Reincarnated Swordmaster

Chapter Title: Dark Heaven Township

Chapter Title: Dark Heaven Township

'Ack!'

I tried to habitually use the Thousand-Mile Eyes of the National Jade Seal, only to remember it had been destroyed. With no other choice, I attempted to use the ability of the Fiery-Eye Golden Pupil, but disappointingly, it couldn't see that far. The battle was unfolding hundreds of li away. Unable to observe the fight between Sin Gonggyo and the Eight Legions Divine Hosts, I felt unnecessarily anxious.

'Damn... what should I do?'

If I could clearly see who had the upper hand, my decision would be straightforward. Worst case, I could suicide early and move to the next reincarnation. But in a situation where I didn't know if Sin Gonggyo would win or lose, it was hard to decide my course.

After pondering, I spoke to the Fire Dragon True Person.

"Fire Dragon True Person. Please use Sword Flight to take us to where Sin Gonggyo is fighting."

[It won't work.]

[Even if you and I join in, the level of that battle is too different. We'd just likely drag Sin Gonggyo down.]

"......"

The Fire Dragon True Person seemed to dislike Sin Gonggyo, yet she was still making an objective assessment of their strengths. If even she said that, going there would be pointless. As I agonized, the Fire Dragon True Person offered advice.

[When Sin Gonggyo was around, I didn't mention it, but there is another way for you to escape Dark Heaven Township.]

"Really?!"

Surprised by the unexpected words, I shouted, and the Fire Dragon True Person's spirit nodded.

[While that guy is fighting, you could offer the Seven Yin to the overlord and simply leave Dark Heaven Township, but that would be a waste of the Seven Yin. My method might work—it's worth trying.]

"What method?"

[Think carefully about the connections you have with the Great Luo Immortals.]

I thought for a moment before answering.

"I have ties with Yeo Dongbin and the True Person."

[There's one more.]

"The Nine Heavens Maiden's Immortal Swordsmanship?"

[Yes.]

Fwoosh.

The Fire Dragon True Person floated a dragon-shaped seal above her hand. As the Fire Dragon Seal flickered crimson, she continued.

[The authority I recovered upon regaining my full power as Dragon King... the Seal of the Responding Dragon King.]

"A new ability?"

[It's a power I've had since birth. It weakened during my long stay in the Heavenly Realm, so I couldn't use it.]

She explained casually.

[This ability manipulates causality. It can restore or strengthen the threads of connection you have, or summon without restrictions. For offense, it can stamp the All-Gods Hall seal on any Great Luo Immortal of the Heavenly Realm, instantly erasing them.]

"I-Is that true? That's an incredible power."

[Probably given to me by the Responding Dragon to monitor the Heavenly Realm. But it's limited to Heavenly Realm affiliates—can't use on vice-supremes like the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors—and once used, it's unavailable for ten years. That's why I couldn't use it on that Sin Gonggyo.]

I couldn't help but be genuinely astonished. Restoring the threads of connection themselves! And strengthening them, even summoning without restrictions—this was an extraordinary ability based on all my past reincarnations. Used well, it could let me borrow the power of Great Luo Immortals indefinitely.

Moreover, if she willed it, the Fire Dragon True Person could instantly kill any one Great Luo Immortal from the Heavenly Realm! It was a tremendous authority befitting her as the incarnation of the Responding Dragon, rivaling the Five Emperors.

"Well, Sin Gonggyo isn't affiliated with the Heavenly Realm, so that's why..."

The Fire Dragon True Person continued.

[Using this ability, I believe we can summon the Nine Heavens Maiden here and borrow her power to escape Dark Heaven Township.]

"You're summoning the Nine Heavens Maiden?"

[She's the Heavenly Realm's top spell master, rivaling the Three Pure Ones. Even if this is the Demonic Realm's Dark Heaven Township, she might have a way.]

"Hmm..."

That made sense.

Summoning the Nine Heavens Maiden to Dark Heaven Township was nearly impossible due to the [Ancient Overlord] sealing the dimensional rift, but the Responding Dragon's authority could bypass that restriction. And with her spells summoned unrestricted, it might work. The reason I accepted the Fire Dragon True Person's words positively was because I'd once witnessed her divine power firsthand.

