Reincarnated Swordmaster

Chapter Title: Dark Heaven Village

I was greatly disappointed by Zhuge Sa’s blessing, but when I told him and Mang Ryang about it, they both said the same thing.

“It’s a good blessing.”

Zhuge Sa said.

“I was wondering why this life felt so smooth with few variables, and it turns out the blessing was at work. You got a great one.”

“Uh... I wanted my talents to increase so I could get stronger faster...”

“Our role this life is to help you focus quietly on your training. Doesn’t that make it a great blessing? If it really bothers you, try what I mentioned last time in your next life. Anyway...”

Zhuge Sa spoke curtly and then asked me.

“That Silver Phoenix Tablet holds the memories of the Baekjae royal family. Do you think you could store new memories in it?”

Hum.

I picked up the Silver Phoenix Tablet and checked its capacity. Then I said.

“There’s plenty of space left.”

“How much?”

“About thirty percent...”

“Then give it a try.”

“Hold on...”

I tried casting a spell on it, just like when storing memories in the obsidian. But soon, a stinging sensation spread from my hand throughout my body.

Crackle!

“Ugh.”

I hurriedly set the Silver Phoenix Tablet down on the table. Turning to Zhuge Sa, I said.

“No good. I can’t store memories in it.”

“Hmm... Why not?”

“I don’t know. It feels like it’s rejecting me.”

“......”

Zhuge Sa thought for a moment, then said.

“Baek Woong. For now, you need to focus on training. And bring Yeon Jong-hwi here.”

“Huh? Why?”

“I have something for him to do.”

I called Yeon Jong-hwi to Zhuge Sa, who seemed to give him some secret orders. Of course, prying now would be pointless, so I went off to train.

The training dragged on. I allocated half the day to martial arts practice and the rest to accumulating knowledge on the demonic path. This left me even more exhausted than training martial arts alone, so I had to take breaks every few days.

After about three months of this?

One day, while Zhuge Sa was teaching me, he said.

“Now you at least know which ones among the [Ancient Rulers] are out there.”

“Um...”

“Memorize them all, even if you don’t understand the details. That’s the only way you’ll be able to use the knowledge later.”

All that time, my head was spinning from the nonstop stream of knowledge Zhuge Sa poured out. My memory was good, but my comprehension wasn’t great, so I got scolded dozens of times. Still, after three months of diligent study, I grasped the basics. Puzzled, I asked Zhuge Sa.

“There seem to be at least hundreds of them... Why are there so many divine beings?”

It felt off. I’d thought [Ancient Ruler] referred to just a handful of overwhelmingly powerful entities, but the list Zhuge Sa gave me numbered in the dozens or hundreds. Some were in languages unpronounceable by humans, so we just memorized the glyphs. When I voiced my doubt, Zhuge Sa explained.

“I told you before that the [Ancient Rulers] divide into two types: those from the material realm and those from the divine seats.”

“Yeah, you did.”

“True divine seat [Ancient Rulers] who are sacred bones strong enough to scheme against the universe are rare. Most come from the material realm. Some are so weak they could be subdued even by a Great Thunder Immortal’s power.”

“Even the weak ones are called [Ancient Rulers]?”

It might be arrogant to call a Great Thunder Immortal weak, but given the power of the [Ancient Rulers] I’d faced so far, it was baffling. I’d assumed the term meant beings who transcended common sense, but apparently not.

“[Ancient Ruler] is a term of reverence. It collectively refers to those born from ‘Chaos’ who ascended to godhood as rulers. As you’ve learned, there’s a huge gap between them. Excluding the Sea God, all the ones you’ve encountered are at the pinnacle of demon gods. You’re a special case.”

“Hmm.”

“Even current demon king or apostle-level ones could be called [Ancient Rulers] if they survive thousands of years and grow stronger. It’s all about their [rank] anyway.”

A sudden thought struck me, and I asked.

“Born from Chaos—does that mean they have no parents?”

“No, that’s not it. Damn it, you still don’t grasp what ‘Chaos’ means in the demonic path.”

Irritated, Zhuge Sa continued.

