Reincarnated Swordmaster

Chapter Title: Dark Heaven Village

The reason for heading to Dark Heaven Village is, of course, to retrieve the Earth Essential among the Seven Essentials. Currently, the Earth Essential had been seized by Sima Wan-ah and offered up in the Lunar Heaven Martial Marquis's sealing ritual, existing within Dark Heaven Village. Moreover, the Lunar Heaven Martial Marquis had become a subordinate deity under the [Ancient Ruler] of the Imperial Palace. On top of that, the path to Dark Heaven Village was extremely tricky and dangerous, with no guarantee of victory against a divine being, so I had been biding my time until now.

But in this life, I had firmly resolved to challenge Dark Heaven Village.

At that, Zhuge Sa chuckled.

“Are you carrying out one of the strategies devised by [Zhuge Sa] from your previous life? You've steeled yourself to die like a mayfly as many times as it takes, huh?”

“Yeah.”

I replied somewhat calmly.

“Waiting around until I build up more personal strength is just a waste of time. Better to clash head-on a few more times and gather fresh intel firsthand, even if it means dying again.”

“Kekeke! This is hilarious. I can really feel that you're a reincarnator... Now I get why 'I' fully cooperated with you back then. To think there's someone walking an even madder path than me!”

“Hyeon-ah. We should hear your opinion too. What do you make of this guy's thinking right now?”

“......”

Mang Liang propped his chin on his hand, deep in thought. He too was absorbing the black obsidian's information and analyzing it from every angle. Then, slowly, he spoke.

“You left out something important, Baek Woong.”

“Hm?”

“How you'll handle facing Lady Miho again in this life...”

“...Hmph.”

I let out a sigh. As expected of Mang Liang's brilliant mind—he had zeroed in on the key point I'd tried to gloss over. He continued.

“While Sima Hye's matter is important, the issue with Lady Miho—who might be the incarnation of Niwa—is even more crucial. It's a trump card that could upend the Heavenly Realm someday... But the emotions embedded in the black obsidian you showed us are still so chaotic that you haven't figured out how to approach her.”

I made a face like he'd hit a sore spot. Because he was absolutely right.

As I said nothing, Zhuge Sa crossed his arms.

“Definitely as Hyeon says. If you don't sort that out, it'll just waste more time. So, Baek Woong, what do you want to do about Miho?”

“Well...”

“You don't have to give us a clear-cut answer. It's ultimately between you two. But as strategists, we at least want to know your general direction.”

I pondered. Then I spoke.

“Same as with Sima Hye. I don't think the current Miho could bear all that info and stay composed.”

“So you'll keep it hidden for now?”

“...It'd be too much for her to handle.”

I had no idea how massive a shock it would be for Miho to see my memories. Up until now, she'd only vaguely sensed that the Heavenly Realm was rotten, but the intel I gained this time reveals the truth: Queen Mother of the West might be Niwa in disguise, and Miho could have been used by her. For Miho, who revered and loved Queen Mother more than her own mother, it would shatter her world.

And even if Miho overcame that mental blow, there's no way right now. Because there are hardly any means to greatly amplify Miho's power at present. Dumping pure despair on her without a solid solution would just be torment.

Mang Liang seemed to read my thoughts and let out a short sigh.

“Hoo! Baek Woong... You're truly remarkable.”

“Huh?”

“Any normal person would've worn down their emotions after 24 reincarnations, but you still haven't forgotten to be considerate toward her... Don't you know you're several times more pitiful than Lady Miho?”

“......”

“Then our role is to research ways to help Lady Miho grow as well.”

“I'd appreciate that.”

With the Miho discussion more or less wrapped up, Zhuge Sa spoke.

“There are currently three ways to reach Dark Heaven Village. One is descending via the stairs through the dream world and overcoming the gatekeeper's trial. Another is passing directly through a dimensional gate, but that means clashing straight with the [Ancient Ruler]. The last is using the steam cauldron you possess to head to the designated location.”

Methods I already knew. I nodded, and Zhuge Sa said,

“The first method is by far the safest and most straightforward for reaching Dark Heaven Village. Planning to go with that?”

I shook my head.

“No. I'll try the third first.”

“Why?”

“I'm curious at least once what its owner was thinking, luring me in with this thing.”

Throughout my reincarnations, the strategists had viewed the steam cauldron I possessed with suspicion. Given its overwhelmingly powerful functions with so few restrictions, they suspected it might actually be a vicious demonic artifact designed to drag its owner into a trap. With a high chance that suspicion was correct, I'd rejected every suggestion from the cauldron to head to its indicated spots until now.

But since I've already resolved to die, deliberately walking into a trap could be an option. And I might uncover new intel within that trap. Zhuge Sa crossed his arms and said,

“Then you didn't even need to come to us. You could've tested it right after getting the cauldron in Shandong.”

I scratched my head and replied.

“I needed to discuss Sima Hye's matter with the Sword Demon...”

