Chapter 1404: That Was Amazingly Splendid. (4)

“Those who block us will die!”

The booming shout, together with the sword held in that hand, clearly revealed their resolve.

Shaaang!

A lightning-like sword qi poured toward the Ten Thousand People Clan members. Faced with that terrifying force, the Ten Thousand People Clan members could not stand their ground and several of them staggered back.

“Uaaah!”

The crimson plum-blossom sword aura crashed down upon the retreating Ten Thousand People Clan members.

“You bastards!”

“Gwak Hwi, you bastard! Hold the line!”

“Don’t get excited! Our purpose is not to defeat them!”

Gwak Hwi, who had been about to charge the retreating enemies, bit his lip hard.

Mount Hua’s disciples were furious beyond measure, yet at the same time coldly composed. They knew exactly why they had to wield their swords now.

Each time the crimson sword qi burst forth, enemies collapsed in droves. The crimson qi exhaled by Mount Hua, at the vanguard, became a clear beacon to the other sects.

“Follow Mount Hua!”

The Namgung Family and the Five Palaces Beyond the Great Wall, who had been stopping the enemies with all their might, also began to rush forward following Mount Hua.

“Y-you bastards!”

When those who had been fiercely attacking tried to pull back, fury filled the eyes of the Ten Thousand People Clan. Even if they had been ordered to retreat, to let the enemies go after being toyed with in every way was a humiliation.

But their boiling rage and ferocity cooled quickly in the face of the poisonous weapons that flew through the air like a shroud.

“Cover them!”

Ssshhh!

Poisoned needles rained down like a deluge.

“Ugh…!”

“Th-this…”

The needles carried such extreme toxin that even a graze would cause flesh to rot. The only fools willing to leap into that rain of poisoned needles would be lunatics who did not value their lives.

“Burst it open!”

Pfooom! Pfooooom!

As the rain of poisoned needles pushed the enemies back, black poisonous mist billowed up one after another into the gaps that formed.

“R-retreat!”

“Hold your breath! Damn it, fall back!”

The Evil Sect were originally accustomed to poisons. They, too, would not hesitate to coat their weapons with venom or throw poisoned projectiles to achieve their aims.

But what now cloaked the sight was a virulent poison far more deadly than anything they had used before.

The Sichuan Tang Family, the masters of poison across the land. There would not be a single madman in the world who would want to personally test the might of their venom.

A wall of poisoned needles and venomous mist had formed. This wall, though not a solid wall, completely blocked the Ten Thousand People Clan members from advancing.

“Use this gap to go! We’ll cover the rear!”

Those filled with renewed courage ran past the Tang Family. Even in that moment, the Tang Family elders stood like iron towers, gripping their hidden weapons tightly and staring at the Ten Thousand People Clan members beyond the poisonous mist.

“After all our allies have withdrawn, we will fall back too! Hold your positions to the end!”

“Yes.”

The Tang Family elder who gave the order wore a strange smile.

‘Who would have thought we’d volunteer for such a role.’

A family that cared for nothing beyond its own security, cold and merciless as they come—that was the world’s assessment of the Sichuan Tang Family. And the Sichuan Tang Family had no desire to step forward and deny that judgment.

And yet now they were volunteering to cover the rear for the other sects, without anyone ordering them to.

‘The Tang Family has really changed a lot.’

The currents that rose when Mount Hua’s Sword Saint came to Sichuan and drove out the elders—the changes had even begun to alter the Tang Family’s identity.

“…It’s not such a bad feeling.”

The Tang Family elder who smiled gripped the dagger in his hand tightly.

“C-commander! They’re escaping!”

“They are currently withdrawing!”

The obvious reports kept pouring in like blows to the ear. Ho Ga-Myung barely suppressed the urge to announce, ‘I can see too.’

They were distancing themselves, like waves that had surged in, toyed with the shore, and then departed.

Ho Ga-Myung’s gaze was fixed on one spot beyond the dense poisonous mist.

A place encircled like an iron net by Mount Hua’s black-clad sword guardians. It was where the Plum Blossom Sword Ghost, whom he had tried so hard to strangle, stood.

“…There’s no choice.”

Ho Ga-Myung slowly closed his eyes.

He had done everything he could. He had poured in all his power. Yet at this moment that Plum Blossom Sword Ghost was once again slipping from his grasp.

With his own skill, that uncanny judgment, and even incomprehensible fortune all combined.

Ho Ga-Myung could only admit the truth: with his abilities, he could not capture that person.

“Pull the wounded out. If left, they’ll be poisoned to death.”

“C-commander!”

“We will reorganize our ranks and chase again.”

At those words, the lieutenants lowered their heads.

In that instant, Ho Ga-Myung acknowledged that all their plans had gone up in smoke. It meant that all the sacrifices made to capture a single Plum Blossom Sword Ghost had been for naught.

How much had they sacrificed? From the Southern Island to here, the dead numbered in the hundreds. And what had they gained? At most they had {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} captured maybe half of the Southern Island Sect’s disciples.

They had experienced defeat countless times. But in the entire history of the Ten Thousand People Clan, there had been no loss as bitter as this.

“Didn’t I tell you to reorganize the ranks?”

When Ho Ga-Myung issued the cold command again, the lieutenants nodded. Their movement was feeble, but it had to be. Anyone who planned and executed strategy would know how much they had lost from this.

The lost manpower was truly nothing compared to what they had actually lost.

The truly horrible fact was that they had, with their own hands, built for that Plum Blossom Sword Ghost an invincible reputation.

The feat of traversing the south, rescuing the Southern Island, evading pursuit by the Ten Thousand People Clan, and returning to the north.

