Reincarnated Swordmaster

Chapter Title: Heavenly Realm

Upon returning to the White Lotus Church headquarters, one of the elders from the Council of Elders was waiting for me in place of the Cult Leader. He appeared as a young boy; his outward age not much different from my current body. He smiled faintly and spoke.

"I am Il-ro. I have come to relay the Cult Leader's command to the Dharma Protector Lion."

Seeing the connection to the Three Elders' names, I figured they were probably sworn brothers. This elder, who had returned to youth through cultivation, continued.

"First, before delivering the command, I would like to hear about the subjugation mission."

"Certainly."

I recounted to Il-ro everything that had happened during the Yi tribe subjugation. He pondered deeply before speaking.

"It's fortunate that the mission was a success."

"I was lucky."

"......"

"And since the mission was successfully completed, a silver reward will be provided to your quarters. You have done well."

Again?

Autonomous training again?

I stood there dumbfounded, utterly speechless. I couldn't care less about the silver reward; it meant nothing to me. But what on earth was this command?

"Wh... Why would the Cult Leader issue such an order?"

"He is in closed-door training."

"Closed-door training?"

Il-ro nodded.

"Our Council of Elders has a duty to protect the Cult Leader, so I cannot say more. However, since you are his disciple, I am giving you a heads-up. Please keep this confidential."

"Understood."

I withdrew and returned to my quarters. There, dozens of servants arrived with several carriages and began piling goods in one corner of my lodging. Upon closer inspection, the items included luxurious furnishings, as well as heaps of gold, silver, jewels, and precious treasures. It took about an hour for all the opulent wealth—enough to rival a tycoon's fortune—to be stacked up.

I stared at the treasures, my mind blank. I just felt bewildered.

"What the hell is this nonsense?"

The reason the Cult Leader had granted me rewards while ordering autonomous training was simple. I still hadn't fully assimilated Jang Sam-bong's Seven Great Arts, so he had entered closed-door training himself. Considering that Jang Sam-bong's Seven Great Arts were peerless supreme techniques on the level of the world's best, it wasn't strange.

But Jin So-cheong had assimilated them decently in just a month and recreated the Three Treasures Swordplay, while the Sword Demon would reach the application stage—where the arts trained themselves—within about a month. Yet the Cult Leader, despite me reciting the incantations word-for-word and repeating explanations multiple times over two or three months, was still struggling to absorb them.

As I inwardly felt disappointed, Zhuge Sa spoke.

[Think of it simply. The White Lotus Cult Leader's talent simply doesn't match Jin So-cheong's. It might even fall short of the Sword Demon's.]

[That's exactly what doesn't make sense! He's the undisputed best in the world. How could he reach that level without the highest talent?]

[Don't blame me. That's just how it is. And keep in mind that Jin So-cheong and the Sword Demon possess the absolute pinnacle of talent across the entire Central Plains.]

[......]

[I'd approach it from a different angle.]

[Different angle?]

Zhuge Sa chuckled and said.

[Anyway, this works out well. Use autonomous training as an excuse to leave the church. With the Cult Leader in closed-door training, surveillance will be lax—perfect time to slip away and roam.]

[Good plan.]

That day, I rested comfortably to recover from my fatigue. Then, at dawn the next day, I summoned the Four Divine Beasts Statue and swiftly departed the church. The first place I headed to on the Four Divine Beasts Statue was Jinrang Valley, thinking Mang-ryang could advise me on my situation.

However, upon arriving at Jinrang Valley and climbing to Mang-ryang's hut, there was no sign of life, and all his belongings had been cleared out. I asked the locals just in case, but they only said Mang-ryang had suddenly vanished one day.

'Mang-ryang is gone?'

As I stood there flustered, Zhuge Sa said.

[Hyun-i received the Three Emperors' Inner Gate and the blessing of the Nine Palaces Star Chart—perfect timing to cultivate. Even I, as Hyun, would hide first to build strength rather than rashly seek you out.]

