전생검신 97권 08화

After the offering ceremony, I came down to Master Mangnyang’s village and explained to my companions what the Heavenly Thought Whip was. Cheon Woo-jin and Miho looked a bit confused as they were struggling to accept the fact that I was a Reborn Person, but Mangnyang seemed relatively calm, perhaps because he had heard it before.

Once I finished explaining, Mangnyang said,

“Right… so by your words, you’ve received quite the extraordinary blessing.”

“I never imagined the Queen Mother would give such a good blessing. We haven’t had the best relationship during my rebirth…”

“….”

Mangnyang seemed to ponder something deeply before saying,

“It’s a waste to use the Heavenly Thought Whip for capturing the moon.”

“Huh? What do you mean? If I hit it a few times, it would probably break apart…”

“The Queen Mother probably intended it for such use, but I think it might be better to save it. After all, the Heavenly Thought Whip isn’t only usable for the moon, right?”

“That’s true.”

“In my opinion, saving it may yield more urgent uses. Your abilities are improving, and so are the levels of your enemies.”

Mangnyang seemed to have a point.

Nodding, I encouraged Mangnyang to continue.

“Now, next we go to the Azure Dragon Martial Arts School, but let’s put that on hold for now.”

“Huh? Do you have another plan?”

“Yes. There’s somewhere we need to stop by before the Azure Dragon Martial Arts School. Jin So-cheong and Lee Kwang are there, but their wishes are vague, and even if they exist, it’s not easy to fulfill them.”

Ah, that made sense.

Jin So-cheong never really made her wish clear, and Lee Kwang was the same. On the surface, he seemed like a loyal subject following the late emperor, but in reality, he was confused about what he wanted to achieve, making it difficult to gain any good cause and effect by satisfying Lee Kwang’s wishes. Plus, if we were to grant Lee Kwang’s wishes, we would have to topple the imperial family right from the start, which could only lead to unnecessary chaos.

“That makes sense. So where should we go?”

“Let’s head to Sichuan first.”

Boom!

Following Mangnyang’s suggestion, I went straight to a remote mountain village in Sichuan. Upon arrival, I expanded my Qi Sense, starting to feel the surrounding energy, and soon, my sensitivity surpassed fifty li.

“Hmm. I can’t sense anything within a fifty li radius. The rugged mountains of Sichuan are just too deep.”

Just sensing the living beings within fifty li, I doubt anyone can match me in the Martial Arts World except for the Master of the White Lotus Sect. But I needed a greater Qi Sense, so I decided to attempt to slightly step beyond the boundaries of humanity.

It didn’t seem like I had ever heightened my Qi Sense to such an extent, but… here goes!

Fzzz!

A hundred li.

Two hundred li.

Five hundred li…!

Five hundred li!

A size comparable to a small nation of the Central Plains!

It was almost the first time I genuinely felt such an enormous range of pure Qi Sense. Usually, even the Peak Experts struggle to sense hostility within ten li, yet what I was doing had long since exceeded the realm of martial artists.

All living beings and terrains within five hundred li appeared inside my mind. I could sense even the smallest object as large as a rat.

“Hmm…! Expanding to a thousand li might… be tough!”

No, I could do it if I wanted, but then I’d have to bring out my Thunder Soul and risk bringing disaster upon this land. It seemed that, using my pure capabilities without any Thunder Soul, my limit was just barely over five hundred li.

And at that moment, I sensed a building.

I grasped the appearance of the structure in space and smiled.

“Phew. Found it.”

Boom!

In the next moment, I transported my group to the place I sensed. There hung a sign that read Bai Li Clan, and inside the dilapidated building, a young man was practicing swordplay.

The young man appeared to be in his mid-twenties, and he seemed surprised when he saw our unexpected group.

“What the… you just popped out of thin air! Are you ghosts?”

I shook my head.

“I’m not a ghost. It’s Bai Li Jeong-woon.”

“…?! How do you know my name?”

“You must be hungry, so let’s grab something to eat first.”

Whew!

I pulled out some food I had previously gathered from the village to offer Bai Li Jeong-woon. Gratefully, he devoured the food after having been starving, and once he finished eating, I said to him,

“Bai Li Jeong-woon, isn’t your dream to develop your clan’s Heavenly Sword and restore the Bai Li Clan?”

“…! Who exactly are you?!”

“I am Baek Woong. If you make a wish to me, I will surely grant it.”

“….”

Bai Li Jeong-woon stared blankly before bowing to me.

“If you grant my wish, I will serve you as my lord!”

“I understand.”

Alright! Small cause and effect tucked away!

Observing from the side, Mangnyang commented,

“Next, let’s head to Dragon King’s Valley.”

“Understood.”

Indeed, while heading to Dragon King’s Valley, I had decided to help Bai Li Jeong-woon too.

Boom!

I went towards Dragon King’s Valley. Unlike Bai Li Jeong-woon, I had memorized the location, so I easily arrived, where I called out for Dokgo Seong.

“Dokgo Seong! Are you here?”

The strongest swordsman of the Thunder God Lineage and a reclusive expert, Dokgo Seong, emerged from the mist shortly after. Upon seeing me, he let out a low hum.

