Call Of The Spear [EN]: Chapter 129

Deep within the forest of Blade Spirit Island.

Gu Bu-ryeong, clad head-to-toe in armor, gazed down at the bloodied man collapsed before him.

The man’s body was riddled with wounds, and he gasped for breath. His disheveled hair and overgrown beard framed a familiar face.

“Is it true you are acquainted with the master of the centipede that devoured a Gu Bu-ryeong?”

“Y-yes… it is.”

The man was Chuk Mun-gyeong.

Unluckily for him, Gu Bu-ryeong had captured him as soon as he descended from Geon-gon-ju. (Geon-gon-ju refers to one of the five peaks of Blade Spirit Island)

His luck was simply terrible.

He had intended to test the swordsmanship he had learned upon entering Blade Spirit Island.

But who knew he would run into Gu Bu-ryeong?

“That’s no lie, is it?”

“It’s the truth. How could I lie about something that will be revealed so soon?”

There were only four Gu Bu-ryeongs.

One of them had been defeated so absurdly. Naturally, he was furious. However, revealing himself easily would lead to being wiped out by the swordsmen.

“How amusing. A swordsman who commands centipedes is the master of the Third Peak of Geon-gon! The wound inflicted by Man-geuk Il-geom [Ten Thousand Calamity Sword] a thousand years ago still itches! That old monster is dead, but if there is a successor, it is only right that I repay my grudge to him!”

The armored Gu Bu-ryeong then commanded several Gu Bus nearby.

“Summon the Blood Spirit. This time, we have a chance to devour Man-geuk Il-geom and become true Blade Spirits!”

The surrounding Gu Bus disappeared into the forest, making bizarre noises.

“You, you have a telecommunication charm, don’t you?”

Chuk Mun-gyeong bit his lower lip, his face filled with despair.

* * *

San-gun’s Geon-gon Third Peak.

Cheong-bong was emitting Bongak Cheonghwa [Azure Light of the 봉악].

There, a strangely shaped Goryun [a ring-shaped weapon] was spinning, surrounded by layers of ring-shaped magic characters. Since the needles he had used so usefully were broken, he needed a suitable weapon.

He melted down the needles and attached them to the Goryun, which he would use less often now, and added minerals he had on hand to refine it.

‘It doesn’t matter if it fails, and if it succeeds, I’ll have something useful.’

The minerals included a large amount of Hwancheol [Phantom Iron] and Eunmukcheol [Silver Ink Iron], which was famous for making treasures.

He had obtained them when he visited Dongguk [ancient Korean kingdom].

He hadn’t had a chance to use them, so he intended to experiment and refine them.

San-gun then took out Yongyeom-sam [Dragon Flame Ginseng].

As soon as he took it out, hot air soared in all directions. He immediately plucked the fruits that had grown on Yongyeom-sam and planted them in a corner of the secret chamber.

Next to it, he placed Duryeonmahwa [Black Lotus Demon Flower] and infused it with spirit energy, causing four sprouts to emerge.

“This should do it.”

He was looking forward to the future.

Cheong-bong was a fellow who handled Duryeonmahwa and Bongak Cheonghwa, so the Yongyeom-sam that grew absorbing that energy would be extremely outstanding.

After leaving the secret chamber, San-gun set up all sorts of enchantments, looked towards where Gwiyul was, and embraced Tamhwa, unfolding his stealth technique.

“It hasn’t broken after all.”

As he turned into a blue spark and rose into the sky,

The aftermath of the battle with the Great Elder came into view.

The funny thing was that the Geon-gon-jus were unharmed despite all the chaos.

Since they were originally created by immortals, they wouldn’t budge from any ordinary impact. After briefly looking around, he flew to Geon-gon First Peak in an instant.

Tat.

As he landed on the First Peak, Tamhwa transformed into a small centipede and wrapped around San-gun’s wrist.

“Here you are! You’ve come.”

It was the man who had spoken to San-gun before.

“Let’s go inside first. The others are already waiting.”

Following him inside, he saw figures sitting around a small gazebo.

