Return of the Mount Hua Sect

There are compartments on each floor underneath the ship. Therefore, even if there is a hole in the bottom and the ship tilts and twists, it normally takes a significant amount of time for the entire ship to sink under the water.

This is common knowledge for most people.

However,

Kureureurueng!

But right now, that common sense is shattering right before their eyes.

How on earth did they attack, causing such a large ship to rapidly sink into the water?

The sight of the dark water dragging the ship as if it were swallowing it was enough to instill fear in those watching.

“The ship, the ship is….”

If someone had attacked them, they would not have been so disoriented. However, to those who were not familiar with water combat, the idea of the ship being attacked first was an inconceivable shock.

Someone regained their senses at the sound of a second ship tilting with a loud noise.

“Sto- Stop them! Dammit! Hurry and stop them!”

A voice that sounded more like a scream than a shout rang out. Those who managed to come to their senses by the sound urgently looked at the ship.

Right, they must be stopped. Otherwise, all the ships would sink.

But how?

How can they stop an attack that comes from an unseen place that sinks the ship?

“Dive in! The enemy is attacking from within the water!”

Quick thinkers always exist. Such people often give directions to those who are slow in thinking. Those who heard the clear answer rushed into the water as if there was nothing to think about.

Those who flew in with lightness art hit the water like a cannonball, and huge columns of water continued to rise.

If someone had the leisure to observe this spectacle, they might have applauded and said it was spectacular. Unfortunately, no one had such a luxury.

Kureureung!

As another boat tilted with a loud noise and began to sink, creating a huge froth, panic ensued.

“You damn bastaaaaards!”

Yop Sang (??(葉常)) of the Azure Sky Sword Squad roared and plunged into the water.

Splash!

A huge shock was sent to Yop Sang’s body as he jumped into the water. As the speed of jumping into the water was fast, the impact of passing through the water was also great.

But what truly disconcerted him was something else.

Before his eyes, there was nothing but darkness.

Pitch Black World. (????(暗黑天地).)

In this dark night’s river water, the blackness was denser than he had imagined.

The darkness was so thick that even with his trained eyes, he couldn’t tell one inch ahead. The moment he encountered this, a shiver ran down his spine. It was a fear that was not easy to overcome.

However, whether fortunate or not, Yop Sang didn’t have the luxury of indulging in this fear for long.

Puuk!

Because fear is nothing more than a luxury when faced with the eerie feeling of something digging into your chest and lower abdomen.

Yop Sang’s mouth opened wide. Black water poured into his mouth and began to fill his stomach and lungs.

“Kkureuruek.”

Bubbles poured out from his open mouth. Barely adjusting to the darkness, his eyes recognized the long objects embedded in his chest and abdomen as the harpoons of the pirates.

“Kkureuk.”

But that’s all.

His vision, which had barely distinguished outlines, was rapidly turned dark again.

Deep, deep darkness, the kind that heralds death.

The lifeless body of Yop Sang, who had ceased moving, slowly floated to the surface. In addition to the Yop Sang, several bodies of those who had hastily jumped into the water floated up at the same time.

If it wasn’t for the water…. No, even if it were underwater, but with not such a dark night, such a result would never have occurred.

But the river, shrouded in darkness, was exceedingly cruel to them.

In a place where they couldn’t see, feel, or breathe, everything they had learned was meaningless. Those who hadn’t taken the time to choose a battleground that played to their strengths paid a steep price.

“So-aaaah… Namgung So!”

“Euaaaaaa!”

Seeing the rising corpses, the swordsmen of the Namgung Family screamed at the top of their lungs.

Then, right at that moment.

Kwareureureung!

Another ship began to sink, as if to snatch away all hope. The blood drained from the faces of the Namgung Family swordsmen.

‘Another one…’

Now, there is only one ship that is floating properly on that fluctuating water.

If they lost that too, they would be completely trapped on the island with no means of escape.

They knew they had to act, but their feet wouldn’t move. Who could boldly dive in when those who had just done so turned into corpses in an instant?

“Out of the way! I’ll go!”

At that time, an angry voice came from behind, and someone leaped towards the water without a moment’s hesitation.

“Gasp!”

“So- Sogaju!”

“It’s dangerous!”

The swordsmen of the Namgung Family screamed in awe as they saw the back of Namgung Dowi jumping into the river. But he had already plunged in like an eagle swooping on a fish, disappearing beneath the water.

Namgung Dowi disappeared at once along with the rising flurry of water.

As Sogaju, the successor of the family, did not spare his life and jumped into the water, and the eyes of the swordsmen who saw him burned red.

“Protect Sogaju!”

“We must guard both the ship and Sogaju!”

“There’s no fear in the name of Namgung! Let’s go!”

The swordsmen who guarded the riverside and the swordsmen of Azure Sky Sword Squad, who ran late, followed Namgung Dowi with great courage. As if ashamed of having paused momentarily.

That is, until a desperate scream was heard from behind them.

“Not theeeeeere!”

Those who were running into the water looked back in shock.

