Call Of The Spear [EN]: Chapter 582

291. Special Side Story 8

Celestial Archive.

Bathed in the light of the sun, moon, and stars, it was a place of profound clouds. Dozens of stone towers stood upon them, each possessing a magnificent appearance.

“That place is Lightning (雷) [referring to the tribulation of lightning],” Guyoung said.

“Then is that Fire (火) [referring to the tribulation of fire]?”

The stone towers, each governing a specific tribulation, were situated to display their unique characteristics.

There were too many to count at a glance, densely packed together. Some were the largest and most magnificent, while others were small and insignificant.

“I heard that the size and height of the towers in the Celestial Archive indicate their importance here.”

“Indeed. The largest one is…”

Lightning, a common celestial tribulation, had its own tower.

It was the Lightning Tribulation Stone Tower, governing the Lightning Tribulation.

“In order, there’s Wood, Water, Metal, and so on. That’s Dream (夢) [referring to the tribulation of dreams], and Illusion, and… that bent tower over there is the Love (愛) Tower.”

“Love?”

“Isn’t love between a man and a woman sometimes a more difficult tribulation than anything else? Even those who cultivate the Dao [the path to enlightenment] are ultimately beings with emotions.”

No matter how large and solid a rock-like cultivator may be, once love sprouts, cracks inevitably form, and it crumbles.

“I didn’t know there was such a tribulation.”

Geumcheon and Guyoung ascended to the Celestial Archive and gazed at it for a long time.

As they quietly observed the magnificent Celestial Archive, a pure white Lightning Dragon suddenly erupted from the Lightning Tower and vanished into the sky.

It was a celestial tribulation being unleashed.

“Someone else is undergoing a celestial tribulation.”

On good days, it happened hundreds of times.

Thousands of celestial tribulations soared into the sky and plunged down into the heavens of the Lower World.

It was a trial for those who cultivated.

For the sake of the cycle of the heavens.

“Let’s go.”

As the celestial tribulation soared, Geumcheon strode forward with a sense of urgency.

He had to quickly grasp the workings of this place so that his wife could remain safe.

If someone who sought to overturn the heavens couldn’t even do this much, how could they change anything?

His own destiny.

And what could someone who couldn’t change his wife’s celestial tribulation change?

“Hmm? Who are you?”

A Grand Celestial Tribulation Immortal emerging from a small stone tower looked at Geumcheon and Guyoung and asked.

His white eyebrows were long, reaching down to his chin, but his eyes shone brightly.

Guyoung naturally looked at Geumcheon, who cupped his fist towards the Grand Celestial Tribulation Immortal in greeting and replied.

“I am Geumcheon from Seohwang Territory. I wish to learn about the workings of the Celestial Archive. Would you grant me the opportunity to broaden my knowledge?”

“Hmm…? Broaden your knowledge, you say…”

The Grand Celestial Tribulation Immortal stared intently at the man who had suddenly appeared and asked for an opportunity to broaden his knowledge, then twitched his white eyebrows.

“You are not authorized.”

“Yes, that is correct.”

“How did you ascend here? There is a prohibition that prevents unauthorized access, making it difficult to pinpoint the location.”

“I received great help from one of the descendants of those stationed here.”

The nameless Grand Celestial Tribulation Immortal nodded as if he understood.

Even though what Geumcheon said implied that they were intruders, he remained unperturbed.

As expected of a Grand Celestial Tribulation Immortal of the Celestial Archive.

As a True Immortal governing tribulations, he didn’t bat an eye at ordinary matters.

“What are you so curious about that you came all the way here?”

“I am curious about the structure of how tribulations are delivered.”

“Hmm… I see.”

The Grand Celestial Tribulation Immortal pondered for a moment as if he understood, then gestured for them to enter the tower he had emerged from.

“It would be more helpful to see it once than to explain it with words.”

Then, he disappeared into the small stone tower. Guyoung and Geumcheon looked at each other, unable to shake off their suspicion.

“Wouldn’t it be easier to just smash through? I don’t know what that old man is up to. Geumcheon, what are you going to do?”

“Let’s go.”

