Reincarnation Sword God

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Heavenly Realm

Having arrived at the southernmost continent I’d never seen before, I returned to the Zhuyong Tribe. The members inside the tower asked if I was planning to leave, but I had different questions.

“Do you happen to know where Fire Flower is located on this continent?”

“I do not.”

“Is there any way to find out?”

“There are two methods. One is to go through the secret libraries of the world one by one to find related information. The other is to explore this continent yourself…”

“……”

Either option sounded exceedingly troublesome. The Zhuyong Tribe in front of me was spinning their wheels, but they were explicit about not knowing anything about the Fire Flower. I pondered for a moment before continuing.

“Then one more thing… Is there human civilization or tribes on this continent as well?”

“There are.”

“Are they developed like the Ming Empire?”

“No. They are Small Villages.”

The response from the Zhuyong Tribe was curt and displeased.

“If you want knowledge, you must pay a price.”

Whoosh!

He disappeared in a flash. It seemed my incessant questioning had annoyed him enough to vanish. I licked my lips and mused,

‘Has it already been around ten days since I left Jinrang Valley?’

That meant I still had some time before Jin So-cheong’s training would be complete. With nothing much to do back at Jinrang Valley, I decided to explore this continent as much as I could over the next twenty days.

‘Let’s head south first.’

As I ran, I realized that this region was nothing but a wasteland. There were some weeds and bizarre trees on the desolate plains, but there were no signs of human presence whatsoever. I expanded my senses, but the only strange creatures I found were… well, strange creatures!

“What’s that?”

What on earth was that?

Some were standing in odd postures with their backs slightly hunched, while others stood vacantly with their young ones tucked under their bellies. They didn’t seem like any humanoid beings I knew, but it was quite a bizarre sight. Is there really an animal that carries its young in its belly?

However, they didn’t seem to be predators, so I ignored them and kept pressing on. The animals here were nothing like those seen in the Central Plains, but large beasts like tigers or lions were definitely absent.

It wasn’t until I’d run a considerable distance that I figured out why.

‘It’s hot! It’s vast! And there’s no water!’

The wasteland I was traversing was utterly parched without a drop of water. With barely any sand, it felt almost desert-like. Surviving in such a place would be incredibly challenging. It’s nearly impossible for carnivorous animals to live in such a drily barren wasteland.

After considerable running, I finally spotted something lake-like in the distance. However, I quickly realized that the glistening white wasn’t water. Approaching closer, I scooped up a handful of white grains from the ground.

Just to be sure, I decided to taste a grain.

“Salty!”

It was salt! Amazingly, this vast expanse that resembled a lake was entirely made of salt. It appeared that natural salt deposits had formed here. It was my first time seeing a salt lake, and I felt a sense of wonder.

Clearly, this area was not suitable for human habitation. Shaking my head, I continued running south. I figured if I kept going south, I’d eventually hit the ocean.

As I turned slightly southwest, proper lakes and forests began to appear. I approached the lake, but hesitation flickered in my mind before drinking the water. I was concerned about potential parasites or illnesses. Eventually, I had no choice but to use the Rising Cloud Technique to return to Jinrang Valley and get water from the village.

Soon, I employed the Rising Cloud Technique again to explore the southern continent. My thoughts were firmly set on what I might find if I kept running south. After two days of running, I finally arrived at the coastline.

“Ohh!”

What a beautiful and pristine beach!

The clear, crystalline waters stretched before me, far surpassing the sea I’d seen in Shandong. The term ’emerald glow’ was truly meant for this! Although the sunlight was intensely bright and not suitable for habitation, it was undoubtedly a massive display of nature’s spectacular beauty.

I wandered along the beach for a while, lost in the marvel of it all. Sitting in the nearby shade of a tree, I suddenly snapped back to reality.

‘Ugh. I made it here, but this is a problem.’

By running around thus far, I realized just how vast this continent was. Initially, I had thought it might just be a small archipelago, but this was far from it. It seemed to be at least similar in size to the entire Central Plains. The existence of such a massive continent at the southern end of the world was astonishing.

In other words, this place was far too vast to casually explore without any plan. Even if I spent ten or twenty years looking around, I doubted I could see everything on this continent.

Careless exploration was impractical. Resting my chin on my hand, I thought further.

