CLS-Chapter 278

Chapter 278

“Sect Leader!”

“……Is that the Fox-Dog?”

Watching Jang-il fly over, Cheong-yeong-ja’s face hardened.

“There’s something you need to know.”

Cheong-yeong-ja nodded without asking for the reason. Jang-il was the Fox-Dog of the Beggar’s Sect, and he was rumored to be exceptionally clever. If such a person wanted to ask something, there would naturally be a good reason for it.

“Is there no escape route to the rear?”

“……There isn’t.”

“Surely Mount Hua would have other paths prepared in case of calamity?”

Cheong-yeong-ja silently shook his head.

“Mount Hua’s position on these treacherous, sheer cliffs stems from our will to never show our backs until the very moment we all die.”

“Such……”

“Those who could jump off the cliff and remain unharmed could escape, but…”

Jang-il’s face turned ashen.

‘It’s the end.‘

As Cheong-yeong-ja said, those who could escape were currently fighting the Demonic Cult members. And those who couldn’t escape had retreated and were now cornered against the cliff.

If things continued like this, everyone would die.

“Is, is there no other way?”

“There isn’t.”

Cheong-yeong-ja shook his head firmly.

“It would be fortunate if the Zhongnan Sect knew of this situation and came to help. But I can’t think they would know what we ourselves didn’t know. Even if they learned by now that the Demonic Cult had attacked, it would take at least another day to get here.”

Jang-il collapsed to the ground with a dejected expression.

“So we can neither escape nor fight and die here?”

“We just need to win.”

“……Yes. We just need to win.”

Jang-il laughed hollowly.

Win and it’s solved. Jang-il wasn’t someone who didn’t know that.

The problem was that he couldn’t see any way to win.

Even if these Demonic Cult members had the same strength as the Demonic Cult members of the past, a difficult battle would be expected, but the power of the Demonic Cult members he was currently observing was several times stronger than what he’d heard.

So how were they supposed to defeat them?

“No need to make such a face.”

“Yes?”

“When the Demonic Cult first attacked, I had the same expression as you. I thought there was absolutely no way to win. They looked like us, but they were different from us.”

“……This doesn’t seem like the time to tell old stories.”

Perhaps it was a somewhat rude thing to say, but Cheong-yeong-ja didn’t get angry. He just smiled gently.

“Look. We’re not just being pushed back, are we?”

At Cheong-yeong-ja’s words, Jang-il’s eyes widened.

‘Wh, when did this happen?‘

Until now, they had only been pushed back, but at some point, the atmosphere of the battlefield had become tense.

“Those, those people!”

Jang-il’s eyes found the two most conspicuous people.

“Keukeukeukeuk, there’s nothing more enjoyable than dealing with Demonic Cult bastards. No matter how much poison I use or how many hidden weapons I throw, they don’t complain, and instead, they cheer.”

The Poison King was pressuring the Demonic Cult members while spewing pink smoke from both hands. Every time he waved his hand, countless thin needles poured out from his sleeves along with the smoke.

“Keuk!“

“Damn!”

“Keuhahahahaha! This is so refreshing.”

The Poison King burst into wild laughter watching the Demonic Cult members who couldn’t handle his hidden weapons and were retreating in panic.

This is what should have happened from the start.

‘Because of that damn bastard……‘

When poison flies and poison-coated hidden weapons fly, such reactions are natural, but he had encountered a human who ignored all that and suffered such humiliation.

‘I need to recover somehow, even a little.‘

His reputation had already fallen to the ground and been buried underground, but if he could produce good results here today, he might be able to break through the ground and emerge.

“Come at me, you bastards!”

The Poison King desperately waved his hands.

“……He’s working hard.”

A man nodded while watching the Poison King.

A large warrior holding a great blade and wearing martial robes embroidered with tiger patterns, with a massive build.

Anyone who ate jianghu rice, even if you brought a three-year-old child, would be able to tell that he was a warrior from the Hebei Peng Family.

