Reincarnated Swordmaster

Translator: Aee

Chapter Title: Dark Heaven Village

Mang Ryang's mother?

I looked at Mang Ryang's face in surprise. Come to think of it, he had hardly ever talked about his parents. To think his mother had been killed by the Heavenly Realm! Mang Ryang also seemed to be hearing this for the first time, his expression slightly flustered as he spoke to Je Gal Bu.

“What... My mother passed away from illness.”

“That's right. It's known that she died of illness when you were young. But that was just a lie to spare you, the youngest of our family. The truth is different.”

Mang Ryang responded to Je Gal Bu's words as if it were nonsense.

“I can't believe it.”

“Why would I lie in this state? Especially to you, my own flesh and blood now?”

“The Je Gal family already knew the facts and simply confirmed them with his Divorce Great Law. You can ask him yourself. Ah! It seems he hasn't heard because he's busy with something.”

It was certainly a situation where asking Je Gal Sa would reveal the truth through the Divorce Great Law, so there was no way the intelligent Je Gal Bu would lie about something like that. He must fully understand that we could separate his bones and flesh at any moment.

Mang Ryang clenched his fists tightly and said,

“... Let's say that's true. Even if it happened when I was a child, what do you mean the Heavenly Realm directly murdered my mother?”

“It's exactly as I said. A Divine General from the Heavenly Realm descended and executed your mother for violating the Heavenly Mandate. The reason was that your father had foreseen the future of this world and performed a ritual to change it.”

“......!!”

What was this about?

I blinked, not fully understanding Je Gal Bu's words.

‘Did he use the White Ox Thread? But that...’

He could have used the White Ox Thread in the way I had, peering into the future hundreds of years ahead. However, using the White Ox Thread changes the future the moment it's observed, making it almost meaningless. And if Je Gal Yu Ryong had performed a ritual to see and alter the future with the White Ox Thread, as the Sinner, he himself should have been killed by the Heavenly Realm. Why was the wife the one who died?

But Mang Ryang seemed to grasp the context immediately. With a devastated expression, he said,

“My mother... took on Father's karma?”

“That's right. As you know, your mother was also a possessor of strong spiritual abilities, one of the foremost shamans of that era. So she volunteered to change the fate of your father being killed by the Heavenly Realm and die in his place.”

“......”

With the explanation, I understood as well. In other words, his shaman wife had taken on the sin Je Gal Yu Ryong committed and died in his stead. Uncharacteristically emotional, Je Gal Bu said,

“Your father had to watch your mother being killed by the Divine General with his own eyes.”

Mang Ryang knelt in silence. His fists trembled wordlessly before he spoke.

“I can't believe it.”

“Whether you believe it or not doesn't matter. You been fed the Ghost Retinat, so I'm just telling you in return.”

“Even so, if a Divine General from the Heavenly Realm rampaged in the mortal world, the monsters guarding the imperial palace wouldn't have stayed silent.”

Je Gal Bu chuckled.

“What happened after they repelled the Divine General? The Heavenly Realm would try to enforce casualty and execute the rebel by any means, so an even stronger being—a Heavenly General on the level of the Thirty-Six Heavenly Generals or Seventy-Two Earth Killers—would come down. Not a Great Law Immortal or Fighting Immortal would arrive. Humans can't defeat such beings. You know there's no choice in that.”

Mang Ryang wouldn't be swayed so easily. He was clearly shocked and despairing at the unexpected truth, his mind unsettled.

“Arguing with me won't change the past. Your father lost your mother as the price for his mistake.”

Mang Ryang stared at the floor with empty eyes. He seemed to lack the energy for more questions. I'd rarely seen him this desponded, so I felt something was seriously wrong.

“Mang Ryang. Pull yourself together.”

I hurriedly embraced him, helping him stand, and said to Je Gal Bu,

“I'm not that curious about your family history. What I want to know is what method Je Gal Yu Ryong used to try changing the future.”

