Call Of The Spear [EN]: Chapter 147

Bubbling.

A figure was submerged in the boiling, crimson lava.

It was a boy with horns on his head and wings on his back, his brow furrowed as if in great pain, incessantly chanting spells.

“I expected it, but…”

The poison is more potent than I thought.

It’s strangely difficult, even though I’ve already accepted it into my body once and built up some resistance.

“Could it be that his divine power has become even stronger in these 400 years?”

It was a plausible explanation.

Who knows how many tens of thousands of years he was sealed away.

After being unleashed upon the world, rampaging everywhere, his fire and poison might have intensified.

And that’s not all.

From the start, it was a toxic flame with a spirit.

Unlike Cheongbong, this one awakened its spirit on its own, so it can’t be taken lightly.

The proof is the dark red stone floating serenely in the middle of the lava.

It was a remnant of the Myriad Poison Flame.

“It’s just the outer poison flame, yet it torments me so… how potent must the poison be in the main body!”

It was the stone that sealed the outer poison flame, which I retrieved with Hori.

After placing it in Tanhanyeosan [a volcano known for its concentrated grudges], I was gradually absorbing the poison to build up resistance.

Tanhanyeosan is a volcano where the grudges of many lives are concentrated, so it also possesses yin properties.

Perhaps that’s why it also had a neutralizing effect on the poison, but even so, it was incredibly difficult to accept the poison of the Myriad Poison Flame.

‘It’s going to take longer than I thought.’

It seemed it would take at least a year or two.

However, there was no doubt that this was a path I had to take.

To San-gun, who had consumed the Churyeongju [a potent poison], potent poison was nothing more than a foundation for making his body immune to all poisons.

Even if it was tough now, if I endured and persevered, I would develop complete immunity, and who knows, the poison might even lead to enlightenment and advancement in my cultivation!

“If I had a treasure that was good for sealing divine powers, I could capture the main body even if it appeared… That part is a bit disappointing.”

If I did, I could quickly seize the Myriad Poison Flame and head to Baek-san.

But if it was a treasure capable of sealing the Myriad Poison Flame, it would have to be at least a Jibo-grade item [a high-level magical artifact], which was just a pipe dream.

‘I have no choice.’

So, San-gun cultivated resistance to the Myriad Poison Flame in his spare time, and when he felt ready, he repeatedly gathered the poison flames.

After that, the flames in the north of the Red Sea gradually subsided, and after three months, the poison flames could no longer be found anywhere in the north of the Red Sea.

It was faster than expected.

The Ghost Hands, as well as Hori and Hongyeon, were overjoyed and held a festival.

It was a natural course of events, as they had extinguished the flames that had tormented them for hundreds of years.

The Red Sea, the territory of Gu-gwi, had quite a large number of Ghost Hands.

Their number was about nine hundred.

With about 900 Ghost Hands gathered, it was like a huge sect.

All of them gathered to hold a festival and cause a ruckus, which in itself was a great spectacle. Giants the size of houses shook their bodies and performed dances, using all sorts of divine powers to adorn the night sky, making it as bright as day even though it was night.

However, while everyone was enjoying themselves, only San-gun couldn’t shake off his frown.

The reason was that the main body of the Myriad Poison Flame had not emerged.

I wondered if it had already left this place, but that wasn’t the case.

San-gun possessed the remnants of the Myriad Poison Flame, the Poison Flame Stone.

It was reacting, so it seemed to be somewhere in the Red Sea, but it was hard to find.

It was clear that it was hiding somewhere in the north, but no matter how much I searched, it didn’t come out, and I only became more and more anxious.

It was because I wanted to finish the job quickly and leave for Baek-san.

“Cheer up. What’s the big deal? It’ll come out on its own if you stay here long enough. Right! Since it’s come to this, I’ll give you the north! It’s barren now, but if I help you and you cultivate it well, it could turn into a wonderful land! I can even have my subordinates build you a magnificent castle!”

“Enough. What would I do with the northern land? Have you forgotten who I am? I am the San-gun of Baek-san.”

Hori pouted at the rejection, clearly wanting to offer him something he desired.

“That Baek-san. Baek-san! Baek-san! Do you have something good hidden in Baek-san? Why are you so eager to go? If you like it so much, you might as well marry Baek-san!”

Then, Hwaran smiled softly and said soothingly.

“Just as the Red Sea is Gu-gwi’s land, so is Baek-san to San-gun. San-gun has been away from Baek-san for over 300 years. Of course, he’s curious. Besides, Tamhwa, the child he sent to Baek-san, hasn’t returned, so he’s in a disturbed state of mind. He’s probably worried.”

