Wherever that is. (2)

Wudang. Known as the mysterious peak, the sacred Taoist mountain.

That holy mountain was engulfed in flames. However, the real tragedy was not the burning mountain but what was happening to those standing on it.

“Argh!”

The Pine Crest Sword, engraved with the pine tree emblem synonymous with Wudang, pierced through the neck of an enemy in an instant. A swift and merciless strike, but the tip of the sword shook visibly, not in line with its speed.

The eyes of the sword’s wielder were also the same. Jin Lip [진립(眞立)], the second generation disciple of Wudang, was in unprecedented turmoil.

Of course, the attacking opponents were hardly worthy of being called adversaries. As the second generation disciple of Wudang, his sword, honed over decades and strengthened during the long Bongmun, was more than enough to handle not just two or three but even ten of these insignificant bastards.

So the real problem wasn’t the people.

“Saje! The fire is coming!”

“I know, Sahyeong!”

The issue was that while being briefly caught up with such lowly opponents, the fire was consuming the entire mountain moment by moment.

No matter how skilled a martial artist is, surviving amidst rapidly spreading flames is no easy feat.

They must escape before the fire spreads any further.

“Saje, we must retreat immediately!”

“I understand!”

But that was easier said than done, as the enemies didn’t let him go easily.

Clang!

Jin Lip flinched and quickly raised his sword.

Out of nowhere, a blade suddenly flew toward him as if to split his head in two.

“You little..!”

Jin Lip’s insides burned black with anger, much like Mount Wudang that was engulfed in flames.

In the meantime, the fire was growing larger, and more enemies were swarming in.

‘These relentless bastards…!’

Seeing the enemies, their clothes still on fire from breaking through the flames, charging at Wudang swordsmen without even thinking of rolling on the ground to extinguish the flames was enough to make him shudder.

The mixed scent of burning flesh and wood was overwhelming, making his nose numb. 

His back was drenched with sweat. The world mocked those Evil Sects as nothing but rabble, but could they still be considered mere rabble when they pushed through the raging fire and attacked so fiercely?

“…je! …Saje!”

“I know…!”

“Aaagh!”

At that moment, a scream made Jin Lip turn his head sharply.

He saw a fellow disciple, a sword embedded in his side, screaming in agony. Jin Lip let out a resounding roar.

“Sa-Saaaahyeoooooong!”

Upon reflection, everyone here was in the same predicament as Jin Lip. While trying not to retreat, Jin Lip’s Sahyeong had failed to dodge a sword coming from his blind spot because he was too focused on protecting Jin Lip.

“Get out of the way! Aaaah!”

Drawing upon all his internal energy, Jin Lip slashed horizontally with his sword, slicing the person blocking his path in two, and leaped forward. He barely managed to deflect the blade flying toward his Sahyeong’s neck.

Clang!

Feeling the heavy force in his grip, Jin Lip instantly realized that if he had been even a moment late, his Sahyeong’s head would have been severed and soared into the air. 

Jin Lip slammed into his stumbling Sahyeong’s side, pushing him aside with his whole body, and fell, rolling on the ground as he swung his sword wildly at the enemies.

His composure was long gone. The thick smell of burning flesh and wood was making it hard to breathe, and the fear that his head might be severed at any moment was overwhelming.

The pounding of his heart filled his ears.

As he rolled and got back on his feet, he saw the flames rising three jang high above his head and the smoke veil reaching for the sky.

And Jin Lip remembered.

‘Black Dragon Stronghold…’

The despair named ‘a cliff’ that had seemed to touch the sky. The helplessness he felt in front of that cliff.

It overlapped. The scorching flames now and the cold Yangtze River then.

Though they were fundamentally different, to him now, they seemed the same.

“S-Saje… Lip-ah…”

At that moment, his Sahyeong’s voice reached him. Jin Lip shouted in a rough voice.

“Sahyeong! Get a hold of yourself! I’ll get you to safety right away!”

“I can still… still fight…”

“Stay still!”

Jin Lip shouted fiercely, gritting his teeth.

Perhaps things truly were no different from the past. The escape route was narrowing, and fighting the enemy was not as he imagined. The enemies were forcing them into unfamiliar combat situation. 

Yes. In fact, the situation wasn’t different.

But this time, it must be different. Because Jin Lip himself had changed from the past.

‘I am not who I was.’

The Jin Lip who only trembled in fear at the Yangtze River isn’t here. If he hadn’t changed, what was the purpose of those years spent in deep reflection and training?

“Don’t make me laugh! You Sapa bastards!”

Jin Lip cursed, slashing his sword.

At the same time, similar fierce battles were breaking out across Wudang, mirroring Jin Lip’s situation. Although the flames hadn’t yet reached the center of Wudang, the war had already begun.

Crack!

The veins on the back of Heo Gong’s hand holding the sword stood out.

“These… despicable…”

He knew. It was meaningless to talk about cowardice in a fight to the death. Even if it did have meaning, an arson would not fall into that category.

Yet Heo Gong couldn’t help but utter these words because this fire was proving to be so devastating to Wudang.

He gripped his sword so tightly it seemed it might snap at any moment. Meanwhile, his Sahyeongs were noisy and agitated.

“Setting fire! Why didn’t we think of this?”

“What do you think? It’s impossible in the first place! Do you know how vast Wudang is? Burning down the entire mountain is absurd!”

