Chapter 420 : The Tide of War (4)

Hwangbo ‍​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌‌​‌‍Ak used his lightness skill to chase after the Beggar King.

While the two of them were rushing toward their destination, a powerful clash of energies erupted from somewhere nearby.

Hwangbo Ak glanced to the side and caught a glimpse of Ouyang Pae locked in fierce combat with Namgung Jin.

However, the Beggar King paid no heed to that battle and just kept running.

‘Did he say the Cult Leader was in danger?’

Recalling what the Beggar King had said, Hwangbo Ak focused on following the Beggar King.

The letter Il-mok had shown him came back to him.

According to that letter, Cult Leader Wi Jin-hak had already taken internal injuries from the Divine Monk during the last battle.

‘And now he's standing on the battlefield without fully recovering.’

Hwangbo Ak's expression grew serious as the pieces fell into place.

From the direction the Beggar King was heading, a wild banquet of fierce energy waves was surging toward them. 

The Beggar King must have sensed it too, because he immediately pushed himself faster.

Before long, the two of them arrived at the battlefield.

A gaunt old monk was swinging his arms.

Despite his skeletal appearance, the energy radiating from his twin palms was enough to make one’s skin crawl.

"Ngh..."

And Wi Jin-hak was somehow holding those palms at bay.

The black flame on his sword flickered and swayed like a candle caught in a gust of wind, and his eyes carried an ominous gleam.

"Hah!"

Sensing the emergency, the Hidden Guard Pavilion Lord and Yeom Ga-hwi each lunged at the old monk, the former hurling throwing daggers while the latter drove in with his fists.

A short distance away, Hyeokryeon Cheon-gang was sprinting over using his lightness skill. Blood was trickling from the corner of his mouth and he looked like he'd already taken some serious internal damage.

"Tch."

The old monk clicked his tongue as he took one step back and muttered. "Tch. Every last one of you Demonic Cult rats crawled straight out of the hungry ghost hells."

Thinking of the former Guardian duo who had clung on until their very last breath, the old monk sidestepped the Hidden Guard Pavilion Lord's throwing daggers and casually shoved Yeom Ga-hwi's incoming fist aside with his left palm.

The motion looked effortless, but Yeom Ga-hwi went flying like a paper doll.

Just as the old monk was about to follow up with a kick aimed at the Hidden Guard Pavilion Lord, the Beggar King finally arrived. He launched the finishing move of the Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms straight at the monk.

"Hah!"

The old monk deflected the Beggar King's strike without much trouble and still had enough left to kick the Hidden Guard Pavilion Lord.

As the Hidden Guard Pavilion Lord coughed up blood and crashed some distance away, Wi Jin-hak seized the brief opening and swung the Heavenly Demon Sword once more.

By now, Hwangbo Ak had also joined the fray with his body cloaked in Force Qi Armor.

While Hyeon Am held off Wi Jin-hak and Hwangbo Ak's assault, the ones who had been injured or knocked aside regrouped and came at him again.

Against four opponents, Hyeon Am had still managed to hold the upper hand, but the moment the Beggar King and Hwangbo Ak joined the fray, his movements started to get tangled up.

“YOU FILTHY DEMONIC FIENDS! HOW DARE YOU!!!”

The shrill shriek carried a ferocious surge of energy, and a blinding golden radiance exploded outward.

Bang!!

Divine Might, one of Shaolin's supreme techniques, was an art built on a lifetime's worth of accumulated internal energy. Hyeon Am poured every ounce of his intent into that energy and detonated it all at once.

The six fighters attacking him all threw their best techniques at the explosion.

Some coughed blood from the internal shockwave, and some were sent flying outright.

Though Hyeon-am had succeeded in repelling the enemies’ relentless wave of attacks, his own condition was far from perfect. He could feel his vast internal energy was slowly running dry, and the coordinated barrage had opened shallow cuts all across his body.

The Shaolin Abbot had been locked in his own fierce duel with the Wudang Sect Leader when he found his attention yanked away by Hyeon Am's violent golden burst.

And only then did he finally see the condition of his Grandmaster.

"Grandmaster Hyeon Am!!"

In the split second the Shaolin Abbot let his guard slip, the Wudang Sect Leader's sword came streaking toward his heart.

