Reincarnation Sword God

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00385 Celestial Realm ————————————————————————=

Pa-at

As soon as I arrived before the Prophet, I spoke to him.

“I’ve come to make a deal.”

[What’s this? Has he already brought the Ritual Book of Transmission?]

“No. But it’s a treasure worth that much.”

Swoosh

“It’s the Nameless Ritual Book.”

I presented the Nameless Ritual Book to the Prophet. The Prophet took it with his tentacle and studied it for a while, then spoke in astonishment.

[It’s genuine… How did you acquire it…?]

“That’s unnecessary to mention, isn’t it? What matters is that I have the right to exchange it for something of equal value.”

[Hmm… Is that so… Then let’s evaluate its worth…]

As the Prophet subtly extended his tentacle towards me, I waved my hand.

“No need to read my thoughts to determine the appropriate reward! If I make an initial offer, wouldn’t it be more convenient for both parties?”

[Alright… If that’s easier…]

I was also doing this according to Zhuge Sa’s instructions. Zhuge Sa deemed it too risky to leave the control of the trade to the Prophet’s conscience and suggested leading the negotiations with an initial offer and psychological warfare. I took a deep breath and spoke.

“Tell me what you know about the whereabouts of the Seven Luminaries! The Nameless Ritual Book should be worth at least that much information, right?”

[The whereabouts of the Seven Luminaries… That’s a difficult order…]

The Prophet pondered for a moment before responding.

[I know the whereabouts of six of the Seven Luminaries… The location of the last one is unknown to me… However, I cannot reveal this to you.]

“Why not?”

[Because of the confidentiality treaty with the Celestial Realm… They’ve shared as much information with me as they’ve deemed safe, but they certainly do not wish for the seal of the Seven Luminaries to be broken… So, I cannot disclose any secrets due to this treaty.]

At that, Zhuge Sa chuckled inwardly.

[As expected. Then say this instead.]

I finally spoke as Zhuge Sa instructed.

“What does that mean? The Nameless Ritual Book is included in the cost of breaking that treaty. Let me be clear, I believe the value of the Nameless Ritual Book far exceeds the cost of breaking the treaty, don’t you think? This is the highest quality among existing ritual books.”

[… …]

The Prophet fell silent for a moment. Then he said,

[To suggest breaking a promise… You’re not such a good person after all…]

“It’s merely a matter of efficiency beyond good and evil. After all, isn’t a treaty formed for mutual benefit? I’m offering you greater profit, that’s all.”

[Interesting… That’s quite a bold proposal…]

The Prophet trembled his tentacles and spoke.

[Okay… I accept… I will tell you the whereabouts of the Seven Luminaries.]

Great!

I inwardly cheered. Soon, the Prophet continued.

[I know the whereabouts of all the Seven Luminaries except for the Sunday… Which one should I tell you first…?]

“Hmm, hearing it verbally isn’t quite reliable. I’d prefer it if you could mark the coordinates or provide a visual explanation, or even use the Obsidian’s technique to convey it.”

[Alright…]

Wooo

The Prophet summoned the Obsidian from the void and infused it with his memories. He then tossed it to me, and in the next moment, I could vaguely grasp the information regarding the six luminaries that the Prophet had mentioned.

“……!!”

However, I frowned in disbelief. I protested,

“Wait a minute! What is this? It’s nothing but fragmented observations of the surroundings of the six luminaries! You expect me to find them with just this flimsy clue?”

The Prophet retorted, as if it were obvious,

[Still, I can’t completely break the promise with the Celestial Realm… I’m limiting the clues to the extent that you need to make efforts to find them… This does not violate the law of cause and effect, so don’t argue with me…]

“Ugh…”

I felt incredulous. What had entered my mind through the Obsidian was merely a visual record of the scenery around the ruins of the six luminaries. There was no background knowledge or information whatsoever. Considering that the Obsidian could usually contain such background knowledge, it was undoubtedly an intentional act.

As I was about to argue, Zhuge Sa held me back.

[Hey. Let it go. Agitating a miser like him might worsen the situation. It’s best to scrape him gently.]

[Pfft…]

As I awkwardly pulled back my hand, the Prophet said,

[But that alone is insufficient as compensation… Describe how to reach each location for me…]

“Honestly, admit it. You just wanted to explain, didn’t you?”

I snapped out of annoyance, but the Prophet ignored me and continued to speak.

