Reincarnated Swordmaster

Translator: Aos

Chapter Title: Dark Heaven Village

The next day, we decided to head to Mani Mountain on Ganghwa Island, where the Moon Yo was located. The group sharing the black obsidian, along with the experts from the Banchon Alliance, would all be traveling together. Before departing, I planned to visit Miho in Donggyeong. She would be a great help, and I needed to fill her in on everything that had happened so far.

But just before dawn, right as we were about to set out for Donggyeong, the Sword Demon spoke awkwardly.

"Baek Woong, I'm sorry, but I can't go with you this time."

"What's the matter?"

"My daughter suddenly fell ill..."

His daughter was his cherished lady, Seonmihye. I was a bit surprised and asked,

"Ill?"

"Yes."

I headed to Seonmihye's quarters. Even in the large building constructed in the Datou Kingdom, her personal space was set up inside. She was being tended to by the maidservants of the Shadowless Sect. Her face was flushed bright red.

"We just noticed it. The maidservants say she was groaning in pain all through the early morning hours..."

The Sword Demon stroked his beard worriedly, but she seemed unconscious. I noticed something unusual about her.

'Her white hair... it's even more vivid now.'

Not only that, her skin was gradually turning stark white, reminiscent of a Westerner. It had always been pale, but now it felt ghostly. Next to Seonmihye, Kang Jeon-gil, the foremost physician of Hainan, had been pushed away after taking her pulse. He let out a groan.

"Sorry, but I still can't pinpoint what's wrong..."

Kang Jeon-gil's medical skills far surpassed mine. So even if I checked her pulse, I doubted I'd see anything clearly. This was clearly an anomaly, so I told the Sword Demon,

"This is no ordinary matter. I'll summon people right away."

"But you're about to head out..."

"Delaying the acquisition of the Seven Yos by a day or two won't matter. I'll fetch Manggyang and the sorcerers for now."

"...Thank you."

I brought Manggyang and the sorcerers to examine her, and at the same time, I quickly used the beacon to summon Hwaseo Myeong. He was the easiest to bring and had exceptional medical expertise.

'It'd be best to have a physician from the headquarters.'

I immediately went to Hwaseo Myeong of the Radiant Divine Order and brought him back almost by force, offering Black and White Lotus and gold ingots as payment. Hwaseo Myeong looked around the Datou Kingdom in a daze, but by then, the Banchon Alliance sorcerers, including Manggyang, were already gravely examining Seonmihye.

Jeon Woochi, a sorcerer of the Banchon Alliance, spoke.

"This is tricky... I have no idea, Alliance Leader. What is this powerful energy writhing inside her?"

Manggyang shook his head, equally baffled.

"Based on my knowledge, I don't know..."

Had the sorcerers already thrown in the towel? On a hunch, I scanned for the Zhuge sorcerer with my eyes, but he just stood there blankly staring at Seonmihye, offering no insight. The sorcerers found her condition strange but couldn't identify the cause. Even Cheon Woojin tilted his head.

"It's definitely an immense power, but I've never seen anything like it."

"You don't know either, Zhuge?"

"No clue. You could call it an unidentified plague."

The Zhuge sorcerer crossed his arms, seeming intrigued instead.

"That Hwaseo Myeong you brought might know."

All eyes instantly turned to Hwaseo Myeong of the Radiant Divine Order. He cleared his throat awkwardly and said,

"Don't expect too much."

Susuuu...

Hwaseo Myeong composed himself and began a calm pulse diagnosis. Objectively, his medical prowess was among the best in the world—only Dongbang Mugeuk surpassed him. But since Dongbang Mugeuk was now with the White Lotus Cult, he was hard to reach, leaving Hwaseo Myeong as my only option. If the head of the illustrious Hwata lineage was stumped, hope was slim.

Silence hung heavy for a long while. Then, as if he'd realized something, Hwaseo Myeong began inserting needles one by one and spoke.

"This... it's beyond heart, qi, blood, and essence stagnation—it's like her meridians are being compressed. Unreal!"

"Compressed meridians?"

"Hmm. How to explain... You all seem like sorcerers, but this is definitely outside your domain. It's hard to put into words."

Hwaseo Myeong looked slightly troubled and continued.

"The qi has condensed repeatedly at an immense density, undergoing a mutation I've never seen before, now pressing down on the Eight Extraordinary Meridians. The condensed qi is crushing them, compressing the meridians that shouldn't even exist under the pressure. But theoretically, this should only be possible in theory—I never thought it could actually happen..."

