Reincarnation Sword God

---

Dark Heaven Village

“Let’s talk,” Changhil waved his hand, and in an instant, the hall transformed into a large banquet room, as if everyone had been teleported from the royal court. There, Changhil took the seat of honor at the massive banquet table, with the Eight Parts of the Divine seated nearby, leaving me no choice but to sit opposite him.

Even if Changhil wanted to kill me right there, I had to listen to him first.

Changhil said,
[It was probably Master Mangnyang who sent you.]
“……”
Hitting the nail on the head right from the start.

I had no clue how Changhil figured that out, but I kept my mouth shut and steadied my emotions. When I showed no reaction, he continued.
[Don’t be nervous. If Master Mangnyang sent you, I won’t harm you here.]
“What do you mean?”

Clack!
Changhil picked up the chopsticks from the table and stirred the dishes. He elegantly transferred food onto his plate as he replied,
[I’m going to make you a proposal here. This proposal isn’t about coercion or force; it’s about choosing based on your own needs.]
“I have no idea what you’re thinking.”
[Me?]
“Yes.”
I stared directly at Changhil.
“You’ve already upgraded from a human to the status of the [Old Ruler], wielding the power to manipulate the world. You have no reason to fear the end anymore. Why on Earth are you so obsessed with the mortal realm?”

[Hmm…]
Changhil seemed to ponder my question, then suddenly turned to the Celestial Sage Tripitaka beside him.
[So it is. What do you think?]
“It’s not worth responding to. There’s no reason to reveal our true intentions to a scoundrel like him.”

The celestial shot me a deadly glare as he continued,
“Besides, he cowardly killed the Asura. We can’t forget that grudge.”
[True enough.]
I shouted in disbelief at the celestial’s words,
“What?! It was *you guys* who tried to assassinate me first in Dark Heaven Village!”

What kind of reverse logic is this?!
I became the target of their grudge just because I fought back against the Eight Parts of the Divine who attacked me?

Mahuraga, sitting next to the celestial, added,
“He was our comrade and friend. Whatever your reasons for killing him, we will avenge his death.”
“Ridiculous! Stop babbling nonsense!”
I shouted, irritated.
“Don’t conveniently stick to some moral high ground. If you want to kill me, just shut up and come at me!”
“You little punk.”

Although it had been a 2-on-1 fight, and I had assistance from Cheon Gong-pyo, the Asura accepted death as the outcome of our duel. He could have fled but chose to confront the limits of his martial arts with the treasure. Plus, he even left me a last will, making him a proud martial artist until the end.

I was dumbfounded at the Eight Parts of the Divine blabbering about grudges while knowing nothing of the situation! Besides, what was wrong with defending myself against someone who tried to kill me first?
‘I want to kill all these bastards!’
From start to finish, it felt like the Eight Parts of the Divine were just trying to drag me down.

Changhil said,
[Interesting.]
“Do you want to accuse me as the Asura’s lord?”
[No. The Asura was merely acting on my orders. And I had no idea you were such an important existence back then or that there would be an unexpected strong enemy like the Master of Celestial Tao. I’m not foolish enough to turn a blind eye to my own mistakes.]

Changhil replied that nonchalantly, shoveling food into his mouth with an expression filled with chaos. It was such a bizarre sight; it looked like something not human was trying to awkwardly mimic humanity.
[In truth, I still want to eliminate you. But since Master Mangnyang is behind you, I’m holding back.]
“I don’t understand why you’re so confident that Master Mangnyang is a factor.”
[Luoyang is a sealed place where Master Mangnyang seals the great darkness. There are no existences capable of sneaking in with the power of [Old Ruler] level right under his nose, like a daytime goblin. It can only be attributed to Master Mangnyang’s will.]

“……”
[To answer your previous question—my goal is to eliminate the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors.]
That’s a lie.
‘He’s hiding something.’
There was no way his sole goal was to eliminate the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors. If he were that simplistic, the complex actions and schemes of the Eight Parts of the Divine wouldn’t make sense. Also, the reason behind occupying Luoyang and developing civilization remains unexplained.

