Reincarnation Sword God

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00448 Dark Heaven Village ————————————————————————

The Heavenly Ruler of Tai Xu tilted his head and asked back,

[Do you even know what the Offering Ceremony means?]

“It means gaining dominion over the world and celestial luck through the Offering Ceremony. It signifies not only becoming the master of the world but also becoming the priest connecting the gods and humans, doesn’t it?”

[……]

“I also know that summoning the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors allows for divine miracles through offerings.”

I spoke calmly about what I knew regarding the Offering Ceremony. The Heavenly Ruler of Tai Xu, currently residing in Cheon Woo-jin’s body, quietly flashed his inner light, seemingly devoid of emotion. After observing me for a while, the Heavenly Ruler spoke.

[You know well. I don’t know where you learned this, but it’s impressive. But can you tell me why you are bringing this up with me?]

“Um…”

[As you know, I govern luck. The reason you mention the Offering Ceremony to me…]

I looked straight at him and said,

“You are the embodiment of the Three Pure Ones of the Celestial Realm, aren’t you? Being one of the highest beings in the Celestial Realm, it’s reasonable for you to discuss this. It would be more unusual to discuss it with an ordinary Great Immortal.”

[Heh.]

“I would like to know if you can grant me that right.”

In the past, I had inadvertently made it awkward between the Heavenly Ruler and asked the Queen Mother, but now that I learned that the Queen Mother dislikes granting the right to the Offering Ceremony, there was no need for that. Directly asking the Heavenly Ruler, who might be equal or even superior to the Queen Mother, would be a quicker and easier path.

Then, the Heavenly Ruler said,

[It’s possible. But are you prepared to offer sufficient offerings?]

This is where it gets important.

I needed to reserve some treasures for this life. The Offering Ceremony wouldn’t be the end; it would allow me to gain the Elemental Fire as a different process. Therefore, the distribution of the treasures had already been discussed with Zhuge Sa. I carefully recalled and opened my mouth.

“I will offer this.”

Boom!

What I brought out from my wooden armor was almost all the precious metals plundered from Pirate Island and the landlord’s Inner Dan. If exchanged for money in Jianghu, it could easily make me one of the wealthiest individuals in a province. However, the Heavenly Ruler examined it slowly and shook his head.

[This is inadequate.]

I thought the Heavenly Ruler was right. Unlike the greedy Southern Flower Immortal, the Heavenly Ruler’s face was merely expressionless. It seemed that such material value wouldn’t satisfy the immortals much. Reluctantly, I added the Twin Broadswords of Liu Bei of Shu Han.

[Oh… This Divine Sword… Hmm…]

The Heavenly Ruler looked quite contemplative. Now it had reached a level where negotiation could begin. After some time, the Heavenly Ruler spoke.

[I might accept more, but let me ask first. What is your reason for offering these items for the Offering Ceremony?]

“Do you really need to know? It is ultimately up to the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors to decide, so wouldn’t informing them beforehand make them uneasy?”

[You’re being cunning. It’s even more dangerous to grant rights carelessly to someone with ulterior motives. Think of it as a system of review by the Celestial Realm to alleviate their nuisance.]

“……”

[First, tell me. After that, I will determine the weight of the offerings.]

It seemed to be an unavoidable question. I had no choice but to respond to the Heavenly Ruler.

“I learned the location of the Elemental Fire, so I wish to seek permission from the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors to obtain it.”

[Elemental Fire!!]

The Heavenly Ruler looked at me with interest.

[What do you, a human, plan to do by obtaining the Seven Luminaries? Do you wish to become an emperor?]

“I have no thoughts of becoming an emperor. I merely have my own use for it.”

[What is that use?]

“I cannot disclose that.”

As I firmly cut off further inquiry, the Heavenly Ruler gazed at me with a peculiar expression. It was a dangerous statement on my part, considering I had to somehow acquire the right to the Offering Ceremony, but it was unavoidable. I had a strong suspicion that revealing everything to someone like the Heavenly Ruler, whose intentions were unclear, could lead to danger. Yet, somehow, I had a strange confidence that the Heavenly Ruler would understand my words.

After a moment of contemplation, the Heavenly Ruler said,

[Fine. I will grant you the right to the Offering Ceremony with this offering.]

“Thank you. But there is one more request I would like to make.”

[What is it?]

I smiled slyly and said,

“I heard that information from the Celestial Realm is being spied on by a phantom. This conversation might be overheard by them. It seems the location is the Heavenly Altar of Mount Tai; what should I do?”

Then the Heavenly Ruler spoke with a perplexed expression.

[Is that so?]

“Yes. I stake my life on its truth.”

[Hmm… Then I will order the Illusory God Cheon Woo-jin to eradicate them.]

I countered with a quip to the Heavenly Ruler’s words.

“That won’t suffice. A powerful Demon Sorcerer is stationed in Mount Tai, and we need even more support. Furthermore, that individual is exceedingly cautious, so immense power is required.”

[What do you propose?]

Opportunity has knocked!

