Call Of The Spear [EN]: Chapter 487

Nangseon’s Romantic Tale – Part 2, Episode 196

“I see.”

Having listened to the stories of his experiences since ascending to the Upper World, Choa rose and gazed at the sky.

The emotion reflected in her blue eyes was primarily a deep longing.

“Um…”

“What is it?”

Hwadam, sitting beside her on the porch of the thatched-roof house, looked up and asked.

“I’m just curious… If Little Palace Lord also ascended from the Lower World, shouldn’t you originally be in the Immortal World?”

Choa, having quietly listened to their stories, was indeed an ascended cultivator from the Lower World.

It was natural to wonder why she resided on the Moon of the Upper World.

At his question, Choa’s brow furrowed slightly.

“You’re asking something unnecessary…”

“No, there’s nothing I can’t tell you. It’s not that dramatic of a story.”

Choa began, her gaze fixed on the stars twinkling in the dark sky.

“When I first ascended to the Upper World, I faced many difficulties. Your father did it easily, but if ascension were that simple, it wouldn’t be called ascension, would it?”

Choa closed her eyes, recalling old memories she preferred to forget.

“The Heavenly Road [the path to immortality] was treacherous and arduous. Various heart demons [inner demons] and extraterrestrial devils [evil beings from other realms] appeared, whispering cunning words to corrupt me.”

Most who succumbed to these temptations had their bodies stolen and their souls devoured. Others simply dissipated or burned like fireballs, falling from the path.

“But even so, I steadfastly upheld my beliefs and ascended. However, my mind and body were utterly exhausted. Moreover, unlike the Lower World, the very air of the Upper World tormented me.”

This was due to the Heavenly Origin Energy.

The immortal energy was so dense that the first thing cultivators from the Lower World did upon ascending was to enter seclusion to shed the impurities of the Lower World from their bodies. This process mainly involved exhaling the turbid energy from their noses and skin, allowing them to adapt to the atmosphere of the Upper World.

“Father didn’t need to do that.”

Choa then offered a faint smile.

“Your father is no ordinary person. He is on a different level from someone lacking like me.”

“Oh…”

“Indeed.”

Tamhwa and Hwadam, who had exclaimed softly, listened attentively once more.

“But the bloodline that had been tormenting me since the Lower World grabbed my ankle again this time.”

“I saw her too! The white-haired woman who fought with Father in the Immortal World!”

“Yes, the Immortal World. Those in the camp of the Chaos World. Those with the same blood as me…”

She was referring to the White Yo Tribe.

Specifically, the Huna Tribe, known as the White Yo Lotus.

“White Yo Lotus. They claim to be born from the first lotus, but in my eyes, they were emotionless dolls. I came here because of them.”

“Why…?”

In response, Choa looked at the large mother moon and answered.

“The master of this place needed a cultivator of the White Yo Lotus to protect the Moon Mother World under the name of the Great Palace Lord, Moon Mother Zunv [a high-ranking celestial official].”

Protecting the Moon Mother World.

The Great Palace Lord was naturally referring to the Great Prime Celestial Master belonging to the Upper Heaven Sea Moon.

Hwadam suspected there was an untold story he didn’t know.

Noticing his expression, Choa chuckled and continued.

“The blood of the White Yo Lotus has been scattered across many branches since ancient times. Those with a strong endowment of blood power are sent to the Moon Mother World where Moon Mother Zunv resides.”

“Ah, so…”

Whether it was good luck or bad, Choa possessed excellent blood power and was forcibly sent there.

“You probably flew for tens of thousands of years, but if you use the ancient teleportation array here, you can move in a thousand years.”

“Ah!”

Hwadam was startled and looked at Tamhwa, who glared at him sharply.

He had suffered for over ten thousand years when it could have been done in a thousand – that was why she was upset.

Hwadam clasped his hands and begged for forgiveness.

“Anyway, that’s how I unfairly came up here and received the teachings of Moon Mother Zunv. I’ve been here all along… for a long time.”

Without even meeting her husband.

Unable to go to the Water Realm.

She had to devote herself to cultivation.

It was a dizzying existence.

After riding the teleportation array, a thousand years had passed, and she had to undergo the First Tribulation [a trial to test a cultivator’s strength].

After the First Tribulation, the teachings and cultivation under Moon Mother Zunv continued relentlessly.

Sometimes, she nearly died fighting the extraterrestrial insects that invaded the Moon Mother World.

As she carried out her duties under Moon Mother Zunv’s orders, time flew by.

“I was lucky enough to ascend to the Fragrant Immortal [a high-level immortal], but because of that, I couldn’t even leave this place.”

She was appointed as the Little Palace Lord after proving her outstanding skills, but unfortunately, she couldn’t even set foot in the Upper World.

That’s how she ended up spending over ten thousand years there.

“If you use the ancient teleportation array…”

“You can’t use it without Moon Mother Zunv’s permission. I’ve asked several times…”

She only received the response that it wasn’t time yet.

“Can’t you just ride it secretly?”

It was a child’s innocent question.

“No matter how vast the Upper World is, if Great Prime Celestial Master is determined to find you, there’s nowhere to hide. And Moon Mother Zunv is like a teacher to me, so I couldn’t easily do that.”

It was the same even now.

Tamhwa and Hwadam exchanged glances, noticing the shadow on Choa’s face.

-Tamhwa, maybe it’s fate that I came to this place.

-What are you talking about?

-If Grand Master Cheon is really alive, maybe my fate is intertwined with the connection between the two of them?

Tamhwa frowned, about to ask what she meant, then paused to consider.

And replied.

-Did you fall for this person?

-No! That’s not it! I think the reason I came here is to take Choa to the Upper World! So, if Grand Master Cheon is really alive, we have to help them meet!

-Father is alive!

