Reincarnated Swordmaster - Chapter 234

Celestial Realm

The Sword Demon brought Tuma to the Shadowless Gate, tying him up and stashing him in a dark room. He then called for me and said,

“Baek Woong. I need your torture techniques.”

“Are you referring to the Eight Trigrams Seal?”

The Sword Demon nodded.

“I know many torture techniques, but none as excellent as those two. The Thunder God Lineage’s methods are truly terrifying.”

I took a moment to think and replied,

“Right now, Tuma is too weak. If we rush it, he might die before spilling any information.”

Torture isn’t something you can just apply hastily. Especially the Eight Trigrams Seal or the Six Harmonies Total Kill—these methods inflict unimaginable suffering, likely leading to shock. The Sword Demon said with a somewhat exhausted expression,

“That makes sense. Since I’m quite tired as well, let’s hold off on the torture for two hours. Until then, heal Tuma.”

“Understood.”

It was a contradictory situation, but the Sword Demon hoped for Tuma’s healing. He was the enemy of his daughter, yet the information Tuma possessed was invaluable, and if he accidentally killed him, it would result in significant loss. For my part, I felt that opportunities to capture Tuma during my previous life were few and far between, so I decided to proceed with caution.

Creeeak

“Are you Baek Ho-beom?”

“On the orders of the Sect Master, I’ll heal the prisoner.”

“Yes!”

I passed through the guards of the Shadowless Gate and entered the dark room where Tuma was confined. As I lit the oil lamp, a horrifying sight unfolded—Tuma, gruesomely dismembered, lay sprawled out. I stared at him for a long while, oil lamp in hand.

Then something astonishing happened.

Hissss…

“……!!”

I saw something wriggling and moving. It appeared that not just his severed shoulder but also the wounds on his legs had some dark tendrils or fluid moving about. I thought it looked grotesque, but I also realized it was slowly recovering Tuma’s body.

I stepped closer and observed his pupils; it was clear he was unconscious.

‘It looks tough to handle alone.’

With my medical skills, I couldn’t manage it. I hastily left the room and rushed to find the physician, Kang Jeon-gil.

“Kang, come with me.”

Surprised by my sudden arrival, Kang Jeon-gil looked up with his deep-set eyes.

First of Henan, Kang Jeon-gil!

He was a renowned physician of the five great families, renowned for his medical prowess comparable to Hwa Seong-myeong. After the atrocities committed by the White Lotus Sect, he had sought refuge in the Shadowless Gate. It was clear I hadn’t seen him in a while.

“Baek Ho-beom. What brings you here?”

“I’ve encountered a strange phenomenon, and I can’t judge it alone.”

“Hmm…? Let’s take a look.”

Kang Jeon-gil, slightly flustered, grabbed his medical tools and followed me. When we reached the dark room and I showed him Tuma’s condition, Kang Jeon-gil’s face went pale as he noticed the dark, liquid tendrils. He gasped,

“W-What is this?!”

Hissss…

“As you can see, the Sect Master has severed his limbs, yet he’s regenerating on his own.”

“Hmm…!! I’ve never seen or heard of anything like this.”

Kang Jeon-gil’s declaration confirmed that this was indeed an extraordinary phenomenon. He looked on with a mix of fear and curiosity at the tendrils before extending a Shu-tu to me.

“Baek Ho-beom, take this and collect some of those tendrils. We need to analyze them.”

“Understood.”

I took my sword and carefully sliced off some tendrils, placing them into the container. They seemed to ooze a liquid, affirming they were physical substances. The problem arose when, even after cutting, they writhed as if still alive, creating a horrible sensation for anyone watching. Once I sealed the tendrils in the box and handed it to Kang Jeon-gil, he took it and asked,

“What on earth happened here?”

I detailed to him that the guy in front of us was Tuma from the Demon Waste Potion and how he had transformed into a dragon to fight the Sword Demon but ended up defeated. After calmly listening to my story, Kang Jeon-gil contemplated before responding,

“I can’t give you a definite answer, but it seems like a separate life form is parasitically living within him.”

“Parasitism?”

“I’ve heard from an ancient medical text that there was a treatment in the past where special creatures were implanted into the body. I suspect these tendrils are something similar… but it’s too unusual to get a grasp on.” His expression turned troubled as he scratched his head. After a pause, he said,

“I’ll gather information from my medical texts.”

“Thank you. How do we heal him?”

Kang Jeon-gil stared at Tuma and said,

“Given the risk, it’s best to avoid any external surgical treatment for now. If you’re not careful, you could endanger yourself. It’s better to administer a herbal remedy and use internal energy for healing.”

“Thank you.”

After receiving instructions from Kang Jeon-gil, I prepared the herbal remedy and infused it with qi. It seemed that with the external nutrition, the tendrils started vigorously helping Tuma’s body recover quite visibly.