“Heh heh. Why not ask Je Gal Sa? He knows everything I do anyway.”

I growled, emanating killing intent.

“Shut up. Answer the question. So what ritual did Je Gal Yu Ryong perform?”

I couldn't bother Je Gal Sa every time, and he might suddenly die in an accident before finishing the demonic book's ritual. The right attitude was to extract everything possible. Je Gal Bu replied,

“I don't know that either.”

“You're kidding?”

*Shing!*

I instantly drew my sword and pressed the bluish blade to his throat. But Je Gal Bu didn't flinch or fluster.

“It's true. Your father didn't tell me, his son, what ritual he was planning. Ask Je Gal Sa. I only heard it was a ritual only he could perform in the world.”

I bellowed,

“Isn't your father Je Gal Yu Ryong insane? Did he really think one ritual could change the world's future?!”

Even as I shouted, I secretly thought it would be great if such a ritual existed. If one ritual could change this world's despairing future, I wouldn't need to suffer through dozens of reincarnations. That's why I yelled at Je Gal Bu, feeling the idea's absurdity.

Je Gal Bu chuckled darkly.

“I wouldn't know... Hmph!”

*Thud!*

I gripped his arm so tightly that blood burst out. The spot bruised purple.

*Clang!*

“Aargh...!”

As Je Gal Bu's iron chains rattled from the pain, I forcefully injected my internal energy into his meridians and glared into his face up close.

“Listen well. I'm from the Thunder God Style, and I know secret torture techniques like the Eight Trigrams Staff and Six Harmonies Needle Strike. These require so much internal energy that even most Thunder God Style experts can't use beyond the third stage, but I have overflowing energy, so I can go up to at least the fifth.”

“......”

“And I've never seen anyone endure the Eight Trigrams Staff's third stage. How far can you last?”

This was true. Thanks to these excellent torture methods, I never needed to learn Bone Marrow Separation Technique; I could usually extract info through torture. The Thunder God Style's method was great inside and out, having all kinds of superb effectiveness. Seeing my sincerity in my eyes, Je Gal Bu desperately shouted,

“Wait! Wait! It's true I don't know the ritual, but I do know a clue!”

“Speak.”

“Jin Cheon Hwi! General Jin Cheon Hwi knew!”

What?

I was startled by the sudden name. Why was that name coming up here? My expression changed as I said to Je Gal Bu,

“Jin Cheon Hwi...”

“The previous generation's prodigy of the General's Mansion! A genius strategist rivaling Hwang Yoon! He was also Father's close friend, so Father confided the ritual to him.”

He was also Jin So-cheong's father and of imperial blood. I added a few words inwardly to Je Gal Bu's explanation.

“... But he's dead.”

I replied absurdly.

Yes, that was the problem. Even if Jin Cheon Hwi knew what ritual Je Gal Yu Ryong attempted in the past, that man had already been executed by the previous emperor.

As I tried to ask more, Mang Ryang, staggering beside me, grabbed my shoulder.

“That's enough, Baek Woong.”

“Mang Ryang, you okay?”

Mang Ryang nodded and said to Je Gal Bu,

“... Brother. Aren't you curious why Uncle Je Gal Sa has kept you alive all this time?”

“......”

“It's not to sacrifice you, offer you as a human tribute, or torture you cruelly. It's because the Baek Woong in front of you ordered it. Without him, you'd have long been a demon's meal or turned into a sword spirit.”

That was true. I was the one who stopped Je Gal Sa from kicking his head in and somehow kept him derived from Evil Realm power, or to implant his soul's info with the Heavenly Nerve Scripture's spell, thinking he might be useful.

Je Gal Bu looked at me in disbelief.

“You... what are you exactly? Who are you to command that madman Je Gal Sa at will and possess such immense martial arts at your young age...”

“Brother, reform your heart.”

Mang Ryang sighed.

“Acting with your innate talent and cleverness to look down on others and use them only for your gain will lead to your self-destruction. There's always someone better. And to create even a slightly better future, we must cooperate.”

