Reincarnation Sword God

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00397 Celestial Realm (天界) ————————————————————————

Crack!

At first, Zhuge Bu’s soul seemed to resist my command. But soon, it answered my questions with a sullen attitude.

[The hidden base with the spare body is… near the Heavenly Altar of Mount Tai…]

“Near it? Be more specific.”

[…There are a total of seven locations.]

Not just one?!

I was momentarily startled but figured it made sense. Given Zhuge Bu’s overly cautious nature, he wouldn’t have put everything in one spot. And keeping them around the Heavenly Altar of Mount Tai was likely in case he needed to transfer to a spare body and suppress the altar himself.

Zhuge Bu spoke with a voice filled with bitterness.

[Ugh… you bastard… not only did you kill me, but you’re using me for your own purposes… what grudge do you hold against me to do such things…]

“Hmm.”

I hesitated to reply that, of course, he must have a grudge.

Thinking about it, from his perspective, it would seem that I had suddenly ambushed him to death. In my previous life, I had grievances against him, but the current Zhuge Bu wouldn’t have those memories. From a third-party viewpoint, I was a thorough aggressor and invader. I understood why Zhuge Bu felt wronged, so I scratched my head out of guilt before responding.

“I am Baek Woong of the White Lotus Sect’s Thunder God Lineage. And I must say that I had to take you down for extremely personal reasons. After all, you too have sacrificed innocent people as human sacrifices to gain power, haven’t you?”

I can say it confidently. Anyone who witnessed the horrific human sacrifices at the Heavenly Altar of Mount Tai would not think I did anything wrong to the Zhuge clan. At least a hundred people had died tragically.

They must have been seized by the soldiers stationed at the fort of Mount Tai from the nearby commoners. It was a dreadful tragedy.

[Don’t make me laugh! I don’t even know who the hell you are to be this harsh…]

“Well, that’s good. You can start learning about me right now.”

[Ugh…]

As Zhuge Bu seemed about to have a fit, I retorted.

“Anyway, you’ve reincarnated into the body of a demon, and there’s a real chance your soul could get sucked into the hands of the [Old Ruler], right? If I use the Heavenly Secret Technique, a celestial order along with the Law of Cause and Effect will surely be created, making the situation much better.”

[……]

“Think about it with that proud head of yours. You won’t be able to resurrect after you die anyway.”

Zhuge Bu made a face that looked like he was in pain before reluctantly saying,

[You really are a bastard.]

“Hmm…”

I frowned. I thought I was speaking with consideration, so why such a reaction? Then I heard Zhuge Bu chuckle from within.

[Why, you spoke quite well.]

His praise only made my mood worse. Eventually, Zhuge Bu detailed the locations of Zhuge Yulong’s hidden base near the Heavenly Altar, and I began making my way there one by one, riding the Four Great Spirits.

Boom!

Boom!

I smashed down on Zhuge Yulong’s stronghold and frowned.

‘That makes five I’ve destroyed near the Heavenly Altar.’

Seeing the “spare bodies” lying in the underground joint made me feel uneasy. They all looked identical enough to be Zhuge Yulong’s twins. There were at least twenty bodies in one stronghold, suggesting that Zhuge Yulong had around a hundred spare lives.

If a monster like Zhuge Yulong were to resurrect a hundred times and relentlessly torment someone using his unique intelligence and martial arts, then even the Master of the White Lotus Sect wouldn’t be able to remain unharmed. It was only natural that the Master of the White Lotus Sect felt anxious and obsessive about the existence of Zhuge Bu.

Beside me, Cheon Woo-jin, who was also destroying the base, said,

“Baek Woong, Zhuge Yulong isn’t here.”

“He must be in one of the other two places.”

I replied and then asked Zhuge Bu,

“Where are the other two locations?”

[……]

“There’s no point in playing hard to get. You know better than anyone what kind of suffering souls owned by the [Old Ruler] go through. If I wanted, I could release the Heavenly Secret Technique and just cast you out.”

As I growled, Zhuge Bu spoke reluctantly.

