Jo Gul stared blankly at Chung Myung, unable even to think about wiping the cold sweat streaming down his face.
"…No."
Of course, he knew he was crazy. Which disciple of Mount Hua wouldn't know that bastard was out of his mind?
But even madness has its limits. He never imagined it could reach that extent.
'No, I still thought…'
Until now, whenever that bastard did something crazy, Jo Gul believed there was some calculation behind it. He never imagined Chung Myung could be so reckless.
"…Crazy bastard."
It was Yoon Jong who said it. When those words come from him, everything is said. How terrible the situation was is proven by Baek Cheon, who had collapsed, and Yu Yiseol, who lay exhausted on the ground like a cat.
"It would be more sensible to shout 'Put your head in the tiger's mouth and try to get eaten!'"
At that moment, Tang Soso muttered in a dazed voice.
"That lunatic… if he's going to die, he should die alone. Why drag us down too…"
Jo Gul flinched and turned around. Even though Mount Hua has no hierarchy, calling your sahyung a lunatic was a bit much. Since Yoon Jong heard it, he might get angry.
"Exactly!"
Nope. Looks like the senior brother is really angry.
And it seemed that not only Mount Hua disciples were exhausted from Chung Myung's madness.
"I…"
All the exhausted ones turned their gaze simultaneously to where the voice came from. If it had been someone else, they wouldn't have had the strength to turn their heads, but even in this situation, Jang Ilso's reaction could not be ignored.
Unable to collapse like the Mount Hua disciples, Jang Ilso stood upright with a look of disbelief on his face. His gaze was fixed on Chung Myung walking toward him.
"I thought I was the craziest man in this murim world…"
"…"
"There seems to be someone even crazier."
The Mount Hua disciples who heard that looked at each other with faces that could neither laugh nor cry. They never thought the moment would come when they would agree with Jang Ilso's words.
Jang Ilso's face, paler than usual, seemed to show that his earlier words were not just a joke.
In contrast, Chung Myung's face approaching was calm as if everything was someone else's problem. He even clicked his tongue at Baek Cheon and his group.
"Honestly, anyone would think you did something great. What are you sitting down for!"
"Hey, you…"
"Taoist… Taoist, please just go far away and die. Please…"
The Mount Hua disciples, with no strength left to shout, only cursed weakly.
Still, Baek Cheon, claiming to be a sasuk to them, was the first to stagger to his feet and ask.
"What on earth…"
"Huh?"
"What happened? Why did that guy leave so obediently?"
They had overheard the conversation but without prior knowledge, they couldn't understand anything at all.
"It's nothing special…"
Chung Myung's gaze briefly met Jang Ilso's.
"I'll tell you later."
Baek Cheon nodded understandingly, but Jang Ilso spoke with a hint of disappointment.
"I thought we were comrades who fought together. Won't it hurt my fragile heart to be so blatantly left out?"
His voice was soft, almost friendly, but Chung Myung's response was icy cold.
"The moment I use the word comrade with a bastard like you will never come."
"I'd call that a harsh answer… but watching what you do, I think it's better for me too."
Jang Ilso gave a slightly strange look and spoke. Voices of agreement came from here and there.
"That's right."
"…Honestly, we're sorry."
"Sorry."
"What, you bastards?"
Chung Myung glared at the Mount Hua disciples who agreed with Jang Ilso.
Jang Ilso spoke.
"The 'Heavenly Demon' those guys are waiting for is…"
The mention of 'Heavenly Demon' changed everyone's mood instantly. Jang Ilso kept his gaze fixed on Chung Myung and spoke gravely.
"It seems he doesn't just fall from the sky but is resurrected from someone's body?"
Chung Myung glared coldly at Jang Ilso, but Jang Ilso just lifted the corner of his red lips and met that gaze.
"And the Demonic Cult has no way to confirm the resurrected one is the Heavenly Demon until he realizes it himself. So… no one dares to kill people?"
Chung Myung didn't bother to answer. But in this situation, what clearer answer is there than silence? Jang Ilso's eyes gleamed strangely.
"That means… that Heavenly Demon might have already resurrected and is living here in the Central Plains without even knowing he's the Heavenly Demon?"
Chung Myung's gaze grew fiercer. Then Jang Ilso chuckled softly.
"Looking at me with those eyes only makes me more certain of those words."
Chung Myung, grinding his teeth as if disgusted at Jang Ilso, sighed. Since it was Jang Ilso who saw everything with his own eyes, he wouldn't be swayed by any words.
"There's nothing certain."
Chung Myung said in a low voice.
"Whether he has already resurrected, or not yet born, or if he knows he's the Heavenly Demon but hasn't revealed himself to the world."
"…"
"That's the problem—no one knows anything about it."
Jang Il-so nodded as if he roughly understood.
"Resurrection…"
He murmured for a moment, then sighed lightly.
"You really believe such absurd stories. Those crazy fanatics, and you who are crazier than them."
Chung Myung didn't bother to answer.
There was no reason or confidence to explain. If he hadn't experienced the process of rebirth himself, he would have dismissed all this as nonsense like Jang Ilso.
Jang Ilso's gaze swept over the place where Heaven Killer had existed and the land marked by Dan Ja-Kang's traces.
"But… to dismiss those words as mere lunatic nonsense… those crazy bastards aren't ordinary lunatics."
