Chapter 1419
Even if it’s meaningless. (4)
Emei Sect [아미파(峨嵋派) – Amipa].
“These evil Sapa bastards!”
“Don’t underestimate Emei!”
Nuns wearing monk’s attire, with shaven heads, swung their sharp swords fiercely.
But their enemies, who had already tasted blood, rushed in like starving wolves.
The deformed weapons of blood palace warriors, adorned in crimson cloaks [피풍의], flew in from behind and pierced the bodies of the nuns one after another.
“Aaaargh!”
“Masteeeeeeeeer [사부 – master, teacher etc in Buddhist temples – sabun]!”
“This, this peculiar…”
Despite blood gushing from her mouths, the nun tried to swing her swords somehow.
But at that moment, the weapon that had penetrated her body twisted first, tearing through her intestines.
Rip!
Another life was extinguished amidst the fountain of blood.
Tears flowed from the eyes of Ok Danghyang [옥당향(玉堂香)], bhikkhunī of the Emei Sect.
‘Master!’
She watched as the body of her lifelong mentor, Geum So[금소(金紹)], was torn apart by the grotesque blade of the enemy.
“Why….”
Why did this happen?
They had all simply sought to uphold their duties as Buddhist nuns on the slopes of Mount Emei, so why were they subjected to such a cruel attack?
Throughout her entire life, she had never harbored hatred or hostility towards anyone.
She had lived cautiously, refraining from harming even the smallest creature.
That was the teaching of the Buddha, the life she was meant to uphold as a nun.
Those who easily take others’ lives and mock their existence and death, what exactly are they? How can they possibly bear the weight of so much sin?
“You scoundrels!”
Kwaaaah!
With a thunderous roar, Gwan Hae [관해(觀解)], the Sect Leader of Emei Sect, slammed her staff forcefully onto the ground.
The shockwave spread in an instant in all directions. Simultaneously, everyone’s gaze focused on Gwan Hae.
Rhunk!
Gwan Hae’s face, which instantly drew everyone’s attention, contorted menacingly like the face of a deity in the heavens.
The aura emanating from the wrinkled old woman was unbelievably powerful, despite her aged appearance. She shouted with the force to split the sky.
“Aren’t you afraid of divine punishment!”
Even the reckless warriors of the Blood Palace and Haomun faltered for a moment, hesitating to approach her.
Sensing the tension, the Red Dogs, formidable opponents themselves, licked their lips and began to subtly close in on her.
Then suddenly, a voice rang out.
“Gwan Hae herself stepping forward.”
Step by step, a man walked slowly towards Gwan Hae.
“What an honor this is.”
“Who are you?”
Gwan Hae frowned slightly as she asked coldly.
While age in Gangho didn’t necessarily correlate with one’s status and abilities, the man who stepped forward appeared unusually young.
Under these circumstances, it seemed audacious for anyone to stand opposite to Gwan Hae. Yet, the man who approached her seemed nonchalant.
“I doubt you’ll heed my words.”
“You’re not Jang Ilso! Summon Jang Ilso, immediately! I will hold him responsible for this massacre!”
The young man who stepped forward in response to Gwan Hae’s demand chuckled lightly.
“Jang Ilso, huh?”
A sinister gleam flickered in the young man’s dark eyes.
“Seems like living alone in the mountains has left you out of touch with current situations… But now, Ryeonju is not someone that others like you can order around, understand?”
“How dare you!”
“For the likes of you, I, alone, am sufficient to face the Head Nun Gwan Hae [관해사태(觀解師太)] of Emei Sect.”
Gwan Hae hesitated for a moment. She sensed formidable aura emanating from the audacious young man.
Though his face was youthful, the energy he exuded was anything but it. Anger flashed across Gwan Hae’s face.
“…You bastard! Cheon Myeon Susa!”
“Hooh.”
A strange smile flickered across Cheon Myeon Susa’s lips, who had transformed his appearance into a young man’s.
“The Head Nun of Emei knows all of this insignificant one’s aliases. And yet, here I am…”
“You!”
Kwaaang!
Gwan Hae slammed her staff onto the ground again, as if trying to fend off something evil.
“What’s the meaning of this! Why do such things! What do you gain from all this! Living fleeting lives, committing so many sins, how can you…”
“Ah.”
As if bored, Cheon Myeon Susa waved his hand dismissively.
“There are only filthy scoundrels here unworthy of receiving the teachings of the venerable nun. Spare us your pointless ramblings.”
“This…!”
“But one thing piques my interest. What do we hope to gain?”
A chilling, wheezing laughter, completely discordant with his youthful appearance, escaped from him.
“For you, Gangho must have been nothing but enjoyable so far. No one dared to covet what was yours.”
“…”
“But what we got were merely the crumbs you spilled while feasting. While the world called this a time of peace…”
Cheon Myeon Susa tilted his head.
“Head Nun. You’ve already enjoyed what you could. Fear of the future, fear of hell may plague you, but do you think we care about that? What matters is what we can gain right now.”
Cheon Myeon Susa’s hands slowly descended.
“Anyway, I’ve said my piece. The one behind me isn’t as patient as he seems. If we delay any longer, my neck might be on the line.”
Gwan Hae’s hand trembled as she gripped the staff.
She wasn’t afraid of Cheon Myeon Susa. She could handle him herself just fine.
But the demons of Sapaeryeon standing ominously behind him were not something Emei’s disciples could handle alone.
Facing countless enemies unprepared, how could they possibly withstand the onslaught?
