Return of The Mount Hua – Chapter 1337. Just remember that name (7)
Editor: Hoamzz
Co-Translator: Xoxo
“Nokrim King! Behind!”
“I know!”
Im Sobyeong, who had sharply turned to glance behind, quickly returned his gaze.
‘These damned persistent people!’
They actually pulled off something so absurd. This was exactly why he couldn't break free from these Mount Hua people.
“All that’s left is to get out!”
Though the damn Evil Sects bastards kept charging in from the front, they weren’t anything special. It was clear they were nothing but a ragtag bunch.
'Even Myriad Man Manor and Evil Tyrant Alliance can't mobilize people endlessly.'
They could replenish their numbers, but the gap in quality wasn’t something they could fix. If Jang Ilso himself had stepped in, things might have been different, but the one here was Ho Gamyeong.
So the real problem wasn’t in front but behind. They must somehow shake off those Myriad Man Manor bastards' pursuit.
Finding a way to do that was Im Sobyeong’s role.
“To the right! Damned Sogaju! Don’t just barrel through the center, look for the gaps, you muscle-brained idiot!”
“Then tell me sooner!”
Namgung Dowi shouted back but promptly changed direction as Im Sobyeong instructed.
Im Sobyeong's eyes lit up as he observed the situation.
'Numbers aren't always an advantage!'
Especially in situations like this, where commands couldn’t be properly relayed and manpower was scattered all over, confusion in the chain of command was inevitable.
If used appropriately, they can be made to tangle with each other.
‘No, it’s not just that we could—we must make it happen!’
"Too far! More to the right!"
“What’s that....”
“Shut up and do as I say!”
Im Sobyeong shouted with an unusually fierce tone, making Namgung Dowi flinch and adjust his direction further. Then the enemies who were rushing towards him opened up a path as if they were deliberately avoiding him.
Though inwardly confused, Namgung Dowi struck the ground without hesitation. Where his sword swung, a vast path gradually began to open.
Seeing this, Im Sobyeong pulled up one corner of his mouth with a sneer.
“Impatient, aren’t you, Ho Gamyeong?”
He could clearly feel the adjutant gauging his reaction.
And rightly so.
Mount Hua Chivalrous Sword they had worked so hard to nearly capture had managed to escape and rejoin their main forces alive, and even those who had jumped in to save him survived unscathed.
They had managed to kill a few of Hainan Sect disciples along the way, but that amounts to nothing more than beheading small fry.
Failure. Looking at the entire process up to this point, there was no other way to describe it.
Everything they had poured into this gorge had ended in vain.
One alone against countless numbers, with numerous sects mobilized only to be completely annihilated.
“An accurate assessment.”
“...A- Advisor?”
Ho Gamyeong's eyes settled calmly as he watched those attempting a desperate escape.
Nokrim King’s talent was undeniably exceptional. Once he focused solely on escaping, the pace of his army changed noticeably compared to before.
"Advisor! The gap is gradually widening!"
"I’m aware."
Those holding the line were utterly failing to impede their escape. Furthermore, once penetrated, they couldn’t even muster a proper pursuit.
All they did was to get broken through and then transform into walls blocking the pursuing Myriad Man Manor.
A failure of deployment is born from excessive greed.
From the perspective of a strategist, this situation could only be interpreted as such. They were paying the price for recklessly throwing uncoordinated forces into the battlefield all at once.
But....
“Nokrim King is undoubtedly a brilliant talent. In terms of intellect alone, he surpasses me."
“...Advisor?”
"But he lacks experience."
The adjutants glanced at Ho Gamyeong with puzzled expressions. To their ears, his words made no sense.
Im Sobyeong was someone who had led Nokrim and fought countless battles against Myriad Man Manor. To say such a person lacks experience.
Though from Ho Gamyeong's perspective such an assessment might not be wrong, but looking by general standards, isn't Nokrim King rather seasoned for his age?
"How much one has fought isn’t the issue. Sometimes too much experience becomes poison."
The adjutants refrained from questioning further and instead held their breath. That answers came without questions meant Ho Gamyeong wasn't conversing with them now but organizing his own thoughts.
At times like this, one should never interrupt Ho Gamyeong.
“Let’s hope that certainty doesn’t turn into despair.”
A cruel smile played on Ho Gamyeong's lips.
“Nokrim King!”
