Reincarnated Sword Ghost

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When they initially rose into the air, they were brimming with life, each with a different expression on their faces.

But the moment they landed on the ground, all of them had become corpses.

The surrounding forest was stained red with the blood flowing from the corpses.

The small clearing that they used as a base had, in an instant, turned into a sea of blood and corpses.

This happened right after a bright yellow bolt of lightning struck in broad daylight.

From the moment true ki coursed through the body’s meridian pathways and flowed into the sword, manifesting as sword aura on the blade, the mastery of cultivated power had reached its pinnacle.

Even calling it ”delicate” would not suffice to describe this level.

He had truly become a peerless expert.

Step, step.

Jeong-un surveyed the scene briefly before moving his feet.

In just a few strides, his pace quickened, and he soon dashed forward.

He followed the mountain path that the enemy had cleared to transport supplies to their main headquarters.

’That guy isn’t completely without a plan.’

The Demonic Cult Leader, as Jeong-un knew him, was certainly arrogant, but not someone who acted recklessly.

He must have anticipated that the orthodox alliance converging before him was by no means a weak force.

Both the Nine Great Sects and One Union and the elite of the five great families had gathered.

Among them, perhaps even their respective heads and sect leaders might have arrived.

With a force of this scale assembled, retreating would have been a loss.

The cause was just, and the forces more than ample.

Somehow, they all had to do their part so that, once the war was over, they could claim something when the spoils were discussed.

However, their opponent was none other than the Demonic Cult, whose strength was difficult to discern.

Oddly, Jeong-un had only ever seen the Demonic Cult’s cult leader a handful of times.

And even then, that man managed to evade the abbot of Shaolin’s secret techniques; his methods were mysterious, and his personal martial might had reached the realm of a peerless expert.

Besides, the cultists themselves must also have substantial power.

Naturally, their force would be vast. Just thinking back to the Demonic Cult Uprising a few decades ago proved the point.

Back then, those called High Priests had martial arts on the level of great sect leaders.

And here was their stronghold.

Most likely, they had laid out a chilling formation, waiting for the orthodox alliance to step in.

Of course, with Zhuge Cheon-woo and the chief strategist of the Murim Alliance, the Zhuge Clan Head, there would be ample defenses, but it was clear this would not be an easy battle.

Once war broke out, no matter which side gained the upper hand, the casualties would be enormous.

The conflict might even drag on for a very long time, with no clear resolution.

And all this was not even a face-to-face battle on open ground.

This was an assault on enemies entrenched in treacherous territory—hoping to annihilate them without casualties was pure folly.

’That’s why my role is important.’

Whoosh—

Jeong-un raced fiercely along the path. By now, battle fronts must be forming everywhere.

Unlike him, moving alone, the orthodox alliance’s numbers were overwhelming.

They were closing in on the main headquarters from all sides, creating multiple battlefields in an instant.

’I have to hurry.’

He tried to steel his heart, but as the situation drew near, anxiety welled within.

He couldn’t even estimate how many would die. Weren’t there already over ten thousand here?

If they were to lose this war...

’... Stop thinking.’

Jeong-un muttered a warning to himself.

Now was not the time to imagine such scenarios.

He needed to consider this a simple task with a straightforward solution.

All he had to do was cut off that man’s head, and it would be done.

’It’s not even wrong.’

It was then—

The gentle slope of the path slowly rose, then suddenly dropped abruptly as if collapsing, descending into a steep downhill.

At that moment, his field of vision opened wide, revealing a vast panorama ahead.

”......”

It was a sheer cliff.

He had already ascended to considerable altitude, and even as he craned his neck upward, the summit was so high that it seemed to touch the sky itself.

And below, there was the entrance to a cave.

’These bastards are insane.’

Jeong-un muttered inwardly.

If they weren’t sinister, would they even set up their main headquarters like this?

At first glance, it seemed similar to when they had secretly dug a cave in Sangsan to wait for Jeong-un, but this was different.

From the entrance, a heavy aura of demonic energy spilled out.

More importantly, he sensed instinctively—this was not the only entrance.

With the cultists numbering in the thousands or tens of thousands, having just one way in or out wouldn’t be possible.

