Reincarnated Swordmaster

Chapter 260

Heaven Realm

From the morning, I used my cloak and boiling technique to bring Dokgo Seong, Sword Demon, and Zhuge Sa to the capital, Luoyang. This area in Luoyang was a rather secluded place, almost deserted, whether by martial artists or ordinary folk. Standing under a willow tree, the Sword Demon said,

“Are you telling me it’s possible for just the four of us to topple the Imperial Palace?”

“……”

“I came because you insisted, but I find it hard to believe. Please explain further.”

The Sword Demon’s thoughts were valid. Perhaps for that reason, Zhuge Sa, looking somewhat weary and fatigued, responded to him.

“Lord Moon, before that, may I ask something?”

“Go ahead.”

“If we were to exterminate (mortally kill) all the humans in Luoyang, the operation would become significantly easier. Would you allow it?”

At those words, the three of us were left dumbfounded. We never expected him to utter such a thing with a sane mind. Of course, groups like the Evil Cult or Demon Path Martial World often used extermination in their rhetoric, but wiping out Luoyang was on an entirely different level. Dong Zhuo from the Three Kingdoms era became infamous for his heinous act of burning Luoyang, a crime that would echo for millennia.

Dokgo Seong muttered in shock,

“You madman.”

It was obvious that such a notion would not be acceptable under the Sword Demon’s worldview or values. He glared fiercely at Zhuge Sa and said,

“Based on your intellect, you must know I would clearly say no. Are you attempting to play psychological warfare to gain a genuinely necessary demand?”

Zhuge Sa lowered his head.

“If it was considered a shallow tactic, my apologies. However, this is crucial, so I had no choice.”

“… That won’t do. Innocent civilians must not suffer wrongful deaths.”

While the Sword Demon was indeed a ruthless martial artist adept at the dark arts, he clearly understood what righteous conduct constituted. He would never consider the mass slaughter of millions in Luoyang. After the Sword Demon’s firm rejection, Zhuge Sa proposed,

“Then, would it be permissible to annihilate all the humans in the Imperial Palace?”

“Are you implying the general officials, civilians, or even the ordinary martial artists?”

“That would indeed be the case.”

The Sword Demon thought for a moment and replied,

“If necessary, I could accept that. But must it be complete annihilation? Please provide justification.”

Zhuge Sa plucked a leaf from the willow and answered,

“The method I am about to use will attract significant attention from the Heaven Realm. Therefore, the fewer witnesses or experiencers there are, the better. This way, we can better evade potential repercussions or pursuits later on.”

“The Heaven Realm, you say?”

“Indeed. Since we are borrowing the power of the [Ancient Ruler], we will encounter entities from the Heaven Realm during post-processing. A presence at least of the Earth Immortal level will likely appear. We must finish everything before they arrive and investigate the source of the sorcery.”

The Sword Demon spoke gravely.

“So, you’re saying Immortals can truly intervene in the human world.”

“Of course. But if we swiftly conclude matters, if we finish everything within a single moment, then we need not worry about such things. After all, this task is sanctioned by the [Ancient Ruler], so if we remain unfazed, they cannot harm us.”

“How strong are these Immortals?”

At the Sword Demon’s question, Zhuge Sa replied flatly,

“Ordinarily, a human would be unable to even consider battling them. Especially against a Fighting Immortal-level being; just encountering one would be catastrophic.”

“……”

“Lord Moon, please make a decision.”

The Sword Demon appeared to ponder for a long time, crossing his arms. Then he looked at me and said,

“Baek Woong. You shall decide.”

“Me?”

“Though I lead the Mu Yeong Moon as the Moon Lord, if it weren’t for you, this plan would have never reached this stage. You were also the one who provided Zhuge Sa with the necessary Makya and materials. Therefore, I believe you have both the right and duty to make the final decision.”

Zhuge Sa silently gazed at me, seemingly in agreement with the Sword Demon’s words.

“Hmm.”

I contemplated the Sword Demon’s words.

Should I truly allow Zhuge Sa to proceed with this plan?

Wouldn’t it leave behind regrets through the ages?

However, I soon made up my mind.

“Only allow the elimination of those in the Imperial Palace who have colluded with demons or are their pawns. If that’s the case, I will follow to the best of my ability.”

At that, Zhuge Sa burst into joyous laughter.

“Ha ha ha ha!! As expected, you choose the most challenging path. That’s what makes it fun.”

“Can you manage it?”

“Of course! It’s just a bit bothersome.”