Corpse Liberation Technique!

The Corpse Liberation Technique she'd unleashed had shattered the defensive formation of one of the Kunlun Twelve Great Immortals in a single blow and held off against hundreds of Great Luo Immortals and Combat Immortals to some extent. Excluding top tiers like the Three Pure Ones and Queen Mother of the West, she was unequivocally the Heavenly Realm's foremost spell master.

It was certainly better than offering the Seven Yin to the [Ancient Overlord]. After deep thought, I said:

"Understood. We'll use that method..."

Kwaaang!

At that moment, a massive explosion erupted in the eastern sky, briefly turning everything before my eyes white. I instantly sensed flames spreading like liquid hundreds of li away, with destructive light surging forward us belatedly.

"Ugh!"

Mobilizing the senses of a transcendent peak expert, I leaped away from the spot, feeling the destructive aftershock crash against my back like a wave.

Thud thud thung.

Even using Annihilation Step, which broke through sound barriers multiple times, the destructive light clung tightly to my back. For the aftershocks to match Annihilation Step's speed—this was no ordinary explosion. I rolled across the ground only after fleeing far enough to escape the blast radius.

Plip plop...

"W-What the hell!"

Did that clash just annihilate everything across hundreds of li? The Fire Dragon True Person crossed her arms and said:

[Sin Gonggyo must have clashed head-on with the Eight Legions Divine Hosts using the Tyrant Slayer Sword.]

Stunned, I looked back to see the sky dyed in fiery jade, blue and red intertwining. Then, sinister screams and groans began erupting everywhere. Hearing those eerie cries, I knew immediately.

Groooar—

Uwaaaaah—!!

The walls of evil gods infused with mighty demonic power.

The [Ancient Overlord] of Dark Heaven Township were enraged!

Until now, they'd overlooked me smashing mountains with Great Luo Annihilation Formation as mere child's play, but this clash was different. The Tyrant Slayer Sword's destructive power made Dragon's Flame Breath look tame; the terrain was already massively altered, flattening out.

Predicting the catastrophe to come, I trembled as I spoke.

"Damn... it's getting harder by the minute."

Sin Gonggyo and the Eight Legions Divine Hosts would soon tangle with local [Ancient Overlords] in a muddy brawl.

Of course, if I got caught in it, I'd die miserably without a doubt.

[Baek Woong. Time is short—choose quickly.]

I gritted my teeth.

"Either way, with this mess, offering the Seven Yin is off the table. No choice."

With Sin Gonggyo drawing all that hostility, there'd be no chance for me to offer the Seven Yin to the [Ancient Overlord] instead. If it didn't swat me like a bug in rage just for approaching, I'd be lucky. After receiving the Responding Dragon King's seal from the Fire Dragon True Person, I awakened the Immortal Sword within.

"Come forth, Nine Heavens Maiden!!"

Wooooo—!!

As the Immortal Sword resonated, I felt it calling the distant connection. The Nine Heavens Maiden's power began crossing the immense dimensional distance toward me, and briefly, a massive spider's illusion appeared before my eyes.

But seeing the Responding Dragon King's seal floating above my hand, the spider conveyed its intent in an emotionless voice.

[Pass.]

The spider's illusion vanished soon after, and I sensed the massive barrier separating Dark Heaven Township from reality dissolve. With the connection to the Nine Heavens Maiden properly restored, I felt her being summoned here.

Was that spider just now the [Ancient Overlord] blocking Dark Heaven Township's entrance?

Flash.

Moments later, the Nine Heavens Maiden was summoned before me. She alternated glances between me and the Fire Dragon True Person before speaking to the latter.

[Fire Dragon True Person, why use the Dragon King's authority for a mortal?]

[This isn't the time for that. You know this is Dark Heaven Township—send me and my contractor back to reality.]

[...You called me to escape this place.]

The Nine Heavens Maiden sighed.

[It's difficult. The [Ancient Overlords] here have deployed their unique barriers in preparation for battle; demonic power rages like a storm, making spells impossible to cast properly.]

[No way?]

