Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 813

The air filled with the roar of fire as boiling oil poured from above.

It looked like a waterfall, but instead of water, it was burning oil.

This wasn’t cool water. This was burning oil that would cook skin and steal sight.

Fear shot through Heo Do-jin. He yelled, his voice cracking, “Defend! Get under cover!”

Heo Do-jin and the Wudang elders, who were climbing close behind the disciples, leaped up the cliff face. The Shaolin elders were even faster, shooting upwards.

They knew instantly: if that oil hit the disciples, many would die.

With a great roar, Shaolin power exploded. Golden light flashed across the cliff. Power shot out in many streams, hitting the oil.

The oil clumps broke apart and flew everywhere, like tiny explosions.

Grrr! They could break up the oil, scatter it, but they couldn’t stop it all. Oil was still oil, and it would find a way through.

The scattered oil broke into smaller drops and now fell like burning rain.

“Don’t stop! Shatter it! Knock it outwards!” Beopgye shouted with all his might. The veins standing out on his neck and head clearly showed his urgency. Golden power was unleashed again and again.

It was amazing to watch, but even with such power, they couldn’t stop every drop of burning oil.

But below Beopgye and the Shaolin elders, someone else stood ready. It was the Wudang elders.

“Unleash it!” With Heo Do-jin’s cry, the Wudang elders created the Sword Membrane. The Sword Membrane grew, covering the disciples of Shaolin and Wudang like a large roof.

Tap tap tap tap tap!

With a sound like heavy rain hitting a tent, the oil droplets collided with the Sword Membrane and bounced off.

This showed how strong Shaolin and Wudang had become.

Jang Il-so smiled, a cold smile. “Well, well. Shaolin and Wudang are still strong, huh? But… how long can they last?”

Jang Il-so snapped his fingers again. Then, the emptied cauldrons retreated, and new cauldrons were brought forward.

“Pour.”

The cauldrons, which seemed larger than people, tilted at once again, and new oil began to pour out.

Heo Do-jin’s eyes twisted horribly.

‘How many times…?’

If they poured all the oil at once, they could deal with it quickly. But pouring it bit by bit like this meant they would run out of energy.

Even the strongest Shaolin and Wudang elders couldn’t keep using so much power for long, or hold the Sword Membrane forever.

Heo Do-jin gritted his teeth at the feeling of his internal energy being depleted in an instant.

‘What on earth is this?’

They hadn’t even exchanged a single blow with the Maninbang or those occupying the cliff top.

This wasn’t how martial artists fought! This wasn’t the honorable combat of the Jianghu. Explosives? Boiling oil?

He felt lost, like he was in a nightmare. This wasn’t the war he knew.

“Pour again!”

Following Jang Il-so’s instructions, the cauldrons appeared one after another.

The poured oil constantly hit the Sword Membrane and bounced off. Carried by the wind, it dug into the backs of the Wudang disciples climbing the cliff.

“Aaaaargh!”

“Mubo! Are you alright?”

“Kueugh… M, my back…”

White steam rose from the back that had been hit by the oil. The foul smell of burning flesh pierced their noses. The sight and smell were sickening.

They couldn’t even help the injured while hanging on the cliff. Staying there longer would only mean more people getting hurt.

Jang Il-so shook his head and clicked his tongue with an exaggeratedly pitiful expression, then smiled. His white hand waved, and he gave another instruction.

“Too eager. That’s why knowing what to expect is so important.”

Zzzzzing.

Heo Do-jin, startled by the eerie sound piercing his ears, looked down in surprise.

‘What?’

In that moment, Heo Do-jin saw it.

“No, no!”

The Black Dragon Corps had suffered enormous damage from the falling rocks. But that didn’t mean all those bandits were dead.

The surviving remnants of the Black Dragon Corps were aiming their bows at the cliff from below.

Paaaeeng!

At the same time as the bowstrings snapped back, dark arrows soared up all at once and flew towards the cliff.

“Arrows are coming!”

“Block them!”

The Wudang disciples frantically swung their swords to deflect them, and the Shaolin monks unleashed their power to push them away.

But they couldn’t block all the arrows while clinging to the cliff.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

“Kueugh!”

One of the Shaolin monks, hit by an arrow in the back, began to fall.

“Kakso!”

Those nearby hurriedly reached out to grab the falling monk. But in doing so, they had to endure an arrow piercing their arm.

Crack!

“Kuk!”

The face of the monk, who was holding onto his comrade with an arm that had an arrow embedded in the bone, twisted horribly.

“Damn it, Cheongseong…!”

Heo Do-jin gritted his teeth.

If they had climbed the cliff first, the rear sects should have cleared out the remaining remnants from below. That was only natural.

But how could he force them to do that? Everyone knew the bottom of the cliff was incredibly dangerous. If the cliff collapsed while they were dealing with the Black Dragon Corps below, they would be buried alive.