[One is in Xi’an. The other one is in Luoyang.]

“They’ve all been set up in big cities.”

Upon hearing that, I understood why immediately after Zhuge Yulong had died, he resurrected and appeared around the Heavenly Altar and Luoyang. He had set up bases around important strongholds. Therefore, in case of emergencies, he would be able to quickly suppress the Nine Great Sects existing in the Five Mountains.

Whoosh!

Soon, Cheon Woo-jin and I headed toward Zhuge Yulong’s stronghold in Xi’an. When I entered the underground base, I exhaled softly.

“Massive.”

Zhuge Yulong’s base in Xi’an was at least ten times larger than what I had seen before. It seemed they had entirely excavated a hill and modified it; inside the massive joint, there were dozens of rooms. Each room contained not only ritualistic devices but also Zhuge Yulong’s spare bodies. This time, I discovered as many as forty bodies, which left me astonished.

‘He sure made a lot of spare lives.’

Boom!

Boom!

After destroying the Xi’an base, I immediately set off to Luoyang. The final stronghold of Zhuge Yulong near Luoyang was close to the South Gate, around a cemetery. At first glance, it only appeared to be an ordinary shrine for a tomb keeper, but upon entering, I found mechanisms inside, and once those were released, a massive joint opened wide.

As the iron gate of the joint opened, I said to Cheon Woo-jin,

“He should be here. This is his last stronghold that he cannot afford to lose.”

“Probably.”

Cheon Woo-jin replied with crossed arms.

“I don’t understand something.”

“What do you mean?”

“A sorcerer of this caliber could easily claim to be the best sorcerer in the Central Plains at this point. When it comes to the Eight Trigrams, he might even surpass me as a master. So, there shouldn’t be a reason to team up with the Otherworldly Race, right? Why…”

“There shouldn’t be a reason to team up with the Otherworldly Race?”

“If he’s strong enough to be at Zhuge Yulong’s level, he could easily become an Earth Immortal and ascend through the entrance or invite the renowned Great Immortal to gain ascension qualifications. Moreover, the Celestial Realm would be glad to see powerful immortals increasing, so there would be no reason to turn that down. Yet, he does such things…”

“……”

I contemplated for a moment before answering.

“Maybe he doesn’t wish to go to the Celestial Realm that much?”

“That’s nonsense. Among all sorcerers and warriors in the Central Plains, only a handful can ascend to the Celestial Realm. That kind of thinking is unrealistic.”

“But you, with all your abilities, haven’t gone to the Celestial Realm either.”

“Ha?”

Cheon Woo-jin looked at me with a condescending gaze. I was bewildered, not quite grasping why he reacted that way, but then Zhuge Sa spoke from within.

[Hey. Don’t you realize who Cheon Woo-jin is?]

[What are you talking about?]

[That guy is the Guardian of the Central Plains Daoism and the disciple of the Master of the Borderlands. That means he’s a disciple directly chosen by a divine being. So, despite the apparent hierarchy, even the Great Immortals can’t treat Cheon Woo-jin lightly.]

[Hmm.]

[Receiving teachings directly from the divine, why would he want to go to the Celestial Realm?]

I hadn’t thought about it that way, so I sighed.

A disciple of a divine being!

That must be why no one challenges Cheon Woo-jin, even bearing the grand title of Illusory God. Let alone the fact that he had amplified his martial prowess several times over during the Soul Exchange Ceremony by overcoming the Divine Fever. I realized I had said something foolish and licked my lips.

“Well, whatever, I’m sure he has his reasons. Let’s catch that guy and give him a good beating.”

“I’ll break the barrier first, so follow me.”

Cheon Woo-jin uttered a word and vanished in an instant. I followed his aura into the dark joint, and before my sight could adjust to the darkness, I saw a massive fiery flame erupting ahead.

Whoosh!

The enormous flame dragon summoned by Cheon Woo-jin soared upward, splitting into five branches and illuminating the interior. It seemed he intended to ensure visibility while breaking through the barrier or trap. As Cheon Woo-jin cleared a path, I was able to advance easily without worries.

