C1672: Is this not the desired situation? (2)
Jo Gul's eyes suddenly filled with fury.
As the figure of Mount Wudang, barely visible in the distance, became clearer, he realized something.
"It's red..."
At first, he thought he had seen it wrong.
But comparing it to the other nearby mountains, it became clear. Wudang Mountain had turned red halfway up.
“Sahyung! That!”
“A fire...?”
Yoon Jong's face also became serious immediately.
The thought of a fire engulfing more than half of such a large mountain was unimaginable. Yoon Jong clenched his teeth tightly.
“That’s inhumane!”
Just by seeing the mountain from afar, he could feel the crisis Wudang was facing in his entire body.
“Let’s hurry, Jo Gul!”
“Yes, Sahyung!”
Running forward, Yoon Jong clenched his fist without realizing it.
'Hold on!'
We’re about to arrive, very close.
He desperately hoped that Wudang's name was still in the world until they arrived.
Bzzzz!
With a sound like that of a swarm of bees, numerous hand shadows covered the sky.
The shadows, each with a different shape, were so dazzling that just looking at them could make anyone dizzy.
What was real and what was fake?
It was the ultimate expression of illusion. It showed why the Thousand-Faced Gentleman was known as the best in his art in the Evil Faction.
Heo Gong, finding no way to counter the dazzling palm techniques, immediately retreated.
But the cunning Thousand-Faced Gentleman was not going to allow Heo Gong to withdraw easily. With a twisted smile, he pursued, quickly closing the distance. At the same time, he increased the number of hand shadows surrounding him.
Numerous hands extended towards Heo Gong. The scene was so terrifying that it seemed as if tormented spirits were launching towards the vitality of a living being.
Fwoosh!
Heo Gong's sword extended towards the shadows. The Taiji Sword, which contained white and black energy, cut the shadows in two with a single blow.
But.
Bzzzz!
Heo Gong's eyes widened.
The space he had cut with the sword quickly filled with new hand shadows, like a river filling with water again.
Disconcerted, Heo Gong rolled backward.
Thud! Thud!
At that moment, a sound like a drum resonated, and Heo Gong's body staggered and was pushed back.
Barely managing to stop, he looked at his body.
The places hit were the left shoulder and the right side.
His clothes had been torn, revealing his skin which had turned bluish in the shape of a clearly marked hand.
Argh!
The evil energy that had entered along with the hand shadows caused a pain as if his flesh was being burned.
With a hardened face, Heo Gong looked again at the Thousand-Faced Gentleman. Unlike Heo Gong, the Thousand-Faced Gentleman seemed full of confidence and spoke calmly.
“Where is Heo Dojin?”
Heo Gong's face hardened even more.
"A tiger cub is still a cub. This burden is too heavy for you. Call Heo Dojin. To face me, you need at least someone like him.”
The sword hanging from Heo Gong trembled slightly.
“Or is it...?”
The Thousand-Faced Gentleman laughed with contempt.
“Has that proud Heo Dojin already fled? Well, he has always been a cunning type. In that case, are only the fools left?”
Anger began to emanate from Heo Gong's eyes.
“A mere thug from the Evil Faction dares to face Wudang's leader?”
“Hmm?”
“This is just the beginning. I am enough for someone like you, bastard.”
The Thousand-Faced Gentleman's eyes sparkled with interest.
The Righteous Faction was really amusing in these aspects. The Evil Faction was very sensitive to power differences. Therefore, they avoided facing someone stronger than them.
But the Righteous Faction did not retreat easily, even knowing that their opponent was stronger. Even if it meant hastening their death.
“If you really desire it, I have no choice. I will have to teach you your place with your life.”
Tap!
The Thousand-Faced Gentleman scattered dazzling hand shadows again.
The Technique of a Hundred Faces.
Before the Thousand-Faced Gentleman adopted his name, this technique was known as the Illusory Hand of Happiness and Confusion, a supreme technique of the Evil Faction.
The numerous hand shadows seemed to multiply, completely covering the space around Heo Gong.
Deceive, mock, and confuse.
The palm technique of the Evil Faction, which seemed a perfect representation of their principles, headed towards Heo Gong with a manifest murderous intent.
It was a terrifying scene, as if the whole world was filled with hand shadows.
The huge waves formed by the shadows headed towards Heo Gong, sweeping away any obstacle in their path.
Despite the critical situation, Heo Gong did not resist or fight against the wave. Instead, he took a deep breath and faced it.
'Can I do it?'
Probably not. Not if he hadn't seen it. Not if he hadn't experienced it.
But...
Swoosh!
Heo Gong's sword moved smoothly.
It was not a sword that brutally cut the palm technique. It was a sword that swam smoothly, enveloping.
The tip of the sword extended slowly towards the hand shadows that seemed to surround and attack him.
Whirl!
A clear circle appeared.
