Crack!
A swarm of humans ascended the smooth, white wall as if climbing a well-polished mirror.
"Go up! Go up!"
Someone's frantic scream pierced their eardrums. The shouts, loud enough to tear one's throat, reverberated like the drums of war, shaking their hearts.
"Huff! Huff!"
A climber, hands embedded in the wall and scaling the cliff, instinctively glanced down. The sheer drop made his knees tremble.
"Ah..."
In that moment, fear welled up in his eyes.
A steep cliff, with humans clinging to it. The bizarre sight would make even the hearts of seasoned fighters from the Evil Sect shrivel.
"Climb!"
"Don't, don't push... Aaaah!"
A climber lost his balance momentarily due to the force from below and slipped off the cliff face, plummeting down.
"Aaaaaaah!"
"Aaaah!"
Similar screams echoed all around.
The Evil Sect gathered anyone who could wield a weapon. Because fighters of varying martial skills were climbing at different speeds, synchronization was impossible from the start.
"Move!"
"Aaaaaaah!"
There was no time to consider the circumstances of those around them when climbing the cliff with their lives on the line. The slow were dragged down, and the incapable were kicked off. They just kept climbing, eyes fixed upwards.
The reason for their relentless climb was singular.
"They're coming!"
Whoosh!
Flames, which had been pushed back, surged again, engulfing the cliff. Those who could fend off the flames with their inner strength survived, but the others faced a predictable fate.
"Aaaaah!"
Someone covered their burning face, falling from the cliff.
Even before the Wudang swords reached them, the casualties were mounting. It was a reckless charge and an ill-fated strategy by military standards.
However, the pressure it exerted on Wudang was beyond imagination.
"They're coming!"
It was as if a hellish inferno was unleashing people, resembling demons rising to the surface from the depths of hell. Their malice was directed solely at Wudang, making them perhaps more terrifying than actual demons.
"Stay calm!"
But Wudang had a clear advantage. They had experienced climbing that cliff before.
"Release it!"
"Yes!"
Crash!
Those at the cliff edge kicked large, pre-assembled piles of stones, sending them tumbling down.
It was an absurdly simple attack method; it is hard to believe it was used by martial artists.
However, having experienced it firsthand, Wudang knew painfully well that such an attack was more dangerous to cliff climbers than any legendary sword.
Crash!
Rocks smashed against the cliff, splintering and shattering protruding stones. The torrential rain of rocks swelled as it poured down on the Evil Sect climbers.
"Aaaaah!"
Climbing a cliff means one hand must always be on the surface. Those who hadn't reached the level of protecting their bodies with inner strength could only rely on their trained bodies, but a human body was too fragile to withstand rocks accelerating from a fall.
Thud! Thud!
"Aaaah!"
"Aaah!"
Flesh burst and bones shattered instantly.
The boulders, gaining speed, didn't stop at one victim but continued to sweep away those below them.
"Damn it...!"
Boom!
A massive rock shattered under the force of someone's desperate punch. At the same time, a furious voice echoed.
"You idiots, instead of screaming, break the rocks! Screaming won't make them avoid you! Damn it!"
The hairy, burly man roared, grabbing the ankle of the person ahead of him.
"Get out of the way, useless fool!"
"Ahhhhh!"
Jang Han, ruthlessly discarding anything in his way, continued to climb higher and higher. He unleashed countless punches at the rain of falling rocks.
Boom boom boom boom boom!
The rocks were pulverized the moment they collided with the rising power. Not only Jang Han, but also others at the forefront, began to wield their weapons, smashing the stones.
"Climb! Use this opportunity to climb! There's no way back for you! If you don't want to cling here and burn to death, climb and survive!"
"Climb up! Now!"
It was indeed a quick and wise decision.
The level of martial arts might not reach that of prestigious sects, but the warriors of the Evil Tyrant Alliance, who had survived countless battles, knew better than anyone what needed to be done to survive. Only those who made such judgments survived.
This was one of the greatest strengths of the Evil Tyrant Alliance, displayed on the chaotic battlefield.
"Pour it down!"
Once again, a ruthless pile of rocks cascaded down the cliff.
Rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble!
"Smash it to pieces!"
But this time, the rocks could not sweep away the evil warriors, as they were all deflected by the preemptively fired energy.
Finally, they adapted and became accustomed to the attack.
"Sasuk!"
The disciples of Wudang looked slightly panicked as their preparations failed, glancing at Heo Gong. Heo Gong clicked his tongue briefly.
If the Evil Tyrant Alliance of the past had prepared heated oil and gunpowder, they could have dealt with these people at once. However, unfortunately, Wudang, unlike the past Jang Ilso, did not have the time or conditions to prepare for this situation.
There were, of course, limits to the damage that could be inflicted with mere rock piles.
Even if they could throw logs now, those who smashed the falling rocks would not be stopped by mere logs.
"Aren't they quite something for the Evil Sect?"
Heo Gong looked down the cliff with a blue, murderous gaze. Then he turned and walked away from the edge.
"Next move..."
"No need for that."
