I Became an Evolving Lizard in a Martial Arts Novel-Chapter 229

I was nearly turned into lizard tempura by that blue lightning, but who am I?

I’m a lizard who’s reached Super Peak.

Even when hit by Cho-do’s lightning, it wasn’t that painful.

Maybe it’s because I can control my neck now.

Cho-do was huffing and puffing, but it seemed there wasn’t much else she could do.

To be fair, if she really wanted to crush me, she could use that bizarre flower-like monster of hers to flatten me into a pancake. But it didn’t seem like she was planning to go that far.

She was using lightning because she knew I could endure it.

Although she’s one of Jinlong’s children, she’s siding with me, Gomodo’s heir, so she couldn’t bring herself to harm me.

Cho-do continued to vent her frustration, then suddenly let out a small chuckle.

Did I touch a nerve?

“Trying to hide what cannot be hidden... How could it not be amusing? If you hadn’t pointed it out, I would’ve faced even greater embarrassment.”

The one who was just hurling lightning at me... Now saying this? Not exactly what you’d expect from a spiritual beast.

And then, out of nowhere, she suddenly started shedding layers.

I instinctively raised a hand to cover my eyes but quickly realized there was no need.

There was nothing to see.

If she could read my mind right now, I’d be fried by lightning again. Thankfully, I kept my mouth shut, avoiding unnecessary disasters.

And in that moment, I learned a shocking truth.

Cho-do’s Fung-Yuhwan... was detachable.

I had thought it was some miraculous elixir that you consumed. But no—it was called a hwan just because it was round.

Moreover, its size varied depending on the user. It was, without a doubt, a divine artifact.

Of course, it was useless to me in my current state.

Tang Soyeong and Nephila might have other opinions, though.

“...I suppose carrying around something this heavy was meaningless. Letting go of my attachment brings such relief.”

If she really doesn’t plan to use it, I could take it off her hands.

Not that she’d casually hand over something that embarrassing.

So, I’ll just... secretly take it when she leaves.

“Gerong... Gerororong...”

“What is that peculiar sound? If you intend to stay longer, it seems you should first work on how you speak.”

I don’t particularly need to, but...

If she’s offering to teach me, I won’t say no.

*

Having gained enlightenment didn’t mean I left right away.

There was still much more to gain here.

While I’d figured out how to wield the energy in my neck, I wasn’t at the level where I could summon lightning from a clear sky like Cho-do.

At best, I could wrap lightning around my hands, so I figured I should learn as much as I could while I had the chance.

Sure, discovering things on my own has its merits, but when you’ve got a first-rate teacher in front of you, it’d be foolish not to learn from them.

Besides, Cho-do, being one of the Yongsaengguja who’s lived an incredibly long life, tended to casually drop information that was incredibly useful.

Gongbok might be older than her, but oddly enough, the quality and quantity of information Cho-do provided were far superior.

“...I spent too many years lost in inner demons, so my horizons never expanded,” Gongbok had said, offering an excuse.

Yet his combat ability was also inferior to Cho-do’s. A true failure of an older brother.

Gongbok looked quite indignant, but since he was sealed in the fox marble, he couldn’t prove otherwise.

I continued to practice controlling the energy in my neck and, when the day grew late, took lessons from Cho-do on how to speak properly.

Learning both elemental mastery and basic speech at the same time felt a bit strange, like solving an advanced math problem while studying spelling.

Still, it was something I had to learn eventually, so I babbled away enthusiastically.

Learning to speak wasn’t anything special.

Cho-do would speak slowly, and I would listen intently—that was all there was to it.

If I couldn’t grasp the lesson, the time would’ve been meaningless, so Cho-do made sure to provide useful information in the process.

Even if I didn’t manage to speak fluently, at least I could take away some valuable knowledge.

Amid these lessons, she shared something particularly important.

“Hmm... I suppose it’s time I told you a bit more about the Yongsaengguja.”

Such information was always welcome.

It would’ve been nice if she’d mentioned it earlier, but I wasn’t in a position to be picky.

“Though you’re unlikely to encounter them unless you seek them out, there’s always a chance. Some of them are quite dangerous, after all.”

Dangerous, huh?

Wasn’t Cho-do the youngest of the Yongsaengguja?

She might dislike Gongbok, but she still called him "older brother" now and then.

