Reincarnation Sword God

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What the hell is this crazy guy babbling about?

I was momentarily taken aback and at a loss for words, but at the same time, a hollow laugh escaped me as I looked down on him.

“Why live, you ask? Are you out of your mind? I don’t even know why you’re asking that…”

[ Your life is riddled with contradictions.]

Zhuge Sa suddenly interrupted my words and continued calmly,

[ You’re growing stronger and gathering the Seven Luminaries because you don’t want to be oppressed by the rulers for eternity… Good. That’s a decent life goal, painting a big picture. It’s a great thing to grow strong while saving the world on the side! But do you really realize how strange this is?]

“What’s strange about it?”

[ The funny thing is that you’re actually loved by the [Ancient Ruler], and they’ve never directly harmed you. From the looks of it, you seem to be struggling against the walls of this world’s philosophy all on your own.]

“……”

I was about to retort Zhuge Sa’s words, but I couldn’t find the right words. This was because Zhuge Sa had directly attacked the contradiction I usually harbored in my heart. However, I gritted my teeth and replied to him,

“Love, my foot! After all, gods see humans as mere playthings. They can exploit and tear us apart whenever they want, treating us like bugs. How can I live anxiously in the grasp of such beings, not knowing when my past life will end? If I live like this, I’ll go insane from fear and despair.”

[ Oh, that’s a valid point. A reasonable thought, but why does it seem to me…]

I felt a sense of mirth in Zhuge Sa’s tone.

[ You already seem to be gone crazy.]

“What?”

[ Hyun has gone crazy as well. Is this madness somehow contagious?]

Zhuge Sa continued with his nonsensical ramblings.

[ In reviewing your past lives, the one where you followed my opinion resulted in the best outcomes, didn’t it? Didn’t it? With the power of the gods, you swept through the Imperial Palace, and you no longer had to confront the [Ancient Ruler] of the Demon Subduing Hall. If you had just listened to me, wouldn’t you have ended up in a happy life?]

“Ugh… that’s…”

I hesitated.

It was true. Setting aside my personal feelings, looking at the results of my past lives, the one time I followed Zhuge Sa’s advice had been the most fruitful. There was that unfortunate incident of the [Ancient Ruler] descending and causing chaos, but that too was my choice. If I had simply followed Zhuge Sa’s words, perhaps things would have ended well. Zhuge Sa chuckled and continued,

[ You all are misunderstanding something. It’s impossible for humans to confront gods, and to overthrow them as well. Gathering all the Seven Luminaries might give you a slim chance, but that’s an impossible grand achievement for a human. By the time you gather all the Luminaries, you’ll have already become a powerful divine being to the extent that you won’t even need the Seven Luminaries. In other words, at that moment, there’s a high possibility that you’re relinquishing your humanity. It’s no different than gods fighting gods.]

“……”

[ And just because you gather the Seven Luminaries doesn’t guarantee you can defeat the [Ancient Ruler]. Have you ever imagined the kind of power that the master of the Constellation wields, roaming the Cosmic Wilderness like it’s their home? The power that killed the White Lotus Sect Master might be but a speck of dust compared to that.]

“But not trying is just settling!”

Zhuge Sa’s words were utterly correct, but I couldn’t just admit it. I slammed the wall of the empty conference room with a bang and shouted fiercely,

“I’ve lived for decades concluding that it’s practically impossible! And I died hopelessly as a lowly being! If I had tried to make reality a little better, perhaps things would have improved even slightly. I wouldn’t have lived such a miserable life. I’ve felt this dozens, hundreds of times while reincarnating.”

[ ……]

“If I put in the effort, even slightly, maybe something will improve! So I’m going to do my best, and is that wrong?!”

The repressed feelings I had yet to express to Mangyang spilled out, largely influenced by the situation where Zhuge Sa was not just my comrade but was pressing my heart. Hearing my words, Zhuge Sa replied,

[ Wow, what a noble effort you’re making. The rich kids must love this thought.]

“What?”

[ Oh, I was just saying that.]

Zhuge Sa’s laugh turned serious.

