Reincarnated Swordmaster

Chapter 204

Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors

Mangnyang shocked me with the revelation that the ancient Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors were indeed cannibals.

“Of course, this fact only serves as a warning, so don’t think too much of it.”

“I understand.”

I let out a sigh of relief. While it was a shocking truth about history, it had no direct relation to the current task of unsealing the demand barrier. Digging deeper would lead somewhere, but we weren’t there yet. Mangnyang explaining this to me in the absence of Miho probably meant it wasn’t that important after all.

And even if the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors did eat humans, that was a matter of the distant past, right? What mattered now was gaining strength to counter Dalgi.

Mangnyang said,

“Baek Woong. In this case, we have no choice but to resort to a rather primitive method.”

“Don’t tell me…”

“We’ll go back to the Great Prairie’s lake and simply trust your instincts to keep moving north until we hit the Ice of the Han Dynasty.”

“Ugh, that’s all we have left.”

It wasn’t practical to comb through all those countless books in the library searching for the refining spell, especially when it seemed there were tens of thousands of them. With Mangnyang currently having to politically navigate the Imperial Palace forces while also boosting his own skills, he couldn’t afford to waste any more time.

As a person trained in hanseobulchim (한서불침), I could translate a tremendous amount of my internal energy into stamina. As long as I wore thick fur clothing, the chances of dying from the cold were practically nil. I could dash across the northern lands and, if I found it too hard, I could just return to Jinlang Valley.

‘I need to see that Arctic continent with my own eyes, no matter what.’

With my resolve firm, Mangnyang asked,

“Baek Woong, can you use the Deungpyeongdosu (登萍渡水)?”

I nodded.

“Of course.”

Originally, I couldn’t use it. However, during my 14th life, under the intense teachings of Neosim-ryu, I had to master the Light Body Technique, so I learned advanced techniques like the Grass Skimming Technique and Deungpyeongdosu. While such techniques typically require exceptional talent, my perfect handling of basic energy and broader understanding of martial arts made it feasible.

Just then, Miho returned. Upon hearing that I planned to break through directly into the Arctic by passing through the northeastern lands, she frowned.

“I had a feeling you would resort to that primitive method.”

“Miho, just turn into a necklace and follow me.”

“That’s fine, but are you really okay with this? The hardships ahead will be nothing compared to crossing the Middle Kingdom’s perilous terrain.”

“Suffering for a day or two is nothing; it’s better than dying without achieving anything.”

I swallowed those words down.

Before Miho and I left Jinlang Valley, Mangnyang said,

“Baek Woong, don’t agonize over your inability to reach the legendary beings’ power right now.”

I sighed.

“After nearly a hundred years of cultivating my strength and practicing, not reaching even a fraction of their power—how can I not worry?”

“But you’ll have another chance to cultivate for another hundred years in the future.”

“……”

I stared at Mangnyang as he crossed his arms and added,

“I’ve put in sleepless nights training in martial arts and sorcery ever since your arrival with the demand and my internal energy. I know that my goal has grown bigger, as now I must fight against Dalgi, the Demon King of the Divine Age. To improve my survival chances, I exerted myself.”

“……!!”

Suddenly, I understood the reason for Mangnyang’s incredible progress in this life. Until now, he had focused on developing Bancheonmeng and various strategies, placing little importance on personal martial prowess. However, with such overwhelming disparities in power, his allies could face total annihilation, and his life could be at risk at any moment. That’s why he’d been training so diligently.

Mangnyang smiled brightly.

“The key is in your heart.”

“My heart?”

“Indeed. The world will change depending on what kind of intentions you, Baek Woong, hold. So never forget righteousness and chivalry.”

There was genuine sincerity in his words. Having realized how hard Mangnyang had worked in this life, I knew I had to accept his advice. I nodded and said,

“Don’t worry. I will do well.”

Fwooosh!

The next moment, I found myself with Miho at Ovrgs Lake. According to Mangnyang’s insights, from a latitude perspective, Ovrgs could be closer to the Arctic than Moscow or Astana. From here, all I had to do was head north.

Miho asked,

“You’re not planning to interfere with the events of Belof and Ivan IV in the western regions, right?”

“Right. I think that’s something for later. I don’t have the means to release the dragon’s spirit immediately anyway, so there’s no rush.”

“Good thinking.”

“By the way, Miho, I have a question.”

“What is it?”

Knowing that I had a long journey ahead without a breather, I sat calmly on a rock near the lake. Looking at Miho, I opened my mouth,

“If the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors were evil gods who engaged in human sacrifice, then what about the Heavenly Realm?”

“……”

Miho looked taken aback.

“Why are you curious about that? It’s not really related to our journey to the Arctic.”

“It seems strange. The Heavenly Realm must have existed during the reign of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors. Did they just sit by and watch human sacrifices take place?”

