Chapter 804: Yah! Get Me Some Extra Booze! (4)

"This is..."

Venerable Heo Do's face contorted viciously. As a Taoist, he was not one to show such an expression to others. The fact that his emotions were visible on his face meant the situation was dire.

Tat!

Venerable Heo Do dashed out as if he had nothing more to say.

The other sect leaders, understanding the seriousness, quickly followed his lead.

The battlefield's scenery had changed. The fighting had already stopped as if the life-and-death struggle from moments ago had been a mere illusion.

Venerable Heo Do's gaze moved forward. Everyone in the basin was looking in their direction.

On the cliff.

A man stood looking down from a height so great it felt as if one's neck would break to see him.

Black clothes covered his entire body.

A long, rough black beard reached down to his navel.

His face was as red as hell, and his hair resembled a lion's mane.

In addition to this unusual appearance, the image of a Black Dragon was engraved on his chest. They knew who it was without needing to say his name.

"Kuahahahaha! What did you bastards of the Justice Faction come all the way to the Yangtze River for?"

Namgung Hwang's face turned cold.

The tremendous qi in the voice seemed to cut Namgung Hwang's skin.

'Is the Black Dragon King really this powerful?'

He had heard of his reputation.

But he thought the man was just another Evil Faction thug. Compared to the Justice Faction, which lives in fierce competition with sahyungs and even their brothers, the Evil Faction seemed nothing more than a group of fools with no trace of sincerity.

He wondered how impressive the head of the Pirates could truly be...

The Black Dragon King, seen with his own eyes, immediately shocked Namgung Hwang.

It felt like a wave of strength was flowing through his body, so intense it sent a shiver down his spine.

"Not only did you dare invade the Yangtze River, but you also crawled into the Black Dragon pirates' territory. The scum of the Justice Faction has lost their fear!"

Namgung Hwang, who was listening, shouted.

"You coward, hiding in such a distant place, yet you talk so boldly. Do you have anything left to say as someone who abandoned his subordinates and turned his back on them?"

Namgung Hwang's words made sense. They were effective in calming down the agitated warriors of the Namgung family.

"I turned my back...."

The Black Dragon King sneered as he repeated the words.

"Say whatever you want. I don't care for the words of someone who will end up in a grave soon."

"You!"

At that moment, Beop Gye spoke.

"Amitabha. Theravada is said to be the dharma of Shaolin."

"Huh! How dare an elder who isn't even the leader of the sect try to speak with me! Shaolin's arrogance has reached the heavens!"

As the Black Dragon King openly mocked, Beop Gye frowned slightly.

"Lord, I heard your argument well, but what are you going to do about us in this situation? You cannot handle us all by yourself, right?"

"There is nothing I cannot do!"

The Black Dragon King laughed loudly.

"Do I really need anyone else to handle fools like you? My blade is enough."

The Black Dragon King grabbed the sword at his waist. The handle changed and became longer, soon forming a long scimitar.

Paaat!

The Black Dragon King, who shook the blade in the air, had an arrogant smile.

"Who can handle me?"

Before Namgung Hwang could shout, Beop Gye stepped forward.

"Amitabha. If you wish, Beop Gye can handle you."

"You? Hahahaha!"

The Black Dragon King's roar rang loudly.

The Black Dragon King, who burst into laughter as if he couldn't contain it, looked at Beop Gye with eyes of scorn.

"Get out of my way! It's like a child speaking when adults are in discussion. If you want to handle me, at least bring your abbot in!"

Beop Gye's face turned red.

Who on earth would treat him, an elder of Shaolin, like this?

"Amitabha. Amitabha."

Beop Gye tried to soothe the boiling anger by constantly chanting.

"If you want a worthy partner, I will take you. You aren't trying to say the Emperor's Sword, Namgung Hwang, isn't an opponent enough for you, right?"

"Emperor's Sword..."

The Black Dragon King's lips twitched.

"You people who were comfortably grazing in the fence called the Namgung family sure act like thugs!"

"What?"

"Why? Did it hit the nail on your head?"

The Black Dragon King glared at everyone with wide eyes.

"Of course, I can take you all down by myself. But... if you think I am not enough on my own, it wouldn't be a bad idea to meet your expectations."

"...What?"

At that time, two people slowly walked to the side of the Black Dragon King.

"It's definitely not bad."

"If one is of the Nine Great Sects, it would be a shame to handle them alone."

The face of Venerable Heo Do hardened as he saw it.

'They are...'

Surely, he had never seen them with his own eyes.

But he could tell. There were really only a few people in the world who were qualified to stand next to the Black Dragon King. And as it happened, the appearance of one of them matched that of someone who has the qualification.

"...Desolate Gold Elder."

"It is an honor. I cannot believe Venerable Heo Do of Wudang recognizes me."

Desolate Gold Elder, standing to the left of the Black Dragon King, smiled coldly and looked down at Venerable Heo Do.