“But it’s happening!”

“That’s because it’s Sapaeryon… Only they could do something like this.”

They were right. It was something only Sapaeryon would dare to attempt.

To set fire to this entire vast mountain required a massive number of people and, moreover, the ability to move swiftly. They needed the capability to command them as if they were one body.

And above all…

“Wudang isn’t just us! Even if there are no villages, how many people live in detached houses on Wudang Mountain? You’d need the determination to burn them all alive to attempt this!”

“…”

“Primeval Lord of Heaven… Primeval Lord of Heaven! This is not something a human should do. No person could do this…”

“What is the use of talking about that now? This is not the time to denounce their wrongdoings! It’s the time to come up with a plan!”

Heo Dam shouted.

However, even Heo Dam couldn’t continue speaking.

Truth be told, how could anyone quickly come up with a plan in the face of the sea of flames devouring everything in sight and the towering wall of smoke above it?

The growing disaster was beyond control of mere humans.

“We must retreat!”

“What?”

“The fire hasn’t reached the back of the mountain yet. We must lead everyone out now. Otherwise, we’ll all die!”

“What nonsense is that? Didn’t we decide to face them here?”

“The situation is different! We said we’d fight the enemy, not burn to death in a wildfire!”

“It’s just a fire! We might not be able to stop the mountain from burning, but we’re not going to die in it!”

“What kind of complacent talk is that? Do you think they’ll just stand by and watch? The problem isn’t the fire itself – it’s that the enemy will target us along with the fire!”

Heo Pyeong shouted back without backing down.

“Once the forest covering the mountain burns, there will be nowhere to hide! How are we supposed to fight those numerous ants in that situation? It’s a dog’s death!”

“So? You’re saying we should run away?”

“Isn’t it obvious? For now, we need to withdraw and…”

“Like at the Yangtze River?”

Heo Pyeong flinched.

“…That, that…”

“So you’re saying the same thing you said at the Yangtze River, that we should pull back? Back then, we couldn’t predict the falling rocks and oil, so it was unavoidable, and now we should say we couldn’t anticipate them setting a fire?”

Fire flashed in Heo Dam’s eyes.

“And then expect Gangho to accept that excuse? And still claim that Wudang doesn’t flee in the face of the enemy?”

Heo Pyeong closed his mouth, unable to respond.

Perhaps he could say that. After all, it’s not a wrong statement. But certainly, no one would care to understand Wudang’s position.

No, they would likely mock and scorn them instead. They would say that the people of Wudang would do anything to survive and are cowards who flee at the sight of the enemy.

It would be the disgrace of closing the gates in shame. But if it comes to that, even the time spent sharpening their skills while suppressing their anger and sorrow would become meaningless.

No, they might even think it would have been better not to go into Bongmun at all. After going through the trouble of closing the gates, they’d hear that nothing had changed.

“But still…”

Heo Pyeong’s shoulders began to tremble.

“But we can’t just die like this, can we?”

“…”

“Can we really accept an obvious outcome with our eyes closed? Sahyeong!”

Heo Dam couldn’t confidently answer to these words either.

Should they die to preserve their honor or survive and bear the shame?

Choosing between these two might not be that difficult. After all, they are disciples of Wudang.

But this wasn’t that kind of choice.

Would they die in vain and be forgotten?

Or should they throw their honor away to live a little longer?

No matter how firm their resolve was, choosing between these two was not easy.

Naturally, everyone’s gaze turned to one place.

Because Heo San-ja, the one who should make the decision, was not here. No, even if Heo San-ja had been here as the Acting Sect Leader, their focus might still have been different.

In the midst of everyone’s gaze, Heo Gong bit his lip.

“Even if it means dying in vain, it makes no difference.”

“S-Saje…”

Heo Gong. The youngest of the Heo disciples. Therefore, the one who should become the center of Wudang for decades to come.

He released his bitten lips and spoke firmly.

“We stand here to avoid repeating the same mistakes. Not to die honorably, but to refuse to live and suffer disgrace, even if it means a pointless death. Isn’t that right?”

Heo Gong glared at the elders.

Some faces showed discouragement, while others showed determination.

“But as things stand now…”

“Pull the defensive line back. Since it has come to this, an ambush is meaningless.”

“Back? To where?”

Heo Gong’s gaze shifted in one direction. It was toward the most rugged part of Wudang’s mountainous terrain, flowing like raging waves.

“We will form our ranks at White-Faced Cliff [백안암(白顏巖)].”

“Ah…!”

White-Faced Cliff is a cliff that stretches high and long, resembling white faces, hence the name given by Wudang’s disciples.

“Saje, does that mean?”

“Yes.”

Heo Gong nodded.

“Since things have come to this, it might be good for the roles to switch this time.”

Unlike the past at the Yangtze River, this time, it would be their enemies who would have to climb the cliff, the cliff that is Wudang.

“Let’s go, Sahyeongs!”

“Understood!”

Heo Gong immediately kicked off the ground. Several elders also resolved themselves and took to the air. However…

“White-Faced Cliff, you say.”

“Let’s go, Sahyeong.”

In the eyes of some who followed, there was fear that shouldn’t have been there.

‘Isn’t this just… a pointless death?’

One person, still hesitant, turned his gaze to the left. A large rock was visible, with a long crack running through the center, like a mark left by a sword.