I Became an Evolving Lizard in a Martial Arts Novel-Chapter 342

“I know well enough that the one behind this invasion isn’t the Martial Alliance, but Jinryong.”

“Oh? It seems the Young Cult Master is quite trusted.”

Apparently, what I had just revealed counted as high-level intel.

From the way he reacted, it seemed he thought only the upper ranks of the Heavenly Demon Cult would know it—but technically, he wasn’t entirely wrong.

After all, I probably knew more about Jinryong and the former Gomodo than anyone else in the entire Heavenly Demon Cult.

There’s no more accurate source than the former Gomodo herself telling me directly.

The problem, of course, is that she’s not exactly cooperative.

“We received a letter as well. As I said before, it urged us to side with the Martial Alliance and strike the Heavenly Demon Cult by surprise. But we declined the offer, and waited for an envoy like you to arrive. Do you know why?”

I didn’t answer. Instead, I glanced out the window at Gigano.

An ancient being who knew about Jinryong.

It must have been her opposition.

“Hmph. That’s right. Technically speaking, Jinryong is as good as an arch-nemesis to Gigano. Bowing to the enemy of my sworn comrade? No one in the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace would ever allow that.”

Jinryong and Gigano.

More accurately, it was a grudge between their ancestors.

The Tyrant Dragon wounded by Namgeo-ryong.

And Namgeo-ryong, ultimately defeated by the Tyrant Dragon, was driven out of the Mountains of Ten Thousand Beasts.

Even just based on what Shimma had told me, there was no way their relationship was anything but hostile.

So that grudge was passed down through generations—no wonder Gigano now hated Jinryong.

“That’s why we waited for you. Like I said earlier, we needed to determine whether the Heavenly Demon Cult was worth allying with. And more importantly—whether your group could help us hunt Jinryong.”

Hunting Jinryong.

That was a goal I could respect.

“So, now that you’ve seen it yourself?”

“They’re worth joining forces with. I haven’t met the Cult Leader personally, but seeing you is enough for me to understand what kind of person she must be.”

The conversation was flowing positively.

But there was still one thing bothering me.

If Jinryong was the enemy, then what about Gomodo?

If she considered Jinryong an enemy because he was the descendant of the Tyrant Dragon, then Gomodo would also be an enemy by that logic.

And I was the descendant of Gomodo.

“That black-scaled lizard we saw earlier—that must have been the one called Gomodo.”

I nearly choked out a horrified Geh-ek on instinct.

So Gigano must have told him. It seemed he knew I was Gomodo.

There should’ve been a noticeable difference between me and the former Gomodo, but he recognized me instantly.

Thankfully, just as I’d hoped, he was referring to the lizard “Gomodo” and the envoy “Ko Hui” separately.

“Of course, it’s not the exact Gomodo Gigano remembers. More accurate to say... the descendant of Gomodo.”

“Krung...”

Outside, Gigano nodded.

I wasn’t sure by what standard, but it didn’t seem like Gigano considered me an enemy.

“Groooong...”

Then again, the way saliva was dripping from her mouth... maybe I was wrong.

Why bring up Gomodo now?

Was he just showing off how much they knew?

“Young Cult Master, have you ever heard the name Namgoong Yeon?”

That name came from nowhere.

Namgoong Yeon? Again, you?

The same bastard who manipulated the radicals of the Tang Clan to send Tang So-Yeong to the Mountains of Ten Thousand Beasts, and tossed in other martial artists as bait.

The same villain who joined forces with Hwasan to attack the Gae Gak Sect and nearly wiped us out by dragging Gongbok into the war.

Also known as Al-Yu.

If the enemies we’d faced recently were Jinryong’s lackeys, then the ones from earlier were connected to Al-Yu.

“The reason I knew that the one we saw was Gomodo’s descendant... is because that man gave me the information.”

He’d known I was Gomodo’s descendant all along.

