Reincarnated Swordmaster

Chapter Title: Dark Heaven Village

Yeo Dongbin could feel the potential of his sword flow growing ever greater, and he had arbitrarily named its perfected form the Six Intents Holy Heaven Diagram. However, since it was a perfected form without any fixed techniques to begin with, it was ambiguous how to judge its completion. This fact also meant that arduous hurdles still awaited him if he truly wished to attain the Six Intents Holy Heaven Diagram.

At Yeo Dongbin's request, the Eight Immortals began to move with agility.

Li Tieguai and Lan Caihe focused on subjugating demonic beasts and rescuing humans as they had been doing, while Cao Guojiu, Zhang Guolao, and He Xiangu spread grand barrier formations near major cities to aid their subjugation efforts. Subjugating demonic beasts had been ongoing work up to now, but this was the first time five of the Eight Immortals were moving in organic unison. The extreme consumption of their Taoist power etched deep mental fatigue into them, but they endured.

Meanwhile, Yeo Dongbin entered secluded cultivation, and to prevent him from being ambushed by special demonic beasts or yokai, Zhongli Quan and Han Xiangzi stood guard as his protectors.

On the first day of seclusion, Zhongli Quan said solemnly to Yeo Dongbin.

"Dongbin. You know why, even with far more powerful Great Immortals in the Heavenly Realm than us, we Eight Immortals must take the lead in subjugating yokai and heteroraces on the earthly plane."

Zhongli Quan was another teacher to Yeo Dongbin. Meeting his eyes, Yeo Dongbin replied.

"It's because of the laws of causality."

Zhongli Quan spoke bitterly.

"In a way, even as chaos engulfs the world and heteroraces rampage, the Great Tang Empire has maintained its lifeline up to now partly because of that. If the heteroraces had caused more havoc, the human casualties would have been immense, but several powerful Great Luo Immortals could have descended..."

"......"

"Dongbin. We Eight Immortals are all those evaluated by the Taoist lineage as prodigies in spells worthy of becoming Great Luo Immortals. However, you alone are the exception, having reached this position solely through martial arts. And yet, no one doubts that you are the strongest among us Eight Immortals."

Zhongli Quan looked at him with eyes brimming with pride.

"You've continually wrought miracles in battles against the heteroraces."

"You're too kind."

Zhongli Quan shook his head at Yeo Dongbin's words.

"Sometimes I think that perhaps the path of the sword you pursue is the one that truly shows the potential of humanity..."

At that moment, Han Xiangzi grumbled from the side.

"But Master barely teaches me any swordsmanship."

Han Xiangzi was Yeo Dongbin's disciple, taken in during his exorcism journeys, and it had only been a few years since he began properly learning spells. Yet, as an innate peerless genius, he quickly stood on equal footing with the other Eight Immortals and began joining the exorcisms.

To that, Yeo Dongbin curtly replied.

"Everyone excels in different things. Spells suit you better than martial arts, so I tried to have you taken as another one's disciple, but didn't you stubbornly insist on becoming mine?"

"Master is the benefactor of my village! You saved my life."

"That's..."

As Yeo Dongbin tried to say something, Zhongli Quan burst into laughter.

"Hahaha! Han Xiangzi, this fellow only knows martial arts, so he's always gruff because he's sorry he can't teach you spells."

"......"

"Enough chatter. From now on, Han Xiangzi and I will protect you with spells. The time we can provide is one year! During that time, no one will be able to ambush or attack you."

Shhhhh

Zhongli Quan and Han Xiangzi's forms gradually faded. What had been present were their thought projections; their true bodies were deploying spells on the outskirts of the cave where Yeo Dongbin sat. Soon, silence spread in all directions, and Yeo Dongbin sensed the protective barrier formation shielding him had been created.

'Up to now, yokai and demonic ambushes left no time to calmly review my swordsmanship.'

