Call Of The Spear [EN]: Chapter 213

The 3rd level of Bidong was a jungle, thick with forests. Grasses and trees towered, reaching for the level’s ceiling, while bizarre, red stems snaked down from above, connecting to the ground and trees in strange formations.

The stems were a vibrant red, a color so intense it was visible even in the dim light.

The old woman, Choumseonnyeo of Binggung, smiled, wrinkles around her lips twitching knowingly.

“Indeed… the nutrients from those who died on the 2nd level have seeped down. That’s why this place is so lush.”

“Are you saying it’s a trap?” Choa asked, unable to hide her doubt.

“I don’t know if it’s a trap… but did you pay close attention to the sand grains on the 2nd level?”

“Yes, they looked like ordinary sand grains.”

Choumseonnyeo clicked her tongue.

“All understanding begins with observation. Ordinary sand grains? And you dare say you paid attention! That’s why you haven’t even taken your first step into the realm of Jiseon [Earth Immortal]!”

*Creak.*

The sound of grinding teeth filled the air, followed by Choa’s strained voice.

“Then what are they?”

“Bones.”

“Bones?”

“Yes. Bones, weathered and piled up over countless years, have become that vast desert.”

Choa’s eyebrows furrowed.

So, they had been walking on bone fragments, the remains of those who had perished here.

The thought sent shivers down her spine.

“Through their deaths, the 3rd level thrives with greenery.”

Choumseonnyeo gently caressed a pink flower blooming amidst the moss-covered trees. It was a species she didn’t recognize.

“There must be Sipsaenggeumeocho [Ten-Life Golden Mouth Flower] nearby.”

“How do you know? This is your first time here too.”

“I can feel it.”

Choumseonnyeo spread her arms, inhaling the verdant air.

“Didn’t I tell you? I became a Jiseon by consuming Sipsaenggeumeocho. Perhaps that’s why I can sense it so strongly.”

That was right. Choumseonnyeo had mentioned using Sipsaenggeumeocho to achieve Jiseon status. Did that mean she had also seen her past lives?

Curiosity sparked within her.

“Did you see your past life?”

Choumseonnyeo was searching for Sipsaenggeumeocho to become a Jiseon, and naturally, she would consume it. The question was unavoidable.

They spoke of past lives and reincarnation, but how many living people had truly witnessed and experienced it?

Her curiosity was insatiable.

“Yes, I saw them.”

Choum’s eyes seemed to sink deeper into their sockets.

The atmosphere shifted abruptly.

“Whether I was lucky or not, I witnessed three of my past lives.”

Choum began to walk through the undergrowth, her hands clasped behind her back.

“The first life was quite eventful. I was a practitioner in a sect, neither large nor small, and ascended to Hwanseon [Transcendent Immortal], enjoying a smooth path. But I fell in love with a man, neglected my training, and ultimately died.”

Choa stopped walking.

“My lifespan simply ran out. But I didn’t consider it a bad life. We had no children, but we shared whispered affections and yearned for each other. Even as death approached, I had no regrets. It was the life I chose, and I wasn’t alone.”

But then, Choum clenched her fist, radiating an unsettling energy.

“But that was a delusion.”

“What delusion?”

“The person I gave my affection to was exploiting me with the Double Cultivation Technique [a technique to absorb another’s energy for self-gain], all while coveting my power. Unaware, I mingled my body with his, gradually aging, my lifespan shortening, and becoming an unattractive woman.”

Choum’s anger flared, her murderous intent palpable as if the events had just occurred.

But it was fleeting.

She smiled bitterly and continued.

“And the second life was similar. I rose to Taeseon [Great Immortal] and became an elder in a sect, but I was forced to be sold off due to pressure from a larger sect in another region.”

“Sold off…?”

“Various interests were at play. To improve relations, I, a virgin, was forced to become a concubine to the head of the giant sect.”

Choa was speechless.

“On the wedding night, I told myself it was my destiny, foolishly consoling myself that it was for the best. But that bastard was even more cunning and vile than I imagined.”

Choa already dreaded hearing what came next.

“It turned out he pressured my sect to take me because I possessed a special constitution. The head of my sect, knowing this, sold me out for the sake of the sect. Nothing good came after that.

I became his plaything, treated worse than a dog, and humiliated before taking my own life.”

Her calm delivery only made the story more heartbreaking.

“The third life was similar. Somehow, I fell in love again, gave everything, and died young.”

It was a truly unfortunate existence, a short-lived fate. It was a wonder how she had ascended to Jiseon after such past lives.

“Sipsaenggeumeocho is both poison and medicine.”

Choum turned to Choa.

“I know the path you’ve walked has been extraordinary as well. Your past lives may not be easy either.”

If it was an unfortunate fate, Choa was certainly a contender.

Born with Huna Blood [a rare and powerful bloodline], she had endured countless hardships.

Even now, she believed herself to be a White Blood Ogre, only to be told by Choumseonnyeo that she was of the bloodline of Baekyoboryeon [White Jade Treasure Lotus].

She was trapped by a powerful Geumje [Restriction Spell], unable to speak to others. She couldn’t break Choum’s restraint alone, and Choum was trying to fatten her up before eating her, all while trying to make her a Jiseon. How could she not be unfortunate?

If she had her way, she would run to her husband and embrace him, but she couldn’t risk him being harmed.

‘If you can’t even do this much on your own…’

You don’t deserve to be by his side.

