Chapter 197: Five Wheel Five Elements Cult (5):

From the perspective of the five Elemental Spirits, Jang Woo-hyun was a monster and a predator. In terms of raw power, the monkey monster beside him might have been more impressive. After all, they could sense the true power and presence of the monkey monster even from afar.

However, Jang Woo-hyun was more terrifying than the monkey monster.

A type they had never encountered before.

He had tried to absorb them directly. While humans did accumulate the Qi of Heaven and Earth in their bodies, absorbing Elemental Spirits was by no means an easy feat.

Elemental Spirits, who had gathered the energy of nature and formed their own will, could not be seen as mere bundles of Qi. Since they were akin to living beings, they couldn’t be simply absorbed like Natural Energy.

Even cultivators who refined everything into pills did not attempt to absorb Elemental Spirits directly.

Moreover, each of the Five Elements Cult’s Elemental Spirits possessed immense power, and absorbing them could easily lead to one’s body exploding and dying.

Yet, Jang Woo-hyun had tried to absorb the five Elemental Spirits without hesitation. And to some extent, he had succeeded.

It was behavior beyond comprehension. They began to wonder if he was truly human.

To the Five Elemental Spirits of the Five Elements Cult, Jang Woo-hyun was an unknowable existence, closer to a natural enemy.

That terrifying human now stood before them and shouted.

“Why are the rest of you just standing there? Who are you? That kid? Yeah, it must be that kid, since I gave you the earth marble.”

Jang Woo-hyun nodded to himself, confirming who currently served as the Five Wheel Guardian Spirit.

“Then what about the dragon, bird, turtle, and tiger? Are you four not going to apologize?”

When he took a step closer, the Guardian Spirit of the Five Elements Cult flinched and stepped back.

Jang Woo-hyun had no intention of attacking or fighting the Guardian Spirit of the Five Elements Cult.

He was simply irritated and angry, hence his unusual demeanor.

He had every right to be—he had been in excruciating pain just a moment ago. Even torture might not have been as painful.

“Where’s the sincerity?”

Like a thug threatening merchants in a marketplace, Jang Woo-hyun’s behavior left the Five Elements Cult members so stunned that they couldn’t react. Wind-Passing Great Sage was rolling on the floor laughing as if it were the funniest thing ever.

Intimidated, the Guardian Spirit of the Five Elements Cult clenched and unclenched both hands several times.

Then, extending both palms, it revealed four items—two in each hand.

In the right hand: a small feather made of flames and a beast’s fang seemingly crafted from some unknown metal.

In the left hand: a wooden horn entwined with vines and a scale made of water.

Jang Woo-hyun casually took all four items. The moment he touched them, he could sense the dense Qi contained within.

“What are these?”

【Energy. Help. Use.】

“Should I just think of them as some kind of spiritual medicine? Anyway, don’t ever do that again. Got it?”

【…….】

“Answer.”

【Okay.】

“I’ll accept your apology. Just don’t ever do that again. Monkey, stop rolling around. What’s so funny?”

“Kya-hahaha! It’s because this human named Jang Woo-hyun is hilarious.”

Even Wind-Passing Great Sage had never seen someone intimidate Elemental Spirits into handing over items. And weren’t those five spirits combined supposed to be the Guardian Spirit of the Five Elements Cult?

The members of the Five Elements Cult could only watch in a daze as events unfolded beyond common sense.

Jang Woo-hyun was someone who had helped them. And even their own Guardian Spirit, who held the greatest power in their cult, was flustered before him. What could they possibly do?

They had no choice but to watch as their Guardian Spirit was practically robbed.

Thus, the act of pacifying the Five Elemental Spirits and helping the Cult Leader ended with Jang Woo-hyun receiving his reward.

After everything was over, the members of the Annihilation Squad and the Five Elements Cult gathered.

From the Annihilation Squad sat Jang Woo-hyun, Wind-Passing Great Sage, Jin Ha-un, Maeng Ye-ju, Mak Ya-wol, Seo Ryeom, Antlered White Mask, and Cho-su.

From the Five Elements Cult sat the Cult Leader, Im Gwan-hwa, Son Ung, and Five Elements Envoy Woo Il-do, who had once stood against Jang Woo-hyun’s group.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Seo Gyeong-mu, Cult Leader of the Five Elements Cult.”

“I’m Jang Woo-hyun.”

