Reincarnation Sword God

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00429 Celestial Realm ————————————————————————=

After listening to Lee Cheong-un’s research results on the Thunder God Lineage for about six days, I was finally able to move. Initially, Lee Cheong-un had estimated it would take two days, but due to my dull talents, plus the fact that once he started sharing, there was far more for him to explain.

During that time, I stayed and ate at the Zhongnan Sect, learning and training alongside the experts of the Thunder God Lineage. I trained in forms, learned theories, and continuously observed the mysteries that Lee Cheong-un personally demonstrated. Even if I couldn’t immediately master them, just knowing about them was a form of study.

On the last day, Lee Cheong-un said, “Thus I have taught you all eight potential aspects of the Seven Great Techniques that we have researched, Baek Woong.”

“Thank you.”

Lee Cheong-un chuckled softly. “Well, it would be unreasonable for you to grasp all of this in a short time. But if in your next life you continue honing these skills, the knowledge and experience you have now will greatly assist you.”

“That’s probably true.”

“If you can refine all eight derived mysteries of the Seven Great Techniques to a practical level, the Peerless Technique will undoubtedly become noticeable.”

In this hut, it was just Lee Cheong-un and me. He spoke to me in a subtle voice. “… So, don’t harbor too much hatred for the Thunder God Lineage. They don’t hate you, Baek Woong.”

I forced a smile. “I’m trying to.”

“You and Lee Kwang share an unpleasant bond. That malice can only be resolved between the parties involved… So I didn’t immaturely try to reconcile you two. However, I hope you will remember that human beings can change in some way while living, regardless of how things may be resolved in future lives.”

“……”

“The fact that I died suddenly led to Gwang Ah’s character becoming quite narrow-minded. The unexpected misfortunes in his life broke the character of a great hero like him. He was repeatedly swept away by the justification of revenge while compromising with reality, so how could he be generous… I feel it’s a part you should come to understand.”

I was unable to easily agree with his words. Shaking my head, I replied, “That’s that, and this is this. If he were a true great hero, he wouldn’t have been broken by such harsh adversity and would have pushed forward with his own will. Because of that, there’s no way I can excuse him.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. Regardless of how Lee Kwang is in this life, I will definitely settle that debt properly.”

It was just that there were so many pressing matters piled up that I had set aside their priority. As I stood my ground, Lee Cheong-un sighed.

“I understand. So what are you thinking to do now?”

“Time has been significantly delayed. There is now less than a month left. I intend to gather enough offerings and directly challenge the Great Luck of the Heavenly Ruler of Tai Xu.”

“The problem is Cheon Woo-jin. Has he recovered?”

I flinched. In fact, I was feeling anxious about that, which is why I had decided to efficiently wait while receiving Lee Cheong-un’s martial arts teachings. After pondering carefully, I spoke.

“I suppose I have no choice but to go with Mangnyang.”

“Just in case, I will also go. If there happens to be an unexpected formidable opponent, I will handle it.”

“Thank you.”

Pa-at!

With Lee Cheong-un and Mangnyang, I arrived at the Heavenly Altar of Mount Tai riding the Four Great Spirits. And upon our arrival, we were astonished.

Whooooo—

The gloomy and chaotic phenomenon that resembled a hideout of the Demon Path had been completely arranged, giving off a divine aura like a temple. The corpses that had been scattered all around were now all buried in a communal grave, and I could feel that the spirits were purifying the pains they had experienced in life. In other words, it had transformed into a sacred land where one felt at ease just standing there.

Mangnyang looked around, mumbling, “Perfect. Truly, my master.”

“Where is Cheon Woo-jin?”

Cheon Woo-jin’s irritable voice came from a distance.

“Here.”

“Cheon Woo-jin!”

What walked out of a nearby cave was the Illusory God, Cheon Woo-jin. His face brightened considerably as he looked over at Mangnyang, who studied him with a slightly annoyed expression.

“Oh, older brother! You’re here.”

Mangnyang smiled brightly. “It’s been a while, my disciple.”

“Where have you been?”

“I was studying at Mount Kunlun after breaking through the Celestial Realm’s gateway.”

“It would have been nice if you had also taken up the Earth Immortal title while you were down.”

“I wanted to, but the situation on the ground changed rapidly…”

As Mangnyang was sharing his experiences, he glanced at the Heavenly Altar.

“You’ve really restored the Heavenly Altar of Mount Tai in such a short time. This is a feat that will go down in history. Truly, my disciple, you can be called the strongest sorcerer in the mortal realm.”

Then Cheon Woo-jin replied, ostensibly trying to hide his good mood with a deliberately blunt response. “Well… this much is expected.”

At that moment, Lee Cheong-un, who had been observing the situation, stepped forward to assert his authority.

“Nice to see you, Cheon Woo-jin. I am Lee Cheong-un, a practitioner of the Thunder God Lineage.”

“I’ve heard about you. Nice to meet you.”

“May I take the liberty to explain what has happened in your absence on behalf of Baek Woong?”

