Chapter 636
“Hah!”
I snapped back to reality, startled. I had been so immersed in Yeodong-bin’s memories that I felt like I was one with him. Having witnessed his entire life, I was filled with an overwhelming sense of emotion.
‘A hero.’
Yeodong-bin was truly a hero! He had single-handedly thwarted the schemes of the Eight Parts of the Divine, which even Master Mangnyang and the Celestial Realm could not handle, thereby protecting this world for a thousand years. While the common people revered Yeodong-bin as the Sword Saint, his true achievements made that admiration feel almost trivial.
If it weren’t for Yeodong-bin defeating the Great Dragon, the world might have perished before I was even born.
But Yeodong-bin, whether aware of my gaze or not, spoke calmly.
[Well then, as you’ve seen, you should have a rough idea of what it means to connect with a Martial God. However, I haven’t revealed everything to you yet.]
“…I see.”
Yeodong-bin selected certain memories to show me, like his ill-fated connection with Balhae, meeting the Martial God, and why he continues to gather strength and understanding of the Law of Cause and Effect, alongside the Great Extinction during the Fengshen War — it seemed he had shown me quite a lot, yet still didn’t fully trust me.
‘If only we could share information, I could get more on the Martial God…’
I felt an impulse to pull out and offer him the obsidian, but then the sharp voice of Cheon Woo-jin echoed within my mind.
[Don’t! Don’t make decisions hastily. Do you really think you can escape from Nüwa?]
“……”
[If you are deemed irrelevant by the Three Sovereigns, it’ll mean the end for you and everyone who shares the obsidian with you. Choose wisely.]
I hesitated, yes, I could be indecisive, but this was definitely not something to decide based solely on emotion. Seeing my bewilderment, Yeodong-bin spoke as if he understood.
[You don’t need to forcefully share secrets with others. Act when your heart leads you.]
“I’m sorry.”
[Given that Sang Gwanwna has sealed the passage with her name, you needn’t worry further on that front.]
“Yeodong-bin, I have three questions…”
Though I asked three questions, the Sword Saint responded casually.
[What cannot be said, cannot be said.]
“I understand.”
Nodding, I continued.
“Sword Saint, you sought the Xuanyuan Sword but ended up solving the chaos yourself. So what exactly was that Xuanyuan Sword?”
[What do you mean?]
“I mean… is it even real? Perhaps the Divine Thief was just blowing smoke…”
This was one of my biggest questions.
XUANYUAN SWORD!!
A legendary treasure claimed to be worth more than eight combined treasures, bestowed upon humanity by Emperor Gong Sun Xuanwen. I had no idea such a thing existed until I encountered the Divine Thief in Yeodong-bin’s memories. Thus, it could be that the Divine Thief was either gullible or simply boasting.
With a sigh, Yeodong-bin responded.
[Hoo… Honestly, I was quite curious too, so after ascending to the Celestial Realm, I asked everyone about the Xuanyuan Sword as I leveled up. But not a single immortal knew of it, and I could only find a single clue from a strange person.]
“Huh? Who is that?”
[…I can’t carelessly disclose that person’s honor or title. If you want to know, you’ll have to give me something of equal value, dear one.]
Yeodong-bin might casually reveal this due to goodwill, but related to the Great Immortal, this was celestial knowledge, so he didn’t wish to squander his understanding and power; it was evident he intended to conserve his strength.
“Hmm.”
It didn’t seem like a bad trade. But since this wasn’t something I’d need to decide immediately, I set it aside for now and posed another question.
“Then one more thing… what is the current status of the White Lotus Sect’s divine treasures? The White Lotus Sect today lacks the divine weapons that existed a thousand years ago.”
Asking about the Martial God would’ve likely led to dismissal, so I asked instead about the divine treasures of the White Lotus Sect. Divine treasures meant divine artifacts, and those of the White Lotus Sect had a reputation that matched their name. Yet, those treasures did not seem to be found anywhere within the current White Lotus Sect. Had someone known about them, I would have heard of them during my many past lives.
Yeodong-bin pondered deeply before replying.
