Reincarnated Swordmaster

Chapter Title: Heavenly Realm

After that, the Cult Leader didn't even show up to the Seven Great Ultimate Arts Research Society and entered a period of secluded meditation. During his seclusion, the Dharma Protectors focused on maintaining order in Luoyang and expanding the White Lotus Cult's influence.

And before he went into seclusion, I received a separate order from him.

[Baek Woong. I must consolidate my enlightenment. Before I emerge from seclusion, I need you to handle one more important task.]

The Cult Leader, who had called me aside, spoke with grave seriousness.

"What now..."

[You once mentioned that a figure named Vermilion Bird stole heavenly secrets from the Heavenly Emperor Altar.]

That had come up inevitably while explaining the circumstances that led to Vermilion Bird's elimination. I nodded.

"Yes, that's right."

"Vermilion Bird got caught eavesdropping, so the Heavenly Realm has probably sealed it off by now."

The Cult Leader shook his head.

[They wouldn't have even noticed if you hadn't reported it. I'm certain the Heavenly Realm will expose another vulnerability.]

I asked in disbelief.

"That's ridiculous. You can't be sure of something like that. Why..."

[The Heavenly Realm is arrogant.]

The Cult Leader spoke firmly, his words laced with boiling emotion.

[They've grown complacent in their role as humanity's overseers, leaving countless loopholes on earth. I realized it even more strongly while clashing with the Nanhua Old Immortal Line. My instincts never prove false. The Heavenly Realm won't expect to be struck by the same weakness twice.]

"..."

Was he really right?

[Baek Woong. Subjugate the Heavenly Emperor Altar on the Five Great Mountains as quickly as possible, and uncover the Heavenly Realm's secrets through it.]

"Even if you say that... it's no easy task."

I expressed my reluctance. What if things went wrong and the Heavenly Realm branded me an unforgivable criminal, hunting me to the ends of the earth? My situation was precarious enough already; I had no reason to take such a gamble. The Cult Leader chuckled softly.

[Don't you realize the water is already spilled? The Heavenly Realm will come at our White Lotus Cult with even greater force than the Nanhua Old Immortal Line. Realize this: unless we struggle with everything we've got, you won't survive either.]

"Hmm..."

[I'll grant you authority over the full might of the Water God Style. I expect great things.]

After the Cult Leader entered seclusion, I began consulting with Zhuge Sa. I'd never considered a strategy like this before, so I needed his wisdom.

"What do we do?"

Zhuge Sa replied bluntly.

[Just do it. Is this even worth agonizing over?]

I rubbed my chin and muttered.

"Subjugating the Five Great Mountains means clashing head-on with the Nine Sects One Clan. You think that's a decision to make lightly?"

Indeed. Setting aside the backlash from the Heavenly Realm, the Five Great Mountains consisted of Mount Tai, Mount Hua, Northern Heng Mountain, Southern Heng Mountain, and Mount Song. Excluding Mount Tai and Southern Heng Mountain, the other three peaks were all strongholds of the Nine Sects One Clan. Mount Hua Sect was one of the most renowned orthodox sects among them. Heng Mountain Sect was famous for its swift swordsmanship, and Mount Song housed the Shaolin Temple, guarded by its divine monks.

Zhuge Sa snickered.

[Bullshit...]

"What?"

[The Cult Leader gave you command of the Water God Style's full forces. So just order the three elders to each crush one of the Nine Sects One Clan without lifting a finger yourself. What's so hard about that?]

I shot back at the utterly nonchalant Zhuge Sa.

"Those elders won't show mercy to the Nine Sects One Clan! Blood will run like rivers—we can't do that."

The Water God Style elders were all inhuman in their own ways. Perhaps as a side effect of consuming the Heavenly Spirit Pills, they occasionally displayed ruthless indifference toward humanity. If it was the cult's command, they'd slaughter even infants without blinking. And considering the ironclad pride of these prestigious sects, the Nine Sects One Clan would suffer devastating losses.

Directing such a bloodbath went against a martial artist's conscience. Zhuge Sa responded as if I were an idiot.

[So what if a few old fogeys from the Nine Sects One Clan croak? How does the world benefit from them staying alive?]

"What?"

[Stop pretending to be righteous for once. Don't you know we're on the brink of an all-or-nothing battle with the Heavenly Realm? In your current state, barely scraping by, do you have the luxury to spare others? Uncovering the Heavenly Realm's intel is something we have to attempt, success or failure.]

"But they're innocent."

Zhuge Sa sneered.

[The Nine Sects One Clan's sins? They've got two. The sin of being weak. And the sin of holding their heads high despite that weakness!]

"You bastard..."

His next words made me freeze.

[Lee Gwang would've wiped them out without a second thought. While you're dithering, he'd have swept them all away, forced the Righteous Heaven Alliance Leader to his knees, and extracted a blood oath of eternal submission to the White Lotus Cult.]

"..."

[You're fixating on the wrong things. Do you even want to defeat the gods?]

I gritted my teeth.

"No! This is a completely different issue!"

[How so?]

I finally spilled the true feelings I'd harbored in my heart. Zhuge Sa had pierced straight to the core, provoking me into facing it head-on.

"This is a choice for my own sake, not others'. That's why I can't decide lightly!"

[...What are you talking about?]

Even Zhuge Sa seemed flustered. I pressed on.

"I've known since my past lives that human lives aren't that precious! The Heavenly Demon held me back, but I subconsciously chose to let him guide me—because I needed it."

[......]

"You're right—humans might be trash. I think so plenty of times. But if I just kill them off like toys or garbage every time, what happens to me? How do I know what to protect in this world?"

