The red sun began to rise over the vast Yangtze River. The sunlight flowed over the waves as if it were overflowing.
It was an incredibly beautiful sight, but instead of awe, the hearts of those watching were filled with a sense of oppression.
Beop Gye's eyes fluttered as he watched the rising sun.
"…."
Five days had passed in the blink of an eye, and the sun of the promised day rose indifferently. Beop Gye turned his creaking head and looked at the abbot.
"A-abbot…."
But he couldn't bring himself to say anything more.
It was because he didn't know what to say.
Beop Gye understood the abbot's feelings. The one who understood the abbot the most, there must have been Beop Gye.
But even he thought that the abbot would definitely do something before the sun rose that day.
The abbot just looked back silently.
The monks of Shaolin stood there like stone statues. Their faces showed all sorts of agony. They had been half rotted away in the past few days, so they looked more like gaunt human faces.
The spirit they had when they came to the Yangtze River now seemed like a thing of the past.
Originally, the Buddhists were supposed to shoulder the agony of the world. But… was this really the agony they had to shoulder?
The reason Buddhists shouldered their agony was to save the civilians. But who was being saved now?
Rather, weren't they all being dragged into hell!
Beop Gye looked at the abbot with red eyes.
"Abbot."
"…."
"Abbot!"
Only then did the abbot slowly turn his face. The abbot bit his lips tightly. His face wasn't much different from that of the disciples behind him. It seemed as if the man had aged 10 years in that short time.
But why?
Even while looking at the abbot like that, he didn't feel a bit pained.
"… Shouldn't we do something?"
"…"
"Something at least! Shouldn't we do something?"
The abbot looked at Beop Gye with unfocused eyes.
"Abbot! If this continues…."
"I know."
"Abbot…"
"…."
The abbot turned his head again without answering and only looked at the river. The fleets surrounding Plum Blossom Island were observing them indifferently.
'How could I not know?'
If all this chaos ended with the annihilation of Namgung, Shaolin would suffer a wound that could never be washed away. It's not just a wound from a sword, but a wound twisted in with flame. A wound that would not disappear until the moment the Shaolin sect lost its name.
But…
'What do you even want me to do?'
All he had to do was take one step. It wasn't that difficult to take one step into the water. If he gives that order, Shaolin's disciples would fight bravely against those Evil Sect people without a single moment of hesitation.
But.
'Isn't that just my satisfaction?'
That place was a trap. It was a prepared pit of fire. What Jang Ilso was after was not the Namgung family in the first place. He cut off the limbs of Namgung, took them hostage, and put a knife to their throat, targeting those who would come to rescue them.
Right, it was Shaolin.
He couldn't even guess what kind of evil was lurking in that overflowing blue water. The moment the Shaolin step in, everything Jang Ilso has prepared for them will strangle the Shaolin.
Why was he thinking like that?
It was quite obvious.
If Jang Ilso had wanted to, he could have added troops in these five days. The Lower District and the Black Ghost Fort had not yet shown themselves in the river.
If only they had shown up, the abbot's choice would have been much easier to make. It was impossible to jump into something that was realistically impossible.
But Jang Il-so did not add more troops.
As if he would never break the subtle hope that Shaolin had. He was cleverly maintaining his forces while tempting Shaolin to rush towards Namgung at any time.
Clench.
The abbot clenched his teeth.
'A coward?'
The person who wanted to attack more than anyone else was the abbot. The blame for everything that happened here would fall on none other than Shaolin and the abbot himself.
Was it difficult to order them to attack and claim that Shaolin sacrificed their lives like animals for the sake of harmony? Was it really difficult to cry and shout out for Shaolin's principles in front of the bodies of Shaolin disciples who would die?
Then the abbot would remain just the abbot in the world. Even if Shaolin fell, the name of the abbot would be remembered forever in the history of the murim.
But what would all of that mean?
Didn't he know what happened to Mount Hua, which brought the sect to the brink of destruction for the sake of righteousness?
Did the martial arts sect protect those who died together with the Heavenly Demon on the summit of the Ten Thousand Great Mountain?
Chung Mun.
The name of the then sect leader Chung Mun could not be forgotten, no matter how hard one tried. He was a person who sacrificed everything to save the murim world.
So was Chung Mun really rejoicing in the afterlife now?
Nonsense!
'He must be crying in bitter feelings!'
He must be shedding tears of blood. He must have cursed himself for the choice he made.
The one holding the abbot back right now was the ghost of Mount Hua.
If that ridiculous person called Mount Hua's Sword Saint hadn't appeared, Mount Hua would have been in complete ruins. No one in the world would have remembered the name of the Plum Blossom Sword Saint.
Who could force such a terrible sacrifice on their sect? WHO!
"Abbot!"
"You…"
Just as the abbot was about to glare at Beop Gye.
"T-there!"
"…"
At the urgent gesture of Beop Gye, he turned his head. And then he saw.
A small ship was suddenly docked next to the massive hull of the Black Dragon ship. And then a person jumped off the Black Dragon Ship and onto the smaller vessel.
"Jang… Ilso…"
He couldn't help but notice.
No matter how far it was, that outfit caught people's attention right away.
Following Jang Ilso, a ship carrying another person slowly approached them. It looked as if they were leisurely enjoying a ship ride.
Crack!
