Reincarnation Sword God

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00412 Celestial Realm ————————————————————————

The sect leader had not shown up for the Seven Great Techniques Research Meeting after that and entered a time of solitary meditation. It was closed training, and during this time, the Dharma Protectors focused on assisting the stability of Luoyang’s peace and expanding the influence of the White Lotus Sect.

And before the leader went into seclusion, I received a separate command from him.

[Bae Woong. I need to grasp my enlightenment. Before I break my seclusion, I have to accomplish something important once again.]

The leader, who called me aside, spoke gravely.

“What more could it be…?”

[You mentioned before that a guy named Zhuque stole the secrets of the Celestial Realm through the Heavenly Altar.]

That was something I had to explain to him while detailing how Zhuque was eliminated, so I had no choice but to tell the leader about it. I nodded.

“That’s right.”

[We too can eavesdrop on their plans like Zhuque did.]

“Zhuque has already been caught eavesdropping, so the Celestial Realm will probably block most of it.”

The leader shook his head.

[If you hadn’t blabbed, wouldn’t those idiots have even been aware? I’m certain the Celestial Realm will expose vulnerabilities again.]

I responded incredulously,

“That’s impossible. I can’t be so sure about that. Why…”

[The Celestial Realm is arrogant.]

The leader stated firmly, his emotions rising like boiling water.

[They’ve taken on the position of humanity’s overseer and have left many loopholes on the ground. I realized that more intensely while fighting against the Southern Flower Immortal. My feelings are never in vain. The Celestial Realm doesn’t think it will suffer from the same weakness twice.]

“……”

Could it really be so?

[Bae Woong. Quickly overpower the Heavenly Altar of the Five Great Mountains and find out the secrets of the Celestial Realm through there.]

“No matter how you put it… it’s a difficult task.”

I expressed my difficulties. If something went wrong and the Celestial Realm judged me as a heinous criminal, they would chase me down until death. It was still a precarious situation, and I had no reason to take such a risk. Then the leader chuckled lightly.

[Don’t you know it’s already spilled water? The Celestial Realm will attack our White Lotus Sect with far greater force than the Southern Flower Immortal. Realize that if you don’t struggle with all your might, you too won’t survive.]

“Hmm…”

[I will grant you the authority to use all of Su Shin Sect’s power. I expect great things.]

After the leader entered his seclusion, I started consulting with Zhuge Sa. This plan was something I had never thought of before, so I needed Zhuge Sa’s wisdom.

“What should we do?”

Zhuge Sa casually replied.

[Just do it. Is this really something to be troubled about?]

I rested my chin on my hand and muttered.

“Overpowering the Five Great Mountains means directly confronting the Nine Great Sects. Is that an easy decision?”

That’s right. Setting aside the aftermath from the Celestial Realm, the Five Great Mountains consisted of Mount Tai, Mount Hua, Mount Heng, Mount Huang, and Mount Song. Aside from Mount Tai and Mount Huang, the other three were bases of the Nine Great Sects, with the Huashan Sect being particularly noted as a prestigious lineage. Additionally, the Hengshan Sect was famous for its Fast Sword, and the Songshan held the Shaolin Temple, where the Master of Zen resided.

Zhuge Sa then chuckled.

[Who cares if a few old-timers from the Nine Great Sects die? What good do they do for the world as long as they are alive?]

“What are you saying?”

[Please stop pretending to be righteous. Don’t you realize that the Celestial Realm and the White Lotus Sect are on the verge of an all-or-nothing clash? Are you really in a position to care about others when you can’t even manage your own affairs? Getting intel from the Celestial Realm is something you must challenge, whether you succeed or fail.]

“But they are innocent.”

Zhuge Sa sneered.

[The crimes of the Nine Great Sects? Their sins are twofold! The sin of having no power. And the sin of holding their heads high despite their weakness!]

“This bastard…”

I paused at Zhuge Sa’s continuation.

[If it were Lee Kwang, he would have swept them away without hesitation. While you are here fretting, he would have wiped them all out and made the Master of the Teng Yu Alliance kneel, obtaining a written agreement for their eternal subjugation to the White Lotus Sect.]

“……”

[You are hesitating for no reason. Do you really have the desire to bend the gods?]

I gritted my teeth.

“No! This is definitely a different matter!”

[How is it different?]

I expressed my true feelings that I had kept in my heart. It was a sense of intuition that I could only engage genuinely because Zhuge Sa had struck the core directly.

“This choice isn’t for others, but for myself. So, I can’t choose easily!”

[… What are you talking about?]

Zhuge Sa seemed flustered. I continued,

“In my previous lives, I realized that human life isn’t so precious! Mangnyang restrained me, but I subconsciously chose for him to guide me because it was necessary.”

[……]

“As you say, humans might be trash. I often think that way too. But if I just kill and discard them like trash or toys, then what happens to me? How would I know what I need to protect in this world?”

[Hmm…]

“If that is the case, I don’t need to reincarnate anymore.”

I clenched my fists.

“So, regardless of what you say, I must maintain my humanity to the maximum! Because I need to endure!”

If I were to kill everything that got in my way and act without any consideration, it would be much easier. Just looking at the significant achievements I obtained in this lifetime with Zhuge Sa compared to the previous one with Mangnyang is proof of that. But I didn’t think Mangnyang’s abilities were inferior to Zhuge Sa’s. Because walking the righteous path has its own significance as well.

