Reincarnated Swordmaster

Chapter Title: Dark Heaven Village

Yeoui Staff!

If this was really the Yeoui Staff, it was no different from the signature treasure of the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, the Victorious Fighting Buddha Mihou Wang. Moreover, thinking back to the destructive feats I'd accomplished with it in my past life sent chills down my spine.

'The ultimate combat treasure rivaling the Seven Treasures...!!'

I swallowed hard and took the palm-sized Yeoui Staff. It lay obediently in my hand, looking just like a toy. As I stared at it blankly, the Great Sage spoke.

"The Yeoui Staff was originally called the Heavenly River Bottom-Fixing Divine Precious Iron."

"What's that?"

"It was an object that measured the size of the world, but somehow it ended up in my hands."

"Hmm... How do you even use something this small?"

I did as the Great Sage instructed.

Zuuuuerung

"Ooh..."

The moment I thought for it to extend, the Yeoui Staff responded, growing thicker and longer. It quickly reached a length suitable for wielding as a staff, so I stopped thinking, and it settled perfectly in my hand.

Thud

"Urk."

But at that instant, its weight surged, pressing down heavily on my arm. It was no ordinary staff's weight—it felt like lifting a massive boulder. I gathered my internal energy to withstand it, and the Great Sage cackled.

"Hahaha! A bit heavy for a human, huh? I forgot to mention it."

It seemed he'd deliberately omitted it to mess with me. I'd momentarily forgotten his mischievous personality.

"Does it get heavier in proportion to its size and length?"

"Correct! Right now, it's probably around ten thousand catties, give or take."

Even that was like holding a two-zhang boulder in one hand. I was dumbfounded and said to the Great Sage,

"H-How can a person use something like this as a weapon?"

"Why, don't like it? The heaviness means others can't steal it easily..."

"..."

"Just kidding."

With my internal energy and mental power, I could probably make some use of it. But if it got ten times heavier, I doubted I could swing it properly. If even I, with the world's greatest internal energy, struggled this much, its value as a weapon was questionable? Sure, the destructive power would be immense due to the weight, but in battles among peak experts, that wasn't what mattered—it was practically useless junk.

The Great Sage then said,

"You're human, so you need the Yeoui Staff's spirit to acknowledge you."

"The Yeoui Staff's spirit?"

"The Dragon King of the East Sea, Okwang, got help from the Supreme Elderly Lord to store the Yeoui Staff easily. He sealed a sinner from the Divine Sealing War inside it. If that guy acknowledges you, you can swing the Yeoui Staff like a toothpick."

Whoosh

The Great Sage swung his hand, and suddenly a golden glow burst from the Yeoui Staff, manifesting the form of a beautiful young girl. Her skin was flawless like white jade, her hair a striking blue, and her eyes golden—creating an otherworldly appearance. The girl looked at the Great Sage and said,

[You ten-thousand-year monkey. What nonsense are you calling me for this time?]

"Xuyou. Quit grumbling and lend this human some power for a bit. He's a good kid, so take care of him."

[Hmm...?]

The blue-haired girl called Xuyou stared at me intently before saying,

[Fine. For a greedy monkey like you to lend out your stuff—now that's something.]

"You always have to add that one line."

Swoosh

The moment the Yeoui Staff's spirit vanished, I felt its weight plummet dramatically. It seemed the spirit was manipulating the inherently immense weight to make it light. Amazed, I said to the Great Sage,

"For you to lend me such a powerful treasure..."

"Hahaha. This is the first time in my life I've been this generous to a human. I'm touched!"

The Great Sage laughed heartily and said,

"It's been a while since I came to the mortal world. How about grabbing some food?"

"I'll treat you."

"Hahaha."

I took the Great Sage to the largest tavern nearby. Of course, I'd used transformation arts meticulously, and he was a master of them anyway, so there were no issues. I ordered all sorts of delicacies from the land and sea in the tavern's premium private room and poured him drinks.

"Hey~ For a human, you're pretty decent~"

"Aigoo, thank you for the kind words~"

As I rubbed my hands eagerly to flatter him, he chugged his drinks and, getting all excited, said,

"You've been wanting to say something since earlier—spit it out!"

"Is that okay?"

"Sure sure~ Today I'm in the best mood I've been in for a century!"

"Two things..."

"Go on~"

I cautiously brought it up.

"First... Do you know what happens if you gather all the Seven Treasures?"

"...Hmm?"

A sharp glint flashed across the Great Sage's flushed face. Before he could change his demeanor, I hurriedly continued.

"Ah, well, you see, my comrades say gathering the Seven Treasures is the way for them to get stronger quickly, but they don't know what happens if you actually collect them all... And now that I've got the Yeoui Staff, I don't want to bother with more hassle... It won't help much with seizing power anyway."

As I rambled on casually, the sharpness in his eyes softened a bit.

"Er... Do you want to become the emperor of the human world?"

"It'd be nice."

"Heh heh heh."

Misinterpreting my words as ambition for emperorship, the Great Sage chuckled and said,

"Tell your comrades this: Half-knowledge is worse than none. And becoming emperor of a mere human empire is easy even without the Seven Treasures, so forget it. Why waste the Seven Treasures on something like that...?"

"You know something about the Seven Treasures?"

"Of course... I'm stuck in Heaven because of those damn Seven Treasures..."

He sighed deeply and continued.

"Enough nonsense—more drinks..."

"Oh, that reminds me!"

I jumped as if I'd just remembered and said,

"Tripitaka came looking for me and asked me to relay a message to you, Great Sage."

"What?"

I told him the full story of what Tripitaka had said. The Great Sage's face twisted in a scowl.

