Reincarnated Swordmaster

Chapter Title: Dark Heaven Village

The night before, Mang Liang and Jeon Gal-sa sat facing each other, with the rest of us gathered around them. Jeon Gal-sa slowly opened his mouth to speak.

“We’ll participate in the Three Powers Summit as mediators alongside the Righteous Heaven Alliance. Naturally, Anti-Heaven Alliance Leader Mang Liang-Jeon will attend the summit. And Yi Cheong-un will accompany him as his guard.”

“And the rest of us?”

“No need to go. We’re operating in secret as a hidden force in the martial world—why reveal our faces and identities on purpose? But without Yi Cheong-un, we can’t guarantee Hyeon’s survival among those absolute experts. That’s why we’re sending him. In an emergency, Yi Cheong-un can buy time for Hyeon to unleash his Thunder God Possession.”

“Hmm.”

At that moment, Gok-ho raised his hand.

“Send me!”

“Why you?”

Jeon Gal-sa let out a cold laugh.

“Don’t talk nonsense. You just want to lay eyes on the Wind God Style Protectors or the White Lotus Cult Leader, don’t you?”

“……”

“We can’t allow any variables. The moment anything goes even slightly off script, we could all die.”

“Kuh.”

Gok-ho looked frustrated. Anyone could see Jeon Gal-sa was right, but I understood Gok-ho’s feelings. If you had a chance to face your sworn enemy in person, emotions would override reason every time. Jeon Gal-sa continued.

“Sword Demon, who’s not here, has been preparing for the summit for days while leading the Shadowless Sect. If Sword Demon, as the orthodox faction’s representative, subtly sides with us, it’ll make the summit more likely to succeed. But an unknown like you, Gok-ho, joining as the Anti-Heaven Alliance Leader’s guard would only bring risks without any gains. If you get captured and tortured…”

“Damn it! Stop nagging. I get why I can’t go.”

Gok-ho burst out, and Mang Liang gave a wry smile.

“Don’t be too disappointed. You’ll have a chance to use your strength soon enough.”

Mang Liang went on.

“Originally, I hadn’t planned to go myself. I considered using Uncle’s Transformation Great Law to send a suitable puppet in my place. But the heads of the three great powers won’t be fooled by such tricks, so I, as the alliance leader, must go personally. And the danger there will be extreme—even a super peak expert could die.”

“Come to think of it, what’s the goal of tomorrow’s summit?”

I’d been listening quietly until then, so I asked.

“You’ve been letting us handle things so far, but you never mentioned the most important part.”

“Baek Woong, our goal tomorrow is to get the three great powers to sign a ceasefire agreement. At the same time, we’ll urge the White Lotus Cult to halt its advance into the Central Plains.”

“…That sounds pretty tough.”

I frowned. I’d vaguely expected it, but it was definitely a difficult objective. Suppressing the White Lotus Cult Leader, who had declared his advance with such confidence and ambition to dominate the Central Plains martial world, while also brokering a truce among the three powers? Even for Mang Liang, it was impossible to say if it could be done.

Mang Liang replied.

“The groundwork is already laid. With the decree of the four heavenly fates, I’ll achieve the goal with everything I have.”

“Uh-huh!”

It suddenly occurred to me, so I glanced at Jeon Gal-sa.

“What will you be doing tomorrow, Jeon Gal-sa?”

“Heh heh. Well, you see…”

Jeon Gal-sa grinned slyly as he explained his plan. I could only make a dismayed face.

“Do you really have to go that far?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. If we don’t set traps in a triple-layered scheme, it’ll be even more dangerous.”

“Hmm, well… your brain’s better than mine.”

There’s be nothing more foolish than worrying about Jeon Gal-sa’s schemes. I brushed it off easily and glanced at Cheon Woo-jin.

“So we’ll use the Heavenly Eye to watch the rest of the summit?”

“That’s right.”

“……”

I looked at Mang Liang with worried eyes. He chuckled softly.

“Don’t worry. Yi Cheong-un will protect me, and my junior brother will now bless me with spells of protection and fortune. It won’t be easy for me to die.”

“But still, joining a summit of the world’s most dangerous people is worrisome.”

“Haha! Even if I die, as long as you’re alive, Baek Woong, that’s enough.”

Mang Liang gripped my hand tightly. With eyes burning with fierce determination, he said.

