Chapter 238: Cult of Ascension (4)

“Kya-hahahahaha! Come on, try something else!”

The Wind-Passing Great Sage, who had encountered Jeokam—a shaman who fought not with spells hurled from a distance, but by clashing head-on—was fully ignited with excitement.

Unlike before, he was now using all the martial arts he had learned thus far. He wasn’t overwhelming his opponent, but that only made it more entertaining.

“You damned monkey!”

As Jeokam’s massive fist aimed for him, the Wind-Passing Great Sage tried to deflect it differently from his usual way.

Kwaaang!

But it wasn’t perfect yet. He failed to redirect the blow properly. The fist struck his face, and he was flung dozens of jang away.

Even as he twisted his body mid-air, the grin never left the Wind-Passing Great Sage’s face. Though he hadn’t blocked the attack cleanly, trying out this new fighting style was exhilarating.

“Hahaha!”

The Wind-Passing Great Sage surged back into the air toward his opponent.

He blocked Jeokam’s fist and now prepared to launch his own attack.

“This time—”

Suddenly, a surge of energy made the Wind-Passing Great Sage freeze. His head snapped toward its source.

Jeokam also halted mid-attack, turning to look in the same direction.

A power unlike anything they had ever sensed.

It didn’t even compare to the immense strength of the great monster before them.

‘No… can that even be called power?’

The Wind-Passing Great Sage, sensing something similar to Jeokam, muttered aloud:

“What… is that?”

Everyone in the midst of battle suddenly kicked off into the air.

It wasn’t like earlier, when three Taoists including Ban Geum-yang had appeared and the battlefield froze momentarily.

This time, everyone turned their backs and tried to get as far away as possible—as if fleeing a massive natural disaster like a wildfire.

“Ggk!”

“Guh!”

The shaman from the Radiant Light Sect and the monsters whose bodies had been modified moved a moment too late, and were shredded apart, dead in an instant.

Even the warriors of the Extermination Squad—who lived for battle—were struck with fear.

This wasn’t mere killing intent.

It was ominous and cold.

Like the sensation of hundreds of blades brushing against one’s skin.

Regardless of affiliation, all turned and fled in unison. In that moment, all hearts were aligned.

Then, the presence vanished.

As if following some unspoken agreement, everyone stopped and looked back.

Warriors, shamans, and monsters alike.

Their gaze focused on the spot where, moments ago, a massive ball of fire blazed like a miniature sun.

The sun had vanished.

And in its place stood Jang Woo-hyun.

No aura could be sensed from him, which only heightened the tension.

It was the silence before a storm. Though hundreds of humans and monsters filled the field, not a single sound was made.

As if time itself had stopped, all simply stood still.

Only the Wind-Passing Great Sage, sensing the anomaly, charged through the air and stood before Jang Woo-hyun.

Even a battle-crazed monster abandoning its fight to rush forward proved how abnormal the situation was.

“Jang Woo-hyun, what the hell is going on?”

To this question, Jang Woo-hyun offered no reply. He simply raised his fist and struck his own face.

Because if he didn’t… he felt he couldn’t hold himself together.

Kwaaaang!

An earth-shaking blast echoed out, and part of Jang Woo-hyun’s head vanished.

“What the hell are you—!”

The Wind-Passing Great Sage was caught completely off guard. Not understanding what Jang Woo-hyun was doing, he approached him—only to spot the remnants of black flame floating in the air.

The Wind-Passing Great Sage frowned and extended his hand to lightly touch the black flame. It flared briefly around his hand, then quickly vanished.

He leaned forward to sniff the space where the flame had been.

“This… is that human oil? Only maniacs obsessed with human flesh among the monsters make stuff like this. Someone actually made this? And it’s thick. Just how many people were used to make it?”

As he muttered to himself, Jang Woo-hyun turned his head toward him.

Half of his head was gone, leaving only one eye.

That eye, devoid of emotion, turned toward the Wind-Passing Great Sage—who instinctively flinched and waved his arms defensively.

“I don’t mess with that kind of thing. I don’t even eat human flesh.”

When Jang Woo-hyun turned away again, the Wind-Passing Great Sage let out a quiet sigh.

‘Wait… was I just scared? Me?’

He had never once felt fear in his life, yet just now, he’d blurted out a defense.

“Was I just— Hey! Where are you going!”

Before he could finish his sentence, Jang Woo-hyun kicked off into the sky and vanished.

