Chapter 221: Provocation

“Divine True Steel? You mean that metal called the metal of the gods?”

“Captain, you have something like that?”

Seo Ryeom and Mak Ya-wol interrupted with wide, childlike eyes.

“Yes.”

“Wow! I can’t believe it’s actually Divine True Steel. I’ve never seen it in person. Where did you get it? That legendary material…”

Seo Ryeom was excitedly speaking, but then suddenly stopped as the thought, ‘Is that really the amazing part?’ crossed his mind. He looked around.

Himself and Mak Ya-wol, Maeng Ye-ju of the Beast King Sect, Yong Seo-hee of the Divine Dragon Clan, Cho-su from the Nation of Mechanical Marvels. And the Roaring Thunder Fortress they were riding.

‘Uh… this is way more amazing.’

And that wasn’t even the end of it. Though not present at the moment, their party also included Wind-Passing Great Sage, the mad Great Monster of the Demonic Spirit Realm, and Seon Tae-gyeong, the former Ten Elder of Radiant Light Sect.

Divine True Steel, called the metal of the gods.

Even Seo Ryeom, who had made a name for himself in the Central Heavens Martial Realm, had never once seen such a rare metal.

But when he thought about it, the situation around him was even more unbelievable than Divine True Steel.

Finishing his thoughts while looking around, Seo Ryeom nodded to himself. As if he had understood something.

“Why are you nodding by yourself?”

“It just makes sense. If it’s our Captain, something like Divine True Steel isn’t a big deal. He does even more astonishing things like it’s nothing.”

Mak Ya-wol, understanding Seo Ryeom’s words, let out a small exclamation and nodded. In his mind, Jang Woo-hyun was someone completely removed from anything resembling normal.

“What should we do? Should we move right away?”

“No. Seo-hee still needs more treatment. So does this Captain. And…”

Jang Woo-hyun trailed off as he furrowed his brows slightly.

“Leaving that monkey behind would be troublesome.”

Wind-Passing Great Sage hadn’t come with them this time, but if they moved without him, it was obvious he would cause a massive fuss.

On top of that, since the Brand was still on him, he’d likely catch up soon enough.

‘Come to think of it, I still haven’t removed that.’

Thinking of the noisy monkey monster, Jang Woo-hyun glanced at his shoulder.

When the Roaring Thunder Fortress arrived near the Main Division of the Five Elements Cult, Wind-Passing Great Sage appeared immediately.

“Where the hell did you go!”

Jang Woo-hyun frowned at the sight of the monkey monster shouting the moment he appeared.

“It wasn’t a joyride. We had business to take care of.”

“Then why’d you leave me behind?”

“You were still recovering, remember?”

After the fight with Gyochung, Wind-Passing Great Sage was seriously injured and had been nagging Seon Tae-gyeong relentlessly.

As a result, Seon Tae-gyeong had trapped him inside a spell formation. That’s why Wind-Passing Great Sage hadn’t been able to move or join the latest battle.

“It was urgent. There was no time to call you. And besides, this whole thing started because of your antics.”

“What did I do?”

“You kept kicking up a fuss about healing quickly and got yourself thrown into the formation.”

There was nothing wrong with Jang Woo-hyun’s reasoning, so Wind-Passing Great Sage had nothing to say. He turned his head, looking for someone easier to pick on.

“Huh?”

His gaze landed on Maeng Ye-ju.

“What’s up with Sturdy over there?”

Because of her nearly seven-foot height and solid build, Wind-Passing Great Sage always called Maeng Ye-ju “Sturdy.”

“When did you get so strong?”

“My realm rose a bit recently.”

“This isn’t just ‘a bit’! Hey, Rat! What happened here?”

Hearing himself being called, Seo Ryeom pricked up his ears in surprise.

“Eh? Me?”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Tell you what?”

“That Sturdy got stronger! And where you guys were going!”

“But Great Sage, you were inside the formation. How was I supposed to tell you anything?”

“You should’ve come and reported everything to me regularly.”

Even if it was one-sided, the person Wind-Passing Great Sage was closest with after Jang Woo-hyun was Seo Ryeom.

“So I’m just your convenient lackey now?”

Seo Ryeom voiced his complaints, but all he got in return was a flying kick.

“Then who else should I talk to, huh? Who else!”

