Reincarnated Swordmaster

Chapter Title: Dark Heaven Village

I examined Merlin's spirit body closely. Upon closer inspection, it wasn't like a typical cloning technique; it seemed like an advanced spell that projected his form into another dimension. I could tell he was guarding against any sudden attack from me. I stared at Merlin intently and replied.

"My name—how did you know it? I never told you."

Merlin then spoke.

[Didn't you recently visit a monk named Matteo Ricci?]

"Was he your subordinate?"

[He's the eyes and vanguard of the Western Guild in the East. Naturally, I asked him first if he'd encountered someone like you.]

"......"

[Fortunately, you had paid him a visit.]

"There's an ancient seal in Luoyang leading to Dark Heaven Village, but it's only temporarily blocked right now. I want a holy relic or powerful ward that can seal it properly."

[Is that so... Dark Heaven Village... You've come into contact with ancient secrets as well.]

"I know about the [Ancient Rulers] too."

In response, Merlin said.

[Why tamper with that seal? And what is your goal, Baek Woong?]

"Do I need to tell you that much?"

I continued curtly.

"I have no reason to spill every detail to you. We're in an equal trading relationship right now, and you need to uphold your promise to give me a treasure."

Merlin's spirit body widened its eyes.

[...You don't trust me.]

"The feeling's mutual, isn't it?"

Merlin's spirit body gave a wry smile.

[How curious. Human forces resisting an overwhelming existence like the [Ancient Rulers] are

"The feeling's mutual, isn't it?"

Merlin's spirit body gave a wry smile.

[How curious. Human forces resisting an overwhelming existence like the [Ancient Rulers] are exceedingly rare. There's no reason for us to stand in opposition... yet you act as if their power leaves you utterly unmoved.]

Why was he reacting like that?

I sensed he found it absurd. Before I could say anything, Merlin spoke.

[This demonic sword, Hrunting, should suffice to seal it.]

Wooooong

A pitch-black longsword appeared in Merlin's left hand, and he handed it to me. I glanced at the demonic sword called Hrunting and said.

"What if it doesn't work?"

[Isn't that your problem, not mine? As you said earlier, my role is simply to provide the treasure. Why should I care if the seal holds?]

"......"

What a petty guy. As I smacked my lips, Merlin said.

[Then I wish you success.]

Merlin seemed to have a decisive personality—once I showed distrust, he issued the order to leave without further talk. Suddenly remembering something, I called out to stop him.

"Wait!"

[What is it?]

"You know about the Seven Luminaries, don't you? Specifically, the being called the Golden Luminary, the star of dawn."

Merlin sneered.

[Heh heh. Don't I have no reason to spill every detail to you?]

"......"

[Trading relationship—nice. Offer me a treasure worth sharing that info, and I'll consider it.]

He was throwing my own words back at me verbatim. The bastard must have been seriously offended. Only then did I realize I'd chosen the wrong approach in talking to him.

'This guy's not one to yield an inch or show kindness to someone who distrusts him!'

Even in a pure transaction, I'd held a slight advantage before, allowing me to glean extra info. But not with the Merlin before me. For some reason, he had this mad streak that made him seem ready to burn everything down if things went south.

I should have been more upfront and asked for cooperation. But the water was spilled—crawling back now wouldn't earn his trust. Since I figured this life was short-term, I'd botched the conversation out of sloppiness.

'Damn it. That dragon egged me on, calling Merlin cunning...'

Smacking my lips, I said to Merlin.

"Fine. Then I'll be going..."

As I tried to activate my teleportation to leave, it suddenly failed.

"Huh?"

Panicking, I checked my teleportation, and Merlin spoke.

[You've brought the sorcerers here with you. They've tailed you and sealed this place with a barrier.]

"Damn it."

So from the moment I entered the Great British Empire, I'd exposed myself to them? It seemed they'd waited for me to reach Camlann, then trapped me like herding a rat with a barrier. Merlin stared at me impassively before speaking.

[How strange. You seem to know vast mysteries, yet you're this flustered over a single magical tool's barrier?]

"Can you help me?"

[Hmm... Watch your tone from now on. Even an ugly bastard needs a good heart, right?]

