Chapter 637
Chapter 637
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 637
Chapter Title: Dark Heaven Village
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I immediately summoned Yeo Dongbin. Then, offering him the Demon Sword Muramasa as a sacrifice, I said,
"I want information on the Xuanyuan Sword in exchange for this Demon Sword."
[...Hmm... A Demon Sword... I'm not thrilled, but I acknowledge it has sufficient value.]
Yeo Dongbin seemed reluctant but accepted the Demon Sword Muramasa as a sacrifice. He probably wouldn't have taken a Demon Sword under normal circumstances, but since I was his disciple, he made an exception. Having obtained the Demon Sword Muramasa, Yeo Dongbin said,
[The information I got about the Xuanyuan Sword in the Heavenly Realm came from the servant of Houyi.]
I was startled by his words.
"Houyi... You mean Divine Archer Yi, right?"
[That's correct.]
Yes!
He was the great hero of myth, but also the one who had shot me twice with the Red Bow and White Arrow, killing me both times. Why was Yi suddenly involved in finding the Xuanyuan Sword? As I panicked, Yeo Dongbin continued,
[His servant's name is Lady Ugly. She was a shaman in the Mythical Era who tried to subdue the ten suns but ended up dying of thirst instead. For defying heaven's will, she was sentenced to imprisonment at the bottom of the underworld. But when Houyi achieved his feat of slaying the suns, he rescued her and took her as his servant.]
"Hmm... That sounds familiar."
Naturally, while inheriting Daoist knowledge, I had researched the legends of Houyi since he was the one who killed me. Lady Ugly was the shaman who fought against the Ten Suns, the offspring of Emperor Zhuanxu.
[Lady Ugly lived in Houyi's palace attending to him, and I happened to become acquainted with her. At that time, she said she had heard about the Xuanyuan Sword, and especially that her master, Houyi, knew a great deal about it.]
"Is that true?!"
[Lady Ugly is now Houyi's servant, but originally, she was the greatest shaman of the mortal world. She's no low-ranking being. She wouldn't speak nonsense.]
"Then did you ask Houyi about the Xuanyuan Sword?"
Yeo Dongbin shook his head at my question.
[How could I? Houyi is my vastly superior senior and a great hero. Only beings like the Earl of the East, the North and South Dippers, or the Great Sage Who Pacifies Heaven could match him. Besides, investigating the Xuanyuan Sword further might arouse suspicion, so I couldn't dig deeper.]
"Hmm."
[That's all I know.]
"Could you summon that Lady Ugly with a ritual offering?"
[Since she's an Earth Immortal, it's possible, but she's bound to Houyi. You'd need his permission first.]
"Understood."
I sent Yeo Dongbin away. Zhuge Sa, who had watched the whole process from the side, spoke up.
"Interesting. If Houyi knows about the Xuanyuan Sword, we should interrogate him."
"Should I offer a sacrifice to Houyi?"
"Who knows!"
Zhuge Sa rubbed his chin with interest and said,
"Before acting rashly, there's something amusing. Why does Houyi know that information?"
"......? What do you mean?"
"The Xuanyuan Sword is the legacy and secret treasure left by the Yellow Emperor to humanity. Yet Houyi, who once shot and killed the Ten Suns—sons of Zhuanxu, one of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors—knows the great secret of the Xuanyuan Sword? Doesn't that seem out of place?"
"......"
He had a point.
I'd assumed only the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors or their direct apostles would know secrets like the Xuanyuan Sword's, not some Divine Archer Yi. Cheon Woojin, standing nearby, said,
"I think there's a high chance the information about the Xuanyuan Sword itself is fake. Rashly contacting Yi would be dangerous."
"What should we do?"
"We stick to the plan."
Paat!
I headed to Mount Ye. Then, activating the spell from the Heavenly Divine Scripture, I searched for souls.
'The soul of Gongsonbyeok, head of the Gongson Family from a thousand years ago... Gongsonbyeok's soul, hear my call!!'
Usually, I roughly selected souls by their size and color, but the Heavenly Divine Scripture's spell allowed the caster to find a desired soul. As I strongly willed to find Gongsonbyeok's soul, a sharp reaction began buzzing.
'As expected, older souls are harder to find?'
