Reincarnation Sword God

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I extracted the obsidian and placed it into my wooden armor first. The workers in the mine were frozen in shock at the sudden appearance of the giant obsidian that fell from the sky, especially when Cheon Woo-jin and I walked out of it. Regardless of their astonishment, I utilized my technique to head towards the barrier of the fire element.

“Hooh…”

Cheon Woo-jin scanned the barrier with a surprised expression.

“This is the barrier of the fire element. We’re on a southern continent thousands of miles away from the Central Plains.”

The reason I purposely brought him here was that I needed to wait until King Mi-hu defeated the region around Mount Tai while convincing Cheon Woo-jin of the importance of conducting the offering ceremony. If I could show him that I was clearly aware of the location of the fire element, he might be more diligent.

As Cheon Woo-jin inspected the barrier, he remarked, “This barrier is impressive. Is it true that it protects the Seven Luminaries…?”

“Cheon Woo-jin, I have a question.”

He glanced back at me, and I asked, “I’ve heard that you’ve mastered sorcery to the point that you no longer need to ascend to the Celestial Realm. Then what is your goal in life going forward?”

He frowned at my inquiry.

“What? Why are you asking such a thing? Are we that close?”

“It’s not that we’re close, but this offering ceremony is incredibly important to me in my lifetime. Isn’t it natural to want to know about the one presiding over such a significant ritual? I find it curious if I can’t ask at least this much after all the items I’ve given you in return for your services.”

I couldn’t share the obsidian with him yet because I still didn’t fully trust him. So, if I wanted to create a chance to work with him in the future, I needed to understand who he truly was.

“……”

“Is it that difficult to answer?”

As I pressed, Cheon Woo-jin scratched his head, seemingly recalling all that he had received. To my surprise, he said bluntly, “I can tell you, but first, tell me your goal. I want to know what someone like you is thinking.”

“My goal is to gather the Seven Luminaries.”

“There’s got to be a reason for gathering them, right?”

“If I collect the Seven Luminaries, I can obtain divine power. With that power, I plan to confront the ‘Ancient Rulers.’ Ultimately, I want to drive them out of the human world.”

“……”

Upon hearing my answer, Cheon Woo-jin was flabbergasted. After a brief moment of opening and closing his mouth, he weakly replied, “You… you’re insane. Do you really mean that?”

“I do.”

“Haha… What… would it be more realistic to say I’ll become an emperor or rule the world…”

He chuckled, but then remarked, “You seem crazy, but fine, I’ll tell you my goal as promised. My life’s aspiration is to reach the level of my master.”

“When you say your master, do you mean Master Mangnyang?”

“That’s right.”

I pondered for a moment and asked, “But he’s a god. Does that mean you want to become a god too?”

“Hmm… wanting to become a god is correct. But it seems I need to clarify a bit.”

Cheon Woo-jin waved his hand dismissively as he continued, “Before that, I want to uncover the identity of my master. Becoming a god is merely a means to that end.”

“Identity…?”

“My master once spoke to me and my older brother. He claimed to have amnesia.”

“……!!”

Amnesia?! What does that even mean?! I was taken aback by this unexpected revelation. I was merely trying to understand Cheon Woo-jin’s thoughts and aspirations, but an astonishing story came up. As I stared at Cheon Woo-jin, he reached out towards the fire element barrier before us and continued.

“My master claimed he cannot remember his origin. His first memory is said to be of meeting and conversing with the Jade Emperor. However, even the Jade Emperor doesn’t know the identity of my master, where he came from, or what he is. Instead, the Jade Emperor persuaded him and granted him the position of guardian of Taoism, and since then, he has lived on Earth.”

“……”

“All three Pure Ones have determined my master to be an inexplicable existence. All the knowledge and common sense of the celestial realm that has been passed down since ancient times cannot define him. Every Great Immortal has failed to discover his name. I believe no one in the celestial realm knows what he truly is.”

“Umm…”

“Even though I have enough qualifications, the reason I haven’t ascended is that it seems pointless. It’s clear that I’ll discover nothing, and it would only add to my responsibilities and take away my freedom.”

