Chapter 42 |
Startled, I woke up! “Ugh… Huff!!”
I was soaked in sweat as I woke from the dream. No, it was a memory so vivid that it couldn’t simply be a dream. I was once again vividly experiencing my life as a child in the barn, and I had no choice but to do so.
My sixth life had begun.
“……”
Rather than feeling like I was losing my mind, I felt unlucky. Even after seeking a modest life to attain some peace, that turned out to be the beginning and culmination of a sinister plot. Despite my desperate struggles, the outcome was yet another cycle of rebirth.
“Damn it. I feel awful.”
Frowning, I touched my forehead. Fortunately, the pain vanished in an instant, leaving me mentally intact, but dying still felt awful. I spent a long time in the barn, listening to the sound of crickets, quietly soothing my mind.
In the midst of my confusion, I thought I needed to learn [How to End Suffering]. Until now, I was lucky enough to die quickly, but if I were to be killed horrifically, I doubted I’d keep my sanity. I must learn how to endure pain, for situations like torture or extortion.
Then, as my thoughts became clear, I began to think systematically.
And how should I live?
“I need to stop human sacrifices.”
That had to be my purpose in this life. While honing my martial arts skills and living a grand life as a peak martial artist would be ideal, it wasn’t feasible. One way or another, I would encounter the vile plans of the Embroidered Uniform Guards. Ignoring the mass slaughter of tens of thousands couldn’t be an option.
Fortunately, I thought I could somehow put a stop to it. Plans came to mind easily. If I started now, I could not only prevent the Embroidered Uniform Guards and sorcerers but also acquire unexpected gains.
The problem lay elsewhere.
Am I really prepared to make enemies of the Embroidered Uniform Guards and the imperial family?
As a child, disrupting their activities may cause them momentary chaos, but eventually, they’d uncover my identity and motives. Thereafter, the likelihood of ongoing strife with the Embroidered Uniform Guards would be high. Living a normal life, enjoying wealth and fame as a martial artist would become difficult.
However, I strengthened my resolve, recalling the words of the hermit. Ignoring what doesn’t harm me now would only fan the flames for later. Monsters that started with just three grew to the size of ten chapters and dozens in number five years later. Over time, they became too strong for an individual to handle.
“Well, if all fails, I can just escape to [that place]…”
My fifth life wasn’t just about goofing around.
I collected all the worthwhile information.
The existence of another life’s alternative also made my decision easier. With a firm resolve, I prepared to move. Stepping out of the barn, I noticed how dazzling the stars in the night sky were.
I glanced at the village chief’s house, pondering the extent of my hatred for them.
I had a significant history with the village chief’s family. Likely, I could easily eliminate a large number of them this time as well. However, perhaps because I had already exacted my revenge once, my hatred had diluted. Now, they seemed more like distasteful neighbors than anything else. I didn’t loathe them enough to kill them multiple times.
“I’ll just leave them be. But…”
A considerable amount of funds seemed necessary for the upcoming plan. With a sly grin, I activated the Silent Thunder Steps technique to glide effortlessly towards the village chief’s main house. Upon using the pinnacle of my lightness skill, I swiftly found myself atop the village chief’s roof.
Slinking down like a snake, I opened the inner door and entered. The room, perhaps due to being the village chief’s private quarters, was locked, but using “Qi”, I made it open from the inside. As I stepped in, the hidden space I’d seen in my previous life came into view.
I gently laid my hand on it and exerted some force. Slowly, the secret passage began to open.
KoogooGoo…
“Here it is.”
I managed to acquire a chest filled with silver ingots. Based on my calculations in my past life, one ingot had significant value; enough to buy a large house within the Luoyang city. I planned to use this money to carry out my future plans.
Of course, come tomorrow morning, the village chief will be running around day and night searching for the stolen safe. He’ll realize I’m the culprit, but so what? He’d never guess that I possess the world’s greatest internal strength and martial arts skills. He’ll likely just hire mediocre fixers to track me down. And of course, I could easily deal with them. I didn’t expect him to hire someone of “Eight Gates of Demonic Path” caliber and take a blood oath against me.
‘Even if he’s the greatest of an assassin group, we could have a one-on-one battle.’
No, I’d have more than enough to spare. Now that I can also use Sword Qi, I won’t be at a disadvantage in a head-to-head confrontation. Moreover, I overwhelmingly surpass him in internal power, making my odds of winning even higher.
Confidence in my martial prowess.
This seemed to extend the range of options available for my actions.
Most importantly, I’ve already resolved to betray both the Imperial Court and “Embroidered Uniform Guards”. What do I have to fear from the grudge of a mere village leader? I smirked in satisfaction.
Hup!
Leaving the village chief’s residence, I headed directly for the cave where “Heavenly Tome of Dark Mysteries” was located. Thanks to my improved lightness skill, I got there much faster than before. I flew over the land as if gliding and entered the cave.
