Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1578

“Run!” Beopjeong yelled, his voice cracking with urgency. Dust flew up from the ground as he pounded forward.

“Faster! We can’t lose a second!”

Beopgye’s face was tight with worry as he followed. He watched Beopjeong’s back, his breath coming in ragged gasps. He had known Beopjeong for years, as his senior student and now as the Abbot, the leader of their monks. But he had never seen him like this – so driven, so desperate.

“Abbot! We’re going too fast! We’ll be exhausted before we even reach the enemy!”

Beopjeong’s voice erupted, sharp with anger at Beopgye’s concern. “Don’t be ridiculous, Beopgye!”

“Tired? What does that matter now! This is war! You can’t expect to face the enemy feeling perfect, like in some textbook!”

“But… but…”

“What’s more important than being prepared is seizing the moment! If we let the Fallen Overlord escape now, who knows how many more people will suffer! This isn’t the time to worry about being tired later!”

Beopgye bit his lip, hearing Penggyeop’s agreement.

“Great Master, I agree with the Abbot.”

Penggyeop pushed off the ground, running even faster as he spoke.

“The most important thing is to catch the Fallen Overlord. If we miss this chance and he escapes back to Gangnam, a region to the south, we’ll be stuck in this endless fight again.”

Beopgye’s face darkened.

He knew they were right. How could he not? He was losing track of how long they had been running since leaving Mount Song, their monastery home. He was starting to wonder if he was a monk or a soldier.

He missed the days of meditation and spiritual training at Mount Song.

He felt sick inside. He hated this war and the Fallen Overlord.

If he could end it all with this battle and return to Mount Song, Beopgye knew he would fight like a demon.

“But this is too extreme. This isn’t how the Nine Sects, the main martial arts groups, usually act. We should be a little calmer…”

“Then we should do it even more!”

“Sect Leader?”

Jongli Hyung glared at Beopgye, looking annoyed. “Like the Great Master said, this isn’t our usual method. So, they won’t expect us to move like this.”

“That is…”

He had a point. Even Beopgye, who had been by Beopjeong’s side for so long, hadn’t expected Beopjeong to choose such a sudden and extreme plan.

Even if the Fallen Overlord was unpredictable, wouldn’t it be hard for him to imagine the Nine Sects acting like this?

“The opportunity is finally here! The chance to cut off the Fallen Overlord’s head!”

Jongli Hyung’s eyes shone coldly, completely different from how Beopgye usually saw him.

It was unfamiliar, but maybe this was Jongli Hyung’s true self. He couldn’t have become the leader of a great sect in the Nine Factions just by being nice.

Beopjeong and Penggyeop silently looked at Beopgye, as if agreeing with Jongli Hyung. He felt pressured and finally bowed his head.

“I understand.”

The question still lingered in his heart.

Even if all that was true, was it necessary to be this hasty? The Evil Sect Alliance, the opposing group, had already pushed far into Gangbuk, the region north of the river. Wouldn’t it be enough to push them back slowly?

But he couldn’t say it.

Because Beopgye also knew the real reason for their hurry.

“Where is he now?”

“Yes? Ah… You mean the Fallen Overlord? He’s currently…”

“No.”

Beopjeong cut him off.

“I mean *him*.”

Beopgye realized who Beopjeong meant.

The one they shouldn’t mention.

“…If you mean the Mount Hua Sword Saint, we know he’s in Anhui province.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, Abbot. The information from the Beggars’ Sect, a group that gathers information, the smaller groups, and our own spies all agree.”

Beopjeong nodded, his eyes cold.

Chung Myung wasn’t here. Even if he got news from Anhui, he couldn’t act faster than the Nine Sects, who had already started moving, no matter how quickly he made decisions.

The chance to end this war was entirely in the hands of the Nine Sects, or more specifically, Beopjeong’s hands.

‘You know that the winner is always remembered as the hero.’

The opportunity was finally his. Beopjeong clenched his fist and shouted.

“Push the disciples harder! We’re not slowing down!”

“Yes, Abbot!”

Beopjeong looked back at his disciples, then turned his gaze forward.

He was aiming for Jang Il-so’s head.

He was heading to the place where he would be remembered for the next hundred years.

❀ ❀ ❀

“We have a report that those who went to the Yangtze River have defeated the Black Dragon King!”

Hyun Jong jumped up, immediately thinking of one person.

“Ch, Chung Myung! Did Chung Myung do this?”

“No! The Commander-in-Chief wasn’t involved. It was the Five Swords, along with the Namgung young master and the best disciples from Jongnam.”

“Good heavens…”

Hyun Jong was stunned for a moment.

He finally came to his senses and asked, “The children! Are they alright?”

“Some were injured, but none died. The Namgung young master was seriously injured, but he will recover with treatment.”

“Ah…”

Hyun Jong sighed and slumped back down.

He had been so worried, but hearing that the children were safe released all the tension. He felt exhausted.

“The Black Dragon King… those children…”

He had imagined it: his disciples defeating a dangerous enemy and being praised by everyone.

He had imagined it countless times.

How happy and proud would he be?

But now that it was real, he didn’t feel proud. He was just relieved that the children were safe. He felt powerless.

Tang Gunak remained tense.

“Did we get a reply to our message?”

“Not yet.”

“…Not yet?”

“It seems the report about defeating the Black Dragon King arrived first.”

Tang Gunak’s fingers trembled.

“The Nine Sects…”

“They are approaching the Evil Sect Alliance. They will probably meet today.”

“Today?”

