Reincarnated Swordmaster

Chapter Title: Dark Heaven Village

A crown rested atop the skull. The strange thing was that this skull was clearly the remains of a king, yet in this vast space, only the jade throne and the skull sat desolate. Moreover, it was proper to lay a royal corpse to rest properly, and to die seated like this bordered on desecration of the sovereign's remains.

Mang Ryang pondered for a moment before extending his hand.

Rumble rumble.

In the next instant, human-sized mud dolls rose from the ground. Using the Earth Escape Technique, Mang Ryang advanced the mud dolls toward the skull. They scouted the area, checking for traps. Once confirmed safe, Mang Ryang slowly walked forward and looked down at the skull.

Then, moments later, Mang Ryang placed his hand on the skull.

Woooong.

Light emanated from the skull, and a silver path unfurled behind the throne's backrest. With a natural silver glow, a hidden space revealed itself, and we entered it. Inside stretched a neatly arranged necropolis, with bookshelves sealed in one corner holding all manner of tomes.

But what surprised us wasn't the necropolis itself.

[Who are you?]

Souls emerged from various spots in the vast necropolis. Each wore an imperial crown. Seeing them, we showed our respects, and Mang Ryang spoke.

"The successive kings of Balhae. We have come here unwillingly, pursuing the reason for Balhae's fall."

[What...!!]

[How dare mortals invade the Balhae royal tombs!!]

Rooooar.

In an instant, the royal spirits raged, and immense pressure bore down. An ordinary person would have their qi and blood tangled from the spirits' fury, leading to death. But we were all battle-hardened, and Mang Ryang had advanced as an exceptional sorcerer, so we weren't greatly affected. Instead, Mang Ryang calmly replied.

"We obtained all the silver phoenix fragments, granting us entry to the royal tombs. Otherwise, the door via the throne wouldn't have opened."

[Hmm!]

"Moreover, we have no intention of disturbing your rest. We won't touch the necropolis. We only seek to know one thing. Once we learn it, we'll leave immediately."

Murmur murmur.

The royal spirits seemed flustered, whispering among themselves. Moments later, a massive spirit, gigantic like a giant, stepped forward and spoke.

[What do you wish to know?]

"Balhae was originally mighty, clashing head-on with the northern tribes. Yet such a great kingdom crumbled overnight. Why?"

[...]

"We believe the reason lies with the Seven Luminaries, so we came seeking it. We learned one was sealed in Balhae."

[Ooh...]

[Seven Luminaries...!!]

The royal spirits reacted variably to the words "Seven Luminaries"—some sobbed, some admired, others regretted. Then the gigantic royal spirit at the forefront spoke.

"So it was true... Even after centuries since the fall... The prophecy that someone would seek the Seven Luminaries and reach here has come to pass...]

"A prophecy? Who made it?"

[King Go.]

"......?"

Mang Ryang replied, slightly flustered.

"Do you mean King Go, Balhae's founding king, Dae Joyeong?"

[Indeed... He left the prophecy.]

"Isn't he in this necropolis of successive kings?"

[King Go did not meet death but wandered into life and oblivion... Of course he's not here...]

"Hmm? Then you are..."

The giant-bodied royal spirit said.

[I am the last sovereign who witnessed Balhae's fall, King Dae Inseon.]

Listening to Mang Ryang and King Dae Inseon's exchange, I roughly grasped the situation. I knew of Balhae's founding king, Dae Joyeong—he was a hero born with innate valor and wisdom. It seemed he had left a prophecy about the Seven Luminaries and vanished without burial in the royal necropolis.

But it was strange. Dae Joyeong, Balhae's creator, why leave the necropolis of kings?

King Dae Inseon spoke.

[The cause of our Balhae's fall... was the rampage of the divine treasure, the Earth Ultimate Eight Trigrams Chart. The Khitans were strong, but they could never have destroyed us with their power alone.]

"The Eight Trigrams Chart rampaged? Why?"

[Someone stole it.]

King Dae Inseon continued painfully.

[The thief was a woman who called herself Shangguan Wan'er... That witch stole the Eight Trigrams Chart, stimulating the dragon vein and causing a volcano to erupt. We couldn't endure it... So we abandoned the capital... And fell to the ensuing Khitan assault...]

"......"

[So unjust, so unjust... Without that witch... Damnable Shangguan Wan'er...]

What?

A familiar name rang out, but the connections in my mind hadn't clicked yet. Mang Ryang, however, seemed to realize something, his expression turning colder. He said.

"We want more details. Perhaps we can recover the Earth Ultimate Eight Trigrams Chart."

"So it is... Come, silver phoenix..."]

Keeeen.

Suddenly, silver light scattered like a massive beat haze. Azure flashes surged ceaselessly like river waters, forming a sphere that writhed, crafting something within. Soon, a complete silver phoenix emerged inside.

