Chapter 1697
That’s enough for me. (7)
“Sasuk!”
Jo Geol shouted as he saw Baek Cheon carrying Mu Jin on his back, and Hwasan’s disciples quickly hoisting the wounded disciples of Wudang onto their shoulders.
‘Are we really going to take them with us?’
Jo Geol’s eyes wavered. There was no denying that this choice was ‘right,’ but whether they could manage it was another matter entirely. In a situation where the cliff could collapse at any moment, was it truly possible to escape while carrying the injured?
If the cliff were to give way before they got out, wouldn’t they all die without a chance?
“Sasuk! This is…”
“Save your breath and hurry up with the injured, you idiot!”
“Damn it! Damn it all!”
But, as expected, there was no reasoning with him. Jo Geol cursed under his breath and quickly picked up the nearest injured person. It was Jin Hyeon.
“Jo… Jo Geol Doj…”
“Keep your mouth shut! It’s frustrating enough!”
Jo Geol gritted his teeth. Beyond the dense ranks of enemies ahead, he could see the slope leading to the summit. It looked quite steep, but surely it wouldn’t collapse.
‘If we can just reach that point…’
It was the moment when he was trying to brace himself.
“What?”
His once-calm eyes started to waver again.
“Sasuk, over there!”
“Hmm?”
“Over there! They have reinforcements!”
“What?”
Baek Cheon, who was preparing to move forward with Mu Jin, flinched and looked up. Sure enough, a group had appeared at the slope they were aiming for.
Tension flickered across Baek Cheon’s face. The aura of the newcomers was unmistakably intimidating.
Hye Yeon muttered in a heavy voice.
“Amitabha… It seems Sapaeryeon is determined to bury us here, Vice Sect Leader.”
“What should we do, Sasuk?”
Yoon Jong asked, and Baek Cheon remained silent, staring ahead. The slight tremor in his gaze quickly settled into calm determination.
“Why ask?”
Baek Cheon’s sword began to emit a faint aura.
“If that’s the way out, then we must clear it.”
“But, time…”
This time, even Yoon Jong couldn’t readily agree.
Of course, Baek Cheon wasn’t wrong. If that’s the only escape route, they had to clear it somehow. But rather than worrying about whether it was possible, shouldn’t they be considering the cliff’s imminent collapse?
“Let’s go!”
But before Yoon Jong could say anything more, Baek Cheon charged toward the enemies.
“Damn it, follow Sasuk!”
Yoon Jong shouted urgently as he watched Baek Cheon take the lead.
As they kicked off the ground, Jo Geol was suddenly ahead of Baek Cheon, sprinting forward. That damned guy had become used to instinctively leap into the lead at any sound.
Catching up to Baek Cheon quickly, Yoon Jong asked.
“Sasuk! Are you sure this is okay? Maybe we should find another way…”
“I believe!”
“What?”
Confusion flickered across Yoon Jong’s face. The response seemed out of place given the situation.
Baek Cheon glanced at Mu Jin, who was slung over his shoulder, then turned his gaze towards the now-distant edge of the cliff.
“Hwasan isn’t special.”
“…”
“Which means it’s not something only we can do. Anyone can do it. I believe there will be someone who will help us!”
“What do you mean…”
Just at that moment.
Boom!
A loud explosion echoed from the edge of the cliff.
“Another explosion?!”
“Aagh!”
“No, it’s much weaker than before!”
Scattered screams erupted, but everyone quickly realized that this explosion was different from the one that had previously shaken the cliff.
It wasn’t about the power. Strangely, there was a familiar quality to the explosion.
A shiver ran down Yoon Jong’s spine as he realized the nature of the recent explosion.
“Young Lord…?”
Yoon Jong stared blankly at the edge of the cliff, eyes wide open.
“…Namgung Dowi.”
❀ ❀ ❀
“Huh! Huh!”
Beads of sweat poured down Namgung Dowi’s forehead like rain.
He had leaped up the cliff in a single breath and unleashed his full strength to release sword energy to halt the enemies’ movements. The rapid exertion of internal energy made his body scream in protest.
“That brat!”
But there was no time to catch his breath.
Namgung Dowi could see it clearly. The dark holes that the enemies had drilled into the cliff. It was all too obvious what would happen if the explosives inside detonated!
‘I won’t let that happen.’
He spun his sword, holding it in a reverse grip. He no longer had the strength to unleash the same level of sword energy as before. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t fight.
The enemies from the Sun Palace, bodies blazing with red hot yang energy, were descending directly in front of Namgung Dowi.
Swoosh!
Namgung Dowi pushed inner strength into his legs, leaping up in an instant.
“Come on!”
Crash!
He swung his sword with all his might.
Boom!
His sword collided head-on with the force unleashed by the sun warrior. The intense heat, hot enough to sear his lungs with each breath, engulfed Namgung Dowi.
The ends of his hair burned in the heat, and a smoky smell filled his nostrils. He felt a searing pain as if his skin were melting. The tip of his sword, unable to withstand the heat, quickly turned bright red.
But within that pain, Namgung Dowi summoned even more strength.
‘It’s nothing!’
This was not even pain. Compared to the despair he felt at Maehwado, where only death awaited, this was nothing.
Wooooong!
The white sword energy emitted by Namgung Dowi’s sword pushed back the blazing red force from the sun warrior.
