Reincarnated Swordmaster - Chapter 188

Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors

The fifteenth life has begun.

I felt like I was waking up in the stable after a long time. Unlike before, there was hardly any terrible pain or discomfort from my death; it was as if I had simply slept and awoken refreshed. Perhaps that’s why I took a moment to calmly savor the moonlight in the stable and reflect.

“While my fourteenth life was filled with events, the actual time I spent alive was quite short.”

In reality, I had died before even reaching adulthood. However, during that time, I had acquired more diverse experiences and information than ever before. Therefore, rather than immediately jumping into action, I felt the need to organize the events in my mind.

I began mentally sorting through the important information I had obtained one by one.

“Hmm… quite a lot. Eight pieces?”

First: Dongbang Mu-gyeol went to find the Yonghwa Water to cure the sickness of the Young Master of the White Lotus Sect, discovering clues that led to his return to the White Lotus Sect years later. Along the way, he became entangled with Dao King Byeokji-sang, a woman of extraordinary beauty. Dongbang Mu-gyeol hired the unparalleled powerhouse Baekwon Sangsama for protection.

Second: According to Baekrijeongun, a master of Yongwanggok dwells there.

Third: To meet the Nine-Tailed Fox, one must go to the Imperial Palace in Kyoto.

Fourth: This world is indeed round, and the second seal of the Shimmering Abyss of Water lies in the North Pole.

Fifth: Carelessly touching the Crystal Stone Tablet or the Spirit of the Ancestor in the Imperial Palace would awaken Demon King Dalgi, the apostle of the Old Ruler.

Sixth: There exists something called Final O’s in Thunder God Lineage, and the Three Great Dharma Protectors of Red, Green, and Blue hold the key to it. Additionally, a person named Cheongwol is hiding in Aokigahara Suhae, known as a devilish land.

Seventh: The blessing of Xiang Yu activates after my death, with a place called Between Heaven and Earth existing somewhere that opens pathways to the celestial realm.

Eighth: The illness was born from the Old Ruler’s curse, and can be cured with Black and White Lotus.

After recalling all this, I felt troubled.

“Could even Mangnyang offer guidance after receiving so much information?”

And I was also unsure whether I needed to receive Xiang Yu‘s blessing again. While it undoubtedly held immense power, the condition that it triggered ‘after death’ felt a bit uncomfortable. Sure, it might feel refreshing, but ultimately, it still led to my death.

This made me realize that I needed to reconsider the initial method I employed for movement. I thought through the steps I had been taking carefully.

First, I get the Cheonam Biseo.

I’ll head to Shandong Province to obtain the Golden Scale first.

Then, I’ll defeat monsters in the Great Dungeon to rescue Hwang Yeon.

Next, I’ll gather the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng from Huangshan after slaying the spider and obtain the Shimmering Abyss of Water.

At Taekyeong Village, I’ll get the Silver Phoenix Sculpture.

Then, I’ll clean up the pirates on the Pirate Island, give a revival fee to Hwa Seong-myeong, and entrust the Goryeo prisoners to him.

After that, I’ll meet Mangnyang to receive the blessings of the Immortal.

I’ll then set the girls including Seomun Hye free at Muyoungmun and deal with all the prisoners.

I felt this process was flawless without any unnecessary complications. But since I had gathered a lot of information while living my fourteenth life, I wasn’t entirely sure if this was the perfect order.

After contemplating for a moment, I decided.

“Indeed, I’ll have to ask Mangnyang later.”

I thought that perhaps there might be something I overlooked. I trusted that Mangnyang would point out any issues and teach me the best course of action.

I immediately set off to gather the Cheonam Biseo. After acquiring it, I promptly moved to Shandong Province, using a Myeolhonbo to jump, making excellent progress thanks to my diligent training in Thunder God Lineage. Once I had the Golden Scale from Shandong Province, I went to the Great Dungeon and prepared to fight the Tentacle Toad.

Wooong!

[I have come to defeat you!]

Jeom So-i, the Sword Master, descended upon me. Although I couldn’t defeat Dalgi in my 14th life, it was simply because she was too strong; Jeom So-i possessed skills that were already beyond human limits. He effortlessly executed Igi-eom and Sword Energy and wiped out the giant Tentacle Toad.

Guruuuur…

After defeating the Giant Tentacle Toad, unexpectedly, Jeom So-i spoke to me.

[You, how is the aura of the Zodiac lingering on you?]

“What do you mean?”

[No, it must be my imagination. I can faintly sense the ominous power of the Zodiac, but it’s not concerning enough.]

After saying this, Jeom So-i finished his divine blessing and left. I pondered over his words and began to see the reasoning.

“It must be Xiang Yu!”

According to the Nine-Tailed Fox, Xiang Yu was a being who had received powers from twelve Zodiacs. With Xiang Yu having blessed me and rampaged, it was no surprise that Jeom So-i, a legendary Immortal, could sense the overlapping traces from my past life. I found myself smiling wryly while recalling Xiang Yu. I was already contemplating how I would respond should I meet him again.

