Return of The Mount Hua – Chapter 1711. That’s it (6)
Editor: Hoamz
Co-Translator: Xoxo
Im Sobyeong's mouth slowly fell open in shock.
White…. No, on the cliff now dyed red, dozens of cracks spread in an instant. Like dozens of starving dragons charging across the cliff.
At the sight, as if visualizing the very word 'collapse,' Im Sobyeong screamed at the top of his lungs without realizing it.
"Fall back! It's collapsiiiiing!"
Those who had been staring blankly at the cliff like him turned pale and threw their bodies backward with all their might. Though the path they needed to retreat through was filled with Evil Tyrant Alliance martial artists, they weren't a major obstacle in this situation.
Because they weren't the only ones trying to escape upon seeing the state of the cliff.
Kureung! Kureureung!
The red cliff literally twisted. Following the cracks drawn like a spider's web, the rocks split and scraped with crackling sounds, creating bizarre roars that made all the hair on one's body stand on end.
And finally...
Kwaaaaaaaaaaaaaang!
The cliff collapsed with an earth-shattering roar.
Everyone scattered in panic and began to flee in the direction opposite the cliff.
Kureureureureung!
Broken rocks tumbled down, rocks collided with each other in midair creating explosive sounds. All of it came crashing down upon the cliff below under the name 'terror’.
"More! Fall back more! More!"
Murong Wigyeong shouted until his throat burst.
Although he had witnessed a living hell in Hubei with his own eyes, this current collapse presented him with a fear of a different kind than that time.
"Damn it, I said fall back more!"
The cliff's collapse was practically predetermined. So it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say there would be no damage to those who had withdrawn their bodies in advance.
But even knowing that fact in their heads, they couldn't remain calm seeing such a massive collapse right before their eyes. Everyone’s faces turned the color of dirt in dismay.
"Uwaaaaaaaaaaagh!"
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
Someone's screams squeezed through the massive roar. Humans were mixed in and crushed by the cliff rocks pouring down like a landslide. It was truly a horrific sight.
Kwaaaaang!
Rocks that had broken off from the lower part of the cliff plummeted down, shaking the earth. Even those who had retreated far from the cliff shuddered at the unfamiliar sensation of the ground beneath their feet violently trembling.
And this was just the beginning.
Larger and more numerous rocks rained down like hail, literally swallowing hundreds of people standing on the cliff.
Im Sobyeong, staring blankly at the gruesome and shocking spectacle, shifted his gaze toward the high place.
'Please...'
He unconsciously clutched his fan tightly. His skinny knuckles turned pale white.
Namgung Dowi’s body jolted.
Though he had managed to escape the cliff horizontally before the collapse began and set foot on the ground of grass and earth, his heart was still within that collapsing cliff.
Kwareureureureung!
That massive collapse might be swallowing Mount Hua Sect that had been atop the cliff. But now, he could only watch. He gritted his teeth so hard the muscles in his jaw bulged.
"This...!"
“No, Dowi!”
Namgung Myeong gripped Namgung Dowi's shoulder like steel and wouldn't let go.
"Aaaaaaaaaaagh!"
Namgung Dowi’s eyes turned bloodshot.
In the midst of all this, there was something else tormenting his heart.
Those who had lost their footing were falling like rain. Namgung Dowi’s trained eyes could accurately read the expressions they showed as they plummeted even amid the dust clouds that made everything hazy.
Disbelief, despair, and terrible resentment.
These were the faces of those who couldn't believe until the very end that they would be abandoned, shown at the moment they faced their confirmed death. It was so gruesome it was hard to watch with open eyes.
"Good... heavens..."
From not far away, Isong Baek's dazed voice could be heard.
The scale of the collapse far exceeded the level they had anticipated.
It might not even amount to half of the collapse Evil Tyrant Alliance had originally planned, but the shock from the sight of the mountain seemingly crumbling whole was undiminished. Isong Baek couldn't move his body as if frozen.
Could a human survive within that? There was no need to even wonder. A human made of flesh and blood would never come out alive. Never…
“Don’t act rashly, Jin Geumryong!”
At that moment, Jong Nigok's sharp voice pierced Isong Baek's ears. Startled, he looked back to see Jong Nigok pressing down on Jin Geumryong's shoulder with his scabbard.
He was surprised by Jong Nigok’s violent action, but what was more shocking was Jin Geumryong’s horribly distorted face.
“Jin Geum...”
"I know, Sect Leader-nim!"
Jin Geumryong shouted and cut off Jong Nigok's words. His lower lip was bleeding from how hard he had bitten it.
There’s nothing Jin Geumryong could do even if he steps forward now. Right now, he could only wait. Jin Geumryong wasn't someone who didn't know that fact.
However...
After a moment's silence, Jin Geumryong clenched his fist tightly.
"It's just so damn pathetic that we fled the cliff like this to save our own skins!"
"You rascal..."
Jin Geumryong said nothing more and stared hard at the place where the top of the cliff had been.
If it were them…they would definitely have escaped from that cliff. If Mount Hua were a sect to be defeated that easily, there would have been no reason for the great Southern Edge Sect to suffer humiliation.
‘…Jin Dongryong.’
It must be so, absolutely!
* * *
Kureureureureureung!
Gwak Hwe’s legs gave out, and he ended up collapsing on the spot.
Thud.
Perhaps from the shock of his body hitting the ground, Jo-Gol, who was being carried on his back, flinched and opened his eyes.
