NOVEL NEXT Chapter 704
Dark Heaven Village
The Sword Demon was aware that a battle between the Eight Parts of the Divine and Zhu Yong was underway, but he wasn’t concerned. By the time he settled his score with Miyamoto Musashi, everything would likely be over, and knowing wouldn’t change anything. What mattered to him was executing his mission according to the strategist’s orders, and the confrontation with Musashi was merely a variable.
It was about four days later when the Sword Demon finally arrived in Liaoning Province. Sitting in an inn, he looked out at the sunlight streaming through the window, lost in thought. At that moment, Seo Mun-hye, who was sitting across from him, spoke up.
“Father, what are you thinking about?”
“Hyea.”
The Sword Demon paused to glance at her. He had deliberately made her wait in Liaoning Province, knowing she was too weak to partake in the battles of the Divine City. Now reunited with her while still alive, he felt anything but at ease. He was all too aware that nothing had been resolved.
Chi You.
A mythical figure revered as a military god among the Miao people. Of course, the people of the Central Plains probably didn’t think Chi You ever existed. They regarded even the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors as mere fictional constructs from history, seeing Chi You as nothing more than a myth.
But the truth was different. Chi You had indeed existed in the mythological era, a powerful giant who fought against the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, wielding the power of the Old Ruler. Having inherited the memories of Baek Woong, the Sword Demon came to recognize that this formidable entity was somehow connected to his daughter, Seo Mun-hye. During Baek Woong’s past life, the Evil Spirit that had possessed Seo Mun-hye had constantly inquired of her knowledge about Chi You.
The Sword Demon worked tirelessly to resolve that suspicion, but to no avail. He had managed to connect the Seo clan—his late wife’s family—with the Grave of the God located in Liaodong but couldn’t delve deeper than that.
“It was because of the Twelve Joules.”
Liaoning Province and its surroundings were heavily influenced by the Twelve Joules. His subordinates gathering intelligence here would raise too many eyebrows, forcing the Sword Demon to indirectly employ locals and scholars without pursuing proper investigations.
But now, that wasn’t the case. The Twelve Joules had been mostly annihilated, and their leader was dead. Unexpectedly, the battle for life and death had seen Miyamoto Musashi fall as well. Now, the Sword Demon could operate openly in Liaoning Province and investigate the Grave of the God without fear.
He fiddled with Seo Mun-hye’s hand and sighed.
“I’ve passed on Baek Woong’s memories to you.”
“Yes.”
“Aren’t you afraid? That you’re connected to beings capable of tearing apart this narrow world like paper.”
Seo Mun-hye paused before responding.
“On the contrary, I find it reassuring.”
“Are you serious?”
“If Chi You’s power lies dormant within me, then I could use that strength to help Baek Woong. I don’t want to be a burden to my benefactor forever.”
“…”
The Sword Demon found himself at a loss for words. His only daughter was prepared to risk her life for a man, while he was expected to support that resolve. In a situation against the martial artists of Jianghu, he would have praised her attitude, but now they faced formidable foes akin to gods or demon kings.
He already knew through Baek Woong’s memories what the consequences of defeat would be. The horrific pain that awaited them, beyond any tortures imaginable in the human world, was unimaginable. Perhaps it would be better just to die. The Sword Demon could not bring himself to encourage his daughter recklessly, knowing the level of that tragedy.
Instead, he looked at Seo Mun-hye with a stern gaze.
“Hyea, if you ever find yourself in an irrecoverable dire situation… I will grant you peace by ending your life. You must do the same for me.”
Though a statement no parent should make, Seo Mun-hye understood its meaning and smiled brightly.
“I trust you, Father.”
If it came to a situation where death was preferable, she would rather die by her blood relative’s hand. That resolve now tied them together as a family.
The Sword Demon thought he was going insane.
“No, perhaps the world has always been insane.”
If one were to get caught up in the chaos of the world, they must guard themselves with madness. The Sword Demon steeled himself once more before addressing the approacher at the inn’s entrance.
“Tang San. Have you arrived?”
The still-young Tang San approached and greeted him.
“Elder, it’s been a while.”
“Did you bring the Sorcerer?”
“He’s waiting by the Ximen Gate of Liaoning Province.”
“Why not meet face-to-face and move together?”
Tang San replied, “He’s uncomfortable being drawn into matters outside his mission. While I’ve forcibly kept him involved, please don’t provoke him.”
“Hm…”
Indeed. The task Tang San had received from Zhuge Sa was to borrow the most powerful Sorcerer from the Jesuits. Although he didn’t know the name or identity, Zhuge Sa had come to know such an existence from Baek Woong’s memories and sent Tang San to negotiate with Matteo Ricci to borrow a sorcerer. Having such a strong ally would significantly aid them in the battle against the Eight Parts of the Divine.
However, due to not being able to summon them in time, Tang San had arrived late to the Divine City, only to find ruins. There was no trace of Zhu Yong or the Eight Parts of the Divine left. Tang San was deeply troubled but soon headed to the meeting point with the Sword Demon, exchanging messages to confirm their locations and statuses.
The Sword Demon asked, “Is the Sorcerer strong?”
“I’m not well-versed in sorcery, but he can walk on water indefinitely. The powers he exhibits defy common understanding.”
Tang San cautiously added, “…He shouldn’t become an enemy.”
“Indeed, that must be the case.”
The Sword Demon understood Tang San’s character. With his cunning, persistence, and a hint of insane genius, Tang San’s evaluation was likely more objective than that of an average person. If the disparity in power was that pronounced, then the Jesuit’s reputation for being the strongest was probably well-deserved.