This was a monumental revelation. The fact that even the Jade Emperor and the Pure Ones cannot define Master Mangnyang? I trembled at the enormity of this fact. Suddenly, a thought struck me, prompting me to ask, “But Master Mangnyang is known by that name now. Doesn’t that mean names exist?”

Cheon Woo-jin shook his head. “That name, Mangnyang, was temporarily assigned by Taishang Laojun. I can’t quite understand why he’s referred to as Master of the Borderlands, but perhaps the Jade Emperor, who possesses the highest divine power, sensed something from him. So, it’s just a nickname, not a true name.”

“Umm…”

I pondered, ‘Why didn’t Mangnyang share this with me?’ Suddenly, I realized the truth: uncovering the elusive and inexplicable reality of Master Mangnyang would carry dangers greater than assembling the Seven Luminaries. If Master Mangnyang were equal to or greater than the ‘Ancient Rulers,’ that would surely be the case!

All this time, I had acted impulsively and rashly. It made sense Mangnyang would want to avoid inciting curiosity in Master Mangnyang, further complicating the already daunting task of collecting the Seven Luminaries.

I decided to pose another question. “You mentioned that the blessing of the event ‘Creation of Heaven’ causes changes through observation, leading to entry into a dualistic world where life and death do not exist. I’m a bit dim, so I don’t quite understand what that means. Do you know?”

Cheon Woo-jin answered bluntly, “I explained the future of the White Feather Fan to you once! If you grasp that principle, you should get the gist.”

“……?”

Cheon Woo-jin raised both hands, pointing his index fingers skyward. “The crux is that the future of this world changes through observation. However, that means both ‘the world being observed’ and ‘the world without an observer’ exist simultaneously. The blessing of Creation of Heaven provides the possibility to choose between either. The duality that even gods cannot manage becomes property of mortals, allowing the denial of all realities. Haven’t you ever pondered such thoughts?”

What is he even talking about? The world of observation and the world without observers? Duality and reality? I blankly stared at Cheon Woo-jin, causing him to show irritation.

“Forget it. It’s clear you won’t understand if I explain it now. You’ll have to learn from your older brother later and expand your knowledge.”

“… Understood.”

“And no matter how many offerings you make, you won’t receive the blessing of Creation of Heaven from my master. That blessing is far more powerful than the blessings of any Great Immortal.”

In the end, I received a harsh reprimand, but it felt like I made substantial progress. I didn’t understand what I had just learned, but I tried to memorize it. If I committed it to memory, perhaps later, Mangnyang or another sorcerer could help make sense of it.

“Wait. But Cheon Woo-jin, isn’t it impossible to attain the divine level without ascending? You would need to ascend to gain the superior spiritual energy of the consciousness and exercise powerful abilities.”

When I posed this obvious question, he snorted with laughter.

“Ascending is akin to passing an examination and being appointed to a position in the human world. Naturally, beings who become officials will have superior abilities than ordinary humans, earning greater fame and wealth. But that doesn’t mean a non-official human cannot surpass them, does it?”

“Hmm, that makes sense…”

“The end of ascension is practically the Great Immortal. However, one cannot unequivocally say that the Great Immortal is equivalent to a god in essence. I’m seeking a way to reach the divine level without any aid from the celestial realm.”

“……”

“That’s how I can uncover the identity of my master.”

Indeed, what a remarkable and audacious idea only a genius could conceive. Thousands of Taoists and practitioners across this continent spent their entire lives dreaming of becoming Earth Immortals, toiling hard. Those Earth Immortals struggled to break through the gates to the celestial realm, ultimately becoming Great Immortals after hundreds or thousands of years of practice. Cheon Woo-jin’s ambition to surpass even Great Immortals and become a god-like existence was surely no ordinary notion.

‘But in the future I saw, Cheon Woo-jin, you also ascended to the celestial realm.’

I bit my lip. Well, perhaps that future version of Cheon Woo-jin ascended because he belatedly realized his failures wouldn’t remain unheeded. He probably escaped to the celestial realm to save his life after realizing he couldn’t handle the overwhelming power of the Nine Lotus Sect. I felt slightly pleased seeing a future where the proud Cheon Woo-jin was humbled.

