Chapter 811: Stick Out Your Neck, You Bastard! (1)

Chung Myung, who had been sprinting along the cliff as if it were flat ground, suddenly looked sharply upwards.

The Ten Thousand Houses fighters, who occupied the higher ground, were descending swiftly to intercept him. Warriors poured down like rain, filled with unmistakable hostility.

"Dieee!"

Around a dozen fighters from Ten Thousand Houses threw themselves at Chung Myung, swinging their weapons with no concern for their lives. The only intent they showed was to either kill him or drive him off the cliff to his death.

"Hmph!"

Chung Myung sneered, baring his teeth in a fierce grin.

Swoosh!

His sword cut through the air like a flash of light. In an instant, a dozen sword auras burst forth, slicing through the descending Ten Thousand Houses fighters.

A sword must adapt to its circumstances.

When facing opponents who are falling faster than he could manage with complex maneuvers or illusions, only one thing was required—speed. Speed so swift they couldn’t dodge it.

Slash! Slash! Slash!

The ominous sound of flesh being pierced echoed as red sword energy embedded itself in the bodies of the Ten Thousand Houses fighters.

"Ugh!"

But Ten Thousand Houses were not ones to simply fall back and surrender.

Even as blood poured from their bodies, their eyes remained fixed on Chung Myung, their gaze seething with murderous intent.

With arms spread wide, the fighters propelled themselves off the cliff wall, lunging at Chung Myung.

"Chung Myung!"

Baek Cheon, who was fighting atop the cliff and saw the scene below, screamed out involuntarily.

The intent of the enemies to drag Chung Myung down with them, even at the cost of their lives, was clear from their actions.

If this weren’t a cliff, it would be simple to keep distance and dodge. But even for Chung Myung, evading such an attack in this terrain was a challenge.

"Ah, damn…!"

Just as Baek Cheon was beginning to think that perhaps Chung Myung’s decision to jump down was a mistake—

Swoosh!

Chung Myung dodged the incoming Ten Thousand Houses fighters, kicking off the cliff face and leaping upwards.

"What?"

Baek Cheon and Jo Gul gasped simultaneously.

Chung Myung’s body shot into the open air.

"Crazy!"

"You idiot!"

The disciples of Mount Hua opened their eyes wide in shock. No matter how skilled Chung Myung was, falling from this height would surely kill him. And the distance was far too great for him to push back and return to safety.

"This madman!"

At that moment, Chung Myung twisted his body in mid-air, crouching as he shouted.

"Now!"

Rumble!

At that instant, a golden aura surged up from below the cliff.

"Haha!"

Chung Myung let out a short laugh and stepped onto the rising aura beneath him, propelling himself back toward the cliff.

"Hye Yeon!"

"Sa-hyung!"

An explosive cheer erupted from the Mount Hua disciples.

To have someone who could launch an aura that could not only support him but was also gentle enough not to harm him while he landed on it—there was only one person who could do that: Hye Yeon.

"These crazy bastards!"

Baek Cheon cursed but couldn’t hide the joy on his face.

Chung Myung, who jumped into the void without hesitation, trusting that Hye Yeon was below him, and Hye Yeon, who anticipated Chung Myung’s move and launched his aura to support him—all without a single word exchanged.

"Dammit! It’s enough to make a person jealous!"

Jo Gul chuckled and shouted.

"Sahyung!"

"I know!"

Baek Cheon quickly glanced back. His eyes met Hyun Sang’s, who nodded in agreement.

"Push forward! Make sure they can’t get near Chung Myung! We must protect him!"

"Yes!"

The disciples of Mount Hua, who had hesitated, found renewed courage and charged fiercely at the Ten Thousand Houses fighters on the cliff.

"Ugh!"

"These brats!"

The sudden surge of Mount Hua’s momentum bewildered the Ten Thousand Houses fighters.

The cliff’s structure didn’t allow many people to move at once. Despite their superior numbers, only a limited number of fighters could confront Mount Hua at a time.

Moreover, they had to reserve some of their forces to keep an eye on Chung Myung below the cliff, which left gaps in their formation.

And the morale was visibly higher on Mount Hua’s side.

"What are you all doing?"

A low voice snapped them out of their daze.

"Sir Strategist!"

Hoga Myung, who had been observing the situation, spoke coldly with a sharp gaze.

"Remember, they’re just brats. Push them back slowly. Our goal is not to defeat them but to hold them off."

"Yes!"

The Ten Thousand Houses fighters tightened their grips on their weapons and steadied themselves. Hoga Myung glanced briefly down the cliff.

‘Could it be?’

Did he anticipate this entire situation when he went down the cliff?

That reckless thunderbolt?

Hoga Myung felt a chill run down his spine as he gritted his teeth.

Tat-tat-tat!

Chung Myung, tearing through the fighters clinging to him like pests, ran toward the first fuse he saw blazing.

Swoosh!

In one swift motion, he slashed the lower part of it with his sword.

Clang!

"Huh?"

Chung Myung’s eyes glinted with surprise.

His sword strike was powerful enough to leave a deep scar on the cliff, yet the fuse that met his blade didn’t sever completely.

"You bastard!"

Chung Myung shouted angrily, slashing again. With a clean cut, he finally severed the lower part, which dangled away from the cliff.

Chung Myung glared across the cliff at Jang Il-so. It was clear that Jang Il-so had anticipated the possibility of Chung Myung trying to cut the fuses from afar and had used a special, reinforced material.

The meticulousness of preparing for such an event with such minor details was not something an average person could do.

"Attack!"

