Chapter 236: Cult of Ascension (2)

His head felt as though it were on fire. Instead of blood, boiling oil coursed through his veins, and searing metal replaced his bones. His entire body burned and melted away.

Yet there was something even more excruciating than the physical pain.

【Save me!】

【I don’t want to die! I don’t want to die!】

【Mom…】

【Baby…】

【Somebody help me! Please save me!】

【Please…】

His soul became tainted and shattered. Within the flames engulfing Ho Sam-rang burned the resentment, suffering, sorrow, and despair of countless souls.

The pain of all those voices surged into him, dragging him into an unbearable sea of emotion. Within that grief and agony, Ho Sam-rang spiraled into madness.

“Grraaaah…”

Unable to endure it, he clawed out his own eyes and ripped open his mouth. He bashed his skull and tore out his own organs. It was the only way he could withstand the torment.

Through this self-destruction, Ho Sam-rang plummeted from the air to the ground. Once he hit the earth, he remained motionless as flames consumed him.

“……”

Everyone stood frozen in horror at the grotesque sight. The only sound was the crackling of the burning corpse.

Silence fell upon the space.

The first to regain composure was Yeop Jun-ui.

“Retreat! Everyone fall back!”

He shouted, forcing every last ounce of strength to conjure a massive wall of fire, giving his subordinates a chance to escape.

Snapped out of their daze by Yeop Jun-ui’s command, his subordinates immediately pulled out their flight techniques and ascended into the sky.

Just as they began to rise—

Dozens of spinning rings suddenly appeared in the air and shredded five martial artists from the Five Elements Cult to pieces.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

An elderly Taoist on a flight device appeared in front of the fleeing martial artists. Around him, the silver rings that had just torn through the cultists whirled menacingly.

“You were like rats hiding in the dark, and now you’re fleeing no differently.”

From another direction, a second Taoist appeared, wielding a massive sword.

In front of them stood the two newly arrived Taoists. Behind them was the middle-aged Taoist holding a bell that controlled the minds of men.

With no escape, the Five Elements Cult martial artists gathered around Yeop Jun-ui.

They quickly realized these new arrivals were formidable and did not dare act recklessly.

While the cultists stood on edge, the Taoists remained relaxed. The old man turned to the middle-aged one and spoke.

“You shouldn’t use it so carelessly.”

“He was a fire-using martial artist, so I decided to give it a try. One must test things eventually, right?”

“That was too much for mere insects. Do you have any idea how many humans it takes to fill just one of those bottles?”

The small jade bottle that the middle-aged man had thrown moments ago required the lives of at least three to four thousand humans to create.

It was never meant for use in such situations. It had been crafted to confront high-level opponents like the Celestial Sword Alliance or the upper ranks of the Five Elements Cult.

Though displeased with the waste of such a crucial resource, the old man didn’t chastise him too harshly. He merely advised him to be more careful in the future.

“I’ll go first.”

As their enemies paid them no mind, Yeop Jun-ui gave his final order to his subordinates.

“We’ll scatter and escape. It’s our only chance.”

They couldn’t all move together. Only by fleeing in different directions could any hope to survive.

Some subordinates tried to speak up, but Yeop Jun-ui shook his head to stop them. This was the best they could do under the circumstances.

“When I charge out, that’s your signal to scatter.”

Turning away from his subordinates, Yeop Jun-ui fixed his gaze on the sword-wielding Taoist.

“Planning something? We’re not done talking, so wait a moment. Not that there’s anything you could do anyway.”

“Now.”

Ignoring the words, Yeop Jun-ui summoned every bit of his power. Flames burst forth from his body and spread in all directions. At the same time, the Five Elements Cult martial artists took off in different directions.

“You fools, none of you will leave he—”

The sword-wielding Taoist stopped mid-sentence as a wave of heat slammed into him. He saw the flame-wreathed man charging toward him.

Yeop Jun-ui, ablaze, spewed fire from his mouth, and fierce red flames flashed in his eyes.

As his burning body intensified, a giant of fire emerged. The power of burning away one’s own life force was not something even Taoists could ignore.

‘Go!’

From the start, Yeop Jun-ui had no intention of escaping.

“……”

Yoo I-geon stood dumbfounded, mouth agape, at the sight unfolding before him alongside the Extermination Squad.

Gwang Roeseong had suddenly leapt through space, and the Extermination Squad warriors erupted in joyful shouts as they charged forward.

Their enemies were the shamans of the Hwanhwan Sect.

