Call Of The Spear [EN]: Chapter 337

Nangseon’s Adventures – Part 2, Episode 46

The sky was blood-red, and the ground was obscured by ink-black clouds, a suffocating sea of mist.

Inside the Silent Stillness Pure Land [a dimension or realm that isolates and traps consciousness], Great Sky Martial General was bleeding from the mouth.

“Great Sky Martial General! What in the world happened?!”

The one who found her was Peng Jong-yeon, the head of the Peng clan.

He shouted at the pale-faced Great Sky Martial General, his neck veins bulging with alarm.

“The Silent Stillness Pure Land has been seized.”

Wiping the blood from her mouth, Great Sky Martial General stood, her face as white as snow.

The control of the Silent Stillness Pure Land had been completely taken over.

“Se-Seized! You’re saying the Water Realm’s treasure has been seized now?!”

Sadly, it was the truth.

It seemed impossible, yet it was undeniably the truth, making it feel surreal.

All senses were blocked.

This was the terrifying power of the Silent Stillness Pure Land, which had played a crucial role in the Celestial Slaughter War [a major conflict between realms or celestial beings].

No signs, no senses, completely cut off, forcing one to live trapped here for life.

There was no escape from the illusionary realm of the Silent Stillness Pure Land, imbued with the power of law, through ordinary means.

That was why they were able to annihilate so many demonic entities during the last Celestial Slaughter War.

‘The Returning Joy Palace has been swallowed by the Silent Stillness Pure Land.’

That meant the entire place was enveloped in an illusionary realm.

It also meant that the spectators and the heads of the Five Great Clans and their families were trapped inside the Silent Stillness Pure Land.

This was no ordinary matter.

The Silent Stillness Pure Land was a treasure that stole and confined consciousness.

Many cultivators were still present in the Returning Joy Palace’s training grounds.

Even with their consciousness trapped in the Silent Stillness Pure Land, their physical bodies remained vulnerable outside.

‘Even a divine immortal could easily be killed by a child in such a defenseless state.’

That was the case for everyone present.

So, they had to retrieve it quickly.

“Who is the enemy?”

“Originally, I believed that the Great Sky Martial General and I were among the Water Realm families closely aligned with the Immortal Realm.

But now I see that I was completely wrong.”

There was no way they wouldn’t know after seeing the words ‘Celestial Slaughter Rebellion’ floating in the seawater.

It was the work of the Collapsing Realm and the Death Realm.

“It’s likely to be one of the participants in the Martial Arts Competition. To suddenly seize control of the Silent Stillness Pure Land to this extent….”

It had to be the work of someone who had entered inside. There were special secret arts to hide spiritual objects in one’s consciousness.

The only good thing was that the one who controlled the Silent Stillness Pure Land was inside the illusionary realm.

If they were outside, everyone would be helpless and die.

“There is no time.”

They had to find and kill the culprit.

Otherwise, everyone in the Returning Joy Palace might be annihilated.

“I have no choice. I’ll support you.”

It was then.

She pushed away the Peng clan head, who was trying to steady her.

Ttaeng!

A sharp metallic sound erupted.

Whiririk, splash.

What fell into the ink-black seawater was a strangely shaped, curved dagger.

“Clan Head Peng. What is the meaning of this!”

Her hand, which had knocked away the dagger, was trembling.

“It’s a rather potent poison from the Collapsing Demon Realm. Just a little touch will steal the divine force within the body and twist the meridians.”

He said, a sinister smile twisting his face.

“The Peng clan was also in league….”

As if to confirm his words, her hand was already stained purple.

Spores formed on the surface, like mold blooming.

“What is the reason? Aren’t you the head of a great clan representing the Water Realm!”

“That’s right. A great clan.”

“But why!!”

“Simply because it is a great clan.”

The Great Sky Martial General’s face contorted in disbelief.

“No matter how much I, as the head of the Peng clan, lead a great clan, the current Water Realm cannot escape the shadow of the Sky Piercing Water Palace and the Five Great Clans. We can’t even try to achieve the same glory as they have.”

The Peng clan head’s eyes turned fierce, and killing intent overflowed.

“The Great Sky Martial General knows well. There is a clan that shone brighter than anyone in the Celestial Slaughter War, but fell lower than anywhere else.”

“…”

“Driven by jealousy and envy, they falsely accused the Sa clan, causing their downfall! Afterwards, they slowly gnawed away at the Hwagirin lineage, trying to erase them from the Water Realm. That is the current Five Great Clans!”

