Chapter 1662 - Wherever That Place May Be (2)

Mount Wudang. The sacred site of Taoism is known as Hyunak.

(T/N – Hyunak is a mysterious mountain or profound peak. So it's described as an enigmatic and lofty mountain)

Flames engulfed that sacred mountain. But the true horror was not the burning mountain, but what was happening to those standing on it.

"Kyaaaah!"

The Pine Pattern Ancient Sword, symbolic of Wudang, pierced an Evil Sect practitioner's throat instantly. A swift strike without a shred of mercy. However, the tip of the sword trembled visibly, contrary to its speed.

The eyes of the sword's owner were the same. Jin Rip, the second disciple of Wudang, was more confused than ever before.

Of course, the ones charging at him now were not worthy opponents. The sword he had honed over decades as Wudang's second disciple had grown even stronger through the long period of seclusion. He was confident he could handle not just two or three, but even ten of these petty Evil Sect scoundrels.

So the real problem wasn't the people.

"Sajae! The fire, it's coming!"

"I know, Sahyung!"

The problem was that the wildfire was rapidly consuming the entire mountain, and even in the short time he was held back by these minions,.

No matter how skilled a martial artist is, surviving in a raging inferno is no easy feat.

He had to get out before the fire spread further.

"Sajae, we must retreat now!"

"I know!"

But it was easier said than done, and the enemies were not letting him go easily.

Clang!

Jin Rip, who was trying to withdraw, flinched and quickly raised his sword. Another blade suddenly flew towards his head, as if to split his skull open.

"Damn it!"

Jin Rip's insides burned black with frustration.

Meanwhile, the flames grew larger, and more Evil Sect scoundrels were swarming in.

'These damn bastards...!'

The sight of these Evil Sect minions, who were rolling on the ground with flames on their clothes yet rushing at the Wudang swordsmen with a wild look in their eyes without even thinking to extinguish the fire, was truly horrifying.

The smell of burning flesh and wood mixed together was overwhelming.

His back was drenched in sweat. The world mocked these Evil Sect scoundrels as nothing but a disorderly mob. But could such a reckless, self-destructive force really be called a mere disorderly mob?

"...Senior! Sahyung!"

"I know..."

"Aaaah!"

At that moment, a scream made Jin Rip turn his head sharply.

He saw a figure with a sword stuck in his side, screaming in agony. Jin Rip let out a thunderous shout.

"Saaahhyyunngg!"

In hindsight, the situation for everyone here was no different from Jin Rip's. Even his Sahyung was distracted, trying to look out for him, which made him unable to dodge the sword that struck him.

"Get out of the way! Aargh!"

Jin Rip, drawing all his internal energy, swung his sword horizontally, splitting the enemy in front of him in two and leaping forward. He barely managed to deflect the sword flying towards his Sahyung's neck.

Clang!

Feeling the heavy force in his grip, Jin Rip realized this in an instant. If he had been even a moment late, his Sahyung's head would have flown into the air.

Jin Rip collided with his staggering Sahyung, pushing him aside, and then he rolled on the ground, wildly swinging his sword at the enemies.

He had long lost his composure. The thickening smell of burning was making it hard to breathe, and the fear that his head might soon fall off was closing in. The sound of his pounding heart filled his ears.

As he rolled and got back on his feet, he saw flames shooting up three feet high and the curtain of smoke rising ever higher towards the sky.

And Jin Rip remembered.

'Black Dragon Claw...'

The towering cliff that seemed to reach the sky, the despair named as a cliff. He recalled himself feeling utterly powerless in front of that cliff.

It overlapped. The hot flames and the cold Yangtze River of that time.

They were things that could never be the same, yet to him, they felt no different now.

"Sajae... Rip."

At that moment, his Sahyung's voice reached him. Jin Rip shouted in a rough voice.

"Sahyung! Hold on! I'll get you to safety!"

"I can still... I can still fight..."

"Stay still!"

Jin Rip yelled and gritted his teeth.

Perhaps it really wasn't different from the past. The escape route was narrowing, and fighting the enemy was different from what he thought. The enemies were forcing them into unfamiliar combat.

Yes. In terms of the situation alone, it wasn't different.

But this time, it had to be different. Because Jin Rip has changed since then.

'I am not who I was in the past.'

The Jin Rip, who only trembled in fear on the Yangtze River, is no longer here. If he were still the same as before, what was the time spent in the closed-door training for?

"Don't be ridiculous! You bastards from the Evil Sect!"

Jin Rip shouted as he swung his sword.

At the same time, similar fierce battles to Jin Rip's were occurring in various places in Wudang. Even though the flames hadn't yet reached the heart of Wudang, the war had already begun.

Crack!

The veins on Heo Gong's hand bulged as he gripped his sword.

"This... despicable..."

He knew it. He knew that talking about cowardice in a fight to the death was meaningless. Even if it were, fire attacks would never fall into that category.

Nevertheless, the reason Heo Gong ended up saying this was because this fire attack was so fatal to Wudang.

He gripped his sword so tightly that it seemed it might break. Even at this moment, the seniors were loudly agitated.

"Fire attack! Ha, why didn't we think of that?"

"What do you think? It's impossible to imagine something like this could happen! Do you not know how vast Wudang is? It's absurd to think they could burn down the entire mountain!"