A master of Yeo Dongbin's caliber could handle any surprise attack, but it was a different story if a powerful upper heterorace ambushed in hiding. And as one of the famed Eight Immortals of the Central Plains, the possibility of assassination attempts was ample, so Yeo Dongbin had hardly done any personal training outside of real combat until now.

Yeo Dongbin then began to delve into his sword.

What is a sword?

What is nature?

Yeo Dongbin soon realized he was wielding his sword to command the 'flow.' He intuited that this world consisted of countless terrifying flows from myriad realms weaving eternally to form all things.

The flawless aggregate that subjugates the [flow]!

A realm forged by inscribing the 'resolve for certain kill' millions of times!

If he attained this realm, wouldn't the Six Intents Holy Heaven Diagram become his own?

But on the third day of training, Yeo Dongbin realized this path was not his and gave it up. Sheathing his sword, he muttered.

"That was another absolute realm..."

Yeo Dongbin's sword realm was so profound that he momentarily experienced another extreme, but he acknowledged that the seamless absolute realm of insightfully commanding the flows of all things as his own was not for him. With his unreasonable training capacity, time shortages left him no choice but to abandon it.

Of course, with decades or centuries of bone-grinding effort, Yeo Dongbin could attain the seamless realm too, but it would be meaningless. Because he was already walking the path of the Six Intents Holy Heaven Diagram, forcibly gaining another realm would only erode his potential without making him notably stronger.

An absolute realm was no convenient consumable like spells to be added and applied one by one. It was the warrior's life itself, rendering multiples pointless.

Thereafter, Yeo Dongbin repeated swinging his sword daily from dawn to dusk. Not mere swings, but a training process compiling insights from hundreds of thousands of real combat experiences accumulated thus far, elevating them to a higher realm.

In the midst of this, Yeo Dongbin came to know.

Absolute realms are not just one or two.

Every human has their own absolute realm!

That was the truth!

Currently, Yeo Dongbin knew of three or four absolute realm stages, but another martial practitioner could appear and display an utterly unforeseen style. Because it was the ultimate move forged from one's lifetime insight, it inevitably differed for each person.

One could follow another's path to achieve the same absolute realm, but upon deep scrutiny, the martial flow and direction would clearly differ. The tendencies of usable techniques would also vary.

Yeo Dongbin, researching this ever-changing path of heavenly martial arts, was overcome with awe.

Then... what exactly is the ultimate of martial arts?

What would be revealed by delving one's own path to realms beyond the absolute? Thinking of it filled Yeo Dongbin with profound vertigo. Because in the current martial world, realms beyond absolute were undefined and had never been defined.

Even those called absolute realm masters often only realized post-conquest of the strong world, upon becoming the supreme, that what they attained was an absolute realm. It was an immense stage where even one per era was rare, and the masters themselves rarely found peers for comparison, often unaware. They typically became martial world sovereigns, living leisurely before ascending as immortals.

However, if there existed something 'above' the absolute realm?

What should it be called?

"Super Absolute Realm..."

As Yeo Dongbin muttered, the Fire Dragon Immortal spoke.

[ Such a childish naming. ]

"Master."

Yeo Dongbin's face flushed red, and the Fire Dragon Immortal laughed.

[ Hahaha! Just kidding. But indeed, you're remarkable. It seems no one has ever thought of realms beyond absolute until now. ]

"Martial history's absolute masters who reached that pinnacle must have pondered it at least once."

[ But they realized its futility and ascended to the Heavenly Realm. ]

"Yes..."

[ Even within absolute realms, gaps exist. But no matter how vast, same-realm gaps are always paper-thin, allowing reversal. If no absolute immutable gap arises, it's a difference in capacity, not realm. ]

The Fire Dragon Immortal's words rang true, point by point. As a sword master like Yeo Dongbin, he could consult on his quandaries.

[ The absolute realm wields intent as heavenly lord, altering worldly laws—a capacity impossible for innate human martial stages. No matter how grand the realm, can you imagine beyond it? Even I saw no answer and abandoned the thought. ]

"But I must transcend the absolute realm."

Resolve burned in Yeo Dongbin's eyes. Clenching his fist, he declared.