“The letter arrived around the time the Bird King vanished. It said a black-scaled lizard had appeared in the Mountains of Ten Thousand Beasts, a lizard with the potential to become a dragon. One they called Gomodo.”

That would’ve been way back when Kaichal Goa-Thal died.

When I was still Gomodo-Rania.

So Namgoong Yeon had known I was Gomodo’s descendant since then.

“At the time, the Gomodo wasn’t even worth our notice. So we ignored it. We just hoped it’d get strong enough to reach us someday.”

If I had faced Gigano during my Rania days, I would’ve been flopping around like a fish.

Of course, if they’d come to capture me back then, they would’ve ended up buried under a flurry of Yeon-Yeong punches.

“And now, Young Cult Master—no, that black lizard from earlier has grown strong enough to go toe-to-toe with Gigano. I thought it would take decades, yet it happened in such a short time.”

I appreciated that he was playing along with my little ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) act.

“That’s why I thought... rejecting Kunlun’s offer was the right decision. If that creature is strong enough to fulfill my comrade’s old dream...”

“Krururung.”

I’d thought Gigano wanted to sink her teeth into Jinryong personally, but apparently, that wasn’t necessary.

“Only an Earth Dragon can slay a Sky Dragon.”

Only Gomodo can kill Jinryong.

A being like Jinryong, who sought immortality, wouldn’t go down by ordinary means.

But in the body of Gomodo—the one even Jinryong feared—I might be able to crush every contingency he’s prepared and still inflict fatal damage.

In other words, Gomodo was Jinryong’s natural predator.

“Of course, I know that the descendant of Gomodo lacks experience, despite all that power. He must’ve fought many strong foes—but he’s not exactly had much time to live. He’s not that old.”

Lack of experience.

That’s always been one of my chronic weaknesses.

Sure, if you measured it by lifespan, I had plenty of battle history.

But this wasn’t about relative experience. It was absolute.

I simply hadn’t lived long enough.

If I encountered a new kind of enemy I hadn’t faced before, I’d have to improvise on the spot.

“In contrast, my sworn comrade has vast experience. She’s a survivor from the ancient days until now. Maybe not against Jinryong, but she’s clashed with other dragons like him.”

Gigano was incredibly experienced.

There probably isn’t a type of enemy she hasn’t fought.

Which meant she could fill in the gaps of my lacking experience.

“I’ll form an alliance with the Heavenly Demon Cult and support the Cult Leader in battle. On one condition—train that lizard we saw earlier. And with the experience gained from my comrade, sink your fangs into Jinryong’s neck.”

That was... an excellent deal.

There was no risk of betrayal from the Beast Palace.

Gigano’s hatred was the real thing.

And the Beast Palace Lord seemed genuinely excited by the idea of testing her strength against a worthy opponent.

“We can’t spare too much time. We don’t know when the invasion will begin, so I must return quickly.”

The Beast Palace Lord’s expression subtly changed.

Didn’t you just say I’m not the same as Gomodo?

That’s what her expression said, but I ignored it.

“A little time is enough. Like I said, my comrade’s experience is vast.”

Drip.

Rain outside the window.

“Grooorooong... grororong...”

...Wait, that’s not rain. That’s Gigano’s drool.

Seriously, this is so Geh-ek.

Why the hell can’t this damn dinosaur shapeshift into a human?

It’s inspiring to know I can learn from a giant dinosaur who genuinely likes me, but... her eyes are something else.

Honestly, she looks badass. Just pure dinosaur majesty.

Unlike Shimma, who’s always wrapped in weird rags.

“Grururung... Krururung...”

But what is this feeling? 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

If I let my guard down for even a second, something terrible is going to happen.

“My comrade loves breaking in those who lack experience. Heh... I’m looking forward to seeing that lizard from earlier painted in her colors.”

Training with the vastly experienced Gigano, while being the inexperienced lizard...

...That sentence sounds kind of wrong, doesn’t it?

Well, I’m not in a position to be picky.

I’ll take what I need and get out fast.

“Heh heh... polygamy...”