[I don’t know for sure, but I have a guess.]
“What is it?”
[Back then, the divine treasures were directly embedded in the Great Dragon’s body, chaining him up like shackles. When the Great Dragon fell, the flesh of chaos may have launched into the cosmos through a celestial rift… The divine treasures could have been sucked into the Domain of Chaos.]
“Whoa!”
I gasped in shock.
The cosmos, the Domain of Chaos!
If the divine treasures of the White Lotus Sect had vanished into such a distant otherworld, wouldn’t that mean they could never be found? I worried that the valuable information I had just gained might slip away. Ultimately, I might have to explore other realms.
“…Last question.”
[Go ahead.]
“You mentioned entering the Martial Soul just before you defeated the Great Dragon. However, the Martial Soul shares a name with the Ultimate Technique of the Thunder God Lineage — what’s the relationship?”
[I can’t say for certain, but…]
The Sword Saint considered before responding.
[It’s unlikely to be coincidence. I think there’s a reason behind the name given by the Thunder God Lineage and even the Four Great Families. They undoubtedly have some connection to the Martial God.]
“Hmm.”
[This might also relate to the disappearance of the divine treasures.]
Divine treasures.
While I was lost in thought, Cheon Woo-jin gruffly interjected.
“Enough. Let’s head back. With all this information, we should enlist the help of the strategists, right?”
“Ah, right.”
Poof!
I returned to Zhuge Sa. I showed everything I had learned and Yeodong-bin’s recollections to the National Seal.
Whoosh!
After hearing the information, Zhuge Sa grinned.
“Hehe… The Sword Demon sure taught you some unnecessary things. Why would you bother going through the hard way when there are easier paths?”
“Zhuge Sa! The people of Luoyang are innocent.”
“Why should I care? Damn it. Seeking efficiency is what strategists do.”
Zhuge Sa grumbled. Of course, he had intentionally refrained from giving me advice regarding the seal. I felt bitter but at the same time understood why he thought that way, so I couldn’t argue back. Instead, I said to Zhuge Sa.
“Zhuge Sa, the information is overwhelming and confusing. Can you please advise me on what to do next?”
“Hmm… Let me think for a moment.”
Zhuge Sa pondered before asking Cheon Woo-jin, who stood nearby.
“Cheon Woo-jin! As a disciple of the god, have you heard anything about the Xuanyuan Sword? This is the first time I’m hearing about it.”
“This is the first I’m hearing of it too.”
Cheon Woo-jin crossed his arms, uncharacteristically tilting his head.
“If such a powerful divine treasure existed, I would have heard of it at least once; it’s strange.”
It was no wonder Cheon Woo-jin was the disciple of the god, being at the pinnacle level among all sorcerers in the current Central Plains as he was the most knowledgeable concerning treasures and techniques. If even he was unaware of the Xuanyuan Sword, it likely meant the information about it was distorted or simply false.
After a brief moment, Zhuge Sa said.
“Right now, there are a total of three important issues at hand.”
“Okay.”
“First, Baek Woong, your challenge to Dark Heaven Village. This can be attempted right now, and if you were to die like a mayfly, you’d quickly gain experience. Of course, dying is easy, and so is the challenge, so there’s no need to rush into it.”
“Hmm…”
“Second, obtaining information about the Xuanyuan Sword I just mentioned. I suspect it may not even exist, but if it does, your journey through past lives could be shortened by at least ten lives. So, this is something you can’t ignore. If you obtain the Xuanyuan Sword and become its master, you might acquire the power of an Apostle in an instant.”
Zhuge Sa’s words were sound. If it was a treasure worth more than eight treasures combined, it could potentially be above the Seven Luminaries as well. I nodded as I considered this when Zhuge Sa pointed out the final vital point.
“Thirdly, locating the Grave of the God situated in Liaodong… this is currently left solely to the Sword Demon, but frankly speaking, it’s not something the Sword Demon can manage alone.”
“What?”
