Reincarnation Sword God

Chapter 722: Dark Heaven Village

“This is more aggressive than I imagined.”

I was starting to think that perhaps the Celestial Sage didn’t fully grasp the strength of this side. But I quickly tucked that thought away in my mind.
‘In a fight, if there’s a second place, it’s a disgrace. That can’t be the case.’
That guy clearly knew what he was doing when he issued the challenge.
One of the characteristics of a top-tier fighter is their acute ability to sense the strengths and weaknesses of both allies and enemies. There’s no way the Celestial Sage, who has fought with colossal beings of heaven and earth as if it were everyday life, would recklessly charge in without a plan. Even if he appears reckless, he’s surprisingly cunning and capable of forming strategies, something I felt many times while drinking with him and interacting regularly.
Moreover, he came here already knowing that the Heavenly Mysterious Woman obtained the Seven Luminaries. That meant he believed he could win somehow, otherwise, he wouldn’t have come. Additionally, his past experience included taking down even the Jade Emperor once, so even the Heavenly Mysterious Woman wouldn’t be an easy match for him.
But was the Celestial Sage truly that strong? Even if the Heavenly Mysterious Woman regained her strength, would he really wish to fight her?
I was confused, unable to distinguish the strengths clearly. Simultaneously, I was uncertain whether I could even win in a fight right here.
‘Damn it. Get a grip.’
With my long experience, I quickly regained my composure. Regardless of which side was stronger here, there was one absolute truth: recklessly fighting the Celestial Sage would only lead to annihilation!
Avoiding a fight here was definitely the smart choice.
So instead, I said to the Celestial Sage,
“Can I say something?”
“Huh? Did anyone tell you not to? If you have something to say, go ahead.”
He seemed open to listening.
I took a deep breath and opened my mouth.
“What exactly is your reason for interfering with the gathering of the Seven Luminaries?”
“I told you while we were drinking last time, didn’t I? If the Seven Luminaries are unleashed, the world will end.”
“I understand that. But do you, the Celestial Sage, have any solutions regarding the world’s destruction?”
“……”
The Celestial Sage hesitated. I didn’t stop there and continued.
“Whether it’s this or that, if we’re going to die, isn’t it human nature to wish for even a slender chance? And that apocalypse won’t bypass the great beings of the celestial realm either. What you’re doing is merely stalling for time, isn’t it?”
At my words, the Celestial Sage stroked his chin with an impressed expression.
“Wow. This kid has some serious guts, huh? You’re just saying everything you want to.”
“Ah, that is…”
“Do you really think you can withstand even one of my hits if we fight properly? I thought you knew, but you really seem like the kind who doesn’t care about dying. Or maybe you feel like it doesn’t matter if you die?”
“……”
As I hesitated, the Celestial Sage glanced at his companions before continuing.
“But hey, that’s true.”
“What?”
“I currently don’t have any plan to prevent the world’s destruction. A long time ago, the Celestial Beings suggested that I help the Eight Parts of the Divine save the world, but I turned it down. I’m content maintaining the world until the apocalypse and the time of prophecy arrives.”
“……!!”
“Unleashing the Seven Luminaries is akin to openly saying, ‘let’s destroy the world now,’ and I can’t agree with that.”
Wha-what?!
I was flabbergasted by the Celestial Sage’s words and opened my mouth in shock. After a moment, I felt a slight anger bubbling up within me.
“What do you mean? Are you saying we should just stand by and watch as we all die?”
“If you think that way, there’s nothing I can do.”
“Damn it…!!”
As I was about to explode, the Celestial Sage raised a hand, signaling me to hold on.
“I’m not giving up. I just want to be as cautious as possible because I know too little.”
“What do you mean?”
The Celestial Sage’s eyes sharpened suddenly.
“If I can unleash the Seven Luminaries and gain divine power… or if I go to the Imperial Palace… or if the gods begin to cause chaos among themselves… I know many methods are being attempted in the name of saving the world. They all seem plausible. Back in my days as the Demon King, I fought because I believed taking down the celestial beings would help humanity.”
