Chapter 1842 – Return of The Mount Hua Sect

Chapter 1842. In the end, you will witness it. (2) ❀ ❀ ❀

“Sahyung!”

At the familiar voice calling out, Yoon Jong turned around.

“Geol-ah!”

Jo Geol, who had headed toward Wudang, was now rushing back with the disciples in tow. As soon as he reached Yoon Jong, he shouted urgently.

“The Blood Palace? What happened to them?”

Yoon Jong’s face paled. Jo Geol, oblivious to the situation, bombarded him with questions.

“They went after our rear. Surely no one was caught off guard, right, Sahyung? Say something!”

It seemed Jo Geol had not yet witnessed the carnage behind them. Yoon Jong hesitated. Where should he even begin? No—how could he possibly explain it?

Jo Geol, finally getting a good look at Yoon Jong’s face, stiffened.

“Sahyung? Don’t tell me....”

“The Tang Family Lord has fallen.”

But it was not Yoon Jong who answered. Jo Geol snapped his head toward the voice.

“What are you saying?”

No further response came. All he could see was Cheong Myeong’s retreating back as he ran forward without a word. Jo Geol glared at his back as if demanding an explanation, but Cheong Myeong never once looked back.

“What kind of bullshit is this?! I’m asking you!”

“Geol-ah.”

“Bullshit!”

Yoon Jong tried to calm him, but it was useless. Jo Geol’s voice was laced with venom.

“The Tang Family Lord? Do you even hear yourself?! He’s not someone who would fall to those Blood Palace bastards! Sahyung!”

He desperately sought confirmation, but Yoon Jong had no words to offer. Jo Geol’s expression grew darker.

“Don’t joke about things like this. There are things you can joke about and things you can’t.... Sahyung? ....Right?”

His voice wavered. He had seen Yoon Jong’s devastated face.

Yoon Jong could no longer ignore Jo Geol’s trembling, tear-filled eyes. With great difficulty, he finally spoke.

“....Jang Ilso was there.”

At that single name, Jo Geol fell silent. Those three syllables alone carried enough weight to explain everything.

“No.... No way. That bastard.... why....”

“....”

“....Damn it all!”

Jo Geol cursed, lowering his head. Then, as if struck by a sudden realization, he snapped his head up again. His eyes flickered with fear.

“Sahyung.... What about Soso?”

“Not yet.”

Jo Geol bit his lip without another word. His hands clenched and unclenched as if he couldn’t contain his unease. No one could bring themselves to comfort him.

Then, a cold, emotionless voice spoke again.

“Sahyung. If it’s not vengeance you seek, but the peace of the fallen.... then you know what must be done.”

[tl note: requiem/ritual for the pacification of the souls of the dead, 진혼(鎭魂)].

It was Cheong Myeong.

Jo Geol glared at Cheong Myeong with eyes burning with fury. Yet, all he could see was his back.

Finally, Jo Geol nodded and stepped forward. Yoon Jong, taken aback, called out.

“Geol-ah?”

“I’ll take the lead. I’m going to drive a blade through that bastard’s throat.”

Murderous intent radiated from Jo Geol’s cold blue eyes.

“We need to hurry.”

“....Yeah.”

Perhaps spurred on by Jo Geol’s fury, the Mount Hua disciples pushed forward with renewed urgency.

But deep down, they all knew the truth—no matter how desperate they were, their bodies could not keep up.

‘This isn’t good. Everyone is exhausted.’

Im Sobyeong, watching from the rear, hardened his expression.

It wasn’t even a matter of thinking about it—it was obvious. Mount Hua had fought at the most dangerous frontlines the entire time. Even after securing an advantage, they had thrown themselves into battle again and again.

Not only was their internal energy drained, but their very spirits were worn thin.

Only their duty, the obligation left behind by Tang Gunak’s death, kept them moving. But both their bodies and minds had long since reached their limits.

And the problem was—this was all the manpower Im Sobyeong had.

With just these warriors, he had to traverse an increasingly chaotic battlefield.

On the other hand, what about Jang Ilso?

The forces under his command were from the Blood Palace. They had not participated in the war raging across this plain. Jang Ilso himself had done nothing but sit back and watch from the beginning.

Catching up to him was already a struggle, and now they had to fight him at near-full strength.

The thought alone was dizzying.

“Nokrim King.”

Lost in thought, Im Sobyeong turned to see Jongli Gok approaching him. He must have been thinking the same thing.

“Be honest. What’s our situation?”

Jongli Gok already knew the answer, but he wanted to hear it from Im Sobyeong himself.

Im Sobyeong could only say one thing.

“....It’s terrible.”

Jongli Gok sighed, as if he had expected it, but the weight of reality still hit hard.

Even knowing the truth didn’t make it any easier to accept.

