Return of the Mount Hua Sect

“Yes! Sect Leader-nim. Evil Sect Tyrant has declared Evil Faction Unification (????(邪道一統)).”

“Evil Faction Unification ….”

Again, a groan came out of Hyun Jong’s mouth as he repeated the phrase.

But Jo-Gol seemed puzzled upon hearing that term and looked back at Yoon Jong wondering as if he didn’t understand.

“Um… Sahyung.”

“What?”

“That, what’s Evil Faction Unification ?”

Aghast, Yoon Jong glanced back at Jo-Gol. Jo-Gol, who read the visible contempt on the expression, protested as if he felt unfair.

“N- No, I know its meaning! It’s about uniting all the Evil Sects, right?”

“…Yes. It’s a relief you know.”

“But, aren’t the Evil Sects already unified? The Five Great Evil Sect has come together as one… Of course, there is Nokrim, but now half of Nokrim belongs to the Heavenly Comrade Alliance and has almost completely withdrawn from banditry, so it is difficult to call it an Evil Sect….”

Upon hearing that, Hong Dae-gwang shook his head as he looked toward Jo-Gol.

“That’s half right and half wrong.”

“Yes?”

“It is true that Five Great Evil Sects represent Evil Sects. But the Five Great Evil Sect is not everything there is to Evil Sects. Aren’t there countless Evil Sects in the world?”

“T- True.”

The Galho Sect that Jo-Gol defeated was one of the Evil Sects.

“Now, the Evil Tyrant Alliance has declared to put all those Evil Sects under their command.”

“What? All the Evil Sects?”

It was only then that Jo-Gol, who understood what Unified Evil Path meant, was greatly taken aback.

“Is that even possible? No matter how much…….”

“It’s hard. Considering the nature of Evil Sects.”

“Their nature?”

When Jo-Gol asked what he meant by that, Hong Dae-gwang clicked his tongue.

“Think about it for a second. They’re Evil Sects. Evil Sects! These people intensely dislike rules and regulations. Would those people willingly bow their heads under someone else? Why do you think your Evil Sects are being pushed aside by Righteous Factions?”

“…Is it because your martial arts skills are weak?”

“That’s wrong.”

“Then why?”

“Because they can’t create a big force.”

Baek Cheon asked back as if he didn’t understand.

“But isn’t the Five Great Evil Sects a huge faction comparable to the Ten Great Sects faction?”

“Yes, yes. But that’s the limit. Evil Sects couldn’t grow beyond that. If they tried to expand further, if the leader’s power didn’t reach every corner, there would always be internal strife, and sects splitting up.”

“Oh….”

“The Ten Great Sects and the Five Great Family are all sects that have been around for hundreds of years. But Evil Sects doesn’t last for less than a hundred years, even if it’s a giant sect. Because over time, it collapses on its own.”

Hong Dae-gwang distorted his face.

“So think about it. It is normal for the Evil Sects to be divided even within themselves, but does it make sense for them to sincerely submit to a stronger sect?”

Hyun Jong was deep in thought for a moment, let out a sigh, and opened his mouth.

“Hong Buntaju.”

“Yes, Sect Leader.”

“But as far as I know, the Evil Sects also went under stronger sects?”

“If one looks at the inside story, it’s a little different. There are sects near Mount Hua that went under to Mount Hua too, right?”

“….”

“…Aren’t there?”

“That… Uh….”

That’s when Chung Myung casually interjected.

“Ah, there’s some in Xian now.”

“R- Right! There are! They exist!”

“….”

Feeling as if he had said something he shouldn’t say, Hong Dae-gwang dodged Hyun Jong’s gaze and stuttered.

“Yes… Uh, well… In any case, just because there is a sect that went under them doesn’t mean the sect on top can give command to each of those sects. Isn’t it also impossible for Righteous Sects to do that even to its subsidiary sect?”

“That’s right.”

“The reason for going under a strong sect is simply to benefit from it. The same goes for Evil Sects. But the unification that Evil Tyrant Alliance is talking about right now isn’t to simply tell lower sects go under them. It’s about making them swear loyalty and controlling them as their limbs. The idea is to unify the numerous Evil Sects in the world under the name of the Evil Tyrant Alliance. In other words….”

Hong Dae-gwang bit his lip and said,

“Only the Evil Tyrant Alliance will remain in this world. Evil Sects becomes Evil Tyrant Alliance, and Evil Tyrant Alliance becomes Evil Sects.”

“What, what are you saying?”

Hyun Jong’s face turned slightly pale. Only now did he realize how significant the declaration of this Unified Evil Path was.

“Is that even possible?”

“Of course it’s impossible. If it were, there would have been many attempts already. But…”

When Hong Dae-gwang hesitated, Chung Myung continued for him instead.

“It’s possible now, that impossible task.”

“Huh?”

“With the emergence of this Evil Tyrant Alliance, the powerful sects can’t check and balance each other, and the cunning Righteous Faction looking for the right moment can’t approach Gangnam either.”

“Um… That is…”

“However.”

Chung Myung smirked, twisting the corners of his mouth.

“I thought he’d be too busy sorting things out internally… But he’s planning to take action? The wound where my sword cut him probably hasn’t healed yet. Jang Ilso, that f*cker…..”

In Chung Myung’s view, Jang Ilso looked no different from a gluttonous pig. No matter how great he is, there’s no way he can swallow the Eighteen Water Fortress, Black Ghost Sect, and Hao Sect without any repercussions.

So he thought Jang Ilso would be busy sorting things out for a while, but he moved contrary to Chung Myung’s expectations.

“What do you think will happen?”

“Hmm.”

Receiving Chung Myung’s gaze, Im Sobyong scratched his chin.

