The situation was becoming clearer.
The suicide squad that went up the mountain had clearly been wiped out. But among the demons guarding the mountain, there must have been survivors. After all, the Ten Thousand Demon Mountain was practically their stronghold.
So, it wouldn't be strange if someone had witnessed Chung Myung beheading the Heavenly Demon.
"Damn it!"
Chung Myung threw the paper he was holding.
The ones who should have seen it were all dead, and the ones who shouldn't have seen it did. What kind of messed-up situation is this!
Jo Gul flinched and stepped back.
"Why are you suddenly so angry…?"
"Ugh."
Chung Myung scrunched up his face.
'Calm down.'
There's no reason to get angry in front of Jo Gul. He can get angry later if he needs to.
"So, the Demonic Cult invaded and wiped out Mount Hua?"
"It doesn't seem like the damage was catastrophic. They must have exhausted themselves breaking through Sichuan to reach Shaanxi. But I heard a lot of the buildings burned down, and a lot of martial arts were lost."
That makes sense. It's somewhat understandable.
Even if the teachings weren't properly passed down, if the secret manuals had survived, things wouldn't have gotten this bad. Learning martial arts from just the manuals without a teacher is hellishly difficult, but it's still a hundred times better than having nothing.
But if even those manuals were lost, it explains why Mount Hua fell so quickly.
"It explains it, but…"
It explains it clearly, so why doesn't it feel satisfying? Why does it feel like my chest is about to burst?
"Ugh. Anyway, I get it."
Chung Myung wobbled as he got up.
"Where are you going?"
"...A walk. I need to clear my head for a bit."
"The senior instructor will be here soon to check. If you get in trouble, don't blame me."
"Yeah, yeah. Thanks."
Jo Gul shook his head in confusion as he watched Chung Myung stagger away.
'What a weird guy.'
❀ ❀ ❀
"Crazy."
A thousand fires were raging inside him.
Damn it, freeze to death!
I risked my life—no, I literally gave my life—to cut off that Heavenly Demon's head, and now others have taken all the benefits while Mount Hua is ruined?
What kind of messed-up result is this? Is there no justice in this world?
The more he thought about it, the angrier he got.
"Sigh…"
Now, even when he saw how pathetic they were, it was hard to get properly angry. If it's all because of Chung Myung, what can he say?
"No. Since when do demons have such a sense of honor!"
If the Heavenly Demon died, they should have just curled up in a corner and lived quietly. But no, they had to invade Shaanxi for revenge.
If Mount Hua had been in Sichuan instead of Shaanxi, the entire foundation would have been uprooted.
"I can't even call this fortunate."
Only his poor hair was being pulled out.
"Haah."
Still, sitting alone on the eaves, watching the darkening sky, his heart seemed to calm down a bit.
'That's just how the world is.'
The reason Chung Myung was really annoyed wasn't because what he did harmed Mount Hua. He was angry because the consequences of his actions were entirely shouldered by the later generations.
If Chung Myung had lived to deal with the aftermath, he would have gladly endured it.
But he died, and the innocent young disciples had to bear the consequences, didn't they? Thinking that the current state of Mount Hua was the price, it was hard to calm the boiling anger inside him.
"Tsk. What can I do?"
No one could blame Chung Myung.
Thanks to him killing the Heavenly Demon, Mount Hua suffered, but if he hadn't killed the Heavenly Demon back then, not just Mount Hua but the entire Central Plains would have collapsed.
Chung Myung had no choice. Even if he went back to that time now, he would cut off the Heavenly Demon's head without hesitation.
But…
"It's strangely unsettling."
Chung Myung let out a deep sigh.
"Ah, what's done is done. If it's ruined, I'll just rebuild it!"
Whether he's responsible or not doesn't matter. Whether he's responsible or not, what he has to do is the same, right? He just needs to revive Mount Hua.
"Thinking about it won't change anything. As long as the result is good, that's all that matters!"
If he can make it stronger than before it fell, that's enough. It might be impossible for others, but it's possible for Chung Myung.
It's a bit difficult, though.
No, it's very difficult.
In terms of difficulty, it might be harder than cutting off the Heavenly Demon's head, but the important thing is that it's possible, right?
'I'm getting impatient.'
Impatience is poison for someone training. Moving quickly and trying to move quickly are different things. He needs to observe himself more and move forward without rushing.
"Alright, first, calm down."
First, he needs to find out what else is broken besides the lost martial arts manuals. To do that, asking someone is the best way.
"Sect Leader, where are you! Come out right now!"
Yeah, first, ask the Sect Leader…
Wait, that wasn't me, was it?
Chung Myung's eyes widened, and he turned his head toward the source of the voice.
'The main gate?'
From the distant main gate, a noisy commotion could be heard.
'At this hour?'
The sun was setting. But visitors at this hour?
No, what did they say again?
"Sect Leader, come out!"
Ah, that's right. Sect Leader…
"Sect Leader?"
Chung Myung rubbed his ears with a blank expression.
"What did I just hear?"
Sect Leader, come out?
'Who the hell is this?'
