Reincarnation Sword God

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00388 Celestial Realm ————————————————————————

The lunar orb I held emitted different glows depending on the angle I looked at it. At times, it appeared as if it had no light, while at others, it shone with a myriad of colors. Knowing these three forms were all part of the lunar orb, I gazed at it with wonder.

Zhuge Sa spoke up.

[Heh heh… How do you plan to explain this evil deed to your companions later?]

Those words sent a chill down my spine. Undoubtedly, because I had suddenly released the seal on the lunar orb, its guardian was now in a frenzy. However, having already resolved myself, I retorted bluntly.

[At this rate, the Celestial Realm will force Miho to become the master of the lunar orb to strike against the Imperial Palace or the White Lotus Sect. Miho will once again have to fight an unwinnable battle. Rather than watching that happen, I’ll shoulder that burden.]

[Oh… how devoted you are. Do you really care for that nine-tailed fox?]

I answered resolutely.

[Yes. I would die for Miho.]

[Hehehe… You’ve definitely died once already.]

Zhuge Sa replied with an air of admiration.

[I think it’s not a bad thing that you have the lunar orb. Given that the Sect Leader has been robbed of the Water Element, it’s important to retain even one of the Seven Luminaries. However, you know you can’t perform the Offering Ceremony in your current state, so you can’t release the lunar orb’s seal, right?]

[Ugh.]

That was indeed a problem.

The Seven Luminaries could be liberated in two ways. One was through repeated killings until power accumulated naturally, and the other was by being recognized as the rightful master through the Offering Ceremony. The issue was that if power accrued and liberation happened naturally, the [Old Ruler] would descend, unleashing a horrific tragedy. Therefore, without performing the Offering Ceremony, one could never become the master of the Seven Luminaries.

However, the Offering Ceremony couldn’t be conducted at present. I lacked the right to perform it from the Celestial Realm and had even lost control of the Heavenly Spirit Pill of the Five Great Mountains, where it could be held. Owning the Seven Luminaries meant nothing under such circumstances.

Then Zhuge Sa said,

[Hey. You still haven’t recognized the most important fact from your past life.]

[Huh? What now?]

[You don’t even know if the master of the lunar orb, Master of the Twelve Joules, has actually liberated the Seven Luminaries, do you? You can’t tell if he’s strong because he liberated them or not.]

[Ah!]

I was taken aback by the unexpected insight.

Indeed, that was true. I had only considered that the Master of the Twelve Joules was the master of the Seven Luminaries without pondering whether those luminaries had been liberated or not. But I shook my head and replied.

[But I can’t ask him. The Master of the Twelve Joules seems to know well what the liberation of the Seven Luminaries means and has been concerned about it every time we meet. Trying to uncover that from that slippery human is too risky.]

[Hehe… That’s certainly the case.]

Zhuge Sa laughed and continued.

[But think about it. What if the Master of the Twelve Joules possesses that level of power without even liberating the lunar orb?]

[……]

I shuddered at the thought.

[There’s no way… How could a human be like that…?]

[Well, it’s a possibility. You have to keep the possibility open.]

[That’s impossible.]

I strongly refuted Zhuge Sa’s words.

Currently, the Master of the Twelve Joules clearly had power on par with the Master of the White Lotus Sect. And the Master of the White Lotus Sect, having made a contract with the gods, possessed demi-god-level powers. If the Master of the Twelve Joules could stand equal to the Master of the White Lotus Sect, then he too was an extraordinary being. Yet, I had always thought that was due to the power of the Seven Luminaries; if it wasn’t, that was truly terrifying.

If that was the case, what kind of power would the Master of the Twelve Joules gain if he liberated two Seven Luminaries?

As I pondered this chilling thought, Zhuge Sa spoke up.

[Let’s set the trivial matters aside; the fact is that among the Seven Luminaries, the Four Luminaries have already been released into the world. Furthermore, since you released the seal on the lunar orb without dealing with its guardian, the Celestial Realm cannot remain idle.]

[Hmm…]

[It’s likely that Yeodong-bin has been keeping an eye on you. Call him over once.]

My expression contorted. This touched on something I had been trying not to think about.

‘Ugh… there’s no helping it.’

I steeled myself and concentrated, calling out to Yeodong-bin through my soul communicator. Yeodong-bin had returned to the Celestial Realm after fulfilling my previous request, but since we had a connection, he could come anytime.

Woo…

Before long, the flickering Sword Spirit of Yeodong-bin appeared before me. Though called a sword spirit, it was akin to a clone of the Great Immortal Yeodong-bin himself. He looked at me with a rather angry expression and spoke.

[Messenger, how dare you unseal the lunar orb on your own? Do you have any idea what kind of calamity that act may unleash?]

“……”

I had no words, even if I had ten mouths. But Zhuge Sa whispered.

[Ignore your conscience. Just say what you have to say.]

[But still… ]

[If you don’t broker a deal with Yeodong-bin here, you will surely find yourself stabbed to death by him sooner or later.]

The sudden life-or-death negotiation!

I tasted bitterness but regained my composure and slowly responded.

“Yeodong-bin, I had no choice but to release the lunar orb to maintain the balance of celestial forces.”

[What do you mean?]

“You may already know this, but not long ago, the Water Element passed into the hands of the Master of the Twelve Joules in the East. This means two of the Seven Luminaries present in the world are now held by one individual.”

[……]

“The future powers the Master of the Twelve Joules may gain are unknown. That’s why I had to obtain the lunar orb to secure at least minimal strength to keep him in check and to fight against the demons.”

I hoped this reasoning would persuade Yeodong-bin. However, he responded coldly, as if he were unmoved.

[That’s quite a flimsy excuse. You have no reason to be concerned about the balance of celestial forces, nor are you taking responsibility for the catastrophic calamity caused by the guardian of the lunar orb. Are you trying to fool people with such plausible rhetoric?]

“Ugh…”

[Considering your bond with the Messenger, I will listen for a bit longer. Choose your next words carefully.]

Yeodong-bin fell silent, but there was a terrifying subtext in those words. It suggested that Yeodong-bin might turn against me at any moment and that the Celestial Realm itself could become my enemy.

I swallowed hard and continued.

“So, I will take responsibility.”

[How? This is already an issue that cannot be resolved with the life of the Messenger.]

“Grant me the right to be the master of the lunar orb. Then I will hunt down the guardian using its power. That should suffice, right?”

[……!!]

Yeodong-bin appeared astonished. After a moment of careful consideration, he said.

[I still don’t understand. Why are you so fixated on the Seven Luminaries? While they are extraordinary divine treasures, they are not something that can be controlled by human power. Focusing too much on power can lead to ruin.]

“Yeodong-bin, don’t you truly understand?”

[What do you mean I don’t understand?]

I sighed deeply, as if extinguished.

“Now, whatever moves the Celestial Realm makes, no one will be able to control the Master of the White Lotus Sect, the Master of the Twelve Joules, or the Imperial Palace. They have already acquired the power of the Seven Luminaries… or even a strength that far surpasses that. So I must take drastic measures to keep them in check before it’s too late.”

[Mortals have no business… ]

“Yeodong-bin! Isn’t it human’s responsibility to resolve human affairs? Isn’t that the solution that aligns with the Law of Cause and Effect?!”

When I shouted, Yeodong-bin fell silent. After a while, he remained frozen in place and then said.

[A conference has just concluded in the Celestial Realm.]

“A conference?”

[We discussed deeply the proposal you set forth earlier. It was I who suggested that we hold this conference.]

It seemed that time worked differently in the Celestial Realm; even during that brief moment, a considerable amount of time had passed. Yeodong-bin stared intently at me and said.

[Messenger, do you truly wish to protect this world?]

“Of course.”

[Then I command you to retrieve the Seven Luminaries and re-seal them. For that, I will grant you the right to perform the Offering Ceremony, and especially, make sure to strive to eradicate the evil beings of the Imperial Palace.]

“Whoa…!!”

[Furthermore, take care to restrain the Master of the Twelve Joules and the Master of the White Lotus Sect so they cannot enact tyranny. This is the decree of Taishang Laojun of the Celestial Realm.]

Isn’t this too good to be true?!

I had braced myself to be stabbed to death by Yeodong-bin, yet unexpectedly, the Celestial Realm provided an extremely favorable response. I managed to avoid hostility from the Celestial Realm while gaining the right to perform the Offering Ceremony. Stunned, I stood there while Yeodong-bin added.

[Don’t get too excited. This is merely a contingency plan because the powers of the Master of the White Lotus Sect and the Master of the Twelve Joules have surpassed human limits.]