Tang Gunak tapped his fingers nervously on the desk. Each tap betrayed his unease.

“Are they still refusing to cooperate with us?”

“Far from cooperating, they are ignoring every message we send. We can’t even reach them indirectly through the Open Faction.”

“That bastard, Beopjeong…”

Tang Gunak bit his lip hard.

He always called Beopjeong ‘Abbot’ to show some respect. But now, he was so angry he used Beopjeong’s name directly.

“What on earth is he thinking right now…!”

The Four Evil Sects, and especially Jang Il-so, are not easy to fight over territory. Beopjeong must know this, so why is he making such a reckless move?

Was Beopjeong usually so careless?

The answer to Tang Gunak’s question came not from Beopjeong, who was far away, but from Im So-byeong.

“Total exclusion.”

Tang Gunak looked at Im So-byeong.

“They want to exclude us completely. They don’t even want to give the Cheonwu Alliance a chance to step in.”

“Even in this situation?”

“Especially in this situation. Isn’t it just like the Orthodox Factions?”

A sneer curled Im So-byeong’s lips.

The coldness made Tang Gunak feel like he’d been stabbed in the heart.

The Demonic Factions die for what they want, and the Orthodox Factions die for their pride and status. Both are terrible reasons to die.

Im So-byeong’s smile seemed to tell Tang Gunak that they were both awful, just in different ways.

“Green Forest King, or rather… Strategist.”

“Yes.”

Im So-byeong looked seriously at Tang Gunak. Tang Gunak asked,

“The war… or rather, what are the chances? If the Four Evil Sects and the Nine Sects fight like this, what will happen?”

Im So-byeong closed his eyes for a moment, as if thinking hard. When he opened them again, he answered quickly, as if he was sure.

“The Nine Sects will win completely.”

“…A complete victory? You’re that sure?”

“I’ve thought about it many times, and I don’t see any other result. If things continue like this, the Four Evil Sects will be totally defeated.”

Tang Gunak was quiet.

But Im So-byeong continued without waiting for an answer.

“Even though they are called the Four Evil Sects, only the Myriad Man Clan, led by Jang Il-so, and the Black Demon Corps, which has lost much of its power, are moving north. The Hao Clan hasn’t come back yet.”

“…That’s right.”

“Even if all three groups were here, it would still be hard to fight the Shaolin, the Beggars’ Sect, and the Peng Clan together. Especially since the Shaolin aren’t at full strength. But with only two groups…”

It was a very logical and clear opinion.

If the Myriad Man Clan and the Black Demon Corps could conquer the world on their own, the fighting world wouldn’t have been peaceful for so long.

The Four Evil Sects became famous mostly because of the amazing things Jang Il-so had done in the last few years.

But fame is just fame.

Unless they could find new forces to make up for their weakness, it would be hard for the Four Evil Sects to win.

“But surely the Tyrant Lord knows this, right?”

“…That’s right.”

“He could have called the Hao Clan back sooner, or set a trap. He must have a plan for choosing to move north.”

“Of course. And Beopjeong probably knows that too.”

“He knows it could be a trap? And he’s still going?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because he has to jump into that trap to take Jang Il-so’s head.”

“…”

“And just because it’s a trap doesn’t mean it always works. A trap for a wolf won’t catch a tiger, and a trap for a tiger won’t catch a dragon. Thinking you can stop everything just because you know and prepare is just the arrogance of people who only talk about war.”

It was a cold and unemotional opinion.

“People are always surprised when the weaker side wins because it’s normal for the stronger side to win. So why should the Nine Sects hesitate?”

Tang Gunak nodded heavily. Every word was true.

If they fought directly, the Nine Sects would be stronger. This was almost common sense.

So, Beopjeong couldn’t miss this chance. If he hesitated and let the Cheonwu Alliance or the Four Evil Sects take the opportunity, he would be remembered as a fool in the history of the fighting world.

However…

‘Why do I feel so uneasy?’

He couldn’t stop thinking about Jang Il-so.

Could Jang Il-so really not know all of this? Was he really so confident in his plans that he was walking into a death trap?

If that was the case, how should the Cheonwu Alliance act now?

Just then…

“Reporting!”

The door burst open and someone rushed in, looking very worried.

“The Nine Sects are moving faster than we thought! They must have met by now! The two groups must have already met…!”

Tang Gunak jumped up.

“Now?”

A moment of hesitation, or rather, a short wait, had caused the Cheonwu Alliance to be left out.

❀ ❀ ❀

“Hmm.”

Jang Il-so narrowed his dark eyes even more.

He saw a group coming from the distant plains.

“Enemies!”

“The enemy is coming!”

Those around him saw the group too and began to shout, getting ready to defend themselves.

“The enemy is…”

He noticed the clothes of those in front. They were wearing earth-toned robes.

They were rushing in fiercely, like angry gods.

“Shaolin!”

“It’s Shaolin! The Nine Sects are coming!”

A tense feeling filled the air. Except for one person.

“Oh, dear…”

Jang Il-so shook his head.

“They must be really eager to get here so quickly. Those monks must have been sweating a lot. Don’t you think so, Ga-myeong?”

“…Sect Leader.”

“What they probably want is…”

A pale, smooth finger slowly touched his neck.

“This head, maybe?”

The corners of his lips turned up in a chilling smile. His eyes, bright with laughter, gleamed.

“Try to take it. It won’t be easy.”

Then, his long fingernails slowly drew a line across his neck.

A stream of blood flowed from the red line, hinting at the countless blood that would be spilled on this land.