Yoon Jong, who had received Chung Myung from Hye Yeon, carried him on his back and ran right up behind Im Sobyeong.
Im Sobyeong’s face hardened as he saw Chung Myung.
"Is he still alive?"
“Naturally...!”
“…In that state?”
Im Sobyeong gritted his teeth. Seeing Chung Myung’s wretched state stirred an indescribable anger deep within him.
"Damn it!"
“Nokrim King! Where do we go now!”
Im Sobyeong looked behind as the question came flying at him.
Baek Cheon had flown far into the rear to block the pursuing Myriad Man Manor. It was a reasonable judgment since the ones attacking from the front were a ragtag and Myriad Man Manor was chasing them from behind.
This meant the responsibility to lead everyone and get them out of danger lay entirely on Lim Sobyeong.
"You asked where we're going?"
"Yes!"
“Don’t ask the obvious!”
The criteria for their destination were clear.
A place where a small group could use the terrain to its advantage against a larger force.
A place where it was absolutely favorable for a fleeing small group to hide.
There's only one such place in this area. A location proven by history, where countless had shed blood to affirm its value. Thus becoming cursed ground that no one wishes to set foot in.
“Great Mountain (대산(大山))!”
Yoon Jong’s head shot up. He saw broad plains meeting the horizon, and mountain peaks rose jaggedly like blades piercing the sky.
A chill ran up his spine in that moment.
The mountain range that stretches thousands of li across Guangdong and Guangxi, the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains.
"This way!"
Im Sobyeong grabbed Chung Myung and hoisted him onto his shoulder.
“Help Sogaju! One moment! Just one more moment, and we’ll be there! We can lose them!"
"Understood!"
Yun Jong sprang forward without a word. Among the disciples of Mount Hua, the ones in the best condition right now were him and Baek Cheon. He had to fulfill his part.
"Ambush on the left! To the right!"
"Yes!"
"They'll attack from the front right after that! Turn left the moment we pass the ambush! Don’t increase your speed too much! If your formation breaks, we’re done for!”
"Understood!"
Yoon Jong swung his sword fiercely.
'It's different!'
It wasn’t that dealing with the enemies had become any easier, but with each enemy he cut down, he could advance noticeably farther.
'Is this the art of war?'
He could feel what it meant to understand the flow of the enemy and strike at its core. A realm they could never know. Now he had some crude understanding of how strategists, not martial artists, viewed the world.
“Don’t think and just keep moving!”
"Yes!"
Im Sobyeong gritted his teeth.
‘Just once!’
If they could just buy one moment to hide in the Ten Thousand Great Mountains and recover, that alone would drastically improve the situation compared to now. All they had to do was reach the mountains.
“Straight ahead! Breakthrough with all your might!”
“Yes!”
As the front began gaining speed, Geum Yangbaek shouted until his throat hurt.
“Don’t fall behind! Keep up no matter what!”
At the same time, an elder collapsing to the ground entered his sight. But Geum Yangbaek squeezed his eyes shut and looked away. There was no time to save each and every person right now.
“Run, hurry!”
Im Sobyeong glanced toward the rear.
Hwaaaaah!
Red plum blossoms were explosively blooming at the rear. No matter how formidable Myriad Man Manor was, breaking through that overwhelming sword energy would not be easy.
The divine might displayed by Mount Hua’s disciples during this pursuit, so to speak, jaw-dropping.
But among them, the swordsmanship that Baek Cheon was showcasing stood out above all other disciples.
‘It’s a relief he’s not an enemy.’
Baek Cheon would surely hold the rear. In that case, all they needed to do now was focus on running forward.
"Just like that!"
Im Sobyeong screamed until his throat was hoarse. Simultaneously, he swung his fan in a flashy manner. The enemies charging from the side collapsed in a heap as they were cut down by the fan energy he unleashed.
"Press forward!"
Gwak Hwanso rushed towards the hesitant Evil Tyrant Alliance and drove his sword with all his might. The disciples of Hainan Sect, emboldened by the momentum, squeezed out the last of their energy and swung their swords as they charged ahead.
Their numbers had already been reduced by more than half. The sacrifices made to get this far were staggering.
But now wasn't the time to look back at sacrifices already made. The only thing that mattered was the path ahead, the place they needed to reach.
“Eu, eueugh....”
"Ru- Run!"
