A chilling light spread through the Taoist, piercing the chest with a horrifying sound.
"Keheok..."
"Sa-je!"
So much blood splattered into the air that even in the darkness, it was distinctly visible.
It would have been better if I couldn't see it clearly, but the trained vision kept my eyes keen even in this darkness, allowing me to see the life fading from them.
"Ugh... Huh..."
The faces of those witnessing their fallen companions were steeped in sorrow. But behind that sorrow, an undeniable fear was also present.
"S-Sasuk..."
A Wudang disciple, seemingly in a daze, reached out towards the fallen figure in the distance. Murky tears filled his eyes, making his vision blurry.
As he tried to take a step forward, someone grabbed him by the nape of his neck, yanking him back as if to bite him.
"Pull yourself together!"
"Sas... Sasuk?"
"Look ahead! Don't take your eyes off the enemy!"
"But..."
"You idiot! Do you want to die too?"
"Ugh..."
The man covered in blood, Mu Jin. His one remaining eye shone with a fierce intensity.
"The dead are dead! If you have time to mourn, focus on surviving! Tears for the dead are a useless luxury right now!"
The words from the Taoist were harsh, even brutal. But they were all he could say.
"Do you understand?"
Once again, the frightened disciple nodded vigorously. Mu Jin threw him behind him and aimed his sword forward.
The scene of the battlefield before him was starkly clear.
Enemies and more enemies. Even after defeating them, it seemed as if they would never end.
And beneath their feet lay the bodies of the companions who had once breathed and lived on this mountain.
Half. No, perhaps even more than half were dead.
Even if so many lives were sacrificed to turn the enemy into ghosts, could it be said that their deaths were truly worthwhile?
The grief for the fallen? The sorrow for the anguished deaths?
Certainly, at moments like this, someone might be burning with such emotions.
But now, Mu Jin's mind was filled only with the thought of protecting even one more person still alive.
That desperation was the driving force behind Mu Jin's movements.
"Sasuk! Ahead!"
Suddenly, a desperate voice cried out, and a spear flew toward Mu Jin's side.
Mu Jin swung his sword in haste, but his movements were not as swift as usual. In a normal state, he would have easily sliced through the air and deflected the spear. Now, the sword's movement was sluggish, barely managing to strike the spear's side.
Crack!
"Sasuk!"
The spear ultimately pierced Mu Jin's side at an angle. Gritting his teeth, Mu Jin shouted as he slashed at the spearman's neck.
Pfft!
Hot blood gushed from the severed neck. The blood Mu Jin spilled was covered by the blood of the enemy. Here, the meaning of spilled blood could not be discerned. It would soon be trampled and soiled.
"Sasuk!"
"I'm fine!"
Mu Jin extended his hand forcefully, dissuading those who tried to come to his aid.
Despite the excruciating pain and even greater terror, a strange laugh escaped him.
Though his mind was fervent, his body could not keep up. How naïve to believe that if he didn't lose his will, he could fight until the end.
Looking to the side, he saw Wudang disciples, also drenched in blood, struggling against the enemies' blade as if it were demonic fangs. Their exhaustion was evident.
Rustle!
"Sahyeong!"
Even blood splattered from Jin Hyun's body.
An attack that would normally be easily deflected had now reached Jin Hyun's limit. Everyone here was facing their limits.
The blood flowing down his forehead kept entering his eyes. The dark world turned red. It was akin to their current plight.
"Aaaargh!"
At that moment, Mu Jin let out a beast-like roar and charged at the enemy before him.
Crack!
The tip of the sword precisely and fiercely pierced the enemy's neck. The blade cut through flesh and bone. Yet now, even that sensation felt distant and hazy.
Twisting the embedded sword, Mu Jin swung it horizontally.
His dantian had already been drained, almost torn apart by pain. Yet Mu Jin squeezed out every last bit of energy without hesitation.
Fwoooosh!
The emitted sword energy swept away the enemy in an instant.
"Scum, like a corpse!"
But the enemy no longer retreated helplessly from his sword energy. The pack of Evil Sect followers, like hungry wolves, had precisely assessed Mu Jin's condition.
The Evil Tyrant Alliance also rushed in to sink their fangs into the neck of this cornered prey.
"Mu Jin!"
Seeing Mu Jin's peril, a swift force from the empty air hurtled towards him.
Kaan!
In an instant, his sword was knocked back forcefully.
"Do you still have the luxury to be distracted?"
"..."
Mu Jin dragged his displaced sword back.
Indeed, his body had become a literal wreck. His clothes had turned to tatters, barely recognizable, and his body, struck by the Thousand-Faced Gentleman's force, was swollen everywhere.
But the more critical issue was the internal injury.
The malevolent energy seeping into his body through the Thousand-Faced Gentleman's force was wreaking havoc inside, beyond even the pure Wudang's mental techniques.
In comparison, the external wounds seemed trivial.
The Thousand-Faced Gentleman laughed.
"Where did that earlier intimidation go?"