And without hesitation, I placed the safe in the way to block Heavenly Tome of Dark Mysteries’s arrow trap.
Ka-ang!
“Ha ha, did I block it too ostentatiously?”
When the arrow bounced off the safe, I laughed heartily. The safe was so sturdy that it didn’t deform or break despite taking a hit. I immediately opened the box and once again took Heavenly Tome of Dark Mysteries.
The moment I had Heavenly Tome of Dark Mysteries in my possession, the last words of the “Grand Sorcerer” resurfaced in my mind.
[Heh… Hahaha… How can this be… I never expected such a trap… I am… a sacrifice! I mourn your nightmare!”]
Why did he utter such words upon seeing Heavenly Tome of Dark Mysteries?
Whether I can interpret it or not is secondary; he was hopelessly despairing the moment he saw Heavenly Tome of Dark Mysteries. Actually, it would be more normal to despair before I beat him into submission in the cave, but he lost his composure the moment he saw Heavenly Tome of Dark Mysteries. It was not villain-like behavior.
As if—the moment he discovered Heavenly Tome of Dark Mysteries, his fate was sealed.
This isn’t some special spellbook or magic book, so what does it mean?
‘Why did he react like that when I got Heavenly Tome of Dark Mysteries? What a weird guy.’
I snorted derisively in my thoughts.
A more definite way to know would be to somehow recapture the flute monster alive. I’ll likely get to the bottom of his vague motives if I keep him in captivity and torture him for an extended period. Maybe I won’t even have to go all the way to the Imperial Palace to acquire Nameless Ritual Sacrifice Rites; I can decode the Heavenly Tome of Dark Mysteries using him.
I set my destination for Huangshan. Of course, stopping human sacrifices is important, but I can’t pass up the opportunity to consume a Millennium Snow Ginseng either. If I keep running overnight using lightness skill, I will have plenty of time. It was a viable option.
“Time to kick off an exciting journey to Huangshan~”
Tadadadat
I literally started heading towards Huangshan by crossing mountains and rivers. Unlike before, I ran almost without taking any breaks. Although my stamina did drop a bit during the journey, overcoming the mountain with extra effort actually reduced the time required. Securing food was easy too, as I had become as proficient as a professional hunter in catching wild animals.
The trip to Huangshan, which normally takes about a month by foot, was shortened to just six days. I caught a mole and grilled it, looking up at the upper part of Huangshan. Entering the foothills of Huangshan, the familiar air felt comforting.
“Is this the fourth time I’m consuming the elixir?”
I muttered to myself and chuckled. I couldn’t help but wonder if there were other humans like me in the world. What kind of fate would a typical human need to consume Millennium Snow Ginseng four times? The certain thing was that my internal energy would reach an absolute level the moment I consume the Millennium Snow Ginseng this time.
And it was when I was heading towards Bai Huan Peak after planning to take the Millennium Snow Ginseng. When I leapt over bizarre rocks and passed six barriers, a loud lion’s roar was heard.
“Halt!”
‘Huh?’
A swordsman in yellow clothing and wearing a hood stood in front of me, stopping me. I was curious as to what was going on and stopped; the swordsman looked at me with furious eyes. He seemed to be in his 40s or 50s but seemed well-cultivated in both his aura and internal energy.
With a tense expression, he cautiously spoke.
“I am Elder Gongjae, known as the Cold Sky Sword from the Huangshan Sect. I wish to know why you’ve entered the territory of the Huangshan Sect.”
The elder of the Huangshan Sect, Cold Heaven Sword Gongjae!
Upon hearing his self-introduction, I carefully scrutinized him. Though it was quite some time ago, I vaguely remember seeing him amongst top martial artists when dealing with Huangshan Sect’s tyranny before. In other words, the Cold Heaven Sword Gongjae was also a pinnacle expert and a symbol of the Huangshan Sect’s strength. Although his martial arts might not be at the level of Huangshan Sect’s grandmaster Dragon God Sword, Yong Joong-il, he was more than capable of disturbing the martial arts world.
The reason he stood before me, prepared to fight, was probably because he mistook me for a reverse-aging expert1. I considered revealing the truth to him but thought it would be uncomfortable in its own way if he knew I was young. Ignoring him and running away also felt wrong. To shake him off, I’d have to go in circles around the 72 peaks of Huangshan, which would make taking the elixir cumbersome.
‘What’s going on? People like him didn’t usually show up; why now?’
I was puzzled, but then it struck me.
I arrived too quickly.
In terms of timing, Elder Huangshan of the Huangshan Sect often roams areas that are not part of the Huangshan territory. When I arrived at Huangshan on foot, I normally wouldn’t run into the Elder, but unfortunately, it happened to be during a time when he was wandering around.