As he turned, Heo Gong drew his sword like lightning. The sword emitted a white sword energy that surged upward.
Swoosh!
The crescent-shaped sword energy penetrated the ground.
Crack!
It then pierced through the cliff face, shooting out into the air. Everyone around them widened their eyes in surprise.
Soon.
Creeeeak.
With the sound of something massive grinding, the ground they had just been standing on began to slowly push towards the cliff.
"Th-that..."
Creeeeak!
The cut-off ground, now a gigantic rock mass, gained speed and began to tilt towards the cliff.
The Wudang disciples gaped in astonishment at the absurdly grandiose sight. However, the shock they felt could not compare to the terror experienced by those watching from below.
"Oh..."
The fur-covered man climbing the cliff stopped and gaped, his eyes wide with fear, as a gigantic shadow approached.
A colossal rock mass, so immense it rendered the word "rock" meaningless, tilted from the cliff's edge, even causing Jang Han, who had effortlessly deflected the rain of rocks, to despair.
"Th-that..."
Rumble.
The rock mass broke off the cliff edge and started to fall.
Rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble!
With a sound like the sky falling, the rock crashed down, intent on demolishing the entire cliff.
"Dodge it! DODGE IT!"
In an uncontrollable situation, those clinging to the cliff screamed and leapt away.
Boom! Boom!
The cliff shattered, scattering debris everywhere, and the rock mass, now dubbed "Fear," rolled down, crushing and bursting the evil sect warriors clinging to the cliff like insects.
Boom! Boom!
"Ahhhhh!"
Those who could scream were the lucky ones. Those who couldn't escape the falling rock were crushed without a chance to cry out.
Boom!
The person stumbled at the force of the rock passing right beside them, looking up with astonished eyes.
'How, how!'
In the past, they had to blow up a cliff with explosives to create such a large rock on the Yangtze River.
But those Wudang bastards up there had cut the cliff with swords, not explosives.
Does that mean the sword's energy is as powerful as thousands of pounds of explosives? How can a person do that?
'Wu, Wudang...'
Engulfed in flames and madness, they suddenly remembered what they had momentarily forgotten.
The weight and pressure of the name "Wudang."
"Climb up!"
Someone who survived shouted again.
"If you dawdle, the rocks will fall again! If you want to live, climb faster. Hurry!"
Those words were definitely effective.
Lingering in fear would only lead to an obvious outcome. Everyone began climbing the cliff more desperately than before.
"Climb if you want to live! Once we're up, we can tear those bastards' throats out! Climb! Faster!"
Eyes filled with despair, fear, and hatred turned towards the sky... No, towards the edge of the cliff touching the sky.
"Sasuk!"
At the end of that edge stood Heo Gong, indifferently receiving the outpouring of murderous and hateful stares.
The Wudang disciples, looking at Heo Gong's back, felt a renewed sense of awe. The sword energy Heo Gong had shown earlier was at a level they could not even begin to mimic.
Even though Heo Gong was called Wudang's greatest talent and genius, who could have imagined he had already reached such heights? During the long closure, Heo Gong's swordsmanship had become incomparably sharper than in the past.
"Roll the stones again."
"Yes, Sasuk!"
The Wudang disciples moved in perfect unison with newfound courage.
With Heo Gong, they could win. They could crush those hateful enemies completely.
It was just at that moment that hope filled everyone's hearts.
"Climb! Climb, you bastards! Those who fear, I'll cut your throats myself! Climb right now."
The person yelling orders from below, his neck turning red with veins popping out, suddenly bit his lips.
Those who had already climbed the cliff had no way back, but those who hadn't yet had a choice.
After the enormous rock fell, the ones who hadn't climbed yet were slowly retreating. Despite having beheaded a few as an example,.
At this rate, it wasn't those people who were the problem; it was his own neck that would fly off first. He had to do something, but the scene that had just unfolded was so shocking that neither his words nor his sword had any effect.
"You bastards, move immediately."
Just as he was about to curse again, he suddenly felt a chill down his spine and turned around. The burning flames were parting lightly to the sides.
Fwoosh.
Eventually, a person appeared, walking slowly.
"G, Commander!"
"Salute the Commander!"
Ho Gakmyung, the Heartless Fiend, didn't pay any attention to their greetings and coldly stared at the cliff. The cliff with numerous indentations and the traces of the huge rock below.
"Indeed, they have some skill."
"G, Commander! If we keep attacking the cliff, the sacrifice will be too great."
"So?"
"Excuse me?"
"So what?"
The lieutenant, who had spoken, flinched and quickly lowered his head. He couldn't handle Ho Gakmyung's icy gaze.
Ho Gak Myung glanced at him indifferently and then looked back at the cliff.
"I don't care about sacrifices. Push them harder."
"Yes, Commander!"
Ho Gakmyung's emotionless eyes were fixed on the one standing alone on the cliff.
His gaze and Heo Gong's gaze collided across the cliff.
Ho Gakmyung muttered, almost as if speaking to himself.
"Today, here... we will erase the name of Wudang."
It was a declaration that could never be taken back.