Call Of The Spear [EN]: Chapter 126

Nangseon Gi Hwan Dam – 125

Dragon Flame Ginseng, a rare herb that only sprouts by absorbing the fire energy from a Hwagyoryong’s [mythical dragon-like creature] lair!

The ultimate spiritual ginseng that all Hwansintong [masters of spiritual transformation] masters yearn for.

“Not only Dragon Flame Ginseng, but if you complete the task safely, the priceless sword will also belong to Brother Bum. Not bad, right? What do you think?”

Suspicious.

Offering the Dragon Flame Ginseng in exchange for help with forging only deepened the suspicion.

However.

‘The allure of the Dragon Flame Ginseng is too great.’

A ginseng imbued with the energy of a Hwagyoryong.

Aside from being difficult to obtain, its efficacy is extraordinary.

‘It’s too precious to use Dragon Brain right now.’

As a Mountain Monarch in Yeongmyeong Junggyeong [a high stage of cultivation], it would be wasteful to consume Dragon Brain at this stage.

It was best to save it for when ascending to Yeonggeop [a higher realm of cultivation].

‘If I make and consume a Dragon Flame Pill with the Dragon Flame Ginseng….’

Consuming it as a divine pill would be incredibly beneficial for a Mountain Monarch who has mastered Hwansintong.

If replicated with Sawoljehang [a technique for replicating items], it could potentially lead to the final stage of Yeongmyeong in one go, and if lucky, even Yeonggeop. Moreover, he didn’t have a suitable divine pill at the moment.

The price was too tempting to refuse.

‘I’m not ready to face the Heavenly Tribulation [trials faced during ascension], so I should delay Yeonggeop. Even so….’

He desperately wanted to obtain it.

It was a spiritual ginseng that he absolutely had to acquire.

Furthermore, after studying various scriptures, he had learned the formulation for a divine pill that was highly effective for those in Yeonggeop, and one of them was the Dragon Flame Pill. He couldn’t help but be greedy.

“How can I assist you?”

Then, the Great General smirked and tossed a red wooden box from his chest.

“Take it in advance. The higher your realm, the better, wouldn’t you agree?”

Using Bongak Cheonghwa [a technique to activate talismans], he instantly burned the talisman and opened the wooden box.

As soon as it opened, a heat that stung the skin spread in all directions, and flames soared.

The flames surged as if trying to escape, taking the form of a Gyoryong [a type of dragon].

However, as if waiting for it, Tamhwa appeared in the air and snatched it away.

“Ouch, it’s hot!”

She said with a grimace, but didn’t let go of the Dragon Flame Ginseng.

When the Mountain Monarch received it and put it in the wooden box, she cooled her hands, fanning away the heat. Even Tamhwa, who was accustomed to fire energy thanks to the Mountain Monarch, said it was hot, so there was no need to verify it.

‘It’s genuine.’

Moreover, judging by the commotion it was causing, it seemed to be budding with spirituality, even if only slightly. There were also a few fruits bearing on the upper part of the ginseng.

‘Cultivating it might not be a bad idea.’

The Mountain Monarch’s flame was exceptional, so imbuing it with Bongak Cheonghwa and growing a ginseng might not be a bad idea.

“Great. I was half giving up, but if you help, I need to prepare! No time to waste! Let’s meet again when the next Ascension Day comes!!”

The Great General said and disappeared in a streak of red light.

The Mountain Monarch was bewildered, but since he had obtained the Dragon Flame Ginseng, he couldn’t go back on his word.

The next Ascension Day was in 100 years.

‘I need to make thorough preparations too.’

There was nowhere to escape in Geomnyeongdo [Sword Spirit Island].

Unless he mastered swordsmanship and reached the realm of Geomnyeong Hwaya (劍靈和惹) [Sword Spirit Harmony]!

“First of all, now that the troublemaker is gone….”

The Mountain Monarch, who had placed the Dragon Flame Ginseng in Gongjeonggang [a storage space], looked around and slowly descended.

Beneath Geongeonju [a specific location on the island], there was a thick fog, but it lightly dissipated with a wave of his hand.