But the gazes of those looking at him were somewhat awkward.

“That……”

One of the Plum Blossom Swordsmen looked at him with a subtle gaze and asked.

“You are on our side, right?”

“Hmm?”

The man’s face contorted.

“So you’re saying I look like a Demonic Cult member?”

“Th, that’s not it……”

Sweating cold sweat at the man’s reaction, the Plum Blossom Swordsman couldn’t hold back and finally asked.

“Th, then why are you wearing a mask?”

“……”

The man, whose face was covered with a mask with only eye holes, let his shoulders droop weakly before suddenly raising his head.

“Watch!”

As the man’s blade swam through the air, an elegant tiger pattern began to appear in the void.

“Ohh!”

“Five Tigers Severing Gate Blade!”

“Is that right?”

“Then perhaps…… Elder Do-wan?”

“That’s right, I’m Do-wan.”

“Ohh, it’s Elder Do-wan.”

“……”

Something about the words and tone felt subtly mismatched.

‘I can tell you’re Do-wan, but why are you wearing a mask upside down?‘ – this annoying question was vividly conveyed through their gazes.

‘Damn it.‘

Do-wan sighed deeply.

‘How did someone beat a person so badly that the bruises won’t fade?‘

He couldn’t appear before people with a face where his eyes had turned into black eyes. But when the Demonic Cult was attacking, he couldn’t conduct a siege in his room either. So the method Do-wan chose was to put on a mask.

“I’ll explain later.”

Do-wan, who had glossed over the situation as if there were some big circumstances, flew toward the Demonic Cult member holding his blade.

‘Since it’s come to this, I have no choice but to rampage so much that the mask won’t be noticeable.‘

Do-wan, gritting his teeth, swung his blade with all his might.

***

Wei Jeong-han’s sword was incredibly light and fast.

And Wei San-ho’s sword was a bit heavier and more steady than Wei Jeong-han’s. Although the two used the same sword, depending on their disposition, the same swordsmanship showed different aspects.

But neither Wei Jeong-han’s fast sword nor Wei San-ho’s powerful sword could create wounds on Gwang-mu-ryang’s body.

Clang!

When Wei San-ho’s flying sword collided with Gwang-mu-ryang’s hand, a sharp metallic sound rang out.

“Keuk!“

Wei San-ho bit his lip tightly and retreated. Gwang-mu-ryang’s claw energy flew toward the spot where he had been.

Kukukukung!

The ground was gouged into three grooves. Imagining what would have happened if he had taken that powerful blow with his body made cold sweat break out naturally.

‘He’s strong.‘

The Demonic Cult members he had only heard about in words were stronger than what he had heard.

‘So father’s generation fought against people like these.‘

It was a moment that made him reflect on his confidence in his own skills after being called somewhat strong in his generation. Compared to the fathers who returned alive from battlefields filled with blood and death, what they had achieved was too small and shabby.

Perhaps now an opportunity had come to achieve more than their fathers’ generation, but that wasn’t something he could purely rejoice about.

Red-tinged plum blossoms blew over the retreating Wei San-ho’s head and attacked Gwang-mu-ryang.

“Useless trick!”

As Gwang-mu-ryang’s hand swept to the left, the flying plum blossoms faded away like illusions.

Wei San-ho, Wei Jeong-han, and even the Plum Blossom Sword Master.

In the combined attack across three generations, Gwang-mu-ryang didn’t lose his momentum and was instead pressuring all three.

‘This is the Demonic Cult.‘

Wei San-ho’s body trembled with emotion.

Others said the Demonic Cult was a place where mentally ill people gathered, but Wei Jeong-han, who knew the Demonic Cult better than anyone, said it was just a place where people lived who pursued martial arts too purely and thus had slightly different ways of thinking from the Central Plains.

He couldn’t understand why Wei Jeong-han, who had fought more fiercely against the Demonic Cult than anyone, would defend them in such a way, but seeing Gwang-mu-ryang, he thought he could understand why Wei Jeong-han spoke that way.

