Beok Gye noticed something strange.
It was at that moment when he saw the Peng Family and the cave advancing, one step ahead of Shaolin.
Beok Gye's expression hardened.
"Isn't this different from the plan?"
This was the battlefield they had chosen. They had already reached an agreement on how to fight with the Four Tyrants Alliance before arriving here.
Shaolin would lead the charge, and the cave and Peng Family would flank them. They would create a wedge formation, breaking through the enemy's center.
It was a simple but effective strategy, based on Shaolin's strength.
But now, it was clear to Beok Gye.
According to the plan, the cave and Peng Family should have been supporting Shaolin from behind, blocking attacks from the sides and rear. But instead, they were moving ahead of Shaolin.
As a result, the formation they had was not the wedge formation they had initially planned; it resembled more of a trident.
"Sir Family Lord! Sect Leader!"
A startled Beok Gye shouted towards them.
But it was of no use.
In this urgent battlefield, was it possible to relay messages and reposition troops appropriately? It was impossible to control the raging fire once it had started burning.
"Do not stop, Beok Gye!"
At that moment, a thunderous voice echoed in his ears. Turning around, Beok Gye saw the deeply set eyes of Beok Jeong.
"Abbot!"
"Keep moving forward! Nothing will change!"
Beok Gye bit his lower lip.
Keep moving forward. If that was Beok Jeong's command, then Beok Gye had only to follow.
"Ooooo!"
Beok Gye roared like a fierce lion.
Nothing will change. Yes, nothing will change. Beok Jeong had clearly said so.
But Beok Gye knew deep down. The meaning behind "nothing will change" was not just one thing.
Beok Gye's face hardened fiercely.
It was no different.
Shaolin, which was supposed to be the one to cut down Jang Ilso's neck, was no different. The sect that would end this war was also Shaolin.
So at the end of this war, Shaolin would seize the brilliant glory and establish order in the Martial Arts World in the name of righteousness!
Nothing will change. No, he would not let anything change.
"Uuuuuung!"
Beok Gye's Thousand Buddha Hands unfolded with great intensity.
The sky, which was turning into darkness as even the twilight hid its form, was covered by the golden shape of his hands.
"Haaa!"
Those countless hand shadows swept away the clumsy obstacles in front of Beok Gye.
The hands of mercy bestowed by the Buddha were more fearsome than anything else. Enemies struck by the force of the external power were sprayed with blood from every opening as they were thrown away.
No one could remain sane in this situation. That's how heated it was.
But the eyes of Beok Jeong, who had anticipated this situation, were relentlessly heavy and cold. His gaze was fixed on Jongli Hyeong and Peng Yeob, who were cutting down enemies in front of them.
"Foolish."
A hint of anger flashed in Beok Jeong's eyes.
Beok Jeong could clearly see what was controlling them, even if it wasn't something visible.
Petty conscience and petty inferiority. Were these small things enough to sway the tide of this war?
"Amitabha Buddha!"
Beok Jeong chanted a Buddhist prayer, glaring coldly at Jang Ilso.
Nothing will change. It was not a situation precarious enough to be swayed by minor variables.
With patience and perseverance, Beok Jeong would finally seize the reins, tame the beast known as the Tyrant, and ultimately cut off its neck.
"Shaolin, follow me!"
Breaking the silence, Beok Jeong began to move decisively.
"Amitabha!"
"Follow the abbot's lead!"
The disciples of Shaolin, brimming with courage, followed Beok Jeong.
The golden army, like a thousand divine spears, aimed solely for the neck of one man.
No, it wasn't just one spear.
Shaolin, the cave, and the Peng Family, three spears aimed mercilessly at piercing through the Four Tyrants Alliance. The cries of agony from the wounded beast shook the barren land.
"Don't stop! Move forward! Faster!"
Jongli Hyeong of the cave sect exclaimed with malice.
Shaolin seemed to increase its speed, as if it had noticed something. At this rate, the cave would fall behind, and Shaolin had to reach Jang Ilso before them, relying solely on their internal qi.
"Faster...."
"Aaaaaagh!"
At that moment, a piercing scream echoed, unlike any heard before.
Instinctively turning his head, Beok Gye saw one of the cave's disciples, dressed in mourning clothes, falling with blood spraying everywhere.
"Gwanmyeonga!"
Jongli Hyeong cried out the disciple's name without realizing it.
It was inevitable, a result already determined.
Those who only moved forward could neither look sideways nor look back. It was greed to try to survey everything and gain everything.
"If you don't want bloodshed, you must stop. You must give up what you seek and protect your disciples."
"Aaaaaagh!"
Another desperate scream erupted, causing Jongli Hyeong's face to momentarily pale. It was a trace of agony.
Move forward or protect.
The agony of one who sought to grasp both things that could not coexist.
Should he really stop? Here?
There was no long deliberation. No, there couldn't be.
Because he had seen.
He had seen Peng Yeob, the family lord of the Hebei Peng Family, only moving forward, leaving behind family members covered in blood.
A blood-curdling rage flashed in Jongli Hyeong's eyes. He had already lost a disciple. If he stopped now, wouldn't he make his dying disciple's sacrifice in vain?
"Sect leader! The rear...!"
"Keep advancing!"
Jongli Hyeong shouted without listening further. His voice was filled with malice, unlike his usual self.
"Move forward! The moment we stop, everything ends! Move forward!"
Arrows shot out relentlessly. They couldn't stop or turn back. They only accelerated, hoping to hit the target.
What started as a small ambition might have grown into something else. The spreading flames of desire were now consuming not only Jongli Hyeong but also the cave itself.
The fire of desire.