“……”
“But can the world really be saved that easily? I’ve thought for a long time that something’s missing from all the methods to save the world.”
“Missing?”
The Celestial Sage nodded slowly.
“Yeah. Your desire to save the world isn’t unique to you. I’ve long known that you want to save this world no matter what. Stronger and wiser beings than you figured that the world would end long ago and began struggling sooner. Though they all probably tried their own methods, theirs ended up echoing hollowly. I’ve seen countless such failures.”
“What are you trying to say?”
“What’s missing is not just ‘power.’ It’s the truth of this world — nobody knows the true clue to comprehend it, and that’s why all methods end in failure.”
“Hmm…”
He emphasized strongly.
“I just said I have no plan, but I will do my best to find a way. That’s why I came into the celestial realm to gather information. However, now is not the time. This isn’t the right moment to collect the Seven Luminaries and resolve the world’s end.”
The Celestial Sage’s words didn’t fully make sense to me.
Moreover, his perspective was entirely different from previous individuals who wanted to save the world, making it oddly refreshing.
What exactly is it that’s missing?
But because I could clearly understand his intentions, I spoke with a trembling voice.
“So you’re saying you will absolutely prevent any extreme methods until you find that definitive solution.”
“Something like that.”
“And what if you can’t find it by the time 500 years are up?”
“Then it can’t be helped. But, hey, we’ve lasted for 500 years, right?”
“Damn it…!!”
I was about to curse when I suddenly paused.
Memories flashed through my mind.
[Master, why must we gather the Dharma Techniques like this?! Do you think doing such things under the pretense of saving humanity can be forgiven?!]
[If we can save 30,000 at the cost of a billion… isn’t that truly a worthwhile sacrifice?]
[Then is there any guarantee that if we leave 100 billion to die, 30,000 will survive? If such a situation arose, I wouldn’t hesitate to sacrifice the 30,000. Not everyone can be saved.]
Why was the Master of the White Lotus Sect’s words surfacing in my mind now?
“……”
I know the reason.
The impulsively gathered Dharma Techniques by the Master of the White Lotus Sect are not so different from what I’m doing right now. The Master has sacrificed humans, but I was risking the world’s distortion. In the eyes of the Celestial Sage, I would be no different from Zhuge Yulong, the Master of the White Lotus Sect, or the Master of the Twelve Joules.
At the same time, I could feel my heart wavering at the Celestial Sage’s words. Perhaps it truly was a better idea to observe the world for a while longer and learn the hidden secrets before gathering the Seven Luminaries, just as the Celestial Sage suggested.
As I fell silent, the Celestial Sage sighed.
“Damn. I’m not the type to talk this much. I usually prefer to settle things with my fists first. But since it’s you, Baek Woong, I’m giving you some leeway.”
It was then.
Cheon Woo-jin, who had been beside me, stepped forward and asked,
“Celestial Sage. If we were to give you the Seven Luminaries, would you be able to protect them?”
The Celestial Sage grimaced heavily.
“What? What do you take me for?”
“I’m asking if you could protect the Seven Luminaries even if the Queen Mother of the West herself came to confront you. Even you wouldn’t be able to defeat her.”
“Hmm… So that’s what it was.”
The Celestial Sage replied as if he understood.
“Don’t worry about that. I’d been pondering it too, but I already spoke to Xiang Yu.”
“What the…?”
Why is Xiang Yu being brought up here?
Everyone, including Cheon Woo-jin, who usually remained calm, widened their eyes in surprise. It wasn’t just Cheon Woo-jin; most of the group looked shocked. The Celestial Sage seemed delighted by our surprised reactions, chuckling to himself.
“Ha ha, I see you’re surprised. This is all thanks to you, Baek Woong.”
“What do you mean?”
“Because you established a connection back then, after you left, I was able to have a sincere conversation with Xiang Yu. And under the condition that I assist him, he agreed to cooperate with me. This way, there’s no worry about hiding the Seven Luminaries. He will conceal them with the energy of the constellation.”
