Chapter 101: Assembly (3)

When Jang Woo-hyun met the gaze of the Left Guardian of the Five Elements Cult, what he saw beyond that gaze was a destructive force.

Among the energies that permeated Heaven and Earth, the strongest—Lightning Qi.

What Jang Woo-hyun saw behind the Left Guardian’s golden eyes was a torrential downpour of falling lightning engulfing the surroundings.

A powerful individual no less formidable than Tang Myung, whom he had met yesterday.

‘Perhaps even stronger.’

And that was not the end.

The martial artists of the Five Elements Cult, including the man called the Left Guardian, were all peculiar.

They were not ordinary martial artists. Unlike typical warriors who accumulated internal energy in the Lower Dantian, these individuals radiated power from their Middle Dantian, like spellcasters.

A group that employed spell martial arts using the Middle Dantian. That was precisely what the Five Wheel Five Elements Cult was.

Their martial arts, founded on their unique energy called the Five Elements Qi, embodied and manifested the energy of nature.

Even the lightning strike that had just flown in was possible because the Left Guardian could wield the energy of thunder and lightning.

Martial arts of a different system. Individuals who had reached a realm through an entirely different method.

Moreover, the overwhelming force shown by the Left Guardian.

Just watching them made Jang Woo-hyun itch to test himself against them. Fighting the martial artists of the Five Elements Cult might provide the clue he needed to reach the next level through new experiences.

Had the martial artists of the Five Elements Cult left their place just a bit later, Jang Woo-hyun might have unconsciously drawn his sword. That was how strongly he desired to face them.

“They’re called the Five Wheel Five Elements Cult. They use spell martial arts that utilize the Middle Dantian.”

Maeng Ye-ju whispered beside him, sticking close in a way that didn’t match her tall stature, as if to offer an explanation.

Listening to her, Jang Woo-hyun took in the sight of the Five Elements Cult’s martial artists disappearing into the distance. He made a silent vow to one day test himself against them.

“Another guest is arriving.”

At Yeom Jong-myung’s words, he turned his body and saw a multicolored cloud approaching from the distant sky. The mysterious, glowing cloud rapidly descended to where their group stood.

The ones who arrived atop the cloud were even more peculiar than the Five Wheel Five Elements Cult.

Every one of them wore a mask that revealed only the mouth.

There were six in total. Five wore black masks, and one wore a white mask.

Naturally, the sole white mask drew the most attention.

That individual had the most unique appearance. The forehead of the mask was adorned with antler-like protrusions, and their luxurious garments, woven in red and green, were embroidered with a massive deer.

‘Spellcaster.’

Jang Woo-hyun instantly identified them. They too were users of the Middle Dantian.

But they were different from the Five Elements Cult. While the energy contained in the Five Elements Cult’s Middle Dantians was vibrant and explosive, these individuals exuded a calm and heavy aura.

Individuals who typically used the Middle Dantian.

As expected, the masked ones were spellcasters, just as Jang Woo-hyun had assessed.

Among the Ten Sects, there was one organization composed of spellcasters.

Radiant Light Sect.

A unique sect centered around spellcasters. Though some spellcasters were affiliated with other sects within the Ten Sects, their numbers were few.

In contrast, Radiant Light Sect was largely comprised of spellcasters, and its members were those who had reached Ascension not through martial arts but through spells.

Without a word, Radiant Light Sect, led by the white-masked figure, gave a slight nod to Yeom Jong-myung in greeting and departed.

“One of the Ten Jang. One of the ten powerful individuals who sit at the top of Radiant Light Sect. That one is the Antlered White Mask.”

Once again, Maeng Ye-ju provided the explanation.

Radiant Light Sect assigned ranks based on mask color.

Green, blue, red, black, and white.

Green was the lowest, white the highest.

Only ten white masks existed, and they referred to themselves as the Ten Immortals.

Antlered White Mask.

The white mask they just saw was the Deer, one of the Ten Immortals.

As Jang Woo-hyun observed the spellcasters, he sensed someone else approaching and turned his gaze once more. As if taking turns, another sect was arriving.

This group was unusual as well.