Cheon Woo-jin looked at him with evident surprise. “That’s fine, but why?”

“It seems when you’re talking with Baek Woong, you get unnecessarily tense.”

“Hmph…”

After a while, once Lee Cheong-un finished sharing what had happened and the ritual held for the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, as well as the training I had done with the Thunder God Lineage, Cheon Woo-jin frowned as if he found it troublesome.

“Prophet, that bastard must have distorted the laws of cause and effect terribly. He’s a being that commands magic instead of sorcery, so it’s likely messed up even worse. Based on his claims, this ritual will be extremely dangerous to execute again.”

“Is there any way to avoid it?”

“Well… I can’t assure you of that. In a way, it might be meaningless.”

“Meaningless?”

“Since the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors are inherently unpredictable beings, I can’t guarantee success regardless of any restrictions. They definitely live according to their own whims.”

“……”

It was difficult to gauge if that was good or bad. After pondering for a moment, Cheon Woo-jin said, “You mentioned using the Great Luck of the Heavenly Ruler of Tai Xu. What do you plan to use as offerings?”

“I’ll need treasures equivalent to thousands of years of offerings. Thus, I plan to dedicate the National Seal and Suspicious Fishhook.”

“What about the Fire Dragon Sword?”

“I plan to dedicate that as well.”

After listening to everything, Cheon Woo-jin said, “You might want to be prepared that might not be enough. You may require more.”

“What…?”

I exclaimed in surprise. “Isn’t the National Seal the highest treasure directly crafted by Shao Hao Jin Tian? And I’m already sacrificing the Suspicious Fishhook and the Fire Dragon Sword. Are you saying that might still not be enough?”

“I’m saying you should test the waters. It’s not just a single ritual; it’s two ceremonies.”

“Hmm.”

“For the offerings to the Heavenly Ruler of Tai Xu and those for the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, they need to be prepared separately. And you should dedicate the National Seal to the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors this time. That means you need to prepare something separate for the Heavenly Ruler of Tai Xu.”

Cheon Woo-jin made a valid point. Then Mangnyang, who had been next to me, spoke up.

“I anticipated that, so we’ve been gathering Unique Artifacts of Inner Strength.”

“What kind did you gather?”

Swish—

Mangnyang pulled a statue from his robe. It was a statue of Jeon Wook, the Sovereign of the Three Sovereigns. He did not stop there; he pulled out the Phoenix sculpture from the Hua Clan in Taekyung Village, as well as the biwa, which was something I had never seen before from the Seven Fires, Seven Golds Line. Mangnyang continued, “On top of this, Baek Woong has the White Feather Fan, and the Master of the White Lotus Sect also gave me the Golden Lamp and Wooden Armor. If we dedicate all of this, it should be sufficient.”

“I can’t be sure about that, older brother. The Heavenly Ruler of Tai Xu is an extremely unpredictable being…”

Cheon Woo-jin trailed off. “Fortunately, we’ve restored the Heavenly Altar, so the divine aura on the ground has greatly increased. The imbalance caused by the Prophet should be manageable with the power of the Heavenly Altar. But still, it’s a fact that the laws of cause and effect are unstable, so there will only be one opportunity.”

“……”

“Then let’s get started right away.”

Under Cheon Woo-jin’s lead, we began arranging the offerings. Once we gathered all the treasures we had collected and laid them out, there were more than I expected. Looking at the offerings laid out on the altar, Cheon Woo-jin looked stunned.

“Most mortals would need a lifetime of adventure to obtain just one of these… How did you manage to gather all of this?”

After inspecting each offering carefully, Cheon Woo-jin remarked, “Older brother. You should be the one to conduct the offering ceremony for the Heavenly Ruler of Tai Xu.”

“Understood.”

Mangnyang stepped forward to respond, but I couldn’t help but question, “Is there any reason Mangnyang needs to do it?”

Cheon Woo-jin responded somewhat casually, “The offering ceremony for the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors is much larger and more complicated than this. I could handle the offering ceremony for the Heavenly Ruler of Tai Xu, but if my sorcery isn’t enough, the offering ceremony is likely to fail. So I’d prefer if you did it first.”

“Ah.”

“It’s beginning.”

Light began to flow from the Heavenly Altar. Mangnyang had certainly built up enough sorcerous power to preside over the great ceremony.

He first chanted a command. “Come forth, Tai Gong-mang!”

Kuurung

The visage of Tai Gong-mang rose above the altar. He appeared bewildered when summoned.

[ Why have you called for me?]

“I shall sacrifice the Wind Fire Biwa, so please eliminate the essence of the Heavenly Ruler of Tai Xu residing in Baek Woong and grant him the opportunity for re-selection.”

[ Ah… So that’s it. Understood.]

Pa-at!

Tai Gong-mang, being clever, quickly understood and grabbed the Wind Fire Biwa before vanishing. The Wind Fire Biwa had been a treasure received by Mangnyang in return for his excellent performance with the Heavenly Mysterious Woman of Nine Heavens, which had been as important as the items from the Seven Fires, Seven Golds Line, and yet he dedicated it without hesitation.

