Chapter 418 : The Tide of War (2)

Within ‍​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌‌​‌‍the Wudang Sect’s main hall, the key figures of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult's allied forces had gathered to hold an emergency war council.

"They've left Xiangyang and are currently marching this way," the Beggar King reported.

The moment those words left his mouth, a suffocating pressure began radiating off Wi Jin-hak's body.

"Is Shaolin with them?"

The Beggar King's expression turned grave as he gave a slow nod. "Yes. The old monk they call the Divine Monk has been spotted among them."

Hearing that the old monster who had murdered the late Left and Right Guardians was drawing near, Wi Jin-hak’s Demonic Qi flared to life with a burning malice.

Watching the dark energy roll off the Cult Leader, Zhuge Mun advised, "Cult Leader, I trust you're not thinking of facing that old monk alone."

“What are you implying, Head of the Zhuge Family?” Wi Jin-hak's pressure instantly locked onto him like a vice. “Are you suggesting that I, the Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, have to resort to a cheap trick to win?”

Of all the people gathered in that room, Zhuge Mun ranked lowest in terms of martial ability, so the crushing weight of Wi Jin-hak's aura was nearly enough to buckle his knees.

But he showed none of that and kept his voice steady.

"You need to think clearly. That old monster shrugged off a coordinated assault from four of our best martial artists. Do you genuinely believe you can handle him on your own?"

The Wudang Sect Leader, the Supreme Ultimate Sword Immortal, and the Beggar King all nodded in quiet agreement.

As Wi Jin-hak scanned the room with bloodshot eyes, the Hidden Guard Pavilion Lord who had been standing silently at the back of the room finally voiced his thoughts.

"Cult Leader, I also believe they are right."

When even the Hidden Guard Pavilion Lord stepped forward like this, Wi Jin-hak shut his eyes to steady himself.

“Haaah...”

In his mind, he too was well aware of the reality.

He had made big strides after inheriting the Heavenly Demon Divine Arts, but he wasn’t strong enough to go toe-to-toe with that old monk.

If he had to, the current Wi Jin-hak could probably hold his own against two monsters like the late Left and Right Guardians, but taking on all four at once like Hyeon Am did was impossible for the current him.

What’s more, that old monk hadn't just survived their combined onslaught; he had completely dominated them in that battle.

The gap between them was as clear as day.

And that’s what gnawed at him.

He was the Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. He was supposed to be the living embodiment of the martial path of the Demonic Way. Yet, he couldn't even use his own hands to avenge his two loyal subordinates who had dedicated nearly a century of their lives to the Cult.

He was drowning in a toxic mix of hatred for the old monk and self-hatred from his own perceived incompetence.

That was what was eating him alive. His fury at the old monk and his fury at his own limitations had twisted together into something he could barely contain.

After barely managing to contain his rage, he opened his eyes and spoke. “Fine. I give you my word that I won't face the old monk alone. So, what do you suggest, Head of the Zhuge Family?"

Zhuge Mun let out a quiet sigh of relief in his mind before immediately launching into his plan.

Leveraging the intelligence gathered during the battle at Mount Longzhong, he laid out a series of highly detailed battle plans.

***

Two days later, a sea of nearly ten thousand martial artists had assembled near the foot of Mount Wudang.

The Anti-Demonic Cult Alliance had taken serious losses at Mount Longzhong, but the ranks of those who had joined from across the Central Plains in the days since had swelled their numbers considerably.

Standing amidst the bloodthirsty horde, Peng Muyeol let out a feral roar and charged straight toward Wudang Mountain at full speed.

“BUTCHER EVERY SINGLE BASTARD WHO HAS JOINED HANDS WITH THE FILTHY CULT! LEAVE NO ONE ALIVE!!!”

The Peng Family had lost most of its people in the trap at Mount Longzhong, and he was more than halfway out of his mind because of it. His promise to the Eastern Depot and his ambition to rule the martial world no longer matter.

With the mad patriarch leading the charge, the rest of the alliance surged forward like a tidal wave to overwhelm Mount Wudang.

“RAISE THE BANNER! SUBDUE THE DEMONS, DESTROY THE EVIL!!!”

"CHARGE!!"

The bitterness left over from Mount Longzhong had pushed both sides well past the point of talking. There were no demands for surrender or negotiations. The war simply exploded.

But as the alliance blindly charged up the mountain, they ran headfirst into a series of deadly traps set by the Demonic Cult’s allied forces, followed by a series of merciless ambushes from the Demonic Cultists hidden in the brush.

But what’s even more strange was that—

Slash!

"Gugh..."

—Not a single person had moved to face the high-tier masters.

