Call Of The Spear [EN]: Chapter 166

Nestled within a bamboo grove, a small pond and pavilion exuded an antique elegance.

Inside the pavilion, an old man with a long beard, leaning on a cane tucked under his arm, leisurely sipped tea.

“How is the tea?”

“Not bad.”

The man across from the old man nodded, savoring the tea.

“They say it’s made from bamboo leaves grown personally by the Sect Leader of the Rongqing Sect.”

“Indeed. I have cultivated it for many years, calling it Bamboo Tea. It’s not a renowned spirit tree, but it has its own story, so I keep it.”

The old man and the man leisurely enjoying refreshments in the pavilion were the Mountain Lord and the Sect Leader of the Rongqing Sect.

“A story?”

“Yes, it’s a bamboo left behind by my master before his passing… I, as his disciple, have been inadequate and have yet to awaken its true efficacy.”

“I’m curious about the story.”

“I don’t mind… but would it be alright?”

The Sect Leader of the Rongqing Sect subtly inquired.

He understood the meaning of those words.

It was a question of whether he should be leisurely drinking tea here while Mount Baek was under attack by the Lightning Master.

However, the Mountain Lord chuckled awkwardly and replied.

“The Taoist probably sees my current actions as reckless, like a thoughtless child running wild. It must seem as though I’m senselessly wielding the power I possess.”

“Haha….”

He couldn’t bring himself to deny it.

To them, the Mountain Lord was no different from a reckless fool.

“How could I not know? I’m aware that the Lightning Master and the Taoists he leads are attacking Mount Baek.”

“Then why….”

The Mountain Lord gazed at the leaves floating in his teacup, reminiscing about the distant past.

“In the past, running away using the Thirty-Six Stratagems [a Chinese proverb referring to a set of strategies used in politics, war, and diplomacy] was one of my specialties. If I thought I couldn’t win, I would run, and run again, to call for allies or set traps.”

“You must have lived fiercely.”

Fiercely.

That must have been the case.

“Having lived like that and reaching my current state, I’ve come to think this.”

He drained the teacup and said with a satisfied look.

“Now, I can protect.”

Crack, crack, crack!

As soon as he finished speaking, the teacup and refreshments trembled, and the atmosphere began to vibrate with a powerful spiritual pressure.

“Must you do this?”

The Sect Leader frowned.

“It’s not that I’m unaware of the etiquette of tea ceremony, but as the Sect Leader said, I’m not so leisurely, so I can’t help it.”

The Mountain Lord holding the teacup and the Sect Leader of the Rongqing Sect clashed their energies in the air.

“Considering my position, I would appreciate it if you could show some restraint.”

Thump!

The Sect Leader slammed the table with his palm. The chopsticks on the table shot up and flew like arrows!

Not only that.

The chopsticks suddenly transformed into a menacing snake, aiming for the Mountain Lord’s neck.

It happened in the blink of an eye, but he didn’t even flinch, opening his mouth slightly and exhaling a breath.

The Mountain Lord’s breath touched the green snake, instantly igniting it and engulfing its entire body in blue flames.

The Sect Leader’s eyebrows shot up.

He formed a hand seal and chanted incantations, seemingly reciting Buddhist scriptures.

Then, the energy of the green snake, which had been faltering in the air, intensified and suddenly transformed into a dragon with sharp scales and horns.

It was an astonishing sight.

The dying green snake had completely disappeared, and a majestic green dragon stood before the Mountain Lord.

Although small in size, its intricacy reached the heavens, making it seem as if it were truly alive. If a mortal saw it, they would slap their cheeks, mistaking it for a dream.

The Sect Leader of the Rongqing Sect stroked his beard with a triumphant look, watching the Mountain Lord with a relaxed attitude.

“It seems you’re a little surprised by this old man’s divine power. Shall we stop here?”

His face was as good as claiming victory already.

“If you have nothing more to show, it would be good to stop here.”

Surprisingly, the Mountain Lord also agreed, but as soon as he finished speaking, cracks began to appear on the Sect Leader’s face.

“Hmm!”

Before anyone knew it, cracks were appearing all over the green dragon’s body, and blue flames erupted from within.