Thud!

The joint shook violently as if about to collapse. I emerged from the second exit, and to my surprise, there was indeed an abyss here. It was clearly unlike the previous base of Zhuge Yulong I had seen, and as I spotted the spiral stairs leading down to the abyss, familiarity washed over me.

‘Ruins of the Otherworldly Race!’

This architectural style was not made by humans but by the Otherworldly Race! I recognized that fact immediately from my adventurous experience. Watching the Fire Dragon flying around the center of the abyss, it seemed Cheon Woo-jin couldn’t be bothered to walk down the stairs, so he just floated into the air. Since I couldn’t use martial techniques, I summoned the Four Great Spirits to descend to the floor.

Boom!

When I reached the ground, I saw Cheon Woo-jin confronting Zhuge Yulong in the darkness. Zhuge Yulong had an unusually tired expression, having removed his hat. The appearance of a pristine and handsome middle-aged man shone pale in the light.

Zhuge Yulong spoke in a hollow tone.

“… So, you’ve finally made it here. I had hoped you wouldn’t come.”

Cheon Woo-jin retorted to him.

“Zhuge Yulong, you could have ascended and become an immortal, yet you chose to do such foolish things… You’re telling me you didn’t realize that human power and politics are trivial?”

Zhuge Yulong merely chuckled.

“Haha… is it me who knows that better than anyone?”

“You think I sought power to become the priest of the Demon Subduing Hall?”

“Then why commit such heinous acts?”

Cheon Woo-jin continued, his anger evident.

“Not only human sacrifice, but you also seized the Heavenly Altar to spy on the secrets of the Celestial Realm! This crime far exceeds leaking celestial secrets, and the Celestial Realm has unanimously decreed your extermination. There has never been someone in human history who committed such a horrifying crime as you.”

“Ha ha.”

Zhuge Yulong only laughed. It seemed he was not in the mood to reply to Cheon Woo-jin’s accusations. Observing the situation, I stepped forward and said.

“Hey. Answer me. Why did you do this?”

“……”

Zhuge Yulong turned his gaze toward me. He looked at me calmly and said,

“I have lost to you entirely. But that’s because I misjudged your essence.”

“What nonsense is that?”

“I thought the being beyond the Soul Exchange Technique must be the heretical sect leader Zhuge Sa, my brother. So I anticipated him and prepared. But you broke all my expectations and attacked the Heavenly Altar first. With that precise strike, I was left with no choice but to collapse.”

Zhuge Yulong, murmuring calmly, fixed his fierce gaze upon me.

“Who on earth are you? How do you know all my secrets? And where has Zhuge Sa gone?”

“Hmm…”

For the first time, I felt a hint of emotion from Zhuge Yulong. He was clearly confused. The reason was that I had pinpointed the secrets he had painstakingly hidden.

Zhuge Sa said,

[Hey. Try using the Soul Exchange Technique on that spare body over there.]

[Will it work?]

[You might not be able to stabilize the soul at your level, but you should be able to move it for a short time. About the length of a meal’s time.]

[Got it.]

Following Zhuge Sa’s advice, I approached Zhuge Yulong’s spare body and placed my hand on it. Knowing how eagerly he had awaited this confrontation, I decided to fulfill his request.

I move the soul by moving the body!

Whoooosh!

Eventually, as I cast the Soul Exchange Technique and moved Zhuge Sa’s soul into the spare body, it trembled for a moment and slowly began to stand up. Formed in Zhuge Yulong’s likeness, Zhuge Sa rubbed his neck and grinned as he said to Zhuge Yulong,

“Hey there, brother. Nice to see you.”

Upon hearing this, Zhuge Yulong seemed to understand the situation and sighed.

“So that’s what happened. Who killed you?”

“Master of the White Lotus Sect.”

“Unbelievable.”

“I think so too, brother.”

The two brothers exchanged bitter smiles almost simultaneously. Despite sharing the same body, their expressions displayed differences, confirming that the souls within were distinct. Zhuge Sa chuckled and said,

“Brother, do you understand now why I became a hypocrite?”

