Reincarnated Swordmaster

Chapter Title: Dark Heaven Village

The next day, I went to visit the Mangyang Preceptor.

'Is it because Cheon Woo-jin isn't here... It feels so quiet.'

Cheon Woo-jin was currently on our side after we gave him the black obsidian, so I could enter the Mangyang Preceptor's village without any hassle. As I walked deeper inside for a while, I realized it was about time and called out.

"Mangyang Preceptor! I have something to say."

Srrrrk.

Before I knew it, I had fallen asleep and was now on the familiar tree-lined path where I always met the Mangyang Preceptor. As usual, he appeared in the form of a black cat, walking from beyond the path.

[You've called Yeo Dong-bin again.]

Sure enough, Yeo Dong-bin's soul had been summoned beside me. This time too, I had invited him into the dream space by calling his name right before falling asleep. Yeo Dong-bin looked displeased, his expression stiff and rigid.

[What brings you here this time?]

"You probably already know."

The Preceptor's cat eyes stared at me emotionlessly.

[Say it with your own mouth. Don't get carried away by your assumptions.]

I nodded and replied.

"I want to know more details about the Great Void and Chaos! And how to fuse them."

[Why do you want to know that?]

At the Preceptor's question, I glared at Yeo Dong-bin for a moment before saying,

"Yeo Dong-bin here won't tell me a thing about the Martial God, and I need to know the method if I'm going to get stronger than the gods."

In fact, right after talking with Lee Cheong-un yesterday, I had summoned Yeo Dong-bin and grilled him about the Martial God, the Great Void, and the Four Perils. But Yeo Dong-bin had basically ignored me, staying completely silent without a single word, so I got no clues at all. After all our time together, his refusal to say anything left me feeling a bit hurt.

Then the Mangyang Preceptor spoke.

[Stronger than the gods... Do you even know what that means?]

I answered confidently.

"It means that from now on, when I use the Seven Luminaries, I can smash those [Ancient Rulers]. Amplifying the Seven Luminaries' power with the fused strength of Chaos and the Great Void should make it entirely possible, right?"

[......]

The Mangyang Preceptor slowly walked over and hopped onto the rooftop. He crouched like a dumpling and yawned.

[It is possible.]

Yes!

I cheered inwardly. Though I had shouted it confidently, I had been half-doubting if it would actually work. But now, the Mangyang Preceptor—a divine being on par with or above the [Ancient Rulers]—had confirmed it was possible! As I clenched my fist, the Preceptor continued.

[It's strange, but I sense sufficient karma from you. A bizarre phenomenon: karma hundreds of times that of an ordinary human, from someone who hasn't even lived thirty years, let alone a hundred. But I won't pry. I'll tell you about Chaos and the Great Void.]

"Huh? No need for offerings?"

What's with this guy?

I had actually brought more than half of my treasures for this negotiation. I had consulted with Zhuge Sa and Mangyang yesterday, stuffing my spatial pouch full, prepared to hand over everything if needed. Yet now the Mangyang Preceptor was offering the information for free.

As I looked puzzled, he wagged his tail.

[No need for surprise. If sufficient karma exists, me giving you this information is also part of the karmic law. It's merely the principle of heads and tails connected. Just a fragment of fate's flow.]

"...Don't use such difficult words! It just gives me a headache."

I scratched my head irritably. The guy had this unique talent for spouting incomprehensible nonsense that annoyed people. The Mangyang Preceptor slowly opened his mouth.

[Chaos is the 'Father' and the origin of this world. It's the foundation filling the entire universe. All races in this world harbor Chaos to greater or lesser degrees—even the gods.]

"Everyone has Chaos?"

[Yes. Even beasts possess it.]

The Mangyang Preceptor's explanation continued.

[And the Great Void is the 'string.']

"String?"

[The string of karmic law. And that string is the smallest thing in the world.]

"I don't quite get it. What about the string?"

He stared at me blankly before saying.

[Karmic law means that because there is a cause, there is an effect. The state where cause and effect connect, and the string linking them—that is called karmic bond. All things arise and perish within karmic bonds.]

[......]

[The Great Void normally exists as qi, but when decomposed, it returns to the 'string of karmic law.']

I don't get it. Why is stuff about Chaos and the Great Void so damn complicated?

Sweating from the difficult explanation, I replied.

"Uh... It's too hard, I don't get it. Can you explain it simply?"

[Wait.]

With that, the Mangyang Preceptor began slowly stripping the chicken leg down to the bone. After slurping it down contentedly for a while, he pushed the bone aside and continued.

[Fusing Chaos and the Great Void as a human is not difficult at all. You humans were originally molded from Chaos, and everyone possesses the Great Void. So if you've grasped the basic conditions, even an infant could attempt the fusion you mentioned.]

"Really??"

[Yes. It is indeed a way to surpass the gods. Because you can reach Emptiness and transcend racial limits.]

My heart pounded.

"Teach me the method!"

Finally... Finally, a way to close the despairing gap with the gods!

Even if I can't fully surpass them, if I gain power on the level of that cult leader from back then, I'll have massive confidence. Because amplifying it with the Seven Luminaries multiplies the power dozens of times over. And if that potential can sink its fangs into an [Ancient Ruler]'s throat, my reincarnation adventures will go smoothly!

Whiiiing.

The Mangyang Preceptor raised a front paw and suddenly conjured a sphere of light.

[Now. Gather the Chaos within you and connect to the karmic law through the Great Void. That's the fusion complete.]

[......]

[Very simple.]

"Ah, no, you have to teach me how to do that."

[Hm.]

