Chapter 1120: I've Already Prepared Everything For That! (Chapter 5)

A handsome man, who had been staggering due to poison, finally fell down on one knee. Numerous gazes that had been watching him as if bored were instantly dyed with a depraved pleasure.

"This…"

The trembling man couldn't lift his head and eventually collapsed forward.

"Trash..."

Thud.

As Baek Cheon, who had remained until the end, fell, everyone surrounding him erupted in cheers.

"We've defeated the evil bastards!"

"We won!"

"How about that, Mount Hua scum! This is justice!"

Unjust moans flowed from the mouths of the fallen Mount Hua disciples on the ground.

'Justice is harsh...'

'Then are we the evil ones, these bastards!'

The fact that even among those shouting there were some rotten bandits made them even more indignant.

No, was it really necessary to go this far just because they won? These bastards...

'It's too much.'

'Is this really happening?'

However, at that moment, the Tang Family and the Namgung Family embraced each other, and tears welled up in their eyes.

"The moment has come to resolve this grudge."

"Sigh, Namgung-hyung, you've suffered."

"When those bastards knocked us down last time and said, 'Nothing special,' I really wanted to bite my tongue and die..."

At those words, the fallen Mount Hua disciples exchanged glances.

'Did we?'

'It... kind of feels like it.'

"Please don't say anything. When I heard, 'Ah, they're a famous family, but they're really messed up,' I wanted to go to my ancestors' graves and cry."

The Mount Hua disciples... No, those Mount Hua scum twitched and then looked at each other again.

'Did we go that far?'

'It's Jo Gol Sahyung. I heard it.'

'Anyway, that bastard...'

Then, a bandit from Nokrim, who couldn't bring himself to embrace them, cried out with tears.

"We even heard them say, 'They say they're part of the Four Great Evils, but it seems like they're not all on the same level!'"

"Wow, that's harsh."

"That was the worst. As if our relationship with Myriad Man Manor wasn't bad enough."

The Mount Hua scum... No, the evil bastards of Mount Hua subtly turned their heads. This was a memory everyone clearly remembered...

'Was it Sasuk?'

'It was Baek Cheon Sasuk.'

'That guy, when he gets drunk, he's even worse than Jo Gol.'

Of course, Baek Cheon wasn't the only one who got drunk. If only one or two people had done such a thing, they would have noticed right away, but the fact that everyone was unaware until now meant they had all done similar things.

"Justice prevails, you trash!"

"How about that! Now you understand our resentment!"

"Hahahahaha!"

Watching the Three Sect Alliance enjoy the joy of victory, the disciples of Mount Hua gritted their teeth. Especially Jo Gol, who couldn't stand this situation, glared with fiery eyes and raised his head.

"These... these dirty bastards... Don't you have any pride? A joint attack!"

"Hehehe. That's possible, Jo Gol Dojang."

Im Sobyeong waved the fan gently. Of course, one eye was blue, so the appearance wasn't quite there.

"I had expectations of Jo Gol Dojang to understand strategy in the first place. Hehehehe. What can I do? The world we live in is different."

"Ugh..."

Jo Gol, who was bursting with anger, spat blood and collapsed.

On the training fields, for the first time, the cheers of those who completely crushed the Mount Hua scum echoed for a while.

* * *

"Hehehehe."

"..."

"Hyung-nim. Did you see Jo Gol Dojang... No, that guy's face?"

"..."

"It seems like the pent-up resentment of ten years is finally coming down. Oh, today, even if I don't eat, my stomach feels full."

"Is is that good?"

"I know what hyung-nim is going to say."

Tang Zhan placed both hands on his hips and put on a dignified expression.

"Is it something to be happy about, just because three sects attacked and barely managed to defeat one sect!"

"..."

"Were you going to say this?"

"Haha."

Tang Pae laughed and nodded. Tang Zhan, with a face that couldn't hide his embarrassment, spoke.

"I know it's shameful, but today, I just want to openly celebrate. Don't stop me."

"I won't stop you, so be happy enough."

