Reincarnated Swordmaster

Chapter Title: Dark Heaven Village

I relayed to Lord Zhuge the story I had heard from the Sword Demon. He then said,

"The important thing right now isn't that—it's making Jin So-cheong the disciple of the White Lotus Cult Leader, isn't it? In my view, investigating the God's Tomb is quite a difficult task."

"Hmm, is that so..."

"Let me hear what you're thinking."

I pondered deeply before speaking to Lord Zhuge.

"How about using the black obsidian to maximize Jin So-cheong's potential as much as possible, then taking him to the White Lotus Cult?"

"That's just the end result. I'm talking about a way to infiltrate him naturally without arousing the White Lotus Cult Leader's suspicions."

"Hmm..."

Lord Zhuge's pointed remark cut deep. Indeed, while the White Lotus Cult Leader appeared to bestow favors generously at first glance, I couldn't say I had truly exploited him. As I mulled over Lord Zhuge's words, he crossed his arms and said,

"The key is to prepare a way to rescue Jin So-cheong in case of emergency and make solid contact. After that, create a pretext for him to naturally become a disciple."

"Is there a method?"

"First, you need to give Jin So-cheong the Pure Language Pearl. And then..."

Lord Zhuge explained his scheme to me. It was far more plausible than my haphazard idea of just dragging Jin So-cheong to the White Lotus Cult.

To accelerate Jin So-cheong's growth first, I used the Silver Phoenix Jade to transmit detailed knowledge and experience to him. The Silver Phoenix Jade possessed information transmission capabilities incomparable to ordinary black obsidian, so I didn't need to mine a massive black obsidian vein separately. Moments later, Jin So-cheong staggered, overwhelmed by the influx of vast experience, but soon spoke in a confident voice.

"I feel ready for the next stage."

If Jin So-cheong said that, he would grow strong soon. I transmitted memories to Gok Ho in the same way, and once that was done, I had them consume Holy Lotus and Black White Lotus to bolster their internal energy.

After completing this process, I took the Silver Phoenix Jade and visited the Sword Demon again. I strengthened him similarly using the Silver Phoenix Jade and elixirs. However, even though I had stockpiled quite a few elixirs, consumption had been heavy so far, and now the Holy Lotus and Black White Lotus were starting to run low.

'I'll have no choice but to hope Mangyang uses the Fertile Soil to cultivate more elixirs...'

I muttered inwardly and said to the Sword Demon,

"I'd like to join you soon when you investigate Yodong. But before that, there's something I'd like to ask..."

"What is it?"

"It's Lord Zhuge's scheme. To infiltrate Jin So-cheong as the White Lotus Cult Leader's disciple, we need to naturally elevate him in the martial world."

I explained Lord Zhuge's scheme to him. The Sword Demon stroked his chin beard with a hum and said,

"I see... Then I'll need to collaborate with the Dragon of Fame."

"Pardon?"

"I know the martial world well. Lord Zhuge knows that too, so don't worry."

The Sword Demon seemed intent on refining Lord Zhuge's scheme further. Given that he was the lord of the unorthodox sects and commanded a powerful force, failure was unlikely. He said to me,

"By the way, you drew the Fire Dragon Divine Sword in Luoyang—did you seal it properly?"

"Well, Yeo Dongbin temporarily sealed it using Yin God Power and the spiritual energy of the Imperial Seal of All Nations."

It wasn't a method using sacred relics or the Nine Stars Origin Chart, but Yin God Power and the Imperial Seal could manage it somehow. Because Yin God Power reached the level of divine might, it was possible. The Sword Demon then said with a grave expression,

"It would be wise to think of a solid way to seal Luoyang. Lord Zhuge probably isn't too concerned, so he wouldn't have mentioned it to you specifically."

"Pardon? What do you mean?"

"For Lord Zhuge, the seal breaking and turning Luoyang into a hellscape isn't his concern. So you need to handle it yourself."

"......!!"

"Or rather, he might even think it's fine if it breaks. Your goal this life is to enter Dark Heaven Village, so if an ancient passage opens, Luoyang may become a hellscape, but you could easily enter Dark Heaven Village."

"That's ridiculous..."

I started to deny it but hesitated. It was too plausible to dismiss.

If the door to Dark Heaven Village sealed in Luoyang opened, countless monsters could pour out, potentially annihilating Luoyang overnight. Millions of humans could be slaughtered.

But that was none of Lord Zhuge's concern. Rather, since my goal this life was to enter Dark Heaven Village, regardless of human deaths, he would maneuver to use that passage. Because compared to other high-risk methods, entering an already open passage was safe!

'That's... right. There aren't three ways to Dark Heaven Village, but four.'

Through the dream world.

Crossing the dimensional realm directly.

Responding to Bi Deung's summons.

I had planned to try these three in sequence, but there was actually already an open passage in the earthly realm!

A safe passage to Dark Heaven Village in exchange for massacring Luoyang's humans!

Lord Zhuge wanted that passage, so he said nothing about my mistake and waited for it to open!

"......"

