Chapter 1669
There, too… a future exists. (4)
“Get out of the way!”
Wudang’s disciples quickly leaped back.
Thud! Thud!
Oil-filled pouches flew into the spaces they left, bursting upon impact, and flaming arrows immediately rained down on them.
Whoosh!
The flames spread instantly. The fire, so intense that it occasionally flickered with blue, soared far above the heads of grown adult men.
What if they hadn’t managed to avoid it? What if they had been caught in those flames?
It would have been a horrifying catastrophe too terrible to imagine.
“Sasuk, they’re coming again!”
“R-Retreat! Fall back for now! Immediately!”
No matter how much they had learned martial arts, they were still human. It was not easy to resist such a vicious fire. What they had trained for was cutting, parrying, and stabbing, not combating flames.
“But if we retreat from here…!”
“They’re people too! They can’t keep advancing through those flames!”
Mu Jin shouted loudly, emphasizing his point.
“Don’t engage, just retreat! Our job is not to annihilate the enemy but to prevent them from climbing up here! Don’t forget your duty!”
“Yes!”
Wudang’s disciples, who had been panicking, gradually regained their composure at Mu Jin’s command.
It was certainly the right decision. Fire does not discriminate between friend and foe. If the flames were intense enough to force Wudang to retreat, the enemy would not be able to advance easily either.
This meant that if the flames died down enough for the enemy to advance, Wudang would also be able to engage again. So for now, retreating was the right choice.
“They’re coming again!”
“Fall back!”
Wudang’s disciples retreated in unison, precisely ascending the slope. The legendary Wudang technique, Vertical Cloud Ladder, which was said to appear like riding on the clouds, was now performed through the acrid smoke rising instead.
As soon as their feet touched the ground again, they involuntarily exhaled the breath they had been holding.
‘What are the casualties?’
There were some injured, but only a few deaths. Though painful to consider, it was not a significant loss from a cold, objective standpoint. If they could retreat calmly and reorganize…
“Don’t let your guard down!”
Though Mu Jin shouted this, he also thought that they could at least catch their breath.
The enemy would naturally continue to throw oil pouches and shoot arrows, but throwing weapons inherently lose power the farther they travel.
Moreover, shooting arrows upward from below would lose more than twice the force compared to simply throwing them.
As long as they didn’t become complacent, they could prevent further damage. For now, they just needed to take a breath and wait for the flames to die down…
But at that moment.
“Sasuk! Look over there! Look!”
Whoosh!
The flames, which had been fiercely blazing as if to melt the slope, suddenly surged and then clearly parted to the sides.
“What, what?”
It was an unbelievable sight. Fire is not alive or possesses any will, so how could it move on its own like that?
“S-Sasuk!”
A voice, almost a scream, rang out. Soon, a group emerged through the parted flames.
“Oh… oh!”
Mu Jin’s mouth dropped open involuntarily.
It was the people he had seen earlier.
The warriors of the Southern Sea Sun Palace, who had mercilessly thrown oil pouches and shot flaming arrows, were calmly ascending the slope, parting the fiercely burning flames as they went.
‘How?’
With their every step, the flames were pushed aside. But being pushed aside did not mean they disappeared. The fire still burned, albeit slightly diminished, and its heat was intense enough to melt rocks.
How could they walk through what seemed like the fiery pits of hell with their bare bodies?
Mu Jin, unable to believe what he was seeing, was momentarily dazed. Then, one of the Sun Palace warriors standing in the midst of the flames smirked openly.
“Foolish Central Plainers.”
And then he shouted.
“Fire! We’ll make it to the top of the slope in one go!”
❀ ❀ ❀
Meanwhile, Jin Pyeong, the Lord of the Southern Sea Sun Palace, was filled with deep-seated discontent. His expression twisted in displeasure.
“In a place like this?”
He glared at the back of a man who was standing in front of him with his hands behind his back, observing the battlefield.
It was a worthless neck.
This was someone he could easily snap in half if he wished, yet he dared to ignore Jin Pyeong’s words, focusing solely on the newly spreading flames on the steep slope.
The Sun Palace Lord’s face contorted slightly.
He could tolerate the insolence of Jang Ilso, the Ryeonju of Sapaeryeon. Although he would never admit it out loud, Jin Pyeong had to acknowledge Jang Ilso’s capabilities. He was a man deserving of that recognition.
However, he found it difficult to endure being ignored by a mere commander who hadn’t even reached the pinnacle of martial arts.
