Reincarnated Swordmaster

Chapter Title: Dark Heaven Village

Activating Heavenly Vision, I felt my senses expand across a vast range, like searching for a single ray of light in the midst of an endless sea of darkness. The spirit of the Imperial Seal synchronized with me, extending my senses to distant lands, and soon I felt as though I were gazing down upon the entirety of Luoyang from hundreds of li in the sky.

Then I sensed thunderclouds drifting over Luoyang, casting a bizarre shadow that draped the whole city in gloom for an instant.

Something enormous.

Something like an octopus, a dragon, and a human fused together—

The dark presence glimpsed earlier in the clouds' aftermath had now reached directly above Luoyang. Wanting to share this sensation, I reached out toward the obsidian while maintaining Heavenly Vision, but Zhuge Sa slapped my hand away and stopped me in alarm.

"Stop it."

"Why? I can relay what I'm seeing through the obsidian to you all..."

"Kekeke! You trying to drive all your comrades insane?"

Ah!

In that moment, I realized.

Zhuge Sa knew what this [Elder God] hovering over Luoyang's skies was. He was certain that any ordinary human glimpsing its true nature would lose their sanity and go mad. Thanks to my freakishly strong mental defenses, I could stare at it directly through Heavenly Vision unscathed, but others could not.

Even so, was it truly something that could drive even Absolute Realm or Transcendent Realm supreme experts mad just by looking at it?

"...What the hell is that?"

"I don't know what you're seeing right now... but that... might be the end of your journey."

Zhuge Sa continued, his eyes trembling with fear and madness.

"Please... be careful."

Just peeking through Heavenly Vision could bring calamity.

As I pondered, the situation in Luoyang began changing by the second.

The thunderclouds briefly tinged red, and something unknowable descended.

'Language...?'

Mysterious words slowly drifted down from the thunderclouds like spores. Calling an intangible thing like language something that "drifted" might sound absurd, but on a metaphysical level, I sensed it as the [Elder God]'s will manifesting and transmitting.

This might be the effect of the Imperial Seal's Heavenly Vision.

It allowed interpretation of languages from [Elder Gods] or great beings that mortals could never comprehend! Likely, since the seal's creator, Little Jade Heavenly Lord, was their equal, he enhanced Heavenly Vision's translation to divine levels.

Rumble rumble rumble

To the naked ear, it was just the thunderclouds rippling with an eerie sound. Thus, the ordinary folk of Luoyang merely screamed or cowered at the sight of the thunderclouds. No one seemed able to understand this language.

Yet—to me, the descending words from the thunderclouds translated clearly.

[My thing is here]

The crude but definite will reached me. At the same time, flames suddenly erupted across Luoyang's streets.

Arson by humans. Laughter, destruction, and slaughter began erupting everywhere. Pavilions burned, blood soaked the roads, and dark winds howled. Amid screams, brutal murders numbered in the dozens, hundreds. Morality crumbled; public order vanished.

A horrific sight, yet even as I watched, another thought struck me.

'Because they can't understand the language...?'

Merely receiving the higher being's will overloaded human minds beyond capacity, driving them to madness for self-protection. No divine authority was wielded—just words—and yet millions fell into frenzy, unleashing a massacre.

Flash!

The thunderclouds collided with something, sparking brilliantly. After several flashes, they quieted. It seemed they'd failed to enter Luoyang proper. Seeing this, I could guess the situation.

'Grand Barrier Formation!'

Luoyang had been protected by one since ancient times, likely the work of Mengliang Venerable. Erected due to the colossal demon sealed within, it was the one barrier even an [Elder God] couldn't breach.

Moments later, the imperial palace collapsed entirely, the ground sinking beneath it.

Rumble rumble rumble

From the palace ruins, something like a frog's head burst from underground. The giant, giant-race-sized hand slowly extended to the surface, pulling up its body. Soon, its full form emerged.

A monster with a toad-like head and a squat body covered in shaggy short fur.

But it wasn't just a frog or toad—other bizarre beasts' traits seemed fused into one. Having seen many grotesque heteromorphs, it didn't strike me as particularly vicious, yet soon my eyes began to ache.

"Urk."

"Baek Woong, you alright?"

Mengliang asked worriedly, but I had no mind to reply.

It felt like needles stabbing my eyes!

Why?!

Zhuge Sa, watching from the side, spoke up.

"Don't stare at the god's true form. No matter how strong Heavenly Vision is, it could provoke its wrath."

"Got it."

Directly observing an [Elder God] through Heavenly Vision apparently inflicted damage due to the curses surrounding it. Yet suffering real harm just from viewing it distantly with a divine treasure showed the [Elder God]'s demonic power defied imagination.

At the same time, I swiftly deduced the 'toad's' identity in my mind.

'The Sleeper of Enkai!!!'

