Return of the Mount Hua Sect (HTL 1634+)

"What's the extent of the damage?"

"So far, about fifty casualties have been confirmed. Among them, it seems around twenty have become the deceased."

"Twenty... out of fifty..."

Zhuge Zain's expression was quite calm as he reported this, but Tang Gunak's face hardened upon hearing it.

Although the attack was sudden, the actual combat did not last long. Considering that, the damage was significant.

"What do you mean by 'confirmed'?"

"There are still some who have not returned."

"....."

"Since they were moving scattered across the wide mountain, it couldn't be helped. We assume most of them have perished, but we are accelerating the search, in case there are any who are injured and unable to return."

".....I see."

Tang Gunak's voice grew faintly softer.

The place that suffered the most damage in this attack was none other than the Zhuge Family. Therefore, the majority of those unaccounted for would likely belong to the Zhuge Family.

"Don't spare any manpower in the search."

"Of course. However….."

"Is there a problem?"

"It's not exactly a problem, but to search the mountain, we have to divide our forces. I'm worried the same thing might happen again."

Tang Gunak let out an involuntary sigh.

"Even so, we can't leave potential survivors behind. Increasing the number of searchers will reduce the risk."

"I'll do as you say. Ah, there's something else you should know."

"Yes?"

"Those who fought against the Blood Palace are telling strange stories."

"Strange stories?"

"Yes. They say that the Blood Palace members recovered from their injuries on the spot."

At this, the previously silent Moyong Wigyeong and Pungyeong Shingae spoke up in surprised voices.

"What do you mean by that...?"

"Did you just say they 'recovered'?"

"Yes. And given that similar testimonies are coming from multiple sources, it seems that it wasn't just a select few using this strange sorcery."

"How did this 'recovery' occur?"

"From what I've heard, it seems they had something implanted in their bodies. Something like a strange worm squirmed inside them and instantly healed their wounds."

"What the..."

Moyong Wigyeong's face grew more serious than ever.

The martial world despises sorcery. Not because they consider it trivial, but because those skilled in the martial world know just how powerful and dangerous sorcery can be.

Yet, sorcery is looked down upon because it always comes with a price. Those who delve into sorcery often lose their humanity, becoming demons capable of unimaginable atrocities.

"Is it not possible that those who fought them were simply too weak?"

"..... Even the disciples of Mount Hua reported the same thing."

"Mount Hua as well?"

"Among them was Supreme Sword of Light-Splitting too. He said they were completely unprepared."

This statement was the nail in the coffin.

Supreme Sword of Light-Splitting, Jo Geol. One of the most prominent rising stars in the current martial world.

In reality, his skills have already surpassed those typically associated with rising stars. Although martial prowess is difficult to measure precisely, based on his achievements thus far, it wouldn't be unreasonable to compare him to the elders of the major sects.

If even someone like Jo Geol couldn't handle it, this is indeed a serious problem.

At that moment, Pungyeong Shingae spoke with a heavy face.

"It's hard to understand. If there are so many of them, the Blood Palace's power far exceeds what we initially thought. Perhaps..."

Pungyeong Shingae paused and glanced around, and Beast Palace Lord Maeng So chuckled before finishing his sentence.

"Perhaps no other sect in the Five Palaces Beyond the Great Wall can compare."

Pungyeong Shingae nodded slightly.

"Then why haven't they utilized that power until now? It doesn't make sense."

Those present nodded in agreement.

If they had such terrifying strength, they could have won the battle at Hubei much more easily. But it's unlikely that Jang Ilso would have left such individuals idle.

"While the reason might not be important, if we were to speculate, there could be two possible explanations."

"Two?"

"Yes. One is that Jang Ilso is not in full control of the Blood Palace. While the Evil Tyrant Alliance is powerful, Five Palaces Beyond the Great Wall do not follow the same rules as those in the Central Plains."

Again, everyone nodded in agreement. After all, even the people here don't treat Beast Palace and Ice Palace, who are affiliated with Heavenly Comrade Alliance, like other sects. This is fundamentally a different issue than the distance created by them not being from the Central Plains.

Moyong Wigyeong pressed his temples, still wearing an expression filled with doubt.

"But if that's the case, why now....?"

"Because of the current situation. This is the second reason I suspect."

"What do you mean?"