‘As Zhuge Sha said, at this point…’

I said to the Heavenly Ruler,

“The rebellious Zhuge Yulong of the Celestial Realm is evil and powerful. Order the Immortal Duelers to punish him. Wouldn’t the Law of Cause and Effect be sufficient?”

Since Cheon Woo-jin needed to keep working in the future, I couldn’t carelessly grant him divine fever to strengthen him. Moreover, it would be impossible to eliminate Zhuge Yulong without a strengthened Cheon Woo-jin, so I decided to rely on the power of the Celestial Realm.

If the Immortal Duelers from the Celestial Realm intervened directly, even the Imperial Palace Forces and Zhuge Yulong wouldn’t stand a chance. Also, since legitimate Law of Cause and Effect would be consumed, even if referred to as an “old ruler,” there wouldn’t be much they could do.

[Then Yeodong-bin…]

“No! I, the heir of Yeodong-bin, must conduct the Offering Ceremony…”

[Alright. Then I’ll send someone else.]

“By the way, Zhuge Yulong can create clones to extend his life, so anything suspicious must be obliterated. He has a base near the Heavenly Altar of the Five Great Mountains.”

[That would be wise. Then I shall take my leave…]

A flustered Heavenly Ruler vanished. He seemed rather hurried.

A moment later, Cheon Woo-jin came to his senses and said with a distorted face,

“The Offering Ceremony…? Where on earth did you hear such information? The right to the Offering Ceremony is absurd!”

I answered nonchalantly,

“I’ve already spoken with your older brother.”

“Ugh, my older brother…”

Upon hearing the mention of Mangnyang, Cheon Woo-jin shut his mouth. I casually continued speaking.

“And I would like your assistance in the Offering Ceremony. After all, I canceled the order to exterminate Zhuge Yulong, which was about to be placed on you.”

Cheon Woo-jin erupted with indignation.

“Don’t be ridiculous! How far do you intend to push me?”

“Think about it. This concerns the Seven Luminaries, whose whereabouts even in this world are unknown. If I were you, I’d want to approach the parties involved to understand their intentions and purposes.”

“……”

“I already have a sorcerer who can perform the Offering Ceremony. If you refuse, I’ll just walk away.”

As I subtly turned my head, Cheon Woo-jin shouted.

“I’ll do it!”

When I looked at Cheon Woo-jin, he wore an extremely complicated expression.

“I said I would do it.”

“Good decision.”

“However, I have one question. Are you really confident that you know the location of the Elemental Fire? Do you believe you can obtain it?”

“If you follow me, you will find out.”

“Ah, there’s no helping it…”

Cheon Woo-jin sighed. I was inwardly impressed.

‘Mangnyang really knows Cheon Woo-jin’s psychology well…’

The persuasion I used now wasn’t mine but rather advice from Mangnyang. Before going to train with the Three Sovereigns’ Inner Gate, Mangnyang had advised me to speak like this when bringing Cheon Woo-jin into the Offering Ceremony. I couldn’t help but admire how appropriately his advice had been helpful in this situation, as if he had foreseen it.

And it was the moment we were about to step out of the village.

Boom…

Rumble…

A massive thundercloud formed over the village. The immense magical power flowing through that cloud was enough to make one flinch even from a distance. Soon something white shot out from the thundercloud, descended upon the village, and the lightning storm began.

‘Ugh, I need to avoid this!’

I quickly used the Soul Removal Technique to distance myself from the village, and Cheon Woo-jin also seemed to use the Art of Spatial Movement to dodge the incoming storm. The thunderclaps grew louder in our ears.

Crash!

From a hundred meters away, I watched the chaos and, curious, asked Cheon Woo-jin,

“What is that?”

Cheon Woo-jin, who was observing the scene beside me, replied gruffly,

“Didn’t you request the summoning of the Immortal Duelers to the Celestial Realm? It looks like they’ve already finished their meeting and have dispatched an Immortal Dueler to crush that Zhuge Yulong or whatever. And before embarking on the mission, it seems he came to obtain authorization from my master, who is the guardian of Taoism.”

“Summoning? Right now?”

“What’s wrong with that?”

I looked at Cheon Woo-jin, bewildered.

“There are no mediums or spirit mediums. Even if it’s an Immortal Dueler, fighting in a spirit state could be burdensome.”

There’s a reason Yeodong-bin had to wait for a millennium for someone to descend. Regardless of how strong an Immortal Dueler’s spirit was, they couldn’t fully exert their power without a physical body. This human realm coexists with both spirit and flesh. Even a formidable Immortal Dueler might find it difficult to utilize even 10% of their original strength without a proper medium for descent.

Then Cheon Woo-jin said,

“There’s one individual in the Celestial Realm who can independently descend and fight without needing any medium or spirit medium. This is because he was originally the king of monsters who attained enlightenment and became an Immortal Dueler.”

Boom…

Cheon Woo-jin observed the thunder growing quieter before continuing,

“Let’s leave this place for now. Once the Beautiful King receives approval to stay from my master, a riot will break out, and we should avoid getting caught up in it.”

I was secretly astonished.

‘The Immortal Dueler, Beautiful King!’

