Call Of The Spear [EN]: Chapter 144

Tales of Nangsungan – Episode 143

The Mountain Monarch, still in his transformed state, was guided by Hong Hae.

Since this land was under the control of the Siphae Mancheok anyway, his appearance as a Yuksa [a type of powerful being] didn’t matter.

‘Just in case.’

He soared through the sky, taking in the scenery, before descending into a certain urban area.

The place was filled with large and small pavilions and buildings, but the Mountain Monarch frowned as soon as he landed in the city center.

“Those are Taoists.”

“Yes. There are also ordinary people, but Taoists are perfect for using as slaves. Ordinary people are too weak, aren’t they?”

The Mountain Monarch sighed faintly at the Yuksa’s words, which were spoken so casually.

Looking at Hwaran beside him, she didn’t seem to be in a good mood either.

‘Well, Taoists also catch young beasts and turn them into vengeful spirits.’

It wasn’t a particularly unusual sight if the situation was reversed.

In any case, the Mountain Monarch was also a Yuksa and possessed the body of a young beast.

Then, he entered an open square, and in the center, young beasts were crowded together.

“What are they doing?”

“Ah, today happens to be market day, so the demonic beasts gather to buy and sell goods. There are also people setting up stalls around the square. They are probably holding an auction in the center.”

“Oh….”

His interest was piqued.

He had interacted with Taoists before, but not so much with young beasts.

As the Mountain Monarch showed interest, the Yuksa who was guiding him rushed ahead to clear the way.

“Get out of the way, you bastards! A great person is coming, so get your dirty asses out of here!”

“Move, move!”

A quick scan revealed that there were roughly hundreds of young beasts, mostly of the Younghwa or Younggyeol level [ranks of power], and a small number of Youngmyung [a higher rank].

The Mountain Monarch looked around at the items on the stalls, but his interest waned.

‘Nothing special.’

There didn’t seem to be much difference between humans and young beasts. However, the auction in the center was a little different.

On the platform, a pot-bellied young beast with three heads and green skin was conducting the auction using amplification techniques.

“[Starting bid: 1,000 Young Stones per person!]”

He shouted, and the gathered young beasts screamed and bid.

“[1,100!]”

“[1,300!]”

“[1,500!]”

He looked to see what it was, and there were several girls on the platform, trembling with pale faces.

“Does the Great One know of the Baekchung Seobang [a list of powerful spirit insects]?”

“Baekchung Seobang? Ah. I know it.”

The Mountain Monarch remembered seeing a book describing a hundred powerful spirit insects.

‘I think Tamhwa was ranked 3rd.’

He remembered that the Goobyeong Jona that Jichoong had shown was probably ranked 31st.

“They are said to be the offspring of the spirit insects listed in the Baekchung Seobang. That’s why they are bidding so enthusiastically.”

“What kind of spirit insects are they that they are doing this for?”

“They are the offspring of the Eungmyeong Cheonchung (凝命遷蟲) [Life-Transferring Insect], ranked 24th in the Baekchung Seobang, and as the name suggests, they have bizarre innate powers. It is said that they can heal any wound through intimacy with a man, so they are competing so fiercely in the auction.”

Only then did the Mountain Monarch understand.

Having them would be like gaining another life, so they were so eager.

“[3,000!]”

The price had already soared to 3,000.

The Mountain Monarch stared at the girls with an expressionless face and asked.

“Do you know what happens after they use their powers?”

“I heard that they wither away and die. They are not the original Eungmyeong Cheonchung, but only the offspring who inherited its blood.”

“That’s right. The name itself implies an insect that transfers life.”

Moreover, their appearance was outstanding, so there was no reason to refuse them as offspring.

-Even with me and Sanbi-nim here, are you thinking of womanizing?

Hwaran asked sarcastically.

However, the Mountain Monarch did not answer and narrowed his brows as if contemplating.

-Are you really tempted?

-It can’t hurt to prepare.

-I’m disappointed.

The Mountain Monarch raised the corners of his lips and shrugged.

“If they can transfer life, wouldn’t it be possible to take it away as well? Is that right?”

Then, one of the Yuksa looked slightly surprised and nodded.

“That’s right. The original Eungmyeong Cheonchung had such a power, so they can do it to a lesser extent.”

