Return of Mount Hua Sect

Novel Return of Mount Hua Sect Chapter 1017

Joreureuk.

The crystal-clear liquor stretched like a silk thread before falling into the cup.

Jang Ilso, who was staring at the cup, smiled strangely.

“…They can’t send support?”

“That’s correct.”

“Hmm.”

Jang Ilso’s smile deepened a bit. However, Ho Gamyeong astutely noticed that his smile contained an uncomfortable feeling inside.

“The reason is….”

“It’s fine.”

Jang Ilso waved his hand as if he had nothing more to hear.

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“They must have spouted some nonsensical excuse. Wouldn’t they?”

“That’s right.”

“Hmph.”

He snorted lightly and slowly sipped his drink. The strong and fragrant liquor slowly spread through his body, leaving a scent in his mouth. Jang Ilso, who appreciated this sensation slowly, suddenly turned his head and looked at the Yangtze.

“Right. How do things seem to be progressing?”

“It appears that the leader of Hao Sect is showing a willingness to confront aggressively.”

“…Hmm.”

Jang Ilso nodded slowly.

“I’m sure Great Master of Ten Thousand Gold will keep his mouth shut.”

“He doesn’t seem cooperative, but he isn’t showing hostility either. If I had to describe the situation, ‘wait and see’ would be most apt.”

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“Wait and see…”

Jang Ilso chuckled softly.

Well. Can it be called a wait-and-see approach?

Of course, it would be an appropriate word to express Great Master of Ten Thousand Gold’s current position, that he is watching without stepping forward.

But looking deeper, the story changes a bit.

By now, Great Master of Ten Thousand Gold is probably frantically calculating how beneficial it is to move.

“He must be busy flipping abacus beads.”

The Yangtze River in the darkness just flowed and flowed, deep and black. Jang Ilso looked at the scene quietly, lost in thought, then asked.

“What about water fortress?”

“Most of it has been settled. There wasn’t much resistance, so it was easy.”

These were words that would make Black Dragon King vomit blood with rage if he heard them, but Ho Gamyeong was merely conveying the facts as they were.

“It is not that there is no dissatisfaction inside, but it seems that there is no one who can stand up on behalf of Black Dragon King and unite the dissatisfied forces and resist.”

“I guess so.”

Jang Ilso sneered without taking his eyes off the Yangtze River.

“There is no way someone like Black Dragon King would have tolerated a second in command.”

In Evil Sects, whoever wins takes everything. It doesn’t matter what their origin is or what their status is. A world where the strong seize everything. That is the world that Evil Secst lives in.

However, this extreme structure is just as harsh on the one who has seized everything. Anyone who has had taken everything from others cannot help but suffer from the fear that they too may one day have everything taken away from them.

That is why the leaders of Evil Sects do not tolerate anyone who could threaten their position in the first place. Because what they desire is absolute control.

“Such foolishness.”

Jang Ilso’s gaze gradually grew colder.

Namgung Family lost a lot in the Yangtze River. The outstanding Gaju named Namgung Hwang, the elders who were the pillars of the family, and even the main force were cut off.

But Namgung Family does not fall. Now, they are trying to rebuild the great family in some way, centered around Namgung Dowi, who can only be called a child.

On the other hand, although water fortress has almost preserved its power, it is in disarray because the giant called Black Dragon King has lost his power. Thanks to this, he succumbed to Jang Ilso without even being able to properly resist.

“It’s a comedy.”

This is probably the biggest difference between Righteous Sects and Evil Sects.

Sometimes monsters that threaten the world emerge in Evil Sects. Those led by such beings trample over Righteous Sects and drench the world in blood.

But that’s it.

The stronger the leader, the bigger the gap left behind. The moment the influence of the absolute ruler disappears, Evil Sects fight among themselves again.

Therefore, although Shaolin with a thousand-year history exists, it is difficult to even find Evil Sects with a hundred-year history.

“From my standpoint, it’s not a bad comedy.”

Jang Ilso laughed softly.

Water fortress lost its head that is Black Dragon King, who now completely fall to his grasp. Now all that’s left is Hao Sect and Black Ghost Fortress.

Of course, Blood Palace still remains, but from his perspective, Blood Palace is like a double-edged sword. If he tries to dominate the Outer Palace, the costs it incurs are greater than the benefits he will gain.

“I’m not sure about Black Ghost Fortress, but it looks like we need to take control of Hao Sect quickly. In order to engage in a decisive battle with Righteous Sects beyond the Yangtze River, Hao Sect’s intelligence power is absolutely necessary.”

Jang Ilso nodded slowly. He, too, had been thinking about the necessity of this for a long time.

It’s not just about the north of the Yangtze River. Even to govern the expanded territory of Evil Sects efficiently, Hao Sect’s intelligence capabilities are essential.

Ho Gamyeong took a quick look at Jang Ilso’s expression and sighed softly.

“I hadn’t expected that Thousand-Faced Gentleman to resist so actively. I thought he was someone who could read the currents of the times.”

“He does it because he knows.”

“…Yes?”

Jang Ilso had a wry smile on his face.

“It’s not because he doesn’t know, it’s because he knows. He knows me very well.”

“….”

“If he bows once, he knows he can never raise his head again, so he’s trying to resist while he still has the strength.”

“I understand that, but… the situation is the situation. Someone of his caliber should know that now is the time to unite under Ryeonju-nim’s command and fight those hypocrites of the Righteous Sects.”

“He knows, but it’s probably meaningless.”

Jang Ilso laughed bitterly.

“Some sacrifice their lives to fight barbarians and protect the country, but others make their fortune by scavenging the bodies of the dead. A victory for Evil Sects, at least to the Thousand-Faced Gentleman, means little.”

Ho Gamyeong gritted his teeth slightly.