She was a true immortal.

She would become a fairy and live forever with him, immortal.

“Are you scared?”

“…”

She was both scared and curious.

“Humph, originally, the cycle of reincarnation and fate goes around and around, so it doesn’t change much. Even if you are reborn again and again, our fate is to be trapped in that cycle, turning like a water mill.”

It meant that her future lives wouldn’t be much different from her current one, so she should wake up from her dreams.

Choa walked along the path with a conflicted expression, then suddenly looked around.

“Is this it?”

“It seems so.”

Lost in Choum’s tales of unfortunate fates, she had wandered into a deep forest.

Luminous flowers emitted an emerald glow, creating a beautiful scene.

But among them, a particularly large and bizarre flower caught her eye. It was a lotus flower larger than a person.

The lotus flower emitted a subtle light, and something was faintly visible inside its bud.

“Tsk.”

Choum clicked her tongue and waved her hand. The tightly closed bud let out a bizarre scream and slowly opened.

*Squeak squeak squeak!!*

It sounded like twisting open a tightly sealed iron door.

It was astonishing that the seemingly soft lotus petals could produce such a metallic sound.

Ordinary practitioners wouldn’t be able to open it with such hardness and would have to accept their fate.

*Crack!*

Soon, the lotus flower opened, revealing a small flower nestled inside.

Strangely, silver and gold were subtly mixed, and each blooming flower resembled a dragon’s mouth.

It was Geumeocho [Golden Mouth Flower].

“As expected… Gusaeng [Nine Lives].”

But unfortunately, it wasn’t Sipsaeng [Ten Lives].

Nine flowers were in bloom, and one was still an unopened bud.

Only when ten flowers bloomed fully could it be called Sipsaenggeumeocho.

Because it was Gusaenggeumeocho, Choum could only click her tongue in disappointment.

“Isn’t Gusaeng okay?”

Choa asked, and Choum shook her head.

“Nine is the number closest to perfection, but also the most unstable. Even if you gain ten lives, you don’t know what will happen. Consuming something like that is practically a death wish.”

Hearing her firm words, Choa swallowed her groan of disappointment.

“I can sense the energy of Geumeocho from a little further away, so let’s go that way.

Since we’re going deeper, there might be a complete Sipsaenggeumeocho.”

If so, that would be a relief.

Choum’s eyes narrowed as she watched Choa’s relieved expression, but it was only for a moment.

“Don’t even think about touching it.”

Choum warned Choa, who was about to touch the Gusaenggeumeocho.

“Why? Even if it’s Gusaeng, if you take the time to nurture it, it might be helpful later.”

“It’s a waste of time.”

Choum’s atmosphere changed.

Choa also glared with frosty eyes but had no choice but to click her tongue.

“Let’s go.”

She disappeared into the forest with regret, and after an hour,

The sound of hurried footsteps approached, panting and rushed.

“Why are these bugs so… Ugh.”

The girl clutched her pounding heart, as if being chased by something, and looked around.

After being wary for a long time, the girl seemed relieved only after an hour and collapsed on the floor to catch her breath.

Then, she suddenly discovered a flower that created a subtle color of gold and silver.

A flower with nine flowers in bloom, but the other one not yet bloomed.

Incomplete nine.

“Hmm….”

The girl looked at the flower.

She intuitively knew that the atmosphere and color were not ordinary spiritual plants.

She didn’t know what it was, but she felt like it was something great.

She wasn’t very smart, but she was confident that her senses were good.

She didn’t understand with her head, but she learned with her feelings and body.

“Isn’t this perhaps that Sipsaeng something that Yukgwi was talking about… no, is it not because there are nine?”

The girl’s identity was none other than Gugwi.

She had fallen to the 3rd level and had been wandering around for a while, running away from the Taoist bastards, and had finally entered a secluded place.

But there was an unusual spiritual plant here, so she forgot about running away and stared blankly as if possessed by something.

“Pretty.”

Gugwi touched the Geumeocho with a dazed face, as if intoxicated by its appearance and scent.

It was then.

The moment Gugwi’s fingertips touched the Geumeocho.

A brilliant golden light burst out.

“Oh!”

Gugwi tried to step back in surprise, but the subtle energy from the Geumeocho held her tightly and she couldn’t move.

“Aaaagh!! What, what is it!!”

Soon, her whole body trembled like an aspen tree, and Gugwi’s spiritual energy began to pour out from her whole body.

No, it wasn’t pouring out.

It was being pulled out.

By Geumeocho!

“You bastard…! Let go of me!!”

She tried to pull out her energy, but it was useless.

Even her body, which had become strong after learning the Gangche Technique [Iron Body Technique], could not use any strength.

She felt like she was being swept away here and there by a wave of energy that could not be described.

“What kind of pig are you! How dare you try to eat someone! I am Gugwi! I am not a vessel to be eaten by a mere weed…!”

She was shouting for a while.

Gugwi soon lost consciousness and collapsed.

As soon as she lost consciousness, the lotus flower that had been opened as if waiting began to move again.

The lotus flower slowly began to close as if protecting the Geumeocho, and Gugwi, who had fallen into the lotus flower, fell asleep under the Geumeocho, which was emitting a subtle light, as if she had fallen into a hazy sleep.

And before the lotus flower closed completely.

The last bud of Geumeocho emitted a golden and silver light and slowly bloomed.