Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1666

“Keep up!” Chung Myung yelled, his voice sharp.

“Yes, Sect Leader!” came the tired reply.

“You there, slowpoke! Move it!”

“Ugh…” Im So-byeong groaned. He was sick and exhausted, so it was just a groan. *Why am I doing this?* he thought, his legs aching.

“No…!”

“What?”

“…Nothing.”

Im So-byeong, who had been about to grumble something, quietly shut his mouth.

He wanted to shout, ‘Why am I suffering for people I don’t even know?’ But he stopped himself. He knew the man would punch him without hesitation. His fist looked ready to hit.

‘Even bandits aren’t this ignorant. Damn Taoist rascal!’

He thought about the difference between bandits and Taoists. Bandits ask for help from anyone passing by. Taoists only help people who come to them. It was a small difference, maybe.

“Someone’s falling behind over there!”

“Ah, I’m going, I’m going!”

Im So-byeong hurriedly ran over and kicked Maeng Do’s backside as he lagged behind.

“Aack!”

“Hey, you! Even this injured person is running, so stop whining and run!”

Im So-byeong, in a fit of anger, kicked the man who was trying to fall behind once more and ground his teeth. Still, looking at it this way, everyone was running as if they were about to die, with no one dropping out.

‘Still, somehow…’

Whether it was good luck or good strategy.

Even the Green Forest Bandits, who would have normally collapsed and demanded to be left to die or be killed, were somehow running.

Regardless of affiliation, everyone glanced at those running beside them and gritted their teeth. And then, they mustered every last bit of strength and spurred their legs on.

‘So, there was this effect.’

Just making groups didn’t erase old loyalties. People still felt connected to their original groups, even in these new teams. True loyalty to the new teams would take time.

However, this also meant that they still had a competitive spirit towards other sects.

If they couldn’t endure and fell behind, countless eyes would be fixed on them. If those running alongside them were their senior brothers or elders from their sect, it would end with their own inadequacy, but they couldn’t expect such a favorable outcome now. Their inadequacy would undoubtedly lead to ridicule of their sect.

‘So, even if they die, they can’t fall behind.’

Im So-byeong shook his head, watching those who were running with all their might.

“Carrying the sect’s honor on their shoulders as they run…”

Meanwhile, the young Mount Hua brats running in the lead were still full of energy, so there was no room for anyone to feign weakness.

“What is honor that makes everyone so pathetic…”

At that moment, something caught his eye. Im So-byeong’s eyes widened.

“Who’s falling behind? You damn bandits trying to die! Should I skin you alive?”

“Hee, hee hee!”

“Any Green Forest bastards who fall behind will have their ankle tendons cut and be transferred to the Beggars’ Sect, so try and see what happens!”

Im So-byeong, almost spitting fire, kicked the backs of the exhausted Green Forest Bandits and encouraged them. Chung Myung clicked his tongue at this sight.

“Pathetic, you said.”

“Ah, the Green Forest is different, the Green Forest! How embarrassing. Tsk, tsk.”

Chung Myung stared with a sulky face, but Im So-byeong slyly avoided his gaze. And then, he pouted his lips.

“Th-that… it’s not that I’m obsessed with worthless honor or anything. The Green Forest has to close up shop if they’re looked down on. You wouldn’t understand.”

“Yes, yes. I’m sure you have your reasons. All very profound, I’m sure.”

Im So-byeong unnecessarily unfolded his fan and fanned his face. No, it wasn’t unnecessary. Sweat was pouring down, so fanning himself wasn’t exactly strange.

After taking a long, deep breath, Im So-byeong spoke in a low voice, more serious than before.

“But surprisingly…”

“There’s no ambush.”

“Right?”

Chung Myung’s eyes also sank.

“If that’s the case, it could mean that they’re really targeting Mount Wudang.”

“They haven’t arrived yet.”

“Of course, but.”

Im So-byeong’s eyes, half-hidden by the fan, gleamed with a sharp light.

Until they reached Mount Wudang, nothing could be said for certain. They had to consider that anything could happen.

But at least the fact that no traps had been detected so far clearly meant that the Four Evil Sects’ target wasn’t here.

Im So-byeong lowered his voice so that no one around could hear and whispered in a heavy tone.

“Shouldn’t we increase the speed a little more?”

“No. If we push too hard, they’ll fall behind.”

“I know that, but if they’re really targeting Mount Wudang, they’ve probably launched an all-out offensive by now.”

Chung Myung’s face slightly hardened. But after a moment of silence, he shook his head.

“Still, it’s Wudang.”

“I know. I know. But it’s still just Wudang. Don’t you know? War isn’t about individual strength. Wudang doesn’t have anyone who can handle Jang Il-so or Ho Ga-myeong.”

The image of Heo Do-jin momentarily flashed through his mind, but Im So-byeong quickly shook his head.

Heo Do-jin wouldn’t do.

It wasn’t because he was lacking. Heo Do-jin had already exposed his weaknesses to the enemy. If it were Jang Il-so and Ho Ga-myeong, they would relentlessly exploit the weaknesses Heo Do-jin had shown and force him to make difficult choices.

If it were a war fought with similar strength, they might be able to hold out somehow, but wasn’t the Four Evil Sects overwhelming even that situation now?

It was right to consider how long they could endure, not whether they could fight.

“Still, no.”

Even knowing everything, Chung Myung was still firm. A faint, blue-tinged killing intent flowed from his eyes.

“The moment we overexert ourselves, we don’t know when or how those bastards will reach out.”

Im So-byeong glanced ahead.