Fire, ice, blades of wind, and massive boulders flew toward them, but each was either annihilated on sight or shattered completely.

The Hwanhwan shamans crumbled like a sandcastle before the massive wave known as the Extermination Squad. They barely even resisted.

When they had bullied Yoo I-geon, they were like lazy village dogs lounging in the back alleys. But once real battle began, they transformed into savage wolves.

Now, the prey known as the Hwanhwan Sect was being torn apart by the wolves’ sharp fangs.

“Huh…”

Beside him, Eon Neung-hyeon let out a hollow laugh.

His eyes tracked the core members of the Extermination Squad.

Jang Woo-hyeon of the Celestial Sword Alliance, Seo Ryeom, Mak Ya-wol, and Tongpung Daeseong.

These were not people who should belong to a small unit like the Extermination Squad.

The power was overwhelming. For a group of fewer than fifty members, there were far too many elites.

Eon Neung-hyeon suddenly regretted having been so disrespectful to them under the Young Lady’s orders. He was grateful he hadn’t ended up as a bloody pulp that day.

With every swing of the four warriors’ hands, defensive spells and Dharma Tools shattered. Even the enemies themselves were smashed and sent flying across the ground.

There was no need for tactics or preparation. Once a target was designated, the Extermination Squad simply charged in and destroyed everything.

In less than a moment, the two hundred or so Hwanhwan shamans were wiped out. Fewer than twenty were taken alive, and half of them were already on the verge of death.

“What’s your objective?”

Once the area was secured, interrogation of the captives began.

The first shaman remained tight-lipped, seemingly with some resolve.

As a result, he was disassembled by Tongpung Daeseong right in front of his comrades. The sight of a monstrous entity tearing a man apart shattered their will.

“We don’t know!”

“Yes! We were just following orders!”

“Ask anything, and we’ll tell you everything we know!”

They scrambled to spill everything they could, but none of it proved particularly useful. There was no crucial information among them.

“I don’t know what the plan is going forward. I don’t even know where Hyeonwol is. You guys—what do you even know? Captain, let’s just get rid of them.”

As Seo Ryeom raised his sword, the shaman who had only been trembling in pale fear finally opened his mouth.

“I-I have something to tell you!”

“Forget it. It’s probably not anything important. Let’s end it here.”

“P-please spare me! I’m not even affiliated with the Radiant Light Sect!”

The shaman shouted, raising both hands high.

“I was forced to join! Please, let me live!”

“That’s right! We were conscripted against our will!”

“Shut up, you bastards! Now you want to betray—guhheeurk!”

As a shaman who seemed to belong to the Radiant Light Sect shouted, Seo Ryeom slipped behind him and stabbed him in the back.

“Okay, quiet down. You two—go ahead and finish talking.”

“Please spare us. We really were forced into this. We didn’t want to fight.”

“That’s right. If we didn’t follow orders, everyone in our sect would’ve been captured. We had no choice but to fight.”

“Everyone in your sect would be captured? Were they using them as hostages?”

“T-that is…”

The two shamans glanced nervously at the surviving disciples of the Radiant Light Sect.

“Are we a joke to you?”

Wind-Passing Great Sage strolled over and picked up one of the shamans giving nervous side-glances—then folded him up like paper. The man was crumpled like a sheet.

“Hiiik!”

“No need to talk. Let’s clean this up and go hunt down the rest.”

As Wind-Passing Great Sage grabbed another flailing man, the two shamans who claimed not to be with the Radiant Light Sect hastily began to speak.

“T-the Ascension Cult.”

At the mention of the Ascension Cult, Jang Woo-hyun’s eyebrows rose.

“All spellcasters who don’t follow the Radiant Light Sect are managed by the Ascension Cult. According to rumors… they grind humans to craft dharma treasures. They’re also kidnapping people.”

“People? What kind of people are you talking about?”

“The people from the towns or villages we attacked…”

The shaman trailed off.

The air around them suddenly changed. It felt like someone was crushing their lungs; breathing became difficult, and an invisible weight pressed down on their shoulders. An overwhelming urge to drop to their knees and beg took hold.

“What are they doing with those people?”

“…”

Frightened by the shift in Jang Woo-hyun’s presence, the shaman couldn’t speak. Seo Ryeom stabbed him in the shoulder with his sword.

“Ghh!”

“The captain asked you. What are they doing with the people?”

“I-I don’t know. We don’t know their objective. Since we aren’t members of the Radiant Light Sect, we’ve never met them.”

The shaman poured out his words with his head bowed low, unable to even look Jang Woo-hyun in the eyes.

