Chapter 195: Five Wheel Five Elements Cult (3)

Ma Moon-gi, the Lord of Thunder Sect, whom he had met on the Dawn Continent.

He had absorbed lightning by drawing it in, and now the old man in front of his eyes felt similar. The only difference was that this one was connected not to thunder and lightning, but to the earth.

‘This won’t be easy.’

If a fight broke out here, the space itself would exert pressure from all sides.

The old man who had been seated on the ground slowly stood up.

Then, the massive iron door behind him vanished as if it had been a lie.

It wasn’t sorcery or a technique.

The overwhelming presence of the old man that filled the surroundings had simply made them oblivious to it.

“Wu Hobup, who have you brought?”

“I’ve brought someone who can help the Cult Leader.”

At Im Gwan-hwa’s words, the old man’s gaze turned to Jang Woo-hyun and the Wind-Passing Great Sage.

“The Great Monster Wind-Passing Great Sage. Even seeing it with my own eyes, I can’t believe it.”

A monster infamous for being mad about battle.

The mere fact that Wind-Passing Great Sage wasn’t charging in right away and was instead just standing there surprised the old man.

“Are you saying the Wind-Passing Great Sage is helping us?”

“Not me. He will.”

In response to the old man’s question, Wind-Passing Great Sage lifted Jang Woo-hyun with one hand and placed him forward.

This time, the old man’s gaze focused on Jang Woo-hyun. Naturally, Jang Woo-hyun was also closely observing the old man.

“I am Jang Woo-hyun.”

Jang Woo-hyun greeted first.

“Huh huh.”

The only reply was the old man’s dry chuckle.

He kept tilting his head, alternating between scoffing and murmuring sounds of admiration.

“I am Son Ung. One of the Elders of the Five Elements Cult. I’m not even sure I’m seeing things properly.”

A short-statured old man introducing himself belatedly.

Unlike Im Gwan-hwa, Son Ung had already discerned Jang Woo-hyun’s strength.

“You’re cultivating the Five Elements Qi. And not just one—but all five. How is that even possible?”

Moreover, the Qi was so faint that it had taken him quite a while to even notice. Had he not observed for a long time at such close range, Son Ung wouldn’t have realized it either.

“Just who are you?”

“I am Jang Woo-hyun.”

As Jang Woo-hyun introduced himself once again, Son Ung scowled.

The question earlier had not been asking for his name.

“What I asked wasn’t your name. How did you come to master the Five Eleme—”

“Cut the chatter. So what’s it gonna be? Feels like only Jang Woo-hyun here can save your boss. Are we going in or not? If you’re not up for it, we’ll just leave.”

At Wind-Passing Great Sage’s blunt remark, Son Ung fell silent and pondered.

They had come with Wu Hobup, but their true motives for seeking the Five Elements Cult were unknown. He couldn’t take them to the Cult Leader’s location carelessly.

‘But we can’t just give up either.’

Finding someone capable of handling all five elemental energies was no easy task.

“Elder, I will vouch for them.”

“Wu Hobup, you know this isn’t a simple matter.”

They had already been betrayed by Left Hobup, one of the Cult Leader’s closest aides and a high-ranking member of the cult.

Unable to trust anyone easily, Son Ung had been guarding this place without rest.

Though Im Gwan-hwa continued trying to persuade him, Son Ung didn’t make his decision lightly.

“You’re awfully cautious. Don’t worry. We won’t harm your boss.”

At Wind-Passing Great Sage’s declaration, the old man looked again at Jang Woo-hyun.

An unremarkable face. But the eyes were different—unusually sharp and deep.

‘They hold so much within.’

It felt as if they could pierce through anything.

Son Ung stared silently into Jang Woo-hyun’s eyes. Only after a long moment did he finally nod.

“I’ll trust you—this once.”

He could only hope that his judgment wasn’t wrong.

Son Ung stepped back and placed his hand on the massive iron door.

Grurrrng—

As the sound of the door opening echoed, the combined forces of fire, water, earth, metal, and wood burst forth from within like a raging river.

“What a bloody mess.”

Wind-Passing Great Sage took the lead and tore through the surging energies, entering first.

Floating above a complexly drawn formation was a white-haired man.

