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**Rebirth Sword God Vol. 93 Chapter 8**

When the Primordial Void Ruler appeared, I couldn’t help but frown. Every time that guy showed up, he tended to cause chaos. As I openly scrunched my face, the Primordial Void Ruler spoke.

“Oh dear, am I an unwelcome guest?”

“Among the great sages of the Celestial Realm, it’s hard to understand why a Heavenly Ruler would casually come down to the mortal world. If you’re a Heavenly Ruler, you’re practically a god, so is that really allowed?”

I unnecessarily provoked him, but the Primordial Void Ruler brushed it off lightly.

“If you use the gathered Law of Cause and Effect, it’s not a hard thing at all. Wasn’t I accumulating it in preparation for something fun like this?”

The Primordial Void Ruler had a surprisingly joyful expression. I couldn’t hide my disgust toward that face, and my companion, Mangnyang, spoke up.

“Great Primordial Void Ruler. Can you explain what you mean by a prior appointment?”

“It means what it says. Look over there.”

As we followed his gaze, astonishingly, the sky began to distort, and simultaneously, a massive Sky Gate appeared. Huge doors, each the size of hundreds, stood upright in the sky, surrounded by auspicious green light and clouds.

Whoooosh!

What an extraordinary sight! I had never seen anything like it, so it was incredible.

“What is that?”

The Primordial Void Ruler answered my question.

“Have you heard of the Spirit Treasure Gate?”

“……?”

As I stood there puzzled, Mangnyang breathed out a murmur.

“……The Gate of the Three Purities given by the High God! I had read about it in the scriptures of Taoism, but to think it actually exists!”

“Mangnyang, do you know what that is?”

Nodding at my question, Mangnyang continued.

“The legend of Taoism states that when the Celestial Realm was created, the Jade Emperor bestowed palaces and gates to the Three Purities, and hidden within each gate are the treasures and sorceries of the world concealed by the Three Heavenly Lords. That is called the Gate of the Three Purities… Legends say that anyone who passes through the gate that occasionally appears in the mortal world can become a Great Immortal, even if they’re an ordinary human.”

“Oh wow!”

“But to think something like that actually existed… I thought it was nonsense…”

Could that really be true?

As I pondered, the Primordial Void Ruler chimed in.

“As the child said, I am the avatar of the Spirit Treasure Heaven Master, so I can use one of the Gates of the Three Purities, the Spirit Treasure Gate.”

So, the Primordial Heaven Master uses the Primordial Gate, and the Taishang Laojun uses the Taishang Gate?

While I was lost in thought, Abe no Seimei, who had been observing the situation, glared at the Primordial Void Ruler and asked, “What are you planning to do using the Spirit Treasure Gate?”

“I said it’s a prior appointment. Didn’t you understand?”

Snap!

Just as the Primordial Void Ruler snapped his fingers.

Kugugugugung!

Suddenly, the massive doors of the Spirit Treasure Gate hanging in the sky above Luoyang began to open simultaneously with a grand sound. Out of those doors, in an instant, multicolored clouds burst forth like a tsunami, and alongside them, divine beings poured out.

Kiiiiiing -!

An incredible sensation of celestial energy!

The unique aura and fragrance that only immortals could emit were so strong that they could be felt from several miles away. I was stunned to see it.

“Are all of those immortals?!”

Yes.

Suddenly appearing from the Spirit Treasure Gate were hundreds of immortals! Their ranks spanned from lowly Earth Immortals to high-ranking Great Immortals, and accompanying each of them were a multitude of divine generals and soldiers. They appeared like a massive army by human standards, and as they surfaced in the sky above Luoyang, it seemed as if heaven was filled to the brim with multicolored clouds and the essence of immortals.

Abe no Seimei seemingly picked up on something and said, “Primordial Void Ruler! Is the Celestial Realm intervening to attack Hermes in the Imperial Palace?”

At that, the Primordial Void Ruler replied with a strange smile, “It could be, or it might not be… Either way, there’s a prior appointment with that demon sorcerer from the otherworldly realm.”

“……!”

We couldn’t help but be shocked. The Celestial Realm, which had always been passive until now, deciding to intervene decisively and swiftly like this? The Celestial Realm had impressive strength, but until now, they had always required complex procedures to intervene in earthly matters, so this was unbelievably swift. It hadn’t been long since we had met Hermes at the Sacred Altar Tree, leaving almost no time for the Celestial Realm to make a decision but still managing to mobilize such a large army of immortals!

However, it seemed Mangnyang sensed something odd and frowned. “What is it that you desire from us? There must be a specific reason for you to appear before us.”

“Hee hee… Let’s get to the point,” the Primordial Void Ruler replied while looking at me.

“I won’t stop you from attacking Hermes. However, we have our prior appointments as well, so why not work together on this?”