Namgung Myung had arrived, his face pale, screaming at the top of his lungs.

“Not, not the ship! The dock! Guard the dock! The dock must be guarded first!”

“Huh?”

“Ship! Don’t you understand? Protect the dock before the ship…”

Kwaaaaaaang!

At that moment, a huge explosion and a rising water column enveloped the long dock built on the riverside. The wooden structure, unable to withstand the force, shattered into pieces, scattering like fireworks over the river.

Kwaaaaang!

“Ah….”

Namgung Myung’s face turned as white as if he had seen a ghost.

The rising water column could clearly be seen engulfing the Hundred Thunder Cannon placed at the dock.

“No… way….”

He seemed to lose all strength in his legs and slumped to the ground.

Kwaaaang!

At the same time, even the last ship they tried to guard ended up sinking underwater with a loud crash.

Namgung Myung stared blankly at the whole scene. His face looked as if he had lost his soul.

An oddly long dock and the Hundred Thunder Cannon were installed there.

These two are the keys to defending the island. The dock is nothing short of a lifeline, providing land where they can step on and swing their swords, narrowing the distance to land and helping them survive.

And the Hundred Thunder Cannon is the only line of defense that completely blocks ships approaching the lifeline that is the dock.

But now, they had lost everything – their land to fight on, the means to block the approach of ships, and even the ships themselves that were their means of escape.

‘Wa- Wait, weapon?’

Namgung Myung hurriedly turned his head.

Sure enough, he could see the martial artists of the Namgung Family coming in unison after hearing the noise.

“Do- Don’t go!”

Namgung Myung shouted at the top of his lungs.

“Hold your ground, damn it! You stupid bastards! We must protect the Hundred Thunder Cannons positioned around the island! Turn back! Right now, turn back!”

His shout was even desperate.

But it was too late. The martial artists who heard the voice were taken aback and hurried back. But all they encountered was a battery that had already been completely destroyed and the Hundred Thunder Cannons that had disappeared as if they had never existed from the beginning.

“This, this can’t be…”

It’s the same everywhere else.

The enemy waited for them to rush after hearing the commotion, then jumped up from the water, destroyed the battery, and escaped leisurely.

Darkness and water.

Against those who could use those two things at will, the sword that the Namgung Family boasted was useless. What use was a sword when you couldn’t face your enemy?

Those who returned to Namgung Myung with broken hearts bowed down on the spot.

“Da- Daeju, the cannon batteries have been destroyed.”

“We were unable to protect the battery.”

“…….”

Splash. Splash.

Namgung Dowi, who had also emerged from the water, looked at the situation on the island and clenched his teeth in frustration.

“…We’ve missed them.”

Namgung Myung looked around the island amidst the series of bad news.

They had lost everything crucial – the dock, the ships, the Hundred Thunder Cannons.

This place could no longer be called Plum Blossom Island.

The Plum Blossom Island, which lost its weapons against the pirates and the dock that restricted the movement of the pirates, was just a huge island barrel in the middle of the river. And now the Namgung Family has become a rat in the jar.

They were outmaneuvered. Completely.

Was it due to negligence? No.

Then did they look down on the pirates? That is definitely not the case.

They were utterly defeated because they failed to understand the significance of being on an island in the middle of the river. No matter how ferocious a lion may be, it has no choice but to become food for crocodiles on a dark river at night.

“We’ve been thoroughly outplayed.”

Namgung Myung clenched his teeth at the deep voice heard from behind his back.

“G- Gaju-nim.”

His eyes trembled as he looked back.

Namgung Hwang, who walked toward them with great strides, threw something he was holding in his hand.

Three severed heads (??(首級)).

The heads, clearly belonging to pirates, rolled on the ground.

“Things like mayflies.”

Namgung Myung knelt, bowing his head as if it would touch the ground.

“Gaju-nim! This servant was incompetent and made a mistake. Please punish me.”

“Foolish!”

When Namgung saw that, he shouted loudly.

“Lift your head up! The people of the Namgung Family should never lower their heads carelessly!”

“Ga- Gaju….”

“What was the problem? Ships? Cannons? The dock? What does it matter that we lost such things!”

“…….”

“Even if we lose our footing, those pirates won’t be able to set even a single foot on this island! Not a single one of them will invade the land protected by Namgung Hwang, the Emperor Sword!”

Namgung Hwang fiercely drew his sword and shouted.

“Be it pirates or the Black Dragon King, it’s all the same! You just have to let those fish know that you can never beat the sword of the Southern Palace Family! Do you understand?”

“Yes!”

To that solemn command, the swordsmen of the Namgung family responded with a hundredfold courage.

Namgung Hwang, having boosted their morale, glanced over the dark river waters with a stern face.

‘…This is not good.’

Though he had managed to prevent their morale from plummeting with his bravado, he was not oblivious to the seriousness of the situation.

‘Damn it.’

Things were spiraling out of control in a direction he had not anticipated.

Like a raft being sucked into a whirlpool in the middle of the river.