Reincarnation Sword God

---

Chapter 1 – Dark Heaven Village

“An unexpected declaration from the Master of the Twelve Joules!”

However, Mangnyang and Zhuge Sa showed no signs of surprise—instead, they wore expressions as if this was all part of the plan. Mangnyang spoke gravely, “Are you thinking of breaking the vow of the three-party talks?”

“What was the point of the three-party talks anyway? You, Bancheon Alliance, were supposed to serve as a bridge. So, what do we call the current situation where the White Lotus Sect has received the Dharma from that very bridge?”

“……”

“It was a covenant made out of mutual necessity, so there’s no reason to be regretful now. Whether it’s me or the Sect Leader…”

The Master of the Twelve Joules continued coldly, “And as you all know, the Imperial Palace is the common enemy. The truce is over.”

At that, Mangnyang clenched his teeth and remarked, “Aren’t you being hasty?”

“Hasty? In what way?”

“We all agree that one day we must attack the Imperial Palace. It’s just that we needed time to settle ourselves without fearing the Palace’s retaliatory strikes. But… right now, I’m not certain we are truly prepared to attack the Imperial Palace.”

The Master of the Twelve Joules seemed to stifle a laugh, bringing a hand to his mouth, “Heh heh.”

“……?”

“That’s not it. You Bancheon Alliance need time, don’t you? Do you think we’re fools?”

“You don’t know what we’re after, but we can no longer wait. The Sect Leader and I have already reached an agreement, so I hope you’ll respond to our opinion.”

“What if we say we can’t comply?”

“Then after the Imperial Palace, your turn will come next.”

“……”

An overt threat!

‘The Master of the Twelve Joules believes they can handle the Imperial Palace without us.’

The reason for coming all the way to Jangryeong Valley was likely to inform the mediator Bancheon Alliance about the covenant, thinking it would be better that way. Moreover, since the Bancheon Alliance occupies a significant position in the current balance of power, they came to force their cooperation. The Master of the Twelve Joules truly was formidable enough to take down both the Imperial Palace and the Bancheon Alliance.

Mangnyang struggled but spoke, “Just give us a little more time.”

“What kind of time? Time to spread rumors everywhere? You want the Imperial Palace to have time to prepare after seeing your movements change?”

The Master of the Twelve Joules pointed a finger toward us, “There’s no option. Decide right here, right now.”

“……”

At that moment, Gukho, beside Mangnyang, stepped forward with irritation, “You may call yourself the Master of the Twelve Joules, but have you thought about one thing? Do you think you can defeat us all by yourself here?”

“Haha! Is that so? I definitely don’t plan to take you all on by myself.”

As he clicked his fingers, four shadowy figures appeared around him. It was the Three Masters of the Twelve Joules and the special position, Miyamoto Musashi. Had I been oblivious, I might have overlooked them, but Gukho was already aware of their immense strength from my past life memories, and he flinched.

The Master of the Twelve Joules said, “This should be enough to put you all half-dead.”

Mangnyang stepped forward again and asked, “What do you want?”

“I told you. Join us.”

“I can’t trust you. There’s a possibility that you made this up all by yourself.”

“Made it up? What would we gain from doing that?”

“You need to provide evidence that the White Lotus Sect agrees with you.”

“Sure.”

Whoooooosh!

At that moment, a door opened in the air, and three Dharma Guardians appeared before us. All wore masks, but the infinite aura they radiated left no doubt—they were Dharma Guardians. The moment I saw their appearance, darkness enveloped my vision.

‘It’s real…’

Had only Yongbi Cheon appeared, I might have doubted it, but the Dharma Guardian of the Wind Spirit Lineage, Dokgo Jun, the Sect Leader’s diligent follower, was also present. This meant the Sect Leader had also agreed to this matter. Thankfully, most of us had prepared countermeasures, so the identities of Lee Cheong-un and the others seemed to be undisclosed; nonetheless, danger loomed ahead.

No avoiding it.