Jang Ilso clearly felt Heaven Killer's power as well.
Dan Ja-Kang alone was a strong man he had never encountered before. Yet Heaven Killer possessed power that crushed even Dan Ja-Kang in an instant. Clearly, no one in the murim world could rival Heaven Killer at this moment.
"If that power combined with the Demonic Cult's power I saw?"
Conquering the Central Plains wouldn't seem so difficult. At least, it was a much more realistic story than the dream Jang Ilso was having.
But neither Heaven Killer nor the Demonic Cult moves.
Someone who could grasp everything if they wished was wasting their life in some unknown borderland, all for the sake of faith.
Because it was Jang Ilso, and no one else, he understood how absurd this situation was.
The strong are bundles of self-awareness. No matter how talented, it takes great effort to embody that talent into real power.
Therefore, those who gain overwhelming power after a long process become embodiments of self-love that ordinary people find hard to understand.
A strong man like Heaven Killer would have his immense self-awareness overflow across the Central Plains. Yet, instead of trying to overcome the Heavenly Demon with that power, he has thrown away everything easily attainable and is just waiting for the Heavenly Demon's reincarnation.
Like a loyal dog guarding an ownerless house.
'Is this really possible?'
Impossible. No, it must not be possible. There is only one situation where it could be.
Jang Il-so looked around everyone with a sinister gaze.
"So that Heavenly Demon…"
Everyone held their breath at the ominous voice.
"Is someone who can even turn that monster into a dog guarding an ownerless house."
Anyone living in the murim world would have heard the two words 'Heavenly Demon.' That name is a symbol of power and the embodiment of fear.
But no expression about the Heavenly Demon was more intense than the sentence Jang Ilso uttered.
"Beyond loyalty, submission… no, beyond submission to the point of offering oneself as a sacrifice."
Jang Ilso let out a bitter laugh.
Even the great Jang Ilso has never completely subjugated anyone like that. Just because someone says they'll resurrect after death, would his people wait for them for a hundred years?
Would those murder-crazed bastards endure a long life of patience in the borderlands like monks devoted to Buddhism?
"No way."
Then what on earth must be done to make someone like Heaven Killer act like that, not even basic warriors?
No one dared to speak.
The one who fought them was Dan Ja-gang, and what they faced was Heaven Killer. But at this moment, the huge shadow of the Heavenly Demon, whom none had ever met, seemed to press down on everyone here.
Jang Ilso's eyes traced a strange arc.
"Such a guy might be living somewhere here without even knowing who he is…"
Jang Ilso slowly shook his head.
"That's an excessive story even for a joke."
They solved everything. They drove out the Demonic Cult that invaded Hangzhou and even caused the death of one of their top forces, the bishop. Considering the achievements, nothing more could be hoped for.
But on the faces of those left here, there was no joy for the achievement. Those who realized the demonic sect's power and guessed the Heavenly Demon's strength were left only with an indescribable pressure.
"Well, it doesn't matter. That's not an immediate problem for us."
Jang Ilso sighed lightly and smiled faintly.
"Rather than the uncertain future…"
Though it was a bright smile, the moment the Mount Hua disciples saw his eyes, they suddenly felt their hair stand on end.
"Shouldn't we solve our own problems first?"
Jang Ilso's voice changed. The strange friendliness till then had disappeared, replaced by a killing intent. Baek Cheon and his group instantly tensed.
'No way…?'
'At a moment like this?'
Everyone tensed up.
They thought Jang Ilso might reveal his true nature at any time. The reason they came to the south with only a few was because they couldn't trust him, wasn't it?
But still, this was too fast.
As soon as Jang Ilso finished speaking, Red Dogs quietly but swiftly gathered around him. At the same time, Mount Hua disciples also confronted Jang Ilso with Chung Myung at the center.
Jang Ilso's sly gaze and Chung Myung's cold eyes intertwined in the air.
Chung Myung and Jang Ilso couldn't properly fight anyway. So this was a fight between the Red Dogs and Mount Hua. Though the Red Dogs were very strong, Mount Hua's forces were no pushover.
'At least retreating…'
Just as Baek Cheon tried to exchange a glance with Un Geom, Jang Ilso shook his head as if he saw through his intention.
"Oh dear, dear. Was your name Baek Cheon?"
"…You."
"If you're that slow at calculating… you might survive in the north, but not in the south."
"What nonsense…"
Jo Gul, about to raise his voice for Baek Cheon, suddenly shut his mouth as if someone had covered it. His pupils trembled greatly.
He had seen them. Those who had appeared all around.
A groan escaped from Yoon Jong's mouth.
"Huh… Black Ghost Fortress…"
The elite forces of Black Ghost Fortress, left at the entrance of Hangzhou, had already surrounded them, tightening the encirclement. They wouldn't let a single person escape.
If it were only the Red Dogs, they might manage, but if Black Ghost Fortress joined?
"Damn it…"
A momentary gloom crossed the faces of the Mount Hua disciples. Jang Ilso, watching their expressions with amusement, laughed aloud.
"Aren't you curious?"
A brilliant smile spread across Jang Ilso's face. A cruel light flickered in his pale eyes.
"Which is more terrifying: fighting a tiger the size of a house, or being surrounded by a pack of starving hyenas?"
"This bastard…"
Jo Gul's eyes began to blaze with fury.