While blood sprayed and limbs flew in every direction around them, the top-tier powerhouses of the martial world strolled through the carnage like they were taking a leisurely walk through town. The only things they had to occasionally dodge were the mindless mechanical traps.

That’s when someone stepped out to block Peng Muyeol's path.

"Head of the Peng Family, you look like hell. Why don’t you go home and drink some tea to calm yourself?”

It was the Beggar King.

Across the mountain, the rest of the alliance’s heavy-hitters were quickly intercepted one by one.

The Supreme Ultimate Sword Immortal moved to block Shaolin's Buddha Venerable, and no fewer than four experts intercepted the Divine Monk, Hyeon Am.

When Hyeon Am saw a man coming at him while swinging a sword wreathed in black flame, the old monk's lips curved into a smile, but there was no benevolence befitting a monk in that smile.

All that was contained within was a malice so thick that it made one’s skin crawl.

"So you're the Cult Leader."

The old monk's fist seemed to move almost lazily, and yet it arrived at the right moment to meet the arc of Wi Jin-hak's incoming sword.

It was a terrifying strike that seemed to completely warp the order of the sequence.

The instant they connected, the golden radiance wrapped around Hyeon Am's fist and the black flame on Wi Jin-hak's sword exploded fiercely.

While the old monk’s face didn't even twitch, Wi Jin-hak’s brow locked in a tight frown.

The black flame surrounding the Heavenly Demon Sword flickered and shuddered like a candle in a storm, and the shockwave that traveled up the blade rattled every bone in his body.

Thanks to his mastery of the Heavenly Demon Divine Arts reaching the Extremity stage, Wi Jin-hak could faintly sense the gap between himself and this old monk.

‘The difference in intent and will.’

Even using the same amount of Qi, what the old monk projected was far more condensed and sturdy than whatever Wi Jin-hak unleashed.

It was as if the old monk's will carried more weight than the laws of the world itself.

Then Hyeon Am shot out his left palm with a look of contempt.

Clang!

Immediately after, a sword that materialized out of thin air clashed with the old monk's left palm. The moment the ambush failed, Hyeokryeon Cheon-gang and Yeom Ga-hwi swept in from either flank to deliver their own attacks.

Hyeon Am deflected the Hidden Guard Pavilion Lord's sword and dodged Hyeokryeon Cheon-gang's sword in the same motion, then pivoted and drove his left heel into Yeom Ga-hwi as he tried to close the distance.

Boom!!

The blast sent Yeom Ga-hwi skidding backward even after he crossed his arms to absorb it.

Through all of this, Wi Jin-hak was still holding his ground against Hyeon Am's right fist.

When Hyeokryeon Cheon-gang came in for another strike, the old monk clicked his tongue for the first time and took one step back.

That one small step was all it took for Hyeokryeon Cheon-gang to feel a sliver of hope.

‘At the very least, our Cult Leader seems capable of withstanding a single exchange from that old monster.’

Back at Mount Longzhong, every one of the four fighters who had gone up against the old monk had walked away with internal injuries or found themselves launched through the air after each exchange.

Wi Jin-hak was outmatched, but at least he wasn't getting blown away in a single blow. That had to be credited to the Heavenly Demon Sword and the Heavenly Demon Divine Arts.

But the old monk didn't stay on the defensive for long. He drove his right fist into Hyeokryeon Cheon-gang and sent him flying.

Boom!!

"Hah!"

Wi Jin-hak seized the opening and swung the Heavenly Demon Sword at the old monk.

The clash of Divine Sword against bare flesh rang out again and again in rapid succession. But with every single strike, Wi Jin-hak's entire body screamed in agony.

He wasn't coughing up blood or getting flung away outright, but the damage was accumulating inside him with every collision.

The only reason he could still breathe between exchanges was because Yeom Ga-hwi, Hyeokryeon Cheon-gang, and the Hidden Guard Pavilion Lord kept pulling Hyeon Am's attention away just long enough.

‘Master was right. If only I had ten more years... If only I had the time to build our strength and truly master the Heavenly Demon Divine Arts.’

Every time the old monk's force pushed him back, that same thought surfaced unbidden.

And that thought curdled into rage.

‘I can't even cut down the enemy standing right in front of me. What kind of Cult Leader does that make me?!’

Gradually, something dark began seeping into his eyes.

—Surrender your body to me.

The side effect of the Heavenly Demon Divine Arts, the one he had barely kept leashed, was starting to claw its way to the surface.

—For I am the flame that will burn this world to cinders.

***

Inside the walls of Ankang, Il-mok sat with a deep furrow between his brows as he turned the problem over in his mind again and again.

‘What are those bastards actually trying to pull?’

