Chapter 1696
That’s enough for me. (6)
A sinister sound of teeth grinding echoed as Cheon Myeon Susa gritted his teeth.
He had to get out of there immediately.
There were countless members of Sapaeryeon on this cliff, including many Haomun’s members he had brought with him.
However, what mattered most to Cheon Myeon Susa at that moment was his own life. After all, he could always gather more followers if he had the time.
Despite this, he still couldn’t move a single step. Every time he tried to move, a chilling murderous intent pierced through him, as if warning him.
Cheon Myeon Susa glared at the one standing before him. Or rather, at the short dagger in that person’s hand.
The small dagger, which looked more like a woman’s accessory, was keeping him frozen in place.
“You…”
He was none other than Cheon Myeon Susa, not someone who would fear a toy-like dagger.
But if the person holding that dagger was the Poison King, Tang Gunak, the situation was different. There was no one in the world who could ignore a blade in his hand.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
Cheon Myeon Susa asked angrily, revealing his fury.
Tang Gunak smiled softly, an expression unfitting for the situation.
“It seems I cannot trust you.”
“…”
“I’m not sure if you will flee or pull some trick, so I have no choice but to keep you here.”
Grit.
Cheon Myeon Susa ground his teeth.
“My life is at stake!”
“I know. That’s why I can’t let you go. With your life on the line, who knows what you might do.”
“…”
“Someone once said that eliminating variables is the best course of action.”
“Until those bastards escape?”
“That’s right.”
“Then you’ll die too.”
“Do I look like someone who fears death?”
“Death may not scare you, but isn’t a pointless death terrifying to everyone?”
“I think differently. I don’t see it as a pointless death.”
Tang Gunak replied calmly, his eyes as serene as a deep, still lake.
“Ensuring Hwasan’s safety is worth risking my life for.”
Cheon Myeon Susa’s face twisted in anguish. He instinctively knew those words weren’t mere bravado.
“Keeping me here doesn’t guarantee their escape route, does it? At best, it offers a slight chance. You’re willing to risk your precious life for such a thing? You, the Poison King Tang Gunak?”
“A slight chance…”
Tang Gunak subtly shifted his gaze. He saw Hwasan striving to rescue Wudang. Even in this situation, they were carrying the survivors on their backs.
“That’s enough for me.”
“You’re insane.”
“Perhaps.”
What would he have said in the past? There was no need to think deeply. He would have said exactly what Cheon Myeon Susa was saying now: that it was foolish.
But the current Tang Gunak was different.
Not because he thought it wasn’t foolish, but because he had become someone who could do foolish things, knowing full well their foolishness.
Tang Gunak unknowingly smiled slightly.
“It’s the price for choosing the wrong friends.”
“What nonsense are you spouting? Move aside…”
Swoosh!
Like lightning, a dagger shot past Cheon Myeon Susa’s face.
His eyes widened. The flying dagger spun through the air and returned to Tang Gunak’s hand.
The number of daggers in his hand had somehow increased to two.
“I told you not to move, didn’t I?”
“Ugh…”
“There won’t be any more warnings, Cheon Myeon Susa.”
Crack.
Cheon Myeon Susa’s face twisted into a demonic snarl, without any regard for appearances.
“I understand… perfectly.”
Cheon Myeon Susa’s limp hands began to turn even whiter and more pallid.
“Killing you is the quickest way out of here.”
“If you can, then go ahead. But can you really?”
“You bastard!”
With explosive force, Cheon Myeon Susa’s body suddenly split into dozens of figures.
Those numerous shadows charged at Tang Gunak simultaneously.
Crash!
Cheon Myeon Susa’s shadows collided violently with the daggers in Tang Gunak’s hand.
Even amid the urgent situation, Tang Gunak’s gaze briefly turned towards Hwasan.
Baek Cheon, leading Hwasan and carrying Mu Jin, along with others supporting him.
How strange.
Chung Myung wasn’t there, yet they acted as if he were, nothing has changed even in this dire situation.
‘It’s just one step.’
Righteousness isn’t something grand.
It’s the willingness to help someone who’s fallen, even when one’s life is threatened. It’s the resolve to endure a moment of crisis, to bear a little loss. It’s the courage to take a single step for someone who’s fallen – that’s what righteousness is.
Tang Gunak took a step, as heavy as a thousand geun.
Swoosh!
His dagger cut sharply through the air, just as it had a hundred years ago.
❀ ❀ ❀
“Hurry up!”
“Yes.”
Crash!
A warrior from the Southern Sea Sun Palace gritted his teeth as he pulled himself up the cliff, fingers embedded in the rock.
A glance down revealed a dizzying drop that defied description. Though the land of Linyi was filled with high mountains, cliffs like these were rare.
The Sun Palace was located in the wide plains, far from the mountains. While many sects chose to situate themselves in high mountains rarely visited by people, this wasn’t the case for the Sun Palace.
It’s not that the Sun Palace was unusual. The sect was led by royalty, and it wouldn’t make sense for such a place to be established in a remote mountain. As a result, the warriors accompanying the royalty had little experience navigating such treacherous terrain.
“Huh!”
Snap!
