Reincarnation Sword God

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00437 암천향(暗天鄕) ————————————————————————

Lakan was darting through the terrain with a speed that suggested he knew a shortcut well. It was astonishing to see him carving through mountain paths that ordinary people couldn’t even imagine. As he dashed, Lakan exclaimed in surprise.

“What the heck! I never thought the weather would help me this much… It’s so easy to get around!”

“The weather?”

“This area has unpredictable weather, making it hard to travel quickly. But I didn’t expect it to be so sunny and nice…”

Probably thanks to good fortune, I thought.

Before long, I arrived in Yulala alongside Lakan. The place known as Yulala was a desolate wasteland shrouded in a hazy mist. No matter how I looked around, I could not spot Uluru, a giant red rock.

Lakan said, as if he anticipated this.

“The gates to Yulala only open when Uluru reveals itself during a solar eclipse. This isn’t the right time for that…”

“……”

But that isn’t what I was hoping for. If I were to do it the proper way, I wouldn’t even attempt something like stacking good fortune!

I crossed my arms and began waiting for something.

It was at that moment.

Kugugugung!!

Suddenly, the mist before me began to clear with a tremendous sound. In the middle of the plains, I caught sight of Uluru, the red giant rock. Lakan, looking aghast, stared up at the sky, turning pale as he shouted.

“T-t-this is unbelievable! Stars are overlapping and Venus is showing, channeling the energy of the stars directly down! And the barrier that opens only during a solar eclipse happens to respond and open! What nonsense, this is just absurd!”

To someone like Lakan, who could be considered a sage of this continent, it must have seemed like an incredibly slim chance.

“Ha-ha!”

But I couldn’t help but smile, feeling like I’d won a round in gambling. It might have felt uncertain, but the power of stacked good fortune is enough to even change the probabilities of solar eclipses and celestial events!

“The barrier has opened, revered one… please enter.”

Lakan said, astonished. I charged straight toward the giant rock, but no matter how I looked around, I couldn’t see any entrance.

“Hmmm. Do I need to climb on top?”

“It’s dangerous. This is a mystical place; you might be cursed…”

“I probably won’t!”

The moment I’m cursed would mean the end of stacking good fortune. I believed in my luck and used the Soul Removal Technique to climb up Uluru. Without much thought, I chose a spot on the mountain and placed my hand on it.

Wiying

In an instant, a bizarre dimensional portal opened inside the seemingly solid rock. It seemed I’d succeeded in finding an entrance by breaking through the incredible odds in this enormous rock spanning dozens of li.

“Awesome!”

As I entered the passage, I recognized the familiar spiral staircase. After walking down for a while, I came across a red altar glowing brightly.

Before the altar stood a stele. I began to read the inscription on it calmly.

“Descendant of giants… you have summoned the Sea of Life. The Yan Emperor’s beloved… you shall bear eternal sins in this place… to defeat him is the flow of the law of cause and effect… those who seek to challenge the trials of the Seven Luminaries… shall hold their breath against the flame’s deed…”

Looks like I can read this stele too. There were no parts that were blocked.

The contents were different from the stele I’d seen in the other sealed places. Anticipating that a giant would appear, I spilled my blood on the altar to signal my challenge for the trial.

Kugugugugu…

A moment later, a giant, towering high above me, appeared atop the altar. Surrounding the giant were sacred flames dancing brilliantly. The guardian of the Fire Element had arrived.

The giant was staring straight at me, wielding an enormous sword in one hand. I was left perplexed as to why I hadn’t seen this giant from below. As I gazed directly at him, the giant opened his mouth.

[ You who are wrapped in the fate of chaos and come to the seal of the Seven Luminaries… I must test whether you are worthy of obtaining the Flame Elemental Sword. ]

“Who are you?”

[ I am Gong Gong, the guardian of the Fire Element… a descendant of the Yan Emperor…]

Gong Gong!

