Call Of The Spear [EN]: Chapter 221

Nangseon’s Romantic Tale – 220

“Tamhwa…”

Sangun pressed his temples, trying to quell his anger. It wasn’t the first time Tamhwa had done something like this, but this time it was beyond anything he could have imagined.

‘From what I heard, this Woncheongang wasn’t just any ordinary thing…’

The reason Yujeong and Jisol promised to return in a thousand years was partly because of Sangun, but also because of Woncheongang.

It was because they believed Sangun wouldn’t easily melt down the Woncheongang.

“But Tamhwa ate it.”

He pondered for a moment, then shrugged. It was a shame, but honestly, Sangun didn’t really know what kind of power it held.

If Tamhwa benefited from eating it, that wouldn’t be so bad either.

Tamhwa was his Wiju Hoyeon Armor. [A type of mystical armor bound to its wearer.]

The stronger Tamhwa became, the stronger he would become as well.

Tamhwa had swallowed the Woncheongang and quietly transformed back into Sangun’s armor.

Judging by the lack of response, it seemed he was either keeping his mouth shut for fear of being scolded, or he was concentrating on digesting what he had eaten.

“Alright, eat it all.”

He had secretly been looking forward to Tamhwa’s final shedding anyway.

In a way, this was the perfect time.

“I don’t know what Woncheongang is, but since those guys coveted it, it must be something great.”

Just then.

Step, step.

He heard footsteps approaching.

‘Is it Yujeong?’

He raised his head, thinking the guy had come back, but it wasn’t him.

“…How are you here?”

A man with red skin.

A man with insect wings.

It was Chungseon.

“Why are you here? You should have been blown away tens of millions of miles.”

Chungseon chuckled at the wary question.

“I did a foolish thing. I am originally bound to this place. But artificially blowing me away will only make me return.”

He seemed to be bound here by a powerful *geumje* [a binding spell or curse] he didn’t know about.

‘Dangchun must have been blown away.’

Even if he went outside the barrier, it seemed difficult to get out safely thanks to Chungseon and Hwaseon.

“…Woncheongang is gone.”

Chungseon’s gaze as he looked inside the barrier was surprisingly calm.

“I see you can’t do anything about this barrier either.”

“This barrier was directly activated by Haeryong. Unless you inherited his blood or reached a level comparable to him, you can never break it.”

Sangun was unsure whether to be happy or not at Chungseon’s reply.

If he could break the barrier, Sangun would have died instantly.

But the fact that he couldn’t remove the barrier was reassuring, yet frustrating at the thought of being trapped for a thousand years.

If Bong woke up, there might be a way, but it was even more so because there was no telling when he would wake up.

“If you survive, you’re a really lucky guy.

Even us cultivators would have to complete missions that would cost us ten lives to obtain Woncheongang.”

Chungseon began to speak in a more relaxed tone than before.

“Mission?”

“There are levels even among immortals.

Low-level cultivators don’t have the ability or the wealth to create an aggregate of heavenly origin energy like Woncheongang, of course.

Did you think heavenly origin energy was just lying around everywhere? Forget the idea that what heaven has given is for everyone.

There are immortals under the sky who think they *are* the sky, so those without connections can’t even cultivate in peace, let alone obtain Woncheongang.”

Chungseon leaned against a nearby pillar and sat down, starting to talk about various things. It was mainly Sangun asking questions and Chungseon answering.

“It’s not like I committed some crime to be bound here. It’s because I made a contract with my master.

If I protect this place for 220,000 years, I can obtain elixirs and *gong* methods [cultivation techniques] necessary for cultivation, as well as inherit a cultivation site full of heavenly origin energy.”

“220,000 years?!”

“If you endure it, it’s just a blink of an eye. Originally, everything becomes a memory when you look back.”

Unlike him, who spoke calmly, Sangun was dumbfounded and clicked his tongue.

He was anxiously worried about being trapped for a thousand years, but Chungseon was trapped for 220,000 years of his own volition.

He didn’t know what to say.

He seemed to perceive the flow of time differently.

