Reincarnated Swordmaster

Chapter Title: Dark Heaven Village

A brief silence passed.

Yeo Dongbin could tell that he had re-entered the Martial God’s space. He looked around and confirmed that he had entered the space with its infinite spirals, just like before.

“Martial God. Can you hear me?”

An empty echo scattered into the void.

Yeo Dongbin desperately called out to the being known as the Martial God, trying to make his presence known.

“I am Yeo Dongbin! I wish to make a deal with you!!”

But even as Yeo Dongbin endlessly searched for the Martial God in this spacetime that felt frozen in place, he did not appear. In real-world time, it had been two or three months of calling for him, yet there was no response.

“…No choice, then…”

Absorbing a spiral brought excruciating pain and a nauseating sensation—but at the same time, it felt like his martial arts realm elevated by a whole level. That intoxicating, magic-like experience was something Yeo Dongbin couldn’t resist, so he reached for the spiral without hesitation.

But at that moment.

“Hm?”

Yeo Dongbin felt his hand suddenly hesitate. He found it odd, but soon realized his fingertips were refusing to touch the spiral. Even when he forced his will into his body, his hand wouldn’t advance further.

An instinctive, fateful fear etched into his very being!

Yeo Dongbin quickly grasped the source of that terror and felt a sense of strangeness. He already possessed a steel-like mentality hardened by familiarity with pain and hardship—why fear this? It was true that absorbing a spiral brought suffering, but it wasn’t unbearable.

“Urgh, something like this…”

Yeo Dongbin forcibly overrode his body with his determination, overcoming the fear to grasp the spiral.

At that moment, words appeared before Yeo Dongbin’s eyes.

“Digest it.”

“…!?”

Yeo Dongbin reached for the words, but his hand swiped at empty air—they weren’t tangible. He pondered deeply, wondering if the words themselves were the Martial God’s will.

“Digest it?”

Digest what?

Had he eaten something?

“Eaten…?”

In that instant, something flashed through Yeo Dongbin’s mind.

“Ah, no way…”

Yeo Dongbin hurriedly examined the spirals and weapons arrayed around him. Upon closer inspection, the spirals varied in size and shape, and the weapons beside them did too. Some weren’t even usable as actual armaments—like a woman’s hairpin or a pickaxe.

A hypothesis formed in Yeo Dongbin’s mind.

And the moment it did—the things he had “eaten” until now unraveled, flooding into his brain with overflowing experiences and knowledge. In an instant, Yeo Dongbin felt his reason and will erode as his entire body seemed to melt away in horror.

“Arrgh, aaah, aaaaaah!!”

Yeo Dongbin screamed, desperately struggling to maintain his sanity. At the same time, he realized how suicidal it had been to try absorbing a fourth spiral! This place was no convenient trove of fortuitous treasures. His body, tempered through thousands upon tens of thousands of life-and-death battles, had sensed the threat to his life and intervened.

“Huff, ugh, kuh-hurk…”

Was digestion even possible?

Yeo Dongbin trembled violently as he accepted the terrifying experiences and knowledge pouring into his mind. If a mere fourth spiral imposed this much strain, fully digesting them would require at least a hundred years of diligent cultivation. With a voice hoarse from dry-heaving blood, he muttered.

“Just what… is this place…”

Why had the Martial God created such a space?

What did the Martial God expect from him?

In that moment, another set of words appeared before Yeo Dongbin’s eyes.

“Find the door.”

“Door…?”

Yeo Dongbin reflexively looked up. Searching for a horizon in this infinite space was utterly pointless. In such a vast expanse with nothing but spirals and weapons, how could he find a “door”?

But Yeo Dongbin could endure no longer. As the spirals pierced into his mind, shredding his body in agonizing pain, he screamed.

“Aaaah.”

Rumble…

Yeo Dongbin came to on a rain-soaked Mount Tai, having passed out. The moment he regained consciousness, Fire Dragon True Person bellowed at him.

[Get a grip, Yeo Dongbin!]

“Master… how long was I…?”

[A full hour. It seems I exhausted all my spiritual power to keep the demonic energy from corroding your body. That thief already fled long ago.]

Without Fire Dragon True Person’s aid, his body likely would have melted into the demonic energy.

