Chapter 241
Chapter 241
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 241
Chapter Title: Heavenly Realm
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I returned to my lodgings and pondered what lay ahead.
'Something feels off. It feels like I'm being dragged into something.'
If I went along with the Twelve Rites Lord's proposal, after joining forces with him to defeat the [Ancient Ruler] Sea God, I could take control of the Twelve Rites. From there, I might even deal with the Ming imperial family somehow using the power of the Twelve Rites.
But that was far too optimistic. There was no guarantee I could defeat the [Ancient Ruler], nor any assurance the Twelve Rites Lord would keep his word. Above all, it seemed highly likely I'd end up betrayed and killed while being used as cannon fodder against the other races.
So I couldn't go along with the Twelve Rites Lord's words. Nor would I ever trust him.
That said, it was undeniably a golden opportunity, separate from all that. Just learning about the constellations was a huge gain, and the Twelve Rites Lord likely had access to top-secret information unknown to others.
I mulled it over, organized my thoughts, and went to see him the next morning.
"I have something I'd like to consult you about."
The Twelve Rites Lord was still wearing his puppet mask.
"What is it?"
"Actually..."
I told him how the Sword Demon had defeated the Bull Demon, how I'd witnessed the dragon-humanization in the process, how the suspicious tentacles regenerating the Bull Demon's body had metamorphosed into a black dragon, and how that black dragon had vanished somewhere. He listened calmly to the full story, then spoke.
"Intriguing. So what are you wondering about?"
"What connection do those tentacles and the dragon have? And can the imperial palace mass-produce such things at will?"
"I don't know much about the tentacles or the dragon. But I can answer your second question."
The Twelve Rites Lord stroked his chin and continued.
"If it's a method involving transplanting tentacles, then to endure dragon-humanization, one would need exceptionally strong physical constitution and mental fortitude. Otherwise, they'd be consumed by the tentacles' power trying to revert to their original form. In other words, only warriors of considerable caliber could receive it."
"Then..."
"As you're worried, we can safely assume they won't be mass-producing thousands or tens of thousands of dragon-humans."
He added to his words.
"Of course, things could change. If the sorcerers in the imperial palace are other races, any number of variables could arise. Those beings can lightly overcome all sorts of sorcery restrictions through human sacrifice to the [Ancient Ruler]."
"We have to strike the Ming imperial palace after all."
"Maybe eventually~"
The Twelve Rites Lord answered lightly. As always, his true intentions were unreadable, leaving it ambiguous whether he meant it.
"Um... thank you. I'll take my leave then."
"See you."
I bid him farewell and left the divine altar. It was too weighty a matter to answer on the spot, so I'd told him I'd return later with my response. He hadn't pressured me and let me go freely, but it was hard to believe that was pure goodwill.
I left the divine altar and only after confirming no tails for a good while did I use the Golden Winged Boat to return to the Shadowless Gate.
Flash!
"Oh, you're back!"
As soon as I returned to the Shadowless Gate, I went to the Sword Demon and told him about meeting the Twelve Rites Lord. He was overjoyed to see me safe, but as the story progressed, his face grew pale and rigid. By the end, he was muttering tensely, deep in thought.
At last, the Sword Demon spoke.
"First off, you did well not giving him a firm answer there."
"His depths are impossible to read."
When I voiced my honest feelings, the Sword Demon agreed.
"Indeed. Even if I'd gone in your place, it would've been hard to plumb his mind. A true sovereign of the Eastern Martial World."
"How far can we trust him?"
"Your question's off. It should be, how far can we use him?"
The Sword Demon sat across the table from me and continued.
"The Twelve Rites Lord seems like an extreme secretive type. Sharing trust with him is impossible."
"Secretive..."
"Didn't you notice something odd? He's already deceived you."
"......?"
I tilted my head. Then it hit me, and I said.
"The Moon Yao! You're talking about how he never mentioned the Moon Yao's existence on Ganghwa Island's Mani Mountain."
"Exactly."
That was right.
In my tenth reincarnation, through my connection with Miho, I'd learned there was an ancient ruin beneath the mountain under Mani Mountain's Star Worship Altar, and it was the Moon Yao's ruins where its guardian, Izanagi no Mikoto, was sealed.
But during our conversation, the Twelve Rites Lord hadn't breathed a word about it.
As I grew serious, the Sword Demon said.
"It was the Twelve Rites Lord who sent Master Western Mountain to guard those ruins. He can't claim ignorance of the Moon Yao's existence. Yet he's desperately gathering the Seven Yao's power to defeat the Sea God..."
"It's definitely strange."
"If you'd voiced that discrepancy to him, he might've immediately moved to unseal the Moon Yao..."
The Sword Demon crossed his arms.
"You were wise not to mention it."
"......"
"We don't know his true intentions. Handing him another powerful weapon like the Seven Yao in this situation would be foolish."
"What should we do from here?"
The whole affair felt utterly chaotic and tangled. When I asked, the Sword Demon replied.
"The Twelve Rites Lord just muddied the waters for you, but what you need to do is simple: keep training diligently as before."
"Will that really be enough?"
"Hmm... A hunch from your life as a reincarnator?"
At his counterquestion, I leaned forward slightly and said.
"Yes. I have this anxious feeling that staying put isn't the right move."
"You can't ignore such instincts. Especially in your case."
Replying thus, the Sword Demon thought for a moment, then said.
"Alright. How about we visit two places to shake off the mood?"
"Where?"
"Dragon King's Valley and General Spirit Valley."
Hearing those names from him, I didn't immediately grasp them. Then I recalled what Dragon King's Valley was and said.
"Dragon King's Valley... you mean that..."
"Yes. It was the information Baili Zhengyun told you about. There's supposed to be a hidden master of tremendous skill in Dragon King's Valley."
