Bölüm 419: Savaş Dalgası (3)

Bölüm 419: Savaş Dalgası (3)

Chapter 419: The Tide of War (3)

"Given ‍​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌‌​‌‍the realm of the Head of the Hwangbo Family and Miss Jin, crossing the rough mountain paths shouldn't pose much of a problem. And with their lightness skills, I'd wager they could reach Mount Wudang in two days at the latest."

Jin Hayeon's expression was completely blank, as if she'd already made peace with following Il-mok's orders before he'd even finished speaking. Hwangbo Ak had a pensive face as if calculating something in his mind, and only the Vice Commander wore a face filled with worry.

"There is one concern, however. If the two of them leave, and the Central Military Command chooses that very moment to launch a full-scale siege, there is a risk that this place will be easily breached.”

Though they were only two people, each of them possessed a strength capable of matching at least a thousand men. And since defending a fortification meant holding a narrow space against overwhelming numbers, those two carried far more weight than any headcount suggested.

"The odds of that happening are low, I'd say. Looking at their recent movements, whether the two of you are here or not will make no significant difference.”

The Central Military Command had been doing nothing but probing the walls without any real commitment. If that was all they were going to do, there was no reason for those two to stick around and no reason anyone would notice if they slipped away. A messenger bird flying a report across provinces to the imperial camp or two

"Of course, once the Head of the Hwangbo Family and Miss Jin make their presence known over there, word will eventually reach the Central Military Command. But here's the question for you. Which of these two options will arrive first? A messenger bird flying a report across provinces to the imperial camp, or two martial artists who had reached the Realm of Truth?”

The lightbulbs finally went off in everyone's heads. The full shape of Il-mok's plan finally came into view in their minds.

"You're telling us to fight one battle there and come back quickly?"

Il-mok nodded at Hwangbo Ak's question.

"If we use the element of surprise well enough, the payoff will be massive. Killing that old monk would be the best outcome, but even taking out one of the masters in the Realm of Truth would shift this war considerably in our favor."

He paused, then let a slow grin spread across his face.

"And who knows? When the Central Military Command hears that the Head of the Hwangbo Family and Miss Jin have flown to Mount Wudang, they might just charge straight at our walls all on their own."

The Vice Commander caught on immediately and broke into a rare laugh.

"Ha! Magnificent! We won't even have to lift a finger to flush them out; those imperial fools will march straight into their own graves!”

It wasn't a far-fetched idea.

If those troops heard that two powerhouses had abandoned the defense to reinforce the enemy, the ones who'd been cautiously poking at the walls would likely lose their calm and charge.

And if those two masters happened to be right here waiting for them when they did?

What’s supposed to be a skirmish with light casualties could suddenly turn into a devastating blow.

Defense was always easier than offense, after all.

Seeing that everyone was finally on board with his scheme, Il-mok looked at each of them in turn and spoke grimly.

"There is real risk in this. I won't pretend otherwise. But if we sit on our hands, this war will simply play out the way the Imperial Family wants it to. More importantly, if the Cult Leader were to fall in battle at Mount Wudang, this war ends right there."

There was no trace of levity in his expression now.

"That's why the two of you matter so much in this. From this moment on, you'll both be confined inside your quarters under the pretense of closed-door training. We'll keep the number of people who know about this to an absolute minimum. Leave Ankang before dawn and head for Mount Wudang."

"Understood."

"Understood."

Both Jin Hayeon and Hwangbo Ak answered with resolve.

***

Several hours later, deep in the dead of night.

Jin Hayeon and Hwangbo Ak slipped out of their quarters.

Dressed in black night-travel gear that let them blend into the darkness, they executed their lightness skills and moved along the route they'd agreed on in advance.

Thanks to the Vice Commander deliberately rearranging patrol routes and schedules, not even their own allies inside the walls saw them leave.

Using the near-moonless night as cover, the two cut across the steep mountain paths of Mount Gaodong. The trail was so dark that internal energy had to be channeled into their eyes just to make out what was in front of them, and there were stretches where one misplaced step meant a fall down a sheer cliff that had no bottom in sight.

Though it was merely travel rather than battle, Hwangbo Ak could feel the mental strain gnawing at him with every passing moment.

'Good thing I got a bit of sleep earlier.'

To prepare for their nighttime movement, the two had gone straight to their quarters as per Il-mok's instructions.

They crossed Mount Gaodong and pushed through several more mountain ranges after that.

By the time they'd cleared all the peaks to the east of Ankang, the sky had begun to bleed orange along the horizon.