His right arm was ablaze in fire, and his left was engulfed in a spinning orb of water. A strange vine had grown around his right leg, while a shining metal sprouted from the left. From his chest, earth continuously poured out.

And finally, embedded in his side was a twitching lightning bolt, wriggling as if alive.

“Uh… hey. Is he… alive?”

Though it was a rude question, it had to be asked. The Cult Leader of the Five Elements Cult looked far too grotesque.

The aura of the five elements flowed around him. His body looked like it could shatter at any moment.

“Monkey, is this really doable?”

“I won’t know until I try. And if it doesn’t work, well, we just stop.”

Even though this was about aiding the leader of the Five Elements Cult, Wind-Passing Great Sage remained unfazed.

He boldly walked forward.

Then, strange roots and vines sprouted from the ground, binding his feet before bursting into flames. A massive stream of water came crashing down next, followed by metal spears erupting from the floor.

But Wind-Passing Great Sage shattered all the incoming attacks and stood before the Cult Leader.

“Great Sage! You mustn’t touch him recklessly!”

Im Gwan-hwa shouted in warning. But Wind-Passing Great Sage ignored her and gently tapped the lightning bolt embedded in the Cult Leader’s side.

Each time he touched it, the lightning twitched like a living creature. It resembled the leg of a mollusk.

“Is the bastard who did this from your group?”

“Why? Do you recognize this energy?”

Jang Woo-hyun, who had followed behind casually, asked.

“Cheongeum… oh, maybe I shouldn’t say the name.”

Wind-Passing Great Sage clearly knew what that strange bolt of lightning lodged in the Cult Leader’s side was.

“Haeseongnoeryeongsa (Sea Star Thunder Spirit Serpent).”

The lightning wriggled like a living tentacle.

It was the power of a Martial God that Wind-Passing Great Sage knew well.

“There’s a guy in the Upper Realm called the Thunder God. I know him well.”

A Martial God known as Cheongeum Noeshin (Heavenly Gold Thunder God) or Byeokryeok Jinseon (Thunderclap True Immortal).

The lightning bolt embedded in the Cult Leader of the Five Elements Cult was his remnant.

“Surely… are you talking about the one called Cheongeum?”

“Yeah. The one who wields thunder and lightning.”

The sudden mention of an Upper Realm entity made both Im Gwan-hwa and Son Ung pause.

“…Though not originally from the Five Elements Cult, he does have ties to us. The previous Cult Leader once received a bit of his instruction.”

“What about the one who ran away? Was he involved too?”

“Ha Do-gwang does wield thunder, but no, he’s not related.”

“Figured as much. But then what’s this?”

“Why? What seems off? Even if he didn’t inherit the full art, he might’ve borrowed the power.”

“No. That guy would never lend his power for something like this.”

Smashing through the cult’s plaque and bursting in through the front gate was one thing. But for ambushes like this, he’d never lend his power.

And no one knew that better than Wind-Passing Great Sage, who had fought him multiple times.

“Let’s deal with this first.”

“How are we going to do that?”

“You two, try to temporarily stop the surrounding elemental spirits. Even if you can’t handle all five elements, the two of you together can buy us some time, right?”

“We can. But do you have a plan?”

Son Ung, who had been in the back, stepped forward and asked.

“We need to pull this thing out and heal the wounded part. Jang Woo-hyun will deal with the elemental spirits during that.”

“That’s it? Isn’t that too simplistic?”

“There’s nothing better we can do right now. You just be ready.”

“Me? Ready for what?”

“Just get ready to go in there.”

Wind rose around Wind-Passing Great Sage and swept forward, pulling the Cult Leader toward him.

The sudden action caught Im Gwan-hwa and Son Ung off guard, but they quickly gathered their energies.

The energy surrounding the Cult Leader’s body began to rampage, but under Im Gwan-hwa and Son Ung’s power, it calmed for a moment.

Wind-Passing Great Sage reached toward the Cult Leader’s body and ripped out the lightning embedded in his side.

“Graaaargh!”

The Cult Leader, who hadn’t made a sound until now, screamed in agony.

There were no burn marks, cuts, or tears where the lightning had been removed. The body part was simply gone, completely erased.

