Call Of The Spear [EN]: Chapter 413

Tales from the Martial World – Part 2, Chapter 122

After spending about a century in the Black Tortoise Citadel, one inevitably hears stories, whether one wants to or not.

Among them, stories about the Black Tortoise Sect Leader were so numerous that they were constantly on the lips of many cultivators.

A widow raising her daughter alone.

On the surface, she was a beautiful woman, but despite losing her husband in the war, she didn’t succumb to despair and devoted herself to cultivation, rising to her current position as a female immortal.

A woman who could create and freely manipulate fifty-six Black Tortoise Indestructibles; some men harbored admiration, while others held affection. She was undoubtedly the most beautiful woman in the Black Tortoise Citadel.

“Because of that, the Black Tortoise Sect is said to have more female immortals than male. They all admire Sect Leader Mook’s image of a woman and entered as disciples,” someone said.

“I can’t understand it.”

“What do you mean?”

“Even such a strong woman crumbles so easily in front of her child.”

Cheonbeom shook his head, recalling Mook Gye-rye’s earlier appearance.

The commotion of the day had subsided, and now it was a dim night.

The night air flowed in through the window, brushing against Beom’s forehead.

Creak, thud.

Gayeon closed the window.

“It was cool and nice, why?”

“I was worried you might get sick.”

“Worrying is your job. Didn’t you see me facing Sect Leader Mook even in my Avatar Body?”

“I did.”

“Then why are you doing this?”

“Because I saw it. The fact that you faced the Black Tortoise Sect Leader even in your Avatar Body was something to be proud of as someone who serves you. But I wondered if you were overdoing it. That’s how it seemed to me.”

Unnecessarily sharp.

“I didn’t do anything as great as you think, so there’s no need to make a fuss.”

He had only used a bit of Avatar Manifestation.

He hadn’t overdone it enough to warrant such concern.

If the Nothingness Sect Leader had appeared just a little later, things might have been different, but fortunately, Gayeon had summoned him in time.

Knock, knock.

“Enter.”

The one who opened the door and entered was Yangmi.

The palace maid who had consistently made tea for Cheonbeom over the years.

Surprisingly, she had broken through a barrier in the past century.

She had only ascended to Upper Immortal a little over a hundred years ago, but now she was in the mid-stage.

She had solved the test Cheonbeom had given her before and gained enlightenment, she said.

Then she thanked him, which was a very bewildering memory for Cheonbeom.

‘It’s not that easy.’

Cheonbeom was the True Name Tree.

He had cultivated for tens of thousands of years while enduring the Wood Tribulation of the Five Elements Heavenly Tribulation, so it was different, but normally, it wasn’t a barrier that could be broken through so lightly.

Even Jeoknoejurang Gayeon, who possessed outstanding talent in the Peng family, was in the mid-stage of Upper Immortal.

So it was hard not to be surprised.

“I heard that this season in the Immortal Realm is winter for a hundred years. So I brought some wine to nourish your body.”

“Hmm, the aroma is very good. Thank you.”

“The winter in the Immortal Realm is said to be harsh.”

Those who have ascended to Upper Immortal have many ways to survive the winter, but the Lesser Immortals do not, so many people make many preparations to get through the winter.

“Winter…”

There was a woman who came to mind.

Hair as white as freshly fallen snow, and eyes like a lake reflecting the sky. At first glance, she seemed endlessly cold, but if you touched her, she would flash a refreshing smile like a fairy.

“Lord Overseer, your wine is getting cold.”

“Ah, right.”

He took a sip, and a warm heat spread from his throat into his stomach.

“Thank you.”

“This is my job.”

Yangmi said so and stood demurely, holding the tray.

She was waiting to tidy up the office when Cheonbeom’s work was finished.

“Are you unwell somewhere?”

“No. I was just thinking about the past.”

Beom waved his hand and then examined the various documents piled on the table.

“Vice Minister Woo, who went to the Immortal Palace, is scheduled to return soon.”

“That’s good.”

“Along with the cultivators from the Immortal Palace.”

“Hmm.”

Cheonbeom, who had sent Woo-myung to the Immortal Palace, investigated the incident that had occurred in Juhaeseong and demanded compensation for it.

It was only natural.

There was no major damage, but if he remained still after being attacked, he would be no different from a pushover.

If he was slapped once, he should return it two or three times.

As compensation for that, Cheonbeom demanded various treasures and Moon Law Blood.

Now that he had seen the Moon Law Blood, it might be of great help in creating Blood Manifestation.

