Reincarnated Swordmaster

Chapter Title: Dark Heaven Village

Heading toward the core of the World Tree, Han Baekryeong was guided by Duggo Jun, the Water God Style Guardian Lion. The White Lotus Cult Leader hadn't shared any classified information with her specifically, but everything had been arranged beforehand with Duggo Jun. That fact stirred fresh distrust in Han Baekryeong, but she kept it hidden and pressed on with the mission for now.

Ta-dap.

The place they arrived at was the outskirts of the massive Divine Altar Tree. Duggo Jun spoke.

[As the Cult Leader said, no matter how fast we run like this, we can't reach inside the Divine Altar Tree...]

Indeed. Up until now, all the White Lotus Cult's followers and forces had been stationed at the outskirts of the Divine City, and the Divine Altar Tree or Divine City itself seemed no more than a dozen li away. But when they tried to close in using their divine steps, the Divine Altar Tree only kept receding farther. It was undoubtedly a structure where no unauthorized person could enter due to some special barrier.

[Let's begin.]

Duggo Jun raised his hand sharply, and the Water God Style elders standing beside him stepped forward. Soon, they formed the Three Talents Formation and began manifesting their qi into tangible form, drawing out all their internal energy. At the same time, the surrounding atmosphere boiled in response to the infinite internal energy, and the earth began to rise upside down.

Kugugugu...!!

"What are you doing right now?"

[We're combining the power of the Heavenly Spirit Pills... to brute-force through the barrier.]

"What... That's reckless!"

Han Baekryeong cried out in shock.

Combining infinite internal energy!

It sounded good at first glance, but having immersed herself in the martial world for over decades, Han Baekryeong knew it was anything but. The Heavenly Spirit Pills allowed one to draw infinite internal energy, but each person's energy quality differed. The higher the absolute quantity of internal energy, the harder it was to control precisely, let alone harmonize it with someone else's infinite internal energy—that was exceedingly difficult. It was obvious they'd fall into qi deviation or explode, which was why Han Baekryeong had never even attempted it.

Duggo Jun said while controlling his own qi.

[Our Water God Style has long practiced specialized cooperative techniques to control the Heavenly Spirit Pills. It's possible, so watch quietly.]

Jjeojeok.

Sure enough, cracks split across Duggo Jun and the Water God Style elders' skin, flakes peeling off with blood scattering in the air. Their bodies were inhuman, yet veins bulged grotesquely across them as if in agony. Duggo Jun roared.

[Kuaaaah!!]

Kwagwang!!

In the next instant, an enormous mass of qi erupted, forming a cylindrical beam of light in the air that pierced through space, swirling inward. After a moment of silence came an explosion, and the Divine Altar Tree's roots, which had seemed like a distant mirage, now appeared right before their eyes.

Hududuk...

Amid scattering tree branches and dirt, Han Baekryeong's eyes sharpened.

'These guys even have combined techniques... There must be more than just these three with Heavenly Spirit Pills. At least three or four more.'

This explained why the Cult Leader had ignored the other styles and ruled like a tyrant. Even if the Incarnation Style or Wind God Style plotted rebellion using their Heavenly Spirit Pills, he must have been confident he could wipe them out overnight.

'...I should have helped Lee Cheong-un that day. I was too cautious. Who knew that would be the last chance...'

Han Baekryeong ground her teeth inwardly. Whether he sensed her thoughts or not, Duggo Jun said while healing his internal injuries.

[The World Tree's core—we'll use this to track it, as the Cult Leader instructed.]

Duggo Jun pulled a pouch of powder from his bosom and scattered it into the air. A golden haze formed, stretching long into the sky, its end seeming to cling to somewhere midway up the Divine Altar Tree.

"What is that?"

[Fairies that detect the strongest spiritual power. The place these react to by scenting strong spiritual energy should be the core.]

“......”

She didn't need to ask to know. Those fairy-like powders weren't made with Central Plains sorcery. They were likely secret esoteric Buddhist spells or magic that only the Cult Leader had mastered. It confirmed once more the strategist family's intel that the Cult Leader was closer to a sorcerer than a martial artist.

'He's hidden everything from me. That's it. I have to end the Cult Leader.'

Han Baekryeong finally steeled her resolve completely and flicked her finger. A fire spirit formed from her intent qi moved stealthily, sending a signal for her subordinates to execute the plan.

'Go.'

There was no need to uphold loyalty any longer.

Han Baekryeong had decided to sever all ties with the White Lotus Cult.

Unaware that Han Baekryeong had made her move, the group hurried toward the presumed location of the World Tree's core. As they climbed the massive Divine Altar Tree, sensing something off, one Water God Style elder spoke.

[It looks like someone went up ahead.]

[Hmm. There are traces of movement.]

Further up, they even spotted places where demon corpses lay. They were unwittingly following Geukho's group. Since Geukho's party had moved far ahead, there was about the time it takes to eat a meal's speed difference between them.