Tang Pae chuckled. However, Tang Zhan soon sat down in the chair with a slump.

"In truth, I wanted to be happy all day, but I don't have the strength anymore...."

Tang Zhan, with a body as sluggish as soaked cotton, leaned his head back.

".... I thought I wouldn't be tired at all if I won.... Winning ultimately means fighting until the end. It would have been better to fall early and conserve some energy."

"That's true."

"The guys from Mount Hua... are truly formidable. How do they do this every time...?"

Tang Zhan stopped speaking without finishing his sentence. Tang Pae turned to look at him. Somehow, he had fallen asleep as if he had fainted.

"It must have been tough."

In reality, his body had already reached its limit. Sparring was different from training. Sparring was where stamina evaporated in an instant as if affected by a spell.

And this wasn't just sparring, but a chaotic melee that went on day and night for several days to the point where it was difficult to distinguish between ally and enemy. It was natural for him to be completely exhausted.

'So training is this tough.'

If that's the case, how much strain did those who fought against the Demonic Sects, unable to sleep properly for dozens of days, experience?

Surely, the ancestors of the Tang family must have fought their best on the battlefield at that time. But were the present ones really honoring their efforts?

'Maybe we were too indifferent to the past.'

It seemed fitting that the glory they sought blinded them to the blood spilled to achieve it. What they should have truly respected were not those who achieved the glory but those who sacrificed for it....

Tang Pae, who had thought that if he were to return home, he would have to look again at the records from a hundred years ago that remained within the family, soon fell into a deep sleep.

In the room where the two were asleep, only the lantern flame burned quietly.

* * *

Humans sometimes experience surpassing their limits.

Physically, those who had already been worn out to the point of ruin were able to endure until now for one reason only. It was the will to stab a sharp thorn into the despicable and dirty faces of the Mount Hua bastards.

That intense determination moved their spirits and compelled their bodies to act.

Of course, this would be a valuable experience for those who had filled this battlefield with blood and screams. Some may have found a higher path in that process, and others may have fallen into deep contemplation about whether the path they were walking was right.

Even if they didn't achieve such progress, the experience of fighting to the limit would undoubtedly be helpful. Perhaps when they stood at the top of Mount Baekdu later, this experience would help them survive.

[The expression "백척간두에 섰을 때" (standing at the top of Mount Baekdu) is often used metaphorically to refer to a distant future or a crucial moment in one's life.]

Yes, it would undoubtedly be helpful.

... In the distant future.

"Ugh...."

"I feel like I'm going to die...."

"Lord, kill me...."

But what was important to them was not the distant future but the present. What remained for those who had burned their bodies to ashes was melted candle drippings... No, it was only half-broken bodies and a sharp pain that made them feel like they would catch fire with a mere touch.

Their lips were cracked, and their eyes were reddened. These individuals, who were so broken that one might involuntarily think, 'Are they beggars?' were barely standing on wobbly legs.

"...I feel like I'm going to die, Sogaju."

"... It seems harder than Plum Blossom Island."

"Isn't that a bit too much?"

"No. It really feels like that..."

Even the Namgung Family, who had already experienced their limits at Plum Blossom Island, couldn't pull themselves together. Back then, the sense of imminent danger to their lives helped them endure, but now, there was no such hill of crisis. It was a situation where their shattered bodies had to be supported only by their mental strength.

However, the Tang family and the Namgung Family, who were somehow standing and enduring, seemed to be in better conditions than someone else.

The Nokrim members, who had nothing to lose and no face to save, were openly sitting in the training ground, making groaning sounds.

"Oh my... My back..."

"Ge, Hyung-nim. Isn't lying down too much?"

"You lie down too. It's comfortable."

"...Should I?"

"Look at the boss. He's already lying down."

"...That's true."

Im Sobyeong, abandoning the fan he always carried, was half-lying down. His face, already pale, now looked almost like a ghost.

"I jus…wan…wanted to enjoy wealth and fame... … ."

"Nokrim. Please speak moderately. You might collapse soon if you keep that up."

