Reincarnated Swordmaster

Chapter Title: Dark Heaven Village

I spoke to confirm.

[Is the Sea God dead?]

[No, he is not. But he will die slowly.]

[What do you mean...]

[You severed his head, and Yeo Dongbin, who resides in the Fire Dragon Divine Sword, has become the seal that kills him. He still clings to life, but over the next several decades, he will gradually lose his vitality and perish.]

[......]

Truly creepy.

Even after all that, I couldn't kill the Sea God?

"Truly, gods are absurd beings..."

Jeon Wook continued.

[I hesitated to teach you how to invoke my power, fearing it might violate the laws of causality in this world. But you have already received my power's aid multiple times. Your body, which should have died originally, still lives thanks to toppling the Sea God.]

[I didn't die?]

[Correct.]

I'm alive!

I was thrilled by those words. More so than defeating the Sea God. Until now, after using every means to defeat a powerful foe, I would usually die. But this time, I survived. Then Jeon Wook spoke.

[However, it is true that you fought far too recklessly. Do you realize it was like an egg striking a rock?]

[......]

I had nothing to say.

Even severing the Sea God's head at the end was a miracle, and honestly, I should have exhausted Daera Myeoljin and died like a bug. I couldn't shake the thought that I needed to unseal at least one more Chil Yo to stand a chance against the Sea God.

[Moreover, for an apostle of mine, you were far too weak—like a bug—which displeased me. That is why I pulled your soul here through a rift in space-time to speak with you.]

I was a bit hurt by being called a bug, but since the speaker was one of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, I had no choice but to accept it. The Jeon Wook before me might even be stronger than the Sea God, so he probably found my fight pathetic.

[Um... excuse me... what is my apostle's power?]

[That, soon Yeol will inform you.]

In that instant, Jeon Wook's massive eyes gleamed in the darkness. The overwhelming pressure made my entire body shudder.

[I have foreseen that a great danger will soon approach you. You must gain sufficient power before returning.]

[A great danger?]

[It may prove even more perilous than subjugating the Sea God.]

Since Jeon Wook himself was warning me, I couldn't ignore it. The stature of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors rivaled the [Ancient Rulers], so this was genuine peril. The joy from subjugating the Sea God instantly turned to anxiety.

'Damn, I need to keep my wits about me or I'll die.'

One month after another. Instead of celebrating the Sea God's defeat, I had to keep pushing at full strength. Suddenly, something occurred to me, and I told Jeon Wook.

[Jeon Wook! I've learned the whereabouts of Changhil and Paengjo.]

Delivering this might end my decade-long mission to find Changhil!

[Speak.]

[Changhil is in the moon of Dark Heaven Village, and Paengjo is in the Great Ying Empire of the West.]

[And?]

[Pardon?]

Jeon Wook replied in a cold tone.

[I commanded you, my apostle, to bring Changhil to me within ten years. Telling me the location—do you expect this sovereign to go capture them myself?]

[Uh... no, that's not...]

His icy response left me flustered. I thought he'd tasked me because he didn't know the location, but his tone implied it was no big deal.

[And Paengjo is your great-grandson, yet he crossed to the West, joined the demonic path serving an evil god, and even became an executive...]

[So what?]

[......]

[I have no intention of meddling in my descendants' affairs one by one. Especially not in the West. However, if he hinders your mission, feel free to cut him down.]

Setting aside the ruthless order to kill his own descendant, he had no plans to act even knowing the location? But perhaps this was the mindset of a being called 'king.' In any case, my mission to bring Changhil remained ongoing.

[Show some competence.]

Leaving that reprimand, Jeon Wook slowly rose.

[Baek Woong. Enjoy the banquet fully, then meet Yeol and exit through the Oger Heavenly Gate.]

[Yes.]

Whoosh.

Jeon Wook vanished, leaving only the ghosts in the hall noisily devouring food in a raucous feast. They'd been engrossed in eating since earlier.

Clatter.

Munch munch.

I glanced at the ghosts, but they stared back as if wondering what I was looking at. Each one possessed immense power, so I smacked my lips.

'Tch. Should I eat and go...'

The banquet food was delicious anyway, so I reached for my chopsticks to eat alone.

It was then.

[You lack caution. Stop eating and rise.]

[Eh?]

Yeol stood before my table. He had appeared without a trace, looking down at me. I protested to Yeol.

[Wait. Let me eat a bit...]

It was too tasty to put down the chopsticks. Yeol retorted.

[You are an apostle, but still human. What does it mean for only your spirit body to attend the Hall of Ten Thousand Ghosts' banquet and eat?]

[......?]

[Each plate you empty will age your real-world body by ten years. Each cup of alcohol, five years. It's due to the immense yin spirit power of the Hall of Ten Thousand Ghosts. If you've already overindulged, nothing to be done, but beware of aging.]

[Gasp!]

[The King isn't one to warn separately, so I came to tell you.]

Yeol muttered.

[...Though he might prefer you age fully, discard your mortal body, and grow stronger.]

I startled and checked what I'd eaten. Fortunately, I'd nibbled here and there without finishing a single plate, and only one cup of alcohol.

'How many years did this add...?'

A frightening thought hit me. What if I returned to reality as an old man? I immediately stood and followed Yeol.

[I'll stop eating.]

No matter how tasty, aging wasn't welcome. With my initial appetite, I could've cleared ten plates easily, but that would've aged me a century instantly, turning me into an elder like Dongbang Mugeuk or a Yuanluo. Even at peak vitality, combat power wouldn't drop, but risking death by old age was unappealing.

