KAAAAAANG!
Jin Hyeon was pushed back frantically as he blocked the incoming force.
"Ugh!"
His hair crackled as it burned. Each exchange brought unbearable heat, scorching his clothes and reddening his skin, as if he had fallen into a furnace.
'Southern Sea Sun Palace!'
Its heat technique alone was enough to deter even the most prestigious martial sects in the Central Plains. The intensity was a clear testament to why its fame had spread from such a distant land.
CHIIIIIIIIK!
"Ugh..."
What was even more unbearable was that the more he faced the heat technique, the hotter his sword became. Without suppressing the heat with his inner strength, his Songmungogeom would have turned red-hot like molten iron.
However, this method had its limits, and it became increasingly difficult to hold the sword as time passed. This wasn't about martial skills, but inner strength. The immense inner power accumulated over a lifetime by those old masters was too much for Jin Hyeon's pristine internal technique to handle.
'No... more...!'
Just as a scream of pain was about to escape Jin Hyeon's lips.
"AAAAAAAH!"
Someone was rolling, engulfed in flames.
"Sage!"
Instead of a scream, a shout of rage, indignation, and sorrow echoed across the burning mountain.
"Ugh!"
As Jin Hyeon tried to rush forward in anger, a hand extended like lightning, blocking his path.
CLANG!
The clash of sword and palm sent Jin Hyeon staggering back once again.
"Ugh!"
"A lowly one dares to be distracted in front of me?"
The enforcer of the Sun Palace, clad in a fiery aura, approached Jin Hyeon with a grim expression.
"You insolent fool."
"Cough!"
As the heat surged, Jin Hyeon gasped for breath, coughing violently. The enforcer spoke with anger.
"To match me, at least an elder should come. How dare a mere ordinary swordsman try to block my way? Have the venerable ones of Wudang all fled in fear?"
"Don't speak ill of them! They are not ones to be insulted by the likes of you!"
"Still don't know your place!"
Fury flared in the enforcer's eyes.
WOOONG.
Scarlet energy surged from his hands like molten lava.
"No matter. Once I kill all of you, those cowardly old ones will have no choice but to show themselves."
The storm of energy surged from the enforcer's hands, rushing towards Jin Hyeon.
It was a battle between the extremity of cold, as represented by the North Sea Ice Palace's Ice White Divine Palm, and the extreme heat of the Southern Sea Sun Palace's exclusive technique, the Sun Flame Divine Palm, unfolding in Wudang.
Jin Hyeon barely managed to roll away, avoiding the incoming energy. The heat from the blast set the grass ablaze and even scorched the earth.
"You dodge well, like a rat!"
This was different from ordinary energy blasts, which relied on inner strength. It was also different from Wudang's Soft Palm, which pushed opponents away. The heat alone from the Sun Flame Divine Palm was enough to melt opponents. Even though it wasn't actual fire, the sheer heat made it difficult for Jin Hyeon to find a way to counter it.
'Ugh!'
Softness can overcome strength, but can it subdue heat itself? The world was too vast to rely on the subtlety of softness alone. His sword had yet to reach the level of perfect harmony.
It wasn't just about dealing with the immediate threat. The intense heat from the Sun Flame made it hard to breathe. Each breath felt like his lungs were burning.
Martial arts from outside the Central Plains developed along different lines, making adaptation difficult. It was excruciatingly painful.
He wasn't the only one suffering.
"AAAAHHH!"
"Jinhwa!"
"My arm! My arm!"
A Wudang swordsman, his arm engulfed in red flames, screamed in agony. Though prepared to die for Wudang, the searing pain wasn't something sheer willpower could withstand.
"AAAAAAHHHH!"
And it wasn't just him.
If it were swordsmanship, I might somehow manage, and if it were fist techniques, I might withstand it. But facing these invaders head-on with sheer inner strength alone was mismatched.
Especially since this inner strength was manifested in the form of the Solar Yang Art, which none of Wudang's swordsmen had ever encountered.
"Mu Ryang!"