"That woman of unknown identity... Shangguan Wan-er and the newly appearing apocalyptic great dragon are deeply connected. And to face the great dragon requires power beyond Great Luo Immortals, which I lack."

[ So you're trying to complete the Six Intents Holy Heaven Diagram? Will perfecting it fell the apocalyptic great dragon? ]

"... I don't know. No choice but to try."

[...... ]

Gazing at Yeo Dongbin awhile, the Fire Dragon Immortal said.

[ Let's train first. If progress stalls, we'll seek another way. ]

Thus, Yeo Dongbin devoted his all to refining and training the Six Intents Holy Heaven Diagram for a year. However, the more he refined, the more form it took, the weaker it became. The absolute art bearing only intent regressed the more hasty artificial training was applied. Yeo Dongbin realized simple effort could never attain it and lamented.

"How can the Six Intents Holy Heaven Diagram be achieved...!!"

When the year's deadline arrived, Zhongli Quan and Han Xiangzi dispelled the barrier and visited Yeo Dongbin. Asking his achievements, he had ultimately failed to gain the Six Intents Holy Heaven Diagram, only refining minor techniques. Zhongli Quan said.

"Dongbin. In this year, the heteroraces infesting the Great Tang Empire dwindled greatly, and now in the Heavenly Realm's corners, predictions dominate that the heterorace crisis is ending. Thanks to the other Immortals relentlessly crushing them."

"Master."

"I think you needn't cling to more training. If we three begin exorcism journeys, we can pacify the world."

"......"

"That great dragon or whatever, let's smash the demonic sorcerer groups first and then think."

Yeo Dongbin was beset by doubt.

Was ending secluded training like this right? Truly okay?

But with the world's peace he desired right before him, he couldn't refuse. As Yeo Dongbin reluctantly nodded.

Fwoosh!

Suddenly, the Fire Dragon Immortal projected an illusion and bellowed.

[ Zhongli Quan! Leave Yeo Dongbin be. ]

"Immortal!"

[ If content with visible peace, he wouldn't have started training. The apocalyptic great dragon will surely come! Don't pressure your disciple for hasty ascension to the Heavenly Realm. ]

Zhongli Quan faltered.

"Ah, no, it's not that I particularly want quick ascension..."

The Fire Dragon Immortal eyed Zhongli Quan, mumbling unconvincingly, and spoke.

[ I'll take Yeo Dongbin to the greatest being I know. Report thus to the Heavenly Realm. ]

"Pardon? Who might that be?"

[ Mangyang Immortal. ]

"......!!"

At those words, Zhongli Quan's face paled, legs trembling. Sweating coldly on his brow, he cried.

"W-what!! Mentioning Mangyang... How could we approach that terrifying existence..."

[ That one can surely aid Yeo Dongbin. ]

"Impossible. Doing so means not just me, but all Eight Immortals lose our heads. Contacting Mangyang is the Heavenly Realm's taboo."

[ Worry not. ]

Though Zhongli Quan paled and tried to dissuade, the Fire Dragon Immortal said.

[ 'No interest in humans' has two meanings. And Mangyang Immortal's is the good one, so no need to worry. ]

And so Yeo Dongbin headed to the village where Mangyang Immortal resided, with the Fire Dragon Immortal.

Upon arriving at Mangyang Immortal's village, Yeo Dongbin headed straight to the village shrine to pay respects, at which moment Mangyang Immortal addressed him.

[ Yeo Dongbin. ]

Yeo Dongbin replied, greatly tense.

"Speak, Mangyang Immortal."

The existence all of the Heavenly Realm feared and shunned—Mangyang Immortal.

The terrifying being who once erased a Great Luo Immortal in one strike and annihilated a corner of the Heavenly Realm root and stem was right here. Even the Jade Emperor treated him not as subordinate but equal or above, an absolute divinity present.

[ In the rear mountain of this village lurks a 2,000-year-old imugi. Capture it. Then I'll hear your words. ]

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