Reincarnated Swordmaster

Chapter Title: Dark Heaven Village

Zhuge Sage continued.

“As long as we don't kill them, there are more than enough ways.”

“So what method?”

“Well, simply put, borrow the power of the [Ancient Ruler] to lay petrification curses and clear a path. Souls cursed by the [Ancient Ruler] can't become living sacrifices for the other rulers.”

I frowned.

“Ugh... Using that method turns the cursed ones into statues that can't live or die, trapped forever. Do we really have to use something so vicious?”

“It's the most reliable and straightforward option, but you'll pass on it, I see.”

“What about Cheon Woo-Jin using the Five Evils Method to bind tens of thousands of troops' feet?”

“......”

Mang Ryang, who had been listening, spoke up.

“Uncle. Let me go hear the Cult Leader's intentions first. We can decide after that.”

“......”

“You think the Cult Leader grasps the situation that well?”

“The Cult Leader doesn't underestimate the Vermilion Bird. And from one demonic cultivator's perspective to another, he'll have a solid guess.”

“No guarantee your hunch is right, but let's give it a shot.”

Pa-at!

Soon, Mang Ryang arrived near Ye Mountain, at the gathering spot for the Twelve Rites and White Lotus Cult experts. Standing atop a hill, he looked down at the troops encamped across the twenty-li radius around Ye Mountain and declared.

“Blindly charging through with a massacre will land us right in the Vermilion Bird's trap.”

The White Lotus Cult Leader replied to Mang Ryang's words.

[We know that much. That's why we were planning to form an elite squad and break through to Ye Mountain's interior.]

The Twelve Rites Sovereign seemed to tacitly agree, offering no retort. It looked like they'd shifted from their hardline stance. Sensing the mood, Mang Ryang immediately made his next proposal.

“Please let the Half Heaven Alliance join that elite squad.”

[......]

As the Cult Leader fell silent, the Twelve Rites Sovereign standing beside him spoke.

“No time to bicker. Let's hurry and prepare.”

After a brief meeting, they selected their elites.

From the Twelve Rites side: the Sovereign, Musashi, the Three Sages, three of the Twelve Rites Sect Leaders, and ten members of the unidentified Dan Clan.

From the White Lotus Cult side: the Cult Leader, the Dharma Protectors, the Elders, and ten experts from the Water God Style.

Mang Ryang included nearly everyone from our side except me and Cheon Woo-Jin. Once the roster was set, it was already an impressive number. Of course, punching through a 450,000-strong army with this few was absurd—but with their individual might, it was entirely feasible.

“Shall we go?”

With those words, the Twelve Rites Sovereign suddenly unleashed the power of Mok Yo, slamming both hands to the ground.

Kuku-kung!

Vast mounds of earth erupted around them, and enormous roots shot skyward. Several of those roots stretched toward the heavens, forming trees dozens of zhang tall. Suddenly surrounded by trees, the Sovereign calmly said.

“Follow me.”

The Sovereign climbed to the upper branches of the tree, and the rest began to follow.

“This is...!!”

Cheon Woo-Jin, watching through clairvoyance, wore a shocked expression. I glanced at him and asked.

“You know this spell?”

“No.”

“Then why the fuss...”

Cheon Woo-Jin irritably snapped.

“That's the problem—I don't know it. Where in the world do you summon a World Tree directly to create a dimensional passage?!”

“World Tree...?”

“It's a tree from the Mythic Age. No human can wield it.”

“......”

What the Twelve Rites Sovereign had summoned was most likely the Divine Sandalwood Tree. He'd called forth the sacred tree said to span the nine worlds using the power of Mok Yo. But I'd been taking it in stride so far, so I couldn't quite grasp why Cheon Woo-Jin was so worked up. On a hunch, I asked him.

“Even Dae-ra Immortal spells can't do it?”

“Forget can or can't—the World Tree isn't a physical entity to begin with. It's the ultimate spiritual lifeform that sprouts the elemental sources of power, so not even gods can handle it easily. At Dae-ra Immortal level, it's practically impossible.”

“Hm... Then what the hell is that? The Sovereign's handling it with Mok Yo's power.”

Cheon Woo-Jin said in admiration.

“Liberated Mok Yo power must be beyond imagination.”

Was it really?