A short while later, I rescued General Hwang Yeon and the prisoners before heading to Huangshan. I then collected the Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng along with the Black and White Lotus roots before plunging into the ruins of the Shimmering Abyss of Water to catch the giant spider. By now, the giant spider had been reduced to an inconsequential story for me.

Kukokwank!

After slaying the giant spider and pinning it against the wall, I muttered to myself. I had already stored the Golden Chest in my Necklace.

“I’ll have to come back later with a Special Doujin to pull out the inner treasures.”

I could probably borrow a special Doujin from the Sichuan Rising Clan or other poison clans. After grasping the Shimmering Abyss of Water, I went straight underground to obtain the statue of Zhuanxu, one of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors. Afterwards, I traveled to the study of the Hwa Clan at Taekyeong Village and nabbed the Silver Phoenix Sculpture, swiftly making my way to the Pirate Island.

I joyfully rampaged through the Pirate Island at dawn, utterly decimating the pirates. In the process, I rescued the prisoners, freed Seomun Hye from her bondage, and successfully stuffed the treasures of the Blood Saber Group along with Muramasa swords and all gunpowder into my Necklace. After handing Hwa Seong-myeong a golden ingot for the revival of the Hwa Clan, I headed to meet Mangnyang.

Fwooosh!

It was a tremendous number of tasks, but I had become so accustomed to it that I could carry them out mechanically without feeling any qualms. Especially while decapitating the pirates, the righteous fury I used to feel was now almost nonexistent. It felt tedious, like swatting away pests, as I kept slaying the same pirates over and over, far surpassing five or six times.

Yet, despite that, visiting Mangnyang always stirred new emotions within me. He had consistently provided me with new directions whenever I shared fresh information.

Mangnyang lay sprawled out in his usual spot on the deck, apparently with nothing much to do. I approached him and spoke.

“Hello.”

“Huh? How did you…?”

“I am Baek Woong.”

Afterward, I explained the events of my fourteenth life to Mangnyang, showcasing the various treasures and artifacts I had collected. When I took out one of the rescued pirate prisoners to show him, Mangnyang’s face turned into a picture of shock.

The problem, however, was that recounting my fourteenth life had taken quite a bit of time, especially since there was so much information and action packed into the last life. What should have been a story filled with brief nuances dragged on for much longer than half a turn of the hourglass, surpassing a whole hour instead.

By the time I finished my tale, a full two turns of the hourglass had passed. During that time, Mangnyang‘s face, which had occasionally shown curiosity or asked me questions, transformed to that of a boy listening to a grand epic read aloud.

His hands trembled as he murmured,

“Really… this is quite extraordinary…”

Then, looking at me, Mangnyang spoke.

“I have one question.”

“What is it?”

“According to your description of your fourteenth life, my strategies failed several times and you ended up dead. Yet, you still trust me and came to seek my guidance?”

“The failures were entirely due to either misfortune, lack of strength, or my own errors.”

“So what about the incident where you had me steal the Spirit of the Ancestor, and Dalgi ran rampant? That was entirely my fault, wasn’t it?”

I replied with determination.

“That was something no one in this world could foresee. I could never belittle your wisdom due to such an occurrence. Simply put, you are the smartest individual I have ever known.”

“……!!”

“I simply trust in you. So please show me the way.”

Then Mangnyang appeared to want to say something but suddenly clenched his head, deep in thought and eventually spoke resolutely.

“… Understood. From now on, leave it to me.”

After a moment, Mangnyang gathered his emotions and, fluttering the Ohwa Chilgeum, stated,

“First, I will compile the eight pieces of information from your 14th life that you have discovered.”

“Please do.”

“First, the legendary master of Yongwanggok, the location of the Nine-Tailed Fox, and the second seal of Shimmering Abyss of Water aren’t immediately important, so we’ll place them aside for now. Furthermore, the rest of the information currently holds minimal significance. With that said, the most critical discussion must be about the existence of Dalgi.”

I let out a thoughtful hum and replied,

“Dalgi was truly powerful. Even Jeom So-i, the immortal, would find it a challenge to defeat her one-on-one.”

“If she’s that much of a great monster, then it’s reasonable to call her a Demon King. However, what’s truly important is how Dalgi became involved.”

“Isn’t it because someone stole the Crystal Stone Tablet and the Spirit of the Ancestor? When the offerings were taken, the Old Ruler got enraged and brought Dalgi into the matter.”

Mangnyang nodded and responded,

“In that case, order and intent are critical.”

“Order and intent?”

“Think about it. The one who initiated the creation of the Spirit of the Ancestor was the being known as an alchemist. Therefore, it indicates that the alchemist crafted it as offerings to the Old Ruler. So the question is, what was the offering for?”

