Reincarnated Swordmaster

Chapter Title: Dark Heaven Village

I used Bi Deung and Mok Gap to head to Guangdong Province first, where I met Matteo Ricci and negotiated with him to relocate our base to the Dadu Kingdom.

After hearing our situation, Matteo Ricci nodded gravely.

"Understood. I'll also request cooperation from the Governor of Guangdong."

"Much appreciated."

Once preparations were roughly complete, I headed to Mangyang Seonsa's village with Mangyang and Cheon Woo-jin.

Paat!

As we entered the village, something felt off in the atmosphere.

Cheon Woo-jin said with a slightly pale expression.

"I see... What could have happened?"

I wandered around with the two near the spot where we always paid respects to Mangyang and near Yeo Dong-bin's shrine.

But no matter how long we waited, there was no sign of Mangyang Seonsa summoning us in a dream manifestation, only an overwhelming sense of emptiness.

After about half a shichen circling the village, we grabbed one of the villagers and asked.

"Has anything major happened in this village lately?"

"Hmm... Not that I know of..."

Wasn't that reaction too nonchalant?

Just in case, I asked.

"There was a massive natural disaster in nearby Luoyang."

The villager looked puzzled and said.

"Was there?"

"......"

The villagers here truly knew nothing, tilting their heads at the question.

In the end, after a simple meal at a nearby tavern, I gathered the two to sort out the situation.

"Mangyang Seonsa seems to have left this village."

"I can guess why Master left. With the Ominous God trying to shatter the Great Barrier, he must have stopped monitoring from nearby and gone to manage the barrier directly."

"Hmm..."

I pondered.

Then Cheon Woo-jin spoke.

"Master loved this village. Even while the Ominous God twisted and ravaged Luoyang, he protected this place."

"So the villagers don't know about Luoyang's calamity?"

"Divine protection."

I realized anew how blessed those villagers were.

With Mangyang Seonsa personally watching over them, they survived unscathed near Luoyang during a catastrophe where the Ominous God descended directly.

'Humans in Luoyang are probably mostly walking corpses or driven mad.'

Being caught in the clash of [Ancient Rulers] who freely inverted life and death was reason enough to go insane.

After deep thought, I said.

"Then we can meet Mangyang Seonsa in Luoyang."

"Honestly, I'm not sure. I think it's unlikely."

"Why?"

Mangyang sighed and said.

"Master suppressed his overwhelmingly vast existence while monitoring Luoyang from this village. Ordinary humans would go mad just perceiving his presence. But facing the Ominous God, he awakened his true essence, so he might no longer be the one we knew."

"...I see."

A divine being powerful enough to confront the Ominous God.

He had greatly diminished his power to dwell here, but with the seal in peril, he now defended the barrier at full strength.

Considering the dignity of higher beings, his nature must differ greatly from when he resided in this village.

'Attempting contact rashly could get us killed.'

It was possible it wouldn't happen, but the risk was real.

Realizing it was extremely dangerous to head to Luoyang to contact Mangyang Seonsa right away, I said to the two.

"For now, we should fully relocate to the Dadu Kingdom. We need to assess the situation before moving."

"Baek Woong. That's not the most important thing right now. There's something more urgent."

"What is it?"

"Please check the state of the Five Peaks Heavenly Altar immediately."

Mangyang said gravely.

"With the balance of yin and yang broken, I don't know what cracks might have formed in the Heavenly Altar. It could lead to an even greater disaster if mishandled."

"Even if I observe cracks, I don't know how to repair them."

"Leave that to the priests."

Cheon Woo-jin's face twisted, but I ignored him and activated Heavenly Vision.

Wung.

'Now I somewhat understand how to use it.'

At first, it felt awkward like wearing ill-fitting clothes, but now I grasped how to wield Heavenly Vision.

I directed my gaze to the Five Peaks Heavenly Altar via Heavenly Vision.

After examining each one carefully, I said.

"All intact."

"That's a relief."

"Come to think of it, what happened to the Vermilion Bird's soul?"

"No idea, but it's probably in the Ominous God's possession."

"Hmm...?"

"His soul was once harvested by the Sleeper, but the Ominous God killed the Sleeper and seized that karma. In doing so, he likely took the soul the Sleeper owned as spoils of war."

