Return of The Mount Hua – Chapter 1378. I have to make it like that (3)
Editor: Hoamzz
Co-Translator: Xoxo
“Shoot, shoot!”
Paaaaaaat!
Arrows sliced through the air. Jo-Gol’s face contorted violently.
"Damn these arrows! I'm sick to death of them!"
Kwang!
As he kicked off the ground, his sword sliced through the air like a beam of light. The sword’s afterimage in the air deflected the rain of arrows like raindrops hitting a roof.
"Urgh."
Landing after dealing with the arrows, Jo-Gol grabbed his side and groaned. Then he suddenly shouted.
"You Evil Sects bastards, instead of charging in honorably with swords, you cowardly shoot arrows? Have you no shame!"
Baek Cheon muttered in disbelief.
"...Isn't being cowardly what makes them Evil Sects?"
Just what kind of Evil Sects does that bastard have in his head?
Baek Cheon was dumbfounded, but Yoon Jong was more concerned about Jo-Gol.
"Stop showing off and fall back! You’re not even in good shape!”
“Hey, who here is in good shape? We’re all in the same boat.”
"This crazy bastard..."
Jo-Gol darted forward again like an unruly calf. Yoon Jong let out a frustrated sigh.
Of course, he wasn’t entirely wrong. Right now, there were fewer uninjured people here than injured ones.
The problem was that even among the injured, there were levels.
“You’re practically a walking corpse!”
Yoon Jong’s eyes flared as he kicked off the ground. Rather than try to lecture Jo-Gol about not showing off, it would be easier to lecture a three-month-old puppy to stop barking and stay still.
“Hap!”
Rushing ahead of Jo-Gol in an instant, Yoon Jong drove his sword through the throat of Jo-Gol‘s opponent.
Jo-Gol's eyes went wide.
"Sa- Sahyung! That was mine!"
“Shut your damn mouth, you punk?”
Speaking with uncharacteristic roughness for a Taoist master, Yoon Jong immediately lowered his stance and deflected the attack of an Evil Sects member rushing toward him. Just as he was about to follow up with a counter, he saw someone's back as they leaped over him and drove their sword downward.
Kwadeuk!
"Gurrrk!"
The Evil Sects member, with a clean hole through the center of his chest, collapsed with a look of disbelief. The sword warrior who pulled out his sword without delay and pushed aside the falling evil sect member shouted forcefully.
“Sasuk.... Huh?”
Yoon Jong, who had naturally assumed it would be Baek Cheon, flinched for a moment. It wasn't Mount Hua's martial uniform.
“Push forward in one go! They’re nothing special!”
"Yes!"
To Yoon Jong’s left and right, martial artists in blue uniforms rushed past him fiercely. Yoon Jong burst couldn't help but let out a small laugh.
“This looks familiar…”
Gwak Hwanso, who had taken down the enemy, didn’t even look back. Behind him, Hainan Sect disciples followed tenaciously.
Yoon Jong instinctively flicked his sword, shaking off the blood, and straightened his posture.
'Is this what they mean by ‘astounding progress’(괄목상대(刮目相對))?'
(H: It means to rub one's eyes and look at someone again, then the person's knowledge or talent increases to a surprising degree.)
Of course, they’re still lacking. To imitate that bastard Chung Myung's way of speaking, 'You still have a long way to go, you brats.'
This isn’t just Yoon Jong being arrogant. Even objectively speaking, they still resemble children holding famous swords. It was especially evident in how they struggled to properly wield the martial arts they’ve learned.
But even so, they’re swinging that famous sword. It was a far cry from when they had stood trembling in fear, unaware of the power in their own hands.
"...Experience certainly..."
"Ah, damn it! Watch your words!"
"Huh?"
Yoon Jong, who had been muttering to himself, turned around in confusion at the sudden interruption. Jo-Gol shouted loudly with a distorted face.
"I get what Sahyung's thinking, but talk like that makes it sound like that rotting bastard was justified in dragging us through all kinds of hell!"
Of course, he was talking about Chung Myung.
“...That can’t be.”
That’s one thing, and this is another. Right.
“So just keep your mouth shut!”
“...Got it.”
Yoon Jong humbly replied. But soon he couldn't help but smile.
It was true that the enemies blocking their path weren’t that strong, but if Hainan Sect hadn’t stepped up to fight, they wouldn’t have the chance to chat comfortably even with that punk Jo-Gol.
‘If they just fight calmly, they’ll definitely become a force to be reckoned with.’
Though Hainan Sect was called the lowest among Ten Great Sects, it was still one of the top nine martial sects in the world. There’s an enormous difference between being part of Ten Great Sects, even at the bottom, and not being part of them at all.
If they can keep fighting like this, they'll surely become a reliable force. And the moment they learned to fight without hesitation, they might even become one of the leading sects representing Heavenly Comrade Alliance.
Especially....
"Your sword tips are wavering! Don't get excited!"
"Yes!"
Yoon Jong narrowed his eyes.
'That person is truly remarkable.'
His gaze was fixed on the back of Gwak Hwanso, who never forgot to give precise instructions even while fighting fiercely.
'Because of that person, I sometimes forget that Sect Leader Geum is here.'
This should be impossible normally.
Even a sect leader's first disciple shouldn't dare be compared to the sect leader. How can you compare someone who might become the next sect leader to someone who has already achieved that position?
But Guak Hwanso’s excellence was so remarkable that even someone like Yoon Jong, who understood that fact clearly, would sometimes forget.
