Reincarnation Sword God

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00421 Celestial Realm ————————————————————————

Thunder God Lineage?

I felt a sense of confusion. The one currently manipulating the Thunder God Lineage must be Lee Cheong-un, resurrected by the power of reversal. If that’s the case, it’s highly likely that the Thunder God Lineage is involved due to either Lee Kwang or Jin So-cheong. However, I chose not to mention this and calmly said,

“Please tell me what has happened.”

Dokgo Jun spoke with difficulty.

[Huashan Sect, Hengshan Sect, and Zhenchang Sect were easily suppressed. Especially the Hengshan Sect, as they recently reported that their leader went missing, making them easier to break. But the Kappa Alliance has disappeared along with its executives, so we haven’t found them yet, and the problem arose with the Wudang Sect.]

“The Wudang Sect?”

[I sent Dokgo Woo, our elder, to suppress the Wudang Sect, but he was defeated by Jin So-cheong from the Thunder God Lineage. It hasn’t been long since I heard that news, so I planned to report first and then reorganize our forces to head towards the Wudang Sect.]

“……”

Dokgo Woo was defeated by Jin So-cheong!

That fact meant a lot. It indicated that even though I had just started this reincarnation, Jin So-cheong had become strong enough to overcome the owner of the Heavenly Spirit Pill. Given that Elder Dokgo Woo was practically at the Dharma Guardian level, it’s not an exaggeration to say that Jin So-cheong’s martial prowess had multiplied several-fold.

‘If he can defeat the owner of the Heavenly Spirit Pill despite not owning it… that means there is a huge gap in martial arts levels.’

The basic strategy of the Heavenly Spirit Pill relies on drawing upon infinite internal power to dominate the battlefield, but beyond peak experts, an intent martial arts can possess divine techniques that can shatter infinite internal power in an instant. Jin So-cheong must have reached that level of absolute realm.

As I contemplated Jin So-cheong’s martial prowess, I turned my head towards Han Baek-ryeong.

“How about over there?”

Han Baek-ryeong hesitated for a moment before replying. It seemed they had adapted to the difference in status as they used respectful language.

“Lee Kwang and Gyeok-ho have intervened. Lee Kwang is a disciple of the previous Thunder God lineage master, and Gyeok-ho is a disciple of the Thunder God lineage.”

Of course, I already knew that, and no one in the world would know that fact better than I do. However, while I had anticipated Lee Kwang’s involvement, I was caught off guard by Gyeok-ho’s mention, so my eyebrows twitched. I asked just in case.

“Could it be that they got stuck in the Huashan Sect suppression battle?”

“No, the Huashan Sect’s leader Yong Junil and the Four Great Elders vanished early on. Lee Kwang and Gyeok-ho appeared in the Zhongnan Sect and attacked the Fire Spirit lineage elders, but their strength was unexpectedly strong, so they withdrew for now. The Sect Leader’s order for non-lethal measures also played a big part…”

“The Zhongnan Sect…”

I could guess. If the Fire Spirit lineage and Dharma Protectors had their power, the remaining three sects of the Nine Great Sects would have been easily subdued, but since the Huashan Sect disappeared, they must have been blocked at the Zhongnan Sect.

‘Zhongnan Sect’s leader Yeon Jeong-hong is a close friend of Lee Kwang. It seems Lee Kwang stepped in to assist him.’

While sorting my thoughts, I suddenly understood what was happening.

‘Lee Cheong-un has gone ahead!’

Lee Cheong-un, having read all the information I had transferred to him at the end, must have sensed that the White Lotus Sect was preparing to move against the Nine Great Sects. This was possible because he had information regarding the Heavenly Altar of Mount Tai. Once the White Lotus Sect occupied Luoyang, he would have been keeping an eye on the movements of the Nine Great Sects and decided to rescue the closest and most important side first.

But I couldn’t figure out Lee Cheong-un’s thoughts clearly.