“You are quite the unusual one. Is that Return to Simplicity… Half-Transition Master level?”

“You could just see me as some powerless kid; why think so highly of me?”

“I’ve just released my Qi sincerely, yet you let it pass like a breeze. Someone like that cannot just be a kid.”

“You catch on quickly. Dokgo Seong, I am here to grant your wish.”

“Wish?”

“Your wish is to see the pinnacle of the Thunder God Lineage’s swordsmanship. Let me show you one of its extremes.”

As soon as my words finished, I lit up my eyes and executed my ultimate technique.

Heaven’s Escape, Thunder God Sword Name!

Zap…!

“……!”

Seeing the unfoldment of the Thunder God Sword Name, Dokgo Seong trembled on the spot, and tears streamed down his face.

“C-Can this be…? The sword of Heart Thunder…! Truly… such a realm exists?!”

“This sword belongs solely to me.”

I withdrew my Thunder God Sword Name and softly said,

“If you reach the Divine Realm, you will find your own Sword Path. There’s no guarantee it will fall behind mine.”

That’s right.

Dokgo Seong had ascended to the Divine Realm during his rebirth and achieved the Ultimate Technique of Endless Rising Sword Thunder. It was thanks to Dokgo Seong offering his Endless Rising Sword Thunder during the Trials from the Outer World that I was able to steel my will and overcome. I still remembered that gratitude; he was someone I needed to accept as a companion.

A moment later, Dokgo Seong bowed to me and said,

“You must be the Grand Master of the Thunder God Lineage! I, Dokgo Seong, will serve you wholeheartedly.”

“Thank you. Let’s practice martial arts together.”

“Thank you!”

Granting Dokgo Seong’s wish would be simple. I would just need to pass down a bit of my martial arts to him. With this in mind, I decided to get things done more efficiently and said,

“Oh, and teach some martial arts to Bai Li Jeong-woon here too.”

“Of course.”

Since Dokgo Seong had already reached the extreme of Peak Experts, it wouldn’t be hard for Bai Li Jeong-woon to rebuild the Bai Li Clan under his teachings.

Mangnyang said,

“Let’s go to Tang San and recruit Tang San.”

Boom!

I found the child living in poverty in the dilapidated area of the Sichuan Clan. Looking at Tang San with a slightly uncomfortable gaze, I said,

“Tang San. Your wish is to destroy the Sichuan Clan, right?”

“Yes.”

In the future, he would become the Poison King, one of the Ten Great Masters! Not to mention, he had the ability to massacre ten thousand of the Nine Lotus Sect with the formless poison while ascending to the Absolute Realm, so it was only natural to recruit him. Yet, I had previously felt uneasy about his brutal path due to his severe grudge against the Sichuan Clan. Either way, even if I left Tang San alone, he would brutally destroy the clan several decades later.

Then Tang San looked at me and said,

“If you don’t want to do it yourself, just teach me martial arts. I’ll handle the revenge myself.”

“….”

I wasn’t sure. This kid had indeed fled after feeling terrified of the Fighting Spirit Krishna during the Great Bear Empire’s history. His talent for martial arts was quite high, but I questioned whether he had the determination to fight against a god.

After some thought, I said to Tang San,

“If I grant your wish, will you do me a favor in return?”

“What is it?”

“You have the ability to create a poison even capable of melting demons. I need you to extend that talent and create a poison that would be effective against gods in the future.”

“…….”

Tang San pondered for a moment before nodding.

“I’ll give it a try.”

“Good.”

I didn’t genuinely believe the Poison King Tang San would achieve it. I just wanted to ease my conscience a bit by relaying this request to keep this brutal guy somewhat within my control. If his poison could help save the world, wouldn’t that partially absolve the brutal act?

Mangnyang said,

“Alright, we’ve gathered three talents in Sichuan, so let’s head to Namgung Clan next.”

“Understood… Ah, wait a second.”

“Did you forget someone?”

“Thinking about it, we need to go to Ezhou first. I almost forgot; there’s someone we need to recruit before that.”

Boom!

Before going to Namgung Clan, I traveled to an unnamed village in Ezhou. There, I approached a blacksmith hammering away.

“Master of the Shadowless Sword, Namgung Jo. I’m here to help punish the wretched descendants of your clan.”

“What…?! Who are you to know my identity and come seeking me?”

“I could single-handedly annihilate the Namgung Clan. The reason I came to find you is to grant your righteous wish, while also giving you a chance to resolve your clan’s issues personally.”

“Hmph, nonsense!… You seem like a Half-Transition Master, but you won’t be able to use me so easily!”

Namgung Jo scoffed, but I approached him without any hesitation and said with an indifferent look,

“I’ll subdue you within three seconds without using a sword.”

“You crazy bastard! Try it!”

Bang!

With a single strike of the Thunder God Fist, Namgung Jo’s sword shattered into pieces, and he flew back several meters due to the shockwave from my Qi. I sighed at the result that was unsurprisingly predictable.

“Sigh. One second.”

I can’t get used to this.