They were the ones he had seen before.

“Nice to meet you. Please call me Beom.”

As he greeted them with a bow, they all rose from their seats and responded.

Their expressions were all different.

“Call me Yeong, Beom Yuksa [Sixth Adept Beom].”

“I’m Hong.”

“I’m Gang.”

“I’m Wi.”

The Taoist who had guided San-gun was Gang. Next to him were Yeong, Hong, and Wi.

Seonja Wi [Immortal Wi], the only woman, scanned San-gun with an unfriendly gaze.

“I’m not used to women, so I don’t know what to do if you look at me like that. When you look at me like that….”

Then Seonja Wi’s face turned red.

The other men burst into hearty laughter at San-gun’s boldness.

“Haha! Beom Yuksa is quite mischievous! Well, Seonja Wi did look at Yuksa with a burning gaze!”

“What!? When did I ever do that!”

Seonja Wi shouted, seemingly angry. Yang Hyeong listened with one ear and let it out the other, chuckling.

“Haha, you’ve been hit hard! In the first place, swordsmen don’t care about the level of their cultivation, so Seonja Wi was wrong! Isn’t it said that a thirsty deer seeks a well? We’re the ones who are anxious, so we shouldn’t make things difficult for Yuksa.”

After exchanging greetings and small talk, they got down to business.

“You’ve completed the First Star of Man-geuk Il-geom, haven’t you?”

San-gun’s lips twitched, but he smiled and replied.

“Yes. I barely completed the First Star recently. It’s a shame that I’m only at the First Star due to my lack of talent.”

“A shame! To complete the First Star of Man-geuk Il-geom in just over 30 years is a first for a Taoist!”

It was a somewhat intense reaction.

San-gun smiled awkwardly, and then, realizing his unsightly behavior, he cleared his throat.

“Ahem, ahem. I’ve shown an unsightly side. Please forgive my rudeness.”

“No, it’s nothing. But may I ask you one thing?”

“Yes, if it’s something I can answer, what wouldn’t I answer? Feel free to ask.”

“I’ve heard that Man-geuk Il-geom is a swordsmanship that comes from one root. Moreover, it seems that Hyeong Gang knows Man-geuk Il-geom quite well. May I ask the reason?”

“Ah, to answer you first, about a thousand years ago, there was a Taoist who awakened Man-geuk Il-geom up to the Sixth Star. Although he passed away due to old age, we learned a lot thanks to him.”

A Taoist who awakened up to the Sixth Star!

It couldn’t help but be intriguing.

“I see. May I ask for more details?”

“Of course! Isn’t that why we called Taoist Beom here?”

After that.

San-gun was able to hear various stories about Man-geuk Il-geom.

It was said that the First and Second Stars of Man-geuk Il-geom were the most difficult, and then the part of achieving the Sixth Star, Geomno Taksaeng [Sword Path Rebirth], was the most critical.

It was said that the higher the level of Man-geuk Il-geom, the faster the method and speed of implementation. Although there may be a wall at the first two stars, once you break through it, it would not be difficult to reach the Sixth Star.

While listening to the story, San-gun briefly raised his hand to stop the conversation.

“It seems like you’re trying to get me to the Sixth Star, am I wrong?”

“…That’s right. Well, Yuksa’s insight is so extraordinary that we can’t hide it. Well, there’s no need to hide it anyway.”

After pondering for a moment, Taoist Gang suddenly sighed and opened his mouth.

“Taoist Beom must also know that the only way to leave Blade Spirit Island is to master swordsmanship.”

“Yes. I know that.”

“But that’s not an easy task. It’s true for everyone residing in Geon-gon Five Peaks, if no one else. The swordsmanship of Geon-gon Five Peaks is as difficult as mountains and seas, making it difficult even for Taeseon [Great Immortal] to master. There is a limit to one’s lifespan, and if one is lucky enough to devote oneself to swordsmanship, one may reach the pinnacle. But what can one do after that? One will have to wait to die due to the limited lifespan. Even now….”

