Call Of The Spear [EN]: Chapter 366

Tales of the Wandering Swordsman – Part 2, Episode 75

Having leisurely entered the Gigal Seokmok [a massive, naturally formed structure], Beom was surprised by the unexpectedly vast space and even more astonished by its division into dozens of floors.

The first floor was empty, but upon ascending to the second, he was overwhelmed by the fragrant scent of rare herbs.

Colorful mushrooms bloomed everywhere, a plethora of unheard-of and rare herbs and mushrooms.

For a moment, he was tempted to take some, but he shook his head and proceeded to the third floor.

Unlike the second floor, the third reeked of decay, with several corpses of giant parasitic worms scattered about.

It seemed to be the aftermath of Tamlang-gun’s feasting.

Each floor from the fourth to the fifth had its own unique characteristics, but none caught Beom’s interest.

Most were unrecognizable, such as greenish water collected in strange puddles.

The higher he went, the more pronounced this phenomenon became.

“Is this an egg…”

Round, white eggs filled the twelfth floor.

Tamlang resembled a mantis-like insect, so these might be his eggs.

“A female… no, a female immortal, perhaps.”

He didn’t look like it at all… but again, this was not something that interested Beom.

Continuing upwards, Beom finally found something welcome on the thirty-sixth floor.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen one of these.”

An eyeball contained in crystal.

Ansi Stone [a crystal containing recorded knowledge or memories].

However, what was contained was not from a beast, but from an insect.

The pupil was split into several parts, making it somewhat eerie.

Beom stared at the pile of Ansi Stones for a moment, then picked up a few to examine.

As light emanated from the Ansi Stone, a bizarrely shaped insect appeared on the wall, beginning to perform several actions.

It tore off its arm and reattached it, then devoured its own arm, which soon grew back.

After the Ansi Stone’s video ended, some letters appeared, seemingly the incantation for the related technique shown earlier.

Intrigued, he examined others, only to find all sorts of bizarre secret arts.

Most were focused on the insect’s perspective, such as techniques for molting or swapping bodies by laying eggs, things Beom couldn’t even attempt.

Hundreds, thousands of Ansi Stones, all with similar content.

Sighing at the thought of how long it would take to view them all, he realized that the shapes of the Ansi Stones were not all the same.

“This one has three eyes.”

Some had a different number of eyes, or rather, pupils.

Focusing on these, he found that those with fewer pupils were of lower quality, while those with more pupils often contained higher-level secret arts.

The Ansi Stones had up to twelve pupils, but there were only three with that many.

As he examined those three in succession, a smile crept across Chun Beom’s face.

In one of the Ansi Stones, an insect carried five mountains, then combined them and stored them inside its body.

It transformed the energy of the Five Elements [wood, fire, earth, metal, water] into the Eight Trigrams [fundamental principles of reality], and the Eight Trigrams pattern spread out behind it, forming a circle.

So far, it was the same.

The important part was what came after.

The transformed Eight Trigrams, now with altered Five Elements, split apart and rearranged.

Up and down, left and right.

The trigrams changed and split repeatedly.

At the same time, Beom’s eyes widened.

“I see. The Venerable One was right.”

The Venerable One had dismissed the Five Elements Eight Trigrams Divine as a distorted concept.

Ju Yak in the Tongcheon Library had also said the same.

No one had ever properly mastered the Five Elements Eight Trigrams Divine.

Chun Beom, who had secretly doubted it, now had no choice but to understand.

Because the Eight Trigrams shown by the Ansi Stone had transformed into the Sixty-Four Trigrams [more complex combinations of the Eight Trigrams].

“Trying to control power by simply changing the Five Elements into the Eight Trigrams caused the meridians to twist, the power to become concentrated on one side, and ultimately led to failure.”

If a dam is built in the middle of a flowing stream, the water will stagnate.

And if a small path is made, the dam will either collapse or overflow.

Or both.

That was why they had failed.

‘Divide the Eight Trigrams into Sixty-Four Trigrams.’

Eight Trigrams into Sixteen Trigrams.

