Call Of The Spear [EN]: Chapter 128

The Great War (1)

“Hooh? The masters of the Geon-gon Oh-bong [Five Peaks of Heaven and Earth] have arrived.”

The Great General greeted them with a polite bow.

The four newly appeared figures, seemingly familiar with him, returned the bow.

“We’ve come looking for you for various reasons.”

The man glanced subtly at San-gun.

“Killing is forbidden on Sword Spirit Island. If you don’t abide by that, you’ll have to face the four of us at once.”

Faced with such a threat, even the Sea Dragon Clan Elder had no choice but to suppress his murderous intent.

The Great General alone was already a challenge; how could he possibly face the other four?

He had no choice but to retreat.

He was beyond frustrated, but what could he do? He would have to bide his time.

“I have no choice but to retreat for now, but I have not forgotten the grievances of my people. Always be on your guard! If an opportunity arises, I will tear you to pieces!”

With those words, Ji-chung transformed into a streak of purple light and flew away.

“Hoo-”

San-gun, letting out a sigh of relief, bowed to the masters of the Geon-gon Oh-bong, expressing his gratitude.

“Thank you for your help.”

“I don’t know what your circumstances are, but this is a place to train swordsmanship, not to engage in killing. We simply did what we had to do.”

The man, speaking with a benevolent face, appeared to be in his thirties.

“Even so, I can’t help but be grateful. I must also apologize to the Great General for my rudeness.”

“Uahaha! Not at all! I feel refreshed after exercising for the first time in a while! Besides, now that I think about it, it’s my fault for being too hasty and not taking care of you! It’s alright, don’t worry too much about it!”

Hearing those words, San-gun felt much more at ease.

“It seems today is not the day. I will contact you next time. We have absolute goodwill towards Yuksa [a type of powerful spirit beast], so please do not refuse.”

Among the group, the Taesun [a high level of martial arts mastery] woman spoke.

*What was this absolute goodwill, and what did she mean by contact?* He was puzzled.

It was also out of the blue.

Perhaps it was because they occupied the three peaks of the Geon-gon Oh-bong.

“Then, see you next time.”

Soon, the Geon-gon Oh-bong group turned into streaks of light and disappeared.

“You must have many questions. Tch, it can’t be helped! I’ll offer you some of my good liquor, so let’s build some strong friendship!”

The Great General waved his hand, and a table and chairs appeared, along with bottles of liquor and snacks.

San-gun sat down with a bitter smile.

“Can you drink a bit?”

“A little.”

“Ahem! Why is a man so lacking in spirit! Back in my day, I drank enough to pile up liquor jars like a mountain, uahahat!!”

He seemed to be exaggerating quite a bit.

“By the way, may I ask you a few questions?”

“Of course, of course. That’s what this gathering is for, so feel free to ask anything. I also need your Blue Flame, so what wouldn’t I tell you?”

The Great General drank the liquor straight from the bottle and then burped.

“Do you know why they said they would contact me?”

“Hmm.”

The Great General put down the bottle.

“Those guys are the ones who are each mastering the five sword techniques of Gyuncheonbohwa [Heavenly Treasure Bloom] in the Sword Spirit Island. You can think of them as being closely related to you.”

Gyuncheonbohwa (鈞天寶華).

“Gyuncheonbohwa?”

San-gun had never heard of that name before either.

*Yujeong only learned Manguk Ilgeom [Myriad Kingdom Sword] in the Sword Spirit Island, reached Taesun, and then disappeared after defeating the Gubu Ryungs [Nine District Dragons].*

He didn’t know the stories of others.

However, it was a name that contained Gyuncheon, which refers to the center of the nine heavens, and Bohwa, which means lotus pedestal.

It didn’t seem ordinary.

“I don’t know the details, but well, it’s ultimately swordsmanship. It’s a particularly bizarre swordsmanship, but its divine power is outstanding.”

Gulp, gulp.

“Kya- the liquor tastes so good!”

Bizarre swordsmanship.

If its roots were the same, it might be a type of swordsmanship similar to Manguk Ilgeom, which creates new styles with swords.

“Ah, that’s right.”

“What is it?”

“Unlike us, those guys are human. Even Taesuns have limited lifespans, and it’s been over a thousand years since they’ve been in this place, so their lifespans must be running out.”

