Call Of The Spear [EN]: Chapter 406

Tales of a Wandering Swordsman – Part 2, Chapter 115

“Someone skilled in artificing [crafting or repairing magical items]?”

“Yes, we’re looking for someone who can repair a special Flying Warship.”

Artificing… After a moment of contemplation, he clapped his knee and replied,

“Try going to Ak Gok Jong. Most of the artisans there are versatile.”

“I see. Thank you.”

Ak Gok Jong.

Ga-yeon mulled over the name Ak Gok Jong as she searched for an artificer, looking around.

Hyeonmu Fortress was a lively place in its own right.

However, there was one peculiar thing; no matter where she looked in Hyeonmu Fortress….

‘There are no children.’

But it wasn’t something Ga-yeon needed to worry about. She just needed to quickly find an artificer who could repair Gye Wol-seon.

Ga-yeon asked the residents of Hyeonmu Fortress for information and found Ak Gok Jong.

Ak Gok Jong was one of the three major sects representing Hyeonmu Fortress.

The foremost was Hyeonmu Jong, and another was Mu Gyeol Jong.

Perhaps because the land was vast, Hyeonmu Fortress itself occupied a territory as large as a decent-sized country.

Therefore, there were many sacred mountains within Hyeonmu Fortress, and Ga-yeon ended up getting lost.

“It’s definitely here, so why isn’t it there?”

Ga-yeon thought it was strange.

“I thought he looked foolish, so he must have given me the wrong directions.”

She immediately blamed the resident for her own mistake.

Ga-yeon pondered for a moment and then took out her Lightning God.

She summoned the Lightning God in the form of a crimson red butterfly, and as she moved her lips, their number instantly increased to dozens, scattering like flower petals in all directions.

Soon, when she closed her eyes, dozens of landscapes flashed through her mind.

“Ah, it’s here.”

A smile bloomed on her lips as she confirmed the location.

Taking a step, her figure disappeared and reappeared in the middle of a rugged mountain valley.

In front of her was a gate with a sign that read Ak Gok Jong, guarded by a cultivator [a practitioner of martial arts and spiritual disciplines].

“Who are you?”

He looked shabby at first glance, almost like a beggar, but his eyes were alive, so she could tell he was a cultivator.

“I’m looking for an artificer who can repair a Flying Warship. I heard there are many excellent repairmen in Ak Gok Jong, so I came here.”

“You’ve come to the right place. Tell me about the size and material of the Flying Warship, and the repairs needed, and I’ll send a suitable cultivator.”

His tone was more concise than she expected.

She wondered if he would pry into her affiliation, but he was surprisingly straightforward.

Following his request, Ga-yeon spoke about the size and material, and began to discuss the repairs.

“For that level, I alone would be enough. There’s no artificer in Ak Gok Jong better than me, except for the elders. I’ll go, so lead the way.”

“Can I trust you?”

“If I can’t fix it, I’ll pay you back double the amount you offered as a reward.”

“It’s good to see such confidence. I understand. Then, please come this way.”

He was a cultivator from Ak Gok Jong, one of the three major sects of Hyeonmu Fortress.

Ga-yeon thought there must be a reason for his confidence and walked with him.

Sasaak.

At that moment, the bushes rustled, and several streaks of light crisscrossed the sky.

It was a dull glow emanating from Ak Gok Mountain, where Ak Gok Jong was located.

“Something must be happening.”

“Hmm, it’s not a small… no, it is a big deal.”

The man pondered with his chin in his hand and nodded again.

“It’s a big deal. Some crazy bastard killed the youngest son of the Ak Gok Jong’s sect leader. Now that someone has laid a hand on the Ak Gok Jong’s sect leader’s son in Hyeonmu Fortress, that person is as good as dead. Even now, two elders have flown out.”

“Why are you speaking informally?”

“I don’t usually use honorifics. You don’t have to either.”

“I don’t want to become the same kind of person as you.”

As she spoke primly, a smile spread across the man’s lips.

