Return of Mount Hua – Chapter 1387. You're making fun of people (2)
Editor: Hoamzz
Co-Translator: Xoxo
“Faster!”
"Yes!"
The response came not from beside him but from far ahead. Before his words could even finish... No, before he could even open his mouth to convey his intent, his sahyungs were already moving according to his will.
Baek Cheon unconsciously clenched his fists.
It might be strange to admit this now, but he had never felt like his coordination with these people was particularly exceptional.
And it made sense. The disciples of Mount Hua were all too unique, each with such a strong personality that it was difficult for them to harmonize. If it weren’t for Chung Myung as the central figure, they might have spent their entire lives glaring at each other like cats and dogs.
But now they were moving like his limbs. This meant that beyond simply following orders, everyone was thinking the same thoughts with Baek Cheon at the center.
If he felt the front line was weakening, Jo-Gol rushes in like lightning and blocks the front. Just as he thinks that Jo-Gol was pushing himself too hard, Yoon Jong runs towards him.
If he turned his head thinking Yoo Iseol might be pushing herself too hard, Tang Soso would already be clinging to her back like a ghost. The fierce swings of her sword carried a strong determination not to burden Yoo Iseol.
Just like how Baek Cheon himself felt.
Baek Cheon shook his sword like lightning. The crimson sword energy sliced through an enemy charging toward Yoon Jong in an instant.
“Thank you, Sasuk!”
"Don’t mind me, just focus ahead!"
"Understood!"
Baek Cheon's eyes grew slightly fierce. The enemies weren’t particularly strong, but with the added pressure of a time limit, the burden was immense.
Fortunately, they were no longer alone here.
“Haaaaaap!”
With a sharp cry, Tang Pae leaped into the air and swung his hands. Dozens of beams shot from his fingertips, piercing the heads of the retreating enemies.
Jo-Gol, seeing what they were, gasped in shock.
“No, pine needles...?”
"No need for poison needles at this level! It won't kill them, but it'll help!"
"...Might be worth learning some hidden weapons."
One with the blood of Tang Family was supporting them from behind, and Seol So-baek too was desperately swinging the sword in his not-yet-mature hands.
"Don’t leave it all to Mount Hua! We have to carve our own path to survival!"
"Understood!"
And the disciples of Hainan Sect, who had always waited only for Baek Cheon's commands, were now also striving to advance ahead of Heavenly Comrade Alliance and annihilate the enemy.
“Let’s go, Jayang!”
“Yes, Sahyung!”
Gwak Hwanso and Lee Jayang surged forward like flashes of light, cutting down the panicked Evil Sects in one fell swoop. The ocean-blue sword energy flowing from their blades resembled the sea of Haenam itself, summoned into this battlefield.
A strange emotion rose in Baek Cheon’s heart.
Where else could one see such a spectacle? No, who could have even imagined that such a spectacle could exist?
The young master of Tang Family leaped up by stepping on a Mount Hua disciple's shoulder, and the eldest disciple of Hainan Sect deflected a dao flying toward Ice Palace Gungju, launching himself forward.
It was difficult to group them even as Righteous Sects. Some among them weren’t even from Righteous Sects.
They came from different backgrounds, different regions, and different paths in life. But at least at this moment, no one was conscious of any of that. They simply fought to protect the person beside them and to open a path forward together.
'Perhaps….'
Baek Cheon's lips twitched. He couldn’t put it into words. He couldn’t definitively pinpoint what he was feeling.
But a thought crossed his mind.
Binding together the distant disciples of Mount Hua as one, tying together sects that seemed impossible to connect with the thread called fate, and somehow saving even those whom everyone said should be abandoned.
Perhaps all those things that bastard Cheongmyeong had done were meant to create this very scene?
There was no way that man would ever say it himself, and asking would only invite ridicule, but somehow that thought crossed his mind.
But strangely….
“Sasuk!”
"Yes!"
Baek Cheon snapped back to his senses and swung his sword.
‘I still have a long way to go.’
In the midst of needing to focus all his energy on opening a path, he was lost in such idle thoughts. He was still far from being fit as a sect leader. He admonished himself and regained.
'How much distance have we gained?'
The situation was far from favorable. No matter how much Chung Myung, Hye Yeon, and Namgung Dowi were buying time, they couldn’t hold out much longer.
No matter how strong they were, if skill alone could overcome 'numbers,' then no powerful figure in the world would bother to build forces.
The enemies would eventually catch up. Baek Cheon had to lead everyone out of their grasp.
He wasn't sure. Would it really be possible?
These were foes that had hunted them relentlessly all the way from Guangdong to this very place. Is it really possible to shake them off? Especially while carrying the injured?
But in truth, Baek Cheon’s confidence didn’t matter. It wasn’t a question of whether they could do it or not. They had to. If they failed, only annihilation awaited.
It was then.
"Sasuk, behind us...!"
Baek Cheon quickly turned around. He saw Hye Yeon and Namgung Dowi running with all their might. With every step, blood splattered from their battered bodies, proof of the desperate battle they had just endured.
The two jumped over Hainan Sect disciples in one breath and ran to where Baek Cheon was.
“Acting Sect Leader!”
"You two have worked hard..."
Baek Cheon's mouth froze. He saw their expressions. Expression that seemed both filled with anger and gripped by fear.
In that moment, Baek Cheon realized one thing.
“A- Acting Sect Leader…”
“Chung Myung.”
“….”
"Where is Chung Myung! Is he still behind?"
Hye Yeon bit his lips at Baek Cheon's inquiry. Namgung Dowi shouted in his stead with a look of sheer despair.
"Dojang...! Dojang did not join us but changed direction and disappeared!"