As Jang Woo-hyun turned his gaze toward the remaining shamans of the Radiant Light Sect, Seo Ryeom began moving to extract more information from them.

Moments later.

“Let’s move on.”

Having heard nothing of value, the Extermination Squad began heading toward their next target.

There was one unexpected figure among the Extermination Squad that the Radiant Light Sect hadn’t accounted for.

While Jang Woo-hyun and the other martial artists were strong in sheer force, the truly troublesome figure was the craftsman from the Nation of Mechanical Marvels—Cho-su.

Cho-su tracked dharma tools with qi levels above a certain threshold, uncovering scattered or hidden forces of the Radiant Light Sect.

Before the Five Elements Cult even got involved properly, the Radiant Light Sect’s forces were already being smashed apart by the Extermination Squad.

“It’s the Extermination Squad!”

“Retreat! Everyone retreat!”

“Wind-Passing Great Sage is here! Don’t summon monsters!”

Three days had passed since the Extermination Squad entered the war.

Using the mobility granted by the Thunder Chariot, they struck quickly and relentlessly at the Radiant Light Sect’s forces.

“The monsters are rampaging!”

“You idiot! Cancel the summons! There’s a Great Monster over there!”

The summoned monsters, bound through Demon Beast Contract Techniques, turned on their own spellcasters.

When Wind-Passing Great Sage appeared, the monsters went berserk. They ignored their summoners’ commands and instead attacked their own side, only adding to the chaos.

“It’s Seo Ryeom! Raise your defensive spells!”

Spellcasters were torn apart by the rapidly moving Seo Ryeom, and every swing of Mak Ya-wol’s chained scythe split the earth open.

Alongside them were Jin Ha-un, Maeng Ye-ju, and thirty-two other martial artists from the Extermination Squad. No matter how much they resisted, the Radiant Light Sect couldn’t stop them.

“Target the Floating Stronghold!”

Because the Extermination Squad’s mobility came from the space-leaping Thunder Chariot, some among the enemy began aiming to destroy the Floating Stronghold and escape.

Dozens of spells were cast into the sky by those who supported the plan.

Defensive spells activated from the Thunder Chariot, and protective dharma tools formed a barrier up front.

“Antlered White Mask!”

“The traitor is there!”

As spells collided, explosions erupted.

Upon realizing that Antlered White Mask was aboard the Thunder Chariot, the spellcasters launched an even more intense barrage.

In response, from above the Thunder Chariot, a dragon appeared and breathed out a powerful gust.

“A dragon? How…?”

Unaware that Yong Seo-hee was with them, the Radiant Light Sect was caught off guard by the sudden appearance of the dragon.

While they panicked, dozens of Mountain-Breaking Swords fired from the Thunder Chariot, turning the battlefield into a sea of explosions.

“Gaaaah!”

“Fall back!”

As time passed, it was the Radiant Light Sect’s spellcasters who were being slaughtered.

They couldn’t even mount a proper counterattack. The war was entirely one-sided.

By the time over half of their forces had been wiped out, reinforcements finally arrived.

“You bastards!”

One of the Radiant Light Sect’s Ten Commanders, Jeokam, who led the vanguard, entered the fray.

Arriving late, he attempted to rally the battlefield, but before he could even issue orders, Wind-Passing Great Sage charged at him.

“Kyaahaha! Finally, a worthwhile opponent!”

Though a spellcaster, Jeokam had enhanced his body and fought with brute strength. He and Wind-Passing Great Sage clashed fists, and every collision tore the surroundings apart.

Wind-Passing Great Sage rampaged with glee at meeting a new enemy.

Watching this, Seo Ryeom and Mak Ya-wol smacked their lips in regret.

“Should’ve gone in first.”

“Only small fries here so far. Boring.”

“Still, no slacking. Clean them up. We’ll eventually catch something worthwhile.”

Despite Seo Ryeom’s words, Mak Ya-wol grumbled as he stayed in place, tossing his chained scythe lazily.

With each throw, a Radiant Light Sect shaman’s head rolled.

Just like fishing, Mak Ya-wol cleaned up the battlefield one by one—until a massive presence made him turn his head.

Had his wish to fight a strong opponent come true?

In the distance, a large ship appeared, and three Taoists flew from the deck toward the battlefield.

As they approached, they revealed the true power granted by the being they served.

Thoom!

As powerful waves of energy spread out, countless silver hands appeared and wrapped around the three Taoists.

Moments later—

The three descended onto the battlefield clad in radiant silver armor.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep