ââHeo Sanja.â
ââYes, Sect Leader.â
âTake care of the disciples.â
âYes!â
Heo Dojin bit his bloodless lips.
Damage?
No, the injuries were surprisingly not that severe. Considering the overwhelming attack, about a dozen injuries and a few casualties were not significant damage.
At first glance, Shaolinâs damage was similar to that of Wudang, and Namgung had suffered a little more. Qingcheng, who had been in the back, luckily appeared to have suffered the least damage.
So where did all this blood come from?
âTheseâ lunaticâ.â
Heo Dojin couldnât suppress the nausea and wrath and spat out abusive language.
The blood soaking the ground was mostly that of the members of Black Dragon Water Fortress.
The blind attack that doesnât differentiate friends from foes had trampled the most on Black Dragon Water Fortressâ own members, not anywhere else.
âHahahahahahat!â
Jang Ilso, who was bursting into a frenzy of laughter, seemed to have calmed down a little now and covered his mouth. The remnants of his laughter irritatingly scratched everyoneâs ears.
It was like a victory cry.
âHaaa.â
Jang Ilso, who had finally somewhat contained his laughter, hung his head.
âI apologize. Thisâ Iâm such a base person that I donât know how to hide my emotions, I ask for your understanding.â
ââ.â
Heo Dojin suddenly wondered what expression he was wearing. In addition, he felt great confusion.
How should he understand that man?
That man who couldnât be described as anything but strange.
ââGunpowder?â
Jang Ilso nodded leisurely at his question. As if to praise Heo Dojin for finding out.
âI was lucky to obtain it.â
ââSo you used gunpowder?â
âAs you can see, itâs quite effective.â
Heo Dojin gritted his teeth.
âI understand that you violated the law and used gunpowder. You people are like that in the first place. But even if youâre an Evil Sect, youâre not beasts! How could you attack so cruelly when your comrades are down there! Is this your way of doing things?!â
Heo Dojinâs fierce voice echoed through the valley. But even that furious cry did not shake Jang Ilso.
âAh, yes. This is how we do it.â
âDonât you have any pride as a martial artist?â
âââPride?â
Jang Ilso licked his lips, sticking out his tongue.
That almost seductive sight sent chills down their spines.
âPride? Is it your pride to stand fair and then lose your head at the end?â
ââ.â
âItâs different. Different. Thatâs not what my pride is. To make sure that no matter by any means necessary, by any sacrifice, I will certainly benefit. To defeat the enemy without fail. Definitely! To definitely survive.â
Jang Ilso, who had momentarily raised his voice, laughed softly again.
âThat is my pride.â
ââ.â
âIâm getting bored now, so letâs stop with the obvious talk. Heo Dojin, you must understand the situation youâre in by now. Surely you donât think that this is all Iâve prepared?â
Heo Dojin bit his lips tightly.
He knows.
Itâs only one side of the wall that collapsed. On the tall, broad cliffs that surrounded them, they were only a tenth of the size.
Even if he was Jang Ilso, he wouldnât have prepared just this. If he had intended to trap them inside from the start, he would have surrounded the entire cliff with gunpowder.
âWhat if the entire cliff collapses?â
They would die.
Everyone dies.
Perhaps only a few dozen peak martial masters could save themselves in that catastrophe. But what meaning would there be in that?
Ppudeuk.
A vein in Heo Dojinâs face twitched. This grinding sound leaked out terrifyingly.
It couldnât have been easy to plant such gunpowder and prepare to break down this cliff.
Although the laying of explosives could be done quickly, it must have taken quite some time to survey the terrain and make a plan.
âWhich meansââ
From the beginning, from the moment they decided to attack the Black Dragon Water Fortress, or maybe from the moment they came to the Yangtze Riverââ.
aâ?No, itâs not. It must have been even earlier.â
Jang Ilso had created this whole situation and lured them here. This means that the four sects, representing Jungwon, Shaolin, Wudang, Namgung and Qingcheng, all danced on top of Jang Ilsoâs palm.