[First, for the Monday… It’s located in the River City of Ganghwa County on the Peninsula in the east… More precisely, it’s beneath Mount Muni…]

“Hmm.”

That’s correct information. I already knew from my past life experience that what the Prophet was explaining was accurate. Indeed, the location of the Monday matched with what he said. As I focused and listened carefully to the Prophet’s words, he continued.

[And for the Tuesday… This one is located in the heart of the southernmost continent… Inside the Red Stone Cave of Yulala to the east of Kaltukajara…]

“Kaltukajara? Yulala?”

[You can ask the locals, they’ll know…]

“Got it.”

I felt I had grasped significant clues about the Tuesday. While I nodded, the Prophet continued to speak.

[The Wednesday is deep in the Huangshan Mountains in the Central Plains… where the sovereign Jeon Wook, of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, last left evidence of his efforts in water control… The location should be easy for you to figure out…]

“Okay, what’s next?”

[The Thursday is found in the divine altar atop Mount Changbai, the source of the Twelve Joules and the Manha Spiritual Gate…]

“……”

I concentrated even harder.

‘ Up until now, this was all known information.’

The whereabouts of the Friday and Saturday are crucial!

[The Friday is sealed deep within the Sacred Place of Pallas, alongside the ancient divine race…]

“……?”

Hearing an incredibly unfamiliar place name, I tilted my head. Then I countered,

“Pallas? That doesn’t sound like a term from the Central Plains. Could that possibly be in the West?”

[That’s correct… Among those who have approached the origins of mystery in the West… The guild of Alchemists and Sorcerers holds the Friday… It could be said to be the stronghold of Western Sorcerers… a place where the bloodlines from myths reside…]

“……”

The West!

I suddenly felt incredulous that the whereabouts of the Friday led me to the west. Though it was called the west, I would have to travel further than any remote region I had ventured before. It was no less than a journey of several thousand li.

‘ Ah, maybe I could teleport there using the Four Great Spirits.’

Even so, having the Friday reside within the stronghold of Sorcerers felt troubling. Just to make sure, I asked,

“So, what exactly is the specific location?”

[Geopolitically, it’s near the present-day British Empire…]

“What? You don’t know the detailed location?”

[Unlike the other Seven Luminaries, the Friday was originally located in the East but has since shifted to the West… I only know the initial arrangement of the Friday… The current information is merely a conclusion drawn after collecting data later…]

“Hmm… So that means I’ll have to find it myself.”

I felt disappointment wash over me, realizing I couldn’t take the easy way out. If that were the case, I’d need to go to the vicinity of the British Empire to collect information and then figure out how to get to the Sacred Place of Pallas to find the seal of the Friday.

The Prophet continued,

[The Saturday… This one was incidentally obtained by the founder of the ancient kingdom of Balhae, leading to the rise of the empire, but… when the power of the Saturday ran rampant, a volcanic eruption occurred, obliterating the empire overnight… Afterward, the Saturday was secured in the Demon Subduing Hall and now resides in Dark Heaven Village.]

“I know that much. But specifically where in Dark Heaven Village is it located?”

[As far as I know, it was last offered as an offering to Empress Wu Zetian… The being who contracted to elevate Empress Wu Zetian to a deity must possess it… Surely, they wouldn’t overlook the Seven Luminaries…]

“Empress Wu Zetian!”

I flinched in surprise. Why was the name of Empress Wu Zetian coming up while I was tracking the whereabouts of the Saturday?

As far as I knew, Empress Wu Zetian chose the path to ascend as a subordinate deity of Dark Heaven Village through the Offering Ceremony in her later years. But I had dismissed it as irrelevant information, so why would she be connected to the Eight Trigrams Diagram?

I was astonished when the Prophet continued,

[The Sleeper of Enkai, I suppose… Well, I think it might be best to give up on this front…]

“The Sleeper of Enkai? You’re not talking about that guy who’s manipulating the Imperial Palace from behind the scenes, are you?”

[That’s right… It’s practically in the hands of the “Old Ruler”… You could say there’s no chance of acquiring the Saturday…]

“……”

I absorbed the information about the Seven Luminaries into my mind.

‘ I feel like I’ve taken a step forward regarding the Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday.’