“……”

“Why, you ousted me and forced me to discard all the techniques and martial arts I had learned just because I inherited the stance of the heretical sect? You couldn’t tolerate a descendant of Zhuge Mu-Hu mingling with the vile Otherworldly Race, right?”

“That’s right.”

“For three years, I struggled to recover the skills I lost then. Yet what have you done?”

Under normal circumstances, Zhuge Yulong wouldn’t have a reply. However, Zhuge Yulong gazed at Zhuge Sa for a moment before replying,

“For the same reasons you’ve despaired of the world.”

“What?”

“Simply, you realized it just a bit late…”

What on earth is he talking about?

I was bewildered, but the expression on Zhuge Sa’s face had hardened considerably. His expression carried a meaning that he understood and empathized strongly with Zhuge Yulong’s answer. An unintelligible reply, but Zhuge Sa seemed to comprehend it, soon letting out a sigh.

“Ha. You’ve always been like that. Stubbornly clinging to your ways, only to change your mind in an instant.”

“Don’t speak like you know me, Sa (邪). I had my reasons and motivations.”

“Regardless, this is the result.”

Zhuge Sa grinned.

“You were ultimately not suited to reach the [Old Ruler].”

Zhuge Yulong growled back.

“Then, the one you’re promoting is of suitable merit?”

“While it’s a tad untrustworthy, it’s far more realistic than the path you seek.”

Instantly, Zhuge Yulong’s expression changed.

“That much? Who on earth is this person?”

“That’s something you don’t need to know. You’ll die here anyway.”

Zhuge Sa retorted with a sneer.

“As if that body is your last? Your real body is hidden where Zhuge Bu doesn’t even know, just waiting for a last counterattack? You’ve come this far knowing all that, brother.”

“If you know, what will you do? Since you all lack the means to find it…”

“There’s no need to look for it~”

“What?”

Zhuge Sa smiled with a crescent moon-shaped grin.

“Baek Woong, kill that guy.”

“Don’t give me orders!”

I shouted furiously and rushed at Zhuge Yulong. At the same time, Cheon Woo-jin began attacking Zhuge Yulong with sorcery as well.

“Ugh!”

Zhuge Yulong summoned the power of the Earth Star Eight Trigrams to bind Cheon Woo-jin’s sorcery, but even amidst the rising Eight Trigrams surrounding me, I disregarded it and swung my sword, slicing at Zhuge Yulong’s neck.

Crack!

Clank!

Due to the previous battle with me, it seemed Zhuge Yulong was slightly more accustomed to my attacks this time. Nevertheless, it was still merely enduring; in reality, the gap in internal energy was so significant that he couldn’t even dream of counterattacking. Even if his martial arts had surpassed absolute realms, he could incapacitate me in an instant, but Zhuge Yulong’s skills were not at that level.

‘Even among peak experts, there must be differences!’

Before long, the sword energy I extended curved through the air and blew his head off. As the Thunder God Sword Dance’s Absolute Slash flew out with a dominating aura, human defense couldn’t withstand it.

Zhuge Yulong had been aware of my attack’s flow, but he was powerless and could only suffer, even knowing. I determined the outcome in less than three hundred seconds, calming my breath as I stepped back.

Cheon Woo-jin, who had been watching, said,

“Your swordsmanship is impressive. Truly worthy of being called the Lord of the Moon Sovereign.”

“Thanks for the praise, but that’s not the important matter right now.”

I withdrew my sword and spoke anxiously.

“Zhuge Sa. How do we find the hidden body of this guy?”

Then Zhuge Sa, who resembled Zhuge Yulong, chuckled and said,

“There’s no need to find it. Even if we do, killing him would invoke the curse of the divine, leading us to death, so it’s unnecessary.”

“Then if we leave him, there will be future troubles…”

Zhuge Sa ignored my words and said,

“Baek Woong, teach him the true usage of the Soul Exchange Technique.”

“Eh?”

“Cheon Woo-jin, please get ready to seal him.”

Zhuge Sa suddenly struck his heavenly spirit aide down. Moments later, the bruised and blood-soaked body stood up with shock.

