Chapter 237: The Livable 100,000 Great Mountains
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 237: The Livable 100,000 Great Mountains
Nephila’s face turned slightly red, and her breathing quickened.
It wasn’t hard to figure out what this meant.
First, let me recall my memories from when I was a Green Basilisk.
Nephila is definitely a species of spider that devours the male after mating.
After the battle with the ant legion, she was drooling, trying to have her way with me.
At first, I thought she was just hungry, but the status window told me she was in love with me.
That’s why she feels both affection and appetite for me.
This is one of the reasons why I enjoy her internal energy pouches to my heart’s content but never cross the line.
If I were to cross that line, Nephila might not be able to hold back anymore.
We’re continuously building our bond, but it’s hard to go against instinct.
Even now, she sometimes drools when she looks at me or secretly nibbles on my tail.
There’s no telling what would happen if I let my guard down.
In any case, it’s certain that Nephila is a spider that eats the male.
If so, do all species similar to Nephila die after mating?
No, they’d try to survive somehow.
The most common method is to present prey as a gift to distract the female, then quickly do the deed and run away.
So, let’s apply that to the current situation.
I gave Nephila the Plumpness Pill.
And she recognized it as a gift.
Since she received a gift?
She took it as a proposal to mate.
“Gekgek!”
No way!
You’ve been holding back so well until now.
“I’ll just take a little bite.”
Seeing the drool dripping from her mouth, I didn’t think it would be ‘just a little bite.’
I could probably spare my tail, but nothing more than that.
“Goodness, and I thought she was the quiet type…”
Baek Rang shook her head.
Until now, Nephila had perfectly fulfilled her role as the priestess of the Gaegaek Cult.
She was a woman of few words, managed Tus and Pus, and would occasionally wrap Soyeong in spiderwebs when she did something strange.
She and Baek Rang weren’t particularly close, but they maintained a level of mutual respect.
“Seriously, why are there so many who are into scaly things?”
Even as she said that, Baek Rang moved a little closer to me.
She naturally inserted herself between Nephila and me.
“Gek…!”
I knew I could count on you, Baek Rang.
Nephila looked at Baek Rang.
Baek Rang looked back at her.
…Huh?
Crackle.
Was I just imagining the sound of sparks flying?
“…He’s mine.”
Nephila said, lightly grabbing my right arm.
“I met him first, so he’s mine.”
Baek Rang’s eyes widened for a moment before she scoffed.
“…My neck is suddenly itchy. I want to scratch it… hmm, but I can’t because of this accessory someone gave me.”
With that, Baek Rang subtly showed off the collar she claimed I had given her.
Whoa, you’re really going there?
“You…”
“It’s Baek Rang, not ‘you’.”
Golden eyes and red eyes stared daggers at each other.
“Heehee… Childhood friend… victory…”
“Heehee… The main wife… is white-haired…”
Aack, that surprised me.
The bicorns, apparently startled themselves, looked at each other.
“Bicoooorn!”
“Childhood frieeend… loseeees!”
Then they started arguing amongst themselves.
Were they saying one side was cheering for Baek Rang and the other for Nephila?
“Heehee… Spiderweb…!”
“F-f-fur-fur-fur…!”
This is getting a little scary.
Still, I knew this wasn't the time to just stand by and watch.
“Gekgek!”
Everyone, stop right there!
Stop fighting!
“Gekgek!”
Fortunately, both Baek Rang and Nephila tended to listen to me well, so it seemed the situation was resolved for now.
But since I had only temporarily extinguished the flames, I needed to quickly divert their attention elsewhere.
And that ‘elsewhere’ was, of course, the Plumpness Pill I had given them.
Wouldn’t it be more fun to use this wondrous item than to fight?
“I am a little curious to see how amazing that thing is.”
Baek Rang agreed.
As she did, she linked her arm with mine again, but for some reason, her grip felt much stronger than before.
Which, of course, made her assets all the more prominent.
“Gerong…”
Throb.
A cross-shaped vein popped on Nephila’s forehead.
Then, a light suddenly flashed from the Plumpness Pill.
Vwooom.
Fwaaash!
The Plumpness Pill turned into light and seeped into Nephila’s body.
So this is how this thing works.
You don’t eat it or insert it anywhere.
A divine object that can be attached or detached at the wearer’s will!
But now was not the time to marvel at that.
There was something I had to see first with my Dragon Eye.
Alright, bring it on.
Nephila, now in possession of the Plumpness Pill!
“…How is it?”
“Gerorong… Gek-boing-boing-boing…”
…At this rate, maybe I wouldn’t mind being eaten?
Having arrived in the 100,000 Great Mountains, Tang Muyeong began to move.
Of course, he hadn’t just recklessly headed into the mountains; he had contacted the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult first.
He had bribed them and received permission, essentially asking, “May I humbly be allowed to enter the 100,000 Great Mountains?”
A martial artist of the Orthodox Factions bowing his head to the Demonic Cult!
It was a situation that could draw criticism, but for the Tang Clan, it was acceptable.
Besides, having seen Baek Yeon-yeong in person, he knew the extent of her power. And he knew that what he saw wasn't even her full strength, but just a fraction of it.
Getting on her bad side?
The Five Great Families would become the Four Great Families.
Furthermore, the situation with the Mount Hua Sect was no small matter.
It seemed obvious they had used the Gu-poison taken from the Tang Clan, which meant the Mount Hua Sect had effectively fallen under the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
It was also a well-known fact among those in the know that the Dragon Person acting as the sect leader was from the 100,000 Great Mountains.
If she wished it, she could do something to the Tang Clan as well, so Tang Muyeong decided it was better to think of her as a lifeline.
And so, after slipping a few silver coins to the gatekeepers and even passing along some gold with a request to be put in the Cult Leader’s good graces, he was finally allowed to enter the 100,000 Great Mountains.
However, even after entering, he couldn’t find Tang Soyeong right away.
How was he supposed to find one person in this vast mountain range?
Still, Tang Muyeong believed he could do it if he spent enough time.
Nothing was impossible for a member of the Tang Clan.
Of course, things didn't go so smoothly.
He arrived at some swamp, only to see a carp flying through the air.
He called it a carp, but it resembled a dragon.
Its whiskers, the horns on its head—everything about it.
Moreover, it was at least two jang [Approx. 6 meters or 20 feet] long, something that transcended a mere carp.
To make matters worse, this monstrous fish was creating a waterspout, devastating the swamp. At first, he thought he was seeing things.
He considered capturing the spirit beast, but it wouldn't be easy.
Besides, a spirit beast of that caliber was surely a precious asset of the 100,000 Great Mountains.
The best choice was to pretend he hadn't seen it and move on.
After being chased by the monster carp and wandering through the mountains, another natural disaster caught his eye.
It was a storm.
He found himself swept up in the chaos caused by a massive bird stirring up a tempest.
Unlike with Hwari, he couldn't just shake it off. However, Tang Muyeong managed to resolve the situation without a single scratch.
He didn't defeat the storm-calling bird; rather, he ended up befriending it by listening to its complaints.
The bird even took out some liquor to treat him.
Tang Muyeong shared a drink with it and gathered some information.
Of course, since the words came from a spirit beast he had never seen before, they weren't very credible.
It claimed some lizard had seduced its daughter. How was he supposed to believe that?
What kind of lizard in the world seduces a bird?
What was shocking was that this blue bird had actually hoped its daughter would marry into that family.
But it never expected the lizard to just up and leave the moment she underwent her metamorphosis.
Tang Muyeong humored the bird, telling it he had a similar experience.
He was talking about his younger sister, but the giant bird burst into tears and gave him a gift.
It was a feather, and as a member of the Tang Clan, Tang Muyeong immediately recognized its value.
It was clearly a feather left by a spirit beast of a higher rank than the bird before him.
He guessed it might be from the mother of the bird it called its daughter, but he didn't say it out loud.
After parting ways with the giant bird, something peculiar caught his eye.
It was a creature of an exquisite mix of black and white.
It could be considered close to a lizard, but there were some differences.
He stared blankly as it danced with other lizards, a dazed expression on its face.
As he watched for a while, a chill ran down his spine.
His body sent him a warning before he even consciously realized it.
And in that moment, his eyes met with the black and white being.
Only then did he understand why he had felt the chill.
The eyes he had thought were dazed were staring directly at him, even though he was concealed.
It was clearly a small lizard, but its aura was anything but ordinary.
He felt something immense, something that couldn't even be compared to the bird he had just met.
It was a colossal power whose depths even he, a master who had reached the Peak Realm, could not fathom.
Tang Muyeong fled the scene like an arrow.
As he ran, he thought.
What in the world is this 100,000 Great Mountains, that it’s teeming with such spirit beasts?
The same went for the two snakes he saw from a distance.
A very large snake and a small snake seemed to be out for a stroll when they suddenly fired a beam of light at a mountain range.
The destructive power was so formidable that it pierced right through the mountain, leaving Tang Muyeong no choice but to flee without rest.
After running for a long time, another shocking sight entered his eyes.
“Guwooo!”
Look at that majestic form.
White fur.
A blue horn.
Wasn’t that the unicorn, said to exist only in legends!
Tang Muyeong gulped.
These 100,000 Great Mountains were nothing short of a paradise for spirit beasts.
To think he would see a unicorn, believed to be extinct.
Tang Muyeong held his breath and observed the unicorn.
Look at that horn, which purifies all that is impure.
Tang Muyeong regretted not bringing paper and a brush.
Just as he was thinking it was fortunate he could at least commit it to memory…
“Heeheehee…”
An ominous voice suddenly rang out.
The majestic unicorn began to tremble.
“O-One husbaaand…”
“Polygamyyyyy!”
Five bicorns charged toward the unicorn in unison.
“One husbaaand! One huuusband! One wiiife!”
The unicorn fought back, as if it couldn't lose!
Its cry sounded a bit strange, but Tang Muyeong paid it no mind.
A battle between a unicorn and bicorns.
The battle of the century, which no martial artist of the Tang Clan could resist, was about to unfold.
“Heehee… Amazon…”
“Heeheeheehee… One husband, ten wives…”
“One husbaaand…”
Of course, the unicorn collapsed without putting up a fight, and the bicorns dragged it into the bushes.
This was very different from what he knew.
Was that the relationship between unicorns and bicorns?
And what kind of place was this 100,000 Great Mountains, where spirit beasts you’d be lucky to see once in a lifetime kept popping up?
At the same time, he understood why the members of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult were so strong.
It was a system where you had no choice but to become strong if you wanted to live alongside these creatures.
Ah, the 100,000 Great Mountains. Such a great place to live.