Four men in blue robes carried a massive palanquin, flying through the air. No, more precisely, they were not running through the air—they were stepping on ice.

Crunch, crackle—

An icy path formed beneath their feet, and they rode and slid along that path, heading toward where Jang Woo-hyun stood.

‘Not a single one of them is normal.’

First lightning, then clouds, and now a path of ice in midair.

Three groups had arrived, each one more striking than the last. These were sights unseen in the Central Heavens Martial Realm.

Thud!

When the four arrived and set the massive palanquin on the ground, its door opened to reveal a woman in white.

“Wow…”

Jang Woo-hyun let out a pure exclamation at the sight of the woman stepping out of the palanquin.

Skin so white it seemed to glow. Long, sky-blue hair and eyes of the same hue. Below that, a sharp nose and pink lips.

She exuded overwhelming presence not through martial arts, but through sheer beauty. He wondered if it was possible for a person to have such an appearance through looks alone.

Beside him, Maeng Ye-ju erected a sound barrier to prevent their voices from leaking out as she watched Jang Woo-hyun.

“Hehe, what? Your type?”

She seemed to try and nudge his side, but due to her height and large frame, Jang Woo-hyun was bumped on the shoulder and pushed aside.

“No.”

“Hehehe.”

Maeng Ye-ju kept nudging Jang Woo-hyun with her elbow, and each time she did, his body swayed.

“Young Palace Master, it has been a while.”

“It’s been a long time, Great Hero Yeom.”

Leaving the two’s chatter behind, Yeom Jong-myung and the woman called the Young Palace Master exchanged words.

“She’s the Young Palace Master of the Northern Sea Ice Palace. She holds a high status. You’d have to go through a lot to win her over.”

“That’s not what this is.”

“Oh, sure it isn’t.”

Still chuckling, Maeng Ye-ju jabbed Jang Woo-hyun with her elbow again.

But it really wasn’t like that. She was beautiful. Enough to make one gape. But that was all. She didn’t feel human.

It felt like looking at a finely crafted piece of art or a painting.

Like a beautiful doll made of ice.

As Maeng Ye-ju’s elbow jabbed him, Jang Woo-hyun turned his attention away from the Young Palace Master and focused elsewhere.

The martial artists who had carried the palanquin. Not just the Young Palace Master, but their strength too was hard to grasp.

‘Are they using some technique to conceal their presence? Or is the martial technique they’ve trained in just naturally difficult to sense?’

While pondering, Jang Woo-hyun expanded his qi sense and focused on the martial artists of the Ice Palace. He wanted to understand them somehow.

‘They’re frozen still.’

It felt like they were frozen. The martial artists of the Ice Palace didn’t let their energy flow easily.

‘Static and heavy. No, should I say it’s sunken?’

It was Jang Woo-hyun’s first impression of someone who had trained in Yin Cold Qi.

“The people beside you are…”

Having finished her conversation with Yeom Jong-myung, the Young Palace Master turned her attention to the other three.

“They’re from the Beast King Sect. Introduce yourselves.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Maeng Ye-ju of the Fierce-Fisted Heroine, Beast King Sect.”

“I’m Kang Yong of the Beast King Sect.”

“So you’re the Fierce-Fisted Heroine and the Sword Fang. Pleased to meet you. I’m Seol Ha-rin of the Northern Sea Ice Palace.”

Maeng Ye-ju and Kang Yong were well-known, so Seol Ha-rin recognized them easily. After finishing her greetings with them, she also greeted Jeong Hyo and the people from the Samcheong Tai Chi Sect.

And then, finally, Seol Ha-rin’s gaze turned to Jang Woo-hyun. Overwhelmed for a moment by her appearance that could make one believe she was a goddess from the heavens, Jang Woo-hyun hesitated before belatedly offering a clasped hands greeting.

“Jang Woo-hyun.”

At that name, the martial artists of the Ice Palace focused their attention.

Just as Jang Woo-hyun couldn’t accurately gauge their strength, the martial artists of the Ice Palace also couldn’t grasp Jang Woo-hyun’s realm, as he was executing the Secret Flowing Body Technique.

“You don’t seem to be from the Beast King Sect. Are you affiliated with the Tai Chi Sect, Master Jang?”

