Chapter 243: Radiant Light Sect (3)

【Spare me.】

【No, I want to die.】

【Help me.】

【I want to escape from here…….】

【Please save me.】

【Please…….】

【Someone, please help me.】

With his expanded senses, he heard the voices of hundreds.

He did not know the exact method, but each and every red stone had been made by crushing a human being.

They had compressed people to extract oil from them, and now they had turned people into bricks to stack a tower.

There was only one group capable of such a thing.

‘Cult of Ascension.’

A gathering of Cultivators who worshipped the Heavenly Venerable of the Silver Radiance and Universal Transformation of the Three Pure Ones, the target of Jang Woo-hyun.

The red tower behind Geok-su had been created by them.

Those who had become red stones were not ordinary people.

-Please spare us. We were truly mobilized by force. We did not wish to fight.

-That is correct. If we did not obey, everyone in our sect would have been taken. We had no choice but to fight.

-Any group of spellcasters that does not follow the Radiant Light Sect is placed under the management of the Cult of Ascension. Rumor says they grind humans down to create Dharma Treasures.

Judging from what the two spellcasters, who had been forcibly mobilized by the Radiant Light Sect, had said, the red stones forming the tower were likely made from spellcasters who refused to follow the Radiant Light Sect.

They had crushed living spellcasters into stone and used them to build the tower.

The countless spellcasters forming the tower were forcibly activating sorcery to assist Geok-su.

Crack.

Strength entered the hand gripping the Black Wilds Sword. Without realizing it, Jang Woo-hyun squeezed too hard, and even the surrounding space twisted.

“Hu.”

Jang Woo-hyun exhaled deeply to calm his agitation.

Faced with the horrific sight before his eyes, he had nearly descended into rage once more. However, having already experienced the madness born of oil extracted from compressed humans, he was able to restrain himself this time.

“Have you already noticed? You have sharp eyes.”

Geok-su slightly raised the corners of his lips and continued in a calm voice.

“That’s the face of someone who has seen what he shouldn’t have. As if you absolutely cannot endure such a thing.”

“…….”

“Martial artists are always like that. Pretending to be pure, pretending to be noble, pretending to care about people. It’s utterly disgusting.”

“What?”

“How many have you killed on your way here? A hundred? Two hundred? Or a thousand? Countless must have perished by that Black Sword.”

Geok-su’s finger pointed toward Jang Woo-hyun, then back to himself.

“In that case, what makes you and me different? You, too, have slaughtered without hesitation when facing enemies. The Murim Realm is no different. The strong obtain everything, and the weak lose everything. Yet you act as though you are different from the Cultivation Realm. In fact, Cultivators are cleaner. They are honest about their desires.”

As the nonsense continued, Jang Woo-hyun’s expression gradually hardened.

“Our Sect Leader has shown us a new path. We will remove our masks and move forward.”

The new Radiant Light Sect had chosen to cast aside its hypocritical face and devote itself to its desires.

“Joining hands with the Cult of Ascension is the first step. The beginning of advancing into a new era.”

“After creating something like that, is that pathetic excuse all you have?”

“It is no excuse. This is the ecosystem that will unfold, a new order. Those people would have died the moment they were defeated anyway. The victor takes everything, and the loser loses all. Is that not the world of the strong devouring the weak? As a martial artist, you should know. The Murim Realm was always like that.”

It was sophistry. Utter nonsense.

Jang Woo-hyun had no intention of denying that the Murim Realm operated on the logic of strength.

People fought. They could aim for one another’s throats.

But the Murim Realm was a world where people lived. Even if they held different beliefs, they did not use people as tools. They did not treat them worse than beasts.

If it had pursued only ‘strength,’ then Jang Woo-hyun would not even be standing here.

When he knew nothing, Yang Hyo-myung had guided him to take his first step. Pyo Deuk-won, under the pretext of repaying a debt, had assisted his training.

And the absolute ruler of the Murim Realm, Cheol Geuk-jin, had passed on martial arts to him for no reason other than recognizing his talent.

If one spoke only of strength, only of power, none of it would make sense. Jang Woo-hyun had not been strong from the beginning.

“By joining hands with the Cult of Ascension, we chose to change. This is the path the Radiant Light Sect must walk.”

At Geok-su’s words, the tower connected to him trembled.

Man-Made Blood Bricks, Tower of Myriad Souls and Accumulated Sorcery.

A tower completed by stacking red bricks made from humans.

As the supreme Dharma Treasure activated, the world began to shake.

Rumble.

An overwhelming aura spread outward, storm clouds filled the sky, and thunder roared.

A translucent shield bearing the face of a tiger formed and enveloped Geok-su.

Countless sorceries were activated, and the humans forming the red tower screamed.

“Cheonrin Sword Alliance! New star of the Central Heavens Martial Realm! Show me your strength before this body that heralds the beginning of the new Radiant Light Sect!”

Hundreds of formations manifested around the red tower.

Sorceries of differing colors.

At the same time, as Geok-su pointed at Jang Woo-hyun, lightning poured down like rain with a thunderous crash.

Kwaaaaaa-rung!

The void filled with lightning. The world itself was dyed in thunder.

Originally, Geok-su, one of the Ten Elders of the Radiant Light Sect, possessed strength comparable to the Boundless Realm among martial artists. But with the assistance of the Tower of Myriad Souls and Accumulated Sorcery, he now stood at the threshold of the Realm of Wish.

Realm of Wish.

A stage where one could interfere with the Law of Nature and alter the laws of the world.

With the tower’s assistance, Geok-su was twisting the laws of the world.

The surrounding space changed.

An ocean suddenly formed beneath their feet, and from the sky lightning continued to rain down.

Kwarrrung!

With a tremendous explosion, a volcano erupted from the sea, spewing flames, and tidal waves surged forth, sweeping in all directions.

It was as though a Microcosm had been unfurled—the world itself had changed.

【Explode.】

Now, beyond mere sorcery, Geok-su’s words carried power.

Kuuurrrung!

The volcanoes rising above the sea trembled, then spewed crimson flames. Massive fireballs, launched like cannon shots, targeted Jang Woo-hyun.

At the same time, the lava flowing into the sea emitted steam and hardened into stone. Soon, the stone took the shape of beasts and moved through the air.

Lightning poured down like rain, obscuring vision, and everything burned.

From the sea, enormous water dragons formed of wind and water opened their maws.

A world created by countless overlapping sorceries.

The world itself moved to kill Jang Woo-hyun.

Kuuung!

In response, Jang Woo-hyun raised the Black Wilds Sword and drew up his power.

Will-Form Qi spread in all directions.

Everything approaching was severed and shattered.

Fireballs, water dragons, beasts formed of rock, lightning—none of it could approach Jang Woo-hyun and was annihilated before reaching him.

However, the number of sorceries being activated exceeded the number being destroyed.

Once more, countless sorceries filled the world.

Amidst that, someone ran through the world formed of sorcery.

“Aaaah!”

Seo Ryeom, who had been knocked away, kicked off the air and charged forward.

Boom! Kwaang!

He shattered the water dragons and stone giants blocking his path in a single strike and closed the distance.

Lightning falling from the sky tried to bind his body like chains, but when Seo Ryeom swung his hands and tail, slashing through the void, everything vanished.

The sea was cut apart, and the volcanoes were smashed. Portions of the world made of sorcery were disappearing.

And from another direction, someone else burst forth.

“Kyahahahaha!”

Wind-Passing Great Sage, who had been dealing with Dharma Treasures and the spellcasters of the Radiant Light Sect, tore through the void and rushed in. Every time he moved with storms wrapped around his body, the sea beneath his feet split and vanished.

The monkey beastkin raised his arm and brought it down.

Kwarrrrrung!

Sorcery exploded before the wind blades filling the space ahead.

Tearing apart the void and the sorceries, Wind-Passing Great Sage approached Geok-su and threw a punch.

Bang! Puh-ung! Kwaang!

