The Heavenly Demon Visits the Celestial Realm (6)
I thought he was joking again, but no. Killing intent blazed in Baru’s eyes. I have known this fellow for a long time, yet this was the first time I had ever seen her so furious.
“Do you even know what the Spirit Realm Gate is?!”
“Isn’t it the gate that leads to the Spirit Realm?”
“Exactly! It is the very symbol that divides the Spirit Realm from the mortal world!”
“Still just a gate, though.”
A gate only holds meaning when people pass through it. What meaning could a gate that rejects people possibly have? That was why I had given it my own meaning.
“How is that any ordinary gate?!”
My answer must have struck a nerve. Baru’s ears and tails shot straight up.
“Listen well! The Spirit Realm Gate is…”
Baru launched into a full lecture, completely forgetting that the immortals were standing behind her. I already knew what she was going to say, but interrupting her now would only earn me a scolding about how I had done it despite knowing better. So I kept my mouth shut and listened obediently.
“First of all! Does it make any sense to smash a gate just because it won’t open?! Are you a barbarian?”
As Baru’s voice rose, the immortals around us nodded in agreement. The same ones who had been flustered by how powerless I was before Baru were now clearly enjoying her tirade. They really didn’t know their place. The one I didn’t know how to handle was Baru, not them.
When I subtly furrowed my brow, the immortals flinched and took a step back.
“Min-ga. I hate to say this, but please, for once in your life, try to have some common sense.”
Only after she had vented for a good long while did Baru finally sigh in satisfaction and look around. The moment she noticed the immortals staring at her like she was some hero, she panicked and didn’t know where to direct her gaze. Where had the bold Baru from moments ago gone? In terms of pure rank, she stood far above them.
“Quite a spirited young lady.”
Jongsen was the first to extend a hand to her. He approached with a smile and offered a polite greeting.
“Greetings. I am called Jongsen. You appear to possess a noble aura. You are clearly no ordinary being. Might I ask for an introduction?”
Jongsen subtly glanced my way.
“I am Baru. A mountain deity.”
“I’m Baru!”
She must have bitten her tongue while saying her name; her voice cracked. Seeing Baru’s flushed face and flustered state, Jongsen burst into laughter.
“A mountain deity, you say? Then I have been rude.”
“Not at all. If you are Jongsen, then you must be one of the oldest immortals…”
“Indeed. It started as a title for someone who had simply lived too long, but at some point it came to mean something far greater.”
Baru’s eyes sparkled. Was Jongsen truly such an object of admiration? From my perspective he was just a pot-bellied old man, but perhaps to those who practiced Taoist magic he seemed different.
The viewers seemed to share similar thoughts, tilting their heads in confusion. It was about time someone answered their questions.
Ding. Here it comes.
[Speaking as someone who uses Taoist magic in Hwaryong Muin...]
The viewer’s explanation went like this: Taoist magic is ultimately based on the principles of Taoism. The beings who reach the pinnacle of enlightenment in Taoism and transcend humanity are precisely the immortals. Therefore, to those who practice Taoist magic, immortals are objects of inevitable admiration. Especially Jongsen, who was one of the oldest and highest-ranking immortals. To Baru, he would be both an idol and a goal.
I see. From my perspective, he was simply a being who stood beyond the path of martial arts. It was only natural to admire such an existence.
“I have a few questions I’d like to ask!”
“I would love to answer them, but there is something I must do first.”
“Ah, then it can’t be helped.”
“You must head to the Spirit Realm, yes?”
At the mention of the Spirit Realm, Baru’s ears, which had drooped at the rejection, perked up again.
“Since your companion has opened the gate for us, please come along.”
“C-can I really go too?”
“Haha. If you don’t come with us, your companion will surely have words for us.”
Oh dear. The way this fellow phrased it made me sound like a brute who would smash anything I didn’t like. I frowned, but Jongsen simply smiled. He knew I wouldn’t raise my voice in front of Baru. What a sly old raccoon.
As Jongsen stepped aside, the path to the Spirit Realm Gate opened. I tapped Baru on the shoulder as she stared at the gate in a daze. She looked up at me.
“Let’s go.”
“...Yeah.”
The moment I crossed the gate to the Spirit Realm with Baru, the scenery changed in an instant. The first thing I saw was land dyed in a deep azure hue. Beyond the horizon stretched an endless blue vista. When I lifted my head, steep mountains appeared in the distance. After taking in their majestic presence that made one realize how small they were, I looked up to see a vast sky without a single cloud, filled instead with countless floating lands where clouds should have been.