The shadow behind the palace, one of the mighty [Elder Gods], and mid-level manager of the Demon Subduing Hall's demonic forces from antiquity! It had revealed itself to the world only once, but that majesty was unforgettable.

The toad's gaze slowly turned to the heavenly thunderclouds, firing back 'words.'

[Return to your eternal karma. There is meddling here]

Screeeeech

Bizarre. As the toad spoke, the frenzy ravaging the ground briefly vanished, humans regaining sanity. They recoiled in horror at their atrocities, plunging into chaos, but to these two divinities, it mattered not.

Yes, viewing [Elder Gods] from afar through Heavenly Vision, I could understand their gaze.

To them, humans were less than insects.

Ooooo—

The thunderclouds writhed, spreading in all directions.

The dragon of omens reached into the heavens.

Eternal karma swirled around its head. Constellations shone loftily from the dark abyss, and the daytime sky blackened in moments. Day turned to night.

Whoosh

"Ah, no!!"

Darkness belatedly reached the Valley of Spirits. Seeming to use Luoyang as epicenter, the thundercloud entity was inverting heaven and earth's day and night. Watching this terrifying miracle, I urgently asked Cheon Woo-jin.

"Cheon Woo-jin! This seems like the pinnacle of Taiping Sorcery..."

"Urgh... uuurgh..."

Cheon Woo-jin's usual confident, arrogant expression was gone. His face mixed terror and despair, thick sweat dripping from his brow. Dripping sweat, he collapsed to his knees, wailing.

"It's wrong...!! For something like that to appear... the world's done for...!!!"

Cheon Woo-jin knelt madly, sobbing.

"Cough!"

Heart demons struck; he vomited blood! Having reached sorcery's pinnacle, he grasped the gap with this [Elder God] all too clearly! As one of the world's top sorcerers, Cheon Woo-jin's spirit had broken.

Mengliang hurriedly grasped his hand, calming him.

"Junior brother! Calm down! That thing hasn't attacked us yet..."

"Pointless! It's pointless...!! Heheheh... Do you know what's happening, senior brother?"

"I don't. Just that day and night have swapped."

Cheon Woo-jin's next words shocked everyone.

"That thing... used constellation power to alter this world's physical laws! The world's axis is already inverted; yin has devoured yang. I never even imagined such a thing possible! Fight a being with that power? Really?"

"...!!"

"Taiping Sorcery? Don't make me laugh! How does that compare... Damn it... Damn it..."

Tears streaming, Cheon Woo-jin couldn't rise from his knees. No one expected the group's strongest, Cheon Woo-jin, to lose will first; all fell silent. Then, the calmest, Yi Cheong-un, gazing at the dark sky, spoke steadily.

"...If a god changed the laws, there's reason. Baek Woong, what do you think it is?"

"Hm..."

I racked my brain.

From the exchange, the dragon-like [Elder God] wanted something in Luoyang and demanded it; the Sleeper refused. In response, as Cheon Woo-jin said, it inverted the world's laws, flipping axis and yin-yang.

"Seems like a show of force..."

Darkness warped further; Luoyang's ground cracked with earthquakes. The quakes didn't stop at Luoyang—visible from the sky, the earth swelled and sank massively.

Rumble rumble...

As Luoyang Citadel physically crumbled, intermittent lightning struck from the thunderclouds. Each bolt carried 'words,' as if compelling the Sleeper. Like claiming dominion over the darkening world, the thundercloud entity slowly unfurled bat-like wings.

Turning from the moon, it fully revealed its colossal form.

Gazing upon it, I muttered.

"That's the Baleful God."

The being that, five hundred years hence, would exterminate humanity and revive the [Elder Gods]!

As the Baleful God relentlessly pressured the Grand Barrier with immense authority, the barrier began cracking loudly. The toad atop the palace ruins stared blankly skyward, unaware or uncaring, then suddenly shrieked.

[The seal is linked. Force breaks it and that one suffers great harm]

The Baleful God scoffed, unleashing even greater power. Soon, Heavenly Vision showed volcanoes erupting across the Central Plains, dragon veins boiling. Yin-yang inversion was no lie—dozens of great yokai swarmed abruptly, dark entities crawling from everywhere.

The Baleful God retorted menacingly with fierce eyes.

[Destroy the seal and I'll erase you eternally—that one too]

Seeing this, I grasped the Baleful God's intent.

"M... mad..."

It appeared here for two reasons.

First, eliminate Enkai's Sleeper, holder of the Portrait Ghost's causality.

Second, to do so, shatter Luoyang's Grand Barrier—and even the demon sealed within!

Only a hegemon utterly confident in its power could attempt this. Yet doubt arose in my mind.

'What? Then the Sleeper surely gained the causality... how can the Baleful God rampage like this?'

I quickly told Zhuge Sa.

"Zhuge Sa."

