Reincarnation Sword God

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Dark Heaven Village

The first to launch an attack was Lee Cheong-un. He activated the Thunder Spirit Technique and soared through the air at an incredible speed, delivering strikes infused with thunder.

*Kwoom!*

I could tell that each of his attacks was far more refined and powerful than the Lion’s Roar. Even in pure firepower, he surpassed it significantly, mainly due to the difference in their control over Qi and intent. However, despite Lee Cheong-un’s overwhelming assault, he only managed to chip away at a fragment of the Moon Sovereign’s Guardian without dealing a critical blow.

As the blasts rained down, the strengthening barrier of the island was on the verge of collapsing. Great Monk Seo San, who took refuge beside me, sighed.

“Oh dear, how can such a fearsome demon exist…”

“Master.”

Yu Jeong looked at Great Monk Seo San with concern before turning to me.

“I will assist you as best I can.”

*Bwoosh!*

[ Kooohh… ]

Meanwhile, as the Thunder Spear struck the giant eye, the creature shut its eye and screamed, halting the surge of gray light momentarily.

*Paat!*

Lee Cheong-un temporarily withdrew and spoke.

“Now we should be able to enter.”

“That eye didn’t burst even after being hit by that Thunder Spear,” I muttered in disbelief. The Thunder Spear he shot from the Thunder Spirit Technique had the destructive power of a natural disaster, but instead of bursting, the eye merely reddened as if it felt a sting. It was surprisingly durable.

“There’s a barrier.”

“A barrier… you say?”

I frowned, recalling Dalgi’s barrier, but Lee Cheong-un continued.

“Of course, it’s not as strong as the one Dalgi had. However, it seems to mitigate our attacks and enhance its regeneration.”

“Bothersome.”

“There was nothing like this when you faced it before. The balance of Yin and Yang must have strengthened it.”

Nodding, I said, “Then let’s get serious from here on out.”

*Thunderclap!!*

I channeled all my strength into the Thunderclap. Simultaneously, I cast a technique on the martial artists who were prepared behind me: Cheon Woo-jin, Jeon Woo-chi, Mangnyang, and others.

“Transcending Connection!!”

*Bwoom!*

At that moment, our bodies teleported from the roots of the ground and reached the upper segment of the Moon Sovereign’s Guardian. I noticed a green barrier surrounding me.

‘A technique that prevents mental contamination.’

Fighting around such a massive demon would inevitably lead to mental confusion and erosion. Thus, I had cast a technique to enhance the mental resistance of the martial artists. While Lee Cheong-un kept the eye beams at bay, we had to break into the interior.

‘That Cheon Woo-jin…’

I glanced at Cheon Woo-jin. He seemed unusually gloomy, likely due to the overwhelming force of the Evil Spirit he felt head-on. His fighting spirit and confidence had diminished, and he wouldn’t be able to engage in direct combat for a while. There was a chance that he could be absurdly killed if things went wrong while fighting a powerful demon beast.

Miho would soon follow and support us from behind. It seemed that Miho was still struggling to control the immense power bestowed upon her.

“Let’s go.”

We advanced, cutting through the upper segments with Sword Strength, and soon found ourselves in a forest filled with fruit the size of a human body.

*Wobble*

*Shrrr!*

A nauseating, slimy creature was birthed from there as if the chaos itself were falling. The demon beasts recognized us immediately and screeched.

[ Kreeeek!! ]

*Kwoom!*

*Clang!*

A fierce battle erupted. The Sword Demon, Extreme Tiger, and Jin So-cheong began slashing at the swarming monsters, and I joined in as well. Lee Cheong-un swept through the monsters with the Heavenly Spirit Pill and charged further up.

*Wobble*

Once again, fruits of demons began to form. I realized with annoyance.

‘Are they absorbing the power of the earth to infinitely produce monsters?’

Being a tree, it would absorb all the vitality from this enhancement and grow larger, eventually spreading its roots to the sea. In the end, it could become a powerful demon that might reach Goryeo or the Central Plains. We had to eliminate it while we could.

Suddenly, Lee Cheong-un transformed into the form of the Thunder Spirit Technique and shouted.

“I shall cut the main branch!!”

*Gogogogoo…*

Lee Cheong-un concentrated his lightning power in the air, creating a colossal Lightning Spear. The spear measured over five meters, but it still seemed insufficient to slash through the massive tree. Drawing out the Natural Spirit Energy, Lee Cheong-un activated his ultimate technique.

*Lightburst Thunder*

*Kaboom!*

With a deafening explosion, the whole tree swayed. The devastating strike Lee Cheong-un unleashed managed to sever an astonishing 30% of the trunk! However, it still stood firm, retaining its central integrity.

