Reincarnation Sword God

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00402 天界 ————————————————————————=

I returned to the Central Plains and went to find Shangguan Hyuk. Before meeting the Master, I wanted to sort out matters concerning Shangguan Hyuk first. The fact that negotiating with the Master involved risking my life influenced this decision as well.

“Baek Woong. I can feel tremendous energy emanating from you.”

The Taoist Shangguan Hyuk was on the third floor of the Shangguan clan’s hall. As soon as he saw me, he exclaimed, and I looked at him with an indifferent gaze. Then, I pulled out a fragment of the Ten Commandments Tablet from my pocket and showed it to him.

“Will this be enough?”

“Oooh…!!”

Shangguan Hyuk reached out, but I pulled my hand back without giving it to him immediately. I then coldly stated,

“Let’s make the exchange terms clear.”

“That’s how it should be. If you hand that over to me, I will definitely inform you about the Liberation of the Seven Luminaries.”

“Not just that.”

I glared at him as I spoke.

“I went through an immense amount of trouble and effort to obtain this fragment. Therefore, if I hand over a treasure-level artifact to you, I have the right to know what you intend to do with it.”

Shangguan Hyuk’s expression grew strained.

“Must I really tell you that?”

“Oh, you don’t have to. Just know that if we don’t finalize this trade, it’s off.”

I intentionally took a strong stance. In reality, I was already aware of the Liberation of the Seven Luminaries, so there wasn’t much need to negotiate with Shangguan Hyuk. Seeing no tremor in my expression, he sighed softly.

“Just give me a moment to think.”

“Sure.”

After standing there for quite a while in thought, Shangguan Hyuk seemed to have made up his mind and spoke,

“Alright. I will tell you. The reason I need that treasure is to strengthen the seal.”

“The seal?”

“Yes. It is a burden my clan has carried since a long time ago…”

He sighed briefly and turned his back to me.

“Follow me, Dharma Guardian of the Thunder God Lineage, Baek Woong.”

I followed him as he headed toward the lower part of the Shangguan clan’s hall. On the first floor, Shangguan Hyuk entered a secret room and pressed a button on some contraption. With a mechanical whir and rumbling, the entire room began to shift. Soon, the sound of an entire room descending underground could be heard.

After a moment, we arrived underground, and the door of the mechanism opened. It seemed to be a unique apparatus for moving downwards. The underground space was brightly lit and very spacious.

‘There’s no presence.’

Around the area, there were many ominous, arcane patterns inscribed. Judging from the magical energy emanating from various spots, this place certainly appeared to be the stronghold of a Demon Sorcerer. After a short while, I followed Shangguan Hyuk and spotted a massive spiral machinery.

Chikking

Chikking

With a strange sound, a darkness the size of three mats pulsed like a heart, floating in the air. This darkness emitted a soft glow, and around it, dozens to hundreds of mechanical devices swirled and moved continuously. It looked as if the machines were dancing around the darkness as if powered by some infinite force.

The light created a membrane in the air like a disc, and rainbow-colored flashes created swirling vortices from time to time.

I stared at the machinery and asked,

“What is this? Can humans really create something like this?”

Shangguan Hyuk smirked and replied,

“It was made a thousand years ago during the Danya period. Of course, as you might have guessed, it’s not human technology…”

“I don’t understand. What do you mean it’s a seal? What is sealed in here?”

“……”

He hesitated for a moment before opening his mouth.

“What’s sealed inside are the scars of the past. As the clan leader of the Shangguan clan, I bear the duty to seal and maintain these torn wounds. However, due to the limitations of this seal, I require additional sealing.”

Shangguan Hyuk seemed to be avoiding direct explanations. It didn’t seem like he would divulge any information even with direct questioning, so I pondered for a moment and said,

“If I don’t give you the treasure, will this seal break soon?”

As I posed a probing question, Shangguan Hyuk responded,

“Not exactly. However, having the treasure would ensure that the seal could be maintained stably for at least another two hundred years.”

“Hmm. If you don’t clearly explain what is being sealed, then I won’t give you the treasure.”

“Ugh… Must I really tell you that?”

“Of course. If I give you that precious treasure, it would significantly enhance my sorcery. I can’t hand it over if I don’t know its purpose.”

Seeing my determination, Shangguan Hyuk gritted his teeth and said,

“… You must promise never to speak of what you learn here to anyone outside.”

“Of course.”

“This seal is a dimensional rift created by the aftermath of the Offering Ceremony a thousand years ago. When a colossal Divine Being was newly formed, the dimension was torn apart, causing the energies to spread throughout the world, leading to the birth of powerful monsters.”

He sighed resignedly.

“If this seal breaks, it will spell disaster. No one wishes for a rift to occur. That’s why I’m seeking the power of the treasure to strengthen the seal.”