‘Impossible!’

Ban Geum-yang was appalled to see Jang Woo-hyun still alive after the explosion of the Jade Bottles.

The oil contained in the small Jade Bottles was a special dharma treasure, made by grinding down the lives of thousands of humans. The resulting flame inflicted unbearable pain on any living being.

Ban Geum-yang had just used ten Jade Bottles.

That meant the life force of tens of thousands of humans.

And still, it hadn’t been enough to kill Jang Woo-hyun.

Stunned yet mechanically calm, Ban Geum-yang pulled out one last Jade Bottle—half full—and shattered it.

Even he couldn’t touch the black flame created by the oil directly, so it had to be used through a dharma tool.

As the flame ignited at the tool’s tip, it turned black.

Ban Geum-yang hurled the black fireball at the approaching Jang Woo-hyun.

Fwoooosh!

It was small, but the power it carried was immense. Filled with grudges and rage, the black flame moved of its own will, rushing at its target.

Jang Woo-hyun didn’t evade.

Instead, he reached out with his left hand and grabbed the fireball—wanting to extinguish it from the world as quickly as possible.

Fwoosh!

As black fire engulfed his hand, Jang Woo-hyun used the Black Wilds Sword to sever it himself.

“……!”

The flame burned out in his hand, and he stepped forward.

Horse King’s Third Step: Blazing Radiance.

In a flash of light, Jang Woo-hyun appeared before Ban Geum-yang.

He discarded his sword and drove his fist forward.

Smash! Crackle—

With a single punch, Ban Geum-yang’s protective spell shattered.

Then, Jang Woo-hyun thrust his severed left wrist forward again. In place of the hand was a fist formed from projected qi.

“What do you think humans are to you?!”

KWAANG!

【“Gahk!”】

The silver armor shattered as Ban Geum-yang was sent flying downward, crashing into a mountain of the nameless Floating Continent.

At some point, the Dragon King’s Scale had been unsheathed and split into hundreds of blade-like scales, becoming a rain of projected qi that followed right after Ban Geum-yang.

KWA-GWANG!

The towering peak vanished, and the ridgeline collapsed. This wasn’t just a landslide—the entire mountain range itself was being destroyed.

Piercing through the falling rain, Jang Woo-hyun leapt into the devastation. Without sparing a thought for the blades of the Dragon King’s Scale tapping against his back, he rushed toward Ban Geum-yang, who had been crushed into the wreckage of the range.

【“You bastard!”】

Ban Geum-yang tried to pull something out from his Inner Robe again. Jang Woo-hyun swung his bare hand in a martial strike.

【“Uaargh!”】

With a slash large enough to stretch for dozens of li, the continent split apart, and Ban Geum-yang was once again driven deep into the earth.

Jang Woo-hyun stood before him once more.

“Humans…”

THOOM!

A single punch shattered the defensive spell with a thunderous crash, and the earth caved in.

“…are not your tools!”

THOOM!

With the second punch, the silver armor was obliterated.

A massive shockwave exploded in every direction, forming a new mountain of rubble where the mountain range once stood.

【“Khk…”】

“Go ahead, try and do as you please!”

KWAANG!

Jang Woo-hyun’s fist pierced through the shattered armor and slammed into Ban Geum-yang’s body. With a deep rumble, the surrounding land quaked.

“Samcheon!”

THOOM!

Intent on finishing it, Jang Woo-hyun spoke the name of a True Immortal.

“Gwang-eun!”

THOOM!

He punched again, and the earth cracked open, forming a giant rift of unknown depth.

“Bohwa!”

【“Stop!”】

Before he could speak the name to the end—

A Taoist wielding a massive sword appeared at Jang Woo-hyun’s side. The one who had been fighting Mak Ya-wol had arrived to save Ban Geum-yang.

【“How dare a mere insect speak the name of a great—Gurk!”】

The Taoist couldn’t finish his sentence—Jang Woo-hyun’s punch crushed his helmet.

Immediately after, Jang Woo-hyun’s left hand, still fistless, pierced into the Taoist’s mouth. His right hand followed, grabbing and ripping open his jaws.

【“Guhh! Gahk!”】

Before the Taoist could regain his senses, Jang Woo-hyun slammed him into the ground.

KWAAANG!

The Taoist’s body—his face obliterated—came crashing down on top of Ban Geum-yang, whose chest had been caved in and skull shattered.