Mang Ryang's words were advice as kin. As a reincarnator, he must feel daggers seeing me endlessly retaliate against him. Je Gal Bu growled unpleasantly,

“Damn it! You dare lecture me in this state? You dropped kicked out of the Astronomy Bureau for lacking spell talent!”

This bastard?

I raised my hand to kill him on the spot, but Mang Ryang stopped me. He gave a wry smile.

“He'll realize in his next life. Let's go.”

I said coldly,

“Got it. But just one hit...”

*Thwack*

“Kuhak!”

I lightly struck Je Gal Bu's solar plexus and left. I used pure physical strength with almost no internal energy, so his organs wouldn't rupture, but I was quite strong, so it would hurt plenty. More concerned about Mang Ryang than Je Gal Bu, I said,

“Is Je Gal Sa okay? Is he not going to give black obsidian to a guy like that and make him a comrade, are you?”

He'd deliberately mentioned “next life” as a hit to me. He couldn't not know. Mang Ryang glanced back and said,

“It might happen later.”

“That's ridiculous. I'd rather kill him than give black obsidian to that scum.”

No matter how I thought about it, it was impossible. Je Gal Bu had brilliant innate intellect and talent but no empathy for others, viewing everyone else as tools for his use. We couldn't ally with someone who could commit evil without hesitation. Mang Ryang muttered,

“... Maybe because it might not be enough otherwise.”

“What's that?”

“Nothing...”

I knew Mang Ryang was hiding something but didn't press. It was better to wait until he spoke rather than pry harshly. And so, Mang Ryang and I stayed in the Dragon Spirit Valley and began training.

Had about three more days passed like that?

Wooooong—

While reading books in the study with Mang Ryang, a sudden intense dark energy surged, making us react and rush out. We saw the door to the abandoned room where Je Gal Sa was staying open and him standing there.

Je Gal Sa looked different from before. His madness-tinged eyes were calmer, and his left hand had turned pitch-black like the Kunlun Slave's. An ominous purple spiritual energy crept from his entire body, showing he had changed.

Mang Ryang, seeing the nameless sacrificial text in Je Gal Sa's left hand, said,

“Uncle. You've mastered the Nameless Sacrificial Text's spells.”

“Ah. It was quite laborious, Hyeon-ah.”

“Stronger now?”

“I'll show you soon.”

Je Gal Sa shrugged and said,

“It seems something happened. Tell me what.”

I handed Je Gal Sa the black obsidian with my memories infused. Watching the events since we last parted, Je Gal Sa frowned slightly. He tossed the black obsidian back to me and said,

“You ignored all of Hyeon's plans, you rascal. Damn it.”

“Ugh.”

I quickly caught the black obsidian. Je Gal Sa grumbled,

“I told you to hide your power for the opportunity. Yet you went around flaunting strength surpassing a Great Law Immortal like a neighborhood show-off, you bastard.”

Remembering Mang Ryang had told me to hide my power, I shut my mouth. Handing my body over to Baek Woong and revealing my strength to the Incarnation Style seemed for two good in Je Gal Sa's view, I said by way of excuse,

“That was the only way at the time.”

“Ridiculous. Do you even know the result? Your chance of sudden death within five years has doubled. Hyeon is too soft-hearted to say anything, so you think you did well?”

“......”

Grumbling, Je Gal Sa crossed his arms.

“Well, it's not the absolute worst. We have more things worth trying now.”

Mang Ryang beside him said,

“I was at a training plateau too, so it'll help. Uncle.”

“No real need, but... you should ascend the Ranking Gate as soon as possible. That's how we'll learn Heavenly Realm info.”

“I can do it after raising my level a bit more.”

While Je Gal Sa and Mang Ryang talked, a sudden thought made me interject.

“Je Gal Sa. I have a question.”

“What?”

“What was that spell Je Gal Yu Ryong tried? Changing the world's future...”

“Ah, that.”