Just as a hundred years was nothing to Sangun, it was probably the same for him.

“But is it okay for you to tell me these things?”

“It doesn’t matter. It’s not a secret…”

Chungseon scanned Sangun up and down before continuing.

“You’re going to die anyway.”

“…Why am I going to die?”

“Then how will you live? Can you get out of here on your own? Even with the phoenix’s divided soul, it’s impossible.”

The barrier can only be broken by someone who inherited Haeryong’s blood.

Or an immortal of the same level as Haeryong.

“Unless it’s the phoenix’s main body, the divided soul is useless. Even if you cultivate diligently with Woncheongang, breaking the barrier is a distant dream.”

It was as if lightning had struck his head.

“Since it’s a place where heavenly origin energy gathers all at once, it will be good for cultivation.

But what’s the point? Even if you become an immortal, you’ll be trapped here forever because you can’t break a single barrier.”

Come to think of it, that was true.

A thousand years wasn’t the problem.

If he made a mistake, he might be trapped here forever.

‘Immortals have eternal life…’

He could be in eternal pain!

His mind went blank for a moment.

“But don’t worry too much. Since we’re in the same boat, I’ll be your conversation partner. And it won’t be that long. You’ll die as soon as the master comes.”

Unlike the indifferent tone, the meaning was extremely chilling.

“You’re definitely something. You’re the first guy I’ve seen waiting to die at the hands of an immortal before even ascending. Haha!”

It wasn’t a pleasant sound.

-That’s right.

‘You’re awake?’

Bong had awakened.

Sangun hurriedly asked him.

‘Is what that guy said true?’

-As of now, yes.

Then why did you drill a dragon vein into this place!!

-Originally, I was going to absorb Woncheongang and raise my power for about a thousand years to escape, but it became difficult.

Because Woncheongang disappeared.

Rather than disappeared, it was because Tamhwa had eaten it.

‘Then is there really no way out?’

-Cool your head. Getting agitated won’t solve anything, and it’s agitation that makes things end badly that could have ended well.

The first thing you need to do when you get out of here is to control the things mixed inside you as one.

None of what he said was wrong, but it was difficult to calm his mind right now.

‘So is there a way or not?’

-There is no coincidence under the sky.

There is only inevitability.

So there’s no need to be hasty.

Your past will save you,

‘What nonsense…’

Sangun, who was about to say that, stopped and lowered his head.

“Tamhwa?”

Wiju Hoyeon Armor.

Tamhwa’s armor, which was covering Sangun, was cracking.

He was startled, but soon realized that it was the third shedding.

“…Something’s strange.”

To Yeongchung, the third shedding is like the essence of eternal life. Therefore, he would achieve *Talhyeong* [a state of transcendence], but *Cheongeop* [heavenly tribulation] is an essential condition for achieving Talhyeong.

There were no signs of Cheongeop.

Cheongeop is literally the fear of the sky.

The law of the sky. It is *Cheonchik* [heavenly punishment].

Unless it is a specific place, it appears regardless of time and place.

No one can avoid it, and no one can turn it back, that is Cheongeop.

It was a test and ordeal from the sky, but strangely, there were no signs of Cheongeop.

Heavenly and earthly energy did not gather and transform into spirits, dark clouds did not gather and thunder was not generated.

There were only cracks on the surface and only a faint energy was being emitted.

Only the energy that seemed to breathe in and out like a small breath was felt.

‘Something because of Woncheongang…’

Did something go wrong?

He began to feel a sense of dread.

Tamhwa is originally Tamhwa Ogong, a descendant of Tam.

Thanks to Tamhwa’s origin, he believed that he would be able to digest Woncheongang without difficulty, but it seemed that something was going wrong. Sangun raised his energy, feeling like he had to do something.

Then, a mysterious light began to leak from the cracks in the armor.

-You can leave it alone.

‘Why?’

-Because that’s the natural order.

It’s an incomprehensible word.

Just as he was about to say something more.

Clang!

With a sound, Tamhwa’s armor burst and shattered to the ground.

“Tamhwa!!”

Sangun’s heart sank.

