Novel Return of Mount Hua Sect Chapter 1081
“Uwaah. It was really dangerous this time. If I had screwed up, everything would have been lost?”
Baek Cheon blinked as he looked at Chung Myung, who spoke with a grin on his face. Sensing his gaze, Chung Myung asked him.
“What?”
“…No. Nothing.”
Baek Cheon, who became silent for a moment, shook his head. He suppressed the urge to retort, ‘I’m just curious about what goes on in your head that you can smile in a situation like this.’
“But… Did Evil Tyrant Alliance really just leave?”
“Do you think he would pretend to leave?”
“No. That’s not what I’m saying….”
Baek Cheon slowly turned his head and looked at the horizon. It was in the direction where Jang Ilso and his group disappeared. Baek Cheon’s eyes still contained a subtle sense of anxiety.
“For someone like him, I think he got off his feet too easily.”
“That is an inevitable choice for Jang Ilso.”
Baek Cheon turned his head at the voice that came from beside him. Im Sobyeong was holding his fan wide open and smiling meaningfully.
“Because the fire was already at his feet.”
“…Fire?”
“Yes. To be precise, he started the fire himself.”
When Baek Cheon looked at him as if he didn’t understand, Im Sobyeong kindly explained.
“Jang Ilso was already devouring water fortress that he had overthrown from Black Dragon King. In such a situation, it’s no exaggeration to say that with the unexpected fall of Great Master of Ten Thousand Gold, his work has doubled.”
“Um. So you’re saying there might be a rebellion within Evil Tyrant Alliance?”
“Ah, that will be difficult. Isn’t it a situation where none other than Eighteen Water Fortress of Yangtze River or Black Ghost Fortress has lost its head? A rebellion can only occur when the focal point is clear. But….”
Im Sobyeong folded his fluttering fan with a snap.
“Other situations can arise.”
“Other situations?”
“Yes, desertion.”
“Desertion?”
Mount Hua’s disciples who were listening also paid attention to Im Sobyeong as if they did not understand very well. Im Sobyeong smiled faintly.
“It may be a difficult issue for those in Righteous Sects to understand, but Evil Sects are not that trustworthy to begin with. There are many people who are unhappy about even belonging to a sect, and there are quite a few who will leave the sect at any chance.”
“Aah.”
“Holding those people together is a measure that’s the leader’s presence and retaliation against those who leave. Therefore, those who feared the leader’s attention will take the chaos as an opportunity to leave the sect.”
Baek Cheon nodded, understanding what he meant.
“It’s definitely something Righteous Sects can’t even imagine.”
“Conversely, from our perspective, someone like Baek Cheon Dojang is harder to understand. In fact, Mount Hua was already a declined sect, and there was nothing to be gained by remaining there, was there?”
“We stayed not to gain something.”
Im Sobyeong held on to the complaint in response to Baek Cheon’s calm answer.
Perhaps this was a gap that couldn’t be bridged even if they talked all day. It wasn’t a matter of right or wrong, but a matter of differing values.
Im Sobyeong scratched his head with the fan.
“The story drifted a bit, but in any case, Black Ghost Fortress also relied a lot on Great Master of Ten Thousand Gold’s control, so if the news of Great Master of Ten Thousand Gold’s death starts to spread, it will naturally cause great confusion. There will be a sharp increase in the number of people who will seize this opportunity to gain an advantage or try to leave the sect.”
“Indeed…”
“And so, Jang Ilso is bound to be busy. What he wants is to completely absorb the power of water fortress and Black Ghost Fortress, down to the last speck. For a while, he won’t have the mental space to focus on anything else. It’s as if the territory he has to directly manage has suddenly multiplied.”
Only then did everyone nod their heads.
“In a way, this might be a fortunate turn of events.”
“Yes?”
Im Sobyeong asked as if wondering why such a conclusion was drawn.
“Doesn’t it mean that Jang Ilso will find it hard to make any moves for a while? As you said, even for Jang Ilso, it won’t be that easy to completely take control of all the forces of Black Ghost Fortress and water fortress.”
If the concept of control is to put other under one’s feet, it is not a difficult task for Jang Ilso. However, preventing deserters and fully consolidating their power is far more complicated than it seems.
Even if it were the greatest in the world Jang Ilso, wouldn’t it be inevitable that one would be stranded for a while?
“I see. That’s what you meant. It’s not wrong.”
Im Sobyeong nodded his head deeply. At that moment, Baek Cheon added strength to Yoon Jong’s words.
“Moreover… didn’t Great Master of Ten Thousand Gold die and Black Dragon King lose one of his arms? Since the number of absolute masters that Evil Sect which already lacking was reduced by two, shouldn’t it be seen as a huge loss for Evil Tyrant Alliance as well?”
“That’s also true.”
Im Sobyeong smiled.
“Indeed… Even if they mobilize all of the power of Myriad Man Manor, and even utilize the whole of Hao Sect’s power, they are bound to experience chaos right now.”
“Certainly…”
“But Yoon Jong Dojang. Do you really understand what that means?”
“Yes?”
Yoon Jong’s face became a little dazed. With a meaningful expression, Im Sobyeong said,
“Certainly… Evil Tyrant Alliance will experience internal and external strife for some time. Considering Jang Ilso’s tendencies, they might shed a lot of blood in the process. The overall power of the Evil Tyrant Alliance may actually decline even further than it is now.”
