Reincarnation Sword God

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Chapter 26: The True Martial Home

The 26th life has begun.

Last time, it felt like my life ended in a flash, so I didn’t even get emotional looking at the barn ceiling. However, it wasn’t a meaningless death, so I pushed myself up slowly.

“I need to get stronger.”

Death followed my fierce battle with Yeodong-bin.

That fight not only showed me the difference in our strengths but also revealed how much power I needed to reach the “standard” that Yeodong-bin desired.

First, I must attain complete Absolute Realm.

Then, I will create my unique martial arts that can withstand Yeodong-bin’s terrifying sword qi!

Truthfully, even if I achieve this level, I still won’t be able to defeat Yeodong-bin in a duel. However, I noted that Yeodong-bin allowed me to use the Great Destruction technique.

“If I can reach a mature Absolute Realm, I can at least knock down Yeodong-bin with the power of Great Destruction.”

Of course, it’s just a possibility. As it stands, the only way to survive after using Great Destruction is to share the lifeforce with Zhuge Bu or other sorcerers, and I doubt Yeodong-bin would allow that. So, the path to meeting the Martial God feels far away.

But still, it’s not completely hopeless. No matter how much time and effort it takes, I just need to be skilled enough to endure against Yeodong-bin for 100 seconds. I feel a glimmer of hope that I can do it somehow.

As soon as I got up from the barn, I went to retrieve the Heavenly Secret, and then I headed straight to obtain the Golden Lamp. After acquiring the Golden Lamp, I quickly got the Obsidian, defeated the demon beast in Great Thunder Valley, and collected the Wooden Armor and other treasures. After finishing this basic process, I went to Jangryeong Valley to meet Zhuge Sa.

Pa-at!

I approached Zhuge Sa and spent a little time persuading him before handing over the Obsidian. After receiving it, Zhuge Sa frowned at me.

“…This is pathetic. What in the world happened to my plans?”

“Sorry.”

“Whatever. It seems I started participating in your journey knowing you were that kind of guy.”

Zhuge Sa surprisingly brushed it off casually. Curious, I asked him.

“Zhuge Sa, do you know what plan you were devising in your previous life?”

“There’s no reason I wouldn’t know. It was a simple and foolish plan.”

Zhuge Sa continued.

“Gather all five powerful Demon Books you can find, collect all your artifacts and treasures, and use them as offerings. Then, summon all the powerful ‘Old Rulers’ recorded in the Demon Books and recruit someone to defeat the king of Aokigahara Life Sea in exchange for the price.”

“……?!”

What kind of plan is that?!

But since Zhuge Sa obviously wouldn’t misread his previous self’s plan, what he said must be true. Shocked, I questioned him back.

“So you’re saying we summon multiple ‘Old Rulers’ at once and then… auction them off?”

“Exactly. It would be an auction, just as I said. With five high-level Demon Books, the Seven Luminaries, and various valuable treasures, the ‘Old Rulers’ would gain enough influence and causality to establish their own sect on this continent. So, each would do everything they could to lend their power.”

An auction!

I gaped in shock but cautiously said, “Um, but those cruel, crafty, and arrogant beings wouldn’t just go along with something like that…”

“Omens aside, the Seven Luminaries alone are extremely valuable. That’s not something an ‘Old Ruler’ would take lightly, as it connects directly to ‘Destruction’ and ‘Revelation’. Besides, it’s linked to the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors. Knowing that they could become absolute beings, ‘Old Rulers’ can’t act arrogantly.”

“I see.”

“And if the best-condition ‘Old Ruler’ in the auction shows up, they can borrow that immense power to break through the trials of life and defeat the king of the Life Sea. After that, they can leisurely go in search of that ‘singularity’.”

“…….”

“As long as I find information about the singularity, the rest doesn’t concern me. If you end up breaking your heart and killing yourself to go to the next life, it’s just that.”

It is indeed a foolish and reckless plan. Furthermore, if that plan were to take place, the ‘Old Rulers’ who received tremendous offerings from us would bring ruin upon heaven and earth, something that had no countermeasure. That’s likely why Zhuge Sa had instructed not to inform Mangnyang and Cheon Woo-jin.