Recently deceased souls reacted quickly, while ancient ones sometimes slinked out from hiding. But Gongsonbyeok's seemed sealed away, wandering like a vengeful spirit.
Sususu!!
Gongsonbyeok's soul was summoned, but he still hadn't regained his senses, staring blankly into space with a dazed expression.
[Ah... Ah...]
Having died so long ago and lost hope of being summoned by the Heavenly Divine Scripture, his reason seemed gone. He was barely different from a vengeful spirit, the potent aura of a strong soul nearly vanished. But his appearance matched the head of the Gongson Family from Yeo Dongbin's past recollection: Gongsonbyeok.
I'd brought Cheon Woojin for cases like this, so I glanced at him. He said irritably,
"To pull a soul's mind from oblivion, you have no choice but to inject spiritual power or strong energy artificially. There are recovery spells, but they're a hassle. For reviving a mind decayed in the Corrupt Realm, pure power injection is best."
"Huh?"
"Do it."
"......?"
"......"
I tilted my head, and silence stretched on.
Finally realizing I didn't get it, Cheon Woojin pressed his temples and exploded.
"Ugh, you idiot. I mean infuse it with Yin God Power."
As Cheon Woojin snapped, I grumbled,
"Why not just say so straight..."
He blew up even more.
"Damn it. If you've studied Daoism that much, you should get it instantly. Are you a newbie? A kid? Have you been studying through your ass, moron! Someone at your level of Daoism and spells could run a temple."
"......"
I vowed never to learn spells from Cheon Woojin, no matter what, as I infused Gongsonbyeok's soul with Yin God Power. Who else should I learn spells from if not that foul-tempered bastard? I suddenly missed Mangnyang.
Woooung
Soon, Gongsonbyeok's soul shuddered and began regaining sanity. The filthy demonic energy clinging like a vengeful spirit was repelled, and his soul fully returned to human form. Regaining his wits, Gongsonbyeok said to me,
[Tha... Thank you. You summoned me? If I do as you say, I'll be saved?]
He babbled in confusion but seemed aware of why he was here. I nodded and said to Gongsonbyeok,
"Gongsonbyeok. In life, you made a deal with someone called Divine Lord of New Investments for information on the Xuanyuan Sword, didn't you?"
[Hmm... Yes, that happened.]
"I want the information you have on the Xuanyuan Sword. Tell me everything you know."
[......]
Gongsonbyeok eyed me cautiously. Then he said,
[Um... I have a question too...]
"Yes?"
[What happened to the Gongson Family after I died? If you know...]
"It was wiped out a thousand years ago. The descendants vanished. That's why I can't find any heirs, so I summoned your soul."
[Kugh... Fire Dragon Immortal... I'll curse you!!]
Gongsonbyeok suddenly raged at the Fire Dragon Immortal, but I just looked at him indifferently.
'What am I supposed to do about that?'
Having seen Yeo Dongbin's past recollection, I knew Gongsonbyeok deserved his death. There was no cowardice in the Fire Dragon Immortal killing him. As I stared coldly, Gongsonbyeok cleared his throat and said,
[The Xuanyuan Sword was a heirloom passed down through generations in our Gongson Family. But what was stored in the family vault was an exquisite replica; the original had gone missing long before.]
"Missing?"
[The written records of our Gongson Family founder date back to the Western Zhou Dynasty, during King Wu. When King Wu defeated the last Shang king, Emperor Xin, who threw himself into flames in defeat, our family was caught in the disaster, and the true Xuanyuan Sword vanished. After that, we passed down replicas through the generations.]
"......"
Secrets he'd never reveal in life spilled easily now that he was dead and his afterlife fate hung in the balance. After hearing him out, I said,
"If that's true, your family existed since the ancient Western Zhou era... How far back does your history go?"
[Even before that. Our founder is said to be the Yellow Emperor, Gongsun Xuanyuan.]
I snorted at Gongsonbyeok's words.
"Ridiculous. If you're descendants of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, you should wield immense spiritual power and authority, yet you're just a human vengeful spirit."
[Who said otherwise? I don't truly believe in the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors either. It just means we're that ancient.]
"So you tried to deceive the Divine Lord of New Investments with information on a nonexistent Xuanyuan Sword."