After briefly examining the martial traces on the demon corpses, Duggo Jun said.

[These are from people with extremely high martial prowess. Top-tier even within the cult.]

[Could it be the Dan clan's kin?]

[I don't know. We'll reach the midway point soon—kill them all, but capture one alive.]

[Yes.]

Duggo Jun was tense inwardly.

'Our forces might suffer casualties or injuries...'

Because the ones who had swept away these demons seemed to have reached the pinnacle even among superhumans. Even with the advantage of Heavenly Spirit Pills, the involvement of experts of this caliber was a massive variable.

He worried inwardly that the plan might fail. He knew that in chaotic real combat, apart from force superiority, even minor variables could lead to colossal failure.

However, when they finally arrived at the midway point housing the World Tree's core, no one was there.

[Hmm... The core is definitely inside there... but no signs of life.]

Indeed.

Geukho's group's goal wasn't the World Tree's core but the summit, so they hadn't stopped midway and kept climbing. They'd unwittingly avoided an encounter, but Duggo Jun tilted his head once and entered the core's location. There was no reason to hunt down mysterious experts if they weren't interfering, and his mission took priority now.

[Let's go!]

It was the moment the two Guardian Lions and three Water God Style elders stepped inside.

Huwaaaat.

[Kuhuk... Urk...]

Suddenly, the Water God Style elders and Duggo Jun let out agonized screams. The scales sprouting on their skin withered grotesquely and peeled off, as if the life force itself was draining from them. Yet Han Baekryeong showed no abnormality.

Han Baekryeong said, puzzled.

"What's wrong? It's just a normal cave..."

[Ugh... To think... air that decomposes evil itself... Krahek...]

Duggo Jun writhed as if his heart was being torn out, then retreated. Trembling with rage under his golden dragon mask, he said to Han Baekryeong.

[We can't approach the core because our bodies harbor evil. Get as close as possible to the core and destroy whatever barrier or structure is repelling the evil. Only then can we enter the core.]

Hmm.

Han Baekryeong felt an odd sensation. Were these Water God Style guys truly half-beast after all?

'Then the Heavenly Spirit Pills aren't evil?'

The Cult Leader had clearly performed a demonic ritual, yet the ability to borrow infinite internal energy from another realm not counting as evil magic felt off. The reason for her unease was that every time she used infinite internal energy, it felt profoundly alien to this world's qi.

Pushing aside her doubts, Han Baekryeong entered and stepped into a vast internal forest. The sight of massive trees and structures floating in the air was utterly alien and novel. Indeed, she could tell this wasn't Koryo or Central Plains architecture.

"What is this?"

Expensive glass plastered over buildings, materials she'd never seen before—square structures without tiles. It seemed like beastman architecture, but it didn't carry that eerie vibe.

Han Baekryeong discovered that by lightly leaping here, she felt almost no weight and could float along buoyantly. Operating her qi to advance, she saw the golden thread leading toward a certain tree.

A tree within a tree.

A bizarre scene if ever there was one, but Han Baekryeong approached as if drawn. Occupying the core wasn't originally her task, but her Heavenly Spirit Pill seemed to react to the immense power that tree held.

Or perhaps—it had been made to draw her from the start.

That was when it happened.

Kugugugung!!

A massive quake rang out, shaking the interior violently. Han Baekryeong felt a strong repulsive force surge in that instant, flinging her back rapidly. The next moment, she barely regained her balance and exited. She said to Duggo Jun outside.

"What happened?"

Duggo Jun groaned, staring at the destruction marks of a massive black hole in the sky.

[...The Eight Guardians' barrier has been breached...]

"What?!"

[No time. Were the Twelve Rites Lords and Three Sages inside?]

"I didn't see them."

[How... The Cult Leader said they'd be controlling everything from the Divine Altar Tree's core.]

Duggo Jun seemed greatly flustered. It was the first time the Cult Leader's orders were wrong, leaving him at a loss. Han Baekryeong calmly said to Duggo Jun.

"Can't you contact the Cult Leader directly?"

[Just a moment... Ugh.]

Duggo Jun stiffened abruptly.

[Even when I send the transmission, the Cult Leader isn't responding...]

“......”

[W-What do we...]

As Duggo Jun fell into panic, Han Baekryeong inwardly grasped what had happened. But with no reason to tell him, she decided to steer the situation to her advantage as much as possible.

"Returning to the Cult Leader now would be pointless. Since it's come to this, let's take the Divine Altar Tree's core."

[Take the core?]

"Yes. It'll be useful to the Cult Leader."

"And to me."

Han Baekryeong muttered inwardly. She'd followed the strategist's plan so far, but she had no desire to be manipulated by him. To bend the situation to her will soon, she needed a solid trump card—and that was the World Tree's core.

[Fine. Then bring it out...]

Seukak!!

