Chapter 707

Chapter Title: Dark Heaven Village

It took quite a while for the Sword Demon to grasp Beirus's story. That was because it wasn't about martial arts or the martial world—it was a mythical, sorcery-related tale. However, thanks to his sharp mind, he pieced together at least the bare essentials and spoke to Beirus.

"So this thing sealed in the [God's Tomb] is a being capable of wiping out everything on the surface world in one go..."

"That's right. And even among giant gods, such entities are extremely limited. They're never common even in myths. So in my view..."

Beirus trailed off there, his lips twitching as if he wanted to say more before clamping them shut.

"......"

Did he lack enough clues to speak yet?

Beirus hesitated for a moment before continuing.

"Sword Demon. But using that seal down there to negotiate with Musashi is impossible."

"Hmm."

"The Musashi I faced directly is a Fighting Ghost dominated solely by the extreme emotion of 'battle.' Whether he perishes or not is irrelevant to him by now."

"I figured as much."

The Sword Demon already knew that without Beirus saying it. Having clashed blades with the current Musashi firsthand, he understood the opponent's emotional state better than anyone through a swordsman's intuition. Threatening mutual destruction against such a foe would be utterly pointless.

But then—what was to be done?

He now knew unleashing the seal below would doom the world, but that fact was useless at the moment. As a reincarnator, Baek Woong could leverage this information for a major breakthrough later, but right now, it meant nothing. After pondering briefly, the Sword Demon said to Beirus.

"Beirus. How are you able to pass on memories of time regression to me?"

"I can regress the wheel of time by transmitting the memories of one person excluding myself."

"I thought so. That's why Hyea was unaware."

The Sword Demon nodded and continued.

"If we fail this time, then, could you pass on Hyea's memories instead of mine?"

Beirus tilted his head at the unexpected proposal.

"An odd choice. That woman possesses excellent martial prowess, but it falls short of yours."

"There's a reason. I ask you."

"Very well, I'll give it a try."

"We'll head back down, so buy us some time."

"Understood."

A battle with absurdly slim odds of victory.

Yet within that fight, the Sword Demon had found a sliver of hope.

Even for a demonic sect overlord like the Sword Demon, who had weathered countless storms, maintaining his mental fortitude and cool judgment to the end in such a hopeless struggle would normally be impossible. Strangely, though, his mind felt unusually calm as he thought.

'Is it the influence of inheriting Baek Woong's memories?'

The Sword Demon prided himself on surviving his share of asuras' fields in life, but it paled against the reincarnator Baek Woong. Baek Woong had actually died 23 times, with near-death experiences numbering many times that. Knowing how much a brush or two with death changed a person, the Sword Demon could sense that Baek Woong's dauntless spirit transcended human limits. Compared to the trials Baek Woong had endured, this situation was downright ordinary—hence his clarity.

"Then I'll go block Musashi again."

"I leave it to you. Just hold out for one incense stick's time."

"I'll do what I can."

Flash!

Thanks to Beirus's spatial transfer, the Sword Demon and Seo Mun-hye returned to the deepest layer of the [God's Tomb]. This time, they arrived directly at the bottom, saving time due to their prior memory of the path.

Seo Mun-hye spoke.

"Father. What's the plan?"

"Hyea."

"Yes?"

The Sword Demon gazed calmly at the massive heart and spear embedded before them, alternating his stare, then said.

"You possess the bloodline and power of myth. You already know that."

"Yes..."

"In fact, Zhuge Sa once hinted at it to me. He said the reason mythic power manifested solely in you was due to an Ancestral Regression phenomenon."

"Ancestral Regression?"

As Seo Mun-hye looked puzzled, the Sword Demon explained.

"It's when an ancestor's bloodline and traits manifest after dozens or hundreds of generations. Your mother's Seo clan likely inherited giant god race blood from ancient times, and by extreme coincidence, its traits awakened in you. Your white hair is probably due to that as well."

"......"

"You called it a curse, inheriting that power, but I don't see it that way. Even as I say this... I resent the heavens for why it had to be you, why my daughter must be tied to this cursed mythic truth."

"Father..."

The Sword Demon's eyes brimmed with sorrow. In this moment, as a father, he was drowning in profound helplessness and despair. He knew it would aid Baek Woong, yet foreseeing the ordeals his own flesh and blood would face made his chest tighten unbearably.

"But since things have come to this, I've decided to trust Baek Woong will resolve everything and use that fact."

"What do you intend to do?"

"Hyea. You said a divine being bellowed at you when you tried to pull that spear. Then try this."

The Sword Demon quietly relayed his scheme, and Seo Mun-hye was inwardly shocked. It was a reckless plan straight out of Baek Woong or Zhuge Sa's playbook. She said.

"Father. Failure means disaster. Even Beirus might die with us..."

"Beirus isn't some pushover, from what I've seen. He only seems weak because he's protecting us. If he went all out, he'd surely tip the balance of heaven and earth's powers. No human force could kill him."

"......"

"He's no match for Musashi, nor anyone we need worry about. We must focus on our own concerns."

Seo Mun-hye replied.

"What worries me is that if we fail, I'll have to carry the final regression chance alone. No strategy against Musashi comes to mind."

"Don't worry about that. You won't go alone."

"Pardon?"

"I didn't tell Zhuge Sa, who's no warrior... but I have a hypothesis. Now's the chance to prove it."

With that, the Sword Demon sat cross-legged. He half-closed his eyes, entering peak concentration, and Seo Mun-hye watched her father before clenching her fists tight.

'I have to make this work.'

She knew he was confidently presenting a hole-ridden makeshift plan to reassure his daughter. In truth, failure odds were several times higher than success, and the burden he bore inwardly was dozens of times what showed. Yet the Sword Demon had shouldered it all, choosing the path to his own death.

