Chapter 1788 – Return of The Mount Hua Sect

Chapter 1788. The Evil Tyrant Alliance is Coming! (3) ❀ ❀ ❀

Power is another name for fear.

It is the authority to enforce something, the means to impose one’s will, and a blade that can cut down the weak. 

This is why people crave power. Regardless of its form, they dedicate their lives to obtaining a strength that suits them. 

In this moment, Tang Gunak realized it clearly.

Among the many forms of power, the most overwhelming is sheer numbers.

Everything before him seemed to darken. The horizon, where the blue sky met the earth, was being swallowed by a murky tide. It was a scene beyond words, even for someone who had lived as long as Tang Gunak. 

Surely, everyone else must be feeling the same. Before the overwhelming spectacle, they all needed to be snapped out of it and steeled for what lay ahead. 

But even knowing this, Tang Gunak couldn’t bring himself to speak. 

No words could dispel what they were seeing. He understood better than anyone that clumsy reassurances would only make things worse. 

“Ugh…”

“Uugh.”

Low, stifled groans emerged from the gathered figures. 

Each one was a notable figure who had shaped the martial world, yet here they were, uttering nothing but sighs. That alone spoke volumes about the situation. 

Tang Gunak clenched his fists tightly. 

Those who wield hidden weapons must never let their hands tremble, no matter the circumstances. It was a lesson he had internalized countless times. Yet knowing and doing are two entirely different things. 

The encroaching wave seemed ready to engulf them, its sheer magnitude triggering an involuntary tremor in his fingers. 

At that moment, something caught his eye.

Amid the vast crowd, something distinct stood out—like a drop of red blood falling into a murky pond. 

Tang Gunak found himself holding his breath. 

‘Jang Ilso.’

It was strange. 

This wasn’t the first time Tang Gunak had faced Jang Ilso. While he wouldn’t call their encounters ‘frequent’, they had met more than a few times.

Yet, the Jang Ilso he saw now felt completely different. It was as if he wasn’t even the same person who had sat across from him at the Myriad Man House in the past.

What had changed so drastically in the meantime? 

“Lord Tang. Those bastards…” 

Moyong Wigyeong stammered, his voice trembling before turning into a near scream. 

“We- we must… do something! Anything!” 

His plea was driven by the urgent need to give some kind of order, fearing the enemy might attack at any moment. 

It was then that Zhuge Zain stepped forward. 

“Calm yourself.”

His voice was far more composed than Moyong Wigyeong’s, though it, too, carried a faint tremor. Once Moyong Wigyeong regained a measure of composure, Zhuge Zain continued. 

“They won’t charge at us recklessly.”

“Wh-what makes you say that? Don’t they have the momentum now?”

“…Precisely because of that.”

“What?”

Moyong Wigyeong looked at Zhuge Zain, puzzled, but Zhuge offered no further explanation.

An army’s strength lies in its numbers, but only when those numbers are organized. No matter how disciplined, a force of that size could not maintain perfect formation during a long advance.

Even now, they needed time to regroup and prepare before launching an attack. 

However, Zhuge Zain couldn’t say this out loud. It was obvious how saying something like a tiger that’s targeting sheep needs time to sharpen its claws would affect their morale.

Zhuge Zain’s prediction proved correct. 

The enemy’s furious charge began to slow. 

Yet, instead of easing their burden, this pause only amplified the tension among the defenders of the Heavenly Comrade Alliance. The uncertainty of when the enemy might surge again pressed heavily on their minds. Seeing the enemy in stillness somehow felt even more overwhelming than watching them advance. 

Gulp.

Someone swallowed dryly. The sound seemed to echo the collective anxiety. 

When the enormous wave of Evil Tyrant Alliance’s forces finally came to a halt, every gaze turned toward a single point. 

Though no one had directed them, it was as if they had all been silently compelled. 

An eerie silence descended, almost absurd in its completeness. 

Even with such a massive gathering of people, no sound could be heard.

There was no need to question why. The overwhelming presence of a single figure stifled them all, leaving no room for even the faintest relief.

A suffocating tension filled the air, so oppressive that a sudden burst of violence might have been preferable.

At the forefront of the enemy line, cloaked in a crimson robe, stood Jang Ilso. Slowly, his gaze swept over the people standing across from him, from the far left to the far right.

Those caught in his snake-like stare reacted in various ways. Some recoiled, some bit their lips, while others glared back with intense hostility.

But one thing was clear—none could ignore him. 

His pale face, marked by unnaturally vivid red lips, parted as he began to speak. His voice, laced with an unsettling nasal tone, reverberated through the silent battlefield.

“Hmmm… Why do you all look like that?”

A sinister smirk curled his crimson lips. 

“This was bound to happen eventually, wasn’t it?” 

A chill ran through the crowd. 

Indeed, they had all known this day would come. A decisive confrontation with Evil Tyrant Alliance was inevitable. The final battle would decide everything. 

So why did it feel so jarring? 

Perhaps it was because, while they had expected it, deep down, they had desperately wished it would never come. 

“Hmm? Am I wrong?” 

Jang Ilso’s gaze scanned them, as if searching for something. When he didn’t find what he was looking for, he tilted his head slightly, his expression faintly curious. 

Finally, his eyes locked onto the figure at the center of the Heavenly Comrade Alliance’s ranks—Tang Gunak. 

“The Poison King.” 

In response to the deliberate call, Tang Gunak maintained his silence. He did so to mask how parched his lips and even the inside of his mouth had become. 

