Reincarnated Swordmaster

Chapter Title: Dark Heaven Village

I immediately used Return to head near Mount Ye. Using Cheon Woo-jin's Thousand Li Eyes, I took a bit of a shortcut, teleporting without directly entering Mount Ye. Of course, this made Return's teleportation feel a tad slower, and the coordinates unstable, forcing me to arrive at the mountain peak, but I still made it to where my comrades were.

At the mountain's summit, I placed both hands on the ground, channeled my qi, and took a deep breath.

"Haaa."

True Martial Seven Absolutes Scripture

Roaring Melody

Wuuung

Activating Roaring Melody, the key essence of the Seven Great Absolute Arts, True Martial Seven Absolutes Scripture, caused the qi I infused into the ground to resonate, conveying the internal situation to me. Ordinary martial artists could only sense a short range of about three feet with Listening Scripture, but True Martial Seven Absolutes Scripture was different. It sent out qi like waves, expanding the detection range and allowing me to feel the interior as if peering through it directly.

'The inside is empty... And I can sense life forces along with temperatures.'

Mang-ryang's position was about two hundred seventy zhang away from me. After pinpointing my allies' locations, I synchronized Return with my senses and teleported.

Paat

"Ah..."

Arriving where Mang-ryang and Jin So-cheong were, they looked startled. But Mang-ryang seemed to grasp the situation instantly and said to me,

"You found us."

"Yes."

"Baek Woong, I'll lead the Reverse Heaven Alliance members here, so stay put. We'll head to the real site as soon as we arrive."

Mang-ryang returned to the front lines. I turned to Jin So-cheong, who stood silently, and said,

"What was that thrust earlier?"

"No time, so I'll explain briefly."

Jin So-cheong continued.

"During my martial training, I sensed the realm of the extremely minute. While breaking down and retracing my spear arts from the fundamentals, I realized tiny entities moved by fixed laws in that realm. I experimented by touching them, and each time, the world twisted."

"Twisted?"

"Each touch distorted those laws. It... might be similar to the Taifu you mentioned."

Pondering his own words, Jin So-cheong added,

"I pondered if my spear could reach that tiny realm. Smaller than a speck of dust by a thousandfold... perhaps even smaller. I pursued whether it was possible. After a hundred days of focused training, my reach extended bit by bit. The result was this new [thrust]."

This was a tale of Jin So-cheong's absolute realm enlightenment, unique to him. I wracked my brain to understand, and when intuition struck, I asked,

"Were you trying to pierce the world's smallest thing?"

Jin So-cheong nodded at my question.

"The pinnacle of thrusting is piercing even the tiniest target at will. I believed that was the best path."

"You could've trained Thunder God Unity Soul more easily... Why pioneer a new absolute realm through such grueling cultivation?"

Jin So-cheong answered awkwardly.

"I trained Thunder God Unity Soul on the side. And it didn't appeal to me much."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

I stared at him in disbelief. Jin So-cheong replied in a hesitant tone.

"Don't tell Master Yi Cheong-un. I'm still unsure myself..."

"Tell me anyway."

"I found Thunder God Unity Soul too difficult. It's undoubtedly a tremendous enlightenment, an upper absolute art leading to the Thunder God's realm, but its sheer difficulty might limit its practicality... Anyway, it didn't sit right, so I didn't focus on it."

"......"

"So now, I can only briefly discharge its power like a burst of thunderclap."

"I see..."

I found it intriguing.

Thunder God Unity Soul—the ultimate art, refined and passed down by generations of Thunder God Style geniuses! Considering Origin Spirit as a form of evil art, Thunder God Unity Soul was arguably the world's supreme divine technique. As the sole path to the final technique, Formless, I'd believed it was the only answer.

Yet Jin So-cheong was now questioning if it was truly the right path. In the Thunder God Style, that would be blasphemy warranting punishment, and something he'd never voice to Master Yi Cheong-un. It essentially denied their martial heritage in favor of his own.

'I need to think on this.'

Still, his words felt like a crucial clue. Yi Cheong-un surpassed him as a martial grandmaster, but Jin So-cheong was history's greatest genius. His insights couldn't be ignored.

We discussed his martial insights for about an incense stick's time.

Then Mang-ryang arrived with the Reverse Heaven Alliance comrades. I asked him,

"Everyone safe? The dragonkin..."