[Yes.]

I followed Yeol out of the Hall of Ten Thousand Ghosts and back to the Oger Heavenly Gate. Exiting, the mystical scene unfolded again: sun and moon floating on either side. Yeol, standing beside me, said:

[If you wish to return, I can adjust the Oger Heavenly Gate's exit to send you to the present world.]

I glanced at the Oger Heavenly Gate and asked.

[How is my real body now?]

[Check for yourself later. It's not in danger, so don't worry.]

[Hmm...]

[But you must leave with power befitting an apostle's stature. Otherwise, it tarnishes the King's dignity.]

True enough.

Yeol continued.

[The power granted to you as apostle stems from the Oger Heavenly Gate of Mount Ilwol. A force aspiring infinitely to the world's yin and yang, mocking the world itself. As the King's prime minister, I shall teach you how to wield it.]

And training began.

Afterward, Yeol seemed to teach me diligently for quite some time.

"........."

But upon opening my eyes in the real world, I felt drained.

"I don't remember..."

It felt like I'd trained hard for a long time, yet the memories were gone.

Then, suddenly, the ground vanished beneath my feet, and my body floated high in the air.

"Gasp?!"

Looking around, it was a familiar sight. Amid the devastated landscape, my body hovered in the sky, clouds covering me as I gripped Huyo.

'Right!'

Yeol's words gradually returned. According to him, Jeon Wook had halted time with his power and summoned my spirit body to the Hall of Ten Thousand Ghosts. Thus, my return to reality had no time lag from the summoning.

Boom.

The Sea God's massive head crashed to the ground, causing a distant earthquake. The problem: I couldn't use martial techniques, and the dense demonic energy prevented flight tools. Falling like this would cause severe damage.

"Hah!"

Screech.

I circulated internal energy to reinforce my body, stabbing Huayo into the Sea God's torso mid-fall to slow my descent. En route, I glanced at the blazing blade of the massive Fire Dragon Divine Sword embedded in his solar plexus.

Without the Fire Dragon Divine Sword, my strength might plummet. I wanted to retrieve the peerless divine weapon, but Jeon Wook's words came to mind.

'Right... Yeo Dongbin is sacrificing himself to kill the Sea God. I can't pull it out.'

Was it my imagination?

The Fire Dragon Divine Sword vibrated more intensely, as if telling me not to approach.

Whoooong.

Pulling it out would likely let the Sea God recover his divine power and revive at full strength swiftly. I had no choice but to leave it.

"Yeo Dongbin, I'm sorry."

Fortunate amid misfortune: right after unleashing Daera Myeoljin to the Eight Gates, my body showed no anomalies—in fact, a refreshing clarity pervaded. No aftereffects from Huaiyong Jin-in or Yeo Dongbin drawing on my latent power; I was in perfect condition.

'...Still, I used quite a bit of the Imperial Seal's spirit power. About thirty percent left?'

Using that much stored power in such a short time meant a truly dire battle. I pondered my next move.

'I don't want to face the Twelve Laws Lord. Too risky now.'

Meeting him would likely provoke an attack to seize Chil Yo. With no trust in the Twelve Laws Lord, and Huaiyong Jin-in injured while Yeo Dongbin gone, I was no match for it.

Thus, returning to the base with Mangryang and Zhuge Sa was best. If the Twelve Laws Lord had words, he'd send a messenger later. Clinging to Huayo, I vaguely invoked Jeon Wook's apostle power by instinct.

"Uh... was it like this?"

Flash.

Suddenly, I realized I was atop Shindansu. The pitch-black night sky, starlight, and round earth below. Not expecting to teleport here, I panicked and instinctively used the power again.

"Ah... not this..."

Flash.

Now I was amid Western architecture, where Thomas More, kneeling in prayer, spotted me and looked baffled.

[How did you enter when the Black Brotherhood has sealed the entire Great Ying Empire?]

Seemingly, after my prior visit, an alert had heightened, with Western sorcerers erecting barriers. Unsure how to reply, I scratched my head.

"No, that's not it."

[And your appearance has changed drastically...]

Nothing was going right. Memories of the power flickered vaguely.

One certainty: this power enabled 'teleportation' and applications in all aspects. Faintly, I recalled training on it. Why forget the training memories?

'Damn. Not this...'

I entrusted myself to instinct once more and invoked the power.

Flash.

"Got it!"

I finally felt the ability activate properly.

I'd returned to Janggyeong Valley!

I searched Janggyeong Valley for Zhuge Sa and Mangryang, soon encountering Mangryang. He startled upon seeing me.

"Baek... Woong...?"

Elated, I shouted.

"Yes, Mangryang! Guess what I did? I subjugated the [Ancient Ruler] Sea God!"

"......!!"

Not sensing Zhuge Sa's presence, I looked around.

"No Zhuge Sa. Where is he..."

"...Sorry, but are you really Baek Woong?"

"Huh?"

Mangryang stared silently before speaking.

"The Baek Woong I know is a mid-teen boy. But you... you're no boy."

"What?"

"See for yourself."

He tossed me a mirror from his bosom. Catching the small mirror, I looked at myself and froze.

"......!!"

A man in his mid-thirties.

That was my current appearance.

'I aged because of the Hall of Ten Thousand Ghosts' banquet!'

Worse: my looks worsened with age, making my face now hard to behold. Robust and youthful still, but undeniably ugly—self-indulgent features that screamed 'ugly man.' Recalling my youthful self from this was impossible.

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