Return of The Mount Hua – Chapter 1409. It's time to wake up from the dream (4)
Editor: Hoamzz
Co-Translator: Xoxo
"Ugh..."
Bop Jeong’s eyes trembled.
The fleet of the water fortress bandits filled the vast Yangtze River like a menacing black tide.
Of course, having seen such a scene countless times before, there was nothing particularly surprising or alarming about it.
But the real problem was something else. The ships cutting through the river's currents suddenly slowed down, then came to a complete stop.
This means that the water fortress has arrived at its destination.
Spread out before the fleet was none other than the vast land of Nanjing.
“Th- This…”
The land that should have been covered with green grass or yellow clay soil was filled with neither but people. With those the world calls Evil Tyrant Alliance.
Myriad Man Manor, Black Ghost Fortress, and even small and medium-sized sects gathered from all over the place.
Upon visually confirming that tremendous force, even the world-renowned Bop Jeong felt his legs weaken.
"B- Bangjang."
Kongtong Sect Leader Jongni Hyeong spoke with a trembling voice.
"W- What should we do now?"
Of course, Jongni Hyeong had never seen such a large number of martial artists gathered in one place. He felt what it truly meant to be overwhelmed by sheer numbers.
Even a pack of insignificant dogs could tear apart a single tiger if there were enough of them. No matter how their average martial prowess might not compare to renowned Righteous Sects, such a massive number would easily nullify any difference.
‘And if they board those ships and cross the river into Gangbuk…?’
Could they be stopped?
No matter how Ten Great Sects occupied the riverbanks, could they block all these people who could seemingly fill the Yangtze River and then some?
At that moment, Peng Ye spoke in an emotionless voice.
"...We should retreat."
But Jongni Hyeong knew. Even Peng Ye’s voice was quivering just slightly.
"If they launch an attack across the river, the forces we have here won't be enough to resist. At best, we'll inflict minor damage before being completely annihilated."
It was a cold yet objective statement.
"B- But Sect Leader Peng. If you keep doing that....”
Jongni Hyeong opened his mouth with a puzzled expression, but Peng Ye shook his head coldly as if already knowing what he would say.
"This is no time to worry about our face."
“....”
"Or? Does Sect Leader Jongni think we alone can stop them?"
Jongni Hyeong shut his mouth like a mute who had swallowed honey.
Perhaps, if all Ten Great Sects were gathered in one place, but three sects alone couldn’t handle this. Moreover, wasn't Shaolin not even at full strength?
“Bangjang, please make your decision."
Peng Ye subtly urged Bop Jeong. But Bop Jeong remained silent and just stared blankly across the river.
“Bangjang.”
Just as Peng Ye was about to urge him again, Bop Jeong's lips parted, and a voice boiling with fury spilled out.
"I tried to prevent this from happening... I spoke of this so many times! These fools!"
What could have been a manageable situation had spiraled into this worst-case scenario because of Heavenly Comrade Alliance's idiotic choice.
His jaw trembled with rage.
There was now no way to stop Evil Tyrant Alliance from crossing the river now. They would undoubtedly advance through Hubei and into Henan.
What Jang Ilso was after was plain as day.
Jungwon are vast. Though Ten Great Sects and Five Great Family were bound under one name, they were actually scattered across the wide Jungwon. And only about half of the sects were gathered north of the Yangtze River, centered around Henan.
What if Jang Ilso could seize that region?
If they could engage in a decisive battle with the core of Ten Great Sects, centered around Shaolin, Wudang, and Southern Edge Sect?
The other sects spread throughout the remote regions of Jungwon could be divided and conquered at any time.
If Wudang and Southern Edge Sect opened their gates and joined forces, they might be able to stop it. After all, the central sects of Ten Great Sects were formidable. But the aftermath of that war would be devastating.
Bop Jeong understood. Why Shaolin and Wudang were able to become the center of Kangho.
While the excellence of those sects' martial arts is important, what was even more important was the fact that they had established their base in Henan, the very center of Jungwon.
