Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1340

Hoga-myung repeatedly clenched and unclenched his fists, feeling a tingle in his fingertips.

After a moment, he opened his eyes and muttered, “Variables?”

He had reviewed his plan countless times, searching for any overlooked details. He tirelessly examined the possibility of remaining variables.

“None,” he concluded.

No matter how much he thought, nothing else came to mind. Even the strongest fighters in the world could not escape from here.

“Finally…” A long sigh escaped Hoga-myung’s lips.

After a long and difficult chase from Hainan to this place, he had finally succeeded in cornering them, but only after sacrificing so much.

“Strategist!” His adjutants’ faces were flushed with excitement.

It was a natural reaction, as they knew they had finally cornered their enemies. They were trapped with no way out. Only fighting to the death was left.

But Hoga-myung’s face stayed still and cold. He looked at the narrow path between the mountains. His eyes were like ice.

He thought, “Green Forest King thinks he is so clever.”

“He thinks he can control everything.”

Hoga-myung exploited Im So-byung’s arrogance.

“Fighting in enemy territory is like this,” he mused.

The Green Forest were familiar with the mountains, especially Im So-byung, who seemed to know every mountain’s layout. But even he wouldn’t know the Ten Thousand Great Mountains, a place the Green Forest avoided.

The Green Forest stayed where people traveled, not in uninhabited mountains. But Hoga-myung was different.

This was Guangdong, where the Myriad Man Faction had fought many battles. Even if he didn’t know the Ten Thousand Great Mountains well, he knew the paths from Guangdong to the mountains like the back of his hand.

So, Hoga-myung only had to make them believe they were in control.

“Strategist! Give the order!”

“Wait.”

“…How…?”

Hoga-myung said, staring ahead with emotionless eyes, “We must wait until they are sure they have fallen into the trap. If they don’t know that, it’s just a head-on fight.”

Hoga-myung slowly clenched and unclenched his fist.

“Once they realize they are trapped, they will despair,” he explained. “People usually fall into despair at that point.”

“But, couldn’t they make a last stand?”

“Fighting when you choose to stand and fight is different from being forced to the edge of a cliff with no choice,” Hoga-myung replied. “They won’t be able to cope with the despair. Their courage will quickly fade.”

“Ah…”

“We just need to wait a little longer. Not a long time.”

The adjutant’s fingertips trembled slightly.

They had finally driven the enemy into that place. Yet, Hoga-myung remained calm and watched. His composure was unmatched.

This was why Poisonous Heart Rakshasa Hoga-myung was famous.

“If they try to run away, that would be good too,” Hoga-myung added.

“Indeed.”

Then they could simply stab the backs of those climbing the cliff.

“Perhaps… did Strategist have this place in mind from the beginning?”

Hoga-myung frowned slightly, displeased with the question. But the adjutant was too excited to notice.

Hoga-myung sighed and replied, “If I were the Lord, I would have.”

“What do you mean by that…?”

“If it were the Lord, driving them from Hainan to this place would be possible, such an absurd feat.”

“…”

“But I am not the Lord. No, I cannot be the Lord. I am just a normal person. So, I create the same result, not the same process.”

The adjutant tilted his head, not understanding. How could the result be the same if the process was different?

“What do you mean by the same result?”

“There are more than ten terrains suitable for driving the bastards on the road to escape Guangdong.”

“…”

“This is just one of them. If they had chosen a different path, I would have driven them there.”

The adjutant stared blankly at Hoga-myung.

Hoga-myung was saying he chose this method because he couldn’t match Jang Il-so. The adjutant couldn’t tell which was more impressive.

To Hoga-myung, this was obvious.

To change the fate of the world, a normal person must fight with all their strength and never give up.

If they couldn’t do that, they were unworthy of standing by Jang Il-so’s side.

“Im So-byung is still young,” Hoga-myung thought.

The Green Forest King was great, but he was still a ‘prodigy.’

