Chapter 241: Radiant Light Sect

Seop Poong was a shaman from the Central Heavens Realm who had joined the Radiant Light Sect twenty years ago.

At first, he thought that with the sect’s support, he would steadily grow and walk a smooth path. But life never goes as planned. His life had not changed much since joining the Radiant Light Sect.

‘The only difference is that I wear a mask now.’

Currently, masks were no longer worn under the new Sect Leader, but in the past, one’s mask reflected their rank within the sect.

Starting from the white mask of the Ten Elders—the ruling council—it would descend through black, red, blue, and green.

Seop Poong wore a blue mask. This signified a level equivalent to the Supreme Peak among martial artists, yet his mask had never changed since the day he received it.

No more advancement, no more change.

Eventually, Seop Poong had decided to leave the Radiant Light Sect. He felt that if he remained any longer, he would achieve nothing.

If no major events had occurred, he might have followed through on his decision. But, just as life rarely followed one’s will, unexpected events came crashing in.

The chaos of the Central Heavens Martial Realm, triggered by the Divine Dragon Family.

And the ensuing civil war between the Sect Leader and Vice Sect Leader.

The Ten Elders—shamans of the highest echelon—split into two factions and waged war.

Their clash was like a storm in the heavens, far removed from the lives of those below. Seop Poong thought it wouldn’t affect him much. He believed that low-ranking shamans would remain untouched.

But contrary to that belief, once the faction of Vice Sect Leader Hyeonwol claimed victory, Seop Poong’s fate began to change.

“We shall become the center of the Martial World.”

“I intend to change the world with sorcery.”

Shamans had long been outsiders in the martial world. They were fewer in number than martial artists, and their power base was weaker.

Many martial artists looked down on them. Even those with considerable power were not treated with the respect they deserved.

The new Sect Leader, Hyeonwol, boldly declared the dawning of a new era, touching upon the deepest frustrations of the shamans.

Except for a few who remained loyal to the former leader, the entire sect erupted in cheers. Regardless of feasibility, it was an emotional outburst long suppressed.

And so the Radiant Light Sect began to change.

The organization was restructured, and nearby shaman sects were subjugated.

They allied with the Cult of Ascension, a group of Taoists, and declared war on the Five Elements Cult.

A war against such a grand faction was no small matter. Some disciples were uneasy, fearing great danger. But there were others, like Seop Poong, who saw it as a moment of opportunity.

Someone once said that crisis comes with opportunity.

To Seop Poong, war with the Five Elements Cult was opportunity.

A chance to rise, to grow.

A step forward into a new era.

‘That’s what I thought…’

He had believed that—until just moments ago.

Now, he knew he had been completely wrong.

“The Extermination Squad has atta—”

Slice.

Before he could finish his sentence, his comrade’s head flew through the air. Martial artists of the Extermination Squad poured in, crushing the Radiant Light Sect’s fortress as they spread a murderous aura in all directions.

“W-What the…?”

They had only just received word that the sect was under attack. Yet here the Extermination Squad was, already ravaging the shamans of the sect.

“Capture them!”

“There’s one over there!”

Seeing the bloodthirsty martial artists charging in, Seop Poong stumbled back in fear. He had no confidence to face such frenzied opponents.

One martial artist slammed into the ground and charged at Seop Poong.

And then—blades of wind flew from both sides of Seop Poong, striking the attacker.

“Get it together! They’re not immune to attacks! Use defensive spells to buy time! The plan hasn’t changed. As long as they’re in our domain, we only need to hold out! Hold on until reinforcements arrive!”

The voice that burst out from behind snapped Seop Poong out of his daze. He quickly activated his Dharma Tool and began chanting incantations. The other shamans, previously frozen by the Extermination Squad’s killing intent, followed suit.

Layers of fire barriers rose in front, momentarily halting the approaching martial artists.

“What’s this? They’re stronger than I thought.”

“Just break through!”

As the martial artists attacked, the fire barriers rippled.

Overwhelmed by their monstrous roars and pressure, Seop Poong turned to his superior for aid.

“I—I can’t handle them alone—”

But Seop Poong never finished his plea.