Evil Sects, and even demonic cults, enemies one must fight while being prepared for their sect's destruction, have always advanced toward Henan from the outskirts of Jungwon.
So no matter how dire the war, as long as they didn’t lose outright, Henan itself never became a scorched battleground. Thanks to that, hadn't they avoided Shaolin's destruction even when demonic cult was at its peak a century ago?
But this time was different.
If Evil Tyrant Alliance advances directly north to Henan, even if they ultimately win, there was no way to avoid Shaolin suffering catastrophic damage.
At least Song Mountain will burn down without leaving even a single foundation pillar. Even in victory, all that would remain would be scars.
How is he supposed to accept the horrendous result of having Shaolin’s main temple burnt down and losing all the disciples who will carry Shaolin's legacy, while the fruits of victory and honor are taken entirely by others?
(H: Sounds awfully similar. Now I get emotional out of nowhere smh.)
Cold sweat ran down Bop Jeong's back.
“Paegun… This wicked and treacherous man….”
He had assumed Sapayeran would target Heavenly Comrade Alliance first. However, Jang Ilso's sword was aimed not at Heavenly Comrade Alliance, but right at Beop Jeong's neck.
Would he retreat, knowing Henan would burn?
Or should every last man stand and perish here, so that the damage to Henan would be a little less?
Neither was an easy choice for Bop Jeong.
“B- Bangjang!”
Just then, Jongni Hyeong's ear-splitting cry shattered his contemplation. Then Bop Jeong clearly saw it. The sight of the fleet filling the Yangtze all turning their bows at once.
The direction was south!
Bop Jeong opened his mouth in a daze as if the soul had left him.
"...The Alliance..."
"Yes?"
“Heavenly Comrade Alliance! Where is Heavenly Comrade Alliance now?”
"W- Well, obviously..."
Bop Jeong's gaze shot toward the hill rising from the land of Nanjing beyond the river.
High up on that far-off rise, he saw one familiar figure.
The veins in Bop Jeong's neck bulged, and a thunderous roar erupted from his throat.
“Hyun Joooooooooooooooooooonng!”
It was a scream of anguish, resentment, and also desperation.
The world was swallowed in silence.
No, perhaps it was drowned with so much noise. Either way, none of it mattered to Hyun Jong.
The only thing that mattered was the fact that every inch of land before him was filled with enemies.
Numerous flags symbolizing Myriad Man Manor and Black Ghost Fortress fluttered, with massive flags standing between them, adding even more oppressive pressure. The red character of 'Tyrant (覇)' written on it seemed to pierce his eyes and chest.
And what drew his gaze more than anything else… was the snow-white carriage standing at the heart of that overwhelming army.
The grand carriage pulled by eight white horses was impressive even from a distance.
Anyone with even a slight understanding of the current Kangho, anyone with any interest in the world's flowing circumstances, would know who sat inside that carriage.
“...Jang Ilso.”
The man was here.
Leading all those who followed him, as if mocking Heavenly Comrade Alliance's desperate struggles, he had already preemptively occupied their retreat route and remained loftily in place.
Hyun Jong's mind went completely blank.
He felt no anger or hatred. What gripped him in this moment was a despair so vast, so profound, that no mere words could describe it.
'Yuanshi Tianzun...'
How could you be so cruel? How could you be so heartless?
He didn’t ask for much. He never demanded some rightful compensation for all the chivalrous deeds and principles he had maintained.
He had only hoped for a small comfort—enough to ensure that the blood and suffering his disciples had shed would not be in vain.
Was even that too much to ask?
“Uh....”
"Th- this..."
Those who reached the top of the hill a little late were all speechless like Hyun Jong. Even the world-renowned Tang Gun-ak and Maeng So, who seemed to have nothing to fear in the world, clenched their fists before the unfolded despair.
"Are we too late...?"
Im Sobyeong smiled bitterly.
The reality they had turned away from, hoping it wasn't true, was now pointing at them like an incredibly sharp blade.
Perhaps this had been the conclusion ending all along. Perhaps this was the cold sentence they must accept by daring to set foot in land dominated by Paegun Jang Ilso.