Isn’t he the monster who stood in my way when I was trying to break the Offering Ceremony’s barrier with the Arrow of Judgment just a short while ago? His half-human, half-monkey form, wielding a colossal staff while riding clouds, was unforgettable. It seemed the Beautiful King was set to obliterate Zhuge Yulong upon receiving the command from the Celestial Realm.

Boom!

Suddenly, with a resounding bang, a gigantic cloud stretched like a line and surged beyond the horizon. It appeared to be the mark of the being known as the Beautiful King moving. With even his silhouette out of sight, as I stared in awe, Cheon Woo-jin frowned.

“He’s showing off his treasures, using the Muscle Cloud like that! Does he want to brag?”

“Do you know much about the Beautiful King?”

“He’s a celebrity in the Celestial Realm.”

I pondered for a moment and said to Cheon Woo-jin,

“Could you tell me more about the Beautiful King later? I’m curious if he can successfully take down Zhuge Yulong…”

The Beautiful King may potentially become my enemy in the future. It wouldn’t hurt to know more.

Cheon Woo-jin scoffed,

“Bah! Why are you so worried about that? What a worry-free world it must be for you to fret over the Beautiful King…”

“Why not? It might be a valid concern.”

“I already told you. He was the king of monsters who became an Immortal Dueler. He has formidable demonic power and the techniques of an Immortal Dueler combined. How could a mortal handle that?”

“……!!”

“Hurry, let’s go perform the Offering Ceremony. With the Beautiful King in action, Zhuge Yulong is as good as dead.”

Is it really at that level?

Just by listening to Cheon Woo-jin’s bravado, I could tell how powerful the Immortal Dueler, Beautiful King, was.

‘I can’t recklessly head to Mount Tai now.’

I want to witness the Beautiful King smashing Zhuge Yulong, but doing so might drag me into trouble and lead to my death. Having fully felt the power of the Immortal Duelers in my past life, I couldn’t guarantee survival with my current martial arts.

“… Then please wait here for a moment.”

I instructed Cheon Woo-jin to remain, and using the Golden Lamp Technique, I headed toward Zhuge Sa. Although I had an overwhelming desire to conduct the Offering Ceremony at any one of the Five Great Mountains right now, summoning the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors through the Offering Ceremony would bring great repercussions. It would be best to conduct the ceremony at the Heavenly Altar of Mount Tai. To do this, I needed to wait a little for the Beautiful King to obliterate the Imperial Palace Forces at Mount Tai.

“Zhuge Sa, catch!”

The moment I arrived at Zhuge Sa in Jangryeong Valley, I hurled the precious memories I experienced in the Offering Ceremony into his hands. When Zhuge Sa accepted the obsidian and read the memories, his expression changed to one of intrigue.

“You have done well.”

“What should we do next?”

“Given the circumstances, we need to change the order.”

Zhuge Sa paused for a moment and then said,

“Baek Woong. Since this has happened, go to the black obsidian mine in Dongyoung along with Cheon Woo-jin to mine the Great Black Obsidian. With Cheon Woo-jin’s sorcery, it should be possible within a few days. After mining, head to Mount Tai to conduct the Offering Ceremony.”

“Understood.”

I turned around and returned to where Cheon Woo-jin was, and headed toward the black obsidian mine in Dongyoung with him. Cheon Woo-jin’s face twisted in confusion upon arriving unexpectedly at a foreign mine.

“What is this? Why are we here? Aren’t we supposed to be doing the Offering Ceremony?”

“Since the Beautiful King will be sweeping through the Five Great Mountains, heading there now would be dangerous. Just help me with my task in the meantime. We are companions, after all.”

Cheon Woo-jin shouted angrily,

“I don’t want to! Who works passionately without any payment? Just give me some extra compensation!”

“……”

Reluctantly, I handed him the gold bars I obtained from the Ruins of Water Element. Upon receiving the gold bars, Cheon Woo-jin said,

“Hm, so we need to mine that gigantic black obsidian, but if we do, the mine will collapse, right?”

I nodded.

“We need to build a support structure to extract it, and it’s too cumbersome.”

Throughout my past life, even though I knew the location of the Great Black Obsidian, I had only attempted to extract it once. It had been a laborious process, and while I had succeeded in extracting it once through sheer luck, doing so again had proved too taxing, and the efficiency was lacking. Cheon Woo-jin examined the Great Black Obsidian and then stretched out his hands.

“Quickly and accurately!”

Boom!

The next moment, something dropped outside the mine. I was startled and turned back to see Cheon Woo-jin say,

“I’ve moved the black obsidian outside. I substituted it with a similarly sized mineral from the layers. That should suffice.”

“What kind of sorcery is that?!”

Cheon Woo-jin shrugged with a smirk.

“It’s a technique you wouldn’t know. What are you expecting when you can’t even perform basic skills properly?”

“……”

I suddenly realized the crucial reason why I hadn’t been able to take Cheon Woo-jin as my companion by simply giving him black obsidian.

‘Next time, I’ll learn a technique that will shock you and laugh back at you, you annoying brat!’

This guy is infuriating!

I gritted my teeth inwardly and resolved to elevate my sorcery skills in this life.