“……”
That was an unexpected alliance.
The Celestial Sage and Xiang Yu joining forces!
But it seemed that the shocking statement didn’t just surprise us, as Jang Sam-bong, who was listening, developed a complex expression. He spoke to the Celestial Sage.
[Celestial Sage, are you saying you plan on rebelling against the celestial realm?]
The Celestial Sage responded lazily.
“Who said anything about rebellion? The Seven Luminaries being celestial property has never been established; what’s wrong with slipping them away?”
[That’s merely wordplay. You’re well aware of the celestial realm’s primary directive to prioritize recovering the Seven Luminaries if found.]
“Do you even know who issued that primary directive? You probably don’t.”
[……]
“You’ve known since human days that the celestial realm is merely a puppet of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, so don’t argue against it for no reason.”
While they argued, I quickly organized my thoughts.
‘If the Celestial Sage teamed up with Xiang Yu… this position isn’t entirely favorable for us.’
How many sacrifices would be needed just to take down the Celestial Sage? If the Celestial Sage felt threatened, he might escape and come back with Xiang Yu. It goes without saying that no matter how powerful the Heavenly Mysterious Woman on our side might be, there wouldn’t be a guarantee of victory against the two strongest beings of the celestial realm. Even subjecting to the law of cause and effect would clearly be futile. I understood why the Celestial Sage had so much confidence when he first appeared.
At the same time, I felt a pang of grievance. Why did Xiang Yu hold back help until I came to him, whereas the Celestial Sage could form an alliance with just a few words? This difference is maybe due to the disparity in power, but that didn’t erase my sense of injustice.
What choice should I make here?
I wished I could gain advice from Mangnyang or Zhuge Sa, but I quickly shook that thought off. As Zhuge Sa has said before, the help of a strategist has its limits.
The truly important thing is that I must make my own decisions for the best outcome.
‘Huh? Wait a second…’
While I was contemplating, an unexpected idea came to me. So I briefly scanned the surroundings and said to the Celestial Sage,
“Celestial Sage, I’d like to offer the Seven Luminaries.”
“Great! Good thinking. I don’t want to hit you, so just hand them over quickly.”
The Celestial Sage reached out, adopting a casual pose, but I smirked and continued,
“But aren’t you curious about where the Ruyi Staff went?”
The Celestial Sage suddenly seemed to remember.
“…Oh right. You borrowed my Ruyi Staff. What happened to it?”
“You knew the spirit that had been sleeping in the Ruyi Staff was He Yu, correct?”
“Yeah.”
“Then you also knew she was originally the Celestial Master Cheon Gong-pyo?”
“I know. I borrowed it from the Dragon King’s palace… cough, borrowed. I’d chat with her whenever I got bored. She was like a brat spouting nonsense, but it was fun talking to her. But why?”
“She was just released. The seal has been completely undone. She has fully regained the power of the Celestial Master.”
“……”
The Celestial Sage displayed a dumbfounded expression for the first time, misunderstanding what he had just heard.
“That was a seal being undone?”
“Yeah.”
“You released it?”
“Yeah. I had no choice…”
Boom!!
At that moment, an overwhelming power struck from the void like a hammer, and the Heavenly Mysterious Woman blocked the attack with the Corpse Dissolution Technique’s barrier. There was no warning for the blow, so I couldn’t evade or defend. I realized the Celestial Sage was genuinely intent on killing me.
Flame,
The Celestial Sage unleashed the Fire Eye Golden Spirit, saying,
“I wanted to speak nicely, but this brat…”
“Wait, please listen. Why would I spill this completely unnecessary information?”
“You just want to die at my hands, don’t you?”
“No. It’s because the Heavenly Ruler of Tai Xu left a final message regarding her seal.”
At my words, the Celestial Sage momentarily softened his anger and asked,
“The Heavenly Ruler of Tai Xu?”