Furthermore, the unmistakably impure energy unique to the cultists was far thicker than last time.

The mountains here were so cold and rugged, no one would dare climb them.

Having seen it in person, he realized this place was not just sparsely populated—it was completely deserted.

No wonder they had established their stronghold here with no worries.

Jeong-un could virtually picture the scene inside: a vast underground world, as if the bowels of the Tian Mountains had been hollowed out.

Naturally, there would be mechanical trap formations and other traps lying in wait for intruders.

”......”

But Jeong-un’s expression remained composed.

Even when faced with the cavern’s gaping maw, which yawned open as if to devour him whole like a beast, he was unfazed.

’It’s not as if I didn’t know.’

He never expected the path to the cultists’ main headquarters to be easy.

In fact, reaching it so quickly was almost a stroke of luck.

After arriving in Xinjiang, he barely wandered and was able to locate the main headquarters quickly.

Even the timing suited his plan perfectly.

Slick.

Unconsciously, Jeong-un swept his hand over the sword handle of the black sword at his waist.

It was a habit he had lost when he carried Dragon Sky.

Regardless of its quality, the black sword, which had been with him since he first entered the martial world, brought a strange sense of stability.

’All I need is this.’

With no hesitation, he stepped inside.

* * *

There are names that are always mentioned when speaking of orthodox martial artists.

There is Sword Saint Namgung Yuhon, head of the Namgung clan and current Murim Alliance Leader; the Heavenly Martial Hall Lord Zhang Mun-gi, also called Sword Sovereign, who alone attained the ultimate truth of the sword and reached an exalted status; and the Mount Hua Sect’s Celestial Sword Cheong Hyeon Taoist Master, who claims the title of Central Plains’ greatest swordsman.

In addition, VIPs from the five great families and the Nine Great Sects and One Union had gathered here.

That alone was astonishing, even more so considering this was the distant land of Xinjiang, far from the Central Plains.

It was as if none concerned themselves with status as they all sat around a giant round table. Each was renowned, yet even so, their collective number made the table massive.

”I heard that the Qingcheng Sect’s taoists discovered traces of the enemy in the northwest of the Tian Mountains. The elite of the Murong Clan also encountered cultists and reported that the cultists withdrew first.”

The first to speak was Zhuge clan head Zhuge Jain.

Along with his younger brother Zhuge Cheon-woo, the chief strategist of the Heavenly Martial Hall, he was famed for his peerless wisdom.

Yet, he was also known for his quiet, reclusive life, rarely appearing outside his clan.

Despite holding a military strategist position in the Murim Alliance, this remained true.

It was, in a way, to be expected.

The Murim Alliance was a coalition of many sects—it did not have a true physical form.

Only when a particular incident occurred did its members truly act together.

”Heavenly Martial Hall’s warriors have also encountered cultists in several places. But apparently, the cultists do not aggressively engage in combat—they clash a few times, then retreat repeatedly.”

Zhuge Cheon-woo responded in kind as if continuing the conversation.

”They’re drawing us in. It’s obvious.”

This came from the head of the Hwangbo clan, sitting opposite.

He looked around and continued.

”They want us to enter the Tian Mountains, with terrain they know well, rather than fight head-on. Their aim is to avoid a major battle and instead provoke scattered skirmishes.”

”But why? Didn’t they go out of their way to reveal their main headquarters was in Xinjiang? They claim to want a fight, yet avoid large combat—what are their intentions?”

”Surely, they wish to wear down our strength. They know a protracted situation only benefits them, since we’ve left our own territories behind. They believe we’re anxious to return.”

At that, others began to add their voices, speaking over the round table.

In a flash, things grew noisy. Though all were lofty figures, they were still only human.

Each had different interests and private motives, so the gathering quickly became clamorous.

”What of the Hami royalty’s movements?”

Amidst this, Namgung Yuhon quietly asked Zhuge Jain, eyes glancing over those in conversation.

”Surprisingly, they’ve already sent a letter stating their intention to cooperate. The envoy who delivered the letter was extremely deferential.”

”I heard some of their nobles have learned demonic arts.”