I was beset by doubts about whether that was purely liberated Mok Yo power. Cheon Woo-Jin might not know, having only inherited memories, but I'd witnessed the Twelve Rites Sovereign unleash terrifying abilities that defied explanation more than once. Yet no matter how much Mok Yo it was, I couldn't draw that level of power from Chih Yo.

“No way...”

If the Seven Yo's power scaled with the user's capacity, did that mean the Twelve Rites Sovereign was a divine being in his own right? The vague suspicions I'd harbored were solidifying into conviction deep in my mind. Handling not just the Phoenix but the Divine Sandalwood Tree was no feat achievable through mere human cultivation.

But even as a divine being, the Sovereign's power seemed distant from the heavenly realm's. Nor did it feel like the [Ancient Ruler]'s force, leaving it all the more enigmatic. Thinking about what the Twelve Rites Sovereign was hiding gave me a headache, and I scratched my scalp furiously.

That was when it happened.

Wuuung!

The sacred tree hummed loudly, and in the next instant, the group's view shifted to the pitch-black interior of a cavern. The Twelve Rites Sovereign immediately cast a spell to summon a light orb, illuminating the surroundings.

Ka-gung!

‘Soldier and Horse Mound!’

Viewing it through clairvoyance, I inwardly marveled.

The vast cavern, carved out of the entire Ye Mountain, was filled wall-to-wall with thousands upon tens of thousands of man-made soldier and horse figures. Each terracotta puppet was crafted with startling realism, as if alive. Yong Bi-cheon looked around in wonder and remarked.

“Qin Shi Huang must have been a great lover of art. These soldiers and horses look just like the real thing.”

The Twelve Rites Sovereign chuckled mockingly.

“Heh heh heh. They don't just look real—they are real.”

“......?”

All eyes turned to the Twelve Rites Sovereign. But instead of explaining, he glanced at the Cult Leader and said.

“The Absolute Formation is already deployed. Shall we smash it with force?”

The Cult Leader replied coldly.

[Split into two groups.]

“Heh heh. Half Heaven Alliance goes with you?”

[That'd be best...]

Without needing to say who went first, the group divided according to the two leaders' agreement. I watched the sudden split in bewilderment, but Cheon Woo-Jin soon explained.

“The formation inside is based on the Yin-Yang Twin Reversal principle—a Mechanism Formation—so it had to be split anyway.”

“Yin-Yang Twin Reversal? How do you know that?”

“Ugh. What happened to all that studying? Can't you tell at a glance from the I-ki flags scattered around?”

Cheon Woo-Jin shot me a scornful look, but I made a lame excuse.

“I knew a formation was up, but spotting the type at a glance is tough...”

No joke—spotting it would be the weird part. The changes from flag placements number in the thousands or tens of thousands; no one memorizes them all. The freaks who could discern the Yin-Yang Twin Reversal mystery from the flag flows right on arrival were the odd ones.

Cheon Woo-Jin turned back to the clairvoyance screen and said.

“Anyway, keep watching. You'll need to step in at the critical moment.”

“Got it.”

I'd avoid it unless my life was at stake, but if the chance to seize the Portrait Ghost Portrait arose or a major shift hit, I'd use the Dimensional Shift to infiltrate the Soldier and Horse Mound. Even if it meant using the weapon borrowed from the Prophet, I had to give Half Heaven Alliance the edge. In other words, I was the hidden trump card here.

Susuk!

The Half Heaven Alliance members moving with the White Lotus Cult soon sensed darkness flowing through the Soldier and Horse Mound's nooks. More precisely, the passages cutting through it were slowly morphing, forming a labyrinth and turning into a maze. This was the Absolute Formation's shift ensnaring intruders, so Mang Ryang noticed first and cupped his fists toward the White Lotus Cult Leader.

“Cult Leader! Half Heaven Alliance Lord Mang Ryang has something to say.”

The Cult Leader seemed to grasp his intent immediately and countered.

[Half Heaven Alliance Lord. Can you pierce this Absolute Formation's changes?]

“It's entirely possible. Entrust it to us.”

[......]

As the Cult Leader pondered, Yong Bi-cheon suddenly strode forward and bellowed.

“Enough nonsense! How could we entrust our lives to bat-like scum like you?”

“......”