[ You’ve gained a lot through your 19 lives, but what’s your current situation? Are you even close to catching up to the gods’ power? I can assert that with your current approach, you’d need to die not 20 times, but 50 times to reach your goal.]

I growled in irritation.

“What nonsense is that! I’ve already found out the whereabouts of 4 of the Luminaries, and if I want the Moon Luminary, I can get it anytime! And Fire Luminary will also take just a bit of time, why would that take so long?”

[ Of course. You’re already on track to get everything you can, huh? But you know, one wrong step, and sudden death becomes your daily routine.]

“…….”

[ No matter how many lives you’ve lived, someone who dies as easily as you would surely be rare.]

Being called “sudden death” left me speechless. Zhuge Sa spoke leisurely.

[ Of course, there are advantages to proceeding this way. Realizing that the Heavenly Spirit Pillar isn’t all good is a major insight. If you had focused solely on the Heavenly Spirit Pillar and acquired it first, there would have been side effects you would never have found out about. But I think it’s better for you to focus more on one thing.]

“Focus…?”

[ Whether it’s the Seven Luminaries or martial arts, choose one and eliminate what’s unnecessary. That’s how you expand your influence as much as possible.]

Zhuge Sa’s voice started weaving with madness.

[ Why do you keep partnering with the Thunder God Lineage? Now that things are going well, why not take this chance to crush the Thunder God Lineage? You’ve already gotten what you need; isn’t it about time to cut them loose? Kill Lee Gwang and Jin So-cheong, and eliminate those Thunder God Lineage bastards once and for all! And by loyal to the White Lotus Sect while broadening your ambitions toward conquering the world. Since you’re at it, why not conquer the world with the White Lotus Sect and then understand the true intention of the supreme being?]

“……”

At that moment, my ears perked up. This was because the thought of abandoning the Thunder God Lineage was something I had often entertained myself. I hesitated only because I felt indebted to Jin So-cheong, who became a comrade sharing Obsidian with me. Besides, as he said, I had already obtained almost everything I could get from the Thunder God Lineage, hadn’t I?

But I shook my head.

“The Thunder God Mandala is still intact. I’ll keep an eye out until I obtain that.”

Zhuge Sa laughed at me.

[ Keke… such greedy ambition! You, a dullard unable to properly obtain even the Three Treasures, are dreaming of completing the ultimate incomplete martial arts created by the strongest martial sect of a thousand years of history? Are you writing a novel?]

“Shut up…”

[ Just remember this. Your grand but foolish picture is causing you to overlook what you should see under the lamp. It would be amusing to point out that contradiction, but I’ll leave it at that.]

“……”

A grand but foolish picture. Those words stabbed my heart like a dagger.

This was already my 19th life. I had cherished numerous ambitions during this time, yet so many had led to my untimely death, which made me feel a profound sense of emptiness from the starting point of this life. I couldn’t entirely deny Zhuge Sa’s words as mere nonsense.

But if I was going to give up here, I wouldn’t have come this far. I let out a light snort and said,

“I will drive you out of my head one way or another.”

[ Haha, how?]

“I’ll master the Divorce Technique to transfer your soul to another body. After that, I don’t care what you do, just get lost, please.”

[ Oh, I’d welcome that. But how will you obtain a body?]

I cautiously replied,

“You have to help me.”

[ Reason? Oh, I know without you having to say it. You don’t have the slightest idea on how to create a spiritual avatar from the Stone of Resurrection with your current magical prowess. And you know that the Divorce Technique can’t transfer a soul to a dead body, too.]

“……”

[ Well, I can tell you. It’s not a difficult matter. I need to escape from this soul state as well. However, there’s one prerequisite, right?]

“What is it?”

Zhuge Sa chuckled.

[ Do you think the Divorce Technique that the Apostle of the Breakaway Sect mastered is easy? Even I went through over three years of grueling training to master the Divorce Technique, do you think you, a dullard, can learn it in a day? Just pulling out the ‘Pakh’ alone would take you ten years.]

“What’s wrong with ten years? I just have to do it. I have all the time in the world.”

My curt response made Zhuge Sa laugh again.