“Roses are attractive because they have thorns. I’m Mae Geol of Ak Gok Jong.”

Ga-yeon frowned at Mae Geol’s gesture of offering a handshake and ignored it.

Mae Geol, looking embarrassed, quietly withdrew his hand and crossed his arms.

“Shouldn’t you go and see what’s happening since such a big deal has occurred?”

“It’s funny for me to say this, but I don’t really like Ak Gok Jong. Anyway, the higher-ups know how to handle things among themselves, so the lower ones just need to fend for themselves.”

Ga-yeon looked at him strangely and thought he was an oddball.

Kureureung… Dark clouds began to gather in the sky above Hyeonmu Fortress.

A fierce gale swirled here and there, and a powerful energy vortexed around, so it was obvious that staying would mean getting caught in a whale fight and having her back broken like a shrimp [being caught in a conflict between powerful individuals and suffering the consequences].

“Let’s hurry a bit. We’re outside Hyeonmu Fortress, after all.”

“As you wish.”

* * *

Three days later.

Cheonbeom’s eyes gleamed as he cared for Hwanmang.

‘The spot has grown larger than it was three days ago.’

Hwanmang’s body was gradually improving thanks to Cheonbeom’s efforts.

However, strangely, as that happened, black spots began to appear on his body one by one.

Cheonbeom saw them but didn’t say anything to Hwanmang.

“You don’t ask anything.”

Hwanmang slyly opened his eyes and said that. Beom sat beside him, gazed at him silently, and handed him a medicinal drink.

“Having lived for quite a long time, I’ve come to realize a few things.”

“An interesting story. May I listen to the profound insights of the Baek San Sect’s leader?”

“It’s nothing much. Just….”

Beom glanced at the spot on Hwanmang’s neck and said nonchalantly.

“Most things are resolved by waiting.”

“Waiting… Heoheo, waiting, is it….”

Most things are resolved by waiting. Those words held much meaning.

“When faced with something, we think it’s the biggest deal in the world, worry about it, and feel like our path is blocked. But even those things are somehow resolved over time. So, if you just wait, most things come to a conclusion in some form or another.”

In some form or another.

Those words resonated deeply in Hwanmang’s heart.

“So, you’re waiting?”

“The time of us who have ascended to the ranks of gods far surpasses the scope that ordinary people can imagine.”

He meant that he had plenty of time.

Hwanmang smiled bitterly at his words and nodded.

“Most things are like that. But my case is not.”

At the self-deprecating words, Cheonbeom didn’t open his mouth but offered him tea.

Hwanmang, receiving the teacup, fixed his gaze on the tea leaves floating in the tea and said,

“You must have already noticed. That my body is not normal.”

Cheonbeom remained silent.

Indeed, his body was not normal.

It wasn’t just because he was injured. He was referring to the spots that had appeared on his body.

“Do you have any idea why this happened?”

“…Those spots don’t seem to be caused by any poison or divine power. They weren’t caused by the injury.”

“That’s right. As you might have guessed, I unfortunately received a Demonic Tribulation [a trial or ordeal involving demonic energy].”

Cheonbeom quietly nodded.

He had already guessed as much.

‘The influence of the spots that have appeared was due to demonic energy.’

There was no way he couldn’t know.

When he met the Geummae and Eunmae sisters, he had treated Eunmae, who had been corrupted by evil energy.

The spots that had appeared on Hwanmang’s body now were due to demonic energy, but there were many similarities to that time.

“Having received the Demonic Tribulation, my body is no longer entirely mine. The demonic energy that has seeped deep into my dantian [energy center in the body] has altered my original jade [source of vital energy] and caused a conflict with my divine power. It was like a disaster.”

How could someone be so unlucky?

If he had received even a Half Tribulation like Yeon-ah, Hwanmang would have overcome it.

Perhaps any other Heavenly Tribulation would have been better. But of all things, he received the Demonic Tribulation that demonic immortals receive, so it was natural that his whole body was breaking down.

‘He must have survived because he’s Hwanmang. If he were an ordinary cultivator, he would have died.’