Je Gal Sa said firmly,

“I don't know!”

“......”

“Your brother had it so tightly I had no choice. I wasn't interested in his affairs then anyway. That was my wild youth.”

Mang Ryang chided from the side.

“I heard you were just lost in madness, picking the craziest arts. Indiscriminate killing of high officials, condoning cannibalism...”

“Did that happen? Anyway.”

Even Je Gal Sa didn't know?

As I pondered, Je Gal Sa said,

“I'm curious too, so find out somehow. There are plenty of ways.”

“Got it.”

“Anyway, that's not important now. I'm about to make a very important declaration.”

“Declaration?”

Je Gal Sa grinned, stretching out on a chair.

“Very important. Not directly related to this, but...”

“Don't tease. Tell me, I'm ready for anything.”

At my urging, Je Gal Sa organized his thoughts and began a long tale.

“Heb heh... During this time, I deciphered the front volume of the Nameless Sacrificial Text and accessed the demonic book's spirit for the back volume's ritual. This ritual connects to the Nameless Sacrificial Text's true secrets and registers me as its user. In other words, I now hold 40% of all spells in the Nameless Sacrificial Text.”

Boasting, Je Gal Sa continued,

“Thanks to that, I could access mysteries unreadable from the surface.”

I asked Je Gal Sa,

“What's a mystery?”

“Prehistory... perhaps? The This Race themselves sealed away truths from the ultra-ancient era too fearful and horrific to speak of, calling them mysteries. Zhonghua civilization's history is about five thousand years, but discussing a thousand times that makes it a divine secret. It's that kind of ultra-ancient history.”

“Five thousand years a thousand times?... What are you joking?”

I rebuked Je Gal Sa in absurdity. But Je Gal Sa's face was serious this time, not joking.

“No joke. This world's history is older than you think. Maybe ten thousand times, not a thousand.”

“......”

An unimaginable eon for a human like me. Did the demonic book hold such profound history?

“The This Race and [Ancient Rulers] were beings who mastered powerful sorcery and civilization from that distant era. That's why humans are like insects before them.”

Mang Ryang, listening silently beside us, said,

“Uncle, long preamble. So what truth did you learn from that ultra-ancient mystery?”

“It's this...”

*Pzzzt!*

*Krahk!*

At that moment, Je Gal Sa's eyes turned pitch-black. Chaotic energy welled from his body, and black breath exhaled visibly. Clearly an abnormality, I approached in panic, but Je Gal Sa waved me off, breathing raggedly.

“Kuh... Hoo... Just mentioning it nearly breaks my mind. Darkness calls from beyond... Heh heh heh... Heh heh heh...”

Madness seeped into his hideous mutterings. Je Gal Sa stared blankly at empty space as if something invisible was there. Anyone could see he was possessed by darkness.

Mang Ryang said with a grim face,

“It's true that even attempting to mention the world's secrets destroys a demonic sorcerer's mind. Then, just accessing the Nameless Sacrificial Text's mysteries has already shortened your life, hasn't it, Uncle?”

“Right.”

“Baek Woong must find the Immortal Fern within ten years. Isn't this too reckless? If you die before...”

Mang Ryang's tone was reproachful, but out of concern for Je Gal Sa's life. Je Gal Sa smirked and said,

“You have Hyeon, don't you? You can devise a plan to find the Immortal Fern. Even if I die, preparations are made—I'm just pursuing maximum efficiency.”

“That's absurd...”

Mang Ryang and I were both stunned by Je Gal Sa's recklessness. Objectively, it made sense, but sacrificing his life to extract demonic book info wasn't normal!

Je Gal Sa said indifferently,

“Was my vow to expend life without mercy for swift victory just words? With Baek Woong's reincarnation ability, our lives as comrades are more consumable resources. Even if we die, if Baek Woong advances one step, it's a gain.”

“......!!”

“I had to decipher the Nameless Sacrificial Text. The supreme demonic book contains unfiltered truths about the [Ancient Rulers]. We must know our enemy to defeat them.”

