Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1545

“Burn them!”

“Kill them all without exception!”

Huge flames suddenly shot up into the sky in a quiet village by the Jang River. The orange and red fire lit up the night.

The villagers were shocked by the sudden attack. They screamed and ran in fear. But the attackers, their eyes shining with crazy excitement, chased after them. They quickly caught up and stabbed them in the back with their swords.

The air filled with terrible sounds – screams of pain, desperate pleas for help, and the heart-breaking cries of children.

“Aaaargh!”

“Wife!”

The man’s heart broke as he saw the sword go through his wife’s chest. He roared in pain and fury. But they were opponents that fury alone could not overcome.

Shwick!

The husband’s corpse, his head severed in an instant, slumped powerlessly to the ground.

“Do the Kangbuk bastards have no fear?”

The man who had severed the head in one stroke, Lee Gon, flicked the blood from his sword and chuckled.

Around him, a scene that could only be described as utter chaos unfolded: burning houses, blood splattering everywhere, and people screaming as they ran to and fro.

Lee Gon slowly licked his lips.

‘It’s been a while.’

His heart pounded, and his eyes gleamed with excitement.

Some might ask if such things didn’t happen frequently in Gangnam, which was ruled by the Demonic Sect, but the reality was different.

Jang Il-so strictly forbade the Demonic Sect from laying hands on the commoners.

Of course, it wasn’t out of overflowing compassion. Each and every commoner was someone who could fill the coffers of the Demonic Alliance.

But in any case, the dissatisfaction of the low-ranking members of the Demonic Sect, who couldn’t share in the spoils, was bound to soar.

But not here, in Gangbuk.

There were no eyes of the Demonic Alliance constantly watching, and no cruel leaders here to punish them for disobeying orders. In Gangnam, they would be punished badly for hurting commoners.

It meant that they could run wild as much as they wanted without having to endure anything.

“Tch! These people are so poor, they don’t even have a sack of grain!” one attacker complained.

Some of those who had teamed up with him were searching for treasure with bloodshot eyes. But Lee Gon had no interest in such things. Logically speaking, what great treasures could there be among those who scratched a living from the land in such a rural village?

“Maybe the richer people live further north,” another attacker said, hoping for better loot.

“Hehe. We really get to keep what we get in Gangbuk, right?”

His crew member seemed to completely trust the words of the higher-ups. Well, since it was promised in the name of the Tyrant, it would be stranger to doubt it.

In any case, Lee Gon didn’t care about such promises or treasures.

Even if everything was a lie, it would be much better than guarding the suffocating Gangnam.

“Let’s move on to the next village after we’ve taught them a lesson,” Lee Gon said with a cruel smile.

“Sounds good.”

Those who had burned the village to the ground began to advance north.

Lee Gon roughly wiped the blood splattered on his face with his sleeve. It was the smell of blood he had longed for.

His eyes were becoming more and more tainted with madness.

“Abbot!”

Beopgye hastily threw open the door.

“Reports are coming in that the Demonic Alliance is landing all over the Jang River!”

Beopjeong’s eyes, which had been tightly closed, slowly opened.

“We’ve asked for help from other groups,” Beopgye said quickly, “but most of them are far away in Hubei and Shaanxi. We can’t stop them all along the Jang River.”

Even if everyone was here, how could we watch such a long river?

“This is no time to be like this. W-we have to come up with a plan somehow!”

“Hmm.”

But Beopjeong’s expression was so calm that it was doubtful whether he had even properly heard Beopgye’s urgent cry.

“Have you confirmed it?”

“Yes?”

“What I told you to confirm.”

Beopgye swallowed dryly for a moment before opening his mouth.

“Well… we don’t know for sure yet, but it looks like the fighters landing now aren’t very strong.”

Beopjeong slowly nodded.

“…So, they are just sending weak fighters first?” Beopjeong said, understanding.

“Abbot! Of course, they are just small fry to us, but not to the commoners. Several villages have already been burned down. If we leave them alone, the damage will become uncontrollably large. We need a plan!”

In his urgency, Beopgye even raised his voice. But Beopjeong only slowly shook his head.

“I’m afraid there’s nothing we can do right now,” Beopjeong said calmly, shaking his head slightly.

“Yes? What does that…”

“The Maninbang of Zhangjiajie has moved. You know what that means, don’t you?”

Beopgye closed his mouth at that moment.

“These attackers are just weaklings,” Beopjeong explained. “They are like bait. The real Demonic Sect fighters, the Maninbang, are somewhere else. If we attack these weak ones, the Maninbang will attack us from behind.”

“The moment we move to confront them, the Demonic Alliance will move north. Isn’t that obvious? We must not move rashly.”

“B-but, Abbot. If we do that…”

“Yes. The damage will be great. Many people will lose their lives.”

Beopgye nodded his head greatly in agreement, hoping that Beopjeong would make another wise decision, even now.

“But we have no choice,” Beopjeong said firmly. “If we lose this war, Gangbuk will become a living hell, just like Gangnam.”

“…Abbot.”

“We must endure.”

Beopjeong cut him off with a voice that had no hesitation.

“What they are aiming for is for us to waver. Under no circumstances should we move according to the enemy’s intentions.”

“H-how can you be so sure?”

Beopgye retorted, biting his lip.

“Isn’t it possible that their intention is to tie us down and devastate Gangbuk? Abbot, you might be wrong…”

“Beopgye!”

Beopjeong, who had raised his voice in an instant, glared at Beopgye with cold eyes.

