Reincarnated Swordmaster

Chapter Title: Heavenly Realm

Zhuge Yulong had most of his face covered by his bamboo hat, making his features indistinct. However, I clearly remembered his jawline, so I knew it was him. More than anything, the distinctive aura emanating even beyond my field of vision declared that he was the shadow behind the Imperial Palace, the priest of the Demon Subduing Hall—Vermilion Bird Zhuge Yulong.

Zhuge Yulong stared silently at Zhuge Bu for a moment before speaking.

"You have something to say, it seems."

"Please read this letter."

With a swish,

Zhuge Yulong took the red letter from Zhuge Bu. He began reading it slowly, and after about ten minutes, he spoke.

"You've been had."

"......"

"At least one restriction... no, two. You've been ensnared by someone's spell, forcing your will against your own. And yet you came to me, thinking I'd notice..."

"......"

"No need to answer. If it's the kind of restriction that triggers the moment betrayal is suspected, there's nothing to be done."

With that, Zhuge Yulong asked Zhuge Bu in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Child. As your father, I ask you this."

"Yes."

"Would you be willing to die first and then reincarnate through the power of demons?"

"......!!"

"That's the only way now."

Crunch.

I heard Zhuge Bu grinding his teeth. After a long hesitation, he spoke.

"What are the odds of successful reincarnation?"

"As you know, borrowing the power of the Crystal Stone Tablet makes it a perfect ten out of ten. But whether your personality remains afterward is uncertain, and you'll continuously be exposed to demonic influence, gradually turning into something other than human. Reincarnation without proper preparation always ends that way."

"Huhu... Father, you're remarkable. To ask me if I'll reincarnate even after that."

"I want to hear your resolve."

Zhuge Bu hesitated for a long while. Then he let out a sigh.

"...I'll trust you, Father."

Thud!

Zhuge Bu's vision shook violently, accompanied by a strange impact sound. Then his view slowly blackened as he collapsed, facing the ground. It was almost certainly Zhuge Bu striking his own Heavenly Spirit Point to end his life.

'Suicide?'

This was unexpected. Zhuge Bu had surely come to Vermilion Bird to save his own life, yet he chose suicide! As I watched in stunned confusion, Zhuge Sa gritted his teeth and spoke.

[Damn it. So that's how it plays out? If only the Divorce Great Law had reached the Great Accomplishment realm, I could've killed that bastard right here...]

Zhuge Sa, his words laced with thick killing intent, continued.

[Baek Woong. Chant the incantation as I instruct.]

[Got it.]

[Time it perfectly.]

Soon, I felt Zhuge Yulong lifting Zhuge Bu's corpse to collect it.

At that moment, I shouted.

"Transfer, Gu!"

Spurt!

Something dark red burst from Zhuge Bu's upper body and lunged at Zhuge Yulong. Surprisingly, the Yin-Yang Heaven Gu that Zhuge Sa had implanted in Zhuge Bu could attack others upon command! If the Yin-Yang Heaven Gu took root in Zhuge Yulong now, things would become incredibly easy moving forward.

But something fell off. There was no scream or groan from Zhuge Yulong—just an eerie silence. After a long pause, a cold voice rang out.

"So that's it... Yin-Yang Heaven Gu. And it ambushes me at this precise moment, as if watching the situation here. That means you're almost certainly monitoring with Heavenly Eye. But there's no presence of Heavenly Eye... so you're manipulating this child's vision."

Thud.

A chill ran down my spine. I saw the gu worm on the ground writhing, and moments later, Zhuge Yulong crushed the Yin-Yang Heaven Gu underfoot. At that instant, a massive pain surged through my heart.

"Urk!!"

It felt like my heart was being pierced dozens of times by a long needle, veins and all being squeezed! Covered in cold sweat, I had no choice but to endure. Groaning, I said to Zhuge Sa.

"Damn... you... what the hell..."

[The caster is linked to the Yin-Yang Heaven Gu, so when it dies, you feel hellish agony too.]

"You... bastard..."

[Don't worry, it won't kill you. It's lethal pain for an ordinary person, but you're resistant to pain, so you'll be fine.]