“If they’re moving to attack from behind, I understand that our options are limited. But isn’t it just as difficult for them? If they want to bring down the Alliance, they’ll have to fight consecutive battles [연전(連戰)]. With each battle, their commanders will also deplete their strength.”

“Normally, yes.”

Jongli Gok’s words weren’t wrong.

But... could they really count on the enemy exhausting themselves?

The Heavenly Comrade Alliance had already fought a war and had drained their energy trying to capture the fake Jang Ilso. On top of that, they had now scattered into dozens of fragmented groups, completely cut off from each other.

How would Jang Ilso perceive this situation?

“But it was Jang Ilso who set up the fake in the first place.”

“That’s true, but....”

Jongli Gok’s gaze seemed to ask: ‘Isn’t that obvious?’

Im Sobyeong shook his head slightly.

“You don’t understand. The one who decided how many pieces the Alliance would be split into... was Jang Ilso himself.”

Jongli Gok flinched. That was when he finally understood.

“Are you saying the Alliance is now divided into the perfect bite-sized pieces for him to consume? Just as he intended?”

“Most likely.”

“Then.... are you suggesting that he foresaw all of this from the very beginning and orchestrated everything?”

“Probably.”

Jongli Gok looked completely dazed.

He had witnessed firsthand how the war had unfolded on this battlefield. But was Jang Ilso truly capable of predicting everything before the war even started?

‘Could any human being really do such a thing?’

It was hard to believe. But at the same time, there was no other choice but to believe it. After all, things had unfolded exactly as Jang Ilso had planned.

To think that all of this was just a series of coincidences would be even more absurd.

That meant they had to acknowledge the terrifying reality—Jang Ilso had been toying with the entire Heavenly Comrade Alliance from the very beginning.

‘How do you even fight against someone like that?’

For the first time, Jongli Gok felt true despair.

“When.... when did he become ‘this’ formidable?”

“From the very beginning.”

“But....”

Jongli Gok started to argue but trailed off. He was utterly confused.

Everyone had known Jang Ilso was a dangerous figure. But wasn’t this ‘too’ much? Hadn’t the Ten Great Sects fought him on even terms until now? And the Heavenly Comrade Alliance, even more so.

Im Sobyeong could read his thoughts and spoke with an icy expression.

“Don’t delude yourself.”

“....What?”

“There’s nothing to add or subtract. If you had fought him with only your own strength, the Evil Tyrant Alliance would have ruled the world within a few years. Jang Ilso would have toyed with and crushed you all, taking the world for himself.”

“......”

“You underestimated him for two reasons. Either you belittled what he was doing, or the people fighting against him ‘seemed’ capable enough that you thought, ‘If they can do it, so can we. So it’s nothing special.’ That kind of idiotic reasoning.”

Jongli Gok shut his mouth. He had been hit right where it hurt.

“But....”

From his perspective, there ‘was’ an excuse.

How could anyone have properly evaluated the abilities of a young taoist who wasn’t even thirty yet?

Sure, looking back, he felt like a fool. But at the time, wasn’t his assessment completely reasonable? And hadn’t the other leaders of the Ten Great Sects thought the same way?

Im Sobyeong’s gaze shifted to one person—Cheong Myeong, running at the front of the group.

‘Idiotic bastards.’

Im Sobyeong cursed them internally.

This was why he blamed Beop Jeong for everything.

The Ten Great Sects had wasted their strength for nothing. If Cheong Myeong had been in charge from the beginning, the Evil Tyrant Alliance would have been driven into a corner, barely able to breathe.

But instead, they chose their ‘own’ path, foolishly clinging to their pride. And because of that arrogant decision, the entire world was now on the brink of destruction.

Im Sobyeong also admitted something else—he, too, was far from enough.

The only person who could sit across the board from Jang Ilso as an equal was Cheong Myeong.

‘But no matter how skilled he is....’

Im Sobyeong clenched his teeth.

There was only one reason why the evenly matched game suddenly became unbalanced: Jang Ilso suddenly got rid of the rules.

Cheong Myeong had refused to sacrifice his people. Jang Ilso had not lost Myriad Man House. This unspoken agreement had been upheld so well that it could be considered a minimum rule. The two had made their moves while staying within this boundary.

But now, Jang Ilso had shattered it.

Even the Myriad Man House and Ho Gamyeong had become mere pieces on his board. By sacrificing them without hesitation, he secured an absolute advantage.

Could they overturn this?

No, even before that—could Cheong Myeong counter a move that involved sacrificing not only his comrades but even himself? While desperately trying to protect Mount Hua and Heavenly Comrade Alliance, all of it?

The answer was painfully clear.

‘No. It’s impossible.’

