Call Of The Spear [EN]: Chapter 150

Tales of Nangsane – Chapter 149

North from the Crimson Sea.

Within the secluded chamber of the Geumdon Clan’s stronghold, a bizarre scream echoed once a day.

It was none other than the Geumdon Clan’s leader.

Ogwi’s scream.

“Kuaaaagh!!”

Around him, many Yuksa [practitioners of martial arts and magic] were seated, chanting spells and driving magical seals into Ogwi’s body.

Like reciting Buddhist scriptures, strange incantations spread and then subsided.

How much time had passed?

“Hoo….”

On his arms, pale limbs resembling lizard tails had sprouted.

Unlike before, they were delicate and frail, but better than nothing.

Ogwi barely let out a sigh of relief, grinding his teeth.

“That damn bastard….”

When he was first attacked, fear had consumed him, but the pain and anger from the wound had long since erased that fear.

Now, all that remained was deep-seated resentment.

However, there was a problem.

He had sworn before those in the Crimson Sea that he would not make an issue of this, but how could he, as a man of honor, go back on his word?

“Besides, I suffered such humiliation in front of Gugwi, I can’t possibly back down like this. To have that woman, I must utterly destroy that Nangseon bastard!”

But when he thought about facing the guy alone, his hands and feet trembled.

“I’ll kill him. I will kill him!”

But despite the words he spat out, his eyes were wavering aimlessly.

“No. No… There’s no need for Ogwi of Siphae to deal with a mere Nangseon. He’s only at the early stages of Yeonggeop [a high level of martial arts cultivation].”

There was no need for him, a Junggyeong [a high level of martial arts cultivation], to dirty his hands.

Ogwi soon summoned someone.

“Mayu, I need you to do some work. Monitor his every move and find out anything that could be a weakness. And if you see an opening….”

At his chilling gaze, Mayu bowed deeply with a fist salute.

“Understood!”

* * *

One month later.

A giant ray, trailing red clouds, flew across the sky.

Its speed was neither too fast nor too slow, so ordinary people on the ground would occasionally stare up at the sky.

Regardless, San-gun on the Hwaunbanhong [a flying vehicle] was fiddling with the Geumdon Statue.

“Are you that pleased?”

Hwaran asked, looking quite displeased as he stared at it for a long time.

“Of course. When I found the Manseong Dogyeom [a powerful artifact], I thought, ‘A guy who’s meant to succeed will succeed after all.'”

The Manseong Dogyeom had been sucking up the yang energy [positive energy] from the underground of an unknown mountain, but he had quickly found it and captured it with the Geumdon Statue in the blink of an eye.

The Manseong Dogyeom, caught off guard, tried desperately to escape, but the treasure of the Geumdon Statue completely trapped it.

When the time comes, he plans to place it in Tanhanyeosan [a special training ground] and slowly tame it over time.

Even Yeonggeop can’t handle the Dogyeom carelessly, so if he tames it properly, it will be a great asset.

“Ah, San-gun. Stop looking at that pig and look over there. It seems we’ve arrived.”

Only then did San-gun raise his head.

In his eyes, he saw a mountain that soared high into the sky, its peaks pure white.

It was Baeksan [Mount Baekdu, a sacred mountain].

“The spiritual energy is so abundant that I can hardly recognize it.”

At this level, it was far superior even compared to Kunlun [another sacred mountain], one of the famous mountains. Bringing Hojupryangchung [a rare herb] and Sindansu [a mystical elixir] here was definitely the right decision.

A quick glance revealed that the number of people training in Baeksan had exceeded five hundred.

They didn’t possess high levels of cultivation, but it was more than double what it used to be.

“At this rate, an inner mountain must have formed.”

If Baeksan had created an inner mountain [a concentrated source of spiritual energy], it would be a great occasion.

With that, he could try to create an inner mountain within his body according to the nine principles of Subongoeoejeong [a complex Taoist practice].

‘If I could process the inner spiritual mountain and replicate it with Sawoljehang [a powerful technique]…’

He doubted it would work.

Strangely, inner cores were treated as living things, so they couldn’t be replicated.

“San-gun, look over there.”

“What are those?”