“Hehehe... Rolyuribaba...”

Oh god.

When did you guys show up?

And why now?

You always crawl out during the Gelorong moments.

Of all times, now is the worst!

Wait... don’t tell me even Bicorns are into this?

“Possible, possible.”

“Ten times possible. Hundred times. Thousand times.”

“Mu-Ryang-Dae-Soo-Paaaang!”

I wish you guys had just a little prejudice.

* * *

Two letters arrived before Baek Yeon-Yeong, the Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Cult.

One was essentially a final warning: the Martial Alliance’s invasion was imminent.

The Cult was rallying its forces in preparation for war.

Traditionally, war comes down to logistics—whichever side runs out of supplies first usually loses.

But war between martial artists plays out differently.

Most battles end quickly, in short bursts.

No matter how high your fortress walls are, a single master can breach them.

In that kind of world, defense loses its advantage.

The only countermeasure is to deploy a master of your own and take the enemy out.

That’s why wars in the martial world unfold differently from conventional ones.

It’s mostly high-level masters clashing directly.

Troops only matter once the masters are locked in deadlock.

If there’s no one to stop the enemy’s master, the side with more troops will inevitably win.

So even if the Heavenly Demon Cult is outnumbered in terms of foot soldiers, the number of masters they could deploy was roughly equal to that of the Martial Alliance.

And since not every clan was throwing in their entire strength, the Cult had a real shot at winning.

Especially since the Shaolin Temple had declared neutrality.

That made a huge difference.

The biggest wild card of this war was Baek Yeon-Yeong. With Shaolin out, the number of masters available to face her dropped significantly.

To restrain her, they needed at least two Hyeon-gyeong level masters.

Even then, if it came down to a one-on-one, she’d win.

For the Martial Alliance to claim victory, they’d need two or more Hyeon-gyeong masters to pin her down while the rest cleaned up the battlefield.

So Shaolin’s absence was a devastating blow to the Alliance.

Unofficially, the Tang Clan was also considering withdrawal—which could be fatal.

There’s no better weapon against massed enemies than the Tang Clan’s poisons.

So the Cult had a real chance of winning—if their only enemy was the Martial Alliance.

But the true problem was elsewhere.

A mysterious force from Kunlun.

No one could estimate their number or strength.

Baek Yeon-Yeong suspected that the white dragon she once fought was their leader.

The only opponent who had ever matched her blow for blow.

If Jinryong entered the war, the tides would turn badly.

Baek Yeon-Yeong could handle multiple Hyeon-gyeong level enemies, but if she was busy fighting Jinryong, she couldn’t stop the Alliance’s other masters from running rampant.

And Jinryong’s forces wouldn’t be small either.

The outcome of the war would hinge on how they handled Kunlun.

With those thoughts, Baek Yeon-Yeong opened the second letter.

And the moment she read it, her icy face melted into spring.

It was from her one and only disciple.

He had gone to Namman practically alone and achieved results beyond her expectations.

Not only the Beast Palace, but even Odukmun had submitted.

He’d secured the support of all Odukmun’s troops and received a promise of aid from the Beast Palace as well.

She felt a weight lifted from her chest.

Thousands of additional soldiers. At least five more masters at the Hwa-gyeong level or above.

Beasts from the Beast Palace.

Poisons from Odukmun.

In a full-scale war, there were no more potent cards.

If Ko Hui had been in front of her right now, Baek Yeon-Yeong might’ve lifted him into the air without a care for appearances.

And maybe—just maybe—she would’ve kissed his little belly like she used to when he was still a lizard.

She always wore a dry, indifferent expression, but now, she couldn’t hide her smile.

At the bottom of the letter—an adorable footprint from a lizard.

Seeing that, Baek Yeon-Yeong made a decision.

When her beloved disciple returned, she’d do that “Gaelurune” thing he always mentioned.

She still didn’t understand what Manma Dusu Pansa meant, but if it made her disciple that happy, surely it wasn’t anything too strange.