Chapter 1081: Because That is the Duty of a Taoist (Part 1)

"Ah, this time was really dangerous. If I had hesitated, we would have been done for."

Baek Cheon blinked as he looked at Chung Myung, who spoke with a smirk on his face. Sensing his gaze, Chung Myung asked.

"Why?"

"...No, it's nothing."

After a brief silence, Baek Cheon shook his head. Suppressing the urge to say, 'I wonder what's in your head that you can laugh even in this situation,' he continued.

"But... did the Evil Tyrant Alliance really just retreat like that?"

"Would they have faked their retreat?"

"No. I'm not saying that..."

Baek Cheon turned his head to look at the horizon. It was the direction where Jang Ilso and his group had disappeared. There was still a subtle uneasiness in Baek Cheon's eyes.

"For a guy like that, I think we got off his feet too easily."

"It was an inevitable choice for Jang Ilso."

At the voice from the side, Baek Cheon turned his head. Im Sobyeong, holding a fan wide open, was wearing a meaningful smile.

"Because the fire fell on their feet."

"...Fire?"

"Yes. To be precise, the fire they ignited themselves."

Seeing that Baek Cheon didn't seem to understand, Im Sobyeong explained kindly.

"Jang Ilso was already busy devouring the Su Lo Chae that the Black Dragon King had failed to capture. In that situation, unexpectedly, he also failed to capture the Great Master of Ten Thousand Gold. With both of them failing, the workload doubled."

"Hmm. Is there a chance of a rebellion within the Evil Tyrant Alliance?"

"Oh, that's difficult. Isn't it clear that both Su Lo Chae and Black Dragon King have lost their heads? A rebellion needs a clear focal point. But..."

Im Sobyeong folded the fan in a snap.

"Other things can happen."

"Other things?"

"Yes. Desertion."

"Desertion?"

The other disciples of the Mount Hua Sect, who had been listening with their ears perked, also turned their attention to Im Sobyeong as if they didn't understand. Im Sobyeong smiled slyly.

"It may be a difficult issue for righteous sect disciples to understand, but originally, those Evil Sect guys don't have such strong loyalty. Many of them don't even care about being part of a sect, and quite a few are ready to leave the sect whenever they get the chance."

"Ah."

"Capturing and restraining such individuals is a demonstration of the leader's presence and retaliation against deserters. So, those who feared being cast aside by the leader now try to take advantage of the chaos in the sect to escape to other sects."

Baek Cheon nodded his head with a face that indicated he understood.

"It's definitely something that righteous sects can't even imagine."

"In reverse, those like Baek Cheon Dojang are harder for us to understand. In fact, Mount Hua was already a sect that had perished long ago, and there was nothing to be gained from remaining there, right?"

"We weren't trying to gain anything."

At Baek Cheon's calm response, Im Sobyeong bit his lower lip.

Perhaps this was a gap that couldn't be narrowed even with a day of conversation. It wasn't a matter of right or wrong but a matter of values.

Im Sobyeong scratched his head with the fan.

"The story diverged a bit, but anyway, the Black Ghost Castle was a place that relied greatly on the control of the Great Master of Ten Thousand Gold. So, when the fact that the Great Master of Ten Thousand Gold is dead starts to spread, it will naturally cause great confusion. There will be a sharp increase in the number of people that will try to take advantage of this gap to gain benefits or try to leave the sect."

"Indeed..."

"So, Jang Ilso will be busy. What he wants is to absorb every bit of the power of Su Lo Chae and Black Ghost Castle completely. He probably won't have the mental capacity to turn his attention elsewhere for a while. The area he has to directly manage has multiplied."

Only then did everyone nod their heads.

"On the other hand, it might be a fortunate story."

"Really?"

Im Sobyeong asked back, as if questioning why such a conclusion was reached.

"Anyway, for a while, Jang Ilso will find it difficult to move, right? If what you said is true, even for Jang Ilso, it won't be an easy task to completely control all the forces of Black Ghost Castle and Su Lo Chae."

If the goal was to put them under control, it wouldn't be difficult for Jang Ilso. However, it would be quite challenging to prevent those who are leaving from doing so and completely recover their influence.

Even the Great Jang Ilso, for a while, might find his feet tied.

"Indeed. That's what I meant. It's not a wrong statement."

Im Sobyeong nodded vigorously. At that moment, Baek Cheon added to Yoon Jong's words.

"Moreover... anyway, isn't it true that the Great Master of Ten Thousand Gold died, and the Black Dragon King lost one arm? Considering the shortage of absolute masters on the Evil Sect side, this loss is significant for the Evil Tyrant Alliance as well, isn't it?"

"That statement is also correct."

Im Sobyeong smiled slyly.

"Surely... even if Myriad Man Manor mobilizes all its power and utilizes the strength of Hao Sect, at this moment, they can't help but experience chaos."

"Indeed..."

"But Yoon Jong Dojang, do you truly understand the significance of that? What it means?"

"Yes?"

Yoon Jong's face looked a bit puzzled. Im Sobyeong spoke with a meaningful expression.

"Indeed... Evil Tyrant Alliance will go through turbulent times for a while. Considering Jang Ilso's nature, a lot of blood may be shed in the process. The overall strength of the Evil Tyrant Alliance might even decrease more than it is now."