Hoga-myung had long admitted he was normal, but Im So-byung was confident he was the best. That difference led to this result. Those who are certain don’t doubt their victory.

“It’s time,” Hoga-myung said, releasing his fist.

“Attack. Kill them all, leaving no one alive.”

“Yes!” As soon as Hoga-myung spoke, the adjutants ordered the attack. The Myriad Man Faction, like hunting dogs, began to run like an avalanche.

Hoga-myung ran his tongue over his dry lips.

There were no variables, but there was a chance he might fail.

The Heavenly Union might abandon Hainan and climb the cliff to escape.

If they did, it would be hard to stop them here.

Normally, this wasn’t likely, but the Mount Hua Sword Master was losing consciousness.

The Mount Hua Sword Master wouldn’t back down, but the others might. People often show their true colors at the end.

But…

“If that happens, they will no longer be the Heavenly Union.”

Hoga-myung knew that a person’s value comes from more than just strength.

That was true for Jang Il-so too.

Could Jang Il-so be Jang Il-so without his ambition? Could Jang Il-so, satisfied with reality, have the same influence?

Absolutely not.

Even with more power, Jang Il-so would never see beyond that.

Jang Il-so’s value was his ambition.

The same was true for them.

If they abandoned what they protected to save themselves, could they be called the Heavenly Union?

At that moment, they would die.

They might live, but the Heavenly Union, which rivaled the Nine Great Sects and pressured the Four Evil Alliances, would be gone.

Even if the Mount Hua Sword Master didn’t choose that path, he would be blamed. The orthodox fighters would lose their leader.

“I’m curious,” Hoga-myung thought.

What would they choose?

Would they uphold their justice and die like heroes, or save themselves and be forgotten?

Hoga-myung stared ahead with cold eyes.

The Myriad Man Faction’s screams and footsteps echoed in his ears. Soon, others would scream too.

“Is what’s left damage control?”

He had disobeyed Jang Il-so and suffered damage from a few enemies.

He would have to take responsibility.

Even if it cost him his life, Hoga-myung wouldn’t regret it.

If Jang Il-so could get closer to his ambition with his life, he would gladly smile in the afterlife.

A faint smile appeared on Hoga-myung’s lips. It was the first genuine smile since meeting the bastards.

But the expected screams didn’t come. Instead, some of the Myriad Man Faction ran back out of the valley.

“What is it?”

A situation report? This didn’t need that.

“S-Strategist!” Those who had turned pale kneeled before him.

“What’s going on?”

“Th-They’ve disappeared.”

Hoga-myung didn’t understand. He had considered everything, but not this.

“What are you talking about?”

“Th-The bastards have disappeared!”

Hoga-myung stared blankly and asked again, “Disappeared?”

“Yes!”

“Disappeared?”

Those kneeling held their breath, knowing how absurd this was.

“Did they climb the cliff?”

“Th-There are no traces! They’ve literally disappeared. Like a m-mirage…”

“How dare you say such a thing!” Hoga-myung roared. Everyone was startled. They had never seen him raise his voice like this.

“Get out of the way!” Hoga-myung kicked aside those kneeling and ran towards the valley.

“This can’t be happening!”

He could understand if only the Heavenly Union had disappeared, but even the Hainan disciples were gone.

Unless they were performing miracles, how could this be possible?

Impossible. This couldn’t happen!

But Hoga-myung only found the blank faces of the Myriad Man Faction, looking around in confusion.

They were really gone.

The cliffs and mountains were the same, but the Hainan bastards were nowhere to be seen. They had vanished into thin air.

“Th-This…” Hoga-myung’s hands trembled as if he had malaria.

How? How could this happen?

Hoga-myung, always calm, looked around frantically like a madman.

“Ugh… Ugh…” After a while, he tore at his hair, disheveling it.

If something impossible had happened, the one who caused it was clear.

“Mount… Hua Sword… Master…”

A beast-like roar erupted from Hoga-myung’s mouth.

“Mount Hua Sword Maaaaster!” His scream echoed desolately in the sky.