Chapter 1292: Now, This Is Just The Beginning (Part 2)

Thud!

Dozens of martial artists soar through the air without rest. The ones guarding Ho Gakmyung swiftly deflected the flying swords and quickly dispatched scouts. [not sure]

"They've broken through the defensive gate!"

"The Barrier Sect has been breached!"

"The defense line is unable to exert its strength, Commander!"

"Hmm."

The speed at which they were piercing through the siege was beyond breakneck.

"It seems the situation doesn't look good."

Goyang chuckled and looked at Ho Gakmyung.

"Isn't it twice as fast as you expected a while ago? Even the Commander can be wrong at times."

"There's nothing particularly strange about that."

Ho Gakmyung responded calmly without a hint of emotion on his face.

"It's because the opponent is not someone my predictions would work against."

"Hmm."

There was a hint of doubt in Goyang's eyes. Normally, tacticians despised it when their predictions went awry. However, Ho Gakmyung didn't seem bothered at all. The more you looked at him, the more intriguing he became.

Ho Gakmyung casually added.

"And it's not bad news."

"Hmm? Why?"

"Unless Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword is breaking through alone, this speed is unreasonable. From my observation of Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword until now... it seems he is definitely overexerting himself."

"That doesn't add up. Wasn't the Commander the one who said not to underestimate Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword abilities?"

"Of course. Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword's abilities cannot be underestimated. However, it's not just Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword over there."

"Hmm."

"If we put aside Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword's abilities, the power of the Southern Island Sect is only up to a certain level. They are definitely struggling with this speed."

Ho Gakmyung's mind quickly spun.

He wasn't criticizing the strength of the Southern Island Sect. The title of the "Ten Great Sects" isn't something one can easily attain in the martial world. Even if they weren't considered much more than a stepping stone among the Ten Great Sects, they were still a force with enough power to preside over a province. Entering the Ten Great Sects meant just that.

But the strength of that force should be interpreted differently depending on the situation.

If it were a situation where the Southern Island Sect resisted an incoming enemy while defending its main base, even considering the lack of practical combat experience, they could have demonstrated a considerable amount of strength.

But not now.

In this situation, with this speed, just unleashing their martial arts would rapidly deplete their energy. Moreover, resisting flying blades amidst all this would be difficult even for those with a considerable level of skill.

'Breaking the siege? It might be so in the eyes of those who are complacent.'

Looking at the situation objectively, they were currently escaping from the pursuing Ho Gakmyung's group. In battles, it was common knowledge that the types of battles that caused the most casualties were pursuit chases. This was common sense among common sense.

Even well-trained strong warriors could not fully demonstrate their abilities when being pursued by enemies. Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword was certainly aware of this fact, so this move could be seen as a willingness to accept a certain degree of sacrifice.

What made Ho Gakmyung ponder was precisely this point.

'What are you thinking, Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword?'

Although they were moving forward with unstoppable momentum at the moment, this siege was only part of it. Wasn't the area they had to break through not just Guangdong, but the vast Gangnam?

It wasn't the right decision to consume this much power from the beginning. The more their speed increased and the more intense their fights became, the more exposed their locations would become. What was the meaning of revealing their location a few steps faster?

The look in Ho Gakmyung's eyes darkened as he contemplated.

If others had used such means, Ho Gakmyung would have just sneered, deprived them of their stamina, and leisurely devoured them.

However, among his opponents were none other than Chung Myung and Im Sobyeong.

It was impossible to guess what Chung Myung was thinking, and as for Im Sobyeong, no matter how lowly you saw him, he was still a strategist who was by no means inferior to Ho Gakmyung. Was it possible for such a group with those two to leave room for such clumsy maneuvers (下手)?

"The Hyung Gate was also broken through!"

"Hyung Gate...."

At that moment, Ho Gakmyung's eyes widened slightly.

"Say that again."

"H, Hyung Gate...."

"Before that!"

"Huh?"

"The sects that have been recently broken through, list them in order!"

The subordinate nodded hastily and said.

"Chwi, Chwiho Gate, Gongryeong Hall, and the Hyung Gate, in that order."

At that moment, a map of Gangnam was pulled up in Ho Gakmyung's mind. Soon, the positions of the listed sects overlapped on top of it.

"To the east?"

Ho Gakmyung's face stiffened.

It was certain. Their route wasn't to the north, where the Yangtze River was, but to the northeast.

'Why?'

For them, Gangnam was an enemy territory (敵地) that must be escaped as quickly as possible. But why were they moving northeast instead of north?

As time passed, the siege would become stronger, and more people would target them. Soon, not only the small and medium-sized sects in Guangdong but also the Evil Tyrant Alliance, including the Hao Sect, would start targeting them.

'It makes no sense.'

Ho Gakmyung continued his thoughts with eyes half-closed.

While it wouldn't be strange for them to maneuver around a strengthened siege, in reality, if they set their minds to it, they could break through any siege. But was there any reason to move in a distant direction?

'What's in the northeast?'

If they continue in a straight line...

'Anhui?'

Were they heading towards Zhejiang, where the Namgung Family was?