"The chance he escaped..."

"...Honestly, no clue. He's a genius strategist; I can't guess what contingency he prepared. I never imagined he'd play both the Ominous God and Sleeper with a double contract this time."

Mangyang looked to the sky and said.

"I don't understand why Father is so obsessed with destroying the Heavenly Realm. Throwing all his souls to sow discord among the [Ancient Rulers] was suicidal..."

"......"

I knew the Vermilion Bird's motive clearly.

It was likely revenge for his wife, who died in his place in the past.

Mangyang knew it too but claimed ignorance because the Vermilion Bird's actions seemed too desperate for mere revenge, hinting at another goal.

Betraying gods and braving eternal hell required more than ordinary guts.

'Not just revenge... Zhuge Yu-yong, the Vermilion Bird, has a reason he must destroy the Heavenly Realm.'

He's not one to pour everything into single revenge.

He aims higher.

I sensed it intuitively.

No particular reason, but my sharpened instincts told me so.

I couldn't know the reason now, so I'd uncover it later.

Paat!

We arrived at Guangdong's port, boarded a ship, and set off for the Dadu Kingdom.

Upon arrival, we busily spent half a day setting up the new base.

While arranging the wealth, servants, weapons, and such from Jinrang Valley and Janggyeong Valley in the new base,

Kurung!

"A storm approaches. Be careful!"

One of Matteo Ricci's men shouted loudly.

Thunder clapped once from the thunderclouds, and ominous heavy rain approached from the horizon.

I tensed, wondering if the Ominous God descended again, but it seemed just untimely rain clouds.

Shwaaaa—

We paused work, crowded into a large tent to rest.

Then Zhuge Sa called the group to a more secluded spot and spoke.

"First, we must obtain the Moon Luminary. Rest today and move out tomorrow."

"Wait. I have a question first."

"What is it, Sword Demon?"

The Sword Demon calmly questioned Zhuge Sa.

"You said the earth's axis shifted and yin-yang balance collapsed. Can you explain concretely how that dooms the Central Plains? I don't know sorcery, so I can't grasp what calamity has occurred."

"Hmm. True, most wouldn't know."

Zhuge Sa nodded and explained.

"Originally, this world is a spherical celestial body that rotates on its axis while orbiting the sun. It has a rotational angle and axis like this."

Zhuge Sa picked up a nearby watermelon, stuck a long twig through its center, and spun it.

"This axis has been completely inverted by the Ominous God's power. Like this."

He suddenly flipped the watermelon upside down, reversing the twig's direction.

"In simple terms, the world has physically flipped. Literally."

The listening Sword Demon said incredulously.

"Such absurdity... What happens if the axis inverts?"

"Pole shifts aren't entirely unnatural; celestial bodies periodically shift poles—north becomes south, south north. But an instantaneous shift will cause massive tectonic changes beyond current human civilization's endurance. East or West, same story. Unless we're at a level to build aarks and colonize Mars, we're helpless."

Zhuge Sa leaned against a nearby stone wall and continued.

"Sunsets and sunrises will change drastically first, with day-night cycles fluctuating wildly. Plates will shake massively, continents colliding, spiking mega-earthquake risks. Above all, the Ominous God awakening all ley lines will turn dormant volcanoes nearby—not just in the Central Plains—into active ones erupting vigorously."

"......"

"It won't end instantly like when Jeon Wook wielded the Seven Luminaries. But within about 100 days, humanity's numbers will drop below 5/10ths."

The Sword Demon said.

"Then this Dadu Kingdom can't stay unscathed either?"

"Of course not. But better than the Central Plains mainland, that's why we're here. Truthfully, the axis inversion isn't the scariest part—it's the destruction of yin-yang."

"What do you mean?"

Zhuge Sa interlocked his fingers and replied.

"Originally, yin and yang complemented each other in perfect half balance. But the Ominous God intensified yin, shifting to roughly three yang and seven yin. Thus, yin-attuned beings and sorcerers are far stronger now. Great yokai are spawning everywhere unexpectedly."

"Spawning many great yokai—that scary?"