Why wouldn’t she know?

They were all aware but pretending not to know.

The Upper Immortals might not know, but most of those who had ascended to the Fragrant Immortal realm knew.

They knew but pretended not to know.

Under the pretext of having lost their families, because they were immersed in sorrow, because they didn’t want to see more blood.

They turned a blind eye.

“So, you’re joining hands with enemies like those!”

“The Five Great Clans were the ones who repaid kindness with enmity after being spared. Originally, poison should be countered with poison. Do you perhaps know the expression ‘water change’?”

“I know.”

“When raising things like carp in a pond, the water becomes murky, so you have to change the water from time to time. What I’m trying to do is just a simple water change.”

Discarding the dirty and smelly things, and filling it with clean and refreshing water.

That was what he would do.

“You are being used by the demonic entities.”

“I am also using them, so there is nothing wrong with that. Or is there?”

There was no reasoning with him.

The Great Sky Martial General sighed and severed her arm where the poison had spread.

“As expected of the Great Sky Martial General’s judgment. In the long run, that is the right thing to do.”

Cutting off the arm to prevent the poison from spreading was the decision that would allow her to live.

“But you should have killed me first. Even an arm with poison on it is better than nothing. If you enter the Silent Stillness Pure Land without occupying the Spiritual Altar, the death of consciousness is the death of the physical body!”

The physical body of a divine immortal was a state where mind, energy, and body were unified. Therefore, if the physical body was damaged as before, it would be difficult to restore it.

Losing the divine force contained in the arm meant losing the accumulated cultivation, and if it was a Fragrant Immortal [a high-level immortal], it was no different from losing thousands to tens of thousands of years of cultivation.

The same was true even in the consciousness within the Silent Stillness Pure Land.

Without occupying the Spiritual Altar, damage to the consciousness would lead to damage to the physical body.

“Besides, I heard that the Great Sky Martial General’s original spirit is sealed in the Great Sky Palace.”

Another self of the Fragrant Immortal.

Without the original spirit, the power of the Fragrant Immortal would inevitably decrease further.

Even the Great Sky Martial General, said to be the strongest in the Water Realm, what would happen if she had no original spirit and one arm missing?

“It was really hard to find out in advance that the Great Sky Martial General was vulnerable to poison.”

“Are you going to kill me?”

“I have no intention of doing so. The Great Sky Martial General’s character is impeccable, so she must live to lead the Water Realm. However, that righteous character is a major obstacle to our great undertaking.”

The Great Sky Martial General closed her eyes.

His goal was to drive out the existing Five Great Clans. To kill the clan heads.

And to take their place.

His goal was to tie down the Great Sky Martial General.

‘There are many words about righteousness….’

If it was to push out the existing ones, there would be clans that would support him.

A clan to enter the new Five Great Clans.

In the end, it was greed.

“Are you planning to kill everyone here?”

“I have no intention of doing so.”

That meant he would only kill the Five Great Clans.

More precisely, the clan heads.

It was not something he could do alone.

Other clans were already inside the illusionary realm.

Or perhaps they were carrying out the task outside the illusionary realm.

To save one’s life, one had to remain silent here.

He had no intention of harming her.

But.

“I am the Great Sky Martial General. It is a position for the Water Palace in a small sense, and for the Water Realm in a broad sense.”

She understood his intentions, but the Water Realm must not be shaken now.

If five Fragrant Immortals died, the decrease in power would be beyond words.

For the sake of the Water Realm, she could not stand by.

“I thought you would think so. The successive Great Sky Martial Generals have been such positions, and you are also an impeccable Great Sky Martial General.”

“I am simply fulfilling my duty.”

Soon, the figures of the Great Sky Martial General and the Peng clan head disappeared, and an earth-shattering roar filled one side of the Silent Stillness Pure Land.

* * *

Meanwhile.

“Celestial Slaughter Rebellion, huh….”

Cheonbeom roughly grasped how the situation was unfolding.

The alarm signaling the arrival of the Celestial Slaughter War.

That was how the time of the Upper Immortal Martial Arts Competition was chosen, and that was what they had implemented.

“Those demonic bastards are always causing trouble wherever they go.”

But no matter how crazy they were, this was the Sky Piercing Water Palace.

Such a situation would not have occurred unless someone closely related to the Water Realm was involved.