Especially with the Tuesday, I felt I was close enough to obtain it with just a bit more effort. I was organizing my thoughts when I suddenly remembered and asked,

“Why is there no information regarding the Sunday? Didn’t the Celestial Realm say they were cooperating with you?”

[I’m not quite sure… But it seems that the Sunday is a rather special existence in the Celestial Realm… It might even not exist in the earthly realm…]

“Doesn’t exist on earth…?”

After a moment of silence, the Prophet said,

[What I do know is that there is a close cause-and-effect relationship between the Sunday and Emperor Gong Sun Xuanwen… and that among all the Seven Luminaries, the Sunday’s power is the most formidable.]

“Emperor…!!”

[I don’t know… If you gather the remaining six luminaries, you might be able to find out the whereabouts of the Sunday…?]

The Prophet’s prediction sounded plausible. Since the Sunday symbolizes the sun, it could indeed be at the pinnacle of the Seven Luminaries. And the reason for its prominence was likely because Emperor Gong Sun Xuanwen had a hand in its creation.

‘ I’ll have to see if I can discover information about the Sunday when I perform the offering ritual next time.’

Zhuge Sa chuckled.

[You’re a bit foolish. If it’s a secret not even shared with the leader of the great race, it must be the most classified information in the Celestial Realm. There’s no way you can figure that out just from an offering ritual.]

[Is that so…]

[That’s why Zhuge Mangnyang told you to uncover the secrets of the Celestial Realm first. Without knowing the secrets of the Celestial Realm, gathering all the Seven Luminaries in the earthly realm will be impossible.]

Having said that, Zhuge Sa continued with his orders.

[Hey. There must still be compensation left. One last question, and then let’s wrap this up.]

I thought that made sense after hearing Zhuge Sa’s words. I took a deep breath and addressed the Prophet.

“Prophet. I calculate that there should still be some compensation left, right?”

[A trivial amount…]

“Then a consultation should be okay. Right?”

[What kind of consultation?]

“I lack innate talent in martial arts and techniques. Is there a way to enhance this?”

[……]

The Prophet appeared to be taken aback by my unexpected question, and his tentacles twitched. After a moment of thought, he replied.

[Blessings that enhance talent itself are extremely rare… The methods are also very limited…]

“Why? Is it really that difficult to raise one’s talent?”

[Shall we start by defining what talent is…]

The Prophet slowly moved aside.

[Talent includes not only the ability to put in effort but also intuition, flexibility, creativity, innate capability, potential for development… It encompasses all of that… However, if that’s the case… Enhancing talent would mean changing one’s persona, wouldn’t it?]

“Persona?”

[That’s right… Persona…]

The Prophet rolled his eyes as he continued speaking.

[If one’s persona doesn’t change, then one’s talent cannot increase… This is because it would fundamentally involve altering the very structure of the mind… Well, it works the other way too… Therefore, the techniques for enhancing talent… tend to be quite complex and convoluted… If things go wrong, they could leave significant aftereffects on the subject…]

“I see…”

[That being said, physically injecting drugs directly into the brain or inducing chemical reactions is far too crude and tends to cause more side effects…]

I was able to understand the Prophet’s words. Talent is a comprehensive concept that affects all aspects of the mind, and if handled poorly, it could disturb the delicate mental world and turn one into an invalid or a freak.

“Isn’t there any method at all?”

[Then you’d have to prepare offerings and contract with a Demon God…]

I shook my head.

“I’m not too keen on involving myself with the ‘Old Ruler.’ I’d prefer a more conventional approach…”

[Hmm… If you really want to increase your talent in martial arts, it might be better to consult with Zhongli Quan…]

“Zhongli Quan?”

[The Sword Master Yeodong-bin’s master is the Fire Dragon Incarnate, and he is also Zhongli Quan… However, I understand that Zhongli Quan was the one who directly taught Yeodong-bin and guided him along the path of transcendence… But even so, Yeodong-bin wasn’t a peerless genius in his lifetime…]

“Hmmm… Yeodong-bin…”

[Nevertheless, he managed to cultivate him into a member of the Eight Immortals and as a transcendental being, so surely there must be some secret he knows…]

“……”

Zhongli Quan of the Eight Immortals!

I had never thought about any of the other Eight Immortals besides Yeodong-bin, but it felt like I had stumbled upon an unexpected lead. Just as I thought we had finished talking, the Prophet’s form began to gradually dissipate.

[It’s been fun trading with you… I look forward to our next deal.]