Reincarnation Sword God

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When the colossal concept of humanity emerged, I couldn’t help but wear a peculiar expression.

“Hu…manity?”

I often used distinctions such as humans or the Western Regions of the Central Plains. However, the word humanity seemed to define and delineate humans as a separate class, even emphasizing that humans were not the only existing beings.

Eventually, I realized what made the term feel off: it was the disparity in worldview scales.

The black cat before me regarded the human race as the “dust” of this world, which is why it referred to humanity distinctly, including other races and deities.

Of course, that wasn’t hard to understand. Based on the ‘truth’ I had grasped about this world, it would make sense for Master Mangnyang to collectively refer to the human race as humanity, without any distinctions. However, such an awareness could only be accepted by someone like me, who had long been exposed to the darkness lurking behind this world, and was a term that couldn’t possibly be comprehended within the usual concept of China.

Master Mangnyang spoke.

[ You don’t even know what the powers of the Great Creation are, do you? You’re just regarding it as a convenient tool to have without understanding its essence.]

I felt a sharp pang as if he had hit the nail on the head, yet I forced myself to speak calmly.

“Then explain. What ability does it have?”

[ No.]

“Damn it!”

After scratching his head with his paw, Master Mangnyang replied,

[ Most of my power is used to seal the Outer Gods. The Great Creation’s blessing I can give you is but a minuscule fragment—a mere trickle flowing from my essence. In fact, I feel it’s a waste, a huge loss, and quite troublesome. Even now, a tremendous amount of my power is being depleted because of the sealing.]

He waved his tail.

[ Hence, I can’t accept anything less than triple the price you just mentioned.]

“Th… triple?”

[ That would be just right. In fact, I may have exaggerated a bit out of spite.]

“……”

I was at a loss for words. Even the price I had just offered was considerable. Tripling it meant I would practically have to strip myself of everything valuable, even rob the Imperial Palace of its unregistered ritual texts.

No, wouldn’t that still be insufficient? Would it even make sense to go through all that just to obtain the Great Creation’s blessing?

I huffed in frustration.

“Stop dodging the main point! Why do you charge me such a hefty price while giving the blessings away for free to other humans?!”

[ You’re being foolish. You still don’t understand?]

“What do you mean?”

[ It’s only natural to extend aid to humanity on the brink of death. But you’re trying to acquire the Great Creation’s blessing for personal gain. That’s the difference between charity and trade.]

“Ugh! I’m human too!”

[ Well?]

“What?”

In response to my retort, Master Mangnyang rolled around on the floor, covered in dirt. After a while, he lay down and said,

[ Use what you have well. Honestly, my blessing is unnecessary for where you are right now.]

“Damn it! Just tell me what the Great Creation’s blessing entails! I need to know to even consider gathering the price!”

[ Oh? So, you think you can gather three times the treasure?]

“I can!!”

I shouted loudly. Master Mangnyang stared at me for a while and then said,

[ The Great Creation’s blessing is the power to break the heavens. It creates change through observation, even in realms where life and death do not exist and allows entry into a dualistic individual world.]

“……”

[ Well, it’s up to how you use it.]

I couldn’t fathom what I had just heard. Until now, the blessings from the Great Immortals had all been powerful and easy to understand, but this one seemed utterly nonsensical. His explanation was far too abstract for me to grasp what ability it truly conferred.

“So… what kind of blessing are you talking about?”

[ You’re too stupid to comprehend.]

“You little cat…”

As I gritted my teeth, I felt Master Mangnyang slowly fading away. His irritating black cat voice echoed,

[ You’re still too far from understanding me.]

So nothing we’ve discussed even counts as a conversation?!

[ Build up more causality.]

I wanted to protest, but soon my vision faded to black.

When I regained consciousness, I found myself lying in front of Yeodong-bin’s shrine. As I groggily sat up, Mangnyang beside me said,

“Are you awake?”

“Uh… how long was I out?”

“How long? You fainted barely half a breath ago.”

That meant I had abruptly collapsed and suddenly awoken. As I swallowed my dry throat, Mangnyang said,

“Then let’s go.”

