Return of the Mount Hua Sect Chapter 1383: Of Course, That Would Never Happen. (3)

“Argh! Damn it! Why are there so many of them?”

Jo Gul sliced through the chest of a charging enemy and snapped irritably.

“Shut your mouth, you damned bastard!”

“No! This is just too much, isn’t it?”

Jo Gul contorted his face and complained.

Break through Nanjing in one go without meeting the enemy until the right position?

‘We haven’t even reached that so-called “right position” yet!’

It felt as if every Evil Sect under heaven had gathered here. Cross one grove and Evil Sect members swarmed; cross one stream and they swarmed again. The problem was....

“W-what is this!”

“Enemies!”

“No! Why have you all been surprised from the start?!”

Jo Gul shouted angrily.

What was maddening was that it should be the Heavenly Friends Alliance and the Southern Island Sect who were startled by meeting the Evil Sect, yet those bastards were even more shocked, like they’d been suddenly attacked by the Demonic Cult in their own neighborhood.

“I’m really going to die...”

Paaaah!

Jo Gul was about to keep whining when suddenly someone leapt over his shoulder and darted forward.

Pararararak!

With a sound like dragonflies taking flight, the sword spread its wings in all directions.

“Aah!”

“Aaaaah!”

Evil Sect members, cut in an instant, clutched their wounds and writhed about.

“Sago!”

“...Fall back. If you’re going to keep whining.”

“Ah, no, that’s not it...”

Jo Gul, with a sulky face, began to defend himself but then shut up.

He too was seriously wounded, but Yu Yiseol’s injuries were worse. For her to fight without complaint while he kept whining made him look utterly pathetic....

“Jo Gul, you’re already pathetic.”

“Don’t read my mind! Have you mastered telepathy or something?”

Baek Cheon, who had spoken casually, followed behind the advancing Yu Yiseol.

“Samae! Are you okay?”

“Yes, sahyung.”

Yu Yiseol nodded calmly.

“I can fight now.”

“Don’t overdo it. Your wounds are severe.”

“Yes.”

Though told not to overexert herself, Yu Yiseol’s swordplay was no different from usual—still lively, clean, and swift.

And watching that sword, Baek Cheon felt something inside him melt away—relief.

He had been worried inside. He feared that Yu Yiseol’s deep wounds might make her lose her sword. Even leaving aside whether she could be at full strength right away, her sword was a treasure Mount Hua could never afford to lose.

But looking at that sword, he could see his worries had been needless.

‘Still, no matter how I think about it, it’s strange.’

Baek Cheon’s gaze turned to the Evil Sect members Yu Yiseol was cutting down.

“Rotate the vanguard and rearguard. Those who are tired, replenish your strength!”

“Yes!”

Gwak Hwan-So’s voice rang out. Not only Yu Yiseol but the Southern Island Sect were pressing the enemies relentlessly—so much so that they even had the luxury to show mercy by only wounding foes rather than killing them.

So strong that the enemy couldn’t match them? Because they’d grown that much?

‘No. It’s that the other side is too weak.’

The Evil Sect force they were encountering now was far below the level of those who had hampered them in Guangdong.

That’s why it was strange.

Whether Ho Ga-Myung or Jang Ilso had deployed the forces, they wouldn’t have sent such lackluster men if their aim was to capture them. Those two couldn’t be ignorant that such people would be useless.

Even a rotten fish is still a fish—would those small fry be a match for the core of the Heavenly Friends Alliance, bolstered around the Southern Island sect?

But if so, why? Jang Ilso or Ho Ga-Myung wouldn’t engage in such pointless attrition.

“Acting Sect Leader.”

At that moment, Namgung Do-Wei, who had run up beside him, started to speak but then looked at Baek Cheon’s face.

“...You already noticed, it seems.”

“Yes.”

“These people did not come to face us. Leaving their strength aside, didn’t it seem like they didn’t even know we existed?”

“Indeed.”

Baek Cheon, who had been about to turn toward where Chung Myung and the Green Forest King stood, flinched and kept his head fixed.

‘Don’t rely on them!’

Having allies with deep insight is a blessing. But if you entrust all analysis and judgment to them, that blessing becomes a shackle.

If he himself lacks the ability to think and judge, it’s meaningless. There’s no guarantee those people will be by his side every time he must make a crucial decision.

‘Where could this Evil Sect force be useful?’

They certainly wouldn’t be effective against the core of the Nine Great sects. Then?

“They’re gathering these not to face us but to face others.”

“I think the same.”

“If that’s the case...”

A chill rose along the back of Baek Cheon’s hand.

Even troops unable to face the core of the Nine Great Sects could readily handle medium and small Justice faction sects. Just because they seemed riffraff to their eyes didn’t mean they truly were.

The problem was, as long as this Evil Sect force was in Southern lands, they would never be tasked with confronting the medium and small sects in Northern lands.

“Could it be... and I know it sounds absurd, but did Shaolin somehow rally forces in the Northern lands in the meantime?”

“...Could that be possible?”

“It could be.”

Namgung Do-Wei, who had spoken up, laughed as if his own words were ridiculous.

In the past, if Shaolin raised its banner and shouted, countless sects would gather under it. But now that’s impossible.

Everyone had clearly seen what transpired at Plum Blossom Island. They realized they could be abandoned by Shaolin the moment they were isolated—who in their right mind would follow Shaolin’s orders after that?