“This puny formation—I'll smash it with raw power.”

Wuuuuuuu!!

Immense wind energy gathered in Yong Bi-cheon's hands. It soon formed a massive tornado that surged forward, his eyes gleaming as he unleashed it.

Kwa-gwa-gwang!!

Hundreds of bronze soldiers shattered and flew through the air, the tornado wreaking havoc everywhere. It was a spectacle like a typhoon sweeping through, and Yong Bi-cheon, now floating via sky-treading, swiftly formed another dozen-zhang wind bomb and launched it in rapid succession.

Kwa-gwang!

Kwa-bam!

“Hahaha!”

How long did the explosions continue?

Yong Bi-cheon wrought devastation with his infinite qi, but the White Lotus Cult Leader issued a heavy command.

[Yong Bi-cheon. Cease.]

“Yes?”

[I said cease.]

Yong Bi-cheon descended from the sky in confusion. He pointed to the cleared maze ahead and said.

“I destroyed all the obstructing formation elements. Now we just—”

[...Hoo. What a formation.]

Muttering that, the Cult Leader suddenly flicked his hand.

Wuung!

“......!!”

In an instant, the scene of destruction before their eyes vanished entirely, the original Soldier and Horse Mound maze reappearing.

“No!”

“What in the world...”

Most of the group was startled, especially Yong Bi-cheon, who stammered in shock.

“C-C-Cult Leader! Did you just restore their formation...?”

[No. Everything you thought you destroyed until now was an illusion. I merely revealed the truth.]

“Gasp! No way...”

[You drew on the infinite qi of the Heaven Spirit Pill, yet this formation blurs real and false in folded space. Physical destruction likely won't work. I've seen through the illusions from the start.]

“......”

Mang Ryang stepped forward and said.

“If brute force won't do, we solve it by the book. Entrust it to me.”

[I've never faced a formation this bizarre and powerful in my life. It must be the Vermilion Bird's ultimate Mechanism Escape, poured with a lifetime of effort. Even grasping the Yin-Yang Twin Reversal mystery, I lack confidence to break it.]

The White Lotus Cult Leader, murmuring that, stared piercingly at Mang Ryang.

[Half Heaven Alliance Lord. How skilled are you in Mechanism Escape?]

Mang Ryang replied calmly.

“Best in the world.”

[......]

Silence fell. It was an awkward hush, all because Mang Ryang had so matter-of-factly uttered the arrogant claim of being unrivaled under heaven. Even the Dharma Protectors eyed him in disbelief.

But moments later, the Cult Leader said.

[I'll trust you.]

Mang Ryang took the lead, breaking the formation as they advanced. The group moved according to his instructions, sometimes pulling flags and replanting them elsewhere. Watching through clairvoyance, I felt uneasy.

“Can Mang Ryang break that formation?”

“Of course.”

Cheon Woo-Jin replied without hesitation. As I looked at him, he continued.

“In your past-life memories, didn't Senior solve every Mechanism Escape problem I posed?”

“He did.”

“Then what's the issue?”

Cheon Woo-Jin said with pride.

“The genius who unravels Phantom God's Mechanism Escapes at a glance is the only one in this vast world; Senior.”

One shichen later.

The group emerged from the Soldier and Horse Mound's maze, which vanished clean as soon as they exited. In its place stood tiny soldier and horse figures huddled inside a miniature maze model—no bigger than five chi across.

Han Baek-ryeong stared at the model and said, looking queasy.

“We were all lost inside that tiny model?”

“That's the terror of Mechanism Escape. Within it, that little model expands into a labyrinth hundreds of li wide.”

“Terrifying...”

As the group shuddered, Mang Ryang placed the Five Fires and Seven Metals Stars on his palm and replied.

“Formation broken. Straight down this path, and the Vermilion Bird should be waiting.”

It was then, as the group entered the straight passage ahead.

“Well come.”

A white-robed masked man holding a ring blocked the center of the passage. Naturally, most knew his identity, so the White Lotus Cult Leader said, eyes glinting.

[Are you the White Tiger of the Yellow Palace Four Divine Guards?]

“Indeed. I am the White Tiger.”

The head of the Gold Clothes Guard and White Tiger of the Four Divine Guards!

The one who'd cornered me to death in my past life now barred the way.

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