The silver phoenix was about the size to fill a person's chest. King Dae Inseon, who had created it, handed it to us and said.

[This silver phoenix is made of metal from a distant world, a treasure passed down through Balhae's royals... It has the power of memory transmission. Past kings used it to swiftly amass power and wisdom, strengthening the nation... The royal key was also a fragment detached from this silver phoenix... Infuse it with power, and you'll gain the truth.]

King Dae Inseon nodded.

[I hoped successors to revive Balhae would come after me... But the end times are near, so no help for it... Please use this information well...]

"May we take the books?"

[Do as you wish...]

Mang Ryang thought briefly, then said.

"This royal tomb is a sanctuary you Balhae royals prepared against the end."

[Heh heh... You know much... Indeed...]

Mang Ryang said skeptically.

"The sorcery barriers around the royal tombs are incredibly strong. With hundreds of Balhae's mighty sorcerers, that's expected. But do you truly believe this method can evade destruction?"

[We had no other choice... You'll know why upon receiving the memories... Farewell...]

Rustle rustle.

King Dae Inseon and the other successive kings began fading, returning to rest, deeming us no intruders.

......

Once the spirits' presences fully vanished from the necropolis, Mang Ryang silently walked to the bookshelves. He turned to me and said.

"Baek Woong. Put all these books in my knapsack."

I swept all the books into the knapsack as instructed, then said to Mang Ryang.

"Isn't it best to transmit the silver phoenix's memories right here?"

"I think so too. No guarantee we can re-enter after leaving this royal tomb."

Mang Ryang, staring at the silver phoenix he held, replied.

"You should receive it first, Baek Woong."

"Hm?"

"The memory transmission ability... This is undoubtedly a relic tied to the Seer's Great Race. That's why it's been passed ancient Yoon kingdom days to Balhae, with records."

"Ah!"

"You've already learned memory transmission sorcery from the Seer, so you'll assimilate this silver phoenix easily."

I nodded and took the silver phoenix. I stood awkwardly, unsure how to activate it. As I hesitated, Yi Cheong-un, watching nearby, said.

"It said infuse power. So channel qi into it."

"Got it."

Woooong.

That instant, the silver phoenix reacted to the qi, emanating spiritual energy. A massive influx of information surged into my mind like a tidal wave.

"......!!"

An immense muddy torrent of memories! I shuddered feeling the successive Balhae kings' stored memories and knowledge pour in. An ordinary person would black out and vomit upon receiving this, but my mind had strengthened over years handling memories, with expanded capacity, so I endured calmly.

'Right. This is the Seer's Great Race sorcery...'

I cast it via obsidian medium, but this silver phoenix's metal was extraterrestrial. Thus, it could be set to activate automatically with just qi. I calmly traced the sorcery's flow, aligning it with my own memory transmission technique.

'Yes. Like this...'

Extraterrestrial knowledge swirled and danced in my head. Amid it, I grasped the knack indescribably, and began neatly organizing the memories. Once sorted, they settled stably in my mind, easily recallable.

Then I moved with my comrades to Janggyeong Valley and shared Balhae's memories via the silver phoenix.

Flash!

......

Silence fell. Zhuge Sa broke it first.

"The pieces fit."

"Yes, Uncle."

"Now we can take the next step."

Zhuge Sa cracked his knuckles and said.

"Shangguan Wan'er was the founder of the Shangguan Clan, Wu Zetian's top strategist and confidante. This memory includes her breaching Balhae's sorcerers' barriers with demonic arts to steal the Earth Ultimate Eight Trigrams Chart."

Hearing this, I questioned.

"So Shangguan Wan'er was the main culprit behind Balhae's fall?"

"Who knows. That's not the point now. Destroying Balhae likely wasn't her goal."

"What? What do you mean?"

"She probably only needed the Earth Ultimate Eight Trigrams Chart itself."

"Hmm..."

Arms crossed in thought, I said.

"Did she use the Seven Luminaries' power to boost her own?"

"In effect, she got Earth Ultimate, but that wasn't her original aim either."

"Huh?"

"It's not that simple. To me, not Shangguan Wan'er herself, but her backer matters more."

I looked puzzled, but the others nodded in understanding.

"Zhuge Sa. Explain, I don't get it."

"Fucking thick skull."

Irritated at my denseness, Zhuge Sa scowled. Reluctantly, Mang Ryang beside him explained.

"Baek Woong. The Earth Ultimate Eight Trigrams Chart is in Dark Heaven Village now. Why?"

"Huh? That's..."

Thinking back, why was Earth Ultimate in Dark Heaven Village?

Recalling past memories, I said.

"Because the Subduing Demon Hall took it..."

"Right. That's the info I told you. But now, through King Dae Inseon's testimony and the silver phoenix memories, we know the true perpetrator."

