Reincarnation Sword God

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660——————==
Dark Heaven Village
I decided to lay low and prepare to challenge Dark Heaven Village until the Fire Dragon Sword was restored. While steadily training in martial arts and sorcery, I learned the basics about otherworldly demon beasts from the Zhuge Clan. In fact, significant growth in either martial arts or sorcery in just a month or two was impossible, so I was content to lay the groundwork and decided to enhance my talent in summoning techniques a bit more.

Zhuge Sa said,
“In this world, sorcerers and demon sorcerers are clearly distinguished, but ‘summoners’ don’t really fit into any specific category. Do you know why?”
“Um… I’m not sure.”
“It’s because we can’t systematically train summoners to the point where we can specialize and give it a proper name. The talent for summoning is extremely rare, and controlling the multitude of demons always comes with a risk of death. While there might not be much risk at the lower levels, as you summon higher beings, you end up dealing with high-level otherworldly races or powerful demon clans from different realms. That’s why summoning higher beings is generally classified as a sorcery that requires a death wish. If we had to categorize it, sorcerers tend to research summoning techniques more than demon sorcerers do, but the inherent dangers associated with it make serious research quite scarce.”

He chuckled self-deprecatingly.
“To advance the study of sorcery, we need researchers, but every time someone tests a summoning technique, the chances of death exceed 70%. How can you conduct research under those conditions? Especially with advanced sorcery.”
“……”
“In simpler terms, it’s a sorcery that is simply too dangerous and hard to recommend. No matter how much preparation is made, there’s always a risk of death. I’ve even seen high-level otherworldly beings whimsically cause a demon sorcerer’s head to float off into space!”
“But summoning the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors or the Celestial Offering Ceremony usually goes smoothly, right? There isn’t much threat to life…”

In retort, Zhuge Sa replied,
“That’s just a special privilege.”
“A privilege?”
“It’s not just granted to you; it’s a natural benefit that comes with being a human born in the Central Plains. There are virtually no beings like the Three Sovereigns who act kind to humans and consent to be summoned like that.”
I frowned in disbelief.
“The Three Sovereigns and the Old Ruler are practically the same.”
“You’re the odd one out. No human in history has been favored by the Old Ruler like you. Plus, it’s extremely rare for celestial beings to show any interest in humans’ survival and existence.”
“Hmm.”
“The reason why sorcerers hardly ever take risks with summoning is that they can reliably procure the assistance of celestial immortals, divine beings, or dragon kings when needed. Why would they bother forming contracts with dubious monsters from other realms?” He added,
“In many ways, the sorcery system is more comfortable compared to demon sorcery.”

While Zhuge Sa grumbled about something, he pointed at me with his finger.
“Anyway, you possess a gifted talent for summoning… a divine gift. To effectively refine it, you need to summon otherworldly beings regularly.”
“Got it.”
“Let’s start by learning the protective runes and incantations for safeguarding those summoning from beings of other realms. I don’t think you’ll be attacked, but this is basic.”

I began learning the fundamentals of summoning from Zhuge Sa. The demon knowledge I learned previously was either about the Old Ruler or basic universal knowledge, but this time I was focusing on knowledge related to summoning. Over the course of a month, I was able to grasp basic otherworldly summoning techniques.

About a month after learning, Zhuge Sa said,
“You seem to have a basic understanding, but if you want to execute it reliably, you’ll need at least another year. In your next life, either learn summoning techniques from me or Cheon Woo-jin.”
“… Are you really suggesting I plan for the next life?”
“Is there a problem?”
“Ugh…”
I was preparing to challenge Dark Heaven Village with a death wish, but it left a bitter taste in my mouth. However, since it was the truth, I took out the Ruyi Staff and called the spirit, He Yu.