Records indicate that the senior immortals of the Heavenly Realm were close to Emperor Gongsun Xuanwen, as noted in the Classic of Mountains and Seas. That would imply they were aware of the brutal human sacrifices conducted by the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors.

Miho responded to my question,

“I don’t know much about it either. But the immortals and divine beasts I’ve seen in the Heavenly Realm were all beings that sought justice and order. They were not wicked beings like the evil beasts inhabiting the dark realms.”

“Hmm…”

“My master, the Queen Mother of the West, was the same. She was known for graciously accepting offerings and prayers from humans.” The Great Immortals are all benevolent beings and love humanity.”

“I see.”

There was no reason for Miho to lie about something like this. It felt sincere, especially considering her background as an exiled figure in the Heavenly Realm. The Great Immortals and divine beasts were indeed kind beings, completely opposite to the evil gods.

‘So does that mean the Heavenly Realm chose to turn a blind eye to the tyranny of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors?’

Yet, thinking like that raises a concern.

Investiture of the Gods!

According to the divine being and seer, the story depicted in the novel shows that the Yin Dynasty was an evil empire that frequently engaged in human sacrifices, while the Zhou Dynasty put an end to those practices.

So, what truly happened during the transition of the Yin Dynasty?

“This is frustrating.”

“What do you mean?”

“I wish I could travel back in time.”

I muttered that thought and then asked Miho,

“Miho, do you have any treasures or spells that could take us back to the past?”

Miho made a pouty face.

“Why ask me such questions?”

“Ah… sorry.”

Miho was a great beast with a gloomy past, as she had been exiled from the Heavenly Realm. My question seemed to have stung her. As I fumbled to apologize, she suddenly burst out laughing and tugged on my cheek.

“Ahahaha, I’m just kidding. As far as I know, such a convenient and miraculous power doesn’t exist.”

“Why? I’ve heard that if you master sorcery, you can even bring the dead back to life.”

“Hmpf… I don’t know the details, but time manipulation sorcery is inherently impossible. Even the Great Immortals can’t do anything about time. So how about waking up from that unnecessary dream and focusing on the task at hand?”

“Tch, you can’t even have a proper conversation.”

“You’re just a beginner sorcerer; how could you expect otherwise?”

Miho looked at me with a teasing expression. As she said, I had indeed built my basic magical power and sorcery thanks to the artifact I received from her, but with my limited skills, I was a mere novice sorcerer. To someone like Miho, who was at least at an upper-level sorcery level, me bringing this up must have seemed absurd.

Sudden inspiration struck, and I said to Miho,

“Oh, right, Miho.”

“What is it now? Speak all at once.”

“I need to learn sorcery. Can you be my teacher?”

“You’ve already learned fire magic from me.”

“But you know various spells.”

Miho sighed and said,

“Hmph… After all your studies, you still don’t understand the difference between human and beast sorcery?”

“I don’t really know. No one’s explained it to me.”

“To put it simply, human sorcery is acquired while beast sorcery is innate. Beasts can learn other forms of sorcery, but spells they’re naturally born with are immensely powerful without any training. This is because beasts draw their powers from the shadows, naturally absorbing strength from the darkness of the world.

Most humans, on the other hand, are not innately gifted with sorcery and must learn through practice. That’s why human sorcerers often lag behind beast-sorcerers and rely more on techniques than raw power.”

“I see…”

“If you’re human, it’s advisable to have a human sorcerer as your master.”

In that moment, a light bulb went off in my head.

‘Aha, this method might just work!’

I felt this was a splendid idea. Thanks to my chat with Miho, I felt like I had gleaned a valuable clue. Thus, I hugged Miho tightly.

“Thank you, Miho!”

“Ugh, did you actually understand?”

As I embraced her shoulder and rubbed my cheek against hers, Miho made a disgusted face. She reluctantly pushed me away with her hands, but the joy only grew, and I kissed her cheek. Miho’s face turned as red as a tomato.

“Stop it! Get to work!”

With that, Miho shouted and transformed into a necklace hanging around my neck. It meant no more chatter; it was time to head north. As I reflected on the feel of Miho’s skin, my cheeks flushed with excitement.

Thud!

I started to run at an incredible speed. While I sprinted like the wind, Miho walked beside me with a grumpy expression.

[Why are you grinning like that?]

“Hehe.”

I didn’t know exactly why, but hugging Miho had filled me with warmth. It felt like my insides were brimming with her essence. The fatigue and mental irritation from the last few days seemed to dissipate in an instant.

After running for about half a day, I found myself standing in a desolate tundra, completely lost as to where I was. As I stepped out of the prairie and into pure frost, an intense cold and blizzard began to whip around me non-stop. The wind was so strong that I could barely see an inch ahead.

Whoosh!!