Hissss

Only an hour had passed, and Tuma’s knee cartilage had already regenerated. I observed his regeneration speed in awe.

“At this rate, he’ll be fully healed in a day.”

It was a terrifying reality.

A person with severed limbs regenerating them in a day!

Despite their gruesome appearance, the tendrils had intense healing properties. No physician could perform such a feat as growing lost limbs. Considering the tendrils were a parasitic entity, it seemed the power stemmed from a primal instinct to keep the host alive.

At that moment, Tuma seemed to gradually regain consciousness. Upon seeing me, he said,

“Ugh… just kill me. I have nothing to say…”

“Tuma. What on earth are those tendrils?”

Tuma glanced at the tendrils that were restoring his body and chuckled softly.

“Heh heh… it’s the Blessing of God.”

Here in the Shadowless Gate, the Sword Demon, a terrifying figure, would come personally for the interrogation in just one hour. Tuma, knowing this, was still able to make such a remark in this death trap, showing he was no ordinary individual. He must have had the capability to lead the Demonic Faction.

But I sensed there was something deeper behind Tuma’s words, rather than a mere taunt. It felt like the clue was hidden in his subconscious statement.

‘Blessing of God…? If it’s a blessing from a deity of the Other Races…‘

I suddenly recalled the horrifying images of the transformed “Monsters” I had seen at the Trembling Gale Heights. I had thought those were grotesque curses, but Mangnyang had claimed they were blessings from the Evil Spirits.

While it might look like a curse from a human perspective, to the Other Races, it could very well be seen as a blessing. Building on that premise, I extended my thoughts further and reflected on Tuma’s condition. Lost in contemplation, I suddenly spoke up,

“Tuma, aren’t you ashamed? The power you rely on is not of a human, but of a deity. How can you rely on anything but yourself as a martial artist?”

I casually threw out the comment intending to provoke him. But surprisingly, it had a good effect; Tuma lost his emotional composure and retorted,

“Shut up! What does it matter? Humans are destined to rely on the power of deities!”

“Relying on the power of deities?”

I feigned a perplexed expression. Apparently, Tuma thought I was ignorant of the Other Races and continued to gloat.

“Ha ha… Those who do not know of the deities can never defeat those who follow them. You can torture me, kill me, but your downfall remains unchanged.”

“Hmm, that might be true.”

“……?”

When I readily agreed, Tuma’s expression turned incredulous.

But I also found merit in Tuma’s statements. After all, hadn’t I been tossed around potently by the Ancient Rulers and the Deity of Thunder? In fact, I had experienced the tremendous power of legendary beings like Yeodongbin, Xiang Yu, or Dali Ji. It was clear that the godly powers were absolute.

While individual strength is significant, knowing about the deities might be even more essential.

As I organized my thoughts, I said,

“Tuma, it would be wise to answer sincerely.”

“……”

“Think about what you did to Seomun Hae. Now, your only options are to die comfortably or suffer painfully.”

As I spoke calmly, a spark lit in Tuma’s eyes.

“What’s with you? You’re just a lackey of the Shadowless Gate, but you sound like you’re taking a step back in discussion.”

Tuma had a sharp instinct. I briefly pondered if that showed through my words, but I simply nodded in acknowledgment.

“That could be a fair assessment. Again, I’ll reiterate—I don’t have any personal grudge against you.”

“……”

Tuma weighed his options, seemingly deep in thought, before he cautiously asked,

“Will you really grant me a quick death?”

“I’ll judge based on your sincerity.”

“…Very well.”

Tuma seemed to prefer an easy death over adhering to the Wind Spirit School’s principles. After all, after losing to the Sword Demon, any semblance of a martial artist’s pride had vanished for him. Furthermore, as someone from the Demonic Faction, he clearly understood the brutal nature of torture.

I believed I had charmed him enough and started firing questions at him,

“What about the ability to transform into a dragon?”

“That’s the ability to become a legendary Dragon Person.”

“How did you acquire that?”

“Rather than ‘acquired’, it’s more like I… underwent a procedure.”

“A procedure?”

Tuma answered,

“Mysterious sorcerers wearing strange clothing from the Imperial Palace came. They conducted some sort of ritual on us for three days and nights, and when I woke up, I found the ability to transform into a dragon.”

“Do you remember the ritual?”

“I don’t remember a thing, having consumed something called the Demon Waste Potion and being left in a daze.”

So the Wind Spirit Sect had allied with the Imperial Palace. It made sense that the Golden Guards must already know about the Sword Demon because of their connections to the Wind Spirit Sect’sSword Demon, Yong Bi-cheon. Since I had expected this much, I decided to ask something more.

“How many have gained that ability in the Wind Spirit Sect?”

“As far as I know, there are currently four, including me. The other three were taken from the Wind Spirit School, but I don’t know who they are.”

“Did you volunteer for the procedure?”

