunder God Sword Dance's Intent Severing Strike.

KABOOOM!!

BOOM CRASH

Like tens of thousands of catties of explosives detonating, the blast hurled the forward monsters into a whirlwind of lightning. I didn't halt the sword aura's momentum, sweeping horizontally several more times. Each swing visibly slaughtered dozens. After thirty frenzied arcs, the plain held only scorched traces of lightning and fire, and monster corpses.

"Huff... huff..."

I'd expended nearly all my energy, panting heavily. Before, one swing would exhaust me; this time, I'd wielded it almost like a proper technique.

The approaching White Lotus members stared in shock. Fire God Squad Leader Woo Young-pyo said in a trembling voice.

"Th-that inner energy... Impossible... Have you already obtained the Heavenly Spirit Pill...?"

I waved him off unsteadily.

"Not the time for that. Destroy the Demon Cave."

"Ah... Yes!!"

The White Lotus members approached the yawning Demon Cave. Forming a formation, they chanted some incantation, summoning a bizarre pattern in the air. Wary it might be sinister sorcery, I hesitated—but the pattern emanated a pure, pure energy unlike demonic qi. Distinct from the Hetero Races' malice, I watched with keen interest.

Sharing my vision, Zhuge Sa observed the ritual and commented.

[Five Hope Stars. Emblem of an ancient god...]

[What's that?]

[Memorize that pattern. It's one of the few means to resist the [Ancient Overlords].]

[What?!]

I stared intently at the pattern, committing its shape to memory as Zhuge Sa explained.

[This world has ancient beings—not [Ancient Overlords], but wielding similar power. Sorcerers call them ancient gods, and they're surprisingly favorable to humans and the righteous.]

[......!!]

Such entities existed!

As I etched the info in my mind, Zhuge Sa continued.

[That pattern symbolizes an ancient god's authority. The Five Hope Stars emblem repels unclean beings and the [Ancient Overlords'] kin. Limited, but ideal for the righteous to protect themselves.]

[Hmm, got it... Wait, no.]

I retorted in disbelief.

[Why are White Lotus Church members using that pattern?! Isn't it secret knowledge?]

[Beats me. Now it's your job to find out.]

[......]

Shhhrrrr

The Demon Cave's rift had vanished. The demonic energy blanketing the plain had greatly dissipated too. Even the hundreds of monsters I'd slain began melting, seeping into the earth. As I watched in wonder, Woo Young-pyo approached and saluted.

"Thank you for your help."

"I have a question."

"Please ask."

"The pattern used in that sealing ritual... Where did you learn it?"

The squad leader looked troubled before replying.

"I don't know well."

But almost simultaneously, his voice transmission reached me.

[The White Lotus Church Lord had all followers memorize it. It's used in every Hetero Race sealing ritual.]

I nodded.

"Understood."

He likely felt grateful but hesitated to divulge secrets due to his Fire God School position. So he'd denied it outwardly while subtly hinting.

Returning to Headquarters at Flame Spirit Furnace with the Fire God Squad, I realized.

'Suspicious.'

The White Lotus Church Lord knew forbidden arts intimately, with deep knowledge of Hetero Races and otherworldly demonic paths.

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