That seemingly trivial choice opened the path of survival for each by themselves among many Justice faction sects.

‘Exactly, why be so foolish....’

A cause often appears foolish if judged only by short-term results. But the reason it’s a cause is that it ultimately leads to the right outcome.

If Shaolin had rushed to rescue Namgung at that time instead of following their principles, the power behind Shaolin’s voice would have been incomparable to now.

In any case, with the reputation and power Shaolin currently had, a full-scale assault on Southern lands was impossible. They might lead a few sects that followed them in an attack, but gathering all the medium and small sects would be difficult.

Then only one possibility remained.

“...They’re going to cross the river? Leading these Evil Sect forces?”

“Could they? These aren’t fighters skilled enough to cross the vast Yangtze river barehanded, are they? Even if what we see is all there is, many flotillas would have to make several trips back and forth. The Nine Great Sects wouldn’t stand by and watch that, would they?”

“Something must have happened in the meantime. Something that makes that crossing impossible to stop.”

“I see....”

Namgung Do-Wei’s face grew grimmer. Summing up the conversation so far, the conclusion was clear.

A northward advance. It was certain Jang Ilso had drawn his sword.

‘Now?’

Namgung Do-Wei swallowed dryly without realizing it.

No, it’s possible. Anytime. Jang Ilso could cross the river and start a war at any moment. Ordinary people seek stability and certain victory, but what he desires is chaos and a dramatic victory using it.

Even knowing all that, the reason they trembled at this fact was simple.

‘We all assumed it wouldn’t happen now—even I did.’

War can break out at any time. Everyone here knew that.

But at the same time, everyone thought the timing wouldn’t be now. It would be later, when some time had passed.

Jang Ilso openly mocked their certainty and hopes.

“Why of all times is it now....”

“If you think in reverse, isn’t now the only time?”

“Huh?”

“The world is lived by the masses, but it’s moved by a few. Aren’t the gazes of that few completely focused on the Southern Island right now?”

“....”

“Jang Ilso would certainly exploit such a situation. He will try to steer events as he wishes. Even if the time isn’t ripe, if the conditions fit, he’ll disregard that.”

“Then....”

Namgung Do-Wei’s voice trembled slightly. The meaning of those words hit him painfully clearly.

“Are you saying war is breaking out because of us... because of none other than us?”

Baek Cheon was silent for a moment. Then, having organized his thoughts, he spoke again.

“The war would have occurred sooner or later. Just because the timing was slightly hastened doesn’t make it entirely our fault.”

“But....”

Namgung Do-Wei still couldn’t hide his discomfort and hesitated. Baek Cheon looked him squarely in the eye and asked.

“Then, knowing this outcome, would you have stayed in the Northern lands to avoid the war?”

Namgung Do-Wei could not answer that.

“The opponent is Jang Ilso. Had we not moved, he would have used the fall of Southern Island Sect to spin another scheme. That’s the sort of man he is.”

Namgung Do-Wei gave a faint nod.

“So for now, let’s only think about breaking through this situation.”

“Exactly the right answer!”

The two turned sharply at a voice behind them. Im So-Byeong was twirling the fan in his hand and bobbing his head.

“You two seem to have grown in your own ways. This strategist is quite pleased.”

“That makes me feel filthy.”

“Isn’t praise from an Evil Sect bastard just an insult?”

The two bristled for no reason. Then Im So-Byeong’s gaze suddenly darkened as he spoke.

“More importantly, focus on something else.”

“Yes?”

“If Jang Ilso truly intends to wage war... if he plans to advance north, one advantage we’ve enjoyed all this time will vanish completely.”

“An advantage?”

The two turned cold. What advantage could they possibly have gotten thanks to that Jang Ilso? If anything, they’d suffered losses.

Namgung Do-Wei, who had lost half his family because of Jang Ilso, glared at Im So-Byeong with murderous eyes. Im So-Byeong shrugged and spoke decisively.

“To be precise: there will no longer be a need to maintain balance.”

“Balance?”

“The existence of the Heavenly Friends Alliance.”

Only then did the two fall silent, understanding Im So-Byeong’s words.

“Until now, Jang Ilso had aimed for fractures among the Justice faction by leaving the Heavenly Friends Alliance alone. But if war breaks out, the story changes. The Heavenly Friends Alliance is the faction most likely to fight most fiercely on the war’s front lines.”

“Indeed....”

Even if they didn’t want it, it would happen. If one man loses his mind and ramps up his brutality.

And that meant....

“Until now the Alliance was kept alive because they were useful, but now they’ll be an obstacle to be killed, by any means necessary.”

Their gazes turned back at once—toward the person trailing behind, Chung Myung.

“That....”

Baek Cheon, about to add something while looking at that expressionless face, flinched.

His gaze instead moved a bit further back, toward the grove they’d just passed. Tall, jutting trees rustled and swayed.

“Al-already....”

“They’re coming.”

Im So-Byeong folded his fan and gripped it tightly.

“Steel yourselves. This will be different from what we’ve faced so far.”

Kwaaaang!

Then large trees crashed down one after another, revealing all-too-familiar figures. The Ten Thousand People Clan uniforms, now a wearisome sight.

Ho Ga-Myung, standing in their midst, growled with cold eyes.

“Show them how vicious the Evil Sect’s vengeance can be.”

Baek Cheon bit his lip until it bled.