[Let’s get out of here. It’s too dangerous to stay.]

Yeo Dongbin hurriedly used Sword Flight to escape Mount Tai. Once out, Fire Dragon True Person asked.

[Yeo Dongbin. Did you succeed in the soul-sealing ritual?]

“No. I was trying to contact the Martial God.”

[What did you see?]

“……”

Yeo Dongbin fell silent before replying.

“I don’t think I saw anything yet.”

Yeo Dongbin had to admit that until he found the “door” in “that space,” he knew nothing.

Because the spirals he thought were tools of fortune were actually absurd entities! Whoever found the “door” would surely gain powers on another level entirely. And he realized the Martial God was truly worthy of being called a god.

[Still no leads on the Xuanyuan Sword to offer Mangyang Monk… Witnessing the soul-sealing ritual on Mount Tai is meaningless without it.]

“There is a way.”

[What way?]

Yeo Dongbin gritted his teeth and gazed at the sky.

“Even if I knew where the Xuanyuan Sword is, I couldn’t obtain it with my current power. Short on time, ability, and clues, I’d just be tossed about by the world’s fate to the end. So instead of begging Mangyang Monk further, I’ll cultivate on my own to gain the strength to vanquish the Dragon.”

[Are you serious? You’ve heard how strong the Dragon of the Apocalypse is.]

“I’m serious, Master.”

Fire Dragon True Person pondered Yeo Dongbin’s words before replying.

[Very well. If that’s your resolve, I’ll stand with you to the end!]

“Thank you.”

Anyone seeing Yeo Dongbin’s choice would call it reckless. But somehow, he didn’t feel it was wrong. If until now he’d been swept up in world-shaking currents beyond his control, realizing the true nature of the spirals now felt like he’d mounted a new current centered on himself.

Having made up his mind, Yeo Dongbin went to Mangyang Monk and declared he’d cultivate alone. Mangyang Monk replied.

[You’ve chosen the branch of the future with the lowest chance of success… and the greatest difficulty.]

“I’m prepared for that.”

[Your future has now entered a chaos even I struggle to observe. I will watch over your path.]

Whoosh…

Mangyang Monk’s form faded away.

Yeo Dongbin stood silently in place for a while before heading to a secluded spot. To cultivate alone, without even informing his comrades, the Eight Sages. Though Mangyang Monk hadn’t shared the exact hour of the Dragon’s emergence, Yeo Dongbin resolved to complete all preparations within a year.

And from that day, for two and a half years—Yeo Dongbin encountered the Martial God dozens of times. Precisely, he entered that infinite space, but that alone forced him to endure days more agonizing than any exorcism he’d ever faced.

How long had he trained?

The promised time arrived unexpectedly.

Boom…

A quieter yet more solemn rumble than any previous earthquake awoke Yeo Dongbin from meditation in his cliffside cave. In that instant, he poured all the focus built over two and a half years into expanding his senses.

“Where are you!!”

Yeo Dongbin sensed what he presumed was the Dragon’s aura and soared into the sky with Sword Flight. Sword Flight normally drained immense energy, even for top experts, limiting its use—but Yeo Dongbin drew his blade once and flew a full thousand li without pause. He was different from his usual self now.

Fwooosh.

Gliding at speeds beyond sound, Yeo Dongbin suddenly glanced at the sun. Amid its blinding light, he sensed a black speck writhing within.

“It’s coming.”

Yeo Dongbin halted midair above the sea of clouds and stared into the void. Beyond the starry heavens stretched the black chaos of the cosmos, and from that chaos, something slowly descended.

No, not a speck.

It was a dragon.

Yeo Dongbin realized it just as the Dragon of the Apocalypse crossed dimensions from beyond the cosmos, gradually entering the atmosphere of the Central Plains continent. Gazing up from afar, Yeo Dongbin locked eyes with the “dragon”—which, with only its head partially and legs visible, already dwarfed an entire province of the Central Plains.

Roooaaar—!!!

The chaotic atmosphere around the Dragon of the Apocalypse roared, heralding the calamity’s arrival. Soon, sunlight vanished, and the earth began to drown in cosmic darkness.

A despair beyond the current civilization’s capacity to even resist!