But at the same time, Im Sobyeong couldn’t let go of hope completely.

There was still something inside him—a faint expectation that refused to disappear.

Because the one standing at the front was ‘Cheong Myeong.’

‘And that man.... has always done the impossible.’ 

So, there was no choice but to believe.

That this time, too, a miracle would surely happen.

❀ ❀ ❀

“Damn it!”

Moyong Wigyeong spat out a harsh curse.

Jang Ilso, who was clutched in his grasp, was dying, coughing up blood. The explosion he had triggered in his act of self-destruction had left him completely charred.

And due to the aftermath of that explosion, Moyong Wigyeong himself was covered in soot.

“This fake bastard....”

Moyong Wigyeong threw the fake Jang Ilso to the ground.

If this had been the real Jang Ilso, he would have gone down in history as the hero who saved the world. But the gamble had failed, and now all he could do was wait to hear that someone else had taken down Jang Ilso.

‘No.... Rather, even now....’

Moyong Wigyeong quickly looked around. If those who had followed him still had some strength left, they could take another shot at a different Jang Ilso.

“Tsk.”

But he soon shook his head in disappointment.

They were all completely exhausted. They had used up every last ounce of their strength chasing down a fleeing target with life-or-death desperation. There was no other way. It was impossible to continue fighting, and even moving would be difficult.

After all, even warriors were still human. Being stronger and able to endure longer didn’t mean they never got tired. Once they reached their limit, they had to recover their strength and regroup.

“Lord, what should we do....”

“Hoo.”

Instead of answering, Moyong Wigyeong let out a deep sigh.

With that, he let go of the last bit of lingering regret.

“We can’t afford to cultivate our energy right now, so we’ll rest for a while before moving again.”

“Yes.”

Moyong Wigyeong looked around as he clicked his tongue.

‘We’ve ended up quite far away.’

At this rate, even if they set out to find the others, there was no guarantee they’d be able to regroup easily.

With irritation flashing in his eyes, Moyong Wigyeong cast a glance at the blackened corpse.

“Damn bastard. Why is he running away so desperately when he's just a fake anyway?”

Everything about this situation annoyed him. He was about to turn away in frustration when—

“Hm?”

Something moving caught his eye. He narrowed his gaze, looking further ahead.

Something was approaching from the distance.

‘Is it the Alliance?’

Perhaps it was another group of the Alliance warriors who still had some strength left, chasing after another fake Jang Ilso. If so, he could at least mock them for wasting their efforts just like he had.

Frankly, he hadn’t even considered any other possibilities.

After all, he had personally witnessed the Evil Tyrant Alliance being scattered and fleeing in all directions.

“Who’s leading them....?”

Moyong Wigyeong was about to crack a joke but abruptly fell silent.

The approaching group was clearly divided: black-clad warriors on one side and red-clad warriors on the other, centered around a single figure.

Moyong Wigyeong searched his memory. Were there any such groups within the Heavenly Comrade Alliance?

No. Absolutely not.

Even though the sects were forced to disband, when the battle began, they instinctively grouped with their own sects out of habit, but there is no other group so distinctly gathered wearing the same attire.

And above all—

“Red.... clothes?”

There were no warriors in the Heavenly Comrade Alliance who wore red.

Moyong Wigyeong’s face grew increasingly pale.

“That’s....”

The figures became clearer as they drew nearer.

At the very front of the approaching force, though the iconic crimson robe was absent, Moyong Wigyeong was certain.

“That, that’s.... Jang.... Jang Ilso! Jang Ilso!”

“Huh?”

“Lord, what are you saying....?”

“Jang Ilso! That bastard! He’s coming for us!”

Moyong Wigyeong screamed like a madman. Those who had just begun to rest panicked, scrambling in fear.

“Wha....”

“The, the real Jang Ilso!”

“Ahhh! Jang Ilso is coming! That bastard! He’s coming after us!”

Jang Ilso clicked his tongue as he watched them.

“Tsk, tsk.... How utterly disgraceful.”

Then, with a smirk, he gave the order.

“The beginning must be clean for it to be satisfying. Kill them all. As quickly as possible.”

“Yes!”

Jang Ilso’s fangs sank mercilessly into the weary Heavenly Comrade Alliance.

Next Chapter

  

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Comments

  1. It seems getting killed by Jang Ilso is enrichment for the Alliance, huh?

    Also what's with this guy, he runs after fake Ilso, is surprised fake is a fake and then when he sees bunch of people approaching he thinks about mocking them instead of thinking how he got played

    ReplyDelete
  2. “When.... when did he become ‘this’ formidable?”

    Exactly my thoughts. This author just made Jang Ilso so powerful. I wouldnt be surprised if he beats the Heavenly Executioner soon hahaha stupid author

    ReplyDelete

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