Stacking the two atop one another, Jang Woo-hyun’s fists continued to rain down. The Floating Continent shook as if a massive earthquake had struck.

“Samcheon Gwang-eun Bohwa Heavenly Venerable! Come! I said come, you son of a bitch!”

Consumed by rage, Jang Woo-hyun shouted that name over and over—and in the end, the True Immortal responded.

Now nothing more than mush, Ban Geum-yang and the Taoist wielding the greatsword transformed into silver light and shot into the sky.

A small silver bell tumbled from Ban Geum-yang’s chest and jingled, sending out a massive wave of energy.

【“Nooooo!”】

Another Taoist, who had been fighting Seo Ryeom, screamed in agony as he too turned to silver light and ascended to the sky.

Even from distant ships, dozens of lights shot into the sky along with screams.

As every Taoist vanished, the sky turned silver.

Then came an overwhelming presence that filled the heavens and earth.

“It’s coming.”

Around Cho-su, dharma tools for defense floated into position. These had been prepared beforehand and now responded to the power of the True Immortal.

“Are we… really fighting something like that?”

The tense voice came from Seon Tae-gyeong beside him.

Seon Tae-gyeong, being an exceptional shaman, remained conscious. But most people nearby had fainted—just as Cho-su had during his first encounter with a True Immortal’s power.

With a hardened expression, Cho-su manipulated the Thunder Fortress. They had known this enemy from the start. The Immortal-Smiting Thunder Cannon and the Thunder Fortress had both been built for this exact moment.

In the midst of tension, Cho-su and Seon Tae-gyeong prepared to unleash every function of the Thunder Fortress.

Outside the fortress—

There were others reacting very differently.

“Oh, so that’s a True Immortal!”

“Quit gawking and move. Most of the kids passed out.”

“Weaklings. Tell the ones still standing to take care of them. Some are still conscious—look, Ha-un’s fine. The ones who fainted just lacked training.”

“‘Lacked training’? That’s a True Immortal. One who ascended to the Upper Realm. Just seeing that power can drive you mad.”

“Which is exactly why I say it’s a lack of training. What do we do about that thing?”

Mak Ya-wol ignored Seo Ryeom’s commentary and asked the Wind-Passing Great Sage, who was still smiling beside him.

“What else? This is why we came—to fight that.”

The Wind-Passing Great Sage rolled his arms and leaned forward, preparing to launch himself.

Seeing that, Mak Ya-wol gripped his chain scythe tightly, ready to dash forward and rip the silver sky apart.

“Huh?”

Both of them, previously focused only on the sky, stopped suddenly, sensing a new force. Even Seo Ryeom, who had been running to move his men, froze and turned his head.

In the place where a nameless mountain range once stood—

From a massive rift and crater carved deep into the earth, two massive and radiant sigils emerged.

As all three watched with a “Huh?!”—

The sigils erupted with light, and hundreds of thousands of techniques shot toward the heavens.

It looked like an army of countless humans rising up in defiance of a god.

Following that, a tremendous force surged from the depths. Hundreds of pillars of light soared skyward.

The silver sky, descending upon them, was held aloft by those pillars of light, while the countless techniques pierced the sky, shredding it apart.

A heaven-shaking roar rang out.

The Floating Continent’s mountain ranges shattered under the shockwaves, the void split open, ruptured, and exploded.

Seo Ryeom and Mak Ya-wol had to swing their weapons to dissipate the approaching shockwaves.

The giant hand of the True Immortal—before its full form could even be seen—was already destroyed.

The broken, torn sky—

Toward that rift, Jang Woo-hyun shot forward, piercing through the aftermath of the explosion.

Rising into the silver-lit heavens, still glimmering with particles, Jang Woo-hyun released his energy in all directions, erasing everything.

“I’ll return everything you’ve done, exactly the same.”

He wouldn’t stop at destroying the Cult of Ascension. He would kill every Taoist connected to them.

“I’ll erase every trace of you from this world. Not even the smallest speck will remain.”

In that moment, the single eye of Jang Woo-hyun blazed with fury.

—“They say he hated the Taoists and always waged war against them. His strength was so great, the title ‘True Martial God’ suited him.”

—“He hated the Taoists, so his true enemy must’ve been the Spiritual Ascendant Realm.”

In that fleeting moment—

He remembered what Gwan-wi had told him about the True Martial God.

And Jang Woo-hyun understood—why he had despised the Taoists.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep