Return of the Mount Hua Sect Chapter 1373: I Will Make It Like That. (3)

Shuaaah!

Speedboats reinforced with thick planks on their prows cut swiftly through the rough waters of the Yangtze.

Standing tall on the prow, Cheok Il, the shipmaster of the Kitefin Shark Pirates known as Yangtze’s Four Fishes, stared at the scene before him. He muttered in a bubbling voice.

“Pathetic.”

Dozens of ships were lined up along the opposite bank. But there was little sign of people aboard. They’d gathered the vessels in case the Four Sects Alliance ever crossed, but that was all; guards were lax, and the ships were probably empty.

“They must’ve thought we’d never strike first. Stupid fools.”

In fairness, it’s not wholly unreasonable. If they were still under the Black Dragon King’s orders, they wouldn’t have dared cross.

The Black Dragon King was obsessed with money made on the Yangtze and was thus extremely wary of any full-scale tension across the river. He always kept just enough tension to maximize profit.

Despite appearances, the Black Dragon King was cautious; attacking the dock where Shaolin, Kongtong Sect, and the Peng Family were stationed? That was highly unlikely.

But now it’s different. The one giving orders is no longer the Black Dragon King; it’s the Hegemony Lord.

The Hegemony Lord couldn’t care less about the Yangtze region. His sights were set on the vast Northern lands beyond the river. To seize that land, Shaolin would be nothing but an obstacle to trample.

“Captain, we’re almost in range. How shall we set speed?”

“Full speed!”

“Fu-full speed?”

“Ram them as is. Don’t give them time to prepare!”

“Ah, understood!”

The subordinate answered a bit heatedly. One of Yangtze’s Four Fishes twisted his lips as if smiling.

“If they were careless, they must pay.”

Shuaaah!

The speedboats approaching the bank didn’t slow; they accelerated. Their targets were the moored ships.

Those who spotted the enemy late watched their faces go ashen in an instant.

“They’re coming!”

“Th-those lunatics...!”

“Stand back! They’re going to ram us!”

THUDDD!

CRACKKKK!

A huge ship crashed head-on into another. The surface churned violently as splintered hull fragments shot into the air and scattered.

“Aaaaaaaah!”

Those who couldn’t jump off tumbled helplessly across the decks. But that was only the beginning.

THUDDDDDDDD!

THUDDDDDDDDDD!

The Pirates’ war boats, still at speed, rammed one moored ship after another.

Though the ships were similar in size, the Pirates’ vessels were built for naval combat, while the gathered ships were only made to look the part. The sturdier ships rammed with added speed; the outcome was obvious.

Thud!

Yangtze’s Four Fishes slammed his crescent blade to the deck and unleashed a roar so massive it made the surface tremble.

“Attack!”

“Yes!”

Emboldened Pirates leapt onto the decks and immediately boarded the half-destroyed vessels.

“Don’t be afraid! They’re just pirates!”

“We must protect the remaining ships!”

At the news, Kongtong’s disciples and those guarding the ships rushed up and, even in the chaos, drew their weapons in unison.

But half of what they said was true.

Of course, they were disciples of prestigious schools, and on solid ground they’d have no reason to fear mere pirates.

But sadly, where they stood was not solid ground.

Kwaaaang!

Just as Kongtong’s disciples raised their swords to charge, another violent shake tilted the ship.

“Ugh, what the—!”

“The ship, the ship...!”

Kongtong’s disciples hesitated in confusion. The pirates, as if expecting this, ran across the slanted deck as if it were flat.

“Dieeee!”

The pirates quickly plunged through gaps between the ill-positioned defenders. Soon a chaotic melee ensued where friend and foe were hard to tell apart—the pirates’ preferred form of battle on a ship.

Kwaaaaang!

Explosions rang out everywhere.

When ships collided, pirates who’d already dived were smashing the keels of the moored vessels from below.

Those with internal qi had pierced holes with weapons; the weaker ones stuck explosives to the exposed undersides.

Kwaaaang!

With each blast, ships tilted and began to list.

The shoreline quickly became an inferno of chaos.

If they’d faced them head-on, they wouldn’t have been defeated so quickly; but struck by this unexpected ambush, they were thrown into confusion and couldn’t tell front from back.

“Aaaaah!”

“Sajae!”

Someone struck through the side by a trident screamed. Before that wail died, a blade from behind sliced a neck.

“Th-these cowardly pirates!”

Seeing this, Kongtong’s First class disciple Seo Heum swung his sword with a roar. His deadly sword pierced a pirate’s heart, but the enemies kept pouring in faster.

Like a surging wave, pirates climbed onto the tilted ships.

“Hold on a bit! Reinforcements are coming!”

His words weren’t wrong.

“Oooooooooh!”

A tremendous battle cry came from behind the struggling men.