"The qi condensed and mutated? You mean like the body exploding from overwhelming internal energy?"

"Not quite. The body exploding from internal energy isn't the meridians bursting—it's the qi overflowing beyond heart, qi, blood, and essence. The meridians themselves don't rupture. This is closer to the theories of intent wielded by supreme experts."

Hwaseo Myeong went on.

"In simple terms, there's an enormous qi inside her worthy of being called a millennium's worth of cultivation, packed so tightly that it's mutated beyond what we perceive as 'qi.' This mutated qi affects even 'concepts,' pressing down on non-existent meridians, which in turn command her brain to apply intangible pressure to her acupoints."

.....

"The density of this condensed qi feels different even to martial artists. Yet no technique I know can condense qi like this."

"Complicated..."

Everyone looked confused. Sensing the mood, Hwaseo Myeong gave a wry smile.

"Truth be told, I don't even know what nonsense I'm spouting. I've just pieced together phenomena from my family's medical texts and my own experience into a hypothesis. This energy trapped in her body defies all common sense."

Jin So-cheong, who had been listening, spoke up.

"It's different from the infinite internal energy used by the Dharma Protectors. Whatever's trapped inside her isn't infinite, right?"

Hwaseo Myeong brightened, as if finally understanding.

"Oho! Now I get it. Exactly. It's not infinite—we just think it is."

"An overwhelming force that crushes human imagination is trapped inside."

Jin So-cheong fell silent for a moment, then looked at me.

"Baek Woong. I think I have a rough idea of her condition."

"Really?!"

I was shocked. Seonmihye's state seemed unprecedented, yet only Jin So-cheong understood it. Even Hwaseo Myeong had rambled hypotheses, but he'd gleaned the truth from that!

Jin So-cheong said,

"The energy currently in her body... if released, it might rival or even surpass a Dharma Protector in momentary firepower, given the condensation rate. It could be a cosmic energy far beyond our concepts of qi or internal energy. However, to control that ceaselessly accumulating and compressing power in her body would require the prowess of an absolute realm martial artist."

"Hmm..."

I pondered his words deeply and asked,

"You mean mental ability to control intent?"

"Precisely. She needs that power we use to wield intent and control imagination to release and properly utilize the compressed force in her body. But Lady Seonmihye has only just entered the Peak Expert level, and though she learned the Seven Great Ultimate Arts from the Sword Demon, she hadn't reached super-peak."

"Ugh."

"To heal her, no medicine or sorcery will work. She must elevate her intent realm herself."

"....."

A solution had emerged. But controlling the intent realm was no easy feat. I'd undergone hellish training for it, and even after reaching the entry level, I'd spent years in relentless effort. Even prodigies needed time to master it properly—I was certain of that.

Geukho scratched his head.

"Why'd such a massive power end up in our pretty lady here?"

It truly was puzzling. Why had this sudden anomaly struck the quiet Seonmihye? The Zhuge sorcerer, who had been observing the chaos, said to me,

"Baek Woong. Let's postpone dealing with the Moon Yo guardian for a bit. Go fetch Miho."

"That was my plan."

"She's likely undergone significant changes too. We need to see Miho to clarify this situation."

Paat!

I headed to Donggyeong. But upon arriving at the Imperial Palace, the familiar scenery was gone—replaced by a fortress-like space. Surrounded by sturdy walls on all sides, it no longer resembled the palace I knew.

"Miho!"

Shuukuk!

As I called for her, wind demon ninjas suddenly emerged from shadows everywhere. They silently brandished daggers and throwing stars, showing hostility. Seeing them made my blood boil.

"Who are you to stop me from seeing Miho..."

That was when.

"Stand down."

Miho's clear voice rang out, and she approached slowly in her noblewoman guise. Unlike before, her demeanor exuded elegance over seduction. At the same time, I sensed an immense power emanating from her.

Wuuuuu...

"...?!"

Not quite on the level of when she received Jeon Wook's Yin God Power, but Miho's strength had grown tremendously. Facing her, I instinctively knew she far surpassed an ordinary great yokai. As I stared, she giggled.

"Baek Woong. Looks like big trouble's brewing in the Central Plains."

"It's a long story."

I handed her the black obsidian. Of course, I omitted the memories of the baleful spirit's movements to avoid confusing her. After reading the memories through the obsidian for a while, Miho spoke fearfully.

"So that's it... The yin-yang reversal and massive natural disasters made sense now—the baleful spirit has appeared!"