The Master of the Twelve Joules wasn’t trying to deceive us but truly intended to attack the Imperial Palace. The agreement with the White Lotus Sect was genuine. If we were to refuse here, we’d have to face two masters of the Absolute Realm and three sorcerers of the Illusory God level, along with three Dharma Guardians simultaneously. Taking on two of the three great powers at once left us no chance of victory.

Han Baek-ryeong, wearing a fox mask, spoke in a clear voice, “Bancheon Alliance, what are you hesitating for? You must have viewed the Imperial Palace as a thorn in your side.”

“Is there really any need for us to join? The current strength of the Imperial Palace can hardly withstand even the White Lotus Sect.”

At that, Yongbi Cheon beside her scoffed, “Hmph! While you may not reach the level of a mere faction, you’ve surely concentrated powers that exceed the Nine Great Sects. If we’re to make a move, we should overwhelm them to minimize our losses. Stop the nonsense and help us.”

Mangnyang sensed there was nowhere left to retreat and reluctantly said, “If you truly wish to proceed, then please fulfill one condition from our side.”

“What is it?”

“After this matter concludes, if there’s a clash between the White Lotus Sect and the Master of the Twelve Joules, please agree to our mediation at least once.”

“Sure, that’s not a difficult request.”

The Master of the Twelve Joules nodded and motioned for Miyamoto Musashi to step forward. As Musashi approached us, the Master spoke, “He is our special position. He will explain the operation plan, so be sure to attend at the specified time.”

Swoosh!

A moment later, the Master of the Twelve Joules, the Three Masters, and even the three Dharma Guardians from the White Lotus Sect vanished through a spatial door. Miyamoto Musashi nodded at us and said, “May I explain?”

Mangnyang sighed, “Just a moment… Please wait a single meal cycle. We need time to hold a meeting.”

“Very well. Finish it up as quickly as you can.”

“We will receive you in the reception room.”

After a storm passed, we left Miyamoto Musashi in the reception room and began our meeting. Naturally, someone had to monitor Musashi, so Lee Cheong-un watched over him.

Zhuge Sa said, “So it has come to this.”

“Uncle, shouldn’t we prepare for the end of this life?” Mangnyang glanced at Zhuge Sa, who hesitated before responding.

“I think so too. The current crisis has come despite the blessing of the Great Immortal Zhongli Quan helping us alter our fate. It’s undoubtedly a sinister omen. Even if all of us here were to be annihilated, it wouldn’t be surprising at all.”

At that, Gukho stared at me intently and said, “Shouldn’t we focus on attacking the Imperial Palace and prioritize saving Baek Woong? As long as that guy lives, he’s guaranteed training time.”

“I thought of that too.”

Mangnyang showed a serious expression, “In truth, neither I nor my uncle were unaware that the Master would come today. It’s just that I find it difficult to judge whether we can afford to let this valuable experience and information slip away.”

“What do you mean?”

“The Master of the Twelve Joules and the White Lotus Sect didn’t break the covenant for nothing. For several months, the movements of the Imperial Palace have grown increasingly suspicious, mobilizing rituals and manpower for large-scale rites at Mount Ye. They must have sensed something brewing within the Palace, leading to a backlash from the remaining two factions.”

I was piecing things together when I said, “The ultimate Divine Portrait!”

“Correct, Baek Woong. They are using the Divine Blood buried in the tomb of Qin Shi Huang at Mount Ye to complete the white-haired Divine Portrait. Thus, attacking the Imperial Palace at this point is, in truth, an unavoidable choice.”

“So we hesitated solely because we are the notaries of the truce agreement?”

“Precisely. We must attack the Imperial Palace now, and it’s crucial to claim the Divine Portrait from Mount Ye.”

Mangnyang continued, “Obtaining the Divine Portrait from the two factions’ high-level experts will undoubtedly be no easy task. In this situation, we have no knowledge of how much they understand about the Divine Portrait, so it could be quite challenging, even with all our strength.”