With the two introducing themselves, everyone else in the hall also stated their names.

Each time a member of Jang Woo-hyun’s group introduced themselves, the Five Elements Cult members let out small gasps of surprise.

A Great Monster, a former Elder of Radiant Light Sect, a powerhouse from the Baekmu Society, a being from the Nation of Mechanical Marvels, and even rising martial artists of renown.

Judging by fame alone, Jang Woo-hyun’s name held the least weight.

‘Well, if we’re only going by fame.’

But that would change soon. The name of the Annihilation Squad was already spreading.

Moreover, Jang Woo-hyun was leading a group that seemed impossible to unite—Wind-Passing Great Sage and the Fighting Ghost Unit.

“I heard Ha Do-gwang still hasn’t left your territory.”

“That’s right.”

“Why is he staying?”

“At first, we didn’t know.”

Ha Do-gwang, who had stolen and fled with the Five Wheel Illusion Diagram, seemed to have already achieved his goal. Yet, he continued to stir up trouble within the Five Elements Cult’s domain.

Initially, they had thought he was trying to consume the cult, like Hyeonwol, the former second-in-command of the Radiant Light Sect. But that didn’t seem to be the case. He lacked the power for such a move.

And if that had been his goal, he should’ve used everything at his disposal to seize the cult on the day he betrayed them, rather than fleeing.

Until now, they hadn’t known the exact reason for Ha Do-gwang’s actions or why he hadn’t left the territory, but Wind-Passing Great Sage had helped uncover the answer.

“Great Sage, that power Ha Do-gwang used—the thing that was embedded in my side—are you certain it was the power of the Thunder God?”

“Yeah, I’m sure. I bit into it myself. I don’t know how he borrowed that power, though.”

Seo Gyeong-mu nodded at Wind-Passing Great Sage’s answer, reaffirming his own suspicions.

“If Ha Do-gwang truly used the Thunder God’s power, then he’s likely searching for traces of the Thunder God.”

“Ah.”

Only then did Im Gwan-hwa and Son Ung let out small gasps, as if realizing something.

“There’s an old legend passed down about the Thunder Name Island.”

The moment the name was mentioned, Jang Woo-hyun’s group got the gist of the situation.

“Is it related to the Thunder God?”

“Yes. It was just a legend—no one knew if it was real or not. But considering Ha Do-gwang used the Thunder God’s power and is still roaming within our territory, it seems that’s what he’s searching for.”

“What’s there, exactly?”

Wind-Passing Great Sage, who usually stayed out of such conversations, asked out of genuine curiosity—after all, it was related to the Thunder God.

“No one knows. It’s only passed down as a legend. They say the Thunder God left something behind, but no one has ever found it. The legend seemed too far-fetched, especially since even the Cult Leader two generations ago, who had received a small teaching from the Thunder God, never found Thunder Name Island. But seeing Ha Do-gwang linger like this… it must be real.”

“You don’t know his location?”

Seo Ryeom, ever eager to fight, asked.

Son Ung shook his head.

“He has the True Dragon Armor and the Spirit Treasure Pagoda, so pinpointing his location isn’t easy.”

Seo Ryeom, who hadn’t spoken to Im Gwan-hwa on the way, looked confused, prompting Cho-su to explain.

“He’s probably moving around in the dragon-transformation armor, and when he finds a suitable spot, he hides. The Spirit Treasure Pagoda isn’t very large when miniaturized, so it can be hidden even in small caves.”

Even after the explanation, Seo Ryeom didn’t quite get it, so Cho-su began explaining again more slowly.

While the two talked, Jang Woo-hyun asked something else.

“Is the Guardian Spirit unable to move?”

The Five Wheel Guardian Spirit, having accumulated the power of countless martial artists of the Five Elements Cult over a long period, possessed strength equal to the Ten Elders. If it were to move, Ha Do-gwang could be subdued easily. The Five Wheel Guardian Spirit was the trump card of the Five Elements Cult.

Seo Gyeong-mu shook his head in response.

“It’s impossible. From the Guardian Spirit’s perspective, this is an internal conflict of the Five Elements Cult.”

The Guardian Spirit was a being that protected the Five Elements Cult from external threats. From its viewpoint, the current conflict was an internal power struggle. After all, Ha Do-gwang had once been the Left Protector of the Five Elements Cult.

It was an inflexible and unadaptable stance, but since the Guardian Spirit wasn’t human, it simply acted according to logic and principles.

