Reincarnated Swordmaster

Chapter Title: Dark Heaven Village

I was momentarily thrown into confusion by the words of Ha Eun-cheon, one of the Twelve Rites Lords.

'How does he know I'm the master of Hwayo?'

It wasn't strange for him to want to take down the Sea God. Even in my previous reincarnation, when we'd crossed paths, he'd suggested teaming up against the Sea God multiple times. To the Twelve Rites Lords, the Sea God was their sworn enemy, one that had to be defeated.

But that wasn't the important part. He'd summoned me, calling me the incarnation of the dragon, yet he was flatly declaring me the master of Hwayo. Strictly speaking, the power of the Fire Dragon True Man and the power of Hwayo were separate, making it hard for a third party to assert such a thing definitely—yet Ha Eun-cheon had stated it with absolute certainty.

Wondering if he was just probing, I decided to play along for now.

"I'm afraid I don't follow. What's this about Hwayo?"

"Heb. Naturally, you'd feign ignorance."

The Twelve Rites Lord smiled faintly and continued.

"You're awfully presumptuous."

I stared him straight in the eye and said.

"Sorry, but I have no intention of getting involved in something I know nothing about. Find another ally."

I had a gut feeling that stating my position firmly here was crucial, even if it meant risking death. Sure enough, the Twelve Rites Lord showed no immediate sign of resorting to force and instead seemed to listen intently.

"Another ally. Who might that be?"

"Why not seek help from the White Lotus Cult Leader or the immortals of the Heavenly Realm? Their power far surpasses mine."

"Those useless fools."

The Twelve Rites Lord replied curtly. As I gazed at him steadily, he added.

"There's no one but you who can help me now. Please, cooperate."

"I already said no. Why can't the Twelve Rites Lord get help from the Heavenly Realm?"

"......"

The Twelve Rites Lord pondered for a moment before speaking.

"Strange. I thought someone who commands a Seven Relic would know..."

What did that mean?

It wasn't disdain but more like he'd encountered an unexpected situation. Ha Eun-cheon, who'd had a glint in his eye for a moment, said.

"The Heavenly Realm can't interfere recklessly with us Twelve Rites Lords or the Myriad Crane Spirit Gate, but in exchange, we can't receive their direct protection either. It's a sort of non-aggression pact."

"......!!"

"That's why we have no choice but to defend this land with our own strength. Even if we tried to summon immortals from the Heavenly Realm, the restrictions are far greater than in the Central Plains. That's precisely why you, who possess the power to subdue the Sea God, are the one I'm asking for help."

"No thanks."

"Naturally, you'd refuse. Who'd be happy with a request to help for free? So, let me offer compensation in return."

Compensation?

My ears perked up. Ha Eun-cheon took a deep breath and said.

"If you help subdue the Sea God, I promise to lead you the full power of the Twelve Rites Lords afterward. If you want, I'll even give you a seat among the Twelve Rites Lords. You could command the Three Sages, the special forces, and all our sects."

He'd give me a seat as a Twelve Rites Lord?

But since it came with the condition of subduing the Sea God first, I wasn't thrilled. The Sea God was one of the [Ancient Sovereigns], after all, so taking him down wouldn't be easy. Besides, as long as Ha Eun-cheon remained intact as the master of the Wood Relic, a seat among the Twelve Rites Lords wouldn't be all that great. I stared him down piercingly before speaking.

"No conditions. There's no immediate gain for me."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. And..."

I glared at him and said.

"If we assume both of us are masters of the Seven Relics, then you must know what it means to use them to subdue an [Ancient Sovereign] like the Sea God. The Seven Relics symbolize the non-aggression pact between the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors and the [Ancient Sovereign]. Using them against one would mean war resumes."

"......"

"I refuse to help with your business only to get crushed like a prawn in a whale fight."

The Twelve Rites Lord stiffened. After a moment, he spoke in a tone of genuine surprise.

"Impressive... You're truly impressive. How does a mortal, at your age, know the secrets of myth to that extent..."

I inwardly winced.

'Ugh, did I overplay my hand?'

In my eagerness to persuade him and escape, I'd revealed too much from my past-life knowledge. It might have shocked him even more than directly demonstrating the Fire Dragon True Man's power. After all, few in the world even knew what the Seven Relics were, let alone their true nature—probably only a handful could be counted on one hand.

The surprise wasn't limited to the Twelve Rites Lord. The Three Sages standing behind him couldn't hide their shocked expressions either. One of the sages muttered in astonishment.

"A being beyond Heaven's Mechanism... defying Heaven's Mandate?"

Regaining his composure, the Twelve Rites Lord said.

"It seems I underestimated you. I apologize."

I glared at him.

"There's no reason for me to accept your apology. I just don't want to get involved."

"Aren't you being too firm?"

"Considering how much you've pressured me, Twelve Rites Lord, don't you think it's justified?"