“...Fighting is....”
Tang Gun-ak started to speak but shook his head.
It was meaningless. No matter how much of Heavenly Comrade Alliance's forces were gathered here, breaking through them and crossing would be utterly reckless.
“Nokrim King! Is there a way to detour?"
“....”
“Nokrim King?”
Tang Gun-ak turned to Im Sobyeong with the desperation of a drowning man clutching at straws, but Im Sobyeong simply responded with a bitter expression.
“We’re too late. Our opponent is Paegun. He won’t let us go."
Tang Gun-ak closed his eyes tightly.
He too knew this, but hearing it through Nokrim King's mouth felt different. It was like being sentenced to a predetermined conclusion. All that remained was just helplessness.
'Were our decisions wrong?'
He couldn't say that.
But if it wasn’t wrong, why had it come to this end?
Despair is contagious.
Even those who couldn't come forward to see the situation at the Yangtze could sufficiently guess from the reactions of those standing in front. Their heightened nerves made the despair wash over them even faster.
“Ah....”
At that moment, the water fortress' fleet changed direction and converged toward them. The moment the water bandits of the Eighteen Water Fortress of the Yangtze River set foot on this land, everything would come to an end.
Just when everyone standing there was on the verge of giving up on hope, Baek Cheon, who had been carried on Hyun Jong’s back, weakly pushed himself off and stumbled to the ground.
“Ba- Baek Cheon-ah?”
He stood on unsteady legs, his head swaying. He opened his mouth as if to speak, then suddenly hunched over.
“Cough!”
Clotted dead blood burst forth. Hyun Jong’s eyes widened as he saw the ominously dark blood. He realized too late that Baek Cheon’s condition was more dire than he had thought.
“Y- You! Your body....”
Sureureureung.
But instead of saying anything, Baek Cheon slowly drew his sword.
"Wh- What are you trying to do?"
“Now....”
Baek Cheon forced his drooping head up. A smile touched his bloodstained lips.
“…If we just break through there, we’ll be in Gangbuk.”
“....”
“Right?”
At that moment, the others who had dismounted began dragging their feet toward Baek Cheon.
"We're here, Sasuk.”
"Ha, it was a long journey. And now it’s over.”
"Now we just need to break through there!"
“I’m tired. Let’s get this done.”
"Amitabha. I’ll never set my foot in Gangnam again."
Shock and bewilderment settled in the eyes of Hyun Jong and Tang Gun-ak as they watched.
Five Swords and Hye Yeon. They were drawing their swords with composed faces, as if they were ready to fight despite their battered bodies.
It was meaningless. Resistance was futile.
With bodies like theirs, they wouldn’t even be able to swing their swords properly before dying.
But who could dare tell them that?
Who could call their will pointless when they were still dragging their broken legs and screaming to fight, even as their bodies were riddled with wounds?
“You guys....”
“Don’t worry, Grand Sect Leader."
Baek Cheon smiled brightly.
"Opening a path is our specialty. Right?"
Five Swords nodded in unison.
Hyun Jong realized then. Ho, he was forced to realize..
That the disciples he had always believed needed to be tightly embraced and protected were already leading him in the opposite direction.
It wasn’t Mount Hua protecting them. It was them protecting Mount Hua. Protecting Heavenly Comrade Alliance.
Baek Cheon dragged his feet to the edge of the hill. His blood-soaked martial robe fluttered.
He could see enemies filling the earth and ships surging like waves.
"How magnificent."
Anyone who has ever taken up a sword, anyone who had ever dreamed of being a hero, would have fantasized about a scene like this at least once.
At last, Baek Cheon's wish had come true.
Chung Myung's voice from some past moment resounded in his mind.
- A hero? Well, I don't know, but... perhaps a hero is someone who dreams a dream that never breaks. Even until the moment of death.
“Fine.”
Baek Cheon raised the corners of his lips.
"Then I'll not break. Ever."
Then crimson energy began to glow along the edge of his blade.
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