"Huh?"

What did he just say?

Stunned by the sudden insult, I watched as Merlin waved his hand.

Paat!

I suddenly found myself near some unknown rural village. Looking around, I realized from the

Stunned by the sudden insult, I watched as Merlin waved his hand.

Paat!

I suddenly found myself near some unknown rural village. Looking around, I realized from the architecture and atmosphere that this was the Central Plains. Hearing the locals' dialect, I pinpointed it near Guangdong.

Incredible power. Teleporting me instantly from the Great British Empire to rural Guangdong in the Central Plains? But separate from Merlin's abilities, his parting words left a bad taste.

'What the hell? A grand sorcerer and ancient elder, yet his personality's that rotten?'

One wrong word, and he snaps like that—if I made an enemy of him, it'd be disastrous. Thinking how every high-level sorcerer I'd met had a filthy temper filled me with a grim mood.

Grumbling inwardly, I headed straight to Cheon Woojin and pleaded.

"Help me!"

After explaining everything, Cheon Woojin looked incredibly annoyed but soon composed himself and said.

"Give me that demonic sword."

"Here."

Taking the demonic sword Hrunting, Cheon Woojin probed its aura briefly before saying.

"It's definitely a powerful ward. More than enough to seal Luoyang's barrier."

Paat

Using teleportation, I went with Cheon Woojin to the underground beneath Luoyang.

But this time, something felt off.

'Huh?'

Instead of Sangwan Hyeok, an unfamiliar woman stood there. She was breathtakingly beautiful, with a face that seemed vaguely familiar. As I tried to recall who she was the moment we met, she spoke.

"You're the one Hyeok-ah mentioned. Why are you messing with this passage?"

Hyeok-ah?

I had no idea what she meant, but she seemed displeased.

'Ah!'

Instantly grasping her identity, I calmly replied.

"We're not here to fight you. We've brought this demonic sword as an offering to seal it properly."

Surprised, she said.

"Is that right? Then where's the Fire Dragon Divine Sword?"

"......"

Asking straight out about the Fire Dragon Divine Sword meant she knew the full story behind the passage and seal to Dark Heaven Village.

That's right.

I knew that face.

I'd only met her once, but I knew exactly what she was.

[Just as Hyeok-ah described. A man worth pursuing hegemony.]

[Yaksha.]

[Don't be wary. You're not here to fight.]

[We've watched the human world for so long. Sometimes intervening, sometimes allying with dark forces to prepare for Cheonghil's apocalypse as he wills. We weren't supposed to reveal ourselves properly for another 500 years...]

[But the being prepared as the Harbinger God's apostle rejected awakening and received a name from you, twisting fate enormously. The Harbinger God has fully seized causality and is poised to wage war on the Three Emperors and Five Sovereigns right now. It's a crisis for us too, so we've come to you, the source of this chaos.]

I also recalled King Daein's words from Balhae.

[The reason Balhae fell... was the divine treasure Toyo Bagua Chart going berserk. The Khitans were strong, but they couldn't have destroyed us alone.]

[Someone stole the Bagua Chart.]

[She called herself Shangguan Wan'er... That witch stole it, the dragon veins were stimulated, volcanoes erupted—we couldn't hold... We abandoned the capital... and fell to the Khitan assault...]

[So unjust... If not for that witch... Cursed Shangguan Wan'er...]

Eightfold Divine Hosts—Yaksha!

At the same time, she was Shangguan Wan'er, the witch who served Empress Wu Zetian in the Tang Dynasty and drove Balhae to ruin!

So the "Hyeok-ah" she called was Shangguan Hyeok, current member of the Ten Heavenly Great Righteous, the Ghost Voice, and sorcerer? Using a childish nickname suggested she was his ancestor or progenitor.

This was a huge mess out of nowhere.

Clashing with one of the Eightfold Divine Hosts—each holding demon king or apostle-level power—at this point!

'Can I... win?'

I couldn't gauge it at all. Even with her right in front of me, there was no aura of a transcendent divine being beyond humanity, not even a whiff of demonic qi. No overwhelming vitality unique to martial masters either. Her presence was so ordinary, like a common village woman, that I hadn't been on high alert upon seeing her.