“Yeah.”
“Go on.”
I calmly recounted my visit to Dark Heaven Village, the process of freeing Celestial Master Cheon Gong-pyo, and my encounters with Empress Wu Zetian and the Eight Parts of the Divine. I shared the ancient truths the Heavenly Ruler left on the seal and all the information indicating that the Demon King Amatsukami was planning to return from the Golden Star, as well as the Sea God’s attack from the south.
After hearing my story, the Celestial Sage looked aghast, saying,
“…You’ve got to be kidding. You really think you won’t face repercussions? If you stir up the world this much, you won’t need me to kill you; countless others will want to take you down. You won’t live long.”
“If I die, then I die. That’s not what matters…”
I sighed and continued,
“Who exactly will stop the ancient Evil God Amatsukami from returning from the Golden Star? And who is going to deal with the Sea God who’s about to invade from the south? Do you honestly think you can handle all that by yourself, Celestial Sage? Even with Xiang Yu’s help, there are limits. You surely understand that it’s no longer a calamity that can be stopped just with the powers of the celestial realm.”
“……”
“But if we join forces, it’s possible. Moreover, we could control or seal Celestial Master Cheon Gong-pyo.”
“What nonsense are you spouting? Are you trying to sweet-talk your way out of here?”
The Celestial Sage snapped irritably, but I retorted calmly,
“Think carefully. Earlier, you mentioned that your goal is to maintain the state of this world. Doesn’t that contradict itself? What’s the point of taking the Seven Luminaries if humanity ends up perishing first?”
“… Hmph.”
“And in this way, there will be no way to contain Changhil and the Eight Parts of the Divine, who dominate the Central Plains. We need to collaborate to obtain the strength to face them.”
He wore a wavering expression. I drew out the Wooden Armor, presenting it to the Celestial Sage.
“Sure, I could fight and settle things with you, but out of trust and loyalty, I’ll just hand it over to you. Instead, please take my words seriously.”
“What?!”
“Baek Woong!!”
Everyone beside me appeared taken aback. Even the Heavenly Mysterious Woman wore a noticeably displeased expression as she looked at me. Handing the Wooden Armor to the Celestial Sage while he could easily take it and leave wouldn’t bode well for us. After all, giving up the invaluable Wooden Armor we fought hard to obtain would make no sense.
Whooosh
“……”
The Celestial Sage stared at the shining Wooden Armor. Currently, it took the form of a glowing pearl but had the property of transforming into whatever its user desired.
And since the Celestial Sage possessed the Fire Eye Golden Spirit, he could probably look directly at the Wooden Armor without issue.
After a while, he finally spoke up.
“What a foolish kid. Do you really think everyone will respond sincerely if you treat them sincerely? You’ve made a mistake.”
“That’s not necessarily true.”
I didn’t naively think so. After living as an escort in my past life, I’d seen enough of humanity’s ugly side and witnessed many people casually cheat one another. Even after obtaining the ability of reincarnation, I’d often faced betrayals.
I smiled.
“But I want to become foolish. If possible, I’d like you to as well.”
“……”
Bang!
The Celestial Sage silently seized the Wooden Armor. He stared at it for a moment before tucking it into his embrace and said,
“You, can you promise me? Once you save the world, will you unconditionally hand over all the Seven Luminaries to me?”
I nodded vigorously.
“Of course. I swear it on my name.”
“Damn… getting acquainted with you feels like my greatest mistake.”
The Celestial Sage said irritably.
“You just offered the Wooden Armor to me in sacrifice! Let’s just acknowledge that.”
“Yes.”
“Then, considering that I accepted this Wooden Armor, I’ll work with you as an ally. I’ll also overlook you preserving the Seven Luminaries for now.”
“……!!”
He continued with a dissatisfied expression.
“Will that do?”
I succeeded!
I smiled and answered,
“Of course.”
While I was able to offer the Wooden Armor to the Celestial Sage, I had now obtained the strongest Overlay Technique of the celestial realm as our ally.