Call Of The Spear [EN]: Chapter 599

Part 2, Chapter 308 – Special Side Story 25

It was an absurd statement.

Cheonbeom refused outright.

“Those with power must bear the responsibility that comes with it.”

“Why should I?”

“The power you possess. Don’t think you achieved it solely on your own.”

That was right.

His power was not achieved alone. It was built upon the sacrifices of those who were robbed, exploited, and gave up their own aspirations.

“Although you intercepted a destined fate, that framework was also an arrangement we put in place.”

Thus, the power he achieved was also due to their arrangement.

Therefore, he should use it for them.

That was the logic.

“I never asked for such an arrangement. What I wanted was just…”

“It wasn’t personal success. You just wanted to protect your life and what was precious to you, wasn’t it?”

That was right.

From Mount Baek, Beom wanted to protect the young and the precious.

Ultimately, it was the same as protecting his territory.

So, he wanted power.

And now he had power.

Even in Daera [a high-dimensional world in this context], he possessed power that no one could easily disregard.

“Shouldn’t you use that power valuably?”

Use it valuably.

Of course, he would.

In a way, it was an honorable thing.

To protect Daera.

At first glance, it was a proud thing.

Something that no one could do was bound to be revered.

But.

“I’ve experienced enough of that in Hacheon and Sangcheon [lower-dimensional worlds]. Don’t you, the Grand Supreme Elderly Lord, know better?”

In practicing the Dao [the Way, a fundamental concept in Chinese philosophy and religion].

Reverence from others was all in vain.

The Dao was ultimately for oneself. If one was rightly established, the surroundings would naturally follow.

The Grand Supreme Elderly Lord, revered as the teacher of all and called Cheonjon [a title of respect], couldn’t possibly not know such a thing.

Having lived for so long, he should know better than anyone that honor was useless.

“What’s important is one’s own peace.”

“You speak like the Outer Gods.”

“…The Outer Gods of Heukcheon [Black Heaven], you mean?”

“Yes. There is something called change in what they say.”

As time goes by, everything changes.

His own things also change, and he suffers from his changing things.

His own things were his body and his thoughts.

It was truly difficult to watch his own things change.

“They say that one must also know how to let go of what changes.”

The Grand Supreme Elderly Lord frowned as if he couldn’t accept it.

Accept what changes.

And that even what fades away was destined.

Their words meant not to forcibly stop the flow like water.

“The Outer Gods are the ones who say that the Daoist’s immortality is wrong.”

“….”

“They are the ones who clamor to leave the cave. That’s the only way to become whole.”

The cave must mean the comfort and familiarity of the mind.

One must distance oneself from it.

Cheonbeom could roughly understand the ideology of the Outer Gods.

So, he felt like he knew what they worshiped.

“But I….”

“Do you want to have Daera taken away by those who call themselves Buddha?”

The Outer Gods of Heukcheon.

They worshiped and followed the teachings of Buddhism, and their enlightenment reached its peak, allowing them to escape from reincarnation.

It was a word meaning Buddha.

“Protecting Daera is protecting your family and those around you. In the end, it is protecting the Dao. So, please think again.”

“Still, my thoughts are the same.”

In the first place, he didn’t care whether it was the Outer Gods or Buddha, or whether they were after Daera.

“Are you saying it’s okay for Daera to be taken away by the Outer Gods!”

“In the first place, Daera isn’t mine, so how can it be taken away?”

“It seems you don’t quite understand the seriousness of the situation. It’s not something to be taken so lightly.”

“How would I know? I just heard about Buddha now.”

“…Then I’ll show you.”

The Grand Supreme Elderly Lord touched the surface of the lake with his fishing rod.

Then, the blue lake turned black, and within it, he could see a graceful woman stepping on a lotus flower.

It wasn’t just her.

Many beings in Heukcheon had strange clothes and appearances.

Many were not in human form.

“Daera is the highest and widest sky in the Daoist world.”

Hacheon and Sangcheon.

And Daera.

There are many different skies in the same location as Hacheon and Sangcheon.

But not Daera.

Daera is only one.

The most noble and precious sky.

“But Heukcheon encompasses it.”

The enlightenment of the Buddhas who freely travel through such Heukcheon allows them to attain Nirvana and wield great power.

Simply put, the Grand Supreme Elderly Lord was saying that there was a powerful enemy, so he should lend his strength.

But Cheonbeom wasn’t impressed.

“Can I meet them once?”

“What are you going to do meeting them…? Hmm, well, that’s good. If you want, go ahead.”

The Grand Supreme Elderly Lord, who was about to ask, glared at Cheonbeom and then nodded.

He had been watching Cheonbeom for quite some time. Because he had a strong rebellious spirit, it would be difficult to harbor animosity towards them without seeing them in person.

There was no need to incite him unnecessarily.

The situation might be resolved by meeting them once.

“I’ll open the path to Heukcheon.”

“Can I meet them now?”

“You can meet them.”

Whether they will try to have a conversation is another matter.

* * *

“Where is this….”

“It’s a Hacheon without a special name.”

“Are they here?”

“Heukcheon is everywhere. Of course, they are the ones who roam Heukcheon. Of course, even so, they can’t recklessly look for Daera.”

However, it is impossible to block all of Sangcheon and Hacheon. This unnamed Hacheon is one of the places where they have influence.

“In the first place, the existence of Hacheon and Sangcheon is also to hide their eyes.”

“…Are you saying it’s bait?”

“That’s right.”

This Hacheon had less spiritual energy than where Beom was.

It was almost non-existent, so it seemed that there would be few cultivators here.

Looking down, he saw warriors with long weapons fighting using their respective martial arts. Among them were monks wearing gray robes and with neatly shaved heads.

“This place has already been invaded by the Outer Gods. The concept of Daoism is fading, and the teachings of Buddhism have taken root.”

The Grand Supreme Elderly Lord dropped a rusty staff from the sky.

The staff, which fell with a clanging sound, was shot towards a man.

The staff, which flew towards a monk wearing a gray robe, was shot as if to pierce his head, but he narrowly avoided it by a hair’s breadth.

Then, in an instant, the world turned gray, time stopped, and the monk’s clothes and impression changed, and mandalas [spiritual symbols] spread around him.

A slightly mysterious man with a red circle drawn on his forehead.

He looked at the rusty staff and slowly floated towards them in the sky.

“Who are you?”

Before he could answer the question, he answered first.

“You are Daoist immortals.”

“Are you a Buddha of the Buddhist world?”

“Yes, I am Yeom-ma Cheon [a Buddhist deity]. What brings you here?”

He gathered his hands politely, but Cheonbeom knew.

The smell of a strong person that he subtly exuded.

‘Is he a Naeshinpa (Inner Body School)?’ [A martial arts style focusing on internal energy]

The firm muscles visible between his clothes were well-organized, and the aura emanating from each muscle fiber created a force that could not be easily approached.

‘When you reach a certain level, enlightenment is applied as a concept and results in a law.’

The method of combat differs depending on whether you contain it internally or let it flow externally, but perhaps Buddha, Yeom-ma Cheon, seemed to be a Naeshinpa who kept the law inside his body.

It was a similar type to Tamhwa and Hwadam.

“I came because I have something to ask. Can you spare some time?”

“There’s no difficulty. Wouldn’t we have time to spare for beings like us? I’ll listen without hesitation.”

Cheonbeom took a breath and carefully pressed each word.

“What is the Dao to you?”

Asking a Buddhist Buddha what the Dao is. The Grand Supreme Elderly Lord was dumbfounded, and Yeom-ma Cheon, who received the question, was also embarrassed.

“Are you saying that with a sane mind?”

“Yes.”

He wanted to hear.

The Dao as seen from his perspective.

“That’s quite a difficult question.”

Yeom-ma Cheon pondered.

He pondered and pondered and answered.

“I don’t think the original enlightenment of the Dao is good for the masses.”

“Can you tell me why?”

“The ultimate purpose of the Dao is personal success and immortality. Since it places a great weight on the individual, it does not care for others, and since it is a study that does not care for others and strives forward, it ultimately serves the individual. Thanks to that, the Dao harms others.”

For oneself.

“So, if the Dao spreads widely, wouldn’t only ruin remain in the end? Of course, not everyone would be like that. The Dao is something that is interpreted differently according to each ideal.”

However, it would generally flow that way, so in Buddhism, the Dao cannot be viewed in a good light.

“Is harming others a problem? What’s wrong with that? Isn’t that the way of nature, the way of heaven?”

Survival of the fittest.

Nature originally has a food chain of eating and being eaten.

Is it wrong for a tiger to catch and eat a deer?

That’s not right.

It is originally an animal that has lived that way, and what is the problem with that being the law of nature?

Animals eat animals.

Insects are no different.

Anything that is alive is bound to be eaten, and most of it is alive.

Our lives are the same.

“It’s just a natural conclusion. It’s a perfectly natural attitude to life to care for oneself!”

Even with the Grand Supreme Elderly Lord’s scolding, Yeom-ma Cheon’s expression was calm.

“That’s right. But doesn’t the study of the Dao have its sights set on going against the heavens?”

Going against the heavens.

The original concept of Daoism is that.

What is immortality? From the beginning, it goes against the predetermined lifespan.

It goes against the laws set by heaven.

That is immortality.

So, he was saying that rejecting life was also going against the heavens, and wasn’t that what they wanted?

“You’re talking nonsense.”

It’s no different from telling them to commit suicide.

The Grand Supreme Elderly Lord revealed his uncomfortable mood. Yeom-ma Cheon smiled bitterly.

“Would you like to hear the story of Buddha?”

“I don’t need it!”

“I’ll listen.”

Yeom-ma Cheon took his eyes off the Grand Supreme Elderly Lord and turned to Cheonbeom.

“The Dao aims for personal immortality, but Buddhism does not. It is a study that only cares for enlightenment through meditation and inner peace. If you gain enlightenment in that way and enter Nirvana, you will naturally escape the cycle of reincarnation. Even if you don’t aim for immortality, it will be the same as what is said in Daoism.”

“I see.”

“May I ask you a question?”

“Yes.”

“When you practiced the Dao and gained immortality. What did you do?”

“…What did I do.”

“You achieved your goal, didn’t you?”

That’s right.

The purpose of the Dao is immortality.

The completion of going against the heavens.

But paradoxically, the completion of going against the heavens is becoming one with the heavens.

What do those who have achieved their purpose do?

Beom naturally recalled.

The sky of Daera.

The lives of those who have reached the pinnacle of the sky and the providence they create.

Cheongeop [karma; fate].

Predestined fate.

Even fate.

Although it may not be perfect, they were manipulating it casually and naturally.

But.

Beom is not interested in those things.

What he is interested in is only the truth that has been laid down for him.

‘Truth….’

But now he knows the truth.

But he is not interested.

Whether it is Dao or Buddha, it is now a meaning that has little to do with him.

Cheonbeom’s energy calmly subsided.

Yeom-ma Cheon, who had been watching him quietly, asked him.

“What do you think?”

“About what?”

“That’s what I think of the Dao. But I am an outsider. So, I ask you, who are still striving towards the end of the Dao.”

What is the Dao?

Beom pondered for a moment at his question.

And then he answered.

“I don’t know.”

The Grand Supreme Elderly Lord smiled, and Yeom-ma Cheon was puzzled.

“Is it possible that an immortal with your level of energy does not have a clear concept of the Dao?”

“…Yes. That’s right. I have lived in the Daoist world for quite a long time.”

He still doesn’t know the Dao.

He once knew, but now he has no idea at all.

What is the Dao?

Beom doesn’t know the answer to that.

“I see. You still have a long way to go.”

“Well, I’m just….”

Beom showed his palm.

“I just don’t want to let go of what I have in this palm.”

Who cares about Daeracheon or Heukcheon.

‘I’m glad I met him.’

But because of that, it became certain.

It became clearer.

“I would like to create a sky that does not let go of what I have.”

Not Daeteon (Great Sky) or Heukcheon (Black Sky).

His own.

His own Geumcheon (Golden Sky).

“Not Dao (道) or Bul (佛) [Daoism or Buddhism].”

Just Beom.

He will perform Geumcheon for Beom.