âAmitabha.â
Perhaps Bop Kye had the same thoughts as he chanted solemnly.
âPaegun. What do you want?â
âWhat do I want?â
âYes, Paegun. You must want something, hence why you told us to understand our situation. Knowing the situation is the key to communication, after allââ
But even before Bop Kyeâs words were finished, Namgung Hwang shouted in fury.
âWhat are you saying, Elder! Do you plan to negotiate with them now? With those filthy Evil Sect scum?â
âNamgung Gaju!â
Then Bop Kyeâs voice exploded like thunder. In the face of such tremendous intensity, Namgung Hwang was momentarily flustered and closed his mouth.
âJust leave it to me for a moment. A moment will suffice!â
ââDarn it.â
In the end, Namgung Hwang spat out a curse with a cold face. Bop Kye clenched his fist tightly.
So what if he wants to negotiate with them? Shaolinâs disciples were already killed by their attack.
The life of a disciple he had cherished as a child was crushed not by a sword but by a boulder. Even if he ripped off Jang Ilsoâs raw flesh and chewed it up, his anger would not be resolved.
But he could not give in.
If such attacks pour out one after another, they will never be able to endure. Even if they were lucky enough to avoid complete annihilation, losing half their number would ensure that these four sects would not regain their former strength for at least a hundred years.
No, perhaps even longer.
In the past, during the war against Magyo, everyone suffered. Therefore, even if they lost power, their position was not shaken.
But things are different now. The head of the Ten Great Sect and the head of the Five Great Family may lose their status and be demoted to the lowest level.
Bop Kye could not bear such a situation. Especially since he was not even the sect leader, but just an elder.
His gaze swept through the cliff.
He could see it.
Though he hadnât noticed at first due to lack of interest, now it was clear. The vast cliff was riddled with dark holes, likely filled with explosives.
Long fuses were set into the drilled holes, leading to the cliffâs edge. It seemed they would be ignited there.
Looking at Jang Ilso, Bop Kye bit his lip.
âWhatever the conditions may be, we must get out of here first.â
Even if it means a humiliating negotiation.
âIâm sure all the other sect leaders have the same idea as me?â
âOf, of course.â
Baek Hyeonja quickly nodded.
But Heo Dojin didnât answer and remained silent. Perhaps his high self-esteem made it impossible to say that he was willing to negotiate with the Evil Sect.
But Bop Kye couldnât wait for the answer.
âSpeak, Paegun! What do you want?â
Even if Wudang said something else later, the situation needed to be resolved now.
However, the words from Jang Ilsoâs mouth were entirely different from what Bop Kye had expected.
âHahaha. What do I want?â
One corner of Jang Ilsoâs mouth slanted up.
âPerhaps because youâre ignorant of the world and shut away in a mountain valley, thinking youâre kings, you speak so well. What do I want?â
ââ.â
âWhat do I want? Of course, I have something I want.â
Jang Ilso grinned exaggeratedly, spreading his arms wide as if to show off his wide sleeves.
âAll I can take from those who have violated the territory of the Evil Tyrant Alliance and attacked us in their lives! What do I want? Of course, itâs your annihilation!â
ââ.â
âDonât be mistaken, you dimwit. The reason I didnât kill you all in one fell swoop is that the sins youâve committed are far too great to be extinguished so easily.â
Bop Kyeâs eyes began to tremble.
âKnow why youâre dying! Who youâre dying to! And how you die! Iâll announce to the world that the emergence of the Evil Tyrant Alliance is marked by your death. Such sacrifice must be quite sufficient! Hahahahaha! Not a single one! I wonât let even one of you live! Not a single one!â
For a moment, despair flickered in Bop Kyeâs eyes.
âHow could such a madman exist in the world?â
It was indescribable, even by saying he was insane.
Eudeududuk!
