‘Hmm… has the spiritual essence become so concentrated that it’s taken on a physical form? Quite fascinating.’
The Heaven-Sundering Demon General examined the figure before her with wide, curious eyes gleaming with intrigue.
Given that they were in the Celestial Rift Valley, it was a plausible hypothesis.
“Um, hey… Heaven-Sundering Demon General…”
“Do not interrupt. If this intriguing phenomenon vanishes because of you, will you take the responsibility?”
Despite the earnest attempts of the Rakshasa Demon General calling from the side, the Heaven-Sundering Demon General casually disregarded her and continued to prod at the apparition.
The firm chest muscles and broad shoulders beneath her clothes seemed alive, flexing with every movement. To the Heaven-Sundering Demon General, it was an extraordinary subject to explore.
If it were known that ethereal beings could take on physical form, it would undoubtedly usher in a revolution in the world of mysticism.
With that excited thought in mind, she was lost in inspecting the apparition from all angles when—
“Hmm?”
She suddenly raised her head and found herself under the piercing gaze of a pair of blue eyes. Their icy sharpness struck her like encountering a tiger’s stare in the dead of night.
Gulp.
Even knowing it was an apparition, instinctively her throat went dry.
Having once been etched with the terror of the Sword Sage, this reaction from the Heaven-Sundering Demon General was natural.
“Ho! So an apparition can exude this much intimidation? Truly, this is the Celestial Rift Valley!”
Shaking off the fear like one snaps a shadow, the Heaven-Sundering Demon General extended her hand with feigned cheerfulness.
It was to touch the apparition’s face.
Just then—
Thud.
The apparition lifted their hand and caught hers.
“Hm?”
Goo-oo-oo.
An irresistible colossal grip tightly seized the Heaven-Sundering Demon General’s wrist. Despite only her wrist being captured, she froze, unable to move a muscle.
The apparition spoke. A course and raspy voice overwhelmed the Four Demon Generals.
“Why are you here?”
A simple question, a brief gesture.
Yet, it left the Heaven-Sundering Demon General utterly taken aback.
It felt too real. So tangible, it scarcely resembled an apparition. The Heaven-Sundering Demon General was forced to confront a dangerous theory forming in her mind.
This should not exist. It cannot exist.
Could it be… the real Sword Sage? No, that’s impossible. Why would the Sword Sage be in the Celestial Rift Valley? No matter how I think about it, that’s absurd…
“Let me ask again.”
The next vivid voice shattered her doubt.
“Why have the Blood Cult’s Four Demon Generals ventured into the Central Plains?”
Although the voice was rougher than before, its tone, nuance, and inflection were identical to those of the Sword Sage’s that she remembered.
“T, that’s…!”
Suddenly, the Heaven-Sundering Demon General realized—what she needed to do next was—
“T, th-that is…”
—an explanation.
The Four Demon Generals of the Blood Cult.
They are bound to me by an age-old grudge. Though they may not be aware, we’ve clashed countless times before.
I’ve died at their hands approximately nine times, and conversely, I have slain them around seventy thousand times during this cycle.
In this chapter, I let them live. The reason is simple—they won’t dare to return to the Central Plains once they’ve internalized an overwhelming fear.
However, I never expected to run into them here, in Celestial Rift Valley, one of the three forbidden zones of the martial world.
“Answer me.”
“Y, the Sword Sage…!”
It was truly unimaginable.
The moment I first saw them, I instinctively wanted to act—wanted to kill them.
I’d ensured that the Blood Cult would be locked away in the Kirin Mountains of Gansu and wouldn’t emerge. Thus, their crossing over into the Central Plains certainly did not signal benevolent intent.
Yet, my resolve changed.
– Jade Flower, remain still.
– Sword Sage… Could they…?
– They are the Four Demon Generals. If I were to kill them, it wouldn’t be difficult, but I’d rather not provoke the traps of Celestial Rift Valley. Let’s avoid it.
– If that is your wish, then I shall follow.
After quietly sending a mental message to Jade Flower to stay put, I calmly continued the dialogue.
“Don’t be too frightened, just tell me.”
“W, we came to gather mystical herbs!”
“Mystical herbs? Coincidentally, we too are searching for the Elixir of This Life. Could it be that you’re here for the same?”
“…!”
After all, I am no longer the Sword Sage. I no longer have the duty to protect the martial world.
And I’ve grown tired of protecting hypocrites from the righteous sects who only heap insults despite my help.
“A, no! We came for the Great Transforming Pill from Shaolin!”
“Great Transforming Pill? Are there any from Shaolin here in Celestial Rift Valley?”
“T, that’s…!”
“I, it’s here! The Great Transforming Pill!”
When Heaven-Sundering Demon General hesitated suspiciously, a woman standing two paces behind her called out urgently.
The Rakshasa Demon General, a top-tier expert once feared throughout the martial world who nearly annihilated the Amitabha Sect.
“Of course, since this is the secret treasury of immortality elixirs, what might not be found here?”
“Th, that’s right! Since it’s the secret treasury!”
“Hmm? That was a throwaway comment, yet you already knew about the secret treasury of immortality elixirs?”
“…!”
At the lightly tossed question, Rakshasa Demon General’s face turned completely pale.
Perhaps it’s the dark mist suiting them, but they seemed to have the faces of something inhuman.
They must be terrified of me. Well, I understand that.
