Chapter 84: Summoning

━━━━━━!!

It was no metaphor to say the sky had split.

The clear blue sky was truly torn apart. Within that rift was another sky, dark and filled with clouds, radiating a gloomy purple hue.

Kugugugugu—

A massive whirlwind descended from the torn sky.

Its size was incomprehensible. The howling wind could not be called a typhoon, nor even a storm. No such names were fitting.

A massive pillar made of wind. It was a pillar that seemed capable of holding up the heavens and the earth.

The ship of Twin-Winged Lotus nearby was sucked into the enormous gust and shattered into pieces. There was no time to flee. Even if they abandoned ship and leapt away, they would be pulled in and vanish within the raging winds.

The ships of Twin-Winged Lotus that had been attacking Jang Woo-hyun’s group did nothing but flee swiftly from the enormous whirlwind to survive.

Everyone stood dazed, overwhelmed by the sheer scale of the scene. Twin-Winged Lotus’s people were only concerned with escaping, and the Beastkin cowered in incomprehensible terror and prayed, as though they believed the massive whirlwind to be a god.

The whirlwind that seemed like it would grind the entire world to dust suddenly wavered—and then exploded.

Hwaaaaaak—

An immense tempest surged forth. The retreating ships of Twin-Winged Lotus collided in the savage winds and were destroyed, while those aboard Flying Apparatus lost control and were scattered through the sky.

To withstand the incoming shockwave, Jang Woo-hyun hurled a Destructive Slash into the sweeping force. Only by doing so could he avoid being flung away and protect the Beastkin.

Kuuoooo—

Even after the initial shockwave passed, the atmosphere remained unstable. With no direction or pattern, the wind rampaged like a mad beast.

Amidst it all, Jang Woo-hyun turned his gaze to where the enormous whirlwind had been just moments ago.

The place where the pillar of wind that held up the world had vanished.

There stood a being.

Wearing a robe of mixed blue and white, with shining blue eyes and fur as white as snow—a monkey.

As Jang Woo-hyun had hoped, the Wind-Passing Great Sage, the Monkey King, had descended here.

【I have arrived—!】

A voice imbued with willpower. At that moment, his presence crushed down upon all surroundings. It was not through emitting killing intent or radiating Qi. Merely by existing here, he suppressed the world.

To face him, Jang Woo-hyun released the Sacred River Flowing Armor and drew forth all the Qi he could muster. He exhaled his energy to envelop the nearby Beastkin. Otherwise, everyone present would be crushed to death by that overwhelming presence.

Whether it was the true body or a projection was unclear. But one thing was certain—he was worthy of being called a god.

Transcendence? Immortality? Such classifications no longer mattered. It was impossible to gauge his strength precisely. Compared to when they met in the Central Plains, the difference was like man and ant.

He now understood why merely having the Mark caused the Beastkin children to call him an Immortal, and why the Wind-Passing Great Sage was worshiped by the Beastkin.

If that wasn’t a god, what was?

An existence of incomprehensibly high realm. The limits of his power were unseen.

Thud.

Even as Jang Woo-hyun shielded them with all his strength, some Beastkin behind him fainted and collapsed.

Jang Woo-hyun, who was directly bearing the weight of the overwhelming presence, trembled and struggled to breathe even from a distance.

“W-Wind-Passing Great Sage? Why are you……?”

One of Twin-Winged Lotus’s martial artists, having identified the figure from afar, cautiously approached the Wind-Passing Great Sage.

“Why are you here……?”

【Move aside.】

With a wave of his hand, as though annoyed by the approaching humans, the Wind-Passing Great Sage moved the world itself.

Kwaaaaa—

All the surrounding wind came under his control and once more surged forth as a tempest.

“Kuaaaagh!”

“Run away!”

“Run! Don’t attack, no matter what!”

The world moved according to his will.

The remaining dozen or so ships were instantly destroyed, and the cultivators in the Transcendence realm riding the Flying Apparatus were torn to shreds. Responding was not even an option.

Just as a human might step on a colony of ants with a single stride, with one motion of his hand, Twin-Winged Lotus, who had been pursuing the Suwang Sect, was annihilated.

‘……Can that even be defeated?’

No, was it even possible to confront him?

This wasn’t just calling a tiger while fleeing a fox—this was akin to summoning a dragon soaring through the sky.