“He’s a guest of the Beast King Sect. He’s with us due to his involvement in this matter.”

“Ah, I see. You’re quite a unique person, so I…”

In the middle of her sentence, she frowned.

Those who saw her face for a moment had the illusion that the area around her darkened.

With a frown on her face, Seol Ha-rin turned her gaze away from Jang Woo-hyun and looked in another direction.

‘Whoa, what is this?’

Surprised that a single expression could captivate so thoroughly, Jang Woo-hyun followed her gaze.

Not far away.

Soaring over one of Mount Okchu’s ridges, a massive firebird was flying toward them.

The firebird circled once in the air before plunging down like lightning.

Boom—

A massive pillar of flame erupted, and searing heat surged forth.

As Seol Ha-rin returned to her expressionless face and waved her hand once, the spreading energy around them vanished.

“A filthy energy can be felt.”

With another flick of her hand, the dust and debris that had scattered with the explosion were swept aside.

Where the pillar of flame had vanished stood six people dressed in red.

“Well, well, if it isn’t the Young Palace Master of the Ice Palace.”

A man with a square jaw and broad shoulders stepped forward, glaring at Seol Ha-rin. His red robes were embroidered with a golden pattern depicting the sun.

‘Solar Palace.’

One of the Ten Sects that trained in Heat Yang Energy.

A sect known to be a mortal enemy of the Northern Sea Ice Palace.

—Why do they fight, you ask? Even they don’t know anymore. Too much time has passed, and they’ve forgotten the reason. Maybe the reason no longer matters. Perhaps they simply need an opponent.

That was how Cheol Geuk-jin had explained the relationship between the two sects.

Now, they were enemies who had even forgotten the reason for their enmity.

Heat Yang Energy and Yin Cold Qi. They trained in completely opposing martial arts and possessed entirely different temperaments. When the two sects met, a fight was inevitable.

Naturally, this place was no exception.

“To have such an honored guest show herself in person—looks like something good’s bound to happen today.”

The man spun his arms as he walked toward Seol Ha-rin. It looked as if he were warming up before a fight.

“They say the Young Palace Master’s Ice Arts are exceptional. Might I have the honor of witnessing them today?”

At the provocation, the martial artists who had carried the palanquin raised their momentum. As the previously static and sunken energy surged upward, it felt like sharp ice picks stabbing at the skin.

Watching the scene, Jang Woo-hyun turned to Kang Yong.

“Is that your friend?”

“What? Where did that come from?”

“He acts like one of your friends.”

“Him and me? In what way?”

“Don’t you remember? When we first met.”

“When we first… Ah…”

Recalling their first encounter, Kang Yong turned his gaze away in embarrassment.

When Kang Yong had first come to the Blue Wolf Pill, he had abruptly challenged for a fight and ended up getting beaten by Jang Woo-hyun. The actions of the man from the Solar Palace reminded him of his own past.

“That time was…”

“What about that time?”

“That… anyway, that’s how it was.”

As the two of them spoke freely without concern for their surroundings, the man walking toward Seol Ha-rin stopped in his tracks.

Since Kang Yong and Jang Woo-hyun were not using a sound barrier like Maeng Ye-ju, their words had been heard clearly by those nearby.

“Hey, I get the mutt from the Beast King Sect, but what about you?”

The man’s provocation shifted from Seol Ha-rin to Jang Woo-hyun and Kang Yong. Naturally, Kang Yong, who was as wild as a beast, was not about to let that slide.

“Mutt? This bastard’s lost his mind.”

Kang Yong raised his energy.

“And where does some nobody I’ve never even heard of get off talking down to Woo-hyun…”

“Yong-ah.”

But when Yeom Jong-myung called his name, he immediately dispersed his energy. Though he wouldn’t admit it, he really was like a well-trained dog.

“The idiot tucks his tail in. Forget the dog. How about you, the one flapping his mouth—want to step up?”

The man tilted his head slightly.

As if to say, come over here for a round.

Jang Woo-hyun gave a slight smile and turned his head toward Jeong Hyo.

“Can I hit that guy?”

“…What?”

He asked the host for permission first.

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