Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1660

The man stood as still as a stone statue, his eyes fixed on the mountain in front of him. The air was cold, and the only sound was the wind whispering through the trees.

This place was Jun County, in Hubei Province.

It was just a small village on the road to Wuhan. Normally, no one outside this area would know its name. But everyone in the Jianghu world – the world of martial artists – knew Jun County because of the huge mountain that rose behind it.

Mount Wudang.

Mount Wudang was a famous mountain. It had many peaks and valleys, like a hidden place. For a long time, its deep valleys had been home to strange people and people who lived alone. They were called Wudang.

People came to Wudang for different reasons. Some wanted to hide from the world. Some wanted to live freely, away from everyday troubles. Others wanted to find new ways of living a simple and hard life.

The lives of these people mixed together, and they became known as Wudang. The world called Mount Wudang a holy place for Taoism, called Xuan Yue.

Now, Mount Wudang stood tall and clear, looking so close that Ho Gamyung felt he could reach out and touch it.

Something flashed in Ho Gamyung’s eyes – a mix of excitement and fear. He couldn’t quite name the feeling, but it made his heart beat faster.

He had always wanted to put this world under the Leader’s control. And so far, the plan was going very well, even better than expected.

The Saheup Ryun’s power was now strong enough to reach all parts of the world, and its achievements were big enough to change history.

Ho Gamyung had planned everything coldly and carefully. But even he was deeply moved by the sight of Mount Wudang. It was hard to put his feelings into words.

Had he really imagined this? Had he really dreamed that they would point their swords directly at Jun County, at Mount Wudang, at the Wudang Sect?

On the way here, they had defeated many groups. They had made many people give up. Among them was Shaolin, which was as famous as Wudang, or even more so.

But now, the situation was a little different.

Fighting off Shaolin when they attacked was one thing. But attacking Wudang in their own home, pointing a sword at them directly, was completely different.

Shaolin attacking the Saheup Ryun was something that could happen anytime. But attacking Wudang directly was something he had never imagined.

Back then, when he first met Jang Il-so in the dirty back streets of Guizhou, he decided to trust his future to a dream that was barely even a dream.

Even when he created the Maninbang and finally formed the Saheup Ryun, had he ever really believed that this day would come?

Ho Gamyung breathed out slowly.

Even after opening and closing his eyes several times, the image of the mountain stayed clear.

Finally, they had arrived.

The Saheup Ryun’s blue blade had not only fought the Nine Great Sects that had ruled the world for hundreds of years, but it had also reached their heart.

At last…

“Hmm. Wudang…”

Just then, a light hum brought Ho Gamyung back to reality. He quickly looked at Jang Il-so. Was Jang Il-so thinking the same thing? Or…

“It took you long enough.”

Ho Gamyung’s fingers trembled slightly, even though he didn’t say anything.

Jang Il-so’s voice was calm, as if this was not a surprise.

This was not showing off or being brave. Jang Il-so’s relaxed voice, his shining eyes, and even the small smile on his lips were all normal.

“Gamyung.”

“…”

“Gamyung.”

“Yes, Leader.”

Ho Gamyung bowed deeply. He remembered that his own feelings were not important right now.

“So, what’s the plan?”

Ho Gamyung slowly raised his head at Jang Il-so’s question. Jang Il-so was looking at him with a familiar look, a mix of mischief and curiosity.

Before a battle, especially against a strong enemy, Jang Il-so would often ask Ho Gamyung questions like this. It was as if he was curious about how Ho Gamyung would handle things, or if he was checking if Ho Gamyung thought the same way he did.

“Hmm? What do you think we should do now?”

Jang Il-so was still Jang Il-so. At this moment, Ho Gamyung felt relieved that at least that hadn’t changed.

Ho Gamyung cleared his throat.

“The enemy…”

He lowered his voice and answered with as much respect as he could.

“The enemy is Wudang, and this is their home. If we attack without thinking, we will suffer a lot of damage, even if we win.”

Jang Il-so looked at Ho Gamyung with an amused smile, but without any strong reaction.

“If we follow the normal way, we should capture them slowly and carefully.”

Ho Gamyung looked at the mountain terrain of Wudang.

Because so many strange people and people who lived alone had come to this mountain, there were many hidden valleys and spaces that were hard to see.

For the attackers, this was the worst kind of land to fight on.

Also, the enemy had lived in Wudang Mountain for a long time. They would definitely use the land to their advantage in ways that Ho Gamyung couldn’t imagine.

So, they had to capture them slowly and carefully, being very careful, like checking a bridge before walking on it. But…

“What if we can’t?”

He had expected this question. Jang Il-so’s eyes showed that he didn’t expect such an obvious answer.

Ho Gamyung answered calmly.

“Then we have another way.”

“What is it?”

“Detour.”

“Detour?”

“Yes.”

Ho Gamyung nodded firmly.

“If the enemy is waiting with traps, we don’t need to walk into them. We can just leave them alone.”

Jang Il-so’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“Leave them alone?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm… Leave Wudang alone? Do you really think that’s a good idea?”

Jang Il-so asked, as if saying, ‘What are you talking about?’ So Ho Gamyung added calmly.

“The enemy has already heard that we are coming. But they are not running away. They are guarding this place, even though they know they can’t beat us.”

“…And so?”

“That means they have a reason to fight us. It doesn’t matter if it’s for honor or revenge. What’s important is that they won’t let us go easily.”

