Chapter 1693 - Then That’s Enough (3)

"Block ittttttttttttttttttttttt!"

The desperate cry of Im Sobyeong made the Heavenly Comrade Alliance disciples fighting in a fierce battle hastily look up.

'What is that?'

The Southern Edge Sect Leader Jong Rigok widened his eyes.

A group was running up the blood-stained cliff.

Instead of climbing the steep front, they were running sideways. Nonetheless, it was still a cliff. Seeing them run up that sheer slope as if it were flat ground indicated they were not ordinary elites.

"But how...?"

Jong Rigok's gaze shifted to the blazing flames burning on either side of the cliff. No matter how skilled a martial artist might be, they were still human. How could a person made of flesh and blood break through those flames?

"Southern Sea... Sun Palace?"

"Sun Palace?"

Jong Rigok frowned as he recognized them from Pung Yeong Sin Gae's muttering.

'Is it because they are masters of Heat Yang Arts?'

But now, the crucial point wasn't how they broke through the flames.

"What are they trying to do up there?"

Pung Yeong Sin Gae voiced Jong Rigok's question.

The 'why' was important. If their only intention was to support those above the cliff, there was no need to break through those flames and head for the cliff.

"Block them! Immediately!"

At that moment, Im Sobyeong's desperate scream rang out again.

Im Sobyeong's face was pale, as if he had seen a ghost.

"Get up! Climb immediately! We must throw those bastards off this cliff right now!"

"Commander, what on earth...?"

"Move! Now!"

"Calm down for a moment..."

Then it happened.

"Aaaaaaagh!"

The sudden scream made the bewildered Heavenly Comrade Alliance disciples instinctively look up again.

'What is that?'

One of those trying to break through the blazing flames to reach the cliff was engulfed in fire. It seemed that their mastery of Heat Yang Arts was insufficient to fully repel the invading flames.

Pung Yeong Sin Gae frowned slightly.

The scream was too desperate.

It was strange. While the pain of a burning living body would certainly be dreadful, these people were originally adept at Heat Yang Arts.

It didn't make sense that a martial artist of the Southern Sea Sun Palace would scream in terror simply because they couldn't withstand the searing pain. Their lack of any response was also strange.

The person entirely engulfed in flames clung to the cliff with one hand, rummaging through their robe with the other.

It was hard to see what they were trying to do from such a distance. Pung Yeong Sin Gae quickly infused inner energy to enhance his vision.

But it was too late.

Boom!

A deafening explosion erupted as if the sky had burst open. It was an explosion from where the person engulfed in flames had been. The impact of the explosion swept away those around him, causing a chain reaction of explosions.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

"Uh..."

The overlapping explosive sounds merged into one.

Boom!

The cliff, unable to withstand the shock, cracked and split open.

Then, as if slashed by a giant sword, a massive rock broke off from the cliff and began to slide down slowly.

And it quickly gained speed and started to plummet.

Boom!

Everyone screamed in terror.

"Get down! No, move! Get out of hereeeeee!"

"You'll die if you get crushed!"

The Heavenly Comrade Alliance disciples, who had charged here with an air of invincibility, hastily kicked the ground.

Even the forces of the Evil Tyrant Alliance, who had been fiercely attacking the Heavenly Comrade Alliance moments ago, recoiled in shock and retreated.

Boom!

Soon, the massive rock chunk crashed to the ground.

An enormous cloud of dust exploded in all directions, and shattered rock fragments turned into blades that swept the surroundings.

"Ugh..."

A Heavenly Comrade Alliance disciple, who had collapsed due to his legs giving out, looked ahead blankly, drenched in cold sweat. The dust, which had been billowing, slowly settled. A colossal boulder, which had broken off from the cliff, showcased its imposing presence right in front of him.

If he had been a single step closer, there wouldn't even be a body to find.

"This, this is..."

But it wasn't over yet.

"Aaaaaaaagh!"

"Huh?"

At the desperate screams coming from above, the fallen disciple looked up again in shock.

Thud! Thud!

Members of the Evil Tyrant Alliance, who had fallen off the cliff, crashed to the ground, their bodies smashing and rolling.

"Uh, uh..."

Thud!

There were easily dozens of them.

The impact of their fall dispersed the dust still hanging in the air.

"Ugh..."

The collapsed disciple crawled away from the cliff almost on all fours.

"Are you okay?"

Those who narrowly escaped, like him, blankly nodded their heads in a daze.

Many were injured by the flying debris, but thankfully, quick reactions had saved them from death.

Jong Rigok, with a dazed expression, looked up at the collapsed cliff.

"What was that? Just now..."

"Gunpowder!"

Im Sobyeong, covered in dust, gritted his teeth. He was still glaring up at the cliff.

"It's gunpowder! Gunpowder!"

"No, what do you mean... gunpowder?"

Where could martial artists get gunpowder?

Ever since Jang Ilso from the Yangtze River fooled everyone with non-existent gunpowder, it was proven that even the Myriad Man Manor or the Evil Tyrant Alliance couldn't easily procure large quantities of gunpowder.

