Chapter 1568: A Walk Is Good On Days Like This (Part 3)

Thunk.

As the door swung open with force, Beopjeong, who had been silently closing his eyes and maintaining silence, slightly furrowed his eyebrows.

"Bangjang!"

However, the consecutive voices that followed were compelling enough to make him open his eyes.

The one who entered hastily, opening the door, was not the vice-in-command Jonglihyung, but Peng Yeop.

"Gaju-nim?"

Peng Gaju wasn't one to act so urgently. However, his desperate appearance suggested that something significant had happened.

"What's going on?"

The response came not from Peng Yeop but from Jonglihyung, who entered together.

"Ba, Bangjang! The Evil Tyrant Alliance has moved!"

Beopjeong rose from his seat in an instant.

"Paegun is on the move?"

"Yes! They are currently leaving Zhang Jia Jie and heading north!"

'North?'

Beopjeong felt dizzy. If the Evil Tyrant Alliance, which was in Zhang Jia Jie, moved north, they could target both Hubei to the right and Shaanxi to the left.

No, if they crossed Hubei like this... even Hanam would fall under their range.

Grit.

The prayer beads in Beopjeong's hand rubbed roughly against his palms.

"Is the position of Paegun confirmed? What unpredictable actions might he take!"

"W-well..."

Jonglihyung hesitated to answer with a face that clearly couldn't comprehend the situation. He still wasn't sure if what he knew was true.

"Currently, Paegun is leading them at the forefront of the Evil Tyrant Alliance."

"...The forefront?"

"Yes, Bangjang."

Beopjeong's face momentarily froze.

"Is it a trick?"

"It doesn't seem like it. It was witnessed that the leader, Jang Ilso, used his unique martial arts during the process of eliminating the informants of the Beggar's Union."

Beopjeong clenched the prayer beads as if he would crush it.

Unlike the martial arts of the righteous sects, the martial arts of the Evil Sect were chaotic, making it difficult to trace their origins. However, this also meant that mimicking the unique martial arts of a specific individual was not easy.

And it was Jang Ilso, no less. What could his martial arts be like?

"...Seems to be true."

"Yes, Bangjang. This time, it seems the Evil Tyrant Alliance is genuinely ready for a confrontation."

In Peng Yeop's voice mixed with concern, Beopjeong thought for a moment with a serious expression before speaking.

"Could it be true?"

"...Huh?"

"The opponent is Jang Ilso. There's no way he doesn't have a plan for those obvious movements. In the first place, he won't even have the thought of facing a fair fight."

"...Then, is this also a trap?"

"Of course."

Beopjeong responded as if there was no need to think.

Jonglihyung nodded his head warmheartedly. Certainly, this was too blatant. Why would Jang Ilso deliberately stand at the forefront and reveal his appearance?

Just by concealing himself appropriately, everyone's situation would become even more complicated.

"Then...?"

"Yes. Obviously, he intends to draw us in."

Peng Yeop sighed.

"It's a trap...When I think about it, it seems obvious. I apologize, Bangjang. I got carried away."

Jonglihyung, who had cleared his throat, nodded his head.

"Then, it's better to observe the situation a little more."

"No."

"...Yes?"

"We have to go."

Beopjeong's voice was calm as usual and filled with conviction.

Jonglihyung was taken aback, staring at Beopjeong in surprise, and even Peng Yeop opened his eyes as if he heard unexpected words.

"G-Going? Didn't you say they set a trap?"

"Yes. I did say that."

"But... going? Are you saying you'll walk into the trap with your own feet?"

Beopjeong nodded heavily.

"Oh, no, Bangjang..."

As Jonglihyung, in disbelief, tried to ask, a sharp force emanated from Beopjeong in an instant.

"What about the reinforcements we called for? What's the situation?"

Momentarily overwhelmed by that force, Jonglihyung hesitated before answering.

"W-Well, Kunlun hasn't arrived yet, but the Moyong Family is nearby. And the inner members of each sect are currently gathering."

"Amitabha."

Beopjeong's eyes turned cold.

"How about Southern Edge?"

"Xi'an is exposed, so for now, they plan to protect Xi'an..."

"That's right."

The disdainful Beopjeong nodded slowly.

Southern Edge and Wudang were originally supposed to be the core of the Ten Great Sects along with Shaolin.

But they abandoned their duties and chose to escape through Bongmun. Even if Bongmun were to be opened again, it wouldn't be the same as before.

But it didn't matter.