Forcing his heavy eyelids open, he struggled to look around and then grabbed Gwak Hwe’s shoulder. Even that slight movement drew a painful groan from his lips.
"Ugh..."
The cliff where they had just been standing and fighting fiercely had transformed into a bizarre shape.
The cliff that had once jutted high toward the sky now gaped open as if gouged out by a giant hoe.
And those who had existed upon it had vanished as well.
Kureureureureureureung!
Only the noise rising from the unseen depths below and the violent vibrations transmitted through their entire bodies explained what was happening.
"Good heavens..."
It was a catastrophe far greater than what they had roughly predicted. All Jo-Gol could do was gape in horror.
A newly created void stretched out before them. Right in front of where the Southern Sea Sun Palace warriors had stood to block their retreat.
Jo-Gol felt a chill run down his spine. Cold sweat trickled down.
What could this mean? It meant that if they had been just a little slower, everyone would have collapsed along with the cliff. Not leaving a single person behind.
'A miracle....'
The reality of having succeeded in an escape bordering on a miracle truly sank in. But he couldn't even breathe a sigh of relief.
To the left and right of the collapsed cliff, there were spaces that barely remained like thin strips. On those spaces barely clinging to this mountain, Evil Tyrant Alliance martial artists who had collapsed in exhaustion remained.
Those who, by luck, had avoided a death no human effort could overcome.
Of course, those granted this lucky selection numbered less than half of those who had climbed the cliff.
The hundreds of Evil Tyrant Alliance martial artists who didn't receive that selection had plummeted in an instant and become lonely souls. By the plot of not enemies but allies.
Eudeudeudeuk.
The sound of someone gritting their teeth while suppressing anger could be heard. There was no need to check who it was. After all, the feelings of all those witnessing this scene would be similar.
“It seems those who were below managed to stop the ones pulling tricks on the cliff to some extent. Otherwise, this cliff would surely have collapsed in its entirety.”
Listening to Cang Gun-ak's muttering, a hollow laugh escaped Jo-Gol's lips.
That meant that Evil Tyrant Alliance martial artists who should have all died according to Evil Tyrant Alliance's plan had survived, albeit slightly less than half, thanks to Heavenly Comrade Alliance's desperate fight.
How on earth should one evaluate this situation?
“Gasju-nim, about them...”
“The battle is over.”
"…Yes?"
Tang Gun-ak stared intently at somewhere beyond the collapsed cliff. A cold anger boiled from deep within his eyes.
"Perhaps... the one who orchestrated this knows that best."
* * *
Ho Gamyeong stared at the collapsed cliff with a face hardened like stone.
As if he himself had become a rock in place of the collapsed cliff, he didn't budge at all. He didn't even let out a sigh, let alone speak.
The adjutants looked at his expression and opened their mouths with difficulty.
“Strategist, next is...”
Ho Gamyeong closed his eyes silently. Having steadied his breathing for a moment, he slowly opened his eyes and unexpectedly let out a smirk.
“Next, you say….”
As if there could be such a thing.
Words that wouldn't come out as if stuck to the tip of his tongue flowed out while feigning composure.
“Retreat.”
“S- Strategist! Did you say retreat just now?”
"……That's right."
“B- But, still...”
“The battle here is already over.”
“St- Strategist. There are still troops left on the cliff. Our forces can still…”
“That’s precisely why.”
"…Yes?"
Ho Gamyeong stared at the cliff that had not fully collapsed. Since some space remained, about half the forces must have survived.
On the surface, it could be seen as preserving power, but viewed coldly, it was the same as holding a bomb that could explode at any moment.
Unless they were fools, they wouldn't know what had been done to them. If their rage was swept up in the heat of battle, there would be no way to control the direction of their blades.
Heavenly Comrade Alliance positioned below the cliff would never miss that opportunity.
If they had to risk everything here to determine the outcome, he would take the risk and continue the attack, but the meaning of this battle wasn't that grand anyway.
However, he can't help but feel one regret.
'If only...'
If that cliff had collapsed entirely, turning even Evil Tyrant Alliance martial artists left on top into nothing more than a handful of wandering spirits….
'No, no.'
But Ho Gamyeong soon shook his head.
It was already done anyway. The fact that they blocked the collapse to that extent was also their ability, so he couldn't deny it.
Evil Tyrant Alliance led by Ho Gamyeong was defeated by Heavenly Comrade Alliance. That's all. Anything further is nothing more than a lame excuse.
“Send the retreat signal. We withdraw.”
"Strategist..."
“How many times must I repeat myself?”
“N- No, sir!”
The adjutants quickly sent the signal. Those nearby quickly fired signal flares in all directions.
Ho Gamyeong stood in silence for a moment, then let out a scornful chuckle.
“Greenhorns...”
He had lost to those greenhorns. Without even room for excuses.
The very Evil Tyrant Alliance that had trampled even Shaolin so miserably.
Even after using the biggest card he could play, 'Jang Ilso,' to remove Plum Blossom Sword Demon from this place, he failed to withstand the names 'Mount Hua' and ' Heavenly Comrade Alliance'.
"I simply..."
Muttering quietly, Ho Gamyeong gazed endlessly at the cliff. As if he intended to embed his gaze into it.
Then, only after a long while did he sharply turn his body.
As he descended the mountain with the collapsed cliff at his back, a single trace of grim resolve passed across his face.
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