Certainly, as Chung Myung said, it was the limit. In fact, Im So-byeong was moving at a much faster pace than he had originally thought.

If they increased the speed any further, not only would there be dropouts, but the formation itself would collapse. Then the meaning of creating factions would completely disappear. Not to mention the weaknesses that would arise.

With distrust in the factions still remaining, they couldn’t leave them with such memories from their first campaign.

“Then Wudang will…”

“They’ll hold out.”

Chung Myung answered as if there was nothing more to think about.

But that wasn’t a sufficient answer for Im So-byeong. Hold out? That Wudang? Against those Four Evil Sects?

It was still vivid in his memory. The place that had been shattered without being able to do anything while being played by the Four Evil Sects’ schemes in the Jang River was none other than Wudang.

In fact, if Wudang hadn’t rashly declared defeat at that time, the structure of the Jianghu might have been different now.

But could Wudang, which was so powerless that it committed such an act, withstand the Four Evil Sects on its own?

“Do you trust Heo Do-jin?”

“No.”

Chung Myung was firm again this time. Instead, he cast his gaze towards Mount Wudang in the far distance, which he couldn’t see yet but knew must be in that direction.

“A child naturally grows even if an adult doesn’t try to raise them. And even if you try to stop them, they’ll eventually grow taller than the adults watching over them.”

“What does that mean?”

Chung Myung’s eyes sank deeply.

“Because… there will be a future there.”

Whoooosh!

Once again, the severed rock fell as if it would push into the cliff.

Rumble!

A roar that sounded like the sky was collapsing echoed.

“Pour it down!”

“Yes!”

Dust and rock splinters filled the air as they smashed apart the cliff edge. Chunks of stone, big and small, tumbled down like angry fists.

“Get out of the way, raaah!”

A rain of stones poured down on the Four Evil Sects’ warriors, who were horrified at the sight of the massive boulder falling from the center and threw themselves away. Those who had already launched themselves into the air couldn’t cope with the falling rocks as easily as before.

Thwack! Thwack!

The falling rocks, with their terrifying speed, crushed the bodies of the Four Evil Sects’ warriors in mid-air. Even those who managed to block them somehow couldn’t help but be pushed back and down.

“Aaaaargh!”

Falling or sliding down. What could be more fatal than that on a smooth cliff like the face of Donggyeong?

“Those dog-like bastards!”

The Four Evil Sects’ warriors, thoroughly enraged, glared at the top of the cliff as if they would chew them alive. It was Wudang who had looked up with such eyes from the Jang River. At that time, those on the cliff had ultimately won.

Would it be the same this time?

“C-Commander!”

With just one attack, dozens of the Four Evil Sects’ warriors had fallen off the cliff. More than half of them would have died instantly, and most wouldn’t have even left behind proper corpses.

Even more problematic was that the higher they climbed, the more people would be on the cliff, and the more damage they would take with each attack.

“A good sword technique.”

But Ho Ga-myeong was nonchalant, as if watching someone else’s affairs.

“What are you doing? Continue to encourage the warriors. Tell them that eternal wealth and glory await the first to climb the cliff.”

“A-Understood, Commander!”

The adjutants nodded with pale faces.

Ho Ga-myeong calmly looked at the top of the cliff. His face was so devoid of emotion that he didn’t even seem to feel any emotion.

“There was someone like that in Wudang. But… foolish.”

“Hoo! Hoo!”

Large beads of sweat were constantly flowing down from Heo Gong’s forehead.

Spewing out sword energy that could cut off a cliff was no easy task for Heo Gong either. With each strike, he felt his spirit being chipped away.

But he couldn’t stop now. He had to do it.

Zzzzzing!

The sword once again emitted a pure white light.

Whoooosh!

The sword energy, unleashed with all his might, once again cleaved the cliff face. The severed rock once again began to fall with a roar.

A sword strike that would change the terrain of the mountain called Wudang was being repeated continuously, not just once.

“S-Senior Uncle!”

“Are you alright, Junior Brother?”

The swordsmen of Wudang also knew how great the sword energy that Heo Gong was unleashing was. And how much internal energy and mental strength Heo Gong was consuming to unleash that great power.

“Junior Brother. Instead of this, we should first…”

“I will defend this place!”

Those who were trying to dissuade Heo Gong flinched at his spirit and closed their mouths.

“Never! I will not allow a single one of them to climb this cliff.”

Feeling the chilling spirit with their whole bodies, they could no longer dissuade Heo Gong and only nodded.

“We trust you, Senior Uncle!”

No one in this place could object to Heo Gong’s words.

Regardless of seniority or position, Heo Gong was clearly the center of Wudang at this moment. Even though Heo San-ja, who was temporarily in charge of the sect, was present.

With Heo Gong coming out like this, the meaning of his actions was not small to the other disciples of Wudang.

“Elder!”

“Yes!”

Those who were trying to dissuade Heo Gong turned their bodies quickly, their robes fluttering. Looking below, they spotted a procession of people bypassing Baekanam and trying to occupy this place by detouring along the steep mountain path.

Clang.

They drew their swords without hesitation.

“We can’t leave it all to our Junior Brother.”

The power that each sword could unleash might be different, but the meaning contained within would not be.

“Help Heo Gong! Not a single enemy must approach our Junior Brother’s back!”

“Yes!”

The disciples of Wudang, drawing their swords, threw themselves forward to face the enemies.

The sun dipped lower, painting the sky in fiery streaks of red and orange. The sunset bled across Baekanam, a violent color mirroring the battle.