As the master of the Thunder God lineage, he must have passed on his martial arts to Jin So-cheong, Lee Kwang, and Gyeok-ho to strengthen them. And now he had been cooped up in the Azure Dragon Martial Arts School until he finally came out to confront the White Lotus Sect, but it felt oddly out of place to me. I decided to ask the two Dharma Protectors just in case.

“So what about our side’s casualties?”

The two responded.

[Dokgo Woo lost one arm, and two elders sustained minor injuries.]

“I assumed there would be significant damage on both sides, hence the retreat.”

“……”

As expected. The Fire Spirit lineage side, with Han Baek-ryeong and Lee Kwang already acquainted, likely avoided extreme conflict. However, if Jin So-cheong stood in their way without previous knowledge, he would not hold back. Given Jin So-cheong’s character, it would be normal for him to try and kill a potential future formidable enemy like the Wudang sect elder. However, despite being ahead in martial prowess, Jin So-cheong only severed Dokgo Woo’s arm and then let him go.

‘The Thunder God lineage doesn’t seem to genuinely want to become enemies with the White Lotus Sect. Could it be…’

I had a premonition of something and stood up from my seat. I then said to the Dharma Protectors,

“I’ll investigate that matter. Delay the suppression of the Nine Great Sects for now.”

[Until when will this be?]

“I’ll issue further orders.”

[Understood.]

As the Dharma Protectors withdrew, I approached the Zhuge Clan.

[Zhuge Clan. Do you think my speculation is correct?]

[Hehe. It seems you’ve grown to think fairly well following me. It’s not an incorrect assumption.]

Zhuge Clan chuckled as he continued.

[Lee Cheong-un wants to talk to you. It’s your choice whether to follow his bait or not. Well, considering his mind technique isn’t ordinary, in this situation, you’ll have no choice but to follow.]

It seemed that was the case. Given that I might not know when I would visit the Thunder God lineage again, it was undoubtedly an action to draw my attention by interfering with the White Lotus Sect.

[Is Lee Cheong-un trying to kill me?]

[Hehe. That might be the case, but if I were him, I wouldn’t do that.]

[Why?]

[I believe Lee Cheong-un hasn’t built up enough power to kill the sect leader yet. Trying to carelessly kill you, who could play a crucial role in a significant situation as a last resort, would be reckless. He’d likely want to negotiate some sort of deal with you.]

[Do you have any idea what kind of negotiation this might be?]

[……]

[Zhuge Clan?]

As I called for Zhuge Clan, he said,

[You need to be cautious about this meeting.]

[Hmm…]

[Lee Cheong-un is by no means a trivial opponent. He hasn’t acted carelessly due to your absurd advantage, but he has a few hundred crafty tricks up his sleeve. Even if he doesn’t kill you, he’ll undoubtedly employ whatever means necessary to manipulate you as he wishes.]

Zhuge Clan’s words made perfect sense. Up until now, he had been utilizing me as a double agent to monitor the sect leader’s movements, but the time for the heavenly sovereign plan to be set in motion was approaching. Even if I hadn’t revealed the heavenly sovereign plan to Lee Cheong-un yet, he might have found out on his own. Therefore, it was glaringly obvious that he would try to get his hands on me to cope with the rapidly changing situation.

However, that was a very troubling matter. If I went to meet him in a one-on-one, the likelihood of being subdued in an instant due to the Thunder Spirit Technique was exceedingly high. If I could use the Moon Sovereign to amplify my potential, there might be some resistance, but I couldn’t guarantee escaping from the Thunder Spirit Technique.

Yet, bringing the Dharma Protectors along would mean that no one beneath the sect leader would be able to withstand Lee Cheong-un. Having heard tales of how Dokgo Jun was rendered powerless before, I already knew that Lee Cheong-un’s martial power was off the charts.

Ultimately, the better option seemed to be to bring the sect leader directly and let him subdue Lee Cheong-un. The sect leader should be able to defeat Lee Cheong-un. However, in this case, it would completely block all other possibilities that Lee Cheong-un might possess. Additionally, if Lee Cheong-un were to be subdued, it might later become impossible to restrain the sect leader’s rampage.

