Reincarnation Sword God

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00439 Dark Heaven Village ————————————————————————

Before entering the Offering Ceremony, I decided to have a chat with Mangnyang. It was clear that my obsessive efforts to acquire the Fire Element were leading to some oversights, especially since the plan utilizing the Four Great Spirits had been sealed.

Mangnyang sat at the table and spoke.

“Baek Woong, to be honest… I can’t predict anything anymore.”

“What do you mean?”

“Hmm… When I read your memories, I could see that in your past lives up to the 15th, I, Mangnyang, had some major plans in motion. The schemes were systematic, and there were even foreshadowing elements in place. However, at some point, my plans started to falter and heavily relied on improvisation.”

“……”

He sighed.

“In the 16th life, I became a mere underling of the Celestial Realm, Ji Seon Mangnyang, and in the 17th life, I was betrayed by Zhuque… after that, I was dragged along in a state of chaos. You relied heavily on my schemes, but the truth is, I wasn’t capable of caring for you.”

“No, that’s…”

“Separating my talents as a strategist from my track record of failure is just a fact. No need to comfort me.”

It wasn’t the first time Mangnyang had analyzed his past lives, but it felt somewhat strange now. Until now, it had just been a lament or a reflection, but now it had turned into a very cold analysis. After gulping down some water, Mangnyang said,

“Zhuge Sa’s warning to you about not relying on strategists was also a jab at my incompetence.”

“Hmm.”

“Baek Woong, let’s think rationally. The reason you always come to me right after reincarnating is that you need someone to analyze your past lives and help you find a new efficient path. Am I right?”

“…That’s not wrong.”

“At this point, I, Mangnyang, don’t know martial arts nor sorcery, and all I have is my brain. Yet, you handle a breadth of past life experiences that puts you on par with the Three Sovereigns and the secrets of the Old Rulers. Furthermore, the secrets of ancient myths you possess are beyond any normal human’s capability.”

He crossed his arms and continued,

“In other words… following you into the path of rebirth makes me utterly useless. Compared to your grand adventures spanning over 20 lives, I am lacking. In my 19th life, I had the knowledge of a traitor’s teachings, being a master of the Evil Arts and steeped in the knowledge of the otherworldly, so I was able to assist you.”

I was surprised and retorted,

“That’s not true! You are my—”

“That’s merely your personal affection as a human towards me. I’m far from being qualified to be your companion right now.”

“……”

I didn’t know how to respond. It was the first time I had seen Mangnyang speak so self-deprecatingly. Yet, his tone held an unwavering conviction that told me he had other thoughts. So, as I calmly looked at him, Mangnyang chuckled softly.

“You have good eyes. Zhuge Sa was indeed a remarkable strategist.”

“Did you not dislike Zhuge Sa?”

“How could I not? He abandoned human propriety and became a sorcerer, learning heretical arts, even engaging in human sacrifices and killing several within the Imperial Palace while mingling with the otherworldly. My father, Zhuge Yulong, couldn’t tolerate him. I, at least, find it hard to like Zhuge Sa now.”

As he spoke, Mangnyang rested his chin in his hand, contemplating.

“…But having seen your memories, I can’t help but revise my evaluation. He is a great figure. Perhaps I should recognize the ideals he seeks.”

I didn’t fully understand.

However, seeing Mangnyang recognize Zhuge Sa somehow brought me a sense of satisfaction. He continued nonchalantly,

“Well, while I’ve stated all this, it doesn’t mean I can’t help you. On the contrary, I’m determined to become your companion. However, I’m currently in a very deficient state.”

I picked up on Mangnyang’s intent.

“You mean you need time to make up for those deficiencies?”

Mangnyang nodded.

“But first, in terms of skills, I need to acquire abilities that won’t get in your way. The time for solely relying on my mind has passed.”

“Hmm… What do you plan to do?”

“I plan to go to the Celestial Realm’s Mount Kunlun. And I’ll break through the Entrance to once again become the disciple of the Heavenly Mysterious Woman.”

The Celestial Realm!

