Chapter 648
Finally, I returned to the base and began discussing with my advisors how to relocate to the southern continent. Mangnyang immediately chimed in.
“We can use the National Seal to find a suitable place on the southern continent. It should have moderate sunlight, abundant flora and fauna, minimal natural disasters, easy access to drinking water, and a well-connected spiritual vein.”
“Can we really find such a place so easily?”
“With the powers of the National Seal, it should be straightforward.”
Feeling a bit skeptical, I summoned the spirit of the National Seal to request a search.
Woong—
[A total of five locations have been found based on the specified conditions.]
“Really? Show me the location and the view.”
[Understood.]
As the National Seal effortlessly located the places, I realized just how impressive this treasure truly was. Its ability to pinpoint necessary spots on an almost untamed giant continent was beyond human imagination. After checking each spot, I shared the information with Mangnyang and Zhuge Sa, and they spoke in unison.
“This looks good.”
They pointed to a specific location. Although it lacked a proper name, their geopolitical knowledge suggested it was the most suitable area for humans to inhabit. However, when I considered the view, I remarked,
“But there are indigenous people living there?”
Inhabitable places are natural for humanity to claim, and I could see indigenous people clustering in huts. The population seemed around three thousand, which was quite a lot for a primitive tribe.
“We can just drive them away. They can be used as slaves.”
“Hmm…”
As I pondered, Mangnyang interjected, “There’s no need to be overly cruel to strangers. Let’s negotiate and coexist.”
Zhuge Sa scoffed. “Why show mercy to people who are barely above the savagery of pre-Yin Dynasty barbarians? They’re as articulate as talking animals.”
“But they are still humans.”
Mangnyang replied firmly, “We can easily negotiate with them using the powers of the National Seal and the Heavenly Secret Technique.”
“Alright.”
I decided to side with Mangnyang. Surely, with our power, annihilating or driving out savages would be easy, but that’s not the way of humanity. So, I, along with Mangnyang, Jin So-cheong, and the Sword Demon directly headed to the village of the savages.
Pa-at!
“Hah!”
“Whoa!”
As we arrived in the village, the savages were startled and grabbed their wooden spears and axes to attack us.
Ku-gung!
However, I released my Internal Power and flared my Qi, making them instantly intimidated and drop their weapons. The sight of hundreds of warriors being effortlessly subdued was quite impressive. The Sword Demon looked at me in awe.
“Baek Woong, you probably have the best Internal Power in the history of the Martial Arts world, excluding Dharma Guardians…”
“Not much use against a master of Absolute Realm, though.”
“That’s not necessarily true. Not every master of the Absolute Realm is guaranteed to defeat you…”
“There are variables, of course.”
While the Sword Demon and I were chatting, a dozen savages came out from a large hut. Among them was a uniquely dressed savage who swung his staff fiercely and shouted,
[Who are you?]
Using the ability of the National Seal, I translated his language. Then, with the Heavenly Secret Technique, I summoned strong spirits around to solidify my understanding. After a brief chat with the summoned spirit, I spoke.
“Shaman of the Mabu Yiag tribe, we are the Nyuans from the northern continent. We wish to coexist and stay.”
“No! How do you know our language?”
The one before me was indeed the Shaman of the Mabu Yiag tribe. In this theocracy, a Shaman was much like a king, and “Nyuans” meant humans, while “Pa-man” referred to their words. Summoning the spirit of a valiant savage, I borrowed his memories to continue.
“If you lend us a place to stay, I will eliminate the swamp monster you consider a great nuisance.”
The Shaman’s eyes lit up with joy. “Oh… really? You will get rid of that monster?”
“Indeed.”
“Alright, I will allow you to stay.”
From the memories of the resurrected savage hero, I learned that he had died fighting that very monster. This village was the largest on the southern continent, has suffered from swamps for generations, and had barely survived by sacrificing humans. The swamp monster was likely a demon or an otherworldly creature. Taking it out should make our stay easier.
Before long, the Sword Demon and the Shadowless Sect members began constructing a new place to stay in the village. We hired a dozen top-notch carpenters from the Central Plains and brought in laborers, so it wouldn’t take long. Mangnyang by my side asked, “What’s this swamp monster?”
“Hmm… It’s probably a creature living in the nearby volcano.”