With the terrain finally flattening out and the dangerous cliffs behind them, they pushed their lightness skills to the limit.

They didn't stop until around midday.

Their internal energy was nearly spent, and their bodies were straining to the limit.

‘Man... I can't even remember the last time I ran myself ragged like this.’

Hwangbo Ak stopped and breathed slowly. Even a body remade through the Overhaul Body Transformation was soaked with sweat.

The two of them spread out the cloth wrappings they'd packed and started eating rice balls and dried meat they had prepared in advance.

As they chewed, a deep silence settled over them

Hwangbo Ak couldn't quite shake a faint sense of awkwardness.

As the father who'd tried and failed to marry off his youngest daughter, sitting alone with the intended wife of the man he'd had his eye on as a son-in-law was bizarre on so many levels.

From what he could tell, the relationship between the Left Guardian and this woman hadn't visibly changed much even after that incident. That was partly why he'd asked the Left Guardian about marriage in the first place, half-hoping the answer might surprise him.

But given how the Left Guardian had reacted, there was clearly something beneath the surface that wasn't showing.

‘And it is not as if I can ask him directly what exactly happened.’

He was still turning that over in his mind when Jin Hayeon glanced over at him.

Caught off guard, Hwangbo Ak blurted out the first thing that came to him.

"Ahem. Left Guardian assigned you to something this dangerous; do you not feel any resentment?”

Jin Hayeon's brow creased ever so slightly before she answered.

"It's an order from the one I serve. What would there be to resent?"

Hwangbo Ak was about to say something, then thought better of it and let out a quiet sigh instead.

Saying ‘Come on, you two are obviously way more than just master and servant,' was the same as opening a massive can of worms.

It would basically force him to admit to the time he had almost walked in on them during an... intimate moment.

Just thinking about it made him cringe so hard that his body shuddered from the discomfort.

Completely oblivious to the mental gymnastics the old patriarch was performing, Jin Hayeon stared at him with her usual deadpan eyes before calmly breaking the silence.

"We should move as fast as possible, so I'll start recovering my energy now."

Without waiting for his reply, Jin Hayeon crossed her legs and closed her eyes.

***

Meanwhile, deep within the peaks of Mount Wudang in Hubei.

A violent Qi was spilling out in waves atop one of the highest summits.

A short distance away, the Hidden Guard Pavilion Lord stood watching with a complicated expression etched across his face.

"Cult Leader..."

Up on that peak, Wi Jin-hak was fighting the side effect of the Heavenly Demon Divine Arts while managing his internal injuries at the same time. The danger of the arts suddenly going berserk and lashing out at anyone nearby meant that everyone had been kept well away.

Just then, the suffocating energy finally began to settle.

The Hidden Guard Pavilion Lord swallowed dryly, then used his lightness skill to ascend to the summit.

“Cult Leader! Are you alright?”

Wi Jin-hak was still seated in meditation when the question reached him. His eyes snapped open and a murky Qi flickered briefly in his gaze.

"The internal injuries are under control. I will remain here for the time being, so make sure no one comes near me."

He had barely kept his sanity, but it was clear he hadn't fully suppressed the side effect yet.

“When the enemies begin climbing Mount Wudang again, send me a signal then.”

"As you wish, Cult Leader."

The Hidden Guard Pavilion Lord buried what he was feeling as best he could and made his way back down the mountain.

‘This is bad. Incredibly bad.’

Every clash with the Divine Monk left Wi Jin-hak with deeper internal injuries and a worse berserk episode than the last. They'd only come face to face twice, and already it felt like walking on ice thin enough to crack at any moment.

'If this keeps up, the Cult Leader is either going to lose control completely, or that old monster Hyeon Am is going to kill him.'

He had previously begged Wi Jin-hak to pull back to the rear lines until he could fully bring the Heavenly Demon Divine Arts under control, but Wi Jin-hak hadn't taken it well.

—How could the Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult abandon his people to the slaughter and seek safety alone in the rear?!

The sentiment was admirable. But the situation didn't care about admirable sentiments.

'Even accounting for the Cult Leader's extraordinary will, I don't think he has more than two clashes left in him.'

If it came down to it, the Hidden Guard Pavilion Lord was prepared to give his life to keep Wi Jin-hak alive.

But he also knew that sacrificing himself to save the Cult Leader once wouldn't actually fix anything.

If nothing changed, ruin was the only thing waiting for the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult and its allies.

'Something has to change. Something drastic enough to flip this entire war on its head.'

And strangely, the face of the person who crossed his mind was none other than Il-mok.

Someone who wasn't even here.

