Chapter 1393: He Will Be Waiting For Us (Part 3)

"Do not slow down! Anyone who falls behind will die in my hands!"

Ho Gakmyung's lieutenant, Jonggwak (宗廓), shouted until his throat was hoarse, but the speed did not increase.

Jonggwak glanced around with a slightly anxious face.

Were his orders not being followed?

No, that wasn't it. They were exerting every bit of strength they had. However, their legs no longer had the strength to push forward.

'It's only natural.'

If they ran without proper rest all the way from Guangdong to here, how could they not be exhausted?

Even if they were as strong as horses, they would eventually collapse under a forced thousand-mile march.

It was only natural for Southern Island to feel the pressure from those pursuing them, but the perspective of those chasing after them was also desperate.

They had more numbers?

From the perspective of the pursuers, it wasn't necessarily an advantage. Those they were chasing were none other than the martial artists of the Ten Great Sects, and comparing their average strength to that of the ordinary martial artists of the Myriad Man Manor was almost meaningless.

If both sides were in perfect condition, no matter how hard they tried, they would not have been able to keep up with their speed. The only reason they could somewhat keep up was that the enemies were dragging along the wounded and were tired from successive battles.

Jonggwak slightly bit his lip.

"No need for weak excuses. If we're tired, they must be even more exhausted!"

Moreover, Jonggwak's mission is not to chase them down and kill them. It was merely to pressure them so that the Commander could obtain what he wanted.

He couldn't keep complaining that even that was a difficult task.

"We must catch them before they reach the Yangtze River!"

Jonggwak shouted hoarsely. The eyes of those who heard his words emitted intense light. By now, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to state that they were moving half out of resentment. They had an unimaginable grudge that no one knows where it started.

Jonggwak clenched his fist slightly.

'They're enemies, but...'.

Surely, he never imagined that they would break through the encirclement and reach this place. If they were the incompetent members of the Ten Great Sects that they had seen so far, it would have been impossible.

But they did it. Even if they haven't broken through the Yangtze River yet, just reaching this place with half their strength intact is proof of their ability.

Even that was now over.

The fate of the Plum Blossom Sword Demon, who made such an unbelievable miracle a reality, was now coming to an end.

Even if the rest all manage to escape to Gangbuk alive, if they could strike down the Plum Blossom Sword Demon, this fight could only be their victory.

'Never would have thought that I would consider one person's head more valuable than an entire sect from the Ten Great Sects.'

This was something unimaginable just a month ago. But now, no one within the Myriad Man Manor would question that fact. The Plum Blossom Sword Demon Chug Myung proved it himself.

'First, I need to fulfill my mission...'.

It was at that moment.

"Captain! Someone is in front!"

"Hm?"

Jonggwak's eyes slightly furrowed.

Had they caught up with the enemy's rear? That was faster than he expected?

However, the voice that followed immediately shattered Jonggwak's expectations.

"They're coming! A group is coming here!"

"What? Coming?"

Jonggwak's pupils widened at the unexpected words.

"It there some mistake..."

"Here they come!"

At that moment, dozens of people emerged from the forest in front of them at an astonishing speed.

"Ooooh!"

White sword energy soared to the sky.

Without time to express confusion or give instructions to avoid, the soaring sword energy poured down on them.

Kwaahhh!

"Aaaaaah!"

"Uuaaah!"

With brutal screams, the frontline became a mess of pulp and was knocked back.

And in Jonggwak's eyes, it was visible. The formation they had set up to pursue the enemy crumbled at the same time as the frontline collapsed.

"Ah, no..."

"Let's go!"

"A-mi-ta-bha!"

Wuuuuuuuuung!

Without even a moment to catch their breath, a dazzling golden light bloomed from the cleared area. The dazzling light seized the opening created by the white sword energy, spreading in an instant.

"We're being pushed back!"

"Aaaah!"

A colossal weight, as if an entire mountain were pressing down. The Myriad Man Manor members, who couldn't resist that force, were mercilessly pushed left and right. Then, a clear straight path opened up amidst the Myriad Man Manor members widely deployed on both sides.

And now, those who had become too accustomed to this path rushed in like the wind.

"It's Mount Hua!"

"They're Mount Hua! Avoid them!"

Wearing black robes, symbols of the Mount Hua Sect, swordsmen dashed toward the opened path.

And what would follow next was something the Myriad Man Manor members could predict all too naturally.

"Hwaaaah!"

Crimson plum blossoms bloomed successively. Those who knew how beautiful and dangerous those brilliant flowers truly were turned their bodies in all directions with a bluish paleness in their faces.

"Don't freeze, run, you idiots!"

"Seriously!"

Breaking and twisting, a group of about ten individuals started rushing along the path they opened.

"Captain! Hold the formation!"

"No, they're breaking through!"

Jonggwak couldn't find where to direct his gaze, wandering around here and there.

"St... stop... No! Why are they attacking us?"

Why would those guys suddenly attack them? It couldn't be just a sudden madness, right?

"Captain!"

"I told you to shut your mouth!"

Jonggwak shouted, then turned his head forward.

'What about the main force?'