"Heb heb heb..."

For some reason, the Twelve Rites Lord smiled as if enjoying himself. Then he said.

"First, let me answer your question from earlier: using the Seven Relics to subdue the Sea God doesn't break the non-aggression pact. I swear on my name—it's neither an act that would provoke the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors nor the [Ancient Sovereigns], nor a treaty violation."

"What do you mean?"

"You need to understand that the Sea God is a rather special existence among them."

He picked up some vegetable side dish from the banquet table and continued while eating.

"Unlike other [Ancient Sovereigns], he claims the entirety of the world's great oceans as his domain. An utterly insatiable greed. Because his territory is so vast, the other [Ancient Sovereigns] don't view him favorably, and as a sort of 'gatekeeper,' he doesn't have any patrons to back him up."

"Why not? Why doesn't he receive patronage?"

"Because if the Sea God falls, it creates a better environment for the other [Ancient Sovereigns] to rampage... Plus, in this world, the merfolk's influence is quite strong, so they've already ruffled many feathers."

"......"

"Moreover, I've confirmed it myself. Subduing the Sea God with the Seven Relics has no obstacles—only the matter of sufficient power remains."

The word 'confirmed' stuck out to me as I listened. It gave me a nagging feeling that the Twelve Rites Lord had done something outrageous. And I couldn't take his claim of no restrictions at face value either.

As I pondered, the Twelve Rites Lord drove the point home.

"...Fine. Then tell me what you want. I'll grant anything within my power. No empty words."

The Twelve Rites Lord was desperate right now. I could sense it intuitively. He could crush me by force if he wanted, but he wasn't because he knew the true extent of my power with the Seven Relic and Fire Dragon Divine Sword. He surely realized that if I went all-out in mutual destruction, the outcome was unpredictable. And without my help, his path forward would be rough, so he was pulling out all the stops to win me over.

This was a crisis.

But at the same time, an opportunity.

Having faced crises dozens, hundreds of times more than an ordinary person in my lives so far, I had a sense for it. His current offer carried intense risk but promised massive rewards. I could feel viscerally how different it was in tone and urgency from past proposals.

'It must be because I've reached a level where I wield that much power...'

The circumstances were different now. I crossed my arms and thought long and hard.

Then I spoke.

"Agree to three conditions, and I'll cooperate fully in subduing the Sea God as you wish."

"Three conditions?"

"Yes. Fulfill them, and I'll help without hesitation."

"Intriguing. Speak."

I took a bite of the tofu dish, chewed, and said.

"First. I want all information on Peng Jiao and the Four Emperors' Changhil. Tell me everything you know without holding back."

Ha Eun-cheon replied without much hesitation.

"Fine. Second?"

"Second. Lend me Miyamoto Musashi. Make him obey my commands. I need his martial prowess."

"Hmm... Ten years! No more."

"Understood."

So far, these seemed like easy asks for him. For the final one, I figured he'd be shocked, but a mischievous impulse made me blurt it out anyway.

"Last. Make me a Twelve Rites Lord right now."

"...What?"

Ha Eun-cheon froze in place, flustered. I grinned and said.

"Shall I repeat? Give me a seat as Twelve Rites Lord."

"Hmm... Hm..."

"The position commanding the Twelve Rites Sect Leader and ruling the northeastern outer martial world."

From my past-life experience, I knew the Twelve Rites Lord's position and state. He'd offered me the position before, and it was much the same. From that, it was clear the seat was something he could pass on depending on the situation. What truly mattered to him wasn't the supreme authority of the Twelve Rites Lords but being the [Sect Leader of the Myriad Crane Spirit Gate] and [Master of the Wood Relic].

In that case, demanding the seat now was better than some half-hearted promise after subduing the Sea God. Sure, the Sect Leader position might be even better, but that would touch his reverse scale.

'This is solid.'

It felt like the right play. I could secure real gains this way.

"Han..."

It was probably the first time in my past lives I'd seen the great Twelve Rites Lord this flustered. Normally, he'd laugh it off as a joke, but he couldn't dismiss it lightly now. Propping his chin on his hand at the table, he said.

"What if I refuse and just kill you?"

"I'll fight with everything I've got, of course."

As expected, he threatened me, but I replied calmly. Having died so many times, death didn't scare me much anymore. Instead, I warned him.

"I can take you down with me."

This was a gamble too. He might slice me apart in an instant with his Galaxy Slicing Blade or the Three Sages' spells, but if I unleashed the Great Destruction Formation and awakened Hwayo, my power would surely explode in that moment. I'd never tested that full extent, but my fangs would surely reach Ha Eun-cheon's throat.

Sensing my sincerity, Ha Eun-cheon fell silent for a while. After deliberating, he said.

"How about the throne of Goryeo? I could make you a king at least."

I shook my head.

"A mere Goryeo throne is inferior to a Twelve Rites Lord's seat."