So, Cheongseong had no choice but to climb the cliff as well.

It’s always harder to risk your life for someone else. That’s why true bravery is so rare and so admired.

‘Jang Il-so!’

And where did all those bows and arrows come from?

Jang Il-so had planned this all along! The oil, the arrows… it was all a trap.

To make matters worse, the oil that the Sword Membrane couldn’t completely block began to flow down the cliff. It had cooled down while flowing down the cliff, so it didn’t burn their hands, but the problem was that the already steep cliff became as slippery as an ice rink.

Even in the midst of all this, powerful arrows flew relentlessly from behind.

They had to block them while also removing the explosives to prevent the cliff from collapsing.

This was true hell.

Explosives that would collapse the cliff.

Boiling oil poured from above.

Arrows flying from below.

Each thing alone might not be so bad. But Jang Il-so used each one perfectly, at the perfect time, making a terrible trap they couldn’t get out of.

“Jang Il-sooooo!”

A cry burst from Heo Do-jin’s lips.

Jang Il-so laughed, pretending to wipe away tears, and looked down at Heo Do-jin.

Jang Il-so said, shaking his head. “Oh my! The leader of Wudang is so silly! A leader should be serious.”

Cheonmyeon Soosa, watching nearby, muttered, “He’s right. Anyone would be cursing in this mess.”

Cheonmyeon Soosa thought, ‘Jang Il-so understands war. It’s all about position and using simple plans perfectly.’

This was a perfect example. Who would have thought you could use arrows, oil, and bombs to defeat Shaolin and Wudang?

In Jang Il-so’s plan, even powerful people like Cheonmyeon Soosa, Mangeum Daebu, and the Black Dragon King were just pieces in his game.

Here, on this cliff, Jang Il-so was in complete control. He was playing with them like toys.

It was strange, but Cheonmyeon Soosa didn’t mind being part of Jang Il-so’s plan. Demonic sects usually hated being controlled by anyone else.

Mangeum Daebu and the Black Dragon King must know they were being used by Jang Il-so.

But there was no animosity or displeasure on their faces.

‘Perhaps… the Demonic Alliance might really become more than just words.’

Cheonmyeon Soosa realized: Jang Il-so *was* a leader. He was strong, smart, and in control.

And the only one who had escaped Jang Il-so’s grasp was one person.

“Hey! You bald monk!”

Crack!

Chung Myung, who had cut three fuses in an instant, shouted.

“Why aren’t you dealing with the bottom quickly! Do you have a grudge against Shaolin too?”

“Amitabha!”

With a shout of ‘Amitabha!’, Hae Yeon unleashed his power. It crashed into the bandits. The bandits were sent flying like fallen leaves.

“Hae Yeon!”

A shout burst from Beopgye’s lips.

Everyone was climbing the cliff to save their own lives, but there was one person who stood firmly below.

Beopgye saw Hae Yeon clearly. His gentle face was calm, even in this chaos.

“Amitabha. Please ascend, Elder. I will take care of the bottom…”

“Hey, if you have time to talk, fight, you bastard!”

“Agh! That s… Ah, Amitabha! Amitabha!”

Hae Yeon, who had frowned for a moment, was startled and chanted the Buddha’s name repeatedly. And as if he had never said anything violent, he rushed at the bandits.

The bandits, who couldn’t fight properly because they were holding bows, were swept away like fallen leaves.

‘That’s it!’

Heo Do-jin’s eyes widened. ‘Hae Yeon is distracting them!’

Of course, there were too many bandits below, so one person couldn’t clear them out in an instant.

But just drawing their attention was effective. Hadn’t the momentum of the arrows flying towards the cliff clearly decreased?

‘Just a little bit…’

“Agh! I’m going to die of frustration! What are you looking at!”

At that moment, Chung Myung, clinging to the cliff, shouted fiercely.

“Leave the disciples and just jump up! Shaolin, Wudang, Namgoong! Anyway, you useless bastards!”

“You son of a bitch!”

Namgoong Hwang was the first to react.

“Alright! I’m going!”

He kicked off the cliff in an instant and leaped upwards. He used Heo Do-jin as a stepping stone and shot up the cliff face.

Heo Do-jin gritted his teeth. Chung Myung was right.

If they just blocked here, they would only waste their strength and die. They had to occupy the top of that cliff, even if it meant taking damage.

“Those who can follow, follow me! Let’s go!”

“Yes!”

Some of the elders withdrew the Sword Membrane and followed closely behind Heo Do-jin.

Heo Do-jin roared, a sound of pure fury, and leaped up the cliff.

“You should have done that sooner, you morons!”

Chung Myung scrambled along the cliff top. He looked towards Jang Il-so and the Demonic Alliance.

“Just you wait, you bastard!”

Chung Myung’s shout echoed across the cliff.