Return of The Mount Hua – Chapter 1287. It's a sight you’ll sick of seeing (1)
Editor: Hoamzz
Co-Translator: Xoxo
Paat!
Trained legs kicked the ground.
The disciples of Hainan Sect ran with all their might. The distance to Zhanjiang, their current target, was about 400 li. For an ordinary person, even walking day and night without rest would take three full days. But for disciples of a prestigious sect, they could cover it in just a few hours.
This was a matter of endurance before speed.
For disciples of Hainan Sect, one of Ten Great Sects, it was entirely possible to maintain what would be a normal person's full sprint speed for an entire day. In extreme cases, they could run for three days straight without rest or sleep.
This was why the movement speed of martial artists couldn't be compared to that of ordinary people or even horses.
But now, this extreme pace was actually tightening the noose around Hainan Sect disciples' necks.
At first, they didn’t realize it. All they had to do was run at full speed as instructed.
But as time passed with nothing but running, everyone came to realize it.
They were now running headlong into death.
From the point where Zhanjiang began, it was highly likely that the forces of Evil Tyrant Alliance had already formed a blockade. The disciples of Hainan Sect were now sprinting directly into the jaws of that blockade.
“Jayang!”
“Why…. Cough! What is it!”
Lee Jayang answered with a face clearly showing signs of exhaustion. Normally, running at this speed for three hours wouldn’t have tired him out so quickly. It seemed the pressure of running through Gangnam rather than Hainan Island was rapidly draining his stamina.
“Where do you think we are now?”
"What?"
"Now!"
Izayang rolled her eyes and thought.
"Well... at this pace, we should be arriving soon."
"Then doesn't that mean we'll soon encounter enemies?"
Lee Jayang's face hardened noticeably.
“…That’s probably true.”
"Then shouldn't we be slowing down about now?"
“I think so too, but….”
Gwak Hwanso turned his gaze to Heavenly Comrade Alliance members running at the front.
Lee Jayang was a wise person. If both Lee Jayang and Gwak Hwanso's thoughts align, that must surely be considered common sense. And yet...
‘What are they thinking?’
Up until now, they had been running through areas where enemies were unlikely to be present, so it made sense to focus on speed above all else. But wasn't the situation different from now on?
Common sense dictates that they should now slow down and move stealthily so as not to be noticed by the enemies.
With over two hundred people running like this, it wasn’t just Evil Tyrant Alliance—anyone could spot them.
'Acting Sect Leader!'
Gwak Hwanso's gaze locked onto Baek Cheon's back.
Even if Gwak Hwanso knew nothing of war, he wasn't an idiot ignorant of common sense. This was Gangnam. The moment they were discovered by the enemy and battle began, they would face endless and ceaseless battles.
In that case, shouldn’t they delay their first clash as much as possible? At least until discovery was inevitable.
Yet why weren't they slowing their pace?
This time, Gwak Hwanso's gaze turned towards Geum Yangbaek. Geum Yangbaek simply followed Heavenly Comrade Alliance group silently.
"Why isn't Sect Leader saying anything?"
"Perhaps he finds it difficult?"
“Why?”
"Because it is Sect Leader… Wouldn’t it be burdensome to argue about right and wrong with the Acting Sect Leader of Mount Hua and the envoy of Heavenly Cormade Alliance?"
Those words carried multiple complex meanings.
Though Gwak Hwanso didn't understand all their implications, he grasped one thing clearly.
“I’ll go.”
"Yes!"
Judging by Lee Jayang’s firm response, he must have been on the right track. Gwak Hwanso infused his legs with internal strength and rushed forward.
“Acting Sect Leader! Chung Myung Dojang!”
Chung Myung and Baek Cheon turned to look at Gwak Hwanso.
“Haven’t we almost reached where the enemies will be! Shouldn't we slow down and move stealthily..."
“Gwak Sohyeop. That’s….”
It was the moment when Baekcheon was about to say something.
“Come here.”
"yes?"
Chung Myung reached out and grabbed Gwak Hwanso’s shoulder, pulling him forward. Gwak Hwanso stumbled slightly, his face a mix of confusion and unease.