“Work together?”

“Yes… Since we can’t just rush in without any plans to capture that demon ruler using the World Tree as our stronghold, why not join forces until Hermes is captured?”

“……”

Only then did I understand the Primordial Void Ruler’s intentions. Although the Celestial Realm had a reason to attack Hermes, they preferred stable cooperation instead of aggressive solo attacks that could lead to significant damage. At first glance, it sounded very reasonable, yet I couldn’t shake off my suspicions toward the Primordial Void Ruler.

“There’s no point in asking why they want to capture Hermes. That guy is good at lying, so he’d simply come up with some nonsense excuse, and pondering over every one of his nonsense would only tire me out.”

There was no doubt that the Primordial Void Ruler was using Hermes as an excuse to draw me into some sort of conspiracy. Thus, it would normally make sense to refuse at this point. Aiming to crush conspiracies and schemes before they even began was the best strategy.

However, I chuckled and replied, “Let’s shake hands. But I’m going to lay out a very simple condition.”

“What is it?”

I concealed my killing intent and my eyes gleamed. “You must keep every promise made to me, whether it’s one made now or one from the past… If there are any unfulfilled promises, you’ll be bound to uphold them without exception.”

The Primordial Void Ruler seemed stunned by my proposal.

“Hmmm…? Is that really all it takes?”

“That’s all I require. What do you say?”

“That seems very easy. Let’s do it, hee hee.”

The Primordial Void Ruler appeared to be in a good mood, thinking he had nothing to lose. That made sense, for in any other circumstance, my offer would hardly hold any actual significance. Perhaps that was why Mangnyang looked at me with a slightly anxious expression.

“Baek Woong… Are you sure? There could be a trap in this…”

“Probably,” I replied.

“When you asked whether the Celestial Realm would engage, the answer was unclear. That means the immortals summoned through the Spirit Treasure Gate might not actually be formal celestial beings.”

I turned to him in surprise at his unexpected words.

“Not formal immortals? So you’re saying the ones appearing now are all fake?”

“Not exactly. The divine energy and spirit themselves undoubtedly belong to immortals. However… somehow, they seem different from the celestial immortals I know.”

“Hmmm.”

Mangnyang’s words were a point I hadn’t considered.

“True, as fast as the celestial response seems, they couldn’t mobilize that quickly. That means… the immortals summoned through the Spirit Treasure Gate are more like…”

Primordial Void Ruler’s private soldiers?

But even as private soldiers, the aura and number of those immortals were not significantly different from the true celestial forces. No ordinary Celestial Ruler would be recognized to command such strength, so believing that any other celestial entity would acknowledge that was hard to fathom.

Something was definitely hidden here.

“…But it’s not a secret that needs to be uncovered right now!”

For now, I decided not to dwell on that issue and spoke to my companions.

“Whether it’s the Primordial Void Ruler or Hermes, I can take them on. However, I need to gather more of our forces since I don’t know what calamities might occur in the process.”

“Are you planning to go to Soeul Village?”

“No, I need to bring someone who can strengthen our current position. Please wait a moment.”

Paf!

A moment later, I used teleportation to head straight to Dongyoung’s Kyoto. Upon entering Kyoto, I immediately went to the hidden Divine Bow and spoke to the flame spirit blocking my way.

“Hinokagutsuchi. I need you to summon that being quickly; there’s no time.”

[Understood.]

Thunk thunk thunk

The enormous footsteps heralded the arrival of someone I recognized well. The battle god of Dongyoung, the embodiment of the Three Divine Characters, opened his drowsy eyes and spoke to me.

“Baek Woong, you’ve suddenly gained tremendous strength… I observed what happened at the Sacred Altar Tree, but how did you become so powerful?”

“Let’s just say I’ve worked hard and gained fortuitous encounters. But that’s not important right now; I need your help, Susanoo.”

Upon my request, the embodiment, Susanoo, smiled widely.

“Hehe. Are you planning to take on that demon king holed up in the Imperial Palace, huh? But defeating that demon isn’t the end of it; can you handle what follows?”

“What’s going to happen?”

“When the gods and great beings of the Celestial Realm take down that demon, they’ll suddenly turn their attention toward you as well… Moreover, every ancient ruler on this earth has their eyes on the Imperial Palace’s conflict, so who knows what unexpected actions any of them might take? And you know all too well… the Three Sovereigns are likely to intervene as well.”

“……”

“Are you really going to plunge your face into this chaos under all those conditions?”

“Hmph…”

I scoffed and clenched my fist tightly.

“I’ll take them all down if need be. Don’t you have the confidence for that, Susanoo?”

[……!]

Susanoo blinked at my words, then burst into hearty laughter.

