Return of Mount Hua Sect

It was an overwhelming sight.

As boiling oil poured from dozens of pots larger than a person, it looked like a waterfall cascading down for an instant.

But what was now pouring onto their heads wasn’t a cold waterfall but boiling oil that would melt flesh in a moment.

A harsh shout came from Venerable Heo Do.

“Stop them! Protect the disciples!”

There was nothing more to do.

The elders of Wudang, who were keeping pace with the disciples climbing the cliff, led by Venerable Heo Do, quickly ascended the cliff. One step ahead of them, the elders of Shaolin did the same.

He realized that if the oil fell on the disciples, the casualties would be enormous.

“Ohhh!”

Their golden fists and kicks raced over the cliff. Dozens of streams of qi attacks at once pushed away the oil.

Paat!

The lumps of oil, which fell together in all directions, moved as if hit by a windshield.

“Tsk!”

It could be destroyed.

It could be cut.

But water and oil were impossible to block entirely.

The oil, which had splattered in all directions, now fell in small drops like rain.

“Don’t stop! Break it! Push it out!”

Beop Gye shouted with all his might.

The blood vessel standing out from his neck showed how anxious he was. And the attacks of Shaolin continued one after another.

It was an amazing sight, but no matter how great the strength, it couldn’t stop the pouring oil rain.

The people who blocked the oil drops, which fell past the elders of Shaolin, were none other than Wudang.

“Spread out!”

With the shout of Venerable Heo Do, the elders of Wudang stabbed the air numerous times. In an instant, more than a dozen sword qi and sword forms appeared, and over a hundred more appeared above them.

The sword forms came into close contact and increased more and more.

Sword Shield.

A sword screen-like defense by Wudang elders covered Shaolin and Wudang disciples like a roof.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

With the sound of water hitting a tent, the oil struck the shield and bounced off.

It was a scene reminiscent of a person blocking the falling rain. It also demonstrated the greatness of the two sects, Shaolin and Wudang, which had reached the highest level.

“Ohh.”

Jang Ilso’s eyes gleamed with amusement.

“Their reputation isn’t for nothing. Maybe because they are Shaolin and Wudang?”

A smile formed on his lips.

“But… how long can you stop it?”

Jang Ilso clicked his fingers again, and the empty pots were thrown to the back while new pots were brought in.

“Pour it.”

The pots, which looked larger than people, tilted again, and new oil began to fall.

Venerable Heo Do’s eyes contorted at that.

‘How many times…?’

If it had been poured all at once, they could handle it. But if he continued to pour it like this, the consumption of internal qi would be extreme.

No matter how great an elder of Shaolin was, they could not continue to display the same level of strength as they did at the start. Even the elders of Wudang could not maintain the same level of sword qi.

Venerable Heo Do gritted his teeth as he felt his internal qi slowly draining.

‘What does this mean then?’

He hadn’t had the chance to interact with the Ten Thousand People Clan or the others.

Were they not warriors?

Had they not learned martial arts?

But in a war between the skilled, they were using explosives to blow up the cliff and pouring boiling oil?

This was different from the war they had expected.

“Pour it again!”

Following the order of Jang Ilso, pots appeared again.

Chakkk!

And the poured oil continued to hit the sword and splash. It was blown by the wind or thrown into the back.

“Ahhh!”

“Mu Bo! Are you alright?”

“Kuak…, my back….”

White steam rose from the oil-splattered disciple. The foul smell of flesh being cooked pierced the nose. Those who saw it felt a chill run down their spines.

But even first aid was impossible while they were hanging on the cliff.

“Eik!”

The disciples of Wudang, driven by courage, climbed the cliff. If they waited, their losses would only accumulate further.

But then.

“Tsk tsk. It’s because you are so impatient.”

Jang Ilso clicked his tongue with an exaggerated expression and laughed. His white hand waved, indicating something again.

“When people are scared, they don’t see the obvious things. This is why experience is important.”

And at that moment.

Kiing.

Venerable Heo Do was startled by the eerie sound that reached his ears and looked down.

‘What?’

At that moment, he saw it.

“N-No!”

The Black Dragon Pirates had suffered extensive damage from the falling rocks, but that didn’t mean they were all dead.

The surviving pirates were now aiming their bows at the cliff below.

Chik!

As soon as the strings were taut and released, arrows began to rise and fly toward the cliff.

“The arrows are coming!”

“Stop them!”

The disciples of Wudang hurriedly swung their swords to strike them down, and the Shaolin monks used their qi to push them aside.

But they couldn’t block all the arrows while clinging to the cliff.

Puak! Puak! Puak!

“Kuaaak!”

A Shaolin monk was struck by an arrow in the back and began to fall.

“Gak So!”

Those around him reached out their hands and caught him. But because he had to endure the arm being struck by an arrow, it was hard.

Crack!

“Kuaak!”

The monk’s face twisted in pain as he grabbed his companion with the hand that had an arrow stuck in the bone.

“Damn it, Qingcheng…!”

Venerable Heo Do gritted his teeth.

If they had climbed the cliff first, the sects below should have cleared the remaining remnants. That was expected.

But how could that be done? Everyone knew that the bottom of the cliff was a dead spot. If the cliff collapsed while they were slaying the pirates, they would be trapped.

The disciples of Qingcheng had no other choice but to climb the cliff.

Taking the risk of dying to save someone else was never easy.

The reason why Buddhism was revered was because few people practiced it. This meant that it was a matter of praising those who did it, not criticizing those who didn’t follow it.

‘Jang Ilso!’

Where did those arrows and bows even come from?

It was clear that this picture was drawn in the mind of Jang Ilso right from the start.

To make matters worse, the oil, which the Sword Shield was unable to block, began to fall down. It cooled while flowing down the cliff and didn’t burn the hands, but the problem was that the bottom of the cliff was now as slippery as ice.

And the arrows from behind were a huge pain in the rear.

To prevent that, they had to remove the gunpowder from the cliff.

There was no such thing as hell. This was hell itself.

Gunpowder collapsed the cliff’s face.

Boiling oil poured over heads.

Arrows flying from below.

Each one of these might not be great alone. But when each was used in the right manner, it turned into a hellish trap from which no one could escape.

“Jang Ilsoooo!”

Came the scream from Venerable Heo Do’s mouth.

“This, now.”

Jang Ilso laughed, wiping the corner of his eyes, and looked down at Venerable Heo Do.

“Oh my, the sect leader of Wudang turned out to be quite impatient! The sect leader’s burden must be heavy.”

“That also depends on the situation. If I were in a situation like that, I would curse without end.”

The Thousand Faced Scholar stuck his tongue out.

The art of strategy was essentially half and half.

The most important thing was how good a position one could get and how well one could use the right strategy from that position. Strategies that changed common things and would remain in history were only used in small wars. Real warfare depended on how perfectly one implemented what was already known.

And the textbook answer was right here.

Who in the world would have thought that arrows, oil, and gunpowder could fool Shaolin and Wudang?

In that formidable plan, Black Dragon King, Thousand Face Scholar, and Desolate Gold Elder were just pieces on a chessboard.

At least here, Jang Ilso and his forces were holding the world in their hands and shaking it up as they pleased.

‘It’s surprising that I don’t feel bad, though.’

The Evil Faction consisted of people who pathologically disliked being influenced by others. Both the Desolate Gold Elder and Black Dragon King surely knew they were being fooled by Jang Ilso’s plan.

But their faces didn’t show hostility or anger.

‘Perhaps… the Four Precepts Alliance might not really be a place of simple talk.’

At that moment, Jang Ilso was proving to everyone that he was qualified to be the Alliance leader.

And there was just one person who slipped from Jang Ilso’s grasp.

“No! YOU FUCKING BASTARD!”

Kakakakak!

Chung Myung screamed as he cut off the three wicks at once.

“Will you not do it quickly? Do you have a grudge against Shaolin too?”

As if in response to those words, the strength that burst out immediately attacked the Black Dragon pirates who were firing arrows. The pirates flew away like leaves.

“Hae Yeon!”

Came the shout from Beop Gye.

While everyone was climbing the cliff to save themselves, he stood below with confidence.

The contorted eyes of Beop Gye looked at Hae Yeon, and he noticed the gentle look on the disciple’s face.

“Amitabha. Elder, please head up. Leave the bottom to….”

“Ah, if you have time to talk, fight well, you bastard!”

“Ahoo! That bastard… ahh. Amitabha! Amitabha!”

Hae Yeon, who frowned for a moment, was startled and continued to chant. He rushed at the pirates as if he had nothing more to say.

The pirates holding the bows couldn’t fight properly and were swept away.

‘Did it!’

Venerable Heo Do’s eyes shone again.

Of course, the numbers below are so high that one person cannot handle them all at once.

But just drawing their attention is effective. Hasn’t the momentum of arrows flying to the cliff already decreased?

‘A bit more…’

“AHOOO! So fucking frustrating that I might die! What are you looking at?”

At that moment, Chung Myung, who was clinging to the cliff, shouted.

“Leave the disciples behind and jump up first! Be it Shaolin, Wudang, or Namgung! I have to fucking feed things into your mouth!”

“That damned bastard!”

The first person to respond to those words was none other than Namgung Hwang.

“Fine! Here I come!”

He soared onto the cliff in one jump. Namgung Hwang, using the Wudang disciples, moved and took the help of Venerable Heo Do’s waistside, rising up like a dragon ascending a cliff.

“Tsk!”

Venerable Heo Do gritted his teeth.

Chung Myung’s words were right. If they just blocked it there, they would lose strength and die. Even if they did take damage, they had to occupy the top of the cliff.

“Those who can follow me, follow!”

“Yes!”

Some of the elders retrieved their swords and joined Venerable Heo Do.

“OHH!”

Elder Heo kicked off the cliff with an odd spirit. And he soared up and up.

“You should have done this a long time ago, morons!”

Pat!

Chung Myung ran down the cliff. The place where he was moving to was the place Jang Ilso was standing.

“I am pointing right at it, you bastard!”

Chung Myung’s loud voice spread over the cliff and into the sky.