The sound of someone gritting their teeth pierced the abbot's ears.
His heart began to beat faster and faster. His heart, which had been so bloodless that it didn't even beat, suddenly pounded, pushing blood to the tip of the abbot's head.
Hegemony Lord Jang Ilso. The mastermind behind all this.
A demon wearing human skin was slowly approaching without proper escort.
"This…"
The face of the abbot was bloodshot.
The blood vessels burst, and his eyes turned red from the strength he exerted.
And the anger was not only felt by the abbot. Everyone occupying the banks of the Yangtze River glared at Jang Ilso with all the malice they could muster. That killing intent alone would have made a normal person die instantly.
However, Jang Ilso was simply relaxed even in the midst of that fierce killing intent.
Clang.
The bottle of alcohol in his hand shook with a heavy sound.
Sitting on the small ship, he enjoyed the killing intent being directed at him and drank the entire bottle. The alcohol that flowed down the corner of his mouth dripped into the river.
"Ugh…"
Unable to hold back the anger, the abbot clenched his fist. His fingernails dug into the skin, and red blood dripped onto the ground.
'How much further will he go…!'
How much longer must he play with people before he is satisfied?
Even the demons that the Tathagata fought against probably weren't so vicious!
The ship, which had been slowly approaching them, finally stopped. Just 20 or so meters away. If someone as old as the abbot wanted to go there, he could rush in and attack that instant.
"Alliance Lord."
Jang Ilso, who was looking at the river with a calm face, glanced at Ho Ga-Myung. His eyebrows were slightly distorted, as if showing discomfort.
"Let us go ahead a bit further. Shouldn't those old people hear my voice clearly?"
"It isn't that their ears are blocked because of old age, it is just that they cannot hear even though they have ears, so I think this is about right."
"Tsk."
Jang Ilso shook his head as if he didn't like it.
"You shouldn't be so scared."
"… you are just too much, Alliance Lord.":
Ho Ga-Myung laughed lightly and added.
"And I am a coward when it comes to things related to you. Isn't that my role? And you should cherish your body a little more now…"
"Fine, fine, enough with the nagging."
Jang Ilso waved his hand like he was sick of it and got up.
Clank.
It was a distance where the sound of the accessories he was wearing as they clashed against each other was vivid enough to hear. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that it was so close to the warriors fighting, but Jang Ilso glared at the Nine Great sect people who were glaring at him.
"This…"
Everyone's faces were now distorted beyond what could be more distorted.
Who here wouldn't know what it meant to come so close that they could attack at any moment without a proper escort?
Everyone's stomach turned as if he had swallowed a whole piece of hot coal. Everyone just glared at Jang Ilso.
And at that moment.
Jang Ilso held out the bottle of alcohol in his hand and shook it lightly.
"Shall we have a drink?"
His voice was incredibly languid.
For a moment, the blood in the abbot surged high.
However, Jang Ilso simply enjoyed the face of the abbot.
"If we are going to just sit back and watch anyway, it would be nice to have a sip of alcohol with this view of the Yangtze River, as an accompaniment. Isn't that right, Ga-Myung?"
"The Justice faction people don't know what style is."
"Right. Tsk tsk. Too bad. It will be hard."
Jang Ilso brought the bottle to his mouth as if he were sad and drank the alcohol as if it were nothing. The alcohol that had lingered at the tip of his red lips flowed down his chin.
It was such a bizarre sight.
Even though the leader of the Four Precepts Alliance, who could be considered the greatest rival to the Nine Great Sects, was right next to them, no one on the riverside attempted to attack him.
They just watched blankly as Jang Ilso drank alcohol in front of them, as if their feet were glued to the ground.
"Hmm."
After a while, Jang Ilso took the bottle from his mouth and let out a satisfied sound. The sight of his white teeth showing through his blood-red lips was eerie.
"At least…"
He glanced at everyone on the riverside and chuckled. It was an audacious laugh.
"I thought there would be at least something here."
"…"
"I guess I overestimated you. No, no, I didn't know you would be this bad, so should I say I underestimated you?"
"Uhh…"
Jang Ilso nodded slowly.
"At this point, it seems like there is no need to divide us into right and wrong sides of the sects. We can't just be as vicious as you, trying to survive… this is something I have learned."
"Jang Ilso!"
That was the moment when the abbot shouted so loudly it almost burst his throat.
"Watch carefully, you hypocrites who talk about justice and righteousness with your own mouths."
Jang Ilso's chilling voice crushed them.
Tak.
Jang Ilso lightly snapped his fingers and shrugged.
"I will reward you for standing on that land and enduring. As of this moment, Namgung will disappear from this world."
"Uh…"
"Listen to that scream. That shout. That anger. Right here…"
Jang Ilso's lips curled up.
"I will hold on to the life I protected in exchange for your conscience."
After a while, the small ship carrying him turned its bow. Jang Ilso cast a gaze back and said.
"If not… would you kill me now? The great leader of the Justice faction?"
"…"
"Hahahahahahaha! Hahahahahah!"
Humiliation.
Defeat.
And guilt.
In the hell where all of that was mixed together, Jang Ilso's back, carrying the rising sun, slowly moved.
At that moment.
The ships, which had been lined up as if guarding the island, began to turn their bows at once.
Towards Plum Blossom Island, towards the survivors of the Namgung family who remained there.