Mu Jin hurriedly ran over and held his fellow disciple, whose entire body was charred black.
He could tell at a glance. There was no hope.
No matter how excellent Wudang's medical skills were, no matter how incredible the elixirs they possessed, there was no way to save someone who had been burned black.
Nevertheless, Mu Jin had no choice but to say these words:
"Are you alright? Don't worry! Huh? Right now...."
"Sahyung...."
"Just a bit longer! Just hold on a bit longer!"
"Wu...Dang...."
Mu Ryang's head slumped powerlessly.
The heat that had scorched his body remained, but within it was a chilling cold that could not be resisted. Mu Jin bit his lower lip until it bled.
Sorrow? There was no time to feel such a thing. Sensing the incoming force, Mu Jin couldn't even retrieve Mu Ryang's body before rolling away.
Boom!
"Master!"
Even though he reacted quickly, a burning pain spread from his toes.
'Damn it!'
Since the elders of the Southern Sea Sun Palace stepped forward, the narrow terrain that had helped Wudang hold its ground now became a shackle.
Wudang's plan to block the narrow terrain with stronger forces was fundamentally undermined by the arrival of those with superior inner strength.
'Where are the elders?'
Obviously, the most effective way to deal with such opponents was for those of equal skill to step forward.
"Send reinforcements! Request immediate support from the elders who went to the other side!"
"A messenger has already been sent! But still...!"
Mu Jin felt indescribable agony.
He couldn't understand it at all.
A messenger? Was that really necessary? Even if there was some distance between the slopes, the elders of Wudang whose martial arts were far superior to his own, should have been able to sense what was happening here.
So why weren't they coming to help? Was the enemy launching an all-out attack on the opposite slope? In that narrow terrain?
The absence of stronger allies was disrupting the balance here, but what were the elders of Wudang doing!
However, the despair didn't end there. Someone shouted,
"Sahyung! The cliff! Look at the cliff!"
Mu Jin quickly turned his head in that direction, and his eyes widened in shock.
He saw the members of the Evil Tyrant Alliance rapidly climbing up the center of the cliff.
'When did they get there?'
He hadn't lowered his head. He had merely turned it to the side. Yet, he hadn't seen the members of the Evil Tyrant Alliance until now. That meant they had climbed more than halfway up the cliff.
"Climb faster! Almost there!"
The shouts of the evil sect members, which hadn't been heard before, now echoed in Mu Jin's ears. If they reached the top of the cliff, Wudang's disciples defending the slope would be caught in a pincer attack from both the Southern Sea Sun Palace and these villains.
'Master!'
Mu Jin's head instinctively turned towards one person.
Boom!
A massive explosion from above shook Mu Jin's ears. The force of the powerful energy made his body tremble.
In the midst of the deepening darkness, the sight of Baek Anam's summit stood out. White and black energy swirled, creating numerous hand shadows. It was a dazzling display of martial arts far beyond his own reach.
Heo Gong was holding his own against the Thousand-Faced Gentleman, who had a far greater reputation than him.
It was impressive. Truly worthy of admiration. But on the other hand, it also meant that Heo Gong was being held back by the Thousand-Faced Gentleman.
Mu Jin had no choice but to realize.
Just as a solid dam starts to crumble from a single small crack, the defense line they had built on this cliff was beginning to crack.
At this rate, it would collapse. This cliff, the key to defending Wudang, would fall.
'What should I do?'
His mind screamed that there was no hope left here.
And it seemed he wasn't the only one thinking that way.
"Master, we need to retreat! It's too difficult here!"
Overwhelming force. Knowing when to retreat in the face of insufficient strength was not cowardice but wisdom.
"Master!"
Mu Jin's eyes shot open. He pushed aside the one shouting in front of him and extended his sword in an instant. The tip of his sword rushed towards the throat of the Southern Sea Sun Palace's protector.
"You dare?"
Crash!
The protector swung his hand, deflecting the sword and raising his inner strength. The Solar Yang energy swelled as if to engulf Mu Jin.