Seeing Yoon Jong and Namgung Dowi with head to toe covered in blood charging like demons, the Evil Sects martial artists recoiled in panic. The two swung their swords as if they would devour the covering enemies.
Namgung Dowi's explosive strikes and Yoon Jong's perfectly controlled swordsmanship achieved harmony amidst the discord as they ravaged the enemy.
Paaaaat!
Cut! Cut! And cut again!
It was when Yoon Jong, swinging his sword in a half-trance, had just cut down the enemy before him.
“Keuk!”
The man whose throat was cut fell to the side while clutching the wound. Yoon Jong then realized there was no one left to stop him.
Before he knew it, the rolling hills of the mountain loomed directly before him.
Between soaring peaks that stretched endlessly high, a distinct path was visible.
“Nokrim King!”
"The rear! Block the pursuers! Send Hainan Sect punk through first!"
At those words, a shiver of emotion coursed through Yoon Jong’s body.
They made it.
After crossing that sea, passing through Guangdong, and breaking through that hell-like gorge, they had finally reached here.
"Go straight through! We’ll hold the rear!”
“But...!”
“Go, hurry!”
At Yoon Jong’s shout, Hainan Sect disciples gritted their teeth and ran. The mountains that rose on both sides were not particularly high. But Hainan Sect disciples ran between these mountains that were steep enough to seem like cliffs.
"Aaaaahhh!"
Some fell to flying blades and collapsed, while others collapsed from sheer exhaustion after reaching here.
Yet most of Hainan Sect disciples were swiftly entering that promised land of the Hundred Thousand Mountains without looking back.
“Monk!”
"Yes!"
Hye Yeon carrying Yoo Iseol hurriedly followed behind them. Tang Soso, carrying Jo-Gol, also ran with all her strength and took the lead.
“Sa- Sahyung....”
"Go ahead, Gol!"
Yoon Jong met Jo-Gol's gaze and gave a firm nod.
Yoon Jong quickly scanned behind. It was then he caught the sight of countless plum blossoms that painted the skies of Gangnam.
Supreme sword energy flawless in every aspect!
Baekcheon was rushing toward them after knocking off the enemies that were clinging to him in one fell swoop.
“Sasuk!”
Baek Cheon's entire body was soaked in blood. It seemed to be the enemy's blood at a glance, but upon closer inspection, he realized that much of it was Baek Cheon’s own. The realization made an involuntary scream escape from Yoon Jong’s lips.
“Run!”
But Baek Cheon only urged on such Yoon Jong.
Yoon Jong, Im Sobyeong, Namgung Dowi, and Tang Pae dashed past Baek Cheon and entered the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains.
“Sasuk!”
"I'll hold them off before they can follow! Go!"
"Yes!"
Yoon Jong's voice was slightly elevated.
They hadn’t completely shaken off the pursuers yet.
But the situation was now entirely different. The jagged mountains rising from the ground like thorns provided them with places to hide and made pursuit far more difficult.
The mere fact that they could now set up ambushes would completely change the dynamic. Wasn’t this exactly what they had envisioned when they saw the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains on their way to Hainan Sect?
'We can do it!'
The sacrifices and the price they had paid would not be in vain.
Just as Yoon Jong unconsciously clenched his fist, he saw people gathered ahead.
"Don't wait, keep going, in any direction!"
Then Hainan Sect disciples ahead glanced back.
The moment Yoon Jong saw their faces, the disciples of Mount Hua behind instinctively realized that something was wrong.
The faces of Hainan Sect disciples went pale as if they had seen a ghost.
"Wh- What's wrong?"
"...blocked."
"Huh?"
From Gwak Hwanso's lips came a voice filled with despair.
"The front... the front is blocked, Dojang."
For a moment, silence descended as if everyone had lost their ability to speak. An eerie wind swept through the now-still space.
Cold sweat beaded on Im Sobyeong's forehead.
“N- No way....”
Im Sobyeong hurriedly looked beyond the valley.
Step. Step. Step.
Ho Gamyeong slowly approached the valley Mount Hua and Hainan Sect had entered. The triumphant smile on his lips revealed his thoughts.
“An enemy, but an admirable one. And so…”
A voice devoid of emotion seeped out.
"I'll at least carve your names. So all may clearly know of your end.”
It was a declaration marking the conclusion of the long chase.
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