"Ugh...."

The consequences of someone who had forgotten that they were a sick person because of their obsession with the Mount Hua Sect were so cruel.

Under normal circumstances, Tang Zhan and Namgung would have clicked their tongues looking at Nokrim, but at this moment, they were looking at them with bottomless envy.

'Comfortable.'

'I want to lie down too.'

'Evil Sect is better. Why was I born into the Tang Family?'

Both sects realized anew that to care about dignity or reputation, one needed at least a minimum level of leeway.

At that moment, a group approached them.

"Oh, they look so beaten."

"Does it hurt from yesterday's beating?"

"We need to get revenge today!"

"We can lose once. But not twice!"

Entering the training ground were disciples of Mount Hua. Namgung Dowi and Tang Pae looked at them in bewilderment.

'What?'

'Why are they so lively?'

It was incomprehensible.

Yesterday, they clearly... no, didn't they thoroughly beat up those Taoist bastards? But while those who beat were dying, why were those who were beaten so energetic?

They trained together, fought together.

"Now, today... huh?"

Baek Cheon, who was about to roar loudly from the front, tilted his head.

"Why are these gentlemen in such a state?"

"...."

"Did you guys fight again yesterday?"

A sigh escaped from Namgung Dowi's mouth.

'Are they human?'

From the start, this wasn't a matter that could be explained by a difference in disposition or experience. At this point, wouldn't it be reasonable to assume that they were a different species?

"...Even if we don't hit them, won't they die?"

"Hmm... Does it look like it?"

"Should we just go back today?"

"Yoon Jong-ah."

"Yes?"

"I can't help but be disappointed in you."

"...Why is that?"

Baek Cheon scolded with a stern look.

"Even if they're tired, they are disciples of prestigious sects! Wouldn't showing consideration be an ignorance or a breach of etiquette at a time like this?"

"Ah..."

"In times like this, you should do your best to beat them... No, dealing with them is the proper etiquette!"

Baek Cheon Sasuk... so that etiquette is acceptable.

"But, Sasuk. We are from a righteous sect..."

"Hm? Us?"

"....Yes?"

"I heard they called us villains yesterday!"

"...."

With a sly smile, Baek Cheon approached the dying individuals.

"If we're treated as villains, then we should perform villainous deeds properly, right? Isn't that so?"

"Kukuku. That's right."

"I'll kill."

"Zhan, come here. Say something nice. Come here. If not, I'll kill you. I will kill you if you come, and I will kill you if you don't come."

Yoon Jong shook his head as he watched Baek Cheon, Jo Gol, Yoo Iseol, and Tang Soso slowly advancing forward.

Wasn't this how real villains acted?

"Blood vengeance!"

"Revenge!"

The moment Baek Cheon ran forward with his eyes wide open, someone suddenly appeared from behind and kicked him in the buttocks.

"Listen up, you human!"

"Ack!"

Chung Myung clicked his tongue as he looked at Baek Cheon, who had face-planted at his feet.

"I believed in something like this..."

"Chung Myung. I'm your Sasuk..."

"Aren't I doing this because you're my Sasuk? Grow up!"

"Indeed, that makes sense."

Baek Cheon nodded in agreement and got up. Chung Myung sighed as he looked at the Namgung Family, the Tang Family, and Nokrim, who were barely holding on. While the direct disciples seemed to be in a slightly better condition, the others were on the verge of death.

Chung Myung shrugged.

"I'd like to roll them a bit more, but... well, I guess we'll have to see how things go."

"Are we resting today, by any chance?"

"Rest?"

Chung Myung opened his eyes wide.

"Is there such a thing in this world?"

"...dog...."

"Today, instead of training, let's do something else."

"Yes? What...?"

"Let's start by welcoming the guests."

At the unexpected words, Nangung Dowi tilted his head. At that moment, Chung Myung looked in one direction and spoke.

"Here they come."

At that moment, a deep growl echoed in Nangung Dowi's ears. It was the first time he had heard the cry of a beast in his life.