Several Hwanseon [ascended immortals] and Biseon [lesser immortals] were arguing above Baeksan.

“How can you do this to the envoy of Yukdong [a powerful sect]!”

“We are only following orders. The elders of Baeksan have ordered that no one be allowed in, so please understand!”

“How dare a mere Biseon! Do you have a death wish!”

“Try it if you wish! Even if I die, the Yuryeongbitap [a protective formation] of Baeksan will not leave you alone!”

The Hwanseon from another sect gritted his teeth and disappeared with his disciples.

“They should be groveling and begging to be let in, yet they’re making threats. Tsk.”

Whatever the reason, it seemed to be a frequent occurrence.

The Baeksan he had left had changed far too much.

“San-gun, everyone is loitering around the entrance of Baeksan?”

As Hwaran said, it was true.

Spiritual beasts and ordinary people were gathered together at the entrance of Baeksan. Wondering what was going on, he watched as three familiar-looking Taoists flew towards San-gun.

“Stop, no one can enter Baeksan without permission!”

“Oh… No one?”

“That’s right!”

“If you wish to enter Baeksan, you must walk up slowly from the entrance!”

They were Biseon.

San-gun was dumbfounded and stared blankly at them for a moment.

To think that mere Biseon would speak so confidently to him.

He was dumbfounded, but first, he wanted to clear up his confusion.

“Ah, um… I’m not sure, but is Baeksan currently recruiting disciples on a large scale?”

“Didn’t you know? Now you do, so that’s that.”

“Why are you recruiting disciples?”

“We’re doing it because it’s worth doing! We have a lot to do too, so go back down! Or would you like to taste Baek Mo’s fist before you go down!?”

San-gun chuckled in disbelief and then realized.

On the way here, he had been using Myeongeunsul [a technique to conceal one’s presence] to hide his energy so he wouldn’t get caught up in unnecessary incidents.

That was why they were treating San-gun with such disrespect.

“San-gun.”

“No, it’s okay. Let’s go down.”

Just as Hwaran was about to explode in anger,

He obediently went down to the entrance.

As the giant ray landed on the ground, the gathered people flinched and stared.

Half were ordinary people, and half were spiritual creatures or swordsmen.

Rarely, there were Yeonghwa [spiritual warriors] or Doseon [Taoist hermits], but their numbers were particularly small.

“You’re always making trouble.”

“Making trouble? Who is? I just wanted to see what was going on. Besides, they said to go to the entrance if we want to become disciples, which means they must have prepared an entrance exam… Hwaran, aren’t you curious?”

“…I’m honestly curious.”

He was curious.

What kind of test had they prepared?

The Taoists in Baeksan were all raised by San-gun.

It would be a lie if he wasn’t curious about the formations, illusions, and various divine powers they had set up to test the disciples who would enter Baeksan.

San-gun pondered for a moment and then hid his horns and wings from his Talhyeong form [his transformed state].

In appearance, he looked like a perfect human boy.

“Hwaran, um… you can just go in, right?”

Hwaran rarely revealed himself in the first place.

Even if he didn’t hide, no one would recognize him, so it didn’t matter.

Looking around for a moment, he felt a sense of nostalgia.

‘To think the day would come when so many people would gather to enter Baeksan.’

There seemed to be about four or five hundred people.

Baeksan was a mountain that even ordinary people rarely climbed because of its rugged terrain.

So many people had gathered in a place that San-gun considered his home, and his heart swelled.

He felt inexplicably happy.

While he was lost in memories and waiting, two children who looked to be about ten years old approached.

“If you came alone too, how about joining us? This kid and I are alone too.”

It was a dark-skinned boy and a shy-looking girl.

They had rather ordinary appearances, but upon closer inspection, they were Hona bloodlines [descendants of spiritual creatures]. San-gun pondered for a moment and nodded, offering a handshake.

“I’m Beom.”

“I’m Unmo! I abandoned my surname a long time ago! And this is….”

“Ryuaeng. I abandoned my surname too.”

The boy who introduced himself as Unmo had brown furry ears, and the girl was covering her forehead with a red headband, but scales were faintly visible.

“You seem to be Hona too, right? I saw you coming down from the ray earlier.”