Sussuss
He Yu was a beautiful young girl with blue hair and golden eyes. The moment she saw me, she frowned.
[Ugh, you’re so ugly…]
“……”
[Why did you call for me?]
Scratching my head, I replied,
“Call the Celestial Sage. I want to reclaim the Fire Dragon Sword.”
[Got it. I’ll summon a monkey.]

Seeming to manifest something in her hands, He Yu emitted light. I looked at the sight and then asked her,
“He Yu, what crime did you commit to get sealed in the Ruyi Staff?”
[……]
He Yu fell silent.
Her silence was taking too long.
“Hey, can you hear me?”
He Yu opened her mouth.
[I don’t want to answer!]
“What?! You can’t just say you don’t want to answer out of nowhere…”

As I flusteredly interjected, He Yu looked at me with a genuinely displeased expression.
[I like beautiful and handsome people. If you were like a gorgeous guy, I’d be more than happy to tell you, but looking at your face, which seems like it’s been smashed into a rice cake for a hundred days and then sprinkled with volcanic ash, I just can’t.]
“……”
[And hey, ugly. How can you ask me to spill shameful past stories just because we’re somewhat close?]

Her fluent critique of my appearance left me at a loss for words. Being critiqued for my looks wasn’t new, but I never expected it to be so brutally direct. It seemed ridiculous that an ancient spirit would discriminate based on looks.
“Still…”
Paaat
At that moment, the Celestial Sage revealed himself. He held the Fire Dragon Sword in one hand and swiftly threw it to me, saying,
“Here, take it.”
“Thanks!”

As I grasped the Fire Dragon Sword, remarkably, I could feel its power surging more than ever before. The divine energy and spirit energy that had accumulated had reached their peak, and a tremendous force poured out, as if it would devour its user. Without a doubt, I could say that the Fire Dragon Sword had fully recovered.
“Fire Dragon Incarnate!”

I called out to the Fire Dragon Incarnate within the sword, but she didn’t emerge. When I looked at the sword with a puzzled expression, the Celestial Sage said,
“Although her injuries have all healed, it seems she wants to elevate her power to the maximum. She’s currently refining herself to regain the full strength of the Dragon King. It’s uncertain when she’ll open her eyes.”
“The power of the Dragon King?”
“You know that the Fire Dragon Incarnate is the Dragon King, right? But unlike the Four Great Dragon Kings, she is the Incarnate of the Shenglong, so she has never directly wielded the power of the Dragon King up until now. The celestial immortals have likely been hesitant to let her showcase her true abilities, which is why she’s been sealed this entire time.”
“Why are they hesitant?”
“The Fire Dragon Incarnate serves as a surveillance envoy sent by the emperor to watch over the celestial realm. While she has been living in seclusion in the celestial realm, her status has not changed. The Imperial Palace is a higher dimension than the celestial realm, so she holds a significant position.”
“Hmm.”
So, the Dragon King’s power that the Fire Dragon Incarnate holds…
‘Huh? Surveillance…’
Suddenly, something dawned on me. However, since it wasn’t the right time to test it, I pushed that thought to the back of my mind for now.

I inquired of the Celestial Sage,
“Do you have any information about the Emperor’s Imperial Palace?”
“I know only to the extent that others do. It’s too much of a riddle to figure out.”
I resolved to ask a question that I had previously heard from Mangnyang.
“Then have you seen the Jade Emperor or Guang Chengzi?”
“Hmm? Why do you ask?”
“As I mentioned earlier, I’m considering the possibility that something might have happened to the Four Great Lords. I need to ensure whether the Jade Emperor, who is one of them, is safe and whether Guang Chengzi has any presence in the celestial realm.”
“……”
The Celestial Sage pondered for a moment and then spoke,
“I’ve fought the Jade Emperor before.”
“What?!”
“I told you last time that I overturned the celestial realm, right? At that time, I went deep into the celestial realm and confronted the Jade Emperor. I even landed a hit on his face—hahaha.”
“So you fought the Jade Emperor and won?”
“Strange story, actually…”