But there was no time to think further. More Ten Thousand Houses fighters charged down the cliff toward him.

Their movement technique was clearly on a higher level than those he had faced a moment ago.

"Hmph!"

But Chung Myung met them head-on with a scoff.

Swoosh!

Kicking off the cliff face, he charged at them, his sword raised to meet their descending blades.

On the sheer cliff, the sword of a Ten Thousand Houses fighter came crashing down, clashing directly with Chung Myung’s blade.

The fighter’s eyes glinted with satisfaction.

‘Fool!’

They were coming downwards while Chung Myung was jumping up. And his weapon was a thick saber, while Chung Myung’s was a slender sword.

If they collided head-on, it was clear who would be knocked away.

‘Get ready to crash below, you arrogant fool!’

Their weapons collided in mid-air.

Clang-clang!

For a moment, it seemed that Chung Myung’s sword twisted slightly, but then he pushed the saber upwards from below.

"What?"

The fighter’s body shifted slightly upward. Normally, he could have adjusted by simply lowering his heels.

But this was a cliff. Once his body was pushed back, losing balance meant only one thing—he would fall.

"You…you damn…!"

Flailing his saber desperately, the Ten Thousand Houses fighter plunged. Ignoring him, Chung Myung continued to snake his way up the cliff, agile as a viper, darting between the fighters who came at him.

Boom!

Minimum force, maximum effect.

Chung Myung’s sword now bore a gentler touch, brushing opponents away rather than slashing to kill them. Though his attacks were restrained, the result was far from merciful.

"You bastard!"

"Damned brat!"

The Ten Thousand Houses fighters, flung off the cliff, cursed as they clawed desperately to halt their descent.

After dozens of attempts, they finally clung back onto the cliff wall, only to be greeted by an unwelcome sight.

"Strike!"

"Sect scum!"

The disciples of Wudang, who had been climbing, spotted the Ten Thousand Houses fighters and, drawing their swords, kicked off the cliff.

"Ah!"

Midway up the cliff, a deadly skirmish erupted between Ten Thousand Houses, Wudang, and Shaolin.

"Ahhhh!"

The result was obvious.

No matter how strong Ten Thousand Houses was or that they held the higher ground, with just a dozen fighters, they couldn’t fend off the advancing Wudang disciples.

In no time, the fighters of Ten Thousand Houses, pierced by swords, fell from the cliff like porcupines.

One of them…

Cling.

"Wha—what…"

"Ugh… You… righteous bastards…"

A Ten Thousand Houses fighter, even as his body was riddled with wounds, grabbed onto a Wudang disciple clinging to the cliff, his eyes gleaming with malice.

"Let’s go together."

Crunch!

"Ahhhh!"

A scream tore through the air as the Wudang disciple was dragged down with him, the cliff surface crumbling to dust.

Chung Myung grinned grimly at the scene.

"Can’t have me suffering alone."

He murmured as he launched himself off the cliff once more.

"Monk!"

"Hyaaaaa!"

From below, Hye Yeon unleashed a powerful wave of aura skyward.

As Wudang had mentioned moments earlier, staying below offered no guarantee of survival. The path they had come through was now a death trap, set up by Jang Il-so.

To survive, they had to claw their way up and desperately climb the cliff, to stop it from crumbling down on them.

Yet, Hye Yeon was stationed below, guarding their escape without a hint of doubt or hesitation.

"Benefactor!"

"Got it!"

Using Hye Yeon's aura as a stepping stone, Chung Myung vaulted himself over to the opposite side of the cliff.

Clang-clang-clang!

In a single motion, he sliced through three more fuse lines, briefly glancing at Jang Il-so across the gorge.

"Hmm."

Watching the scene unfold, Jang Il-so’s face bore an expression of intrigue.

"Patriarch… or should I say, Alliance Leader, it looks like things aren’t going as smoothly as expected?"

The Magnate of Ten Thousand Coins spoke up, his voice laced with concern. Jang Il-so let out a low chuckle.

"Hmph."

A peculiar gleam flickered in his eyes.

"It seems I underestimated them, didn’t I? Then, let’s offer them a little gift."

Snap!

Jang Il-so snapped his fingers, and moments later, something heavy was brought forward. The Magnate of Ten Thousand Coins fell silent, staring at the object the Ten Thousand Houses men were hauling.

“…You had this prepared in advance?”

"Of course, I did."

"…."

A slight pallor washed over the Magnate's face.

‘So, just how far back did he anticipate this?’

It had to be before they even met. If so, that meant Jang Il-so had been confident enough to negotiate with them without the Green Forest, convinced he could bring the other Unorthodox Five under his command before the meeting even began.

"Since we’ve got some esteemed guests coming our way, it’s only right to offer them a little gift, isn’t it?"

Jang Il-so, brimming with smug satisfaction, looked down below with an amused glint in his eye.

The Wudang leader, Heo Do-jin, who was climbing at the forefront of the cliff, caught sight of Jang Il-so's expression and instinctively halted in his tracks.

Moments later, as if responding to his ominous premonition, several massive, black cauldrons appeared at the cliff’s edge.

‘Th-those… that’s…’

With a cheerful whistle, Jang Il-so called out,

"Pour it."

A scream that sounded like tearing silk escaped Heo Do-jin’s mouth.

"Get back! No—stop it! Oil! It’s boiling oil pouring down!"

Dozens of cauldrons tipped all at once, unleashing a cascading torrent of bubbling, scorching oil down the cliff.

As the blazing-hot oil poured down, the disciples of the Nine Sects below were engulfed in overwhelming terror and despair.