With that, Zhuge Sa held the golden box in one hand. Then he looked around at us and said,

“Everyone, do not be surprised or agitated regardless of what happens from now on. And head straight to where the Emperor is located in the Imperial Palace. Do not interfere with or confront any summoned creatures along the way.”

“What on earth are you planning?”

“Summoning Technique.”

“Summoning Technique?”

“Yes, a very interesting summoning technique.”

Kiing –

Suddenly, the golden box began to shine. It slowly opened as if being disassembled into pieces, and I felt a strange darkness seeping out from within. Zhuge Sa levitated the golden box into the air and began chanting incantations.

“O chaos, wretched being crying in the dark, crawling mist… I, borrowing the power of the irregular polyhedron, ask for the dominion over the constellations.”

Just then,

Rumbling…

The sky began to darken. Dark clouds gathered furiously, filling the sky of Luoyang with darkness in the blink of an eye. However, strangely enough, these dark clouds seemed oddly still, as if they were fixed in place.

In the darkness flooding Luoyang, Zhuge Sa’s ominous voice flowed forth.

“O Sleeper of Enkai, I command you, rise forth, formless progeny. Let the festival commence.”

Shiiing!

From the sky, black blobs started to rain down. The people, surprised by the sudden darkness, seemed to realize something was dropping. The squirming shapes that fell to the ground began moving towards some destination.

A bizarre sound echoed as if the darkness was wailing. A chilling atmosphere hovered as people nearby began to feel dread. Zhuge Sa did not stop there; he waved his hands and recited another incantation.

“O God of Volcanoes, one affected by eternity, I invoke your name. Bestow blessings upon your servant…”

Bang!

Having completed that portion of the incantation, Zhuge Sa suddenly transformed into smoke and vanished from the spot. The golden box also disappeared with him.

We stood momentarily bewildered in the eerie, foreboding Luoyang, now drenched in darkness, unsure of what to do next. No matter how much of a Peak Expert one was, encountering such surreal and mystical phenomena wasn’t a common occurrence. I could already feel the signs of life in the area weakening, people bolting their doors, retreating inside.

A ghostly wind swept through, ominous as if it was sucking away vitality. Dokgo Seong, grumbling, said,

“Damn it. It seems we have no choice but to go along with his plan.”

“We must head to the Imperial Palace.”

Thud thud!

We began sprinting toward the Emperor’s Inner Palace, leaping over rooftops. We still had about fifteen li to cover to reach the Imperial Palace, but it was a distance we could cover quickly.

The problem was that during our runs, the landscape on the streets was bizarre beyond belief. The ‘something’ that had fallen from the sky earlier, translucent and squirming, was gathering in the hundreds or thousands and heading toward the Imperial Palace. The exact shape was unclear, but it was undoubtedly a formidable and troublesome demon beast, reminiscent of one I had encountered before.

Flash!

Upon arriving at the gate right in front of the Imperial Palace, a red lightning bolt struck down violently. No doubt Zhuge Sa was in battle. We began to deliberate how to overpower the gate soldiers, but upon arriving at the gate, we were taken aback.

“Statues…?”

Indeed. The usual security forces that clustered at the entrance of the Imperial Palace, numbering in the dozens or even hundreds, seemed to have been mobilized in response to the ominous atmosphere caused by the darkened sky.

However, they could no longer move. Their armor and weapons, their entire beings, had turned completely rigid, hardened into stone. Seeing the lifelike statues of soldiers sent a strange sense of fear coursing through me.

The Sword Demon murmured as he observed the stone statues piled around.

“It seems Zhuge Sa turned these men into stone using sorcery.”

“But this is too powerful.”

I lamented. Of course, if it were due to Zhuge Sa’s high level of sorcery, I couldn’t argue, but typically, no matter how offensive sorcery was, it shouldn’t be this potent.

To turn dozens or hundreds of guards, those who had cultivated some internal strength and displayed minor resistance to sorcery, into a stone statue without them being capable of resisting—if such sorcery existed, then the very reason for practicing martial arts would be rendered moot. This petrification sorcery was among the strongest I had ever witnessed in my life.

Dokgo Seong beside me remarked.

“Didn’t he say he was borrowing the power of God? Then it’s likely he’s utilizing divine strength rather than just his own sorcery.”

“Hmm… that makes sense.”

“It seems those translucent monsters are deliberately ignoring us, so let’s hurry up.”