Upon hearing that, I was engulfed in complicated emotions. Those beings were shrouded in unclear intentions and shady pasts even at this stage. Moreover, to grow the strength to fight the Old Rulers, I would need to eliminate those who needed eliminating first. Even the leader of the sect, who proclaimed the True Martial Path, had no choice but to ally with the Celestial forces due to their overwhelming might; it was energy that was hard for mortals to contend with.

“Could it be, Mangnyang… you intend to become a Ji Seon?”

“Yes. To uncover the secrets of the Three Sovereigns and seek out the Seven Luminaries, I must attain that level.”

Mangnyang explained further.

According to him, there existed a phase known as 化天 (Transformation to Heaven) before the limits of mortal lifespans were reached, wherein Taoists shed their physical bodies to gain great strength. This phase is referred to as a lower divine being, and they are known as Ji Seon. Since they could not ascend to the Celestial Realm, they were referred to as earthly immortals, Ji Seon.

If one were to progress further from Ji Seon, they would attain the rank of higher immortal as Tian Seon, called the Great Immortal. Among the Great Immortals, there is a hierarchy based on power and rank, but their numbers are so few that it hardly matters.

I felt something odd during the explanation and asked,

“Wait, but in your past life, you were Mangnyang, who trained on Mount Kunlun in the Celestial Realm. Isn’t it contrary to the normal ascension order for a mortal to train there and then come back down?”

“That is correct. Normally, those Taoists who gain experience on earth become mountain deities, from whom the best are selected to ascend through the Entrance of the Celestial Realm and gain positions therein. But my past self surely took the shortcut of ascending to the Entrance first to become the disciple of the Heavenly Mysterious Woman.”

“Hmm… That’s strange. How could you ascend to the Entrance without the capacity of a Ji Seon? You would’ve had to surpass the established Ji Seon from all around the Central Plains…”

Mangnyang shook his head.

“I’m not sure about that. With my current knowledge, I can’t fathom how I managed to get through. But somehow, it appears I did. And as for Ji Seon Mangnyang, you probably helped because you forcibly unleashed the water element from the North Pole, causing the Celestial Realm to panic. In my 19th life, thanks to you, I was able to obtain the blessings of the Three Sovereigns’ Inner Gate and the water element, so it would have been made possible by my strong spiritual capacity.”

“Hmm…”

I understood. If Mangnyang became Ji Seon and joined me as a mighty sorcerer, then eventually, I wouldn’t have to forcibly manipulate Cheon Woo-jin to fulfill tasks in the sorcery world. Cheon Woo-jin had talent, but he was quite prickly.

“And now, looking back at the current situation, it seems like you intend to break through the Fire Element.”

“Yes.”

“When would the total solar eclipse of the Fire Element occur?”

I dug through my knowledge of the otherworldly and cautiously replied.

“… In human time, it would be about 94 years from now. Then after that, 367 years.”

“That’s a long time… A cycle of 367 years, huh! That’s why you tried to break through using the blessings of great luck.”

“Indeed.”

Unfortunately, the time of the total solar eclipse was quite detached from the timeframe in which I lived. While 94 years isn’t the furthest future, it is still a significant amount of time. It’s a period long enough for an average person to grow old and perish.

Waiting a little over 90 years just to obtain the Fire Element would undoubtedly be a massive loss. The subsequent wait of 367 years goes without saying. By then, it would be near 500 years, and the end of days would be approaching. Mangnyang considered for a moment and then spoke.

“I won’t provide plans for that matter.”

“Hmm?!”

“As I said, I can only mobilize improvisation at this point. But the truth is that my improvisation can complicate your journey. So, until I earn the right to speak, until my perspective on the world broadens, I will leave gathering the Seven Luminaries to your intuition. Because you are a reincarnated person.”

I nearly let out a whimper. But the moment I heard Mangnyang’s words, I realized he wasn’t speaking out of dislike for me but rather because he believed in my abilities. I also sensed that he believed this was indeed the time for me to independently take the lead as a reincarnator. I nodded vigorously.

“I understand! Leave it to me.”

Eventually, I began the Offering Ceremony with Mangnyang. As the ceremony started, the Heavenly Ruler of Tai Xu appeared for the first time, and before he could say anything, I shouted at him.

