C1707
It was a tremor that seemed to shake the entire world.
The fact that the ground beneath your feet, which is supposed to firmly support your body, was trembling instilled an indescribable fear in any person.
And if you knew that this tremor was not a simple earthquake but a harbinger of an even greater catastrophe, how would you describe that fear?
"Ah..."
Yoon Jong's eyes began to tremble like a leaf in the wind.
And at that moment.
BOOOOOM!
The ground beneath his feet shook even harder with the sound of a thunderous roar.
Yoon Jong saw it.
"That... that..."
The edge of the land where they were standing. At that place that seemed to touch the sky, several irregular lines were emerging. As if a black lightning bolt was dividing the earth instead of the sky.
"Ah... what?"
"This...!"
The members of the Evil Tyrant Alliance filling the cliff also turned pale.
BOOOOM!
The edge of the cliff began to crumble slowly. No, rather than crumbling, it was more appropriate to describe it as if it was being ground up.
BOOOOM! BOOOOM!
The fragmented and crushed earth began to plummet. Initially, the earth collapsed slowly, but the speed gradually increased.
The collapse progressed faster than the members of the Evil Tyrant Alliance at the edge of the group could comprehend the situation. Before they could react, the ground beneath their feet crumbled and they abruptly fell, causing desperate screams from those watching them.
"It's collapsing!"
"Aaaaah!"
These screams were directed downward, not upward. The bodies were sucked one by one into the black abyss of the cliff, like the entrance to hell.
"Aaaaaaah!"
One, one after another...
The collapsing cliff devoured the members of the Evil Tyrant Alliance like a voracious mouth. It didn't seem willing to leave any behind.
Those who had overcome countless crises, those who carried determination in their hearts, those who were armed with beliefs, all were petrified.
At this moment, they had to accept and understand that they were nothing more than insignificant particles of dust, to be crushed and dragged away by that gigantic collapse.
"Aaaaaaah!"
"No, it can't be..."
With heart-wrenching screams, the already exhausted members of the Evil Tyrant Alliance fell.
No matter how desperately they reached out their hands to grab an uncollapsed spot, and no matter how hard they tried to step firmly, it was useless. No place on that cliff allowed their survival.
"The cliff is collapsing!"
The members of the Evil Tyrant Alliance retreated desperately.
But, was there any place on that cliff they could escape to?
"Retreat!"
Those who were pressing the Mount Hua from both sides of the slope dashed along the path without looking back. Or at least they tried to.
"Move, damn you!"
"Get out of the way! Move now! Before I kill you!"
But that path was narrow, making it favorable to block the enemy. With so many people on the cliff, it was impossible for everyone to escape quickly through that narrow path.
"Let me out!"
"Aaaah!"
The swords swung in desperation cut their own allies. Someone roughly shoved another's face, their eyes wide open in disbelief.
No words made sense in that place at that moment. The only thing valuable was survival. Living was the only thing that mattered.
The swords swung uncontrollably, and hands covered in violent energy tore at anyone in front of them. They trampled the fallen and shoved each other in their frenzy.
"Aaaaah! Move! Move, damn you!"
"Urgh!"
A member of the Evil Tyrant Alliance, stabbed and trampled countless times, felt his vision darken from pain. And the last thing he saw was... the wave of collapse.
BOOOOM!
"No, no..."
The fallen and those who couldn't make it through the wall of people were finally absorbed by the torrent of collapse. A death that, although not quick, never stopped, engulfed them all slowly.
If Ho Gakmyung's plan had succeeded and the cliff had collapsed all at once, they would have died without having time to feel despair and pain.
But now, they were slowly dragged into the claws of death, like in a rabbit hunt.
"From the beginning! From the beginning, you planned this, damn commander!"
"Jang Ilso! Damn demon! I hope you rot in hell!"
Those who now understood the situation cursed and hurled insults at Ho Gakmyung and Jang Ilso, but it was all in vain. Their words didn't leave the cliff and vanished into the air.
"Aaaaaah!"
Some, unable to bear the fear, abandoned the idea of exiting through the slope and threw themselves off the cliff.
Although it might have been a better option than falling helplessly with the collapse, it wouldn't save their lives.
THUD! THUD!
The sounds of bodies smashing as they fell echoed chillingly everywhere. Hearing those groans that seemed to come from hell, those on the cliff became even crazier.
Everyone shared the same sentiment, seeing the only chance of survival amid the chaos.
Giving in to the slope or jumping off the cliff, both were acts of desperation. The members of the Evil Tyrant Alliance who didn't choose either option finally ran towards the place where Mount Hua and the Southern Sea Sun Palace were meeting.
It wasn't to take down Mount Hua. It was to crush the Southern Sea Sun Palace members and get out of there.
"They're coming!"
The first to detect and face the enemies were the Wudang Disciples.
The Wudang Swordsmen, whom Mount Hua had set aside temporarily to fight the Southern Sea Sun Palace, raised their swords with difficulty, preparing to face the members of the Evil Tyrant Alliance who were running towards them like ghosts.
However, the members of the Evil Tyrant Alliance didn't even look at Wudang, who had lost all their strength and become an easy prey. They passed by, avoiding the Wudang swordsmen.