That was probably why they spoke to him.

San-gun nodded lightly.

“You can tell Hona apart like that. I came because Baeksan doesn’t discriminate against Hona unlike other sects, but I got intimidated as soon as I arrived.”

In the first place, there was no reason to discriminate against Hona when spiritual creatures and humans lived together.

“Besides, Baeksan is said to have a denser concentration of heaven and earth spiritual energy than other famous mountains.”

“Has the rumor already spread?”

“Even though we’re at the entrance, the spiritual energy is abundant, right? How amazing would it be if we went up there! I’m going to achieve great success and climb to the top of Baeksan to practice Taoism.”

“Unmo is right. It used to be an unremarkable mountain, but it’s become so amazing in just a few hundred years, they say?”

The concentration of spiritual veins is incredibly important to those who walk the path of Tao, so they would want to know even if they had to pay billions.

“The entrance exam will now begin, so all applicants please gather here!”

After exchanging a few words, the exam was about to begin.

San-gun followed the instructions and lined up, raising the corners of his lips.

* * *

In a pavilion located on Baegunbong, the highest peak of Baeksan, a middle-aged woman sighed softly.

“Elder Yeon, what’s wrong?”

Next to the elder sat a man with a scar near his eyes.

“It’s always the same thing.”

Baeksan’s elder.

Yeon-a shook her head as she examined the letter.

“Listen, Baeksan Sect. Gwimun violates the tacit rules of the Taoist world and equates demonic beasts with humans, so we have no choice but to consider Gwimun a sect of demonic beasts! They’re putting so much effort into their nonsense, it’s quite a work of art.”

“Those Yukdong bastards.”

“Not only Yukdong, but minor sects here and there are asking for secret techniques, medium-sized sects are proposing trades, and large sects are engaging in trickery, so my head is spinning.”

Yeon-a dropped her head onto the desk.

She seemed to be in a state of mental turmoil.

“But that person will be here soon, so if you just bear with it a little longer.”

“Yes, that’s right… Everything will be resolved once Master arrives. The reason I’m so flustered is because I’m afraid of the Taeseon [Grand Celestial Immortals] in the large sects.”

She had already heard the news that San-gun had reached the realm of Yeonggeop when Manho and the Hona arrived.

Now, all she had to do was wait, so she could ignore everything else.

‘They know there are no Taeseon-level figures in Baeksan, so they’re resorting to threats.’

“But why are you recruiting disciples?”

“Even if Master has become a Yeonggeop Yuksa, our power is still insignificant compared to Yukdong or other places. Even if we have Sindansu and the concentration of spiritual energy is high, it’s not enough.

The elder is only a Biseon, and there are only two Hwanseon-level figures, Elder Mansam and Elder Myeonghwa….”

How can things in the world always go as planned?

So, we prepare.

For the sake of the unknown.

“I don’t think it’s likely… but we can’t rule out the possibility that there are guys who have lowered their cultivation and secretly infiltrated.”

“A trap.”

“Yes. I already told them in advance. There may be such guys, so thoroughly supervise and ferret them out. Elder Mansam and Elder Myeonghwa said they would lend a hand, so it won’t be difficult.”

“What will you do with them once you ferret them out?”

“Of course, I’ll expose them to the world and dig up the backing sect to humiliate them!”

At that moment, a yellow butterfly flew in from outside the pavilion window and landed on the desk.

The butterfly soon turned into a talisman, and Yeon-a, after examining it, stood up.

“The exam has begun. It would be nice to observe it since it’s a rare occasion.”

“I will follow.”

“Aren’t you using honorifics too stiffly? Why don’t you speak comfortably like before?”

“Like a rabbit who imitated a clueless girl and San-gun?”

“Hehe, yes. Like then.”

“No. Those were stories from when we didn’t know anything, and now we have our respective positions. The elder will soon be ascending to Hwanseon as well.”

Hwanseon.

Yeon-a’s face darkened slightly at the sound of that word.

The man regretted saying something unnecessary and lowered his head in self-reproach, but she waved her hand.

“It’s okay. It’s my fault for being inadequate. Let’s go down. We’ll have to look with our eyes wide open to find the spies!”