The countless acts the Plum Blossom Sword Ghost had displayed in that process would now become legend.

And as the owner of that legend, the Plum Blossom Sword Ghost would face the Four Sects Alliance again. Wherever the Plum Blossom Sword Ghost existed, the righteous sects’ morale would soar to the heavens, and the Ten Thousand People Clan forced to face him would be engulfed in fear.

Those who discussed strategy had to understand: an unassailable reputation was terrifying.

They had, with their own hands, perfected the Ten Thousand People Clan’s most perfect natural enemy.

Ho Ga-Myung cast a quick look at his lieutenants. Their expressions alone revealed what they were thinking.

Fools, Ho Ga-Myung clicked his tongue inwardly and said briefly.

“Do you think it’s all over?”

“…”

“Of course, with our current strength, even if we continued pursuit we couldn’t stop them. That’s certain.”

As that cold assessment was made, the lieutenants’ faces darkened further. But Ho Ga-Myung paid it no mind and continued.

“But none of that matters. Have you forgotten that the Alliance lord is heading to the very place they are going?”

At those words, the lieutenants snapped their heads up.

“They are certainly formidable. But don’t forget: from now on the one they must face is none other than Hegemony Lord Jang Ilso. We are little more than a piece in the Alliance lord’s hand. And pieces do not know defeat!”

It might not have been the most appropriate speech to raise morale, but a vitality that had not been there moments before bloomed in the lieutenants’ eyes.

He was right.

They may have been defeated. But they were the Ten Thousand People Clan and not the Ten Thousand People Clan at the same time; and they were the Four Sects Alliance and not the Four Sects Alliance. Without Jang Ilso, the Ten Thousand People Clan could not be the Ten Thousand People Clan, and without Jang Ilso, the Four Sects Alliance could not be the Four Sects Alliance.

“Move. The Alliance lord must have foreseen all of this. Anyone who clumsily sabotages His plan with self-blame will be torn to pieces by my hand!”

“Yes, commander!”

The lieutenants moved like lightning to reorganize the half-collapsed ranks. Watching that scene in silence, Ho Ga-Myung turned his head and saw the Heavenly Friends Alliance’s forces receding in the distance.

It was a failure without excuse, a perfect defeat that did not even raise anger.

In such a situation, a rather odd thought passed through Ho Ga-Myung’s mind.

‘The Alliance lord…’

How could he have predicted it?

Did he think he would capture the Plum Blossom Sword Ghost? Or did he foresee eventual failure?

Ho Ga-Myung shook his head. There was no need to ponder. He only had to faithfully perform his role.

“Hurry. Reorganize the ranks at once and pursue them!”

He was nothing but a mere piece.

There was no need to guess the mind of the one who played the game. No matter how much he pondered, it would be impossible to fully understand Jang Ilso’s will.

Ho Ga-Myung simply watched with a chill in his eyes as the Tang Family made their final withdrawal.

❀ ❀ ❀

“A, aaah! It hurts!”

“Don’t be such a crybaby, you fool!”

Un Geom struck Jo Gul’s back with his scabbard as Jo Gul screamed on his back. Jo Gul let out a shriek.

“I was going to die, I tell you?”

“Ugh.”

Un Geom shook his head vigorously. Until they had been rescued, tears kept welling up and it was hard to hold back, but now that they were saved his chest seethed with rage.

“But how on earth did you know to come?”

“Huh?”

“You were in the north, weren’t you?”

To Jo Gul’s question, the other members of the Five Swords nodded as if they were curious too. Thanks to that they were alive, but they had never imagined in their dreams that the Heavenly Friends Alliance would come to help.

Crossing the Yangtze river was a matter of resolve, but finding them beyond that river—that was another story.

“We were lucky.”

“Yes?”

Un Geom shook his head.

“The Alliance leader decided to cross, yes, but honestly we were at a loss as to what to do. Then that guy suddenly ran like a madman.”

“That guy?”

“That one.”

Un Geom gestured with his chin toward the rear. He pointed to Chung Myung cradled by Tang Gunak. More precisely, to Baek Ah clinging to Chung Myung’s neck.

“Ah, Baek Ah! Baek Ah! Did that thing guide us to you?”

“No.”

“…Yes? Then?”

“We found Southern Island at the place he led us to.”

“…”

“Spirit creature, spirit creature, and yet it’s impressive. It remembered the scent of those we briefly met. The ones we encountered were the Southern Island sect, waiting at the mouth of the Yangtze river for the right moment to cross. When they saw us they led us here without hesitation.”

“Ah, no, how?”

Answering Jo Gul was none other than Gwak Hwan-So running beside him.

“What’s strange about it? It’s a marker we’ve used countless times.”

“…Huh?”

“Didn’t we send Ja-Yang with you? That guy kept leaving marks. We tracked those marks.”

“Ah, no, that man fell behind somewhere in the middle, didn’t he?”

They had been running at full speed and couldn’t even take care of the weaker Lee Ja-Yang.

“That was enough. Once you came within striking distance, that Baek Ah would be able to find you.”

“Ah…”

Jo Gul laughed as if incredulous.

They had not even arranged anything, yet coincidence piled upon coincidence. But on the other hand, one could say necessity layered upon necessity.

If the Heavenly Friends Alliance had not risked their lives to cross the river, if Southern Island had not attached Lee Ja-Yang to them, and if the Southern Island, who had already crossed through hell, had not had the courage to leap back into hell, then they would not be among the living now.

“Such…”

“Why do you look like that?”

“No, no. It’s just…”

Jo Gul quietly looked up at the sky.

“…Just that.”

Everything they had done was not wrong. It was simply… that thought came to him.