"It's absurd! If it's gunpowder of this magnitude, it must be high-grade, but how could they..."

"It's the Sun Palace!"

Im Sobyeong sharply interrupted Jong Rigok, as if there was no more to discuss.

"Don't you know? The Sun Palace isn't just a martial sect! They are royalty from Yunnan! What might be 'impossible' for us is just a 'trivial' amount for a nation!"

--

In an instant, the blood drained from Jong Rigok's face.

"Then…."

His gaze fiercely turned towards the cliff above.

A large crack had formed in the center of the bright red cliff. His heart sank. It felt as though a crack had also formed in his heart.

"There's more... explosives?"

Does that mean that the group heading towards the cliff right now could cause an explosion of that magnitude?

'No...'

Even with an explosion of this size, the cliff had broken off, creating such a large fissure.

If an even greater explosion occurred, what would happen to that cliff...?

"What do you mean by this?"

Namgung Dowi, who had run up quickly, shouted with a pale face.

"If the cliff collapses, what will happen to those on top of it? Huh?"

Covered in dust, looking like a mess, everyone stared up at the cliff with dazed expressions, looking almost like defeated soldiers.

It's dizzyingly high. It's a cliff so daunting that one wouldn't even consider climbing it under normal circumstances. If that high cliff were to collapse in an instant, could anyone on top of it survive?

'Absolutely impossible.'

People are not birds. Neither are martial artists.

Martial artists can climb even the highest cliffs as long as they have strength. But that's only if there's somewhere to step. There was no way to protect oneself while falling from such a height.

"It doesn't make sense! It's not just Mount Hua and Wudang on that cliff!"

Moyong Wigyung shouted, his face drained of color.

"Most of those on top are members of the Evil Sect! If the cliff collapses, many times more people than those from Mount Hua will die..."

But even that voice suddenly cut off. His already pale face turned almost blue.

"...Jang Ilso."

He had realized it.

If it was Jang Ilso, and if Ho Gakmyung was assisting him, they would have no qualms about doing something like that. They wouldn't hesitate to throw hundreds of their followers into the fires of hell.

"How can a person... A person with a human face... How can they..."

Moyong Wigyung kept muttering as if he had lost his mind. No one responded, but the others felt the same.

"Then, we should climb the mountain! If we just get away from the cliff..."

"Speak sense! By now, they must have already dug deep into the enemy camp; how can we have the time to do that!"

"That..."

Those familiar with Mount Hua felt dizzy for a moment.

It must be so. The Mount Hua they knew wouldn't make a fuss without confronting the enemy head-on.

"Does that mean all this was to draw Mount Hua there?"

"Ho Gakmyung! That wretched bastard!"

Im Sobyeong shouted, unable to contain his anger. Everyone stomped their feet.

"We need to inform them!"

"How?"

"We must go up and stop them! If we don't, Mount Hua will be..."

Yes.

They needed to inform them. No, they had to stop them immediately. If they didn't, the entire cliff would collapse, and Mount Hua, on top of it, would face a mass death.

But...

"Climb? Here?"

Moyong Wigyung stared blankly at the huge rock in front of him. Then, his gaze shifted to the pitiful corpses of the Evil Sect members scattered everywhere.

...Those who had just fallen from the cliff to their deaths.

"I will lead! Support me from behind!"

Namgung Dowi shouted, drawing his sword. He looked ready to run to the cliff any moment. But at that moment, he hesitated and looked back.

No one was moving.

"What are you doing? We need to go immediately!"

"...Sogaju."

"What are you doing? We don't have time for this..."

"What if the explosives go off while we're climbing?"

"...What?"

Moyong Wigyung asked again with a pale face.

"What about those below? Those climbing the cliff?"

"..."'

"Wouldn't they end up the same as those on top... No, even worse?"

"What nonsense..."

Namgung Dowi, about to explode in anger, closed his mouth.

He had seen the despair in the eyes of those looking at him.

"So you're saying... we should just leave them?"

"No, we need to find another way..."

"What other way is there!"

Namgung Dowi shouted, his face contorted.

Pung Yeong Sin Gae bit his lip. He understood Namgung Dowi's feelings. But ordering to climb the cliff to stop them was something he couldn't do. It would be like asking everyone to join Mount Hua in their grave.

Namgung Dowi gritted his teeth, glaring at everyone with fiery eyes.

But soon, his gaze cooled. Seeing his eyes, Namgung Myeong felt a pang of anxiety and reached out unconsciously.

"Sogaju? Dowi, calm down for a moment, okay?"

"..."

"There must be another way. We need to inform them..."

And at that moment.

Namgung Dowi, who had been looking at everyone with a chilling gaze, turned and dashed towards the cliff without a word.

"Dowi, no! Dowiiiiiiiii!"

Namgung Myeong's desperate cry echoed as a white trail followed Namgung Dowi up the red-stained cliff.

It was precarious and painful.