Everyone swallowed dryly at those words.
Such changes are always accompanied by bloodshed. Those who try to maintain the existing order always resist change.
But… Jang Ilso is not someone who would coax and appease such people. He will absolutely trample on them so that they can never rebel against him again. Just like the example set by water fortress on the Yangtze River.
“Once all that is over, Evil Tyrant Alliance will be completely different from what it was before. Evil Tyrant Alliance, which existed as a clumsy alliance, will disappear from the world. And there the complete Evil Tyrant Alliance will appear. Evil Tyrant Alliance will be an organization that moves in perfect harmony with Jang Ilso’s single hand gesture.”
Only then they truly be ‘Myriad Man Manor’. Of course, since it is symbolic, he will not use the name Myriad Man Manor again. (Myriad = Ten Thousand)
It felt as if the smell of blood was in the air.
“Now that even Hao Sect Leader has submitted to Paegun, there is no one to stop him anymore. At most half a year. Within that time, Jang Ilso will unite all Evil Sects under his command. And then…”
Everyone knew what the next words would be.
“Jang Ilso will definitely be looking for his next prey. He is insatiable.”
The phrase “at most, half a year” struck deep into everyone’s hearts.
Everyone present had seen firsthand what kind of person Jang Ilso was.
Dan Jagang, and Heavenly Murderer. The strength shown by those two bishops was clearly terrifying. But no matter what anyone says, the last thing that remained in the minds of those standing here now was Jang Ilso.
“Perhaps an alliance…”
“No.”
Yoon Jong opened his mouth after understanding what was happening, but before he could finish his sentence, Chung Myung’s firm voice cut him off.
“That won’t happen.”
Everyone turned to look at Chung Myung.
“Jang Ilso is Jang Ilso. In the end, he’s just bastard of Evil Sects. Collaborating with someone like him is impossible from the start.”
“…But it was possible this time.”
“Because our interests aligned. But there won’t be a situation where they’re working with us to stop Magyo, especially if he’s head of Evil Sects.”
Yoon Jong sighed.
He doesn’t know why Chung Myung speaks so adamantly. But if that guy is that confident, he must be right. It had always been so up till now.
“Half a year….”
Chung Myung muttered softly. His eyes were dimly subdued. In reality, even half a year was a generous estimate. Chung Myung can’t be unaware of how short it is.
“Good.”
He looked up and looked back at the other disciples.
“Let’s head back for now. Sect Leader must be worried. We can save our discussions for later.”
“Um, understood.”
“Got it.”
Mount Hua’s disciples also nodded obediently. They still had many questions, but this was Gangnam. It was not a place where they could comfortably have a conversation. There would be time for conversation after they left Gangnam.
“Now. First of all….”
“Wait a moment.”
“Yes?”
Chung Myung suddenly stopped and looked back at the person who spoke. Un Gum stood looking at him with a calm face.
“What’s the matter, Great Sasuk?”
Before answering, Un Gum stared at the desolate land of Hangzhou with a stern expression for a moment.
“I am worried about whether it is right to say this to you in this situation. So, please think of this as just my opinion and not an order from a superior, and answer accordingly.”
“Yes, Great Sasuk. Please tell me.”
“I don’t feel comfortable just leaving like this.”
“Pardon…?”
Baek Cheon asked back with a puzzled look. Un Gum replied with a bitter expression.
“Didn’t too many people die? Even those who had nothing to do with Kangho, just living their lives.”
A moment of silence followed. Everyone turned solemn at his words. They were so relieved that they had overcome a series of crises and survived that they forgot for a moment what had happened here.
“I understand that the situation is not favorable. It might be because of my greed to potentially put you all in danger again, so it is hard to bring this up. But… if possible, I would like to hold a simple ritual to honor those who died unjustly here. Would that be alright?”
Baek Cheon closed his eyes tightly. He sometimes forgets. Before they are martial artists, they are Taoists. And before winning, there are things they must do.
‘Sasuk.’
While everyone else had forgotten, Un Gum hadn’t. Every time this happened, Baek Cheon realized again. The fact is that he still has a long way to go before he can follow in his footsteps.
“I think it’s okay… .”
“We must!”
Before Baek Cheon finished speaking, Chung Myung answered firmly.
“We were too weak and lacking to save the people here, but at least we can console their spirits. That’s our duty as Taoists.”
Im Sobyeong, who was watching the situation unfold, opened his mouth with an anxious face.
“Excuse me…? This is Gangnam, and it’s not yet clear how Evil Tyrant Alliance will come out….”
“I have to do it.”
“Damn it, you stupid bastard. I forgot that. If we had just left, I would have regretted it.”
“You can say that again.”
“So, what do we need to prepare first? We should start quickly, right?”
“Find a place first.”
“Hello? Can you hear me? Hello?”
Mount Hua’s disciples started bustling around, excluding Im Sobyeong. Even Hye Yeon raised his voice with a red face.
“I will help too, Siju!”
“But you don’t know about the ritual held at Taoist temple.”
“I’ll do anything that requires strength. And when it’s over, please let me recite at least one sutra for them!”
“Of course.”
Im Sobyeong looked up at the sky with soulless eyes as he saw the crazy Righteous Sects starting to crowd around and busy themselves.
‘Maybe Jang Ilso is more sane than these people?’
It was indeed a difficult issue to judge.