At his answer, the Mountain Monarch unleashed the energy of Yeongeop [a powerful energy force].

Koo-oong!

A powerful spiritual pressure crushed the young beasts.

The young beasts gathered in the square fell flat on the ground as if their legs had given way.

Only the Youngmyung-level Yuksa barely endured the sudden situation and looked at the Mountain Monarch.

“Come to think of it, those offspring are children who have a connection with me.”

“C-Connection, you say?”

He asked with a forced smile.

He had just asked who they were, and now he was suddenly talking about a connection! It was nonsense, but he couldn’t go against the mood of the Yeongeop Yuksa.

“You don’t believe me?”

At his cold gaze, the Yuksa’s face turned pale and he lowered his head.

“N-No way! It’s just a simple curiosity of this old man.”

“That’s enough. Since you don’t seem to believe me, I’ll show you that those children have a connection with me, and you’ll know.”

With that, the Mountain Monarch pointed to a girl on the platform and asked.

“You, have you ever seen me before?”

“Y-Yes? M-Me?”

The chosen offspring stammered in bewilderment. No matter how she looked, it didn’t seem like they had met before.

However, the Mountain Monarch asked again.

“I asked if you have.”

Then, the offspring, trembling, nodded while holding back tears.

“Look. If she didn’t have a connection with me, she would have said no, right? Right?”

The Yuksa was dumbfounded, but how could he dare say anything to the Yeongeop Yuksa?

He had no choice but to answer yes with tears in his eyes.

“Still, I’m not so shameless, so I’ll pay the proper price. The children were priced up to 3,000, so that should be enough. Here, take it.”

The Mountain Monarch threw a Gongjeonggang [a bag containing currency] to the three-headed young beast on the platform.

The young beast politely examined the Gongjeonggang and bit his lip.

There were only 3,000 Young Stones in the Gongjeonggang. There were a total of four offspring.

Even if he calculated 3,000 per person, it should have been 12,000 Young Stones.

“Why, is the amount not right?”

“Ah… well, that’s….”

The moment the young beast was about to say something.

Hwaran continued.

“Surely not. There’s no way that my master, who is a Yeongeop, would be bad at calculations that even ordinary people can easily do.”

“If I couldn’t even do that much, I wouldn’t have the face to walk around! Who knows, wouldn’t I want to silence everyone here, even if it meant killing them?”

He spoke kindly but brutally, and the young beast’s mouth immediately shut.

He couldn’t say anything.

Unless he wanted to die right away, how could he humiliate a Yeongeop!

“How is it? Is my calculation wrong?”

“Ah, no! What, what are you doing! Quickly send the offspring to the Great One!”

It was then.

Suddenly, the Mountain Monarch, Hwaran, and Tamhwa turned their heads to look at the sky.

“Hwaran.”

“Yes.”

Hwaran disappeared as if melting into the air, and Tamhwa took the lead as if protecting the Mountain Monarch.

It was the energy of the same Yeongeop.

Soon, a black streak of light cut through the sky and landed in the middle of the square.

It was a girl with fox ears and seven lush tails on her head.

“The demonic beasts of Siphae Mancheok greet Gu Gwi-nim!”

The young beasts all bowed their heads, but regardless, Gu Gwi narrowed her brows and glared at the Mountain Monarch.

The Mountain Monarch also looked at Gu Gwi in the same way, and strangely, she looked familiar.

It seemed like he was seeing her for the first time, but somehow her face was familiar.

“Is it you?”

Gu Gwi said in a shrill voice.

“I asked if you are the one who killed and took Hwawoon Ban Hong!”

‘Hwawoon Ban Hong?’

The Mountain Monarch, who had been pondering for a moment, recalled the stingray that had attacked him as soon as he arrived in Hong Hae and exclaimed.

He wondered why there was a sudden swarm of stingrays, but it seemed that Gu Gwi had been raising them.

Only then did he understand why those guys had rushed at him and offered to guide him through Hong Hae.

As the Mountain Monarch looked at them, they hid behind Gu Gwi and lowered their heads.

“Those guys tried to eat me first, so our child ate them. That’s why you should have trained them well.”

“Hmph! The guy who broke into the auction and robbed them with trickery is talking a good game. Let’s see if you can say that after getting hit!”

Koo-oong!

