Return of The Mount Hua – Chapter 1393. You're making fun of people (3)
Editor: Hoamzz
Co-Translator: Xoxo
“Don’t slow down! Anyone who falls behind dies by my hand!”
Jong Gwak (종곽(宗廓)), the adjutant of Ho Gamyeong, shouted at the top of his lungs, but the pace did not increase at all.
Jong Gwak glanced around with a slightly anxious expression.
Were his orders not being followed?
No, that wasn’t it. They were all squeezing out the last remnants of their strength to run. But their legs simply couldn’t carry them any further.
'It's understandable.'
If anything was to be expected, this was it. From Guangdong to here, they had been running nonstop without proper rest.
Even if they were thousand-li horses or blood-sweating steeds, how could they not be exhausted after enduring such a forced march that would make even such beasts collapse?
It was natural for those Hainan Sect bastards to feel pressured by their pursuers, but the situation was just as urgent for those giving chase.
They had more numbers?
For the pursuers, that wasn’t necessarily an advantage. Those they chased were none other than disciples of Ten Great Sects, whose average martial prowess made comparing them to ordinary martial artists of Myriad Man Manor meaningless.
If both sides were in peak condition, they would never have been able to keep up no matter how hard they tried. It was only because the enemy was burdened with injured comrades and exhausted from continuous battles that they could barely keep up.
Jong Gwak bit his lip slightly.
'No use making excuses. If we're tired, they must be more exhausted!'
Besides, Jong Gwak’s mission wasn’t to chase and slaughter them. It was merely to pressure them so that the Advisor could obtain what he desired.
He couldn't afford to whine about even that being difficult.
“We must catch them before they reach the Yangtze River!”
Jong Gwak screamed at the top of his lungs.
The eyes of those who heard his words emitted an intense light. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that what was driving these men now was half resentment. A resentment whose origins were no longer even clear.
Jong Gwak clenched and unclenched his fist.
‘Even if they’re enemies…’
He never expected them to break through that encirclement and make it all the way here. If they had been the same incompetent disciples of Ten Great Sects they had faced before, such a feat would have been impossible.
But they had done it. Even if they hadn’t yet crossed the Yangtze River, the fact that they had reached this point while preserving half their strength was proof enough of their capabilities.
But this was the end.
The one who had turned that absurd miracle into reality, Plum Blossom Sword Demon, would meet his end here.
Even if the others managed to escape to Gangbuk alive, as long as they severed his head, this battle would be theirs.
'Who would have thought I'd come to value one person's head more than an entire sect of Ten Great Sects.'
A thought that would have been unthinkable just a month ago. But now, no one in Myriad Man Manor would question that fact. The Plum Blossom Sword Demon Chung Myung had proven it himself.
‘First, I must focus on my mission…’
It was just then.
“Adjutant! There's someone ahead!"
"Hmm?"
Jong Gwak's eyes frown slightly.
Had they caught the enemy’s rear? It was faster than he had expected.
But the next words that followed shattered his assumptions completely.
"Approaching! A group is approaching us!"
“What? Approaching?”
Jong Gwak's pupils dilate greatly at the unexpected words.
"There must be some mistake..."
“They’re coming!”
In that instant, a dozen figures burst out from the forest ahead at an incredible speed.
"Ooooooooh!"
White sword energy rose high into the sky.
Before they could even express their confusion or give the order to dodge, the soaring sword energy came crashing down on their front lines.
Kwaaaaaang!
“Aaaaah!”
“Uwaaaaah!”
With agonizing screams, the vanguard was reduced to pulp and flung backward.
And Jong Gwak's eyes could see that their formation they had set up to chase the enemy was distorted, wobbling as the vanguard collapsed.
"N- No..."
"Let's go!"
“A-mi-ta-bha!”
Woooooong!
Before they could even catch their breath, a massive golden light bloomed where the white sword energy had subsided. That auspicious radiance instantly widened the gap that the white sword energy had carved open.
"W- We're being pushed back!"
“Ahhhhh!”
A weight like an entire mountain pushing forward. The Myriad Man Manor martial artists, unable to resist the overwhelming force, were helplessly pushed aside. As a result, a clear straight path opened between the widely positioned Myriad Man Manor martial artists.
And through that path, figures now all too familiar flew in like the wind.
"Mo- Mount Hua!"
"It's Mount Hua bastards! Get out of the way!"
Sword warriors clad in the black martial robes symbolic of Mount Hua charged into the opened path.
And the scene that followed was something Myriad Man Manor martial artists could now predict all too well.
Hwaaaaak!
Crimson plum blossoms bloomed one after another. Those who knew just how vicious and dangerous those beautiful flowers were turned pale and rolled away in all directions.
“Stop dawdling and run, you little shits!”
"Ahhh, seriously!"
The group of over ten people began sprinting through the path they had torn open.
"Adjutant! Your orders!"
"Th- They're breaking through our center!"
Jong Gwak’s gaze darted around, unable to settle on anything.
"S- Stop... N- No! Why are they...?"
Why the hell were those bastards attacking them? Had they suddenly lost their minds?
“Adjutant!”
“Shut your mouth, I know!”
Jong Gwak roared and sharply turned his head forward.
‘What about the main group?’
If the enemy had suddenly launched a surprise attack, the probability was high that an attack on the center from the main group would follow! If they carelessly changed direction and exposed their backs, the damage would be immeasurable.
