Chapter 600:
Every person has greed.
This was an undeniable truth. When humans gain power, they inevitably covet money and lust. Unless one reaches the absolute realm of sainthood, they will ultimately follow their instincts and become obsessed with wealth and women.
But martial artists were a little different.
Of course, this doesn't mean they had no greed. Naturally, greed existed in them as well. However, the direction of their greed was somewhat different from ordinary people.
While common folk coveted power and wealth, a martial artist's greed was heavily concentrated on martial studies.
Martial artists would risk their lives for a single manual rather than delicacies, peerless beauties, or gold and silver treasures. They knew that if they could just become stronger, everything else could be obtained at any time.
Therefore, whenever legendary manuals, weapons, or elixirs appeared, bloody battles would frequently break out. They wouldn't risk their lives fighting over mere wealth, but when it came to martial manuals, these were the people who would charge forward disregarding their own lives.
And Wei Yan-ho was also a martial artist.
So naturally, he would have studied the manual that fell into his hands. This was an entirely reasonable assumption.
Because to a martial artist, something called the Sword Emperor's Treasure was a treasure that couldn't be exchanged for anything else.
Sword Emperor.
The absolute master of three hundred years ago.
A person who reached a realm that no one else had achieved and was called the greatest of all time. Who would refuse a manual left by such a person? If one could learn it, trying to learn it by any means would be normal.
But he didn't learn it?
When the manual was right in his hands?
'Impossible!'
He couldn't understand it. He couldn't accept it.
To accept this, he would have to conclude that Wei Yan-ho had no particular greed for martial studies. But how could someone with no greed for martial studies become so strong?
'The manual was perfect.'
Anyone who opened the manual would be captivated. Because it was truly created based on the Sword Emperor's insights. Anyone with even a little eye for martial studies would be dazzled by its profundity.
But he noticed it was fake?
And knowing it was fake, he sold it?
"What kind of bastard is he!"
Baek Hoe-myeong's scream burst out.
With his mind, he simply couldn't understand this bastard called Wei Yan-ho. At least that bastard wasn't someone who lived on the foundation of common sense.
Kwaaaaang!
Explosive flames bloomed.
The sight of white flashes bursting repeatedly in the dark blue forest was a spectacle that couldn't be seen anywhere else. Baek Hoe-myeong's eyes became bloodshot as he watched this spectacle.
"Young Master!"
"..."
"Young Master, we must retreat!"
"Damn!"
Baek Hoe-myeong, grinding his teeth, turned his head.
"Retreat?"
"Yes! Right now..."
Thwack!
Baek Hoe-myeong's foot kicked Gi-hon in the solar plexus. Gi-hon's body slid backward. But without even groaning, he ran back to Baek Hoe-myeong's front.
"Retreat! Are you saying we can't handle that one bastard and must retreat?"
"...Time has dragged on too long."
"So?"
Gi-hon took a deep breath.
"Please regain your reason, Young Master."
"..."
"We have already achieved sufficient results. Going further is not an achievement. It will only diminish our current accomplishments. It's not just them who are tired from continuous pursuit. We are tired as well. The moment excitement dies down, fatigue will come rushing in."
"So you're saying we should retreat?"
"Please don't forget the Master's request."
Baek Hoe-myeong bit his lips tightly.
The Master had told him that he must preserve their forces as much as possible.
The martial world was vast. And it knew no submission. In a situation where gathered forces clashed like now, they would never be defeated. But what came after was the problem.
Ruling and governing this vast Central Plains with just them would never be easy. When a small number had to dominate a wide area, if those who resisted rose up and waged guerrilla warfare, terrible things would happen.
At that time, they would need numbers, not strength. The territory that ten peak masters could govern would be much wider than what one transcendent master could dominate.
For the future as well, they had to preserve as many people as possible.
"That..."
"Ten Thousand Swords will never be defeated by such a small fry. The Baek Family can take Wei Yan-ho's head anytime. But not now. We are not prepared to face Wei Yan-ho right now."
Baek Hoe-myeong bit his lips tightly.
The words didn't make sense.
If they could take his head anytime, why not now?
'Should we retreat because we can't handle one person?'
Baek Hoe-myeong glanced sideways.
The steps of those charging toward Wei Yan-ho were heavy. The look of not wanting to go was clearly visible in their appearance.
Morale was broken. Clearly.
Baek Hoe-myeong knew what a commander should do at times like this. Retreat coldly and look for another opportunity. Launching a reckless attack swept up in the atmosphere was the most foolish thing to do.
But the problem was that what Baek Hoe-myeong knew wasn't just that.
Looking back at military history, he thought he could now understand why those called the greatest generals of all time occasionally did foolish things, why those who competed and competed again among the talents of their era to reach high positions acted so stupidly.
'Should we retreat?'
His heart couldn't accept what his head knew.
Objectively speaking, retreating right now and reorganizing was correct. It wasn't a matter of whether they could defeat Wei Yan-ho or not.
It was a question of how much force they would have to expend to kill Wei Yan-ho.
Right now their morale was low. To kill Wei Yan-ho, they would need more strength than usual.
'If only we had known that bastard would come here.'