"Ugh..."

He twisted his body at the very last moment and barely avoided a fatal blow, but a deep sword wound sliced open along the Abbot's side.

The moment Hyeon Am realized his disciple had taken a serious injury, his face twisted with fury.

“YOU VILE DEMONIC FIEND!”

He dredged up every last scrap of his internal energy and blasted the fighters surrounding him back once more, then immediately launched himself toward the Wudang Sect Leader who was still pressing the attack on the Shaolin Abbot.

"WATCH OUT!"

Hearing the warning, the Wudang Sect Leader threw his pride out the window and dived straight to the ground using the Lazy Donkey Roll.

Hyeon Am tried to press the attack on the Wudang Sect Leader again, but quickly realized he had to let it go. masters he had just blown back were already scrambling back to their feet, and now he had a gravely injured Abbot right at his side.

—All Shaolin disciples, withdraw from Mount Wudang immediately!

He activated his Mind Speech while ensuring only the Shaolin monks could hear the command.

‘I cannot lose any more disciples here!!’

With that thought burning in his chest, Hyeon Am hoisted the injured Abbot onto his back and began to retreat.

His escape route, however, was incredibly bizarre.

Rather than fleeing toward the Shaolin monks, he ran straight toward where the other allied fighters had gathered and even went as far as using his allies as meat shields for his escape.

“W-What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” an allied fighter screamed in horror.

"Shaolin has shed rivers of blood for justice in the martial world. The least you lot can do is this much!"

The moment the strongest fighter on the Anti-Demonic Cult Alliance's side abandoned the battlefield, the entire front line collapsed. And since they had never truly been a unified force to begin with, there was no hope of executing any sort of orderly retreat.

Every clan and sect huddled with their own people and fled as if it were a competition, while the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult fighters surged forward with momentum and cut them down one after another.

Right then, a sudden change occurred among those in hot pursuit of Hyeon Am.

"Ngh..."

While executing his lightness skill, Wi Jin-hak let out a low groan and brutal Qi began to radiate from his body.

"Cult Leader!"

The Hidden Guard Pavilion Lord, Hyeokryeon Cheon-gang, Yeom Ga-hwi, the Beggar King, and Hwangbo Ak all stared at him with alarm.

"I'm fine."

With the dark energy around his eyes visibly thicker than before, Wi Jin-hak tried to move again.

"Cult Leader, you need to regulate your Qi."

"Step. Aside. Hidden Guard Pavilion Lord."

Even under Wi Jin-hak's dangerous pressure, the Hidden Guard Pavilion Lord didn't move a single inch. Instead, he turned to look at the others.

"I'll stay and guard the Cult Leader. I'm leaving the rest to you."

The four exchanged uneasy looks between the Hidden Guard Pavilion Lord and Wi Jin-hak, then nodded and took off again.

“What do you think you are doing right now?”

As Wi Jin-hak's aura grew even more savage, the Hidden Guard Pavilion Lord dropped to one knee and answered.

"Cult Leader, you must suppress the side effect of the Heavenly Demon Divine Arts immediately. If you continue like this, it won't be that old monk Hyeon Am who kills us. It'll be you."

"Shut your mouth!!"

Right after that sharp outburst, Wi Jin-hak vomited a mouthful of blood and immediately pressed his right hand to his temple.

"Ngh..."

Perhaps because he had vomited the foul Qi along with the blood, Wi Jin-hak was barely able to regain his clarity amidst a splitting headache.

"My apologies.”

"The Lord of Ten Thousand Demons has no need to apologize to those beneath him."

Wi Jin-hak nodded and then sank into meditation to regulate his Qi.

***

About an hour later, the allied forces of the Demonic Cult returned to Mount Wudang as the battlefield came to a close.

"This is an overwhelming victory,” Zhuge Mun beamed.

His words invited satisfied grins on everyone’s faces.

Well, everyone except for Wi Jin-hak.

‘Damn it.’

If only the Heavenly Demon Divine Arts hadn't run out of control, it might have been more than just a great victory. They might have been able to end this war early.

