Return Of The Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1459

Sweat ran down his face and burned his eyes. The soldiers couldn’t even blink because their eyes stung. In front of them was the cold body of their friend.

The soldiers who lived had just escaped danger. They were covered in sweat and their hearts beat fast.

Ho Gamyung stood respectfully beside Jang Il-so.

“Supplies?”

“We will get them from the main base. We have enough extra supplies, so there should be no problems.”

“Even so… it looks like I will have to live uncomfortably, which is not my nature.”

“It will be ten days at most. You have to put up with it.”

“Tsk. Easy for you to say.”

Jang Il-so used his fingers to smooth the lines on his forehead. He looked tired again, something Red Tiger hadn’t seen in a while.

Everything seemed normal. The way they talked was normal too.

But Red Tiger, who had been helping Jang Il-so the whole time, felt that something was very strange.

“What is going on?”

Jang Il-so had stopped chasing the Tang family in Shanxi. He moved east, as if it was the most natural thing to do. He left Sichuan, the place they had just won.

Ho Gamyung should have been going to Sichuan from the other direction. But he was here, waiting, as if it was planned before.

“Did these two communicate with each other?”

“Impossible.”

Red Tiger had watched Jang Il-so closely from near Shanxi all the way here. He had to protect Jang Il-so. He was sure that Jang Il-so had not tried to talk to anyone.

So how could these people, who were so far away from each other, know where to go and meet so easily?

Red Tiger never thought he was stupid. But now, he realized he was just a fighter who used a sword.

He realized that Jang Il-so and Ho Gamyung saw things he couldn’t. They understood plans and strategies in a way he didn’t.

He bit his lip and walked towards them. Lots of thoughts rushed through his head, even in that short time.

He thought about punishing Ho Gamyung, who had tried to trick Jang Il-so, even though it turned out to be good. He thought about how to control Sichuan, which was still not peaceful. He thought about finding the Tang family, who had gone north. Many other problems were building up too.

But of all those worries, he finally just asked a question.

“…Lord. Can I ask why we are making camp in this place?”

Red Tiger’s question was quite reasonable.

It seemed logical that the most important thing to do was to help the Hao Clan leader, who had gone to Mount Emei. Actually, it was to get back control of the Hao Clan and the Blood Cult. They had given control to the Hao Clan leader.

After that, they could talk about bringing peace back to Sichuan, which had become a place where no one was really in charge.

Both problems were very urgent. They didn’t have time to waste. So why were they wasting time in this place?

“Tsk.”

Jang Il-so clicked his tongue. He looked annoyed and was about to speak, but Ho Gamyung answered instead.

“It is right to be here now.”

“…Why?”

Red Tiger looked at Ho Gamyung. He felt relieved without realizing it. And then, he suddenly understood why Ho Gamyung being there was so important.

It was hard for Red Tiger to question Jang Il-so. But would it be different if the person asking was a planner?

“Because this will make it easier for him to take action.”

“…Him?”

“Beopjeong. I’m talking about the head monk of Shaolin Temple.”

Red Tiger looked confused at the mysterious answer. Why was the head monk of Shaolin suddenly mentioned?

Perhaps…

“Are you saying they will attack us? Is that why we are defending this place?”

If Jang Il-so and the planner both thought the Nine Sects were attacking Sichuan, and they chose Zhangjiajie as a good place to stop them, it would make some sense. But…

“No, not at all. That won’t happen. They are not strong enough.”

Ho Gamyung quickly stopped Red Tiger from guessing.

“So why?”

“You seem to be thinking the wrong way. We are not watching the Nine Sects right now. We are actually helping them.”

Red Tiger stared at Ho Gamyung, his face blank. ‘What crazy talk is this?’ he thought. Why would they help the Nine Sects? For the Wicked Sect Alliance, the Nine Great Sects were their worst enemies.

“But why?”

“Because this will make it easier for them to get other groups to follow them.”

