The White Tiger Clan’s Baby Cotton Ball - Chapter 247

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Part 2, Chapter 39

Hyeonto Yeomwang, Hyeonmu.

He was the illegitimate son of Yeonggwi, one of the commanding generals.

However, despite inheriting the most divine bloodline of the Heavenly Realm, he was scorned by his family due to his innate strong yin energy.

Especially the serpent form that wrapped around his solid turtle body.

That ominous serpent shape, densely packed with strong yin energy, made those around him avoid him.

The one who took him in was none other than Hwaon.

“Hello, black child. Won’t you come with me?”

Rumors were secretly spreading that the Heavenly Emperor’s daughter was selecting and nurturing Divine Beasts to protect the earthly realm.

She had discovered him when she visited Yeonggwi Estate together with Cheonghae Yongsin.

The heavenly beings opposed her decision, asking how she could make such an ominous thing a Divine Beast.

Hyeonmu himself felt the same way.

“Taking someone like me will only tarnish Madam Hwaon’s reputation. Everyone said I was ominous.”

“Really? But in my eyes, you look very special and wonderful.”

Hwaon smiled warmly and stroked young Hyeonmu’s head.

Special.

Hwaon was the first to say such words to Hyeonmu.

There was no way he could refuse the hand she extended to him.

“I will entrust you with protecting the Northern Black Lands and judging the souls of the dead. So you must help me.”

Thus, he came to be called Hyeonto Yeomwang.

Afterward, Hwaon brought the red Suzaku and white tiger, completing all four directional Divine Beasts.

Watching her share the same love with everyone, not just him, Hyeonmu realized that her kindness wasn’t special only to him.

But it didn’t matter.

The days spent with her were simply warm and good.

Hyeonmu grew steadily under Hwaon’s care.

One day, as this peaceful daily life continued.

Hyeonmu, who had been secretly watching her from a tree branch, was caught by Cheonghae Yongsin.

“What are you doing here, Yeomwang?”

“…”

When he couldn’t answer, Cheonghae Yongsin narrowed his eyes and looked at him.

Unlike the other Divine Beasts, he had grown exceptionally fast and taken the form of a young man.

That was probably due to a certain feeling he harbored.

His romantic feelings, wanting to appear as a man to her.

It was the same principle as Cheonghae Yongsin remaining in the form of a young girl and wanting to be loved cutely by Hwaon.

“It’s a feeling you dare not harbor. Abandon it.”

“…I know that too.”

He knew it as well.

But he couldn’t help his growing heart.

Hyeonmu sought ways everywhere to eliminate this impious feeling.

Then by chance, he found a method to separate it from himself.

His essence was water.

Water that flows without fixed form, changing shape as needed or being separated.

Using that property, he first tried separating part of his own body.

What was born from that was Heuksa.

Gaining confidence from that, he also succeeded in separating his romantic feelings for her.

He trapped his extracted romantic feelings in black water.

Whenever feelings for her bloomed, he repeated the same act.

As time passed, it grew tremendously large and became a massive lump of obsessive thoughts.

—Hwa…on…

The lump of obsessive thoughts craved her love from deep in the black water, not even knowing what it yearned for.

It happened to be the day when Cheonhu, the Heavenly Emperor’s wife, visited Hwaon’s Sacred Tree.

She, the mother of all things and ruler of life, gave Hwaon a fruit as a gift.

“This is a miraculous fruit that bears once every thousand years in the Heavenly Emperor’s rear garden. Just one bite allows one to understand all the principles of the world. I hope it helps you care for the earthly realm.”

Hwaon joyfully received it.

And that night.

The lump of obsessive thoughts crouched deep in the black water was intoxicated by the fragrant fruit’s scent, crawled out, and devoured it completely.

With one bite, it gained self-awareness; with two bites, it gained a physical body; with three bites, it gained power strong enough to overturn the world.

Thus the lump of obsessive thoughts gained a body and became the mighty ‘Evil’.

Evil couldn’t control its strong power and disrupted the order of the Heavenly Realm.

It was when he was enjoying his explosive rampaging power, having grown stronger by corrupting sacred things with wicked power and devouring heavenly beings.

Step.

Footsteps were heard.

Footsteps he had longed for deep in the water for so long.

“Hwaon…?”

Evil, who had exactly the same face as Hyeonmu since he was originally part of him, turned to look at her with a face full of joy.

“Look at this. I’ve become like you! I have a body too!”

Evil approached her, bursting with that deep and ancient emotion that had given birth to him surging within.

“I love you, Hwaon. I love you. In that deep, dark, cold place, I’ve loved you every single day without fail.”

Hwaon stared at him quietly, then opened her mouth.

“You’re not Hyeona.”

She had rushed here upon hearing that the Divine Beast she had raised was disrupting the Heavenly Realm.

When she arrived at the chaotic scene, a black-haired young man was killing heavenly beings indiscriminately, causing a bloodbath.

Though he bore a similar appearance to Hyeonmu, that was not Hyeonmu.

