Chapter 219 : Master Jang (4)
Chapter 219: Master Jang (4)
“You two must yield to me next time, no matter what.”
Seo Ryeom and Mak Ya-wol wore despondent expressions.
Even as Maeng Ye-ju, the winner of the bet, spoke to them, neither could respond.
“Does this make any sense?”
“Seriously. Even if he's the captain…”
They had seen it with their own eyes, yet they couldn’t believe it.
Yong Jeok-shim was a top-tier expert representing the Divine Dragon Clan. Seo Ryeom and Mak Ya-wol had never thought they would win in a fight against him. But still, defeating him this quickly? That was another matter.
‘The captain isn’t even in perfect condition right now, is he?’
Moreover, Jang Woo-hyun hadn’t fully recovered from the injuries he sustained during his battle with Ha Do-gwang. And yet, he overwhelmed Yong Jeok-shim.
“Haha.”
Mak Ya-wol let out a hollow laugh.
Because he had realized something from what he had just witnessed.
‘He’s gotten even stronger?’
It was an obvious conclusion, yet his rational mind still refused to accept it. They were always together—so when had he grown so powerful? No matter how he thought about it, it didn’t make any sense.
When they first met, he had thought Jang Woo-hyun was on his level. Honestly, he had even thought he could win.
But not anymore. Now he wasn’t even sure they were both martial artists of the Realm of Immeasurability.
To fight on equal footing with Jang Woo-hyun now, one would likely need to reach the pinnacle of the Realm of Immeasurability—and have a foot in the Realm of Wish.
And that could only mean—
‘Equal to the Seventeen Lords.’
With a few exceptions, it meant that Jang Woo-hyun now stood on the same level as the leaders of the Ten Sects and Three Clans who ruled over the Central Heavens Martial Realm.
‘At that age? No, that’s not even the important part.’
His age mattered less than the fact that he had only recently ascended.
‘Has there ever been someone like this?’
As far as Mak Ya-wol could remember, no.
Even the Sect Leader of the Tai Chi Sect, said to be on par with the Ten Thrones, and sitting atop the Seventeen Lords, hadn’t been quite like this.
Not even among the Baekmu Society, which was filled with martial maniacs, had there been someone with such a rapid growth rate and sheer strength.
Jang Woo-hyun couldn’t be described as simply outstanding—or even a genius.
‘A monster…’
It would be more accurate to call him an incomprehensible monster. At this moment, in Mak Ya-wol’s eyes, Jang Woo-hyun appeared even more bizarre than the Wind-Passing Great Sage.
“Ah, whatever. It’s good that the captain got stronger.”
Seo Ryeom, who had been brooding with the same worries beside him, shook his head and came to his own conclusion.
“What do you mean ‘good’?”
“If the captain gets stronger, we get to fight stronger opponents. Isn’t that enough? I’m already busy moving forward myself—I don’t have time to worry about someone else getting stronger. Since when have we ever cared so much about others getting stronger?”
“…”
It sounded right at first glance, but Jang Woo-hyun’s strength was just too unusual to brush off like that.
“You can’t think about it that simpl—”
“He’s always been like that.”
“Huh? What do you mean, always?”
“He’s stronger than a martial artist in the Realm of Transcendence.”
Even when she first met Jang Woo-hyun while he was still in the Realm of Transcendence, he was already like that.
Even Kang Yong, who had made quite a name for himself, had been beaten down by Jang Woo-hyun. Even Maeng Ye-ju had her jaw shattered the first time they sparred.
And ever since then, it had been a constant stream of surprises.
“We traveled together, fought together, and I thought we were on the same path. But before I knew it, he was way ahead of me.”
Even during the gathering of the Ten Sects, hadn’t they been shocked by the power Jang Woo-hyun revealed?
“He fights, trains, fights, and trains again. And when you look again, he’s become someone completely different.”
That’s what kind of martial artist Jang Woo-hyun was. Not long ago, he even sparred with her master, the Beast King Sect Leader. Despite it not having been long since he ascended.
“…”
Listening to Maeng Ye-ju’s explanation, Seo Ryeom and Mak Ya-wol silently stared at Jang Woo-hyun.
Now, they were even curious—just how much stronger could Jang Woo-hyun get?
A small floating islet dozens of li away from the city they had started in. There, Jang Woo-hyun and Yong Jeok-shim remained.
After the first attack, Jang Woo-hyun had purposely driven Yong Jeok-shim out to prevent the city from being destroyed.
Only traces of destruction remained along the path they had traversed.
Jang Woo-hyun’s gaze turned to the slowly fading Yong Jeok-shim.
“What is the Dragon Emperor of the Heavens trying to do?”
Yong Jeok-shim, pierced by the blades of the Dragon King's Scales, slowly raised his head.
“…A new world will be opened.”
“And what is that new world, exactly? And what is he going to do to make it happen?”
“Because of the Guardian Sword Heaven Master, time in the Central Heavens Martial Realm has stopped flowing. But now it will move again. Anomaly has already struck the Upper Realm, and the cultivators are moving. Only Murim clings to the Heaven Master's power, frozen in place.”
“So this new world—is he talking about somewhere other than Central Heavens? Or is he trying to establish a new order?”
“The Divine Dragon will open the new world and move forward. Ordinary humans cannot comprehend his thoughts.”
Even as Jang Woo-hyun asked several more times, Yong Jeok-shim continued spouting vague words about a new world.
From that repetition, Jang Woo-hyun realized something.
“So you don’t know anything either.”
“…”
“Is there anyone who actually knows what the Dragon Emperor of the Heavens means by this new world? Does the Divine Dragon Clan Head know?”
Yong Jeok-shim was a top expert representing the Divine Dragon Clan—he could be considered part of the leadership. And yet, he too seemed to be unaware of the exact intentions of the Dragon Emperor.
‘What kind of scheme is this?’
He hadn’t expected to figure it all out right away, but for someone of Yong Jeok-shim’s level to know nothing was surprising.
As Jang Woo-hyun gathered his thoughts, Yong Jeok-shim’s expression shifted.
“Cheonrin Sword Alliance…”
Whether it was a phenomenon of terminal lucidity, his weakening voice suddenly regained strength.
The light in Yong Jeok-shim’s fading eyes blazed again and slit like those of a beast.
“Let me say one thing.”
His voice echoed, reverberating across the space.
“Your talent is not a blessing.”
Jang Woo-hyun’s talent was far too exceptional. Even with the long lifespan granted by his Dragon Blood, Yong Jeok-shim had never seen such talent in his life.
And Jang Woo-hyun’s skill was not his only remarkable trait.
Yong Jeok-shim’s gaze passed over Jang Woo-hyun to settle on Mak Ya-wol and Seo Ryeom behind him.
The two had referred to Jang Woo-hyun as captain. He didn’t know the exact nature of their relationship, but it wasn’t mockery or jest. They genuinely followed him.
His gaze returned to Jang Woo-hyun.
“That power will bring catastrophe.”
Whether it was a catastrophe born of man—or one sent down from the heavens. Jang Woo-hyun’s power was just that unnatural.
“With these eyes that inherited the dragon’s blood, I can see it. Because of that power, you will…”
“Enough with the nonsense.”
As Jang Woo-hyun clenched his fist, the blade scales embedded in Yong Jeok-shim’s body pierced inward. And that was the end of it.
The light faded from Yong Jeok-shim’s eyes, and his head dropped.
It was the end of a martial artist from the Divine Dragon Clan who had once dominated an era.
After defeating Yong Jeok-shim and his subordinates, Jang Woo-hyun’s group was on their way back to the Main Division of the Five Elements Cult.
In a room on one side of the Roaring Thunder Fortress—
Jang Woo-hyun bowed his head, looking flustered.
“I’m sorry.”
Lying before him was Lee Ga-hang, whose limbs had been severed and a third of her face blown away. She lay there, covered in healing Dharma Treasures.
Lee Ga-hang had risked her life to rescue Yong Seo-hee, an acquaintance of Jang Woo-hyun. And yet, he had nearly killed her.
When he first attacked Yong Jeok-shim, in a moment of excitement, Jang Woo-hyun had unleashed Myriad Blossoms and Rain using the Dragon King's Scales—but Lee Ga-hang had been lying on the ground at that very moment.
In short, the injured Lee Ga-hang had almost been killed by Jang Woo-hyun’s own attack.
Although the Annihilation Squad had ultimately managed to save her, Jang Woo-hyun didn’t have the face to use that as an excuse.
“I know that young lady from the Divine Dragon Clan is important to you, but we’ve spent time together too. This time, you really went too far.”
For the first time, Lee Ga-hang was able to reprimand Jang Woo-hyun.
