Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1696

The harsh sound of teeth grinding filled the air. Chunmyun Soosa was gritting his teeth, and the sound was chilling.

‘I have to escape now!’ Chunmyun Soosa thought. Many Evil Alliance members were on the cliff, including some of his own Hao Moon Clan disciples.

But his life was most important. He could always find more followers later. Yet, he was frozen. Every time he tried to move, a cold, deadly feeling stopped him, like a silent warning.

Chunmyun Soosa stared at the person, then at the small dagger in his hand. It looked delicate, like a pretty knife for decoration. But this tiny dagger held him completely still.

‘You…’ He was Chunmyun Soosa! He shouldn’t be scared of such a small thing. But the person holding it was Tang Gunak, the Dokwang. With Tang Gunak, even a small blade became deadly. Everyone knew not to ignore his weapons.

Chunmyun Soosa was angry. ‘What are you doing?’ he shouted.

Tang Gunak smiled softly, which seemed strange in this dangerous moment. ‘I can’t trust you,’ Tang Gunak said. ‘I don’t know if you’ll really run away or try something else. So, I have to keep you here.’

Chunmyun Soosa gritted his teeth again. ‘My life is in danger!’

‘I know,’ Tang Gunak replied. ‘That’s why I really can’t let you go. If your life is in danger, you might do anything.’

Tang Gunak paused. ‘Someone once said it’s best to remove anything that could change things.’

‘Until they escape?’ Chunmyun Soosa asked.

‘Exactly.’

‘Then you’ll die too?’

Do I look like I’m afraid to die?’ Tang Gunak asked calmly.

‘Maybe you’re not afraid of death, but isn’t dying like a dog something everyone fears?’ Chunmyun Soosa sneered.

‘We see things differently,’ Tang Gunak said calmly. His eyes were still and deep, like a calm lake. ‘Protecting Hwasan is worth my life.’

Chunmyun Soosa’s face became ugly with anger. He knew Tang Gunak wasn’t just talking.

‘Holding me won’t really help them escape, will it?’ Chunmyun Soosa said. ‘Maybe it just gives them a small chance. Are you really going to risk your life for such a small chance? You, Tang Gunak, the Dokwang?’

Tang Gunak looked towards the Hwasan disciples. They were helping the injured Wudang members, carrying them even in this danger.

‘A small chance is enough,’ Tang Gunak said.

‘You’re crazy!’ Chunmyun Soosa hissed.

‘Maybe,’ Tang Gunak agreed.

*What would I have said before?* he thought. He knew the answer instantly. He would have said the same thing as Chunmyun Soosa – that it was stupid. But Tang Gunak was different now.

He still knew it was foolish, but he was ready to do it anyway. A small smile touched Tang Gunak’s lips. ‘I guess this is what happens when you choose the wrong friends,’ he murmured.

‘Stop talking nonsense! Let me go now!’ Chunmyun Soosa yelled.

*WHIP!* A dagger flashed out, fast as lightning, and cut across Chunmyun Soosa’s cheek. He stared, shocked. The dagger spun back through the air and landed back in Tang Gunak’s hand.

Suddenly, Tang Gunak held *two* daggers. ‘I warned you not to move,’ Tang Gunak said, his voice cold.

‘Iik…’ Chunmyun Soosa gasped. ‘No more warnings now, Chunmyun Soosa.’

*GRIND!* Chunmyun Soosa’s face twisted into an ugly mask of rage. He didn’t care how he looked anymore. ‘I… understand,’ he hissed. His hand reached out, turning white and cold. ‘Killing you is the quickest way out!’

‘If you can,’ Tang Gunak said, ‘But can you?’

‘NOOOO!’ Chunmyun Soosa roared. With a burst of power, his body exploded into many copies of himself. Dozens of Chunmyun Soosas rushed at Tang Gunak!

*CRASH!* They slammed into Tang Gunak’s daggers.

Even in the middle of the fight, Tang Gunak glanced at Hwasan. He saw Baek Cheon carrying Moo Jin, leading Hwasan, and the others helping.

It was surprising. Chung Myung wasn’t there, but they were still acting like he was. Even now, they hadn’t changed.

*Just one step,* Tang Gunak thought. Being honorable wasn’t about big, grand things. It was about not leaving behind those who were hurt, even when you were in danger. It was about being willing to suffer a little, to lose a little, for others. It was about having the courage to take just one step for those who had fallen.

Tang Gunak stepped forward, feeling heavy as if carrying a mountain. *WHIP!* His dagger sliced through the air, sharp and fast as it had been years ago.