The lifespan of a Taesun is 2,000 years.

But the fact that they haven’t been able to leave the Sword Spirit Island means…

“You mean they haven’t mastered the swordsmanship even after a thousand years?”

“How could the pinnacle of swordsmanship be so simple? Well, there might be a target point set by the Sword Spirit Island… Ahem, moreover, the swordsmanship of Geon-gon Oh-bong is said to be particularly difficult, encompassing mountains and seas.”

Indeed, San-gun had gone through all sorts of hardships to master even the 1st level.

If the swordsmanship of Geon-gon Oh-bong had the same roots, it was somewhat understandable.

*They haven’t mastered it even after a thousand years.*

Those words felt very significant.

It wasn’t someone else’s problem.

He himself might not be able to master Manguk Ilgeom even after a thousand years.

“But I don’t know what that has to do with me.”

“Since the roots are the same, they might be trying to gather together to discuss a way to escape.”

Escape from the Sword Spirit Island.

“Anyway, they’re not dangerous people, so go meet them and have a chat. They might even give you some pointers on your swordsmanship. In a way, you could call them your senior disciples.”

“…Yes.”

He had many thoughts.

*Gyuncheonbohwa…*

Manguk Ilgeom is one of them.

He was also curious about what the other swordsmanships might be.

* * *

The group that descended on Ilbong [First Peak] of Geon-gon Oh-bong soon sat around a small pavilion.

“Was it really necessary to be so polite? Even if a sword practitioner doesn’t care about the level of mastery, he was a Hwanseon [Transcendent Immortal]. We could have just brought him along without a word.”

The woman among them complained.

However, the three men wore bitter smiles as if that wasn’t the case.

“That’s true, but he’s a sword practitioner who just came in. We’re the ones who are in need. Our lifespans are running out, and the future is bleak, so if there’s a head to bow, we should bow and go in. Moreover, judging from the purity of his spiritual power and his new style, he may have already completed the 1st level. If that’s the case, we need to prepare whatever we need to prepare, whether it’s etiquette or whatever.”

Then the woman, called Seonja Wei, crossed her arms as if she didn’t like it.

“Brother Kang is right. That guy is the master of Sambong [Third Peak] of Geon-gon Oh-bong. If we want to get out of this tiresome place, his help is essential.”

The men nodded as if those words were correct. The man called Brother Kang tried to appease the woman with a forced smile.

“It can’t be helped. It’s already been almost 2,000 years since we’ve been trapped in this place. In the meantime, many people have appeared in Sambong, but we’ve seen countless of them commit suicide or die without achieving the 1st level, so there’s no point in saying more.”

When Brother Kang said that, Seonja Wei also pouted and nodded.

“The mysteries of Manguk Ilgeom are extremely difficult, and there were as many people who couldn’t even achieve the 1st level as there are rivers in the mountains and seas. But he completed the 1st level in just 30 years, so it won’t be difficult for him to reach the 6th level. Our goal is to raise him to the 6th level in one go. That’s the only way we can get out of this tiresome place!”

“To do that…”

After that, the men and women discussed for several hours until late at night before returning to their residences.

* * *

San-gun, who had returned to Geon-gon Sambong, was contemplating various things.

By his side were Tam-hwa and Man-ho.

And Jang-cheon was with them.

“I had a hunch, but it was indeed Yuksa who caused that commotion. I’m glad you’re safe.”

“It was dangerous. Facing the Eternal Yuksa is still overwhelming. If I had made a mistake, my head would have been blown off.”

Even thinking about it now, it was terrifying.

“Well, the Eternal Yuksa is someone even Taesuns avoid. Moreover, he’s a famous Elder of the East Sea. We should be grateful that you survived. It would have been better if you hadn’t incurred his displeasure in the first place… but it couldn’t be helped.”

Unlike soft humans, Yuksas are giant spirit beasts in their true form, so killing them is not easy.

Even more so if they are of the same level.

“But we can’t just keep running away forever. There are people here who will stop him, but if we encounter him elsewhere, we won’t be able to run away anymore.”

He had to prepare for that time.

He was a guy who chased him all the way here.

Where couldn’t he chase him to?

He had to acknowledge his tenacity.