Suddenly I looked at Yeodong-bin’s shrine and felt a curious itch.

“Mangnyang, why is there a shrine for Yeodong-bin here?”

“Hmm?”

“This is the village where the protector of Taoism, Master Mangnyang is. Shouldn’t there be a shrine dedicated to you instead? Why then do we use this shrine for offerings to Yeodong-bin?”

Though I had never questioned it throughout my past life, it sparked my curiosity because it didn’t seem right. Mangnyang replied calmly,

“The Master doesn’t require worship or offerings.”

“What…?”

“If we offer to Yeodong-bin, then the Yeodong-bin in the Heavenly Realm will receive those offerings. Furthermore, spiritual beings or immortals in the Heavenly Realm grow stronger and livelier the more humans recognize, worship, and yearn for them. While it doesn’t always correlate to power, recognition holds considerable importance for these deities.”

As Mangnyang gazed at the shrine, he continued,

“However, the Master is special. His power remains unchanged whether he is worshiped or not. Moreover, since there is no entity in the Heavenly Realm deserving of offerings, having a shrine is merely cumbersome. But to keep the village from becoming an empty space, we set up the most popular shrine of Yeodong-bin.”

“……”

I pondered over that.

“Why is that? If his power remains unchanged… does that mean human faith does not influence him at all?”

“Correct. The Master does not need humans at all.”

“Hmm…”

It seemed contradictory.

I had thought Master Mangnyang bestows the Great Creation’s blessing to enhance his power, but to learn that it has no relation whatsoever was shocking! Suddenly, I recalled something Master Mangnyang said earlier.

[ The difference between charity and trade.]

Charity.

Was Master Mangnyang helping humanity out of a sense of charity, not for his own gain? While that would indeed be a virtuous act, it felt somewhat awkward. After all, everything in this world has an interaction. Why should he offer charity to such weak beings as humans, who hold no influence over him?

I asked Mangnyang,

“Are you helping humans because you like them?”

Mangnyang shrugged.

“I wouldn’t know. How could a mortal like me comprehend the thoughts of a deity?”

“If you don’t like them, then there’s no reason to help them?”

“Not necessarily. There are many counterexamples. I just hope that’s not the case.”

Murmured Mangnyang exclaimed,

“Baek Ung, it’s worth mentioning that I never trained directly under the Master.”

“What?”

“From the time I first acknowledged the Master, I’ve only learned through dream transmission. The black cat you saw is not his true form, but what I have seen in dreams.”

Curiosity sparked within me.

“What form does he take with you?”

“Hmm…”

After pondering seriously, Mangnyang answered,

“Whichever form I think of, he emerges as that.”

“You mean if I think of a beauty, he appears as a beauty?”

“In a sense, yes. However, I hold respect towards the Master, so I usually imagine a solemn form. It’s quite dignified.”

Mangnyang wore a wry smile, almost as if acknowledging his imperfections. After all, if he appeared in whichever form one thought of, it was essentially a projection of oneself, leading to an inevitable sense of self-doubt.

After a moment, Mangnyang spoke.

“Now, summon the Four Spirits.”

“Sure.”

I shouted loudly into the air.

“Four Spirits!!”

Fwoooosh!

Suddenly, colorful clouds converged in the air before me, and something began to emerge from that reality, as if tearing through it. It twisted and entwined into a bizarre beast form like clay.

Its neck resembled a camel’s, its horns were like a deer’s, its tail like a donkey’s, and its hooves paled in comparison to those of a cow. I was astonished, for its description resembled that found in the Classic of Mountains and Seas.

Sure enough, it was covered in dragon scales and gazing at me with a divine glow in its eyes. While it stood the size of a fine steed, the pressure it exuded was extraordinary. As I continued to lock eyes with the Four Spirits, Mangnyang warned,

“The Spirit Beast of the Four Spirits is a being far superior to Earth Immortals. Be cautious not to offend it.”

“Eh?”

I looked at Mangnyang in disbelief.

“Are you saying it’s a being even superior to the previous Earth Immortal Mangnyang? Isn’t that just a beast?”