[Hmm...]

"If that's the case, I wouldn't need to keep reincarnating."

I clenched my fist tight.

"So no matter what you say, I have to hold onto my humanity as much as possible! Because I have to endure—keep going!"

If I just slaughtered obstacles without mercy or hesitation, things would be far easier. You could see it from the greater gains I'd made in this life with Zhuge Sa compared to my past one with the Heavenly Demon. But that didn't mean the Heavenly Demon's path was inferior. Walking the righteous path had its own value.

[......]

Zhuge Sa fell silent for a long time—longer than any pause during all our time together. After an eternity, he finally spoke.

[Why endure? All that endless pain and patience.]

"You said it yourself. To defeat the gods."

[You really believe that? That through reincarnations, you'll exterminate the evil gods and restore order to the world?]

I nodded.

"Of course!"

Zhuge Sa couldn't hide his bewilderment.

[How do you hold onto that conviction? You started as a nobody with nothing. You have no clear reason to fight the gods now—so what lets you charge ahead unwavering?]

"You've seen all my memories, haven't you?"

[Answer the question.]

What was with this guy?

I tilted my head but answered.

"I'm grateful for my life."

[...What?]

I replied confidently.

"It was full of regrets, but getting to live it again is a blessing. With the Heavenly Dark Secret Book, I can keep reincarnating forever—it's perfect. I still haven't found a reason to give up."

[......]

Zhuge Sa hesitated, stumbling over his words in sheer absurdity.

[You crawled up from the gutter like trash, and you're not miserable? You've died eighteen times already. The suffering you've endured surpasses what an ordinary person faces in a lifetime by dozens of times. Normal people never despair like you have.]

I countered, puzzled.

"Why would I be miserable? It doesn't end for me. Since it never ends, I'm not unhappy."

[Uh...]

"The gods will fall before I do."

Zhuge Sa panicked at my resolute answer.

[For real? You truly believe that?]

"What's with you today? Yeah, I do."

Suddenly, Zhuge Sa exploded in rage.

[You idiot! Do you even know what the [Ancient Rulers] are? The power of the rulers you've seen so far is just the tip of the iceberg! You think you can sincerely fight and win against those who treat the whole world like a toy?]

"What are you saying? Haven't you been helping me for exactly that reason..."

[Kekeke... Kekekeke...]

Zhuge Sa, who had been scoffing, burst into mad laughter.

[Kuhahahahaha...!!!]

It was genuine madness, not feigned—a writhing blend of his gloomy obsessions and vicious cruelty. I shuddered, sensing just how turbid the insanity in Zhuge Sa's soul truly was. Even the world's most notorious villains couldn't handle a fraction of it.

[I've never seen such a purely idiotic bastard. Truly...]

Muttering that, Zhuge Sa continued.

[Fine. Let's do it your way.]

"You understand?"

He replied in an mecedently grim tone.

[Shut up. I'll devise the strategy you want, so go ahead and try it.]

"...Alright."

Something felt off about him.

A strange unease crept in, but I couldn't fathom why Zhuge Sa had suddenly changed.

[As I said before, crushing the Nine Sects One Clan by force is no issue. Whether you spare them or not is up to you. The key is figuring out how to eavesdrop on the Heavenly Realm's secrets from the Heavenly Emperor Altar.]

"That's the problem..."

[Only two people know that: Zhuge Yulong and Zhuge Bu. But Zhuge Yulong's soul is sealed in the Heavenly Realm, and you already used Zhuge Bu's once, so the Heavenly God Scripture's ritual can't be used on him again right away.]

"Hmm."

The Heavenly God Scripture's ritual had this flaw: no matter how powerful the spirit, you could summon or extract info from it once, but you needed at least a year before reusing the same one. So I couldn't command Zhuge Bu's soul for the next year.

[But there's one more who should know.]

My ears perked up.

"Who?"

[Among humans, only one knows the Heavenly Emperor Altar best. Who do you think?]

I pondered but drew a blank. As I hesitated, Zhuge Sa said.

[The Heavenly Emperor Altars on the other four mountains have lost meaning, fallen into disrepair, or become haunts for fake Taoists and sorcerers. But one alone has been perfectly preserved and guarded all this time.]

It hit me.

"Mount Song! Divine Monk Myeongho the Great!"

[Finally caught on?]

Yes.

Divine Monk Myeongho the Great!

The strongest master in modern Shaolin Temple, possessing the highest internal energy among all martial artists except the Dharma Protectors! He'd once guided me to the Heavenly Emperor Altar and explained it when I was searching them out. He was also deeply connected to Lee Gwang and Jin So-cheong. He definitely knew how to use it.

"But what he knows is just how to offer sacrifices to the Heavenly Emperor Altar, right? Vermilion Bird stole secrets through it, so even if the Divine Monk knows..."

[You know one and miss two. Divine Monk Myeongho isn't some blind follower of the Heavenly Realm—he's a devotee of the Heavenly Demon Venerable. He revere the Heavenly Demon Venerable, who protects humans directly over the haughty Heavenly Realm, and grew strong under the Heavenly Rending Blessing he bestowed. You think a guy like that just blindly guarded the altar?]

"......!!"

[During your reincarnations, Shaolin endured countless upheavals with minimal damage—coincidence? Nine times out of ten, the Divine Monk used some method to eavesdrop on advance intel and dodge disasters.]

Was that it?!

As I reeled, Zhuge Sa urged.

[Move fast. Finish this before Miyamoto Musashi returns with the Twelve Laws Lords' reply!]

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