“Kahahaha…! Didn’t expect to be one-upped in spirit! I thought I’d never be outdone in fighting spirit!”

“Are you in or out?”

[Of course, I have no choice! Let’s go see what it’s like!]

“Okay, next, let’s recruit one more.”

[Who are you planning to recruit?]

“Someone who seems hard to control.”

Chichijijik

This time, I tore through the dimensional gate and opened the door to Golden Crow Island. Upon arriving at the entrance to Golden Crow Island, I glanced at the fortress floating in the sky and flew towards a massive fox striking lightning from afar.

Kigigigih!

‘Of course… my memory tells me that the seal was about to be lifted at this point.’

I had perceived it once before when I sneakily stole a glimpse of Golden Crow’s egg; the seal had significantly weakened. As I thought that, I called out to the enormous fox, bound by thousands of seals and shackles.

“Hey, Daji!”

Kwaek!

At that moment, the fox’s enormous eyes filled with malevolent power turned to me. Then, it flinched.

[…… Who are you? What god are you?]

Daji seemed to recognize the sheer power I held. I found it amusing to see her normally fierce attitude reduced; still, I played it cool.

“I’m Baek Woong. I intend to lift your seal, but I have one condition.”

[What is it?]

“Don’t you want to go to the Orient and acquire the powers of Inon (??)?”

[……!]

Daji appeared shocked, her eyes twitching heavily. Afterward, her tone turned wary.

[Who are you, really?]

“I told you. I’m Baek Woong. I know all your plans, so be honest.”

[You… dare!]

“If you become my subordinate and contribute greatly to taking down Hermes, I’ll reveal how to obtain Inon’s powers and how to get to the Orient. What do you say?”

[…… Really?]

“If I swear my name, you can trust it, right?”

Daji seemed to think for a moment, her eyes shimmering with greed.

[Fine… I’ll become your subordinate!]

Zzeng!

I gathered my energy and swung down like a blade, breaking Daji’s seal. It stung quite a bit, and it took dozens of strikes to finally break it. Keeping in mind that the seal had weakened significantly, it was clear that Daji’s seal had been very powerful.

Paf

I swiftly returned with Susanoo and Daji to the original location. Then I said, “These guys will definitely be helpful!”

“……”

Mangnyang looked at me in disbelief, his voice trembling as he said, “You just recruited Susanoo and Daji in an instant…? What in the outer universe have you experienced?”

“I haven’t experienced anything. I’m still undergoing it…”

“……”

“Anyway… how about we go check it out!”

The moment my words finished, we all charged toward the Imperial Palace.

“Four Great Spirit Deities Agni!”

Kawawung!

As I fired Agni’s bullets toward the World Tree, a thunderous explosion echoed, and some of the energies of the World Tree visibly crumbled. We dove into that rift and faced our first obstacle.

A massive flame snake, at least a dozen times larger!

With fierce flame energy emanating from its entire being, it certainly appeared formidable. It undeniably possessed divine status and was a powerful being, causing Daji, Susanoo, Abe no Seimei, and Asura to feel slightly tense.

Surely, this was a being summoned through a sacrificial offering of humans by the demon Hermes!

Fwooosh!

Suddenly, a fiery sword materialized in mid-air and shot towards each of us. Daji and Susanoo easily withstood the fiery sword with their magic, but Abe no Seimei and Asura, much weaker in comparison, were knocked back upon their first collision.

Kkwak!

Though the two weren’t heavily injured, they seemed to feel immense pressure from the fiery sword.

“That’s quite a force…”

“Be careful.”

Not a bad opponent?

It seemed to be much stronger than Asura in his transformed state.

Just then, I was getting fired up and ready for a proper fight when the flame snake recognized me and spoke.

[Oh… is that you, Baek Woong?]

“Huh?”

[I never thought I’d see you again…].

At the sound of that voice, I pondered briefly, then realized and stated in disbelief.

“You… Seraphim?”

No doubt about it.

That was the being from the angelic realm who first arrived during my trial and tried to deliver the Soul Flame from Malchut!

I never expected that being would recognize me, and while I was dazed, the Seraphim greeted me warmly.

[Are you making good use of the fiery sword I gave you?]

“Huh? I haven’t used it yet…”

[Hmmm… Since it’s a good item, I hope you use it, even if just occasionally.]

“By the way… am I going to have to fight you?”

The Seraphim shook its head.

[It’s merely a forced summon. I don’t wish to fight you, so I’ll be leaving now.]

Swooosh

As the Seraphim began to vanish, it left me with one last parting remark.

[Feel free to visit Malchut again when you’re bored, Baek Woong!]

Paf

As the Seraphim dissipated, a moment of silence enveloped the venue.

Then, Daji, who had remained quiet, spoke up, seemingly astonished.

[It seems you have too many friends.]