I Became an Evolving Lizard in a Martial Arts Novel

Chapter 227

Cheonma!

Even someone unfamiliar with martial arts would have heard the term "Cheonma" at some point.

It refers to a deity worshiped by the Cheonma Shinkyo, the most powerful demon standing above the sky.

These days, it seems like Cheonma is involved in live streaming, growing herbs, and climbing towers, which proves just how famous this entity is.

So, when the term Cheonma came up, I couldn’t help but be surprised.

Wow, you know Cheonma!

...That, and the fact that I’m standing where I am right now.

This place is The Ten Thousand Great Mountains.

When you mention The Ten Thousand Great Mountains, it refers to the foundation of Cheonma Shinkyo.

The pieces of the puzzle that seemed scattered start to fall into place.

"Originally, Jinlong, Gomodo, and Cheonma lived like brothers. The girl’s father and Gomodo share the same bloodline, and the human Cheonma was taken in by the grandfather," Cho-Do continued.

Now even the grandfather is coming into play.

Since he’s the father of spiritual beings, he must be one himself, but it’s strange that he took in a human.

"The grandfather... this is such an ancient story that even the girl only heard it secondhand. Since it’s something her father told her, it’s not necessarily a story to fully trust."

Cho-Do refers to Jinlong with formal honorifics, but it doesn’t seem like she holds much affection for him.

It’s probably only natural, considering she seems to be more inclined toward Gomodo than Jinlong.

The bloodline of Jinlong and Gomodo isn’t really that important.

Both are living beings, so naturally, they must have fathers.

Since it’s an ancient story, there’s no need to know who exactly it is.

It doesn’t matter if we know or don’t know that part.

"Even that story, when Jinlong was called a tyrant, is all there is."

A tyrant.

What kind of spiritual being was called that?

"So, it’s no wonder that the father was jealous of Cheonma. A human who was taught by a tyrant and surpassed him."

This adds more context to what I had heard earlier.

It’s starting to make a little sense, but there’s still a lot I don’t understand.

Despite suffering from that inferiority complex, didn’t he end up doing something similar to his own child?

I don’t sympathize with Gongbok, but it seems that this kind of thing is being passed down.

"After the war ended, the spiritual beings who sided with my father stayed in Kunlun. The humans call them sacred divine beasts and offer tributes every year, but in reality, they were the ones who led the charge in killing humans," Cho-Do continued.

Kunlun.

If you asked anyone to choose the most mysterious and sacred mountain in the martial arts world, they would surely choose Kunlun.

It’s said to be the place where gods and immortals reside. Even I know this information, so I wonder what the people here think about it.

A white-scaled dragon lives in Kunlun, and it’s considered a divine beast. Could anyone challenge it or not acknowledge its sacredness?

That divine beast fought Cheonma, a being with black scales, and it’s unimaginable that they would not treat him as sacred.

Of course, Gomodo would be seen as a vicious entity, and Jinlong, with the murderous intent, would be viewed as the villain.

Cheonma Shinkyo would be the cult worshiping that evil, and The Ten Thousand Great Mountains would be the source of evil.

What an amazing plot they came up with.

"It’s an ironic story. My father originally started his quest in The Ten Thousand Great Mountains, and now he calls it the source of evil," Cho-Do chuckled.

It seems Jinlong was also born in The Ten Thousand Great Mountains.

The place where Cheonma Shinkyo gathered, also known as The Ten Thousand Great Mountains, is where the stone tablets are said to be scattered, recording Cheonma’s legacy.

"Originally, The Ten Thousand Great Mountains was a place where spiritual beings gathered and lived for thousands of years, or even longer. It was the origin of all spiritual beings," Cho-Do added.

Jinlong brought the spiritual beings who followed him to Kunlun.

In truth, I believe Gomodo and Cheonma drove him out.

If Jinlong truly had won, then Cheonma Shinkyo would not have existed.

He would have obliterated them by breathing fire, completely destroying them.

Since he couldn’t do that, he moved his base and labeled Gomodo and Cheonma as evil.

We know that Jinlong opposed Gomodo and Cheonma.

But what about Gomodo and Cheonma’s relationship?

Even Tang Soyeong knows that I am Gomodo, yet strangely, the people of Cheonma Shinkyo don’t recognize me.

Of course, Tang Soyeong has been calling me Gomodo since I was an alligator lizard, so she might have guessed it right by chance.

But even lower-tier martial artists, like Jang Bong, called me Gomodo.

Yet, neither my master nor Baekseolhwa, who claims to be a priestess, show any particular reaction to seeing me.

Has the story of Gomodo not been passed down?

Or perhaps Gomodo and Cheonma weren’t that close?

...No.

But that’s all there was to it.

I didn’t have any particular thoughts about it, which was strange.

Why is it that I don’t feel anything?

At that moment, it was as if something flashed through my head.

Instinctively, I knew I had to seize this moment.

I immediately crossed my legs and closed my eyes.

To chase the feeling that had just passed.

If I looked at her chest, I’d go crazy, my wretched body would lose control.

It felt like some force was holding me down, something I couldn’t resist.

Of course, no man could dislike a chest like that, but in my case, it was serious.

Before I was reborn as a lizard, I didn’t feel this way.

But why did I not feel anything when looking at that chest?

It’s certainly abundant.

But... empty.

It’s like the back and front of a coin, opposites that exist together.

How can they coexist like that?

It’s definitely a large chest.

But am I aroused?

No.

I’m not aroused.

So, does that mean it’s empty?

No, it’s not empty.

Then what is this?

Does a coin have to be split into front and back?

If it’s just the back, does the front not exist?

Then what about the sides?

A thought process started to form in my mind.

What is the Five Elements?

Why does a tree that I thought was Wood also have Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water?

Everything can’t be defined by just one thing.

A storm began to rage in my mind.

The Bigger, The Better.

I had always thought that bigger is better.

I was satisfied with that and thought it was an unchanging truth.

That’s why I never thought about looking up.

But now, I had gained new enlightenment.

It was time to reach for something higher.

Is it bad to want small things, and is bigger always better?

How can I crave a chest with such thoughts?

Big and small are relative, and they coexist.

Climbing to the top is called the Peak.

If one isn’t satisfied with the peak and reaches for the sky, that’s when it’s called Supreme Perfection.

Crack!

Thunder in my left hand.

Whooooosh.

A storm in my right hand.

The power of the Wood is the force that gives birth to life.

So, thunder and storms must fall under Wood.

I stretched out both hands.

To touch the sky.

["Wild Eyes" has evolved into "Dragon Eyes".]

The status window congratulated me on reaching a new level.

Squish.

Not only did I reach out, but I also touched the sky, transcending beyond Supreme Perfection...

“I-I didn’t tell you to touch it!”

Hmm?