C1693
"Stop them!"
At Im Sobyeong's desperate shout, the martial artists of the Heavenly Comrade Alliance hurriedly looked up.
'What is that?'
Jong Rigok, the leader of the Southern Edge Sect, widened his eyes.
A crowd was running across the cliff dyed red.
Although they weren't directly climbing the steep slope but running laterally, it was still a cliff. Just seeing them run as if it were flat ground indicated they weren't ordinary warriors.
"But how...?"
Jong Rigok's gaze turned to the high flames burning on either side of the cliff. As much as they were warriors, they were still human. How could they pass through those flames with blood and flesh?
"The Southern Sea Sun Palace?"
"Sun Palace?"
Jong Rigok frowned as he identified the martial artists thanks to Pungyeong Shin Gae's murmur.
'Is that why? Because they are masters of the Southern Sea Sun Palace?'
But the important thing now wasn't how they passed through those flames.
"What are they planning to do there?"
Shin Gae voiced the same doubt Jong Rigok had.
The 'why' was crucial. If they only wanted to support those already at the top of the cliff, there was no need to pass through those flames and head for the cliff.
"Stop them! Right now!"
Again, Im Sobyeong's desperate cry echoed.
Im Sobyeong's face was pale as if he had seen a ghost.
"Climb! Climb up immediately! We have to make those bastards fall off this cliff!"
"Commander, but what...?"
"Now! Move!"
"First, calm down..."
It was then that...
"Argh!"
A sudden scream made the martial artists of the Heavenly Comrade Alliance look up.
'What is that?'
One of those attempting to cross the flames had become engulfed in fire. It seemed he hadn't completely contained the flames with his energy.
Shin Gae frowned slightly.
That scream was too harrowing.
It was strange. Although the pain of a burning body was naturally terrible, those warriors from the Southern Sea Sun Palace should be used to enduring heat.
A warrior of the Southern Sea Sun Palace shouldn't scream in terror just because of the pain of flames. Nor should he be there doing nothing.
The man covered in fire grabbed the cliff with one hand while searching for something in his chest.
It wasn't clear from a distance, so Shin Gae used his internal energy to sharpen his vision.
But it was already too late.
Boom!
A sound like the sky exploding resonated. It was an explosion at the spot where the man engulfed in flames was. The explosion affected everyone around, causing a chain reaction of explosions.
Boom!
"Uh..."
The sound of the chained explosions overlapped and became one.
Rumble!
The cliff couldn't withstand the impact and began to crack.
As if cut by a great sword, a huge piece of rock broke off the cliff and started to slide slowly.
Then, suddenly, it accelerated and began to fall.
Rumble!
Everyone screamed in terror.
"Duck! No, move away! Get out of here!"
"If we get trapped, we'll all die!"
The warriors of the Heavenly Comrade Alliance, who had confidently advanced to Wudang, desperately threw themselves to the ground.
Even the members of the Heavenly Comrade Alliance, who had been fiercely pressing the Heavenly Comrade Alliance, retreated in horror.
Boom!
Finally, the huge piece of rock hit the ground.
A giant dust cloud rose, and fragments of rock flew in all directions like blades.
"Uh, uh..."
A warrior of the Heavenly Comrade Alliance fell to the ground with trembling legs and cold sweat running down his forehead as he stared ahead. The dust began to settle slowly, revealing the enormous rock fallen from the cliff right in front of him.
If he had been just one step closer, they wouldn't have even found his corpse.
"What... what is this...?"
But that wasn't all.
"Argh!"
"Huh?"
Hearing the desperate screams from above, the warrior on the ground quickly looked up.
Thud! Thud!
The members of the Heavenly Comrade Alliance were falling from the cliff, crashing to the ground and dying instantly.
"Uh, uh..."
Thud!
There were at least dozens.
The impact of their falls dispersed the dust still in the air.
"Uh..."
The warrior on the ground moved away from the cliff almost crawling.
"Are you okay?"
Those who managed to escape narrowly nodded dazedly.
Although many were injured by the flying rock fragments, fortunately, no one lost their life thanks to their quick reaction.
Jong Rigok looked at the collapsed cliff with a disfigured face.
"What... what was that? Just a moment ago..."
"Explosives!"
Im Sobyeong appeared covered in dust, grinding his teeth. He kept staring at the cliff.
"Explosives! They used explosives!"
"But... explosives?"
How could martial artists from Kangho get explosives?
Since Jang Ilso deceived everyone with non-existent explosives in the past on the Yangtze River, it was proven that even for the Myriad Man Manor or the Evil Tyrant Alliance, getting explosives on a large scale was difficult.
"It makes no sense! With this level of explosive power, the explosives must be high quality. How could they get them...?"