"Didn't Shaolin and Wudang lose their strength?"

"Ah....."

Moyong Wigyeong let out a sigh.

The power of sorcery is difficult to counter with ordinary martial arts. Yet, the reason sorcery was driven out of the Central Plains is simple. The sects that are the natural enemies of sorcery wielded the greatest power in the Central Plains.

Shaolin and Wudang.

Shaolin's Buddhist teachings and Wudang's Taoist power are the natural enemies of all things. No sorcery could maintain its strength in their presence.

However, Shaolin has now closed its gates after losing half its strength, and Wudang is on the brink of collapse.

"….. That means those who practice sorcery no longer have a reason to fear the Central Plains."

"Exactly."

Tang Gunak fell into deep thought. The situation was more serious than he had anticipated.

'So that's why the damage was so severe despite the short battle.'

It made sense if they couldn't counter the sorcery.

"This is indeed a grave issue, isn't it?"

"Certainly, it isn't something to take lightly."

"Hmm..."

"What's done is done. The most pressing concern is that the same thing could happen again in the future."

A heavy silence settled over the room. The faces of everyone present grew dark.

"Then.... what if we request help from Shaolin? This doesn't seem like the time for them to keep their gates closed."

"That would be impossible."

"But no matter how great their losses...."

"That's not what I mean. Just because someone has learned Shaolin's martial arts doesn't mean they can suppress sorcery. To do so requires deep understanding and extensive training. But right now, Shaolin..."

The elder-level figures who had undergone such long training and had that deep understanding were wiped out. The remaining disciples of Shaolin have yet to reach such depths in their training.

Even if they were to bring them here, they wouldn't be much different from the people currently present.

"..... Then Wudang wouldn't be much different either."

"That's right."

"Damn it. That bastard Heo Dojin shouldn't have meddled unnecessarily."

Moyong Wigyeong, uncharacteristically, cursed openly. However, no one present stopped him. If Heo Dojin hadn't mobilized the elders to capture Jang Ilso and caused massive sacrifices, they wouldn't be in this frustrating situation.

"Then....."

While those unable to find a proper solution were murmuring, Jong Ligok, the leader of Zhongnan, spoke up.

"Sorcery is difficult to deal with, and that's why it's sorcery. Even if we put our heads together, we won't easily come up with a solution. But before that, I believe we should consider why we need to find that solution in the first place."

"What do you mean?"

"No matter how formidable it is, it's still just sorcery. It's not impossible to counter. If they don't die when you cut them down, you can slice them apart, and if they don't die when sliced, you can crush them, can't you?"

A long sigh escaped Zhuge Zain's mouth.

"In theory, you're not wrong. In fact, Namgung's sogaju dealt with them in the way you just described."

"Then there shouldn't be anything to worry about..."

"But how many people can do that?"

"..."

"Perhaps those present here could handle it easily. But with many enemies and the Blood Palace soldiers scattered across the battlefield, do you intend to chase them down one by one?"

Jong Ligok, momentarily lost for words, sighed.

Indeed, that's true. Heavenly Comrade Alliance's enemies aren't limited to just the Blood Palace.

As they fell into a brief, somber silence due to the lack of a solution, Tang Gunak suddenly looked at Zhuge Zain.

"Wait. Then why did they retreat so easily?"

"That's exactly the question I wanted to discuss with you all. A disciple of Mount Hua, Yoon Jong, reportedly defeated the sorcery-wielding enemies in a single strike."

"Yoon Jong? Is that true?"

Tang Gunak blinked in surprise. Not Yoo Iseol or Jo Geol, but Yoon Jong?

Zhuge Zain's eyes gleamed slightly.

"It would be best to hear the details directly from him."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"..... So that's what happened."

"Hmm. 'Immortal qi,' you say...."

Yoon Jong, who had hurried over after tending to the injured, felt the weight of the gazes upon him and shrank his shoulders slightly.

"What do you think?"

"It's possible. The reason Wudang was the nemesis of those who practice sorcery in the first place was because they could infuse their sword with 'Immortal qi'—Taoist energy. There's no reason why Mount Hua, who is also a Taoist, couldn't do the same."

Of course, this isn't entirely accurate.

Mount Hua is a sect with a more secular character than Wudang. Naturally, in terms of utilizing Immortal qi, they are less proficient than Wudang, which pursues Taoism in a more secluded environment. That was the common understanding up until now.