Whoosh!
As the Thousand-Faced Gentleman struck the air, a terrifying force of tension surged not through the air, but towards his side. It was aimed at his subordinates who were giving their all to block the enemy.
Heo Gong thrust his sword with all his might to counter the Thousand-Faced Gentleman's force. However, in the gap, his waist twisted, leaving his back exposed, and immediately, three streams of force penetrated the open spot.
Boom! Boom!
Blood, dark and red, seeped from his tightly clenched lips.
He tried to mitigate the shock by channelling his internal energy, but it felt like a colossal bell was continually pounding his body.
"Cough!"
Unable to hold back, he erupted in a violent, bloodied cough and futilely clutched at the blood that was streaming from his trembling side.
Boom!
The attack intensified. The Thousand-Faced Gentleman's force swelled like clouds, soaring towards Heo Gong. This time, Heo Gong dared not face it and rolled to the ground.
Rumble!
The ground where he had been destroyed.
"Ugh!"
As Heo Gong quickly tried to rise, something dug sharply into his side.
Crash!
The impact made Heo Gong's eyes widen. His ribs shattered instantly, and his body was hurled like a ball.
It was a shock so immense that it almost made him lose consciousness. The urge to give up everything was so overwhelming that it clouded his mind.
But Heo Gong forcefully shook off the temptation and twisted his body.
Swoosh!
Several powerful forces barely missed him as they passed by his side. If he had been even a moment slower, he would have been instantly killed.
Thud.
Barely landing on his side, Heo Gong rolled again.
Rumble!
The place where he had been once more exploded. The relentless barrage left him no time to recover.
Despite struggling to get back on his feet, Heo Gong aimed his sword once more at the Thousand-Faced Gentleman.
The Wudang's fighting stance. Although he had taken this posture countless times, no one could feel the status of the Wudang's grand sect in his stance now.
The tip of his sword trembled uncontrollably, and the legs meant to support it were on the verge of collapsing.
The Thousand-Faced Gentleman, observing with a smirk, sneered.
"Why is that? Didn't you act as if you could handle someone like me?"
Blood and sweat, mixed in a mess, dripped down his chin. Heo Gong, with half-closed eyes, desperately watched the Thousand-Faced Gentleman.
"Youngsters think like that. They think that by getting stronger, they can achieve anything they want. That they can accomplish anything they desire."
The Thousand-Faced Gentleman's face twisted. It was odd how the mask covering his face didn't fall off.
"Did you think it would be that easy?"
"..."
"Did you think that you were the only one in this world who strives and struggles? Did you believe that with your innate talent, you could stand above others anytime? Or did you perhaps think that true effort would always be met with a fair reward?"
Each word from the Thousand-Faced Gentleman gouged and stabbed at Heo Gong's heart.
"If you believed that, then your life has been nothing but a lie."
The Thousand-Faced Gentleman slowly released his hands from behind his back.
"The truth is found in the most miserable places. While you were playing around on this mountain, others were sticking knives into people's mouths just to get a cold rice ball. To survive, some licked the feet of others, and to climb higher, they betrayed those they believed in."
The Thousand-Faced Gentleman grinned maliciously.
"Do you think someone like you could understand that?"
Crash!
The black-and-white sword energy Heo Gong unleashed swirled around the spot where the Thousand-Faced Gentleman stood.
Boom!
A massive explosion occurred. Even if the Thousand-Faced Gentleman had been caught up in it, he wouldn't have survived, but he had already retreated to the edge of a cliff.
"Ha... Hoo."
Struggling to retrieve his trembling sword, Heo Gong spoke.
"...Pathetic as an excuse."
The Thousand-Faced Gentleman shook his head and returned to his nonchalant stance.
Heo Gong was already at his limit. The other Wudang swordsmen were the same. There was no need to exert more effort; they would collapse just as they were. He had seen it countless times—the desperation of those pushed to their limits and their final moments.
They would be no different. Only...
"Enough of your blabbering."
Whoosh!
A terrifying force from the Thousand-Faced Gentleman struck Heo Gong's chin.
Boom!
Heo Gong, like a severed thread, was flung to the ground.
"I promised, didn't I? That you wouldn't die easily. Now, I will fulfill that promise..."
The Thousand-Faced Gentleman, calmly walking towards Heo Gong, suddenly halted.
'Hmm?'
His back felt cold. As if something was targeting him.
But there was only the high cliff behind him. Who would dare to target him?
After a brief moment of contemplation, the Thousand-Faced Gentleman decided to trust his instincts. He stepped towards the cliff and peered down below.
His eyes widened impossibly large.
"...W-What is that?"
Incredibly, it was a black dragon.
A black dragon.
A black dragon with sharp scales was climbing the cliff stained red with the blood of many.
The moment he realized that the sharp scales were flaming swords, the Thousand-Faced Gentleman's hair stood on end.
"Mount Hua?"
The cursed name escaped his lips involuntarily. The loose grip in his hand tightened.