"It's the Southern Sea Sun Palace!"
Im Sobyeong interrupted Jong Rigok with a sharp tone, as if he didn't need to hear more.
"Don't you understand? The Southern Sea Sun Palace isn't an ordinary Kangho sect. They are the royalty of Im Eub! For a country, the amount of explosives we consider ‘huge’ is ‘insignificant’."
Suddenly, Jong Rigok's face turned colorless.
"Then…"
His gaze quickly turned to the top of the cliff.
In the center of the red cliff was a large crack. His heart sank. It felt as if his own heart was cracking too.
"Are there more explosives…?"
Did that mean everyone heading to the cliff now could cause an explosion of that magnitude?
'No…'
Even this explosion had already caused part of the cliff to break off, creating a huge crack.
If a bigger explosion occurred, what would happen to the cliff?
"What does this mean?"
Namgung Dowi, who had run towards them with a pale face, shouted.
"If the cliff collapses, what will happen to those at the top? Huh?"
Everyone was looking at the cliff with puzzled faces, covered in dust, looking like defeated soldiers.
It was a huge cliff, almost impossible to climb. If that cliff suddenly collapsed, could those at the top survive?
'…No, impossible.'
People aren't birds. Nor are martial artists.
Martial artists can climb any cliff as long as they have a place to put their feet. But that's only when they have somewhere to stand. In the middle of free fall, there's no way to protect themselves.
"It makes no sense! At the top of the cliff, it's not just the Mount Hua Sect and the Wudang Sect!"
Murong Wijeong shouted with a pale face.
"Most of those at the top of the cliff are from the Evil Faction! If the cliff collapses, many more will die than those from the Mount Hua Sect…"
But his voice suddenly cut off. His face, already pale, now had a bluish tint.
"…Jang Ilso."
He had understood.
If it was Jang Ilso, and the man supporting him, Ho Gakmyung, something like this wouldn't be hard to do. Pushing hundreds of his followers into hell wouldn't be anything to them.
"How can a human…? How can a person wearing a human mask…?"
Murong Wijeong murmured as if he were losing his mind. No one responded to him, but the others didn't feel much different.
"Then let's climb the mountain! If we move away from the cliff…"
"Talk some sense! They must already be in the center of enemy territory; they can't have time for that."
"But…"
Those who knew the Mount Hua Sect began to feel dizzy.
Surely it was so. The Mount Hua Sect they knew wasn't a sect that cared about insignificant things in front of their enemies.
"Then, was all this done to lure the Mount Hua Sect there?"
"Ho Gakmyung, damn bastard…!"
Im Sobyeong shouted, unable to contain his rage. Everyone was running in circles, desperate.
"We have to warn them!"
"How?"
"We have to climb and stop them! If not, the Mount Hua Sect…"
Yes.
They had to warn them. Or better yet, stop them. If they didn't, the cliff would collapse completely, and everyone at the top, including those from the Mount Hua Sect, would die.
But…
'Climb? Here?'
Murong Wijeong looked in shock at the huge fallen rock in front of him. His gaze then turned to the corpses of the Evil Tyrant Alliance members lying scattered everywhere.
…Those who had just fallen off the cliff and died.
"I'll lead! Follow me!"
Namgung Dowi raised his sword and shouted. He was about to run to the cliff when he stopped and looked back.
No one was moving.
"What are you doing? We have to go right now!"
"…Young master."
"What are you doing? There's no time for this…!"
"What if the explosives go off while we’re climbing?"
"…What?"
Murong Wijeong, with a pale face, asked again.
"What will happen to those below? And to those climbing the cliff?"
"…"
"Won't they suffer the same fate as those at the top? Or even worse…"
"That's…!"
Namgung Dowi was about to shout but fell silent.
He saw the hopelessness in everyone's eyes.
"So you're saying we should leave them like this?"
"No, we have to find a way…"
"What other way is there?"
Namgung Dowi shouted in frustration.
Pung Yeongshinga pressed his lips together. He understood Namgung Dowi's sentiment. But he couldn't give the order to climb the cliff to stop them. He didn't want everyone to die along with the Mount Hua Sect.
Namgung Dowi clenched his teeth and looked at everyone with enraged eyes.
But his gaze gradually cooled. Namgung Myeong, seeing that look, felt deep fear and instinctively reached out his hand.
"Young master, please, calm down. Calm down, okay?"
"…"
"There must be another way. We have to inform them…"
Just then...
Namgung Dowi, with a cold look, turned around and ran towards the cliff.
"No, you can't! Stop, Dowi-ah!"
With Namgung Myeong's desperate cry, a white trail appeared on the red cliff from the path Namgung Dowi had taken.
It was dangerous and, at the same time, touching.