A circle not only symbolizes origin and perfection, but in this case, the circle that Heo Gong traced had a slightly different meaning.
The clear circle created an immovable root. A firm and deep root that would not be swayed by illusions, even when the whole world wavered, like an old pine of Wudang growing on the cliff.
At that moment, Heo Gong rushed forward like lightning, wielding his sword.
Clang!
With a loud impact sound, as if two metals collided, the shadows covering the world disappeared as if they had never existed.
A momentary silence took over the place.
Although the Thousand-Faced Gentleman's face was disguised, his eyes could not hide his bewilderment. Heo Gong's sword, the Pine Pattern Ancient Sword, had precisely penetrated the center of the Thousand-Faced Gentleman's extended palm.
'How?'
Before he could fully process what had happened, Heo Gong's sword moved as if it were going to split the Thousand-Faced Gentleman in two. The latter, in a reflex action, let out a surprised cry and turned his body.
Slash!
He felt a burning pain on his cheek. The tip of the sword had cut his cheek and also torn his shoulder.
The Thousand-Faced Gentleman retreated to almost the edge of the cliff, touching his cheek.
Beneath the familiar mask, he felt his real skin, wet with the clear sensation of blood.
The Thousand-Faced Gentleman's face twisted in a grimace of horror.
“...How?”
Among hundreds of false shadows, Heo Gong had found the real one. He was able to identify the only real shadow in the Thousand-Faced Gentleman, something no one had achieved before.
Even those stronger than him had not been able to do it. If it were easy to break the Technique of a Hundred Faces, it would not be called the supreme technique of the Evil Faction.
Heo Gong, with renewed calm, observed the Thousand-Faced Gentleman trembling with anger and bewilderment.
“...It would not have been possible.”
“What?”
“If this had been the first time, I probably would not have been able to do anything.”
With a much calmer voice than before, Heo Gong continued.
“But I have experienced it before. I have seen techniques more dazzling and brilliant than this. The Evil Tyrant Alliance may have humiliated Wudang, but I learned from the defeat by that sword.”
“...”
“I have always awaited the day I could break that sword. I could not succumb to simple illusions.”
The Thousand-Faced Gentleman's eyes shone with intensity. Wiping the blood from his face with his sleeve, he asked in a mordant tone.
“More dazzling and brilliant? Are you saying my technique is second-rate?”
“It is not second-rate. But at least it does not compare to the sword technique I know.”
The Thousand-Faced Gentleman's face filled with indignation.
“You, ignorant, dare!”
The sound of his grinding teeth resonated ominously on the cliff top.
Although he did not believe his technique to be invincible, he did not expect to be despised by someone so young.
“In any case, I intended to kill you... But with those words, you lost even the chance of a quick death.”
“That is what I wanted.”
Heo Gong gripped his sword tightly.
He knew he had been lucky to some extent. The Thousand-Faced Gentleman's Technique of a Hundred Faces was not easy to break.
But, knowing this, Heo Gong did not allow himself to be intimidated. If he could not overcome this technique, if he could not face a technique full of intertwined falsehoods and realities, then facing that deadly sword would be impossible. He knew this well, so he did not allow himself to be intimidated.
'Chung Myung!'
Or as he was now known, Mount Hua’s Chivalrous Sword.
'Wudang's Sword does not surrender!'
That duel shattered his confidence, his sword, and his world.
If he allowed himself to be intimidated here, it would be admitting that he had not advanced a step since then.
The Sword of Wudang is the Taiji. The Taiji is harmony and origin. Therefore, the Sword of Wudang does not waver before any illusion.
“Don’t you understand? The fact that Heo Dojin is not here means something. I will show you the fate of a dog abandoned even by its master.”
As the Thousand-Faced Gentleman approached with an overwhelming presence, Heo Gong pressed his lips tightly together.
'Sect Leader!'
His sword emitted a strong and resonant sound.
------------------
“Hmm?”
A seductive voice was heard softly.
A pair of red lips curved slightly. Although his expression seemed like that of a child who finds something interesting, the voice was too sweet to match.
“This is... a bit unexpected.”
A pair of clear eyes, full of curiosity, stared intently at the person in front of them.
An elderly Taoist dressed in Wudang's black robe. No, at this moment, more than a Taoist, he should be called a sharp swordsman.
He was blocking Jang Ilso's path, radiating an energy as sharp as a finely forged blade.
“Hmm, well...”
Jang Ilso scratched his forehead with a gesture of annoyance. Then he sighed.
“Was that... Heo Dojin?”
The eyes of Heo Dojin, Wudang's Swordsman, emitted a murderous light.
“This is as far as you go, Paegun.”
Swish!
Heo Dojin's sword was slowly unsheathed. The sword, imbued with intense murderous intent, seemed as sharp as a razor.
“Not very pleasant.”
Jang Ilso's eyes curved softly like a crescent moon.