Then Baek Cheon spoke.
“This way?”
“It’s better than involving Sect Leader. Sect Leader needs to lead Hainan Sect.”
“…I see.”
It was a conversation that Gwak Hwanso couldn’t understand at all. Baek Cheon didn’t explain anything further and just quietly slipped away towards Geum Yangbaek.
As Gwak Hwanso began to glance around, a chilling voice pierced his ear.
“Don’t turn your head.”
Gwak Hwanso flinched and fixed his gaze forward. He didn’t know what was happening, but he instinctively obeyed Chung Myung’s voice.
"Wh- What should I do?"
“Watch carefully.”
"Yes?"
“No. Actually, just watch and understand.”
"What does that..."
"No time to explain or teach. No matter how much I explain, you won't understand, and no matter how much I teach, you won't grasp it. You’ll have to feel it with your skin and understand it with your instincts."
What in the world did that mean?
“But remember one thing clearly.”
"What?"
"If you don’t learn, you’ll all die."
Gwak Hwanso's face visibly hardened.
"This isn’t a threat. If things continue like this, not a single one of you will leave Gangnam alive. So watch carefully. How we fight and how we move. You need to feel it first and somehow pass it on to the others.”
“Do- Dojang?”
Despite being told not to turn his head, Gwak Hwanso ended up looking at Chung Myung. What he encountered in that moment was Chung Myung's face, frozen coldly unlike his usual self.
Gwak Hwanso stared blankly at him before shifting his gaze to the others. After all, Chung Myung was not someone he could understand. So he sought answers from those who were at least more like him.
But then he realized something.
Not just Mount Hua disciples, but Hye Yeon, Namgung Dowi, Tang Pae, and even Im Sobyeong and Seol So-baek all wore expressions similar to Chung Myung's.
These people were clearly sharing something. Gwak Hwanso alone was unable to share in that emotion.
'This….'
If Chung Myung's words were true, once he had seen and experienced what was about to unfold here, he would finally understand the meaning behind those expressions.
And that moment arrived more suddenly and swiftly than Gwak Hwanso had imagined.
“Dojang! Ahead!”
"I know."
Chung Myung answered coldly and cast his gaze back. Baek Cheon, who had fallen behind earlier, was now back at his side. Baek Cheon received Chung Myung’s glance and quickly shouted.
“Jo-Gol! Yoon Jong!”
"Yes!"
“Left! Iseol, Soso! To the right!"
"Yes."
No sooner had Baek Cheon's instructions ended than the four Mount Hua disciples shot themselves backward.
'Why the rear?'
Before Gwak Hwanso’s confusion could even fully form, Baek Cheon’s instructions continued.
“Nokrim King! Sect Leader Geum will take charge of the rear. Please oversee the overall battle situation from just ahead of him! Monk Hye Yeon, Namgung Sogaju, and Tang Sogaju, please support wherever dangerous from the center!"
"Understood."
"Yes!"
“Chung Myung-ah!”
"Speak."
Baek Cheon's tone lowered slightly.
"Go tear them apart!"
Upon hearing that, one corner of Chung Myung's mouth lifted in a chilling smile.
"Even without saying..."
Paat.
"I was about to."
At that moment, Chung Myung's body shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bowstring.
'What?'
To Gwak Hwanso's still-bewildered eyes, all he could see was Chung Myung's back rushing forward like lightning. Moments later, his field of vision was filled with the illusion-like glow of sword energy and the eruption of dark red blood.
Chwaaaaaak!
The body that lost its head to Chung Myung’s sword spurted blood.
Having taken two lives with a single strike, Chung Myung charged forward without hesitation.
Gwak Hwanso felt half out of his mind. He hadn't sensed anything at all, so how did they know enemies were hiding there?
'N- No. More than that, is it really okay to confront the enemy head-on like this…?’
“Gwak Sohyeop!”
At that moment, Baek Cheon's booming shout instantly scattered Gwak Hwanso's stray thoughts.
“Yes! Yes, Acting Sect Leader!”
“Stop getting distracted and follow that guy!”
“F-Follow…”
"Absolutely do not lose him. From now on, that's all Gwak Sohyeop needs to do. But remember this."
