Reincarnated Swordmaster

Chapter Title: Dark Heaven Village

The Great Sage Equaling Heaven snapped his fingers once, and suddenly a nimbus cloud appeared before my eyes. The nimbus cloud resembled a fluffy mass of clouds. As I stared down at it blankly, the Great Sage grinned and said,

“Go on and ride it.”

“What if I fall...”

“Ah, don’t worry. This is both a spell and a treasure, so it’s not that tricky.”

The moment I placed both feet fully on the nimbus cloud.

Flash!

“......?!”

“We’re here.”

“It’s White Silk Mountain, the abode of the Nine Heavens Maiden.”

My entire body felt like it had been sucked somewhere, and the scenery had changed, filling me with astonishment. While I could teleport with flight as well, the nimbus cloud had pierced straight through the heavenly realm’s barriers. The Great Sage seemed to understand why I was surprised as he stepped down from the cloud and said,

“The nimbus cloud ignores barriers.”

“Hmm, that’s...”

I was about to say it was like the Four Divine Beasts but shut my mouth. The Four Divine Beasts were among the most sacred spirit beasts even in the heavenly realm, and knowing their abilities would surely arouse suspicion. But the Great Sage mistook my surprise for admiration and teased,

“Don’t be too jealous~ I have no intention of giving it to you.”

“......”

Who asked for it!

“The Nine Heavens Maiden will be here soon. But what do you want to say to her?”

“I can’t say until I meet her in person.”

“Hmm. Do whatever you want. Anyway, you’re in the heavenly realm’s White Silk Mountain, so it’ll be hard for you to return to the mortal world without my help.”

Seeing the Great Sage lay down a subtle threat, it seemed he hoped I wouldn’t do anything rash. From his perspective, it was a reasonable concern, so I nodded without taking it too seriously.

It was then.

Rustle...

The white sands that had spread out like silk all around began to rise, and a silver path flowed from beyond the mountain all the way here. When the end of the path reached me, accompanied by a divine glow, the Nine Heavens Maiden revealed herself.

The Nine Heavens Maiden looked exactly as she had the one time I’d seen her before. So refined and beautiful that one couldn’t even harbor lewd thoughts—such elegance! I’d felt something similar from the Fire Dragon True Person, so I inwardly wondered if it was a common trait among the heavenly realm’s female immortals.

The Nine Heavens Maiden spoke.

“Great Sage Equaling Heaven. Who is this human?”

Unexpectedly, her words came not as spiritual sound but in a physical voice. The Great Sage scratched the back of his head and replied,

“Uh... he’s a human who’s going to help me.”

“I see. Then why did you bring this human all the way to the heavenly realm’s White Silk Mountain?”

“He says he has something to tell you, Nine Heavens Maiden.”

“......”

The Nine Heavens Maiden’s eyes met mine. The instant our gazes locked, it felt like I’d fallen into an ice cave.

‘She’s not human!’

Eyes utterly devoid of emotion!

Though I already knew this, her gaze carried no trace of human warmth or presence. Instead, it exuded the intense, inhuman aura I’d felt from the transcendent beings beyond humanity I’d faced multiple times. As expected, she too was merely taking human form, a great immortal who had lived since ancient times.

I composed myself and summoned the Immortal Sword.

Flash!

“That’s...!!”

The Nine Heavens Maiden’s face showed surprise upon seeing the Immortal Sword. I said to her,

“I am the successor of Sword Immortal Yeo Dongbin. And I came to meet you on the advice of the Fire Dragon True Person.”

“Fire Dragon True Person...?”

Rustle...

The moment the words ended, spiritual energy flowed from the Fire Dragon Divine Sword I held, soon manifesting a clone of the Fire Dragon True Person before us. The manifested Fire Dragon True Person crossed his arms upon seeing the Nine Heavens Maiden and said,

“Long time no see.”

Since he spoke in a physical voice, it seemed that even great immortals like us didn’t need to use spiritual sound in the heavenly realm.

“I heard you slew an evil dragon in the past and then vanished without a trace, yet here you are alive.”

“Indeed.”

The Fire Dragon True Person nodded quietly and continued,

“The karmic link of the Immortal Sword Arts was connected to you, Nine Heavens Maiden, so what did you do to my disciple Yeo Dongbin?”

At the Fire Dragon True Person’s question, the Nine Heavens Maiden stared at me intently for a moment before answering.

“Yeo Dongbin and his successor’s name is Baek Woong. Is that correct?”

“Yes.”

“Didn’t you decide to carry on his will by acting before the Heavenly Altar descended fifty years ago? You’re too late.”

“......”

She was clearly implying where I’d been holed up for fifty years. But I hesitated, unsure how to respond. Was it right to bring up Changhil and the Eight Great Guardians in this situation?

‘I have no idea how they’d react to hearing about the Eight Great Guardians.’