Sixteen Trigrams into Thirty-Two Trigrams.

And Thirty-Two Trigrams into Sixty-Four Trigrams.

Only then would the energy of the Five Elements and Trigrams spread evenly throughout the body.

The insect in the Ansi Stone transformed the Five Elements into the Sixty-Four Trigrams, and the patterns of the Sixty-Four Trigrams permeated its skin, turning into tattoos.

Related incantations were revealed, and the proper name of the technique appeared.

“Five Elements Sixty-Four Trigrams Divine.”

Chun Beom repeated the incantation of the Five Elements Sixty-Four Trigrams Divine, as if possessed.

Then, with a dazed look, he took out the Subong Yeosan [a powerful artifact] from his chest.

Swoosh.

From the divided Subong Yeosan, other Four Extreme Mountains appeared, spinning around.

Each with different Five Elements energies, they permeated Beom’s body, and the Five Elements Extreme Mountains behind him transformed into the Eight Trigrams.

So far, it was the same.

His entire body heated up.

Fear coiled in his heart.

If he failed like before, he could die if he was unlucky.

But he couldn’t stop.

The moment he saw the Ansi Stone displaying the Five Elements Sixty-Four Trigrams Divine, Chun Beom sensed it. He had to master this.

Only then would the path to becoming a Hyangsan Immortal [a high level of spiritual attainment] open, and the wall blocking his cultivation would be broken.

At that moment, he steeled his heart.

The Eight Trigrams pattern spun around, slowly splitting and rearranging.

Eight Trigrams.

Sixteen Trigrams.

Thirty-Two Trigrams.

And Sixty-Four Trigrams.

With the rattling and clanging of the Sixty-Four Trigrams, Beom’s golden eyes flashed.

At the same time, a brilliant light erupted from his body, and the image of a mandala [a symbolic diagram] began to bloom at the center of the Sixty-Four Trigrams.

As the beautiful lotus flower bloomed, the black patterns of the Sixty-Four Trigrams gradually turned golden.

Incessant divine chants flowed from Beom’s mouth, filling the Gigal Seokmok, and dazzling golden light filled the surroundings.

As the Sixty-Four Trigrams turned golden and permeated his body, he groaned as if in pain.

“Kuh-uh-uh….”

The patterns of the Sixty-Four Trigrams, spreading from his back, took their place all over his body.

From his back to his chest, from his chest to his limbs, they gradually progressed.

Chun Beom, amidst the pain that felt like his body would explode, continued to chant the incantation.

And finally, all the patterns of the Sixty-Four Trigrams took their place throughout his body, glowing golden, and Chun Beom was overwhelmed with a sense of omnipotence, his eyes bloodshot.

He tore at his hair and burst into mad laughter.

“Hahahahahaha! Heuhahahahaha!!”

After laughing like that for a while, Chun Beom looked at the patterns of the Sixty-Four Trigrams and the golden light on his body.

“It wasn’t just simple power.”

The Eight Trigrams alone had many meanings.

But by reversing and rearranging them into the Sixty-Four Trigrams, their ever-changing true meanings nearly doubled, and each one offered great enlightenment.

“Fascinating.”

By accepting the Sixty-Four Trigrams into his body, he could feel things he couldn’t normally feel.

Chun Beom slowly, very slowly, clenched his fist.

As if he were a child clenching his fist for the first time, he clenched it slowly.

And very slowly.

He extended his fist so slowly that even a baby could see it.

He extended it towards one of the walls of the Gigal Seokmok, as if he were merely bringing his fist to the wall.

Thud.

But what happened next was completely unexpected.

Crack!!

The Gigal Seokmok split in half.

The Gigal Seokmok, which shows this splitting phenomenon to alleviate the impact when receiving a powerful blow.

Yet, this phenomenon occurred with just Chun Beom’s fist, which he had merely brought to the wall.

“Should I say I see it…”

Or should I say I feel it.

By containing the Sixty-Four Trigrams in his body, he could feel all things in the world.