In response, Mu Jin's sword emitted a black and white energy, drawing a small Taiji symbol in the air.
Boom!
The energy spiraled, piercing through the incoming force, and struck the protector's chest directly.
"Gah!"
The protector spat blood and was thrown down the slope. Only bloodstains remained where he had stood.
"Master!"
Of course, Mu Jin was not unscathed. The Solar Yang energy had scorched his left face and shoulder, melting his flesh. Without a moment to recoil at the horrific injury, Mu Jin plunged his sword into the ground in front of him.
There were no words.
No rallying cry to steel his resolve, no desperate scream to die together. Mu Jin simply planted his sword and glared at the ones climbing the slope.
Even as half his face melted from the searing heat.
At this moment, the disciples of Wudang, who had been looking for a way to retreat, stopped in their tracks.
"I too."
Mu Jin's mouth opened with great effort.
"I too am afraid."
It was a very short sentence. However, the Taoists of Wudang Sect immediately closed their eyes as if resigning themselves. They couldn't retreat. They couldn't step back. Not after seeing such a sight. Not after hearing such words.
"Wonsicheonjon...." (Primordial Heavenly Zone is the lit translation.)
Someone started reciting a scripture. The scripture is meant to calm the mind by chanting it aloud. Perhaps what they needed right now was what they had repeated countless times before.
No more words were needed.
"Waaaaah!"
A huge roar erupted from below. The enemies were rushing up this slope. As if determined to sever their lives and the fate of Wudang Sect for sure.
Overwhelming odds, or a mantis trying to stop a cart.
It didn't matter. Sometimes, even clashing and perishing held meaning.
"Sasuk."
"...Jinhyun."
Mu Jin, who had lost one eye, responded without even turning his head. Jin Hyun was probably feeling the same despair as he was. All that was left was to make a splendid last stand.
But then, something unexpected came out of Jin Hyun's mouth.
"Softness...."
"Mm?"
"Enduring with all our might is not everything Wudang Sect stands for."
"What are you talking about?"
Mu Jin frowned with his remaining eye and asked. Jin Hyun spoke slowly.
"They will come. If it's them."
Mu Jin slowly turned his head to look at Jin Hyun. Jin Hyun's face, red with heat and blood, was serious. He seemed to have no doubt.
Like a drop of rain on dry land. It seemed meaningless and worthless, but still, there was the expectation of a larger rainstorm. Something else called hope.
"Yes, Mount Hua."
"Heavenly Comrade Alliance."
The names naturally flowed from the mouths of the disciples beside them.
"Mount Hua's Chivalrous Sword."
They had been ridiculed and criticized. Sometimes they envied, and sometimes they despised.
But the recklessness they had so scorned was now a ray of light for those standing here.
'So that's it.'
The recklessness that Mount Hua Sect had laughed at in this lofty mountain had become hope for those in the deepest despair. Just like Mu Jin felt now.
Realizing this, Mu Jin felt a deep sense of relief and an unavoidable shame from the name Mount Hua.
'What did I know to judge them so recklessly?'
How could someone who didn't understand desperation dare to speak of loftiness?
"It is natural to fight with the resolve to die. However...."
As if reading his mind, Jin Hyun smiled faintly.
"If possible, it wouldn't be bad to survive and face them."
A complex light crossed Mu Jin's face.
"Will they... really help us?"
"They will come. Certainly."
Jin Hyun said it with conviction.
"Because that's the kind of people they are."
At that moment, Mu Jin's hand trembled slightly without him realizing it.
"They're coming! They're coming, Sasuk!"
Mu Jin shouted involuntarily.
"Retreat! Form the second line of defense at the top of Baekanam!"
"S-sasuk?"
Then he grabbed the person next to him and pushed them back.
"Fall back immediately! Survive to the end! Even for a moment longer!"
"Yes!"
The Taoists of Wudang Sect began to withdraw in a flurry. Even as he shouted, Mu Jin was unsure if this was the right choice.
Now, he could only believe.
'Yes, they will surely come.'
If it's them. If it's the people he knew.