On the other hand, unlike Bop Kye, who was in despair, Heo Dojin could not hide his anger and gritted his teeth.
âThe reputation of Wudang could end in my generation.â
With the worst situation in mind, Heo Dojinâs fingertips trembled.
âThe world will know through your blood. The world ruled by Ten Great Sect and Five Great Family has heralded its end! Now, this Jungwon will be subject to Evil Tyrant Alliance!â
Jang Ilsoâs hand lightly brushed his face. There was deep excitement in the tips of his gentle fingers.
Great Master of Ten Thousand Gold, who was quietly watching the scene, laughed bitterly.
âI didnât expect this day to come so soon.â
Black Dragon King also burst into laughter.
âIâll pay for the lives of my brothers who died in the Yangtze River!â
Below the cliff, there are definitely the pirates of the Black Dragon Water Fortress as well as the four sects. But Black Dragon King was talking as if they didnât exist in the first place.
âIf those four sects lose power, the northern land is nothing.â
Thousand-Faced Gentlemanâs face is also full of excitement.
Heo Dojin, biting his lip and watching, whispered faintly.
âHeo Sanja.â
ââYes, Sect Leader.â
It was a whisper that was too small for others to hear.
âWhen I signal, lead the disciples and escape this place.â
ââSect Leader. Perhaps we should try to remove the explosivesââ
âThatâs for Shaolin and Namgung to do.â
Heo Sanja turned his head slightly. Indeed, Bop Kye and Namgung Hwangâs gaze were scanning the holes in the cliff.
âLeave it to them. We must save even one more disciple.â
ââ.â
Heo Sanja couldnât bear to answer straight away and bit his lips.
Now, Heo Dojinâs orders are no different from saying that Shaolin and Namgung should be used as shields and only Wudang should survive.
It was far from Righteous. But Heo Sanja couldnât help but comply with the order.
ââUnderstood.â
As Heo Sanja replied, Heo Dojin clasped his fist tightly.
âEvil Tyrant Allianceââ
As for the mistakes of Wudang, in the end the fault lies with him.
Seeing the enemy lightly. Being led by ambition and not looking back. It all came together and resulted in this. Had he been a bit calmer, he would not have been in such a dire situation.
So he should bear all the disgrace. Wudangâs disciples must escape from this place alive. They must!
âShaolin and Namgung are not to be underestimated either, so if they make a sudden move, they might be able to remove half of the explosives.â
All left to do is cut off that wick.
The enemy would not watch idly but engage in battle, so total removal would be impossible, at most half.
âThen there will be war between the surviving ones and the Evil Sect brutes on the cliff.â.â
Both sides must be prepared for near annihilation.
âThen, first of allââ.'
As he was calculating in his mind, Jang Ilso raised his hand and fluttered his robe.
âYou rats are racking your brains. With those feeble minds, no matter how much you think, you wonât find a way out. So die now!â
Heo Dojinâs gaze quickly turned upward.
âN- No!â
âHeo Sanja! Lead the disciples right nowâ!â
It was just when Heo Dojin was about to scream the command,
âBut why does my stomach churn every time I see that bastardâs face?â
A loud, resonant voice rang clear above the cliff.
Jang Ilsoâs hand, which was held high, slowly came down.
Soon after, his gaze turned to the other side.
Kwaaang!
With a loud explosion, several Evil Sect warriors dressed in black screamed and were hurled off the cliff, plummeting down.
They had been guarding the other side of the cliff occupied by the Evil Tyrant Alliance.
Step. Step.
One person slowly revealed himself from the cliff now left unguarded.
ââMount Hua Divine Dragon.â
It was Chung Myung.
âDonât Sahyung think so, too?â
âAah, yes. I agree with that.â
And Mount Huaâs disciples.
ââ.â
The smile vanished from Jang Ilsoâs face for the first time as he meet them.
âHey.â
ââ.â
âNice to see you again, disgustingly so!â
Chung Myung grinned. It was a wicked smile.
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