The handsome man, staggering from poison intoxication, finally knelt on one knee. The numerous gazes that looked at him with disgust were suddenly filled with a base pleasure.
"Th-this…"
The trembling man ultimately could not raise his head and collapsed forward.
"Trashy… bastards…"
Thud.
The moment Baek Cheon, who remained until the end, fell, everyone surrounding him shouted in cheers.
"We have defeated the evil sect scoundrels!"
"We won!"
"How about that, Mount Hua scoundrels! This is justice!"
From the mouths of the Mount Hua disciples lying on the ground came agonized groans.
'Justice was harsh…'
'Then are we the evil ones, you bastards!'
The fact that even some rotten bandits were mixed among those shouting made them feel even more wronged.
No, just because they won a bit, they're driving people like this. People who should know better…
'This is just too much.'
'Is it really going to be like this?'
But at that moment, Tang Family and Namgung family completely embraced each other, their eyes moist with tears.
"The moment I can release this grudge has come."
"Sniff. Namgung hyung, you've worked hard."
"When those bastards knocked us down last time and said, 'This is not much,' I really wanted to bite my tongue and die…"
At those words, the fallen Mount Hua disciples exchanged glances quietly.
'Was that so?'
'…I think I heard that too.'
"Don't even mention it. When I heard 'Ah, a famous family but so weak,' I wanted to visit my ancestors' graves and cry."
The Mount Hua disciples—no, the Mount Hua bastards—flinched and looked at each other again.
'We went that far?'
'It was Jo Gul sahyung. I heard it myself.'
'That bastard, seriously…'
Then, the bandits from the Green Forest, who couldn't bring themselves to embrace, suddenly shouted with emotion.
"We even heard 'Shenzhou Five Clans? Not all are the same!'"
"Wow, that's harsh."
"That was the worst. And we already have bad relations with the Ten Thousand People Clan."
The Mount Hua disciples—no, the evil sect bastards of Mount Hua—quietly turned their heads. Everyone clearly remembered hearing this…
'Was it the sasuk?'
'It was Baek Cheon sahyung.'
'That man, when drunk, is even worse than Jo Gul.'
Of course, it wasn't only Baek Cheon who was drunk. If only one or two had done such things, it would have been obvious immediately, but the fact that no one knew until now means many did similar things.
"Justice prevails, you trash!"
"How about that! Now you understand our rage!"
"Hahahahaha!"
Watching the triumphant three-faction alliance revel in victory, the Mount Hua disciples gritted their teeth. Especially Jo Gul, who couldn't endure this situation, flared his eyes and sharply raised his head.
"Th-these filthy bastards… Have no pride! A joint attack!"
"Heh heh heh. That's understandable, Taoist Jo Gul."
Im So-Byeong gently fanned his fan. Of course, one of his eyes was bruised blue, so it didn't look good at all.
"I never expected Taoist Jo Gul to understand the strategy. Heh heh heh. What can we do? We live in different worlds."
"Ugh…"
Jo Gul, bursting with rage, spat blood and collapsed.
In the training ground, the cheers of those who had completely crushed the Mount Hua scoundrels for the first time echoed for a long time.
"Kuhuhuhu."
"…"
"Hyung, did you see that bastard Taoist Jo Gul's face?"
"…"
"It feels like a ten-year-old chest congestion has suddenly cleared. Oh, I'm full even without eating today."
"Is it really that good?"
"I know what you're going to say, hyung."
Tang Zhan placed both hands on his waist and wore a solemn expression.
"Is it something to be so happy about that three sects combined barely defeated one sect!"
"…"
"You're about to say that, right?"
"Haha."
Tang Pae laughed and shook his head. Tang Zhan spoke with a face that couldn't stop smiling.
"I know it's embarrassing, but today I just want to openly rejoice. So don't stop me."
"I won't stop you, so enjoy it fully."
Tang Pae chuckled. But Tang Zhan soon slumped awkwardly into his chair.
"Honestly, I want to rejoice all day, but I don't have the strength left…"
Tang Zhan leaned his head back, his body weary like wet cotton.
"…I thought winning wouldn't be tiring at all… but winning means fighting until the very end. It would be less exhausting to fall early."
"I see."
"Those Mount Hua bastards… they're really something. How do they manage this every time…"
Tang Zhan didn't finish his sentence and just stopped. Tang Pae turned his head to look at him. He had already fallen asleep as if fainted.
"…It must have been hard."
In fact, their bodies had already reached their limits long ago. Sparring is different from training. It's like a magic spell drains your stamina instantly.
Not just ordinary sparring, but a chaotic battle where friend and foe were hard to distinguish, fought day and night for days, so complete exhaustion was natural.
'So training is this intense too.'
Then how much harder must those who fought the Demonic Cult for dozens of days without proper sleep have endured?
Surely the ancestors of the Tang Family fought their best on that battlefield. But did those present now truly honor their efforts?
'Perhaps we have been too indifferent to our past.'
They say when immersed in glorious triumph, the blood shed to achieve it is buried, and that's exactly right. What they should have truly focused on were not the achievements of defeating the Demonic Cult, but those who sacrificed to achieve them…
Tang Pae, who thought he should revisit the hundred-year-old records left in the family when he returned, soon fell into a deep sleep.
In the room where the two slept, only the lamp's flame burned quietly.
Humans sometimes experience surpassing their own limits.
Those whose stamina was already broken beyond repair could endure only because of one driving force: the will to punch those annoying, filthy Mount Hua bastards in the face.
