Return of The Mount Hua – Chapter 1229. I Don't Know (4)
Editor: Hoamzz
Co-Translator: Xoxo
Swaeaeaeaek!
The Heavenly Comrade Alliance group ran like the wind. Since they had already lost time, they could not rest even for a moment. With no pause, they sprinted through empty side roads, day and night alike.
Then suddenly.
"Hold!"
Im Sobyeong shouted briefly while raising his hand. Immediately, the group came to a halt.
Im Sobyeong wiped the sweat drops from his forehead with his sleeve and quietly cleared his throat.
"Hmm."
Then, in a calm voice, he offered a warning.
“From here on out, we need to be a bit more careful.”
"...Here?"
"Yes."
Yoon Jong looked ahead with puzzled eyes. The path didn’t look any different from what they had already passed. However, Im Sobyeong’s next words resolved his confusion.
"From here on, even I don’t have information about this route."
"Huh?"
Jo-Gol's face suddenly crumpled.
"No, weren’t you the one bragging that you had every mountain under the heavens in the palm of your hand!"
"That isn’t exactly wrong. The question is... whether we can truly call what lies ahead part of 'the world under heaven.' (천하(天下))"
"What does that..."
It was Baek Cheon who answered that question. He slightly turned his head and asked Im Sobyeong, as if he had an inkling.
“Is this where it starts?”
"Correct."
“What’s he talking about, Sasuk?”
"The Great Mountain."
"What?"
"The Ten Thousand Great Mountains."
At that moment, chills ran up Jo-Gol's spine.
'This here is?'
Realizing the significance, he looked around, noticing details that had slipped by earlier.
Though the path itself seemed no different than what they had traversed before, they were now surrounded by mountains, jagged and sharp as blades, stretching endlessly to the horizon.
'Ten Thousand Great Mountains...'
Now that he knew, the scene before him began to look like hundreds of swords thrust toward the sky.
"From here on is unknown territory (미지(未知)). The reason bandits occupy mountains is to control those who travel through them. However… as you know, no one enters the Ten Thousand Great Mountains. And any sect with a shred of sanity would never set foot in here, either.”
Everyone nodded at those words.
It didn’t take much thought to see why. Anyone with even a bit of sense would avoid this place. After all, this was the headquarters of Magyo that had once driven Jungwon to the brink of hell.
Though Magyo itself had faded into memory, the ominousness and terror that its name invokes remain vivid.
As a result, though no one specifically decreed it, Kangho of Jungwon treated the Ten Thousand Great Mountains as forbidden ground (금지(禁地)), a place none should tread.
"Uh... Nokrim King."
"Yes."
"We of Righteous Sects have this ingrained idea that we shouldn’t enter Ten Thousand Great Mountains… Would the same hold for Evil Sects as well?"
"Just because we're Evil Sect doesn't mean we're not human. We understand what ominousness means too."
Im Sobyeong shrugged and continued.
"It’s not as though there’s some grand reason for Righteous Sects to avoid this place It’s simply unsettling and ominous.”
"That's true..."
"The same goes for Evil Sects. And Evil Sects had no reason to set foot here in the first place. Why would Evil Sects settle down in a place with no people? It’s not as if they’re hiding away to practice Taoism in the mountains."
“True enough.”
For Righteous Sects, it’s not a huge problem to live away from populated areas. Especially Taoist and Buddhist sects tend to prefer isolated places since they gather practitioners. After all, once a sect becomes famous, people will find their way there naturally.
But Evil Sects are different. They were shunned by people. They exist by extorting money from people. Thus, most Evil Sects tend to establish themselves near large cities.
Im Sobyeong smirked.
"The reason Jang Ilso was able to raise Myriad Man Manor so much in the first place was largely because its base was Guizhou and Guangdong. Other major sects rarely moved below here because of the Ten Thousand Great Mountains. As a result, that area became chaotic with smaller sects constantly vying for control, and Jang Ilso was able to subdue and unite them under his rule.
"...Depending on how you hear it, that sounds like you're saying Jang Ilso grew big thanks to those Magyo bastards?"
"It may be a bit far-fetched to say that it's the cause, but it wouldn’t be entirely wrong to say so."
Baek Cheon's face suddenly twisted.
"Either way, those Magyo bastards are good for nothing."
He tried to laugh it off, but the others’ faces remained tense.
"…So we really have to pass through here?"
“There’s no other choice. We may lack information, but it’s still the place least likely to be watched by Evil Tyrant Alliance.”
"But...."
Namgung Dowi looked at the Ten Thousand Great Mountains with slightly ominous eyes.
Just then, a memory of Magyo’s bishop he had seen in Hangzhou not long ago flashed through his mind. If remnants of Magyo were still hidden within those peaks… if there was someone like the bishop still lingering there…
When he slightly turned his gaze, he met the eyes of others showing the same concern.
Im Sobyeong noticed this and said with a smirk.
"While I recommend taking this route, taking a detour wouldn't be too bad either. Though it would take more time... we're not that late to begin with."
At his words, the group exchanged glances and nodded.
"Then...."
