Call Of The Spear [EN]: Chapter 345

I realized it the moment I saw the massive Sea Dragon.

Jiranwi.

It was a presence and energy I had never felt since ascending to the Upper World.

It felt like looking up at an immeasurable sky.

It was the feeling of beholding nature itself.

As I lost consciousness amidst the aftermath of the exploding Bungma Tree, the tranquil state of mind naturally dissipated.

The ink-like seawater and red sky vanished, and the training grounds of the Hall of Returning Glory reappeared.

The cultivators rejoiced in relief at being alive but soon prostrated themselves, bowing their heads. Their sky was completely covered by the giant dragon encompassing the Hall of Returning Glory.

Giant Dragon.

Jiranwi disappeared as silently as it had appeared, without a word.

Ji Jeo-wi, the head of the Ji Clan, mixed among them, merely watched Cheonbeom collapse among the cultivators, his eyes gleaming.

* * *

Three days later.

Beom, who had awakened inside a cave lit by a faint candlelight, slowly surveyed his surroundings.

He looked around in a modern fashion, but the massive cave was empty.

Only a single incense stick was lit, creating a strange smoke, and the scent was unpleasant, causing him to frown.

[Hwaran.]

As he called out, a woman like a flower appeared from the air.

“Have you awakened?”

Hwaran smiled in relief.

[Why am I in this form?]

It was his true form, rarely seen since ascending to the Upper World.

Moreover, in the Upper World, most cultivators do not readily reveal their true forms. Some hide it because their bloodline is poor, while others hide it for fear of exposing their bloodline.

And because they are so large, they usually avoid taking their true forms.

“You were exhausted, so you reverted. Thanks to you, the Fourth Clan Head suffered a bit.”

[Saha?]

“Yes.”

She had been worried about what to do if he didn’t wake up for a long time.

[…First, turn off that incense. It stinks.]

“Endure it. The Fourth Clan Head said it’s expensive and asked for one to be lit every day. He said it was difficult to obtain and that just smelling it would speed up your body’s recovery.”

[It smells awful.]

“What’s good for the body usually tastes bitter. Endure it.”

Seeing her so firm, there was no point in saying more.

Beom gave up and closed his eyes again.

The smell was terrible, but he had to admit that she had taken care to make it cozy.

Several precious items were arranged, and a formation was in place to aid his body’s recovery.

[What is Saha doing?]

“The Fourth Clan Head is busy. All the members of the Saha Clan died, didn’t they? She has to hold funerals for her beloved maids and build relationships with the scions of other clans.”

[Ah… I see.]

Most of the minor immortals who had their consciousness seized by the Tranquil Mirror died quickly.

Their mental strength was weak.

To think that the minor immortal she cherished had died, her sorrow must be immense….

‘She’s being strong.’

Is it because she is the clan head who must take responsibility for the Saha Clan? Either way, it’s a relief.

At least she isn’t consumed by grief.

[Is there anything else happening?]

“I don’t know. I’m not in a position to wander around on my own.”

That was true.

This was Tongcheon Water Palace.

Even a Sword Spirit would be in trouble if they wandered around carelessly and caught unwanted attention.

That’s what happened once before in the Lower World.

Beom nodded in understanding and rose to his feet.

“Are you sure you should get up? Rest a little longer.”

Swoosh.

Smoke emanated from Beom’s body, and he transformed into a man.

“I need to know what’s going on.”

Hwaran sighed as if she couldn’t help it and took out clothes to dress him.

Beom’s brow furrowed as she touched and poked him here and there.

“All done.”

“Thank you.”

Hwaran, who had straightened his collar, disappeared again.

Beom briefly examined his condition, observing his inner self.

Within his body were the Source Jade, the Fire Essence beside it, and a small volcano.

It was the Tanhan Yeosan containing Bong.

“I need to change the name.”

It now contained so much that it was no longer appropriate to call it Tanhan Yeosan.

Soobong Oewoejeong.

Eungmyeong Cheonchung.

Yungjeon Gadan.

The Tanhan Yeosan had become one.

“Should I call it Soobong Yeosan (守鳳濾山) [Mountain Guarded by the Phoenix]?”

It was the mountain guarded by Bong.

Soobong Yeosan.

Using the characters for guarding (守), phoenix (鳳), filtering (濾), and mountain (山).

He had just made it up, but it had a strangely familiar feel.

Beom took the Soobong Yeosan out.

Bongak Cheonghwa blazed, and a small volcano appeared on his palm.

The blue volcano spun around.

It was the Soobong Yeosan.

It was a divine ability and a magical treasure in itself, created by Bong sacrificing a part of itself.

Just by existing, it naturally drew in the energy of heaven and earth by combining the divine abilities of Eungmyeong Cheonchung and Soobong Oewoejeong.

It gathered and filtered that energy with the power of Yungjeon Gadan, converting it into immortal energy.

That alone made it an incredible treasure, but even more amazing were the mysteries left behind by the children of Eungmyeong Cheonchung within it.

‘Is this the power that healed me?’

It was an invisible but faintly felt, familiar, and longed-for power.

The divine ability of Eungmyeong Cheonchung left behind by them must have saved him from death.

It had faded now, but it could be refilled.

‘The mystery left in the wolfberries was that.’

By gradually accumulating his own life force or plundering the lives of others, it would shine again in times of crisis.

‘I must be grateful.’

He had no choice but to express his gratitude to Bong and to them.

Beom stared at the Soobong Yeosan for a long time before taking out a feather and a spear.

They were the family heirlooms, Gon’s Yeonjabo and Hu’s Ssangmyeol.

