Call Of The Spear [EN]: Chapter 431

Tales of the Spirit Blade – Part 2, Chapter 140

Kugugugugung!!

The ground of the Black Wind Zone suddenly trembled, and a massive black figure emerged.

It was Oryong, Tamhwa [Devouring Flame], the embodiment of the Black Heaven Labyrinth for a thousand years and Cheonbeom’s precious treasure.

Some clueless cultivators fled at the sight of the enormous Oryong, while others rushed forward, seeing it as the perfect opponent to test their skills against.

Oryong was akin to a divine beast born from devouring dragons, so capturing and taming it would bring immense honor. Killing it would also provide valuable materials for crafting magical artifacts or creating elixirs.

However, those who dared to approach with such intentions were swiftly devoured by Tamhwa, disappearing into its belly.

“So many worthless fools.”

Cheonbeom, standing atop Tamhwa’s head, clicked his tongue, remarking on the absurdity of it all.

Tamhwa soared across the sky in its true form.

There were two reasons for revealing itself in such a manner.

First, to find the Munmuseon [Martial and Literary Immortal] who possessed Gyewolseon [Moon-Scented Immortal], who had vanished without a trace.

Tamhwa’s appearance was threatening enough to the immortals in the Seon-gye [Immortal Realm], and its visibility meant that rumors would spread quickly, allowing them to be found.

Second, revealing itself like this could also lead to an encounter with the cultivators of the Seon-gung [Immortal Palace].

‘The Baekyo Clan [White Jade Clan] is a rare bloodline even in the Hong-gye [Chaos Realm], which resides within the Seon-gung.’

To get involved with them, it was best to make themselves conspicuous.

Of course, when cultivators with no connection came, as they did now, they were either taught a lesson and sent back or left to Tamhwa to deal with.

“Troubling.”

However, a slightly troublesome situation had arisen.

He realized that a thousand years had passed since he created the labyrinth inside Tamhwa’s belly.

The Salgeom [Calamity Sword] had been endured relatively easily thanks to the deaths of many greedy cultivators, but the bloodshed across the Sang-gye [Upper Realm] was only just beginning.

“To think it’s been a thousand years.”

Cheonbeom hadn’t anticipated such a long time.

More time had passed than expected, enough for the Seonsaljeon [Immortal Extermination War] to have already begun.

Originally, it would have been best to return to the Su-gye [Water Realm] as soon as possible.

Like it or not, Cheonbeom was a cultivator of the Su-gye, and he had left many behind, making it the natural course of action.

‘It’s about time he showed himself….’

Wasn’t there someone waiting for the Seonsaljeon to unfold?

Cheonoe Yanggun [Heavenly Outlaw General].

Therefore, he should find Gyewolseon and return as quickly as possible.

“…”

Beom [Tiger] silently gazed at the sky.

‘Returning is the right thing to do.’

However, the thought that she might be somewhere here made it impossible to leave.

In his hand, he held the Domojam [Jade Hairpin of Dreams].

[Keep this with you.]

[Oh my, what did you do to the hairpin?]

[I put a bit of my fire into it. If you ascend with the hairpin, wouldn’t it be easier to find you?]

Her beaming smile as she clutched it dearly was still vivid.

It remained clearly in his memory.

“But how did this end up in my hands under a sky without you?”

He couldn’t understand at all.

Considering Baekjeolsamu [White Lily Deathless]’s nature, he couldn’t help but wonder if the story had gone awry and Choa had died.

However, the fact that Baekjeolsamu had been wearing the Domojam made by Cheonbeom was quite puzzling.

‘Apart from the Bongak Cheonghwa [Phoenix Crown Azure Flower] residing within, it’s nothing special.’

Why would she wear it?

Not her own, but Choa’s.

He pondered for a long time, but no suitable answer came to mind.

Cheonbeom sighed and shook his head.

“Ran.”

As if she had been there all along, Hwaran [Flame Orchid] appeared behind Cheonbeom and embraced his neck. She floated in the sky like a fairy.

“What’s wrong?”

At Ran’s question, Beom only moved his lips. He had called her, but he didn’t know what to say.

“You seem frustrated.”

“…Yes, you’re right.”

He was frustrated.

His chest felt heavy, as if something was weighing on him, and he was bothered.

He was curious about Choa’s condition.

Whether she was alive, and if so, where she was.

He worried that she might be searching for him.

The most frustrating thing was that he couldn’t even know if Choa had ascended or not.

“What should I do?”

“The answer is already decided.”

Ran gently rubbed Cheonbeom’s chest with her finger.