[ I am Ta….]

“Oh Heavenly Ruler! May I ask a question?”

[ …You may ask, Heavenly Ruler, so what is it?]

“This Offering Ceremony is to offer the elements of the water element, but can I also offer the natural spirits that are asleep within the other Seven Luminaries?”

This was the advice Mangnyang had given me just earlier. The Heavenly Ruler blinked in surprise at the unexpected question before replying.

[ Which natural spirit of the Seven Luminaries are you speaking of?]

“Is it possible to offer the Fire Spirit that sleeps within the Fire Element?”

[ I would accept, but it seems unlikely to yield much… ]

“Why is that?”

The Heavenly Ruler continued with a somewhat displeased expression.

[ To give a hefty value to the water element’s offerings is to grant a good blessing because the water element is greatly useful to the Celestial Realm. The life force of the water element allows for the flourishing of the Celestial Realm’s flowers, and I hold that achievement in high regard. However, the Fire Element is currently a force not much needed in the Celestial Realm, so I prefer not to take it.]

“…….”

For some reason, given his speech, it seemed likely that even if I were to offer the Fire Spirit, the ritual itself might not bear fruit. After all, no one would want to accept trash that wasn’t necessary, even for free, so it made sense. The plan to obtain dual benefits from acquiring the Fire Element was now out the window.

Once my curiosity was sated, I spoke.

“Hmm… then the next one.”

[ Huh?! My blessing is…]

“The next one.”

[ ……]

As the Queen Mother of the West appeared after the Heavenly Ruler, I looked at her with slightly suspicious eyes.

‘ Too suspicious.’

The Queen Mother was said to not have a human form in the mythological age, and now her appearance had changed; no one knew where her true form resided in the Celestial Realm. Additionally, if needed, she could descend through Miho to suppress the Moon Sovereign, wielding sufficient power. Moreover, when the Heavenly Mysterious Woman attempted to investigate the Queen Mother or high Celestial beings, that led to the annihilation of several Ji Seon, so it was plenty suspect.

However, just because I was suspicious didn’t mean I could directly ask what her intentions were. I had no choice but to address her.

“Your Majesty, Queen Mother. Could you bestow upon me a blessing to resist the Fire Element?”

[ Hmm… All I can grant is the blessing of longevity…]

“With a powerful goddess like you, I’m sure you can do anything…”

I intentionally laid on the flattery, but the Queen Mother, dismissively replied as if it were out of the question.

[ That’s not the case. Besides, my energy is already imbued in you, so the blessing would be meaningless. Now, let’s move on to the next person.]

*Pah!*

As I continued the Offering Ceremony, I kept contemplating what to do in this situation to approach the Fire Element. I felt like there should be a solution, but nothing came to mind. I couldn’t rely on Mangnyang, and it was rather frustrating.

Next.

Next.

[ I am Tai Gong-mang.]

I realized I had reached the turn of Tai Gong-mang while passing each turn. I stared blankly at Tai Gong-mang and thought,

‘ Should I just accept the Four Great Spirits?’

However, since the plan to break through the Fire Element with the Four Great Spirits had hit a snag, even accepting them would just overlap with my earlier plan. And even if I were to make a new selection, it didn’t seem like there was a sharp solution in sight.

‘ New selection… the blessing of the Great Immortal for a new selection… assistance with the Fire Element…’

As I was mulling this over, a great idea suddenly struck me.

“Oho!”

[ Have you decided?]

“Instead of the Four Great Spirits, grant me a new selection opportunity!”

[ Understood. Then we shall return to the beginning.]

Then, returning from Tai Gong-mang to the Heavenly Ruler of Tai Xu again, I continued to turn through and then stopped at Yi.

‘ Not the best pick, but let’s give it a shot!’

Resolutely, I called out to Heavenly Spirit Yi.

“I seek your blessing, Yi!”

[ I am Yi. I shall grant you an essential ability.]

I had expected this! Recalling past experiences, my eyes gleamed.

“No, that won’t do.”

[ What do you mean?]

“I have no assurance that this essential ability would be critical for my survival. Strengthen the essential ability or introduce me to another figure.”