Jin Pyeong had always believed that to command others, one must possess the qualifications to do so.
“Did you not hear me?”
Only when his voice was tinged with irritation did Ho Gamyeong, who had been staring ahead, slightly turn to Jin Pyeong. The moment Jin Pyeong met Ho Gamyeong’s indifferent gaze, his eyebrows twitched with discomfort.
Ho Gamyeong, the Commander of Sapaeryeon, was known as Jang Ilso’s trusted confidant and was highly favored by him.
Jin Pyeong had heard countless evaluations of Ho Gamyeong, but frankly, he found it difficult to accept them as they were.
No matter how skilled, he is just a strategist.
A strategist is no different from a military manual that a ruler consults before making a decision. How could it be pleasing to see such a person presumptuously wielding authority as the second-in-command of Sapaeryeon?
“Is there something you wish to say?”
It was even more irksome that this military strategist had the audacity to speak so boldly, directly addressing the Lord of the Southern Sea Sun Palace.
“Did you demand the use of the Sacred Fire [성화(聖火)] just for something like this?”
In sects with a strong religious inclination, the term ‘Sacred Fire’ typically holds symbolic meaning. However, in the Southern Sea Sun Palace, the Sacred Fire simply refers to oil.
The members of the Southern Sea Sun Palace, who strive for the ultimate in hot yang techniques, naturally take an interest in the use of fire. The result of this interest is the Sacred Fire.
In the Southern Sea Sun Palace, the term refers to both the special oil that ignites the fire and the flames it produces.
Once lit, these flames cannot be easily extinguished by internal energy or water. It is a prized treasure unique to the Sun Palace.
However…
“Do you know how much money and manpower is consumed to produce even a single drop of the Sacred Fire?”
“…”
“And do you know how valuable those who handle the Sacred Fire are to the Palace?”
The heat emitted by the Sacred Fire far exceeds that of ordinary flames. Thus, those who handle it are the elite, carefully selected from among those in the Southern Sea Sun Palace, who claim to be unparalleled in the world of hot yang techniques.
The Sun Palace lord rarely brings it out, meaning it’s the core of the Sun Palace’s might.
“And yet, you’ve brought them here for such a trivial task.”
“It is not a trivial task.”
“What did you say?”
Ho Gamyeong replied, meeting the Sun Palace Lord’s gaze with calm eyes.
“It is, in fact, a necessary task.”
“You mean just to clear that slope? With proper use, the Sacred Fire could burn down several sects at once.”
“It seems Palace Lord has great overconfidence in what you possess.”
It wasn’t the Sun Palace Lord but the sun warriors standing behind him who took offense at Ho Gamyeong’s remark.
“What is this guy babbling about…!”
“Enough.”
Before the commotion could grow, Jin Pyeong raised a hand to silence them. He glared at Ho Gamyeong with eyes that seemed to burn with a fierce blue light.
“What do you mean by that?”
“The Sacred Fire is merely oil that burns well. And the opponent is Wudang. They cannot be handled with such petty tricks.”
“Are you daring to belittle the Palace’s Sacred Fire?”
“Well.”
Ho Gamyeong’s eyes sharply focused on the slope.
“It seems it’s already happening.”
The Sun Palace Lord’s gaze instinctively followed to the same spot.
❀ ❀ ❀
Whoosh!
Once again, flaming arrows flew in, turning the oil on the ground into a blaze. Wudang’s disciples, pale with fear, retreated further and further back.
Anxious voices could be heard all around.
“Sasuk!”
“…”
“What do we do? At this rate…!”
Mu Jin’s face was also drained of color. He wanted to ask the same question.
The enemies were advancing through the fire they had started. What method could they be using to calmly make their way through flames that would reduce a person to ashes?
‘The Sun Palace!’
Though the hot yang techniques of the Southern Sea Sun Palace were said to be unparalleled, could it really be possible to move freely through such flames?
When the flickering light from the flames made their bodies momentarily glisten, it suggested that they were using some special means beyond hot yang techniques. However, Mu Jin had no way to discern how to counteract it.
“R-Retreat…”
“We’re almost at the end of the slope, Sasuk! Beyond here is…”
The summit of the White-Faced Cliff. This meant that if they continued to retreat, they would eventually concede the high ground to the enemy. The summit was a wide-open space. If the enemy reached it, their numbers would be even more advantageous.