He could hardly recall the Guak Hwanso he had seen during the past Shaolin sparring matches. His current appearance is so intense it overshadows the past.
A bitter smile appeared on Yoon Jong's lips.
He now fully understood the reactions of those who knew Mount Hua whenever they saw the current Five Swords. If even half of what Gwak Hwanso has achieved were shown, it would naturally be shocking.
"Sahyung, up ahead!"
“I know!”
"I'll take the front!"
“Step back! This is my position!”
Even Hainan Sect disciples receiving Gwak Hwanso’s orders displayed absolute trust in him.
People tend to form incomparably stronger bonds when overcoming crises together. The bonds they’ve built in this short time might even surpass the long years they’ve spent together within the sect.
‘They’ll grow stronger.’
Of course, the damage Hainan Sect has suffered isn't easily recoverable.
They lost countless things. They had to leave Hainan Island, which had been their solid foundation, and many of his disciples left in the process. Nearly half of the remaining disciples were sacrificed while breaking through Gangnam.
Objectively speaking, Hainan might have already lost the right to be called one of Ten Great Sects. Even if they suffered no further losses, it was clear they would need considerable time to recover their lost strength.
And yet, Yoon Jong believed that Hainan Sect would only grow stronger from here.
He had already experienced that what makes a sect strong wasn't about conditions. Neither foundation, nor wealth, nor even justification matters.
What makes a sect strong is the heart and will of those who belong to it.
And now Hainan Sect has that. The will which wasn't there when they left Hainan Island.
“Right. They’ll grow stronger…”
“Stop daydreaming on the battlefield, you pathetic fool!”
Baek Cheon, who had shouted angrily, rushed forward like a whirlwind. Yoon Jong's eyebrows twisted in irritation.
'Should I suggest trading First Disciples with Hainan Sect?'
Would Hainan Sect accept it, though?
Yoon Jong chuckled at the thought, then gripped his sword and quickly followed behind Baek Cheon.
"Sasuk, their numbers are increasing."
“They’ll keep increasing.”
Baek Cheon coldly scanned the enemies charging toward them.
'Still just rabble.'
Honestly, they’re not much of a threat. These minor Evil Sects members gathered through casual recruitment aren't even worth his attention. They’re not even a match for Hainan Sect anymore.
What mattered wasn’t how easy they were to deal with. It was that the enemies had begun pinpointing Heavenly Comrade Alliance and Hainan Sect's location.
From here on, the path would only grow more perilous.
'But that also means we've nearly reached the Yangtze.'
If they can overcome this crisis, they’ll reach Gangbuk. That peaceful land where one could sleep with legs stretched out without fear of attack.
An inferno worse than anything they've experienced so far probably awaits ahead, but there's no way to reach Jiangbei without breaking through it anyway.
“Nokrim King!”
“Yes, Acting Sect Leader.”
“How far is it to Nanjing?”
“If we push at full speed…”
Im Sobyeong glanced up at the sky. After briefly observing the darkening sky, he answered in a calm voice.
"A day at most."
"A day..."
Baek Cheon’s expression darkened slightly.
‘Then our fate will be decided within a day.’
There's no option to wait for an opportunity to cross while facing the Yangtze. The moment they arrive at the river, they’ll have to decide. Whether to cross the river or fight to the death.
'And the latter isn't an option.'
They must make sure of that.
"Deal with just those enemies ahead, then change direction!"
"Is that necessary? When we're only about a day's distance away?"
“The problem isn’t ahead, it’s behind us! Don’t you see people chasing us?”
“Ah....”
Jo-Gol quickly nodded. The ones they truly need to guard against now aren't the sorry bunch of Evil Sects member blocking their path. It was Ho Gamyeong pursuing them with blazing eyes.
“They know we’re heading toward the Yangtze River, but they don’t know we’re going to Nanjing. There's no need to reveal our exact direction to them."
"Understood!"
“Im Sohyeop!”
“Yes, Acting Sect Leader!”
"Please relay this to the Sect Leader as well! And make sure to leave clear signs so our paths don’t diverge!”
“Don’t worry. I’ll personally check.”
Baek Cheon nodded.
Thanks to Hainan Sect's Sect Leader Geum Yangbaek leading the elders separately, they’ve gained some breathing room. Defense is easier when there is less space to block. Simply dividing their group in two brought tremendous advantages.
‘He’s an incredible person.’
Geum Yangbaek doesn’t have the same commanding presence as other sect leaders. But he has something others lack—absolute trust.
It was never an easy choice to entrust command of disciples to another in the heart of enemy territory, while personally leading a separate force.
But Geum Yangbaek volunteered for that role. To save even one more disciple and send them to Gangbuk.
“I can’t lose either.”
"Yes?"
Instead of answering, Baek Cheon gripped his sword and stared straight ahead.
“Let’s go! Follow me with the determination to die!”
"Yes!"
He rushed forward, leading the elite of Heavenly Comrade Alliance.
The will to survive at all costs, hope of success, passion to overcome—all these emotions mixed and burned fiercely.
But even in this heightened atmosphere, one person’s gaze remained cold and detached.
'A day...'
From the very back of the formation, Chung Myung quietly turned to glance behind them.
A day. Short if you think of it one way, but also unbearably long. Especially when it must be spent in enemy territory.
Chung Myung's eyes, who knew this harshness better than anyone, were dark.
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