“Absolutely not! The Spirits of the Heavenly Realm are divine beasts and apostles of heaven. Moreover, the Four Spirits were blessed directly by the Primordial Celestial Sovereign to Taigongmang. They are on par with Qilin or Fenghuang. Never treat them lightly.”

“Even if you say don’t treat them lightly…”

I felt perplexed. After all, being a Spirit Beast meant I should be riding it normally. But if I were to ride it like this, it would be considered disrespectful.

‘ What worth does a Spirit Beast hold if you can’t ride it?’

While I hesitated, I suddenly heard divine words echoing,

[ Human, I permit you to ride upon my back.]

“Wow.”

I turned to the source of the divine voice. Was it really the Spirit Beast? The Spirit Beast slowly turned its body as if inviting me to ride. I cautiously climbed atop its back, and the Spirit Beast continued,

[ Where do you wish to go?]

“Um… then how about to the North Pole?”

[ Understood.]

I didn’t genuinely want to go to the North Pole—just looking to test the Spirit Beast’s speed. But the next moment, the area around the Spirit Beast was enveloped in pure white light, glowing brightly.

Zooom—

An incredible chill washed over me. I could easily withstand the cold with my Qi, but this chilly realm was far from ordinary. And when I noticed the world had turned into a blanket of white, it immediately hit me. The Spirit Beast had taken me to the North Pole in the blink of an eye!

“……!!”

[ Is this all?]

So it can teleport us directly to the desired destination? I said in astonishment,

“Can you teleport to anywhere you wish?”

[ By bending space, I can reach anywhere. Even thousands of miles away.]

“Whoa…!!”

I felt a blend of awe and amazement. The power of the Spirit Beast was truly incredible.

However, I felt a little underwhelmed since I already had the same capability with my Sacred Artifact. The Sacred Artifact could teleport to any destination too! When I relayed that point to the Spirit Beast, it seemed to grow stubborn and responded,

[ Oh really? I can’t lose to such a tool. I’ll show you another power!]

“What power…”

Woosh!

“Whoa?!”

To my shock, I suddenly found myself amidst a breathtaking mountain landscape with vibrant flora and distinctive beauty. The sunshine felt warm, and life was brimming everywhere, making it unmistakable that I was no longer in the mortal realm. The air was filled with colorful clouds and fragrant blossoms, surrounded by bizarre rock formations, while a river of light flowed across the horizon.

“Is this…?”

[ This is Island of Golden Crows.]

The Spirit Beast declared with a flourish.

[ It’s the heart of the Absolute Cult and the home of the Yokai Immortals. Originally, it was sealed off with countless barriers after the Divine War, making it inaccessible. But I can traverse it freely. That Sacred Artifact of yours cannot pierce through any barrier! This is a unique ability possessed only by me in the Heavenly Realm.]

I looked around.

“I’ve never seen a place like this in the mortal realm.”

[ Naturally. This place, like Dark Heaven, is another realm.]

I couldn’t help but accept the Spirit Beast’s words deep down.

‘ So it is.’

My Sacred Artifact could not access the Heavenly Realm due to certain barriers set in place.

Yet the Spirit Beast was an entity capable of ignoring any dimensional barriers and traveling at will! Truly a Spirit Beast worthy of being on par with Qilin and Fenghuang.

As I entered the Island of Golden Crows through the Spirit Beast, I realized that I couldn’t come back here using the Sacred Artifact in my next reincarnation. Even if I remembered the coordinates, the barriers prevented it. Only by riding the Spirit Beast could one access this otherworldly Island of Golden Crows.

I felt quite satisfied, realizing the Spirit Beast summoning ability was better than I had expected.

“Alright, you’re definitely the superior one.”

[ Hmph… Now do you understand?]

“Let’s go back now.”

[ ……]

“Spirit Beast?”

A moment later, the Spirit Beast, brimmed with confidence, stated,

[ I can use my dimensional-ignoring ability only once a day!]

“Uh… what do you mean? So…”

Upon hearing the Spirit Beast’s next words, my expression contorted.

[ You can’t return at the moment!]

“Damn it!!”

So it was.

I was in a situation where I had to endure for a whole day in the Island of Golden Crows, the abode of Yokai Immortals, isolated from the human world!