[... The Divine Lord was the supreme divine thief of the martial world then, so I thought I could use him. His origins were unknown, but his martial arts were extraordinary. I allied with the White Lotus Cult and him to obtain the Overlord Swordsmanship and conquer the martial world...]
Gongsonbyeok's face darkened. No wonder—with such grand ambitions, he never dreamed he'd be killed out of nowhere by a ten-year-old boy possessed by the Fire Dragon Immortal on Mount Ye. Who'd think the owner of Gongson Swordsmanship, backed by the Thunder God Dragon Guardians, would lose?
'Anything else to ask?'
I pondered. Gongsonbyeok truly didn't know the Xuanyuan Sword's whereabouts, and there was nothing more to learn. I'd have to summon Houyi or his shaman servant, Lady Ugly.
But a question flashed in my mind, and I asked,
"Gongsonbyeok. Just wondering... Are there any physical traits or peculiarities passed down only in your family?"
[Hmm...? What do you mean.]
"If you wish, I can find your Gongson descendants. I'll tell you what happened to them later. I won't harm them."
[Oh... Really!!]
Gongsonbyeok was shocked. He thought for a moment and said,
[Our family's traits... Hmm... We like white a lot.]
"I see. And?"
[Our daughters across generations were extraordinarily beautiful, the most beautiful in the world. The top beauties of the martial world always came from our family.]
"That's not much of a martial family boast..."
[... The children's martial talent was decent too.]
"......"
[......]
I fell silent.
'In the end, no real distinguishing features!'
Finding a wiped-out family's descendants from a thousand years ago with such trivial info would be absurd! Liking white means nothing, and beautiful women aren't unique! Grimacing, I said,
"...Just tell me the name of whoever likely succeeded you as head of the Gongson Family. I'll summon their soul to find out."
"I had two sons and one daughter. Eldest son Gongsonjung, second son Gongsongseok, youngest daughter Gongsonhye. One of them became head."
"Got it. Be gone."
Sususu
I'd gotten a lot from Gongsonbyeok, but ultimately no real gains. Exhausted, I said to Cheon Woojin,
"Damn. To quickly find the Xuanyuan Sword's whereabouts, we'll have to summon Lady Ugly or Yi..."
"As I said, I'm against it. Too risky."
"Why is contacting Yi now dangerous? Just offer a sacrifice and get the info."
"Fool. That's why it's dangerous. If the Xuanyuan Sword truly exists and is the treasure described, isn't it suspicious that only Yi and his kin know while no one else does?"
"......"
"There must be mythical secrets involved. Plus, don't forget: in your past life, when you died, Houyi fought to the end on Queen Mother of the West's side because of the Moon Palace Jar. He'll report you to her on sight, no questions asked."
Cheon Woojin was right.
'Guess I have no choice but to keep searching the Gongson Family line...'
Reluctantly, I moved to Luoyang, where the Gongson Family once existed. There, as Gongsonbyeok said, I searched for the souls of Gongsonjung, Gongsongseok, and Gongsonhye.
'None here?'
I meticulously checked souls back a thousand years, but no trace of the Gongson three in Luoyang. They must have evacuated before annihilation and been wiped out or scattered elsewhere.
Searching everywhere would take forever without knowing where they fled. At this rate, it'd take at least ten years of nonstop Heavenly Divine Scripture spells.
Hitting a wall, I went to Zhuge Sa. He said,
"Oh? Then drop it for now."
"Huh?"
"There's another way to investigate."
"What way?"
"You planned to delay the Dark Heaven Village challenge this life and infiltrate Jin So-cheong into the White Lotus Cult anyway."
Zhuge Sa grinned.
"The Han Family's Jade Dragon Divine Lord joined the White Lotus Cult a thousand years ago—same era as Gongsonbyeok. Their records must still exist, and the current Han Family head, Han Baekryeong, likely knows the full story. After all, the Han Family rose to the top martial family in the Gongson clan's wake."
"...Right!"
"If Jin So-cheong becomes the cult leader's disciple, he can naturally contact Han Baekryeong and learn it. No need to rush."
The plan to place Jin So-cheong as the White Lotus Cult leader's disciple!
Proceeding would yield other benefits too.
As I inwardly admired, Zhuge Sa said,
"If you're free, train Jin So-cheong for a while. Sparring sessions alone will help you both greatly."