"Even if I take just the head of Venerable Heo Do, there is nothing left for burial. So is there any way not to come? A chance to gain this much doesn't come easily."

On the other hand, the person standing to the right of the Black Dragon King was a man with an ordinary face and nothing special.

But Venerable Heo Do knew if that person could be identified as Desolate Gold Elder, then the other one was also known.

A person whose identity could never be identified by appearance.

"Thousand Faced Scholar."

"Thousand Faced Scholar? That man."

Byeok Hyun's face turned pale.

Desolate Gold Elder and Thousand Face Scholar.

They were the leaders of the Shenzhou Five Sects, gathered there now.

'Three of the Five?'

It was a truly formidable force. Even if three of the Nine Sects and Five Great Families united, victory was not guaranteed.

"S-sect leader!"

Byeok Hyun looked at Venerable Heo Do without realizing it. But Venerable Heo Do was equally shocked by this unexpected situation.

'Why are they gathered in one place?'

This shouldn't happen. It had to be that way.

The Evil Factions gathered there didn't just rush in without thought. There was one reason they went to war with the Yangtze River pirates.

Because Evil's Factions never united.

Even during the war against the Demonic Sect in the past, the Evil Factions were at odds with each other until the end. The Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families only took advantage and didn't fight by stabbing each other in the back or gritting their teeth.

But didn't the Evil Factions attack and growl at each other until the moment the Demonic Sect's sword was stuck in their necks?

Suppose the Yangtze River pirates were attacked by a Justice Faction. In that case, they shouldn't come to help but rush in like wild cats to prey on the area where the pirates' influence had vanished, to be an Evil Faction in its true nature.

"Then how..."

At that moment.

A group of warriors appeared at the top of the cliff. They walked at a leisurely pace and stood at the edge, glaring down at those in the canyons with cold eyes.

At a glance, they were warriors who had reached their peak.

'They even brought their subordinates with them.'

When they realized that their heads were occupied by warriors of such caliber, they felt an indescribable pressure.

But that was bearable.

What really took Heo Do's breath away was the very situation in which they appeared. It was difficult to accept the reality that someone had dragged them into this dock.

"Who are you...."

There must be someone who brought these people together, people who could never come together like this.

"Who..."

It was just as Venerable Heo Do was about to yell.

Clank.

A small sound passed through the air.

A clear metallic sound, as if a woman's jewelry were clinking together.

It was nothing more than a small sound that ordinary people couldn't even hear from a distance, and that even Venerable Heo Do could only hear if he listened closely.

But if Venerable Heo Do's ears were working, this small sound felt like thunder.

"Hmm."

A slightly high-pitched snort came down from the cliff.

At that moment, Venerable Heo Do felt the hair on his entire body stand on end. With eyes wide open, he stared at the top of the cliff as if he were being consumed.

Euk.

A man appeared on top of the cliff.

Venerable Heo Do bit his lip tightly.

He saw it.

A scene where the Black Dragon King, Desolate Gold Elder, and Thousand Face Scholar made way for the man who appeared.

Who in the world could make them step back like that?

Step. Step.

The color of his form, which revealed itself on the edge of the cliff, was too vivid.

A blood-red robe with a Black Dragon engraved on it.

Pure white skin, which looked like a woman's after being powdered.

A pure white crown atop an ebony head.

And countless accessories wrapped around his body and arms.

Venerable Heo Do knew the man. No, he had no choice but to know.

Although countless people were living in the world, it would be rare to find a man who behaved as such. Especially one who dared to stand there.

If there is just one.

"... Hegemony Lord."

Jang Ilso.

The moment he appeared, the air in the canyon began to cool down.

So different.

The blade of the Black Dragon King was powerful enough to stop the battle there.

The coldness emanating from Desolate Gold's body was reminiscent of ice, and the presence of the Thousand Face Scholar, who was both normal and odd, irritated the nerves.

However, Jang Ilso was different.

He didn't exude a great presence; he simply walked slowly and looked down from a high place.

Still, they felt out of breath, as if the air was blocked.

It wasn't his strength as a warrior, but his presence as a human being that was on a different level from others. Even his loud and ridiculous outfit didn't make him look funny; instead, it made him unapproachable.

"It will be the first time greeting you, people of Kangho."

Jang Ilso put both hands together and slowly extended them towards them. His waist bent naturally.

It was a very common thing. For those who live in Kangho, this bowing was as familiar as breathing.

Yet, even with that familiar gesture, everyone there felt goosebumps running through their bodies and a sense of suffocation, even with that common greeting.

"I am Jang Ilso, the leader of the Ten Thousand People Clan and the Four Precepts Alliance."

A white smile appeared on Jang Ilso's bright face.

At that moment, Venerable Heo Do could see.

Jang Ilso, who was smiling kindly, didn't have the slightest hint of laughter in his eyes.

'Snake? No... that is an imoogi.'

An imoogi with fangs coiled up on the large cliff, slowly looking down at the prey that had fallen into deviation.

With those cold and eerie eyes.