“I’d like to hear the story.”

Beom looked at the man in front of him.

A very familiar face.

The atmosphere was quite different, but he was a man he knew well.

“Why are you in that form there?”

He was sitting cross-legged on the ink-blackened seawater.

Behind him was a huge, deformed tree as black as the seawater.

The black tree, with only bare branches, had skull-shaped fruits hanging from it, which looked ominous at first glance.

“I didn’t want to meet you here of all places. Immortal Cheon.”

“I didn’t want to see you either if possible. Immortal Ho.”

He was the Peng clan’s Ascended Immortal.

Ho Jun-seong.

“You weren’t a Water Realm immortal.”

“Yes, I am an immortal of the Collapsing Demon Realm.”

His confession, as if relieved, felt somewhat out of place.

“Due to various circumstances, I infiltrated as the Peng clan’s Ascended Immortal.”

“What is your purpose?”

“To seize and destroy the Silent Stillness Pure Land. As a bonus, to announce the arrival of the Celestial Slaughter and that the time was near.”

“Destruction….”

“The Water Realm’s Silent Stillness Pure Land was quite a troublesome treasure for us. My parents also died because of it. That’s why the Celestial Slaughter Star Lord of the Collapsing Realm sent me.”

Beom just stared at him blankly.

“Are you sure you don’t want to stop me?”

Ho Jun-seong asked instead, seeing him remain still. Beom pondered for a moment before shrugging his shoulders.

“It doesn’t look easy, so I’m contemplating.”

“Haha, that’s right. It’s a barrier that even a Fragrant Immortal would have a hard time breaking through for a while.”

Around him were mountains with different energies.

Four hills, located in the east, west, south, and north, were slowly rotating in the air.

They were currently in the shape of a palm-sized triangle, but the energy they emitted was extraordinary.

They seemed to be forming a barrier to protect him.

The tree behind him was probably the culprit behind this phenomenon.

“Is it the Peng clan’s grand plan?”

“They will think so.”

“Immortal Ho seems different.”

Ho Jun-seong was silent for a moment, then smiled bitterly and continued.

“They say they will become the new Five Great Clans of the Water Realm and correct the wrongs. They are probably thinking of subduing the chaos with the Celestial Slaughter War and establishing themselves. I will probably be killed as a stepping stone for their leap.”

“You’re saying you’re doing as the Peng clan wants, even though you know all this?”

“Didn’t I say? They will think so.”

Ho Jun-seong was an immortal of the Collapsing Demon Realm.

Once the task was completed, he would be publicly executed to quell the chaos in the Water Realm.

Since the Celestial Slaughter War was about to arrive anyway.

“It’s foolish. The Silent Stillness Pure Land is in my hands, though.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I will kill everyone. Destroying a treasure like the Silent Stillness Pure Land is no ordinary task. As a result, everyone here will die.”

“You will die too.”

“Do you think I wanted to infiltrate the Water Realm? I am destined to die whether I do this or not. If I am going to die anyway, the more companions I have, the better.”

It would be even better if it helped the Collapsing Demon Realm.

Beom nodded.

“Is it okay to tell me this?”

“It won’t change anything even if Immortal Cheon knows. No matter how strong you are, you are just a being limited to the Upper Immortal realm.”

That was right.

The energy he was emitting now was not that of an Upper Immortal.

It was that of a Fragrant Immortal.

He was a Fragrant Immortal who had been hiding as an Upper Immortal with some kind of secret art.

“Still, I’m glad I was honest with you. Still, among the days I spent here, the cultivation with the immortal was quite enjoyable.”

It was the face of someone who had transcended.

Frankly, Beom didn’t care who he joined hands with or what he did to the Water Realm.

It was none of his business whether the Five Great Clans changed or not.

He didn’t care if the clan heads of the Five Great Clans, whom he didn’t even know well, died.

If they died, he might think it was good. He might gloat, saying they got what they deserved.

But.

“I don’t intend to die yet.”

He had no intention of dying yet.

“And there is a friend here to whom I owe my life.”

Naturally, he couldn’t just leave it alone.

“You mean the daughter who inherited the blood of the Hwagirin clan. I really wanted to kill that daughter, even if I didn’t kill the other immortals. In the Collapsing Demon Realm, they consider the Water Realm’s Hwagirin as their mortal enemy.”

At the same time, his fist was thrust out.