Their strong energies, and their weak energies, were felt as clearly as if he could see them.

It was clearly the same world as before, but to Beom, it felt strangely fresh, as if he were in a completely different world.

“I’m glad I pushed myself.”

In a way, he had drifted into the Insect Realm because of the Five Elements Eight Trigrams Divine, but thanks to that, he was able to obtain the proper Five Elements Sixty-Four Trigrams Divine.

The past fifty years.

It was not meaningless.

It felt like being rewarded all at once.

‘I won the bet with Ju Yak.’

Now, he should roughly finish things up and return.

He couldn’t fully utilize this power yet, but he had made a start.

He had gained enough from coming to the Insect Realm.

“It’s clear.”

It’s extremely clear.

But one thing that bothered him.

Bang, Kwaaaang!!

The Venerable One, one of the two fighting spiritedly outside, bothered him.

‘Either way, he saved me.’

Even if it was intentional, even if he had something he wanted, even if it was for his own benefit, his life was saved.

There’s no denying that fact.

If you receive something, you repay it.

Whether it’s a favor or a grudge, that’s the right thing to do.

“No matter what he holds inside. Until then, that’s the right thing to do.”

That way, nothing will remain in Beom’s heart.

Whoosh.

The patterns of the trigrams permeating Chun Beom’s body disappeared, and the golden light vanished.

The overflowing sense of omnipotence subsided.

But his mind was clear.

Swish.

Coming out of the Gigal Seokmok, he saw Tamhwa and Bibi watching the fight.

Beom stroked Tamhwa’s head and looked at the Venerable One and Tamlang-gun.

“Tamhwa.”

“Why?”

She can’t take her eyes off their fight.

“What do you think of the Insect Realm you saw?”

“A strange place.”

An immediate answer.

But then she tilted her head and looked straight at Beom, saying.

“But not a bad place?”

“Is that so.”

“Yeah, why?”

“I just asked.”

Originally, Tamhwa would have had to live here as well.

Enjoying battles, always fighting excitedly as if she loved them.

Being eaten and eating others is commonplace, so it may seem ruthless, but the Insect Realm is originally such a place.

And the big picture is the same everywhere.

‘The weak are just eaten.’

That’s why Beom asked for no reason.

“Don’t you want to live here?”

Even if she wanted to live here, he wouldn’t let her, but he asked just in case.

But Tamhwa answered immediately this time as well.

Shaking her head.

“I’ll live with Master.”

She says it so prettily.

Beom cupped Tamhwa’s cheeks with both hands and grinned.

“The ‘Master’ talk is over now.”

“Then what should I say?”

As if it were obvious, Beom answered.

“Call me Father. I’ll call you Daughter from now on.”

Then Tamhwa’s eyes widened like lanterns.

Soon, her cheeks flushed red, and she answered.

“Okay! Father!”

“Yes, my daughter.”

Beom hugged Tamhwa tightly.

It’s something he should have done a long time ago.

He felt sorry and regretful for doing this now.

Then, golden petals appeared and transformed into a woman, and Hwaran appeared.

“Daughter, will you call me Mother?”

“No, that’s a bit….”

“Okay! Mother!”

“So cute!”

Hwaran kissed her repeatedly, saying she was cute.

Tamhwa’s cheeks were covered in saliva, and Beom wiped it off, making her laugh.

“Why are you getting her face dirty with gross stuff.”

“Gross! I can’t even adore her? Why are you killing my vibe?”

“No, when did I kill your vibe.”

“How could you stand such dirty things at night? How could you stand it, eupeupeup!”

“There’s nothing you can’t say in front of a child! Can’t you be quiet?”

“Tamhwa, this mother is so upset that she can’t stand it. You can’t meet a husband like that later, okay?”

Tamhwa didn’t understand, but she roughly nodded.

Conversely, Beom shook his head.

Why is she getting like that more and more.

“Anyway, when is that fight going to end?”

Even while they were doing this, the fight between Tamlang and the Venerable One did not end.

That’s how a day passed, a month passed, and their fight didn’t end even after four months.