“Yes. All of us volunteers wanted to grow stronger.”

“Did Yong Bi-cheon or Yong Junil undergo that procedure?”

At my sudden question, Tuma appeared flustered.

“What…? How do you know Yong Junil?”

It seemed the identity of Yong Junil was classified. If it were to be revealed that one of the Zhangmen of the Nine Great Factions was actually the child of Yong Bi-cheon, it would cause chaos. But since I knew this fact through my reincarnation journey, I answered lightly,

“It doesn’t matter. Just hurry up and answer my question.”

“… Neither of them have undergone the procedure.”

“Why?”

“……”

Tuma didn’t answer, but I could guess the reason.

Their close relationship with the Imperial Palace, which could be a potential enemy, wasn’t exactly trustworthy. They probably had chosen to perform the dragon transformation procedure only on the expendable underlings of the Wind Spirit Sect. Meanwhile, the higher-ups, like Yong Bi-cheon or Yong Junil, wouldn’t have felt the need to undergo the procedure since they were already strong enough.

I gazed intensely at him.

“It seems like you’re gaining incredible power, but are there any side effects? Like a decrease in lifespan?”

“Those who undergo this procedure will lose consciousness and go berserk when they eventually complete their transformation into a dragon. If that progresses further, they go into a frenzy. That’s all I know.”

“… How did you agree to undergo such surgery?”

“……”

Tuma seemed like a battle fanatic, willing to bet everything on becoming stronger. For someone like him, abandoning his humanity would be trivial as long as he could grow stronger. As for my own morality, I could somewhat understand his mentality.

‘The real problem is the Imperial Palace. If they have the ability to grant such powers to the Wind Spirit Sect, there could be quite a number of Dragon soldiers in the palace now…’

While the Sword Demon had subdued the Dragon Person, Tuma’s abilities shouldn’t be taken lightly. With abilities surpassing ordinary humans, their combat capabilities could easily transcend the limits of even top-tier experts. If several of them attacked simultaneously, survival would be impossible.

“That side note aside, now the real questioning begins. It’s best you answer properly.”

I spent about an hour interrogating Tuma to extract all the information I could. Once I believed I had gathered enough data, I called for the Sword Demon, who had been resting. Upon seeing that I had extracted the information, the Sword Demon appeared happy.

He then looked coldly down at Tuma and said,

“Farewell.”

“Ugh…”

Swish…

The Sword Demon raised his sword slightly. With a single swing, Tuma would be reduced to hundreds of pieces and meet his demise. But just then, I interjected,

“Wait just a moment.”

“Baek Ho-beom. Why?”

I couldn’t shake the thought that maybe I was being too cruel. However, shaking off my doubts, I said,

“We need to verify something.”

“Verify?”

I walked over to Tuma, directly approaching him, and initiated the Eight Trigrams Seal.

AAAAHHHH!!!

Tuma screamed at once. As the terrifying pain surged through him, he tried to roll away, but I had sealed all his energy channels; even that was unmanageable. The Sword Demon looked at this and seemed to understand, saying,

“Ah, I see! You have to test the waters before crossing them.”

“Right.”

Once more, I inflicted excruciating pain on Tuma and interrogated him repeatedly. Unlike ordinary martial artists, Tuma’s body kept regenerating, so I could apply the Eight Trigrams Seal at even greater intensity.

“Ughhh… you… bastard…”

Additionally, the tendrils were desperately trying to keep Tuma alive, meaning even if he wanted to die, he couldn’t.

‘I’m sorry, but each piece of information could mean life or death.’

A single wrong piece of information might result in the Sword Demon‘s death or Seomun Hae being sold into slavery. Thus, I had no choice but to use such brutal methods. Therefore, it was essential for the torturer to harden their resolve.

I decided that in my next life, I’d show more leniency towards Tuma and continued the brutality, aiming to verify the information as swiftly as possible.

Once I finished the interrogation, I finally felt assured that the information was accurate. Just as I expected, Tuma had fed us about 30% false information to throw us off before his death.

“Now, it’s truly farewell.”

Squish

We crushed Tuma, turning him into minced meat, and exited the dark room.

The Sword Demon spoke to me,

“Now I understand what kind of person Shibi Yulju is. Your contribution is substantial.”

“Thank you.”

The Sword Demon added gravely,

“He shows no interest in our martial world. His only goal is to expel the Other Races and destroy the Death God’s Cult… and also to recover some artifact called the Mooring Moon Sword in the central plains.”

“The Black and White Lotus, even if offered, probably won’t be accepted.”

“Then there’s not much we can do. We have no choice but to sell him the information we just extracted about the Wind Spirit Sect.”

“That seems like the way forward.”

The Sword Demon and I could now devise a strategy for dealing with Shibi Yulju.

Let’s sell the information!

For Shibi Yulju, that would be more enticing than an elixir like the Black and White Lotus.