[……]

Zhuge Sa remained silent for quite some time. His silence felt unusually extended, the longest I had experienced during our time together. Amidst this prolonged silence, Zhuge Sa abruptly spoke up.

[Why do you endure? During such a long pain and patience.]

“You said it yourself. Because I have to defeat the gods.”

[Do you really believe that? In your reincarnation, do you think you can destroy the Evil God and restore order to the world?]

I nodded.

“Of course!”

Zhuge Sa could not hide his surprise.

[How can you maintain such conviction? You were originally a clueless nobody without anything. Even now, you likely have no clear reason to fight the gods, so what’s driving you to push forward unshaken?]

“Didn’t you see all my memories?”

[Answer the question.]

What’s wrong with this guy?

I tilted my head but quickly answered,

“I’m grateful for my life.”

[… What?]

I answered confidently.

“It was a life full of regrets, but just living once more is something to be thankful for. And having the Heavenly Secret means I can continue to reincarnate, which is the best! Until now, I have yet to find a reason why I should be defeated.”

[……]

Zhuge Sa hesitated. It seemed he was so stunned that he was stammering.

[You’re not unhappy to be crawling back up like trash? You’ve died 18 times already. The pain you’ve experienced has gone far beyond what an average person endures in a lifetime. Ordinary people never despair as much as you do.]

I responded in confusion.

“What do you mean I’m unhappy? I’m not finished. I’m not done, so I’m not unhappy.”

[Uh…]

“Before I end, the gods will perish first.”

As I answered firmly, Zhuge Sa was taken aback.

[Do you truly, really think that?]

“Why are you acting like this today? That’s what I think.”

Suddenly, Zhuge Sa exploded in anger.

[You damn fool! Do you know what an [Ancient Ruler] is? The power you’ve seen from the rulers up to now is merely the tip of the iceberg! You intend to sincerely fight against those who treat the whole world like a toy?]

“What are you saying? Haven’t you been helping me for that very reason…?”

[Hehe… hehe…]

Zhuge Sa, who was flabbergasted, burst into maniacal laughter.

[Hahahahahaha……!!!]

There was a genuine madness underlying that laughter. It was not an act of insanity; rather, it was a mixture of the dark thoughts and vicious cruelty he had been harboring. In that moment, I felt just how corrupt the madness dwelling within Zhuge Sa’s soul was, and I shuddered. Even the worst villains in the world would struggle to withstand the craziness of Zhuge Sa.

[This truly is the purest idiot I’ve ever met. Really…]

Zhuge Sa muttered and continued.

[Alright. Let’s do it that way.]

“Do you understand?”

Zhuge Sa retorted in an unusually grim voice.

[Shut up. I’ll craft a strategy to your liking, so let’s do that.]

“… Ah, I got it.”

This guy has changed the atmosphere somehow?

I sensed a sense of discomfort, but I couldn’t figure out why Zhuge Sa suddenly had a change of heart. Zhuge Sa continued speaking.

[As I said before, overpowering the Nine Great Sects is not a problem. You can do as you like regarding the Nine Great Sects. The important thing is to find out how to eavesdrop on the secrets of the Celestial Realm from the Heavenly Altar.]

“That’s the problem…”

[Only two people know this. Zhuge Yulong and Zhuge Bu. However, Zhuge Yulong’s soul is sealed in the Celestial Realm, and Zhuge Bu’s soul cannot use the Heavenly Secret Technique since you’ve used it once.]

“Hmmm.”

This was the weakness of the Heavenly Secret Technique. No matter how powerful a spirit was, it could only be called again after a year had passed since the last summoning. So, for the next year, I would not be able to issue commands to Zhuge Bu’s soul.

[However, there is one more person who knows something.]

I perked up.

“Who is it?”

[There’s only one human who knows about the Heavenly Altar well. Who could it be?]

I pondered deeply but couldn’t quite figure it out. As I hesitated, Zhuge Sa spoke up.

[All the other Four Evils’ Heavenly Altars have either lost their meaning or have become unmanageable, or they have turned into shelters for fake masters or sorcerers. But only the one Heavenly Altar has remained intact and well-preserved.]

I suddenly realized.

“Songshan! Master Myung-ho!”

[Now you understand?]

That’s right.

Master Myung-ho!

The strongest expert of the current Shaolin Temple and the individual with the highest inner power among the martial arts community, excluding Dharma Protectors! He had previously guided me and explained the Heavenly Altar when I sought it out. He was also quite related to Lee Kwang and Jin So-cheong. Surely there was a high probability that he knew how to operate the Heavenly Altar.

“But what he knows is about offering tributes at the Heavenly Altar, right? Zhuque stole from the Heavenly Altar, so Master Myung-ho might not know…”

[You’re half right and half wrong. Master Myung-ho does not strictly follow the will of the Celestial Realm but rather follows Master Mangnyang. He reveres Master Mangnyang, who directly protects humanity, over the haughty Celestial Realm, using the blessing of Great Creation to grow. Do you think he would simply guard the Heavenly Altar?]

“……!!”

[Do you think it’s a coincidence that the Shaolin Temple hasn’t suffered much through countless disasters during your previous lifetimes? Most likely, Master Myung-ho used some means to hear information beforehand and avoid trouble.]

Could that be?!

While I was shocked, Zhuge Sa spoke again.

[Move quickly. You must finish this before Miyamoto Musashi arrives with his answer from the Master of the Twelve Joules!]