*Well, he wouldn’t have just become an Eternal Junggyeong [Middle Realm], so it’s only natural.*

Daoists and Yuksas are afraid of leaving behind loose ends, and if they have an enemy, they tend to deal with them right away.

This is because it can become a mental demon and cause problems in their cultivation.

“What are you going to do? I heard that Yuksas undergo the Heavenly Tribulation of Lightning when they ascend to Eternity. No matter how talented they are, half of them die in the Jinsumyeonghwa [True Extinction Fire], and half of them die while receiving the Heavenly Tribulation of Lightning.”

As he said, the path to ascending to Eternity is like passing through a needle’s eye.

“But if you succeed, you can achieve Talhyeong [shedding of form] and don’t have to transform. You can use all the strength of your true form, so cultivation is faster and twice as powerful compared to humans.”

“Even so…”

“It’s okay. I can’t prepare for Jinsumyeonghwa here anyway. Moreover, even if I become Eternal, there will still be a difference between Chogyeong [Initial Realm] and Junggyeong between him and me, so the odds of winning are no different from fifty-fifty.”

Even if Manguk Ilgeom reaches the 6th level, it’s the same.

It’s difficult to kill him in the current state.

Even if Tam-hwa and Gwi-yul join forces, it’s difficult to guarantee victory, so unless he ascends to Eternity, running away is the only way to survive.

“But.”

That’s only when discussing life and death.

“Fortunately, he can’t kill me in the Sword Spirit Island, and it will be impossible for him to escape the Sword Spirit Island. Even if he masters swordsmanship, it will take at least several hundred years.”

“Yes? Ah… that’s right. But isn’t that the same for Yuksa?”

The only way to leave the Sword Spirit Island is to reach the pinnacle of swordsmanship!

There will be no exceptions to that.

“What about that?”

With a meaningful smile.

He stroked Tam-hwa’s hair as she ate steamed buns next to him.

“You keep eating even after eating so much.”

“It’s delicious!”

“Man-ho. What did Tam-hwa eat today?”

“Yes! She ate one more Gubu Ryung. She was very… amazing!”

He looked at her with the eyes of someone watching a commendable grandchild.

San-gun stared intently at Man-ho.

“Why, why are you looking at me like that?”

“I was just thinking that your lifeline is very long.”

“Yes?”

“No, it’s nothing. What did the Gubu Ryung that Tam-hwa ate look like? Was it not one with a body as hard as armor?”

“Well… it wasn’t. It was a guy who used various swordsmanships, and his appearance was like a young boy!”

A young boy?

It was a guy that San-gun didn’t know either.

*Tam-hwa should eat the armored guy to become stronger.*

Moreover, one of the things that guy had was definitely needed.

“Are there any changes in your body?”

“Huh? Hmm… Can I move my body a little better? I don’t know!”

It would be great if Tam-hwa could molt now.

Since it’s the last molting, she will achieve Talhyeong, and if that happens, there will be a chance to kill Great Elder Ji-chung.

Wasn’t she able to molt and become this strong thanks to Ha-hu Mi-nong’s bile?

*It won’t work, will it?*

It hasn’t been long since she molted, and she hasn’t eaten anything with such powerful divine power.

*Rather, Gwi-yul is the problem.*

Gwi-yul still hadn’t come out of the secret chamber. He seemed to be cultivating with the Beulgu Daechunma’s [Crimson Sky Great Devil] Dharma image that he had given him before.

Magi and evil energy were raging near Gwi-yul’s secret chamber.

It’s good that he’s getting stronger, but it was also unsettling because he didn’t know when the Geumje [forbidden seal] would be released.

“Should I get a Bokjwa-pae [Lotus Seat Talisman]?”

With that, no matter how strong Gwi-yul’s energy became, he wouldn’t be able to cut it off.

As he was thinking that, Jang-cheon asked from the side.

“So, are you going to go to them?”

The sword practitioners of Geon-gon Oh-bong.

That’s what he must be talking about.

San-gun seemed to ponder for a moment, stroking his chin, but soon nodded.

“Since the Great Elder is watching with the lights on and looking for an opportunity, it’s not bad to build connections. Besides, I have a lot of questions too.”

Gyuncheonbohwa.

The swordsmanship that even Yujeong, the protagonist of Sanhaebalsango [Mountains, Seas, and Footprints], didn’t know.

San-gun was truly curious about it.