Yet at the same time, I was filled with dread contemplating the power of the Nine Lotus Sect, so strong that even Cheon Woo-jin would have to flee the human world. It seemed inevitable the Nine Lotus Sect would emerge as a significant obstacle and rival in my future endeavors.

Cheon Woo-jin turned to me and asked, “By the way, why did you mine that obsidian?”

“I want to use the obsidian for something, but I can’t say more than that.”

“Alright then. So how long do you plan to stay here? You didn’t come all the way here just to show me the barrier, did you?”

“Hmmm…”

I felt a bit troubled. Initially, I thought removing the giant obsidian with Cheon Woo-jin would take a while, so I prepared for a lengthy stay. However, since he managed to do it instantly, I suddenly had too much time. To fill the time and share the barrier with Cheon Woo-jin, I figured I’d let him hear my thoughts, but even now, not much time had passed since King Mi-hu’s appearance.

What would be efficient to do during this time?

Then suddenly, I recalled something and asked Cheon Woo-jin, “Do you know about the phoenix?”

“Huh? What nonsense is that?”

“I heard rumors that the legendary divine beast, the phoenix, appeared recently in Goryeo’s Western Capital. I thought that with your remarkable sorcery skills, you might discover something from traces of the phoenix’s appearance…”

What had come to mind was the rumor that the phoenix had manifested around this time in Goryeo’s Western Capital. I was already aware that the Master of the Twelve Joules summoned the phoenix to prevent the Sea God from invading the realm, but that too lingered in my mind. Had they actually told me the truth, after all the deception and trickery they had subjected me to?

And what did the summoning of the phoenix by the Master of the Twelve Joules signify?

Furthermore, it would be interesting to learn about the evil spirit residing in the Western Capital too.

‘Damn it… This guy will probably demand compensation again.’

While I grumbled inwardly, unexpectedly, Cheon Woo-jin, his curiosity piqued, replied, “A phoenix appeared in Goryeo… is that true?”

“It is true.”

“Hmm. How interesting. A phoenix, huh… Let’s go check it out for the thrill.”

He didn’t mention compensation! I thought to myself as I secretly laughed.

‘Curiosity has triumphed over greed!’

Cheon Woo-jin, feeling too lazy to travel all the way to Goryeo, sensed an opportunity to explore Goryeo using my technique of boiling. Of course, it was beneficial for me since I didn’t have to pay any cost.

*Pa-at*

Using the boiling technique, I arrived in Goryeo’s Western Capital with Cheon Woo-jin.

Western Capital.

It was where Dongning Prefecture was established when it was seized by Yuan, and it was once renamed Pyongyang Prefecture during King Gongmin’s reign. After that, during the Yuan-Ming transition, Goryeo succeeded in defending the city and reforming, and with King U and King Chang’s rule, the national fortune was revived, and this place reclaimed the name ‘Western Capital.’ As I recalled the past, I gazed blankly at the ruins of the old Dongning Prefecture before me.

‘Miho isn’t here now.’

At this point soon after my reincarnation, Miho had yet to cross over to Goryeo. Currently, Miho was likely entangled in politics at the Shogunate, infatuated with the Heavenly Emperor.

I turned to Cheon Woo-jin beside me and asked, “Do you feel anything?”

“I don’t sense anything about the phoenix, but there is a great evil spirit inside.”

“Well… That’s probably the evil spirit, Myo Cheong.”

Previously, Miho had mentioned wanting to devour Myo Cheong, as he had been residing in the ruins of Dongning Prefecture summoning monsters from the Classic of Mountains and Seas. Of course, before that, we had reached an agreement to find the Seven Luminaries together, so Miho had not gone through with consuming Myo Cheong. Thus, it was certain that Myo Cheong was asleep in those ruins of Dongning Prefecture.

Cheon Woo-jin frowned and said, “If I had remained unaware, it would have been one thing, but knowing now, we can’t let it go. Let’s exterminate that thing.”

“Understood.”

From his words, I could ascertain Cheon Woo-jin’s nature. He showed extreme annoyance toward matters irrelevant to him, brimming with the arrogance characteristic of a genius, yet he possessed a sense of camaraderie. Thus, this was the reason he was a disciple of Mangnyang.