The reason he became interested in Law Blood was because he had created an Avatar, but also because he felt very familiar with the power of blood.

Among the five sword techniques that make up Gyuncheonbohwa [a set of powerful sword techniques], there is Blood Shadow Chaotic Sword.

It is a sword technique that changes blood into a sword to show unpredictable moves, and because Law Blood and Blood Shadow Chaotic Sword have a strange connection, it was possible to show a stronger sword technique.

The reason he was interested in Bloodscale Indestructible was not simply because it was a great original immortal law.

It was because he felt a similar sensation to the mysteries of Murderous Armor Sword, which turns the skin itself into a sword.

He couldn’t figure out exactly why, but Cheonbeom felt that way, and he had received great help from a kind of intuition when he ascended to the Upper Realm.

This time, Beom was determined to rely on that intuition.

‘I asked Yeon-ah if she could give me some Heavenly Law Blood, so it would be good to compare and analyze Heavenly Law Blood and Moon Law Blood.’

If he did that, wouldn’t he be able to come to some conclusion?

Come to think of it, Sword Slave is also a figure from the Immortal Realm, so he may have been influenced by the various sword techniques derived here.

If so, he might be able to gain another enlightenment from grasping its essence.

“Master, this.”

Gayeon handed him a book.

“What is this?”

It was quite thick, and when he opened it, various names were written on it.

“It is a list of the cultivators who have disappeared from the Black Tortoise Citadel in the past thousand years.”

“Is this all?”

“Yes.”

To be honest, such a list is not common, but it is a bit ambiguous to say that it is rare.

Someone dying and disappearing is a common occurrence in the world of cultivators.

To put it bluntly, it is not uncommon for high-level cultivators to capture cultivators of lower realms and use them as zombies or materials for magical artifacts.

Isn’t the world of cultivators a place where one might enter a deep mountain valley to obtain a hidden treasure and end up angering a reclusive cultivator, dying without a sound?

So many people die every year, and there are also many who simply die from being trapped in their inner demons while cultivating.

Therefore, the disappearance of a cultivator is not a big deal.

It’s such a harsh world, so it can’t be helped.

“Still, this is a bit much.”

But even so, it is excessively large for a list of disappearances that have only occurred within the Black Tortoise Citadel.

It’s not that their deaths have been revealed, but simply that the list is filled with disappearances.

“I thought that the children’s appearances were not seen well since I arrived at the Black Tortoise Citadel.”

But she didn’t know there would be so many.

“Do Sect Leader Mook and Sect Leader Moo know about this?”

“They probably know.”

But why haven’t they investigated?

“It seems they couldn’t uncover the truth.”

“Yes, it is stated that several large-scale investigations have been conducted, but nothing specific has been discovered.”

Besides.

“There are also many who treat their own children as if they never existed, even when they disappear.”

“What? Why?”

He heard that Mixed Immortals have difficulty having children. That’s why Sect Leader Mook was making such a fuss.

Most of the Mixed Immortals in the Black Tortoise Citadel would be no different. But they don’t look for their children even when they disappear.

Could there be anything more inconsistent than this?

“It is said that the repeated disappearance of children over a long period of time has solidified into a kind of faith among the residents.”

What kind of nonsense is this?

“Faith?”

“Yes, the Black Tortoise Citadel is one of the places close to the border between the Human Realm and the Mixed Realm, but it has been less affected by the war. Therefore, it is believed that the Black Tortoise Citadel is being protected by the disappearance of children….”

Such absurd stories have been solidified among the residents for a long time and have become a kind of faith.

“Lesser Immortals who have passed through several generations are similar to ordinary people….”

If this kind of thing continues for hundreds or thousands of years, they might believe it.

Besides, the Black Tortoise Citadel is incredibly vast, and the number of Lesser Immortals living there is also large.

It easily exceeds three hundred thousand, so it’s not unreasonable.

“Among the residents, it is believed that their children become guardian spirits to protect the Black Tortoise Citadel. They call them Child Gods (兒神) [Eoshin, literally “child gods”], and there are many believers,” she said.

Most of those believers would be parents who have lost their children.

Instead of the despairing reality that their child has died or disappeared, it is better to believe that they have become gods.

“Can you find them?”

“Well, I don’t know yet.”

The scale is larger than I thought.

It’s just a simple hunch, but if what is called the Child God, which is spread throughout the Black Tortoise Citadel, is related to the daughter of the Black Tortoise Sect Leader, perhaps he can find them.