“Anyway, why are you so bad at alchemy?”

I scratched my head.

“I can memorize the formulas, but applying them is tough...”

That was it. Complex formulas and material lists looked daunting, but my strong memory let me memorize them over three months. But mixing them my own way or understanding “why” they worked eluded me. Zhuge Sa sighed.

“Hoo! Damn it. If you can’t learn this, even basic demonic spells will be hard, and it’ll hinder your progress in Eastern pill refinement later. Let’s aim to master the basics of alchemy within a year.”

“Aren’t you being too harsh? Western alchemists say it takes at least ten years of apprenticeship to become competent...”

I complained since Zhuge Sa was openly disappointed. It wasn’t like I’d slacked off for three months—I’d trained hard in martial arts and then fried my brain on top. In response, Zhuge Sa said.

“Do you know why I’m rushing your alchemy? Because eventually, you’ll need to craft transcendent puppets using the crystal monument and the power of summons, and sooner is better. Ideally, within this lifetime.”

“Huh? Me, making transcendent puppets?”

“That expands our strategies for after your next reincarnation. How long are you going to rely on me? Without me, you’d have died ten more times before even trying one. Lucky bastard.”

“......”

No retort. It was true. I suddenly felt grateful to the Sword Demon who’d once suggested recruiting Zhuge Sa.

He cracked his knuckles.

“Crafting transcendent puppets requires advanced alchemy, deep knowledge of the Eight Trigrams Gate Escape formations, and mastery of human biomechanical design. Fortunately, you have basics in all three. It’s a high-difficulty art, but you’ll get there eventually.”

“How long did it take you to reach that level?”

“Well... about a year of hard study.”

“......”

A year to master alchemy, Eight Trigrams formations, and medicine at grandmaster level? Zhuge Sa was undeniably a genius of the Zhuge family. He said.

“This won’t do. Even doubling your training aptitude with cult secret arts is pointless with your talent gap. For now, drop martial arts training and learn alchemy under me full-time.”

“Huh?! Is that okay?”

“Absolute Realm isn’t achieved overnight. Let’s grab what we can as fast as possible.”

“Got it.”

From that day, I shelved martial arts and threw myself into alchemy. When Yi Cheong-un heard, he slung his spear over his shoulder and said.

“Good. Then from now on, I’ll join the others in discussing martial theory.”

“Do you think the others will reach the Absolute Realm?”

Yi Cheong-un shook his head.

“Even I can’t say. It requires both skill and luck... Maybe none of them will achieve it within a decade.”

“......”

“Peeking into the Absolute Realm’s threshold is worlds apart from stepping into it. Lingering in the intermediate stages for years isn’t unusual, no matter how talented the genius.”

“What about me?”

“Your realm has deepened lately, but you haven’t fully immersed in the wondrous realm yet... Anyway, we’ll talk after you master alchemy.”

I felt a pang of regret.

“When will I reach the Absolute Realm?”

I knew it wasn’t easy. But I had to get there someday. Only then could I claim to have reached the minimum level to fight gods. Frustrating that my current strength, dominant in the martial world, was laughable in the hidden realm.

Then, I began intensive alchemy study under Zhuge Sa, as grueling as closed-door training. He brought all sorts of minerals and alchemy materials for hands-on experiments and study, plus nonstop reading.

“Ugh...”

My head hurt so much from studying that my hands shook.

“Tougher than several times the basic studies under Mang Ryang...”

Physical training let me empty my mind, but this gnawed at my brain relentlessly. Even alchemy involved dozens of principles per formula, demanding sharp wits for results.

Another year passed like that.

That day, I was blankly flipping through an alchemy book when Zhuge Sa said.

“Baek Woong. Stop for a bit and come out.”

“Yeah?”

“Something came up. We need a meeting.”

I staggered out of the dim room. It had been ages since I’d studied this insanely, and my mind felt splintered. Outside, Mang Ryang and all my comrades waited.

“Mang Ryang, what happened?”

Mang Ryang replied gravely.

“What we feared has come to pass.”

“What we feared?”

