Reincarnation Sword God

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Heavenly Realm

Dongbang Mu-gyeol and Baek Won-sangma were on high alert, ready to attack me at any moment. Naturally, they had no thought of losing to me. Dongbang Mu-gyeol’s eyes sharpened.

“What did you say… you punk…”

Oooooom

The tremendous energy of Dongbang Mu-gyeol coalesced into a form of power in his hand. Baek Won-sangma also drew his sword, indicating they were now in full combat posture.

‘Three peak experts for sure. It would normally be a challenging fight.’

But that was in the past. The moment I laid eyes on them, I knew how to handle the situation. I grinned and said to Dongbang Mu-gyeol,

“Why so hasty? What reason do we have to fight right now?”

“I’ll give you a reason right now!!”

With a thunderous shout, Dongbang Mu-gyeol charged at me. With a swoosh, the space ahead filled with blinding energy in an instant. Just as I had seen before, a fan-shaped wave of destruction erupted, demonstrating his formidable power.

‘Uh oh.’

In that moment, I activated the Soul Destruction Technique, effortlessly dodging Dongbang Mu-gyeol’s attack range. Simultaneously, I threw the Dagger hidden in my robe, and Dongbang Mu-gyeol, having just attacked, couldn’t evade it due to a brief moment of stiffness. As cold sweat briefly trickled down Dongbang Mu-gyeol’s face, he barely managed to move his body to avoid the dagger’s direct hit, but a long streak of blood marked his thigh.

Though Dongbang Mu-gyeol’s power boosted from consuming the elixir of the White Lotus Sect was formidable, his martial arts were not exceptionally clever. I could easily read his movements and counterattack.

Baek Won-sangma, meanwhile, did not wait to assess the situation and drew his sword, casting the Moon Woman Sword against me. I had previously bested one of his comrades in a sword duel, but it was undeniably true that each of them was at the threshold of peak mastery. Naturally, their combined assault was a significant threat.

Their butterfly-shaped sword strikes narrowed my dodging space. As experienced experts, they quickly discerned my Soul Destruction Technique’s speed and launched precise attacks. I watched until the last moment before gathering my energy in my hands and swung the Thunder God Fist to confront them head-on.

Ka-boom!

As the Thunder God Fist clashed with their strike, a thunderous sound erupted. A massive resonance occurred, sending Baek Won-sangma and his comrade flying three jang away, unable to withstand the shock. They quickly flipped through the air to soften their landing but displayed clear signs of panic on their faces.

“Uhmm!”

“Damn…”

Having easily repelled their barrage, I chuckled lightly.

“I can play with you, but you’ll have to pay a price for it.”

“Ugh.”

Though I spoke casually, the murderous intent in my words must have registered with them, as they realized I had the strength to back it up. Dongbang Mu-gyeol, relaxing his shoulders slightly, spoke.

“Could you be a master from the White Lotus Sect? Your martial arts are certainly…”

His tone had turned more respectful. Internally, I snickered at Dongbang Mu-gyeol and replied,

“Let’s start by addressing why you sought me out. What’s your business?”

Dongbang Mu-gyeol hesitated for a moment before responding.

“I sensed a massive energy stirring from afar. So I decided to lay in wait to identify its source.”

“Ah, I see.”

They were peak masters capable of sensing powerful energies. Moreover, since I was exhausted and had no intention of hiding my energy, they easily detected my presence. Naturally, they must have been curious about the owner of such overwhelming energy.

Dongbang Mu-gyeol asked,

“Who are you? How do you know about us?”

I gazed at Dongbang Mu-gyeol thoughtfully and replied,

“What use is it for me to tell you? You storm in here claiming ‘I come with no good intentions’ and lunging at me without warning; why should I reveal anything?”

“Profit.”

As Dongbang Mu-gyeol bristled and prepared to charge again, I smiled and interrupted him.

“Hehe, just kidding.”

“Hmm?”

“I’m dispatched by the Supreme Council under the sect leader. However, my mission is different from yours.”

“……!!”

At that, both Dongbang Mu-gyeol and Baek Won-sangma stared at each other, startled. My declaration about being sent by the council could explain their queries. Everything suddenly made sense—the form of Baek Won-sangma, my knowledge of Dongbang Mu-gyeol, it all fit together.

‘Of course, it’s a lie.’

Dongbang Mu-gyeol looked at me with perplexed eyes and asked,

“W-what mission?”

“Why should I tell you that?”