"...What?"
As if struck by a sudden blow, Baek Cheon’s face went blank. Namgung Dowi clenched his teeth and spat out the words.
“Dojang charged into enemy lines and then… Damn it! How should I say this! Ah, east! He went east! Most of the bastards pursued not us but Dojang. No, perhaps more than half! The... numbers aren't much different, but that..."
Under normal circumstances, Namgung Dowi would never have rambled in such a disorganized manner. His panic and despair were palpable.
Baek Cheon immediately understood the situation despite the chaotic explanation.
"You're saying they followed him?"
“Yes, Acting Sect Leader! We must… we must do something.”
Baek Cheon's eyes shook violently.
This wasn’t normal. It made no sense for so many enemies to chase just one person. It was logically impossible…
At that moment, Baek Cheon's gaze fiercely locked in one direction.
“Nokrim King!”
At his almost scream-like shout, Im Sobyeong, who had been following behind, met his gaze. There was no particular surprise in his eyes, just a cold stare.
Only then did Baek Cheon realize that Im Sobyeong, who would normally have stuck close and offered advice, hadn’t said a word for a while.
“Ugh…”
Baek Cheon clenched his fists and gritted his teeth.
There was no need to ask why this had happened. He already understood. What had transpired, why Chung Myung had changed direction, and why Nokrim King had remained silent.
“That damned stupid little shit!”
A curse finally burst from Baek Cheon’s lips.
He knew it too. Despite their desperate efforts, the situation was still hopeless. That's why Chung Myung hadn't regrouped. If he became bait and drew in the pursuing enemies, those here would survive.
As Baek Cheon had seen moments ago, the capabilities of those here had grown incomparably compared to the past. As long as they didn’t have to face the enemy’s main force head-on, they had a real shot at crossing the river alive. But in that case...
“Then what about Chung Myung?”
Baek Cheon flinched.
Jo-Gol had somehow leaped to his side. His eyes were filled with intense emotion.
“What happens to Chung Myung then?”
Only silence returned. Needless to say, they had all seen it. What happened to Chung Myung, who was left alone to stop the enemy?
Even utilizing the advantages of the gorge terrain, hadn't he been driven to a situation where he would have lost his life if not for Jo-Gol and Yoo Iseol?
Could he possibly face even more opponents without anyone's help in this wide-open field?
"Where is he!"
An immediate reaction burst out of Jo-Gol's mouth.
“East? You said east? Sasuk! We should change direction…”
“No!”
But Im Sobyeong cut off his words with a blade-like voice.
“That’s not what Chung Myung Dojang wants.”
"What nonsense are you spouting!"
“Then choose.”
"...What?"
“There’s only one way to survive facing the enemy’s main force. Abandon Hainan Sect and let only those who can escape do so.”
Jo-Gol shut his mouth.
“There is no other way. The Yangtze River is not forgiving enough to break through while dragging baggage."
Everyone knew it. The moment they reached the Yangtze River was when the real battle would begin. But they had merely been avoiding facing it.
"We'll figure something out when the time comes..."
“If you’re going to talk about relying on luck, then don’t bother speaking at all. We’re up against Jang Ilso. There’s no such thing as luck for us.”
Those who heard his words shuddered briefly. No one understood the weight of those three syllables better than they did.
“If you want to save Hainan Sect, there’s only one way. Avoid confronting the enemy’s main force. And to do that, someone has to lure them away.”
"And that's Chung Myung?"
"Yes."
Im Sobyeong continued in a low tone.
"Fortunately, those bastards don’t seem to care much about the rest of us. It seems that Jang Ilso intends to kill him at all costs, even if it means losing both Haenam and us. It didn’t seem like that was his intention at the start of our Gangnam journey, but it’s clear his mind changed along the way.”
“….”
"So leave him and go. That's what Chung Myung Dojang wants. Then we can survive."
"Stop spouting dog-like nonsense!"
Killing intent surged in Jo-Gol's eyes.
“Who said we want to survive while sacrificing that bastard? Talk some sense. Mount Hua isn’t that kind of place!"
“Then are you going to march to your death? Leading everyone along?”
“Of course…”
"You should have known!"
Im Sobyeong shouted uncharacteristically.
“That so-called “Chivalry” you always blabber about each time you open your mouths, it's really an act of throwing away your own lives for the sake of things that don't really matter! And if you're willing to accept that, then you also have to accept that someone other than you is also doing that very same thing!"
For a moment, the surroundings fell eerily silent. Im Sobyeong muttered with a cynical expression.
"You should have known that, you idiots."
Jo-Gol glared at him silently. But soon he noticed. Im Sobyeong's hand, half hidden in his wide sleeve, was trembling.
Therefore, Jo-Gol's gaze naturally turned to Baek Cheon.
“Sasuk. Give the order.”
“….”
“We have to go save him!”
“Listen.”
At that moment, Baek Cheon spoke in a cold voice.
“As the Acting Sect Leader of Mount Hua, I hereby decree. No dissent will be tolerated. No objections will be tolerated. Especially if anyone from Mount Hua disobeys this order, they will be expelled from the sect.”
“…Sasuk?”
Jo-Gol looked at Baek Cheon with an ominous feeling. Not even a fragment of emotion could be felt from his face, as if it had been carved from stone.
"...We will disregard Chung Myung's situation."
“Sa- Sasuk!”
Jo-Gol unconsciously reached out his hand in a hurry. As if to stop Baek Cheon’s next words. But before his hand could reach, a cold command flowed from Baek Cheon's mouth.
"Everyone proceed toward the Yangtze. Open the path with all your might. No objection will be tolerated."
It felt as though a chilling dagger had sliced through their hearts.
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