The Celestial Sage started to fidget with his sideburns as he continued,
“Back then, I believed the Jade Emperor to be the big boss of the celestial realm. Judging from the information I had as the Demon King ruling over the Central Plains, I thought that defeating him would give me control over the celestial realm. After all, absorbing the divine nature of the Jade Emperor meant that dominion and preservation of the celestial realm would be transferred to me. But after landing a hit on his face, nothing happened.”
“What do you mean?”
“It means that the Jade Emperor lacked divine status as one of the Four Great Lords. Even after sustaining a deadly injury, there was no sign of it being released…”
“……!!”
“In fact, what surprised me even more was that after the Jade Emperor got torn apart by me, he resurrected almost immediately. Even now, it’s a mystery.”
“So the Jade Emperor is just weak at the level of a mere overlay technique?”

The Celestial Sage looked at me as if I were speaking nonsense.
“What are you talking about? It’s only because of my presence that I managed to seize a gap and land one blow, but it’s absolutely not the case. The Jade Emperor is undoubtedly among the strongest opponents I’ve faced in my life. Incredibly powerful. If I hadn’t gotten lucky, I could have easily died fighting him.”
“Ah…”
“Jeez. You’re great and all, but sometimes you just don’t know your place.”

I felt that the information he just shared bore great significance. Even though I didn’t fully understand it right now, I would make sure to remember every detail. If I could remember accurately, the strategists would analyze it later on.
“And I have no idea about Guang Chengzi. I’ve never seen him.”
“Really, even though he’s one of the Twelve Celestial Immortals?”
“Though it’s called Twelve Immortals, Guang Chengzi’s position seems to be vacant.”
“Is there no celestial immortal close to Guang Chengzi?”
“If I had to name one, it would be the Heavenly Mysterious Woman of Nine Heavens. In other words, she’s the only one who could have the qualifications to face Guang Chengzi. But in reality, she rarely mentions anything about him at all.”
“……?”
“Guang Chengzi is treated differently than the other celestial immortals. The Twelve Great Immortals don’t consider themselves on the same level as Guang Chengzi.”
“Hmm…”
As I contemplated, I asked,
“Does the Heavenly Mysterious Woman know a lot about Guang Chengzi?”
“Considering they’re around the same age, that seems likely.”

Just then, the Celestial Sage, seeming annoyed, said,
“Anyway, that’s enough. You, Yeodong-bin, step forward!”
Sussuss
With the Celestial Sage’s words, spirit energy suddenly rose from my body and took on the form of Yeodong-bin. The manifestation that appeared through the terminal politely greeted the Celestial Sage.
[Celestial Sage. What do you need me for?]
“It’s nothing much. The Heavenly Mysterious Woman is calling for you.”
[… Do you know why?]
“Well, I have no idea.”
[Understood.]
Paat
The form of Yeodong-bin vanished from that spot. With a terminal, he didn’t seem too hindered by the issue of moving to the celestial realm.
‘It’s probably regarding the incident where the Guang Chengzi assassinated the disciples of the Heavenly Mysterious Woman…’
I was aware that during my past life, there was someone secretly assassinating the disciples of the Heavenly Mysterious Woman, and that it was none other than Yao Tianjun among the Ten Heavenly Generals. The Heavenly Mysterious Woman probably summoned Yeodong-bin to assign him a secret mission to stop Yao Tianjun.

Yet, something feels odd.
Why wouldn’t the Heavenly Mysterious Woman assign that mission to the Celestial Sage?
They are on the same side, and the Celestial Sage would have a much higher chance of successfully taking down a target like the Ten Heavenly Generals. I couldn’t think of any good reason for why she’d specifically call Yeodong-bin for a difficult mission.
‘This is troubling…’
If I explicitly reveal that the Ten Heavenly Generals are traitors at this point and share the information I gained from my past life, it would certainly make things easier for the Heavenly Mysterious Woman. But that also predicted a fiercer battle than any I’ve experienced so far. There’s currently no way to deal with the revealing nature of Queen Mother of the West, and I can only foresee my side suffering annihilation from her overwhelming power.
‘Even the powerful guardian Gong Gong, having attained four Luminaries, struggled against the Queen Mother of the West, as there’s no one who can stand up to her.’