The enemy's forces would be at most Myriad Man Manor and the Black Ghost Castle. [oh shit...] They didn't need Southern Edge or Wudang to face them. At most, they would share the credit.

"Sect Leader, gather all available personnel and instruct Moyong to hurry."

Jonglihyung, who seemed to have swallowed dry saliva without realizing it, rushed out in a fluster.

Watching his back, Beopjeong turned his gaze to Peng Yeop. Peng Yeop was staring intently at Beopjeong.

Beopjeong asked.

"Is something strange?"

"No, nothing is strange."

Peng Yeop shook his head.

"Bangjang, you've always chosen restraint for a clear reason. I'm just curious about why this choice is different from before."

Beopjeong nodded in understanding and answered.

"It's because Paegun is there."

"Because Paegun is there?"

Peng Yeop furrowed his brows.

Beopjeong elaborated.

"It may not have seemed that way, but I've never been afraid of the enemy's traps. Yet, the reason I've always managed to avoid the planned traps is simple. It's because there was nothing to gain by entering those traps."

"This time, you say there is something?"

"Amitabha."

Beopjeong chanted as if no answer was needed.

Indeed, no answer was needed. There was something irrefutably certain to gain within that trap.

The neck of Jang Ilso.

What else could there be?

Beopjeong was right.

Regardless of whatever trap the Evil Tyrant Alliance prepared, whatever schemes they had, if they could only take Jang Ilso's neck, victory would ultimately be on their side.

And Heaven would remember that it was none other than the Ten Great Sects and Five Great Families who brought an end to this war.

As it has always been.

"So, you need to hurry, Gaju-nim. Before that Heavenly Comrade Alliance clumsily interferes and ruins everything."

"I will do so."

Peng Yeop bowed his head and turned away. His eyes were filled with determination.

'Jang Ilso.'

Everything in the world is ruled by results. Peng Yeop already knew this fact.

From the Yangtze River Disaster to the present, the shame and pointing they endured. All of that would turn into praise and admiration due to a single result.

They had been waiting for this moment.

'Certainly.'

It was when he bit his lips and steeled himself. Beopjeong's voice called him back.

"Wait, Gaju-nim."

Paeng Yeop took a deep breath and turned around.

"Yes, Bangjang."

"What is the Heavenly Comrade Alliance doing right now?"

Paeng Yeop's face stiffened.

"That is..."

* * *

Kwooong!

Under the extreme pressure, Namgung Dowi's sword curved as if on the verge of breaking.

However, this sword, which fully supported the two characters 'Heavens (蒼天)' engraved on its side, was able to withstand the enormous pressure.

Taaang!

The sword once again resiliently extended, forcefully deflected the heavy scimitar.

Sweaaak!

However, the scimitar, which had been pushed into the air, rushed back towards Namgung Dowi with even faster speed and force.

Kwaaang!

A loud explosion resounded, and Namgung Dowi was pushed back. His feet dug deep into the ground, creating a trench, and his damp upper body arched backward as if it were about to break.

"Cough!"

Barely stopping his body, Namgung Dowi coughed up blood. However, it was natural for fresh blood to spurt on his already red face. It couldn't be seen. [not sure?]

"You brat..."

The Black Dragon King's eyes poured out a blue light of mockery.

However, unlike the gaze that seemed to rush in and crush Namgung Dowi immediately, his movements were incredibly cautious.

He had also confirmed.

The venom possessed by the one he considered no more than a mere dog. The fangs of that venom could pierce his throat.

From the moment he abandoned the arrogant posture and prepared to be careful, an undeniable gap had been revealed between the two.

It was a gap called 'time.'

"Huu..."

Namgung Dowi, slowing down, pulled out the sword that had been stuck in the ground.

His hand had no strength. He almost dropped the sword.

This was his limit.

Perhaps it was an absurd act from the beginning. Trying to catch the Black Dragon King with this sword.

The Black Dragon King was one of the Four Great Evils, whose name had resounded throughout the world even before Namgung Dowi was born. He was too formidable an opponent for the still-young Namgung Dowi, even if he had lost an arm.

"Did you think you could win?"

The Black Dragon King's voice, growling, penetrated Namgung Dowi's ears.

"If you're filled with anger, if you don't forget your grudges, if you have justification! Did you think you could win? Just a rich kid inside a greenhouse!"

The Black Dragon King narrowed the distance for a moment and rushed towards him.

Wheeeeng!

With tremendous force, he swung the scimitar.

Namgung Dowi also gritted his teeth and struck back with his sword.