“Hmm.”

A rift, huh?

As I tilted my head in confusion, Zhuge Sa spoke from within.

[That sounds about right. Just hand over the fragment.]

[Zhuge Sa, do you know something?]

[I have some guesses, but it’s not worth my attention right now. Hurry up and hand it over.]

[Understood.]

I handed the fragment of the Ten Commandments Tablet to Shangguan Hyuk. He received the fragment and wore a broad smile. Then he said,

“Thank you. This is undoubtedly a powerful treasure.”

“No need to thank me. It’s a transaction, after all. You’re now obliged to inform me about the Liberation of the Seven Luminaries.”

“Agreed. But first…”

Before finishing his sentence, Shangguan Hyuk chanted a spell while holding the fragment of the Ten Commandments Tablet. Upon completion of the incantation, he immediately threw the fragment into the sealing mechanism.

Kugugugu!!

Following that, the darkness writhing within the spiral machinery suddenly shrank massively. What was originally the size of three mats had now reduced to one. It seemed that the strength of the darkness had weakened as the seal was reinforced. Shangguan Hyuk sighed and said,

“With that, my task is complete!”

“Now tell me about the Liberation of the Seven Luminaries.”

“Let’s go back upstairs first.”

Kugukung…

I boarded the machinery once more, along with Shangguan Hyuk, and we rose back to the surface. We sat on the upper floor of the hall, gazing at the cityscape of Luoyang. Shangguan Hyuk placed a cup of tea on the table and began to speak.

“Baek Woong, did you know there are two ways to liberate the Seven Luminaries?”

“I don’t know well.”

I actually did, but I wanted to hear it properly from him. Shangguan Hyuk nodded, took a sip of tea, and said,

“One way is through slaughter, building power within the Seven Luminaries until, eventually, the seal breaks. However, this method also awakens the [Ancient Ruler] contracted with the Seven Luminaries, and the human soul will be devoured. It’s essentially a trap.”

“And the other?”

“The other method is to first seek permission from the Celestial Realm to obtain the authority of the Offering Ceremony, summon the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, be recognized by them as the master of the Seven Luminaries, and thereby liberate them. This way, the [Ancient Ruler] will be suppressed by the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, allowing you to safely become the master of the Seven Luminaries.”

“……”

“The Offering Ceremony is a ritual originating from the Heavenly Altar of the Five Great Mountains, summoning divine beings including the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors.”

This didn’t significantly differ from what I already knew.

‘Am I wasting my time?’

Just as I was inwardly disappointed, Shangguan Hyuk continued,

“You might be curious as to why the Offering Ceremony is necessary to gain the Seven Luminaries. It’s known that the first to conduct the Offering Ceremony was Qin Shi Huang.”

“Indeed. But what was the purpose of the Offering Ceremony?”

“That’s an ancient secret.”

Shangguan Hyuk replied.

“From the gods’ perspective, the Offering Ceremony is not particularly needed. It presents an opportunity to receive offerings from humans, but it could be taken or left alone. They do not mind not being served by humanity. Yet, there is a reason to forge a contract with humans and fulfill their wishes.”

“Hmm…?”

“Emperor Gong Sun Xuanwen simply likes humans.”

This was a perspective I hadn’t even heard from Mangnyang. I recalled the information Mangnyang had shared about the Offering Ceremony in my memory.

[Consider this. Why did the ancient people thousands of years ago relate the territory of the Nine Regions, that even encompassed the Four Barbarians, to the constellations?]

[The fields defined in the Nine Regions were the dominions allocated to the [Ancient Rulers] of primordial times. Within that realm, they ruled as true gods, reigning over the primordial humans as dark myths. This too is a secret that the Celestial Realm wishes to hide from the humans of the earth, as it reveals the existence of the [Ancient Rulers], which they so desperately want to keep concealed.]

[To gain dominance and auspices over the Nine Regions through the Offering Ceremony means becoming the sovereign of the world, while also becoming a priest bridging the divine and human realms.]

[By offering abundant sacrifices to the [Ancient Rulers] and receiving promises of peace in the world, one simultaneously gains the magic of immortality and power… It’s no wonder Qin Shi Huang and later emperors would be so eager.]

Mangnyang’s words were accurate. He had provided the majority of the explanation regarding how offering sacrifices to gods for power through the Offering Ceremony worked, so I hadn’t thought much deeper. From the viewpoint of opposing the [Ancient Rulers], I merely thought to myself, “Damn those bastards.”

However, why is Emperor Gong Sun Xuanwen brought up? This seemed to focus more on why the gods would willingly accept the Offering Ceremony, which was different from Mangnyang’s perspective.

I felt dumbfounded.

The Taoist Shangguan Hyuk – one of the Five Great Physicians of the world, a Demon Sorcerer, and the clan leader of the Shangguan clan!