That was the moment. A blade appeared from nowhere, slashing a Water God Style elder in the back. The elder instinctively raised protective qi to defend, but it was too late, and the follow-up second slash split his body in two.

[Kuhak.]

As the Water God Style elder collapsed, the four experts in the area simultaneously attacked the mysterious assailant. The assailant severed the neck of the foremost Water God Style expert and then vanished abruptly. The sight of a Heavenly Spirit Pill bearer's head flying off seemed unreal.

[Kuk, you bastard!!]

Duggo Jun shouted furiously at the assailant who appeared five jang away.

[Miyamoto Musashi!!]

"Heh."

Seureng...

Miyamoto Musashi smirked coldly as he drew his beloved sword, Amenohabakiri.

Amenohabakiri was one of the famed blades in Eastern history, counted among the top three. Weapons mattered little to true experts, but this one had special properties especially potent against those harboring demonic power, which was why he'd received it as a gift from onmyoji Abe no Seimei before targeting the floods. Sure enough, even for Musashi at the absolute realm, slicing through a Heavenly Spirit Pill bearer's protective qi in one strike was impossible normally—but the elemental advantage allowed the ambush to succeed easily.

Musashi said.

"The Rite Lord asked me to guard the core. Can you block my single sword strike with your mind so shaken?"

He'd been watching the White Lotus Cult Guardian Lions' group arrive at the midway point from the start, but taking on five Heavenly Spirit Pill bearers alone was impossible. So he'd requested backup and waited for an opening. When Duggo Jun's focus wavered and the group's attention scattered, he'd struck, successfully assassinating two.

[Die!!]

Oooo...!!

Duggo Jun attacked Musashi without another word. Three Heavenly Spirit Pill experts attacking together would kill even an absolute realm Musashi. Thinking at best it'd be mutual destruction, Duggo Jun thought only of slaying him.

Kwagwang.

[Han Baekryeong. Use the Twelve Ultimate Dragon King Slash on him...]

Duggo Jun shouted, figuring the Incarnation Style's overwhelming offensive power would crush Musashi easily.

But no response came.

[......?]

Looking back, Han Baekryeong was gone from her spot. Duggo Jun, who had been jointly raising infinite internal energy with the Water God Style elder to surround Musashi, scanned around upon realizing this, but Han Baekryeong was indeed absent.

[N-No way.]

He was dumbfounded. For the Incarnation Style Guardian Lion to flee in this situation, facing an absolute realm expert? But as a gap formed in his mind, Musashi's terrifying sword qi flew to dice him, and Duggo Jun gritted his teeth, blocking it with vast protective qi.

[No choice but to finish this!]

Meanwhile.

The White Lotus Cult Leader clutched his heart and collapsed.

He muttered in a voice suddenly aged.

[...I've been struck... But how...]

He mumbled as if unable to comprehend.

[I anticipated Han Baekryeong might betray... That's why I fortified so even if all Incarnation Style came...]

The White Lotus Cult Leader wasn't a fool. Though Han Baekryeong hid her feelings, there was ample reason for betrayal even without reading her mind. He'd prepared thoroughly and watched the situation, only to be unexpectedly stabbed in a vital point!

It was truly incomprehensible.

He'd stripped his surroundings bare of remaining Water God Style elites and elders, even placing a Heavenly Spirit Pill bearer there. Even Han Baekryeong herself would struggle—how had they struck his weakness?

The Twelve Rites couldn't have done it. Because while guarding against internal threats, he'd been even more sensitive to intruders from the Divine City side. If a superhuman from the Dan clan had come, he'd have mobilized immediately. But no such presence had been felt.

As the White Lotus Cult Leader panicked, he sensed someone slowly approaching from the opposite door.

Teobuk.

"White Lotus Cult Leader. Stand."

Hearing that voice, the White Lotus Cult Leader understood what had happened.

He raised his face, seeing a man's beyond the faceless mask.

[...So that's it... It was because you came...]

"Han Baekryeong remotely opened the fire cauldron spirit flame for me. Thanks to that, I ambushed from the shortest route and took the Little Cult Leader's head. The Incarnation Division lured away the remaining Water God Style experts."

Tuduk.

The Little Cult Leader's head dropped from the man's hand.

"Curse me for the 奇襲 ambush if you like."

But rather than rage at his son's death, the White Lotus Cult Leader showed detachment and calm.

[No. My son was a martial artist too.]

“......”

[If he died to you, he'd be satisfied... Jin So-cheong.]

Jin So-cheong didn't know what to say.

He'd come this far—defying his own justice, pursuing only efficiency.

He was prepared to be reviled for the 奇襲 ambush.

Yet the world's greatest, the White Lotus Cult Leader, faced him with dignity and serenity to the end.

He bit his lip and raised his spear.

"...Impart the teachings of the world's greatest."

[Very well.]

"Even if hypocrisy."

He just wanted to send off the White Lotus Cult Leader as a martial artist.

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