Ho Gamyung knew he needed to explain more. He took a short breath and calmly added:

“This is Zhangjiajie. From here, you can easily reach Shanxi, Hubei, and Sichuan. What do you think people in Gangbuk, who are living peacefully, would think if they knew we were making camp here?”

“Well…”

They would think we were threatening them. They would think that the Wicked Sect Alliance, which had attacked and controlled Sichuan and Yunnan, now planned to attack Hubei next.

The war had already started. People who had been watching from the side, not taking part, would be shocked by what happened to Qingcheng and Mount Emei. They would start to fight back.

So what would they do?

“Are you saying you are making them unite with the Nine Sects?”

“That’s right.”

“Why?”

“It’s clear. That way, they will make the lines between groups clearer and build strong walls that can never be broken.”

Red Tiger’s eyes trembled.

‘The Heavenly Union and the Nine Sects….’

Ho Gamyung was saying that by threatening Gangbuk from here, he would completely separate the Heavenly Union and the Nine Sects.

“Is that really possible…?”

“Haa…”

Just then, Jang Il-so, who had been listening to the two, shook his head.

“Tsk. Why do you keep questioning me when you won’t understand even if I tell you?”

“…I’m sorry, Lord.”

“Think about it. A few years ago, could you have imagined fighting with the Black Ghost Squad, where your life was in danger?”

“I couldn’t have… imagined it.”

They used to be enemies. Enemies they had to defeat and destroy. But now, Red Tiger clearly thought of the Black Ghost Squad as allies.

“That’s it.”

Jang Il-so’s red lips twisted slightly.

“People make lines between groups because they need to. But once those lines are made, even the people who made them are controlled by them.”

Red Tiger looked at Jang Il-so with a puzzled expression. Ho Gamyung added in an emotionless voice.

Until now, the Heavenly Union and the Nine Sects could work together a little bit. Even though they were enemies, they had something in common. They both cared about the smaller groups and normal people. They both felt responsible for people who called themselves ‘good’ sects.

Ho Gamyung paused for a moment and asked.

“But… what if a clear line is made in that space between them?”

Red Tiger’s face hardened. That was….

“We are becoming wolves. Wolves that don’t need to attack, but are scary enough to make the sheep afraid.”

Red Tiger looked at Jang Il-so and Ho Gamyung with a bewildered gaze.

The situation was somewhat complicated. To put it simply, their presence here means the Cheonwu Alliance and the Gu sect will be more clearly divided, right?

Then the world will be perfectly divided into three.

“So, what happens then?”

The biggest reason the Sa-Paeryeon hasn’t attacked yet is that the Cheonwu Alliance and the Gu sect would join together to fight them if they attacked Gangbuk.

It’s natural to join forces against an outside enemy, no matter how much infighting there is within.

But what if the Cheonwu Alliance and the Gu sect no longer see each other as rivals, creating a boundary and considering each other as enemies?

If that happened, the Sa-Paeryeon would have a very big advantage.

“I understand what you mean, but… will they really do what we think they will?”

“They will.”

“Yes?”

Jang Il-so’s lips twisted slyly as he answered for Ho Ga-myeong.

He was talking about ‘them’ twice, but the ‘them’ at the beginning and the end clearly referred to different groups.

“Tch. It’s annoying to move according to the monks’ wishes, but… if it’s beneficial, there’s no reason not to. Keep an eye on it. Even now, the old monks of Shaolin are probably moving greedily.”

Jang Il-so chuckled, looking towards Shanxi and imagining the powerless Hwasan Sword Master heading home.

“Poor Hwasan Sword Master.”

“…”

“The world is so heartless. After all that effort.”

But Jang Il-so’s eyes told a different story. They shone with delight. He felt a cruel joy, like a bully who loved to see others suffer. A smile stretched across his face as he imagined the Hwasan Sword Master’s defeat.

“I told you, you’re past the age of acting like a child. The world is a place where the greedy win.”

A faint smile touched his lips.