“I heard that the Fire Flower is atop the biggest mountain. Surely, the indigenous people around here would know about it?”

Even though I had reached the southern coast, I couldn’t leave it at just that. I needed to accomplish something while I was here. With that in mind, I decided to spend the remaining time scouting the continent for native tribes.

The central part of this continent resembled a wasteland, so humans were likely to inhabit the coastal areas. With that in mind, I resolved to stick to the coastline rather than venture inland, thinking I’d encounter a tribe somewhere along the way.

Sure enough, after about three days and nights of traveling along the coast, I felt signs of life nearby. It seemed like a crude arrow was flying through the dense woods near the shore, indicating that someone was hunting. Since this was my first encounter with another human since arriving on this continent, I couldn’t help but feel excited.

Swish!

Once I entered the thicket, I spotted a nearly naked man with dark skin holding a bird by the neck. Upon noticing me, he seemed startled and immediately swung the spear he was holding at me.

‘What’s this? Is this an attack?’

I chuckled at the absurdity of this primitive assault against someone who could leisurely deal with top experts of the Central Plains. While perhaps better than that Parakh guy’s skills due to his wild training, he was ultimately weak. Besides, the spear was barely anything more than a stick with a rock tied to it. I simply flicked the spear aside with my finger and suppressed the man’s vital points.

“Ugh!”

I tried to converse with him, but naturally, I couldn’t understand a word. Grabbing the man by the nape, I stepped deeper into the woods. Following my senses for Qi, I was led to where this tribe lived. Remarkably, a primitive village existed by the river, and I marched the man into the village, still holding onto his neck.

Along the way, a few arrows came flying at me, but I effortlessly batted them away. The natives soon let out bloodcurdling screams, charging at me with their crude spears. Instead, I stomped down hard, using the Ground-impact Technique.

Boom!

“Graah!”

“Gah!”

The shockwave sent the natives flying back like straw dummies. Tossing aside the man I held, I looked coolly at the villagers. With my arms crossed, they hesitated to charge forward.

“#%#&%#…”

Then, an elderly man, wrinkled and seemingly recognizing I meant no harm, approached and mumbled something. However, to me, the words sounded akin to an alien language. I paused briefly, then snatched the old man and transported us both to the Zhuyong Tribe’s Tower.

Whoosh!

The Zhuyong Tribe glanced at me curiously as I appeared out of nowhere. I set the old man down on the ground and addressed them.

“I want to converse with this man, can you help translate?”

“Why should we do that?”

“I’ll offer this as payment.”

I pulled out two Gold Bars from my pouch and extended them. After a moment’s hesitation, the Zhuyong Tribe accepted the trade.

“Alright.”

With their hands on our shoulders, we began the translation. Soon, I started hearing the old man’s words in the language of the Central Plains. As expected, the Zhuyong Tribe had exceptional mental abilities that allowed them to perform such translation feats.

“O great one, possessing divine-like powers! Where is this place? Why have you brought me here?”

“I seek the Fire Flower. I’ve heard it’s one of the seven treasures passed down since the age of the gods and that it exists atop the largest mountain on your continent. Do you have any idea where it might be?”

“……”

The old man’s eyes went wide. After some contemplation, he replied,

“Are you not here to attack our tribe?”

“I have no reason to kill you. If I can simply obtain the information I need, I’ll return you.”

“If you fulfill one request of mine, I will tell you all I know.”

The old man’s tone had suddenly shifted to a respectful one. Upon glancing at the Zhuyong Tribe, one of them said coldly,

“It is true he possesses information regarding the Seven Treasures.”

“Hmm.”

It appeared the Zhuyong Tribe had read his thoughts. Amused, I replied,

“Tell me, what is your request?”

“A yellow-haired and blue-eyed monster has appeared north of our settlement, killing people indiscriminately. Please eliminate this monster for us.”

“A monster, huh?”

I listened as the old man detailed the location and current situation regarding the monster, and I agreed to his terms.

“Understood.”

If a murderous monster was indeed killing people, I would inevitably encounter it during my exploration of the continent. If that were the case, I might as well deal with it while gaining information. I accepted the old man’s request and used the Rising Cloud Technique to return to the indigenous village.