***

By the time the sun dipped low, Jin Hayeon and Hwangbo Ak had reached a small village about one hundred and fifty kilometers from Mount Wudang, roughly two-thirds of the way from Ankang.

They spent the night at an inn and were back out the door before the morning sun had properly risen.

After around two hours of travel, they stopped briefly to eat what they'd brought from the inn and recover their energy, then pushed hard for another half-hour before arriving near the foot of Mount Wudang.

The moment the metallic scent of blood and the echo of desperate screams reached their senses, both Jin Hayeon and Hwangbo Ak wordlessly pushed straight onto the mountain.

The slopes of Mount Wudang have become a mass grave from the corpses littering the perimeter.

Navigating this kind of battlefield was a nightmare since they couldn’t tell their friends from the foe. Their best option was to spot someone in the colors of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, the Beggars' Gang, Wudang Sect, or the Zhuge Family and attack whoever was fighting against them.

They hadn't been climbing long through that hell when Jin Hayeon suddenly shot forward in a blur.

Uphead was a group of warriors in the colors of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult being cut down by a single old Taoist wielding a flaming sword.

“BURN IN HELL, ALL OF YOU! FILTHY DEMONIC CULT SCUM!”

Yangmuja was burning with self-righteous fury as he hacked the cultists apart.

It was then that he felt a threatening presence closing in from behind and spun around quickly to counter the sudden ambush.

Boom!

The scorching Yang Qi wreathing Yangmuja's blade met Jin Hayeon's White Hand Demonic Art head-on.

“You... You’re that bitch?!”

Yangmuja's eyes went wide for a split second.

He had seen that face once before during the bloodbath in Qinghai.

She was the maid of that young punk Il-mok.

A face like that wasn't something you forgot or confused with someone else.

His eyes darted around on instinct.

'So where's that little bastard?'

He was still scanning for Il-mok when Jin Hayeon drove straight into his guard and launched both palms at him.

"Tch."

Yangmuja barely managed to block with a scowl on his face.

“You have grown arrogant just because your skills have improved since I last saw you.”

Her power was on a completely different level compared to their encounter in Qinghai.

***

While Jin Hayeon was going after Yangmuja, Hwangbo Ak was already hurtling toward his own target.

"Senior Beggar King, let me help you!"

His target was Peng Muyeol.

"Ugh."

The punch Hwangbo Ak threw from his blind spot caught Peng Muyeol off guard and sent him skidding backward with a grunt.

By all accounts, Peng Muyeol was considered a notch below the Beggar King. He had only managed to stay alive in this fight by fighting like a suicidal rabid dog.

It wasn't a calculated approach. He'd long since stopped scheming. He just wanted to kill everything in front of him.

But that didn't matter now.

Boom!

"You sons of bitches!!"

Unlike his ferocious scream, he was completely helpless under the combined attack of Hwangbo Ak and the Beggar King.

"Die!!!"

His eyes had gone completely wild.

He unleashed the Five Tiger Breaking the Gate Saber with the intent of taking everyone with him.

But instead of backing off, Hwangbo Ak responded by charging straight at him.

He poured everything he had into his internal energy to form the densest Force Qi armor and clapped his hands to clamp on Peng Muyeol’s saber.

Boom!

The shockwave of the clash crashed through both of Hwangbo Ak's arms. The skin on his hands split in places, causing blood to spray.

Yet, he held on with an iron grip.

He stared at Peng Muyeol's crazed eyes and opened his mouth.

"Off you go."

Crack!

The parting words landed the same moment the Beggar King swept in from the side and drove one of the techniques from the Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms directly into Peng Muyeol's ribs.

"Cough..."

Peng Muyeol coughed up a mouthful of blood as the blow caved in his side.

But even then, the killing intent and madness in his eyes didn't fade.

"You—!!!"

Instead, he swung his saber with wild abandon one last time before crumpling to the ground.

For a man who had once ruled the martial world as the proud patriarch of the Hebei Peng Family, his end was pitifully pathetic.

Hwangbo Ak stood over the body with a bitter look on his face; he is also a patriarch after all.

The Beggar King moved up beside him. "Head of the Hwangbo Family! What are you doing all the way here from Shaanxi? You're supposed to be holding the line in Shaanxi—!”

But the Beggar King caught himself before he'd even finished the sentence.

"Wait, never mind that! The Cult Leader is in danger! Come on, follow me!"

With a frantic shout, the Beggar King took off with his lightness skill and raced for the peak where Wi Jin-hak and the Divine Cult’s elites were currently fighting for their lives against the Divine Monk.