”They openly admitted it. With exchanges with the Great Ming sparse, they said they had no choice but to protect themselves and pleaded for forgiveness in the letter.”

”Hm...”

Namgung Yuhon lowered his gaze contemplatively.

This was, after all, outside the territory of the Great Ming.

Now, over ten thousand martial artists—every one versed in martial arts—had assembled here, so the locals’ extreme vigilance was only natural.

But to have passed without any friction? He was secretly astonished.

”What about that child?”

Turning his head, he asked Zhang Mun-gi sitting nearby.

”I let him act alone. He must be doing his part somewhere.”

”Didn’t you say the cult leader was interested in that child?”

”Forgive me. I simply couldn’t bring myself to restrain him.”

”......”

Contrary to his words, Zhang Mun-gi’s face was thoroughly calm.

He even wore the expression of one following the natural course of things.

Yet Namgung Yuhon was not surprised by this response. After so long together, he was used to Zhang Mun-gi’s peculiar nature.

’He’s called Heaven-defying Lone Sword.’

The child had quite the interesting moniker.

It made sense after hearing that he belonged to no sect and was rather reserved.

Jianghu denizens tended to be a teasing lot, after all.

But his martial skills were said to be outstandingly strong. There were even rumors that, for his age, his skill already rivaled veteran martial artists from the old sects.

In that case, ”Heaven-defying” might suit him.

’The Demonic Cult Leader wants him, apparently.’

It was the Heavenly Martial Hall Lord, sword Sovereign, who had said as much, though even he claimed not to know the exact reason.

He said he released Heaven-defying Lone Sword from affiliation, letting him act however he wished.

A warrior with no allegiance—such a thing was unprecedented in the hall’s history.

”......”

Namgung Yuhon glanced at Zhang Mun-gi. Even after all their years together, the man remained inscrutable.

Yet, in hindsight, there was always a particular reason for his actions, which prompted a certain faith in him.

Gradually, he shifted his gaze toward the others, still noisily voicing their opinions.

’This is difficult.’

The Namgung clan had long ruled the prosperous Namjignye region. The prestige of clan head Namgung Yuhon was not taken lightly.

That standing alone was enough to grant him the Murim Alliance leadership.

Yet, he could not simply bark commands and overwhelm all present.

That was only natural. Everyone here was the ruler of their respective domains.

Even as alliance leader, he had no right to dictate to them unilaterally.

Attempting to break their spirits might instead fracture this hard-won alliance—something that would be a disaster, as such a gathering was nigh-unprecedented in jianghu history.

Even the table before them was round for a reason.

”In the end, are we not gathered to exterminate the cultists?”

After waiting for the noise to subside, he spoke.

Silence fell, and the masters’ gazes settled on him. The pressure was immense, almost suffocating.

Yet, Namgung Yuhon endured it calmly and continued.

”Even setting aside their leader, each High Priest is an exceedingly powerful fighter. These are the very ones who, half a century ago, shook the martial world and then vanished into mountain valleys—now returned as even greater monsters.”

At this, tension filled the hall.

Everyone knew that, long ago, the High Priests of the Demonic Cult had power rivaling great sect leaders.

Now, having survived and reappeared, their martial levels must be frightening.

Namgung Yuhon pressed on.

”What if two sects form a group and encircle the Tian Mountains, advancing slowly until they discover the stronghold? Once it’s found, they immediately share the location and regroup ahead?”

Everyone nodded at once. There were no objections, as this was sound strategy.

”Clan Head Zhuge, I ask you to arrange the group assignments. With the Zhuge clan’s renowned strategists, there should be no objections.”

”I’ll do my best, even if I may fall short.”

Zhuge Jain nodded at once.

Not one person disagreed.

With the two pillars of the five great families in agreement, and with the proposal being so reasonable, there was nothing to add.

”......”

Namgung Yuhon slowly took in the scene.

To unite these proud men and drive them to battle required careful words to avoid anyone taking offense.

Even this agreement was only temporary.

Once the main headquarters was found, there would no doubt be intense negotiations over spoils and interests.

’That’s enough for now.’

He postponed the headache for later. For now, finally, the swords of the hundred great sects of jianghu were pointed in the same direction.