“Why do you want to eliminate all the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors?”
[What a foolish question. Is there a mortal who likes them? They are nothing but tyrants who mock the rise and fall of ages while insisting on their own dominance until the end. They must disappear.]
“……”
That statement didn’t seem entirely false.
But something lingered in my mind.
Changhil clearly wanted something far beyond just eliminating the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors.

[However, the current situation isn’t favorable, and I must hasten my plan. I had originally intended to slowly develop civilization and gather strength, but it seems I have no choice.]
Having said that, Changhil turned to me,
[I know you have allies. I want you to lend us your power.]
“Lend you my power?”
I was taken aback by Changhil’s request.
[Before the pressure from the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors increases, we’ll annihilate the Celestial Realm. It would be very easy to do so if we join forces.]
“……!!”
Annihilate the Celestial Realm!
I couldn’t believe Changhil uttered those words. I knew that the Celestial Realm, Changhil, and the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors all despised each other, but to think they would attack the Celestial Realm even at this point? I felt ridiculous, but suddenly, the possibility occurred to me.

Each of the Eight Parts of the Divine was about as powerful as a Demon King, so it was clear they could handle at least half the Celestial Realm’s power by themselves. Plus, among my companions were the Heavenly Mysterious Woman of Nine Heavens and the Celestial Sage, both of whom each possessed one of the Seven Luminaries, and there was also Xiang Yu on our side, along with Cheon Woo-jin and Jin So-cheong, who were no slouches either. Perhaps it could really go as Changhil said.
‘In this life… we could actually destroy the Celestial Realm!’
But I retorted nonetheless.
“It won’t be that easy. Plus, I don’t understand why you’d take the risk of attacking the Celestial Realm right now while the Sea God from the south is rampaging.”
[Regardless, the summoning array spread throughout Luoyang is just a facade constructed by the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors’ Jeogok. If I prevent them from showing up, the Demon Gods will have no choice but to remain on the Moon. They can’t easily decide on a full-frontal confrontation with me. And as for the Sea God…]

Changhil said,
[For some reason, he suffered severe damage and crawled back to the depths of the Great Ocean just moments ago.]
“… Huh? What?”
[He’s definitely taken serious damage by someone’s blow. That’s why I’m persuading you to change my tactics.]
The Sea God got hit?
What on Earth?
It felt absurd even to think about. I had been anxiously trying to prevent civilian casualties while worrying over the potential onslaught of the Sea God and millions of troops, only to feel like a fool now. The Sea God was in control of the factions of the Death Sea, so if the main body was injured, they wouldn’t be able to do anything.

But who could possibly take down the Sea God in one hit?
And why attack at this very moment?
I asked Changhil,
“Could it be that the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors directly intervened?”
[They won’t expend energy on a small fry like the Sea God. Plus, since the Sea God is more or less an underling of the Evil Spirit, they wouldn’t want to stir up trouble unnecessarily.]
“……”
[Anyway, I want to hear your answer. Will you join us?]
I realized it was a moment of choice.
Whether or not I partnered with Changhil in that room would surely determine the fate of my life in this lifetime.
‘This is tough…’
What’s the right answer?
If I teamed up with Changhil to destroy the Celestial Realm, it would liberate the powers and talents of humanity that had been sealed away. At the same time, it would free us from the Celestial Realm’s watchful eye, allowing us to act more freely. But if the Celestial Realm vanished, that would mean the force balance would tip heavily in favor of the [Old Ruler] and the Otherworldly races, unleashing them more easily. Additionally, it would allow Changhil to dominate this world without restraint.

On the other hand, rejecting Changhil’s offer wasn’t easy either. As he said, if this moment passed, there might not be another chance to strike at the Celestial Realm. No matter how strong our side was, the Celestial Realm wasn’t something we could obliterate on our own. Even if the Heavenly Mysterious Woman, Celestial Sage, and Xiang Yu were powerful, they would be standing against hundreds of the strongest immortals, including the Queen Mother of the West. It could easily mean missing out on a significant opportunity.