The momentum they generated was so formidable that even Hu Jiaming felt anxious. It pressed down on him so heavily that it felt like his heart was being crushed.
"Is this the degree?"
Perhaps he had been arrogant. Maybe he had naively believed that the victories he had easily won in the past would continue to repeat themselves.
Hu Jiaming, who had always been cautious of his own arrogance, even questioned himself.
But facing this now, the power of the Nine Sects and One Union was beyond what he had imagined. It was so daunting that even confronting it made him tremble.
The army of the Myriad Man House, created with everything he had, melted away like snow meeting the spring sun.
Three blazing spears charged towards them.
"Ryeonju-nim!"
Naturally, Hu Jiaming pondered Jang Ilso's sentiments. Would he remain so nonchalant while standing there?
As Hu Jiaming was about to say something to Jang Ilso...
"Hahaha..."
A faint laughter emanated from Jang Ilso. It was an awkward laugh that seemed forced, as if he were desperately trying to create something out of nothing.
"Ryeonju..."
"Hahaha... Haha! Hahahahahahaha!"
Gradually, Jang Ilso, with his mouth wide open, burst into a tremendous laughter. Hu Jiaming could only stare at his lord with widened eyes.
Although Jang Ilso's laughter was always unsettling enough to send shivers down one's spine, the current laughter was incomparable.
Jang Ilso... was laughing as if he had gone mad.
"Ryeon..."
At that moment, Jang Ilso's large hand reached out and firmly grasped Hu Jiaming's head, pulling him irresistibly to his side.
Keeping Hu Jiaming's gaze fixed on the battlefield, Jang Ilso whispered into his ear.
"Do you see?"
"R-Ryeonju nim?"
"I said, do you see!"
Hu Jiaming, now a bit pale, tried to turn to look at Jang Ilso, but Jang Ilso's fingers holding his head didn't allow him to move.
"Hahaha! Look, Jiaming! Right there!"
Madness gleamed in Jang Ilso's eyes.
"Even those esteemed leaders! Those prestigious sects that acted like kings! Even those Taoist fellows who pretended to transcend the mundane world are all writhing in the mud! They've all abandoned their lofty principles!"
Hu Jiaming looked again at the unfolding scene before him. Indeed, it was as Jang Ilso said.
It was a veritable hell. Those who had once upheld the law were now trampling and crushing people, those who had debated morality were now ripping out hearts with swords, and those who had valued non-desire were now wielding swords with eyes full of desire.
In their eyes, there was neither nobility nor righteousness.
"Do you see the frenzy of base desires, Jiaming? Hahaha! Ahahaha!"
Jang Ilso laughed like a madman. As if he couldn't contain his joy at this sight.
Even Hu Jiaming, who had followed Jang Ilso for so long, felt distant from him at this moment. That emotion, which couldn't be fully expressed with the word "madness," overwhelmed him.
"This is what humans are! These creatures called humans! Strip away a layer and throw something appetizing in front of them, and they all rush forward like dogs in heat, unable to resist their true nature!"
"Ryeonju-nim!"
"Keep looking straight ahead!"
Jang Ilso's grip on Hu Jiaming tightened painfully.
In that moment, Hu Jiaming saw it.
In the thick darkness, the eyes of those who couldn't overcome their desires glowed like the dark stars in the sky.
It was both wondrous and revolting beyond measure.
Fiends rushing forward, unable to overcome their lustful desires.
The world as Hu Jiaming knew it was shaken. The underside of the world revealed by those who had discarded their masks was more blatant and horrifying than he had ever imagined.
Was this the world Jang Ilso saw?
"Isn't it beautiful?"
"Alliance Lord..."
Finally gaining the freedom to turn his gaze, Hu Jiaming looked up.
Above Jang Ilso's half-hidden face in the darkness, his red lips were vivid as blood. Those lips were both sweet and terrible, making Jang Ilso himself seem both heavenly and hellish.
"Here!"
At that moment, a voice filled with immense internal strength burst from Jang Ilso's mouth.
Harnessing the momentum, the red cloth fluttered as if struck by a typhoon.
"Right here, it's me!"
Jang Ilso stepped forward. Instead of retreating from the fiends rushing towards him with bared teeth, he advanced further.
"Aaaaaah!"
The onlookers screamed and cursed as they witnessed this sight. Their voices mingled into a horrific cacophony, unheard of in the mortal realm.
Jang Ilso, glowing with a fierce desire, rushed forward. It was as if he were a mass of desires incarnate.
"Hahaha! Ahahaha!"
Jang Ilso laughed, his throat bursting with laughter. Tears formed in his oily eyes from the sheer joy of it all.
Now, the darkness had almost descended completely. Jang Ilso, who had been gazing at the scene with amusement, spoke slowly, unlike before.
"Yes. It's so repulsive."
It was just a soliloquy, words that no one could hear.
But it was undoubtedly meant for someone.
"So... disgusting..."
Gradually, a bluish flame sprouted from Jang Ilso's hands.
The flames of Qingyan, symbolizing him, flickered as Jang Ilso looked down at the fiends rushing towards him.
"And I'm no different."
His eyes were as icy as the flames in his hands. At the same time, the bluish flames in his hands surged violently.
The crimson cloth and the bluish Qingyan formed a strange harmony, unseen anywhere else in the world.
"So let's struggle together. Right here."
With a smirk, Jang Ilso, his crimson cloth fluttering, rushed towards those rushing towards him.
"Ryeonju!"
Shocked by his unexpected actions, Hu Jiaming screamed.
But his scream was drowned out by Jang Ilso's maniacal laughter that erupted simultaneously.
As the western sky was swallowed by darkness, only the moon above shed a silent tear.