After pondering for a while, I continued speaking.

“The Yan Emperor Shennong among the Three Sovereigns is favorable to humanity and has seen the king of Life Sea being brought down. Wasn’t there a plan to resurrect Shennong?”

“Nüwa dislikes Shennong, sealing him away, and she’s essentially at the head of the current Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, so how could that work? His resurrection was just a very unusual case from the last life; essentially, it’s unlikely to happen until the end of this world.”

“Hmm.”

“Anyway, now that your mind has changed, there’s no need to cling to this plan any longer.”

Muttering that, Zhuge Sa sat down in his chair and chuckled to himself.

“Meeting the Martial God… Do you really think a vague plan in such a crisis, where the singularity might show up at any moment, could be a hope or solution?”

“It’s true that the Martial God is an incredible being. And if I meet him, I have the possibility of becoming much stronger. I’d be safer too.”

“That’s true. But wouldn’t our strategists, who’ve been helping you until now, not have suggested that method if they didn’t know about it?”

“……”

“You lack talent. But you expect to be chosen by a mysterious absolute entity that only extends its hand to the greatest martial artists throughout history? Isn’t it better to gather the Seven Luminaries again and challenge the trials? Given that you’ve already gathered them once, if luck is on your side even a couple of times, you can reach it within ten deaths.”

Zhuge Sa’s words left me speechless. He was correct, and I had nothing to argue against. Nevertheless, since I’ve set my determination in the previous life, I retorted firmly.

“…Still, I will do it!!”

“Fine, let’s say you will. What about the singularity?”

I knew I was being stubborn, yet I desperately said, “Anyway, the Master Mangnyang said that the singularity is something even gods cannot escape! If it comes, it comes! I just need to achieve my goal before that!”

“Hmm…”

I thought Zhuge Sa would have a blank expression, but surprisingly, he looked troubled. My words didn’t sound that foolish after all. Then Zhuge Sa said, “That makes sense.”

“Oh? You understand?”

“I’ve known that the singularity is indeed unavoidable. However, that doesn’t mean it’s the duty of a strategist to sit back and watch you perish, does it? So I’ve tried to help you as much as I could.”

“Ah…”

“However, if your resolution is firm, then let’s dismiss that issue.”

Once Zhuge Sa said that readily, I felt a sense of relief wash over me. I was worried I would get a thorough scolding from him, but thankfully, it passed. Zhuge Sa said,

“Well then, this makes planning quite easy. No, it’s not even planning; from now on, you just need to focus on mastering martial arts to strengthen yourself.”

“What should I do now?”

“What else? You haven’t finished what you were doing yet, so go complete it. Find all the treasures and save all the people. Bring your existing companions here as needed.”

“Got it.”

“The story begins from there.”

Pa-at!!

Next, I went to Taekyung Village to acquire the Phoenix Fragment, then headed to Mangnyang. Upon giving the Obsidian to Mangnyang, he said, “Baek Woong, then the odds of fighting against gods will decrease from now on.”

“Help me strengthen my power.”

“Of course.”

After a moment’s thought, Mangnyang said, “Time is of the essence, so I’ll handle the rituals for the offering myself.”

“Oh? Is that possible?”

Mangnyang nodded.

“Thanks to your accepting the knowledge of Myeonggyeong and merging it with the vast sorcery knowledge of Ji-seon Mang-nyang, I’ve figured out how to conduct the offering ceremony while allowing for a postponement.”

“Wow!”

“I’ll set aside the offerings for the Celestial Realm and leave the process of receiving future rewards, so come back to me later. I’ll also persuade a priest in advance.”

“Thank you.”

After that, I went to the island where Seo Mun-hye was trapped, took down the pirates, and saved the prisoners. I collected the treasures on the pirate island and got the Black Blade before handing the Obsidian to Seo Mun-hye.

Woo-woo-woo

Upon receiving the Obsidian, Seo Mun-hye looked quite surprised. Suddenly, she began to look sad.

“…That must be incredibly difficult. After going through such a tough adventure, there’s still a long way to go…”

“Aren’t you feeling despair like Master Hyuncheon?”

