Chapter 1229: I Don't Know (Part 4)

Swish!

The Heavenly Comrade Alliance and their companions rushed like the wind. With no time to rest, they tirelessly traversed desolate paths day and night.

Amidst their journey.

"Wait!"

Im Sobyeong shouted, raising his hand. Instantly, the group came to a halt.

Wiping sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, Im Sobyeong gently cleared his throat.

"Hmm."

Then, in a calm voice, he cautioned them.

"We need to be a bit more careful from here on out."

"…From here?"

"Yes."

Yoon Jong looked ahead with a puzzled expression. The path they had taken so far seemed no different from what lay ahead. However, Im Sobyeong quickly addressed his confusion with a single sentence.

"From here on, I have no information about the route."

"Yes?"

Jo Gol's face crumpled in confusion.

"No, you boasted that all the mountains in the world were in your hands!"

"That statement is not entirely wrong. The issue is… whether we can truly call this place 'The World.'"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Baek Cheon was the one to answer that question. He turned his head slightly towards Im Sobyeong, as if anticipating something.

"From here?"

"Yes."

"Sasuk. What are you saying?"

"It's the Hundred Thousand Mountain." [...yes, that place...]

"Yes?"

"A mountain with a hundred thousand peaks."

At that moment, a chill ran down Jo Gol's spine.

'Here?'

Upon realizing the truth, certain details became more apparent.

It was certainly no different from the road they had traversed before, but before his eyes, instead of gentle ridges, now there were endless jagged mountain peaks.

"Hundred Thousand Mountain..."

Now aware, the scenery began to resemble hundreds of swords thrusting towards the sky.

"From here on is unknown territory. Nokrim occupies this mountain to secure those who traverse it. However, as you know, no one enters the Hundred Thousand Mountain. It's also a place avoided by any sect with a sound mind."

Everyone nodded at his words.

Even without deep contemplation, it was an obvious matter. Anyone with a bit of sense would avoid this place. After all, it was the headquarters of the Demonic Sect that had turned the Central Plains into hell in the past.

Even now, with the Demonic Sect largely forgotten, the ominous aura and fear associated with its name still lingered.

As a result, without any explicit proclamation, the martial world treated the Hundred Thousand Mountain as a forbidden zone.

"That...Nokrim King..."

"Yes?"

"There's an understanding among the righteous sects not to enter Hundred Thousand Mountain...is it the same for the Evil Sect?"

"Just because it's the Evil Sect doesn't mean they aren't human, right? They also understand what ominous means."

Im Sobyeong shrugged and explained.

"In the first place, there isn't some profound reason why righteous sects avoid setting foot here, right? Simply put, it's eerie and ominous."

"That's true…"

"The Evil Sect is the same. There's no reason for the Evil Sect to set foot here in the first place. Why would the Evil Sect establish itself in a place with no people? It's not like they're going to cultivate their skills in the mountains."

"Indeed."

Righteous sects didn't face significant problems being distant from villages. Especially Taoists or Buddhists tended to prefer secluded places, as their practitioners gathered away from populated areas. After all, once a sect becomes famous, people will find their way to it naturally.

But the Evil Sect was different. The Evil Sect was shunned by people, and it existed by extorting money from them. Therefore, most Evil Sects tended to settle near large cities.

Im Sobyeong chuckled.

"The reason Jang Ilso could grow the Myriad Man Manor to such an extent was partly due to its strategic location near Guizhou and Guangdong. Other major sects didn't move much below that point because of the Hundred Thousand Mountain. As a result, the only chaos came from minor sects proliferating, and Jang Ilso pacified the land."

"...So, you're saying Jang Ilso grew because of those Demonic Sect bastards?"

"It might be somewhat simplistic to call it the cause, but, if you must, it's not entirely wrong."

Baek Cheon's face twisted slightly.

"In any case, those Demonic Sect bastards aren't helpful."

He exaggeratedly shook his head. However, the faces of the others remained stiff.

"...Do we have to pass through here?"

"We have no choice. Though information is lacking, this is where the Evil Tyrant Alliance has the least surveillance."

"But..."

Namgung Dowi glanced at Hundred Thousand Mountains with a slightly ominous look.

At that moment, the image of the bishop he had seen during the escape came to his mind. What if there were remnants of the Demonic Sect there? Even that bishop-like figure?

As he discreetly turned his gaze, others met his eyes with the same concern.

Noticing this, Im Sobyeong chuckled and said,

"I recommend taking this path, but going around is not a bad idea either. It may take time, but... it's not like we're terribly late."

At his words, the group exchanged glances and nodded in agreement.

"Then..."

"We go around..."

"This is insane. Absolutely insane."

But their timid voices were completely drowned out by the irritated voice coming from behind.

"What, going around?"

"...Well..."

"But are these bastards out of their minds? Hey, you bastards! A hundred years ago, even if the Demonic Cult bastards were swarming over there, we would've charged in head-on without a word. But the descendants of those bastards are too scared to enter the land they have cleared? Why? Demonic Cult?"