Wind-Passing Great Sage brought the wriggling, octopus-like lightning to his mouth and bit into it.

Even as his mouth and jaw burst open and were scorched by lightning energy, he paid it no mind.

“What… what are you doing?”

“This thing’s basically alive. If you don’t eat it like this, it won’t disappear easily. And eating it’s the only way to know if it’s the real deal. Yeah, this is really the Thunder God’s power. But what is this?”

Krrrummmble—

Even though Im Gwan-hwa and Son Ung were suppressing the five elemental spirits, energy burst out and the vast chamber shook.

“Your turn now.”

“But what exactly am I supposed to do?”

“Just go over there and endure it. You can handle it.”

Though unsure, Jang Woo-hyun had no other options and followed Wind-Passing Great Sage’s words.

‘This feels way too reckless,’ he muttered, as Wind-Passing Great Sage grabbed him by the collar and placed him where the Cult Leader had been, as if assembling parts.

“Oh, and—it’s going to hurt a lot.”

And with that—

“GRAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!”

Jang Woo-hyun screamed before he could even realize it, overwhelmed by the unimaginable pain.

‘That insane monkey bastard!’

After being fitted like a replacement part by Wind-Passing Great Sage,

Jang Woo-hyun experienced pain beyond anything he had ever known.

Even after reaching the Realm of Immeasurability, transcending the limits of a human body made of flesh and blood, he couldn’t endure it.

First, it felt like his entire body was burning. Then, like he was trapped deep underwater, crushed from all sides by pressure.

Roots grew through his veins, metal shards ripped his flesh, and his body crumbled into dust and scattered.

At times, all that pain came simultaneously. Other times, each pain struck a different limb or his torso.

At first, he couldn’t even maintain his sanity, but as time passed, he began to form thoughts within the pain.

‘He endured this alone?’

If he stayed like this for even a day, his mind would shatter from the agony, and he’d forget who he even was.

Yet the Cult Leader had remained in this state since being attacked by Ha Do-gwang.

‘He’s not an ordinary person.’

Regardless of martial ability, the Cult Leader must be someone truly extraordinary.

No ordinary person could endure such torment—nor would they ever adapt to it.

As Jang Woo-hyun burned, was crushed, torn apart, and broken over and over again, the long-dormant Five Elements Qi within him began to stir.

His Five Elements Qi confronted the surrounding energy based on the principle of mutual destruction, and slowly the pain lessened.

Had he not possessed all five elements, he would’ve lost consciousness or died instantly when he took the Cult Leader’s place.

Wooooong—

The Five Elements Qi gathered in his Middle Dantian.

Of them, the Metal, Water, Wood, and Fire energies flowed to his limbs.

His right arm, engulfed in flames, was reconstructed by Fire Qi.

His left arm, crushed by rushing water, was restored by Water Qi.

His right leg, turned to metal, and his left leg, transformed into vines, were shaped by Metal Qi and Wood Qi respectively.

His chest, collapsing in, was remade by Earth Qi.

The more wildly the surrounding energy rampaged, the more the Five Elements Qi surged within Jang Woo-hyun’s body.

After a while, not only could he think through the pain, he could now perceive his surroundings.

And what he saw amazed him.

‘What is that? A cat?’

Looking closer, it wasn’t a cat—it looked like a miniature tiger.

Starting with the small tiger made of metal, he could see others too.

A bird made of flame, a dragon formed from vines and wood, and a turtle whose body was composed of water.

Curiously, where the turtle’s tail should’ve been, a snake’s head emerged.

And finally, he saw a small child made of earth.

At first, he thought it was a hallucination caused by the pain.

But as his mind stabilized with the help of the Five Elements Qi, he realized it wasn’t an illusion.

Jang Woo-hyun could now see what these were with certainty.

‘Elemental Spirits.’

Beings formed from the concentrated energy of nature, said to possess will—akin to true spirits.

What stood before him were visible forms of elemental spirits.

He didn’t know exactly what the small child represented, but he could recognize the others.

‘The Four Divine Beasts.’

White Tiger, Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, Black Tortoise.

The elemental spirits before him clearly resembled these divine beasts—just in smaller forms.

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