Chapter 1664
Wherever that is. (4)
White-Faced Cliff, a distinctively white cliff midway up Mount Wudang, was where the Taoists were gathering.
“Elder!”
The swordsmen of Wudang, who had joined after receiving the signal, called out to Heo Gong on top of the cliff. The soot marking their robes hinted at the hardships they had endured.
Those who intended to speak with Heo Gong fell silent, as if on cue. From the vantage point of White-Faced Cliff, the burning spectacle of Mount Wudang was vividly clear.
It was a vision of hell.
Amidst the red flames, the charred black trees were visible. The sight of the scorched trees swaying in the fiery wind made them resemble tormented souls trembling in the fires of hell.
How had Wudang, a sacred site of Taoism, ended up in such a state?
The swordsmen of Wudang clenched their fists so tightly their knuckles turned white.
This wasn’t merely a loss of their home. It was the destruction of the very foundation that had been part of their entire lives. Watching such a place consumed by flames in an instant left them with an indescribable feeling of devastation.
Even after this war ended, Wudang would likely not regain its former self for many years – perhaps decades. The scars of this conflict would remain vivid and unforgotten, haunting them for a long time.
“Pull yourselves together and form ranks.”
“…Yes, Sasuk!”
Those who had been grinding their teeth in fury nodded grimly in response to Heo Gong’s command.
Heo Gong was right. Now was not the time to succumb to anger, but to punish them with cold rationality.
“Where are they?”
“They are advancing with the flames.”
Heo Gong’s eyes darkened.
Though the fire might be weaker in places it had already swept through, following such intense heat without casualties was unlikely.
At first glance, it seemed like the Evil Sects were thoroughly ravaging Wudang, but in reality, they were the ones suffering losses.
‘And yet they don’t care?’
His eyebrows twitched in discomfort. What did they think of human life?
But he quickly took a deep breath to calm his rising agitation. There was no time to worry about the lives of those from the Evil Sects.
“Then they will arrive soon. What about those who haven’t yet gathered here?”
“Some were delayed and seem to be surrounded. The casualties are…”
“Then we must rescue them! What are you waiting for?”
“Attempting a rescue in this situation risks the rescuers being surrounded as well, which could escalate the battle.”
In other words, their strategy of occupying the area above White-Faced Cliff could be rendered useless. Heo Gong, immediately grasping the implications, bit his lip slightly.
“They are also disciples of Wudang. I understand your feelings, but…”
“I understand.”
Just as Heo Gong was about to nod slightly, a loud voice called out from behind him.
“Heo Gong!”
Reacting to the familiar voice, Heo Gong turned respectfully. Heo San-ja, who had assumed the position of Acting Sect Leader of Wudang, was approaching with a stern expression.
“Greetings, Sect Leader.”
Heo Gong greeted him with formality, but Heo San-ja ignored the gesture and shouted.
“Did you really set up your formation here? Why?”
“…Because we deemed it a suitable place to confront the enemy.”
“Because it’s a cliff?”
“Yes.”
“Good heavens! While this is indeed a cliff, isn’t there a path open behind us? Have you not considered that if we are flanked, we could be attacked with our backs to the cliff?”
“…”
“Withdraw your formation immediately, at once! We cannot stay here!”
Despite Heo San-ja’s outcry, Heo Gong calmly replied.
“Does it really matter?”
“…What?”
Heo San-ja looked at Heo Gong in disbelief, as if he had been struck.
“Isn’t it better to have the cliff behind us than flames? At least the cliff won’t advance toward us.”
In that moment, Heo San-ja’s beard trembled slightly.
“Are you… are you in your right mind…?”
“Sect Leader.”
Heo Gong, still composed, looked at the burning Mount Wudang.
“There is no common sense here now.”
“…”
“If we follow the ordinary truth that we shouldn’t cut off our own retreat, we’ll only end up retreating without even putting up a fight. Even if we are surrounded on three sides by enemies and flames, as long as we can protect just one place behind us, we can fight.”
Heo San-ja could not bring himself to refute.
Even he knew that it would be difficult to find a better strategic location if they withdrew from here.
“Heo Gong…”
“Please do not speak of retreat. If you truly understand what a last stand means, I believe you would not tarnish your disciples’ resolve with such words.”
Deep sorrow was etched in Heo San-ja’s eyes.
Discussing making a last stand and even speaking of death.
The battle hadn’t even properly begun, yet they had already accepted their deaths as inevitable. Despite this, they were driven more by a desire for revenge against Sapaeryeon than by fear.
‘How severe was the wound they received at the Yangtze River?’
This was clearly the fault of Heo San-ja and the mistake made by Heo Do Jinin.
As a decision-maker, he only considered the weight he had to bear, failing to account for the deep wounds his disciples would suffer due to his choice. He merely felt relieved that his courage had saved lives. Now, realizing that this error, which was too late to reverse, had led to this situation, his heart felt as if it was being torn apart.
“Is this place really sufficient?”
“The path leading to White-Faced Cliff is steep. Even if you don’t climb the cliff.”