“Ahaha… it’s not like I’m just happy…”

As I awkwardly chuckled, Yeodong-bin added.

[And don’t worry about the guardian of the lunar orb. That matter is already being handled.]

“Huh?”

[The Queen Mother of the West will seal that existence.]

Whoosh!

A moment later, Yeodong-bin’s Sword Spirit transformed into mist and vanished. It seemed he had returned to the Celestial Realm. I pondered over Yeodong-bin’s words.

‘The Queen Mother of the West?’

I never expected her to appear at this moment. Then Zhuge Sa, who had been listening to the tale, said.

[The reason the nine-tailed fox was able to acquire the lunar orb in your previous life was that the Queen Mother of the West descended to deal with the guardian. She would be sufficient to do so.]

“But… isn’t the guardian also part of the category of the [Old Ruler]? I can’t imagine the Queen Mother taking it down.”

[You know there’s a huge disparity even among the [Old Rulers]. Izanagi no Mikoto is considered relatively weak, which is why the Queen Mother can handle it.]

“Hmmm…”

[It does feel strange. The Queen Mother’s power seems quite exceptional even among the Great Immortals of the Celestial Realm. It might even transcend the Overlay Technique…]

Muttering this, Zhuge Sa continued.

[It’s only natural that the negotiations earlier were successful.]

“Why?”

[The Celestial Realm has no choice but to be favorable. Why? Because you have now been recognized for your ability.]

“Recognized for my ability?”

[At merely a teenage age, possessing astounding martial arts skills and easily navigating between realms, you’ve liberated not one but two seals of the Seven Luminaries over several years. It wouldn’t be strange for you to be regarded as a mythological hero. The Celestial Realm is likely seeking to utilize you as a valuable pawn since there are no suitable talents in the mortal world.]

“……”

So I’ve been recognized to that extent?

Feeling a surge of joy, I couldn’t help but smirk, prompting Zhuge Sa to respond gruffly.

[Don’t get too happy. This is just the preliminary stage. Nothing will progress until you take down the Imperial Palace.]

“Oh, right…”

[You could unseal the lunar orb now, but for now, leave it be. If your power rises dramatically because of the lunar orb, the Sect Leader will catch on right away. It’s better to liberate the lunar orb’s power when the time comes for a battle with the Sect Leader.]

With that, Zhuge Sa laid out our future course of action.

[Now, do you know what to do?]

“What should I do?”

When I asked excitedly, Zhuge Sa replied decisively.

[Just train in the Soul Exchange Technique. You fool.]

“……”

Was it I who was foolish for having expectations?

I rode the Four Great Spirits, taking the lunar orb to the southern continent and burying it beneath a large rock. No one could steal it this way. Then I returned to the life of the Dharma Guardian of the Wind Spirit Lineage and continued to practice the Soul Exchange Technique until the time would come.

Right now the Sect Leader was probably engrossed in Closed Room Training with Dokgo Jun, Han Baek-ryeong, and Dokgo Seong, so he didn’t teach me the Three Treasure Technique anymore. I felt a bit regretful, but as Zhuge Sa said, my hands were full with just the Soul Exchange Technique practice.

How much time had passed?

About three months in, changes began to unfold.

The Sect Leader called me and said.

[Baek Woong. An envoy has come from the Imperial Palace.]

“What kind of envoy?”

[An envoy willing to negotiate. We will meet at the Luoyang Woodbridge after seven nights, where we’ll negotiate with people from the Imperial Palace.]

“……”

It seemed Zhuge Bu’s death allowed Zhuge Yulong to throw off all bounds and make independent choices. The reason he had been observing for three months must have been to gather enough time to revitalize Zhuge Bu with the powers of the Crystal Stele and Divine Portrait. After some contemplative thought, I remarked.

“Luoyang is the enemy’s base. Isn’t it dangerous?”

[It will be risky, but I intend to go because no one can threaten me anymore.]

So the objective was that. I subtly tried to pull away.

“I’m not sure if my skills will be enough to help in that fight…”

[True. That might be the case.]

“……”

Hearing it honestly made me feel a bit bitter. However, I was so shocked by what the Sect Leader said next that I couldn’t even focus on that.

[Therefore, tomorrow I will grant you the Heavenly Spirit Pill.]