“Argh!”

Wind-Passing Great Sage and Seo Ryeom ran around the interior of the Roaring Thunder Fortress in a noisy chase.

While the two caused a commotion, Seon Tae-gyeong arrived with a stiff expression. Everyone could tell just by looking at his face that something was wrong.

“Is something the matter?”

“You’ll see it when we go outside. Let’s talk out there.”

At his suggestion, the gathered members went up to the top of the Roaring Thunder Fortress.

Seon Tae-gyeong raised his hand and pointed to one side of the Five Elements Cult’s Main Division. What everyone saw were shattered buildings and the marks of destruction.

“What the hell? What happened there?”

The group all turned to Seon Tae-gyeong, faces asking for an explanation.

“Ghost Soul exploded.”

“What?”

The completely unexpected statement prompted Jang Woo-hyun and the others to question him again.

“Hyunwol had cast sorcery onto Ghost Soul’s body. Without even him knowing. The man we had imprisoned suddenly exploded a few days ago.”

Only after Seon Tae-gyeong’s explanation did everyone understand what had happened.

Hyunwol, the current leader of Radiant Light Sect and ally of the cultivators, was even using the lives of his subordinates as tools.

“Fortunately, the damage wasn’t severe.”

At the moment of the explosion, the Five Wheel Guardian Spirit had appeared, minimizing casualties.

But regardless of the damage, the fact that the Main Division of the Five Elements Cult had been attacked directly could not be taken lightly.

Upon arriving at the Five Elements Cult Main Division, Jang Woo-hyun’s group immediately went to meet Seo Gyeong-mu.

“Hyunwol launched a provocation?”

“You’ve heard already?”

“Yes, on our way here.”

After Ghost Soul’s explosion.

From the remnants of his body, one of Hyunwol’s projections had emerged and delivered a message.

—Cult Leader, come whenever you please. It seems the Five Elements Cult and we can no longer live under the same sky.

Seo Gyeong-mu had no intention of ignoring that provocation.

“What do you plan to do?”

“We fight.”

Regardless of the damage, another force had attacked the Cult. Moreover, Hyunwol was the one who had aided Ha Do-gwang. It couldn’t be overlooked.

Just as Hyunwol had said, the Five Elements Cult and Radiant Light Sect could no longer coexist under the same sky.

“Don’t worry too much. I intend to win.”

“But the situation isn’t in our favor right now.”

The Five Elements Cult had lost both the Left Protector and two of the Five Elements Envoys. The Right Protector, Im Gwan-hwa, was seriously injured and still unable to move, and Seo Gyeong-mu’s condition wasn’t fully recovered either.

The current state of the Five Elements Cult was enough to make Jang Woo-hyun concerned.

“It’s true that the Cult’s strength has weakened. But the same goes for the other side.”

Radiant Light Sect had internal strife between the former Sect Leader and Hyeonwol. Some of the Ten Elders had died, and some, like Seon Tae-gyeong, had completely left the sect.

“And this time, the Guardian Spirit can fight alongside us.”

He hadn’t acted in the fight against Ha Do-gwang, thinking it was internal conflict. But a war against an external force was a different story. If they could count on the help of the Five Wheel Guardian Spirit, it was more than just possible—they’d be at a significant advantage.

“So don’t wear that worried look on your face.”

“Oh, so it’s war?”

Seo Ryeom, Mak Ya-wol, and Wind-Passing Great Sage, who had followed Jang Woo-hyun, smiled and raised their fighting spirit.

It hadn’t been long since the battle with Ha Do-gwang’s forces ended, and now they were going to fight again—of course, they were excited.

“This time it’ll take some time, right?”

“It will.”

“Huh? Why? If the enemy’s decided, shouldn’t we go right away?”

“This is war.”

Wind-Passing Great Sage was only thinking about it as a simple fight, but this was different from the last time.

It wasn’t about chasing down and eliminating traitors—this was a direct clash between two of the Ten Sects and Three Clans, the representative powers of the Central Heavens Martial Realm.

The sects loyal to the Five Elements Cult needed to be assembled, territories had to be regulated, and various preparations had to be made. Unlike with Ha Do-gwang, they couldn’t simply decapitate the enemy leadership right away. The enemy would prepare just as much.