"Yes. Our goal now is to gather the Seven Yo."

"Hmm. I'll help. Right now, you all are the only hope for us mortals."

"What happened here?"

Miho glanced outside the fortress and beckoned me.

"Look outside."

I peered over the walls. And was stunned.

".....?!"

Kuererer...

Outside, human corpses were walking as if alive. More precisely, the dead shambled toward the fortress, reeking of blood and rotten flesh. And behind them was a monstrous horde. There were hundreds of thousands of them, with yokai-like creatures rampaging amid them.

"No survivors out there, it seems."

Donggyeong had become a hellscape. At this point, the city was effectively destroyed. Speechless, I stared at the horror and asked,

"Has all of Donggyeong turned like this?"

"According to the onmyoji, major cities like Edo have already fallen. We're barely holding here thanks to the wind demon ninja corps, Koga ninjas, and onmyoji Support. Otherwise, I'd be fleeing for my life alone."

"Oomyo..."

Shuukik!

As soon as I spoke, an onmyoji with deathly pale skin appeared via teleportation sorcery three zhang away. Bowing to me, he said,

"Hero of the Great Ming Empire of the Central Plains. I am Abe no Kurotoshi. I was managing the barrier surrounding the palace, but I rushed here with ten onmyoji to aid the outside world."

"What of the undersea disaster? Did the seal break there too from the strong yin energy?"

Abe no Kurotoshi looked troubled and replied,

"Our leader, Seimei, reinforced the seal. Don't worry about that side."

His demeanor suggested he couldn't say more. But I could easily infer the situation.

'Like the Gold Yo guardian in the west, the sacrificed himself to maintain the seal.'

That meant Donggyeong's greatest sorcerer, Abe no Seimei, was as good as dead. The Ashikaga Shogunate was preventing yokai from flooding the world, but the fallout had already destroyed the nation of Donggyeong.

"This is the result of yin overpowering yang..."

The baleful spirit had casually tipped the world's scales, and in a mere day, this catastrophe unfolded!

The dead rising and rampaging was surely because strengthened yin blurred the line between life and death.

With a sigh, I said,

"Miho. Let's move our base together."

"Have you found a solution?"

"For now, all we can do is gather the Seven Yo..."

Miho nodded.

"No other choice. My power has grown considerably, so I'll do my best to help you."

Abe no Kurotoshi looked distressed.

"Abe no Seimei stands holds only thanks to us onmyoji and your power, Lady Miho. You plan to abandon it now?"

Miho replied coldly,

"What do we gain from endlessly defending against hundreds of thousands of corpses and yokai? It's a meaningless fight we can't win. Baek Woong has the means to transport us all, so we flee while we can."

"Ugh. But..."

He hesitated greatly but finally conceded.

"Understood. Then we'll head to Osaka Castle."

Paat!

The onmyoji soon vanished from the Imperial Palace. I gathered the fortress guards, soldiers, people, and ninjas, stuffing them all into the neck protector, then moved to the Datou Kingdom. As Miho arrived, the waiting Zhuge sorcerer glanced our way and said,

"You're here."

Miho already knew of Seonmihye's issue via the black obsidian. She strode over and stared at her face.

"I'll try absorbing her power with my yokai energy."

Without warning, she placed her hand on Seonmihye's heart and began drawing out the power.

Paaaaat!

Light flared as a divine energy flowed into Miho's hand. She trembled violently while absorbing the power, her personal space was filled with ten energy strands. As she absorbed her form, her face shifting to her original nine-tailed fox features several times.

Finally, after a long while, Miho withdrew her hand. At that instant—

Hwaaaah!!

Miho's tails burst into light, manifesting four tails, and her fur briefly turned golden, evoking a golden-furred jade-faced fox. After glowing for a time, she reverted to human form and said,

"I... I can't absorb any more."

"Miho. What happened?"

Miho looked slightly fearful and said,

"The swirling chaotic power inside her isn't hers alone."

"What do you mean?"

"I converted some to yokai energy and made it mine, but each strand of that power channels the voices of the world. It's as if... countless wills connected to her are communicating with the world's darkness."

".....?"

"If I'd slipped even slightly, I'd have been devoured by the power of darkness and ceased to exist."

Swirling power of chaos?

Then the massive force condensed inside Seonmihye was chaos itself?

Fortunately, thanks to Miho absorbing some, Seonmihye's fever broke dramatically, her pain vanished, and she fell into peaceful sleep. The Zhuge sorcerer stared at her for a while and said,

"Nothing's certain now. All we know is the power swirling in her body has chaotic properties."