The Eight Great Guardians were clearly at odds with the heavenly realm. Moreover, it was impossible to fully trust the heavenly immortals before me, the Nine Heavens Maiden and the Great Sage Equaling Heaven. Changhil or the Eight Great Guardians might prove helpful later. Plus, having been backstabbed so many times in life, I was reluctant to spill secrets lightly.

‘I’ll bear a bit more first before speaking...’

I needed to gather what information I could. As I stayed silent, the Nine Heavens Maiden said,

“The reason I taught Yeo Dongbin the Immortal Sword Arts and sent him to the mortal world was to check on Queen Mother of the West before a tragedy like today befell us.”

“What do you mean?”

“Even if Yeo Dongbin descends to the mortal world as the Immortal Sword, his power remains, but the heavenly realm’s constraints vanish. The eyes watching the Eight Immortals disappear as well. I hoped you and Yeo Dongbin would combine forces to uncover what Queen Mother of the West is plotting.”

“Hmm...”

Checking Queen Mother of the West.

What Queen Mother of the West is plotting.

Hearing that immediately reminded me of what Earth Immortal Mangnyang had said in the past.

[‘I’m... not the Mangnyang you know... I’ve lived my own life... And after this mission ends... I was going to carry out the secret mission from the Nine Heavens Maiden... But due to my guilt... I can’t do it...’]

[...In the deepest part of the heavenly realm... there exists darkness... You must... uncover it...]

Then Mangnyang had transferred his memories and experiences via time regression art. According to them, the Nine Heavens Maiden’s disciples and subordinates investigating Queen Mother of the West’s suspicious activities had been mysteriously killed one by one by some entity, and Mangnyang, lacking confidence to uncover it, had bet on me.

‘That’s when I started suspecting Queen Mother of the West.’

It had been the same in later lives. Queen Mother of the West had always seemed suspiciously off more than once or twice. I asked the Nine Heavens Maiden,

“Isn’t Queen Mother of the West your superior? I want to know why you’re investigating her and opposing the heavenly realm’s will.”

Investigating Queen Mother of the West, and alongside the Great Sage Equaling Heaven who sought to destroy the Anti-Ancient Pearl—it was already high treason against the heavenly realm. The issue was that the Nine Heavens Maiden was such a high-ranking figure in the heavenly realm that there seemed little reason for her to do so. There were scarcely any beings above her.

The Nine Heavens Maiden then said,

“Queen Mother of the West...”

Her following words shocked me greatly.

“She devours immortals.”

“......?!”

“And regularly, at that.”

What kind of nonsense is this?!

Not just me—even the Fire Dragon True Person seemed greatly shocked. The Great Sage, however, who already knew, merely frowned without much reaction. The Fire Dragon True Person said in a deeply startled voice,

“What do you mean? This is the first I’ve heard of it.”

“Fire Dragon True Person. You hold a special position in the heavenly realm, so no one dared touch you, and as the incarnation of the Responsive Dragon, you maintained your lofty seat. The Responsive Dragon of the Pantheon Hall brought an outsider into the heavenly realm, so it’s something you couldn’t know.”

The Nine Heavens Maiden replied softly and continued,

“Since the Great War of the Muddy Continent, I’ve been teaching spells to Earth Immortals and High Immortals who pass through the heavenly realm’s gates of promotion. Originally a goddess of war, but there was no longer any need for me to fight on the front lines. However, at some point, the immortals I taught began disappearing one by one.”

“Disappeared... You don’t mean...”

“As I said earlier, Queen Mother of the West devoured them. She abducted immortals through whatever means or lured them to her palace and ultimately ate them. After observing her secretly with spells for a long time, I witnessed the scene myself.”

“Truly... unbelievable.”

The Fire Dragon True Person looked confounded.

But it was something he had to believe. Unless it was of this magnitude, there was no reason for a top great immortal like the Nine Heavens Maiden to rebel against Queen Mother of the West and the heavenly realm. After pondering deeply, the Fire Dragon True Person said,

“Queen Mother of the West must have realized you caught on. So a subtle power struggle was unfolding? As a result, you resorted to your final measure: teaching my disciple Yeo Dongbin the Immortal Sword Arts and sending him to the mortal world.”

“Yes. I originally intended to investigate using only Earth Immortals under my command, but I hit a wall because of a Combat Immortal assassin killing my disciples.”

“Queen Mother of the West would have subordinates of that caliber. That’s why you tried entrusting it to a Combat Immortal. No matter how powerful, it’s impossible to silently eliminate a Combat Immortal, let alone Yeo Dongbin.”

“Yes.”

The Nine Heavens Maiden’s expression turned somewhat bitter.

“In any case, the world was turning upside down because of the baleful stars, so someone had to descend to the mortal world. That’s why, fifty years ago, Queen Mother of the West knew I’d recruited Yeo Dongbin but left it alone.”

“I have a question.”

The Fire Dragon True Person glared at the Nine Heavens Maiden and said,

“I don’t think that’s the only reason... If there’s something you’re hiding, tell us now.”

“......”