"We haven't gotten a full count yet, but we’ve easily slaughtered over half their numbers at the very minimum. On top of that, we managed to kill Peng Muyeol, which means they won't be able to march back up Mount Wudang easily for quite some time."

Zhuge Mun turned toward Wi Jin-hak and offered a respectful salute.

"All of this is thanks to the Cult Leader holding the Divine Monk in check all this time."

Everyone in the hall nodded in agreement, turning to offer their respects to Wi Jin-hak.

But from Wi Jin-hak's perspective, it all just sounded like hollow words meant to console him.

"You flatter me."

Wi Jin-hak's blunt reply left a slightly awkward silence hanging in the air, and Zhuge Mun quickly brought something up to fill it.

"By the way, how did Head of the Hwangbo Family and Miss Jin end up at Mount Wudang?"

Hearing his question, Hwangbo Ak and Jin Hayeon gave a brief account of what had happened so far in Ankang.

"I see. So the Imperial Family has been maneuvering like that all along..."

"Hmph. Even in the middle of all this chaos, they were plotting to make the martial world tear itself apart."

"And the Left Guardian was quite bold. Trusting his instincts alone and sending you both here."

Jin Hayeon quietly observed the room before stepping forward.

"Now that word will spread that we were here, we need to head back to Ankang immediately.”

But despite her composed demeanor, she was clearly running on empty.

For someone who had only just reached the Realm of Truth, going toe-to-toe with Yangmuja after all of that travel was her limit. She was lucky she had escaped without serious injuries since the pillar of the enemy forces retreated abruptly.

"It's a long journey back. Regulate your Qi first and set out at night."

Jin Hayeon blinked in surprise at his sudden concern, then bowed deeply.

"I will follow the Cult Leader's order."

Wi Jin-hak studied her briefly, then gave a small nod.

"Tell the youngest... I mean, tell the Left Guardian I said thank you. As for myself, I also need to tend to my internal injuries from here, so do not bother looking for me before you leave.”

With that, Wi Jin-hak stepped out of the hall and headed alone toward a desolate peak on Mount Wudang.

***

A few days later.

In the command tent of the Central Military Command, stationed just outside Ankang.

The Central Military Commander, Eunuch Gong, and Eunuch Bang were holding a meeting.

"Are you telling me those two rats managed to slip all the way to Mount Wudang without anyone noticing!? How is that even possible?!"

Eunuch Gong was practically screaming an accusation at the Central Military Commander on the spot, making it very clear he was blaming him for the lapse in surveillance.

The Commander's expression soured, but Eunuch Bang stepped in to defend him.

"How can mere foot soldiers keep track of the movements of martial artists at that caliber? More importantly, shouldn't we be thinking about what comes next?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"We can't just sit here doing nothing, can we? Now that their two strongest defenders are away in Hubei, this is our chance to wipe out Ankang.”

Eunuch Gong frowned at the suggestion. "Have you forgotten the Supreme Eunuch's orders?"

"That's exactly why I'm not suggesting a full offensive. The Demonic Cult took less damage than the Central Plains martial artists in this last battle, so we need to rebalance the scales."

Eunuch Bang smiled smugly and continued.

"I've been watching that brat called Il-mok and finally thought of his one weakness.”

"A weakness? What is it?"

Both the Central Military Commander and Eunuch Gong leaned in with interest in their eyes.

Eunuch Bang smirked. "There are a few rules to how he uses that ridiculous technique. First, he only activates it when there are no allies nearby. Second, he only uses it at the very start of a battle. Third, it takes him a considerable amount of time to prepare."

"So it's a technique that can't distinguish friend from foe and can only be used once?"

"Exactly. And even if he could use it multiple times, it wouldn't make any difference. Once the fighting turns into a proper melee, he simply cannot use it."

It was a fair point.

The technique took too long to execute, and since it couldn't tell friend from foe, deploying it in the middle of a melee was completely out of the question.

Even if he didn't care about killing his own men, standing there like a statue trying to charge a technique in the middle of a chaotic brawl was a great way to get a stray arrow put through his throat.

"So, with those two away right now, why not go after him? If we catch him alone right after he uses his power, we should have more than enough to kill him."

Hearing Eunuch Bang's suggestion, hungry smiles crept onto the faces of both the Central Military Commander and Eunuch Gong.