Then, I began heading towards the northern coastline where the old man had said the monster was located. According to him, there were about twenty tribes in the area, all living in fear after half of their population was massacred by the sudden appearance of the yellow-haired monster. It seemed my arrival came as a surprising relief.

As deep night fell, the shimmering stars adorned the coastline. I soon spotted a campfire in the distance, just as the old man had described. Upon drawing close, my eyes widened at the sight of those gathered by the fire.

‘A monster? No way…’

They were Colorful-eyed Men!

About fifty or so were sitting in a circle around the campfire. They had already set up makeshift tents nearby, and a large ship was anchored not far off. The ship looked just as large as the warships I’d seen in Shandong. Clearly, these Colorful-eyed Men were using the natives as slaves, with numerous indigenous people hustling about to carry their loads.

Considering their name, it was almost certain they hailed from the western countries. The yellow-haired monsters must be referring to them. Upon closer inspection, they were all armed with guns that looked similar to those I’d seen in the royal palace’s armory.

It seemed those individuals were organized soldiers with a unified uniform. And I also spotted a peculiar-looking firearm I’d never seen before.

‘Huh? What’s that?’

Oddly enough, the sleek design of the gun gave off a somewhat alien vibe. The high-ranking western officer wielding it looked more regal than anything I had encountered so far; it was unlike any weapon I had previously seen. I tilted my head in confusion, but nonetheless resolved to carry out my task.

Thud!

I charged in and launched an immediate assault on them. Within moments, I compressed space around me, taking out several soldiers with swift precision while continuing my rampage. Although they shouted things in their foreign tongue and brandished their weapons against me, their strikes came at a painfully slow pace. I managed to take down more than twenty men in no time at all.

Bang! Bang!

The distinctive sound of gunfire echoed sharply. I soon realized that the soldiers aimed and fired at me.

‘They reload fast!’

Despite my abilities allowing me to easily dodge, it was still surprising how quickly the guns fired. Just as I was dealing with a few more foes, the lead officer leveled his strange firearm at me.

Bang! Bang!

“……!!”

I instinctively jumped back in shock.

‘What’s the mechanism behind that?’

Incredibly, the gun they had just fired showed no visible ignition system, flint, or lever, and the firing distance was minimal. Normally, the reloading speed of firearms would seem painfully slow to someone trained in combat, and yet these struck at me twice in the span of my breaths. Compared to the matchlock muskets shown to me by the northern commander, this was an entirely different ballgame.

If such weapons were mass-produced, it would be terrifying. In direct combat, even top experts couldn’t defend against them.

Whoosh!

But there’s no way sheer power would be overturned. I drew in my energy and unleashed it, causing the remaining soldiers to crumble to pieces before my assault. Having wiped them out entirely, I spared only the commanding officer.

“#%&&#%&*…!!”

The Colorful-eyed Man writhed in panic. I considered having a conversation with him, but timing was key. I started thinking about offering the translation service to the Zhuyong Tribe as payment, and I felt hesitant to part with so many of my treasures at once. Black and White Lotus and Gold Bars were nearly irreplaceable commodities, after all, so I decided to postpone questioning him.

After tossing the officer into my pouch, I collected various items belonging to the Colorful-eyed Men, including the peculiar firearms and valuable trinkets from inside their ship. After annihilating the Colorful-eyed crew, I felt a sense of satisfaction as I returned to talking with the elderly native.

Since he had sensed the Zhuyong Tribe’s translation capabilities, the elder followed along without resistance. Then he began sharing the information he had.

“According to the legends passed down through our tribe, the flame bestowed by the gods is hidden atop the greatest mountain. That mountain is normally concealed from human sight due to the powers of an evil sorcerer, but it becomes visible on the day that the sun is cloaked in darkness.”

Hearing those words made me tilt my head in confusion.

“The sun is cloaked in darkness? Do you mean at night?”

“No, it means when the sun is swallowed by darkness.”

“……?”

I was baffled, feeling as if I was piecing together a riddle. The notion that the sun could be swallowed by darkness was utterly nonsensical! But the old man seemed to be merely reciting what his tribe believed.

‘Ugh… What do I do now?’

I gained some insight, but it still felt unsettling. I had a long way to go before finding the Fire Flower. I pondered how to utilize the spoils I had earned from the shipment I captured. I decided to take them back to Mangyang to see if he could discern their value and offer guidance on my next steps.