"Well, back then, they must have rushed in like a pack of wolves! Now, we're only ten people!"

"So you're scared?"

"Who said we're scared of the Demonic Sect?"

"Then?"

Jo Gol shouted, trembling.

"G-Ghosts might be here! Ghosts... from the Demonic Sect... Ahhh!"

Jo Gol, who was swiftly kicked by Chung Myung, screamed and flew away.

"Look at this crazy guy talking! Hey, you crazy bastard! You're a Taoist, a Taoist! A Taoist who catches ghosts!"

"That's true."

"We don't have experience catching them, but... "

Even those who followed Buddhism rather than Taoism tended to rely on Taoist priests for matters related to evil spirits or ghosts. While Mount Hua mainly stayed away from that aspect, it was a significant part of income for the Wudang Sect.

"And, you bastards! Even if they all became ghosts, would there only be those Demonic Sect bastards' ghosts? Those guys from the righteous sects who died there must be ghosts too! The ghosts who won are on our side, so what's the problem!"

"Ch, Chung Myung! Those are our ancestors!"

"You shouldn't say that to them, you punk!"

"Tsk..."

Chung Myung clicked his tongue.

Why couldn't he? It was Chung Myung who kicked the butts of those useless things and dragged them to Hundred Thousand Mountains.

'Whether then or now, what has really changed?'

With a deep sigh, Chung Myung shook his head and took the lead.

"Quit the nonsense and follow me."

"Um, well..."

"Just follow."

Watching Chung Myung confidently leading the way, everyone bit their lips with uneasy expressions.

"Sh-should we go?"

"...We have to. We must."

Eventually, one by one, they reluctantly followed him. However, the uneasy atmosphere lingered.

Paah-aat.

Not long after entering the foot of the Hundred Thousand Mountain, they soon picked up speed again. It was understandable, since apart from occasional encounters with wild animals, there were no signs of any living creatures.

Even those who had been anxious all along began to regain their composure.

"It's surprisingly quiet."

"Indeed."

Although they weren't necessarily deliberately taking a difficult path to avoid attracting attention, they still moved cautiously. Yet, they encountered no one.

'It's understandable.'

Baek Cheon quickly understood the reason as he looked around.

Even if this were not the stronghold of the Demonic Sect, finding people here would not be easy. After all, this was not a suitable place for people to live.

With densely packed ridges, it wasn't suitable for farming, and the peaks were too steep for hunting wild animals to sustain a living.

It was a deserted land, uninhabited by anyone—no farmers, no commoners, no reason to establish a settlement.

There was one thing, however, that was certain.

"...It's eerie."

"Yes, truly eerie."

At Baek Cheon's words, Yoon Jong nodded in agreement.

He had seen Hundred Thousand Mountain from a distance when they collected the remains of their ancestor and returned to Mount Hua.

However, actually entering Hundred Thousand Mountain was quite different from observing it from afar. The breathtaking terrain vividly explained why this place had been the headquarters of the Demonic Cult and why such a terrifying war was fought here.

Because of to the endless jagged peaks, no matter where you looked, you couldn't see what lay a few miles ahead.

In a place like this, distances that could be clearly grasped with the naked eye in other parts of the Central Plains were difficult to see. It was close to complete darkness.

Even turning sideways to secure a line of sight, another ridge blocked the way. To confirm what was happening behind, there was no choice but to enter directly.

'We don't know where the Demonic Sect might be hiding...'

Cold sweat trickled down his back.

Thinking from the perspective of leading an army, it was daunting. They couldn't enter recklessly without knowing where an ambush might be. If they were in a position to defend this place, it would also be tricky. Choosing the most effective among these many ambush points would have been a headache.

'Leading the elites and pushing forward in a place like this?'

In the past, he just vaguely thought it was impressive. Just thinking about the determination of the disciples who threw away their lives like pebbles to kill the Heavenly Demon was enough.

However, seeing Hundred Thousand Mountain with his own eyes revealed that the situation was not as romantic as he had thought. If someone had asked Baek Cheon to lead all the elites there, what would he have said? He might not know, but the first thing that would come out would be, 'Are you sane?'

A single mistake. A single misjudgment could result in losing all their forces on this terrain.

Yet, those who had to lead the elites and come here must have had some kind of determination. What kind of feeling was it?

A high-stakes gamble, responding with the feeling that you would lose everything if you failed.

There was no other way to explain it.

'And there was a Mount Hua there.'

Leading more than anyone else...

Baek Cheon unconsciously turned around. The expressions of those following him were equally stiff. It seemed that they were feeling a similar sentiment as him.

Especially among them, the disciples of Mount Hua had even darker expressions.

And then, it happened.

"Sasuk! Over there!"

At the sudden outburst of Jo Gol's voice, Baek Cheon turned his head abruptly.