If the enemy suddenly launched a surprise attack, there was a high probability that the main force's attack toward the center would continue! If he haphazardly changed direction and stabbed them in the back, the damage would become unimaginable.

However, no matter how hard he tried to concentrate, he couldn't even feel the enemy's energy approaching.

'Only them?'

That couldn't be true. It absolutely couldn't be.

Unless those guys suddenly went crazy, there was no way they could face them with merely ten people, right?

"They're breaking through! Captain!"

At that moment, Jonggwak's eyes vividly captured a series of groups piercing through their encirclement and running away.

In the blink of an eye, the encirclement he had set up was broken through like a child flipping his palm.

"Th... this..."

Jonggwak looked at the scene with a bewildered face. Those who broke through were rapidly moving away.

"Shouldn't we... chase them?"

"..."

Jonggwak couldn't answer and bit his lips tightly.

Just because the people here were broken through didn't mean the Myriad Man Manor was breached. More people were still chasing after them. Going there would only result in being swept away by the pursuing waves.

Originally, he could have simply ignored it and pursued the main force of Southern Island. That was his assigned mission.

What made Jonggwak hesitate was nothing other than the identity of those few individuals.

'Heavenly Comrade Alliance.'

If they were the Heavenly Comrade Alliance, who didn't accompany Southern Island, wasn't it clear as day that they chose to separate from Southern Island and come here for some reckless purpose?

"Are they trying to save the Plum Blossom Sword Demon? With only about ten people?"

Incredibly rash recklessness.

"...Send a report to the Commander about the situation."

"Yes!"

Regaining his composure in the meantime, Jonggwak looked at the place where the Heavenly Comrade Alliance had disappeared with a mocking glint in his eyes.

"That's not called courage."

Jonggwak, letting out a sneer, turned his head with cold eyes.

❀ ❀ ❀

"Uwaaaaah!"

"Saaaaaah!"

With a chilling cutting sound, a swinging sword carved deeply into the enemy's chest.

Schlick!

However, strangely, no blood flowed from the wound. The blood that should have sprayed out froze entirely. Those struck by the cold in their bodies collapsed on the spot as their hearts stopped.

Thunk!

"Get out of the way! You bastards!"

"Palace lord, you shouldn't overexert yourself!"

Yoon Jong tried to calm Seol So Baek down with a shout, but Seol So Baek, as if not hearing his words, swung his sword even more vigorously, issuing a series of fierce strikes.

He gathered as much Yin qi as he could on the tip of his blade.

Schlick-schlick!

Wherever his sword passed, transparent ice crystals bloomed in the air.

"This brat really doesn't listen to anything!"

"You bastard! He's the Ice Palace Lord!"

"Ah, who cares?"

Jo Gol spat out nonchalantly.

When the situation arose to save Chung Myung, the most energetic person was not Jo Gol, Yoo Iseol, or Baek Cheon, but Seol So Baek.

Throughout the journey to and from Southern Island, Seol So Baek, who had never shown much presence [...], was now wielding his sword as if possessed by madness.

"Ah! It's cold!"

"Are you making jokes at a time like this?"

"No! It's really cold! What on earth did this kid eat in the meantime?"

"...Because he's a prince."

"Is living in filth the fate of a commoner?" 

"What are you saying? Rich kid?"

Yoon Jong retorted in a blunt tone, pricking Jo Gol.

Meanwhile, Seol So Baek, as if not hearing such words, continuously delivered stern sword strikes to the enemies blocking their way.

'Dojang!'

A fire lit up in Seol So Baek's eyes.

To others, his sudden erratic behavior might seem unfamiliar, but for him, it was too natural.

While he agreed to save Southern Island, it was hard for him to understand sacrificing himself for them. It was difficult for him to sympathize with the statement that Southern Island, who complained of difficulties, was in a more challenging situation than the Ice Palace.

Above all, he couldn't find a reason to risk his life for those who could abandon their homes behind.

He supported it because it was Chung Myung's decision. He put effort into it because it was Chung Myung's chosen path. However, truly empathizing with his meaning and intent was still a difficult task for the young man.

But not now. The one he was going to save at this moment was none other than Chung Myung. The Ice Palace's savior and also his savior. He absolutely could not leave him to die in a place like this. He still hadn't repaid anything to Chung Myung.

At that moment, countless Myriad Man Manor disciples rushed in front of Seol So Baek, screaming.

"How dare!"

Seol So Baek's left hand, spewing blue brilliance, was pulled back and then stretched forward in an instant. Like a small snow avalanche, white internal energy poured out from his fingertips.

"I... Ice Palm Strike?"

"Oh my god!"

The disciples of the Mount Hua Sect were terrified and screamed.

What they had witnessed in the Northern Sea was now reproduced in Seol So Baek's hands.

The Myriad Man Manor members rushing at him froze in an instant. Seol So Baek, who had frozen them, didn't hesitate and swiftly kicked the floor.

"Hurry!"

"Yes, yes!"

"Understood! Palace Lord!"

Without looking back, Seol So Baek bit his lips until they bled.

Chung Myung's life was at stake. Right now.

'Dojang! I'm coming now!'

Seol So Baek's eyes were ablaze.

The boy Chung Myung saved.

The boy, who had now become a swordsman, was running to save Chung Myung.