Strength tightened in Jang Woo-hyun’s grip on the Dragon King’s Scales.

At the same time.

In a location within the Central Heavens Realm. Deep inside a cave, a man seated in lotus position slightly moved his lips.

“A monkey?”

He tilted his head at the presence of a monster’s energy sensed from afar.

“To exert this level of power?”

Opening his previously closed eyes, he raised his palm.

The outstretched palm projected a miniature world.

A world of countless islands and continents floating in the sky. The man stared at the world he had created and then gazed toward the twinkling light at its edge.

“Quite ambiguous.”

It was a place too vague to call a domain, but also too ambiguous to dismiss.

Still, at this level—

“I suppose I could mention it to Gyoma.”

Recalling the contents of their pact, the man gave a slight smile. Then, he closed his eyes again.

As he slowly folded his hand, the image of the world within it vanished. The world that had appeared in the man’s palm was the place known as the Central Heavens Martial Realm in the Central Heavens Realm.

Leaving behind the rampaging storm, the Wind-Passing Great Sage walked through the air. With each step, the distance closed rapidly, as if he were teleporting.

Behind him flew the wreckage of shattered ships and torn human bodies. The grotesque scenery only heightened the presence of the Great Monster.

【Hehe, it has been a while.】

Before anyone noticed, he stood on the ground in front of Jang Woo-hyun.

“I greet the Monkey King. I am Maeng Ye-ju of the Suwang Sect……”

【Move.】

Kwaaaaang!

Just as Maeng Ye-ju bowed with clasped hands to offer a strained greeting, the Wind-Passing Great Sage struck her. She couldn’t even respond properly and was sent flying backward at tremendous speed. Even if one flung themselves with full force, that speed would be impossible to match.

“Noona……”

Even Kang Yong, who usually raged like a mad dog, was as meek as a puppy before the Wind-Passing Great Sage. No, anyone would be the same. Just facing the Great Monster immobilized the body.

Especially Jang Woo-hyun, who was bearing the brunt of that power—there was no need to speak of the pressure he felt.

Even breathing required intense focus. The very air seemed crushed by the Wind-Passing Great Sage’s power.

Jang Woo-hyun clenched his teeth and exerted all his strength not to kneel. He stood tall with a straight back, locking eyes with the white-furred monkey monster.

“Grrk!”

Just meeting his gaze felt like someone was squeezing his heart. It was in a completely different league than their meeting in the Central Plains. Even then, he possessed the majesty of a king, but now he was beyond comparison.

Clenching both fists, Jang Woo-hyun endured through force of will. Then, with difficulty, he opened his mouth.

“This is…… huuuh.”

He paused, took a breath, then continued speaking.

“This is…… a bit much, don’t you think?”

Feigning composure, he uttered the words. The Wind-Passing Great Sage snorted with amusement.

【What is?】

“There are normal Beastkin behind you who believe in you…… this is too much.”

Though Jang Woo-hyun spread a barrier of Qi and blocked the force, all the Beastkin had already fainted. Not just the Beastkin—even some of the Suwang Sect warriors with weaker cultivation were on their knees, coughing and gasping.

【Ah…… is that so?】

The Wind-Passing Great Sage chuckled and withdrew his presence. As the pressure that had blanketed the surroundings disappeared, most of the Suwang Sect members exhaled in relief.

【Were you still clinging to regrets? Took longer than I thought. I figured you’d come right away.】

Smiling all the while, the Wind-Passing Great Sage spoke. Jang Woo-hyun, not responding to the words, finally composed his Qi.

【Well, it doesn’t matter now, does it? We’ve met like this, haven’t we? Hehe.】

Jang Woo-hyun activated the Sacred River Flowing Armor and stared at the opponent before him.

The appearance hadn’t changed. But the Qi he harbored, his presence—it was different.

‘Transcendence? Or Absolute Realm?’

He couldn’t tell. It was a state of touching an entirely unrecognizable realm. He’d heard he was powerful—but not to this degree.

“Is that your true body?”

【Hm? No, the true body is in the Demonic Spirit Realm.】

“Ha……”

A sigh escaped his lips. So even this wasn’t the real body.

Just how powerful was he? Even this projection exuded an unfathomable realm. It was impossible to even speculate on the full extent of his true strength.

