Call Of The Spear [EN]: Chapter 39

After his meeting with the Black Fox Company, darkness had fallen, and the full moon dominated the sky.

Instead of sleeping, San-gun climbed a nearby mountaintop.

Looking around, he smirked and produced a jar of moderate size.

It was the S월je Vessel [Moon Receiving Vessel], acquired from the Ilwol Gate [Sun and Moon Gate, a fictional sect].

This was the item San-gun had stubbornly pursued, despite all the hardships.

“Perfect timing with the full moon. Hwaran! Just a moment, tell me how to set up the Illusion Array.”

-……Understood.

Hwaran, though initially puzzled, complied and instructed him on setting up the Illusion Array.

He drew bizarre characters and arrays on the ground, placing Spirit Stones obtained from the artificers of the Gongjeong Guild [Justice Guild, a craftsman’s organization]. A faint smoke rose, completing the Illusion Array.

‘This should be sufficient.’

All he needed was to obscure their vision.

San-gun then retrieved a small skull from his pocket: the Geumjang Jitae [Golden Moss Skull] from Byeokryeop’s Gongjeong Guild.

It was a beast’s skull, with golden moss glowing on its forehead.

Carefully extracting the Geumjang Jitae, he opened the S월je Vessel and placed the skull inside.

-Why are you putting that in?

Hwaran asked, curious and doubtful. San-gun merely chuckled, offering no explanation.

He sealed the S월je Vessel.

The vessel trembled briefly. Overjoyed, he recalled an ancient text and gazed at the night sky.

[On a night when the full moon is abundant, the vessel receiving the moon’s light absorbs the energy of heaven and earth, emitting a blinding light.]

True to the saying, the S월je Vessel gleamed brilliantly under the moonlight.

The gathering spiritual energy was almost palpable. Invisible spiritual energy coalesced to such an extent that it became visible, and luminous drawings appeared on the vessel’s surface.

Dragons materialized, followed by phoenixes, and then various mythical beasts, each appearing and vanishing on the vessel’s surface, scattering light in all directions.

San-gun involuntarily shielded his eyes, frowning at the intensity.

Then, a moment later….

“Is it done?”

San-gun cautiously opened his eyes and examined the S월je Vessel. Unlike its previous radiant state, it now appeared as an ordinary jar.

But San-gun grinned, his mouth stretching almost to his ears, and opened the jar to retrieve the object inside.

The golden Geumjang Jitae emerged from his hand, still glowing.

-What has changed?

Hwaran, having witnessed the vessel’s spectacle, wondered what transformation had occurred.

Again, San-gun smiled silently and swallowed the Geumjang Jitae.

-Ah…….

As Hwaran exclaimed, San-gun reached into the jar once more.

And pulled out another Geumjang Jitae.

-Huh? Uh, uh!!

“Hehehehe!!”

San-gun erupted in mad laughter, placing the Geumjang Jitae in his hand into the Gongjeong Gang [Justice Bag, a storage item].

The S월je Vessel, under the full moon, was a divine artifact capable of perfectly replicating a single item!

The jar wasn’t large enough to accommodate bigger items, but it was perfect for smaller ones.

Like the Geumjang Jitae… or other elixirs of ascension.

‘It obviously can’t replicate living things and can only replicate one at a time, but even so, there’s no treasure in the human realm that surpasses this.’

-So that’s why you were so desperate to get the S월je Vessel.

Hwaran said, her voice still laced with disbelief. A divine artifact that could replicate rare spiritual herbs or elixirs of ascension every full moon night.

She finally understood the lengths San-gun had gone to in order to obtain it.

San-gun smiled, sat cross-legged, and began to absorb the medicinal effects of the Geumjang Jitae.

He spent the night dissolving the Geumjang Jitae and circulating his energy, reaching the late stage of the Yeonghwa realm [Nurturing Flower Realm, a cultivation stage] in one fell swoop.

* * *

West of Wolcheon Fortress [Moon Spring Fortress] in Banggok [Fragrant Valley] was a mountain range called Suyueol (Longevity Moon).

The Suyueol Mountains boasted dozens of peaks, one of which was named Subang Peak (Longevity Visit Peak).

Compared to other peaks, its spiritual energy was weak, making it a training ground for wandering cultivators without factional affiliations.

The major sects of Suyueol had already claimed the areas with abundant spiritual energy, leaving Subang Peak untouched.

One day, a man and two women arrived at Jubang Peak and settled in a suitable location.

“This place will do.”

“There might be better places.”

“Indeed. Isn’t it too cramped here?”

The women accompanying the man were strikingly beautiful, drawing glances from the other wandering cultivators on Subang Peak.

The wandering cultivators residing on Subang Peak numbered only a dozen, mostly possessing the cultivation of Doseon [Guiding Virtue, a cultivation stage]. Since they weren’t Biseon [Flying Immortals, a higher cultivation stage], there was no need to pay them any attention, so they were ignored.

“It’s fine. This is enough, and we won’t be here for long anyway.”

As the man in black robes spoke, the two women reluctantly nodded.

The trio was, of course, San-gun and his companions.

San-gun had chosen this location deliberately. Partly as a precaution after his near-death experience at the hands of Yu-jeong and Hwanseon, and partly because he needed time to reforge and organize his treasures.

Moreover, the hidden treasure that Geummyeong Jireong [Golden Life Earthworm] had mentioned was located nearby.

San-gun examined a small cave and produced two red beads from his pocket.

They were the Ryugokja [Flowing Valley Beads] used by Samgwi [Three Ghosts], and currently, the only one of the two treasures he possessed that he could use.

He immediately sent the Ryugokja into the cave.

Kwaagaagaag!

The Ryugokja flew and began to expand the cave’s interior, creating more space.

“Isn’t that a Bogu [Treasure Tool]? You’ve obtained something precious.”

“Ah…. Well. Yeah.”

“Bogu? Is that a Bogu? Oh!”

Kkamanghori [Black Gourd Fairy] stared at the Ryugokja for a long time, then waved her hand at the collapsing stone walls.

Something black flowed out of the gourd hanging on her waist, swallowing all the debris.

“Iron sand?”

The dark smoke was composed of finely ground iron sand.

“Hehe, did you witness this body’s great divine power? Did you feel it? Did you tremble!?”

Kkamanghori flaunted her abilities and laughed triumphantly.

-It seems you wield metal-attribute divine powers.

-Indeed.

San-gun simply acknowledged it and focused on creating a living space.

Kkamanghori pouted, dejected by San-gun’s lack of enthusiasm.

After half a day, they had created quite usable spaces, and a smile spread across his face.

Several stone chambers had been carved out, resembling a training cave.

San-gun immediately retrieved the solar flares from the Gongjeong Gang.

One of the stone chambers was prepared for them, complete with a small pond. The water was stored in the Gongjeong Gang, so there was no issue.

“Myeonghwa [Bright Flower], are you uncomfortable inside the Gongjeong Gang?”

[No, not at all. I am only grateful for your consideration.]

Myeonghwa and Yanghwa [Sun Flower], the solar flares, bowed to San-gun in the pond and happily splashed, showing off their young.

San-gun watched the young swimming energetically beside their parents and, after being asked to name them, pondered for a moment and said.

“Myeongil [Bright One], Myeongyi [Bright Two], Myeongsahm [Bright Three], Myeongsa [Bright Four], Myeongo [Bright Five], Myeongyuk [Bright Six], Myeongchil [Bright Seven] would be good.”

-San-gun, that’s too….

[Thank you, San-gun!]

But Myeonghwa and Yanghwa were delighted, twisting their bodies and circling the pond.

-They’re happy.

Originally, in this era, if there were many children, their names were often similar, so it wasn’t unusual.

After chatting, San-gun took out two pills from his pocket and gave them to Myeonghwa and Yanghwa.

They were the Dobonghwan [Reaching Peak Pill] he had acquired earlier, elixirs of ascension that aided in reaching the Yeonghwa realm.

[This precious thing….]

“Take it. My abilities are outstanding, so I can easily obtain this much.”

He insisted, overcoming their reluctance, and left the room, heading straight to an empty chamber.

He retrieved the ten-thousand-year-old ginseng, Mansam [Ten Thousand Ginseng], and other rare spiritual herbs and medicinal ingredients, transforming the room into a medicine storage.

With Mansam present, the spiritual herbs would be energized and grow quickly, so there was no concern. After giving Mansam one more Dobonghwan, he went to another room, released the Bokchung [Hidden Insects], and took out the Geumjang Jitae from his pocket.

“What should I do?”

He had reached the late stage of Yeonghwa after consuming it once.

Eating it again wouldn’t be bad. If he was lucky, he might even form a spiritual knot [a sign of advanced cultivation].

But San-gun shook his head.

Since it was already a consumed elixir, the medicinal properties would be familiar, making it less effective for Jinsoomyeonghwa [Advancing Life and Flower, a cultivation technique].

So, it would be better to find the hidden treasure that Geummyeong Jireong had mentioned without taking it.

Also, if he could raise the Geumjang Jiju [Golden Moss Earth Spider], he might be able to obtain the Geumjangsa [Golden Moss Thread].

If he refined the Geumjangsa, it would become a treasure that could withstand most attacks.

Later, he could add it to the Bonseon Beopbae [Original Immortal Dharma Treasure] to strengthen its durability, so there was no harm in obtaining it.

‘But I don’t know how.’

But the most important thing was that he didn’t know the hatching method, which was frustrating.

If he only knew the method, he would hatch the Geumjang Jiju and raise it as a Bokchung.

In the novel, Yu-jeong’s situation was urgent, so he swallowed it, and San-gun didn’t know how to hatch the Geumjang Jiju.

As he was pondering what to do.

Shak shak!

One of the Bokchung quickly jumped out and bit the Geumjang Jitae.

“Hey! You crazy bastard!”

-Ah!

The Bokchung devoured the golden moss in an instant and twisted its body.

It happened so quickly that San-gun couldn’t react and just stood there blankly in an awkward pose.

“Huh….”

He felt foolish.

It was utterly futile.

‘I can’t even replicate it with the S월je Vessel….’

The S월je Vessel can only be used on a full moon night. The full moon hadn’t risen yet, so he couldn’t replicate it, making the disappointment even greater.

San-gun blushed and was wondering how to punish the Bokchung when an anomaly occurred.

There were twelve centipede Bokchung, and suddenly the others began to attack the one that had eaten the Geumjang Jitae.

“What are these guys doing?”

San-gun forgot his anger and watched their cannibalistic fight.

-Shouldn’t we stop them?

Certainly.

It wasn’t clear why they were suddenly doing this, but it was definitely because of the Geumjang Jitae.

If they fought until only one was left, San-gun would only have one Bokchung left, which wouldn’t be good.

“Let’s observe for a moment.”

“Observe?”

Hongyeon [Red Lotus], who had approached unnoticed, nodded, watching the scene with interest.

“It’s a famous spirit insect even in the Manbo era [Ten Thousand Treasures Era]. You managed to obtain it.”