Chapter 20

Chapter 20: Rising Where You Have Fallen (2)

"This is it."

The place Lim Ho-ryeong led them was a desolate valley, five days from Lop Nur Lake. Not a single blade of grass grew in that barren expanse, and the air was thick with an oppressive gloom.

Sage Cheong-heo tilted his head.

"Are you certain this is the enemies' stronghold?"

"I am certain. I saw it with my own eyes."

"Hmm!"

At Lim Ho-ryeong's resolute answer, Sage Cheong-heo let out a low murmur.

Places where people lived possessed a distinctive atmosphere. But here, there was no trace of human habitation, no sign of life.

'Either Lim Ho-ryeong is mistaken, or the enemies have been thorough in erasing their traces.'

Sage Cheong-heo believed it was the latter.

Lim Ho-ryeong was brimming with a fierce will. He could not imagine that a man like this would have led them astray.

"I saw with my own eyes as the enemies carried the Northern Road Trading Company's goods into this place."

"Then their stronghold must lie deep within the valley."

"That is certain."

"Very well!"

Sage Cheong-heo turned to the Wudang disciples.

"You have all heard. Remnants of the Demonic Cult may remain here. Every one of you—be on your guard."

"Yes!"

The Wudang disciples answered in unison.

Yeom Jung-hwa likewise addressed the Zhongnan disciples:

"We too will assist the Wudang. Han-su—you are responsible for the disciples' protection."

"Understood."

Mu-gyeong also ordered the Mount Hua disciples to exercise particular caution.

Led by the Wudang, with the Zhongnan and Mount Hua disciples following, they entered the unnamed valley.

The deeper they penetrated, the more oppressive the atmosphere became. So little light reached the valley floor that it appeared as dark as night.

Then one of the Wudang disciples pointed to the ground and said:

"Here. There are cart wheel tracks."

Just as he said, the marks of wheels passing over the ground remained in several places.

This confirmed Lim Ho-ryeong's account. There was no longer any doubt—the ones who had attacked the Northern Road Escort Agency were within.

Excitement flickered across several young martial artists' faces. They whispered among themselves:

"The Demonic Cult. How thrilling."

"If we distinguish ourselves here, we will make a name for ourselves in the martial world."

"I will cut down these Demonic Cult vermin with a single stroke of my sword. Ha ha!"

Not only the Wudang, but the young martial artists of the Zhongnan and Mount Hua Sects were equally brimming with excitement.

Sage Hyeon-so, hearing their whispers, frowned.

They were a generation that had never experienced the Demonic Cult. That was why they seemed to feel little fear.

Those who had experienced the Demonic Cult knew full well how terrifying it was. But those who had not could not grasp its true horror.

'I only hope they are not acting on foolish courage.'

Sage Hyeon-so searched for Dam Ho with a worried expression. He feared Dam Ho might be as worked up as the others.

But the moment he saw Dam Ho's face, Sage Hyeon-so realized his worry had been unfounded.

Dam Ho's gaze was sunk deep. There was no trace of excitement upon his features.

He moved carefully with the group, never straying more than two paces from Sage Hyeon-so.

At that moment, a Second Generation Disciple of the Mount Hua Sect approached him and whispered:

"Martial Uncle, perhaps you should refrain from moving to the front and instead stay toward the rear?"

"What do you mean?"

"If you get in our way at the front, it may hinder us in dealing with the enemies."

His voice was very polite. But the meaning within it was not.

The instant Dam Ho's eyes narrowed, a voice cold as ice rang out:

"Won-ho. Speak no such nonsense. How dare you humiliate the dignity of the sect's elder?"

The voice belonged to Un-gyeong.

The Second Generation Disciple Won-ho flinched and turned pale.

"I-I did not mean…"

"Fall back."

"Yes!"

Won-ho bowed his head and retreated. Un-gyeong watched him go with a chilling gaze.

Once Won-ho had disappeared among the crowd, Un-gyeong looked to Dam Ho.

"Did you see? This is your place in the Mount Hua Sect. Do not let them look down on you any further."

"I will… keep that in mind."

Dam Ho's voice came out hoarse.

Un-gyeong brushed past Dam Ho and stood beside Mu-gyeong. Mu-gyeong clicked his tongue.

"You are too cold. That is the problem."

Mu-gyeong glanced at Dam Ho. He seemed worried that Dam Ho might have been hurt. But Dam Ho remained as impassive as ever, and his feelings were impossible to read.

In truth, Dam Ho had not paid the slightest attention to Won-ho's words. No—he had no leisure for it. From the moment he had entered the valley, his senses had been sharpened to an extraordinary degree. His mood had likewise sunk into a heavy somberness.

'This is…?'

Doubt flickered across Dam Ho's face.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, a sharp whistle of something cutting through the air pierced the air.

"Kuh!"

"Ambush!"

In an instant, the scene descended into chaos. Several martial artists fell, blood spraying from their bodies. Hidden weapons were embedded in their flesh.

"Everyone, remain calm!"

Sage Cheong-heo and Yeom Jung-hwa stepped forward, batting aside hidden weapons as they shouted. As they took action, the panic began to subside.

"Who are you?!"

Sage Cheong-heo cried out, shielding the disciples behind him. Black shadows emerged from every corner of the valley. Each of them wore garments bearing the emblem of a blazing flame upon the chest.

Sage Cheong-heo's expression twisted.

"It truly is the Demonic Cult?"

"…"

But the attackers did not answer. In unison, they drew their weapons.