I turned abruptly, continuing,

“What’s certain is that my mission is different from yours. Don’t interfere with my business and be on your way.”

“Ugh… I can’t trust you.”

“Well then.”

As I began to turn away, Dongbang Mu-gyeol called out urgently,

“Wait! Just a moment!”

Once I halted, Dongbang Mu-gyeol cautiously continued,

“If I believe you’re truly from the council, could you assist us, even for just a moment?”

Hearing those words, I internally cheered.

‘Here it comes!’

I had anticipated that asking for cooperation would seem odd immediately after posing as a council member. So I decided to play it cool and feign indifference, hoping Dongbang Mu-gyeol would send a signal somehow. Someone like him wouldn’t simply overlook a suspicious character like me.

Once he bit the bait, I relaxed and responded,

“Isn’t your task to find the seed of Dragon Flower Water? What help do you need from me?”

“Gah… You know that too?”

Dongbang Mu-gyeol gasped. It seemed he had dropped all suspicion and spoke to me earnestly now.

“The truth is, we’ve been having difficulties negotiating with the Zhuyong Tribe. Right now, we were headed to the Yunnan branch of the White Lotus Sect to provision resources to offer them.”

“……?”

I sifted through my memories to recall the details I had obtained from Dongbang Mu-gyeol in the past. Apparently, Miho had enchanted him into revealing information before.

“I obtained permission to browse the Grand Library from the Black Prince Nare Su-eon in exchange for presenting sacred lotus. At that time, I ran into suspicious tribes and made additional deals with them…”

“I could speak both Southern and Northern languages, but my skills weren’t sufficient to interpret the ancient texts from the library…”

“Then, there appeared those who offered me sacred lotus in exchange for interpreting those texts, and Nare Su-eon commissioned me to assist them…”

“With their help, I could interpret those ancient texts and even see the remains of giants…”

“The descendants of the Yan Emperor as legend of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors describe — namely figures like Chi You, Gao Bo, Gong Gong, and Xing Tian… They left mysterious relics of themselves far below what is known in Southern Wulin…”

“With help from that suspicious tribe… they identified themselves as the Zhuyong Tribe, granting access to their realm. Within, I discovered something terrifying…”

“……”

Since I had heard that conversation while operating under the Lightning Method, I recalled it vividly. Now, reflecting on Dongbang Mu-gyeol’s circumstances, everything started to click.

‘Ah, he was headed to the Yunnan branch of the White Lotus Sect to obtain sacred lotus.’

The provisioning or resources likely meant procuring sacred lotus to present to the Zhuyong Tribe. Then after getting the sacred lotus, he probably planned to interpret the ancient texts again through the tribe. I realized Dongbang Mu-gyeol’s situation in detail but feigned ignorance.

“The Zhuyong Tribe? What sort of beings are they?”

“Oh, it’s… complicated. But they’re individuals with means to help us obtain clues about Dragon Flower Water by interpreting ancient texts. They proposed sacred lotus as payment.”

“Sacred lotus…? So they crave internal energy?”

“Not sure. They’re quite peculiar…”

With a hesitant tone, Dongbang Mu-gyeol continued,

“You’re a master from the council, so you can certainly help me obtain sacred lotus more easily, right? Please, help us!”

“Hmmm.”

I contemplated what to do. Dongbang Mu-gyeol, despite being from the White Lotus Sect, might face issues given their ambiguous position. He likely thought they wouldn’t easily accept his request for sacred lotus. Thus, he turned to me as a council master for assistance in procuring it.

Of course, I wasn’t really a master from the council, so I couldn’t help. But I couldn’t let this opportunity slip away.

‘If I’m lucky, I could meet the Zhuyong Tribe directly.’

The Zhuyong Tribe were likely connected to the Exotic Tribe and had a strong correlation with the Tower of Fools. If I pretended to assist Dongbang Mu-gyeol while reaching out to them, I could obtain the answers I sought.

Having concluded my calculations, I casually remarked,

“If I help you, what will you give in return?”

“I will assist you as best I can with your mission. Once I obtain sacred lotus, my task will nearly be complete…”

I knew Dongbang Mu-gyeol was lying. His real mission was to obtain the seed of Dragon Flower Water, meaning he still had a long way to go.

Getting the sacred lotus, interpreting the ancient texts, investigating remnants of giants, and then heading to the southern continent where the Tower of Fools stood. Dongbang Mu-gyeol hadn’t even reached the halfway point of his journey but would probably give up and return to the White Lotus Sect along the way. No matter how audacious he was, he wouldn’t dare venture as far as the southern end of the world.