What on earth was he thinking?

I regarded him with suspicion.

“I can’t believe this. How do you know so much in detail about the Seven Luminaries?”

“……”

When I pressed, Shangguan Hyuk calmly replied,

“Because I am the clan leader of the Shangguan clan.”

“What do you mean?”

“A thousand years ago, it was my clan’s founder, Shangguan Wanya, who assisted Empress Wu Zetian in conducting the Offering Ceremony. My clan presided over the ritual to elevate humans to divine status, and we have passed down that secret for a thousand years, which means we are more knowledgeable about the Offering Ceremony and the Seven Luminaries than anyone else.”

Then, Shangguan Hyuk continued,

“The Emperor desires human existence, and thus the human world endures while the Celestial Realm is caught in the contradictions of the Offering Ceremony that they reluctantly accept. Moreover, it was the Emperor’s confidant, Emperor Changqie, who devised that system.”

“A system?”

“Therefore, if you wish to fundamentally change the Offering Ceremony as the master of the Seven Luminaries…”

Shangguan Hyuk’s eyes gleamed.

“You must investigate and approach the Emperor and Emperor Changqie.”

I retorted bluntly,

“Why would I want to change the Offering Ceremony?”

“Ah… I mean, I think you would.”

Shangguan Hyuk smiled bitterly.

“I have inherited my clan’s knowledge since my youth and pondered it for decades. Figuring out how inefficient and arduous it is to find each of the Seven Luminaries and gain permission from the Celestial Realm to liberate them… Everyone realizes it is something the Celestial Realm themselves dislike, yet they leave it as it is for the mere reason of it being an ancient ceremony.”

“Hmm.”

I certainly hadn’t thought of it that way. Eventually, Shangguan Hyuk spoke,

“In my opinion, to simply liberate the Seven Luminaries, you must find Emperor Changqie. He was the one who proposed and established the Offering Ceremony.”

“But isn’t Emperor Changqie a being of divine rank right below the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors? How would I find him?”

My words were a perfectly reasonable question. Shangguan Hyuk said,

“Baek Woong, have you heard the ancient tale of when Emperor Changqie invented writing?”

“What an odd question.”

“At the moment writing was invented, all humans wept, and even the spirits were struck with awe, heralding calamities to come. The fact that Emperor Changqie made writing manifests that it wasn’t a fortunate occurrence; it was a dreadfully ominous disaster. And through the merit of inventing writing, he succeeded in becoming the Emperor’s closest confidant.”

“Hmm.”

“This is proof that he was a personification of immense ambition for power.”

Shangguan Hyuk continued calmly,

“He is known by the title the History Emperor, originally a human, and a legendary figure who achieved divine rank. Thus, my clan’s founder, Shangguan Wanya, is convinced that Emperor Changqie continues to send his avatar into the human world to surveil, as the current realm created by him is akin to his artwork.”

I retorted in confusion,

“What kind of god would do that? Even from the Celestial Realm looking down from above would be insufficient…”

“I don’t know either. Anyway, the conclusion we reached in our Shangguan clan to facilitate the Offering Ceremony is to contact Emperor Changqie’s avatar and coordinate the process of the Offering Ceremony. It is utterly impossible under the current frustrating system.”

After hearing more about the Seven Luminaries and the Offering Ceremony from Shangguan Hyuk, I made my exit. My mind was not settled, so I climbed a nearby hill to find tranquility, and at that moment, Zhuge Sa spoke to me.

[So it’s not completely fruitless.]

Since it was a deserted hill, I muttered,

“Finding Emperor Changqie’s avatar sounds far-fetched.”

[I don’t know either.]

“It’s odd to hear that even you don’t know something.”

Zhuge Sa stated firmly,

[The relationship between ancient secrets and Taoist divine ranks is not my specialty. It would require an excessive amount of reading and research skills. You need to find someone else who can grasp this.]

At that moment, a particular individual popped into my head. So I spoke aloud,

“Mangnyang.”

[Right. He’s the only one. He can interpret ancient oracle bone script with mere knowledge from books, something that no one else can accomplish.]

I found myself missing Mangnyang more than ever. Though it hadn’t been long since we parted, I gradually felt his absence. Would it have been better if I could seek advice from both Zhuge Sa and Mangnyang? But right now, Mangnyang was in training to build up his power, so it wasn’t an option.

I shook off the thoughts and stood up.

“Alright. I’ve settled my mind now.”

[It sure took a long time to organize your thoughts. You really dislike dying, don’t you?]

“Well, I’ll say I have no regrets if I die.”

[Hahaha…]

Zhuge Sa laughed at me, but I ignored it. Then, I looked up at the sky.

“It’s time to test if my words can reach the Master.”