That intense will ignited their spirit and moved their bodies.
Of course, this would be a valuable experience for those who stained the training ground with blood and screams. Some would find a path to a higher realm, others would deeply question if the path they walk is right.
Even those who didn't achieve such growth would benefit from the experience of fighting to their limits. Perhaps in the future, when standing on a precipice, this experience might save their lives.
Yes, it will surely help.
…In the distant future, that is.
"Ugh…"
"I feel like dying…"
"P-please kill me…"
But what mattered to them was not the distant future but the present moment. What remained for those who burned their bodies like a candle was melted wax… no, half-broken bodies and intense dull pain that felt like burning even with a touch.
Their lips cracked and eyes hollowed. At a glance, they looked so broken one might say, 'Are these Beggars' Union beggars?' They barely stood on trembling legs.
"…I feel like dying, young lord."
"…This feels harder than the fight on Plum Blossom Island."
"Isn't that a bit too much?"
"No. It really feels that way…"
Even the Namgung Family, who had experienced limits at Plum Blossom Island, couldn't regain composure. Back then, the threat to life kept them going, but now there was no such support. They had to hold their shattered bodies up purely with willpower.
At least the Sichuan Tang Family and Namgung Family, who tried to stand and endure, were in a better state.
The Green Forest, with no concern for appearances or pride, just plopped down openly in the training ground, wailing.
"Oh… my, my back…"
"Hey, hyung. But lying down like that is a bit much, isn't it?"
"You try lying down too. It's so comfortable."
"…Maybe I should?"
"Look at the boss over there. He's already lying down."
"…Really."
Im So-Byeong had thrown aside his usual fan and was half-lying down. His already pale face now looked almost like a zombie.
"What… was I… seeking wealth and glory for…"
"Green Forest King, please watch your words. I'm afraid you might die soon like that."
"Ugh…"
The words of someone whose pride for Mount Hua blinded him to his own illness were so tragic.
Normally, Tang Family and Namgung family would click their tongues at such Green Forest, but now they looked at him with endless envy.
'Must be so comfortable.'
'I want to lie down too.'
'The Evil Sect is better. Why was I born in the Tang Family?'
The two sects realized anew that pride and such require at least some leisure to maintain.
At that moment, a group approached them.
"Oh, I feel so stiff."
"The places I got hit yesterday hurt so much."
"We have to take revenge today!"
"We can lose once, but not twice!"
They were Mount Hua disciples entering the training ground. Namgung Do-Wei and Tang Pae were dumbfounded watching the scene.
'What?'
'Why are they so lively already?'
It was incomprehensible.
Yesterday, didn't they beat those martial artists… no, Taoist bastards thoroughly? Yet the ones who got beaten were lively while the fans were dying?
They trained together and fought together.
"Well, today… huh?"
Baek Cheon, who was about to shout loudly at the front, tilted his head.
"Why are these guys in this condition?"
"…"
"Did you guys fight among yourselves again yesterday?"
A sigh escaped from Namgung Do-Wei's mouth.
'Are they even human?'
This was not a matter of grit or experience difference. At this level, it's safe to say they're different species.
"…Those guys would die even without being hit?"
"Hmm… doesn't it look like that?"
"Shall we just go back today?"
"Yoon Jong."
"Yes?"
"I can't help but be disappointed in you."
"…Why?"
Baek Cheon scolded with a stern face.
"Even if tired, they are the scions of noble families! Don't you know that such consideration is actually disrespect and rudeness?"
"Ah…"
"At times like this, it's proper to do your best to beat… no, to face them!"
Taoist Baek Cheon… such manners are fine.
"But sasuk. We are still the Justice faction…"
"Huh? Us?"
"…Yes?"
"Yesterday, those people called us the Evil Sect?"
"…"
Baek Cheon grinned and approached those who were dying.
"If you're treated like villains, you should act like proper villains, right?"
"Heh heh heh. That's right."
"I'll kill you."
"Zhan, come here. While I'm being nice. Come here. Or I'll kill you. I'll kill you whether you come or not."
Watching Baek Cheon, Jo Gul, Yu Yiseol, and Tang Soso slowly step forward, Yoon Jong shook his head.
Isn't this what real villains are?
"Blood revenge!"
"Revenge!"
Just as Baek Cheon rolled his eyes and charged forward, someone suddenly appeared from behind and kicked his backside.
"Grow up, you fool!"
"Aah!"
Chung Myung clicked his tongue watching Baek Cheon fall forward.
"I trusted this…"
"Chung Myung, it's sasuk…"
"I am like this because it's sasuk! Grow up!"
"That's a fair point."
Baek Cheon nodded in agreement and got up. Chung Myung clicked his tongue once and glanced over Namgung family, Tang Family, and Green Forest, who barely endured in zombie-like states. The direct descendants looked a bit better, but the rest were on the verge of death.
Chung Myung shrugged.
"I'd like to keep beating them up longer… but well, I have to consider the situation."
"…Are we resting today?"
"Rest?"
Chung Myung's eyes widened.
"Is there such a thing in this world?"
"…Damn…"
"Today, instead of sparring, we'll do something else."
"What? What kind of…"
"First, let's welcome the guests."
Namgung Do-Wei tilted his head at the sudden remark. Then Chung Myung looked to one side and said.
"They're coming over there."
At that moment, a loud roar reached Namgung Do-Wei's ears. It was the cry of a beast he had never heard in his life.