"You know your stuff."

"I'm not keen on an emperor's throne either. Your move."

A bit later, he irritably said.

"Fine, agreed. But instead of one seat, there'll be two Twelve Rites Lords. You'll have authority equal to mine in the Twelve Rites. However, I won't yield control of the Three Sages or the Myriad Crane Spirit Gate. How's that?"

I replied leisurely.

"I'm not in a position to command the Twelve Rites better than you."

"Aren't you being too greedy? Controlling the Rites Lord, the sect leaders, and their forces puts you on par with the Central Plains' White Lotus Cult. I never imagined granting a outsider this much authority."

"Hmm..."

Fair enough. Just becoming a Rites Lord and gaining the cooperation of the special forces and Twelve Rites sect leaders was a huge win. After thinking, I said.

"Very well. And as a bonus..."

The Twelve Rites Lord exclaimed in exasperation.

"There's more?"

"Tell me why you can summon the Phoenix and the origins of martial arts."

"That's four, not three."

"When it comes to taking down an [Ancient Sovereign] like the Sea God, surely you can share that much info? We can't best such a foe without going all out anyway."

The Twelve Rites Lord crossed his arms. Then, in a troubled tone, he said.

"Fiiiine. You really are a greedy one."

"Thank you."

"From today, you are a Twelve Rites Lord, my equal."

Even as I replied, disbelief made my hands tremble for a moment.

'I did it!'

Though it came with the premise of joining the [Ancient Sovereign] subjugation, I'd wrung a massive concession from him! From now on, I could command the Twelve Rites forces and bring along Miyamoto Musashi's martial might wherever I went.

The Twelve Rites Lord Ha Eun-cheon rose from his seat and said.

"Shall we go see the Divine Spirit Tree for a bit?"

"Pardon?"

"You want to be a Twelve Rites Lord, right? Then you can't be ignorant about the Divine Spirit Tree."

Caught off guard, I followed him out of the shrine. We crossed a vast valley via a small cloud bridge toward the Divine Spirit Tree. As the Heavenly Fortress and its thousand-layer cliffs breathed around us, one misstep felt like it could send us plummeting to our deaths.

After walking a long way to a mountain ridge, the Twelve Rites Lord said.

"Strange, isn't it? We've walked so far, yet that massive tree doesn't feel any closer."

It was. We'd covered nearly twenty li with Ha Eun-cheon and the Three Sages, but the Divine Spirit Tree, which seemed just ahead, hadn't drawn nearer at all. By my sense of distance, its position was utterly bizarre.

"An illusion?"

When I asked, the Twelve Rites Lord said.

"No. It definitely exists there. But it exists while not existing, so no physical method—short of dying and reviving—can reach it."

"I'm not sure I understand."

"That tree is the World Tree, planted in the Mythic Age, spanning nine worlds. Its spirit protects humanity while sealing the influence of the Four Dire Gods' clan. Of course, that's not its only function..."

Snap.

The Twelve Rites Lord snapped his fingers, and a circle opened in midair. It seemed like a teleportation spell, and his mastery of sorcery was extraordinary. As he and the Three Sages stepped into the circle, I followed.

Whirr.

I'd arrived in a place pitch-black in all directions. Stars seemed close enough to touch, countless in number. Beneath my feet and around me stretched an impossibly massive tree trunk, like the earth itself. At the same time, I noticed the air and spirit energy here were vastly different from the surface world's.

The Twelve Rites Lord said, delighted like a child.

"What do you think? Cool, right? This is the first place I arrived in this world."

"Pardon?"

"The view from the World Tree's apex, looking down on the mortal world, is something else."

I peered down beyond the trunk. Blue seas and land masses spread like a map, the world visibly spherical. At the same time, I personally verified the hypothesis Mang-ryang had once proposed: [the world is round].

"I'll explain the [Phoenix Summoning] you asked about earlier."

Suddenly, the Twelve Rites Lord placed his hand on the World Tree's trunk. He emanated tremendous spirit energy, resonating with the surrounding air and tree simultaneously.

Ooooo—

Rumble rumble.

At the boundary facing the cosmos, atop the World Tree, the Twelve Rites Lord's power amplified to absurd levels! Seeing with my own eyes the amplification matched—or exceeded—the time [12th] unleashed the National Seal Treasure, my body went rigid. Cloaked in green spirit energy, he displayed divine aura transcending humanity and intoned in spirit tongue.

"[With the Seven Relic's power, I can wield the World Tree's might as my own. And by offering this power to the Heavenly Realm as payment, I can summon the Phoenix.]"

Swoosh.

The Twelve Rites Lord withdrew his power. Yet his body visibly brimmed with immense energy, rivaling a guardian lion wielding a Heaven Spirit Pill. He smiled faintly.

"Now do you understand?"

"...Yes."

Master of the Wood Relic among the Seven.

It also meant he could wield the World Tree's power.

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