Underneath the fog, a dense thicket spread out, making it difficult to see the ground.

The Mountain Monarch, who had landed on a treetop, fluttered his robe and commanded Tamhwa.

“Tamhwa, catch just one. Don’t eat it. It’s dirty.”

“Okay!”

As he was examining the scriptures, he soon heard a scream and Tamhwa returned.

“I caught it!”

“Hold it there.”

The creature resembled a human, but it was a bizarre form with no hands and swords attached instead.

The Mountain Monarch immediately summoned Mangeuk Ilgeom [Ten Thousand Calamity Sword].

Mangeuk Ilgeom, which appeared next to the creature’s head, pierced through it.

Rather than piercing, it simply passed through.

‘It has no killing power?’

As he was wondering, the creature’s head twisted grotesquely and drooped.

“Is it dead?”

“Uh… yeah. It’s dead, Master!”

Tilting his head, he examined the creature with Dallyeong Geumjeong [a spiritual eye technique] and noticed something strange.

The flow of Qi [spiritual energy] near its head was severed as if it had been hacked to pieces.

‘I see. It cuts the flow of Qi….’

Come to think of it, that was the case.

Since it was an incorporeal sword, it couldn’t cut anything with substance.

“But that’s no reason to die… Is it because it’s a Gubu [failed sword spirit]?”

The origin story of the Gubu is somewhat tragic.

In the distant past, many experiments were conducted to artificially create Geomnyeong [sword spirits].

However, they ultimately failed, and the result was the Gubu.

Many lives were sacrificed.

Someone who pitied those who were neither Geomnyeong nor anything else called them Gubu, beings who could not be saved.

“Since they are things that cannot exist in the first place, that might be the case.”

The Mountain Monarch faced several Gubu trying to attack him with Mangeuk Ilgeom and was able to gain certainty.

A sword that cuts the incorporeal.

Mangeuk Ilgeom.

“It might be different when facing Taoists, but it can create an opening.”

It might be a fleeting gap, but in the Taoist world, life and death are determined in that brief moment.

Moreover, the more he trained, the more powerful Mangeuk Ilgeom would become.

‘There’s no harm in it since it can briefly gain substance when reaching 6-Star.’

The Mountain Monarch pondered for a moment and decided to hunt Gubu for about a year to train.

Mangeuk Ilgeom had just reached 1-Star, and controlling all ten thousand swords was still too much for him.

“What did that guy get here?”

The protagonist of the opportunity obtained an opportunity even among these Gubu.

“Was it the Gubu Lord?”

They were like the kings of the Gubu.

There were a total of four, and they seemed to be acting as kings in their respective areas.

They didn’t have a core, but their strength was comparable to Taeseon [a high-level cultivator].

Even for the Mountain Monarch, they were dangerous, but there was nothing to worry about.

“Tamhwa.”

“Huh?”

“Don’t you want to eat something delicious?”

“Yeah! Something yummy!”

“This is the north, so if you go south, you’ll see delicious things.”

“Can I eat them?”

“As much as you want.”

* * *

Sasa삭 [sound of rustling].

A Biseon [a type of cultivator] running through the thicket was moving so fast that his eyebrows fluttered.

Kwaaang!

“Keuhahaha! The way you run away is no different from a rat, aren’t you ashamed to call yourself a Taoist!”

“Shut up, you son of a bitch!”

The white-haired Biseon shouted back, but tears flowed.

‘I shouldn’t have followed Yuksa…!’

He was Manho, the first of the Mountain Monarch’s group to enter Geomnyeongdo.

At first, he was bewildered, but the new swordsmanship was so outstanding that it opened his eyes, and he was happy.

He didn’t even realize that 30 years had passed while he was immersed in training.

That’s right.

Manho didn’t know much.

He didn’t know that such a monster was lurking beneath Geongeonju.

He swung his sword, intending to test the new swordsmanship.

If that was all, it would have been fine.

But without realizing it, he got carried away. He deployed Geomjin [sword formation] and flew Geomgi [sword energy], so it was natural that he attracted attention. When he came to his senses, he was in this state.

A difference in realm that was difficult to resist.

A guy who was on par with Taeseon.

