Chapter 1686
Even if it fades into ridicule. (1)
The blade, radiating a chilling gleam, pierced the chest with a horrifying sound.
“Guhhh…”
“Sahyeong!”
Even in the darkness, a large amount of blood splattered into the air, was clearly visible. It would have been better not to see it so clearly, but their trained eyes could distinctly perceive the eyes losing life in the dark.
“Ugh… uugg…”
The faces of those who watched their fallen brother were filled with deep sorrow.
Yet beneath it lay an undeniable fear.
“Saje…”
One of Wudang’s disciples, as if in a daze, reached out toward the one who had fallen far away. His vision blurred as tears welled up in his eyes.
Just as he took a step forward, as if entranced, someone seized his collar and pulled him forcefully.
“Pull yourself together!”
“Sa… Sasuk?”
“Look ahead! Don’t take your eyes off the enemy!”
“But… but..”
“You idiot! Do you want to die too?”
“Ugh…”
The man drenched in blood from head to toe, Mu Jin, glared with his one remaining eye, which flashed intensely.
“The dead are dead! If you have time to grieve, focus on surviving! Right now, tears shed for the dead are a useless luxury!”
The words were too harsh to come from the mouth of a Taoist. No, they were too desperate. But that was all he could say.
“Understand?”
Growling once more, Mu Jin’s Sajil nodded, seemingly terrified. Mu Jin, after shoving him behind him, pointed his sword forward.
The scene unfolding in front of him on the battlefield was terrifyingly clear.
Enemies and more enemies. No matter how many they defeated, there always seemed to be an endless supply of them.
And now, beneath their feet, the corpses of their fellow disciples, who had breathed and lived with them on this mountain, were being trampled upon.
Half, perhaps more, were dead.
Even if they turned twice, or perhaps thrice, as many enemies into spirits by sacrificing so many lives… could they truly say those deaths were worthwhile?
The grief over those who died? The sorrow over their heartbreaking deaths?
Surely, even in moments like this, someone might be burning with such emotions.
But in Mu Jin’s mind, instead of sorrow for the dead, there was only the thought of protecting as many of the living as possible.
That desperation was the driving force that kept Mu Jin moving.
“Sasuk! Ahead!”
Suddenly, an urgent voice rang out, and a spear came flying toward Mu Jin’s side.
Mu Jin swung his sword desperately, but his movements were not as they usually were.
Had he been in perfect condition, he would have easily sliced through the air and deflected the spear, but his sword only managed to sluggishly strike the side of the spear.
Crash!
“Sasuk!”
The incoming spear finally pierced Mu Jin’s side at an angle. Gritting his teeth, Mu Jin let out a roar and struck down the spearman’s neck.
Splurt!
Warm blood gushed from the severed neck.
The enemy’s blood covered the blood Mu Jin had already spilled. Here, the meaning of the blood that flows is lost. It will only soon be trampled and sullied.
“Sasuk!”
“I’m fine!”
Mu Jin stretched out his hand firmly to stop those who were coming to help him.
The excruciating pain and the fear greater than that pain made him grit his teeth, but strangely, a bitter laugh escaped.
His mind was so desperate, yet his body did not follow his will. How naive was he to believe that as long as he didn’t lose his will, he could fight to the end?
When he looked to the side, he saw Wudang’s disciples, also soaked in blood, struggling to fend off the enemy blades that were like the fangs of demons. The fatigue was evident on all their faces.
Slash!
“Sahyeong!”
Even Jin Hyeon’s body was splattered with blood.
What would have been an easy defense for him in the past was now a struggle – he, too, had reached his limit. Everyone here had already confronted their limits.
Blood trickled down his forehead, repeatedly getting into his eyes. The dark world was turning red. This was reminiscent of the dire situation they were in.
“Aaaaah!”
At that moment, Mu Jin let out a beastly roar and charged at the enemy before him.
Crack!
The tip of his sword pierced the enemy’s neck with precision and ferocity. The sword point tore through flesh and severed bone.
However, even that sensation felt hazy and blurred now.
Twisting the embedded sword, he swung it horizontally.
His dantian was already depleted and felt as if it would tear at any moment, but Mu Jin, without hesitation, squeezed out all his remaining strength.
Swoosh!
The emitted sword energy swept over the enemy in an instant.
“You’re nothing but walking corpses!”
But the enemy no longer retreated helplessly from his sword energy. The pack of wolf-like bastards clearly understood Mu Jin’s condition better than anyone else.
Sapaeryeon’s members swarmed in, aiming to sink their teeth into the neck of the big prey cornered at its limit.
“Mu Jin!”
Seeing Mu Jin in peril, Heo Gong flinched, and a swift force was sent flying towards his face.
Clang!
In an instant, his sword swung back.