After the first day of fighting, the Central Military Command's forces had pulled back roughly ten kilometers from Ankang and set up camp, settling into what looked like a siege.

Except it didn't really look like a siege.

Over the past few days, they had launched only two more assault attempts. Both of them looked almost identical to the first as they sent a few thousand shield soldiers forward and then retreated when they failed to break through.

Il-mok felt a deep sense of incongruity at their behavior, which seemed designed merely to drag out time.

Jin Hayeon's voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

"Left Guardian, a letter has arrived from Wudang."

Il-mok looked up from where she was standing guard outside the quarter. "Come in."

She stepped inside along with what appeared to be a member of the Beggars’ Gang.

Il-mok took the letter the man offered and read it and his brow furrowing tighter as he went.

It wasn't exactly bad news.

The allied forces at Mount Wudang had somehow managed to hold the line during the first major clash. There was a mention of how the Cult Leader had managed to keep the Divine Monk in check, but his brain kept telling him that something was wrong as he kept reading between the lines.

Although they had successfully defended their position, the casualties were significant.

Moreover, the letter stated that Wi Jin-hak had sustained serious internal injuries from the fight with the Divine Monk and was currently undergoing urgent treatment.

The fact that they'd even managed to hold at all came down to government troops from Hubei that they had secretly recruited and hidden in reserve who had successfully struck the Anti-Demonic Cult Alliance from behind at the critical moment.

‘I had a bad feeling about this ever since those two late Guardians were killed, but that old monk is a real problem.’

Il-mok let out a quiet breath.

They might be holding for now, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if Mount Wudang could fall at any moment.

‘Even if the mountain doesn't fall, both sides are going to end up completely tearing each other to pieces. It’s going to be mutual destruction...’

He was still turning that phrase over in his head when his brain jolted awake and he muttered it again under his breath.

"Mutual destruction?"

His eyes snapped open.

He turned sharply toward Jin Hayeon. "Miss Jin, go find the Vice Commander and the Head of the Hwangbo Family. Bring them here, now!"

The urgency in his voice sent her moving immediately, and the Beggars’ Gang member who had delivered the letter filed out right behind her.

Before long, Jin Hayeon returned with Hwangbo Ak and the Vice Commander in tow.

"Miss Jin, stay. I want you to hear this too."

He stopped her as she moved to step back out of the quarter, then lowered his voice.

"I'm fairly certain the Central Military Command is deliberately stalling for time.”

"That did seem to be the case, but why would they bother?"

"Maybe they're waiting to conscript more troops and finish this in one clean sweep?"

"Or they could just be waiting for us to wear down."

The Vice Commander and Hwangbo Ak traded their guesses back and forth, but Il-mok shook his head at both of them and kept his voice low.

"Head of the Hwangbo Family, what was the biggest reason we ended up on the same side?"

Hwangbo Ak blinked at the seemingly random question, then his expression shifted as he realized something.

"Those bastards. They’re stalling here so the Divine Cult and the Orthodox Faction in Hubei can completely butcher each other!”

The Hwangbo Family had thrown their lot in with the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult to survive precisely because they had discovered the Imperial Family's plan to purge the martial world.

Once they looked at the situation through that lens, the imperial army’s bizarre behavior made perfect sense.

Il-mok then passed the letter from Wudang around for the three of them to read.

"If we just let this play out, it'll go exactly the way they want."

"So what do you have in mind? Abandon the defense and push through the force blocking us?"

"If we push past the Central Military Command, does that really change anything about how the martial artists in Hubei are moving?"

"But if we send reinforcements, those bastards out there definitely won't just sit and watch."

The moment any part of their force slipped out of the city gates, the troops that had been content to stage a leisurely siege would be at their throats.

The Vice Commander's point was a fair one, and Il-mok nodded in agreement.

"Which is exactly why we'd have to send them without anyone noticing."

Saying so, Il-mok pointed to a map roughly sketching the surroundings of Ankang, specifically to an area where no roads were marked.

"There's a string of mountains running from Mount Gaodong in the northeast of Ankang, correct? If we go through the rough terrain along those mountain slopes, we could slip out of Shaanxi to Wudang without the enemy ever knowing we're gone."

The Vice Commander shook his head. "That terrain is brutal, even for trained soldiers. It would take too long, and even if we managed to keep it quiet for a day or two, it's only a matter of time before the absence becomes obvious."

"Don't worry. I'm not planning on sending soldiers." Il-mok's eyes settled on Hwangbo Ak and Jin Hayeon in turn. "To keep this entirely secret and ensure they slip in and out of Mount Wudang before the imperial army even realizes they’re gone, I’m only sending two people.”