Soon, more energy poured in from all directions, targeting him.
Even though Namgung Dowi’s sword was larger and thicker than a typical sword, it was still just a sword. There was no way it could block all the incoming yang energy.
In such situations, the logical response would be to retreat back… or down.
But the ones Namgung Dowi truly had to face were not the attackers. It were those installing the explosives above him.
“Ahhh!”
Instead of retreating, Namgung Dowi lowered his head and fiercely kicked against the cliff face.
Boom! Boom!
The incoming energy grazed his back, and attacks he couldn’t avoid pounded his body.
He felt a sickening burst of blood from his mouth and nose, and the intense heat seemed to scorch him from the inside out.
“Aaah!”
Yet, Namgung Dowi did not retreat this time either. Instead, he pushed himself up, swinging his sword even more ferociously.
By now, the Sun Palace warriors were visibly bewildered, even as they fell to his blade.
Swoosh!
An enemy’s head flew from the cliff. Namgung Dowi swung his sword again, cutting down those who blocked his path, and grabbed the cliff with his left hand, pulling himself up again.
Thud!
His body shot up.
In his blurred vision, he saw the Sun Palace warriors clinging to the cliff. They weren’t clear, but he knew they were there!
‘I have to stop them.’
Grit.
If the cliff collapses, if he can’t stop it, everyone on the summit, including Hwasan’s members, will die. He couldn’t bear to see that. As long as he could breathe, he would stop it, even if the price was his life.
“Haaaaa! Stop!”
He didn’t know where the strength came from. As Namgung Dowi roared like a lion, the air around him resonated with a deep rumble.
Cold sweat formed on the foreheads of the sun warriors.
“That bastard…”
Stopping him alone shouldn’t be difficult. There’s no denying he’s strong, but he’s still just one person, isn’t he? There are dozens of Sun Palace warriors here.
But if many sun warriors engaged the young brat climbing up from below, they might not manage to detonate the cliff in time.
If they delayed and the plan failed?
‘We can’t withstand the Palace Lord’s wrath.’
To them, the Sun Palace Lord’s wrath was a terror worse than death. It wasn’t just their lives at stake. The mere thought sent shivers through their bodies.
“Damn it, that brat!”
Just then, a calm voice interjected.
“Don’t get agitated.”
“Guardian?”
The white-haired old man who had been observing the situation from above had a sly smile on his face.
“He’s full of vigor, but he’s still just a little rascal.”
He pulled something spherical from his sleeve and grasped it lightly. Even now, his gaze remained fixed on Namgung Dowi, who was ascending the cliff with terrifying speed like an enraged beast.
“If he wants to die so badly, we should grant his wish.”
The old man’s hand opened slowly. The sphere dropped from his grip and began to fall.
Sssss.
Down, further down. It gained speed as it descended towards Namgung Dowi.
Swoosh!
Even as he soared up, Namgung Dowi’s eyes caught sight of the falling object.
‘What is that?’
A small, fist-sized object was plummeting towards him.
Moments later, Namgung Dowi’s eyes widened as a red glow was reflected in his pupils.
The approaching sphere was wrapped in something dark, and there was a lit fuse at the end!
Instinctively, Namgung Dowi crossed his arm and sword, striking them against the cliff face.
Boom!
The explosive thrown by the old man detonated, slamming into the cliff.
Rumble!
“Aaaagh!”
As the cliff shook violently, Sapaeryeon’s members clinging precariously to the upper part were flung into the air like grains from a shaken threshing basket.
Red flames shot up, and acrid smoke billowed into the air.
When the black smoke cleared a moment later, the old man couldn’t hide his astonishment. There, still hanging from the cliff, was the limp figure of Namgung Dowi.
The old man muttered as he looked at Namgung Dowi’s left hand, which was embedded in the cliff.
“Did he anchor himself by driving his hand into the cliff during all that?”
Even as an enemy, he couldn’t help but acknowledge the impressiveness of that feat
But that was all.
“Go finish him off.”
“Yes!”
At the command, one of the Sun Palace warrior swooped down on Namgung Dowi like a hawk.
Namgung Dowi blinked, struggling to keep his eyes open. Even being half conscious, he felt the danger instinctively.
He swung his sword reflexively, but without proper strength, it was easily deflected by the red hand brimming with hot yang energy.
“Die!”
The orange-glowing hand flew towards Namgung Dowi’s face.
‘I am…’
Clang!
And then he saw it.
Something blocked the hand aimed at his face. It was a sword, thinner and lighter than his own, but at that moment, it was more reassuring than anything else.
‘Who…’
“Are you alright?”
Namgung Dowi, instead of answering, turned his head with effort. He looked at the person beside him and spoke.
This person was…
“Lee Song…”
But before he could finish speaking, a cold and irritable voice interrupted.
“I told you not to act so smug. You really don’t listen, do you?”
Swoosh!
Thud!
Jin Geumryong’s sword struck like lightning, piercing the neck of the Sun Palace warrior.
“Gurk…”
The lifeless body of the warrior plummeted.
Namgung Dowi could only stare blankly at Jin Geumryong.
“The esteemed Namgung should rest here. I’ll take care of the enemies.”
Boom!
Exuding a chilling aura, Jin Geumryong shot forward like a beam of light, closing the distance to the enemy in an instant.
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