“When we recruited Elder Yi Cheong-un, this was our biggest initial worry—and it’s happened.”

“......”

My face hardened.

“The White Lotus Cult Leader has grown stronger.”

“Sigh, yes.”

The guardian warriors’ martial arts, enhanced by the Heavenly Spirit Pill, would now be fully accessible to the White Lotus Cult Leader!

We’d hesitated to revive and recruit Yi Cheong-un precisely because we’d figured this out. Learning martial arts from an Absolute Realm master and making him a comrade was ideal, but the stronger he grew in the Seven Great Ultimates and Eight Immortal Divine Arts, the more the Cult Leader gained those insights. Curious, I sat and asked.

“What exactly happened?”

“So far, the imperial palace and White Lotus Cult have been in a standoff. They’ve always checked each other, but we once suppressed the palace’s major human sacrifices.”

“Right.”

Not long ago, we’d raided the Eastern Depot, Embroidered Uniform Guard, Imperial Dragon Hall, and other key palace buildings, plus blown up the secret chamber with Zhuge Yu-ryong’s spare body. Nodding as I recalled, Mang Ryang continued.

“Since then, we’ve covertly maneuvered the Anti-Heaven Alliance to check the palace and preserve the delicate balance with the White Lotus Cult. But we failed to maintain it.”

“The White Lotus side made a move?”

“Yes. This is the manifesto the Cult Leader issued to the martial world three days ago.”

Swish.

The silk manifesto unfurled. I read it slowly.

[I, Dokgo Un-cheon, descendant of the Founding Ancestor Dahma and lord of the White Lotus Cult’s thousand-year lineage, declare to all heaven under header.

Are there only one or two great demons rampant in this world?

Regrettably, my power was insufficient, and I could do nothing until now.

But I have obtained heavenly ultimate arts, so soon I shall take your sects into the embrace of the great White Lotus Cult.

Those with ambition, join our cult and become the foundation stones of the millennial kingdom. I shall welcome the capable and ambitious with generous rewards.

Let us bring peace to this world and establish the True Void Eternal Home lasting ten thousand generations.]

“......”

“And as a postscript, sects wishing to join the White Lotus Cult should reply within a fortnight. It’s a clear move to annex the Central Plains martial world.”

I frowned at the words on the manifesto.

“Heavenly ultimate arts... That means the Cult Leader has acquired the Seven Great Ultimates and Eight Immortal Divine Arts.”

“Yes.”

Mang Ryang nodded.

“And he’s undoubtedly elevated his own realm further.”

“...That is.”

I glanced at Yi Cheong-un. He gave a wry smile.

“The Leader must have sensed I’m alive. And even knowing that, he’s confident he’ll win, which is why he issued this.”

“How strong is the Leader now?”

“Who knows... But if we leave him be, your 19th life will replay.”

Yi Cheong-un was right. With this manifesto to the martial world, the Leader would seize it sooner or later. Then, with martial power in hand, he’d confront the palace head-on, annihilating its forces. After that, he’d trade with the palace’s [Ancient Ruler] as before, pursuing mad human sacrifices to find the Law of No-Life, No-Death.

I gritted my teeth.

“We have to stop him before he goes all out.”

“We’ve been pondering how.”

Zhuge Sa beside me spoke up.

“There’s a way to not stop him.”

“What?”

“Let him rampage freely and observe what happens when he borrows divine power to gather all the Law of No-Life, No-Death fragments.”

“......”

“Aren’t you curious?”

Of course I was—that’d be a lie if I said no. And it’d be crucial intel to shorten my future reincarnations. But I said firmly.

“No! We can’t stand by while Central Plains humanity is wiped out.”

“Kekeke... Knew you’d say that. You’re no fun...”

As Zhuge Sa grumbled, Mang Ryang said.

“Fortunately, we know the Leader’s true intent, so we can counter effectively. How about using the ‘using the enemy to control the enemy’ tactic preemptively?”

“Using the enemy to control the enemy?”

“Yes.”

Mang Ryang said solemnly.

“Let’s move the Twelve Commanders.”

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