At that statement, everyone swallowed hard.

Such changes inevitably involve bloodshed. Those who seek to maintain the existing order always resist change.

However... Jang Ilso was not someone to pacify or persuade such individuals. He would thoroughly crush them, ensuring they never rebelled against him again. Just as he demonstrated on Su Lo Chae at that Yangtze River.

"After all of this is over, the Evil Tyrant Alliance will be completely different from before. The loosely united Evil Tyrant Alliance will disappear from the world. Instead, a fully unified Evil Tyrant Alliance, as a single faction, will reveal itself under Jang Ilso's command."

It was truly the Evil Sect's control over the entire martial world. Of course, it won't use the name Myriad Man Manor again, considering its symbolic nature.

The scent of blood seemed to be coming from somewhere.

"As long as even the Hao Sect leader submits to Paegun, there will be no one to stop him anymore. At most, it will take half a year. Within that time, Jang Ilso will consolidate all the factions under his control. And then..."

Everyone knew what came next.

"Jang Ilso will undoubtedly set his sights on the next prey. He is insatiable."

The words "at most half a year" were etched into everyone's hearts.

Everyone here had keenly observed who Jang Ilso was.

Danjagang, and Heavenly Executioner. The violence displayed by these two bishops was undoubtedly fearsome. However, the last thought remaining in the minds of those present here was that, no matter what anyone says, was of Jang Ilso.

"Perhaps cooperation..."

"No."

Before Yoon Jong, who had just opened his mouth after observing the situation, could finish speaking, Chung Myung's resolute voice cut through.

"That won't happen."

Everyone turned to look at Chung Myung.

"Jang Ilso is Jang Ilso. In the end, he's just an Evil Sect bastard. Cooperation with such a guy was impossible from the start."

"…But it was possible this time."

"Because the interests aligned. But there will never be a situation where they cooperate with us to stop the Demonic Sect. Especially if that guy is leading the Evil Sect."

Yoon Jong sighed. He didn't fully understand why Chung Myung spoke so conclusively. But if that guy was so convinced, it must be true. He has always been right so far.

"Half a year…"

Chung Myung muttered under his breath. His gaze was dark and gloomy. In fact, even looking at it for a long time, half a year was not that short. Chung Myung couldn't be unaware of how short that time was.

"Alright."

He raised his head and looked at the other disciples.

"Let's go back first. The Sect Leader is probably worried. We can talk about what we want to say later."

"Yeah, sure."

"Got it."

Mount Hua's disciples also nodded obediently. There are still many things they want to ask, but this was Gangnam. It wasn't a place where they could comfortably have a conversation. It was enough to have a conversation after leaving Gangnam.

"Now then…."

"Just wait a moment."

"Yes?"

Chung Myung stopped abruptly and turned to the one who spoke. Un Geom was standing there, looking at him with a calm expression.

"Hmmm, Sasuk?"

Before answering, Un Geom gazed at the desolate land with a solemn face.

"I'm worried if it's right to tell you this in such a situation. So, consider this not as an order from above, but just my opinion."

"Yes, Sasuk. Please speak."

"Leaving like this doesn't sit well with me."

"Yes…?"

Baek Cheon asked with a puzzled expression. Un Geom answered with a bitter smile.

"So many people died. Not just those related to the Kangho, even those who were just living their lives."

A moment of silence followed. Everyone was momentarily stunned. Caught up in the sense of relief from overcoming consecutive crises, they had momentarily forgotten what had happened here.

"I know that the current situation is not favorable. Maybe it's my greed that's putting everyone in danger, so it's not easy to talk about it. But...if possible, I would like to hold a simple memorial service for those who died unjustly here. Is that okay?"

Baek Cheon tightly closed his eyes. He occasionally forgot. That they were Taoists before being martial artists. And before winning, there were things they should do.

'Sasuk.'

Amidst everyone's forgetfulness, Un Geom alone hadn't forgotten. Every time this happened, Baek Cheon felt it anew. That they were still far from following the Taoists.

"I'm okay w—"

"You should!"

Before Bae Ccheon could finish, Chung Myung firmly responded.

"We may have been weak and insufficient to save the people here, but at least we should comfort their spirits. Because that is the duty of a Taoist."

Im Sobyeong, who was watching the situation unfold, opened his mouth with an anxious expression.

"Um...? This is Gangnam, and we still don't know how the Evil Tyrant Alliance will react—"

"We should."

"Damn you, stupid bastard. You almost forgot that. You should've just left without saying anything. Could've hit the ground if you did."

"That's true."

"Where do we start preparing? We should start quickly, right?"

"Let's find a place first."

"Excuse me? Can't you hear me? Excuse me?"

Mount Hua's disciples started bustling, excluding Im Sobyeong. Even Hye Yeon, with a red face, raised his voice.

"I'll help, Senior Brothers!"

"You don't know about memorial services held in Taoist temples."

"I'll do anything if it helps. Please let me contribute something for them once it's over!"

"That's only natural."

Watching the mentally disturbed disciples move among themselves, Im Sobyeong looked up at the sky with a soulless gaze.

'Maybe Jang Ilso was more sane than these people?'

In fact, it was not an easy issue to judge.