"All safe. The dragonkin lost control the moment Jin So-cheong slew the Vermilion Bird clone and fled somewhere. That clone must've been controlling them from here."

Sighing, Mang-ryang continued.

"And sorry... My oversight."

"Huh?"

Kugugu

At that instant, I sensed an immense qi storm—refined into intent—barreling toward me from across the way. I swiftly raised my intent to shield my mind. Its mild mental suppression would've knocked me out if unblocked.

'I'll return the favor.'

Blocking the intent probe, I hurled it back. It hit a wall.

[Ho... Not bad.]

The mysterious voice echoing through the chamber sounded impressed by my intent control.

As I looked that way, the White Lotus Cult Leader approached slowly with his three great guardian divine beasts. Glancing at me, he said,

[You're... the true leader of the Reverse Heaven Alliance?]

"......"

[Younger than expected. Early twenties?]

I gritted my teeth.

'We're made!'

Mang-ryang had secretly pulled Reverse Heaven Alliance forces to escape Mount Ye, but the Cult Leader caught them. Yet Mang-ryang's brilliant mind wouldn't botch it so sloppily—what happened?

Jeon Woo-chi, beside Mang-ryang, said bitterly,

"White Lotus Cult Leader! Dishonorable. Attacking right after the dragonkin retreated."

[Dishonorable...? Any reason we can't strike the Reverse Heaven Alliance?]

The Cult Leader replied nonchalantly, glancing at the shadows behind.

[The Twelve Laws aren't aiding you. And you're harboring the Thunder God Style. This is our Four Guardian Martial Styles' affair—a family matter we must settle.]

In the dim darkness he'd eyed lurked the Twelve Laws' experts, Dan's clan, observing. True to his words, they maintained neutrality—likely because he'd invoked the Thunder God Style to draw a line against interference.

'Mang-ryang... Ambushed right after withdrawing.'

Rather than total slaughter there, he'd chosen compliance. Sword Demon, Gok-ho, and others—sans Mang-ryang—were bound and held by Water Divine Style experts.

Mang-ryang hung his head in shame.

"Sorry..."

I shook my head.

"No, Mang-ryang."

I approved of his choice. Reverse Heaven Alliance forces and comrades weren't built overnight; rash resistance would've led to massacre by White Lotus. No choice but to ride this out.

I stared calmly at the Cult Leader and said,

"White Lotus Cult Leader! I'm not the Reverse Heaven Alliance Leader."

[The puppet master, then?]

"......"

[I've wondered. The Alliance Leader's strategies and capabilities are impressive, but insufficient to unite Righteous Heaven Alliance and Black Dao so swiftly. The prowess to wield treasures, fortuitous encounters, and talents freely couldn't arise overnight. The Reverse Heaven Alliance dropped from the sky like goblins.]

"Is that so?"

[Today, I finally meet the entity manipulating it from the shadows.]

Not wrong. Through over twenty reincarnations, I'd funneled connections, martial arts, treasures, elixirs via Mang-ryang, balancing the three great powers. Face unchanging, I said,

"What do you intend, Cult Leader?"

[I planned to annihilate you here. You're a major obstacle to White Lotus dominating the world.]

"......!!"

[But seeing your potential changed my mind. Most intriguing...]

Stroking his mask, the Cult Leader said,

[Shadow of the Reverse Heaven Alliance. Your name?]

"Baek Woong."

No point lying. His meticulous nature would uncover it eventually. He continued,

[Baek Woong! Join White Lotus with the Reverse Heaven Alliance. Submit to our doctrines and authority. You'll persist unscathed and be treated as equals to the Four Guardian Martial Styles.]

"......"

As expected. I'd seen his patterns enough to predict. He valued talent, so no easy extermination. But ruthless to foes—he'd slaughter us without hesitation upon refusal.

No rash appeal to Twelve Laws. Their lord dead, fighting White Lotus too risky. No loyalty to aid us.

I pondered deeply.

'A razor-edge crisis of annihilation, yet my mind calms.'

From countless past-life perils and deaths? Though desperate, one mind corner analyzed coldly. Ordinary folk would panic, sweat, minds blank—but not me.

He didn't know me well, but I knew him.

His ideals, thoughts, tendencies.

Facing a well-known foe, power gap mattered less.

Calmly, I said,

"Cult Leader."

Everyone gasped at my follow-up.

"Don't bluff."

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