Where the commanding voice had come from moments ago…

No one remained alive.

His superior, head severed, crumpled to the ground. Standing beside the corpse was a rat beastkin, its fur jet black.

“Next,”

the rat beastkin said playfully, twirling a short sword.

The moment Seop Poong blinked—

the beastkin vanished.

Crack!

A sharp shattering sound followed.

When he opened his eyes again, Seop Poong found himself far from where he had just stood.

The Dharma Treasure he had purchased years ago had activated and saved him.

It was a one-use artifact, absurdly expensive, but it protected its owner by teleporting them away when struck by a deadly blow.

In that moment, Seop Poong felt that buying it had been the best decision of his life.

He sighed in relief, confirming his neck was still intact.

But only for a moment.

“…Ah…”

His body began to tremble at the scene before him.

Far in the distance, a giant metal humanoid, likely twenty jang tall, threw a punch.

Its target—a white-furred monkey beastkin.

The beastkin casually evaded the attack, seized the giant’s arm, and hurled it over its shoulder.

Judging by size alone, it should’ve been impossible. Yet the monkey beastkin defied all logic and made it happen.

KA-BOOM!

The giant was slammed into a Floating Island suspended in the sky, and the monkey beastkin pounced, unleashing a barrage of strikes.

“Kyahahahaha!”

Its laughter rang out as the island and the metal giant were both reduced to dust.

Not far from that chaos—

another giant of similar form was being crushed beneath thin chains. It could barely move as it was gradually compacted and shattered to pieces.

“……”

Seop Poong recognized both giants.

The Bronze Giant and the Golden Giant.

Colossal Dharma Tools crafted by Taoists of the Cult of Ascension.

—“With the two of us, we can take on even the Five Elements Envoys.”

That was what the Taoists who controlled them had claimed.

But the giants had been annihilated before even encountering the Five Elements Envoys.

‘We’re supposed to stop them?’

It was impossible. With their current forces, there was no way.

The Radiant Light Sect’s forces were widely dispersed, and no one could understand why such a formation had been arranged in the first place.

They said it was to surround and annihilate incoming enemies, but that was utter nonsense.

‘What kind of idiot came up with this plan!’

They should have concentrated their forces and mobilized everything they had. That was the only way to deal with the Extermination Squad.

The fact that there were fewer than fifty of them didn’t matter. Those above had grossly underestimated their capabilities.

‘I need to run.’

He had survived by sheer luck. Seop Poong had decided he could no longer be part of this war. There was nothing he could do in a fight against such monsters.

‘Hide myself and stay as quiet as possib—’

Seop Poong couldn’t finish his thought. The world before his eyes began to spin.

His mouth opened slightly as if to say “Huh?” and his eyes closed one final time, never to open again. Everything ended just like that.

Beside the collapsing Seop Poong, Seo Ryeom now stood, sword in hand.

“When did he run away to here?”

Flicking the blood from his sword, he immediately leapt back into the battlefield.

Before long, the Radiant Light Sect’s forces were completely annihilated.

“This time was a bit of a fight, huh? Their numbers were finally decent.”

“Looks like their reinforcements are starting to arrive one after another.”

This had already been the ninth clash.

Until now, the enemy forces had been small, and their preparations lacking. But this time, the enemy had greater numbers and used specialized Dharma Treasures. Still, all it accomplished was slightly delaying their complete annihilation.

“They seem to have spread their forces around this area. Do you have any idea why they would do that?”

Jang Woo-hyun, speaking with Tongpung Daeseong, turned to ask Seon Tae-gyeong.

“I’m not sure either, as to why they would take such an inefficient approach.”

“Shaman, is there something hidden here that you’re not aware of?”

“Well… I’ve never heard of anything important being in this vicinity. Unless they discovered something after I left the Radiant Light Sect.”

He had already left the sect, so he couldn’t know everything. The information Seon Tae-gyeong had was from his time as the Antlered White Mask of the Radiant Light Sect.

“Is there a chance they installed some sort of formation?”

“That’s the most likely scenario. They may have been preparing something and spread their troops out to complete it.”

“Then heading inward might be walking right into a trap.”