Of course, he has no intention of denying that. It’s the nature of Evil Sects to do anything for gain. Isn’t that the essence of Evil Sects?

But in everything in this world, there is a thing called timing. Now is not the time for them to fight each other…

“What would Ryeonju-nim like to do?”

“Hmm.”

The pure white hands were interlocked and rested on his knees. Rings adorned on his long fingers clinked against each other.

“Let’s just leave them be for a while, Gamyeong-ah.”

Jang Ilso spoke in a slightly nasal tone.

“In my opinion, I want to go and make them realize their place in person, but…”

For an instant, a deep killing intent flashed in Jang Ilso’s eyes. His gaze, chilling just by looking, was fixed on the Yangtze River. Then, he relaxed his body and shook his head.

“That’s not possible. Don’t those monks need me too much?”

His chuckling laughter spread throughout the quiet Yangtze River.

Watching him for a moment, Ho Gamyeong spoke in a low voice.

“Ryeonju-nim. May I ask one thing?”

“Hm?”

He asked, lowering his posture.

“I don’t know what Ryeonju-nim’s thoughts are. Just by Ryeonju-nim’s presence here, they will be divided and will fight amongst themselves.”

In other words, simply by being here, Jang Ilso was gaining immense benefits even at this very moment.

“But Ryeonju-nim. No matter how divided they are, we cannot take advantage of the gap if Evil Tyrant Alliance cannot stand properly. There’s a saying ‘Cultivate oneself, put one’s family in order, govern the state, and bring peace to the world’. But even so, it is difficult to understand why Ryeonju-nim leaves them alone.”

“Tsk, tsk.”

Jang Ilso clicked his tongue and then filled his cup with liquor.

“Gamyeong-ah, Gamyeong-ah.”

“Yes, Ryeonju-nim.”

“You’re underestimating that monk too much.”

“…Yes?”

A twisted smile appeared on Jang Ilso’s lips.

“It is true that the man is being swayed here and there, but he is not an easy person. If he were, he’d have already been devoured by that Mount Hua Chivalrous Sword. Still, he’s someone worthy of being called Bangjang of Shaolin.”

“….”

“Now, if we start to retreat and clean up behind us, he too will start to retreat and prepare against us. Right now, it’s paramount to keep that guy’s feet tied.”

“But even if Bop Jeong doesn’t have to leave here, can’t he use the current situation to unite Ten Great Sects?”

“It is possible.”

“Then shouldn’t we stop that?”

Jang Ilsoo looked at Ho Gamyeong with a peculiar smile.

“Do you really think we can prevent them from uniting?”

“…Yes?”

“Gamyeong-ah. You’re taking the venom of those with power too lightly. Right now, they don’t unite against each other because we seem manageable. If we truly become a threat, they would drop all old resentment and unite against us. They’ve always been like that.”

Ho Gamyeong could only nod his head.

It certainly was. When the world was at peace, the people called ‘Ten Great Sects’ fought among themselves for power, but when calamity came, they came together as if they had never fought among themselves before and fought against the enemy.

Who could guarantee it wouldn’t be the same against Evil Tyrant Alliance?

“We have nothing to gain by pushing them into a corner like that. What we really need to obtain is something else.”

“…May I ask what that is?”

Jang Ilso twisted the corner of his mouth.

“Fear.”

“…Huh?”

“Fear. Right, fear. But that….”

A malicious smile twisted Jang Ilso’s lips. But his eyes were dark and sunken.

“Not fear of us. It’s a more trivial and insignificant fear than that.”

Ho Gamyeong did not understand Jang Ilso’s words. But he couldn’t bring himself to ask again. Even though the voice was not particularly filled with emotion, an inexplicable sense of intimidation was weighing down on Ho Gamyeong.

“Do you know what a human does first when gripped by fear?”

“….”

“They look for a way to save themselves.”

A sinister aura enveloped Jang Ilso’s face.

“They throw away pretenses of cooperation and justice and look for a way to save themselves. Isn’t that human nature?”

“…Ryeonju-nim.”

“Let’s see. I wonder how much these great monks can resist their true nature.”

Jang Ilso slowly licked his liquor-soaked lips.

‘Almost there. Almost.’

It’s visible in his eyes.

It is not an obvious rift between sects that appears on the outside. There was a tiny crack created by the wedge in the heart of Bop Jeong.

A little, meticulously spread crack will eventually lead to a meaningful outcome. The time was ripe.

‘Now just a little more….’

It was right then.

“Rye- Ryeonju-nim!”

Someone ran to his feet and prostrated himself.

“Th- There’s been a problem.”

“Hm?”

Jang Ilso looked at him with indifferent eyes.

“What happened? It can’t be that Hao Sect has attacked us.”

“Tha- That’s….”

The prostrated person, pale as death, raised his face and quickly began to spill the words.

“…What did you say just now?”

After hearing the entire report, an unusually strong reaction came out of Ho Gamyeong’s mouth.

“Is this absolutely certain?”

“Y- Yes!”

Ho Gamyeong was silent for a moment with a blank expression on his face. His face instantly became stained with despair.

“W- Why… In moments like this….”

Even he, who had proven his capabilities as an advisor of Myriad Man Manor countless times, was simply dumbfounded and panicked at this moment. He hurriedly looked for Jang Ilso’s reaction.

Kkararararak!

The rings tightly fitted on both of Jang Ilso’s hands made an uncomfortable metallic sound. Unlike the threatening hand gesture, Jang Ilso had a sincere smile on his lips.

“This is why….”

He slowly rose from his seat.

“This is why life is so fun. Because unpredictable variables can occur.”

There was a glimmer of madness in both eyes. Jang Ilso’s pure white teeth were bared. It was a smile filled with deep fury and vile pleasure.