“W, well, that’s true, but…”

Even so, Hori’s mood didn’t improve, so San-gun opened his mouth.

“There’s a child protecting Baek-san in my place. An apprentice I call my teacher, and a disciple I call my student, but since he’s human, I don’t know if his lifespan has run out or not, so I can’t help but be like this.”

“A human as a disciple? Hoo… What was your disciple’s realm when you left?”

“He was a Biseon [a high-level cultivator].”

“Hmm… I see.”

The lifespan of a Biseon is around five hundred years.

It’s a precarious time.

Of course, it would be different if he reached Hwanseon [a higher cultivation realm] and formed a Dallyeong [a spiritual core], but he knows Yeon-a’s aptitude best.

Unless he had a fortuitous encounter, he wouldn’t have been able to form a Dallyeong.

So I was worried. I wondered if he had already died because his lifespan had run out, or if he was on his last legs.

“I thought it would take a month, but it’s already been over three months, and if I continue like this, it might take several years…”

The desire to return to Baek-san was slowly rising.

Of course, I was also worried about Cho-a’s safety.

I left her in the care of the Yoho [a fox spirit], but I was always curious and worried about whether she had formed a Dallyeong or condensed a Hwaryeong [a spiritual flame].

If only I could get some news, but Tamhwa doesn’t seem to be thinking of returning, so there’s little news.

As San-gun worried, Jangcheon, who was sipping his wine next to him, opened his mouth.

“Yooksa [a title], if you’re so worried, shall I go and come back quickly?”

“You?”

“I’ve visited once before, so it’s not a difficult task.”

If he could do that, nothing would be better.

Even if it was just words, if I could grasp the general situation, I could either be relieved or prepare myself.

But unlike his thoughts, he smiled faintly and refused.

“…No. Even so, I can’t make you do errands. Our relationship didn’t start well, but we can still call each other friends. I can’t ask such a person to do errands.”

San-gun emptied his glass and stood up.

The festival was heating up even more, but it didn’t reach San-gun.

Boom! Pow!

Suddenly, flashes of gold and silver light flickered in the night sky, and the sound of fireworks was heard.

As the light faded, a man riding a giant golden pig on a cloud that had billowed out in the sky straightened his back and looked around.

Beside him, servants in fluttering clothes descended in a row.

Next to him was a woman like a fairy on a carriage led by peacocks.

They flew through the night sky, gathered their light, and landed roughly in the middle of the festival.

Thud.

Dust rose, and a strange silence pressed down on all sides. In the midst of it, the man and woman approached, clasping their fists.

“Gu-gwi. It’s good to see you!”

“It’s a good night, Gu-gwi.”

The man was handsome with golden eyes and seemed to be from the Geumdon clan [a clan known for their wealth] (金脈族).

He seemed to be Yooksa, an Yeonggeop [a high-level cultivator] of the Geumdon clan, who had always coveted women and wealth.

He looked at Hori and greeted her with an undisguised gaze.

“I heard that there are days of celebration in the Red Sea these days, so I came to see it.”

However, Hori replied casually with a displeased look.

She didn’t seem happy.

“O-gwi, this is unusual. For you, who is in the middle of a war, to come here.”

“As fellow Gwiwangs [Ghost Kings], we should share good things together.”

“There are also some things to discuss.”

As the man called O-gwi said, the beautiful woman next to him agreed.

“O-gwi is right. I also have something to say to Gu-gwi, so I have committed this rudeness.”

“Even Chil-gwi… Let’s sit down first.”

As they sat down, the servants next to them began to play cheerful tunes.

“But who are these people….”

O-gwi asked, looking at San-gun and Jangcheon.

He didn’t seem welcoming.

“Um! They are my old friends who are subduing the troublemakers in our Red Sea.”

Hori introduced them with a bright face, whether she knew O-gwi’s intentions or not.

As she introduced them, San-gun rose from his seat and clasped his fists towards them.

“I am Beom, a friend of Gu-gwi. I have distanced myself from the world and am only devoted to cultivation, so my knowledge is shallow. Please teach me a lot.”

As he lowered himself with good sense, O-gwi smiled deeply.

Chil-gwi also looked at San-gun with a smile on her lips.

“Haha, what is there to teach? I’m just a guy who barely reaches the Junggyeong [a cultivation stage] of Yeonggeop, and I haven’t been a Gwiwang for a few hundred years, so I have many shortcomings.”

Chil-gwi, who was next to Gu-gwi and O-gwi, frowned at the subtle boast.

“Siphaemancheokgwi [a title], Chil-gwi, sitting in the seventh seat. I’m not a girl with a name to tell, so please call me Chil-gwi lightly. Can I call you Beom Hyeong [Brother Beom] as well?”