It was frustrating, just as Dokgo Seong said. The translucent monsters flooding into the Imperial Palace were aware of our presence yet feigned ignorance. It seemed Zhuge Sa had instructed them not to attack us. However, the dense demonic energy radiating from those beasts kept putting me on edge.

As we passed through the gates of the Imperial Palace and delved deeper, even stranger scenes unfolded.

Kieeek!!

Here and there, demons and dragon people were rampaging, shapeshifting. From what I could see, there were about forty or fifty of them, making for a rather large crowd. They were using their formidable physical abilities to break up the stone pavement and crash through the walls.

Crash!

Boom!

And amidst these demons and dragon people, the formless translucent monsters seemed to be swarming in for attacks, biting and tearing. It looked as if there were dozens of those demonic beasts pinning down each demon or dragon person, attacking like leeches—there was evidently no way for even superhuman soldiers to withstand such an onslaught.

Crack crack!

Kieek… Kreeek…

One dragon person fell, and a tearing sound echoed through the air. A horde of monsters was feasting on the fallen creature.

The translucent monsters summoned by Zhuge Sa were easily overpowering the superhuman soldiers of the Imperial Palace. Several dragon people and demons resisted only to find their entire bodies ripped apart and devoured.

Dokgo Seong muttered in disbelief,

“What on earth are those monsters?”

“They must be demon beasts summoned from the Evil Heaven.”

“Ugh…”

Dokgo Seong couldn’t hide his discomfort. Being a Peak Expert himself, he had an objective grasp of the impressive power of the dragon people and demons. If the dragon people and demons here all rushed at us at once, we might have to brace ourselves for death. The fact that these formidable forces were being so easily devoured by the translucent monsters felt absurd.

Thud!

As we sprinted further towards the interior of the Imperial Palace, we spotted the grand halls where the Emperor resided—the Great Dragon Hall and the Inner Imperial Pavilion. The fierce battles among the monsters intensified even more than before. It felt like the last line of defense, with dragon people and demons gathering in even greater numbers than before, desperately clashing with the translucent monsters.

Crash! Boom!

Kieeek!!

The battles seemed evenly matched on the surface. Each time the dragon people and demons emitted dark energy, several of the translucent monsters were being obliterated wholesale. From the rooftops of the pavilions, the Sword Demon called out to me.

“Baek Woong, you must go to the Emperor’s palace and meet Zhuge Sa.”

“Understood.”

Swifff!

The Sword Demon and Dokgo Seong leaped in to join the fray. It appeared they were unleashing their techniques of lethality and severity to start butchering the superhuman soldiers of the Imperial Palace. I shot one last glance at them before swiftly entering the Great Dragon Hall.

I’ve visited the Great Dragon Hall before, but it still felt eerily void of life; that hadn’t changed. I traced my memories to the chamber where the emperor’s throne was located.

And when I opened that room, I heard Zhuge Sa’s voice.

“Baek Woong. It seems I’m in quite the bind.”

And there, under Zhuge Sa, was a brutally dismembered corpse of the Emperor, and he was lifting an alchemist’s neck high. I could already guess the bloody scene that must have transpired.

When I stared at him, Zhuge Sa said,

“I was about to dispose of this wretch when an interruption occurred.”

“Interruption?”

Zhuge Sa chuckled lightly, a mock smile on his face.

“Ha ha. Such a fateful connection, huh…”

His gaze shifted to the darkness behind a pillar. As I scrutinized that darkness, I spotted a figure that had managed to evade detection using concealment techniques. The figure slowly stepped out of the shadows and said,

“I thought my uncle was dead, but it seems he’s still alive.”

What a familiar voice.

My heart dropped with a thud.

“Hahaha… I was even more surprised. I thought you were just getting by in the Janggeong Valley, but when did you earn such powerful Cowstep Technique?”

The individual’s figure revealed itself, staring silently at Zhuge Sa before responding,

“I’ve been diligently training.”

“Simply training hard wouldn’t explain how you could use a treasure like that in seven or eight years.”

“I had a good teacher and a few fortuitous encounters.”

As he retorted, he unfurled his robe and raised the Five Fire Seven Birds Fan high. The fan began to dance with the flames of Heaven that destroy everything.

“I, Earth Immortal Mang Yang, shall eradicate the evil beings tainted by the Demon Path in the name of the Heaven Realm.”

Yes indeed.

Binding Zhuge Sa with the Cowstep Technique and preparing to end him with the flames of the Five Fire Seven Birds Fan was a young Taoist I knew well.

Mang Yang (??), Zhuge Xian (諸葛賢).

My greatest comrade and ally.

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