Baek Cheon looked straight at Gwak Hwanso and said.
“If Gwak Sohyeop lost that bastard, everyone following behind will die."
“….”
“Even if you die, don’t lose him. Follow him as if your life depends on it, and don’t concern yourself with anything else.”
"U- Understood."
“Go!”
Baek Cheon gave Gwak Hwanso a firm shove on the back.
Propelled forward by that force, Gwak Hwanso gritted his teeth and ran toward Chung Myung's back.
'What’s he talking about?'
It was an incomprehensible instruction. How could simply not losing sight of the person in front be such an urgent matter that he had to yell so intensely?
Even if he couldn’t match their martial prowess, he was still the leading disciple of Hainan Sect. Surely he could manage something that simple?
And above all….
'What's with all this talk about dying?'
Die if you don't learn. Die if you lose him. It's not like you're bringing in a naive child and bullying and scaring them. What on earth are they talking about?
Impatience and frustration surged inside at the same time. Just as Gwak Hwanso was about to exhale to release his pent-up tension, Chung Myung suddenly surged forward and widen the distance between them in an instant.
“W- What!”
The startled Gwak Hwanso frantically kicked the ground with all his might. As he leaped over corpses cut by Dark Fragrant Plum Blossom Sword, he saw Chung Myung ahead swiftly swinging his blade.
“Uwaaaaaaah!”
The enemies who had been lying in ambush screamed as they were cut down in an instant. Blood splattered everywhere. Faces soaked in crimson as they collapsed vividly etched into Gwak Hwanso’s eyes.
Two bodies crumbled like rotting straw bundles and another person knelt while trembling violently. But Chung Myung left the twitching person behind and ran forward again.
Gwak Hwanso's eyes widened slightly.
Still alive. That person is still...
"Kkeureuk..."
He looked at Gwak Hwanso who was running towards him while convulsing and weakly raised his blade. At that moment, an indescribable conflict sprouted within Gwak Hwanso.
Should he kill him?
But he'll die soon anyway. He can't even resist anymore. Was it truly right to cut down someone in that state?
Then should he just pass by? But if the man didn’t die before the next person arrived, someone could get hurt by those trembling hands.
What should...
Before his deliberation could finish, Gwak Hwanso reached the collapsing man. His sword hand trembled unconsciously.
'Sh- Should I sw...'
“Ugh… Uwaaaah!”
At that moment, a fierce malice flared in the dying man’s eyes. He sprang up and swung his blade at Gwak Hwanso. The force behind it was so strong it was hard to believe it came from someone moments away from death.
Gwak Hwanso’s eyes flew open in shock.
'T- Too late...!'
In the brief moment he thought he wouldn’t make it, something hot splashed across his face as he was about to squeeze his eyes shut.
"Ah..."
Gwak Hwanso's body trembled violently.
Something long protruded from Evil Sects member's forehead who had swung the blade. It was a sword.
Gwak Hwanso unconsciously touched his damp face.
A slick, warm sensation. What had splattered on him was blood.
The blood from the sword that had pierced through the man’s head…
Thwack!
Chung Myung's fist slammed into Gwak Hwanso's face.
“Keuk!”
Gwak Hwanso tumbled pathetically to the ground. When he came to his senses and looked up, Chung Myung was already looming over him, grabbing him by the collar and yanking him to his feet.
“Get up, you stupid little shit.”
“D- Dojang…”
Before he could say anything more, Chung Myung pulled Gwak Hwanso close to his face. Gwak Hwanso froze in place at the intensity.
"On the battlefield, those who hesitate die first. A single moment of hesitation can kill not just you but everyone."
“….”
"If you hesitate to swing your sword one more time, I'll kill you myself. If you want to die, die alone! Got it?"
“Y- Yes….”
Chung Myung threw Gwak Hwanso aside without even listening to his answer. Grinding his teeth, Chung Myung shot him one last sharp glance before turning away.
“Get used to it.”
The soft voice seemed to pierce through Gwak Hwanso’s ears.
“Because from now on, it’s a sight you’ll see until you’re sick of it.”
Gwak Hwanso's body trembled violently.
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