“Yes, it would be better to clear out the surroundings before moving.”

That would be the safer approach. But there was no one in the Extermination Squad willing to wait for that.

“What’s there to clear? Trap or not, we’ll just crush it by force. Push straight through.”

At Tongpung Daeseong’s words, Seo Ryeom and Mak Ya-wol nodded in agreement.

They were in the mood for battle and didn’t care if there was a trap. The three of them hadn’t had their fill yet and were craving a greater fight.

“How many troops do they have, roughly?”

Since those three were always like that, Jang Woo-hyun didn’t mind and continued the conversation.

“I’ve been in contact with the Five Elements Cult, and apparently they’re mobilizing a significant force as well. At least one of the Ten Elders is confirmed to be there. Possibly even Hyeonwol.”

The idea that the Sect Leader himself would step in from the beginning made Jang Woo-hyun pause. That was completely unexpected.

“It’s just speculation, not confirmed. Not all their forces will be gathered there. Wherever we’re headed, there’s likely to be at least one of the Ten Elders.”

The Ten Elders aligned with Hyeonwol were associated with: Water, Stone, Immortality Herb, Cloud, and Turtle.

Among them, the Turtle symbol Gui Ryeong and Cloud symbol Man Un had already been dealt with by Jang Woo-hyun. The Stone symbol Jeok Am had recently been slain by Tongpung Daeseong.

“All that remain are Hyeonwol, Geok-su, who represents Water, and Yeong-hwa, the Immortality Herb.”

They might encounter either Geok-su or Yeong-hwa—or possibly even Hyeonwol—where they were headed.

No one knew Hyeonwol’s exact location. They could only make guesses.

“Any hidden forces? Like elders or former sect leaders?”

Seon Tae-gyeong shook his head.

“The Radiant Light Sect may have begun as a coalition of shamans, but they don’t represent all the shamans of the Central Heavens Martial Realm. Some created smaller factions or acted alone outside the sect. Since it’s a coalition, many never truly felt attached to it. Those who might be considered elders were often like that. Most have already left the sect or lost interest in its affairs.”

That was why, even when the fight between the current Sect Leader and Hyeonwol broke out, they didn’t intervene. They had become mere bystanders to both the Radiant Light Sect and the Central Heavens Martial Realm.

“You’re certain?”

“Yes.”

With Seon Tae-gyeong’s firm answer, Jang Woo-hyun made up his mind.

One of the Ten Elders, and the Cult of Ascension.

That was still manageable.

Even if Hyeonwol was where the Extermination Squad was heading, it didn’t matter.

Now in his right mind, Jang Woo-hyun no longer charged in recklessly. He understood that one poor judgment could endanger the entire team.

After organizing his thoughts, Jang Woo-hyun made his decision.

“We’ll strike now. Cho-su, how much longer will it take?”

“Almost there.”

Because they had been rapidly crossing space repeatedly, the Thunder Fortress had taken some strain. So while resting, they talked over the enemy’s formations.

During that time, Cho-su had been using Automatic Puppets to recover parts from the broken Bronze Giants and Golden Giants, intending to reuse them somehow.

“Oh, and at the next jump—we’ll meet them.”

They had been tracking the Cult of Ascension by following True Immortal energy. With one more spatial leap, they would make contact.

Jang Woo-hyun’s eyes darkened. He had recovered, but his anger hadn’t disappeared.

After a brief rest…

The Thunder Fortress leapt through space.

They arrived near a small Floating Island.

“Oh!”

Seeing the number of enemy forces surrounding the island, Tongpung Daeseong’s eyes gleamed with excitement.

This was on a completely different scale than before.

And among them, there were clearly powerful individuals—he could feel the pressure of their energy.

“Now this is finally a real fight.”

Despite the overwhelming number of enemies, the martial artists of the Extermination Squad were not afraid—instead, their fighting spirit burned stronger.

Everyone turned to look at Jang Woo-hyun.

“Let’s go.”

As he nodded and spoke,

“Extermination Squad, move out!”

Seo Ryeom shouted.

At the same time, Tongpung Daeseong transformed into a storm and charged toward the Radiant Light Sect.

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