“It feels like nature itself has reached its peak.”
Baru spoke those words while staring at the view, mouth hanging open as she drank in the sight.
The Spirit Realm was beautiful. So beautiful it almost felt artificial. Even I had frozen for a moment when I first set foot here. For Baru, a spirit born from nature, it must have been impossible to look away.
“Baru.”
“...”
“Baru.”
“...What?”
She answered without even turning her head.
“Wouldn’t it be better to see this from above rather than from here?”
“That’s a wonderful idea!”
I picked Baru up and stepped into the empty air. Having overturned the Spirit Realm once before, I roughly remembered the map. The best spot to view the entire realm was obviously at the very top.
At first Baru was delighted as we climbed higher, but the moment we passed the tallest mountains her face filled with fear.
“Min-ga. Just how high do you plan to go?”
“To the highest point.”
“Isn’t this high enough?! If we fall from here we’ll die!”
“Don’t worry. We won’t fall. And even if we did, we wouldn’t die.”
“That only applies to you!”
What was this mountain deity so afraid of at this height? There was no way we would fall, and even if we did, I would simply catch her faster than we could drop. Besides, couldn’t she fly through the sky herself?
I stopped midway and looked down. The spot where the Spirit Realm Gate had been was now as tiny as a speck of dust.
Anonymous has donated 1,000 won.
[Hwaryeong-nim. Can’t you please land somewhere normal?!!]
“You people aren’t even physically here. Why are you so scared?”
It made sense for Baru to be afraid, but what reason did they have to fear? Even if we fell, it would only be happening on the other side of a screen. While I was marveling at their reaction, a fun idea came to mind.
I deliberately scattered the inner energy I had been using as a foothold. With nothing left to support us, Baru and I were now suspended in empty air.
After a brief moment of weightlessness, gravity called us back to the ground.
“Kyaaaaaaaaa!”
Baru’s ear-piercing scream rang out as we began to fall. Hmm. Falling like this once in a while isn’t so bad. The feeling of your body slicing through the wind is rather pleasant. Of course, once you get used to it, it becomes boring, so it’s not something to do often.
Just as I was thinking that, the fall stopped. Baru had pulled out her staff at some point and lifted both of us up.
“What the hell was that?!”
“I was just playing a little prank.”
“A prank? A prank?!”
This time Baru was truly angry. She swung her staff and smacked me with it. Not that it hurt at all—her strength wasn’t nearly enough for that.
Enry has donated 1,000 won.
[Are you trying to give me a heart attack?!]
“Enry. If you’re startled by something like this, what are you going to do? Have some courage.”
“What are you doing here?”
Jongsen must have followed us. He called out to us from atop a cloud.
“We were heading to a place with a better view of the Spirit Realm.”
“...Isn’t the view from right here plenty good?”
“Since we’ve come all this way, we might as well go to the very top.”
Well, to be honest, this height was already more than enough to see the entire Spirit Realm. Still, there was a higher point. Since we had already come this far, it was better to go all the way.
“Could you refrain from doing that?”
“Why?”
“We have things we must protect as well.”
Things to protect? Was there something like that? I had reached that place before, and all that was there was a single massive glacier. It didn’t seem particularly worth protecting. That was my thought, but it clearly held different meaning for Jongsen. His face had turned unusually serious.
Perhaps there was something else in the world of Hwaryong Muin, or maybe I had missed something. Well, since I had already brought Baru along, there was no need to cause unnecessary conflict. I would respect his wishes.
“Understood. Then in return, could you take us somewhere with a nice view?”
“Ahaha. Of course. Follow me.”
Following Jongsen’s lead, I dispelled Baru’s Taoist magic and stepped through the air once more. The place we arrived at was one of the many floating lands in the sky—a spot where a massive lotus bud was blooming.
I had expected a strong floral scent, but it was different. Only a faint, pleasant fragrance wafted around us. Baru, who had set foot on the ground, let out a long sigh before glaring at me with furrowed brows.
This was going to haunt me for a while. Thinking it was going to be troublesome, I looked around at the scenery. Mountains wrapped in clouds, lofty buildings that seemed to house immortals, slopes dyed in the colors of flowers, and a mysterious atmosphere created by the mist that veiled the base of the mountains. It truly was a magnificent place.
“By the way,” Jongsen said as I was admiring the view with Baru. “What brings you to the Spirit Realm? I doubt you came simply to enjoy the scenery.”
“Didn’t Geomseon tell you?”
“That friend didn’t say anything specific.”
“I came to train in Taoist magic.”
“...Are you serious?”
“Yes.”