Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1682

“Earnestness,” Jang Il-so said slowly, his voice smooth. He touched his wine glass with his fingertips, turning it gently.

It was a slow, relaxed movement. Anyone else doing this would be boring to watch. But with Jang Il-so, it was different. Chung Myung found he couldn’t look away from those fingers. There was something unsettling about the way he moved.

“An amusing notion.”

Jang Il-so leaned back slightly, as if relaxing in a chair.

“Isn’t it peculiar?”

“What is?” Chung Myung asked.

“Earnestness… As you say, earnestness might be another name for belief. But it could also be another name for something else, don’t you think?”

Jang Il-so smiled slightly.

“Namely, desire.”

Chung Myung didn’t respond.

Jang Il-so looked intently at Chung Myung.

“To desire so earnestly. To want so desperately. The world calls that desire.”

“So?”

“Thus, isn’t it peculiar?”

Jang Il-so chuckled.

“The lowest members of the Demonic Sect talk about duty, while the respected heroes of the Orthodox Sect talk about desire.”

Chung Myung remained silent.

“Doesn’t it seem… that something has changed? The Demonic Sect are groups that are seen as evil or against the traditional ways. The Orthodox Sect are groups that follow traditional and righteous martial arts paths.”

Chung Myung’s gaze darkened.

“What are you trying to say?”

“Haha! Don’t look so angry. I simply find it amusing, that’s all,” Jang Il-so said. His eyes seemed to glow strangely.

Those eyes seemed to mock everything: the Wudang who were trying to protect the mountain, and the Demonic Alliance who were attacking them.

The Mount Heaven Alliance, who were trying to save everyone, and Chung Myung, who was there to stop Jang Il-so… even Jang Il-so himself, sitting there and laughing.

“I simply had a thought.”

“What thought?”

“If you were in my place right now, what would you say?”

Chung Myung didn’t answer.

“And if I were in your place, what would I be saying? Would I, too, be talking about that pathetic sense of duty?”

Jang Il-so’s mocking words bothered Chung Myung.

“What do you think?”

Chung Myung stayed silent.

“Isn’t it amusing?”

That laughter stayed in Chung Myung’s mind.

“I broke through!” Jo Gul shouted, pulling his sword back and then thrusting it forward again. He saw Baek Cheon and the other Mount Hua disciples running ahead.

“Get out of the way!”

The Demonic Alliance disciples were surprised by his sword and moved aside, creating a path for Jo Gul.

“Alright, everyone, just like always…” Jo Gul started to say, ready to charge forward. But then he stopped and turned around. The Demonic Alliance disciples were closing in again.

“Keep going! Keep going!” Jo Gul shouted, stopping and turning to face the enemy.

The old Jo Gul would have been the first to run forward, but he had changed.

“Back off, you bastards!”

His sword moved differently than before. He held it in reverse grip and swung it in a wide arc. Instead of trying to stab the enemy, he was trying to push them back and create space.

It felt strange, like wearing clothes that didn’t fit, but it was still powerful.

‘Think! More!’ he told himself.

Before, he would have just charged forward and let his senior and junior brothers take care of the rest. But now, they weren’t there to help him. Jo Gul had to do everything himself.

However, the others were confused.

“Where are we going, Vice Leader?” one of them asked.

“Are we supposed to follow the Mount Hua Sect’s representative?”

“Which way do we go?”

Jo Gul quickly turned his head.

“What is it!”

Instead of following him, some were heading towards Baek Cheon, while others were running towards the mountain peak.

The others hesitated.

“No! Follow Senior Uncle Baek Cheon! He is the Mount Hua Sect’s representative!”

“You have to tell us!”

Jo Gul’s eyes widened. Hadn’t he made it clear? Even if he hadn’t, shouldn’t it be obvious?

“Follow the Sect Leader’s representative! Quickly!” Jo Gul shouted. But his voice was lost in the noise of the battle.

He hesitated for a moment.

‘Should I go back to the front? But what about the rear?’

If the vanguard broke through, the enemy would chase after them. But he couldn’t leave the rear unguarded.

‘What to do…’

As Jo Gul hesitated, the Demonic Alliance disciples saw their chance and rushed towards him.

“Wait a moment!”

Just as Jo Gul was about to swing his sword, someone stepped in front of him and attacked.

Jo Gul was surprised and almost swung his sword, but he saw something shining and stopped himself.

A golden fist swept away the Demonic Alliance disciples, sending them flying backwards. It was Hae Yeon, a monk from Shaolin.

“Amitabha. Disciple Jo Gul, were you startled…?”

“Aish! How can you suddenly jump in like that? If I hadn’t seen your bald head, I would have stabbed you!”

Hae Yeon looked at Jo Gul with a strange expression.

“I will take care of this place, so please, go ahead,” Hae Yeon said.

“Yes?”

At that moment, another explosion sounded.

A powerful sword energy, like a giant rock, smashed into the enemies, stopping them. It was Namgung Dowi.

“To think that Disciple Jo Gul would consider guarding the rear. My father was right when he said that even a hopeless person can improve someday.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Go! Disciple Jo Gul! You have a task to fulfill!”