"Well... great yokai aren't to be underestimated, but they won't decide humanity's fate. The real issue is the scales tipping inevitably toward yin-attuned entities."

Mangyang, listening beside, sighed.

"Haa! Human sorcerers' power is greatly diminished now, while yokai or heteroce sorcery is several times stronger. Prolonged yin dominance risks evolved great yokai ascending to Demon King or Apostle level."

"......"

"Scariest: heteroce can open dimensional gates far easier now. [Ancient Ruler] zealots and followers lurking in the Central Plains will accelerate doomsday everywhere."

"Hmm..."

Hearing it all, the Sword Demon trembled.

In disbelief, sword trembled from his brow as he muttered.

"I could smash great yokai, but with the world's balance shifted, my sword is powerless..."

Zhuge Sa smirked wryly.

"Don't blame yourself. Even the Heavenly Realm's Three Pure Ones couldn't fix this. As I said, we focus on survival."

"Obtaining the Seven Luminaries gives a way?"

"Naturally. It's humanity's sole bargaining chip now. Use it well, and a path opens."

Zhuge Sa said firmly, then looked at me.

"Baek Woong. It's a gamble, but tomorrow we must fell the Moon Luminary's guardian without fail."

"Safer to free Sun Luminary first..."

I replied worriedly.

We could probably take it with current forces, but fighting with a freed Seven Luminary would be far easier.

Zhuge Sa said as if I'd said something ridiculous.

"Communicating with the Heavenly Realm via Heavenly Altar in this yin-yang twisted state is too risky. Plus, consider how tangled the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors' Judgments are now?"

"Hmm!"

"With the Ominous God wrecking their house arbitrarily, they'll hardly approve freeing the apocalyptic-key Seven Luminaries right away. We prove our worth by securing Moon Luminary first. We have this capability, entrust us with quelling the chaos—that approach."

"I see..."

Then Jin So-cheong said.

"The Moon Luminary's guardian is enormous and said to hover in the sky. How do we handle aerial combat?"

"Our sorcerers will assist. With Cheon Woo-jin, it should suffice."

We diligently planned how to take down the Moon Luminary's guardian.

As the discussion neared fruition, Matteo Ricci suddenly called me.

"Baek Woong."

"What is it?"

"I heard you're off to subjugate a powerful demon..."

"That's the plan."

Matteo Ricci hesitated, then said.

"Then, could you wait a bit longer?"

"......?"

"I reported the Central Plains' situation to headquarters, and they're sending our strongest sorcerer here. He's the most reliable in our Jesuit order. His help would ease things greatly for you."

"Hmm. How long?"

"About a month..."

I shook my head.

"No time to spare in this urgent crisis."

Matteo Ricci said disappointedly.

"I see... Then I'll deploy him to the Philosopher's Stone search."

"Do as you like."

I slept soundly that night in the lodgings.

Fully recovering stamina today to tackle Moon Luminary at peak tomorrow.

A dream...

What is this dream?

The moon shines.

Eerie music resonates hauntingly across this plain.

A melody so nostalgically familiar.

[The Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors once unanimously told me: respect each other, no interference.]

Thud.

Thud.

[But circumstances have changed.]

From the darkness, a black cat slowly walked toward me.

"Mangyang Seonsa!"

I knew it was a dream, yet it felt different from the dream manifestation in his village—I couldn't move.

Mangyang Seonsa coldly scanned me and said.

[Soon, a third force will approach you to gauge your intentions. They seek the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors. The most important thing is...]

A third force?

I tried to reply, but no voice came.

Mangyang Seonsa wasn't conversing—he was unilaterally conveying.

[My advice: If you want to save humanity, don't cling to allying with the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors. The most important thing is...]

Sussuus.

Sussuus.

White mist spread, filling my vision.

In the blinding white, I felt horrific chaos screaming, my mind bleaching.

For an instant, directly peering into Mangyang Seonsa's mental world made my heart stop.

"...Huck!!"

Cicadas chirped.

Still dawn.

I'd jolted awake mid-sleep, sitting up in bed, wiping sweat from my brow.

But I clearly remembered Mangyang Seonsa's final words.

We must drag Emperor Gong Sonheonwon into the fray.

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