Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1680

“Finally! We finally made it!”

Jo Gul gritted his teeth.

The sight of the burning Mount Wudang entered his eyes. It was a horrifying spectacle, but even so, Jo Gul didn’t miss the fact that the flames had not yet reached the very peak of Wudang.

“Fourth Uncle! It’s me!”

“I know!”

Baek Cheon shouted without slowing down as he dashed forward.

“No, the front! Acting Sect Leader! The front is the priority!”

“Hmm?”

At Hae Yeon’s urgent voice, Baek Cheon lowered his gaze.

Then, he saw the base of the mountain seeming to shake.

‘What?’

No, that wasn’t it! It wasn’t that the mountain was moving; that was absurd. What he saw was the Sapa-ryeon forces, densely arrayed at the foot of the mountain, turning to face them.

The sight was enough to make even Baek Cheon, who thought he had seen everything, feel momentarily dizzy.

“What do we do?”

At Yoon Jong’s voice, Baek Cheon glanced back.

No matter how much he was the Acting Sect Leader of Mount Hua, his position was merely that of a Vice Sect Leader. If it were now, the Sect Leaders would step forward…

However, when Baek Cheon turned his head, he saw Jin Geum-ryong’s annoying face right behind him.

“What.”

“Huh?”

Jin Geum-ryong gave a short snort.

“Why are you looking back now? After you did everything your way?”

“Ah, no!”

“Why, are you scared now that you see them? Coward?”

Baek Cheon’s face twisted terribly for a moment.

“What kind of dog….”

“If not, fix your gaze forward and give orders!”

Jin Geum-ryong gestured forward with his chin, as if telling him not even to think about looking back.

“The person to give orders now is you.”

At that moment, Jin Geum-ryong raised his sword and held it out to show Baek Cheon.

“I’ll be watching closely to see if you act like a human being.”

“……”

“What are you doing?”

“Ugh….”

Baek Cheon, glaring at Jin Geum-ryong as if to kill him, turned his head forward, his face boiling with anger.

‘Honestly!’

‘What a personality.’

Jin Geum-ryong was probably the only person in the world who could say ‘I will support you with all my strength, no matter what orders you give’ in such an irritating way.

He infuriated people in a different way from Chung Myung. Could they be considered almost on par in terms of being irritating?

But still.

“Fourth Uncle! So, what….”

“What do you mean, what! You idiot!”

Swish!

Baek Cheon’s sword was drawn like lightning.

“Yoon Jong! Jo Gul!”

“Yes!”

“Attack the left and right sides of the enemy! Scatter them!”

“Yes!”

Yoon Jong and Jo Gul needed no further explanation.

“I’ll break through the center! Namgung Dowi! Hae Yeon! Help me!”

“Yes!”

“Yes!”

No sooner had he finished speaking than the Cheonwu Alliance forces, which had been rushing forward as one mass, split into three.

Those who had never coordinated their movements before were moving like an army that had been working together for decades.

“There is no turning back! We break through in one go!”

“Yes!”

“Everyone!”

Baek Cheon shouted, pointing his sword forward.

“Crush the Sapa horde!”

“Let’s goooo!”

Swoosh!

No sooner had he finished speaking than two figures brushed past Baek Cheon and charged forward.

“Huh?”

“Hmm?”

Jin Geum-ryong and Yoo Iseol.

The two, who had jumped forward at a good time, looked at each other for a moment with stiff faces. But only for a moment.

Swish!

Both wanted to be first, and they kicked off the ground and rapidly rushed towards those who were coming to meet them.

“Get out of the way! Woman.”

“You’re in the way.”

The tips of the swords of those who charged like the wind pierced through people who were too surprised to react.

Thwack! Thwack!

“A, aargh!”

Jin Geum-ryong and Yoo Iseol, who had made holes in the bodies of a dozen people in an instant, glanced at each other again and hardened their faces.

“I told you to get lost!”

“I said you’re in the way, didn’t I?”

Swish!

The two plunged into the enemy lines, even before those pierced by their swords could fall.

“S, stop them!”

“A-mi-ta-bul!”

“Haaaah!”

In the moment they tried to react to the swiftness, they heard a majestic Buddhist chant and a tremendous shout in their ears.

Above the heads of the Sapa-ryeon warriors fell a golden light of Buddha and a huge white sword energy.

Kaaaaaang!

A storm of terrifying internal energy raged.

The Sapa-ryeon warriors, struck by the force and sword energy, soared in all directions like foam spewed out by waves crashing against a cliff.

“W, what is that?”

Combat was more than familiar to the Sapa-ryeon warriors.

But even for them, the power of the martial arts unleashed by the Shaolin’s greatest talent and the Namgung Clan’s young master was shockingly terrifying.

Being skilled and having high destructive power are by no means the same thing. There might be not a few who could defeat the two, but few could unleash such power in a single move.

They were shocked by the power they saw.

“These monsters!”

But they were not given much time to fully appreciate the power.

“Pierce through!”

Yoon Jong and Jo Gul, who had already split to the left and right, leading their respective squads, were now charging at them like wild animals.

Break the center, cut down the left and right.

The thorough teamwork was happening naturally, without much discussion.

“……Ah, no! Don’t charge out too far! Junior Sister! Jin Geum-ryong!”

Baek Cheon shouted as if screaming.

“Follow them! Don’t let them get isolated!”