"But it's happening!"

"It's because it's the Evil Tyrant Alliance... It's only possible because it's the Evil Tyrant Alliance. No one else could have done it."

That wasn't wrong. Indeed, only the Evil Tyrant Alliance could have dared to attempt such a thing.

After all, setting the entire mountain on fire would require a tremendous amount of manpower and even mobility. Moreover, they would need the ability to command them as if they were a single body.

And above all...

"Wudang is not just us! Even if there are no villages, aren't there many people living in huts on Wudang Mountain? Without a beast-like resolve to burn them all to death, they couldn't have done it!"

"..."

"Yuanshi Tianzun! Yuanshi Tianzun! This is not something a human would do. No human could."

"What use is it to say such useless things now? This is not the time to condemn their wrongdoing but to come up with a countermeasure!"

Heo Dam shouted as if to reprimand.

But even Heo Dam couldn't continue speaking.

To be fair, how could anyone quickly come up with a plan against the sea of fire rapidly approaching, devouring everything in sight, and the huge walls of smoke rising above it?

The ever-growing disaster was not something mere humans could handle.

"We, we must retreat!"

"What?"

"The back of the mountain hasn't caught fire yet. We need to lead everyone and escape right now. Otherwise, we'll all die!"

"What nonsense is that? Didn't we decide to face them here?"

"This is different! We said we'd fight the enemy, not burn to death in a wildfire!"

"It's just a fire! While we may not be able to stop the mountain from burning, we won't burn to death!"

"How can you be so complacent? Do you think they'll just watch us? The problem isn't the fire itself, but the fact that they'll target us along with the fire!"

Heo Pyeong shouted back without backing down.

"Once the forest covering the mountain burns down, there will be nowhere to hide! How do you expect to face those swarming like ants in such a situation? This is a death trap!"

"So what? Are you saying we should run away?"

"Of course! We should escape for now and then."

"Like we did on the Yangtze River?"

Heo Pyeong flinched.

"Th-that..."

"So you're saying we should make the same excuses and retreat like we did then? Back then, we couldn't predict the falling rocks and oil, so we had no choice, and now we're saying we couldn't foresee them setting a fire, so we have no choice?"

Flames seemed to flare in Heo Dam's eyes.

"And then you expect the people of Kangho to understand? Do you expect to still claim that Wudang doesn't run away from the enemy?"

Heo Pyeong couldn't say a word and closed his mouth.

Maybe they could argue. It wasn't an entirely wrong claim. But undoubtedly, no one in the world would try to understand Wudang's position.

No, they would rather mock and despise them, claiming that the people of Wudang would do anything to survive and that they are cowardly, always running away at the sight of the enemy.

It was disgraceful seclusion. If it ended like this, even the time spent enduring humiliation and sorrow and honing their skills would become meaningless.

No, they would think it would have been better not to have secluded themselves at all. They would hear people saying that even after all that seclusion, nothing changed.

"Bu-but..."

Heo Pyeong's shoulders began to tremble.

"But we can't just die like this, can we?"

"..."

"We can't just accept an obvious outcome with our eyes closed, can we? Sahyung !"

At this point, Heo Dam couldn't confidently respond.

Would they choose to die to preserve their honor or survive to overturn disgrace?

Choosing between these two options might not be so difficult for them, as they are disciples of a shaman.

But this isn't such a choice.

Should they quietly forget the humiliation and die?

Or should they cling to their honor, even if it means dying later?

No matter how resolute their determination, choosing between these two wasn't easy.

Naturally, all eyes turned to one place.

The person who should make the decision, Heo Sanja, isn't here right now. No, even if there were a temporary stand-in for the Sect Leader, the direction of the gaze wouldn't change.

In the gaze of everyone, Heo Gong tightly bit his lips.

"Even if it means dying a dog's death."

"Sahyung... Sahyung..."

Heo Gong. The youngest on Heo's raft. Therefore, he should become the center of the shamans for decades to come.

He firmly spoke as he released his lips.

"We stand here to avoid repeating the same mistake. Not to die honorably, but to avoid living in disgrace, even if it means dying like dogs. Isn't that so?"

Heo Gong looked at the elders.

Some faces showed disappointment, while others showed determination.

"But this way..."

"Retreat your defense. If it's come to this, ambush is meaningless."

"Retreat? How far?"

Heo Gong's gaze turned to one side. Even amidst the undulating landscape of the shaman's mountain, it was the most treacherous place.

"We'll take refuge at Baeganam."

"Ah..."

Baeganam was named by the shamans because its long and high cliffs resembled a white face.

"Sahyung, what do you mean?"

"Yes."

Heo Gong nodded.

"Since it's come to this, it might be good to change perspectives."

It's completely opposite to what happened at Janggang before. This time, it's time for them to climb the cliffs. The cliffs are named after the shamans.

"Let's go, shamans!"

"Got it!"

Heo Gong immediately stamped the ground. Some elders also steeled themselves and leaped. But...

"...Baeganam."

"Let's go, shamans."

In the eyes of some who followed, there was clearly a fear that shouldn't be there.

'Isn't this just... just dying like dogs?'

Still hesitant, one person turned his gaze to the left. There was a large rock. And in its center, there was a long fissure, as if split by a sword.