“Do you still have time to be distracted?”
“…”
Heo Gong pulled back his pushed sword.
His body was indeed in shambles. His clothing was so tattered it was hard to guess its original form, and his body was swollen in places where it had been struck by Cheon Myeon Susa’s palm force.
But more critical than the external injuries was the internal damage.
The evil energy that had infiltrated his body through Cheon Myeon Susa’s force had wreaked havoc inside him, to the extent that even the pure Wudang internal cultivation techniques couldn’t control it.
Compared to this, the external wounds seemed insignificant.
Cheon Myeon Susa laughed.
“Where did all that bravado from earlier go?”
Wham!
Cheon Myeon Susa struck the air, sending a formidable wave of force not towards Heo Gong but towards his disciples beside him, who were defending against the enemies with all their might, trusting their backs to him.
Heo Gong extended his sword with all his strength to counter Cheon Myeon Susa’s force. But in that gap, his waist twisted, leaving his back exposed, and three shadows immediately penetrated that space.
Boom! Boom!
Dark red blood oozed from between his tightly clenched lips.
He had mustered all his internal energy to mitigate the impact, but the force felt like one repeatedly striking a massive bell, continuously battering his body.
“Cough!”
The spot where he had been standing exploded once more. The relentless barrage left him unable to catch his breath.
Struggling to rise again, Heo Gong once more pointed his sword at Cheon Myeon Susa.
The Wudang sword stance – a position he had assumed countless times – but now, no one would sense the prestige of the Great Wudang Sect in his stance.
The tip of his sword trembled pathetically, and the legs that were supposed to support the sword seemed ready to give out at any moment.
Cheon Myeon Susa watched him with a smirk, as if savoring the sight.
“What’s wrong? Weren’t you acting like you could easily take on someone like me?”
Blood and sweat, mingled into a mess, dripped down his chin. Heo Gong, even with his half-closed eyes, stared intently at Cheon Myeon Susa.
“That’s how youngsters think. They believe they can achieve anything as long as they become strong. That they can accomplish whatever they desire.”
Cheon Myeon Susa’s face twisted, as if the human mask he wore might fall off at any moment.
“Did you think it would be that easy?”
“…”
“Did you think you were the only one in the world who strives and yearns? Did you believe that with your innate talent, you could always rise above others? Oh, perhaps you thought that sincere effort would always be rewarded fairly?”
Each word cut deeply into Heo Gong’s heart.
“If you believed that, then the life you’ve lived was nothing but a lie.”
Cheon Myeon Susa slowly released his hands from behind his back.
“The truth lies in the most miserable places. While you play at being sages on this mountain, someone else is shoving a knife into a another’s mouth just to get a bite of cold rice. To survive, some lick the feet of others and betray those they trust to climb higher.”
Cheon Myeon Susa smirked.
“You, of all people, wouldn’t understand…”
Boom!
The black-and-white sword energy unleashed by Heo Gong swept through the spot where Cheon Myeon Susa had stood.
Boom!
A massive explosion erupted. Had he been caught in it, even Cheon Myeon Susa couldn’t have emerged unscathed, but he had already retreated to the edge of a cliff far behind.
“Huff… huff.”
Struggling to retrieve his trembling sword, Heo Gong spoke.
“As excuses go… that’s pathetic.”
Cheon Myeon Susa shook his head and crossed his hands behind his back again.
Heo Gong was already at his limit. The other Wudang swordsmen were no different. Without any more effort, they would collapse on their own. He had seen it countless times – the desperate struggles of those driven to their limits and their inevitable end.
These would be no different. Only…
“You keep babbling.”
Flash!
The force unleashed from Cheon Myeon Susa’s hand at a terrifying speed struck Heo Gong’s chin.
Boom!
Like a kite with its string cut, Heo Gong flew up and then crashed to the ground.
“I promised, didn’t I? That you wouldn’t die easily. Now I’ll keep that promise…”
As Cheon Myeon Susa nonchalantly began to walk toward Heo Gong, he suddenly froze.
‘Hmm?’
His back felt cold. As if something was targeting him.
But behind him was only the sheer cliff. Who could possibly dare target him?
After a brief moment of contemplation, Cheon Myeon Susa decided to trust his instincts. He stepped towards the cliff, leaned forward, and looked down.
His eyes widened in disbelief.
“…This, this is?”
Incredibly, it looked like a black dragon.
A black dragon.
The black dragon with sharp scales was climbing the cliff stained red with the blood of many.
The moment he realized that the sharp scales were actually swords tinged with blazing flames, the hairs on Cheon Myeon Susa’s neck stood on end.
“Hwasan?”
The cursed name slipped out of his mouth unconsciously. Cheon Myeon Susa’s previously relaxed hands clenched tightly.
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