“That’s unfortunate.”

Just as they were lamenting the need to take a more roundabout path despite the easier option, Cho-su finished his explanation, and only then did Seo Ryeom understand how Ha Do-gwang was moving.

“Hah, that traitorous bastard’s got all kinds of crap. But hey, Brother Cho, doesn’t that thing sound a lot like ours?”

“Ours?”

“The Floating Stronghold.”

“Ah, it’s similar. Ours just can’t shrink in size.”

“Then maybe we should be the ones moving?”

“That’s for Woo-hyun to decide.”

All eyes turned to Jang Woo-hyun.

“We can’t just charge in blindly. If we don’t know the exact location, we might end up chasing our tails the whole time.”

“Leader, come on. Let’s just go in hard and fast—ow!”

As Seo Ryeom’s suggestion dragged on, Wind-Passing Great Sage smacked him on the back of the head.

“What was that for?”

“You’re just itching to fight, aren’t you?”

“…No, that’s not it. Wait, wait! Great Sage, hear me out. Our Roaring Thunder Fortress isn’t just any structure. If they’re constantly on the move, then we need to move too and hunt them down.”

“Roaring Thunder Fortress?”

“What’s that now?”

The strange name caught the attention of both Jang Woo-hyun and Cho-su.

“That’s the name of our Floating Stronghold. Since we’re the Annihilation Squad, it fits. Roaring Thunder Fortress, right?”

The name of the Annihilation Squad itself had come from Cho-su’s Annihilation Thunder Cannon. Seo Ryeom had used the remaining characters to name their Floating Stronghold.

“……”

Faced with that bold attitude, Jang Woo-hyun and Cho-su were left speechless.

“Roaring Thunder Fortress or whatever—just hold your horses for now. What did I tell you earlier?”

“Eh? About what?”

Seo Ryeom tried to recall what had been said earlier, but nothing came to mind.

“Didn’t I say we’d end up with two candy balls?”

Crack.

‘Ugh, the candy balls again,’ Seo Ryeom muttered as he ground his teeth. Just when would this candy ball nonsense finally end? No—when would he even understand it?

“Oh? You wanna throw down, huh? Fine. Let’s do it.”

“……”

When Wind-Passing Great Sage raised his voice, Seo Ryeom shrank back. Though not the type to be intimidated easily, he always caved when it came to the Great Sage—whom even beastkin revered as a god.

“If Ryeom won’t do it, I will. Great Sage, let’s go.”

Suddenly, Mak Ya-wol chimed in, and the meeting was quickly devolving into chaos.

The people from the Five Elements Cult were dumbfounded by a meeting that seemed to be leading straight to a brawl, but Jang Woo-hyun didn’t mind. This wasn’t the first time this had happened.

And Jang Woo-hyun was a man who could handle them.

“If this is how it’s going to be, then everyone get off. Monkey, you too.”

This time, Wind-Passing Great Sage, Mak Ya-wol, and Seo Ryeom all protested.

But Jang Woo-hyun had already spent enough time with them. This much was well within his expectations—and control.

“Why are you all so oblivious?”

“Since when did we ever care about what others think? We were born this way. Manners aren’t exactly our strong suit.”

“It’s not about manners. You’re completely missing the point of the situation right now.”

“Point? What point are you talking about?”

Mak Ya-wol tilted his head, clearly clueless. Wind-Passing Great Sage and Seo Ryeom nodded beside him.

“Monkey, what kind of power did you say Ha Do-gwang was using?”

“Thunder God? Why bring that up now?”

“Whether it’s related or not, the guy using the Thunder God’s power is our enemy. Still don’t get it?”

Only when Jang Woo-hyun spelled it out did the three finally grasp the situation.

“Huh?”

“Ohhh?”

“Ah!”

A martial artist using the power of the Thunder God.

They didn’t care how he did it—that wasn’t important to them.

What mattered was that they were now facing an enemy who wielded the power of a True Immortal from the Upper Realm.

A new enemy. A new power.

And that power—was exhilaratingly overwhelming.

Unlike before, grins began to form on the faces of all three, including Wind-Passing Great Sage.

“Hehehe. Hey, rat—you see that? I told you so.”

“Huh? Told me what?”

“By waiting, we didn’t just get two candy balls—we got more.”

At the mention of candy balls again, Seo Ryeom’s previously smiling face twisted into a scowl.

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