“If it’s an [Old Ruler], we can’t handle it…”
“From what I saw in the hero’s memories, it doesn’t seem like that strong of a monster—maybe about the size of the giant toad we encountered in Great Thunder Valley.”
“Is that so? Then capturing it should be easy.”
“Since you brought it up, I’ll go catch it right now.”
Pa-at!
I headed toward the spot where the savage hero had died. The spirit of the hero was yelling in my head.
[Oh no! That monster has eaten many of our villagers. I must take it down; lend me your body.]
“No.”
[What?! Why not?]
“Because I’m stronger than you, so just watch.”
Ku-gu-gu-gu…
The location was a dormant volcano. As I walked further, I spotted a cave and instead of going inside, I took out a metal cage and hurled it inside with my Internal Power.
Ku-kwak-kwang!
The cave erupted, shaking the mountain. Knowing it was filled with the monster’s slime, I didn’t want to go inside and face it. As the cave’s ruins crumbled, a massive toad emerged, covered in tentacles.
Gurr, gurr. ‘So you’re an otherworldly creature.’
It resembled the giant toad I had encountered in Great Thunder Valley but appeared slightly smaller. The giant toad resonated its throat and exhaled mightily.
Fwaaaah!
The acid breath melted every rock in its vicinity. But I easily dodged the attack and closed in using Thunder Shadow Step to deliver a full-powered Thunder Sword strike.
Shu-kwang!
[Kahhh…]
The toad uttered its last breath and died on the spot. After disposing of the toad effortlessly, I asked,
“Hey, any treasures on that monster?”
[……]
“Hello? Can you hear me?”
The savage hero gasped. [How is this possible? I practiced my martial arts diligently and fought our tribe’s sacred techniques and treasures against that creature yet only succeeded in putting it in a dormant state… How did you take it out so easily? That doesn’t make any sense!]
“I told you, I’m stronger. I easily took down beasts like that ten years ago, and now it’s even easier.”
[Ohhh…]
He couldn’t stop being shocked. I felt somewhat pressured by his reaction. ‘Why is he so worked up over such a small fry?’
Maybe he’d faced far more formidable foes before? After a moment, the savage hero calmed down and said,
[…Alright, I can give you my greatest secret. It’s a secret I’ve kept hidden until death.]
“Is it a treasure?”
[Not a treasure… but a method to meet the Spirit of Death.]
“Huh? The Spirit of Death?”
Intrigued, I tilted my head, and the savage hero continued.
[We believe that the Rainbow Snake created this world. The Spirit of Death is its chief underling, and if you encounter that spirit, you’ll have a chance to meet the Rainbow Snake.]
“So through the Spirit of Death, I could meet the Creator?”
[Right.]
I shrugged at the mystical notion—didn’t seem like it was of any use to me.
“What’s the point of meeting the Rainbow Snake?”
What followed surprised me a bit.
[You’d gain the privilege of rebirth. You could inherit the wisdom and experiences from your past life, becoming a superior being.]
“…!!”
Rebirth?!
This was serious because I already possessed Rebirth Ability and couldn’t afford to overlook such a revelation. Trying to calm my astonishment, I said,
“That’s impossible! If that’s true, why didn’t you go seek the privilege of rebirth?”
[I had a mission to defeat that monster. If I reincarnated, I couldn’t fulfill my task, and thanks to me putting that creature to sleep, our tribe enjoyed peace for hundreds of years. But it revived and started eating humans again…]
“……”
This savage hero was weak, yet he showed a righteous side too.
[The sign of rebirth will erase your mark. The Rainbow Snake erases the marks on the rebirthed warrior’s soul, allowing them to inherit memories and experiences.]
“Makes sense… It does seem like such a thing exists.”
After hearing the savage hero’s words, I had no choice but to believe him completely. It matched a story I had heard from Xiang Yu long ago.
[You don’t have the mark of forgetfulness. So, you might have a high probability of reincarnation.]
[Every sentient being has a mark inscribed in their soul by the cycle of reincarnation. Very rarely does a mark disappear, or some might not have it at all. Those individuals can reincarnate with memories intact.]