Lee Cheong-un must also be considering my potential to bring the sect leader, yet he still took the initiative to take such direct action, which was concerning. It felt as if Lee Cheong-un was very determined to meet me, even risking a gamble.

“……”

Truly, he was an exasperating opponent. I began to question whether reviving Lee Cheong-un in this life had been a mistake. Wasn’t it precisely because it had come to this that even the sect leader in his prime had cautiously dealt with the Thunder God lineage? As I pondered, Zhuge Clan said,

[Think carefully. The timing for you to go meet Lee Cheong-un is something you can choose. But undoubtedly, that will be a significant choice. The Thunder God lineage could bring you enormous benefits, or it could result in immense losses. If not careful, it could even lead to losing the majority of the 49 days.]

“Ugh…”

This was truly difficult. Honestly, just fighting with my life on the line seemed much simpler. Where could I find such a challenging dilemma? I groaned in my room for a long while before arriving at a conclusion.

“Damn! If I might die, I need to gather as much information as possible before that! I’m going to see the Prophet!”

[Huh?!]

Zhuge Clan looked momentarily bewildered. Without bothering to deliberate, I summoned the Four Great Spirits and set off for the Great Temple where the Prophet was.

[What brings you here again… Want to negotiate once more?]

As the Prophet appeared with a sly smile, I spoke up.

“Prophet! Are you aware that a Heavenly Altar is about to descend through the Heavenly Ladder in the human world?”

[Of course… That’s why I’ve been evacuating my tribe…]

“Huh? Evacuating?”

The Prophet responded as if asking why I questioned the obvious.

[Once that event starts, the plan of the Celestial Realm will be activated centuries ahead… Then my kin, living on the surface under the name of Zhuyong Tribe, could be in danger… Naturally, as a king, I’m bound to lead them to safety…]

“Damn… I’m trying to stop that heavenly sovereign plan right now.”

[You’re trying to stop it…? How?]

I spoke confidently.

“I came to ask how to do that. How about this as a condition for negotiation?”

Swish!

I pulled out the sacred relic. Upon seeing the sacred relic tablet, the Prophet appeared quite surprised.

[Oh… That’s… A fragment of the Ten Commandments Tablet, Tabot.]

“Tabot?”

It seemed he recognized the name of the sacred relic. The Prophet continued speaking.

[That relic retains the spirit of the stars intact. Once the fragments gather and restore to their complete form, a tremendous artifact with enormous power will be completed. For any religion or monsters serving the [Ancient Ruler], it is a priceless treasure… With that, I could be inclined to fulfill quite a few requests.]

“Hmmm.”

The sacred relic I obtained from the Arasa Empire seemed to hold greater value than I initially thought. I looked down at the sacred relic Tabot with newfound appreciation and then presented it to him.

“Anyway, I want to know how to stop the heavenly sovereign plan in exchange for this. Is that possible?”

[……]

The Prophet had a contemplative expression. After some time, he said,

[I want to know more about the circumstances… The memories of the Obsidian.]

“Ah.”

I took out the Obsidian and transferred the memories of all that had transpired up to that moment. After a while of reading the memories, the Prophet said,

[As I mentioned, a plan once initiated by the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors can never be reversed… They will review it for 49 days, but that’s merely a formality… It’s uncertain whether the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors even exist in the Celestial Realm right now… Even if they were to achieve some merit, there is no way to stop the plan… However, there is just one way.]

“If there is…”

I was left speechless by the following words of the Prophet.

[To ascend directly to the Celestial Realm and explain to the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors why the descent of the Heavenly Ladder is unjust, and persuade them to cease the plan… After all, the decision ultimately lies with the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors…]

“……”

[This is the only method…]

I was dumbfounded and retorted,

“Are you kidding?! If I went to the Celestial Realm now, well, I don’t even know how to get there, but anyway, I’d be dead! I’ve already mocked the Southern Flower Immortal; I’ve been marked by the Celestial Realm.”

[That’s something you’ll have to deal with…]

“And according to Cheon Woo-jin, there’s a possibility I could raise a petition to the Celestial Realm to stop it…”

At that moment, the Prophet laughed.