“The Buddha overcame all the temptations of Mara in order to attain enlightenment. Do not waver.”

“……”

Beopgye bit the inside of his lip tightly.

He knew that he wasn’t wrong. Leaving the Maninbang alone and dealing with those who were no more than small fry would be a foolish thing to do.

But… then why did they learn martial arts in the first place?

It was different from when they had gritted their teeth and watched the disaster across the Jang River. This time, they could help the commoners without much effort if they wanted to. They could save them.

But even in this situation, were they supposed to turn a blind eye to all that suffering?

“Abbot. Then rather…”

“That won’t do.”

But before Beopgye could even finish his sentence, Beopjeong shook his head. He already knew what Beopgye was going to say.

“The Tyrant wouldn’t have failed to consider that. The moment we go to Zhangjiajie, there will surely be a trap waiting for us that he has dug.”

“Then what on earth…”

“Amitabha.”

Beopjeong chanted the Buddha’s name quietly.

“It’s not like we have to wait indefinitely. If the Maninbang doesn’t move like this, then they will have wasted the forces they pushed into Gangbuk. Do you think Jang Il-so will just sit back and watch that happen?”

“……”

“He will definitely move. Definitely. This is a battle of patience. When they move, we will surely be able to destroy the enemy.”

“Abbot…”

“Clear away the delusions in your heart. Do not be swayed by the enemy’s schemes to make us waver. And tell the others to maintain their positions and not move.”

“……”

“Hurry.”

“…Yes, Abbot.”

Beopgye reluctantly nodded. His movements were sluggish and slow, unlike usual. Beopjeong, who was watching him leave with his head bowed, added.

“Beopgye.”

“…Yes, Abbot.”

“One hour.”

Then Beopgye turned around with questioning eyes.

“I will only allow you to go as far as you can return within one hour. I permit you to annihilate the Demonic Sect members gathered there. Tell the other sects that they can move as well if they meet the same conditions.”

“A-Abbot!”

“No more than one hour. You must keep that in mind.”

Beopgye hurriedly nodded.

“I will definitely convey that.”

“Go now.”

“Yes!”

Beopgye left with a face that was clearly different from before. Beopjeong’s eyes soon became heavy.

‘Nothing will change, but he is so happy.’

No matter how skilled a martial artist is, how far can they travel in two hours? In the end, it’s just around Hubei.

Annihilating the Demonic Sect members within that area will not help the direction of this war in the slightest.

Knowing this, Beopjeong granted Beopgye’s wish. He would never have allowed it in the past, but now Beopjeong knows. That people’s hearts are not as rational as he thinks.

Just annihilating the Demonic Sect members in front of them will alleviate some of the dissatisfaction in their hearts. Wouldn’t that be good enough?

Beopjeong shook his head with a slightly bitter expression.

He had learned this from dealing with other groups before: people are happier when they do what they want, not just what is strategically best.

“Hoo.”

He took a deep breath and fell into thought.

‘Tyrant….’

Indeed, he is someone who makes moves that others cannot even imagine.

But the shock wasn’t the same as before.

Unlike in the past, Beopjeong now knows that Jang Il-so always exceeds expectations.

He was just curious now.

“What will you do, Hwasan Sword Master?”

This feels like a trap. He’s put us in a difficult position.

“So didn’t I say? That one day your words and actions would bind you.”

The quiet chant of the Buddha’s name spread heavily.

“Amitabha.”

“They are committing atrocities.”

In the Cheonwu Alliance’s conference room, the faces of those gathered were as stiff as they could be.

“Urgent reports have come in from Huaining and Chizhou.”

“…Anhui, is it.”

As someone muttered, Namgung Dowi bit his lip until it bled.

The crossing was happening all over the Jang River, and the most concentrated area of that crossing was none other than Anhui.

‘We….’

Because the Namgung family was away, and Namgung Dowi had called many fighters from Anhui to Shaanxi, Anhui was now almost undefended.

As if the Demonic Alliance had anticipated Namgung Dowi’s movements, they were landing in the empty Anhui without any hesitation.

“What should we do, Green Forest King!”

Namgung Dowi, his heart in a hurry, called out to Im So-byeong in an agitated voice.

At this rate, Anhui would literally become hell.

No, not just Anhui. If they just watched like this, the world would soon be set ablaze. It was a situation that could not be compared to the situation a little while ago, when problems had only occurred in a few locations.

“We have to do something!”

Listening to Namgung Dowi’s desperate voice, Im So-byeong fell into contemplation with a stiff face.

After a while, the moment Im So-byeong’s gaze turned to someone, everyone’s gaze also turned to that side.

To Chung Myung, who was sitting on a chair like a stone statue with his arms crossed.

Heavy gazes poured down, and Chung Myung forced open his lips, which he couldn’t bring himself to open.

“First of all…”

The hand hidden behind Chung Myung’s elbow was clenched so tightly that no blood could flow through it.

“Until Jang Il-so moves…”

“……”

“Just a little more…”

It was at that very moment.

Creak.

With the rough sound of a chair scraping against the floor, one person stood up from their seat.

It was Yoon Jong.

He looked down at Chung Myung with an indifferent face and said calmly.

“I am going to Anhui.”

“Yoon Jong-ah!”

It wasn’t Chung Myung who reacted to those words, but another of the Five Swords.

“S-Senior Brother! Why are you suddenly doing this?”

“Why?”

Yoon Jong asked Jo Gul back as if the reaction to stop him was strange.

“Is there a reason for a person to go save another person?”

His calm voice, like a sharp blade, cut through the tense silence.