At that time, I didn’t fully understand what Xiang Yu meant by the Mark of Forgetfulness. But whatever it meant, it aligned perfectly with what the savage hero was saying. The ‘mark’ he described seemed to be the same as that Mark of Forgetfulness, and a divine being must be responsible for erasing it somewhere on the southern continent.
‘How interesting.’
If I meet the Spirit of Death, does that mean I could achieve rebirth?
As I contemplated, I asked, “Is there some condition required for rebirth?”
[I’m not sure. But the priest of the hidden deity who shared this secret with me said that the Spirit of Death chooses whom to reincarnate.]
“So there’s a risk of failure.”
[If you were to reincarnate, you might accumulate immense accomplishments. I can teach you the method to meet the spirit.]
“……”
What would happen if I reincarnated? I was already looping through time after my previous life, but could I break that cycle through rebirth? My curiosity piqued, I nodded.
“Teach me.”
After learning all the techniques from the savage hero, I reported back to Mangnyang and Zhuge Sa. Zhuge Sa bluntly stated,
“This life, don’t attempt to reincarnate!”
“Why?”
“If what that savage said is true, then the ‘Rainbow Snake’ is likely the [Old Ruler]. The Spirit of Death would surely be a monster at least equivalent to the Great Immortal. Getting tangled up with such beings will only increase your risk of death!”
“…You’re right.”
“Just because the civilization of the southern continent appears primitive, don’t underestimate the divine beings. Next time, if you go solo and suddenly drop dead, who will be responsible?”
After hearing Zhuge Sa’s advice, he continued, “Let’s go for the Offering Ceremony. After figuring out the method to obtain the Divine Sword from Jang Sam-bong, we can take on Dark Heaven Village.”
“Got it.”
Pa-at!
I went to the village of Mangnyang. With Mangnyang and Cheon Woo-jin’s help, we set up an altar and decided to offer my Twin Broadswords and Food among the treasures I had to summon Jang Sam-bong. Since I didn’t need the Twin Broadswords right now, I opted to expend them.
Wuuuu—
Light flowed from the altar, and soon Jang Sam-bong was summoned into Cheon Woo-jin’s body. Jang Sam-bong manifested as a spiritual projection in the air and looked at me.
[You are the human whom the Heavenly Mysterious Woman of Nine Heavens has attention on…]
“Huh? What…?”
As I spoke, a sudden realization hit me. I had been attempting to activate the Immortal Sword Technique and drawing attention from the Heavenly Mysterious Woman! It seemed the gossip around had spread enough for Jang Sam-bong to know.
Feeling a bit of cold sweat, I thought it was just annoying because of the Heavenly Mysterious Woman, but if this much had spread, was I bound to be noticed no matter what I did? As I nervously shrank back, Jang Sam-bong spoke.
[If you want something and called me, express your purpose.]
“Um… the original owner, Jang Sam-bong…”
I hesitated before saying, “I want to know how to wield the Divine Sword (倚天劍), which was yours in your previous life.”
[……]
Suddenly, Jang Sam-bong fell silent. The silence lingered uncharacteristically long, and just when I began to find it odd, he replied,
[That… cannot be drawn.]
“Huh? Why not?”
His following answer left me in shock.
[I sealed the Divine Sword before my ascension with all the understandings of the Absolute Realm packed in. Even if you dug up all of Wudang Mountain, no one could wield the sword. And even if you returned all the offerings you made, I have no intention of releasing the seal.]
“W-why?!”
[……]
I was aghast. Could it be that the reason the Divine Sword couldn’t be drawn was Jang Sam-bong himself? And he had no intention of lifting the seal?!
“Is that sword really that powerful?”
Could it be so potent that it distorts the Law of Cause and Effect? But when I asked, Jang Sam-bong hesitated to respond.
[That sword bears the mark of 万害无益 (All Harm, No Benefit). It is the evidence of a false history and the sword of a false divine king… if you awaken its duality, you won’t be able to bear it. If you have the power, I’d rather recommend breaking the Divine Sword.]
“The sword of a false king?”
[I cannot disclose more; it’s a Heavenly Secret. Take your offerings back.]
Swish…
Jang Sam-bong began to fade, and the Twin Broadswords and Food I offered returned to sight. Once he completely returned to the Celestial Realm, I couldn’t conceal my utter astonishment.
“……What on earth is the Divine Sword?”
