Reincarnation Sword God

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If we get rid of the Vermilion Bird, our future actions will surely be smooth sailing. Although I felt a bit uneasy about not defeating it directly, forcing myself into a challenging fight would be foolish. I addressed Mangnyang,

“Are you really sure about this? The Vermilion Bird is your father, after all.”

“He is nothing but a Demon who has fallen into the Demon Path. If I cling to empty familial ties, many innocent lives will perish because of that.”

Mangnyang continued solemnly,

“You’ve seen it, haven’t you? Hundreds of thousands of common people engulfed in madness, becoming fodder for the [Old Ruler]…”

“……”

I hadn’t witnessed it firsthand, but the circumstances suggested that it was true. The emergence of the ruler of the Demon Subduing Hall meant they had accepted an [Offering], and in that moment, the ruler’s magical power must have spread across four cities, unleashing a hellish landscape. It had to be a nightmarish scene, akin to the end of the world.

The Vermilion Bird must be stopped at all costs. I nodded at Mangnyang’s words.

“Then I’ll get ready.”

“Oh, Baek Woong.”

Mangnyang seemed to suddenly remember something.

“Before you take the Thunder God Lineage, go see Zhuge Sa and have him deliver the firearms he made to the North Dragon Troops.”

“Ah, right.”

Without delay, I headed towards Zhuge Sa. He was muttering something near the crystal stone monument, but oddly enough, the firearms he was supposed to have created were nowhere to be seen. Sensing my presence, Zhuge Sa grumbled,

“What do you want?”

“I’ve come to collect the firearms. I’ll be transporting them to Liaodong.”

“Oh, that?”

“Where are the guns? I don’t see them.”

Just then, Zhuge Sa snapped his fingers.

Rumble…

From the empty air, thousands of firearms came tumbling down. I found it fascinating to realize each one was the latest model owned by a Foreigner from the West. As I picked them up and examined them, Zhuge Sa said,

“Take them quickly. I have something to do.”

“What is it?”

“Why should I tell you? Are you going to help me?”

“If it’s something I can assist with, I’ll help.”

Zhuge Sa glanced at me and replied,

“Just get lost from my sight.”

“… Your personality is really awful. Do you have to speak that way?”

“Then what? What do you want?”

As Zhuge Sa spoke irritably, I said to him,

“Please teach me a more efficient way to extract the Essence at the Separation Technique.”

“Oh, you’ve been practicing your basics, huh?”

“It’s been quite a while; I hope you can let it slide.”

Zhuge Sa looked at me with a skeptical expression and retorted,

“Try extracting this damned Essence.”

Swish!

What he tossed from the corner to me was a fluffy little Puppy. The Puppy, whether raised by a human or not, merely stared at me without barking or biting. I stared at the puppy then reached out to touch its forehead.

In that moment,

Woof!

The puppy suddenly attempted to bite my hand, but as I dodged, it leaped from my arms and dashed to Zhuge Sa instead. Zhuge Sa picked up the puppy, patted its head, and said,

“Oh, you foolish thing. Can’t you do that much?”

I couldn’t help but ask, unable to comprehend the previous situation.

“Why did it try to bite me when I didn’t exude any killing intent at all?”

“It might have defensive instincts triggered because you clumsily tried to touch its Essence.”

“Why in the world did you ask me to extract the Essence from a puppy?”

“If you can’t handle a puppy, how would you manage with a human?”

“That’s just you…”

In the next moment, the puppy, being petted by Zhuge Sa, suddenly turned to me and spoke in a human voice.

“You’re doing well.”

“Gah!”

I couldn’t help but be startled. How could I not be shocked when a puppy suddenly spoke in Zhuge Sa’s voice? Zhuge Sa chuckled and said,

“This is the Separation Technique. In my observations, you still need to build your basics for another three years.”

“Ugh…”

“To teach you a trick, you have to perceive your opponent as a manifestation of their Spirit. It would be best if you had the [eyes] to do that, but if you’re lacking that Talent, then practice your suction power to increase it.”

In the end, it meant I was lacking in training. After contemplating Zhuge Sa’s words, I replied,

“I understand.”

As I walked away from Zhuge Sa, I glanced back at him. He seemed fond of animals since he continued playing with the puppy regardless of my presence. It was hard to believe that a madman who could easily kill a person—hesitating even to stain his own kin—would have such liking for animals.

‘Does he dislike humans but like animals?’

I still didn’t understand. I gathered the firearms and stowed them in my pouch before moving directly to Liaodong. Upon handing thousands of firearms to General Hwang Yeon, he appeared astonished.

“Quite impressive… I’ve never seen such excellent weaponry in my life.”

“Do you like them?”