“Kekeke. You figured you'd have spare time investigating Chelu anyway, so you came to consult us with that? You meddle in every damn thing.”

“Urgh... Yeah.”

Zhuge Sa was sharp as ever. He chuckled and said,

“Fine. Let's say it'll take the Sword Demon about three months to investigate the Seo family. In the meantime, you should boost your strength as much as possible.”

“Got it.”

“We'll help with the Shadowless Sect. You go find that Dang Mountain kid or whatever. At this point in time, he's just a brat.”

Flash

I used Shrinking Earth Technique to head for the Sichuan Tang Clan. It was quite a distance to Sichuan, so I'd have to maintain the spell nonstop for about three days straight. I might even grasp a bit of the complex technique's principles. After hundreds of uses, it was bound to become familiar.

Arriving near the Sichuan Tang Clan, I didn't enter right away. Instead, from a nearby hill, I overlooked the clan, scouting for a gap to slip in.

“...Dang Mountain. That guy...”

According to Dang Mountain, the kid harbored immense grudge against the entire Sichuan Tang Clan—a grudge brutal enough for me to understand. But that didn't make slaughtering the whole clan right.

Following Dang Mountain's description, I located the branch houses and outer quarters where the servants lived. Even amid the Tang Clan's flashy buildings, these were shabby huts clustered in the far back. Peering closer, I could smell the muddy water and rot wafting from inside.

I quietly cast Stealth Art and infiltrated, searching for the small shack Dang Mountain had mentioned. Next to a narrow path leading toward the hills was the shack, where an elderly woman mumbled as she winnowed seeds with a basket. Inside, a little kid lay sprawled.

I glanced at the old woman and wordlessly stepped into the shack. Then I addressed the child lying there.

“Dang Mountain, right?”

He looked about three or four years younger than my current 'self'—younger than me, but still around my age group. Startled as I suddenly appeared, Dang Mountain whipped around with a shocked expression.

“Who the hell are you?”

“I'm Baek Woong.”

I replied and plopped down.

“Eek.”

Dang Mountain yanked a smoke bomb from his bosom and hurled it outside, but I'd already erected a qi barrier with my inner power, so the bomb bounced harmlessly away.

“No sound gets out from in here. Not even to that old lady.”

“Damn it! You here to kill me?”

Dang Mountain bellowed in fury, but I calmly said,

“If I wanted you dead, would I bother with this? Cut the smoke and let's talk.”

“......”

His expression changed completely, and he slumped down right there. It was as if his earlier panic had been fake.

“You're some insane expert. No reaction even after I poisoned you.”

“I'm immune to all poisons.”

As expected, his prior panic was to lure out an opening and buy time for the pre-set poison to work. True to his word, even at this young age, he was cunning and clever, already mastering poison techniques at the level of a mid-tier Tang Clan warrior.

I said to Dang Mountain,

“I know you want to rip every last one in the Sichuan Tang Clan to shreds. At your age, you thought about tearing off the clan head and his wives' limbs, threading their bodies with ropes, spinning them on cartwheels, and fermenting them into salted fish. Then force-feeding that to the main heirs your age.”

Dang Mountain was genuinely shocked.

“Whoa, what?! You a mind reader? I think that a lot.”

“......”

Even saying it myself was embarrassingly gruesome. And fifty years from now, Dang Mountain actually carried it out. The Sichuan Tang Clan was exterminated, and their bloodlines became pig feed at his hands. No matter the grudge, he was terrifyingly vicious.

'Should I really make this guy a comrade?'

Raising him would add a future Absolute Realm powerhouse ally, but it's uncomfortable.

Yet the Dang Mountain before me was a different breed of madman from Zhuge Sa. Zhuge Sa's madness aligned roughly with my goals, so I could accept it. But Dang Mountain's was hatred toward his bloodline, intensely reactive to grudges—I wasn't sure if I could control it.

Still, I'd already promised the fifty-years-from-now Dang Mountain to accept him as a comrade. Breaking that would mean no future help from him.

'Alright. I'll raise him once and decide then.'

Shaking off my hesitation, I said to Dang Mountain,

“I came at your future self's request. To make you my comrade.”

He sneered.

“No clue what bullshit you're spouting, but comrade? Dream on. Kill me or get lost—one or the other.”

“Take this.”

I tossed him the black obsidian. He caught it warily, and in that instant, I transmitted my memories.

Whoosh

“......!!”

Dang Mountain flinched, absorbing my memories. Moments later, he trembled in ecstatic joy and shouted.

“Haha... hahaha... Is this for real?! Incredible!”

“Convinced now?”

“Kekeke. Kekekeke.”

He let out a mad cackle like a lunatic, then said,

“Showing me this means you agree with the Tang Clan's destruction, right? Perfect! Hahaha.”

“...Yeah. But with conditions.”

“What?”

“In the future, you massacred even the innocent, guiltless Tang Clan warriors. In ways too brutal to accept.”