It wasn't a particularly memorable detail, and I'd completely forgotten it until the Sword Demon mentioned it. I felt anew the power of the obsidian. My head isn't the sharpest, so I struggle to utilize my memories well, but the Sword Demon, receiving the same memories, recalled and applied all sorts of events as if they were yesterday.
"We just need to meet that master in Dragon King's Valley and bring them to our side?"
"That would be ideal. Even if not, just knowing the identity and location of such a powerful expert will prove useful someday. Just as you have your reincarnator's instinct, this is my instinct as a martial artist."
He continued.
"And though your memories treat the Baili Family as some unheard-of clan, I know the Baili Family was one of Sichuan's premier prestigious houses just thirty years ago. If the eldest grandson of such a family secretly inherited this information, it's probably reliable."
"I see."
I admired the Sword Demon's insight. Going to Dragon King's Valley was all upside with little downside. In a way, it was something I should've done ages ago, but thanks to him, I was only now pursuing this connection.
"But why General Spirit Valley? Lord Zhuge Sa of General Spirit Valley already killed himself."
"Your memories record it that way, yes."
"Yes. No matter how many times I visited, he was either fated to die soon or already dead."
That was exactly why I considered Lord Zhuge Sa of General Spirit Valley a worthless connection. I'd met him alive once, but he was arrogantly haughty compared to Wang Liang, with a rebellious streak that seemed to mock not just himself but the whole world. He felt like someone I'd hesitate to ally with.
The Sword Demon then said.
"Looking at those memories, something felt off to me."
"Off how?"
He nodded and said.
"I don't know what you think, but Wang Liang—the possessor of the world's greatest strategic genius—repeatedly considered Zhuge Sa as his proxy. Even though Wang Liang personally disliked him. That means, separate from personal character, Zhuge Sa's intellect and abilities had reached an extraordinary level."
"......"
"Of course, if things followed 'normal history,' Zhuge Sa would've already suicided. But I can't shake the feeling there's more to it."
"What's the point of a dead man?"
"For most, none. But you can create meaning."
I wondered what he meant. Dead is dead—what meaning?
But then, rifling through my memories, I realized what he was getting at and stared in shock.
"N-No way..."
"Exactly that way."
"Do we really have to go that far?"
"Of course."
The Sword Demon stated firmly. There was a glint of boyish curiosity in his expression, meaning he was intrigued by Zhuge Sa's abilities.
"Aren't you curious at this point? We should test if he's all talk or something more."
I muttered with a sour face.
"...Not really."
"Huhu. I think it'll be plenty meaningful."
Chuckling heartily, the Sword Demon said.
"While we're at it, let's go right now. I'm curious myself what master hides in Dragon King's Valley."
"Won't using Sichuan's intelligence network mean Beggar Clan, which could be risky?"
"Intelligence networks aren't just the Beggar Clan. The Divine Woman Sect has information prowess rivaling them. And I can obtain it easily."
"Divine Woman Sect!"
"Even Thunder God's Style's Lee Gwang seems to use their info. That guy's got surprisingly wide connections."
Come to think of it, I'd seen Lee Gwang tapping Divine Woman Sect intelligence too. It was unexpected they had that in common, but given the Sword Demon was the strongest of the Eight Demonic Sects, it made sense. Lee Gwang, from the imperial Embroidered Uniform Guard and connected to the Divine Woman Sect, was the unusual one.
Flash!
I teleported to Sichuan in the Central Plains with the Sword Demon. Arriving via Golden Winged Boat, he led me into Chengdu. Soon we entered a building of some unidentified martial sect. In this dingy structure that seemed abandoned, the Sword Demon wrote a message on a slip and placed it in a box.
After waiting silently about an incense stick's time, a woman in pure white emerged from a corner of the building.
"It's an honor to meet the famed Shadowless Gate Lord, the Sword Demon."
"Who are you?"
About five other women followed her, all moving lightly like trained martial artists. The white-clad woman, seemingly their leader, clasped her hands in greeting.
"I am Jia Hua, acting leader of the Divine Woman Sect."
"Acting leader... My condolences for your sect leader's unfortunate end of late."
"Thank you for your concern."
The Sword Demon's words consoled the death of the Divine Woman Sect Leader, the Enchantress, in her duel with Jin So-cheong. Jia Hua accepted them graciously.
At last, the Sword Demon got to the point.
"We want to know the current state of the martial world. Ideally, information on a place called Dragon King's Valley too."
"I can provide that without investigation."
"Really?"
"Yes. Just pay the information fee."
"Naturally."
The Sword Demon paid Jia Hua, and she informed us of the martial world's current state and Dragon King's Valley. Notably, Dragon King's Valley was deep in remote mountains, a continuous stretch of treacherous sheer cliffs. Even professional mountaineers wouldn't dare approach.
Once the exchange ended, the Sword Demon left without delay. After we'd gone some distance, he said to me.
"That place we just left is a Divine Woman Sect branch for info trading."
"Useful."
"It'll take about two days to reach Dragon King's Valley. Let's go."
Dash!
I headed to Dragon King's Valley with the Sword Demon. As he said, it took roughly two days, and even amid Sichuan's rugged terrain, the massive cliff formations were breathtakingly perilous.
Gazing at the immense valley shrouded in mist from a mountaintop, I said in dismay.
"Can humans even live in a place like that?"
The Sword Demon, munching on wild fruit beside me, replied.
"Why not? Humans are the most fearsome thing in the world—nature like that is mere child's play to them."
"True enough."
"Alright, shall we?"
The Sword Demon finished resting and stood.
"Sharpen your spirit sense. There's sure to be a deadly formation there—stay sharp."