Chapter 1292: This Is Just The Beginning. (2)

Screeeek!

Dozens of flying pigeons swooped in without pause. Those protecting Ho Ga-Myung quickly snatched each incoming pigeon and untied the letters bound to their feet.

“Little Tiger Clan has been breached!”

“Land Dragon Clan has been broken through too!”

“The defensive line is collapsing, commander!”

“Hmm.”

The speed at which they’re breaking the encirclement is beyond what words like ‘unstoppable’ can express.

“This doesn’t look good at all.”

Gwi Yang smirked and looked at Ho Ga-Myung.

“Isn’t this twice as fast as we estimated earlier? Even the commanders’ predictions can be wrong, it seems.”

“There’s nothing particularly strange about it.”

Ho Ga-Myung replied without the slightest change of expression.

“Because they’re not an opponent my predictions apply to.”

“Hmm.”

Something flickered in Gwi Yang’s eyes. Strategists usually hate it when their forecasts fail. Yet Ho Ga-Myung showed no discomfort at all. The more Gwi Yang looked, the more curious he became.

Ho Ga-Myung said calmly.

“And it’s not necessarily bad news.”

“Hmm? Why?”

“If Mount Hua’s Sword Saint were breaking through alone, it might make sense, but they aren’t alone; this speed is impossible. From observing Mount Hua’s Sword Saint until now... this one is definitely overexerting.”

“That contradicts itself. Weren’t you the one who said we shouldn’t judge Mount Hua’s Sword Saint’s abilities, commander?”

“Of course. One cannot measure Mount Hua’s Sword Saint’s ability. But Mount Hua’s Sword Saint isn’t the only force out there, is it?”

“...Hmm.”

“Putting Mount Hua’s Sword Saint aside, Southern Island Sect’s strength is only so much. There’s no way they can keep up this pace.”

Ho Ga-Myung’s mind spun rapidly.

This isn’t belittling Southern Island Sect’s force. Being among the Nine Great Sects isn’t something you win at a gambling table. Even if they rank low among the Nine Great Sects, their strength is enough to claim dominance over a region. Being part of the Nine Great Sects means that.

But the might of that force must be interpreted according to circumstance.

If the Southern Island Sect were defending their main base against attackers, even with limited combat experience they’d show perhaps seventy percent of their strength.

But that’s not the case now.

At this speed in these circumstances, simply using lightness techniques would drain their stamina sharply. On top of that, to counter the incoming blades would be almost impossible for ordinary skill.

‘Breaking the encirclement? To the complacent, perhaps.’

Objectively, they’re fleeing from Ho Ga-Myung’s pursuing group. The battle that causes the most casualties is the pursuit of those fleeing—that’s common sense.

No matter how trained a force, when pursued by the enemy they can’t show half their prowess. Mount Hua’s Sword Saint surely knows this, so this looks like an action willing to accept some casualties.

This point is what made Ho Ga-Myung uneasy.

“What are you thinking? Mount Hua’s Sword Saint?”

They’re pushing forward with unstoppable momentum, but this encirclement is only a part. The area they must break through isn’t Guangdong, but the vast Southern Land, isn’t it?

It’s not right to expend so much effort from the start. The faster they go, the fiercer the fighting, the more their position will be revealed. What meaning is there in exposing your location to go a few steps faster?

Ho Ga-Myung’s gaze darkened in thought.

If others had used such tactics, Ho Ga-Myung would have merely sneered, sapped their stamina, and leisurely taken them down.

But there are none other than Chung Myung and Im So-Byeong among them.

Chung Myung is someone whose thoughts are inscrutable, and Im So-Byeong is a strategist who can’t be underestimated. Two such people wouldn’t be part of a group that uses such obvious tricks, would they?

“Shadow Clan has been breached too!”

“Shadow Clan...”

At that moment Ho Ga-Myung’s eyes widened slightly.

“Say that again.”

“S-shadow Clan...”

“Before that!”

“Yes?”

“Name the clans that were recently breached in order!”

The adjutant hurriedly nodded and spoke.

“Little Tiger Clan, Earth Dragon Clan, Shadow Clan, in that order.”

In that instant a map of the Central Plains’ south formed in Ho Ga-Myung’s mind, and the positions of the sects he had placed overlapped on it.

“East?”

Ho Ga-Myung’s face hardened.

It’s certain. Their route is to the northeast, not north where the Yangtze River lies.

‘Why?’

For them, Southern Land is hostile territory they must escape from as quickly as possible. So why move northeast instead of north?

As time passes the encirclement will tighten and more will aim at them. Soon not only minor Guangdong sects but the Lower District Sect and even the Four Sects Alliance will begin to target them, won’t they?

‘Illogical.’

Ho Ga-Myung half-closed his eyes and continued thinking.

It’s not strange to bypass when an enemy encirclement tightens, but in truth they could break through any encirclement if they wished. So why deliberately head farther away?

‘What’s in the northeast?’

If they go straight there....

‘Anhui?’

Heading toward Zhejiang where the Namgung Family is?