For Cho-do to call one of them “dangerous”... that individual must be a real piece of work.

“Our father had nine children—these are the Yongsaengguja. Some reside in the Ten Thousand Great Mountains, while others dwell in Kunlun. However, just because they’re in the mountains doesn’t mean they’re on your side. Like Gongbok, many weren’t particularly close to the former Gomodo.”

Unlike Cho-do, Gongbok didn’t immediately associate me with Gomodo.

If anything, he’d flown into a rage thinking of his father instead.

Which meant he didn’t truly know Gomodo all that well.

“While they may not be your allies, they’re not entirely on our father’s side either. At least those who remain in the mountains disagree with Jinlong’s ideals and his extreme methods.”

Not my allies, but not Jinlong’s either.

If they supported Jinlong, they’d be living comfortably in Kunlun.

So... neutral, for now?

“However, there are those who remain in Kunlun, which means they align with our father’s philosophy. In fact, some are even more extreme than him.”

More extreme than Jinlong, who wants to kill all humans? What could that even mean?

“Their name is Docheol.”

Docheol!

The name wasn’t exactly obscure, but I didn’t know all the Yongsaengguja by heart.

However, Docheol was different.

Even if you didn’t know the Yongsaengguja, you’d know Docheol.

“They took naturally to killing and sided with our father. They wanted to kill both spirits and humans alike. Not even our father could justify calling them a divine beast. That’s why Docheol is known as one of the Four Fiends.”

The Four Fiends.

Evil beings opposing the Four Divine Beasts.

Docheol was one of those fiends.

Even Jinlong, the master of propaganda, gave up trying to sugarcoat their reputation. That said enough.

“They have the teeth of a tiger, the face of a wolf, and the horns of a sheep. Their nature is violent and despicable, worshiping strength and scorning the weak.”

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To be honest, the Four Fiends are a tier below the Four Divine Beasts.

The Divine Beasts—Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermillion Bird, and Black Tortoise—are worthy of being called gods.

Even just hearing their names is enough to inspire awe.

The Four Fiends, on the other hand—Chaos, Qiongqi, Tao Wu, and Docheol—are clearly inferior, though still formidable enough to be compared to the Divine Beasts.

Fortunately, Docheol is the weakest among the Four Fiends.

They’re known as the weakest of the group.

“Their own strength is not to be underestimated, but the most dangerous aspect is that even our father cannot control them. Even if Jinlong orders them to stay put, they could show up here tomorrow just because they’re curious.”

They’re a bit of a cliché, aren’t they?

The weakest of the Four Fiends, defying the Demon King’s orders and recklessly charging forward—it’s almost a trope.

I suppose there’s no need to worry too much about Docheol.

Not that I’m dismissing them outright—they’re an unpredictable and dangerous wildcard.

But if they show up at the Ten Thousand Great Mountains without a plan, the strongest human alive will be waiting to greet them.

Now, I just need to figure out how to use Docheol’s neidan.

*

The Bird King, Argentavis, had a lot on his mind.

This time, when his prospective son-in-law sought his help, he gladly obliged. But what he saw afterward left him utterly shocked.

It wasn’t just the overwhelming power of his son-in-law that stunned him.

No, it was something else—there were only females in his son-in-law’s domain.

A few males were present, but they were outsiders, and the nests bore no trace of males living there.

Of course, in nature, it’s common for a strong male to gather multiple females.

But this? This seemed excessive.

Even if you account for the scaly ones, what about the spiders? The wolves?

And were there humans mixed in there too?

Despite his unease, Argentavis couldn’t deny that his daughter had aligned herself well.

After all, she’d left her mark on the ornament hanging around her neck.

Argentavis decided it was fine to let things slide.

He’d even been of some use in this recent battle, so his daughter’s standing might rise within the group.

Still, all his concerns boiled down to one core issue.

It was the matter of Unhwa Baekpung Cheon Somyeong.

Unhwa Baekpung Cheon Somyeong (雲花白靈天小鳴):

“The white flower blooming in the clouds whispers softly in the sky.”

“Tweet, tweet,” chirped a small bird, poking its head out of the nest.

Despite its grand name, it looked more like a sparrow or a titmouse.

But it wasn’t unusual; as the heir to Argentavis, it deserved a name befitting its stature.

One day, it would rule half the jungle.