【Let’s see what level you’re at now.】

With a smile, the Wind-Passing Great Sage flicked his middle finger as if delivering a forehead flick. It was a small motion, but the resulting impact was anything but small.

Jjeoeoeong! Pabababak!

“Keuk!”

To block the force shot from the finger, Jang Woo-hyun raised the Dragon King’s Scales. The straight line of power shattered the Dragon King’s Scales, scattering them into hundreds of blade shards that bounced away, and Jang Woo-hyun was blown back more than ten jang. Even the Sacred River Flowing Armor could not protect his body. All this from just a finger flick.

“Keuh, keuk.”

The impact shook his body so violently that Jang Woo-hyun couldn’t stand up immediately and vomited. With each retch, blood gushed out.

“Krrrgh.”

Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, he lifted his head. The white monkey was there, grinning.

An unreachable existence.

Though the crushing presence had vanished, the overwhelming difference in strength still bore down on Jang Woo-hyun.

It was the first time since falling into this other world that he had felt fear.

The thought that he might die. The dread of facing an opponent utterly out of his league. The anxiety of being able to do nothing.

As fear washed over him, Jang Woo-hyun took a deep breath.

Wuuuuuung.

The surrounding energy gathered into Jang Woo-hyun, and as he exhaled, he stood up.

“Uaaaah!”

With a roar, he snapped back to focus. He banished the rising fear, closed his eyes, and sought an answer within himself.

Could he win against the Wind-Passing Great Sage? Impossible.

Could he break through the wall and grow stronger right now? Also impossible.

Then could he abandon everything and flee? Impossible again.

But there was one thing he could do.

Could he land a solid punch on that grinning face?

‘That much, I might manage.’

At the ridiculous thought, the corners of his mouth curled slightly.

Opening his eyes again, he locked eyes with the Wind-Passing Great Sage. Then, he strode forward. The trembling had stopped without him noticing, and both fear and anxiety had vanished.

At the sight of Jang Woo-hyun’s advance, the corner of the Wind-Passing Great Sage’s mouth lifted even more than before.

【As expected.】

His judgment had been correct. Jang Woo-hyun was the kind of man who would personally seek him out after being marked.

He had arrived later than expected. There had been concern that he hit a wall or encountered some issue, but seeing him now, all worries had been unfounded.

Jang Woo-hyun walked confidently and stopped about one jang away. Then he took the black sword at his waist and tossed it. The connection with the mark was severed, and dark smoke and curses began to leak from the black sword.

“Do something about that, will you?”

It was a tone of resignation. The battle with the monkey before him could not be avoided anyway. He would use everything available and say everything he wanted. What had to be handled now was the cursed black sword.

【…….】

At the words that sounded like something only said between close friends, the smile vanished from the Wind-Passing Great Sage’s face. With a ‘What is this?’ expression, he looked at Jang Woo-hyun.

“Don’t make that face. Do you know how much I suffered because of you? If you’re going to go around marking people as you please, you could at least handle this much. A monster of your caliber should be able to suppress the curse in that sword, right?”

【What?】

At the bold demand, the Wind-Passing Great Sage was speechless for a moment before bursting into laughter.

【Pfft, puh, puahahahahaha!】

Was there another madman like this in all the world? Throwing a weapon at one of the top monsters in the Demonic Spirit Realm and saying ‘Do something about it’?

He had lived a long life, but never met someone like this.

He had met many strong, talented, or half-crazed people of all races, but none were as peculiar as this one.

He was making demands like retrieving something left with a friend.

Yet he didn’t hate it. It felt like seeing a long-lost friend.

【Fine, fine. I can at least do this much. You must’ve had a rough time because of the mark. Krrkrrkrr.】

Still chuckling with shaking shoulders, the Wind-Passing Great Sage picked up the black sword.

【Oh? So this is how you suppressed the power of the mark? That’s why the trace vanished midway.】

Seeing the ring affixed to the sword hilt, he instantly understood what Cho-yul and Cho-su had done.

【Interesting. Judging by the technique, they’re from Nation of Mechanical Marvels.】

Sreung.

The Wind-Passing Great Sage unsheathed the sword as if it were nothing.

A black sword tinged with a subtle purple hue.

As it was drawn from the scabbard, the cursed energy trapped inside rose as black smoke.

At the sight, the Wind-Passing Great Sage’s eyes widened.

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