Chapter 1076
Novel Return of Mount Hua Sect Chapter 1076
Baek Cheon knows that he shouldn’t say these words out loud right now. But the situation made it impossible for him to bear it without saying that. Finally, he opened his mouth in a daze.
“What… what is going on?”
Although Baek Cheon brought it up, this was actually a sentiment shared by Mount Hua’s disciples. Because they did not understand the way of Evil Sects, they could not understand Black Ghost Fortress who suddenly showed no hostility toward Jang Ilso and the subordinates who secretly attacked Great Master of Ten Thousand Gold.
Moreover, it is difficult to see the situation beyond because of Black Ghost Fortress elites that are still surrounding them. It was naturally difficult to grasp the situation.
But fortunately, there were people of Evil Sects by their side now who understood and explained the whole situation.
“Hmm.”
Im Sobyeong gently waved the fan he was holding and opened his mouth.
“It seems that Thousand-Faced Gentleman has sided with Jang Ilso.”
“…Thousand-Faced Gentleman?”
Baek Cheon blinked and looked towards Jang Ilso. Great Master of Ten Thousand Gold, who has become a cold corpse, and his subordinate standing in front of him….
“Then it wasn’t that Great Master of Ten Thousand Gold’s subordinate betrayed him… You’re saying that person is Thousand-Faced Gentleman, the leader of Hao Sect?”
“That seems to be the case.”
Im Sobyeong shrugged his shoulders.
“It is said that Thousand-Faced Gentleman’s disguise technique is unmatched in the world and that no one can recognize his disguise…. It is truly a masterpiece. I never thought Great Master of Ten Thousand Gold, no one else, would not even notice that his close confidant had been replaced.”
Although his tone of voice was calm, Im Sobyeong was also quite surprised right now.
‘It gives me goosebumps.’
If Great Master of Ten Thousand Gold did not notice, it means that Im Sobyeong could be fooled just as easily.
Of course, Great Master of Ten Thousand Gold has room for excuses. When you’re on the verge of decapitating a tiger, who would notice a rabbit wandering behind you is different from usual?
‘But Kangho is a place where such situations occur countless times.’
Im Sobyeong once again realized how useful that ridiculous disguise technique was. Of course, it is not a move that Thousand-Faced Gentleman can use easily as it requires risking his life.
“…So, are you saying that Jang Ilso hid Thousand-Faced Gentleman from the beginning and led the situation to this point?”
“It seems so.”
Baek Cheon looked at Jang Ilso for a moment, speechless and dumbfounded.
‘What kind of person is that….’
Baek Cheon and other Mount Hua disciples were now prepared not to be surprised no matter what Jang Ilso did. Haven’t they already experienced enough how far beyond common sense Jang Ilso is?
Nevertheless, at this moment, they couldn’t help but wonder what was inside the head of that person named Jang Ilso.
“N- No. Then….”
Yoon Jong looked back at Im Sobyeong with a shocked expression.
“Did Nokrim King also know about this?”
Jo-Gol tilted his head at those words.
“What do you mean by that all of a sudden, Sahyung?”
“No… The situation that was going on earlier… It sure seemed like Nokrim King was keeping pace with Jang Ilso, right?”
“Come to think of it….”
Jo-Gol, Yoon Jong, and Baek Cheon looked at Im Sobyeong at the same time. Im Sobyeong, who received that gaze, seemed to twitch the corner of his mouth slightly, then spread out his fan and half-covered his face.
“Huhuhuhu.”
“….”
“That is only natural. No matter how great Jang Ilso is, he cannot dare to match me in terms of resourcefulness!”
‘He didn’t know this.’
‘He didn’t know.’
‘Such a bluff.’
As the three men’s eyes simultaneously narrowed, Im Sobyeong clicked his tongue.
“…I thought Jang Ilso might have prepared something, but I didn’t know it would be Thousand-Faced Gentleman.”
“….”
“…Why are you looking at me like that? Just guessing that he had something prepared should be praiseworthy enough, shouldn’t it? Jo- Jo-Gol Dojang? Yoon Jong Dojang?”
There was no reply.
Baek Cheon let out a deep sigh. To be honest, in this situation, he couldn’t even figure out who to admire. Should he admire Jang Ilso, who brought out this entire situation while keeping Thousand-Faced Gentleman hidden, or should he admire Im Sobyeong, who managed to keep pace without even knowing what Jang Ilso was hiding.
‘Right, this yangban is Nokrim King.’
Suddenly, it hit him. He had always seen him as a sickly and helpless person, so he had forgotten, but this person is the one who led Nokrim and fought fierce battles against Myriad Man Manor. Considering the power difference between Nokrim and Myriad Man Manor he knew, he couldn’t help but realize how great a person Im Sobyeong was.
‘Is this the strategy of those competing for the world?’
It somehow seemed like a completely different world from the one he was living in.
“…But why is Black Ghost Fortress just watching this?”
When Namgung Dowi asked in confusion, Im Sobyeong shrugged his shoulders.
“It’s settled.”
“Everything has been settled?”
“Yes.”
Namgung Dowi still looked like he didn’t understand at all. Im Sobyeong tapped his head with a fan. As expected, it seemed like more explanation was needed for those of Righteous Sects.
“So, let’s think about it. Mount Hua fought with Wudang, and sect leader Hyun Jong lost his life to Wudang sect leader, Heo Dojin. What would you do?”