“Please do as you please.”

As the titles were settled, O-gwi and Chil-gwi looked at Gu-gwi and began to talk.

“Gu-gwi also knows. That Sip-gwi and Pal-gwi have been killed.”

“Of course, that’s why I heard that Baekgwiyahaeng [a gathering of Ghost Hands] will be held in the near future.”

The absence of a Gwiwang causes the power of Siphaemancheok to weaken.

That’s why Baekgwiyahaeng is held.

It is to gather the Ghost Hands of Sanhae and select those with the qualifications of a Gwiwang.

O-gwi and Chil-gwi glanced at Hongyeon next to Gu-gwi and said again.

“But, a while ago, Il-gwi said that Yook-gwi had also passed away. He was very sad about it.”

Chil-gwi’s long eyelashes fluttered.

She also seemed quite sad. San-gun looked at her intently.

She was a peerless beauty who seemed more delicate than any woman he had ever seen.

She was wrapped in light blue fabric, making her look like a fairy.

I could feel something out of place… San-gun couldn’t figure out what that sense of incongruity was.

“Beom Hyeong can’t help but be captivated by Chil-gwi’s beauty. I’m embarrassed to be stared at so intently, haha!”

O-gwi laughed and teased.

San-gun smiled and praised her beauty, making excuses.

“Her beauty is so outstanding that my eyes naturally go to her. I don’t think it’s entirely my fault.”

“Haha! That’s also true! Chil-gwi’s beauty is not common!”

Chil-gwi blushed at San-gun’s compliment, O-gwi laughed heartily, and Gu-gwi frowned.

“What does Yook-gwi’s passing have to do with why you came?”

“Haven’t I told you yet?”

“What?”

“There are now three Gwiwang candidates. So, we have increased the number of people we can sponsor and came to visit.”

Only then did I think I knew what they were trying to say.

They seemed to want to sponsor the Gwiwang candidates who would participate in Baekgwiyahaeng and bring them into their forces or maintain friendly relations when they became Gwiwang.

But I doubted if that was all.

‘The Gwiwangs are also doing useless things.’

The ultimate goal is to assassinate the Taoist, but they also wanted to protect the safety of their forces.

And if it’s a force, not an individual, it’s the way of the world that greed can’t help but arise, whether it’s human or not.

O-gwi and Chil-gwi’s enthusiasm for the Gwiwang candidates is all due to that.

To check the power of other Gwiwangs and give strength to their voices.

“What changes because of that? I’m annoyed, so I’m done.”

“Is that so? Then I won’t force you, but….”

O-gwi looked at San-gun and shone his eyes.

“Beom Hyeong, don’t you have any thoughts?”

“What are you talking about….”

“Don’t pretend you don’t know! I’m asking if you have any intention of becoming the Gwiwang of Siphaemancheok!”

Then, not only Gu-gwi but also the attention of others turned to San-gun.

“Originally, Gwiwang candidates are selected through Baekgwiyahaeng and Baekgwiyaraegeop [a ritual] is held to promote Jinsumyeonghwa [a spiritual concept], but….”

If the realm is Yeonggeop, there is no need for such procedures or waiting.

“If there are recommendations from three Gwiwangs….”

There is no need for Baekgwiyahaeng.

It’s truly a one-stop shop.

After some screening, you can immediately sit in the seat of Gwiwang.

“What do you think?”

“This is sudden.”

I knew that the Gwiwangs were impatient, but I didn’t know they would say it so suddenly.

I was thinking about it in my own way.

But it was too sudden.

“It’s too sudden… I think I need time to think.”

It was too absurd, and there was no need to decide right now.

I need to think about it slowly.

“Ah, that’s right. I was too hasty. But it’s not bad to have a force when it comes to our training. We can have our subordinates do the trivial things and we can focus on our training. There’s nothing better.”

“That’s right. If you join Siphaemancheok, you will be at odds with the Taoists, but… aren’t Yooksas mostly like that? There’s nothing special about it. Whether you join here or not, the Taoist is already the enemy of Yooksa!”

San-gun listened to their words with a face that seemed to be smiling and shared a glass of wine.

It was an ambiguous attitude.

But O-gwi and Chil-gwi didn’t say anything and turned the topic while sharing a glass of wine.

It was a consideration for him.

After that, we naturally had various conversations, mostly about the divine powers we were training and the enlightenment we felt while ascending to Yeonggeop.

I was very satisfied because I could hear different enlightenment and various information from myself.

While we were satisfying each other and various rumors spread in Dogye [a place], O-gwi, who was quite drunk, secretly sent a telepathic message to San-gun.

-Beom Hyeong, what is your relationship with Gu-gwi?