“It could be a trap. He already knows we’re intruders, so if we’re listening to his explanation, all the Grand Celestial Tribulation Immortals of the Celestial Archive might come and surround us…”

“That’s a problem for then. First, I want to hear how the tribulations work.”

Besides.

What was written on the plaque in front of the stone tower was Fire.

It was none other than Fire.

He stepped inside without hesitation.

The path inside the tower was quite dark.

The darkness deepened as they went further in, but a subtle fiery energy greeted him.

Soon, a rather large cavern appeared, and in the center was a massive ball of fire.

Around the ball of fire, many True Immortals were present, along with plaques floating in the air, lining the ceiling.

“Hmm? Tower Lord. Who are these people?”

“They said they wanted to learn about the workings of the Celestial Archive, so I brought them here.”

“What? New recruits?”

A man wearing a peculiar coronet on his head approached with large strides at the word ‘new recruit.’

“I am Gogung of the Fire Tower. You’re curious about the workings of the tower? What are you curious about?”

The man, who introduced himself as Gogung and spoke informally from the start, seemed to think Geumcheon was a new Grand Celestial Tribulation Immortal belonging to the Fire Tower.

The Tower Lord simply watched with a playful expression, and Geumcheon stared back at him before answering.

“The Celestial Archive is a place that delivers tribulations. However, I was curious about how it identifies the individuals who will receive the tribulations. But after coming inside the tower, most of my questions are naturally resolved.”

A massive fire burned brightly.

Many True Immortals were stationed there.

They were all closing their eyes, holding their hands together in prayer, and emitting fiery energy.

All were masters of Fire Divinity [the power of fire].

They were True Immortals who had devoted their entire lives to the laws of fire. As they moved their lips, chanting incantations, and blew their breath into a plaque, the plaque entered the massive fire pit in the center, becoming a flame that soared to the top of the tower.

That was the Fire Tribulation, falling upon a cultivator in another sky.

And as the plaques disappeared, they were naturally transmitted back one by one, as if there was a tower somewhere in the Celestial Archive that managed the plaques separately.

“Is that so? The plaques here are divided and sent from the Plaque Tower. We send each of them their respective Fire Tribulation in order. What you will be doing in the future will not be much different from this. Your distribution in the Fire Tower is the lowest, so when you see the Grand Celestial Tribulation Immortals here, address them as ‘Senior’ and use honorifics.”

Ignoring Gogung’s threatening words, Geumcheon looked at the old man he had first seen, who was called the Tower Lord, and asked.

“Thank you. It has been an opportunity to broaden my knowledge.”

“Yes, I’m glad it was helpful.”

“Hey, you…”

Just as Gogung, who was ignoring him, was about to turn red in the face.

Geumcheon conveyed his gratitude to the Fire Tower Lord and set his new destination.

“I suppose I can find the already divided plaques if I go to the Plaque Tower.”

“That’s right. The Plaque Tower sends plaques to each tower, and we send tribulations towards the plaques. The tribulations are filtered again in the Upper Heaven, and the filtered tribulations are received by the cultivator written on the plaque.”

“I have one question.”

“Ask away.”

“With the Fire Divinity of the Grand Celestial Tribulation Immortals, the cultivators of the Lower Heaven would not be able to withstand it. How does that work?”

It was a tribulation delivered by a True Immortal of the Grand Firmament Heaven [the highest of heavens].

How could the cultivators of the Lower and Upper Heavens withstand such Fire Divinity? Originally, shouldn’t they all be burned to ashes in an instant?

“The tribulations that descend to the Upper and Lower Heavens are adjusted to suit those heavens. Otherwise, no cultivators would be left alive.”

Then it made sense.

“Of course, the intensity of the tribulation also varies depending on the markings on the plaque… but there’s no need for you to know that yet. Well, has your question been answered to some extent?”

“Yes. Thank you.”

Thanks to him, some of the things he had been curious about his entire life were resolved in a refreshing manner.

He wondered who delivered the celestial tribulations and who managed them.

It turned out to be like this.

It was somewhat different from what he had imagined, but it was still fascinating.

“Then, allow me to resolve my doubts this time.”

“Speak. I will answer if it is something I can answer.”

“Hehe, then would you mind showing me the fire you possess?”

Geumcheon’s fire?

“May I ask the reason?”