Figures were rushing from afar. A group in yellow robes was visible even from a distance.

“It’s Shaolin!”

“Shaolin has come to aid! Hold on a little longer!”

Though their fame wasn’t what it once was, Shaolin still held great standing in the Central Plains murim world. Knowing Shaolin was coming changed the disciples’ expressions.

Seo Heum too suppressed rising excitement and shouted calmly.

“Focus on defense! When Shaolin arrives, we’ll crush them in one push!”

“Yes!”

He bit his lip hard.

It wasn’t just Shaolin. His sworn sahyung-sajaes would be coming too; once they arrived, they’d wipe these pirate scum out without leaving one alive.

‘I’ll make them pay dearly for their filthy tricks.’

But then a question crossed Seo Heum’s eyes, still burning with hatred for the pirates.

‘What is that?’

His gaze wasn’t on the deck of battle but beyond it, toward the ship’s rail.

Pirates climbing up the deck late were carrying something black and large.

‘Jars?’

They were jars so big they had to be lifted with both hands.

Before he could think, the pirates opened the lids and tipped their contents onto the deck.

Seo Heum flinched.

‘Poison?’

But at that moment a smell wafted from the liquid.

It was a familiar scent. Seo Heum widened his eyes.

“Ah, no...!”

He saw the pirates, having poured out the jars, gloating as they pulled something from their robes and began tearing it apart.

“Flame accelerant! Get away! It’s oil!”

Flames sparked from the pirates’ fingertips onto the deck.

Flare!

The fire caught the oil and spread in an instant. The wide deck became a sea of flames.

“F-fire!”

“Aaaaah! On my back! My back is on fire!”

Kongtong’s disciples who couldn’t escape the sudden blaze screamed and ran frantically. The other ships were the same—terrifying flames engulfed them.

“Th-these madmen...”

It wasn’t just the ships; oil floating on the water had ignited, making it seem as if the entire Yangtze were on fire.

Before that overwhelmingly violent sight, Seo Heum’s legs gave out.

Flare!

The fire was impartial; both the Justice faction’s ships and even the Pirates’ war boats were swallowed by the inferno.

“Ah... ah...”

What to do? How could they possibly respond in this situation? All they could see was fire.

“Oooooooooh!”

Then Beop Gye, having reached the riverbank with his disciples, unleashed a terrifying roar.

“You wicked bastards, I will not forgive you!”

But the Yangtze Four Fishes only let out a bitter laugh upon [N O V E L I G H T] seeing Beop Gye.

“Looks like the middle man is very angry.”

No wonder; Yangtze River Four Fishes had no intention of answering that anger.

“We’ve achieved our objective; there’s no need to linger and fight. Fall back.”

“Retreat! Retreat!”

No sooner had the Yangtze River Four Fishes given the order than the pirates fighting leapt into the burning Yangtze.

Splash! Splash!

“Hey, where are you running to!”

Frenzied Kongtong disciples, ignoring their own burning robes, slashed at the backs of retreating pirates.

But few were hit. Most pirates had already plunged deep into the Yangtze; as if the earlier onslaught never happened, they vanished without a trace.

All Pirates are skilled in aquatic techniques. Diving beneath where the flames couldn’t reach and escaping was nothing remarkable to them.

“Stupid fools.”

Yangtze River Four Fishes sneered cruelly at Beop Gye and dove into the burning Yangtze.

Kwoong!

Beop Gye burst onto the deck from the bank, his brows trembling with rage. All that remained were ships engulfed in flames and bodies scattered about. The enemies he intended to crush were gone without a trace.

“Th-this...”

Yet he couldn’t lead disciples who lacked aquatic skills into the water to pursue them. Beop Gye looked around in dismay.

Nearly thirty ships, gathered at Beop Jeong’s order with all their might, were burning.

Kwadudduk!

Ships, mangled and split by fire, began to sink one by one. Perhaps it was fortunate in a way; the flames would naturally go out once fully submerged.

“What are you doing! Put it out. Put the fire out!”

In a sudden outburst, Beop Gye, stunned, shouted like someone having a fit.

“Put out the fire at once! Save at least one ship! Now...”

“Elder.”

At that moment someone grabbed his sleeve.

Turning back with a furious face, he saw a Shaolin disciple slowly shaking his head.

“...It’s too late.”

“...”

Beop Gye again turned his gaze blankly.

Black smoke from the burning ships belched up into the sky; even those not here would know exactly what had happened.

“Am-Amitabha...”

A hollow sound escaped his lips. His voice was numb.

‘This situation... what on earth are we supposed to do about this?’

The screams of burned survivors, wails of those clutching the dead, and the shouts of those desperately trying to douse the flames.

It was truly hellish. Beop Gye squeezed his eyes shut.