Extreme Tiger, watching the spectacle, said incredulously, “Damn it. An attack like that would destroy a castle, yet this insane demon is still so colossal?!”

“It’s a monster from the Mythological Age,” Extreme Tiger replied, wryly smiling.

“Ha! Even the likes of Dalgi seem to herald the end of times,” he said.

We cut down nearly all of the ‘fruits’ born in this place and pressed onward. According to Mangnyang, there must be a core of this massive demon somewhere, and the clue resided in the topmost layer of the trunk. If we could uncover the Moon Sovereign’s Guardian’s weakness, we could focus our attacks there and break its spirit.

“…”

So far, the battle was manageable, but I couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling that washed over me.

‘Yeodong-bin hasn’t spoken to me at all…’

Facing a giant demon who wielded tremendous power through the destruction of Yin and Yang, Yeodong-bin showed no reaction. One would think he would at least offer to fight against the monster that could bring calamity to the world. Yet it seemed he hadn’t outright abandoned me for the Celestial Realm.

In other words – Yeodong-bin was currently rejecting the idea of fighting for me of his own will.

Why?

What have I done wrong?

[Are you trying to become a monster to catch a monster?]

[…If I can save humanity by any means, what does it matter…?]

[However, I, Yeodong-bin, shall withhold my judgment of you… ]

I had guesses, but I couldn’t discern what Yeodong-bin meant. One thing was clear: he strongly opposed the fusion of ‘Chaos’ and ‘Primordial Void’ and was wary of me, who was interested in that path.

I shook my head while riding up the trunk with Light Body Technique.

‘Tch. This isn’t the time to be missing Yeodong-bin’s help.’

The enemies I had to face in the future would all be divine beings. It would be absurd if I could do nothing without his assistance. What I needed to do now was to build the capacity and courage to fight on my own without his help.

Finally, we reached a tranquil mass of branches at what appeared to be the top layer. The demon was so enormous that we had to surpass cloud levels twice to arrive. As Mangnyang had said, we found a swirling vortex of darkness swirling with grotesque demon beasts.

Among the demons was a bizarre giant resembling a mass of blood vessels, and I could hear its grotesque speech.

[…You… why… interfere… Our seal… for thousands of years… the king of the moon will soon… descend… prevent our unity with the origin… It is barely… the restraint of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors that has been released… ]

Though I caught only fragments, I somehow interpreted its meaning.

“Monster!”

“Let’s take it down immediately!”

Of course, my human companions seemed oblivious to what the beast said, interpreting its cries merely as the roars of a monster. I pondered briefly and replied to it.

“Who is the King of the Moon? What happens if he descends?”

Upon hearing my words, the blood vessel giant trembled as if it understood and answered.

[The body and… spirit… will… merge… and… return to the primordial perfection… A quest that must not… be hindered…]

“Merge of body and spirit…?”

[You… are a being of very high caliber… please retreat… We seek to return home with the king…]

“……”

It seemed these beings never anticipated our arrival to attack this colossal tree. Moreover, it appeared they aimed to break free from the constraints of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors during the disruption of the balance of Yin and Yang and revert back to an existence on par with the Old Ruler.

Extreme Tiger, who had been observing my conversation with the creature, expressed his disbelief.

“Baek Woong, can you understand its words?”

“Roughly.”

“What will you do?”

I thought deeply and tightened my grip on my sword.

“We must kill them all!”

The mention of merging body and spirit likely meant that this grotesque tree represented the body. If so, we were essentially fighting a body devoid of ‘spirit’! However, if the ‘spirit’ were to join and merge with this massive body, it could become exponentially stronger!

‘At first, I thought about just getting the Moon Sovereign and fleeing, but it seems I must capture it!’

If left alone, it was destined to become another calamity!

These monsters must be annihilated right here and now.

*Swish!*

I amplified my physical ability to the utmost and dove in, aiming to behead the blood vessel giant. The creature extended its squirming tentacles to thwart my attack, but in the next instant, I sliced through the tentacles along with its body, cleaving it into eight parts.

[ Kraaagh… ]

Blood burst forth into the air, creating a loud and grotesque scene. It was a horrific sight, but I used the Three Treasure Technique to avoid hitting the blood streams and began assailing the slowly emerging monsters from the sides.

“Ha!”

“Hyah!”

*Clang!*

With dazzling sword strength and sword qi, I started cutting down the aiding demon creatures on the upper branches. One of the monsters howled in protest.

[Humans… how dare you stand against our superior race!!]

*Slice!*

“What are you squawking about?”

“……”

It was almost comical to see Extreme Tiger show agitation as he decapitated one of them. These monsters, who surely believed themselves to be a superior race over humans, were horrifically slaughtered in the presence of well-trained warriors.