I recalled seeing that name in the Classic of Mountains and Seas. A being that, during the Mythological Age, contended with Nüwa and smashed the Buzhu Mountain with a headbutt, submerging the world in the Sea of Life.

‘He seems incredibly strong… but.’

I let out a low breath. I was feeling a comparable sense of overwhelming tension to when I faced Izanagi no Mikoto in the past. If it came to power, we might be on the same level. However, unlike the legends of battling Nüwa, I could not feel the sheer godly authority that came from the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors. He could not be labeled as a Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors-level existence.

Is something about the myth distorted?

‘Um… even so, it seems like a tough opponent for me to handle.’

He’s still impressive, being a Divine Race. A direct confrontation would undoubtedly be a foolish choice!

As I pondered this, I shouted to Gong Gong.

“Gong Gong! I have a question!”

Gong Gong, who was about to engage in battle, paused. The immense energy surrounding his great sword made it clear that engaging him would result in a fierce struggle for me.

“What exactly are the Seven Luminaries guardians? What are you, that you are guarding the Luminaries up to the age of the Law of Righteousness, and who granted you this duty?”

[ ……]

I shouted again, more forcefully.

“Why is Izanagi no Mikoto, the guardian of the Moon, here as well? After all, one cannot use powers without the permission of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors!”

Gong Gong looked at me with a rather astonished expression. Then he said.

[ You… know the secrets of myth… the secrets of the Seven Luminaries… even about their liberation? Just who are you? Even the highest celestial immortal might not know these things…]

“Please answer my question.”

[ Hmm… you truly are an unfathomable and chaotic being…]

Flustered, Gong Gong spoke. Then he fell into silence.

[ ……]

“……”

[ ……]

An absurdly long silence ensued. And for some reason, it seemed that the guardian of the Fire Element, Gong Gong, had begun to change his mind through an unbelievable series of coincidences.

[ I don’t even know my own mind… Is the chaotic power you possess shaking the essence of my existence… or is it that you wish to change the outcome of the bygone Mythological Age through me…]

“Are you telling me this?”

[ What is certain is… that you are extraordinarily lucky…]

Could this be yet another effect of stacked good fortune? Gong Gong opened his mouth after a brief pause.

[ The guardians of the Seven Luminaries… are beings who were subdued by the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors in the past… Divine beings… or beings that were legendary demon beasts or Demon Kings…]

“Excuse me? What does that mean?”

[ I lost my divine status and powers because of defeat in a war with the emperor and was made a gatekeeper… The being you mentioned, Izanagi no Mikoto, is a vessel sent down by the [Ancient Ruler] who governs the moon… the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors personally intervened to suppress and weaken it for the sake of human existence… It was originally a creature referred to as a Demon King.]

“…….!!”

[ Our guarding the Seven Luminaries… means that your human race shall thrive under the protection of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors until the age of the Law of Righteousness.]

After saying this, Gong Gong continued.

[ Now… come at me. To defeat me is to fulfill the bare minimum of qualifications to become the master of the Fire Element!]

“Um…”

When the time came to fight Gong Gong, I found myself in a quandary. Unlike Izanagi no Mikoto, Gong Gong seemed smaller, but something inside me sensed that once we started fighting, he would be incredibly powerful. He probably had never practiced human martial arts, but my instincts as an expert were ringing loud and clear. If Gong Gong commenced the fight, he would surely become a rival on par with Izanagi no Mikoto.

Gong Gong urged me like he was coaxing a fight.

[ Come on, bring it! Or shall I begin the attack…]

Just then.

Kwaaaang!!

Kwaakwaak!

Countless meteors began to fall from the sky. The meteors started crashing down madly where I stood, beginning to wreak havoc upon the ground with tremendous force and speed. It appeared that the stacked good fortune was shifting the probabilities to eliminate the adversary before me, creating absurd coincidences.