In any case, I pondered for a moment before making a decision and sent him a message.
[Do you intend to pick a fight with me?]
Upon hearing this, Cold Heaven Sword Gongjae seemed surprised, then responded,
‘Not at all! How could I dare to argue recklessly? It’s just that Huangshan is the territory of the Huangshan Sect, and as a junior, I would like to know your purpose for coming here.’
It seemed like he completely understood. He seemed to firmly believe that I was a visitor with good intentions. I was about 15 zhang away when I checked his position, and two of his disciples were by his side. They must have come out for patrol together. The martial arts of the disciples seemed to be of first-rate level.
‘Hmm, this could be troublesome…’
I thought for a moment and sent another message.
[I’m just passing by and decided to tour Huangshan. I heard that the scenery at Neikyung Peak and Jinchu Peak of the 72 Huangshan Peaks is especially good, and I plan to tour them one by one. I’ll be in and out quietly, so don’t mind me.]
‘Really?’
[Yes.]
Upon hearing my response, Cold Heaven Sword Gongjae exchanged opinions with his disciples through eye contact. Then he spoke with a laugh,
‘In that case, we at the Huangshan Sect would like to assist you in your tour to the best of our ability. It would be an honor for us if you could visit the Huangshan Sect even just once.’
‘……’
I had the feeling that he was persistently trying to keep me in sight, perhaps uneasy about a mysterious expert like me roaming around Huangshan. Given that I’m an uncertain factor, it’s understandable that the Elder of the Huangshan Sect would find it difficult to tolerate my presence. Yet, lacking the strength to forcibly remove me, he had to resort to persuasion.
However, I had neither the intention nor the reason to go to Huangshan Sect. Why would I want to get involved with them and waste my precious time? So I chuckled and responded,
[I’m sorry, but I won’t be accompanying you. Don’t bother me any longer.]
‘Hmm… Wait!’
Whoosh
Cold Heaven Sword Gongjae was already drawing Sword Qi from his pale sword. It was clear that he was a peak-level expert.
[Do you intend to attack? If you have the guts, then go ahead.]
“……”
Sweat was visibly forming on the forehead of Cold Heaven Sword Gongjae. He seemed to be contemplating whether to risk his life against an unidentified mysterious martial arts expert. I wasn’t confident I could easily defeat the Cold Heaven Sword, but I bluffed nonchalantly.
[But treating me as an enemy basically means you want me to have a match with Dragon Sword God Yong Jung-il, right? When did the Huangshan Sect ever get so grand? I can’t fathom it.]
“Wh… Who exactly are you?”
He seemed at a loss, yet fearful. Likely because I was casually referring to Huangshan Sect’s master Yong Jung-il, a renowned martial artist, as if he was a neighbor. As I had no intention of getting involved with Huangshan Sect any further after this encounter, I let out a snort and told a blatant lie to alleviate my annoyance.
“I am the guardian abbot of the White Lotus Sect.”
“……!!”
[Still want to face me?]
Cold Heaven Sword Gongjae looked like he was about to faint. After staggering for a moment, he spoke in a voice that seemed to be coming from a distance.
“No… Please go… We apologize for our rudeness to the Guardian Abbot.”
“M-Master!”
“Both of you, step back…”
Cold Heaven Sword Gongjae said that and then left without even looking back.
‘Puhahaha. I would’ve had a hard time if they had all attacked, but they chickened out and left.’
I chuckled, thinking about the uproar they would cause later. It would only take an hour or two to dig up the spiritual herb and consume it, and above all, I had a grudge against Huangshan, so I felt a bit relieved after making fun of a Huangshan Sect elder.
Ah, it feels refreshing.
The reason I was so bold in bluffing was because I had died so many times that it made me think, ‘what does it matter anymore?’ My philosophy was changing bit by bit as I went through the cycles of reincarnation.
And then, as they disappeared, I quickly went to Baekhwan Peak.
“Hello, Thousand-Year Ginseng.”
I greeted the Millennium Snow Ginseng growing in the cave with a smile, and once again consumed it.
Kuuuuung…
“Oof…”
Unlike before, when I easily absorbed energy, I felt as if a strange barrier had built up within me. It weighed down on me for quite a while before finally settling in place. Simultaneously, half of the three vital channels that had previously been blocked were pierced through all at once.
I could feel the power surging throughout my entire body, stronger by at least 50% than before. After finishing the circulation of vital energy and gathering all my strength, I felt that I could proudly declare my internal energy to be unparalleled. Though the power doesn’t double every time I consume the Thousand-Year Ginseng, all that energy melts into my Eight Extraordinary Meridians, forming an internal power that is almost infinite.
Once my preparations were complete, I clapped my hands and muttered to myself,
“Alright, time to catch a snake!”
- An expert that looks younger than his age[↩]