No, that would be utterly reckless. If they arrived at Zhejiang, they might receive help from the sects following the Namgung Sect, but in that case, it would've been better to head toward the main base of Heavenly Comrade Alliance instead.

At that moment, Ho Gakmyung's body flinched significantly.

"No way..."

Goyang showed interest and raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"Well."

Ho Gakmyung bit his lips tightly.

"We need to increase our speed."

"Why?"

Goyang sent a puzzled look, as if it was hard for him to understand.

"Aren't we just pushing the trash into the jaws of the prey, making them tired? In this situation, won'g we gain an advantage just by leisurely tracking them down?"

Goyang also knew very well. They could never stop Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword. But that didn't mean it was hopeless.

Even if they couldn't exhaust his internal energy, they could still consume it to some extent and dull his sword.

All they had to do was slowly pressure the Heavenly Comrade Alliance, preventing Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword from replenishing his emptied vessel.

Just by doing that, they could achieve a guaranteed victory (必勝), so why attack the opponent before he lost enough strength?

"One of the world's most ruthless strategists shouldn't be sympathizing with vermin brought to the brink of death." [not sure]

"The situation has changed. No... it might change."

"...Explain?"

"Even if I explained, you wouldn't understand."

Goyang glared at him with an irritated expression, but Ho Gakmyung didn't elaborate. In fact, it wasn't that he chose not to explain but rather that he couldn't explain. It was as perplexing as the thoughts that flashed through his mind.

"First, we increase the speed."

"Do as you please, Commander."

Goyang snorted with a displeased face. Ignoring him completely, Ho Gakmyung swiftly issued orders. The Myriad Manor disciples surged forward with tremendous force.

'Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword.'

Ho Gakmyung bit his lips. His thoughts began to unravel uncontrollably.

'What on earth are you thinking?'

* * *

"Chung Myung!"

"..."

"Chung Myung!"

After being called repeatedly, Chung Myung turned around with an eerie, expressionless gaze. Although Baek Cheon seemed to have flinched for a moment, he shouted without any hesitation.

"We need to take a break at this point!"

"No."

"It's not a matter of whether it's possible or not! People are falling behind! At this rate, we won't even reach our destination halfway!"

Chung Myung silently glared at Baek Cheon.

However, Baek Cheon didn't back down at all. He silently withstood Chung Myung's gaze.

At the end of this brief confrontation, it was Chung Myung who withdrew first.

"Fine."

As Chung Myung spoke, Baek Cheon raised his hand abruptly.

"Everyone stop. Rest!"

At that moment, the disciples of the SOuthern Island, who had been running with all their might, collapsed on the spot like dolls with severed strings.

"Cough, cough!"

"Heuk! Heuk! Heuk! Heuk!"

"Damn it..."

Under normal circumstances, there would never have been such a shameless display of sprawling on the ground in front of onlookers. The pride that came with the name the Southern Island Sect was not small.

But now, no one paid attention to such things. As Baek Cheon said, if they had pushed a little harder, it was unclear how many more would have fallen.

Even the elders and Kim Yang Baek, who still had some strength left or maintained their composure, were sitting on the ground. However, even they did not blame those who collapsed.

"Get up and meditate."

At that moment, Chung Myung's emotionless voice was heard.

"Instead of lying down and gasping for breath, cultivate your energy. Quickly replenish your stamina and run again. Those with remaining strength, guard those who are meditating. We don't know when they might be targeted again."

The disciples of the Southern Island glared at Chung Myung, knowing that what he said was not wrong. However, if they had the strength to do that, wouldn't they have already sat down and meditated instead of gasping for breath?

Despite the resentful and bitter glances, Chung Myung did not change his expression as he continued speaking.

"Don't act spoiled."

"..."

"No matter how difficult it is for you, no matter how painful it is, the enemy does not care. On the contrary, they like it. If you think it's okay to die because it's hard, just lie down as you are."

It wasn't a voice of anger or a tone of provocation, but rather a calm, measured voice. However, that made it even more piercing to the heart.

"Everyone, meditate."

"Yes, Sect Leader."

For those who couldn't find an excuse to withdraw, Kim Yang Baek opened a path for them. Those who received Kim Yang Baek's orders quickly got up and began meditating. And then, they swiftly entered a state of cultivating energy.

"Guard them."

"Got it."

Baek Cheon quickly gave instructions to the disciples of the Heavenly Comrade Alliance. The disciples of the Heavenly Comrade Alliance gathered around the Southern Island disciples who were meditating.

Chung Myung silently clenched and unclenched his fist.

Only Baek Cheon observed him attentively. This behavior was something Chung Myung displayed when he was anxious. Only he knew.

This meant that the Southern Island was not moving as fast as much as Chung Myung had hoped.

But there was nothing more to be done.

Although Mount Hua had trained to match Chung Myung's movements for several years, these disciples had never undergone such training. Even if it were Baek Cheon, if he had tried to follow Chung Myung's movements upon their first meeting, he wouldn't have been any different from these disciples. No, perhaps he would have been even more unsightly.

"Chung Myung. For now..."

Baek Cheon was about to say something when...

"Deputy Sect Leader."

Kim Yang Baek approached and stood in front of the two with a stern face.