Kwaak

The ceiling broke, and enormous meteors continued to cascade down at an astonishing speed. They were going so fast that they wouldn’t even be visible to an adept martial artist’s keen eyesight. Falling at such a terrifying velocity, the destruction caused was comparable to thousands of bombs; after all, normal meteors would lead to my untimely demise as it had done in the past within the imperial palace.

[ Uoaah!! What is this…]

As consecutive meteor explosions occurred, Gong Gong swung his great sword. It turned out that Gong Gong was no ordinary creature, as he emitted formidable divine energy trying to shatter the meteors to protect himself. I sensed a wave of impending danger.

‘Damn. Is my good luck about to run out already?’

From my past experiences, the descending meteors were a symbol of my good fortune and typically occurred just before the backlash hit. At this rate, I’d probably get caught up in the meteors and die too.

But now, I was different from before. I said to Gong Gong.

“Sorry, but I need to acquire something here, so I’m going to dodge for now!”

[ What did you say…]

“I’ll be back shortly!”

Pa-at

I immediately used the Golden Lamp Technique to teleport to a remote mountain area in the Central Plains. After waiting for about a meal’s worth of time, I headed back towards the area sealed by the Fire Element.

Kugugugu…

The ground had been severely damaged, and there were visible scars from the meteors falling down arousing even minor earthquakes. It appeared that a distant volcano was preparing to erupt. Uluru, which had faced the devastating natural disaster, was half-destroyed, and inside the ruins was Gong Gong, lying there heavily injured. If the spirit body of the giant had sustained damage, the physical harm endured must be magnitudes greater.

[ Cough… I defended… the seal…]

I asked Gong Gong.

“Now, where is the Flame Elemental Sword?”

[ What the hell… what outrageous luck…]

Gong Gong was utterly flabbergasted. He still seemed like he could fight, but was on the verge of exhaustion and near collapse. No matter how much of a guardian of the Fire Element he was, he couldn’t have predicted he would be severely wounded before even getting into a proper fight with the meteors falling on him.

“Regardless, a win is a win.”

[ Hmm…]

Gong Gong, who was letting out low breaths, pointed shakily behind the ruins.

[ Go in…]

Kukung

The wall that Gong Gong pointed to flipped over, and a slow opening to a secret space appeared. I realized that this space was a vast Peach Garden, unlike those of the Water Element or Moon Sovereign.

Gulp

Surely the Flame Elemental Sword I had longed for was here! I slowly walked deeper into the Peach Garden and soon discovered a small altar with a red divine sword sealed inside a scabbard.

“Ohhh…!!”

Finally, finally!

I had acquired the Flame Elemental Sword among the Seven Luminaries!

This spirit energy, this powerful flame force!

There was no doubt that this was indeed one of the Seven Luminaries.

Just as I couldn’t contain my joy and reached out towards the Flame Elemental Sword—

[ The great fortune has ended.]

The voice of the Heavenly Ruler of Tai Xu echoed in my head.

“……”

I felt a grim realization, and I tried to immediately let go of the Flame Elemental Sword. However, my hand wouldn’t move away.

Too late!

With an anxious gaze, I looked down at the Flame Elemental Sword, only to feel an intense heat surging up from my hand. A bizarre pain, almost as if my finger bones were melting, transmitted to my brain.

Flames erupted

“Aaahhhhh!!!”

Blazing flames.

I could feel an overwhelming force of blazing heat consuming me, making it pointless to suppress it with my internal power. If things continued this way, I’d rapidly turn to ash after only a few breaths! With my internal power reaching a remarkable realm, even if my body caught fire, I would normally remain unscathed thanks to my protective technique, but this heat possessed an unfathomable might.

At that moment, rapid judgments raced through my mind.

‘Damn!’

I stopped trying to weakly protect my body with internal energy. And with a sigh, I muttered.

“The power of the Fire Element… I need to manage somehow…”

Unlike the Water Element’s technique, it appeared that the Fire Element’s power was directly condensed within the sword.

I ceased using my protective technique, and in the span of three breaths, my consciousness faded away.

When the pain subsided, I realized.

This was my 20th death.