“…”

“If we detour, they will have to chase us. They won’t want us to enter their mountain and just look around.”

His voice was persuasive, cold, and calm.

“So, what we need to do is simple. We won’t go directly to where those enemies are hiding. Instead, we’ll trick them into coming to where we want them to be….”

Ho Gamyeong’s cold gaze swept towards Wudang Mountain.

“Defeat and destroy them.”

“Haa… Hahaha!”

Jang Il-so burst into laughter, clearly intrigued. The ornaments adorning his body chimed and jingled merrily, as if in agreement.

“Indeed… a fine method.”

Ho Gamyeong slightly nodded at Jang Il-so’s praise.

He might offer the ideas, but Jang Il-so made the decisions. It was a fixed rule between them.

Jang Il-so’s red lips parted.

“But it’s missing something.”

Ho Gamyeong’s brow furrowed slightly.

“…Is there something I’ve overlooked?”

“No. It’s not that.”

Jang Il-so turned his gaze towards Wudang. The subtle smile he wore when looking at Ho Gamyeong vanished, his face growing eerie, the corners of his mouth stretching wide.

“Certainly, that would happen if we let them stay as they are. There’s not a single problem with your plan.”

“Then….”

“But that alone is not enough. There are two kinds of battles, you see. Killing the enemy and eliminating the enemy. Now is the time for elimination, not just killing.”

Jang Il-so’s gaze drifted towards the summit of Wudang Mountain. Even from this distance, he could make it out – the shape of the ancient pavilions beyond the dense pine trees.

“Do you understand? Simply defeating and killing those who come after us won’t make Wudang disappear. It will only hurt them a little. But that’s not enough. We must show them what happens to those who stand in our way.”

“……”

“That way, those who stand before me will fill their heads with fear instead of their own interests. Do you understand, Gamyeong-ah?”

Ho Gamyeong nodded.

“So, you wish to crush that mountain, Lord?”

“Indeed. So, what should we do?”

Ho Gamyeong averted his gaze from Jang Il-so and stared at Wudang for a long while. A mountain full of green pine trees, like a mountain dressed in green.

At that moment, as if reading his innermost thoughts, a hot, dry wind swept past Ho Gamyeong like a blade.

“Then there’s only one option left.”

“What is it?”

The corner of Ho Gamyeong’s lips twisted slightly.

“To make the trap no longer a trap.”

Understanding dawned in Jang Il-so’s eyes, and they curved gently like a crescent moon.

Mugyeong subtly tugged at his sleeve, concealing his trembling fingertips.

‘Damn it.’

The trembling hadn’t stopped for some time now.

When he was with his fellow disciples, he felt no fear. The heat, the anger, had swallowed it whole.

But now, seeing the enemy approaching with his own eyes, the forgotten fear crept back, slowly spreading and eventually beginning to consume him.

‘I can win. I am a disciple of Wudang.’

He repeated the words to himself several times. And he briefly recited a passage from the Tao Te Ching. Nothing was more important to a swordsman than composure, especially in a situation like this, where they were ambushing the enemy.

“S-Senior Uncle….”

Just then, Jinhae, a junior disciple who was with him, called out in a trembling voice.

“A-Are we going to be alright?”

Mugyeong glanced at his junior disciple, trying his best to appear calm.

“There’s nothing to worry about.”

“B-But….”

“Even if it were anywhere else, no one in the world could harm Wudang on Wudang Mountain. Even if all the strongest groups came, not just the evil groups, we could fight them.”

These weren’t just words to reassure him.

The densely wooded forest, the deep ravines that looked as if a giant had clawed them out, the dozens of naturally formed caves, and even the artificial hideouts created by the Taoists who had gathered on Wudang for hundreds of years to train.

All of this combined made Wudang Mountain more than just a natural fortress. And the disciples of Wudang knew Wudang Mountain as well as they knew their own backyards.

‘Yes. We can fight anyone. We are the swordsmen of Wudang.’

Senior Uncle Heogong must have had this calculation in mind when he spoke of resistance.

If they did well, they might not only hold out until reinforcements arrived, but also hurt them a little.

No, they certainly had to. There was no better place to regain the honor they had lost on the Yangtze River than here.

“Senior Uncle.”

“There’s nothing to worry about. We can do it.”

“That’s….”

“In this kind of terrain, numbers don’t matter. What matters is a firm resolve and a willingness to risk your life.”

Mugyeong spoke as if to steel himself. But Jinhae’s voice grew even more uneasy.

“T-That’s not it, Senior Uncle….”

“Hmm?”

“H-Haven’t you noticed a strange smell since a while ago?”

“Smell? What smell are you talking about….”

Suddenly, Mugyeong’s face changed.

He smelled it too. An alien odor that stung his nose. A smell he had never encountered on Wudang Mountain, which he had roamed all his life.

‘T-This is!’

A strange but familiar smell. The moment he realized what it was, Mugyeong forgot that he was in ambush and jumped to his feet.

“N-No! T-This is oil….”

Whump!

As if echoing his words, the mountains below turned a fiery red as if by magic.

The green pine trees that never turned color. Those trees, which had grown for hundreds of years, dense and winding, were engulfed in a color they had never been touched by in all their long lives.

“F… Fire….”

Mugyeong, who had been momentarily stunned, screamed without realizing it.

“Fire! It’s a fire attack! They’ve set fire to the mountain!”

His voice, squeezed out with all his might, shot out like the first arrow signaling the start of war, along with the smoke rising into the air.