‘Though, if it ends with obtaining the sacred lotus, that part might be correct.’

While I pondered that, I stated,

“First, let me meet these Zhuyong Tribe people. And I will participate in negotiations as well.”

“What?! You know their language?”

“That’s not the point; given how things stand, I need to report the course of your mission to the sect leader. So, I’ll need to be present. And you must comply with my demands immediately whenever I ask.”

Upon not finding any faults in my words, Dongbang Mu-gyeol frowned.

“Even as part of the council, you’re quite bold. Just how much can you help?”

“Answer me first. What’s it gonna be?”

“… Fine. I will comply with your request.”

Having received his agreement, I pulled out two pairs of Black and White Lotus from my storage. When they suddenly appeared in my hands, surprise lit up their faces.

“Wha!”

‘Here you go. We can negotiate with them using this.’

“This… this is sacred lotus? The one I thought was just plain white?”

“It’s the newly cultivated sacred lotus from our sect. It has far more potent abilities than its predecessor. It’s still a top-secret matter.”

“……!!”

“Now then, let’s go.”

Dongbang Mu-gyeol gaped at me with wide eyes, marveling,

“Y-you’re incredible. Truly from the council…”

He had no choice but to believe; indeed, the white lotus among the black and white lotuses was nearly undistinguishable from the usual sacred lotus. The only difference was the addition of a black lotus flower, leaving no basis to suspect it.

“Oh, by the way, how should I address you?”

Feeling playful, I replied,

“Just call me Yeodong-bin.”

“… Understood.”

Tatatat!

After a short rest, I followed Dongbang Mu-gyeol and his companions as we raced southward once more. They really did venture deep into southern territory, leaving the boundaries of the Central Plains far behind. After running like mad for a couple of days, we finally entered an unmistakably Southern Barbarian jungle.

As we pushed through the dense foliage, a massive city came into view, unlike any I had seen before.

“This is Ayutthaya.”

“Ayutthaya?”

“The capital of the Ayutthaya Empire.”

The name felt strange, but being from the southern regions, it made sense. Following Dongbang Mu-gyeol, I entered the city of Ayutthaya, where I found the roads much better maintained than I’d expected, and the people dressed decently. Additionally, it turned out to be a well-irrigated place with numerous amenities, confirming it was certainly a populous city.

However, I flinched upon seeing guns in the hands of several soldiers standing around.

“Guns?”

As my surprise registered, Dongbang Mu-gyeol glanced at me and said,

“I see you know about guns. Many soldiers here are musket troops.”

“Hmm. But this…”

I muttered under my breath, recalling conversations I had with the Northern Sea Ice Palace Lord in the past.

“This is called a gun, a firearm ignited by gunpowder. The style would most likely have been passed down to Wae.”

“You probably guessed it, but reloading these can be quite challenging. However, if many soldiers line up and fire simultaneously, it will exhibit incredible power. Not a weapon to be taken lightly.”

“Furthermore, the current Arasa firearm technology has advanced, and gear-based guns are now used in actual combat. Though more complex in construction, they’re easily portable and useful for cavalry.”

The Northern Sea Ice Palace Lord had explained how firearms could differ. There were ignitable guns that used matchlocks, commonly referred to as matchlocks, which were heavy, lengthy, and had large calibers and were ignited with flint or oil. Such weapons had also spread to both the Daming Empire and Wae.

A more advanced form was known as gear-based firearms. It utilized a mechanism that sparked with sulfur to ignite, thus eliminating the need for matches and rendering it a safer option. However, due to lack of durability and a complex interior, this method was reportedly used by imperial guards in well-developed areas like the Arasa Empire.

But the guns I was seeing with the guards seemed a little different. They didn’t appear to use matches or resemble the gear-based firearms. They had a more refined look. The soldiers were oddly equipped with long rods at their waists.

As I continued to observe the firearms with curiosity, Dongbang Mu-gyeol explained,

“Nare Su-eon has frequent exchanges with the western states. Those must be the latest weapons from the western world.”

“Do you have any names for them?”

“I’m not entirely sure, but I heard they can be fired immediately upon pulling the trigger, without the need for flint…”

“Hmm.”

I tilted my head, pondering. They seemed unique, but did that mean they represented cutting-edge technology at this moment?

Eventually, I was led by Dongbang Mu-gyeol to a meeting with the Black Prince Nare Su-eon.