Kwagak!

This time, not a loud explosion but a metallic sound, irritating to the ears, echoed. As their blades met, Black Dragon King swung his rotating scimitar with grandeur, smashing it down on Namgung Dowi's shoulders with all his might.

Pwaaah!

The collarbone shattered, and the flesh sunk in.

Namgung Dowi's body was forcefully kicked away.

Consciousness faded away, and the surrounding sounds became as distant as if underwater. The hand holding the sword kept losing its strength.

Kwaaaaah!

However, as another dreadful ripping sound reverberated in the air, Namgung Dowi rolled across the ground without break.

Kwaaaaang!

The ground that had been trampled down by Namgung Dowi just a moment ago burst out like an exploded snowy field.

"Cough!"

Unable to avoid the aftermath, Namgung Dowi, who had been thrown down again, spewed out fresh blood.

"Dowi-yaaa!"

Far away, Namgung Myung's desperate cry faintly reached his ears.

"Foolish brat."

The Black Dragon King sharpened his blade.

"Justice, determination, anger. Anyone can have these! Did you think you were special? A weakling who can't do anything alone without the name of a prestigious family!"

Weak laughter escaped Namgung Dowi's mouth, stuck to the ground.

"I've met them countless times. Talented individuals, those with promising futures, those expected to rule the world. But in the end, it is those who survive who dominate the world."

"..."

"If you wanted revenge, you should have endured it! A fool who can't handle even a single grudge will die on the ground. That's the law of the strong!"

Chhk!

The tip of Namgung Dowi's sword stuck into the ground.

Namgung Dowi, gripping the sword handle with both hands, struggled to stand up.

At some point, he couldn't see clearly in front of him.

The once image Black Dragon King, even vivid in his dreams, now appeared blurry.

But instead of despair, Namgung Dowi, with his weakened legs, firmly planted the sword into the ground. It seemed as if he wouldn't fall even if he died.

"...Black Dragon King."

"Do you have more to say?"

"Your words... are probably right."

Opening his eyes that were so swollen it was hard to recognize him, Namgung Dowi spoke. Perhaps due to losing focus, even though he was clearly looking at the Black Dragon King, his eyes seemed strangely vacant.

"...I am still lacking. I cannot surpass you."

"Heh. You talk a lot. A foolish kid, remember this well. Because of your foolish actions, not only you but the entire Namgung family will die here. When you meet your father in the afterlife, try to make some excuses."

Namgung Dowi's back quivered.

Unable to contain the laughter that couldn't even be forced, he burst into laughter.

"What's so funny?"

"Delusion... don't be Jaeksekwang."

Namgung Dowi forcibly opened his mouth.

"I may be foolish... but I don't overestimate myself."

The Black Dragon King's face contorted.

What more could there be?

To a guy whose body had become pitiful, who had become so feeble that he couldn't even kill an ant, what more could be left?

Now all he could do was ask to be killed gently, as if he were pleading even if he died.

"The boasting of the Namgung family doesn't disappear even in the face of death."

"From the beginning, I knew. That I am not yet... able to surpass you."

The Black Dragon King clenched his fist.

There was no reason to listen to the nonsense of someone whose mind was halfway gone. He wasn't so free as to listen to the babbling of a guy who had lost his sanity.

"Speak the rest in the afterlife."

At that moment, the Black Dragon King exerted force on the scimitar in his hand.

"But... I already learned... yes, I've already learned. I don't need to defeat you alone."

"...What?"

It was at that moment.

Kwaaang!

With a loud explosion, a part of the Su Lo Chae force that surrounded the Namgung Family crumbled.

"What?"

Surprised, the Black Dragon King quickly turned his gaze towards that place.

There, the unfamiliar... no, the more than familiar figures, who had suddenly appeared like ghosts, were wielding swords like demons, surrounding the remnants of Namgung Family's forces.

The face of the Black Dragon King contorted horribly.

"Mount...Mount Hua Sect?"

"Sogaju!"

Baek Cheeon, checking the Namgung Family members's miserable condition, bit his lip.

He glared at the Black Dragon King with burning eyes, as if he were going to kill him.

"Help Sogaju, now!"

"Yes!"

Upon receiving the command, the swordsmen of Mount Hua charged toward the completely collapsed Su Lo Chae to the remnants of the Namgung Family's forces.

"Get out of the way! You bastards!"

Sure enough, Jo Gol, leading the charge once again, began to paint ferocious plum blossoms. 

The blood-soaked battlefield shook profoundly once more.