The green dragon writhed in agony as if it were alive, before turning back into chopsticks and disappearing into dust.

“When did you….”

“From the beginning.”

“Heh….”

Although he hadn’t shown his full power, the Sect Leader couldn’t help but marvel at the Mountain Lord’s divine abilities.

He felt ashamed of his confident and bold demeanor from just moments ago.

The Sect Leader of the Rongqing Sect groaned deeply and began to retrace the battle from just now.

‘Did I gain even a small enlightenment?’

He didn’t seem to care whether the Mountain Lord was there or not.

“Then, I’ll take my leave first.”

The Mountain Lord dusted himself off and stepped out of the pavilion.

At that moment, the bountiful scenery transformed, and piles of rubble and pits that seemed to have collapsed here and there came into view.

Of course, the stench of blood was also thick.

When he arrived at Rongqing Mountain, there were Celestial Immortals waiting in ambush for him.

Since the Huashen Sect was gone, the Rongqing Sect was the only one left, so it was a natural result.

The number of Celestial Immortals was three.

However, they couldn’t stand against the Mountain Lord either. At least the Sect Leader of the Rongqing Sect was in the middle stage of Celestial Immortality, so he treated him with respect.

But even he.

Was no match for the Mountain Lord.

It couldn’t be said that those who had secluded themselves and cultivated for hundreds of years were weak.

However, compared to the Mountain Lord, who had gained various experiences in places where life and death were at stake, they naturally had to concede a step.

And he also possessed the thousands of years of experience of different individuals, so he couldn’t be matched in terms of depth of experience.

“Are you leaving?”

The Sect Leader of the Rongqing Sect stood up from the pavilion, as if he had sorted out his enlightenment. He was a kind-looking old man leaning on a cane, but he couldn’t let his guard down.

He had killed the Celestial Immortals and Taoists who had been lurking in the Rongqing Sect, and now he was going to take the Spirit Vein Mountain, but he didn’t seem to care, showing an indifferent attitude.

[Although I am in charge of the sect, it was something I was saddled with, so I have never been attached to the sect. In the first place, it is ironic for beings defying the heavens to live with personal attachments.]

The Sect Leader of the Rongqing Sect.

He recalled the words of the old monster Celestial Immortal with the surname Gu, and replied.

“As the Taoist said, it’s not a situation where I can be leisurely.”

“Indeed, that’s right. It would take at least half a month to get from here to Mount Baek, and in that time, perhaps….”

The old man Gu glanced at the Mountain Lord subtly.

However, he didn’t care and strode into Rongqing Mountain.

Soon, the Mountain Lord found the Spirit Vein Mountain and chanted an incantation, causing the mountain to stir and writhe as if it were alive.

“You don’t seem to have any worries.”

“Not particularly. I plan to take only the Spirit Vein Mountain and leave immediately.”

“Even so, it will take half a month….”

Since the distance was so great, it would inevitably take time.

However, that was not something the old man Gu was concerned about.

Seeing his questioning gaze, the old man Gu cleared his throat and said.

“It’s not that I want anything. It’s just a feeling. I’ve lived for 1,500 years, relying solely on my intuition, and now that intuition tells me to stay by your side and pick up some crumbs, so I’ve decided to do so.”

Having a Celestial Immortal in the middle stage by his side would be nice, but the significant issue was whether he could be trusted or not.

The Mountain Lord didn’t like the old man Gu, who could change at any moment.

Also, his values, which he had abandoned because he had unexpectedly obtained the Rongqing Sect.

It wasn’t a very pleasing sight.

However, it was a bit of a waste to simply refuse him when he said he would be on his side.

“If you would give me a seat as well, I will tell you about a teleportation array that leads closer to Mount Baek.”

“Teleportation array!”

He wondered if there was such a thing here.

If so, one question arose.

“Why didn’t the Lightning Master….”

Use it?

“It was created in secret. It was created by this old man, and because it is hidden, no one can use it. Since Sect Leader Fan is in a hurry, I will give it to you if you make a small promise!”

If there was a teleportation array, he could shorten the journey by half a month and go to Mount Baek in an instant.