“Ah, that’s right!”

Jo Gul turned around and ran forward.

“Then I’ll leave the rear to you!”

“Yes!”

Namgung Dowi chuckled as he watched Jo Gul run towards the front.

“Esteemed monk,” Namgung Dowi said.

“Yes, Benefactor,” Hae Yeon replied.

“Did your late father really say those words?”

Namgung Dowi smiled slightly.

“No. I just said it.”

Hae Yeon didn’t respond.

“Is there a problem?”

“Amitabha… No, nothing at all.” Hae Yeon smiled faintly. ‘If it’s Jo Gul… he deserves it,’ he thought.

“It wasn’t a bad thing to say. It’s true that I was surprised.”

“I agree with that.”

It seemed that the position made the person, which wasn’t entirely false. To think that Jo Gul would consider the rear. But it seemed that it wasn’t something Jo Gul could do well.

“Shall we block them, then?” Hae Yeon asked.

“Yes,” Namgung Dowi replied.

Hae Yeon and Namgung Dowi prepared to fight. First, they needed to stop the enemy from chasing after the vanguard.

And that was what they were best at.

“Senior Uncle! Senior Brother!” Jo Gul shouted.

“You’re late! You idiot!” Baek Cheon said.

“Why are you so late! You can’t even do what you used to do!” Yoon Jong added.

Jo Gul felt unfairly criticized. He had been thinking about his actions, but they didn’t even realize that.

“Go forward!” Baek Cheon ordered.

“Yes?”

“Break through at the front!”

“What?”

“What else, you idiot!”

Baek Cheon and Yoon Jong pointed towards the peak of the mountain, where the White Cloud Hermitage could be seen.

“It’s there!”

“We’re breaking through and going straight up. There’s no time to waste,” Baek Cheon said.

“Blow away everything in sight!” Yoon Jong added.

Jo Gul was surprised.

“Those people are already rampaging in the lead?”

Jo Gul saw Yoo Iseol and Jin Geum-ryong easily defeating the enemy at the front. Jin Geum-ryong was strong, but even Yoo Iseol was much stronger than him.

“Don’t dawdle!” Baek Cheon said.

Baek Cheon and Yoon Jong grabbed Jo Gul’s shoulders and pushed him forward. Baek Cheon said in a serious tone:

“Breaking through the vanguard is your job. No one can do it better than you.”

Jo Gul’s face changed.

“Are you asking if I can do it?”

“Yes!”

“Why would you even ask that?”

Jo Gul gripped his Plum Blossom Sword and grinned.

“Just don’t fall behind, old men!”

Jo Gul kicked off the ground and charged forward.

“Get out of my way! You’re too slow!”

Jo Gul’s sword glowed red as it touched the burning flames, filled with confidence.

“They’ve broken through!”

“The enemies are entering the mountain! Strategist!”

The adjutants looked worried.

They had been attacked from behind. The Demonic Alliance forces were scattered all over the mountain.

It was impossible to reorganize the formation. How could they give orders to those who were scattered across the burning mountain?

They had been focused on destroying Wudang quickly, and now they were being attacked from behind. It was a terrible situation.

The defensive line had been broken, and now they were vulnerable.

“We have to do something!”

“The enemies’ goal is Wudang! We have to finish off Wudang before they arrive!”

“But if we do that, we’ll suffer heavy losses! What about afterwards?”

“Those who have lost their purpose will fall apart! We have to break their morale now!”

“Even if the enemies have entered the mountain, there’s no need to be afraid! They can’t move easily through the burning mountain! Now that they’ve entered the mountain…”

“Silence,” Hoga Myung said.

The adjutants stopped talking.

Hoga Myung looked at the Mount Heaven Alliance and nodded.

“They are indeed the Mount Heaven Alliance.”

“Yes?”

“Issue orders to everyone possible. Block their advance as much as possible.”

“Block their advance? How do you know that?”

“There’s no need to think about it,” Hoga Myung said.

Hoga Myung pointed to the Mount Heaven Alliance, then pointed to the area below him.

“They will move in a straight line to here.”

The adjutant was confused.

“The opponent is the Mount Heaven Alliance. They will choose the shortest path, not the best one.”

“But Strategist! It’s difficult to even give the orders, and even if we do, it’s impossible to block them in time. We’ll just be chasing after them.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Hoga Myung said.

“Yes?”

Hoga Myung looked at the adjutant who had questioned him. The adjutant realized his mistake and lowered his head.

“I will carry out the order,” the adjutant said.

“Quickly. Immediately,” Hoga Myung said.

The adjutant ran off, and Hoga Myung watched him go before turning his head again.

‘They’ve gained momentum,’ he thought.

They were excited and confident.

Even Hoga Myung felt a sense of danger, unlike when he was facing Wudang. It was clear that their strength was a threat to him.

“That’s fine for now. But… they’ll soon find out,” Hoga Myung said.

Hoga Myung’s eyes darkened.

A fox who mistakes the tiger’s strength for its own will die a miserable death.

Just like the Mount Heaven Alliance right now.