Wiju Hoyeon Armor is Tamhwa itself.

Since the armor was broken like glass shards, Sangun couldn’t help but be surprised as if his heart had dropped.

If it hadn’t been for Bong’s words, he wouldn’t have been able to hide his excitement.

-Woncheongang is an aggregate of heavenly origin energy. It is heavenly origin energy that has been around for tens of thousands of years, and what gathered it is the souls and energy of the practitioners.

Originally, if it was an ordinary Yeongchung, its body would not have been able to withstand it as soon as it ate it, but… he was lucky. First, it is because he inherited Tam’s blood, although it is faint, and second, it is because you fed him well, so you can be proud.

Sangun opened and closed his mouth like a crucian carp and asked.

“So now… is Tamhwa still alive?”

-Don’t you know if you look?

Whoo-oong!!

A rough wind blew.

It was an underground hollow where not a single breeze blew, and it was inside a strong barrier.

But the wind blew.

The wind blew away the finely fragmented pieces of Tamhwa as if sweeping them away.

No, the expression caressed is correct.

When the wind gathered the pieces of Tamhwa, the pieces began to move as if they were alive.

Threads that seemed to be visible to the naked eye were emitted from the fingernail-sized pieces, and the threads were organically connected to each other.

The emitted threads were made of gold and shone faintly, making them beautiful.

The emitted threads instantly formed a golden cocoon, and the golden cocoon gradually began to double in size.

Looking at Tamhwa’s appearance, which had turned into a cocoon, it seemed that Jinsumyeonghwa was correct.

However, if Jinsumyeonghwa was achieved, Cheongeop, which must achieve Talhyeong, would definitely be performed, but it was strange that there was no change and it was quiet.

That’s why he asked.

“Isn’t it Jinsumyeonghwa?”

-No.

“Then what the hell is it?”

-…Becoming an immortal.

Soon, the golden cocoon began to scatter a clear golden light and illuminate all directions.

The size of the cocoon grew larger and larger, filling the barrier.

And when everything was dyed gold.

Tudug.

With the sound of the cocoon tearing, a huge explosion occurred.

* * *

Yujeong and Jisol, who had come out of Chanjeodong, were leisurely flying through a place where golden rings were embroidered in all directions.

Even though they had come out of that dangerous place, Yujeong and Jisol’s expressions were not very good. Yujeong was gloomy about his situation where he couldn’t do anything even after seeing his enemy, and Jisol was because he had to leave Woncheongang, which he had been longing for, right in front of his eyes.

There was no way to do anything.

That was the situation.

Fortunately, Woncheongang wasn’t going to run away on its own, and Yukgwi wouldn’t be able to run away either, so it was reassuring.

“There are still two days left, what are you going to do?”

He was asking if he was going to leave this place.

If you look for it besides Chanjeodong, there may be hidden opportunities.

“No. I’m going back.”

However, Jisol shook his head as if he was fed up with it.

Yujeong also agreed deeply because it was the same, and approached the golden ring floating in the air.

Just as he was about to leave after looking around Geumhwanseonhyang for the last time, as it was a place he had to come back to after a thousand years.

Kwaaaaaang!!

A strange wave spread out with a earth-shattering roar.

“What…”

When he looked to see what it was, something long and huge came out of the entrance to Chanjeodong, piercing through the rock and making a loud noise.

“Centipede? No… rather than a centipede…”

It had the armor of a centipede, but its appearance was very different from that of a centipede.

It had antennae on its head and horns, resembling a dragon.

“It seems to be *Oryong* (蜈龍).” [A centipede that has transformed into a dragon.]

“Oryong? That thing?”

“Oryong itself is a name given to a centipede that became a dragon, so there is no difference.”

“I didn’t know I would see the legendary Oryong, so this journey wasn’t a failure after all.”

“But… what’s that on top of Oryong…”

Yujeong frowned as if something was wrong. Soon, Jisol also saw that there was someone on top of Oryong’s head and looked closely.

And soon the two were greatly surprised.

“No way!!”

Sangun with a dazed look was on top of Oryong’s head.