I wanted to kill Zhuge Sa, who replied so casually as if it weren't his problem. But he was already dead, existing as a soul, so I couldn't. As I writhed on the ground from the pain, Zhuge Yulong's voice came.

"The master of the Yin-Yang Heaven Gu is the traitor himself—Zhuge Sa. Did you strike first? Then I truly can't call it anything but a foolish choice."

Hearing that, Zhuge Sa sneered inwardly.

[Heh heh. You'll find out who's foolish soon enough, Yulong.]

"With the Yin-Yang Heaven Gu dead, you won't move for a while. I'll send you a gift soon enough."

Then my vision went completely black.

"Huff, huff..."

In the darkness, I rolled about from the pain, unable to regain my senses. Finally, after coughing up dry heaves from the stabbing pain in my lungs and soaking the ground with sweat, Zhuge Sa spoke.

[Release the sensory sharing of the Divorce Great Law. The pain will halve.]

Urk. Hurry..."

Gritting my teeth, I quickly severed the sensory link. The pain indeed lessened significantly. But it still felt like layered flu and migraines, so I couldn't relax my face. Irritated, I said,

[How long do I have to endure this crap?]

[Half a day?]

[You son of a...]

[It's a mild backlash considering the curse medium died. If you can't take it, use a pain-endurance technique and snap out of it. I have things to say.]

[Tch...]

Grumbling, I applied a medical secret art for enduring pain. Using the Longevity Brew from Hua Tuo's Golden Needle¡, I steadied my breathing briefly, lost consciousness, and when I awoke, the pain had completely faded.

As soon as I came to, Zhuge Sa said.

[Yin-Yang Heaven Gu can't be reverse-tracked. He knew that, so he crushed it immediately instead of sparing it. Your position and identity are still safe.]

[So what did I gain? Zhuge Bu's dead, which is good, but.]

[Yes, dead. But Zhuge Bu will revive soon.]

[What?]

[Zhuge Yulong mentioned reincarnation arts. He'll likely implant a demonic seed in a corpse to boost vitality and resurrect Zhuge Bu. From their talk, it seems reliable.]

[......!!]

I was shocked.

If that's true, doesn't that mean Zhuge Yulong can perfectly revive the dead? Even if it requires the Crystal Stone Tablet's power, it's terrifying. After careful thought, I replied.

[If he transfers to a fresh corpse for revival, both the Divorce Great Law and Yin-Yang Heaven Gu restrictions will lift.]

[Probably.]

[Why so calm? Our trump card failed.]

[That was your trump card? No way. This was just a simple probe.]

Zhuge Sa continued nonchalantly.

[Anyway, no point wasting more time on the Imperial Palace side. Time to execute that plan you thought of before.]

[It's okay to do it?]

[It's to my taste, so no objections.]

[Good.]

I grinned. Dusting myself off, I mounted the Four Buddha Statue and moved.

Flash!

The place I appeared was right in front of the altar. Feeling familiarity with the altar I hadn't seen in a while, I examined the inscription on the stele before it. Strange characters were carved into the stele.

Zhuge Sa said.

[Hard to read. A fringe dialect among strange tongues...]

"Huh...?"

I tilted my head. Strangely, unlike before, the stele's characters weren't coming in fragments. Like revisiting my native tongue after years, I could read them clumsily but fairly fluently.

"Before this lies the guardian's altar. It governs the trials of those who obtain the Seven Luminaries... Sprinkle blood on the altar... and offer to the chamber of sacrifice. The guardian... from the moon... bound to ancient seals. Touched by filth from the underworld... cleansed by water... birthing fifteen hundred souls. Born from the song of sun and storm, the moon. Thus, a great... vow's... bond is forged. Sworn by the great blood covenant."

[What?!]

Zhuge Sa was startled. He seemed genuinely shocked that I read the stele. Pleased at surprising him, I smirked.

"Couldn't read it all, but about eighty percent."

[......]

Zhuge Sa fell silent for a while. Then he said.

[The birthing of fifteen hundred... confirms the ruin's guardian is Izanagi no Mikoto.]

"You know something?"

[The Chronicles of Ancient Matters is like the Chronicle of Sealed Gods—a fable veiling ancient grim myths. Worth a read. Even so, a lower [Elder God] sealed here as a mere guardian...]