Yeo Dongbin didn’t worry if he could slay the being. Win or lose, the final battle was upon him. As he prepared to charge with all his might—

Rumble…

A massive barrier suddenly surged up, enfolding the earthly world. Looking down, Yeo Dongbin saw powerful beings stationed at the four cardinal directions, slowly ascending. Fire Dragon True Person remarked upon seeing them.

[The Four Seas Dragon Kings have intervened. They’re deploying their full power to form a barrier protecting the Central Plains.]

Four Seas Dragon Kings!

Beings surpassing Great Lao Immortals, sacred kings of the heavenly dragons. For dragon kings of such high heavenly rank to personally defend the mortal realm! Given the heavenly realm’s current stance and the Three Emperors and Five Sovereigns’ situation, it was unthinkable. Yeo Dongbin let out a groan.

“Who summoned the Dragon Kings…?”

“It was us, Yeo Dongbin!!”

Flash.

At that moment, illusions of the Seven Immortals appeared before Yeo Dongbin. He was startled to see all his comrades—Jongri Gwon, Han Sangja, Jang Gwaro, and the rest—suddenly there. Jongri Gwon’s illusion grinned.

[We can’t aid you directly, but the Dragon Kings’ barrier will withstand the Dragon’s attacks. Fight without worry!]

“Everyone…”

Yeo Dongbin felt a surge of emotion and barely held back tears, bowing his head.

“…You gave up ascension to Great Lao Immortality and offered your treasures too.”

It was the only way.

Otherwise, the Eight Sages couldn’t have summoned the Four Seas Dragon Kings.

[Puhaha! Why the funeral face, Yeo Dongbin! We’re immortals anyway—a century more of training, and we’ll manage somehow.]

Jongri Gwon spoke nonchalantly, but Han Sangja chided him.

[Don’t fall for it, Master. Teacher Jongri cherished his treasure the most.]

[Hey, you brat!!]

Yeo Dongbin met the eyes of all the Eight Sages. His heart burned hot. They claimed a mere century of further cultivation would suffice, but it wasn't so simple. Abandoning the sure path to becoming Great Lao Immortals required immense courage—and that courage stemmed from the trust and bond they held for Yeo Dongbin.

“I will win.”

Yeo Dongbin’s resolve hardened further.

Then, Nam Chaelwa beside him spoke.

[Yeo Dongbin. Just in case, we called others to help you. I hope it aids you.]

“Thank you.”

[Then we’ll… go recover our energy. We probably won’t emerge for at least twenty years…. Win this.]

Nam Chaelwa’s fading voice revealed his energy was nearly depleted.

Flash.

It was then.

The Eight Sages’ gazes turned to a beam of light shooting from the heavenly Dragon’s maw. The beam grew larger as it descended toward earth, soon striking the barrier erected by the Four Seas Dragon Kings.

Boom-boom-boom-KABOOM.

[Krraaaaah…]

With a agonized cry, East Sea Dragon King Gwangdeokwang, O Gwang, had his scales explode across his body and plummeted from the sky. A single attack had inflicted grievous wounds even on one of the Dragon Kings, making recovery difficult. Han Sangja’s face paled.

[Heavens, how can this be…]

It was tantamount to a Great Lao Immortal felled in one strike. None had expected a being like a Dragon King to fall so easily; the Eight Sages’ expressions all hardened.

Sizzle-BOOM.

As the Dragon of the Apocalypse fired another beam, West Sea Dragon King Gwangseunwang, O Heum’s heart burst. West Sea Dragon King O Heum plummeted lifelessly toward earth, head bowed. Seeing this, the Eight Sages screamed.

[No!!]

[Impossible!!]

East Sea Dragon King was often disliked for his lack of virtue, but West Sea Dragon King was different—the Eight Sages pooled their remaining strength to rush and rescue him. Witnessing this, Yeo Dongbin steeled himself and gazed up at the heavenly Dragon.

“I can’t let it fire another beam!”

Yeo Dongbin unleashed the full power of his Fire Dragon Divine Sword and launched his body like an arrow.

He had to pour every insight he’d gained thus far into slaying the enemy.

For this world… and for the future to come!!

And so began the fierce battle between Sword Immortal Yeo Dongbin and the Dragon—a clash that would later be etched into Chinese history.

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