What should they do? Should they retreat to that point despite the circumstances? Or should they…
If it were the Mu disciples, they might be able to handle the oil and arrows. But ordering the less experienced Jin disciples to face them on such a slope would be akin to sending them to their deaths.
In that case…
“They’re coming again!”
Whoosh!
Before he could continue his thoughts, more oil-filled pouches and flaming arrows came hurtling through the air. Mu Jin was about to shout a warning to be on guard.
Swish!
“What?”
“What are you doing?!”
Someone leaped forward and swung their sword at the incoming oil pouches and arrows.
The sword traced a circular path, drawing the oil and arrows into the center of the sword’s motion, then flung them out over the cliff in one sweep.
Whoosh!
The flaming oil spilled into the air, raining down on Sapaeryeon’s warriors climbing the cliff below.
“What, what is this!”
“Fire!”
Screams of agony erupted from Sapaeryeon’s warriors as they were suddenly caught in a rain of fire from above.
Mu Jin stared blankly at the person who had stepped forward.
“Whether it’s fire, oil, or arrows…”
“Jin Hyeon?”
“The sword of Wudang, which can stop even flowing water, cannot fail to overcome this.”
Jin Hyeon held his sword upright and aimed at the Sun Palace warriors climbing the slope, stepping through the flames as if they were mere dirt.
“Isn’t that right?”
Mu Jin bit his pale lips tightly.
He was right. It was obvious. Yet, he had momentarily forgotten this simple truth.
“Jin Hyeon…”
“I fully understand your concern for us, Sasuk. But before that, please trust us a little more.”
With a troubled heart, Mu Jin closed his eyes for a moment.
He realized that he, too, had been making the same mistake that he had resented his predecessors for.
“…I’m sorry.”
“No need.”
Mu Jin, regaining his resolve, stepped forward with his sword and stood beside Jin Hyeon.
Yes, allocation didn’t matter. At this moment, they were all swordsmen risking their lives. What mattered now was to trust those wielding the same sword.
“Hold this place! No matter if it’s fire, oil, or anything else! There is nothing the sword of Wudang cannot face!”
The eyes of Wudang swordsmen, which had been preoccupied with retreating, were now filled with determination.
“Heo Gong Sasuk is above the cliff. Protect this place even with your lives!”
“Yes!”
More flaming arrows rained down. The swords of Wudang moved in unison.
❀ ❀ ❀
“…Petty tricks won’t work?”
The Sun Palace Lord’s face was etched with intense displeasure.
“It was you who asked for those petty tricks.”
“Tricks have their use. It’s enough to make the enemy retreat temporarily.”
“…So what can be gained from that? Isn’t it just saying we can’t break through there in the end?”
“Instead, we can reduce one major expenditure.”
“What is that?”
“Time.”
The Sun Palace Lord ground his teeth. He still couldn’t accept any of it. At that moment, Ho Gamyeong’s words, almost like a monologue, caught his ear.
“The sacrifice doesn’t matter… If we were to completely bypass that slope and secure a route behind the mountain, we’d waste no less than five shichen. And in those five shichen [시진 – 時辰 – a period of ~2 hours], the battle’s outcome would be decided.”
“…”
“If this fire can save this time, the Palace Lord would achieve the greatest contribution in this battle without doing anything.”
The Sun Palace Lord narrowed his eyes at the seemingly casual remark.
“…Presumptuous.”
But the Sun Palace Lord didn’t voice further complaints. He simply added.
“Whether you underestimate the Sacred Fire or overestimate those Wudang bastards, the warriors of the Sun Palace will conquer not just that slope but the summit of the mountain in one go.”
“If that happens, there will be nothing more to wish for.”
Ho Gamyeong murmured without expression. The Sun Palace Lord, who had been glaring intently at him, suddenly turned away. His strides were rough, as if he didn’t want to remain in the same place.
Ho Gamyeong glanced at him and smirked faintly.
‘Arrogant.’
Oil that burns well? If that were enough to bring them down, the name of Wudang wouldn’t have remained so high in the world for so long.
However…
The eyes of Ho Gamyeong, which had been calm, suddenly gleamed with a sharp light.
Thanks to the fire, they had almost reached the top of the slope. Now, they just needed to break through.
‘We must hurry.’
He shifted his gaze beyond the battlefield to the west. A hint of impatience flickered in his otherwise indifferent eyes.
‘Before that bastard… the one who could change this situation, arrives.’
The reason time was more crucial than anything else. It was the source of an anxiety he couldn’t share with anyone.
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