Je Gal Sa glared at us.

“Instead of dying here, Baek Woong keeps reincarnating for hundreds or thousands of cycles... the difficulty will skyrocket. We must end it before then.”

“Understood.”

Mang Ryang nodded heavily.

*Pzzt, pzzzt*

*Pzzzt...*

For a while, black lightning-like dark spiritual energy swirled around Je Gal Sa's body. Calming it with purple hues, Je Gal Sa finally spoke after a long time.

“... Five hundred years from now, when the baleful god rises from the lake at world's end—it's not rising just to destroy humanity.”

“What do you mean?”

Je Gal Sa sweated profusely, nosebleeding. Speaking seemed agonizing.

“The Nameless Sacrificial Text partially records the demonic book [Gospel]. It's penned by one of the [Ancient Rulers], the 'Wanderer of Time', 'Fetus of the Eon'—a being handling the divinity of time, death, and annihilation. As a high-tier [Ancient Ruler]'s direct writing, it's certain... A being transcending space-time who glimpsed the future states the baleful god doesn't rise to destroy humans.”

“......”

“Humans were never in the [Ancient Rulers'] sights from the start. The aftermath alone dooms us.”

I didn't understand. Neither did Mang Ryang, it seemed. It was advanced demonic knowledge, normal for us not to grasp. Je Gal Sa gave a wry smile and said,

“The baleful god waits for the moment the constellation's power peaks over hundreds of millions of years, then awakens an [Ancient Ruler] in an instant. And the most crucial part...”

Je Gal Sa took a deep breath and said,

“‘At that time, the constellation intersects to form the Seven Luminaries, with planets aligning, causing Heavenly Luo Star to move Lurue and make it ascend. No human demonic sorcerer knew this until now!’”

“......!!”

“Also, the [Ancient Rulers] and Three Emperors Five Sovereign creating the Seven Luminaries as a true symbol wasn't coincidence. Per the demonic book, the [Ancient Rulers]... foresaw the Seven Luminaries' creation. Thus, the Seven Luminaries surely hold a great secret we don't know yet.”

*Thud!*

“Je Gal Sa!!”

I hurriedly supported him. Je Gal Sa had completely fainted. I noticed his body burning hot like a fireball, bloody tears streaming from his eyes. I quickly moved him to a room and took his pulse, realizing his brain was on the verge of melting.

‘At a time like this...!!’

“Pa pa pt!”

I urgently used Hua Tuo's Medicine to seal the meridians preventing brain melt with ice-type energy. I was the top expert in the brain among body parts, knowing how to handle this. This makeshift method extracted the body's heat, preventing brain damage. But we didn't know when he'd wake.

“Baek Woong. How is he?”

“Not good. He might be like a vegetable forever...”

My medical knowledge told me rashly feeding him elixirs could worsen it. Wrongly done, key internal energy would rush into his brain turning him into an idiot. The brain was too delicate for even versed medicine to touch lightly.

Mang Ryang said helplessly,

“Step aside.”

*Whirrr*

Mang Ryang placed talisman on Je Gal Sa's five vital points and chanted. Je Gal Sa's breathing gradually stopped, eventually freezing motionlessly. Looking at me, Mang Ryang said,

“I've temporarily stopped his body's time as a stopgap. It won't improve, but won't worsen either.”

“Even that's possible?”

I looked at him in surprise. Mang Ryang, who once struggled with basic spells, now wielded advanced ones freely?

“It's a spell my master taught me long ago.”

Replying thus, Mang Ryang said,

“Baek Woong. I think we need someone with superior medicine to treat Je Gal Sa. There's almost no demonic energy left in his body, so it's a medical issue.”

“Got it.”

I agreed, immediately grasping his intent. I nodded.

“I'll bring the Five Great Physicians of the World.”

My medical skill was regular Hua Tuo secret level, far from the Five Great Physicians. They could handle even the most drain brain diseases.

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