Who dares to barge into Mount Hua's main gate and arrogantly call for the Sect Leader? If it were the old Mount Hua, this would be unimaginable.
Before they could even finish their insolent words, a fist would have smashed into their mouth.
But the people at the gate now seemed completely unaware of what they were doing.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The sound of someone violently knocking on the gate echoed. At the same time, the gate, barely holding its shape, began to creak as if it would break.
"Wh-what?"
Crash!
The main gate finally made a loud noise and fell backward. The gate, now collapsed on the ground, shattered into pieces, sending dust flying in all directions.
Chung Myung stared blankly at the scene.
'They broke the gate?'
Mount Hua's main gate?
What the hell is happening right now?
"Let's go in!"
About a dozen people who had broken the gate charged inside. Then, they all ran in a straight line toward the Sect Leader's residence. Their movements were so unified it seemed like they'd done this before.
The commotion startled the disciples, who came running out.
"W-wait a minute!"
"You can't do this!"
But the intruders were relentless.
"Move! Get out of the way!"
"Tell the Sect Leader to come out!"
"Huh? Did you just touch me?"
Chung Myung's eyes rolled.
'What is this situation?'
There was no sense of martial arts from the intruders who had broken in.
But the disciples seemed too afraid to stand in their way. Every time a large man puffed out his chest, the disciples were pushed back as if hit by a cannonball.
It wasn't that they lacked strength.
Absolutely not! It felt like they had a firm resolve not to clash with these people, no matter what.
"Uh…"
Before Chung Myung could fully grasp the situation, the intruders pushed past the disciples and reached the Sect Leader's residence.
"Sect Leader! Come out right now!"
"Don't try to run away, come out!"
"We know you're in there! We're not leaving today until you come out."
Chung Myung felt his head spinning.
'Is this reality?'
Where is this?
No matter how much it's declined, this is the great Mount Hua Sect! And yet, they're causing such a ruckus in front of the Sect Leader's residence.
"Ugh!"
A vein popped on his forehead. But Chung Myung couldn't release his boiling anger.
"What are you doing?"
"Huh?"
One of the disciples trying to stop the intruders turned his head sharply to look at Chung Myung.
"Get inside right now! Why is a third-generation disciple wandering around here at this hour!"
"...Uh."
Chung Myung looked around.
Now that he thought about it, no one else had come out. Even though such a commotion had broken out, no one else was around.
'Does this happen often?'
If a commotion breaks out, it's human nature to peek out. But no one came out, which means there's already a set protocol for how to handle such situations.
Chung Myung, who had just arrived, wouldn't know.
"What are you doing!"
Even so, shouldn't you deal with those guys first, you idiots!
"Sect Leader! Come out right now!"
"We're not leaving today! Hiding won't help, so come out!"
"Have you no shame!"
Whether the disciples scolded Chung Myung or not, the crowd in front of the residence kept shouting without stopping.
Chung Myung's neck stiffened.
At that moment.
Creak.
A slightly grating noise was heard as the door opened. Then, Hyeonjong, the Sect Leader of Mount Hua, slowly walked out.
As he appeared, the disciples who had been trying to stop the crowd all bowed in unison. The Sect Leader waved his hand slightly, dismissing them, and then spoke.
"What brings you here at this late hour?"
'As expected.'
Even though his blood was boiling, Chung Myung couldn't help but admire him.
Even as a later-generation disciple, Hyeonjong had lived a long life. Just because his status was low and he was born later doesn't mean his dignity as a person was diminished.
Every movement, every word, exuded an air of immortality. Thanks to that, Chung Myung's excitement calmed down a bit.
Truly…
"Stop pretending you don't know what's going on!"
"Come down! Right now!"
"What are you acting all composed for!"
Yeah, he's acting composed…
Wait, no, that's not it!
Hyeonjong's face stiffened slightly as he came down. Then, he let out a low sigh.
"I'm not running away, nor am I hiding. If I leave Mount Hua, where would I go? So, everyone, please calm down…"
"Calm down? Calm down my ass!"
Chung Myung's eyes bulged.
Even though Hyeonjong was speaking with such an immortal air, these lunatics weren't listening at all.
What was strange was that, despite this, Hyeonjong couldn't say anything and was instead flustered.
What crime did he commit? It's like…
'Huh?'
A word popped into Chung Myung's head.
"Sect Leader!"
The person who seemed to be the leader of the group pointed at Hyeonjong and shouted.
"We've waited long enough! We can't wait any longer!"
"..."
The immortal air disappeared from Hyeonjong's face.
'That…'
No way?
"When are you going to pay back the money! The due date has long passed! We can't wait any longer!"
Chung Myung stared blankly at Hyeonjong.
The Sect Leader, who had transformed from an immortal figure to a debtor, awkwardly opened his mouth.
"J-just a little more time…"
Chung Myung grabbed the back of his neck and tilted his head back.
'Ugh.'
Debt?
A sect with nothing left but crumbling buildings has debt?
'Really.'
Tears welled up in Chung Myung's eyes. The sky blurred.
'They've really outdone themselves. These lunatics, seriously.'