C1697
"Sasuk!"
Baek Cheon, carrying Mu Jin on his back, and the Mount Hua disciples, carrying the wounded from Wudang on their shoulders, shouted as they followed.
"Are we really going to take them?"
Jo Gul's eyes trembled. He couldn't deny that this choice was the right one. But whether they could handle it was another matter. Was it really possible to escape with the wounded when a cliff collapse seemed imminent?
And if the cliff collapsed before they could escape? Wouldn't they all die without a chance?
"Sasuk, this is…"
"Stop talking and take care of the wounded, you idiot!"
"Damn it!"
But that man didn't understand words. Jo Gul cursed and lifted the nearest wounded person, who turned out to be Jin Hyun.
"Jo... Jo Gul dojang..."
"Shut up! You're making me nervous!"
Jo Gul grit his teeth. Beyond the densely packed enemies, he could see the slope leading to the top. Although it seemed quite steep, he was sure it wouldn't collapse.
"If we can get there..."
It was at that moment he decided.
"Huh?"
His eyes, which had calmed down, trembled again.
"Sasuk, over there!"
"Hmm?"
"Over there! They're reinforcing!"
"What?"
Baek Cheon, who was trying to advance with Mu Jin, abruptly raised his head. Indeed, a group appeared from the slope they were aiming for.
Tension crossed Baek Cheon's face. He could feel at a glance that the atmosphere surrounding that group was not normal.
Hye Yeon murmured in a heavy voice.
"Amitabha... It seems the Evil Tyrant Alliance intends to bury us here, Deputy Sect Leader."
"What do we do, Sasuk?"
Baek Cheon looked ahead in silence at Yoon Jong's question. His eyes, which had wavered for a moment, quickly calmed.
"What do you think?"
Baek Cheon's sword began to emit a faint light.
"If that is the way, we must open it."
"But... the time..."
This time, even Yoon Jong couldn't easily agree.
Baek Cheon wasn't wrong. If that was the only path to survival, they had to open it somehow. But before considering whether it was possible or not, they had to consider the collapse of the cliff.
"Let's go!"
But before Yoon Jong could say more, Baek Cheon charged towards the enemies.
"Damn it, follow him!"
Yoon Jong shouted, seeing Baek Cheon leading the charge.
Kicking the ground, he soon saw Jo Gul rushing ahead of Baek Cheon. That bastard now instinctively ran forward at any sound.
As he quickly caught up to Baek Cheon, Yoon Jong asked.
"Sasuk, is this really okay? Shouldn't we find another way...?"
"Just trust me!"
"What?"
The response didn't seem appropriate for the situation.
Baek Cheon glanced sideways at Mu Jin on his shoulder and then diverted his gaze to the edge of the cliff, which now seemed very far away.
"Mount Hua is not special."
"…"
"Then we are not the only ones who can do it. Anyone can do it. I trust that there will be someone who will help us."
"What are you saying...?"
At that moment...
Boom!
A loud noise resounded from the edge of the cliff.
"Another explosion?"
"Ahhh!"
"No, it's much weaker than before."
Although scattered screams erupted, everyone quickly realized. This explosion was different from the previous one that shook the cliff.
It wasn't a matter of power. It might sound strange, but there was an indescribable familiarity in the explosion.
A chill ran down Yoon Jong's back as he realized the cause of the explosion.
"Namgung... Sogaju?"
Yoon Jong stared in amazement at the edge of the cliff.
"…Namgung Dowi."
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"Hah! Hah!"
Large drops of sweat fell from Namgung Dowi's forehead like rain.
He had jumped up the cliff in a single leap from below and unleashed his sword energy with all his might to stop the enemies' movements. Releasing his internal energy so quickly had made his body scream in pain.
"Damn rookie!"
But there was no time to catch his breath.
Namgung Dowi could see clearly. The black holes pierced into the cliff by the enemies. He knew very well what would happen if the explosions were triggered from those holes.
"I won't allow it."
Namgung Dowi turned his sword and held it upside down. He no longer had the energy to unleash the same force as before. But that didn't mean he couldn't fight.
Covered in the burning solar energy of the Southern Sea Sun Palace, the enemies descended towards him.
Pa!
Namgung Dowi charged with all his might.
"Come!"
Boom!
He unleashed his sword with all his strength.
Bang!
His sword energy collided with the burning energy of the enemies from the Southern Sea Sun Palace. The suffocating heat that almost burned his lungs enveloped Namgung Dowi.
The acrid smell of burnt hair and the sensation of his skin melting surrounded him. The tip of his sword quickly turned red from the heat.
But amid that pain, Namgung Dowi drew even more strength.
"This is nothing."
This is not pain. Compared to the despair of waiting for death on Plum Blossom Island, this isn't even considered pain.
Uuuuuung!
Namgung Dowi's sword, which unleashed a white energy, pushed back the burning orange energy of the enemies from the Southern Sea Sun Palace.
Finally, the enemies' energy directed towards him from all directions.
Although Namgung's sword was larger and thicker than a normal sword, it was still a sword. He couldn't block all that energy with it.