“Baek Woong, tomorrow I’ll definitely wring a crucial clue from those bastards’ own mouths. And I’ll come back alive no matter what.”

“…I leave it to you.”

What I really meant wasn’t “please do it.” I wished I could go in Mang Liang’s place instead. But since the others were racking their brains and courage to protect me, a reincarnator, I couldn’t say that.

Jeon Gal-sa spoke up.

“Alright, everyone prepare yourselves… Baek Woong, you stay and talk with me.”

Soon after, I followed Jeon Gal-sa to a private chamber for a one-on-one talk. He said.

“This is info I got just before dawn yesterday. Better tell you now in case.”

“From the Imperial Palace side?”

“Yeah. If you hadn’t studied alchemy all this time, it’d be utterly useless top-secret intel. Forcing it on someone who doesn’t get alchemy would’ve been a nightmare.”

Something clicked for me at his words. As I stared at Jeon Gal-sa, he cackled.

“The key ingredient for making the highest-grade automaton is mercury.”

“Mercury?”

“The alchemy bastard finally spilled. He’s getting anxious too, so he must’ve discussed with Jeon Gal-bu the need to mass-produce automatons quickly. The three powers’ meeting is a big deal for him too.”

“So he shared the core info with Jeon Gal-bu. Anyway, mercury is the key ingredient…”

I pondered, then said to Jeon Gal-sa.

“Mercury isn’t that rare a metal. It’s not common, but you can melt cinnabar for it, and it’s mainly used for gilding. That’s the key ingredient?”

It has the properties of a transuranic element and flows like liquid at room temperature, which is unique, but that’s it. Mercury itself isn’t a rare metal, so I hadn’t imagined it as the core for the supreme automatons offered to gods.

“I was surprised too, but there’s a reason. Mercury was used once before in an ancient consecration ritual.”

“Consecration ritual?”

As I looked puzzled, Jeon Gal-sa continued slowly.

“The first one, performed by First Emperor Ying Zheng.”

“…!!”

Why bring up Qin Shi Huang now?

“We’ve focused on the second one by Wu Zetian so far, but the alchemist Saint Germain seems to have had that very first consecration ritual in mind from the start when he came East. And First Emperor Ying Zheng prepared vast quantities of mercury in his mausoleum for mining as the core ingredient.”

“Mausoleum… his tomb?”

“If we name it, it’d be the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang. Heh heh.”

Jeon Gal-sa giggled like it was hilarious, then continued.

“According to him, if you refine that mercury with a special process, it turns into a special extraterrestrial metal infused with the power of the moon. This extraterrestrial metal has liquid properties like mercury but no toxicity or harm, so it can be preserved semi-permanently inside the human body. It looks similar to mercury but is a completely different element.”

“Inside the human body…?”

Listening to Jeon Gal-sa, something hit me, and I jolted.

“Don’t tell me they use that metal itself as blood?”

“Kuh… I taught you well for a year. You’ve got the insight now.”

Jeon Gal-sa nodded, looking impressed.

“Right. The finest automatons use this transformed mercury extraterrestrial metal as blood. Plus, it generates power semi-permanently and can amplify by resonating with the moon’s power.”

“……!!”

“That’s why they’ve been after the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang. It seems to have massive reserves of that metal buried there. Probably for the consecration ritual.”

I caught on to what Jeon Gal-sa meant.

“The alchemist Saint Germain knows the formula to turn mercury into extraterrestrial metal, but it’s too troublesome and difficult to produce?”

“Exactly. The efficiency was garbage. He tried using the crystal stele monument’s power, but the results were disappointing for the effort. So now he’s digging up the buried metal that Qin Shi Huang pre-made for his consecration ritual thousands of years ago.”

“Hmm…”

“If they excavate it again, they can produce it in no time.”

It all fit together. That explained why the Imperial Palace side had the blueprint for top-grade automatons but struggled to complete them for so long. The theory was there, but they lacked the actual material to fill them.

I said to Jeon Gal-sa.

“Then we need to find the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang first.”

“No. They’ve already found it.”

“What?”

“Just the entrance to the ruins, but they discovered a cave in Mount Li. The alchemist moved alone, it seems.”