[ Don’t kid yourself. If you want to master the Divorce Technique at a normal training pace, it will take at least two hundred years. I assure you on the name of the Apostle of the Breakaway Sect. Even the most gifted of Daoists would sweat buckets trying to master the best technique of the Breakaway Sect, and you think you can do it all at once?]

“…….!!”

He kept ridiculing me.

[ It’s nice to live long, huh? I’m just delighted that you’ll be toiling for two hundred years.]

“Ugh…”

I felt like cursing, but I suddenly stopped. This was because Zhuge Sa had invoked the name of the Apostle of the Breakaway Sect. This meant that what he said was likely the truth, not just to mock me. I regained my composure and replied calmly.

“If that’s the case, it won’t be good for you either. There must be a way to help me, right?”

[ Hmm… so you haven’t wasted all your past lives then. You have a minimum of wit.]

Zhuge Sa seemed impressed and continued,

[ Right. If I pass on the Divorce Technique to you, it’ll definitely be possible for you to learn it. I don’t know what’s required for reaching mastery, but I can lead you to the Seven Stars level within ten years.]

“Seven Stars! How great of an achievement is that?”

[ Enough to separate my soul and place it within a spiritual avatar.]

“Hmm…”

I felt drawn to the idea. This made sense since receiving training from the only current master of Divorce Technique would allow even a dullard like me to get reasonably proficient at it. If I had only known martial arts beforehand, I might not have found it so enticing, but I now understood the power through my knowledge from Mangyang and training in the Divorce Technique.

The Divorce Technique was, quite literally, an ancient secret. Those who master it could transcend life and death and toy with the world as they wished. In fact, wasn’t Zhuge Sa traversing the afterlife and other dimensions, despite his predetermined life span? Moreover, even though the White Lotus Sect Master had destroyed his body, he was able to extend his life by transferring his soul into my head.

It was undoubtedly a remarkable technique that easily surpassed conventional magical limitations.

If I could use the Divorce Technique well, I could avoid sudden deaths, extend my life, and explore more possibilities. Nonetheless, despite the benefits, I felt suspicious and asked Zhuge Sa,

“Where’s the guarantee that you won’t deceive me?”

[ There is none.]

“You saying it so confidently deflates my hopes…”

[ Right now you would feel anything I say is mere excuses, wouldn’t you? No need to waste our time going back and forth.]

Zhuge Sa calmly replied,

[ However, let me make this clear. Right now, I’m cohabiting with your soul, but in case things go south, I can resort to self-destruction and obliterate your ‘Pakh,’ which would leave you brain-dead for at least fifty years. I’d cease to exist, but you could end up a beggar somewhere, rolling in the dirt.]

“Don’t lie.”

[ Hehe, do you think it’s a lie?]

A grim smile spread across Zhuge Sa’s face.

[ Well, I don’t seek to harbor resentment against you. All I desire is a comfortable old age and immortality. However, if there’s mutual benefit, take my proposal positively.]

“You have no guarantee that you’ll teach me the Divorce Technique while robbing me of my body and soul.”

[ Keke… Do you truly believe that?]

“What does that mean?”

Zhuge Sa appeared incredulous.

[ Are you unaware of your current position? If you knew, you wouldn’t say such things. It’s almost absurd how clueless you are.]

I could sense that he wasn’t just mocking me; his words held a significant meaning. This guy had implied something important.

“What do you mean?”

[ Oh, let’s just say you should accept my proposal. I’m not foolish enough to rush into such a reckless gamble.]

“Hmm…”

I pondered. Should I accept this suspicious offer from Zhuge Sa?

Whirrr

A breeze blew in. I sat in a corner of the increasingly chilly conference room, crossed my arms, and contemplated. Eventually, I reached a conclusion.

“I’ll talk to Mangyang and then decide. It’s not too late.”

[ I knew you would say that. But aren’t you relying too much on Hyun?]

“What nonsense are you spewing now?”

[ Hyun isn’t just a machine fulfilling your desires. Naturally, he has his own desires and wishes. You’ve lived through your numerous reincarnations yet treat that lightly.]

“……”

[ It would be better to make more autonomous choices.]

“Shut it.”

I shook my head and let out a sigh.

“I’ll think about it after returning to the White Lotus Sect.”