“No?!”

What’s going on?

It seemed Cheon Woo-jin was the first to grasp the situation. He rushed in swiftly, gripping Zhuge Yulong’s neck, seeming to prepare a powerful sealing technique.

“O evil spirit, your soul shall be taken care of in the Celestial Realm…”

Crackle!

“Aaaaaaah! Don’t! No!!”

Zhuge Yulong screamed. The anguish wasn’t from the pain but rather from the desperation of not being able to accept his circumstances. He thrashed his limbs, but the divine thunder encompassing his body showed no signs of stopping. Naturally, the sealing technique unleashed directly by the Illusory God Cheon Woo-jin was powerful enough to seal even a great demon in one blow.

As Zhuge Sa’s soul returned to me, it remarked rather triumphantly.

[If it’s an extra body made just for Zhuge Yulong, the synchronization of the soul is ridiculously high. Reading that flow and pulling the soul back using the Soul Exchange Technique should be a piece of cake.]

[You pulled the soul back of the Zhuge Yulong who jumped into a new body?]

[If you reach the eighth stage of the Soul Exchange Technique, it will already be possible.]

[……]

[Keep training hard.]

Even as I conversed, Cheon Woo-jin’s sealing technique proceeded. Cheon Woo-jin looked at Zhuge Yulong with a pained expression.

“If I kill you, the curse of the [Old Ruler] activates. As I said, I will bear that burden in the Celestial Realm, so the curse will not come for us. Moreover, you shall repent that sin endlessly in the Thunder Pearl of the Celestial Realm.”

“Cough, cough… Is it a crime?”

Zhuge Yulong spat. Were my deeds truly such bad things?

“Human sacrifice, leaking celestial secrets.”

“That was to help humans.”

Realizing he couldn’t flip the narrative anymore, Zhuge Yulong laughed madly.

“Hahaha… In a few hundred years, as all 10 billion humans die… If that’s what it takes to prevent it, I could do anything. I simply decided not to stand by idly and escape from reality like you Celestials.”

“……”

“O Illusory God Cheon Woo-jin, do you know the future where the Ruin of the Ancients rises, awaken all [Old Rulers], and organisms perish beneath the constellations? When that time comes, not even death can be salvation. I just wanted to sacrifice everything to save that future!”

Zhuge Yulong screamed desperately as he uttered darkly,

“Ancient humans made the same choice as mine. It’s just a difference between success and failure…”

Cheon Woo-jin glanced at the spirit energy surrounding him. Then he said,

“If you’re this weakened, you wouldn’t be able to escape even if I placed you into the Land and Earth Diagram.”

With a pop, there appeared the treasure Land and Earth Diagram on Cheon Woo-jin’s left hand. It seemed he intended to seal Zhuge Yulong within the Land and Earth Diagram. However, since Zhuge Yulong’s spirit energy was strong, to minimize the chance of escape, it looked like he was first going to weaken him with sealing techniques.

“Farewell.”

With a whoosh, Zhuge Yulong’s body faded away, and his soul glowed white as it floated into Cheon Woo-jin’s palm. He subsequently sealed that light into the Land and Earth Diagram.

As the Land and Earth Diagram unfurled and briefly radiated red light, the entire series of processes completed in an instant, leaving the dark joint once again cloaked in silence.

“Hmm.”

I checked my body, just in case. Last time, when my nervous system melted away, my body had followed suit, so I worried about whether the curse of the divine would rush in. However, after a long wait, there were no signs of the curse approaching.

Cheon Woo-jin sighed as he rolled up the Land and Earth Diagram and tucked it away in his robe.

“Baek Woong. Forget what Zhuge Yulong just said. He was just dreaming big for his own station.”

“You call talking about saving humans a centuries-later apocalypse nonsense?”

“Probably.”

He replied resolutely.

“Once again, don’t worry about it.”

“……”

It’s impossible not to be concerned.

When Cheon Woo-jin insisted, “Don’t worry,” it meant that there was an inevitable despair lurking in that statement.