They, who prided themselves on being the Orthodox Faction, were currently conducting a combined attack, and Gwang-mu-ryang was accepting this as natural.

While he could have mocked Wei San-ho and the others for facing him with combined attacks at least once, Gwang-mu-ryang was calmly accepting this fact as if combined attacks against the strong were naturally to be expected.

‘The Demonic Cult……‘

Wei San-ho’s gaze sank.

If all the Demonic Cult members were like Gwang-mu-ryang, this war would never be an easy process.

“You’ve become too accustomed to peace. You should have prepared for us.”

Wei Jeong-han let out a rough breath.

“I acknowledge that you are strong.”

Wei Jeong-han’s voice was still steady.

“But if you think you can gain the upper hand against the Central Plains just because you’ve gained the upper hand here, that’s also just complacent thinking. The Central Plains has become sufficiently strong, and this time too, you won’t dare to covet Central Plains territory. Knowing this, didn’t you also sneak in here like rat pups?”

“Huhuhu, do you think so?”

Gwang-mu-ryang laughed low.

“Your thoughts are your freedom. It’s just regrettable that you won’t be given time to confirm the truth of that fact with your own eyes.”

“……”

“I’ve dragged this out too long.”

Gwang-mu-ryang slowly raised both hands.

“It was enjoyable. I consider it an honor to be able to behead you with my own hands—you who were the cult’s greatest enemy and excellent enemy. Many in the Sacred Fire must be waiting for you…… but I wonder, will you truly be able to become one with the Sacred Fire?”

As those words ended, demonic energy began spurting from Gwang-mu-ryang’s entire body in streams.

Kwaaaaaa!

As Gwang-mu-ryang brought down his claws, the air screamed and split as it was torn. Three streams of sharp claw energy attacked Wei Jeong-han.

“Keuk!“

Wei Jeong-han lowered his stance and swung his sword with all his strength.

The technique of Flying Dragon Slashing Moon, which he thought was a decisive blow, unfolded, but it couldn’t penetrate Gwang-mu-ryang’s claws.

The moment Wei Jeong-han’s two eyes widened greatly, Wei San-ho blocked in front of Wei Jeong-han.

“Taaaat!“

The sword wall Wei San-ho deployed and Gwang-mu-ryang’s claw energy collided head-on.

Kwaaaaang!

Suddenly an explosive sound burst out, and Wei San-ho and Wei Jeong-han’s bodies bounced backward like literally fired cannonballs.

There were no screams.

But the blood spraying where they bounced away was already telling the result.

Thud! Thud!

Wei Jeong-han and Wei San-ho, who had crashed into the ground, trembled as they tried to get up. No, they tried to get up. But their bodies wouldn’t listen.

“Keueu……“

Watching the two father and son trying somehow to get up with trembling arms, Gwang-mu-ryang nodded.

“They say there’s no worthless son under a good father—the greatest talent who would threaten the cult in the future was here. But it’s regrettable. To have to cut down talent that would become a great tree here.”

He spoke like that, but there wasn’t a trace of hesitation in Gwang-mu-ryang’s eyes.

“The cult will remember you all. Well……”

Swooooosh!

Gwang-mu-ryang, who was speaking, felt something rushing toward him and sharply twisted his body.

“Hmm?”

Gwang-mu-ryang’s face contorted viciously after confirming the identity of what was flying toward him. Gwang-mu-ryang, who had raised both hands to catch the Demonic Cult member flying toward him and held him in his arms, shouted.

“Which bastard was it!”

He didn’t ask because he didn’t know.

From the direction the Demonic Cult member had flown, a man was walking toward him with a face thick with irritation.

‘What’s this?‘

That guy’s expression is a bit strange.

How can a person simultaneously contain annoyance and anger in one expression?

The person with that utterly indescribable face opened his mouth.

“It’s me, you fucking bastard.”