“That’s strange. You look pretty tired, don’t you?”

“....Jang Ilso.” 

“Well, it’s no small feat to wear a crown that doesn’t suit you.”

Jang Ilso let out a low chuckle, lightly tapping his neck. 

“You might snap your neck if you’re not careful.” 

Tang Gunak could tell.

Even as Jang Ilso casually exchanged words, the Evil Tyrant Alliance warriors behind him continued to move silently. Undoubtedly, Ho Gamyeong was hidden somewhere, busy issuing orders to reorganize the formation.

Even this seemingly meaningless conversation worked to their advantage. 

Yet Tang Gunak couldn’t easily sever the dialogue. It was difficult to forsake this side’s precious time to prepare in order to deny the enemy theirs. 

“Jang Ilso. No, Lord of Evil Tyrant Alliance.” 

Tang Gunak finally spoke, both as the deputy leader of Heavenly Comrade Alliance and as a martial artist. 

“There is still a way back.”

“....Hmm?”

“There’s still an opportunity to stop this reckless and futile endeavor.” 

Tang Gunak fixed Jang Ilso with a piercing gaze, but Jang Ilso merely scoffed in disbelief. 

“Ha… Of all things, that’s what you have to say?” 

He even lightly pressed his forehead and shook his head in exasperation. 

“A position beyond one’s capability is certainly poison. You don’t even know what to do, so all you can do is spout obvious nonsense.” 

“.....”

“Was the role of Heavenly Comrade Alliance leader so burdensome? Hm? Did it really reduce the great Poison King to spewing drivel?”

Tang Gunak clenched his teeth fiercely, but he still didn’t stop the conversation. 

“Tell me. What’s left to gain?” 

“...What?” 

“If we engage in war here, rivers of blood will flow. Both the victors and the defeated will suffer immense losses.” 

Jang Ilso stared at Tang Gunak with intrigue. 

“And so?” 

“What’s left for you after claiming a ruined martial world? You’ll have to stake your life, and you could even lose everything you’ve worked for. Are the hollow words of ‘conquest’ truly worth such a price to you?” 

This was Tang Gunak’s sincere question as a human being.

Jang Ilso, the leader of Myriad Man House, the paegun. What on earth drives him? Were the things he sought truly worth the sacrifices they demanded?

Of course, Tang Gunak also desired the revival of Sichuan Tang Family. Who wouldn’t want to elevate their family to the greatest under heaven (the greatest in the world), or even beyond? 

Yet he wanted it and didn’t want it at the same time. More than anyone, he understood how much had to be lost in the process.

“Conquest is nothing but an empty shell.” 

“....” 

“To throw everything away for that shell—was your life truly so worthless? Is it, Jang Ilso?” 

Tang Gunak’s intense shouts pierced Jang Ilso’s ears. Surely, he must have sensed the desperation in that rebuke, but Jang Ilso’s reaction was extremely indifferent.

“See, this is what I mean.”

Clicking his tongue in disdain, Jang Ilso lightly ran his long fingers over his lips.

“If you don’t understand even now, let me enlighten you.” 

“.....” 

“It’s not because it holds value that I desire it. Do you understand?” 

A smirk spread across Jang Ilso’s face—a smirk that was unmistakably one of mockery. 

For a moment, Tang Gunak felt an unsettling chill. It wasn’t himself that Jang Ilso’s ridicule was directed at.

“It’s because I desire it…. that it becomes valuable.”

If so, where was that mockery aimed?

“Even if I lose everything, even if I negate my entire life, even if I end up clutching nothing more than an empty husk I’ll never truly own…”

Jang Ilso’s voice, which had been soft, grew weighty and somber. 

“Even then, if I desire it, that’s when it gains worth—enough to exchange everything for.” 

“….Who decides something like that?”

“What a foolish question. Who else but me?” 

“.....”

“The one who sacrifices, the one who yearns, the one who endures ridicule, and the one who revels in the end—it’s all me.”

Tang Gunak’s fingertips began to tremble.

Where did this madness lead? What was its origin? To Tang Gunak, Jang Ilso was an unfathomable enigma. He couldn’t understand him at all.

“You…” 

Just as Tang Gunak was about to say something more, Ho Gamyeong emerged from behind Jang Ilso. 

“Ryeonju-nim. Preparations are complete.”

“Hmm. I see.” 

Jang Ilso tilted his head slightly to glance back before smiling brightly at Tang Gunak. 

“This is all the conversation I have for the clown mocking me at my own house . If you want to play some more, bring an adult next time.” 

“Paegun!” 

“Don’t whine. There’s no need for that.” 

A radiant smile spread across Jang Ilso’s face, brighter than ever.

“I’ve already waited long enough.”

At those words, an overwhelming intensity surged from the Evil Tyrant Alliance warriors behind him. 

Though brief, the moment of respite had been enough to catch their breath and recover their strength. Now, they sought only to unleash that pent-up energy.

“What are you waiting for?”

Jang Ilso’s calm voice rang out, piercing through the rising tension. 

“Tear them apart. Just as you always have.”

Boom!

The sound of countless people simultaneously kicking the ground resonated like a huge roar.

“Uwooooaaaahhhh!” 

“Kill them all!” 

With their sanity utterly abandoned, the Evil Tyrant Alliance forces surged toward the Heavenly Comrade Alliance like a relentless tide. 

“Ahahahahahahahaha!”

Jang Ilso’s laughter, tinged with madness, resounded over the cacophony of frenzied roars.

Next Chapter

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