Suddenly, Master Mangnyang’s words echoed in my mind.
[What if you can save humanity, but the world ends?]
[Then the opposite will happen. Humanity may perish, but the world will be saved.]
[Are you saying you would make the worst choice if it’s not the best? How interesting.]
[Let it flow. I shall grant you the opportunity to make a choice for this life in exchange for grilling the fish.]

Was he referring to my current situation?
‘What does that cat want?’
One thing’s for sure—whether I accepted Changhil’s offer or not would undoubtedly determine humanity’s destiny. I recalled my response from earlier.
“……”
I made up my mind.
I looked straight at Changhil and stood up from my seat.
“I reject your offer.”
[Why is that?]
Changhil looked at me with intrigue.
[I don’t know your goals, but without my cooperation, what you pursue will become a lengthy endeavor. Are you not foolish enough to think everything in this world has been flowing in my favor since the moment I seized Luoyang?]
“Perhaps that’s true.”
I continued,
“But I cannot cooperate with you.”
[Is it because of the grudge held by your life that I’ve targeted?]
“That’s part of it, but it’s a bit more complicated.”
[What’s the difference?]
I spoke slowly, putting my instinct into my words.
“You seem different from them. So I can’t resonate with you at all.”
[Is that so.]
“Yes.”
[Then do you intend to follow the will of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors?]
“I cannot say. But I don’t want to align with them either.”

Changhil spoke coldly.
[Then this is where my leniency ends. The moment you step out of this palace, even if Master Mangnyang is behind you, I will surely wipe you out.]
“……”
Master of the White Lotus Sect.
Zhuge Yulong.
Master of the Twelve Joules.
There was something insane and sincere in their intentions that I could feel from those three. I couldn’t easily gauge Changhil, who had significantly risen to the level of the [Old Ruler], but somehow I sensed that he held fundamentally different goals and values compared to the other three.
More calculating and cold.
With an obsession spanning from ancient times to this day.
There was still too little information to understand clearly, but if I carelessly collaborated with Changhil, I felt I would end up with an irredeemable regret.
‘I’m sorry, Mangnyang…’
Mangnyang told me we’d achieve something in this life. It felt regrettable to easily throw away the chance to easily accomplish the monumental feat of annihilating the Celestial Realm. But for me, my beliefs were more important than the gains before my eyes, so there was nothing I could do.

It would’ve been fine to dig for more information about Changhil, but he was surely on high alert around me and wouldn’t share vital details. Plus, casually questioning someone notoriously cunning since ancient times could lead to my own information being exploited.

As I turned my head and prepared to leave the imperial palace, I heard Changhil call out from behind.
[And.]
When I glanced back, Changhil spoke,
[Tell Master Mangnyang. Whatever you do now, the future of this world has already been decided.]
“……”
I walked out without replying. It felt trivial to be treated as nothing more than a courier for Master Mangnyang, and now that my path had diverged from Changhil, there was no reason to exchange more words. Moreover, since even Master Mangnyang admitted he couldn’t see the future, how could Changhil claim to be so certain?
‘Arrogant.’
That was the very impression I left with after meeting Changhil for the first time.

Tydaht!
I shook my head and leaped out of the imperial palace, crossing over the walls of my inner fortress. Utilizing my ability to suspend in the void for a moment, I took in the entire view of Luoyang. Even now, the dark summoning array remained due to the Sea God, and the interior of Luoyang was engulfed in shadow.

Simultaneously, steam billowed beneath the dark clouds, and machines forged of steel released vapor, while figures dragged around inexplicable scientific devices. I felt a strange sense that this world would continue to evolve even amid the darkness.
‘I need to meet up with my companions.’
I began to glide away from Luoyang, filled with the premonition that things were about to get much more intense from here on out.

---