"Open! Open the way! Damn it!"
BOOOM!
Their cries were not directed at anyone other than the members of the Southern Sea Sun Palace.
The innermost end of the cliff, not the edge jutting out towards the mountain's exterior, but the part made of earth and trees. Their cries were directed at the members of the Southern Sea Sun Palace who completely blocked that escape route.
FUUUUSH!
But the members of the Southern Sea Sun Palace, as if they had anticipated this situation, launched bursts of fiery energy without hesitation. They literally burned the members of the Evil Tyrant Alliance.
"Aaaaahhh!"
Dozens of members of the Evil Tyrant Alliance screamed as they were engulfed in red flames. They writhed on the ground, unable to bear the scorching pain, appearing to dance grotesquely. They rolled and screamed as the flames burning their bodies rose like another wall, blocking the path of those trying to survive.
"Damn bastards!"
Desperate attacks were directed at those who had been their allies until recently.
And not only that, the hands covered in scorching heat also struck those they had been fighting alongside just moments ago.
Absolute chaos.
In the threshold between life and death, there were no boundaries between friends and foes, nor between sects, not even between good and evil.
The only thing left were those who fought to survive and those who didn't allow it.
"Do something! Damn it, you're from Mount Hua!"
"If we keep this up, we'll all die! Please!"
The members of the Evil Tyrant Alliance, realizing they couldn't break through on their own, desperately pleaded with Mount Hua.
Baek Cheon clenched his fists and ground his teeth.
They had anticipated they would use this type of tactic. They knew they would sacrifice even their own subordinates.
But seeing it in person was too horrible. He felt such intense anger that it almost turned his stomach.
However, he didn't have time to feel pity at that moment. Although the cliff was wide, if it kept collapsing at this rate, it wouldn't be long before the ground beneath their feet also crumbled.
Baek Cheon looked at the Leader of the Sun Palace. The vile expression of satisfaction on his face was repulsive.
He felt it in that face.
The place where the Leader of the Sun Palace was standing was a geological formation leading to the top of the mountain. It wouldn't collapse despite this breakdown.
Although it was only a few steps of difference, they were in life and the others in death. At this crossroads, having the path of survival in their hands was enormous power.
That's why Baek Cheon couldn't forgive him.
He was a ruthless man who deliberately blocked the living people in front of him and pushed them into an abyss of death. A vile and despicable man who enjoyed his superiority through those ruthless actions.
"This...!"
With his heart pounding with rage, Baek Cheon tried to advance. But the swords of Jo Gul and Yoon Jong were already flying towards the Leader of the Sun Palace.
"Get out of the way, damn bastard!"
Jo Gul's sword split into dozens of fragments and launched towards the Leader of the Sun Palace. However, the leader counterattacked with a fiery technique as if he had anticipated it.
The pressure and heat from the counterattack shattered the bursts of sword energy.
"Kuh!"
A groan escaped from Jo Gul's lips.
"Damn it!"
But they couldn't retreat. Only death was behind them.
"Aaaaargh!"
Jo Gul charged forward with all his might, not looking back. But the Leader of the Sun Palace's fiery energy exploded and enveloped him, throwing him backward.
"Aaaah!"
"Gul!"
Yoon Jong desperately swung his sword, creating a shield of energy in front of Jo Gul. But he couldn't withstand all the impact. Yoon Jong was also thrown back along with Jo Gul.
Hye Yeon, dressed in a black robe, immediately launched himself forward.
"Haah!"
FWOOSH!
Hye Yeon's punches drew dozens of trajectories in the air. It was an extreme fist technique at its highest level. It wasn't the usual heavy punch, but one focused on speed and destruction, a technique appropriate for the desperation of the moment.
"Hmph!"
The Leader of the Sun Palace laughed and launched a punch. Dozens of fist shadows filled the air, each one charged with immense energy.
Hye Yeon's attacks were completely neutralized, and the leader's fists struck his body.
BOOM!
"Ugh!"
Hye Yeon spat blood as he was pushed back.
If it hadn't been for Yoo Iseol's sword, which flew like an arrow towards the Leader of the Sun Palace's neck at that moment, Hye Yeon might have suffered a severe injury in the next attack.
CLANG!
But although Yoo Iseol's sword saved Hye Yeon, it couldn't take down the Leader of the Sun Palace. Her precise and rapid sword movements left a deep scar on the leader's valuable hand, but it wasn't enough to make him retreat.
BOOM!
Yoo Iseol was thrown back by the Leader of the Sun Palace's energy.
"Dieeeee!"
The members of the Evil Tyrant Alliance, waiting for their chance, simultaneously lunged at the Leader of the Sun Palace. They knew they would die if they didn't manage to take him down.
"How dare you!"
But the Leader of the Sun Palace launched a punch, creating an enormous whirlwind of flames that enveloped them. Desperate screams echoed, and dozens of members of the Evil Tyrant Alliance were reduced to ashes instantly.
CRACK!
At the same time, the charred bodies disintegrated and scattered.
The Leader of the Sun Palace let out an ear-splitting roar.
"Did you think I would be so easy to defeat, you miserable wretches?!"
With a fierce and hateful look, the Leader of the Sun Palace glared down at everyone desperate in front of him.