No, that would be utterly reckless. If they reached Zhejiang they’d get help from the sects allied to the Namgung Family, but if that’s the case they’d be better off heading toward where the Heavenly Friends Alliance’s main base is....

At that moment Ho Ga-Myung flinched noticeably.

“No way...”

Gwi Yang showed interest; something flickered in his eyes.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

Ho Ga-Myung bit his lip tightly.

“We should increase our speed.”

“Really?”

Gwi Yang looked puzzled, as if he couldn’t understand.

“You’re throwing useless trash in to tire out the prey? Can’t we gain by simply trailing them leisurely?”

Gwi Yang knows this well too. They can never stop Mount Hua’s Sword Saint. But ‘cannot stop’ doesn’t mean it’s pointless.

Even if they can’t completely drain their inner power, they can cause some depletion and blunt their swords.

All they need to do is steadily pressure and push so that Mount Hua’s Sword Saint and the Heavenly Friends Alliance members can’t refill that emptied basin.

That alone secures certain victory, so why attack before the enemy has sufficiently weakened?

“You haven’t suddenly developed sympathy for driving vermin to their deaths, have you, world-renowned Mind-Probing Inquisitor?”

“The situation has changed. No... it might change.”

“...Explain?”

“You wouldn’t understand even if I explained.”

Gwi Yang glared with an irritated expression. Ho Ga-Myung did not elaborate. In truth it wasn’t that he chose not to explain—he couldn’t explain.

He too found the thought that crossed his mind absurd.

“First, we increase speed.”

“Do as you wish, commander.”

Gwi Yang snorted in displeasure. Ho Ga-Myung completely ignored him and gave quick orders. As soon as the command fell, the Ten Thousand People Clan members spurred forward and ran ahead.

‘Mount Hua’s Sword Saint.’

Ho Ga-Myung bit his lips. His thoughts began to tangle wildly.

‘What on earth are you thinking?’

“Chung Myung!”

“...”

“Chung Myung!”

Only after calling repeatedly did Chung Myung turn with an eerily cold gaze. He might have flinched, but Baek Cheon shouted without hesitation.

“We need to take a break here!”

“No.”

“It’s not about whether we want to or not! People are falling behind! At this rate we won’t even make half the distance to our destination!”

Chung Myung glared at Baek Cheon without a word.

But Baek Cheon didn’t yield an inch either. He met Chung Myung’s gaze steadily.

After that brief standoff, Chung Myung was the first to relent.

“All right.”

No sooner had Chung Myung spoken than Baek Cheon raised his hand.

“Everyone stop. We’re taking a breather!”

Then Southern Island’s disciples, who had been running full out, collapsed where they stood like dolls with severed strings.

“Cough, gag!”

“Huff! Huff! Huff! Huff!”

“Dam...n it...”

Under normal circumstances they wouldn’t have embarrassingly sprawled on the ground in front of others. The pride of the prestigious Southern Island isn’t small.

But now no one cared. As Baek Cheon said, if they’d pushed a bit more they might have lost several more of them.

At least the elders and Geum Yang-Baek stood and caught their breath—perhaps out of pride or because they still had stamina. Even they didn’t blame those who’d collapsed.

“Get up and sit properly.”

At that moment Chung Myung’s emotionless voice was heard.

“Instead of panting and sprawled out, circulate your qi. Restore your strength as quickly as possible and then run again. Those with energy left, guard those circulating their qi. We don’t know who will eye us again.”

Southern Island’s disciples gritted their teeth and glared at Chung Myung.

They know he’s not wrong. But if they had the strength, would they have collapsed and panted like this in the first place?

Receiving looks of resentment and reproach, Chung Myung said without changing his expression.

“Don’t play the weakling.”

“...”

“No matter how tired or how much pain you feel, the enemy won’t consider you. They’ll enjoy it. If they think you’re too weak to matter, they’ll just let you lie there and die.”

It wasn’t an angry voice or a taunting tone—just a plain recital. And that made it cut all the deeper.

“...All of you circulate your qi.”

“Yes, sect leader.”

Geum Yang-Baek gave those who had no excuse to fall back a way out. Those ordered by Geum Yang-Baek staggered up and took their seats, then quickly began circulating their qi.

“Guard them.”

“Understood.”

Baek Cheon quickly issued orders to the Heavenly Friends Alliance members. They gathered centrally, surrounded the Southern Island Sect’s disciples who were circulating qi, and began keeping watch.

Chung Myung quietly clenched and unclenched his fist.

Only Baek Cheon watched this closely. That gesture was something Chung Myung did unconsciously when anxious. Only he knew it.

This meant Southern Island Sect was failing to keep its expected pace more than they’d thought.

But beyond that there was nothing to be done.

Mount Hua may have trained for years to match Chung Myung’s movements, but these people had never undergone such training.

Even Baek Cheon, had he tried to mimic Chung Myung the moment they met, would not have fared better than these people. He might even have looked worse.

“Chung Myung. For now...”

Baek Cheon was about to say something.

“Acting Sect Leader.”

Geum Yang-Baek had already come up to the two of them and stood with a stern face.