"Zhuge. As I thought, the baleful spirit strengthening yin energy affected Seonmihye..."

"High likelihood."

Speaking firmly, the Zhuge sorcerer continued.

"No time to dawdle. We need to finish preparations first."

Paat!

I went with the Zhuge sorcerer first to the underground in Luoyang. We searched for Ssanggyun Hyeok, but he was nowhere to be found.

"He's gone?"

Bewildered, I scanned for presences, but Ssanggyun Hyeok was completely absent. Not just him—all Ssanggyun family retainers were gone! I checked the underground seal just in case, but it remained intact. The Zhuge sorcerer stroked his chin and muttered,

"Strange."

"The seal's fine. What's strange?"

"That's why it's strange. The world's laws have shifted so yin energy vastly overpowers yang, yet the dimensional gate remains sealed?"

".....?!"

"Normally, the seal should have broken, unleashing Dark Heaven Village's demonic beasts. Even with Manggyang-Sage guarding Luoyang, this seal is independent of the grand barrier."

I remembered the oddity from his words. Come to think of it, this dimensional gate had barely held with the Fire Dragon Divine Sword's power even before. With yin strengthened, it should have shattered. Yet it remained perfectly sealed.

The Zhuge sorcerer said,

"Check with foresight vision. See what's maintaining that seal now."

Suuuuu...

I examined the seal with foresight vision. First, I saw the fragmented Fire Dragon Divine Sword, no longer sword-shaped. But ahead of it, something unusual—a scythe-like object embedded in the seal.

'A scythe?'

Just in case, I activated foresight vision's power to gather the Fire Dragon Divine Sword fragments, reforming the sword and extracting it from the seal. As the translucent Fire Dragon Divine Sword rose from the seal, I slowly reached out and pulled it free.

'Not as hot as last time...'

Previously, it burned her like fire, but not now. As I drew the Fire Dragon Divine Sword, the seal shook violently for a moment but didn't break. Watching this, the Zhuge sorcerer said,

"It withstands even touching the Fire Dragon Divine Sword, so the Yin God Power must be resisting instead."

"I see."

In this state, I couldn't fully draw its power yet, but I could wield it like an ordinary famed sword.

"What's holding the seal?"

"A... massive scythe. Like a huge black-deformed scythe for reaping human necks."

Describing the relic's shape from foresight vision, the Zhuge sorcerer said,

"It's clear now. Someone took Ssanggyun Hyeok and the Ssanggyun retainers while embedding a powerful treasure-grade relic to protect the barrier. That scythe rivals a superior treasure."

"Who would do that?"

"No idea who, but their skill is at least Great Realm Immortal level. Otherwise, they couldn't repair the barrier."

"....."

Who could it be?

But no time to investigate now.

Paat!

We returned to base and immediately assembled the group, heading to Mani Mountain where the Moon Yo seal was. With the elite members, we sprinkled blood on the altar. Soon, the ground burst open, revealing the Moon Yo guardian in its colossal form.

Kuoooooo~!!

The same nightmare-ish monstrous tree as before!

Our senses tensed upon seeing it. Everyone knew this disaster-class demon could spawn bizarre monsters, but it looked different this time. Geukho, seeing the Moon Yo guardian hovering in the air, said puzzledly,

"Uh... Am I the only one who thinks it's weird?"

Yi Cheong-un, about to lead the Thousand Spirit Group in the first assault, glanced at him. Geukho said uncertainly,

"It... looks bigger than in Baek Woong's memories."

"....."

"And... the eyeballs are bigger too."

He was right.

The Moon Yo guardian, Izanagi no Mikoto, from my 10th reincarnation was huge as big now. The altar was swallowed whole, and the mountain split. Its trunk pierced the clouds, and the massive central eyeball was far larger.

Manggyang said gravely,

"It's because yin energy has strengthened. Originally suppressed as a guardian, it was a myth-class demon at heart. Now it's partially regained that level. Yi Cheong-un alone could fail it before, but..."

"Skip the fancy talk—say it simply, Manggyang."

"In simple terms..."

At that moment, Izanagi no Mikoto's massive eyeball turned toward us. A huge gray beam shot our way.

Kukwangkwakwakwa!!

The gray beam's power rivaled the Sea God's blasts from before. We dodged in the nick of time, but seeing the sea evaporate and a small island vanish left us speechless at its might.

Manggyang said, paling,

"That monster won't be easy."

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!