Why?

Because that was a father's heart.

In this instant, Seo Mun-hye truly steeled herself to stake her life—not mere words. She resolved to find a way for both her and her father to survive, refusing to give up.

Tap-tap.

As the Sword Demon's concentration peaked, Seo Mun-hye dashed to the spear shaft and began yanking them out one by one. They came out far more easily than before, the chilling aura from the shaft much fainter.

On the third one, the same bellow echoed.

[How dare you!! Giant god kin, have you interfered with my seal to free your tribesman? Stay put—I'll come seize you soon. But if you stop pulling that spear and retreat, I'll let it slide once!]

Seo Mun-hye gritted her teeth against the head-splitting roar. She waited for the headache to subside, gathered her wits, and responded.

[O Divine One! I shall pull no more from this seal. I apologize for my rudeness—grant one request in exchange!]

Surprised by her reply, the distant entity fell silent. Moments later, it answered in a chilling tone.

[Upon closer look, a human manifesting giant god traits. Fine, what request does a mongrel like you have for this seat?]

The foe seemed willing to hear her out. Because while not pure human, she was at least a 'mongrel'—worth conversing with over mere insects. Seo Mun-hye addressed the self-proclaimed "this seat."

[A being possessed by some [Ancient Ruler] seeks to kill me. Eliminate him.]

[Ho...]

The entity paused, then chuckled mockingly.

[A fool from afar dares wreak havoc here. Such scum must be eradicated.]

Had it accepted?

Seo Mun-hye inwardly sighed in relief, but her heart sank at the follow-up.

[In exchange, that body becomes mine henceforth, and your soul belongs to the Myriad Ghosts Hall. You shall serve as my servant, dwelling there for eons. Do you accept this pact?]

Bound to the Myriad Ghosts Hall for eternity.

It meant no salvation even after death—becoming a ghost devouring human flesh. Unspeakable torment awaited, perhaps despair beyond human imagination.

Seo Mun-hye had anticipated this offer. Following the Sword Demon's advice, she retorted.

[That I cannot do.]

[Then this seat cannot lend power.]

[Then I'll pull out all the spears. Makes no difference either way.]

[What did you say?!]

[What will you do?]

Fuming at her words, the entity growled low like a simmering rage, then seemed to reconsider.

[Quite bold. But you seem capable, so this once, I'll lend my power.]

[My thanks.]

It sneered.

[We'll see if you still thank me...]

Whoooosh.

The next instant, Seo Mun-hye felt her consciousness snap as a colossal 'something' from a distant dimension descended. Her awareness was flung away, plunging into vertigo like tumbling from a cliff at Ten Thousand Layer Gorge. Her body was no longer hers—dozens of ghosts swarmed, dragging her soul toward the Myriad Ghosts Hall. She realized the great being had descended, casting her soul into that hell.

I don't want to go.

Yet with no one to help, she understood the path she'd chosen.

The path of the asura.

Baek Woong's perennial final choice—a literal hell-bound road for ordinary folk. Baek Woong might have avoided such rough treatment, but

Evidently, Seo Mun-hye's defiance had irked it.

'I have to endure...'

She strained desperately to anchor her soul to this world. Even with divine blood, recklessly borrowing a deity's power invited results.

Flash!

[Hmm.]

The entity possessing Seo Mun-hye's body glanced at the meditating Sword Demon in the corner, ignored him, and moved earthward. To it, a mere human was no more than vermin, unworthy of notice.

Reaching the surface in Seo Mun-hye's form, 'it' beheld two beings locked in combat. The Western Jesuit sorcerer called Beirus and the monstrous Miyamoto Musashi—it was one-sided. Musashi relentlessly hacked at Beirus with immense power, while Beirus summoned a pitch-black barrier to endure. But the barrier was cracking, nearing its limit.

The entity extended both hands, unleashing its authority toward its target.

Boom!!

Space-time warped; the monstrous Musashi staggered back. Time froze in an instant, dozens of shadow blades manifesting to shred him. Even Musashi's durability couldn't withstand it. His gaze turned to the newly appeared Seo Mun-hye, growling.

[You... what scheme to interfere...]

The possessing entity replied dismissively.

[I have no desire to parley with the likes of you. Come forth, intruder in my domain.]

Crack-crack.

As it spoke, Musashi's human face sank into the horde-like monster body, replaced by a dragon-like reptilian head protruding. Soon, Musashi's form shifted fully from human to dragon-man, shedding all human traces.

The true entity that had turned the deceased Musashi into a monster now emerged, implanting Musashi's ego and stepping out. The dragon-man chuckled gutturally.

[Heh heh heh heh. Kek. Come to play with me now? To guard your paltry domain? You know this continent means nothing to you or me.]

The entity in Seo Mun-hye coldly shot back.

[Shut your mouth. I'm no one you can mock—so close it. Playing with toys is fine, but don't forget our relationship.]

[Hmm. True enough. I apologize for my rudeness.]

Surprisingly, the dragon-man yielded meekly. For the being before him—appearing over his 'toy'—was no jesting matter. Provoking it risked striking his own true body. Narrowing its eyes, the dragon-man said.

[I am the Flame King, Burner of a Hundred Stars! I hold no desire for true battle with you, one of the Five Emperors, Jeon Uk.]

[Good that you know your place.]

Indeed.

The one possessing Seo Mun-hye's body was none other than Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors—Jeon Uk!

Once ruler of the north, Jeon Uk claimed this barren plain as his territory too. For certain reasons, he had crafted the seal called [God's Tomb]. And now, at Seo Mun-hye's request, he had descended here, taking her as his apostle.