“……”

I felt absurd, but realized there was no helping it. In this life, hadn’t we decided to bide our time, check the palace, and uncover the automaton secrets for sure? Even if Mang Liang and Jeon Gal-sa knew in advance, they couldn’t act. Jeon Gal-sa continued.

“Anyway, if we leave it like this, the palace will complete the automatons in a few years. I called you here to pass on the mercury transformation formula I overheard in their conversation yesterday.”

“Got it.”

“Write it down first, then memorize it like crazy. You absolutely can’t forget it.”

I jotted down the alchemy spells and formulas as Jeon Gal-sa recited them. But there was more than I could memorize in one go. As I looked down at the paper with a weary expression, Jeon Gal-sa said.

“They call that transformed metal divine blood.”

“Divine blood…”

“That’s it for today. Go rest. The Three Powers Summit starts tomorrow.”

As Jeon Gal-sa said, I returned to my quarters and caught some sleep. The next day at the hour of the rabbit, we gathered, but Mang Liang and Yi Cheong-un were already gone. The summit itself started at the hour of the dragon, so there was still time.

Cheon Woo-jin extended his hands forward and let out a shout.

“Hah!”

Wooong.

A new scene unfolded before us, like walking right into it in mid-air. Cheon Woo-jin caught his breath and said.

“I’m sharing vision with my senior brother to deploy the Heavenly Eye spell.”

“So this view is from Mang Liang’s eyes right now?”

“Yes.”

With this setup, we could observe the summit hall vividly even from thousands of li away. Soon, the spell’s resonance strengthened, and local sounds came through clearly.

Step…

Mang Liang walked with Yi Cheong-un, flanked by two or three others. Yi Cheong-un had altered his appearance with his transformation spell, and Mang Liang had too. After walking a long way, they arrived at the General’s Tower in Luoyang’s outer city.

The General’s Tower wasn’t an ordinary brothel—it was a place only renowned scholars or high officials could enter. It was sparsely populated and quiet, and Mang Liang and Yi Cheong-un silently ascended to the top floor.

The top floor was laid out with a full banquet, and Jeon Gal-bu sat at the head seat. As Mang Liang arrived, Jeon Gal-bu stood, cupped his hands, and greeted them.

“Welcome, Anti-Heaven Alliance Leader. I am Jeon Gal-bu, Inner Yellow Pavilion Master of the Imperial Palace. Today, I represent the palace.”

Jeon Gal-bu didn’t recognize Mang Liang due to the transformation spell. Mang Liang gave a slight nod in return, scanned the room, and said.

“The Twelve Laws Leader and White Lotus Cult Leader haven’t arrived yet.”

“They’ll be here soon.”

Jeon Gal-bu replied calmly, then continued.

“But you have quite the nerve. Just three guards for such an important meeting…”

“I’m confident it will end peacefully.”

“Hahaha.”

Jeon Gal-bu laughed loudly and took a drink.

“I hope so too.”

That was when it happened.

Whoooong.

Suddenly, the air on the top floor of the General’s Tower shifted, and four figures materialized from empty space. Watching through the Heavenly Eye, I jumped in shock.

“Space teleportation?!”

That was the only explanation from my knowledge of spells!

As I peered into the Heavenly Eye in astonishment, the central figure among the sudden arrivals fiddled with his faceless mask and spoke.

[The Twelve Laws Leader isn’t here yet?]

The four who appeared were the White Lotus Cult Leader and his protectors. The cult leader wore his faceless mask as before, and the protectors were golden dragon, fox, and black tiger masks respectively.

Jeon Gal-bu cupped his hands toward the White Lotus Cult Leader.

“I see the famed White Lotus Cult Leader of the world. The Twelve Laws Leader will arrive shortly…”

“I’m here too.”

“Huh?!”

A voice cut into the room, interrupting Jeon Gal-bu. This time, he showed genuine surprise and agitation.

“Shall we begin the Three Powers Summit then?”

And at the seat directly opposite the banquet head sat the Twelve Laws Leader, propping his chin lazily. Unlike the others, he seemed to have come alone without guards or allies. His traceless infiltration proved he was an absolute realm martial artist without doubt.

But the real issue was elsewhere. Seeing the Twelve Laws Leader’s appearance, I clutched my forehead.

“That… son of a bitch…”

Yes.

I’d hoped to finally see the Twelve Laws Leader unmasked this time, but the bastard had come wearing a full-body white, fluffy dog costume again!

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