[ I’m not sure what you’re talking about.]

“Listen. Look at how powerful the Master of the White Lotus is…”

I elaborated on the strength of the Master of the White Lotus, the Heavenly Spirit Pill and Primordial Spirit’s power, as well as the power of the Master of the Twelve Joules and Miyamoto Musashi, all the strong persons I’d encountered. When Yi heard all my details with a look of disbelief, I argued,

“So, to survive, I can’t rely on just the essential ability.”

[ Is that so… then I can only comply. I will grant you my arrows.]

It was at that moment.

With a thunderous roar, suddenly, a Bagua (Eight Trigrams) appeared around Yi’s body. The vividly floating Bagua wrapped around Yi as if to bind them. Upon recognizing the Bagua, Yi shouted towards the sky.

[ Jejeun! What does this mean?]

I knew what this phenomenon indicated. Soon, a being with the face of a human and the ears of a dog, along with the body of an unknown beast, descended from the sky. With an appearance that can only be described as monstrous, I sensed a divinity within them rather than malevolence, confirming they were a divine being. This being was none other than the Shabi God, acting as the apostle of the Three Sovereigns, Jejeun.

[ The meaning given by Jejeun is as follows. The Red Bow and the White Arrow are possessions of the Heavenly Sovereign. Bestowing them upon the Mortal is a most excessive blessing.]

[ If that is so, what about the feats accomplished with this bow, like eliminating the Spirit of the Three-footed Crow, the Gale, the Al Yuu, the Chach’i, the Gu Yong, and the Bashe? Even the Emperor could not settle the right or wrong of those deeds!]

[ ……]

[ Please make the right judgment.]

After their verbal tussle reached a conclusion, the Five-Color Bird flapped its wings and took off. Jejeun’s permission had been granted.

[ You have received my Red Bow and White Arrow.]

“Thank you!”

*Pah!*

Once the divine blessing was lifted, I completed the Offering Ceremony. I then handed Mangnyang the obsidian imbued with my martial arts memories, as well as the Black and White Lotus, Sacred Lotus, and Three Sovereigns’ Inner Gate for enhancing inner power.

“With this, you shouldn’t have much difficulty in getting stronger.”

With that, Mangnyang smirked.

“You forgot one thing.”

“Hmm?”

“Going forward, when giving me treasures in the next life, don’t forget this one.”

Then, Mangnyang quickly picked one treasure I had laid out, and I sighed.

“Aha!”

So that was an option! Doing that would make it twofold. Mangnyang truly was smart.

After gathering his preparations, Mangnyang said,

“Baek Woong, I’ll be heading to Mount Kunlun to become a Ji Seon, and I won’t be able to come back. So if you need strategic advice during that time, go seek Zhuge Sa.”

“Ugh… that guy…”

“No matter what, you’ve aligned remarkably with Zhuge Sa. Explain your circumstances to him.”

Once the conversation ended, Mangnyang departed.

*Pah!*

Immediately after the process concluded, I activated the explosion technique and arrived right at the barrier where the ruins of the Fire Element were located. There, I could see the veil filled with hazy mist. As I stared at the barrier, I shouted,

“Yi! Shatter the barrier with the Red Bow and White Arrow!!”

[ Understood.]

*Kurugugu!*

In the next moment, the Heavenly Spirit and Fighting Spirit Yi descended upon me. Upon descending, Yi immediately summoned a gigantic fiery bow in the air and loaded it with pure white spirit energy lightning. He gathered an astounding amount of power, and because of it, the surrounding air began to burn, creating an immense roar.

[ One shot!]

*Boom!!*

[ Second shot!!]

The second arrow struck the barrier, but the Fire Element’s barrier showed no signs of breaking yet. Yi seemed a bit surprised and flustered.

“Hmm, human… What is this barrier? I’ve hardly seen such a sturdy one before.”

It seemed he didn’t realize this was the seal of the Fire Element.

Quickly, before Yi could delve into deep thought, I decided to provoke him.

“Can’t you break it? I heard you were a powerful deity…”

At that, Yi seemed to bristle and said,

“Who said I can’t? This is nothing, just two shots in!”