‘Faster!’ someone yelled. ‘Yes!’

*CRUNCH!* A Sun Palace archer slammed his hand into the rock cliff, gritting his teeth as he pulled himself up. He looked down. It was a long, dizzying drop.

He was used to the flat lands near the Southern Sea Sun Palace, not these high, rocky cliffs. The Sun Palace was a royal sect, usually on plains, not mountains. These archers weren’t used to climbing like this.

‘Oh!’ *SNAP!* The stone he held broke. He swayed, losing his grip, and desperately searched for something else to hold on to. He found a tiny crack, just big enough for a finger. His whole weight hung from that small crack. Sweat poured down his face.

Martial arts helped, but climbing this cliff with explosives strapped to them was still incredibly hard, even for skilled fighters. *Why are we doing this?* the archer wondered for a moment. No. He couldn’t question it. The Palace Lord’s orders were law. Disobeying meant death for him and his family.

If the Palace Lord told him to die, he would do it gladly. That’s what a Sun Palace archer did. ‘Faster!’

‘Ugh!’ The archer reached again, searching for a hold. When he found nothing, he focused his inner power into his fingers and punched into the rock. ‘Got it!’

‘Start digging!’ ‘Yes!’

*CRUNCH, CRUNCH, CRUNCH!* They reached the spot they were told to reach, pressed against the cliff, and started punching holes with one hand.

*BANG! BANG!* Rocks cracked and echoed on the cliff. ‘Dig deeper!’ someone shouted. ‘We can’t just blow it up from the outside! Dig in and put the bombs inside!’

‘Yes!’ the archer yelled back, biting his lip hard. Hanging here with no ropes, one slip meant falling hundreds of meters to their deaths. Punching through solid rock like this was almost impossible, insane even. But they had their orders. Even if it killed them, they would obey.

*BANG! BANG!* Their fists, burning with Heat Yang energy, smashed into the cliff again and again. Stone chips flew like bullets, stinging their faces. Maybe it was the fear of death that made them stronger. A deep hole appeared quickly in the hard rock.

Looking up, he saw Evil Alliance warriors still climbing, struggling up the cliff. *Who’s more foolish?* he thought suddenly. *Me, risking my life for orders? Or those fools climbing up, not knowing they’re walking into a trap?* Which was worse? He didn’t have time to think. The answer came from below.

‘Look out! Someone’s coming from below!’

‘What? Below?’ The archers stopped digging and stared down. And there it was. Rising up the steep cliff, something pure white. *What is that?* Their eyes widened. Coming up *now*? Didn’t they know about the explosion? Anyone below would know it was a death trap! Were they insane?

‘Fools!’

‘He’s fast! He’ll be here any second!’

‘Stop him! Someone, stop him now!’

‘Yes!’ Some of the archers pushed off the cliff and dropped down towards the figure climbing up. *WHOOSH!* Red energy burst from their bodies like hot lava as they fell. This was Heat Yang energy, powerful and burning. Just looking at the waves of heat, you could see how skilled they were.

*Someone’s actually crazy enough to climb up here?* These Murim people were all mad. Climbing the cliff was crazy enough, but doing it alone? What could one person do?

‘Forget about him! Keep digging! We’re out of time!’

‘Yes!’ The Sun Palace archer, who had looked away for a second, nodded quickly and was about to hit the rock again when— *HUMMMMM!* A deep, strange sound came from below. It sounded like something huge vibrating, like a giant engine starting. The archers stopped and looked down again, drawn by the sound. And they froze. A pure white light, brighter than the sun, lit up the dark cliff. It was blinding.

*What…?* *KABOOM!* Pure white energy exploded outwards. The archers who had gone down to stop the figure were blown apart instantly, thrown back like rag dolls. ‘…Huh?’ One of the dead archers flew back up past the cliff, his lifeless eyes staring at the archer still hanging there. His body floated for a moment, then began to fall down into the darkness below. Everyone felt a chill run down their spines. Then, they all looked at the figure who had unleashed this incredible power.

‘ROAR!’ He charged forward, yelling like a wild beast, his white sword glowing. The Sun Palace archers froze, their bodies stiff with fear. They didn’t know why, but this person, a stranger, made them terrified. They were soldiers who obeyed only the highest orders, yet this one man made them tremble.

*HUMMMMM!* The man’s sword glowed white again, even brighter. It was like a sun in his hand, turning the dark cliff bright as day. *A… King…?* The man swung his sword with incredible force. *WHOOSH!* A wave of white sword energy, like a flood of light, rushed towards the archers on the cliff.