"...... Ah."

Finally grasping it, I shouted.

"Shangguan Wan'er was a subordinate of the Subduing Demon Hall?!"

"Not sure about subordinate, but she's deeply connected. And the Subduing Demon Hall likely operated even before Wu Zetian's time."

"......!!"

"After stealing the Eight Trigrams Chart, Shangguan Wan'er offered it to the god in Dark Heaven Village via some means. That god is naturally the one dominating the imperial palace from behind—the Demon God, mid-level manager of the Subduing Demon Hall. Thus, the Earth Ultimate Eight Trigrams Chart offered to the current god is in Dark Heaven Village."

"Something feels off."

The Sword Demon, listening, crossed his arms.

"I don't know history well, but Wu Zetian was from the Tang era, same as Shangguan Wan'er. Yet Balhae's fall, per the silver phoenix memories, was at least two hundred years later..."

"Exactly."

"Offering Earth Ultimate among the Seven Luminaries to the god, ascending Wu Zetian as a minor deity in Dark Heaven Village fits. But stealing it two hundred years after Wu Zetian's official death? The timelines don't match."

As the Sword Demon said, Tang era was over a thousand years ago; Balhae's fall about seven or eight hundred. A stark gap.

Mang Ryang said.

"They're separate incidents. Wu Zetian became a god in the Tang era; Shangguan Wan'er stole the Eight Trigrams Chart independently."

"Why?"

"We'll know from her directly. But..."

Mang Ryang clenched his fist.

"What was uncertain is now clear. Per Balhae's sorcerers' final info at the cost of their lives, the Earth Ultimate Eight Trigrams Chart belongs to the Subduing Demon Hall's rule but is definitely in Wu Zetian's palace. From one who reached Dark Heaven Village at all costs."

"So in Dark Heaven Village, we just find Wu Zetian's palace..."

"Yes. We can recover the Earth Ultimate Eight Trigrams Chart."

Indeed.

We knew it was in Dark Heaven Village but not where, so searching that mad place—even immortals go insane—would exhaust lives countless times, so we'd postponed it.

But now.

The silver phoenix memories confirm it's in Dark Heaven Village's Wu Zetian palace.

'If I reach her palace, risking death, there's a chance!'

Excluding Gold Ultimate and Day Ultimate, all Seven Luminaries' locations are certain. Clenching my fist, Zhuge Sa sneered beside me.

"Well, one bad fact too."

"What?"

"No idea why, but among the Seven Luminaries, Earth Ultimate Eight Trigrams Chart is unbound, owned by the deified Wu Zetian... How strong is she?"

"......"

"No need to say what disaster a god wielding a Seven Luminaries brings."

"Damn it!"

I sensed another hurdle.

Even reaching Wu Zetian's palace, can we defeat her and seize Earth Ultimate?

Humans wielding Seven Luminaries gain terrifying boosts; no guarantee against a god's.

Then Geuk Ho drawled boredly.

"That Seven Luminaries Eight Trigrams Chart sells all sorcery, right? If we train martial arts to extreme strength, maybe double?"

"Theoretically yes. Wu Zetian's a god, but minor deity level."

"Not Three Sovereigns Five Emperors tier. Absolute Realm might give a shot?"

"Probably."

"Decided then."

Geuk Ho chuckled, slapping my back.

"Come ooooon, effort!!"

"......"

"Effort to Absolute Realm! Buddy."

"Damn."

I scowled, inwardly furious.

"What the hell is this!"

After ending the discussion with comrades, alone, I summoned Yeo Dong-bin.

[Younger brother. Why call me?]

"Yeo Dong-bin. Sorry, one question."

[What?]

I asked frankly.

"I... received Jong Ri-gwan's blessing... My talent improved, right?"

It felt like years of grueling training. Master Yi Cheong-un is top-tier. Yet only broke to Sword Thunder Realm—no big gain. Can't even believe talent increased.

Did I really get the blessing?

[......]

"Yeo Dong-bin?"

After silence, Yeo Dong-bin replied.

[Not at all...]

"......"

[Not that kind of blessing. You took it without knowing, huh, younger brother...]

"What exactly is Jong Ri-gwan's blessing?"

[Sigh! It's called the sixteen-character blessing.]

I gasped at Yeo Dong-bin's words.

[The blessing of "No worries, all peaceful, one thought, one path, courageous diligence to exhaustion."]

"...What? What's that blessing?"

Yeo Dong-bin averted his eyes.

[It boosts focus for cultivators to train diligently without distractions, calming surroundings and fate unhurriedly.]

"......"

[Master gave it to me back then for diligent sword training... I was too caught in worldly trifles, so it helped greatly.]

"Th-this... this crap..."

I couldn't continue.

"Real... trash!!"

Jong Ri-gwan's blessing.

It just quiets surroundings for better training focus!

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!