Wicked yin energy that had tormented him since birth had attached itself to what should have been his pure romantic feelings.

The pure romantic feelings became food for the wicked yin energy in the cold, dark depths, and the Divine Beast she had cared for, unaware of this, must have continuously cut out his heart and thrown it to that thing.

Thus, what had swollen and grown became obsessive thoughts in the deep water. It became a disaster that emerged from the water to cause bloodshed.

Hwaon, who saw through Evil’s essence, pointed her sword at him.

“This is not where you belong.”

Slash—

Her sword cut through Evil’s body.

“Why…!”

Evil felt strong betrayal toward Hwaon, who sought to eliminate him rather than accept his feelings.

“I finally became like you, so why…!”

The enraged Evil shouted while bleeding from his split body, but she only looked at him with cold eyes.

Her Divine Beasts came running belatedly.

Hyeonto Yeomwang knelt before her and apologized.

“I’m sorry, Madam Hwaon. This is all my fault. Please punish me.”

“It’s not your fault, Hyeona.”

Strong jealousy welled up at the sight of Hwaon comforting him.

Her Divine Beasts always made him jealous.

Unlike him, who yearned for her love alone in the cold, lonely black water, they were beings who received her love generously beside her bright and radiant side.

He hated it.

If I can’t receive your love, then you should be alone too.

Evil, who fled to the Abyss avoiding her sword tip, became an even stronger vengeful spirit and cursed Hwaon.

“You will be abandoned by the person you love most.”

Intense resentment gathered to become malice.

“You too will eventually be abandoned and forsaken like me… becoming lonely and alone…”

It became a curse carved into the soul.

Evil’s resentment turned toward Cheonhu, who had collapsed from shock at Evil’s birth, and the Heavenly Emperor who was caring for her beside her.

They were the ones Hwaon loved most in the world.

A small crack formed in the Heavenly Emperor’s heart, weakened by the sight of his beloved wife languishing in sorrow.

A wicked grudge slipped through that gap and coiled itself inside.

“The criminal Hwaon has given birth to evil and disrupted the order of the Heavenly Realm, so her name shall be stripped from the heavenly records, her power sealed, and she shall be exiled to the earthly realm.”

The Heavenly Emperor commanded in a cold voice.

Those around him tried to dissuade him, but nothing could reach the ears of the Heavenly Emperor, who was caught in evil’s curse.

“How can the Heavenly Emperor cast out Lady Hwaon! This was all done by that wicked grudge!”

The Divine Beasts burst out with their sense of injustice, but Hwaon simply shook her head calmly.

“This too is something I must bear. I will return after paying the full price for my sins. Until then, I entrust the Sacred Tree to you.”

Hwaon, who descended to the earthly realm, gathered injured animals and lost children there, performing good deeds.

‘Why doesn’t she grieve? She was abandoned by the one she loved most, so why doesn’t she suffer?’

Evil could not understand her.

His hatred also extended to the earthly beings who received her love.

The malice that spread and crept out stained the earth, and Demon Beasts were born.

Hwaon was true to herself even in her final moments.

She made herself bait to protect young children from Demon Beasts, only to be cornered in a dead end.

Having had her power sealed, she became an ordinary human and could barely endure the threat of the swarming Demon Beasts.

In the end, her body was torn apart by the Demon Beasts and she met a gruesome death.

Only after she died did the evil curse that bound the Heavenly Emperor break.

The Heavenly Emperor tried to reverse it too late, but he could not bring back the dead.

All he could do was sorrowfully trace with his fingertips the name erased from the heavenly records and shed tears.

With a torn heart, he extracted the soul sleeping in agony and sent it to the cycle of reincarnation so it could be reborn.

The Divine Beasts watched Hwaon’s soul depart and wept sadly.

But they could not continue to grieve forever.

Because evil was disrupting the earthly realm.

Hwaon’s death was not what evil had wanted.

Evil, driven mad by Hwaon’s death, went on a rampage, and the Divine Beasts, following Hwaon’s will, sent four Divine Beasts down to the earthly realm to wage war against evil.

After a fierce war, it finally ended in victory for the Divine Beasts.

Hyeonto Yeomwang took responsibility and headed to the Northern Lands to seal away evil.

After sealing evil’s soul, peace returned to the earthly realm once again.

The Divine Beasts entered eternal sleep one by one as time passed.

They were leaving the earthly realm because the human world no longer needed them.

Until the world became chaotic again and humans would need them once more…

The first to close his eyes was Cheonghae Yongsin. Next, Vermillion Bird Heavenly Lady and White Tiger Mountain Lord successively entered long slumber.

Hyeonto Yeomwang remained on this land until the very end.

A little more time passed, and even the last Divine Beast closed his eyes, and their story remained only as ancient legend.

The evil sealed in the Northern Lands was awakened again by Hyeon Rabaek after long ages had passed.

It was in the year when, after a long, long time, her soul was reborn in the body of a small Baby Bird in the Southern Region.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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