“O Spirit Treasure Heaven Master… I call upon you… Descend!”

And with the opportunity for re-selection granted, Mangnyang chanted continuously, beginning now to call for the Heavenly Ruler of Tai Xu.

“You’ve clearly been building up an incredible amount of training as well. When it comes to the offering ceremony of the Three Pure Ones, it’s a grand ceremony that no mere sorcerer could even think of attempting…”

Kuuoooh!

While Cheon Woo-jin marveled, Mangnyang’s incantations flowed out as a hazy, radiant mist descended. Just like Tai Gong-mang, he also successfully summoned the Heavenly Ruler of Tai Xu.

I sensed something odd in the midst of the radiant altar.

‘What is this?’

A familiar sensation of chaos.

That feeling briefly surfaced before vanishing. I was puzzled about what sort of energy this was, tilting my head, but that feeling was only fleeting. Soon, a pillar of light reached up from the altar, and the appearance of the Heavenly Ruler of Tai Xu manifested in the void.

The Heavenly Ruler of Tai Xu spoke to us as soon as he appeared. [ Why have you summoned me, the Heavenly Ruler of Tai Xu…?]

Mangnyang bowed his head toward the Heavenly Ruler of Tai Xu and said, “We require the power of your great luck! We offer corresponding sacrifices at this Heavenly Altar, so please grant Baek Woong the blessing of great luck, oh Heavenly Ruler of Tai Xu.”

[ Hmm…]

The Heavenly Ruler of Tai Xu, floating in the void, extended his pure, radiant hand, inspecting each offering laid out on the altar. [ The treasures of Yao and Shun… a Phoenix sculpture… and Zhuge Liang’s treasure… You dedicate three treasures… Excellent.]

“Thank you… Then please grant the blessing…”

[ But this is still insufficient.]

I jumped in surprise!

All of us present were shocked. What sort of nonsense is this? Here he was, acknowledging that we had dedicated three treasures as superb, and then saying that it was still insufficient? As we tried to hide our bewilderment and looked at the Heavenly Ruler of Tai Xu, he continued, [ This is the first time since the Silver Age that someone has called me with the Three Pure Ones for an offering… I feel the need to receive a grander compensation…]

“Oh Heavenly Ruler! Isn’t this already a massive offering?!”

[ Well…? You seem to have more you could offer. Why not give a little more?]

“……”

[ Let’s see… how about that National Seal… or the Moon Sovereign…?]

The sly suggestion from the Heavenly Ruler of Tai Xu was utterly infuriating. ‘You know everything!’

Still, was he truly the supreme being of the Celestial Realm? It seemed that from the moment he descended, he knew exactly how many treasures and possessions we had. Sensing that we were trying to be frugal with our offerings, he moved to half-threat us into giving everything.

But if I dedicated the National Seal and the Moon Sovereign here, we would be in big trouble. Because that would mean we would have nothing left to offer the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors. Gritting my teeth, I spoke to the Heavenly Ruler of Tai Xu.

“Please, Heavenly Ruler! Can’t you tone it down a bit? We have prepared appropriate offerings for the blessing of great luck, so why are you being so greedy?”

“Ba… Baek Woong!”

Mangnyang and Cheon Woo-jin looked at me in shock. It was understandable; after all, I had confronted a being known as the Avatar of Spirit Treasure Heaven Master among the Great Immortals. Normally, such an act would warrant annihilation.

Yet strangely, I did not feel that frightened facing the Heavenly Ruler of Tai Xu. Rather, I had a rising urge to berate him.

As expected, the Heavenly Ruler of Tai Xu seemed slightly taken aback and replied, [ Uh… what was it… You guys are so focused on the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors that it makes me a bit spiteful…]

With irritation, I crossed my arms and said, “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to offer a great tribute to the Heavenly Ruler in the future.”

[ Is that for real?]

“Yes, for real.”

The Heavenly Ruler of Tai Xu made a pleased expression and said, [ Fine, I’ll let it slide. I’ll take the treasures of Yao and Shun and the Seven Fires, Seven Golds Line.]

“Then…”

[ I will bestow great luck upon Baek Woong.]

At that moment, Mangnyang jumped in urgently. “Would it be uncomfortable for the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors to receive the blessing of great luck?”

[ I’m not sure… I don’t think so.]

The Heavenly Ruler of Tai Xu gave a nonchalant answer, tossing the Suspicious Fishhook and the Fire Dragon Sword into his sleeve before waving us off.

[ Call me again!]

“……”

Once the Heavenly Ruler of Tai Xu vanished, we all felt a sort of dumbfoundedness. I didn’t expect my confrontation would yield such results. Especially Cheon Woo-jin looked at me as if he was seeing a bizarre monster.

“B-Baek Woong. What kind of person are you? Threatening the Three Pure Ones?”