“What have we done to you…”
“Enough with the pointless talk.”
Cheon Myeon Susa started to approach Gwan Hae leisurely.
“Until now, we’ve endured because you were stronger. And now that we’re stronger, it’s your turn to die. Isn’t that enough for Gangho?”
Gwan Hae closed her eyes tightly.
‘Emei will meet its end under my watch.’
There seemed to be no way out. If sacrificing herself could suffice, she would do it without hesitation. But the bloodthirsty beasts, hungry for blood, would never be satisfied with just Gwan Hae’s life.
‘If only I had known it would come to this…’
Regret flooded in like a rushing river, but now it was all futile.
“Geum Hwa [금화(金和)].”
“Yes, Sect Leader.”
“Take the children and escape.”
“But, Sect Leader! That’s…”
“This is not the time for arguments!”
Gwan Hae’s command was firm, leaving no room for debate. Geum Hwa bit her lip and nodded firmly.
“I will obey.”
“Go! Quickly!”
“Yes!”
As Geum Hwa ran to the back, Gwan Hae let out a deep sigh.
‘Perhaps this too is the will of the Buddha.’
Everything was just karma.
If Emei Sect was paying for their karma, then it was the return of the sins they had committed.
The sin Gwan Hae committed was neglecting those suffering and groaning in the world.
And the sin Emei had committed…
A bitter smile flickered at the corner of Gwan Hae’s mouth.
‘I can’t even resent it.’
It was a crime of ignoring those who fought and shed blood for the world a long time ago.
‘If this is karma, then I must accept it. But…’
How could the young disciples who had just joined Emei bear the burden of that sin? It was too harsh a punishment.
“Oh, Guanshiyin…”
If Guanshiyin extends her mercy to save sentient beings, she will surely reach out her hand to the young disciples of Emei. Gwan Hae could only believe in that.
“Come forth, villains of Sapaeryeon! Emei will never fall easily.”
“The old nun is all bark and no bite! Attack!”
Cheon Myeon Susa charged towards Gwan Hae, surrounded by hundreds of illusions of himself.
Simultaneously, the warriors of Haomun and the Blood Palace renewed their assault on Emei’s disciples.
“Ryeonju!”
Behind Jang Ilso, who calmly observed the situation, one person bowed.
“Emei will be sorted out shortly.”
“Hmm.”
Jang Ilso tilted his head slightly.
“Too easy.”
“…”
“It’s surprisingly simple. It’s almost humiliating. I’ve been bowing down to scum like them all this time.”
Jang Ilso laughed heartily.
It was unbelievable.
Despite thorough preparation, Emei was not supposed to collapse so easily. According to his calculations, it should have taken longer, and Sapaeryeon should have suffered greater losses.
But upon opening the lid, the battle turned out to be overwhelmingly one-sided. That was refreshing.
It meant the power of Emei did not live up to its name at all.
While Evil Sects engaged in countless wars, tearing each other apart, those in Sichuan lived leisurely, as if enjoying a game of immortals. They were like sheep who had never been chased by wolves.
“How twisted fate can be.”
Jang Ilso chuckled quietly, his expression twisted into a sinister grin.
The world is not fair.
Some are born into privilege, thinking that a small thorn in their finger is the most dreadful thing in the world.
Others are born in filth, stabbing knives into people’s throats just to get one meal.
Not particularly discontent with that fact, but…
“Well, whatever works.”
Jang Ilso muttered quietly before asking.
“What about Cheon Myeon?”
“He is dealing with Gwan Hae. With Red Dogs’ support, he’ll soon be bringing the old woman’s head.”
“Hmm.”
Jang Ilso nodded and instructed.
“Go to Cheon Myeon and deliver this message.”
“Yes!”
“As soon as Emei is dealt with, we’ll split our forces. Tell Cheon Myeon to lead the Blood Palace and Haomun to clean up Diancang.”
“Haomun and the Blood Palace… Both of them?”
“Yes. Is there a problem?”
In response to Jang Ilso’s question, the subordinate quickly bowed even deeper.
“Oh, no, Ryeonju! I’ll deliver it right away.”
“Good, good. That’s settled then.”
Jang Ilso chuckled softly.
“And tell our guys to prepare separately.”
“Where to?”
“They’re going to collect the payment for the drinks.”
“Um… to where?”
Jang Ilso’s gaze shifted northward.
“The liquor I gave to the Poison King turned out to be more expensive than I thought.”
If they had wanted, they could have cleared the Tang clan on their way down from Qingcheng.
But rather than targeting Tangga, which now lacked its main force, it was a priority to strike at Emei, which still retained its full strength. Damage could be minimized if the news from Qingcheng didn’t reach Emei and it was attacked before they completed their preparations.
Now that Emei had been somewhat dealt with, Jang Ilso finally had some leeway.
“Tang Gunak, Tang Gunak…”
Jang Ilso murmured quietly, his eyes deep in thought. The image of Tang Gunak, who had threatened him alone in the headquarters of Maninbang and then turned away, still lingered in his mind.
“I’ve always been curious.”
“…”
“To see if Poison King’s stoic face would remain unchanged even when all those in Tang clan were dead and gone. If he could still mutter those irritating words about friendship and whatnot.”
The subordinate, who was bowing, trembled.
“I just want to see for myself this time. Hahaha! Ahahaha! Ahahahaha!”
Laughter, tinged with a sinister tone as if commemorating the demise of the esteemed Emei, echoed loudly.
It was a laugh so loud one might want to plug their ears.
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