“Where is Sect Leader Mook now?”

“I heard that she is heading to the Melody Sect after examining the Nothingness Sect.”

Tsk.

“Why are you doing that?”

“The route is too obvious. If someone really kidnapped her, they would have taken her somewhere long ago.”

Which madman would stay still while she was making such a fuss and searching?

They would have run away long ago.

“Yes, if someone kidnapped her….”

They would have run away with her long ago.

“If they ran far to the outskirts of the Black Tortoise Citadel, there would be no way to find her now.”

So, first of all, he has no choice but to exclude the possibility of running away and think about it.

Since the divination is not responding, she must already be dead or sealed.

If he thinks she ran away, there is no answer, so it is a priority to see someone in the Black Tortoise Citadel.

Someone, someone.

Someone who has been taking young children for thousands of years, and this time even took the daughter of the Black Tortoise Sect Leader.

‘It’s wide.’

The range is not narrowing.

Since there are no proper clues, even if he sits still and ponders, he will only return to the starting point.

“I guess I have no choice but to move.”

“Are you going out in the middle of the night?”

“I have to go out because it’s night.”

Secretly continuing religious activities.

It wouldn’t be done openly in broad daylight.

Such a faith called the Child God Sect couldn’t have spread while he was sitting still.

“They’re doing missionary work.”

That’s why it spread.

Since there is not a single proper clue, he must first dig into anything suspicious.

“Hmm….”

Cheonbeom looked at Gayeon.

She has a rather sharp look and an impression that gives a restrained feeling in a bewitching atmosphere.

On the other hand, Yangmi, who is next to her, has a round and friendly impression that makes it easy for people to approach her.

Her personality is also easygoing.

“Why are you doing that?”

“I’m thinking of infiltrating a place called the Child God Sect, and I was choosing someone to accompany me.”

“If that’s the case, I’ll go.”

Of course, it was Gayeon.

“You can’t.”

“Why not? Even before I entered the Five Great Families, I had dealt with many dignitaries. I am confident in changing my demeanor and face.”

“Really?”

“Of course.”

“Then try it once.”

Gayeon immediately acted as a mother who had lost her child and was in despair.

And Cheonbeom, who saw her appearance, nodded and replied.

“No.”

“Why!”

“No… what am I supposed to do if you’re supposed to be in despair but you’re exuding murderous intent?”

An ordinary weak Lesser Immortal would not exude such murderous intent.

Cheonbeom glanced at Yangmi.

“M, me?”

The way she was startled couldn’t be more naive.

She seemed like a pushover who would fall for a few words.

“Your pushover-like expression is very good.”

“…Yes? Ah… yes.”

Cheonbeom grabbed Yangmi, who was grinning with a dazed look, and left Gyewolseon.

“L, Lord Overseer. But where are we going…?”

“I’m going to a private house in the Black Tortoise Citadel. There will be a couple who haven’t lost their child for long.”

“Ah, so we’re disguising ourselves as them and waiting for those who proselytize [to convert or attempt to convert (someone) from one religion, belief, or opinion to another], right?”

Cheonbeom shook his head at Yangmi’s words that she had realized.

“That will take a long time.”

How long would he have to continue living that kind of life, knowing when they would come?

“Then….”

“Wouldn’t it be easy to just go into any house that seems to be related to the Child God Sect and cast an illusion?”

“Yes? Th, then why am I….”

If that’s what he was going to do, there was no need to disguise himself as a couple, so she wondered why he brought her.

“You’ll find out soon.”

After several trials and errors.

Cheonbeom, who had found a couple deeply involved with the Child God Sect, cast an illusion on them.

“How do you see us?”

When he asked, the couple with blank faces looked at Cheonbeom and Yangmi and said.

“I see you as a father and daughter.”

“Da, daughter…?”

Not a couple, but a daughter.

Yangmi pondered for a moment and then looked at Cheonbeom with surprised eyes.

“A, are you going to use me as bait?”

Cheonbeom quietly nodded.

If there is someone who proselytizes, there must also be someone who secretly takes children.

‘If there is someone who asks them to make their child a god?’

If they are the ones involved in the large-scale disappearance, then definitely.

They will come to take Yangmi, who is disguised as a daughter.

“So you didn’t bring Vice Minister Jwa.”

Yangmi pouted and made a hand seal to change her appearance to look younger.

She changed her appearance to a ten-year-old girl and hid her realm, so she looked just like a Lesser Immortal.