The biting wind picked up ferociously. Any ordinary human would freeze to death in such a place, even clad in fur. But with my hanseobulchim (한서불침) and enormous internal energy, I felt completely fine and began to climb the rugged mountain range.

Thud thud thud…

As I stepped onto the massive rocks of the mountain range, I began to dart horizontally across it. This was the fast track to cross an isolated terrain that showed no signs of human activity. Moving sideways like this makes the path to the mountain peak clearer.

For about an hour, I climbed using my Light Body Technique and felt an absurd sensation.

‘What… why is this so high?’

I had a technique that allowed me to scale modestly-sized hills in no time at all. But this mountain was so steep and daunting that despite all my effort, I only caught a glimpse of the summit. It was so tall that even normal climbing techniques seemed utterly futile.

Finally reaching the top, I gazed out and took in a vast expanse of scenery. I could see the places I had passed through and the path I still needed to traverse. I turned and set my sights on a massive mountain ahead, starting to run again.

Thud thud thud

Whoosh~

The blizzard barraged me left and right, non-stop. This was a terrain unlike any I had ever encountered. I noticed the clothes I wore were starting to freeze, so I released some Chi to shake off the snow. I continued running, keeping my mouth firmly shut.

‘This is driving me crazy. I can’t even find a decent place to rest.’

How much time passed? Perhaps at least four hours had gone by.

I felt like I had sprinted about three hundred li, but the endless expanse of tundra remained barren and desolate without any signs of life. The realization that this was truly the Arctic continent sent shivers down my spine. It was vast, and yet it lacked a proper environment for human survival.

Whooooosh~

Suddenly, I stopped in the middle of the blistering tundra. While I wasn’t tired yet, the darkness was becoming stronger, and snowballs tumbled around me. I doubted whether camping here was really feasible.

‘Hmm… should I use the geyser and turn back from here?’

Though I hadn’t run into any significant obstacles yet, the harshness of the terrain was making me hesitate. After some thought, I shook my head.

‘No. Let’s push forward.’

Thud!

I took off running once more. Even though I was gasping occasionally, I ignored it and ran on. I decided not to use the Nae Myung technique and just stuck to the Myeol Hon Bo technique. While using Nae Myung could speed things up, it made dividing my energy for withstanding the cold challenging. The Myeol Hon Bo technique allowed me to wield a lot of power even with minimal energy.

Thud…

I narrowly avoided my third avalanche and landed on solid ground. Spotting a cave along the way, I entered to rest.

“Phew…”

The natural cave formed by cliffs wasn’t very deep—just enough for one person to lie down. I lay on the cave floor and murmured to Miho,

“Miho, should we head back to Jinlang Valley?”

[Do you even know where this place is?]

“I have no clue.”

[Then keep going until you find a habitable terrain or something unusual.]

I felt appalled to realize my spirits had weakened. Nature was so harsh that it was overwhelming. But, gathering my resolve thanks to Miho’s words, I looked out at the expanse of white outside the cave.

After resting and recovering my internal energy for about an hour, I began to move again. Fully recharged, I took off sprinting once more.

Thud thud thud!

I kept running, relying solely on the direction of the north—over mountains, rivers, and cliffs without a care. There’s probably no one else on Earth who would cross a continent in such a manner.

After running all day, I suddenly felt my internal energy beginning to run low and a bone-chilling cold creeping in. Exhausted, I prepared to use the geyser.

Fwooosh!

Upon returning to Jinlang Valley, Mangnyang noticed my near catatonic state. Then, right out of the necklace form, Miho transformed back into her usual self, warming me with foxfire. After sleeping for half a day and waking up, Mangnyang looked at me with concern.

“Are you really okay?”

I shook my head and replied,

“I’m fine… I think we can make it if we just go a few more days.”

I had the feeling I had run at least a thousand li so far. No, it had to be much more than that. Although the continent was vast, I had an instinct that if I covered the same distance I had already traveled, I would definitely see the end ahead.

I returned to Miho, and together we headed back to the cliff where we had last arrived, leaping again with the Light Body Technique.

“Woooorrrr!!”

I felt invigorated. No matter what, I would run!

I realized I had been running mindlessly for so long that I now only focused on not depleting my internal energy as I continued at full speed with the Myeol Hon Bo, narrowly avoiding gigantic landslides that seemed capable of upending the heavens.

After sprinting for about three days and nights—

“……”

What in the world happened…? I stood on an icy expanse, staring at a desolate tundra, thinking it felt so odd. Day and night typically alternate, but for some reason, it never seemed to become dark here. Even though I felt time had passed enough for night to fall according to my senses, it didn’t seem to change. While I pondered this, Miho transformed back from necklace form and said,

“It seems night won’t come.”

“What’s going on?”

This place lacked even the usual snowstorms or tempests.

It was eerie.

Gazing at the stark ice field, Miho commented,

“I think that means we’ve arrived at our destination.”

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