Though, it feels peculiar to have our roles reversed like this.
“You’re too tense. From the sounds of it, you’re blurting out whatever comes to mind.”
“H, huuuk…! I, I, I apologize…! Please, have mercy…!”
“But why are you so scared when you’ve done nothing wrong?”
There was something odd about the expressions on the Four Demon Generals’ faces.
As I said before, I can read facial expressions. It’s a skill honed through observing humans for countless years.
Of course, I also recognize the differences between lying and telling the truth. Currently, both Heaven-Sundering Demon General and Rakshasa Demon General’s faces bore the marks of deceit.
Judging by the circumstances, either the secret treasury of immortality elixirs or the Great Transforming Pill is false. Why are they lying? I’m not even their enemy here.
“HHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!”
Suddenly, a blood-curdling scream erupted from behind the Four Demon Generals.
I looked up to see a woman stepping back with hostile intent.
The Great Strength Demon General, the strongest of the Four Demon Generals. Renowned for breaking a massive rock that obstructed a corner of the Yellow River with a single strike, creating a new waterway.
This Great Strength Demon General now looked at me with eyes full of dread, her tail tucked tightly while backing away.
Thud!
The Great Strength Demon General collapsed onto her behind. The other Demon Generals didn’t move to help, seemingly unable to even consider it.
Since they were not adversaries, I simply stood by, observing.
At that moment, the Great Strength Demon General continued to wildly scream and leap backward.
“O, oh no! Don’t come! Don’t come! HHHAAARRKKKKK!”
Desperation in her cries revealed her overwhelming fear.
Meanwhile—
Click-
“Ah…?”
The Great Strength Demon General’s hand, placed on a rocky spot, sank into it. Her wide, shocked eyes widened further—
KUUUUUUUUUUMMMMMM!!
“Damn! Jade Flower! Hold onto me!”
“W, what is it? What’s happening!”
The trap mechanisms beneath the floor creaked into motion before erupting in a series of explosions.
Fiery light from the gunpowder consumed the surroundings.
A massive wave of heat and flames engulfed the Celestial Rift Valley. The gentle mist became a whirling typhoon.
I quickly erected a protective barrier of Ki to shield both Jade Flower and myself from the explosion’s force.
KUWAANGGGGG!! BOOM BOOM BOOM!!
A section of Celestial Rift Valley collapsed. The thunderous sound of heavy rocks hitting the ground boomed out.
I gripped Jade Flower’s hand tightly just before the vision was obscured by dust. She gritted her teeth and relied on my arm to keep herself from being blown away by the explosion.
“Damn… That woman triggered something!”
“As expected, my earlier warning has come true.”
“Krk…!”
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!
The explosion continued for quite some time. Xin Tou, you greedy thief of treasures. You should have thrown them all into the sea instead of letting this happen.
The chain of explosions, which persisted for nearly a dozen li, gradually began to subside. Celestial Rift Valley echoed intermittently, but the situation was no longer critically dangerous.
Once I dissolved the protective barrier, I looked around with a deeply troubled expression.
“Here….”
The floor was even hotter than before.
“Damn it. We haven’t even fully explored the upper levels.”
Heat permeated through my shoes.
I quickly enveloped both Jade Flower’s and my feet with internal energy, as the scorching temperature threatened to suffocate us.
“We’ve already descended to the lower levels.”
An eerie breeze blew in from somewhere. Or, this is not really a breeze. With this underground space, circulation of air in such smooth manner is impossible.
Then, the unsettling air can only signify—
Rustle Rustle…
A Ghost Cave.
In other words, a place connected to the depths of hell.
“From here onward, remain on guard.”
We seem to have descended earlier than anticipated.
“I don’t know what could happen in this place, even to me.”
“Of course it feels awkward.”
A single soul, seated within Byul Rak’s consciousness, scratched its chin while muttering.
“Although there’s no problem with the memories from the regression era… why does the other part feel strange? I do have some guesses, but….”
The soul’s name is Woo-yong Jin, once an extraordinary martial artist who ruled the land but is now merely an old man pretending senility while playing the role of an elder-in-law.
“It’s odd, though. This feels off.”
Woo-yong Jin was going through Byul Rak’s memories, reviewing them carefully.
“While the three years spent in the Namgung family after the regression were neatly tampered with to ensure no awkward personality changes, the idiot known as Byul Rak hasn’t seemed to notice anything unusual…”
Woo-yong Jin redirected his eyes to the early period of the memories.
“Why has the recollection of the distant past, long before the regression even started, been erased? And it’s sloppy in some parts? What happened back then?”
It was beyond his comprehension. Byul Rak was supposed to be nothing more than a plain, good-hearted dullard before the regression. Could there be something unknown even to him?
As he racked his brain trying to figure it out—a hand descended onto his shoulder.
Turning his head, he saw a young girl.
“What’s a pretty lass like you doing in Byul Rak’s subconscious?”
“Hehe, I came because it’s time to start the preparations!”
“Preparations? I have no interest in that. But since you’re here… Do you happen to know anything about this fellow’s childhood memories?”
It was the same girl he had encountered in Byul Rak’s subconscious previously, who had spouted cryptic phrases like “for the one true ending.”
“Did you not tamper with his personality after the regression? Then it seems you might know something about these earlier occurrences. Give me some information if you can.”
The girl smiled brightly.
“That? Well, it’s like this…”