It was an offer he couldn’t refuse.

No, there was no reason to do so.

All the old man Gu wanted was to create a residence on Mount Baek after everything was over.

That was enough.

“Hmm….”

The Mountain Lord pondered and opened his mouth.

“I don’t need it.”

* * *

A fierce battle was raging on Mount Baek.

Crackle, crash!

The Lightning Master and Geummyeongjiryung were fighting fiercely, scattering lightning and water energy, and following behind them, Celestial Immortal Yukdong and Tamhwa were spreading roars in the sky above Mount Baek.

It was utter chaos.

Clang!

In between, the Taoists were throwing treasures, the flying immortals were moving vertically and horizontally, and the illusionary immortals were spreading illusionary realms everywhere.

Iron clashed and screams were scattered and hung everywhere.

In the battlefield of death and killing, it didn’t matter whether they were those who sought the Tao or not.

What is the Tao, and what is benevolence?

It was a sight that made one feel a sense of doubt.

“What is the difference between us and beasts?”

Yeon-a, who was stepping on the head of a giant serpent, landed on the ground and scattered her sword.

The red sword landed on the ground with a dull noise, spreading a great reverberation and cracking the ground.

“Kuaaak!”

Some of the Taoists, unable to withstand the impact, flew away, and the spirit beasts of Mount Baek ran after them and bit them.

“Elder Yeon, are you alright?”

“I’m fine, Elder Man. The situation is….”

“It’s not good!”

Crash!

Man-sam, who had deflected a flying fireball with a milky white shield, disappeared in an instant.

Scattering a dull light, he transformed into a beam of light, dividing the enemy and the sky, and engaging in a chase.

Not only that.

Elder Myeong and his children.

And even his wife were all on the battlefield, fighting with difficulty.

Geummyeongjiryung was the same!

Kuaaang!

“Ugh!!”

He was struggling to resist the lightning wielded by the Lightning Master, but it seemed that their compatibility was not good.

“Water divine power is no match for lightning divine power. In the Immortal Realm, that doesn’t matter, but this is the Lower Realm!”

Crumble, rumble!

As golden lightning surrounded him like a spider web, Geummyeongjiryung gritted his teeth.

Soon, he transformed from his humanoid form into a golden wolf, biting off the lightning with his mouth and disappearing.

“How long do you think you can last even if you do that!”

Rumble!

Golden lightning collapsed the rock walls and knocked down the peaks of Mount Baek.

Crash!

In between, Geummyeongjiryung, the golden wolf, dashed like the wind.

Bang! Crash! Bang!

He stepped on the boulders falling from the sky, moving like lightning.

However, as there was no way to avoid the Lightning Master’s lightning, his body was covered with black scorch marks and blood.

Frankly, there was no way.

He had been told to buy as much time as possible, but he had now reached his limit.

[Haa, haa.]

Swoosh.

Steam billowed from Geummyeongjiryung’s body, and he soon transformed into a man.

“I’m really going to die like this.”

The difference between the middle stage and the late stage was like heaven and earth, and it seemed that it was not wrong.

There was also the issue of compatibility, but in the first place, there was an insurmountable wall between the Lightning Master and Geummyeongjiryung.

“Let’s end this now.”

Thud.

The Lightning Master placed one foot on a falling piece of stone and stood strangely.

Geummyeongjiryung wore a bitter smile, but the sound of him swallowing was particularly loud.

“May you have eternal life in the next life!”

Crackle!

Rumble!

It was then.

Suddenly, the sky twisted and began to roar.

The Lightning Master’s brow furrowed.

He wondered what was going on, but the space was twisting in the middle of the battlefield.

The Lightning Master, who had lived for many years, realized the meaning of this spatial distortion.

“Dragon’s Lair?”

A whirlwind blew, and everyone who was fighting stopped for a moment.

And then.

Fog stretched out from the cracks, and two figures appeared.

A boy with horns and wings and an old man with a deep look of sorrow as if he had been wronged.

“It’s a mess, isn’t it.”

The boy raised the corners of his lips.

The Mountain Lord wore a bitter smile.