“No matter how cautious you are, you wouldn’t decide on rebellion just because she devours immortals. What other suspicions do you have about Queen Mother of the West?”

At the Fire Dragon True Person’s bold question, the Nine Heavens Maiden hesitated.

Then the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, who had been listening, interjected.

“Fire Dragon True Person. Sorry, but we can’t go further.”

“What do you mean?”

“From here on, it’s life-or-death. Once you hear it, there’s no turning back. But you’re the incarnation of the Responsive Dragon, a great god affiliated with the Pantheon Hall, aren’t you? Do you really think you can stay neutral in this?”

“... Hmm.”

The Fire Dragon True Person shook his head, looking troubled.

“I don’t know the Responsive Dragon’s true intentions. But I am a separate entity from him.”

“If you say it that far, then I can assume you’re with us to the end?”

“Before that, I want to hear from my disciple.”

She looked coldly at the Nine Heavens Maiden and said,

“Your words alone aren’t enough for me to know.”

“Very well.”

Swoosh.

The Nine Heavens Maiden extended her hand slightly. Moments later, light emanated from the Immortal Sword I held, transforming directly into Yeo Dongbin’s form.

The manifested Yeo Dongbin looked around before bowing politely to the Nine Heavens Maiden and the Fire Dragon True Person. Then, looking at me, he said,

“Successor. Reviving even your master and coming before the Nine Heavens Maiden in the heavenly realm with a mortal body... Truly impressive. Thanks to you, the mortal world will be saved.”

“I... that’s...”

“What of the Heavenly Altar? Have the baleful stars retreated?”

“... Uh...”

As I was at a loss for words, the Great Sage bluntly said,

“Dongbin, none of that happened!”

“Great Sage Equaling Heaven.”

“Fifty years have passed since you became the Immortal Sword.”

“......?”

Yeo Dongbin looked bewildered and turned to me.

“Successor.”

I avoided his eyes, but Yeo Dongbin instantly met my gaze again with Combat Immortal teleportation.

“Successor.”

I averted my eyes once more, but Yeo Dongbin met them again.

“......”

Step, step.

“Successor...”

Soon, Yeo Dongbin strode right up to me, eyes wide, fists trembling. I felt my heart pound in fear of him. I wanted to drop to my knees and apologize right then.

He clenched his fists so tightly they turned pale, seemingly wanting to punch me, but eventually calmed himself with a sigh.

“Explain what happened.”

I explained everything that had transpired to Yeo Dongbin. Listening, he pondered deeply before saying,

“You’re hiding something.”

“......”

“You’re avoiding the most important part: ‘the reason for the fifty-year disappearance.’ Why?”

Realizing I couldn’t hide it any longer, I reluctantly revealed everything about Changhil and the Eight Great Guardians. With great immortals gathered like this, they could threaten me with the Great Sage summoning the Fiery Eyes Golden Pupils, Yeo Dongbin could punch me, or the Nine Heavens Maiden could interrogate me with spells. Moreover, their resolve against the heavenly realm seemed firm, so I decided to speak.

“... And that’s how I ended up here.”

“No orders from Changhil?”

“Nothing like that. I woke up fifty years later.”

“So you were just kidnapped by the Eight Great Guardians.”

“Yes.”

The Great Sage, hearing my story, frowned.

“Damn it. So that’s how it was? That Three Staff bastard is such bad luck.”

“What do you mean?”

“One of the Eight Great Guardians was my comrade in the past: we went to the Western Paradise together. That guy’s name was Tripiṭaka Master. One of the Eight Great Guardians you saw.”

“......!!”

“The nickname Tripiṭaka came from mastering the Sūtra Repository, Vinaya Repository, and Treatise Repository as the greatest monk of his era, but terms out he was one of the Eight Great Guardians.”

Tripiṭaka Master!

I decided to remember that name well. Investigating Tripiṭaka Master might yield more info on the Eight Great Guardians. Separately, I asked the Great Sage,

“Surely you’re not collaborating with the Eight Great Guardians, Great Sage?”

“No, nothing like that! If I knew, I’d have told you first, right? It’s just that I got a bit of info from them when going to the Western Paradise in the past.”

The Great Sage firmly denied my question, then glanced at the Nine Heavens Maiden and said,

“Nine Heavens Maiden. Looks like Changhil’s gotten involved too. What now?”

“......”

The Nine Heavens Maiden looked contemplative. She said,

“It seems this Baek Woong, successor to you Yeo Dongbin, bears a great task. There must be a reason Changhil personally sealed him for fifty years.”

“I had suspected as much.”

Yeo Dongbin looked to the sky and continued,

“Earth Immortal Mangnyang showed great interest and favor toward Baek Woong as well.”

“I see...”

The Nine Heavens Maiden said after a moment,

“Then I’ll trust you all and tell you. The real reason we must stop Queen Mother of the West is...”

Everyone fell silent at her following words.

“The Three Pure Ones have already been slain by her, turning the entire heavenly realm into her puppets.”

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