As I shuddered inwardly, the Sword Demon said,

"Talking to Lord Zhuge now would just earn you a scolding for your inefficient pursuit of righteousness. Is that necessary? If you insist on pursuing justice and chivalry, I recommend fetching a sacred relic from the Arasa Empire's holy sites to seal it safely. You can talk to Lord Zhuge after."

"Understood."

"If even you feel it's a makeshift patch, unsealing is a race against time. Move quickly."

I nodded and immediately used Bi Deung to travel.

Flash!

I arrived in the Arasa Empire and headed to the resistance forces opposing the Arasa Emperor. There, I found Belov, the Archbishop of the Eastern Orthodox Church and an outstanding ascetic. I approached Belov and said bluntly,

"Belov! I am Baek Woong from the East. I want the holy icon you possess."

"......?"

Belov, surrounded by Western knight orders and soldiers present, looked at me with bewildered eyes. He said incredulously,

"Ming Empire boy... I see you're eccentric, but barging in like this—what nonsense is this? Are you the king's assassin?"

Of course, demanding a sacred relic like a holy icon outright wouldn't elicit a friendly response from anyone. I calmed my mind and said to him,

"You're probably planning to bring a [dragon]'s corpse from Romania and revive it as a trump card to subjugate Ivan IV, aren't you?"

Murmurs.

My words didn't faze the regular soldiers, but Belov and the high knights and officers looked startled. Suddenly, three nearby knights lunged at me with tridents, greatswords, and spears.

Clang!

I effortlessly deflected their attacks with a single sword stroke. The knights faltered and fell on their rears, while the surrounding soldiers and knights drew their weapons with a clamor.

Belov shouted,

"Stand down!!"

The soldiers halted their charge. Belov said in a somber voice,

"Impressive. How do you know our top-secret information?"

"That's not important. But if I were the king's assassin, I wouldn't come to your camp and spill all the details."

"What do you want?"

"I have the spell to revive that dragon. If I succeed in reviving it, give me the sacred relic."

Belov glared at me sharply.

"I can't possibly believe that..."

"You don't have to."

I replied calmly. Belov pondered, then nodded.

"Follow me."

I followed him with the knights to where the dragon's corpse lay. As I recalled from before with Miho, a massive dragon frozen in ice came into view.

A gigantic, powerful form. An overwhelming aura emanated from it! Its enormous wings seemed capable of soaring freely through the skies with a single flap, and it had a ferocious reptilian face with mighty forelimbs and hind legs.

I remembered what Miho had said back then.

[Unlike Eastern dragons, it exudes a terribly evil aura. I don't know its power, but it's clearly a calamity—do you really need to awaken it?]

[The dragons I saw in the heavens all possessed immense divine powers and were benevolent beings who upheld order. They never descend to earth, so they wouldn't be sealed like this.]

[It seems like a cousin to Eastern dragons, but that Western dragon is no friend to humans. Nor does it seem like this ascetic Belov has the ability to control it. It's powerful, that's for sure.]

Miho had concluded it was sealed because, unlike Eastern dragons, it was evil and cruel. So we hadn't bothered reviving it and had slipped away quietly. But this time, I planned to claim the sacred relic from Belov by performing the feat of reviving the dragon.

'It'll work.'

Hummm.

I concentrated my internal energy in one hand and Yin God Power in the other. Approaching the ice block dozens of feet thick, I gathered my breath.

"Haaaa..."

Rumble...

As Yin God Power and my vast internal energy seeped into the ice, the entire block suddenly vibrated. Yin God Power was pure 'force,' so it could affect the barrier without incantations or spells. Feeling the massive seal warping under my power, I grew exhilarated and poured in more force.

Rumble rumble!!

The vibrations intensified. Belov cried out in shock as the energy surging from my body formed a pillar.

"Heavens, such...!! Truly terrifying prana...!! To break an ancient barrier with mere internal prana... How can an Eastern cultivator be this strong?"

The Eastern Orthodox Church called qi 'prana.' But his insight only grasped my immense internal energy, not the true nature of the Yin God Power. To discern the might of the Three Emperors and Five Sovereigns, one would need to be a mythical being.

'The shell is cracking.'

Crack crack.

It was still far from fully breaking, but steady pressure would soon shatter the dragon's seal. As I grew excited and pushed harder, two distinct voices suddenly echoed in my mind simultaneously.

[Stop! Don't unleash calamity upon the world!]

[Huuu... huu... Are you trying to free me?]

Voices with clearly opposing intentions. It seemed the barrier was indeed partially destroyed—both the [seal's creator] and the [dragon] were speaking to me. I ignored them and focused on breaking the seal.

[Stop, I say! If you release this one, no one in this era can reseal it. This being is an apostle of a mighty overlord.]

[...I sense the power of a mighty evil god... huu... huu... One of my kind?]

A stronger cacophony raged in my head.

[What do you desire? I, the king's munge, rest of the holy sword, seeker of the holy grail, will give you any treasure you want! Stop unsealing!]

Treasure?

I hesitated, pausing the seal-breaking, when the dragon's voice came.

[Continue... If you free me... I'll impale your enemies on blood stakes.]

"......"

The sealer and the sealed dragon both pleading to me.

'What do I do?'

Granting one means forgoing the other's reward.

Which to choose?

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