“All of Wudang will perish that day.”
“We wouldn’t leave them alone!”
“I will set fire to Mount Wudang and backstab everyone who runs away with my sword!”
“….”
“….”
Jo-Gol, who shouted last, sensed the gaze focused on him for a moment and flinched.
“W- What? I said nothing wrong….?”
“…Are you human?”
“Your character…”
“Even Chung Myung would be shocked at this rate.”
“No! That last bit is too harsh!”
Jo-Gol felt very wronged at the last words, but fortunately or unfortunately, Im Sobyeong took away the attention that was focused on him.
“Right. That is the way of thinking of Righteous Sects. But that doesn’t happen in Evil Sects. There is no such loyalty to begin with.”
And this is also an environmental problem that Evil Sects have.
Unlike Righteous Sects that try to save face with each other, Evil Sects live in constant conflict. If they waged wars until one side was completely annihilated every time, Evil Sects wouldn’t be able to sustain themselves.
Of course, Mount Hua’s disciples were not unaware of this fact. But there is a world of difference between understanding something in theory and witnessing it firsthand.
“So, this is…”
Jo-Gol spoke, seemingly unable to comprehend.
“Isn’t it a situation where we fight with Southern Edge Sect and lose, and from that day on we become Southern Edge Sect’s disciples?”
“You bastard! Even if you make an analogy….”
“Why are you talking such nonsense! Are you insane?”
“I feel like throwing up.”
Just thinking about it makes them feel sick. For those who have a sense of belonging to Mount Hua Sect, this cannot happen even if heaven and earth were turned upside down.
But those people accepted it without any qualms. It was unknown what they felt inside, but at least there was no outward opposition.
‘How can they do that?’
No matter how much they say that Evil Sects value profits above all else, how can they just sit back and watch as their leader’s head explodes?
It’s something they don’t even want to think about, but… If Hyun Jong were experiencing the same thing now, Mount Hua’s disciples here would have already lost their senses and would have done anything to kill Jang Ilso.
“…Is this the difference between Evil Sects and Righteous Sects?”
It occurred to him that the gap was bigger than he thought.
It wasn’t just about belonging to different groups. Their dispositions and ways of thinking were entirely different. That is why they cannot be mixed. Like water and oil.
Baek Cheon looked back at Im Sobyeong as if he had just remembered something.
“Then what about Jang Ilso’s behavior just a moment ago?”
“You saw it correctly.”
Im Sobyeong nodded slowly.
“For Evil Sects, ‘winning’ is important, but there is something more important than that. It is ‘stronger’. If Jang Ilso had won without showing my presence, and just by scheming, he wouldn’t have been able to subjugate others easily.”
“As expected…”
“It seems simple, but it’s also quite complex. The most important thing is proving oneself as worthy of being followed, by any means necessary. It was a dangerous thing to do, but the result was… as you can see.”
This means that Jang Ilso would have already drawn up the next move at the time when the Thousand-Faced Gentleman secretly attacked Great Master of Ten Thousand Gold. What was important to him at that point was not finishing the Great Master of Ten Thousand Gold but completely absorbing Black Ghost Fortress, whose master would be gone.
Baek Cheon glared at Jang Ilso with a hardened face.
‘Now, at least in Evil Sects, there truly is no one who can rival Jang Ilso.’
Jang Ilso was originally the leader of Evil Tyrant Alliance.
However, as can be seen from the recent Yangtze River incident, Jang Ilso did not completely dominate Evil Tyrant Alliance. At least the two sects, Black Ghost Fortress and Hao Sect, did not obediently follow Jang Ilso.
But now, such things would no longer happen.
Jang Ilso had already devoured water fortress in the Yangtze River and now took control of Black Ghost Fortress. And even that man, Thousand-Faced Gentleman, swore allegiance to Jang Ilso.
This means only one thing:
Complete Unification of Evil Sects (사파일통(邪派一通)).
That seemingly impossible feat was finally achieved at this moment. Perhaps Mount Hua’s disciples are now witnessing a historic moment with their own eyes.
The moment Baek Cheon trembled with an unknown shiver.
“Huh?”
Jo-Gol’s voice, breaking the atmosphere, penetrated Baek Cheon’s ears.
“Wa- Wait a minute, Sasuk. Then, hasn’t Jang Ilso unified Evil Sects now?”
Baek Cheon frowned.
“How slow are you…”
“N- No. That’s not it.”
“…What now?”
“That, that means all these guys here have become Jang Ilso’s subordinates, right?”
“Why are you stating the obvious all of a sudden…”
Baek Cheon, who was about to speak, shut his mouth instantly. The eyes looking at Jo-Gol gradually lost focus. And after a moment, he slowly turned his head to the side. He saw Black Ghost Fortress, now turning slowly in their direction.
Jo-Gol’s voice sounded like he was exhausted.
“So then…”
“….”
“We… Aren’t we screwed now?”
They saw Black Ghost Fortress glaring at them with sharp eyes, no, they were no longer Black Ghost Fortress, but Evil Tyrant Alliance. Behind the curtain of people, Jang Ilso was smiling brightly and with a peculiar smile.
A helpless laugh naturally leaked from Baek Cheon’s mouth.
“I guess….”
He slowly raised the sword that had been lowered.
“…I think so?”
Red Dogs, who figured out who the new prey was, also began to creep towards Mount Hua with a cruel smile on their face.