“I… have always questioned and answered what fire is in the Fire Tower, governing the Fire Tribulation my whole life. Not only me, but most of those stationed in the Fire Tower would be the same. Even those who came here believing that the fire they possessed was the best would become infinitely small when they saw the firewood (柴火) [a metaphor for the fundamental fire] of the Fire Tribulation stationed here.”

Firewood. It seemed to refer to the fire that was firmly established in the center of the tower, burning like the sun.

There was the firewood, and the flames of the Grand Celestial Tribulation Immortals of the Fire Tower that had disappeared gathered and burned, becoming the foundation of the eternally burning Fire Tribulation.

It gradually became stronger as generations changed and provided enlightenment on its own.

The Grand Celestial Tribulation Immortals of the Celestial Archive were gatherings of masters of each law.

They showed aspects similar to scholars who sought constant research and development.

To awaken to the ultimate Dao.

A group of those who wished for their own to reach the heavens and become one with it.

Therefore, they were bound to have constant development, curiosity, and obsession with their respective fields.

Those were the kinds of people gathered there, so how would the head of the Fire Tower be?

“Do you know why the Fire Tower is smaller than the other towers?”

“Is it because the Fire Tribulation is weaker than the other tribulations…?”

As someone who had mastered the same Fire Divinity, he had been inwardly curious as to why the Fire Tribulation’s position was so low.

“It is because the power of the Fire Tribulation is weak. You said you were curious about the workings of this place, right? The more cultivators who withstand the celestial tribulations of each tower in the Celestial Archive, the more they are despised. It wasn’t like this before, but the current Fire Tribulation has become very weakened. That’s why it has such an unimpressive height and size.”

The treatment they received in the Celestial Archive also gradually began to become harsh.

Even if it was automatically adjusted on the path to the heavens, the Fire Tribulation itself lacked profound mysteries compared to other tribulations.

As generations changed, for some reason, the Fire Tribulation only gradually weakened.

There was a lack of talent.

“So. To put it simply, you are interested in my fire.”

If possible, he wanted to put Geumcheon’s fire into the Firewood of the Fire Tower.

“Let’s have a Grand Tribulation Contest (大怯勝負) [a formal duel of tribulations].”

“Grand Tribulation Contest?”

“It is a contest where we receive each other’s Fire Tribulation and compete. It is a common method for Tribulation Immortals to compete in the Celestial Archive.”

Saying that, the Fire Tower Lord gestured to Gogung, who was still frowning.

“Yes, that is what I wanted.”

Gogung nodded willingly.

Looking closely, the fire he possessed was also not ordinary. He was about average for those stationed above.

That was why he was stepping forward so confidently.

“This will be interesting.”

Geumcheon also wanted to test what kind of evaluation his Fire Divinity, which he had cultivated from the Lower Heaven, would receive from the Tribulation Immortals stationed in the Celestial Archive, and what kind of power it possessed.

“Let’s begin. What do I need to do?”

“Hold the plaque.”

The Fire Tower Lord handed him a plaque that he didn’t know where he had gotten it from.

As soon as he held the plaque, Geumcheon’s name was engraved on it.

He said that they just needed to exchange them, hold them, and unleash their Fire Divinity.

“Nangseon? Is your true name Nangseon? What a strange name.”

Cheonbeom’s cheeks twitched.

Gogung raised the corners of his mouth with great pleasure.

“Experience how great your senior’s Fire Tribulation is and repent for your reckless past.”

The plaque with Nangseon’s name on it burst into flames, and soon Gogung’s Fire Tribulation fell upon his head.

* * *

Outside the Fire Tower, Guyoung, who was waiting, hid his energy as much as possible and waited for him.

Geumcheon had no intention of hiding himself at all, but Guyoung was not the same.

Just as he was wondering when he would come out, hiding his presence and waiting with his arms crossed.

“Huh?”

Suddenly, a massive flow of energy began to gather around the Fire Tower.

“Huh? Huh?”

The moment a clash of ominous energy was expected.

“Oh, crap!”

Guyoung hurriedly erected a barrier.

Immediately after.

Kooong-!

At the same time as the golden light leaked out.

Kwaaaaaaaang-!!

The Fire Tower exploded.