“This weapon will change the course of war.”

“That’s good to hear.”

Relieved that he liked them, I attempted to leave and return to Jinlang Valley. Then, the governor of Liaodong, who was accompanying General Hwang, said,

“Wait a moment. The elder wants you to stop…”

“Excuse me? The elder?”

Swish!

At that moment, someone suddenly appeared from nowhere. I felt a chill run down my spine, having sensed absolutely no presence.

The man’s appearance was unique. His attire resembled something from Goryeo but strangely did not feel like something from the Central Plains either. His looks were certainly handsome, but he looked so pale that I felt he might collapse at any moment. Plus, he was extremely tall, making him stand out as ‘strange.’

As I spotted the tall man, I recognized that I had seen him before.

‘Master Yun!’

One of the Three Masters serving the Twelve Regulations!

Known for his exceptional magic abilities, he had opened the door for me when I attempted to enter the village with the Divine Tree in the past. Master Yun glanced at me and said,

“Bad Omen.”

So saying, he extended his hand towards me.

“Boy, you must offer me a price. Then I shall tell you how to avert the bad omen along with the prophecy.”

“……”

I hesitated at the unexpected proposition.

Normally, I would refuse such an offer, but this individual might be on par with the Dharma Protector, possibly a high-level sorcerer directly linked to the Twelve Regulations. For someone like him to feel a bad omen and offer to give a prophecy was not something one could ignore. But I hesitated to offer a price.

‘Well, I have nothing to lose.’

I rummaged through my pouch and pulled out a Sacred Lotus. Just as Master Yun glanced at it, he shook his head.

“The divine aura is too weak, it’s not good enough. Something else.”

I pulled out the Black and White Lotus.

“Better than before, but still insufficient to ward off your bad omen.”

As the Black and White Lotus failed to impress him, I felt perplexed. If this wouldn’t do, then what should I offer? After considering various precious items in my pouch, I unconsciously pulled out the Foreigner from the West.

“What the!!!!!”

Oh no.

As soon as I pulled him out, he was startled and looked as if he was searching for his gun. I quickly subdued him and made him kneel. General Hwang and the governor of Liaodong were already in a stance to draw their swords. Feeling embarrassed, I spoke up.

“I’m sorry. I’ll put him back.”

“Is this one from the West?”

“Yes.”

General Hwang, intrigued, said,

“Let’s have a word with him. I think I can guess his origins, as I know a bit of the Western language.”

“Ah…”

Following General Hwang’s words, I eased the Foreigner’s bindings. The Foreigner started shouting in a way that seemed to be mostly curses. After a while of observing the Foreigner’s outburst, General Hwang commented,

“Not from the Netherlands’ Red Haired Demon. Seems he has traveled a long way among the Westerners… He’s not one of the Arabs either… Hmm…”

Examining the Foreigner’s attire and appearance carefully, General Hwang exclaimed,

“Ah!”

“Which country are you from?”

General Hwang pointed to a peculiar emblem on the Foreigner’s chest.

“I recall this emblem… It belongs to the representatives of the British Empire. The royal family had received an envoy from the Westerners at some point.”

“The British Empire? Are you saying it’s a nation so vast it can refer to itself as an empire?”

“I have no idea. At any rate, you could say it’s a tremendously distant foreign land.”

An empire.

I had only seen the Great Ming Empire when it came to countries large enough to be dubbed an empire. I had heard there were such nations somewhere far off in the direction of Tianzhu, but I’d never found the opportunity to go that far. Suddenly encountering someone who claimed to represent a Western empire felt utterly absurd.

‘It must be a country with a vast territory.’

General Hwang continued explaining,

“When I heard about it, they were said to be the strongest power in the West. Where did you capture him?”

I recounted my experience in the Southern Continent, including the annihilation of the Western brigade that had been slaughtering the natives there. Upon hearing this, General Hwang stroked his chin and said,

“It seems the current Western nations are waging conquest wars based on advanced maritime navigation technology from Joseon. If that’s the case, they probably won’t take long to extend their hands towards Ming.”

“Wasn’t Zheng He sent on expeditions in the past?”

“Well… Their technological prowess seems to be on an entirely different level.”

As he idly fiddled with the firearms I had received earlier, General Hwang continued,

“If three thousand elite soldiers from the North Dragon Troops wield these firearms, they could wipe out ten times the enemy in less than half a day. Furthermore, if they have the training of cavalrymen to operate as gunners, they would showcase twice the power. This weapon could indeed alter the course of history.”

“……”

“If troops armed with such weapons came pouring in by the tens of thousands, the current military strength of the Great Ming Empire would stand no chance.”

“But there are firearm troops in the Great Ming Empire, right?”