It’s impossible for an ordinary cultivator to survive after receiving a Demonic Tribulation in which demonic energy is condensed.

He would be lucky if he wasn’t corrupted by demonic energy and turned into a demon.

“Couldn’t you extract the demonic energy?”

“I couldn’t. If it were that simple, I wouldn’t have ended up like this.”

Hwanmang tried to expel the demonic energy from his body in every way possible, but he failed every time.

The cultivators who had maintained good relations with him turned away at the very fact that he had received the Demonic Tribulation, and he was even expelled from the sect he had belonged to.

It is said that cultivators swarmed in, accusing him of emitting demonic energy and being a spy for the Collapse Faction, and he almost died.

“Why did I cling to life so desperately… Now, in this state, I can’t even properly cultivate. Nevertheless, the reason I’m still not dead is perhaps to meet you, Heavenly Cultivator.”

“Don’t say such things.”

“I have no hope left. What should I do with the demonic energy seething inside me? But I can’t become a demonic immortal either. No matter how precious my life is, not being able to follow the path I’ve walked and the footsteps of my predecessors is like death to me. Yes, I’m already dead.”

His voice held not even a speck of hope for life.

His weak appearance made Beom feel bad.

In the Lower World, which was like hell, he was the only one Beom recognized as walking the true path.

“A tenacious life, I desperately want to end it, but there’s one thing that holds me back, and that’s the successors who will follow me up.”

“Are you talking about Jangcheon?”

“Deputy Law Lord, no, now he’ll be the Great Law Lord. The Great Law Lord will rise even higher than me. He has such qualities and character. Therefore, the only thing I want is to not have that child experience the same thing as me when he comes up.”

With that, Hwanmang tore out his molar and handed it to Beom.

The molar soon melted in Beom’s hand and was absorbed into his body.

“It’s a place containing the legacies of the predecessors and me who ascended first.”

As he said, a place that appeared to be somewhere in the Immortal Realm was reflected in Beom’s eyes.

“Heavenly Cultivator, you may find it and use it. I can trust you because I know you have been good friends with the Great Law Lord.”

Hwanmang then rose from his seat and straightened his back.

“Are you leaving?”

“Death is like an unexpected guest who suddenly comes to visit, isn’t it? I’ve long since finished preparing my heart.”

He slowly raised his hand.

He was going to commit suicide.

“The past years… were endlessly arduous for me.”

That must have been the case.

It must have been endlessly painful.

Wasn’t Hwanmang Seonsa, who was respected by everyone, living as a servant in a certain cultivator family?

As if that wasn’t enough, he was persecuted and oppressed for emitting demonic energy.

The demonic energy that tormented him so much still remained in his body.

He couldn’t even cultivate properly, and it was difficult to even circulate his energy to heal the wounds on his body.

He was living a life worse than that of an ordinary person, and it was amazing how he had survived until now in that exhaustion and futility.

Now that he wants to be at peace, who can stop him?

Perhaps letting him do what he wants now is what’s best for him.

Hwanmang’s hand was sharpened sharply.

Beom felt that his hand was like a well-honed sword.

It slowly aimed at his dantian.

It seemed ready to tear through his belly and smash the original jade inside.

The resentment towards the demonic energy that had made him like this was clearly felt.

Just as the hand filled with resentment was about to stab.

“What if you could cultivate even with demonic energy?”

Hwanmang’s hand, which was like a blade, stopped at the words that were like a north wind [a sudden and unexpected change].

“You don’t have to become a demonic immortal. There’s a cultivation method that allows you to coexist with both divine and demonic energy. With that, you might be able to exert several times more power than you do now.”

Hwanmang’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down.

His trembling hands and eyes wandered the vast sea like a lost ship.

“But….”

“It’s possible if I help. If that happens, you might be able to take revenge too.”

“Revenge, on whom….”

Cheonbeom stared blankly at the sky outside the window as if asking something obvious.

“Of course, on everything under the sky that has tormented you.”