Muttering, Zhuge Sa said.

[Baek Woong. Can you show the Heavenly Dark Secret Book again?]

"Sure."

Rustle.

I pulled out the Heavenly Dark Secret Book and opened it. After sharing my vision to read it for a bit, Zhuge Sa said frustratingly.

[Fuck... no clue. What is this? Is... Shambhala... Cambion... No match in any two-legged tongue I know. Not constellation language. Even fringe tongues have rules... this has none.]

"Can't read it? Heh."

Mocking him, Zhuge Sa snapped back.

[Can you read the Heavenly Dark Secret Book then?]

"...Well, no."

True. I'd pulled it out, but it remained unreadable. Oddly, I could read the Seven Luminaries altar stele, but not the Heavenly Dark Secret Book's script. Pondering, I said.

"Should we ask the Prophet?"

[Crazy? The Prophet knows space-time escape spells. If he flees like a shaman, then what.]

"Uh... any other knowledgeable guy?"

[Easiest is giving it to the jungle's master, the Rebellious [Elder God]. But I don't recommend it.]

"Why?"

[If even an [Elder God] can't decipher the strange tongue, you risk his wrath and death—insult to his authority. Worse if he can and values it.]

Zhuge Sa muttered with sinister glee.

[What if he steals your reincarnation power?]

"......"

[Anyway, the Heavenly Dark Secret Book is one weird grimoire... or is it even a grimoire?]

Hearing that, I asked.

"Zhuge Sa. You said grimoires are likely authored by [Elder Gods]?"

[Yes.]

"Then which [Elder God] made the Heavenly Dark Secret Book?"

[......]

Zhuge Sa didn't answer for a while. As I stretched boredly, he finally spoke.

[You'll know when you've lost everything and reached ruin.]

"What the hell... bullshit."

[Not bullshit. [Elder Gods] make grimoires not for other reasons. Bored over eons, they bestow knowledge and power to mortals for their suffering and doom. When mortals succumb to the power and madness, the [Elder Gods] rejoice.]

"... Ha..."

[The one who made the Heavenly Dark Secret Book might await your ruin somewhere.]

A shiver down my spine. But I grinned instead.

"Don't scare me."

Step.

I walked to the altar and sliced my forearm with my blade. As blood dripped onto the altar, the entire underground ruin trembled violently.

Ooooo—

Boom rumble rumble boom!!

Darkness surged from below. The endless, vast darkness suddenly spewed hundreds, thousands of spirits. I sensed their immense hostility as they flew about.

[Now. Use the Divorce Great Law essence to absorb those spirits into the bracelet!]

"Got it."

Swoosh swoosh swoosh.

Moments later, resonating my soul with the Divorce Great Law essence, the spirits couldn't even attack—sucked into the bracelet like a vortex. The magic-enhancing bracelet also stored spirits, filling rapidly. These spirits from the darkness were vengeful ghosts of humans unjustly killed at the altar's creation—powerless, easily absorbed by the Divorce Great Law.

Whirr.

The bracelet's gem began glowing instantly. Zhuge Sa chuckled darkly.

[At least five thousand. Sweet spot.]

"Urgh... but can't stay longer..."

I grimaced.

Boom rumble rumble boom!!

The darkness twisted in the air like clouds, forming a massive shape. Without watching fully, I dashed inside with body technique.

Flash.

"Get lost!"

A giant spider crept out, but I smashed it into the wall with an inner force kick. Grabbing the target, I summoned the Four Buddha Statue without looking back. Then shouted.

"To the White Lotus Cult!"

The Four Buddha Statue replied reluctantly.

[You... the Heavenly Realm won't stay quiet.]

"So you wanna stay and get eaten by that guardian?"

[...No choice.]

Flash.

Next moment, I felt we'd returned to the White Lotus Cult's Thunder God Tower. Wiping forehead sweat, I sighed.

"Done."

In one hand, an ancient sword gleaming brilliantly. In the other, a mirror and jade. These secret treasures held incomparable value.

I'd successfully snagged and bolted with the Moon Luminary of the Seven Luminaries, seal broken.

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