[Hmph… A petition to the Celestial Realm… You really don’t understand the situation at all.]

“What?”

[The plan to descend the Heavenly Ladder… Even within the Celestial Realm, it’s like an adventure. The Celestial Realm has a plan in place to prepare for the upcoming ending in 500 years, but… the disaster caused by the descent of the Heavenly Sovereign is unknown even to them. Therefore, they must approach this situation with great caution… Yet, the rapid decision to move ahead with the descent means… there is a hidden force within the Celestial Realm…]

“……!!”

[You’ve mentioned it before… That you find Tai Xu and the Queen Mother of the West suspicious… If they desire to annihilate the human realm… what significance would a petition to the Heavenly Altar hold? Those beings have reached the pinnacle of the Celestial Realm, except for the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors.]

That was true.

The Prophet’s logically coherent words struck me hard.

‘Now that I think about it, Ji Seon Mang-nyang also displayed great wariness toward the hidden forces within the Celestial Realm.’

As a disciple of the Heavenly Mysterious Woman, she tried to uncover the forces operating in the Celestial Realm but ultimately failed. The enemy’s power was so overwhelming that she passed her knowledge to me before her demise. If the plan to descend the Heavenly Sovereign accelerated due to that hidden force, then the petition suggestion from Cheon Woo-jin and Shin Seung would be utterly useless.

I began to contemplate more cautiously before saying,

“Could we hold an offering ceremony at the Heavenly Altar and request the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors’ presence?”

This suggestion felt much more realistic to me, but the Prophet replied as if it were ridiculous.

[Do you think the offering ceremony can be held whenever one feels like it? It requires the order, rights, qualifications, and auspicious moments… Since you think it was effortless due to the assistance of the Illusory God Cheon Woo-jin… Otherwise, it cannot be carried out without his help… Moreover, Cheon Woo-jin is currently immersed in a state of extreme concentration due to the restoration of the Heavenly Altar of Mount Tai…]

“……”

[In the case of proposing to the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors through an offering ceremony, you would have to attempt it at least one month later…]

I instinctively felt that something was off concerning the order.

‘If I had known this would happen, I should have visited the Prophet first.’

Then I could have tried the offering ceremony right away, saving as much time as possible. However, Cheon Woo-jin was currently cut off from all access, using all his abilities and focus to restore the Heavenly Altar of Mount Tai. Without his help, I would have no choice but to sit idly by for nearly a month.

Then the Prophet subtly added,

[However… if you were to give me both the bracelet and the sacred relic… I would be willing to assist with the offering ceremony in your place.]

“Really?!”

[Indeed… I’m also looking forward to meeting the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors after a long time…]

An unexpected proposal!

I hurriedly asked Zhuge Clan,

[Zhuge Clan! What do you think?]

Zhuge Clan seemed astonished and replied,

[Hey, what’s the basis for that?]

[Huh?]

[Baek Woong, you were restlessly fidgeting without a single thought, and suddenly decided to search for the Prophet. How could that leap of thought be followed without any basis?]

Oh? Indeed, hearing Zhuge Clan’s words made me feel that way.

I scratched my head and answered,

[It just felt like it…]

[Be more certain about that.]

[Since I might die anyway, I thought I should gather whatever information I can before I go…]

[……]

Zhuge Clan, who had been silent in astonishment, suddenly burst into laughter.

[Hahaha!! If you think of it as an assumption of dying, it all makes sense! You truly are a reincarnator.]

[Is it really that strange?]

After a moment, Zhuge Clan stopped laughing and said,

[Go ahead. It won’t do any harm.]

[Alright.]

Finally, I removed the bracelet I had been wearing and handed it over along with the sacred relic to the Prophet. The moment the Prophet received the bracelet and the sacred relic, he seemed genuinely thrilled and wiggled his tentacles for a moment. Then he smiled broadly and said,

[You’re such a good customer…]

“Huh?”

The Prophet hastily withdrew his words.

[I think I said something I shouldn’t have out of gratitude. Now, let’s go.]

“……”

I felt as if I had heard something bad, but I decided not to dwell on it.