“Just do as your heart desires.”

“Can I do that?”

“Have you always asked someone and decided? You always decided everything yourself, why are you pretending otherwise now?”

She grumbled as if she was dumbfounded, but Cheonbeom’s expression didn’t change, as if he wasn’t in a good mood.

Hwaran sighed softly.

“Sangun [Mountain Lord].”

“Sangun is the Munmugwanjang [Martial and Literary Chief] of the Su-gye.”

“I know.”

“Since you are skilled in both Mun [Literature] and Mu [Martial Arts], shouldn’t you resolve both things that are bothering you?”

One was about Choa.

The other was the Seonsaljeon.

“Sangun, you may have forgotten, but it took quite a bit of time to cross over from the Su-gye to the Seon-gye.”

“Ah.”

Come to think of it, that was true.

He had vaguely heard that it took a hundred years, so it would probably take about a hundred years to return from the Seon-gye to the Su-gye.

“I hadn’t thought of that.”

“Who knows? You might know a faster way to head to the Su-gye.”

Then, a smile bloomed on Cheonbeom’s lips. To do so, it would be good to head to the Seon-gung.

As the palace symbolizing the Hong-gye, it might possess secret arts that Cheonbeom didn’t know, and there might be someone with insight.

‘Geomno [Sword Slave] will be from the In-gye [Human Realm].’

Unlike before, he had now become a Hyangseon [Fragrant Immortal], so there was no need to distance himself.

Wasn’t it a situation where anything that could be used should be used?

Besides, if it was the Seon-gung, he could hear stories about the Baekyo Clan and find clues about Choa.

No matter how he thought about it, there was no better way.

“Thank you.”

Cheonbeom, with an excited heart, placed his hand over Ran’s and expressed his gratitude.

For some reason, Ran pouted her lips but didn’t say anything else.

Three days later.

Naturally, stories about the Oryong heading to the Seon-gung spread by word of mouth in the Hong-gye.

Then, exactly three days later, Gyewolseon appeared and came to find Cheonbeom.

The majority of the palace maids and lower officials who had not entered the Black Heaven Labyrinth were there.

As soon as they saw Cheonbeom, most of them teared up and rejoiced.

They said that Cheonbeom had received the Salgeom and become a Salseon [Calamity Immortal], and they had been at a loss for what to do since he hadn’t shown himself for a thousand years.

In addition, the Munmuseon, led by Tamlang [Greedy Wolf Star], hadn’t come out of the labyrinth, so they couldn’t just stand still.

To survive, they wandered the Hong-gye, doing jobs that made money, and went around to gather materials needed for cultivation, hearing various encounters and stories.

Cheonbeom immediately took out the Munmuseon who were still being treated in Gongjeonggang [River of Fairness].

They were the ones who had been 침식 (invaded) by the cold air of Baekjeolsamu’s Jangseodanse [Longevity and Purity Elixir Field] for a thousand years.

He was feeding them all Cheonbeom’s blood to drive out the cold air, but they had been frozen for so long that they were not yet healed.

They were definitely improving, but they still needed more time.

Some had died.

Those with low cultivation could not withstand the cold air of Baekjeolsamu.

Cheonbeom personally made coffins for the Munmuseon who had died and vowed to return them to their homeland in the future.

“The Seonsaljeon has already begun.”

It was Jugyeolgyeong [Crimson Moon Mirror].

“I thought it would.”

Time was of the essence.

He had expected it.

“What is the situation like?”

“They say they are fiercely confronting each other in the middle of the Seon-gye and the Su-gye. But their offensive is said to be intense.”

Even the Geonwonhae [Primordial Ocean], which flowed as if governing the entire Sang-gye, was unusually stained with blood.

It must be a fierce battlefield.

“Even if we depart now, it will take another hundred years, right? Is that correct?”

“That’s right. Even if we break through the blood path and board the flow, it’s still a distance that would take at least a hundred years.”

“But if it’s the Seon-gung, wouldn’t there be a way to shorten the period?”

“! Did you know?”

It was a question, but Jugyeolgyeong looked surprised, as if asking how he knew.

“Does the Seon-gung have a way?”

“As far as I know, the Seon-gung used such a method in the previous Seonsaljeon to send reinforcements and achieve a great victory. If it’s the Seon-gung, they can shorten the distance that would take a hundred years to ten years depending on certain conditions.”

Cheonbeom clenched his fist.

He was grasping at straws, but it really existed.

That was enough.

‘Anyway, no one knows that I was a Salseon.’

The Baekyo Clan and Baekjeolsamu who entered the labyrinth had long since died.