“Despair or not, after losing the martial arts tournament and being trapped on the pirate island, all that time felt like despair to me. It doesn’t feel much different.”

“I see…”

Seo Mun-hye’s mental strength wasn’t necessarily stronger than Master Hyuncheon’s; it was just that she had deeply experienced the depths of life, allowing her to easily bear despair. The despair she felt when she was about to be a plaything for the pirates had been overwhelmingly great. I said to Seo Mun-hye,

“Now you know, but your enemy Yong Junil is not only the heir of the Wind Spirit Sect and the leader of the Huashan Sect but also has another true identity as a reincarnator. So, I would like you to refrain from taking revenge on him for the time being.”

“I know. If I carelessly touch someone like that, it poses risks to everyone and could derail the situation. Don’t worry.”

After finishing our conversation, I took her to the Shadowless Gate for post-processing and then gave the Obsidian to the Sword Demon. After receiving the Obsidian, the Sword Demon said,

“Hmm! So you’re saying you won’t be gathering the Seven Luminaries this life, but instead focusing on enhancing your own abilities?”

“That’s right. Since I feel the emperor’s intentions are suspect, there’s no need to obsess over the trials of the Seven Luminaries anymore. It’s better to gather my strength first before challenging them.”

“Though the singularity is a concern… alright, I’ll do my best to help.”

I decided to wait until Seo Mun-hye and the Sword Demon finished dealing with the prisoners, and this time, I headed to the secret space of the Namgung Clan to steal the Suspicious Fishhook. I then thought,

“In my past life, I took reckless actions without consideration, stealing the Nameless Ritual Book right away, but not this time. I’ll just leave the Crystal Stele and the National Seal.”

For the same reason, I shouldn’t forcibly take the Demon Book of Su Shin inside the Su Shin Sect. Also, there’s a mysterious pearl on Golden Crow Island and the Half Yellow Pearl on Mount Penglai, which I can’t bring for now. Truthfully, I lacked the capability to acquire them with my current strength.

This time, I went to look for Jin So-cheong. After engaging in a spar and winning, I handed the Obsidian over to her.

Woo-woo-woo

After receiving the memory of the Obsidian, Jin So-cheong said,

“Hmm… so you’re going to meet the Martial God. You’re genuinely challenging the Absolute Realm now.”

“Correct.”

“And after reading the residual memories of the Obsidian, your thoughts are… hmm.”

After thinking about something, Jin So-cheong said, “Let’s talk later.”

“Sounds good.”

After taking Jin So-cheong to Jangryeong Valley, I next went to Dongyoung to meet Miho. I convinced her to take the Obsidian, which left her feeling dazed for a while.

“…….”

After a long pause, she said,

“Baek Woong… are you trying to save me?”

I nodded at her question.

“Yeah. I hesitated until now, but not anymore. Even if you’re a piece of Nüwa and the Queen Mother of the West, and the tail of Dalgi… there’s hope now.”

“Is that really hope?”

Miho said with a doubtful expression.

“Since I was born, I’ve never hated or despised the Queen Mother. I thought getting exiled was all my fault… even if she tries to use me, I won’t resent it.”

“…….”

“I cannot oppose the Queen Mother.”

I felt my strength drain from my body. I never expected Miho’s reaction to change so drastically…

But I gritted my teeth and held her hand.

“…Alright, I won’t oppose the Queen Mother, or Nüwa, in this life. If it comes to facing her, I’ll choose defeat. I swear it on my name!”

“What…? Are you serious?”

“Yeah! Besides, since I’m just planning to train, it’s unlikely to happen anyway. So follow me!”

“Alright… then I will go with you.”

After persuading Miho, I successively brought my companions to Jangryeong Valley. Finally, I went back to Mangnyang.

Whoosh

“Welcome back, Baek Woong.”

Mangnyang said cheerfully, “I assume you discussed with your uncle. Have you thought about what blessing you’ll receive in the Celestial Realm?”

I nodded at his words.

“I’ve decided.”

The blessing I will receive in this life is just one thing.

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