Then he would have brought someone to deal with that bastard!
Right now, the only one here who could face Wei Yan-ho was Baek Hoe-myeong himself. But he was the commander of this place and the young master of the Baek Family. If he were defeated and lost his life, it would cause great hindrance to the grand plan.
Then?
'There's no choice but to retreat.'
He knew it in his head.
In his head.
But he couldn't bring himself to voice the knowledge his head held.
'Should the mighty Ten Thousand Swords Baek Family retreat because of just one bastard!'
How could he endure this humiliation?
He felt like he understood why countless great generals had ruined wars with reckless choices. They too must have known in their heads that they should retreat.
But pride and self-respect held them back. Because they couldn't bear this shame.
"Young Master!"
Hearing Gi-hon's blood-boiling cry, Baek Hoe-myeong bit his lips tightly.
"We... retreat."
"What?"
"Retreat! Right now!"
Blood trickled down from his bitten lips.
A victor without pride was better than a fool who protected his pride. Baek Hoe-myeong made the right choice. But as the price for that choice, his self-respect was being thoroughly crushed.
"Wei Yan-ho, you bastard! This won't end like this!"
Hearing Baek Hoe-myeong's cry, Gi-hon sent signals in all directions.
"Fall back! Retreat!"
The swordsmen who had been rushing in like a rising tide pulled back like a receding tide. Humiliation and bewilderment were mixed on their faces as well.
They were the ones who had driven the Righteous Martial Alliance. And they were the ones who had hunted the Righteous Martial Alliance like driving beasts. Such people had to show their backs and flee because of that one young bastard.
How were they supposed to accept this fact?
But no rebellion erupted.
Instead, they even felt relief. Especially those in the front showed relief most openly.
Dangnanggeocheol.
Like a praying mantis charging at a runaway cart. Perhaps the people here could bring down that damned bastard. But the price of that victory would be their lives. Who would want such a victory?
"Retreat!"
Even in that moment of fleeing, the Hundred Sword Formation did not collapse.
Watching that scene, Baek Hoe-myeong opened his mouth.
"I acknowledge it."
Wei Yan-ho tilted his head looking at Baek Hoe-myeong shouting at him.
"What?"
"Today, we lost."
"..."
"Perhaps this scene right now might remain in history. You're an amazing bastard. I'll acknowledge that. On the day I take your head in the future, I'll record in history that you were our greatest enemy. So for now, enjoy that victory to your heart's content."
"...Hul."
Wei Yan-ho's mouth fell wide open.
"No, so..."
Scratch scratch scratch.
Wei Yan-ho frantically scratched his head.
"You're retreating?"
"That's right."
"You're just leaving right now?"
"Didn't I say so?"
Wei Yan-ho let out a "Pfft" laugh.
"No, are these guys joking right now?"
"...What?"
Wei Yan-ho spun his sword around and walked forward step by step.
"I guess you think war is a joke. You think war is something where you fight when you want to fight and run away when you want to run away?"
"..."
"Well, do whatever you want. Running away is your choice after all. But you shouldn't be so relaxed while running away."
Crack, crack.
Wei Yan-ho's neck turned left and right.
"Actually, this side has some insight into running away too. What that means is..."
Jang-il grinned and stuck to Wei Yan-ho's side.
"We have insight into pursuit too. We're veterans at being chased."
Wei Jeong-han also curled up the corners of his mouth and stuck to Wei Yan-ho's side.
"I was just getting tired of running away anyway. It wouldn't be bad to change positions."
Watching the group slowly approaching them, Baek Hoe-myeong contorted his face.
"Hey there, you pale-faced guy. Was your name Baek Hoe-myeong?"
Wei Yan-ho pointed his sword at Baek Hoe-myeong.
"Come on, let's start. Try running away. From now on, we'll be doing the chasing. You have to suffer as much as you made us feel good. That way, the people who were chased until now will feel satisfied too."
Baek Hoe-myeong's face turned ashen.
"Huh? You're not running? Then you're saying you'll fight? Well, that's fine too."
Baek Hoe-myeong's body trembled as he shouted.
"Retreat! Retreat! Right now!"
The Hundred Sword Formation all turned their backs and began to flee. As if that was a signal, Wei Yan-ho also shot forward like a beam of light.
The pursuit began in reverse. The Hundred Sword Formation that had been pursuing the Righteous Martial Alliance began to flee, and Wei Yan-ho instead chased their backs.
"You'll need to run faster."
A ray of light shot from Wei Yan-ho's sword toward Baek Hoe-myeong's back.
"Keuuk!"
Paaaaaang!
Blood burst from Baek Hoe-myeong's mouth as he swung his sword to block Wei Yan-ho's sword light. His insides were completely shaken from just one exchange. He saw Wei Yan-ho approaching with cold eyes.
Wei Yan-ho, baring his teeth, looked incredibly sinister. Baek Hoe-myeong deployed his lightness skill to the maximum and ran, and without any particular orders, Gi-hon blocked Wei Yan-ho's back.
"You can't pass! This..."
Paaang!
Wei Yan-ho, who cut Gi-hon's throat in one move, curled up the corners of his mouth.
"One."
Hell was beginning.