A story from Yorhan, the abbot of Noeum Temple, flashed in my mind.

[Cheonghil's incarnations... like the sea god you defeated, rarely step forward... They move from the world's darkest corners to its brightest... entering places like their own homes... understanding humans perfectly... manipulating everything...]

[Cheonghil never meets force with force... He's the slyest being in the world... Hero, without

[Cheonghil's incarnations... like the sea god you defeated, rarely step forward... They move from the world's darkest corners to its brightest... entering places like their own homes... understanding humans perfectly... manipulating everything...]

[Cheonghil never meets force with force... He's the slyest being in the world... Hero, without knowing, you might already be ensnared and controlled by Cheonghil's demonic grasp...]

[Our Noeum Temple records say the Eightfold Hosts all possess transformation abilities and divinization powers.]

[As I said, the Eightfold Hosts disguise themselves in myriad forms, lurking everywhere in the human world... They could be a common passerby, a seductive woman, an official, a monk or Taoist, or a martial artist... That's how they've observed humans for thousands of years, relaying info to Cheonghil.]

Just as Yorhan said. Even with one of the Eightfold Divine Hosts standing there plainly, without my past-life knowledge, her transformation was so cunning I couldn't have spotted it. Fortunately, Cheon Woojin had accepted my obsidian, recognizing her face quickly.

'No, come to think of it, Gakseon was the same.'

Gakseon, one of the Three Great Elders of the Orthodox Faction, was also from the Eightfold Divine Hosts' Gandharva, yet no one suspected until he revealed himself. Their disguises seemed leagues beyond typical beastkin or yokai transformations.

I glanced at Cheon Woojin. If we teamed up now, we might hold our own against even the White Lotus Cult Leader defensively. But the Eightfold Divine Hosts were potential demon king-levels stronger than her—victory seemed impossible.

As we didn't respond, Shangguan Wan'er spoke in a bored tone.

"You must have the Fire Dragon Divine Sword. I see your sincerity in maintaining the seal, so hand it over, and I'll let you go peacefully."

Normally, I'd scoff. But knowing she was the Yaksha of the Eightfold Divine Hosts turned her words into immense pressure.

What to do?

Fleeing might be best, but with her unknown abilities, turning my back rashly could lead to a fatal mistake. The moment you show your back to escape is your weakest—flight isn't so simple.

If teleportation or earth-shrinking failed and she caught up, I'd be dead for real. As an Eightfold Divine Host, she could easily match those.

'Damn... Can't hand over something as precious as the Fire Dragon Divine Sword.'

Gritting my teeth, I made the best choice available.

Fwoooosh

Immense power and soul descended into me. The being who possessed me pointed his sword at Shangguan Wan'er and declared.

[You may be beyond mortals, but you don't seem evil. Withdraw from this place!]

Shangguan Wan'er looked surprised.

"Yeo Dongbin? Long time no see."

[What?]

Shangguan Wan'er chuckled.

Hwiirik...

[What?]

Shangguan Wan'er chuckled.

Hwiiririk...

A massive sickle summoned into her hand. Shangguan Wan'er—the Yaksha of the Eightfold Divine Hosts—spoke to Yeo Dongbin familiarly, like an old friend.

"When the ox self-immolated in Mount Tai's Wolf Tiger Valley, the orphan rolling through battlefields for his life has become the Sword Immortal before I knew it."

[......]

Yeo Dongbin's complex emotions flooded into me through the possession. He seemed to recognize her identity from that one line. But he fell silent, composing himself, as the Yaksha spoke.

"Have you mastered the Overlord's swordsmanship enough? A thousand years have passed since then—can you match me now?"

Sususus

More gravely than ever, Sword Immortal Yeo Dongbin unified his sword and aura. His current emotion wasn't rage but focus—like a warrior's thrill against a worthy foe, eager to win at full strength.

[The Heavenly Hidden Swordsmanship is no longer the Overlord's sword.]

"Then what is it?"

Yeo Dongbin roared, signaling the battle's start.

[I'll show you now, witch Shangguan Wan'er!]

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