[Like you, my power has waned since battling Chi You. Even with the dimensional guardian opening the path, I can't cast spells of that magnitude now.]

Even the Nine Heavens Maiden couldn't do it?

Darkness clouded my vision for a moment.

'Damn... do I really have to suicide?'

Ending all hope so anticlimactically and suiciding didn't sit right. Plus, I hadn't even heard the secret of the Absolute Bond from Sin Gonggyo yet—dying now would be too much of a loss. I'd consumed two cycles' worth of Yin Spirit Power for reincarnation. The closer suicide loomed, the stronger my will to survive grew, spinning my mind rapidly.

A sudden alternative struck me, and I shouted to the Nine Heavens Maiden.

"Nine Heavens Maiden! Then if you had enough power, you could cast the spell, right?"

[...Mysterious mortal. True, but what are you getting at?]

Hearing her question, I immediately pulled the Seven Yin from my pouch and offered it to her.

"I'll offer this Seven Yin to you! Use that power to rescue Sin Gonggyo and repel the Eight Legions Divine Hosts!"

[......!!]

Not only the Nine Heavens Maiden but the Fire Dragon True Person beside her also looked stunned.

The Nine Heavens Maiden spoke in bewilderment.

[Are you serious? You truly intend to offer me the Seven Yin?]

"Yes. If I offer the Seven Yin, can you restore your power to its peak?"

[...It's possible, but using it to rescue Sin Gonggyo instead of returning to reality... More importantly, Sin Gonggyo is in Dark Heaven Township?]

I nodded to the flustered Nine Heavens Maiden.

"Yes. No need for return spells—just rescue Sin Gonggyo. The enemies are six of the Eight Legions Divine Hosts. Can you do it?"

[......]

As she hesitated, I felt the need to push her.

The power from the Seven Yin seemed sufficient, but rescuing Sin Gonggyo—the former lord of the Immortal Realm who opposed the Heavenly Realm, a king among spirit beasts—must feel awkward. Drawing on knowledge and experience from my past lives, I said to her.

"Nine Heavens Maiden. I know the truth."

[What truth?]

"When Xiang Yu ascended to the Heavenly Realm, the seats of the Four Evils were all empty, and the culprit behind the Three Pure Ones' demise was Queen Mother of the West."

[......]

Silence.

The Nine Heavens Maiden froze stiff, and the Fire Dragon True Person listening beside me looked shocked. Seeing their reactions, I pressed on without hesitation.

"I also know of the mysterious black curtain who stripped the mask from Fuxi, master of the Three Pure Ones."

[How do you know that...?]

"Because I freed Sin Gonggyo from the Ruyi Jingu Bang and heard the final will of the Supreme Elder Lord."

I told the Nine Heavens Maiden everything suspicious I knew about the Heavenly Realm. Her expression hardened progressively as she listened, and I pleaded earnestly.

"Nine Heavens Maiden! The Supreme Elder Lord and Primordial Heavenly Lord did not wish for Sin Gonggyo to die in vain. The Eight Legions Divine Hosts are pursuing now, forcing this fight. You and I must return to reality to correct the Heavenly Realm's contradictions and oppose Queen Mother of the West. You know she has the potential to slay Queen Mother of the West, don't you?"

[......]

"Help me."

[Understood.]

The Nine Heavens Maiden's expression changed. With an unprecedented ferocity, she extended her hand to me.

[Baek Woong, I accept your offering. And as requested, I'll rescue Sin Gonggyo.]

"Thank you!"

Swooo.

Soon, the Seven Yin in my hand was sucked into hers, her spirit body shining brightly. Then, as her soul descended into me, I felt control of my body swiftly pass to the Nine Heavens Maiden.

Possessing my body, the Nine Heavens Maiden held the Seven Yin and Fire Dragon Divine Sword in each hand, glanced at a corner of the sky, and vanished with a flick.

Kugung!!

As immense pressure bore down, I realized my vision floated somewhere in the void. This space brimmed with crackling streams of light, distorted from overly dense power.

The Nine Heavens Maiden, upon appearing, pointed at Kun Dalpa of the Eight Legions Divine Hosts.