“Yes!”

As if drawn to each other, Baek Cheon’s squad, which was in charge of the center, rushed forward at a terrifying speed.

“……Hmm.”

Jongri Gok, the Sect Leader of Jongnam, who was watching the scene, hardened his expression.

‘Is this possible?’

The power was secondary; he had only given a few instructions. Yet, those who had never fought together before were moving as if it were a familiar task.

Jongri Gok knew how difficult it was to move such a large number according to one’s will. But that unbelievable thing was actually happening before his eyes.

“What is going on….”

“It’s simple.”

“Hmm?”

Jongri Gok turned his head.

Im So-byeong, soaked to the bone, was panting there.

“……Did you fall into the water or something?”

“It’s simple, and that’s why it’s working,”

Im So-byeong said, ignoring Jongri Gok’s words and continuing his explanation.

“There’s no need to think complicatedly. The order given to them is only to follow the Vice Sect Leader in front of them.”

“……Follow them?”

“Then there’s no need for a system or anything. It might be different when blocking or confronting, but an attack always starts from one point.”

Jongri Gok nodded.

‘Certainly…….’

There is no end to military strategy, but there is definitely a framework. Especially in terms of attack, it was even clearer.

“One main attack and four supporting attacks.”

“…….”

“In any military strategy, you don’t need more than five ways to attack. Sect Leader, you know what I mean, right?”

A hollow laugh flowed from Jongri Gok’s mouth.

“That’s ridiculous.”

“Yes. Well, it’s not a proper method. But…….”

Im So-byeong pointed his chin forward.

“Isn’t it working?”

“…….”

Jongri Gok could not refute this.

“There’s no way to create a complex tactic and system now anyway. No, even if ten years pass, it won’t work properly. But there is a simple method.”

“……Are you saying to think of it as five people instead of five squads?”

“Yes. And make them do what they’re good at.”

Jongri Gok looked forward again.

One breaks through, two support. And the other two scatter to the left and right of the enemy to induce chaos.

“……Five Elements (五行)?”

“Exactly.”

That’s the most basic of the Five Elements Formation. A formation that anyone who grew up in the Murim would have done countless times. The only difference is that what one person originally performed is now being performed by one squad.

“That…….”

Jongri Gok understood.

With this method, there is not much need for a command system. Those who are leading each squad now are those who can communicate with each other just by looking into each other’s eyes. Because they are the ones who have broken through countless battlefields shoulder to shoulder.

“Is this the reason why you made the Vice Sect Leader the center?”

“Well, only the strategist knows that.”

“Huh…….”

Jongri Gok let out another hollow laugh.

“It’s recklessly foolish. This is only a half-baked method that works because we are in a position to pour out attacks…….”

At that moment, Jongri Gok flinched.

The moment he tried to finish his words, someone’s words came to his mind.

– It’s our turn to attack this time.

“……Attack……?”

Not ‘will attack,’ but must attack. No, they have no choice but to attack.

‘Since when?’

Wasn’t the intention just to mix the sects and suppress the greed of each sect?

“……Huh.”

Jongri Gok shook his head.

He can’t keep up. No, he doesn’t even dare to keep up.

“Now is not the time to admire, Sect Leader. It’s time for you to use your strength.”

“……Aren’t our positions similar?”

“I’m not a fighter, though?”

“…….”

Jongri Gok sighed silently and stepped forward.

He wasn’t planning on standing idly by like this anyway. Otherwise, he would feel like a truly useless person.

“I may not be good with my head, but my sword is still not bad.”

Jongri Gok’s sword emitted a clear hum, as if proving that fact.

“Strategist!”

Ho Gamyeong, standing below the blood-stained Baegan Rock, looked down at the foot of the mountain. He could already clearly see the Cheonwu Alliance forces crushing the Sapa-ryeon warriors gathered below.

“H, how did they get here already!”

“…….”

“Strategist! W, we must quickly come up with a countermeasure!”

“There’s no need to make a fuss. I knew they would come.”

“Yes?”

Ho Gamyeong’s eyes sank low.

The Cheonwu Alliance is visible, but the Sect Leader’s figure is not. That meant that the Sect Leader had succeeded in his plan. In other words, Chung Myung was not among them.

However, Ho Gamyeong repeatedly scanned their forces as if scrutinizing them. Finally, the moment it became clear that Chung Myung’s figure was not there, Ho Gamyeong nodded slightly.

“He’s not here.”

“……Strategist?”

“Then they are just a disorganized rabble.”

Ho Gamyeong spat out the words coldly.

“Tell them not to confront them head-on and retreat while fighting appropriately.”

“But Strategist, their momentum is…….”

The adjutant, who was about to argue, flinched and lowered his head at Ho Gamyeong’s cold gaze.

“I will follow your orders.”

“Lure them into this mountain.”

Ho Gamyeong’s eyes sank deeply, even more deeply.

‘Such an opportunity will not come easily again.’

Ho Gamyeong’s gaze turned slightly towards Baegan Rock above.

‘If there is bait that cannot be refused…… I must use it.’

Now, all that remained was to reel in the big fish.

Ho Gamyeong’s gaze went beyond the battlefield where the fierce battle was taking place, towards the deep darkness.

“You will regret not coming. Plum Blossom Sword Demon.”

Ho Gamyeong clenched his fist tightly.