The dead tell no tales, so he could go straight to the Seon-gung and ask for a way.

‘As for Choa….’

There would be clues there.

Even if there weren’t, it couldn’t be helped.

“I must go to the Seon-gung. Do you know the location?”

“I know. A thousand years is too long to spend idly.”

Cheonbeom could only smile bitterly at the accusing words.

Thus, Cheonbeom and his party headed to the Seon-gung.

A month later.

Using several transfer formations in the Hong-gye, Cheonbeom and his party arrived at the magnificent palace built on the pure white clouds.

It was a classic palace that seemed like the Okhwang Sangje [Jade Emperor] would reside in. The size was also as vast as a large island, and it seemed like it would take a whole day to look around the Seon-gung.

‘It feels like I’ve seen it in a dream.’

But there was no time to leisurely look around the Seon-gung.

As soon as Cheonbeom arrived at the Seon-gung, he entered the palace and asked for a way to head to the Su-gye.

Because the Seonsaljeon was in full swing, there were minor incidents where ignorant people picked fights, but Cheonbeom was also in a hurry.

He roughly suppressed them with force, and then high-ranking officials who could communicate appeared and exchanged a few words with Cheonbeom.

However, what Cheonbeom was asking was a matter that was kept top secret even in the Seon-gung, and because of that, he couldn’t meet the Seonwang [Immortal King], the owner of the Seon-gung who was out on the battlefield, and instead met the prince of the Seon-gung, who was said to be his son.

He was a man named Seonpyeong [Immortal Peace], who smiled pointlessly and acted friendly.

“A way to head to the Su-gye? Of course, the Seon-gung knows all about it. As it happens, the Seon-gung was about to send military supplies and provisions, what a coincidence!”

The story progressed smoothly.

Cheonbeom heard the name Geumhwanseonhyang [Golden Ring Immortal Passage] from him.

It said that it would take a long time with a simple blood path, so using an unknown space that opens once every thousand years to move would shorten the time.

“Tomorrow is the day.”

He couldn’t help but be surprised at the word Geumhwanseonhyang, but he accepted it.

It was possible enough if he used that place.

The space of Geumhwanseonhyang was truly vast, and it was an unknown place between spaces connected to Yumugan [Between Existence and Non-Existence], so it was possible enough.

Seonpyeong also said that a special compass used there was needed.

Unexpectedly, things were resolved easily, and he breathed a sigh of relief. If he had been a day late, he would have wasted a hundred years.

After that, Cheonbeom asked about the Baekyo Clan and whether a sinseon [immortal being] named Choa had ascended, but the answer he received was that they didn’t know.

Just in case, he asked not only Seonpyeong but also those residing in the Seon-gung, but the answer he received was the same.

If she had ascended, she would have had an appearance exactly like the Baekyo Clan, so they couldn’t have not known.

It couldn’t be helped.

Since there was no way to know, he decided to temporarily cover up the matter about Choa in his heart.

The next day.

Cheonbeom headed to the Geumhwanseonhyang, where the sun in the sky was obscured.

It was a place he had been to before, so there was nothing particularly special.

If he had to say something special, it was that the tiny energies occasionally felt inside the Geumhwanseonhyang were colliding with each other.

“I guess they’re Dosa [Taoist Masters] from the lower realms. They’re struggling and fighting like that.”

Seonpyeong, who was riding with Gyewolseon, said as he watched the Dosa fighting in groups inside the Geumhwanseonhyang.

As he said, the Dosa were dividing into sides and fighting.

When Cheonbeom glanced at it, there were about a hundred Dosa, one side wearing black martial robes and the other wearing white robes.

They were fighting noisily with great enthusiasm, and the clanging sound echoed loudly, causing Cheonbeom’s brow to furrow.

“It’s noisy. I’ll take care of it.”

Annoyed, he waved his hand from the bow, and a wind blew from Seonpyeong’s hand, blowing away all the Dosa who were fighting.

Seonpyeong was also a sinseon who had reached the realm of Hyangseon, so that level was simple enough to do with his eyes closed.

Cheonbeom was about to say something but just left it alone, and then his eyes widened.

Wasn’t one of the Dosa who had been blown away resisting Seonpyeong’s hand wind?

It was quite a familiar face.

“Hmm?”

Seonpyeong seemed to have a competitive spirit, saying that it was cheeky, and was about to unleash the wind again, but Cheonbeom grabbed him.

“Why are you doing this, Cheon Suseon [Heavenly Water Immortal]?”

“I think he’s a child I have a connection with.”