Walls formed of flame, water, stone, and ice blocked his path, but all were shattered by his fist.

“Uahahahaha!”

Drunk on power, the monkey beastkin simply crushed everything through brute force.

He had forgotten the subtleties of martial arts. Now that a sturdy opponent had appeared, he simply pushed forward with raw strength and smashed everything in his way.

Seeing Wind-Passing Great Sage break through the sorcery and approach, Geok-su’s brow furrowed slightly. The beastkin advanced without caring that his body burned and tore apart.

After observing the brutish monster, Geok-su began to chant an incantation.

“……That strength overturns the earth.”

Then countless voices repeated the same words.

“……A being who moves mountains with one hand. Destroyer of the earth…….”

Voices meant to call forth someone.

What would have been impossible alone was achieved by borrowing the power of countless spellcasters.

Thousands of wills united as one and whispered.

As if offering a prayer to a god. All with one heart and one mind.

Kuuuuuu—

An oppressive force spread in all directions.

The smile vanished from Wind-Passing Great Sage’s face as he smashed the head of a massive stone giant blocking his path.

“No way…….”

He frowned at the familiar aura.

It was not a being that should have responded to a call. Yet this power clearly meant he was crossing over.

“Come, all of you! Here, I shall show you the power of the Radiant Light Sect!”

Cheonrin Sword Alliance, Wind-Passing Great Sage, and Seo Ryeom, a powerhouse of the Hundred Martial Assembly.

Even if the three charged at once, Geok-su was confident he could handle them.

“Come! Monster of the Demonic Spirit Realm!”

By borrowing the power of the Tower of Myriad Souls and Accumulated Sorcery, he succeeded in a summoning that should have been impossible.

“Behold! This is the power of a spellcaster! The power of the new Radiant Light Sect!”

The Radiant Light Sect was a group led not by martial artists but by spellcasters.

Monster summoning was not something only the Extermination Squad could perform.

Kugugung.

In the void, a door engraved with grotesque patterns appeared.

Kuuung!

Before it even opened, the door shook as though it would shatter—like someone on the other side was trying to break through.

Kuuung!

The door shook violently once more, and a hole tore open on one side.

Jang Woo-hyun, seeing the door, decided there was no need to wait and immediately swung his sword. He was not foolish enough to stand idle for a summoning to complete.

“No!”

Wind-Passing Great Sage shouted upon seeing this, but it was already too late.

The invisible slash should have cut the door apart, but a hand suddenly shot out and grasped the void. At that moment, Jang Woo-hyun’s Transcendental Sword vanished without leaving a trace.

Kwaaaang!

At the same time, the door shattered, and something of enormous size stepped out.

The being that emerged straightened its body.

Its height was only about one jang, yet its presence far surpassed its size. It felt as though a vast mountain range had risen.

Golden-tinged fur. A monster with the head of a lion.

Its black eyes stared straight ahead.

The moment their gazes met, Jang Woo-hyun understood.

This was no ordinary monster.

A king among monsters.

That description suited it.

An overwhelming pressure weighed down in all directions, accompanied by a tyrannical aura.

The lion-headed monster opened its mouth and released a roar.

────────!!

The martial artists of the Extermination Squad in the distance staggered from the spreading sound, and among the spellcasters of the Radiant Light Sect, those of lesser skill had their heads burst and died.

The roar, imbued with power, was a signal announcing his arrival.

And in response to that signal, Wind-Passing Great Sage, storms wrapped around his body, stood proudly.

“I never thought we’d meet here.”

Despite his flippant tone, the aura surrounding him was no less formidable than that of the lion-headed monster. He looked entirely different from when he bantered with Seo Ryeom.

It was an aura befitting one called a Great Monster of the Demonic Spirit Realm.

“It’s been a while since we’ve had a brotherly fight.”

Wind-Passing Great Sage locked eyes with the lion-headed monster.

The monster before him was his brother and one of the Seven Great Saints.

Mountain-Moving Great Sage, Lion Camel King, had been summoned to the Central Heavens Realm.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep