novelraw Chapter 244 : Radiant Light Sect (4)
Chapter 244 : Radiant Light Sect (4)
Chapter 244: Radiant Light Sect (4)
"Well, well, look who it is!"
A beastly roar echoed from within the cave.
He had only greeted them, and yet the air itself trembled.
"What kind of mess are you making now!"
The Mountain-Moving Great Sage burst into laughter as he looked at the Wind-Passing Great Sage. After a moment, he tilted his head and glanced at the crimson tower behind them. A slight grimace twisted his face.
"Lion Camel King, deal with the enemies in front of us."
The Summoned Beast stepped forward.
"A human? Are you the one who summoned me?"
"Yes. I called you. So now, follow my—"
Before the Summoned Beast could finish, the Mountain-Moving Great Sage waved his hand.
Crack! Boom!
Dozens of defensive spell formations between them were instantly shattered. The Summoned Beast quickly retreated, startled.
"What do you think you're doing…?"
His eyes widened in disbelief.
The Mountain-Moving Great Sage had just attacked the summoner who called him.
It wasn't a problem with the summoning itself, nor had he lost his sanity. What he did was a clear violation of the long-standing contract between summoner and summoned.
"I'm in the middle of a conversation. Wait your turn."
"I summoned you! By the contract—"
As soon as the Mountain-Moving Great Sage looked at him, the Summoned Beast flinched and backed off.
He had no choice but to shut up—if he said another word, it wouldn’t just be a threat like earlier. This time, it would be a real attack.
"Shut your mouth. I’ll crush the enemies for you."
The Mountain-Moving Great Sage turned again to look at the crimson tower before shifting back to the Wind-Passing Great Sage. Only then did a smile return to his face.
"Heh heh heh, it's been a while."
"What brings you all the way out here, brother? You're not one to move around unless it’s serious."
"I got curious, so I came."
Once a great monster reached a certain level, they could freely ignore summons. Unlike the Wind-Passing Great Sage, who leapt into fights at every opportunity, the Mountain-Moving Great Sage rarely responded to summons.
So his appearance here meant the situation was highly unusual.
"Many called out to me."
Countless people had simultaneously yearned for his arrival.
Even if hundreds or thousands of spellcasters gathered, they normally wouldn’t share a unified desire.
But this time was different. Like a religion, they had become one, all desperately hoping for the Mountain-Moving Great Sage to appear—praying to him as if he were a god.
That fervent call had stirred his curiosity and led him to descend personally.
What he found was a tower constructed from crushed human bodies… and his troublemaking younger brother.
For the first time in a while, this summoning was getting fun.
"Let’s end the greetings here. Since I’m here, I should do some work."
With a grin, the Mountain-Moving Great Sage locked eyes with Jang Woo-hyun.
He raised his hand, clenched the air, and pulled.
Whoosh—
"...!"
A sudden attack.
Before Jang Woo-hyun could react, his body was yanked forward.
No, not his body—it felt like the very space around him had been dragged.
‘Too late to dodge.’
Before the thought was even complete, Jang Woo-hyun raised the Black Wilds Sword to block.
Boom!
“Ugh.”
Before he could mount a proper response, the Great Sage’s fist—seemingly tearing through space—clashed with the Black Wilds Sword.
The shock launched Jang Woo-hyun backward.
He tried to use the Void Movement Technique to form a platform beneath his feet, but the space cracked and shattered under the force. No ordinary means could resolve that power.
He was flung far back and only came to a stop after crashing into the round flight artifact the spellcasters of the Demon-Slaying Brigade were riding.
Crash! Thud!
The artifact shattered, and the spellcasters riding it were violently flung apart.
The startled spellcasters didn’t rush in—they hesitated, watching cautiously. Jang Woo-hyun also made no move to attack them. He had more urgent things to worry about.
‘What kind of power…?’
It felt like his entire body had been broken.
Even after blocking with the Black Wilds Sword, the force had been devastating. Had he taken it directly, parts of his body would’ve vanished.
And that wasn’t all. The earlier force that pulled space itself was completely unexpected.
‘That must be the same power that stopped the Transcendental Sword.’
When he tried to slash the door open earlier, a hand had suddenly appeared and grasped the void, snuffing out the Transcendental Sword. The Mountain-Moving Great Sage seemed capable of crushing or folding space itself at will.
‘Is it similar to Folding Step?’
The Folding Step technique Jang Sam-bong once showed also bent space for movement. What the Mountain-Moving Great Sage had just done reminded him of that.
"Take this instead!"
The Wind-Passing Great Sage charged the Mountain-Moving Great Sage, who had just sent Jang Woo-hyun flying. Blades of wind surged in all directions as he leapt forward, unleashing a powerful kick.
Thud.
“Huh?”