“What kind of territory is Liaodong? It’s a hotspot where the influence of the Central Plains Martial World clashes with the Twelve Joules. If one is to explore ruins or uncover ancient mysteries there, you won’t be able to do it without the assistance of the Twelve Joules.”
“……”
“I knew from the start. To find the Grave of the God and uncover the secrets of Seo Mun-hye, cooperating with the Twelve Joules is unavoidable. But that wasn’t something I wanted to bring up until now.”
I fell silent.
‘Cooperating with the Twelve Joules…’
Such thoughts felt complicated. The Master of the Twelve Joules had no reason to easily assist me, and if I drew his attention, my actions could be limited. Several instances of betrayal also came to mind, making the thought of the Twelve Joules even more stressful. As I pondered, Zhuge Sa clapped his hands together, organizing the situation.
“Let’s keep it simple and calm. First, activate the National Seal and use its search function to find out if the Xuanyuan Sword exists in this world.”
“Ah, right!”
“If that doesn’t work, you can just offer a sacrifice to Yeodong-bin.”
Poof!
As soon as I finished speaking, I moved into the internal world of the National Seal and made a request to the spirit.
“National Seal! Find out where the Xuanyuan Sword is right now.”
[Please wait a moment…]
Poof!
It felt like starlight was shimmering. Inside the National Seal, darkness and light swirled around, reading the information of the world at an incredible speed. After a while of gathering information, the spirit of the National Seal spoke, sounding troubled.
[No search results for the Xuanyuan Sword.]
“……”
[Would you like to see related search results?]
I considered the spirit’s proposal and asked back.
“Is it not like last time with Chi You, where things were edited due to a request from the administrator?”
The spirit of the National Seal tilted its head at my question.
[Last time? What do you mean? This is the first time you have used the search function, master…]
“Ah, right… It’s nothing.”
I hurriedly realized my slip of tongue and fumbled, but my heart raced for a moment.
‘I’m the only one who remembers my past lives, while the others don’t.’
It makes sense now; having repeatedly created companions by giving them obsidian upon my rebirth, it seemed I had not felt this dissonance often lately. I cleared my throat and waited for the spirit’s answer, and soon it spoke.
[Yes, indeed. There are no requests for editing from the administrator, nor any edits by other users.]
“So that means, by the power of the National Seal, it truly can’t find the Xuanyuan Sword?”
[You could see it that way.]
“Does the National Seal’s search function also work for other dimensions or realms?”
[No, it only searches within this physical world and material plane.]
“Hmm. I see.”
I frowned.
‘So it’s kind of a letdown?’
After all, if something existed in this world, the National Seal could find it, but if it had transitioned to another world, the search would yield no results. Having confirmed the Xuanyuan Sword did not exist in this world, I posed another query.
“Then can you search for where the divine treasures of the White Lotus Sect are?”
[No search results for the divine treasures of the White Lotus Sect.]
“……”
[Would you like to see related search results…]
“Oh, shut it!! What can you even find?!”
I abruptly lost my temper. The spirit of the National Seal also looked irritated.
[I can’t say something exists when it clearly doesn’t.]
“I don’t care!! It wouldn’t hurt if you could search even a different realm, would it?”
[… You could always create it yourself.]
“Huh?”
[Uh, I was just talking to myself…]
Before I could even respond, the spirit of the National Seal vanished from sight.
‘Did I say something too harsh?’
I scratched my head, suddenly feeling guilty about losing my cool, and returned to reality.
Then Zhuge Sa spoke up.
“Well, we’ve learned something.”
“That neither the Xuanyuan Sword nor the divine treasures of the White Lotus Sect exist anywhere in this world?”
“No. What’s important now is that we need the ability to search across dimensions.”
That’s how Zhuge Sa replied.
“Baek Woong, there’s something new for you to do.”
“What is it?”
“Practicing the Heavenly Secret Technique.”
Zhuge Sa’s eyes sparkled.
“Give Yeodong-bin a treasure, trade for information, and then head to Mount Ye, the place where Emperor Gong Sun Xuanwen perished, to summon Gong Sun Byeok and learn what he can tell you about the Xuanyuan Sword.”