"...That bastard. Talking about the truth of the Seven Treasures now? If I knew where he was, I'd go kill him."

"..."

"If Tripitaka came to you directly, you're no longer uninvolved in the ancient karmic laws."

Glanceing at me, the Great Sage said,

"Hey... If you promise never to tell anyone what I say, I might tell you a few things."

I nodded vigorously.

"Of course!"

"Good good. It doesn't matter if it gets out—I'll be fine, but you'll get beaten to death by the immortals, so keep that in mind."

"..."

Casually dropping a bombshell, the Great Sage said,

"The Seven Treasures are the keys to the apocalypse."

"Keys to the apocalypse?"

"It's an unspoken truth across East and West. If all Seven Treasures are gathered and released, an unprecedented calamity will occur—one more horrific than any before. If anyone gets tempted by their power and collects them, the world ends."

"Hmm... What kind of calamity?"

"What's a key for? What does it open?"

Caught off guard by his question, I answered,

"It opens a door."

"Right. A key opens a door. The [door] opening is the calamity."

"...?"

"Every contract of the Seven Treasures has a 'pair' from the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors. The pairs exist because in ancient times, they each contracted with powerful [Ancient Rulers] that needed checking. They agreed to a moratorium on the end times but gained priority rights in emergencies."

Muttering something incomprehensible, the Great Sage said,

"Simply put, if all Seven Treasures are released, the world ends. That's why it can't happen."

His words aligned with what I'd somewhat guessed so far. But unconvinced, I said,

"But wouldn't one or two be fine? If the Seven Treasures are seals, and there are seven of them, surely one or two..."

The Great Sage furrowed his brow.

"Your body has that many organs—want someone to rip out one or two? A kidney or stomach? It's not all seven, so you won't die right away—sound okay?"

"..."

"Don't ruin the booze."

"Ah, yes..."

Being scolded by the Great Sage made me feel a bit pathetic. But this was the golden opportunity to get close to him, so after about half a shichen of more flattery and drinking, I slyly brought up,

"If a Greater Thunder Immortal has lost much of their divine energy and is recovering, what's the best place for them to regain their power?"

"Huh? Random question."

"One of the Greater Thunder Immortals I know is sick right now..."

"You talk about a Greater Thunder Immortal like some neighborhood uncle?"

Looking baffled, the Great Sage said,

"Whatever. I can provide such a place."

"Where is it?"

He grinned.

"The back gate of Heaven! It's under my watch, but for you, I'll make an exception and let you rest there. No place has more spiritual energy than Heaven."

"...Thank you!"

Three shichen later, after parting ways with the Great Sage over drinks, I traveled with him on a cloud.

Flash!

The Great Sage opened a door with sorcery to what he called Heaven's back gate, and we entered together. Inside was a stunning celestial secret realm, and I marveled at the overwhelming immortal energy flooding from all directions.

'As expected...'

The Great Sage said,

"Bring that Greater Thunder Immortal here. It's my patrol area, so I'll make sure they rest easy."

"Yes, then."

Hummm

I drew the Fire Dragon Divine Sword from my neck pouch. The Great Sage stared blankly at it for a moment before jumping in shock.

"Wh-what?! That's the Fire Dragon Divine Sword, isn't it? What's this...!!!"

He soon shouted in astonishment.

"The Greater Thunder Immortal you mentioned is the Fire Dragon True Man?!"

"The True Man is asleep in this divine sword, but he seems to have exhausted too much power..."

"N-no, wait, uh, the Fire Dragon True Man is... the incarnation of the Responsive Dragon... Ugh..."

The Great Sage looked flustered, unable to continue. Then, as if resolved, he said,

"Damn it! What's one more mess? Fine, stick the Fire Dragon Divine Sword into that sacred mountaintop. I'll protect it so no one can harm the Fire Dragon True Man."

"Thank you, big brother."

"I'm not your big brother. Damn it."

The Great Sage grumbled.

Vrrrmm—

The Fire Dragon Divine Sword visibly absorbed spiritual energy at tremendous speed, recovering right before my eyes. It was max immeasurable times its natural recovery rate in the mortal world. The celestial energy here was dozens of times denser than on earth. Watching, I inwardly admired Mangyang's scheme.

'The plan to coax the Great Sage into accelerating the Fire Dragon Divine Sword's recovery worked...'

At this absorption rate, the Fire Dragon True Man's power would recover in at most one or two months! As I grinned inwardly, the Great Sage said,

"With that dumb look on your face, you're actually a scary guy. A real sly fox."

"Me? No..."

"Well, doesn't feel bad."

The Great Sage smirked and said,

"Since I'm already playing the sucker, might as well go all in! Any last requests?"

"..."

Great Sage, aren't you too generous?!

I was surprised by his offer. I'd never imagined such a magnanimous nature. This was beyond even the strategists' predictions, leaving it entirely up to my choice. I'd already secured the Seven Treasures info, his blessing, and the Fire Dragon Divine Sword's recovery. After pondering, a sudden thought struck me, and I said,

"...Th-Then, can I see Xiang Yu?"

His face twisted.

"Xiang Yu, huh."

"Yes."

"You sure know how to pick the hard ones."

After thinking it over, the Great Sage nodded.

"Fine, hop on the cloud!"

"Really?!"

"It's the most remote edge of Heaven, patrolled by wandering immortals all the time, but I'll manage!"

"...!!!"

Yes!

I was overjoyed inwardly.

Thanks to the Great Sage's capricious kindness, I would finally meet the Western Chu Overlord Xiang Yu again—the man of endless rumors whom I'd never properly spoken to.

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