"Zhuge Sa!"

"Heh heh. Hurry and transmit the memories."

I felt sorry for him. But with these memories pure chaotic madness, only the already madness-tainted Zhuge Sa could receive them. Even so, the despair might drive an ordinary human to suicide repeatedly—I pitied him.

Flash

Zhuge Sa viewed the scenes through the obsidian and spoke.

"It's split in half..."

"In half?"

"Two Elder Gods split the Portrait Ghost between them. Likely contracted that way from the start. The Vermilion Bird intended it."

"So both have half the causality now?"

Zhuge Sa nodded.

"Both greedy. But the Baleful God greedier, aiming to kill Enkai's Sleeper and claim the rest. Bonus: shatter the barrier too..."

"Possible? Aren't they equals as [Elder Gods]?"

I questioned; he shook his head.

"There's a gap. From what I see, the current Baleful God can manage it. And [Elder Gods] slaughtering each other happens often."

"They're chaotic bloodlinks, practically relatives."

"What use is kinship to gods? Human perspective only—they're pinnacles of ego and selfishness, guileless."

"......"

Now it made sense. Urgently, I asked Zhuge Sa.

"Alright. To stop the Baleful God winning, we need the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors. Possible?"

"...We'll see."

Zhuge Sa sighed.

"But it'll end before then."

"Ah!"

Sudden drastic shift in Heavenly Vision data made me yelp in panic.

Rumble rumble rumble...

Luoyang Citadel fully collapsed; survivors seemed less than ten percent. Waves of madness, great quakes, fires—in that brief time, ninety percent lay dead in pools of blood. Amid it, Enkai's Sleeper clung to the palace site, chanting spells assaulting the skyborne Baleful God.

Bang!

But the Baleful God's intangible shield blocked it effortlessly. Clenching its hand, it swung down grandly.

Splatter crack

(Ooooo...)

The god's scream!

Trembling like a drowned frog, the Sleeper took massive damage—its left arm severed. Unclear how, but the Baleful God's authority ignored the barrier, wounding an [Elder God]. Flapping bat wings briefly, it spat spirit-words into the void.

[The King of Ten Thousand Kings commands you]

[Nonsense...]

[The ancient covenant is in my grasp; you cannot oppose me]

King of Ten Thousand Kings?

Ancient covenant?

Strange words, yet immense power hid within—the aerial Grand Barrier shook, cracking everywhere. Pouring its might, the Baleful God threatened the millennia-old barrier's destruction.

If the barrier fell—the worst demon would be unleashed.

Could even it erase that existence?

As I watched, it happened.

Swoooo—

Silvery light suddenly enveloped the barrier area, glowing. Amid the [Elder Gods'] horrific clash, the silver flashed massively, enacting a miracle.

Whirrr

Whirrr

Whirr!

Luoyang Citadel, utterly razed with millions exterminated, began restoring as if time rewound. Realizing it matched the 'Temporal Restoration' I'd witnessed via Yushin earlier, I was stunned.

But that was for individuals—restoring an entire citadel?!

Life or matter bent to its will! Yet harm from god to god couldn't heal; the Sleeper remained dazed.

As I gaped, beyond the silver emerged black misty fog forming a face. The eyeless, pale darkness faced the Baleful God and spoke.

[The time of command is not now]

Who was this?

The Baleful God halted its assault, facing it.

[O fallen heavenly being, do not block me]

[I will block you]

[Who commanded you to defy the Great One?]

The Baleful God countered, seeming oddly anxious. The entity silently refused answer. Stalemate held briefly; then the Baleful God incanted.

[Die]

Splurt

Simultaneously, the agonized terrestrial [Elder God], Enkai's Sleeper, exploded into limb-scattering shreds. Unblockable even by divine power, it rapidly dissolved. Absorbing the Sleeper's metaphysical causality, the Baleful God told the obstructing silver entity.

[Great One, meet again at command's time]

Ssssh...

The Baleful God opened a chaos gate and vanished cleanly. Thunderclouds dissipated; the silver entity soon faded too. Constellation magic lingered. Having upside-down heaven-earth balance, night persisted. Luoyang's humans were all mad or sunk in despair.

As Zhuge Sa said.

No room for Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors—the divine duel ended in a blink.

Overwhelmingly!

Realizing it over, I shared memories with Zhuge Sa again. He spoke.

"The Central Plains are finished. Volcanoes erupting, yokai and heteromorphs rampant—flee to the Dada Kingdom. Sealed demon kings reviving everywhere soon; worst case."

"Can't we help people?"

"If you can swap yin-yang and axis, sure. Give it a try."

"......"

Of course, no one could.

Packing, I thought.

'I have to go.'

Before Dada Kingdom, meet Mangliang Venerable.

Because the silver entity blocking the Baleful God—it was surely Mangliang Venerable.

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