'Up until now, that is.'

Zhuge Zain observed Yoon Jong with sharp eyes.

Using Immortal qi can weaken the opponent's sorcery. However, this doesn't mean the opponent can be easily dealt with.

However, based on the explanations given earlier and the testimonies of the witnesses, it seemed that Yoon Jong had reached a level where he could almost completely neutralize the opponent's sorcery.

This implied that Yoon Jong's immortal qi was superior even to that of Wudang's elders.

'Logically, it shouldn't be possible... but it's not the first time something unbelievable has happened at Mount Hua.'

Zhuge Zain let out a short breath and spoke.

"Let me ask you one thing first. Have you always been able to use Immortal qi?"

"Your question is a bit ambiguous..."

"Hmm?"

Yoon Jong looked directly at Zhuge Zain and replied.

"If you're asking whether I originally possessed such power, then I would say yes. But if you're asking whether I've been using it from the start, the answer would be no."

Zhuge Zain carefully considered the meaning behind Yoon Jong's words.

"Hmm, so you had the power, but you've only now started to use it."

"Exactly."

"Then, are the other disciples of Mount Hua the same as you?"

After a moment of contemplation, Yoon Jong responded.

"Since the path(tao) we follow is different, I cannot answer definitively. However, I am confident that, to varying degrees, everyone who bears the name of Mount Hua harbors the same energy as I do."

"Then, can that power be drawn out?"

"..... What?"

Zhuge Zain glanced at the others. No one seemed to oppose, as if they had already entrusted everything to him.

"This is a very important issue. The fate of the Central Plains may depend on whether that is possible or not."

"..."

"As you must have sensed, the enemy's sorcery is difficult to counter. The bigger problem is that we don't know the exact number of those who use that sorcery. What if they deploy more than we can handle on the battlefield?"

The outcome was obvious, even without thinking about it.

Yoon Jong himself had almost lost his life, caught off guard by the enemy's sorcery. If such monsters were to rampage across the battlefield, the damage would be catastrophic.

"Do you understand?"

"…..Yes."

"We need to increase the number of people who can oppose that strange power, even by one. This is our top priority."

Yoon Jong remained silent for a moment. Then, Tang Gunak stepped in.

".... Yoon Jong dojang, I understand that you are in a confusing situation. However, we do not have the luxury of time to consider every detail. We must prepare for when the enemy reveals themselves."

Tang Gunak paused, then looked firmly at Yoon Jong.

"And you, being the current successor of Mount Hua sect leader, are the only one who can do this. What do you say? Can you do it?"

There was a deeper meaning in those words.

Although Heavenly Comrade Alliance is currently in chaos, Mount Hua is suffering even more. Baek Cheon's absence has shaken Mount Hua far more than anyone anticipated.

The only one who can stabilize this situation is Yoon Jong. That meaning was embedded in those words. Yoon Jong surely understood this as well.

Without a word, Yoon Jong slightly lowered his head.

As a brief silence passed, Tang Gunak and the senior members of Heavenly Comrade Alliance looked at him earnestly. Yoon Jong felt the weight on his shoulders.

Finally, Yoon Jong slowly opened his mouth.

"First... please refrain from calling me the successor of Mount Hua sect leader. Everyone in Mount Hua, including myself, knows whose position that truly is. It cannot be replaced by anyone."

Tang Gunak's eyes showed regret, thinking Yoon Jong was refusing.

But then Yoon Jong lifted his head and continued.

"However, if it is a duty that I must bear not as the successor, but as a disciple of Mount Hua, I will do my utmost to fulfill it."

"..."

"Because that is what I must do right now."

His gaze was calm and clear. Seeing this, Tang Gunak nodded firmly.

"I'm counting on you."

"Yes."

At this moment, there was no one to rely on but Mount Hua and Yoon Jong.

Tang Gunak let out a quiet sigh to himself.

'This won't be easy.'

Yoon Jong would do his best, but there were surely limits to what could be done with their current numbers and resources.

'At times like this.....'

Tang Gunak shook his head, as if to shake off a thought that was trying to surface.

Perhaps the ones who most keenly felt Baek Cheon's absence were not the disciples of Mount Hua, but the other senior members of Heavenly Comrade Alliance.