Lim Ho-ryeong saw them and cried:

"Those are the ones! They attacked the Northern Road Escort Agency and seized its cargo!"

Lim Ho-ryeong, weapon already drawn, charged toward the attackers. Sage Cheong-heo shouted:

"Subdue them!"

"Waaah!"

The Wudang martial artists followed, and the Mount Hua and Zhongnan fighters moved as one.

Sage Hyeon-so closed his eyes.

"It truly is the Demonic Cult? Primordial Celestial Lord…"

Dam Ho watched the battlefield.

Before his eyes, the martial artists of the Wudang, Mount Hua, and Zhongnan Sects fought those presumed to be remnants of the Demonic Cult.

Sage Cheong-heo's swordsmanship was truly wondrous.

Whoosh!

Each time his blade cleaved the air, someone fell, spraying blood.

The Wudang martial artists fought valiantly, following Sage Cheong-heo's lead. The most outstanding among them was Yeon So-ha.

She deployed dazzling footwork and unfolded the Wudang sword art.

Clang! Clang!

Sword met sword, and sparks flew in every direction.

At the fierce impact, Yeon So-ha's expression twisted.

Though she had grown steadily under Sage Cheong-heo's tutelage, this was her first real battle.

Whoosh!

Blood geysered from her opponent's shoulder.

She had cut down many trees, but this was her first time cutting a man. The chilling sensation made her heart tremble, but Yeon So-ha held fast.

With an expression that seemed on the verge of tears, she fought with all her might. Her example spurred the Wudang martial artists to fight all the harder.

"Who are you?! Reveal yourselves!"

Yeom Jung-hwa deployed the Zhongnan Sect's signature Heavenly River Sword, pressing his opponent relentlessly. His blade was steeped in killing intent.

Shing!

One of the attackers, without so much as a scream, was cleaved in two at the waist by his sword.

His swordsmanship, steeped in a brutal killing intent, was so fearsome that even his allies from the Wudang and Mount Hua held their breath.

'That is the Zhongnan's sword.'

Dam Ho committed Yeom Jung-hwa's blade to memory.

Meanwhile, the Mount Hua martial artists under Mu-gyeong and Un-gyeong were likewise engaged with the enemy.

They had formed groups of seven, deploying the Seven Star Sword Formation.

"Maintain formation!"

Un-gyeong directed them. Though a chaotic melee raged, he himself never wavered.

Because the Mount Hua delegation was composed of younger martial artists than the other sects, they could afford no less than caution. If he grew excited, the disciples forming the Seven Star Sword Formation would grow excited too. Therefore Un-gyeong exerted himself to remain composed, making cold and clear judgments.

While Un-gyeong commanded the Seven Star Sword Formation, Mu-gyeong fought the attackers directly.

As the Grandmaster Disciple of the Mount Hua Sect, he displayed formidable martial prowess. The Supreme Clarity Sword Art—a technique that only elders and above could freely employ—shone in his hands.

Whoosh!

Mu-gyeong was demonstrating through this opportunity that the Mount Hua Sect was still alive.

Splatter!

The enemy's blood sprayed across Mu-gyeong's face.

Mu-gyeong's face contorted in anguish. As the Grandmaster Disciple of the Mount Hua Sect, he had long since accepted that he would one day have to take a life. But he had not known the sensation would be so deeply repulsive.

Mu-gyeong clenched his teeth.

'Primordial Celestial Lord. Please forgive this disciple's taking of life. All of this is done for the peace of the martial world.'

It was all for the sake of Mount Hua.

When this venture into the martial world was over, the Mount Hua disciples would emerge stronger.

While everyone else had become raging demons, Sage Hyeon-so and Dam Ho remained apart.

The two of them were combatants set aside, and they were to be protected.

Everyone thought so, and so they placed the two between them and shielded them. The Second Generation Disciples, including Won-ho, bore this responsibility.

'This—this is what real battle in the martial world is like?'

Won-ho and the Second Generation Disciples trembled as they watched the battle unfold before their eyes.

The pride they had felt as martial artists of the Mount Hua Sect, the martial arts they had painstakingly trained—all of it had vanished from their minds. It felt as though their heads had been emptied entirely, and their spirits reeled.

"Aaaah!"

"Help us!"

The screams of the dying pierced their eardrums.

They wanted to cry. They wanted to hide. But the simple fact that they could not was a source of bitter sorrow.

At that moment, someone was approaching their position.

It was one of the attackers. But he was different from the others.

He was far slighter of frame, and a frigid aura radiated from him.

The masked attacker charged toward the spot where Sage Hyeon-so and the Mount Hua disciples stood.

Thud! Thud!

With only two leaps, the attacker closed the distance to the Mount Hua disciples in the blink of an eye.

"S-stop him!"

Won-ho cried out.

The Mount Hua disciples attempted to deploy the Seven Star Sword Formation. But the attacker was faster.

Crack-crack-crack!

His hands split and shot outward in every direction, as though they had multiplied into dozens.

"Kuh!"

"Urgh!"

The Seven Star Sword Formation collapsed in an instant, and the Second Generation Disciples were scattered in all directions. The attacker had already arrived directly before Won-ho.

Whoosh!

His hand shot toward Won-ho's throat like a serpent's strike. Won-ho forgot to draw his sword and could only squeeze his eyes shut.

Boom!

A thunderous impact erupted, and Won-ho's body jolted. But he felt no pain.

Won-ho slowly opened his eyes. Before him lay a scene he could not believe.

"M-Martial Uncle?"