I woke up from the dream drenched in sweat. Or rather, I thought I woke up from the dream, but the memory was vividly etched in my mind. I could once again feel the body of the child in the stable, and I had to feel it.
The sixth life had begun.
"......"
I felt more like I had no luck rather than thinking I was going to lose my mind or go crazy. I had become a Jin Yi Wei to find a somewhat peaceful life, but it turned out to be the beginning and the peak of a conspiracy. I tried to prevent the tragedy by using my conscience, but in the end, it only led to another reincarnation.
' Damn. I feel terrible.'
I frowned and placed my hand on my eyes. Fortunately, the pain had subsided in an instant, so my mental state was not too bad, but dying was certainly not a pleasant experience. I spent a long time in the stable, listening to the chirping of insects, allowing my mind to heal in the silence.
Amidst the confusion, I thought I needed to learn the "Method to Cut Off Pain." So far, I had been lucky enough to die quickly, but if I were to be killed in a gruesome manner, I doubted I could maintain my sanity. I needed to learn how to eliminate pain to withstand torture or sudden death.
Once my mind was settled, I began to think more calmly.
What should I do this time?
And how should I live?
"... I have to stop the human sacrifice."
I had no choice but to set this as the purpose of my current life. It would be nice to improve my martial skills and live a life as a great martial artist, but I couldn't do that. No matter what, I would eventually encounter the Jin Yi Wei's sinister plan. Moreover, it was unacceptable to turn a blind eye to the slaughter of thousands of people.
Fortunately, I felt I could try to stop it. A plan quickly formed in my mind. If I acted now, I might not only prevent the plot of the sorcerer and the Jin Yi Wei but also gain unexpected benefits.
The problem was elsewhere.
Was I really prepared to turn the Jin Yi Wei and the imperial court into my enemies?
If I interfered with them as a child, they might be taken aback at first, but they would eventually uncover my appearance and identity. After that, I would likely have to fight the Jin Yi Wei continuously. Living a normal life as a martial artist and enjoying wealth and fame would become difficult.
But I steeled my resolve, recalling Wangliang's words. Just because something didn't harm me immediately didn't mean I could ignore it; it would only fuel the fire. The monsters that were just three in number at the beginning had grown to dozens, each ten feet tall, after five years of devouring sacrifices. The longer time passed, the more they grew, making it impossible for a single person to deal with them.
' Well, if it doesn't work, I can always run to [there]...'
In my fifth life, I didn't just fool around.
I had collected all the information I could.
The existence of another life as an alternative also made my decision easier. I steeled my resolve and prepared to move. As I slowly walked out of the stable, I thought the stars in the night sky were truly dazzling.
I glanced at the village chief's house and considered how much hatred I still held for them.
I had a significant experience at the village chief's house. I could probably beat a large number of them again this time. However, the intensity of my hatred had diminished because I had already avenged myself once. Now, they just seemed like annoying villagers. I didn't hate them enough to kill the village chief again and again.
' Hmm, this is troublesome...'
I thought for a moment and then sent a mental message.
[ Do you intend to pick a fight with me? ]
Cold Sky Sword Kong Zai, the elder of the Yellow Mountain Sect, was startled and replied.
"Not at all! How could I dare to fight you? I merely wish to know why the great master has come to the Yellow Mountain."
It seemed he completely believed I was a great master who had reversed his age. I confirmed Cold Sky Sword, who was about 15 feet away, and noticed two disciples standing beside him. They probably came out on patrol together. Their martial skills seemed to be at the level of first-class experts.
' Hmm, this is going to be troublesome...'
I thought for a moment and then sent another mental message.
[ I'm just passing through and decided to visit the Yellow Mountain. I've heard that the scenery at Inner Jing Peak and Zhenqiu Peak among the 72 peaks of the Yellow Mountain is particularly beautiful, and I plan to see them all. I'll come and go quietly, so don't interfere. ]
"Is that so?"
[ Yes. ]
Cold Sky Sword Kong Zai seemed to be exchanging glances with his disciples. Then he clasped his hands and said.
"Then we, the Yellow Mountain Sect, would like to assist you in your visit to the best of our abilities. It would be an honor for us if you would visit our sect."
"......"
I understood his persistent intention. He found it unsettling for a mysterious great master to wander around the Yellow Mountain area and wanted to keep an eye on my actions, either as a guest or otherwise. Given his position as an elder of the Yellow Mountain Sect, it was understandable that he couldn't tolerate an uncertain element, but he was clearly trying to lure me with such tactics because he lacked confidence in his martial skills.
However, I had no intention or reason to visit the Yellow Mountain Sect. Why would I get involved with them when I needed to save time? So, I smirked and replied.
[ I'm sorry, but I don't intend to travel with you. Don't interfere with me any further. ]
"Um... Wait!"
Whizz
Cold Sky Sword Kong Zai was already channeling sword qi into his blue sword. He was undoubtedly a peak expert.
[ Do you intend to attack me? If you have the courage, go ahead. ]
"......"
I could see sweat forming on Cold Sky Sword's forehead. He seemed to be debating whether to risk his life against an unknown, age-reversed great master. I wasn't sure I could easily defeat Cold Sky Sword, but I put on a show of confidence.
[ However, if you make me your enemy, it means you want to challenge Dragon Shadow Sword Long Zhongyi. I don't understand how the Yellow Mountain Sect has grown so much. ]
"Y-You... Who are you?"
He seemed both amazed and terrified. I was calling the renowned supreme expert of the Yellow Mountain Sect, the sect leader, as if he were a neighbor. Since I had no intention of getting involved with the Yellow Mountain Sect any further, I decided to have some fun and lied.
[ I am the Law Guardian of the White Lotus Sect. ]
"......!!"
[ Do you still intend to challenge me? ]
Cold Sky Sword Kong Zai's expression was one of near fainting. After swaying for a moment, he spoke in a strained voice.
"No... Just go... I apologize for our rudeness to the Law Guardian."
"Master!"
"Retreat, both of you..."
Cold Sky Sword Kong Zai said this and then turned and left without looking back.
' Hahaha. They would have been a challenge if they all attacked, but they're running away out of fear.'
I chuckled, imagining the trouble they would face. It would only take a couple of hours to gather and consume the elixir, and besides, I had bad feelings about the Yellow Mountain, so it felt good to toy with the elder of the Yellow Mountain Sect.
Feeling refreshed, I thought about how I had become more daring in my lies because I had died so many times. If humans are going to die eventually, shouldn't they live doing what they want? My mindset had gradually changed during the cycle of death and rebirth.
I quickly went to Baihuan Peak while they were retreating.
"Hello, thousand-year-old snow ginseng."
I smiled at the thousand-year-old snow ginseng growing in the cave and consumed it again.
Rumble...
"Ugh..."
Unlike before when I absorbed it easily, I felt a strange barrier building up inside my body. It pressed down on my dantian for a while before being compressed. At the same time, half of the previously unopened meridians were suddenly penetrated.
I felt the power surging through my body was at least 50% stronger than before. After completing the circulation of qi and gathering all my strength, I felt that I could now proudly claim to have the greatest power in the world. While consuming the thousand-year-old snow ginseng didn't double my strength, all the energy had fused into my Eight Extraordinary Meridians, forming an almost infinite inner strength.
Once my preparations were complete, I clapped my hands and muttered.