The Cheonwu Alliance, having lost Sichuan and being stuck in Shanxi, was as good as finished. The Gu sect would tear them apart now that they had lost their reason for going to the Tang family.

And even if the Gu sect didn’t, people naturally look for familiar places when faced with a crisis. How many would risk their lives for the Cheonwu Alliance, which was new compared to the Gu sect?

“That’s enough. They just need to hate each other. The Gu sect, having an opportunity, must crush the Cheonwu Alliance, and the Cheonwu Alliance must hate the Gu sect. So they can laugh at each other’s destruction without any hesitation. Haha! Hahaha!”

A great burst of laughter came from Jang Il-so.

It had been a long time. So very long.

How long had he waited to create this scene? How long had he sharpened his claws to change the future, where they would eventually fall under their alliance no matter how hard they tried?

He had waited and waited, and finally created the picture he wanted. This excitement was unlike anything else in the world.

At that moment, as countless emotions filled Jang Il-so’s bloodshot eyes…

“L, Leader!”

A voice called urgently from behind. Jang Il-so’s face twisted slightly.

The excitement was ruined, and murderous intent rose. But Jang Il-so, controlling his emotions, glanced back. Ho Ga-myeong, sensing the mood, spoke first.

“What is it?”

“A report from Sichuan!”

“Sichuan?”

Ho Ga-myeong’s eyebrows twitched.

“Yes! A group of unknown people is approaching Chengdu.”

Ho Ga-myeong frowned, thinking quickly.

The Cheonwu Alliance? No, that’s impossible. They can’t be in Sichuan now. No matter how strong a force is, its movement is limited.

“How many?”

“W, well, that’s…”

The reporter hesitated, as if unsure how to answer.

Sensing something was wrong, Ho Ga-myeong raised his voice slightly and pressed him.

“Answer me. How many?”

“W, well, only about ten people…”

“Ten people?”

Ho Ga-myeong frowned. What was so important about ten people approaching Chengdu that they were making such a fuss?

Slightly annoyed, he waved his hand.

“Alright, step back…”

“B, but!”

“Hmm?”

The reporter shouted, sweating heavily.

“It is said that Dok Wang, Tang Gun-ak, was among those ten or so people!”

“Tang Gun-ak?”

Ho Ga-myeong’s eyes widened slightly. Why would Tang Gun-ak be going there?

“Did he leave something to take care of in the Tang family? Now, of all times…”

“A, and there is also someone with a body twice as large as the others.”

“What?”

“A, and there is also someone wielding the Plum Blossom Sword…”

Ho Ga-myeong’s face grew stiff.

‘Tang Gun-ak, someone huge, and… the Plum Blossom Sword?’

Tang Gun-ak. Beast Palace Lord Maeng So. And someone from Hwasan… but only ten people?

Ho Ga-myeong, lost in thought, suddenly raised his head. His eyes shook as if there was an earthquake.

“L, leaders? Could it be that the leaders of each sect have abandoned their subordinates and…”

It was something he couldn’t imagine. If that were true, an unbelievable group would be formed. The leaders of each sect under the Cheonwu Alliance were the best warriors of those sects.

But what crazy leaders would abandon their retreating subordinates and go into enemy territory on their own? What mad…

“P, Plum Blossom Sword Demon…”

At that moment, Ho Ga-myeong turned sharply towards Jang Il-so.

“This is…”

And he saw it. The cruel pleasure on Jang Il-so’s face shattering like glass.

“L, Leader.”

“Haha… Hahaha.”

A hollow laugh escaped Jang Il-so’s mouth. At the end of that laugh, which sounded almost confused, Jang Il-so muttered.

“Even I didn’t expect this? Could it be that someone in the world is even more insane than me?”

Jang Il-so’s face, which had been laughing, became horribly distorted. Soon, a chilling murderous intent flowed from his eyes.

“To stab me at this moment? Even in this situation?”

Ho Ga-myeong knew. Jang Il-so’s voice carried an emotion he had never heard before.