“I’m truly sorry. And thank you.”
Jang Woo-hyun bowed again. His apology was so excessive, it was Lee Ga-hang who ended up flustered.
“…You don’t need to go that far. You did save me too.”
She had only intended to tease him a little, but with Jang Woo-hyun acting so humbly, she was left speechless.
Even after that, Jang Woo-hyun apologized a few more times. Eventually, Lee Ga-hang, overwhelmed, told him not to bow his head anymore—it was too uncomfortable.
Once the apologies were over, silence lingered between them.
Jang Woo-hyun couldn’t bring himself to speak out of guilt, and Lee Ga-hang couldn’t speak because the repeated apologies had become a burden.
As they both fumbled over how to restart the conversation, voices were heard outside the room.
Soon, the door opened, and Jin Ha-un and Cho-su entered.
“I had something to say, and I ran into Ha-un on the way.”
Cho-su answered before anyone could ask.
“Let’s move to another place. That young lady’s awake now. We should talk together when everyone’s present.”
Efficiently deciding what to do next, Cho-su checked whether the Dharma Treasures attached to Lee Ga-hang’s body were functioning properly and then left the room.
Jang Woo-hyun apologized once more to Lee Ga-hang and followed Cho-su together with Jin Ha-un.
Yong Seo-hee fled from the massive black dragon’s claws. She flew through the sky at her maximum speed.
But the black dragon quickly caught up and swung its claws. Her scales were torn off, her back shredded.
Though she struggled to escape, the dragon’s sharp teeth clamped down on her neck.
With her neck snapped, Yong Seo-hee fell into an endless darkness. She saw someone waiting far off in the distance, but with her throat torn out, she couldn’t make a sound.
Falling deeper and deeper into the darkness, Yong Seo-hee suddenly opened her eyes.
“Ahhh!”
She shot up from the bed where she had been lying. Her entire body was drenched in sweat, and the one remaining eye had turned red.
Startled, she trembled and looked around.
It didn’t seem like a prison, nor did it feel like she had been captured. It was a spacious, unfamiliar room—but one familiar face came into view.
“You’re awake?”
A woman with a strikingly bold impression.
Maeng Ye-ju was sitting beside her.
“Ye-ju… unni?”
“Yeah, it’s me. Did you have a nightmare or something?”
“Wh-where is this…?”
“This is Roaring Thunder Fortress, the place we’re us—”
“…Where’s orabeoni?”
Yong Seo-hee already knew about the Annihilation Squad and Roaring Thunder Fortress.
“Woo-hyun? He’s here too. He’s the one who rescued you. What the heck happened? You made it home safe, so how did your own family end up kidnapping you?”
“Well…”
Yong Seo-hee began to explain what had happened.
“Wait a bit. Let’s call everyone else and hear it all together. Stay here for now. Being alone… no, never mind. You’ll be uneasy now. I’ll bring someone else in first, then we can all talk. Just a moment.”
Maeng Ye-ju stepped outside, asked someone to call Jang Woo-hyun, and quickly returned.
Seeing Yong Seo-hee still trembling, she quietly approached and held her hand. Gradually, the trembling eased.
Before long, the key members of the Annihilation Squad, except for Seon Tae-gyeong and the Wind-Passing Great Sage, who had stayed at the Main Division of the Five Elements Cult, gathered in Yong Seo-hee’s room.
“Are you feeling better?”
“I’m sorry… because of me…”
As Jang Woo-hyun asked in concern, Yong Seo-hee’s eyes turned red.
All the hardship she had endured to get here. Her remaining family. The guilt she felt toward Jang Woo-hyun, who had become entangled in this mess. Everything burst forth at once, her eyes welling up.
If the Wind-Passing Great Sage had been here, he would’ve snapped at her to stop crying, but thankfully, he wasn’t.
Seeing her hold back tears, Jang Woo-hyun shook his head.
“It’s okay now. You don’t have to hold it in.”
At his words, the tears she had been holding back gushed out. Yong Seo-hee cried for a long while before finally regaining her composure.
Realizing she had embarrassed herself in front of everyone, her face flushed red.
“I-I’m sorry.”
“There’s nothing to be sorry for. You must’ve gone through a lot to get here.”
She nearly cried again, but Yong Seo-hee clenched her lips and held it in.
“I’m okay now.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“Then can you tell us what happened?”
Yong Seo-hee nodded firmly and began to speak.