The other half was reserved for the Snake Queen’s heir, who bore an equally grand name:

Heukwoon Cheonroe Bihwaryeong (黑雲天雷飛花靈):

“The thunderbolt descending from black clouds flies like a divine flower.”

A fitting name for an heir who would rule half the jungle.

Of course, one particular lizard referred to them as “Squeaky” and “Chirpy,” but what did he know?

To Argentavis, his child was the apple of his eye.

Yet this love was also the source of his worries.

His daughter and the Snake Queen’s child had been on similar levels once, but as time passed, the gap between them grew.

Even though the Snake Princess seemed to lounge around without training, the difference in their strength was inexplicable.

The truth was, Gae Gak Sect’s influence allowed Squeaky to grow stronger effortlessly, but Argentavis wasn’t aware of that.

However, fate smiled upon Argentavis as well.

In return for participating in the recent battle, his prospective son-in-law had given him a rare treasure: a piece of his own tail.

While the idea of eating his son-in-law’s tail was a bit unsettling, once he tried it, the effects were undeniable.

It felt as if he’d consumed a miraculous elixir, his energy surging and vitality restored.

But for someone like the Bird King, such effects weren’t particularly rare.

Compared to the unicorn horn he’d tasted previously, the tail’s efficacy was lackluster.

That was, until he witnessed an astonishing sight.

Two spiders, nibbling on the tail, suddenly underwent a complete transformation.

Just a few bites of the tail had triggered rebirth!

Argentavis’s eyes widened.

He even forgot his dignity, pleading with his son-in-law for more of the tail.

“Tweet, tweet, tweet!”

Meanwhile, his beloved daughter flapped her tiny wings, communicating with him.

Even when the Lesser Dragon offered a single whisker, Argentavis was too focused on feeding his daughter the tail to care.

He sliced a small piece and handed it to her.

“Tweet?”

Tilting her head, the little bird—no, Unhwa Baekpung Cheon Somyeong—pecked at the tail experimentally.

“Chirp!”

Finding it to her liking, she fluttered her short wings and eagerly nibbled at it.

Argentavis watched his daughter with a proud smile.

Even if she didn’t undergo immediate rebirth, he could feel her internal energy growing in real time.

But he couldn’t help wondering.

What kind of being was his son-in-law to produce a tail with such potent effects?

For powerful spiritual beings like himself, the effects were mild, but for those who hadn’t yet experienced rebirth, it was more precious than any elixir.

“...Tweet?”

Just then, a flash of light, white as snow, illuminated the air.

Argentavis looked on with hopeful eyes.

His daughter’s white feathers began to puff up. She was finally undergoing rebirth.

He even wiped his eyes with his wings, moved by the thought that she had surpassed the Snake Princess, Heukwoon Cheonroe Bihwaryeong.

Of course, the Snake Queen’s daughter had also undergone rebirth thanks to a tail she received, but Argentavis didn’t know that.

And at last, the long rebirth process came to an end.

“Tweet, tweet...!”

Behold her majestic appearance.

She was the perfect image of a future Bird Queen.

...Though, to be honest, she didn’t look much different from before.

Her legs were still short, her wings stubby, and her body round, making her look like a sparrow.

However, her tail feathers had grown impressively long, and her size had increased several times over. Clearly, she had undergone rebirth.

To Argentavis, none of that mattered.

His precious daughter had become even more adorable, and he wept tears of joy.

“Tweet...”

She gazed back at him.

“My daughter...”

“Tweet, tweet.”

She bowed respectfully to her father.

Blinded by his tears, Argentavis could hardly see.

“Ahhh... My precious daughter...”

Having lost his wife early on, he had raised his daughter alone through great hardship.

Now, seeing her reborn and bowing to him, he resolved to grant her any wish she asked.

“Tweet-tweet-chirp.”

Father.

“Yes, yes. Whatever you wish to say, just tell me.”

“Tweet-tweet-chirrup.”

Father, I shall now leave to find my beloved.

“...What?”

Argentavis snapped out of his reverie, but it was already too late.

Her bow had merely been to gain momentum, and with a powerful flap of her wings, she soared into the sky.

The white flower blooming in the clouds whispered softly in the sky.

It was a movement befitting her name, Unhwa Baekpung Cheon Somyeong.

Like a mythical peng, she flew gracefully toward her destined mate.