He dispelled the light sphere and said.

[Come to think of it, gods can directly see the world of karmic law, so it's easy for them, but impossible for mortals. For you mortals to reach this realm, you need three types of training.]

"Three?"

[First, you must sense the Chaos you possess and move it freely. Second, decompose your qi to the elemental realm to create the Great Void, sense it, and move it freely. Finally, you need the mental fortitude to endure the immense Emptiness at the moment of fusion.]

[......]

I said in bewilderment.

"How do you sense and move Chaos?"

[Humans also have latent Chaos, but as the lowest race in the universe, it's minuscule. You must increase the amount of Chaos until you comprehend it like a fish swimming in water.]

"Then... how do you decompose qi into the Great Void?"

[Chaos has the property of decomposing qi. Condense overwhelming Chaos, and in that space, qi will vanish, leaving only the Great Void—the smallest essence.]

"Hmm."

I could somewhat understand the Mangyang Preceptor's explanation. And I reached a conclusion.

'So that's why only the White Lotus Cult Leader among humans comprehended the fusion realm!'

According to the Preceptor, there was one absolute condition to comprehend the fusion realm.

Possess overwhelming Chaos power within!

Only by being immersed in vast Chaos can you sense and wield it, and only with a massive amount can you decompose qi back into the Great Void. To meet this, you need overwhelming Chaos power, and in the human world, only the White Lotus Cult Leader—who borrows infinite power from the Throne of Chaos as the Primordial Spirit of Chaos—possesses that much. That's why only he could comprehend the fusion realm.

Even the Great Rakshasa Immortal probably couldn't. It was a secret of the world that only the White Lotus Cult Leader, contracted with Chaos, could grasp.

I cautiously asked the Mangyang Preceptor.

"Then... assuming I've comprehended the fusion realm, how much training do I need to match the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors?"

[A very long time.]

"So, how long exactly?"

[Training the fusion realm means forging divine sanctity from Chaos with a mortal body to become a god. You'll need at least centuries, and thousands of years to be usable even in the divine throne world.]

The Mangyang Preceptor spun his tail and continued.

[To fight on equal terms with the true bodies of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors near the world's pinnacle, at least tens of thousands of years of training.]

[......]

What the hell is this? A joke?!

The words crawled up my throat. But having directly felt the overwhelming power of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors' true bodies, I had to inwardly admit it amid despair. The power of absolute gods who could wipe out humanity on a whim wasn't something to take lightly.

'No. It's too early to give up...'

If it's just piling up training time, tens of thousands of years. But I don't necessarily need to stack that much time. Because I have the Seven Luminaries. Even if it's just a fraction of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors' power, amplifying it with the Seven Luminaries might let me injure them.

As I inwardly rejoiced at gaining a huge clue, the Mangyang Preceptor glanced shyly at Yeo Dong-bin and muttered.

[Well, there seem to be other methods...]

"Huh?"

Yeo Dong-bin, receiving the Preceptor's gaze, gave no reply. He merely let out a short sigh.

I kept asking questions.

"Mangyang Preceptor. I currently possess Yin God Power, Jeon-uk's power. Can that be considered Chaos?"

[It's processed power, not pure Chaos. Jeon-uk, as a masked one, couldn't reveal his pure Chaos. So it's a stretch to call it Chaos itself.]

"It won't work?"

[If the power reaches its peak and breaks the boundary, there might be a chance.]

"I see."

Then, after at most 13 more deaths, I too should be able to sense and wield Chaos's essence. Because to reach the peak where Yin God Power shatters the spell boundary, I need to absorb it from Jeon-uk's statue.

No, there are probably other ways too?

Suddenly, the future felt wide open, and I felt great. After all the hardship to reach Absolute Realm, now the path was clear. As I grinned, the Mangyang Preceptor slowly stood and began vanishing down the path.

[The snack was delicious. Prepare chicken legs next time too...]

I woke up shortly after. As I stood to leave, I flinched.

"...!!"

Yeo Dong-bin's shrine.

Standing materialized in the physical world before it was the Sword Immortal Yeo Dong-bin. This was a manifestation without my consent, done solely by expending the power he had accumulated as the Great Rakshasa Immortal. In all my reincarnations so far, Yeo Dong-bin had never manifested on his own, so I couldn't help but be shocked.

Yeo Dong-bin stood before the shrine, silently gazing at it, then spoke.

"Young one."

"Wh-why do you call me?"

He turned toward me and said.

"Are you trying to become a monster to catch monsters?"

[......?]

"...It doesn't matter, as long as I can save humanity by any means..."

Muttering like a lament, Yeo Dong-bin continued.

"However, I, Yeo Dong-bin, will withhold judgment on you..."

Ssssh.

With those words, Yeo Dong-bin returned to the heavenly realm. Of course, our soul link remained, so he'd come if called, but for some reason, I felt uneasy. Like he might not talk to me anymore.

"Huh?"

I suddenly noticed something offered inside the shrine and approached.

In the dark, cramped interior of Yeo Dong-bin's shrine lay a single rusty iron sword. It looked ready to crumble any second. I picked it up and swung it—utterly worn, with no divine or spiritual energy. I didn't dare infuse internal energy, fearing it'd shatter.

'Who offered this junk to Yeo Dong-bin?'

As a weapon, zero stars. Who would offer such a useless blade?

But it seemed the Yeo Dong-bin who just manifested had been intently looking at this sword.

"...Time to head back."

I left the rusty sword in Yeo Dong-bin's shrine and returned to Jangryeong Valley.

Now that I had the clue, all that remained was to grow stronger.

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