[Hide? Why?]

[The Cult Leader recently became the Long Ridge Valley Lord and absorbed martial forces everywhere. Jinrang Valley would naturally be a target, so he sensed something amiss and went into hiding.]

[Ah... makes sense.]

Mang-ryang would have pieced together from the rumors that the Long Ridge Valley Lord was actually the White Lotus Cult Leader or some peerless supreme expert. He'd noticed something off around me and decided to lie low. If Mang-ryang was determined to hide, tracking him down now would be extremely difficult.

"Not impossible, but the White Lotus Church's eyes are everywhere. Digging deeper would raise suspicions..."

Joining Mang-ryang immediately seemed unfeasible. I had no choice but to trust he'd handle himself. After racking my brain, I said.

"Zhuge Sa. Do I really have to go to Xinjiang?"

[Of course. If you don't, you're dead. Or worse.]

"Tch... Guess I have no choice but to go now."

Flash!

I rode the Four Divine Beasts Statue to the mountainous wilds of Gansu near Xinjiang. Stroking its mane, I asked.

"I have a favor. Could you take me all the way to Xinjiang?"

So far, I'd only used its teleportation ability, never asking it to run directly. As a spirit beast, it had a proud temperament, and I feared offending it. To my subtle request, the Four Divine Beasts Statue replied.

[Of course.]

"You're... really doing it?"

[With the Nine Palaces Star Chart's blessing connecting our fates, it's only natural! State your exact destination.]

"Then, to Zhangbei on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in Tuban. Do you know it?"

[Of course!]

Whoosh—

Soon, the Four Divine Beasts Statue's body was enveloped in rainbow light, and mine as well. Brilliant colors filled my vision, then its body turned to light and leaped into a tunnel. The passage twisted space itself, showing bizarre illusions.

After running for about a quarter-hour, the light faded, and the Four Divine Beasts Statue landed lightly on a plateau with me aboard.

[We've arrived.]

Wheee—

The location resembled a vast plain with towering mountains in view, but the high altitude made the air thin. The desolate plateau exuded an utterly exotic aura, with herds of sheep visible in the distance.

Amazed, I asked the Four Divine Beasts Statue.

"Did you know this place already? How did you get here right after I said it...?"

[The gaze of the Heavenly Realm spans the entire world, so I simply pinpointed the location from that information. Any spirit beast possesses this ability!]

"Hoo..."

If so, did that mean it could go anywhere—just name it—without being limited to the Central Plains?

It was a clear advantage over Bi-deung, which could only revisit known places.

[Then I'll head back.]

The Four Divine Beasts Statue vanished as soon as it finished speaking. I stood motionless for a long while, gazing at the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau's scenery.

Strictly speaking, Tuban wasn't part of the Central Plains; it was a frontier region called the barbarian lands. Though a kingdom supposedly built by the Tuban people existed, I knew nothing of it. Despite roaming everywhere from Mongolia to the ends of the earth, this was my first time venturing this far west.

Breathing in the scent of earth and wind, I asked Zhuge Sa.

"How do I proceed from here?"

[Originally, you'd summon an Earth Ghost to take you to the agreed spot.]

"What's an Earth Ghost?"

[They're Yi folk—think of them as giant squids living underground.]

Zhuge Sa continued.

[Since you lack the ability to command the myriad demons, you'll have to use the Heavenly God Scripture's ritual to summon a Fire Worship Cultist's soul.]

"You sound certain... To be summonable by the Heavenly God Scripture's ritual, they must have been exceptional heroes in life."

[I haven't explained that. The place you're heading is the holy site where successive Fire Worship Cult Leaders are buried after death. The soul of a cult leader will be your destination.]

Holy site!

I flinched at the word, and Zhuge Sa went on.

[The terrain suggests it's not far—generously, a day should do it.]

"So... successive Fire Worship Cult Leaders came here to die?"

[Something like that.]

Zhuge Sa replied nonchalantly and urged me on.