Hyeong Gang looked around.

Everyone here had been here for nearly or over a thousand years.

The path to the pinnacle was long and arduous, and they had devoted themselves only to swordsmanship, but now the limit of their lifespan was approaching.

“I see.”

This was a common problem for Taoists who came to Blade Spirit Island with great dreams.

‘I have a way to get out, but they have no way of knowing….’

How desperate they must be.

“If I reach the Sixth Star, is there a way to escape?”

“Of course! In the first place, we are learning swordsmanship with the same root. So, if we unfold Geomjin [Sword Formation] to the extreme, we will be able to leave this place!”

“What kind of Geomjin is it?”

“Sinkgeom Hab-il (身劍合一) [Body and Sword as One]!”

The name of Geomjin was Sinkgeom Hab-il.

He didn’t quite understand it.

‘Becoming one with the sword….’

“I have never unfolded that Geomjin either, but I know that its power will be earth-shattering.”

“If we unfold that Geomjin, can we safely leave this place?”

“If we unfold it among ourselves, there’s a 60% chance! If Yuksa helps us, it will increase to 80%. I don’t know which space Blade Spirit Island belongs to, but we know the coordinates where we used to live. If we unfold Geomjin to break through space and unfold a transfer formation, we will be able to escape.”

He frowned for a moment, but only briefly.

He smiled faintly and nodded.

“Then I must first achieve the Sixth Star and complete Geomno Taksaeng.”

Either way, San-gun had to complete the Sixth Star to be able to do it.

“Don’t worry about that. We will take turns imparting enlightenment and watching over Taoist Beom’s training.”

It seemed they had already discussed it among themselves. San-gun had nothing to lose.

It was the enlightenment of swordsmen who had trained on Blade Spirit Island for over a thousand years.

Originally, it was a teaching that could not be bought with money, so there was no reason to refuse.

“I look forward to working with you.”

The swordsmen of Geon-gon Five Peaks nodded with kind faces and replied.

After that, he was able to hear various stories.

They were swordsmen who had spent more than a thousand years here, and after a long period of training, most of them had achieved more than 10 stars. It was said that Taeseons could use spatial divine powers, but they could not escape Blade Spirit Island with that. Since Blade Spirit Island was created by a figure from the Immortal Realm, how could it be so simple?

It was highly likely that such arrangements had been made in advance.

If one rashly tore through space, one could fall into the void and wander around for the rest of one’s life until death. But who would just wait for death! They were willing to take the risk and try to escape, so one could see how desperate they were.

He could understand them to some extent.

After that.

They immediately took turns watching over San-gun’s training. Although the day of the Ascension was only a year away, it didn’t matter if various enchantments were activated if they stayed in the same place.

“How is it? If we gather here at Geon-gon First Peak, there will be no one to interfere, and we can easily provide assistance with training.”

However, deep down, he couldn’t trust them.

“In that case, how about coming to Geon-gon Third Peak? Since I’m learning from you, it’s only right that I invite you.”

He was worried that they might be upset, but they readily agreed.

Soon, five streaks of light headed towards Geon-gon Third Peak, and San-gun spent a busy day arranging their accommodations.

The next day.

At Geon-gon Third Peak, a woman was holding a talisman in her hand. It was Seonja Wi, the woman who had come to stay at San-gun’s residence.

Holding the talisman, she hesitated for a moment before tearing it to shreds.

“Taoist Beom is in a hurry, so I hope you will forgive me for this much.”

The talisman, which appeared to be a telecommunication charm, disappeared with the wind.

“Seonja Wi. What are you doing there?”

It was San-gun.

“Nothing. Ahem, ahem, I don’t know much about Man-geuk Il-geom, but I will impart the enlightenment of the mysteries I have obtained. Taoist Beom must make this enlightenment his own and achieve the Sixth Star so as not to be late.”

San-gun smiled faintly at her prim appearance.

His Geon-gon Third Peak was filled with a hazy mist, which was an enchantment to prevent others from attracting attention.

“Now! Let’s begin! Yuksa.”