In a normal situation, the sensible response would be to retreat... or withdraw downward.
But what Namgung Dowi really had to face now were not the attacking enemies. They were the ones setting up the explosives at the top.
"Aaaaaah!"
Namgung Dowi, instead of retreating, bent his head down and kicked the cliff wall even harder.
Boom! Boom!
The energy flying by grazed his back, and the attacks he couldn't avoid hit his body.
He felt sticky blood gushing from his mouth and nose, and the scorching heat penetrated him, burning him from the inside.
"Aaaah!"
However, Namgung Dowi did not retreat this time either. Instead, he advanced even higher, swinging his sword even more explosively.
At this point, even the warriors of the Southern Sea Sun Palace, who were dying by his sword, couldn't hide their consternation.
Flash!
An enemy's neck was lifted from the cliff. Namgung Dowi, who continued to swing his sword, cut down the bodies of those blocking his way and with his left hand grabbed the cliff and pulled himself up.
Boom!
His body rose as if rebounding.
In his blurry vision, he could see the warriors of the Southern Sea Sun Palace hanging from the cliff. It wasn't a clear vision, but it was certain.
'I must stop them.'
If the cliff collapsed and he couldn't stop it, all the members of the Mount Hua Sect at the top would die. He couldn't allow it. As long as he breathed, he would stop them, even if the price was his own life.
"Haaaaa! Stop!"
He didn't know where that strength came from. Namgung Dowi roared like a lion, and the air around him trembled.
Cold sweat broke out on the foreheads of the warriors of the Southern Sea Sun Palace.
"This guy..."
Stopping a single man shouldn't be difficult. It couldn't be denied that he was strong, but wasn't he alone? There were dozens of warriors from the Southern Sea Sun Palace here.
But if many of them devoted themselves to facing the young man climbing from below, they might not have time to blow up the cliff.
And if the plan failed due to delay...
'I can't face the wrath of the Southern Sea Sun Palace Lord.'
For them, the wrath of the Southern Sea Sun Palace Lord was a terror worse than death. Not only their lives were at stake. Just thinking about it made them tremble with fear.
"Damn it, that damn..."
At that moment, a calm voice was heard.
"Do not be disturbed."
"Guardian?"
An old man with white hair, who was observing the situation from a little higher up, smiled wryly.
"He is full of spirit, but still a child."
He took something spherical out of his sleeve and held it lightly. Even at that moment, his gaze was fixed on Namgung Dowi, who was climbing the cliff like a raging beast.
"If he wants to die, we must grant his wish."
The old man's hand slowly opened. The sphere he was holding fell downward.
The object fell, accelerating towards Namgung Dowi.
Flash!
Even as he climbed quickly, Namgung Dowi could see it.
'What is that?'
Something small, the size of an adult man's fist, was falling towards him.
Shortly after, Namgung Dowi's eyes widened. In his field of vision, the object reflected in red.
The approaching object was wrapped in something dark, and there was fire at its end.
Instinctively, Namgung Dowi crossed his arms and sword towards the cliff.
Boom!
The explosive thrown by the old man exploded with a great blast, hitting the cliff.
Rumble!
"Aaaaah!"
As the cliff shook violently, the members of the Evil Tyrant Alliance, who were precariously hanging at the top, were thrown into the air like grains from a sieve.
Red flames rose, and acrid smoke filled the air.
Shortly after, when the black smoke dissipated, the old man couldn't hide his surprise. He saw Namgung Dowi, hanging from the cliff, exhausted but still there.
The old man murmured, seeing Namgung Dowi's left hand embedded in the cliff.
"Did he manage to cling to the cliff in the midst of that?"
Though he was an enemy, he couldn't help but acknowledge his valor.
But that was all.
"Go and finish him."
"Yes!"
As soon as the order was given, one of the warriors of the Southern Sea Sun Palace launched himself towards Namgung Dowi like a hawk.
Namgung Dowi, blinking with effort, frowned. Even in his semi-conscious state, he instinctively felt the danger.
Instinctively, he swung his sword. But his sword, lacking strength, was deflected by the red energy-filled hand of the Southern Sea Sun Palace warrior.
"Die!"
Namgung Dowi saw the orange hand heading towards him.
'I...'
Boom!
Then he saw something else. Something that blocked the hand aimed at his face. Thinner and lighter than his own sword, but at that moment, it was the most reliable sword of all.
'Who...?'
"Are you okay?"
Namgung Dowi, instead of responding, turned his head with effort to see the face of the person next to him.
It was...
"Lee Songbaek..."
But before he could finish speaking, a cold and annoyed voice was heard.
"I told you not to play the hero. You really don't understand."
Flash!
Crack!
Jin Geumryong's sword pierced the neck of the Southern Sea Sun Palace warrior like a lightning bolt.
"Grr...!"
The lifeless body of the warrior fell. Namgung Dowi could only look at Jin Geumryong in shock.
"The great Namgung can rest there. I'll take care of the enemies."
Boom!
With a cold murderous intent, Jin Geumryong shot forward like a bolt of lightning, closing the distance with the enemies in an instant.