[No need for chit-chat. Hurry to the holy site. Better to wrap this up quickly.]

"Got it."

Grumbling, I drew out the Heavenly God Scripture's ritual from my acupoints.

Wooong—

Perhaps from frequent use, my proficiency had increased; the detection range felt wider. Originally limited to twenty li, it now reached thirty li. After focusing intently and scanning soul colors, I spotted an unusually large one and summoned it this way.

The soul spoke upon finding me.

[I am Karan Lama. What do you seek me for?]

"Lama? What's that?"

[It means monk.]

He seemed a high monk who had reached the pinnacle of Western Esoteric Buddhism. He must have wielded considerable dharma power in life. Nodding, I said to Karan Lama.

"I've come to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau seeking the Fire Worship Cult's holy site. Do you know of such a place?"

[Hmm... The place you speak of sounds like the ruins of Zurvan. I know it.]

"Zurvan?"

[The first deity and creator who birthed Ahura Mazda, the good god worshipped by the Fire Worship Cult, and Angra Mainyu, the evil god—they call him Zurvan. I know the cultists built ruins here to worship him.]

"Possess me and guide the way."

[Very well...]

Whoosh!

Karan Lama's soul entered my body. Through the Heavenly God Scripture's possession ritual, he assessed my condition and exclaimed in admiration.

"Ahh! Such tremendous power..."

He then employed an unfamiliar lightness skill from his life, using my internal energy to dash forward. The speed was impressive, revealing he'd known martial arts in life. After racing across the plateau for about half an hour, Karan Lama entered a narrow gorge.

Gazing at sheer mountain ridges, he said to me.

"The white temple on that mountainside is the Zurvan ruins. Now, I'll return your body."

Wait, why?

If you're going that far, see it through?

Expressing my doubt, Karan Lama replied bitterly.

"I wish I could, but it's a site of another faith. I cannot trespass."

The possession ended, and Karan Lama departed. I felt inwardly absurd.

'Once dead, that's it—yet still bound by religious precepts?'

Even if Karan Lama acted freely now, who would stop him? As I pitied him, Zhuge Sa said.

[It's not entirely that. In this world, religion is acquired salvation...]

"Sometimes I have no idea what you're talking about."

[You'll meet him soon. Stay alert.]

I activated the Soul Annihilation Step and headed for the temple. Though perched midway up sheer cliffs, no terrain could hinder my current lightness skill. Entering the temple interior, I found a space far vaster than it appeared from outside. To illuminate the darkness, I cast a flame spell.

Fwoosh.

Deeper inside stood a statue of a god with a human face and eagle wings, beside an altar. But I frowned, sensing a familiar aura in the surroundings.

'It resembles it.'

The space was decorated similarly to the Water Dragon ruins. Even a peculiar altar, seemingly for human sacrifice, stood in one corner.

That was when it happened.

"Is Zhuge Sa dead?"

A dry voice echoed. I'd sensed no presence at all, so I startled, drew my sword, and went on guard. From behind the altar emerged a figure, and I let out a groan.

"Byeok Ji-sang..."

As Zhuge Sa had said, Dao King Byeok Ji-sang awaited me in this temple. She seemed as if she'd been there from the start, but that was impossible. She'd perfectly evaded the senses of a transcendent expert like me—how had she known my arrival time to prepare?

It felt eerie, as if she manifested the instant someone entered the temple. Byeok Ji-sang stared piercingly at me for a while before speaking.

"You're sharing a soul via the Soul Division Great Law. That means no soul theft or absorption occurred... A peculiar phenomenon."

I swallowed hard and said.

"That's right. He said I had to come find you, so I've traveled all this way."

"......"

Byeok Ji-sang fell silent, saying nothing. The silence felt somehow terrifying.

"Say something, Byeok Ji-sang."

"What should I say?"

Unable to bear the frustration, I finally shouted.

"Are you truly the founding leader of the Fire Worship Cult, the one who contracted with the [Ancient Ruler] and became a Demon King?"

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