I glared at him and emphasized,

“Only kill the main culprits tied to your grudge. No needless slaughter. That's my condition for making you a comrade.”

“...Well, sure. You're more righteous than you look.”

Dang Mountain's eyes gleamed with madness as he continued.

“But do you have the right to tell me that? Feels like you don't!”

“What?”

“You got revenge too. The only difference is you cleaned up neatly—you returned every bit of the abuse you suffered.”

“......!!”

I flinched. He was right. I'd taken revenge on my abusers too. Telling him to restrain his grudge would just sound hypocritical.

For the first time, Dang Mountain smiled with genuine warmth and affinity.

“Hey, that's why I kinda like you. Feels like kinship.”

“That's...”

But there's no way for me to atone. The past-life massacre of the village chief's family in Soeul Village is an indelible sin, no matter what.

With my original sin exposed, I was speechless, and Dang Mountain said,

“Baek Woong, let's be straight. You and I—we were abused, plundered, and survived.”

“What...”

“My enemies were the Sichuan Tang Clan; yours, the Soeul Village chief's family. I had the talent for revenge; you didn't—that's all. If you'd had my genius talent, you'd have done the same eventually. Hell, you actually did.”

“......”

“I like you. Respect you. You didn't talk big—you just did it. Heh. So damn satisfying!”

I wanted to refute him, but I had nothing to say.

“Baek Woong, as you know, I'm not Tang Mugyeok's son or Tang blood.”

Dang Mountain continued.

“My father was a minor sect warrior, killed by Tang Mugyeok's poison. My mother was raped by Tang Mugyeok right in front of my dying father just because she was beautiful. Then forced into the clan as his concubine's child, bullied by the main heirs. You went through having your face rubbed in cow shit too, so you get my suffering, right?”

“...Hmph.”

A shared experience, then.

“My mother's still getting abused by that bastard whenever he feels like it, and I get beat by those kids yesterday, so my whole body aches lying here. Kekeke, what a trash life? And the guy I wanna revenge on is one of the Five Great Families' heads—hard as hell.”

“......”

“Probably why I reach the Absolute Realm in the future—to crush that peak expert.”

Grinning meckly, Dang Mountain raised his arms, revealing bruises all over. Like me, he'd been beaten countless times growing up. But by main heirs, so even more miserably tormented. Plus his parents' grudge on top—god knows the depth of killing intent he'd harbored for decades.

“Baek Woong, please take me as your comrade. My heart's pounding right now. I think I can trust you.”

Dang Mountain pleaded earnestly.

But his words didn't reach me. Instead, a massive wave of guilt crashed over.

'What the hell did I do in the past?'

I confronted my past massacre anew. Back then, to vent all the scorn and injustice I'd endured since birth, I lashed out violently. Even gouging out Geum Manjae's eyes. At the time, I felt nothing, but looking back, I realized how horrific it was.

'Damn it...! I did that?'

Such regret!

Was it really necessary? My past wasn't as brutal a grudge as Dang Mountain's. Just beating and scolding the chief's family would've sufficed, but I lost control and massacred them.

I want to apologize by suiciding repeatedly before them. I'd even let Geum Manjae gouge my eyes.

But atonement is impossible now. That life was overwritten by Heavenly Dark Secret Book loops, existing only in my memory. The victims live normally in Soeul Village now. That's the power of the reincarnation ability.

The sins are transmitted solely to me.

So how do I atone for this regret and guilt?

Am I doomed to bear it eternally, alone?

“......”

In that moment, I grasped the terror of the Heavenly Dark Secret Book. Even if it doesn't directly doom me, as reincarnations pile up, the karma becomes unbearable. More lives mean more regrets, grinding me down to ruin.

'So that's it...'

I recalled Zhuge Sa's past words urging me to end the reincarnations quickly. I'd wondered why then, but talking with Dang Mountain made it clear.

I'm not a god—I'm human. My mind isn't infinite; karma will shatter it! Hundreds of lives might build infinite power, but I'd cease being human. To save humans while still human, minimize reincarnation cycles.

I gritted my teeth. No escaping my sins, but this fuels my desperate craving for victory.

Ending this reincarnation by destroying the Myriad Gods—that will also save me.

“Alright.”

I decided to accept Dang Mountain as a comrade. I tucked him and the old woman into my neck pouch, then infiltrated the Sichuan Tang Clan depths. I also slipped into his mother's annex, rescued her, and put her in the pouch.

Delivering Dang Mountain and his family to the Dragon Spirit Valley, Zhuge Sa said to me,

“Baek Woong. Now go with Hyeon to the Heavenly Realm for the Water Spirit Offering. After receiving the blessing, get Cheon Woo-jin's help to absorb yin spirit power from Jeon-uk's statue—that'll be perfect timing.”

“Got it. But what blessing...”

“Isn't it obvious?”

Zhuge Sa grinned.

“You'll receive that guy's blessing.”

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