Unless I obtain adequate power or means to defeat her, I cannot recklessly meddle with such significant threads of causality. Even if Queen Mother of the West has not fully regained her powers, she is powerful enough to tear apart the incarnation of the Old Ruler with her sheer strength. It would only amount to pulling the tiger’s hair.
I recalled the words that Mangnyang had shouted in despair before.
[Bai Woong, don’t even think about facing a god unless you’ve gathered at least four Luminaries. Remember this firmly.]

Mangnyang’s prediction then was indeed accurate. Even Gong Gong, who was not even human and had acquired four Luminaries, had a hard time facing the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors. At that time, Gong Gong’s power was formidable enough to easily tear apart the Great Immortal, yet even he struggled.
‘Then… as a human, I must acquire at least five Luminaries.’
To do so, I need to go to the vicinity of the Luminaries no matter what. There is no longer any postponing my venture to Dark Heaven Village to obtain the Earth Star. If I can pave a path that allows me to retrieve the Earth Star, it’s possible I might even gather all six Luminaries at once depending on the situation.

The Celestial Sage said,
“I don’t know exactly what you’re planning, but if you use the Ruyi Staff and the Fire Dragon Sword together, you’ll be able to fend off most formidable foes. Good luck.”
“Yes, thank you.”
“Let’s drink together sometime.”

After the Celestial Sage disappeared, I held a meeting with my strategists.
And Mangnyang offered an opinion.
“I believe the Fire Dragon Incarnate will awaken soon. Let’s wait until she opens her eyes.”
“Is Yeodong-bin’s position vacant?”
“Yes. If the Heavenly Mysterious Woman called for him, it’s possible Bai Woong won’t be summoned back within a short time. Plus, it’s dubious whether he can be properly summoned from the unknown world of Dark Heaven Village.”
“I heard there are three ways to get to Dark Heaven Village. Which one do you plan to choose?”
Mangnyang spoke,
“Of course, we’ll follow the guidance of the Golden Lamp.”
“Hmm, sounds like a choice that might lead us into a trap.”
“Yes, it’s the best option.”
“Can we attempt to pass through the dream world instead?”
“We can try, but if we can’t relay that experience back to Bai Woong, it would be pointless.”
“That’s true.”

The Sword Demon said self-deprecatingly,
“Sigh, it feels increasingly pointless for us to continue training martial arts.”
“Not at all. The possibility of defeating the Old Ruler through martial arts has been proposed.”
“I sometimes wonder, if gods indeed exist, what do they desire? And what is the highest realm of martial skill they have attained?”
He continued,
“Bai Woong, you must fulfill your ambitions.”
“Yes.”

A month later.
The Fire Dragon Incarnate awakened from her slumber. As soon as she opened her eyes, she said,
[My prime strength has returned. The power from when I just opened my eyes in the celestial realm…]
“Are you fully capable of using your powers now?”
[What do you desire? If you want me to assist you in replenishing your energy in the celestial realm, you likely want something in return.]
I explained my situation to the Fire Dragon Incarnate.
“… So you want me to help you challenge Dark Heaven Village.”
[That’s reckless. Why do you wish to go to that cursed land of dreams where even the Great Immortal drives people mad?]
“I need to find the Earth Star.”
[The Earth Star… So you intend to gather the Luminaries.]

After pondering, the Fire Dragon Incarnate spoke,
[Very well. I will help you. But there’s one condition.]
“What condition?”
Her next words were unexpected.
[I need you to take me to one of the Five Great Mountains so I can communicate with my true form, the Shenglong, who has been calling for me since I regained my strength.]

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