“What? So we’re not fighting?”

“I’m telling you it’s not that simple.”

“Why overthink a fight? If there’s an enemy, just go and fight!”

Seeing Wind-Passing Great Sage grumbling, Seo Gyeong-mu let out a small laugh.

It was incredible enough that the mad monster was sitting quietly, let alone chatting like a friend with Jang Woo-hyun.

Something unimaginable not long ago.

Even though it was happening right in front of him, Seo Gyeong-mu found himself wondering if this was really reality. He even jokingly pinched his thigh lightly.

“What are your thoughts?”

Having the Annihilation Squad join would make the war more favorable, but Seo Gyeong-mu didn’t intend to drag them in unconditionally. This was the Five Elements Cult’s war, and they had already received much help from Jang Woo-hyun and the Annihilation Squad.

“I also have a debt to settle with Radiant Light Sect.”

He’d heard that Hyeonwol had joined hands with the Ascension Cult a long time ago. If so, he was Jang Woo-hyun’s enemy—a must-eliminate foe.

“And the Five Elements Cult is the Annihilation Squad’s ally.”

Unless something unusual occurred, the two factions would remain firmly united.

Originally, Jang Woo-hyun had intended to seek the Five Elements Cult’s aid in fighting Radiant Light Sect. But now, with Radiant Light Sect attacking the Cult directly, they were no longer just providing help—they would be fighting together.

“How much time do we have?”

“At least a couple of months for preparations. What about you?”

“There’s a place we need to visit briefly.”

“Where to?”

“We need to visit the Nation of Mechanical Marvels.”

“Huh, that’s unexpected. Because of that man, Cho-su?”

“Because of me. I left something there.”

When he brought up the matter of Divine True Steel, Seo Gyeong-mu let out a surprised, defeated laugh.

And the next day.

The Annihilation Squad departed for the Nation of Mechanical Marvels.

Nation of Mechanical Marvels.

A land where machinists who craft all sorts of mysterious items live.

Though it existed in the Central Heavens, few knew its exact location. Only those from the Nation of Mechanical Marvels could find and access it.

After flying for two days from the Five Elements Cult’s Main Division, the Roaring Thunder Fortress arrived at a place where dozens of small floating islands drifted.

“Brother Cho, why are we here?”

“This is the passage—to the Nation of Mechanical Marvels.”

Cho-su moved the Roaring Thunder Fortress toward a place with large stone pillars among the floating islands.

Landing at what looked like ancient ruins, Cho-su busily moved about, operating the surrounding stone columns. From between his brows, a subtle golden light gleamed from his third eye.

About two hours later—

Rumble—

The surroundings trembled, and house-sized boulders appeared in midair. Each boulder carried immense power, worthy of being called high-grade Dharma Treasures.

Cho-su approached the boulders and continued working busily.

Soon after, the boulders arranged themselves into a giant ring, and a blue light began to shine from within.

“Let’s go.”

Cho-su returned and guided the Roaring Thunder Fortress into the center of the ring made by the boulders.

As they passed through, the group felt like the Roaring Thunder Fortress had transcended space itself. It wasn’t a natural spatial leap—it was movement through the gate created by the boulders.

“It’s like a spatial teleportation formation.”

“Exactly. You can think of it as a gate.”

Only by passing through the ring created by the boulders could one reach the Nation of Mechanical Marvels.

In an instant, the entire Roaring Thunder Fortress was enveloped in blue light.

When the light faded, the view before them looked no different from before.

A blue sky, floating continents, and floating islands—sights common across the Central Heavens.

“Huh?”

Just as he was feeling disappointed by the lack of change, Seo Ryeom noticed something odd. He blinked several times.

“Brother Cho.”

“What?”

“Is the Roaring Thunder Fortress really going straight?”

“Of course. Why?”

“I mean, are we really moving forward? Not sideways?”

“Yeah. We’re going straight.”

“Then is something wrong with my eyes? That floating continent over there… it looks like it’s moving to the right.”

“It is moving.”

“…Did you just say that giant landmass is moving? Did I hear that right?”

“Yeah, you heard right. That moving continent is the Nation of Mechanical Marvels.”

“…”

Seo Ryeom was at a loss for words upon learning that the entire continent, like a Floating Stronghold, was actually in motion.

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