General Hwang shook his head.

“Typically, the technology of firearms develops slower than that of artillery. Based on the capabilities of these foreigners, they would dominate in naval battles. If they overwhelm us at sea, we would be impotent while they seize the strongholds and crumble helplessly…”

“Hmm…”

“I’m genuinely worried about the fate of this country…”

General Hwang sighed, genuinely lamenting. I quickly stashed the Foreigner back into the pouch and said,

“Master Yun. What if I throw this into the mix?”

I offered the Sacred Lotus, the Black and White Lotus, a gold ingot, and even a statue of the ancient sovereign Xuanyuan to the mix. Glancing at those items to gauge their worth, Master Yun replied,

“Just leave.”

“Excuse me?”

“It appears today is not our fated meeting.”

Whoosh!

As soon as Master Yun finished his words, he vanished without a trace. I tilted my head in confusion and headed towards Qizhang Village.

‘What on earth does he mean?’

I’d heard the Three Masters’ abilities were on par with the Dharma Protector, yet he babbled nonsense?

I shook off my negative thoughts and pulled out the Black Pack, handing it to the village chief of Qizhang Village.

Swish, swish –

Soon, I was able to cross into the Dark Heaven jungle through the White Muku. And there, at the very spot I had seen before, stood the [Old Ruler] possessing the power of reversal.

[Welcome… A special individual has come to the land of dream and illusion…]

Kneeling before the Old Ruler, I stated,

“Oh, Old Ruler! I have a wish!”

[Hooh… Speak… With the power of reversal bestowed upon me… I grant you one opportunity to change life into death… and death into life… Anyone attempted this… cannot escape this power…]

It was a predictable course of action.

‘Alright. It’s all set!’

Now all that’s left is to kill the Vermilion Bird!

Once I eliminate the Vermilion Bird, I’ll obtain the secrets of the Heavenly Spirit Pillar, nurture the Thunder God Lineage and Jin So-cheong, and then sweep away the Leader of the White Lotus Sect!

As the perfect plan I had devised from the beginning shimmered before my eyes, I could hardly contain my excitement. I then opened my mouth,

“Please kill the Vermilion Bird, Taisannoong.”

I said it!

In response, the [Old Ruler] twitched for a moment and declared,

[Indeed… Is it that human you wish to slay… Very well…]

From the Old Ruler’s body, tentacles twisted and extended, pointing at a certain space in the air. Suddenly, something that resembled smoke began to flow from that spot. As the Old Ruler wrapped the smoke with the tentacles, he exhibited a reaction as if he were swallowing it whole.

Then he spoke,

[I have killed him…]

It was the same phenomenon as when I had previously requested the assassination of the emperor. Just to be safe, I asked the [Old Ruler],

“That human was capable of transferring his soul to a spare body. Is there no chance of him resurrecting?”

[No… since I’ve consumed him, that would never happen…]

At that moment, I suddenly felt that the [Old Ruler] seemed to smile.

[Though I cannot know of that man’s curse…]

A curse?

Just as I was about to speak,

Cough!

I suddenly felt a cough surging through me. Blood began to drip from my mouth as blood pooled in my eyes, nose, and mouth. There wasn’t much pain, but suddenly being drenched in blood shocked me.

‘W-What’s happening?!’

Strength drained from my body.

Thud!

As I lost my strength and dropped to one knee, I noticed the [Old Ruler] looking at me with amusement.

[That man had cast a curse upon those who would kill him, forcing them to pay a price… a curse that cannot be executed by human hands… Most likely engraved onto his soul with help from the Sleeper of the Theology of Ink…]

“W-Wait, what…”

[Though such a curse may not affect me… it is you who commissioned the assassination… you, human…]

In that instant, I felt a wave of sinister joy emanating from the [Old Ruler].

[How amusing… how delightful…]

Cough!

Cough!

‘Ah… no…’

It felt like blood was gushing from every pore of my body. My insides seemed to be bubbling up, and I could feel them melting away within me. My consciousness grew hazy as I watched my cheeks begin to dissolve—it was terrifying.

With blood gushing from my entire body, my skin, flesh, and bones were all melting away!

That was the atrocious curse invoked by the Vermilion Bird, Taisannoong—something seemingly embedded by a god’s request. And it appeared that the [Old Ruler] returned that curse directly to me, the client.

‘No… I can’t die here…’

There were still so many things left undone. I hadn’t even trained in the Celestial Realm or learned the secrets of the Heavenly Spirit Pillar. I had reached a level that was just a tad short of accomplishment, yet I was about to die in such a ridiculous manner?

‘Ugh… how could this happen…’

Rumble!

The sound of my brain melting was the final thing I heard.

And that was my 18th death.