As Gu Gwi stomped her feet, hundreds of black spears soared from the ground.

Chwa-jwa-ja-ja-jak!!

Then, the surrounding demonic beasts were horrified and scattered in all directions.

However, the Mountain Monarch snorted and remained still with an indifferent face.

When Gu Gwi raised her eyebrows.

Tamhwa, who was in front of the Mountain Monarch, transformed into a giant centipede, coiled up, and tightly wrapped around the Mountain Monarch to protect him.

Kka-ga-ga-ga-gak!!

The black spears shattered as soon as they hit Tamhwa’s body.

“What!?”

Gu Gwi, surprised by the tremendous hardness, frowned and immediately formed a hand seal.

Then, her arm turned black and became like metal.

It seemed she possessed the power of Geumshintang [a technique to harden the body].

“Tamhwa, beat her up appropriately.”

“Okay!”

Tamhwa disguised herself as a human and blackened her fist in the same way as Gu Gwi.

Tamhwa’s fist also had dense scales, the result of eating Jichoong’s scales.

“Don’t come crying later!”

Kwaang!!

Gu Gwi, who had clashed fists with Tamhwa, was pushed back, creating a groove in the ground.

She looked at her fist and Tamhwa in disbelief, then bit her lip.

“I’m curious to see who will be crying. Don’t you think so, Tamhwa?”

“Yeah!”

As the Mountain Monarch became arrogant and taunted her, Gu Gwi raised her tail fur.

“You! Compete fairly! A Yeongeop Yuksa should do that!”

“That’s enough bullshit. If you weren’t Gu Gwi, you would have been killed by my hand right away.

The reason I’m not doing that is because you are Gu Gwi of Siphae Mancheok.

Be grateful for that.”

“You bastard! Fine! I’ll kill your Bokchung [a type of spirit beast] in one go!”

Gu Gwi’s energy sharpened, and she began to form a hand seal, moving her lips.

Her tail fluttered and trembled, and she threw out a gourd from her arms.

The gourd spun around and soon grew to nearly seven feet tall, spewing black smoke.

The black smoke instantly covered the area, creating a thick fog.

Then, the Mountain Monarch also unfolded his arms and created a blue protective barrier to protect his body.

‘Iron sand. And it’s not ordinary.’

When he examined the fog with Dallyeong Geumjeong [a technique for enhanced vision], there were fine particles, which were iron sand.

But it wasn’t ordinary iron sand.

The very fine particles were moving as if vibrating, and it was obvious what would happen if they entered the nose and mouth.

“The last chance to save your life is to beg for forgiveness and prostrate yourselves now!”

Gu Gwi’s voice was heard clearly from within the fog. Soon, the fog swirled and began to bind Tamhwa. Tamhwa transformed and turned into a centipede, but the fogs rushed in endlessly.

It was like being in the deep mountains.

It gradually stuck to her body, like being buried in the sand of the desert.

It was then.

Suddenly, the iron sands turned red and began to emit intense heat.

Soon, the iron sand turned into lava, and Tamhwa screamed as if in pain.

“This is good. I also had my vengeful spirits taken away, so wouldn’t it be fair to settle the score by killing your Bokchung? Hahaha!”

However, the Mountain Monarch’s expression did not change, which made Gu Gwi wonder.

And then.

Gu Gwi, sensing the sign, stretched out her arm and unfolded a protective barrier.

Kwaaaang!!

“What, what!”

The iron sand, which had turned into lava, exploded and black smoke was scattered.

The black smoke melted all the iron sands and spread in all directions, instantly losing its shape as soon as it touched it.

It was Hahoominong’s bile [a corrosive substance].

“Wa, wait a minute!”

Before Gu Gwi could say anything, the bile, which had turned into black smoke, attacked her.

Even if she gathered iron sand to block it, it was only for a moment, and it quickly melted and she was on the verge of death.

At that moment.

Paji-ji-jik!!

With a sharp noise, red lightning struck the area and burst the bile.

Kwaja-ja-ja-jak!!

And then, a woman who had come down with red lightning unleashed a lot of murderous intent and glared at Tamhwa as if to kill her.

Tamhwa was also struck by the red lightning and was angry, and was about to rush in.

However.

“Ha, who was hiding… Hongyeon! Why are you here?”