*Wham!*

*Boom!*

*Bang!!*

Yi’s arrows, the White Arrow, rained down on the Fire Element barrier in rapid succession. Within a blink, he launched six shots. The booming sound echoed as if the heavens were breaking. True to the power of a deity, these arrows had the force to cause catastrophic events, a level no mere mortal could even begin to compare. It felt as though he were slowly surpassing the maximum strength of those who had reached the absolute realm.

‘ Still on the sixth shot… the rest must be horrifying.’

The Red Bow and the White Arrow were indeed awe-inspiring. Each shot multiplied the power. It felt like it was becoming nearly twice as potent with each shot. It wasn’t something to be brushed off lightly, as it was the same force that killed me previously, but surely Yi was worthy of the title of a deity. I hadn’t noticed when aimed at myself, as it transferred to a spirit strike and not a physical one, but firing it simply resulted in showing this level of destructive capacity.

*Crash!*

There was no surprise; the barrier that had been resistant slowly began to splinter and crack visibly. Yi shouted with evident delight as he launched another shot.

[ Seventh shot!!]

*Kuwakwang!*

He did it!! Yi’s Red Bow and White Arrow successfully created a hole as large as a person in one side of the barrier with the seventh shot. Although the barrier seemed to have self-repair capabilities and was recovering bit by bit, there was no need for concern. Yi’s eighth shot would certainly be several times stronger; the barrier would undoubtedly be half destroyed!

‘ We did it.’

With the power of Yi’s Red Bow and White Arrow, our operation to breach the Fire Element’s barrier was successful!

Once the barrier was broken, there was no need to combat Gong Gong directly. I could simply enter the hidden room with explosion and fetch the Fire Element without fuss!

This time, instead of reaching out to grab the Fire Element myself, I thought to utilize my attraction technique to store it in my wooden armor.

[ Hohoho, the eighth shot…]

Just then,

*Whoosh!*

*Bang!*

Suddenly, something was summoned right in front of me, wielding a massive pillar that ferociously knocked away the eighth arrow from Yi. Yi furrowed his brow, scrutinizing the intruder who suddenly blocked his attack.

[ What are you? Why do you block my way all of a sudden?]

As the gigantic pillar shrank back, it seemed to possess the ability to grow and shrink at will.

[ Hey, Yi. Could you be any more clueless? It’s because of the Law of Cause and Effect and the decrees of the Celestial Realm.]

The annoying voice answering was that of a figure who appeared to be a half-monkey, half-human creature, covered in hair. I could clearly see that this entity had bright red eyes and golden pupils.

[ Tu Jeon Seung Bul (??), Mi Hu Wang (??), step aside! I’m following the oath of the blessing!]

Tu Jeon Seung Bul?

Who is that?!

Yi, growling in frustration, but the half-monkey Tu Seon just chattered away while riding the clouds.

[ What’s wrong? All good and well, but do you know this is the seal of the Fire Element among the Seven Luminaries? If a human obeyed the correct protocol, it would be one thing, but for us Celestial beings to break the barrier ourselves is outrageous, mister.]

[ Huh!! Is that true?!]

[ Can I come down from the Celestial Realm as I please? Of course, me being here is the strongest proof, mister. I am executing my official duties here.]

[ Ugh… This is not something I asked for.]

[ I’m sure that’s the case~]

The Tu Jeon Seung Bul, a monkey-like figure, rolled around on the clouds while continuing,

[ Make your choice. Will you fight me, or will you back down?]

Yi, seemingly irritated, replied,

“Humph. I will not lose to you in a fight.”

“Who said that?”

“……”

Yi appeared to be in deep thought for a moment. Then he said,

“Human Baek Woong! You have deceived and made a fool of the Celestial Realm, triggering this Tu Seon to break the contract. The sin is so vile that I will execute you at once!”

Wait a minute!

What’s that monkey doing? Hold on!

*Crash!*

Just as I was about to protest, the eighth and ninth arrows transformed into spirit arrows and charged towards me. I felt the splintering sense of the arrows ripping apart my soul, and there was no way I could resist the arrows Yi had shot with all his might.

My consciousness faded away.

That was my 21st death.