An attack strong enough to shatter a mountain was effortlessly caught by the Great Sage’s massive hand.
The Wind-Passing Great Sage blinked in surprise, then grinned.
"Still as brutishly strong as ever, I see."
"You ask as if that’s ever changed."
Even as he spoke, the Wind-Passing Great Sage spun to deliver another kick.
The Mountain-Moving Great Sage met it with a headbutt, nullifying the blow, and then smashed his fist into his brother.
With the sound of space bursting, the Wind-Passing Great Sage was also sent flying.
“Ahahaha! Little brother, you’re still far too weak! Take that human and come at me together!”
He roared with laughter, the shockwave alone rippling across the surroundings.
Jang Woo-hyun caught the tumbling Wind-Passing Great Sage midair. The two, now battered and distant, turned to glare at the Mountain-Moving Great Sage.
Who merely waited, smiling.
It was an invitation to do their best.
Not arrogance, but the composure of the truly strong.
“Monkey, what the hell was that just now? That didn’t just feel like being pulled in.”
Trying to make sense of what happened to his body—or rather, to space—he asked.
"That’s my brother’s authority. Or maybe you’d call it a power? No fancy name for it—it’s called things like Earth Reversal or Earth Pull, but it’s really about dragging or flipping the space itself."
The Mountain-Moving Great Sage—a lion-headed monster with the name that meant “moving mountains”—truly had the ability to drag or overturn space.
“That’s why he got that name. You felt it, right? Just one hit was enough. Among us brothers, he’s the strongest. He could literally move mountain ranges with brute strength.”
Even once had been enough for it to be seared into his bones.
An absurdly destructive force.
Even a master at the Boundless Realm would have their body annihilated if they took that blow head-on.
His physical prowess far exceeded any martial art or supernatural power. That was the true power of a monster.
“Then what’s your ability?”
“Me? I control wind. Fastest among the brothers.”
He raised his hand, and a small whirlwind formed above it.
Jang Woo-hyun stared at the little vortex for a moment, then turned his gaze.
His eyes were now fixed on the lion-headed monster standing proudly in the distance.
A hint of curiosity stirred in his expression. Meeting a new type of power, he wanted to test himself against it properly.
"That’s enough. You take care of that strange human over there."
"What?"
"My brother and I are gonna fight. Don’t get greedy."
The Wind-Passing Great Sage, noticing Jang Woo-hyun’s thoughts, cut him off firmly.
“Are you sure you can handle him?”
With his current power, the Wind-Passing Great Sage alone couldn’t face the Mountain-Moving Great Sage. Their summoned forms weren’t equal—the Mountain-Moving Great Sage's projection had come through a vastly stronger summoning.
Right now, Jang Woo-hyun was the only one in the Demon-Slaying Brigade who could face him. It made sense for him to step up.
“Heh heh, don’t worry. Who am I? I’m a monster who’s learned martial arts. I’ve been needing a proper sparring partner. My brother’s the most straightforward brute there is—perfect for martial arts practice. You go handle that mess.”
Just as the Wind-Passing Great Sage pointed at the crimson tower behind the Summoned Beast, Seoryeom approached the two of them.
“I’ll help too.”
The Wind-Passing Great Sage scowled.
“Why are you getting involved?”
“What, should I just stand around doing nothing?”
“What?”
“You don’t come to fight just to sit around, do you?”
“Go to the back and handle the small fry.”
“No, thank you. It’s my turn this time.”
Seoryeom, who had never gotten the chance to fight the strongest foes, had no intention of backing down this time.
“And to be honest, Great Sage alone isn’t enough.”
“What kind of nonsense is that? If I get serious, I can beat them all.”
“Sure, that’s when you fight properly. Save that for later. This time, we fight together.”
“This isn’t your place to jump in.”
“In that case, I’m going anyway.”
“Hey, you rat!”
Ignoring the Wind-Passing Great Sage, Seoryeom dashed out and stood before the Mountain-Moving Great Sage.
A lion-headed monster nearly one jang tall.
Standing in front of him, Seoryeom—being a beastkin rat—looked even smaller.
“And who might you be?”
“It’s an honor to meet you. I’m Seoryeom of the Demon-Slaying Brigade.”
Beastkin often revered the Seven Great Sages as divine beings. Seoryeom wasn’t that extreme, but he could never treat them casually—or even think lightly of them.
That’s why he always shrank in front of the Wind-Passing Great Sage, treating him with utmost respect.
To beastkin, the Seven Great Sages were that kind of presence.
But that changed when they became enemies.
Seoryeom was a member of the Demon-Slaying Squad under the Hundred Martial Assembly—those said to be mad with battle.
When facing an enemy, he could fight anyone. Even if that opponent was someone his entire race worshipped as a god.
No, in fact—being able to fight such a being might be an honor in itself.
“What’s with this rat?”
The Mountain-Moving Great Sage asked the Wind-Passing Great Sage, who had followed behind Seoryeom.
“Just think of him as a weapon that came along for the ride.”
“And that human isn’t coming?”
“Oh, he’s more than that.”
Seoryeom cut into the monsters’ conversation.
“What?”
“Your Majesty the Lion Camel King may be strong, but he’s not someone who’d make our commander step in himself.”
That remark shifted the Mountain-Moving Great Sage’s demeanor. The pressure bearing down on the area grew even heavier.
“What an amusing fellow.”
“I get that a lot. Well then, here I come.”
Still smiling, Seoryeom suddenly vanished, and the Wind-Passing Great Sage followed, leaping off the air.
As he quickly closed the gap and threw a punch, the Mountain-Moving Great Sage also swung his fist.
The Great Sage expected a colossal explosion as their fists clashed—but the Wind-Passing Great Sage twisted his body at the last moment.
Boom!
The giant fist struck the air, detonating it.
‘He dodged?’
An action he would have never taken before.
Even against the strongest of his brothers, the Mountain-Moving Great Sage, the Wind-Passing Great Sage would usually collide head-on with brute force. That was the essence of the battle-mad monkey monster.
But now that he had begun learning martial arts, things were different.
Caught off guard by the unexpected movement, the Mountain-Moving Great Sage was a beat late to react.
The Wind-Passing Great Sage slipped inside his guard and landed a punch to his side.
Crash!
An attack powerful enough to send mountaintops flying struck the Mountain-Moving Great Sage—but he simply tanked it with his body. The hit didn’t even register.
With a helpless laugh, the Wind-Passing Great Sage dodged the retaliatory grab.
The Mountain-Moving Great Sage let out a roar and chased after him.
That’s when Seoryeom, who had vanished earlier, reappeared behind him.
A swift sword targeted the back of the Great Sage’s neck.
Crack!
It didn’t deal real damage, but the strike itself was sharp and precise.
The Mountain-Moving Great Sage, who had been trying to catch his brother, suddenly stopped. His eyes gleamed sharply.
With a stern face, he locked eyes with Seoryeom.
“Rat—what did you say your name was?”
“Seoryeom.”
“Yes, Seoryeom the beastkin rat. Very impressive.”
With that praise, the Mountain-Moving Great Sage let out a hearty laugh.
“How fun! This is too much fun!”
His visit to the Central Heavens after so long had him genuinely thrilled.
The massive lion crouched low, ready to fight in earnest.
As the predator lowered its body to strike, Seoryeom and the Wind-Passing Great Sage both smiled in anticipation of the coming battle.
The battle, which had paused momentarily due to the Mountain-Moving Great Sage’s arrival, resumed once more.
On one side, Seoryeom and the Wind-Passing Great Sage confronted the Mountain-Moving Great Sage. On the other, Jang Woo-hyun clashed with the Summoned Beast.
Hundreds of spell formations blocked the space between them, which Jang Woo-hyun sliced through.
The spells were destroyed before they could even activate.
But again, more formations were being created than destroyed.
The Summoned Beast unleashed hundreds of spells simultaneously, using additional formations to shield them, blocking Jang Woo-hyun’s attacks.
While he cut through the defenses, the offensive formations completed and poured their spells onto him.
Even after summoning the Mountain-Moving Great Sage, the Crimson Tower still radiated immense power.
Jang Woo-hyun severed the formations, while the Summoned Beast continued activating them without pause.
The space between the two erupted in vibrant bursts of multicolored energy.
The sheer number of spells prevented Jang Woo-hyun from closing the distance—and from properly attacking the Summoned Beast.
‘At this rate, it won’t end.’
Time to change tactics.
If the Summoned Beast was going to rain spells, then Jang Woo-hyun would overpower him with brute force.
The Dragon King’s Scale detached and flew through the air.
Hundreds of blade-like scales moved of their own accord, unleashing martial arts techniques that layered over one another, forming a single pattern.
Nayuta Sword Mandala.
A martial art unique to Jang Woo-hyun, unleashing hundreds of thousands of techniques.
As the Mandala pattern glowed and neared completion—
The Summoned Beast smiled.
The Ghost Bell was connected to Hyeonwol, and through it, the Summoned Beast had already seen Jang Woo-hyun’s martial arts.
He activated the spell formation he had prepared.
In his hand was a palm-sized key, something he hadn’t used before.
Screams echoed from the Crimson Tower, and spell formations in numbers incomparable to before began to rise.
Countless spell formations overlapped and layered again.
Before long, a single massive formation had been completed.
A spell formation infused with power rivaling the Mandala pattern.
As light blazed from the Mandala and multicolored brilliance erupted from the formation, the final showdown between spell and sword began.