After the massacre, Jin So-cheong spoke.

“It seems attacking this monster from the top would be effective.”

“From the top?”

Jin So-cheong nodded.

“This spot they desperately defended is the monster’s vital point. If we pour our combined techniques of Thunder Spirit and Mind Control all at once, we might split it in half.”

“Sounds good. Then…”

As I prepared to call out to Lee Cheong-un, who was attacking the trees from the outer layers with a Lion’s Roar—

*Whoooosh!*

“Ugh.”

Suddenly, an immense weight pressed down on us, making it feel as if we were all glued to the ground. If an ordinary human with no martial training had been here, it wouldn’t have been surprising if they were reduced to a pancake instantly! This kind of pressure could only come from sorcery or magic, and as I surveyed the area, a dimensional portal suddenly opened in the air.

*Wiying!*

[ Kahaha! How dare you small fries! ]

Upon seeing the figure of a floating monster seated in the air, I instantly recognized it.

“Myo Cheong!!”

A skeleton dressed in monk’s robes!! Originally, he had lurked within the powerful barrier deep underground Dongning Prefecture. Seeing the familiar figure of Myo Cheong filled me with shock, but an ominous premonition gripped me.

‘Is he really powerful enough to open a dimensional portal after being unable to step out from Dongning Prefecture?’

Moreover, the magic suppressing the absolute experts was incredibly strong. Everyone was gathering their inner power to resist, unable to even dare moving to attack Myo Cheong. I felt like I could lose a limb at any moment if I moved recklessly, and as I focused on my breathing, Myo Cheong rattled his skull.

[ The great ruler of the moon shall soon reclaim his flesh. Do not interfere! ]

“……!!”

A chill ran down my spine. One possibility sprang to mind from Myo Cheong’s words.

‘What? Could it be…’

*Gugugugu!*

From the distant horizon of the boundary of the enhancement, a sinister energy began to roll in slowly, visible to the naked eye. The dark energy resembled clouds at first but soon indicated a dense mist. Realizing that this mist would soon reach the colossal tree, my heart raced.

“Damn it. Not this…”

With Cheon Woo-jin lost to the overwhelming force of the Evil Spirit and completely devoid of fighting spirit, Myo Cheong’s magic needed to be undone through Mind Control. However, Myo Cheong was also an ancient evil spirit hardened over hundreds of years and a powerful creature blessed by the ruler—his magic wouldn’t be easily undone. Just as I gathered my intent to rise—

[ Kahak… Do you think you can easily break my magic…? ]

*Thump!*

A crisp sound of annihilation rang out, and Myo Cheong let out a trembling scream.

[ Kaaah… impossible… ]

Jin So-cheong!

He was the first to free himself from the pressure and quickly obliterated the core of Myo Cheong. Though Myo Cheong was a demon of darkness, nothing could withstand the strike of an absolute expert in the Absolute Realm. Sure enough, the pressure of the sorcery quickly lifted, and Myo Cheong’s body crumbled to dust and vanished.

“……”

Currently, Myo Cheong was a powerful demon that no ordinary sorcerer could manage, yet to dispatch him in a single blow was incredible.

Even more shocking was that Jin So-cheong’s strike had accelerated so rapidly that I couldn’t even properly observe the technique he performed. I thought it unbelievable, but a notion flashed through my mind, causing me to swallow hard.

‘Could it be that he evolved again after that battle against Dalgi?’

Is it possible to increase one’s prowess in just a few days?

‘Crap! Focus!’

But this wasn’t the time for such thoughts. We defeated Myo Cheong, but we still hadn’t cleared the colossal tree, so we needed to attack quickly. Otherwise, the ‘spirit’ beyond the horizon would merge with this ‘body,’ bringing about horrific consequences.

“Ha!”

Taking a deep breath, Jin So-cheong calmly gazed at the horizon and spoke.

“Is it about time for you to reveal yourself?”

“Eh? Jin So-cheong, what do you mean…”

“Both I and the master know that you have been watching us. If you have something to say, come forth.”

As soon as Jin So-cheong finished his words—

*Whooooosh!*

A gust of fierce wind rushed in, followed by a booming cry.

“Wow, are you guys even human? I was trying to stay hidden, and you caught on?”

A voice filled with incredulity.

*Paat!*

Simultaneously, a monkey-like demon appeared from nowhere. However, I completely lost my words upon seeing the long staff in his hand, the crown on his head, and the cloud below his feet.

‘That… that’s…’

The monkey demon scratched its head and walked over, displaying an expression of annoyance.

“Geez… Looks like I’ve fallen out of favor.”

The greatest fighter of the Celestial Realm— the Celestial Sage, Son Goku, had revealed himself before our eyes.