“Let’s take the detour…”
"This is bullshit. Fucking bullshit."
But their hesitant voices were interrupted by an irritated voice from behind.
"What, shit... a detour?"
"...."
"But are these sons of a beast out of their minds? Hey, you bastards! A hundred years ago, they charged straight in even when those Magyo bastards were swarming all over! But now their descendants are too scared to enter land that's been cleared out? What, pissed their pants from Magyo?"
"B-back then we probably had a whole swarm on our side too! There's only ten of us now!"
"So you're scared?"
"Who said we're scared of Magyo?"
"Then what?"
Jo-Gol trembled and shouted.
"Th- There might be ghosts! And Magyo gho- Aaaagh!"
Jo-Gol’s scream echoed as Chung Myung kicked him hard, sending him flying.
"Look at this crazy bastard talking! Hey, you madman! You're a Taoist, a fucking Taoist! A ghost-catching Taoist!"
"That's right."
"It's true that we're supposed to play the role."
"I've never caught one, but...."
Even those involved in Buddhism tend to defer matters involving spirits or ghosts to Taoist temples. Mount Hua rarely touches such matters, but for Wudang, Taoist rituals (도제(道齊)) make up a significant portion of their income.
"And, you bastards! If there are ghosts, would it only be those Magyo bastards? The orthodox guys who died there must’ve turned into ghosts too! The winning ghosts are on our side, so what's the problem!"
"Chu- Chung Myung-ah! They're our ancestors!"
"You can't talk about them like that, you punk!"
"Tsk...."
Chung Myung clicked his tongue.
What do they mean 'can't'? It was Chung Myung who had dragged those shit into the Ten Thousand Great Mountains, kicking their butts along the way.
'How is nothing different between then and now?'
Chung Myung heaved a deep sigh and shook his head as he took the lead.
"Stop talking and just follow me."
"...N- No..."
"I said just follow."
Everyone bit their lips with anxious expressions as they watched Chung Myung move ahead.
"…Sho- Should we go?"
"...We should. We have to."
Eventually, one by one, they reluctantly followed him. However, they couldn't shake off their anxious looks.
Paaaaat.
Not long after entering the foothills of the Ten Thousand Great Mountains, they began picking up speed again. That was understandable, because apart from the occasional encounter with a wild beast, there were no signs of life whatsoever.
Even those who had been feeling uneasy gradually regained their composure.
"It’s eerily quiet."
"Right."
They weren't even deliberately taking rough paths to avoid being seen by others. Yet, there wasn’t a soul to be found.
'Makes sense.'
Baek Cheon looked around and quickly understood why.
Even if this hadn't been Magyo's base, it would have been difficult to find any human presence here.
In the first place, it’s not exactly an ideal place for humans to live.
With sharp peaks densely packed together, it wasn't good for farming, and each peak was too steep to make a living by hunting wild animals.
It was land where neither martial artists nor commoners had any reason to settle.
But one thing was certain.
"...It's frightening."
“Yes, it’s truly frightening.”
Yoon Jong nodded at Baek Cheon's words.
Long ago, he’d seen the Ten Thousand Great Mountains from a distance. It was when they were retrieving their ancestors' remains and returning to Mount Hua.
But entering the Ten Thousand Great Mountains in person was quite different from viewing them from a distance.
This suffocating terrain made it abundantly clear why this was the headquarters of Magyo and why such a horrific war had taken place here.
With the endless line of jagged peaks, you couldn’t see what was happening, even just a few li away.
Anywhere else in Jungwon, you could observe that distance with ease. But here, it was close to complete darkness.
Even if you moved sideways to secure visibility, another peak would block your view. To see what was happening in the distance, they would have no choice but to push forward directly.
‘While not knowing where Magyo might be hiding…’
A cold sweat trickled down his back.
Thinking of leading an army here was dizzying; you couldn’t just march in recklessly without knowing where ambushes might be lurking.
And if you were positioned to defend here instead, it wouldn’t be any easier. The overwhelming number of hiding places would leave your head pounding with the question of where to set the most effective ambush.
‘They led their elite forces and charged right into a place like this?’
Before, he had only vaguely thought it was impressive. He had only considered the courage of the warriors who threw their lives away like fallen leaves to kill Heavenly Demon.
But seeing the Ten Thousand Great Mountains with his own eyes showed him that the situation wasn’t nearly as romantic as he had imagined.
If someone had told Baek Cheon to gather all elite forces and charge in there, what would he have answered? He’s not sure, but his first response would have been to question their sanity.
Just one mistake, just one misjudgment, and it could wipe out all their forces in this terrain.
Yet what must have been going through the minds of those who had to lead their elite forces here?
A gamble taken with the mindset that failure meant losing everything.
There was no other way to explain it.
'And there was Mount Hua Sect here.'
At the very front...
Baek Cheon unconsciously looked back. Everyone following had equally stern expressions. It seemed they, too, felt the same as he did.
Especially the disciples of Mount Hua; their faces were even darker.
And then it happened.
“Sa- Sasuk! There!”
Baek Cheon whipped his head around at Jo-Gol’s sudden shout.
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