After facing off against the absolute peak masters of the Divine Realm and those in the Absolute Realm, facing a fighter of Namgung Jo’s level was oddly difficult to spare. I could have easily killed him had I made a mistake.

“……!”

Namgung Jo lay there, bloodied from the broken fragments of his sword, seemingly regaining his senses as he spoke.

“Who… who are you, exactly? Could it be the Master of the White Lotus Sect…?”

“With your skills, how dare you speak of the Master of the White Lotus Sect?”

“…….”

“You must have realized by now that I speak the truth. Would you like to listen?”

“The loser has no voice; I shall abide by the will of the fallen.”

Finally, after hearing my account of the Namgung Clan’s wicked deeds, Namgung Jo’s face turned pale. He must have instinctively felt that I could obliterate the Namgung Clan without a shred of deception in my words.

I said to Namgung Jo,

“Make a wish to me. Grant me the authority to punish your clan’s evildoing.”

“Please… if you do that for me, I will have no regrets.”

“Very well.”

Building up some cause and effect!

Boom!

I then proceeded to the Namgung Clan, where I watched Namgung Jo purge the filthy clan leader and the trash along with him, aided by Dokgo Seong and Miho. I could have made it easier by stepping in, but I wanted Bai Li Jeong-woon to see just how formidable Dokgo Seong’s skills were.

Also, while cleaning up the Namgung Clan, I could potentially pull in the future Ten Great Master Yeon Jong-hwi as my subordinate.

After clearing out the Namgung Clan and rescuing the imprisoned women, Mangnyang remarked,

“Seems like we gained quite a few companions. Has our cause and effect accumulated a decent amount now?”

“Hmm… we’ve been accumulating a tad, but I still don’t feel like it’s enough.”

“Well, there’s no helping it. Since we’ve roughly handled the urgent matters, let’s go to the Maoshan Sect.”

“The Maoshan Sect? Ah….”

That’s right! I had that in mind, didn’t I?

Boom!

I followed Mangnyang’s suggestion and went to the Maoshan Sect. Upon arrival, I saw the imposing Mountain Gate, the barrier of the Maoshan Sect, along with numerous disciples camped outside.

I approached Taoist Master Dosan, the leader of the Maoshan Sect, and said,

“I am Baek Woong.”

“……?”

Next to me, Mangnyang added,

“I am Mangnyang, the disciple of Master Mangnyang. We came upon hearing the news that the Emperor’s seal has been broken, and King Gun has returned.”

“Oh! To think you are the disciple of Master Mangnyang! What an honor you are here!”

“It seems like you failed to stop King Gun from returning, am I wrong?”

“…… Yes. Our main structure was destroyed, and we had to evacuate outside of the Mountain Gate. Ugh…”

“We’ll help!”

“Really?!”

It seemed that Master Mangnyang’s reputation had an undeniable effect here. The expression of joy from Taoist Master Dosan delightedly looked at Mangnyang, who replied,

“Let Baek Woong wish for your fortune. Then he will subdue King Gun’s calamity.”

“Understood…!”

After receiving the wishes from the Maoshan disciples, I said to Mangnyang,

“Then I’ll go take down Gun.”

“Um, no. Don’t take him down.”

“Huh? It seems easy to take him down….”

“That’s the thing… there’s a better method than just defeating him.”

“……?”

Mangnyang went on to explain his strategy.

“Oh, I see. Killing two birds with one stone.”

“Exactly. Since we’re at it, let’s gain the maximum benefit as we execute our plan.”

“Got it.”

I memorized Mangnyang’s strategy and walked into the Mountain Gate.

There, I saw a massive dark presence radiating immense magical power, sitting within the main temple of the Maoshan Sect.

The ancient sealed Demon King, King Gun, glared at me with a sinister gaze and spoke.

[Who are you… your power is unsettling…]

I retorted back to King Gun,

“Gun! Are you happy to be released because the Emperor’s seal has broken? Unfortunately, a greater calamity is about to occur.”

[What…?]

“Very soon, an Evil God will roam free. You’ll have to help stop it.”

[That sounds absolutely absurd. Even if so, I have no reason to assist you…!]

I made my offer to King Gun as heard from Mangnyang.

“I plan to behead one of the Three Sovereigns soon. During that time, I’ll bring you along so you can make the finishing blow.”

[……!]

“I’m offering to grant your wish, so will you accept?”

[Are you a soul of the heavens? You appear to have received the blessings of the Celestial Realm, yet you dare to conspire against one of the Three Sovereigns?]

“Just give me an answer.”

King Gun scoffed at my words.

[Heh, fine! I’ll follow you!]

Boom!

I emerged from the stronghold with Gun’s spirit.

And when I stepped outside, unexpectedly, Cheon Woo-jin awaited outside with a bad expression.

“Wait a minute.”

“Why? We’re about to head to the Azure Dragon Martial Arts School….”

“I have something to say.”

“I already apologized for almost killing you before, didn’t I?”

“That’s not it.”

At this point, Cheon Woo-jin’s face turned completely ashen.

“The Heavenly Mechanism is rapidly deteriorating. A great calamity originating from the stars will soon descend upon the Central Plains.”