“Actually… This may be extreme, but it’s also a logical move. In times of internal discord, one common strategy is to establish an external adversary.”

“Right.”

“If they focus on internal restructuring like this, power struggles are bound to surface eventually. However, if they turn the blades outward, regardless of their strength, they won’t bite each other in the meantime. Perhaps that’s Jang Ilso’s objective.”

Chung Myung’s eyes darken.

“That can’t be all.”

“Yes?”

“Unified Evil Path. This war is none other than a war carried out in the name of Evil Tyrant Alliance.”

“…Isn’t that a given?”

“To put it another way, those who pledge allegiance will do so under the name of Evil Tyrant Alliance.”

“Ah!”

Im Sobyong flinched as if he had overlooked that fact.

“I see. So, that means…”

Hyun Jong, who couldn’t keep up with the conversation between the two, asked with a stern face.

“Chung Myung-ah. What do you mean by that?”

“When the Five Great Sects subjugate the Evil Sects in respective territory, the subjugated Evil Sects come under the control of each sect. However, if you subjugate them in the name of the Evil Tyrant Alliance, they will follow the orders of the Evil Tyrant Alliance. therefore…

“…Are you saying that it will become the power of Jang Ilso, the Ryeonju of Evil Tyrant Alliance? From now on, everyone who joins does?”

“Exactly.”.

Chung Myung grinned, showing his teeth.

“That crazy bastard is doing something just like him.”

There are steps in everything. The reason you have to follow those steps is because of the significant adverse effects if you ignore them.

They have only just formed an alliance, but he’s greedily expanding without consolidating the internal structure? And leading the other sects of the Five Great Evil Sect, which has yet to be fully surrendered to them?

This is nothing short of a blatant provocation to the other leaders of the Five Great Evil Sect.

Baek Cheon asked with a grave face.

“There will be resistance, right?”

“He must feel confident to suppress it. If he succeeds, the gains are guaranteed.”

No matter how powerful the sects within the Five Great Evil Sect are, if they gather all other sects, their power will not be taken lightly. No, at least in terms of numbers, it would be more than enough to overwhelm the Five Great Evil Sect.

If that happens, even the likes of Black Dragon King, Thousand-Faced Gentleman, and Great Master of Ten Thousand Gold will not dare to approach Jang Ilso.

“What if he fails?”

“He’ll die.”

Chung Myung chuckled.

“He’ll die the most miserable death, without a shred of flesh left. He probably knows that too.”

All small and medium-sized Evil Sects that protest are trampled and subjugated. In the meantime, he must keep in check the other leaders of the Five Great Evil Sect who may try to stab him in the back at any moment.

This is an incredibly dangerous tightrope walk.

Yet, in the lingering aftermath of a war that hasn’t yet subsided, Jang Ilso has declared himself on that tightrope.

“What do you think? What are the odds of him succeeding?”

Chung Myung frowns at Baek Cheon’s question.

“…Four out of ten. No, maybe three… it might even be two out of ten.”

“Two out of ten?”

That’s more like gambling than a calculated risk.

“Even for Jang Ilso?”

Unconsciously, Baek Cheon made a comment that put Jang Ilso in high regard, but there was no need to correct his words.

“It is because of Jang Ilso that I’m giving this much credit. If it were another Evil Sects bastard, he’d already lost his head and turned into dog food by now.”

Ironically, Chung Myung valued Jang Nilso even higher.

“Then….”

Baek Cheon swallowed dry saliva and opened his mouth. He pondered whether he should ask or not until the very moment he spoke, but he just couldn’t hold back.

“…if Jang Ilso succeeds through those slim odds. I mean, if he manages to unify all the sects, then what happens?”

“If he succeeds?”

“Yes, if he succeeds.”

Chung Myung twisted the corner of his mouth with a grim expression.

“On the surface, it might seem as if Evil Tyrant Alliance has unified all the Evil Sects, but in reality, Myriad Man Manor would’ve swallowed all the sects. In other words…”

“….”

“A sect that has never been seen before and would never be seen again in the future would emerge.”

Chills ran down Baek Cheon’s back.

“And Jang Ilso would become the only entity leading the largest Evil Sects force of all time. Something that has never been witnessed in the history of Kangho.”

A suffocating silence fell upon the room.

It was such a huge remark that they didn’t even know how to react.

Through the silence, Chung Myung’s faint laughter rang.

People look at Chung Myung with stupefied expressions.

“The madman is acting exactly like a madman would. If he can’t have it all, he’s willing to be torn to shreds and die, right?”

Jang Ilso must have been patient and endured for this very moment.

That Jang Ilso has now started to move.

Then he will never stop until he engulfs the world or burns it all down. Even if he swallows too much and his stomach explodes and he dies, even if he himself burns to death in the fire he started himself!

That’s just how a person like Jang Ilso lives.

Meanwhile, Baek Cheon’s face as he looked at Chung Myung was utterly stiff.

Everyone was weighed down by the enormity of Jang Ilso’s work, but only Chung Myung looked rather delighted.

It could just be a misconception, but…….

“I’m curious, too.”

Then Chung Myung said with a bizarre smile.

“Is Jang Ilso really a vessel that can put the entire Evil Sects under his control, or a f*cking moron who’ll burst from trying to swallow something he can’t digest.”

Chung Myung’s gaze turned towards the door, or more precisely, something beyond it

Until now, the world seemed to be waiting for Chung Myung to move. But now the world has started to come upon Chung Myung.

‘This is what makes it fun.’

Chung Myung clasped his fist tightly.

“However… regardless of that, the outcome will be the same. I’m gonna show you that the screw-up you made can’t be fixed, no matter what.”

Fixing his gaze to the south, he grinned, showing his teeth.

And maybe.

Someone far away from here might be smiling at this side by now.