The Sword Demon stood up and said, “Let’s go.”
“Are we really fine to move without any strategists?”
“It’s my own judgment, but there shouldn’t be a problem. Zhuge Sa told me he would reach out if he needed me, and he had already planned for this.”
As he left the inn, he continued, “And if Zhuge Sa truly needed to amend his plans, he would find some way to send orders my way. That’s the kind of man he is.”
“Understood.”
Together, they headed towards the Ximen of Liaoning Province, where a figure clad in a long black cloak awaited them. Upon seeing the Sword Demon, the individual removed his hood and spoke.
“Pleasure to meet you.”
“Are you the one who came at Matteo Ricci’s request?”
“Indeed, I am…”
The blond-haired, blue-eyed figure hesitated before finally saying, “You may call me Berus.”
Berus, was it? The Sword Demon nodded and replied, “Berus, I apologize for involving you in our matter. You must have your own urgent tasks, but we would appreciate any cooperation you can provide.”
“What do you require of me?”
The Sword Demon presented a map to Berus and said, “This marked area indicates the candidate locations for the Grave of the God that my subordinates have discovered. Through accumulated insights, we’ve narrowed it down to five sites.”
“……”
“What’s the matter?”
Berus stared intently at the Sword Demon before responding. “Please explain why you seek the Grave of the God. If you don’t, I won’t assist.”
As expected, here it comes. The Sword Demon calmly explained, “There is a legend that the Giant God sleeps in the Grave of the God. We’re aiming to awaken him to gain strength to oppose the Old Ruler.”
“Do you even know how dangerous the Giant God is? They are a legitimate divine race, once rulers of this world. They are transcendent beings beyond human reach! If you carelessly awaken such entities, calamity will befall you.”
“Are you opposing us?”
Berus replied in a hesitant tone, “At least it seems none among you possess proper knowledge of sorcery or the Old Ruler. There have been countless disasters from outsiders rashly meddling with the remnants of ancient beings, and I’d prefer not to be involved.”
“But Matteo Ricci has already promised you would help.”
When the Sword Demon pressed further, Berus made a grunt of displeasure, “…If you want my help, you must follow three safety rules.”
“What are they?”
Berus raised three fingers and began to enumerate slowly. “First, if you hear the summons of an Old Being, notify me immediately. Second, do not touch suspicious items or interact carelessly with foreign races. Third, if I suggest retreating, do not object and withdraw immediately.”
“Understood.”
The Sword Demon agreed with Berus’ words. “After all, I have no choice but to heed him.”
Indeed, among them, Berus was the only one truly versed in foreign races and sorcery. It would have been preferable if Cheon Woo-jin had come along, but it seemed he had been given a more crucial mission. Though they were skilled in martial arts, they were novices in this field, hence they would have to follow the expert’s advice.
“Let’s see if we can find anything suspicious.”
Moments later, Berus conjured a swirling pattern in the air and transformed it into the shape of a fish.
Crack!
The fish leaped into a point on the map as if alive. Observing this, Berus plunged his arm into the map without hesitation, confidently stating, “This seems suspicious. Follow me.”
Swish.
In an instant, Berus vanished into the map as if it had a hole. Tang San and the Sword Demon quickly followed suit. To their amazement, they found themselves transported through the map to an unnamed hill.
Tang San asked Berus, “Is what you use sorcery or magic?”
Without hesitation, Berus answered, “It’s faith.”
“Faith? Can that be a source of power?”
“I have made a special contract with the Guardian… I can’t explain in detail.”
Having stammered those words, Berus looked up at a small mountain, which seemed to be about two hundred Zhang tall, and continued, “The space here is distorted with a crack. It seems there’s a wedge overlapping dimensions, and if we pull it out, we might enter an overlapping world.”
“Could that world be the Grave of the God?”
“I can’t say. But something feels off…”
“What seems off?”
“……”
Berus silently summoned the fish again, sending it into the air. The fish vanished, only to return, and Berus lamented, “Oh no… it’s ruined.”
“What happened?”
“It’s not just a wedge. To truly discover the position of the real tomb, we must enter the internal ruins and find a ‘key,’ but the problem is that access is restricted by bloodline.”
“Bloodline?”
Berus nodded. “If this place is indeed the ruin of the Giant God, only those of the Giant’s blood or those descended from them can explore the ruins.”
In that moment, Tang San glanced at both the Sword Demon and Seo Mun-hye.
The Sword Demon, with a stiff expression, said, “Seo Mun-hye and I will enter once. Pull out the wedge.”
“Understood.”
Whooong!
As Berus recited some incantation, a dark door appeared in the air. Watching this unfold, the Sword Demon felt it was quite extraordinary and convenient, which meant Berus was a remarkably skilled sorcerer. The lower the skill level, the harder it was to achieve success, while someone of high caliber expedited the process. They would never have reached this point without Berus.
“Why is he with the Jesuits? What is his true identity?” The Sword Demon was deeply curious but knew now wasn’t the time to investigate that. Taking a deep breath, he stepped through the dimensional door.
Thud!
However, the Sword Demon immediately bounced back, struck by an unknown force. While he staggered, Seo Mun-hye next to him managed to walk into the door, this time entering smoothly as if being pulled in by gravity.
“……!!”
“She made it in! Let’s hope she finds a clue.”
Though Berus remarked with admiration, the Sword Demon had no time to pay heed. At that moment, he felt a mix of joy and despair.
“Is this even possible…?”
A new path to explore the ruins of the Giant Chi You had opened, but this also confirmed that Seo Mun-hye bore the blood of the Giant. The realization that his daughter was not merely a pure human was something he could hardly put into words.