He didn’t know he would be targeted by such a guy.

Even a pill bug wouldn’t have known.

‘Damn it, damn it!’

The fact that he was still alive was just one of the guy’s games.

Other Geomdoja [sword practitioners] were busy running away.

There was no one to help him.

There couldn’t be.

He even imagined that the Mountain Monarch or others might help him by chance.

But realistically, no master would risk their life for a mere servant.

“Damn it all!”

탓 [sound of stopping abruptly].

Manho stopped.

It was all the same whether he died here or there.

“Come at me, you mutt! Even if I die today, I will be righteous before the heavens!”

“What a strange guy. You guys yourselves are things that go against the principles of heaven, so what righteousness do you have before the heavens?”

The Gubu Lord standing in front of Manho had the lower body of a snake and the upper body of a human.

However, he had six arms and wielded six swords.

“Humph! That’s only for the heavens to know! We are just walking through trials!”

“Trials my ass. The law of nature is that humans die in about 100 years, but you guys who are forcibly alive have a lot to say!”

Manho, who frowned, drew his sword.

Soon, he moved strangely as if dancing, and his illusion appeared.

The total of eight illusions moved differently, confusing the spiritual energy.

It was Hwangeom [a sword technique].

“Die!!”

Eight Manho stabbed with their swords from all directions.

It was not a bad Hwangeom.

It was difficult to distinguish as if all the illusions had substance.

But.

Jjeoeong! [sound of metal clashing]

“Heot!”

The opponent was the Gubu Lord, who was on par with Taeseon. The Gubu Lord chuckled as if it was so funny and lightly blocked Manho’s sword with one sword.

“Has it been about 200 years? A guy with the same swordsmanship as you was eaten by me. You are worse than that guy!”

Tuk [sound of something breaking].

It was humiliation and disgrace.

Manho clenched his teeth.

The sword was deflected and broken.

It was a life full of twists and turns.

Wasn’t it because it was twisted and twisted properly that he came here?

But it was too early to give up.

Manho threw away the hilt.

He approached the guy without hesitation.

And.

Tteolseok! [sound of kneeling]

He knelt.

The swift knees and connected upper and lower body moved actively.

Kung [sound of hitting the ground].

Manho, who slammed his forehead on the ground, shouted loudly.

“Please save me! If you allow me to serve as your master, I will repay you with all my life!”

It was a spirited submission.

The Gubu Lord with the lower half of a snake burst into laughter, making the forest shake.

“Keuhahahaha!! Look at this guy!!”

He laughed so hard that he leaned back. It was humiliating, but it was something he had done many times to prolong his life.

Just because you get older doesn’t mean you always get wiser.

Rather, you become more brazen.

If it was detachment, it was detachment.

“This is the first time I’ve seen a guy like this. Kahahat! Hey! You cursed me like that, and would I say, ‘What?! You will repay me, so if I save you now, blessings will come? Okay, I’ll save you!’?”

“If you save me…!”

“Shut up. I’m tired of it, so die.”

It was then.

Kwagagagagagak!! [sound of trees breaking]

The thicket shook violently, and birds fluttered. Above the forest, some Gubu were flying high into the sky.

No, they were being blown away.

Kwang! Kwang! Kwang! Kwang! [sound of explosions]

With a roar, a giant black centipede with its mouth open rushed in from above the forest.

“What!”

“Tamhwa!!”

It was a mixed reaction.

Manho cried and rejoiced.

In contrast, the Gubu Lord frowned and immediately raised his energy.

He sensed that he was not a guy to be taken lightly.

The six swords were aimed at Tamhwa Ogong [Tamhwa’s giant centipede form].

It was then.

Sasa삭 [sound of rustling].

A fleeting afterimage of a sword appeared and disappeared in the air next to the Gubu Lord.

“Keuaaaaaaak!!”

Suddenly, the Gubu Lord screamed.

With a sharp scream, the guy set blood vessels all over his body and twisted his body.

Manho was startled, wondering why the guy was suddenly like this, and fell away.

And as it was.

Tamhwa Ogong’s mouth opened wide.

Kwajak!! [sound of something being crushed]