Heo Gong looked down at the cliff below with cold eyes.
“It’s so steep that even the flames cannot easily invade it. At least then, we can focus solely on the enemies without worrying about anything else.”
“Heo Gong.”
“And for the swordsmen of Wudang, that’s enough.”
Heo Gong lightly gripped the sword hanging from his waist.
One of the most painful things for him was that he couldn’t properly showcase the swordsmanship he had honed all his life on the cliffs of the Yangtze River.
He could accept defeat due to a lack of skill. He could understand dying due to insufficient strength.
But it was difficult to accept defeat or death without even having the chance to fight. Perhaps the other Wudang swordsmen standing shoulder to shoulder here felt the same way.
“Heo Gong-ah, I…”
“I know. Sect Leader… No, Heo Do Jinin, I understand he didn’t say those things because he underestimated us. It’s because he cares about us that he spoke those words.”
Heo Gong spoke calmly.
“But, Sect Leader. All of us at Wudang are not just your disciples but Taoists of Wudang and individual swordsmen. We do not wish to find the value of our lives as mere pieces executing someone else’s strategy. Please allow us to think and decide for ourselves.”
Heo San-ja had no choice but to concede. He couldn’t even voice the words he had prepared to persuade Heo Gong one last time before it was too late. He sensed that any words now would only insult Heo Gong.
“I don’t think you’re wrong, Heo Gong-ah. That’s why… that’s why it pains me even more.”
In response to the sincerity in Heo San-ja’s voice, Heo Gong simply shook his head.
There was much to say, but now was not the time for idle conversation. Even as they spoke, the flames consuming the mountain were advancing toward the steep white cliff.
“Sasuk! We are ready.”
At the voice calling out, Heo Gong nodded.
Though Heo San-ja was present, the person being reported to was naturally Heo Gong, and he accepted it as expected. This scene intuitively reflected the current dynamics of Wudang.
“Be prepared. They’ll be here soon.”
“Yes!”
A sharp tension flowed across the cliff.
Their positions had been completely reversed. But for that very reason, the disciples of Wudang had to deeply feel that waiting in preparation for an enemy attack was not a comfortable state of mind.
Their bodies flinched repeatedly, as if needles were pricking their insides.
“Sahyeong…”
“Shh.”
When someone, unable to suppress their anxiety, tried to speak, a voice immediately hushed them. The intention was to prevent any wavering voice from shaking the resolve of the others.
Heo Gong, noticing the subtle and strange disturbance, spoke quietly.
“Gangho remembers the Yangtze River.”
His unexpected words pierced everyone’s ears.
“Even if we all die, until the names of Sapaeryeon and Jang Ilso disappear completely from the world… No, perhaps until the name of Wudang itself vanishes, it will not be forgotten. Once an event occurs, it cannot be undone, and we can never erase that record.”
It was a history of disgrace, one that would tarnish the illustrious name of Wudang and plunge all its disciples into eternal shame.
“But Gangho will also remember today.”
Heo Gong’s voice, carried by inner strength, spread even wider.
“Just as it remembers the Yangtze River of the past, it will remember the burning Wudang of today. A swordsman proves their worth not in life, but in death. I ask you, what kind of death do you desire?”
The eyes that had been wavering with agitation became calm and serene once more.
Among them were Mu Jin and Jin Hyeon. Their feelings were not so different from those of Heo Gong at that moment.
Sssssk.
Heo Gong drew his sword.
“I am not fighting today. I will leave a memory. A memory that Wudang was not cowardly. A memory that I was not a coward. With that memory, I will prove that the mistakes we made were not evidence of cowardice and weakness!”
Sssssk!
The swords of Wudang swordsmen were drawn in unison.
At that very moment, as if in response, the flames that seemed to engulf Wudang finally reached the White-Faced Cliff.
Whoosh.
The soaring flames roared but couldn’t quite surpass the hight of White-Faced Cliff, like a ferocious beast roaring in hunger at prey just beyond its reach.
Even the swordsmen of Wudang, who had resolved their hearts, flinched momentarily at the sight.
But what they truly needed to fear was something else entirely.
Woooooong!
The sound of the mountain burning echoed like the roar of a demon. As the majestic and eerie sound filled the air, another sound began to overlap with it.
Something that sounded like a scream, a wail, and even a cry.
The surging flames failed to climb over the cliff and began to die down. From the dimming red glow, another presence began to reveal itself.
What initially appeared to be soot or shadows left by the fire gradually took form.
The dark shadows were… ceaselessly moving, climbing up the white face of the cliff.
“They’re coming!”
Shockingly, the immense black wave engulfing the cliff was composed of people clinging to the rock face like swarms of ants.
“Ahhhh!”
Dressed in half-burnt martial robes, the warriors of Sapaeryeon screamed as they climbed up the cliff. Their eyes shining with terror and madness.
“Climb no matter what! Kill every single one of them up there!”
With the roaring flames beneath them, the relentless, poison-driven warriors swarmed upward.
A fierce battle, destined to drench Wudang in blood, was beginning against the backdrop of the white cliff.
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