The rock he had grabbed crumbled easily. The warrior wavered, desperately searching the cliff for another handhold. He found a tiny crevice, barely enough for a fingertip, and relied on it entirely to support his weight. His face was soaked with cold sweat.
Martial arts can make unfamiliar tasks relatively easier, but they don’t make one proficient.
Climbing this high cliff was a grueling task, even for skilled martial artists like them, especially when they carried explosives that could detonate at any moment.
‘Why is this happening…?’
The sun warrior bit his lower lip hard.
No, he couldn’t question it. The command of the Palace Lord was absolute. The Palace Lord’s command was the king’s command. To disobey would mean sacrificing not only his life but also the lives of his family and relatives.
Even if he were asked to offer his neck immediately, doing so with gratitude was the appropriate attitude for a warrior serving the Sun Palace Lord.
“Hurry up!”
“Yes!”
The sun warrior reached out again, feeling along the cliff face. Finding no solid grip, he infused his fingers with inner strength and embedded his hand into the rock.
“We’re in position!”
“Begin!”
“Yes!”
Crash!
Upon reaching the predetermined location, they pressed their bodies against the cliff and started drilling into it with one hand.
Boom! Boom!
The sound of breaking rock echoed along the cliff.
“Dig deep! Blowing it up from the outside won’t bring it down in one go. Dig deep and place the explosives inside!”
“Yes!”
Even as he shouted his response, the sun warrior unconsciously bit his lip again.
They hung on the cliff without even a single rope to support them, a single misstep away from plummeting hundreds of jang. Drilling through solid rock in such circumstances was no easy task. Only the insane would even attempt it.
Yet, having received their orders, their bodies faithfully obeyed, even if the outcome meant their death.
Boom! Boom!
Their fists, charged with intense yang energy, continuously struck the cliff. Rock fragments flew everywhere, hitting their faces. Perhaps it was the desperation of the life-threatening situation, but a deep hole quickly formed in the smooth cliff face.
As he lifted his head slightly, he noticed Sapaeryeon’s group struggling to climb the cliff in the midst of all this.
A question suddenly crossed his mind. Which was more foolish?
Was it him, struggling to follow orders even though it might cost him his life, or those foolish ants climbing the cliff without knowing their fate?
But the answer to his question came from an unexpected source.
“Below! Someone’s approaching from below!”
“What? Below?”
The ones drilling into the cliff all looked down in surprise.
And they saw it.
Below them, something stark white was climbing the steep, reverse-sloped cliff.
‘What is that?’
The Sun Palace warriors widened their eyes. Someone was climbing up here, now?
‘Shouldn’t they have known?’
There had already been an explosion. While it might take some time for those at the top who hadn’t seen it directly to grasp the situation, it was different for those below the cliff.
Knowing full well what the situation was, someone was climbing this cliff, which was practically the entrance to the underworld? Were they out of their mind?
“That idiot!
“F-Fast! They’re almost here!”
“Bi Gyeong! Gu Gye! Lead your subordinates and stop them!”
“Yes!”
Some of those hanging from the cliff shot down towards the figure rising below them.
Swoosh!
As they kicked off the cliff, a bright red aura burst forth from their bodies like molten lava. The scorching aura surrounding them was evidence of their intense training in the art of Hot Yang Qigong.
The heat of the yang energy, hot enough to melt the cliff, demonstrated just how well-trained these martial artists were.
‘To think there’s someone reckless enough to attempt this.’
It seemed the people of the Central Plains were all insane. Climbing the cliff instead of fleeing was madness, but doing it alone was even more absurd.
What could they possibly achieve alone?
“Don’t worry about anything else, focus on drilling the cliff. We can’t delay any longer!”
“Yes!”
The Sun Palace warriors, momentarily distracted, quickly responded and prepared to continue their task when suddenly.
Wooooooong!
A strange sound echoed from below.
It was as if something massive was vibrating or as if thousands of bees were flapping their wings simultaneously.
The noise grabbed their attention, and the sun warriors looked down once more, momentarily spellbound.
A brilliant white sun, enough to overshadow the name of the Southern Sea Sun Palace, was lighting up the dark cliff as if by magic.
‘What…?’
Boom!
A burst of pure white energy erupted. The Sun Palace warriors who had rushed to intercept the climber were instantly pulverized, their bodies flung in all directions like ragdolls.
“Uh…?”
The dead eyes of one who had been thrown up met those of another clinging to the cliff, his ascent many times faster than his initial descent.
The lifeless body seemed to bid farewell as it soared to the sky before beginning its long fall down the dizzying cliff.
The impossible sight sent chills down everyone’s spines. Moments later, all eyes turned to the one who had unleashed this unbelievable sword energy.
“Ooooooh!”
With a roar like a tiger’s, he charged forward, wielding a radiant white sword. The sheer force of his presence left the sun warriors frozen in place.
This didn’t make sense.
Why did the presence of this stranger make them cower? They, who had only ever served and obeyed the greatest?
Wooooooong!
The man’s sword shone white once more.
It was like the sun. Its light illuminated the world, engulfed in darkness, in an instant.
‘Emperor…?’
The man swung his sword with all his might, slicing through the air.
Boom!
The white emperor’s sword energy surged like a fierce wave towards those clinging to the cliff.
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