-Y-Yeah. So….

Whisper, whisper.

The two closed their mouths tightly and communicated through telepathy, then nodded.

“Choa, where is the ancient teleportation array located?”

“In the center of the Moon Mother World. It’s in the Moon Mother Palace where Moon Mother Zunv resides.”

Hwadam’s eyes quickly filled with disappointment, and Choa, seeing this, stroked his head, telling him not to worry.

It seemed she misunderstood his reaction.

“Don’t worry. Even if I can’t go, I can at least send you. I know your words are not lies. You must have truly been protecting my husband’s side and fallen here.”

“How do you know?”

“The emotions leak out from your words, expressions, and eyes as you speak. Tamhwa truly regards him as a father, and Hwadam, you regard my husband as a benefactor and want to emulate him.”

“Oh… hehe.”

Hwadam smiled awkwardly, looking embarrassed.

“So it’s okay. Hearing my husband’s last words, it was definitely not the kind of will he would make before dying. Seeing that he handed over the Gongjeong Sword and treasures that he wouldn’t even hand over to me… His intentions are those of someone who has reached a realm we cannot fathom. He will probably be alive.”

She expressed a strong belief that he definitely would be.

Naturally, not only Hwadam but also Tamhwa felt relieved.

* * *

At the same time.

“Achoo!!”

“What? A sneeze out of nowhere?”

“I know.”

He scratched his ear as if it was itchy and picked up his wine glass again.

Saha excused herself, saying they should talk comfortably, leaving Cheonoe Yanggun, Hori, and Cheonbeom at the table.

“More than that, is it okay for us to be here? The Madam has gone inside.”

“She probably excused herself so we could talk comfortably. We’ve already shared most of the lighthearted stories.”

Hori nodded and placed his wine glass down with a thud.

Then, black energy bubbled up from the wine glass and turned into mist.

The black mist quickly engulfed the surrounding scenery, turning it into darkness.

The darkness soon transformed into a completely different landscape, a miniature version of the Upper World.

At the center was Geonwon Sea.

To the east was the Water Realm, and south of that was the Insect Realm.

To the north was the Immortal Realm, and to the west and southwest were the Collapse Realm and the Death Realm.

Click! Hori snapped his fingers, and black dots appeared at various points.

The black dots, numbering from several to dozens, then hundreds, soon connected with lines.

“Great Tiger. Do you know what this is?”

“Well. What is all this?”

Various red lines connected each realm.

Beom couldn’t decipher its meaning.

“I have been constantly helping you recover your body, directing you here and there. I was also hiding you, but it was also to create various connections.”

“Connections?”

“Yes, connections. Some of them, unlike my expectations, became strangely intertwined, and even turned into bad relationships…”

Beom’s eyes narrowed.

“The reason?”

“For your growth and revenge.”

“Revenge… Revenge is good. But are these things related to revenge?”

“Of course.”

Hori pointed to one place.

It was the Death Realm.

“There are bad relationships, but there are also good relationships, right?”

“…That’s right.”

“I should tell Saha to keep a better watch on my son-in-law’s lower body. Tsk, tsk!”

Cheonoe Yanggun teased, seizing the opportunity.

He seemed to already know everything.

“There are also relationships that are bad for me but good for you.”

This time, he pointed to a place adjacent to the Collapse Realm: the Five Border Realms.

“We need their help for our revenge. It’s not an easy task. Killing an Upper Immortal or a Fragrant Immortal is worlds apart from killing a Prime Immortal [a very powerful immortal].”

He was saying that they must use every resource available.

“Prime Immortals are impossibly close to immortality. But because they are close, they are also unstable.”

“Son-in-law, why do you think those guys are waging the Immortal Slaughter War?”

The story was becoming complex.

Cheonbeom organized his thoughts and first answered Cheonoe Yanggun’s question.

“Slaughtering Immortals… isn’t it for land?”

“Land. Yes… the Death Realm guys have always been like that. They say they want to live seeing the bright sun… saying things like that and aiming for land. But would the other guys do that too? The Collapse Realm guys are in a place where the bright sun is shining. Why would they do that?”

“That’s…”

It was a problem he had never deeply considered.

“It’s not that difficult, Great Tiger. There is only one place for Prime Celestial Masters to go.”

“…Great Lofty [a higher state of being]?”

“Yes. A higher realm. A sublime state of being one with nature. It is to become a Great Lofty Immortal.”

Great Lofty Immortal.

In other words, to ascend to the Great Lofty Heaven….

“They waged the Immortal Slaughter War.”

“It’s just a pretext. They have face because they have lived for a long time. For the sake of their subordinates. For the sake of their children. For the sake of the prosperous future of their descendants!! They shout, but in the end, it’s all their greed.”

Cheonbeom sat back in his chair, took out the Korean pipe Saha had made for him, filled it with tobacco, and inhaled and exhaled the smoke.

The pure white smoke circled around him as if pleased and then disappeared.

“I don’t understand it well. Is it absolutely necessary to become a Great Lofty Immortal? This war?”

“They must have committed it because it was necessary. It was like that in the past, and it is like that now.”

He needed a more detailed explanation.

Since it was originally a story of Prime Immortals, it was natural that Cheonbeom didn’t know.

‘To become a Prime Immortal is to shed oneself.’

The severed original spirit is purified and made into one’s own laws and principles.

That is how one becomes a Prime Immortal.

Then, what must a Prime Immortal do to elevate their status?

Cheonoe Yanggun answered the question instead.

“The way for a Prime Celestial Master to become a Great Lofty Immortal is… eternal sleep (永眠) [dying].”

“Eternal sleep? I see….”

Eternal sleep refers to falling into an eternal slumber.

It also means death.

The implication is twofold.

One’s own death.

“Or the death of another.”

Beom could not help but realize what it meant.