After a moment of hesitation, he put them back.

They were not his possessions.

They were items that would one day find their owners. He was keeping them for that purpose.

However, it was not easy to suppress the creeping greed.

‘But it’s a promise.’

It was a request from those who had risked their lives together, even if only for a short time.

Cheonbeom was not so shameless as to ignore such a request from his father.

Wasn’t he also the father of two children he had left behind in the Lower World?

“I’ll have to hand them over when the time comes.”

Until that time came.

He would only keep them temporarily until then.

Giving them now would only be poison to them.

“Why is that greedy old man muttering excuses? You could just pretend you don’t know and use them,” Hwaran, unable to bear it any longer, popped out and scolded him.

“Ahem! How can someone who aspires to the Great Dao [the path to enlightenment] be so shameless?”

“Great Dao, my foot. You’re always stabbing people in the back….”

“Shh— Quiet.”

“Then why not just give them now instead of saying later?”

“Giving them now would only be poison.”

Before they were family heirlooms, they were Yeonjabos [powerful artifacts].

There was no way to know if there weren’t those who coveted them.

In the first place.

‘Their deaths were the work of those who coveted the Five Great Clans.’

The successor to the Gon Clan was someone Beom knew well, and he had seen the one who would succeed the Hu Clan once at the Martial Arts Arena.

“…It doesn’t matter.”

All he had to do was hand them over when the time came.

What happened to that clan had little to do with him.

‘The Hu Clan is one thing, but the Gon Clan seems to be declining more and more.’

The Gon Clan had only Gon Sabi as their heir due to their unique constitution, and although there were relatives on the paternal and maternal sides, none of them had ascended to Immortality.

In the flow of the upcoming Great Tribulation [a period of immense chaos and destruction], the Gon Clan would increasingly be attacked by packs of jackals gnawing at them from the periphery.

But it was none of his business.

Beom shook off his thoughts and stepped out of the cave.

Bright sunlight shone on him.

It was a dazzling sun and sky.

“The sky….”

Come to think of it, that Sea Dragon.

Was it really Jiranwi?

He thought it probably was, but he needed to confirm it.

As he stepped out of the cave, he caught sight of busy palace maids.

“You there.”

“Ah, yes. Did you call me?”

It was a palace maid in the Minor Immortal realm.

Beom asked her where this was and what had happened.

The nameless immortal answered his questions with sincerity, and some of them were surprising even to Beom.

“The Five Great Clans have already changed.”

“Yes, I heard that one seat is still vacant… but I don’t know why.”

Only three days had passed, but they had already declared that the Five Great Clans had changed.

One was left vacant, and the Peng Clan and Ji Clan had taken those two seats.

“And it’s said that the one who appeared then was Jiranwi….”

“You must be careful not to speak disrespectfully of the Great Immortal of Origin, or you may be severely punished.”

“…Yes, thank you.”

It was said that Jiranwi, one of only three Immortals of Origin [beings of immense power] in the Water Realm, was correct.

They were called Great Immortals of Origin and rarely showed themselves unless something major happened, so even the gossips were puzzled as to why he had appeared this time.

“The funeral will be held soon, so I’ll be on my way….”

“Ah, thank you.”

There were many stories, but most of them were not things Beom needed to worry about.

First of all, since the funeral was about to be held, going there first was the priority.

A little later.

The sky was clear as ever, but the faces of the cultivators below were dark.

The funerals held in Tongcheon Water Palace and the Lower Palace began quietly.

Thousands of cultivators gathered in the Water Palace, and hundreds of thousands more were in the Lower Palace below.

All of them were silently shedding tears, burning incense for the departed.

A quiet melody for mourning flowed from the hands of a cultivator playing an instrument.

The procession of mourning continued for three days and nights.

Among them was Gon Sabi, who had lost his father.

The members of the Hu Clan, as well as Gyo Cheong of the Gyo Clan, were also faintly visible.

“We honor the souls of Go Sachun, the head of the Gon Clan, Hu Dokwon, the head of the Hu Clan, and Gyo Chunjeong, the head of the Gyo Clan, who have returned to the embrace of the heavens, as well as 591 other cultivators….”

Three of the heads of the Five Great Clans had died, and other cultivators had also lost their lives.

It was truly a tragic event.

Many lives were lost due to the attack by the Demonic Immortals.

There were questionable aspects to their deaths, but the focus was on the fact that they had been attacked by the Demonic Immortals, and as a result, the Water Realm had lost many cultivators.

“We seek to correct past mistakes, and the Water Realm needs a clan….”

There were many words, but Gon, Hu, and Gyo of the Five Great Clans would have a period of mourning, and the Ji Clan and Peng Clan would take their place, preparing with all their might for the Immortal Extermination War [a war against beings from a higher realm].

Naturally, the cultivators’ sorrow began to turn into anger.

“We cannot be defeated this time. A victory that leaves only grief is not a victory. I will surely protect our Water Realm from the Immortal Extermination and lead us to a complete victory!!”

A frenzy of cheers erupted.

It was truly a crucible of excitement.

But Beom’s heart remained calm.

No, it was rather cold.

Because he saw a familiar face behind Ji Jeo-wi, who was giving a speech on the platform.

“We still carry the pain of the past Immortal Extermination War in our hearts. But we all know that the family of Hwagirin, who led the vanguard and dominated the battlefield more than anyone else, is still alive. And this person is….”

The direct descendant of the Hwagirin family.

“The current head of the Saha Clan. Cultivator Saha.”

It was Saha.

‘Why is she there….’

He already had a headache.