“So that’s why I must participate.”

“Yes. Our deaths must not be in vain. Even when meeting death, we must acquire clues that lead to the future. Baek Woong, you must be the one to gather all the information. That Silver Phoenix Fragment alone led you to roll over ten more times because you didn’t obtain that information in time.”

“……”

It was indeed a tough decision. Considering my training time, it seemed right to send only my companions into a dangerous deadlock, but that would mean we wouldn’t gather enough information. We could remain stuck circling around the Imperial Palace and Divine Portrait for dozens of cycles without clear information.

I cautiously asked, “Then what if we use the White Feather Fan to foresee the situation in advance?”

“That would be meaningless. The outcome is bound to change due to observation, and without information about the Qin Shi Huang tomb at Mount Ye, any future prediction would likely be distorted.”

“Hmm…”

Just then, the Sword Demon, who had been listening quietly, spoke up, “It seems we won’t be late to decide after hearing Miyamoto Musashi’s information.”

“That would be wise.”

Eventually, we headed toward the reception room where Miyamoto Musashi waited. Musashi sat quietly, sipping tea, while Lee Cheong-un sat next to him, keeping watch. Musashi opened his mouth as if intrigued.

“Impressive. To think such a high-level expert was anonymous… You Bancheon Alliance have remarkable potential, just as the Master said.”

Lee Cheong-un responded nonchalantly, “If your hands are itching to fight me, bear with it. After this matter is resolved, we’ll have time to spar.”

“I’ll hold you to that.”

It appeared Musashi had gauged Lee Cheong-un’s realm and was subtly provoking him. It seems that while we held our meeting, a power struggle between Absolute Realm experts unfolded in the reception room.

Finally, Miyamoto Musashi spoke, “The date will be three days from now, at the hour of the Dog, at Mount Ye. The Imperial Palace is plotting schemes within the tomb of Qin Shi Huang, and on the eve, the Emperor along with esteemed officials will visit. We plan to catch them all off guard within the Qin Shi Huang tomb, and you too must provide substantial aid.”

“It’s night, then.”

“The guards are focused, including the Golden Eagle Guards and Duke of Guanzhong, with reports of strange phantoms among them. It was said they might be modified through evil sorcery, so heed the Master’s warning and be cautious.”

They are likely the demon races.

‘Well, I doubt we will lose through strength…’

Although the Imperial Palace is nothing less than a calamity for a mere martial world faction, we also have the Master of the White Lotus Sect, the Master of the Twelve Joules, and the Dharma Guardians among us. As long as there are no equals on the opposite side, we won’t be in too much trouble.

But despite this, why did I feel uneasy inside?

After passing down all the minor plans, Miyamoto Musashi left the Jangryeong Valley. As soon as Musashi’s figure faded completely from the horizon, Lee Cheong-un spoke.

“That man is a battle fanatic.”

“Is he a danger?”

“When I meet that guy again, I won’t be able to evade combat. I can feel a wild desire within him to test one cut, no matter who the opponent is.”

“……”

That bravado was likely the same as lunging at the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors.

Regardless, Miyamoto Musashi’s pride and stubbornness were unrivaled.

Then Zhuge Sa beside us said, “Then let Lee Cheong-un lure him on the day of confrontation. If we can eliminate the variable of Miyamoto Musashi, it will ease our burden.”

“What about the Master of the Twelve Joules and the Sect Leader?”

“Don’t we also have our secret weapon?”

“Is that so?”

Secret weapon?

I cocked my head in confusion, but Zhuge Sa continued, “Baek Woong, the Master of the Twelve Joules is likely planning to exploit the chaos to eliminate both the White Lotus Sect and us simultaneously from the Qin Shi Huang tomb. We must assume that we will also engage the Master of the Twelve Joules that day, so you have something you must do.”

“What is it?”

“That is…”

Bang!

I finally approached the Prophet. As the Prophet came out to see me, I cut straight to the chase with a proposal.

“Prophet! A deal.”