But no matter how much he strained his senses, he couldn’t detect even a hint of the enemy’s energy.
‘Is it just them?’
That couldn't be. It absolutely couldn't be.
Unless those bastards had suddenly lost their minds, there was no way they would charge at them with only ten men.
“They’re breaking through! Adjutant!”
At that moment, Jong Gwak clearly saw the group charging through their encirclement like an awl and running away to the rear.
In the blink of an eye, the formation he had set up was pierced as easily as flipping a child’s palm.
"Th- This..."
Jong Gwak stared at the scene with a dumbfounded face. The group that had broken through was already far away.
“Shouldn’t we chase them?”
“....”
Jong Gwak bit his lip, unable to answer.
Just because they have broken through his group doesn't mean Myriad Man Manor’s entire formation had collapsed. More forces were following behind them. Going after them would only result in being swept away by the wave of pursuers and dying.
Under normal circumstances, the best course of action would be to ignore them and continue pursuing Hainan Sect’s main group. Wasn't that the mission he had been given?
What made Jong Gwak hesitate was none other than the identity of those few individuals.
'Heavenly Comrade Alliance.'
If those were Heavenly Comrade Alliance without Hainan Sect, if they were Heavenly Comrade Alliance who chose to separate from Hainan Sect at this point, wasn't the purpose of this reckless charge all too obvious?
“Are they trying to save Plum Blossom Sword Demon? With just a little over ten people?”
An absurd and reckless act.
“…Send a messenger to the Advisor and report the situation.”
"Understood!"
Having regained his composure, Jong Gwak looked at the spot where Heavenly Comrade Alliance had disappeared with a sneer.
“That’s not courage.”
Letting out a thick sneer, Jong Gwak turned his head with cold eyes.
❀ ❀ ❀
“Aaaaaah!”
Saaaaak!
The sword is swung with a creepy cracking sound, cutting a long slash across the enemy's chest.
Jjojok!
But strangely, no blood flowed from the wound. The blood that should have gushed out had completely frozen solid. The enemy, whose heart had stopped from the cold invading their body, collapsed on the spot.
Kwang!
"Move aside! You bastards!"
"Gungju! You mustn't overexert yourself!"
Yoon Jong tried to calm Seol So-baek down with his shout, but Seol So-baek swung his sword even more fiercely as if the words didn’t even reach his ears.
He poured all his yin cold energy into his blade.
Jjojojojok!
Wherever his sword passed, transparent ice crystals bloomed in the air.
“That little brat seriously never listens!”
"Hey, you bastard! That's the Ice Palace Gungju!"
"Ah, who doesn't know that?"
Jo-Gol snapped back bluntly.
When the situation of going to rescue Chung Myung arose, the person who went most berserk was neither Jo-Gol, nor Yoo Iseol, not even Baek Cheon, but Seol So-baek.
Seol So-baek, who had barely shown any presence during the journey to and from the Southern Edge, was now swinging his sword as if possessed.
"Argh! It's cold!"
"You can joke at a time like this?"
"No! I'm really cold, you know? What the hell has that brat been eating lately?”
".....I said he is Gungju."
"How sad us peasants' lives are!"
“What did you say? You wealthy bastard?”
Jo-Gol flinched at Yoon Jong's voice, which truly seemed filled with rage.
In the meantime, Seol So-baek continued to unleash fierce sword strikes at the enemies blocking his way as if their banter didn’t register to him.
'Dojang!'
Seol So-baek's eyes spat fire.
His suddenly frenzied appearance might seem unfamiliar to others, but for him, it was completely natural.
He agreed that they should save Hainan Sect. However, he couldn’t quite understand the idea of sacrificing for them.
Even though Hainan Sect expressed their hardship, it was hard for him to empathize that their situation was more difficult than what the Ice Palace had faced.
Above all, he couldn't find a reason to risk his life for those who could abandon their own home and leave.
He supported this cause because it was Chung Myung’s will. He worked toward it because it was Chung Myung’s decision. But truly empathizing with its meaning and purpose was still too difficult for someone as young as him.
But now it is different. The person he was rushing to save was none other than Chung Myung, the benefactor of the Ice Palace and his benefactor.
He would never let Chung Myung die in a place like this. Not when he had yet to repay him for anything.
At that moment, Myriad Man Manor martial artists rushed at Seol So-baek with fierce shouts.
“How dare you!”
With blue light radiating from his eyes, Seol So-baek's left hand pulled back and then thrust forward in one motion. From his right hand, pure white energy erupted like a small avalanche.
"I- Ice White Divine Palm?"
“No way!”
Mount Hua disciples exclaimed in shock at the sight.
The Ice Palace's ultimate technique that they had witnessed in the Northern Sea was now being recreated in Seol So-baek's hands.
The charging Myriad Man Manor martial artists froze in an instant. Seol So-baek kicked the frozen bodies aside and immediately kicked off the ground without a moment's hesitation.
“Hurry up!”
“Y- Yes!”
“Understood, Gungju!”
Seol So-baek ran without looking back and bit his lip until it bled.
Chung Myung's life was hanging by a thread. Right now.
'Dojang! I’m coming!’
The boy Chung Myung had saved.
That boy, now a swordsman in his own right, was rushing to save Chung Myung.
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