Corpse Liberation Technique.

Break.

Kun Dalpa, with his bizarre serpent-man true form, seemed to stiffen as the spell activated. Alarmed, he mobilized his divine power to repel it, but the Nine Heavens Maiden sneered coldly.

Crack crack.

[Kraaaaah!!]

Kun Dalpa screamed, but the next instant, his true form burst from his spell. As the gravely wounded Kun Dalpa fell, Sin Naru behind him caught him. Then, the foremost of the Eight Legions Divine Hosts, the Three Zhang Heavenly Being Sorcerer, glared at the Nine Heavens Maiden.

[Nine Heavens Maiden! You dare interfere with us?]

[Dare...? Hahaha. Filth of Chang Xi!!]

The Nine Heavens Maiden burst into mad laughter.

[When I aided the Emperor against Chi You, you cowards hid yourselves—now you yap at the War God?]

[Kuh.]

Her laughter echoed, forcing the Eight Legions Divine Hosts to retreat simultaneously. Her power was so overwhelming that mere presence threatened them.

The Nine Heavens Maiden turned to Sin Gonggyo beside her.

[Sin Gonggyo. You can use Eternal Array Enveloping Heaven Technique, right?]

[...Why are you helping me?]

Sin Gonggyo looked quite fatigued. In the short clash with the Eight Legions Divine Hosts, he'd been pushed back; wounds covered his body. The Nine Heavens Maiden glared at him with icy eyes.

[This isn't the time to fight them to mutual destruction. To settle before other [Ancient Overlords] swarm, we must combine forces.]

[Interesting. Never thought of pairing Corpse Liberation with Eternal Array Enveloping Heaven.]

Muttering, Sin Gonggyo floated the Tyrant Slayer Sword above his hand.

[Here goes.]

Wooo.

At that moment, hideous black masses and monsters surged from the ground below. Some seemed [Ancient Overlords], with vicious spells flying alongside.

And the next instant—Sin Gonggyo and the Nine Heavens Maiden activated their spells simultaneously.

Nothingness.

I realized my body had been flung into a distant void of emptiness. As I struggled to regain my senses, merely following the view with my inner eye, the Nine Heavens Maiden controlling my body said:

[Pull yourself together.]

[What happened?]

[The dimensional field collapsed, pulling us into the sub-dimension. Focus—we need to escape.]

Sub-dimension?

Bewildered, I looked around to see fragments of chaos and blobs of darkness drifting everywhere.

[What are those?]

[The overlords caught in the spells just now.]

[What?]

Did I hear wrong?

Dumbfounded, I asked again, and she repeated.

[Eternal Array Enveloping Heaven and Corpse Liberation—the ultimate spells of Absolute and Heavenly Bonds. Unleashed together, even [Ancient Overlords] can't withstand without preparation.]

[......!!]

[Those were the lowest overlords, so they couldn't endure. They'll spend eons in this sub-dimension, reviving only after tens of thousands of years.]

Faced with a sight I'd never seen in any reincarnation, I gaped.

Tearing [Ancient Overlords] with spells!

"No way."

I recalled a past conversation with Cheon Woojin.

[Cheon Woojin, a question.]

[What?]

[If spell mastery reaches the extreme, does it work on gods?]

[Hmm, that question... Yes.]

[It does?]

[Spells are essentially divine power too. Derived from Fuxi's Eight Trigrams, they're one of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors' authorities. Spell masters are like divine priests, distinct from sorcerers.]

Cheon Woojin had explained back then.

[There are even cases of capturing gods. Great Luo Immortals use spells too—in ancient times, they banded together to seal a powerful god.]

[Really? Who?]

[Just a rumor in the Heavenly Realm, so I don't know details. But at the pinnacle, spells can pierce gods for sure.]

Back then, I'd thought it just meant spells offered hope.

But it wasn't mere rumor or legend. The Corpse Liberation Technique of the Nine Heavens Maiden—who'd fought Chi You in antiquity—and the Eternal Array Enveloping Heaven Technique of Absolute Bond Lord Sin Gonggyo: witnessing these twin ultimate spells capture even [Ancient Overlords] proved it!

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