“Hmm…”

At first glance, it seemed purely for the sake of honoring the Old Ruler. However, causing such a commotion with an amalgamation of eastern and western rituals for a single offering is a bit perplexing. It’s likely that even the alchemist was equally powerful as those who summoned them initially, making a regular human sacrifice seem a hundred times easier.

Mangnyang continued.

“As you might have guessed, the Spirit of the Ancestor wasn’t merely created for offerings. That’s why the Old Ruler, who ordinarily refrained from interfering with the mortal realm, reacted so strongly to the point of commanding his followers to cause chaos.”

“There’s something special about it.”

“Without a doubt. The me that used to be Mangnyang merely viewed the Spirit of the Ancestor as a battle spell weapon. Thus, it’s time to alter our approach.”

“How should we approach it differently?”

Mangnyang smiled knowingly.

“If you touch it, a Demon King level existence will come into play, but if you don’t touch it, then the Spirit of the Ancestor will be completed and the enemy will become stronger… in that case, the solution is obvious. We’ll have to wipe out the enemy decisively.”

“Seems like that’s the way…”

“First, let’s go to the immortal and present the offerings of the Shimmering Abyss of Water. After we see what sort of blessing we can receive, we can then decide our subsequent actions.”

I headed with Mangnyang towards the village where he resided. After burying the Cheonam Biseo and explaining the situation to Cheon Woo-jin, we proceeded with the Shimmering Abyss of Water offering ceremony.

For the first time, Taixu Tianzun conducted a divine blessing.

[An odd human you are… why do I sense the power of the Zodiac from you…?]

“I’m not sure what you mean.”

Feigning ignorance, Taixu Tianzun tilted his head and said,

[No… it can’t be.]

“……”

[Since my aura is present, I’ll extend my blessing to other beings.]

Next up was Queen Mother of the West. Since I had some questions for her regarding the Nine-Tailed Fox, I didn’t just casually request her favor. Instead, I asked her directly.

“I have a question.”

[What is it?]

“I understand that Dalgi is a follower of the Old Ruler and is a Nine-Tailed Fox. However, it seems the Dalgi currently in the mortal realm is different from the fox demon. Are they related in any way?”

After a moment’s silence, Queen Mother of the West responded,

[It’s a taboo. It’s a closely guarded secret of the celestial realm that cannot be revealed to mortals.]

“What if I desired to know the secret in exchange for the offering of the Shimmering Abyss of Water?”

Her expression darkened, visibly annoyed at my inquiry. Queen Mother of the West leisurely adjusted her pipe and replied,

[You might just lose your mind over it. No matter how much you offer the Shimmering Abyss of Water, I cannot disclose that matter.]

“I believe you’re worrying unnecessarily…”

[That secret is something I cannot leak. So, say something else.]

I intuitively sensed that Queen Mother of the West held knowledge of a staggering secret regarding Dalgi. According to the Nine-Tailed Fox, Queen Mother of the West was an extremely ancient being in the celestial realm, even predating Emperor Gong Sun He Yuan. Thus, she would surely be aware of Dalgi’s existence.

“What could it possibly be that you refuse to speak out, even at the cost of the offering?”

Knowing that presenting offerings to the Shimmering Abyss of Water was an incredibly pleasant affair for even the great immortals of the celestial realm, her refusal to exchange it for a secret piqued my curiosity.

I wanted to probe further, but she was an absolute entity of the celestial realm. If I unknowingly crossed her, it could mean losing a life for no reason. So I decided to let it drop and pass the opportunity to other immortals while hoping for Miho‘s favor.

As for Namhwa’s turn, I let that pass as well, leading to another elegant retry. Just as expected, the order in which the great immortals emerged was consistent, no matter how many times I lived again. The innate Natural Hunter, God of Hunting, who was known for shooting down the sun, stepped forth.

[I am Ye. I shall grant you the ability to shoot with pinpoint accuracy.]

Remembering the last time I explained that I was a swordsman and not an archer, therefore didn’t need such a skill, I recalled receiving Xiang Yu‘s blessing. While I felt apprehensive about being blessed again, I decided to try for other possible outcomes.

“Ye. I’m sorry, but please listen to my circumstances.”

[Your circumstances?]

“Yes. In fact, I have powerful enemies…”

Thus, I recounted my battles with the White Lotus Sect and the Imperial Palace. I explained thoroughly just how tough they were, in terms of both numbers and might, subtly implying how difficult the situation was.

“Therefore, I’m not convinced that the ability to shoot with pinpoint accuracy is essential for my survival. Could you either enhance the accuracy or introduce me to someone else?”

[Hmm…]

This time, Ye appeared to be deep in thought rather than his usual demeanor. After a moment, he declared,

[Alright… I hadn’t planned to go this far, but since you put it that way, I will grant you my arrows.]

“Arrows?”

Just then, Krrruuum!

A sound like thunder erupted as the Eight Trigrams materialized around Ye. The radiant trigrams enveloped him tightly. Confirming the presence of the trigrams, Ye cried up towards the sky,

[Di Jun, what is the meaning of this?]