Chapter 600

**Chapter 600. The Lazy One, Inherit (5)**

Everyone has greed.

It was an absolute proposition. When humans obtain power, they inevitably covet riches and pleasures. Unless they reach the state of absolute saints, they eventually succumb to their instincts and become obsessed with material goods and feminine beauty.

But martial artists were different.

It’s not that they didn’t have greed, of course they did. But the direction of that greed was different from that of ordinary people.

While normal people crave power and riches, the greed of martial artists is extremely biased towards martial arts.

A martial artist would risk their life for a secret manual rather than exquisite delicacies, incomparable beauties, or gold and jewels. Because they know that if they can become stronger, they can obtain anything else when the time comes.

That’s why, when legendary manuals, weapons, or rare elixirs appear, bloodbaths frequently occur. They wouldn’t fight to the death for material riches, but for a secret martial arts manual, martial artists would disregard their own lives to obtain it.

And Wei Yanho was also a martial artist.

So it was natural to assume that he would have learned the manual that fell into his hands. It was too obvious a deduction.

Because for a martial artist, a treasure from the Sword Emperor is something they wouldn’t trade for anything in the world.

The Sword Emperor.

The absolute being from three hundred years ago.

Someone who reached a level that no one else has reached, called the greatest of all time. Who would reject a manual left by someone like that? If they could learn it, they would do everything possible to master it.

But he didn’t learn it?

With the manual in his hands?

“Impossible!”

I can’t understand it. I can’t accept it.

To accept it, I would have to conclude that Wei Yanho has no greed for martial arts. But how could someone without greed for martial arts become so strong?

“The manual was perfect.”

Anyone who had seen it would have fallen under its spell. Because it was based on the true realizations of the Sword Emperor. Anyone with a minimum of knowledge in martial arts couldn’t help but be stunned by its depth.

But he realized it was fake?

And knowing it was fake, he sold it?

“What kind of monster are you?!”

Baek Hoemyung’s desperate scream erupted.

His mind couldn’t comprehend Wei Yanho. At least that guy didn’t live according to the foundations of common sense.

BOOOOM!

Flames erupt.

The spectacle of white flashes bursting consecutively in the dense green forest was a sight that wouldn’t be seen anywhere else. Baek Hoemyung, watching that spectacle, had bloodshot eyes.

“Young Master!”

“……”

“Young Master, we must retreat!”

“Grr!”

Baek Hoemyung, gritting his teeth, turned his head.

“Retreat?”

“Yes! Right now…”

PAM!

Baek Hoemyung’s foot struck Gi Hon’s stomach. Gi Hon’s body was pushed back. But without uttering a whine, he ran back in front of Baek Hoemyung.

“Retreat?! Are you saying we should retreat because we can’t handle that bastard?!”

“…It has been prolonged for too long.”

“So what?”

Gi Hon took a deep breath.

“Regain your sanity, Young Master.”

“……”

“We have already achieved enough results. This is no longer an achievement. He is only eroding what we have achieved so far. Not only are they tired from the continuous pursuit. We are exhausted too. The moment the excitement subsides, fatigue will overwhelm us.”

“So you suggest we retreat?”

“Don’t forget the Great Master’s instructions.”

Baek Hoemyung bit his lip hard.

The Great Master had told him that they should preserve their forces as much as possible.

The martial world is vast. And it knows no submission. If they were to face the gathered forces as they are now, they would never be defeated. But the problem is what comes next.

Governing and controlling these vast Central Plains with only them wouldn’t be easy. When a small number must dominate a vast area, if those who rebel rise up and wage a guerrilla war, terrible things will happen.

At that time, it won’t be quality that is needed, but quantity. Ten top-tier masters can govern a much larger area than a supreme grandmaster.

For the future, they must also preserve as many as possible.

“That…”

“The Infinity Sword will never lose to a nobody like that. The Great Family can cut off Wei Yanho’s head at any time. But now is not the time. We are not prepared to face Wei Yanho now.”

Baek Hoemyung bit his lip hard.

It doesn’t make sense.

If they can cut off his head at any time, why not now?

“Are you saying we should retreat because we can’t handle a single person?”

Baek Hoemyung turned his head slightly.

The steps of those running towards Wei Yanho are heavy. It is evident that they don’t want to go. Their morale is broken. Clearly.

Baek Hoemyung knows what a commander must do in these moments. Retreat coldly and wait for another opportunity. Letting oneself be carried away by emotion and launching a reckless attack is the greatest stupidity.

But the problem is that it’s not the only thing Baek Hoemyung knows.

Reviewing the history of war, he now seems to understand why the so-called great generals sometimes commit stupid acts, why those who competed and rose to high positions sometimes acted so foolishly.

“Should I retreat?”

His mind knows it, but his heart doesn’t accept it.

Objectively, the right thing to do was to retreat now and regroup. It didn’t matter if they could beat Wei Yanho or not.

The problem was how much they would have to spend to kill Wei Yanho.

Right now, their morale is low. To kill Wei Yanho, they would need more strength than usual.

“If only I had known he would come here.”

Then he would have brought someone capable of facing him!

Right now, the only one here who can face Wei Yanho is Baek Hoemyung himself. But he is the commander of this place and the Young Master of the Great Family. If he loses and dies, it would cause a major setback in their plans.

So what?

“There is no more option than to retreat.”

His mind knows it.

His mind.

But he cannot express that knowledge in words.

“The Great Family of the Infinity Sword must retreat because of a single bastard?!”

How can I bear this humiliation?

Now I understand why so many great generals ruined wars with absurd choices. They too must have known with their minds that they should retreat.

But pride and self-esteem stop them. Because they cannot bear this shame.

“Young Master!”

Hearing Gi Hon’s passionate cry, Baek Hoemyung bit his lip hard.

“We… retreat.”

“Huh?”

“Retreat! Right now!”

Blood dripped from his bitten lips.

A victor without pride is better than an idiot who kept his pride. Baek Hoemyung made the right decision. But as the price of that choice, his self-esteem was completely collapsing.

“Wei Yanho, bastard! This isn’t over here!”

Hearing Baek Hoemyung’s shout, Gi Hon sent signals in all directions.

“Retreat! We are retreating!”

The swordsmen who advanced like a tide receded like a reflux. Their faces showed humiliation and confusion.

They had cornered the Righteous Martial Alliance. And they had hunted the Righteous Martial Alliance like animals. And now they had to turn their backs and flee because of a brat.

How are they supposed to accept this?

But there was no rebellion.

There was even relief. Especially among those in the vanguard, the relief was evident.

Like the praying mantis that blocks a cart.

Perhaps those present can defeat that damn bastard. But the price of that victory would be their lives. Who would desire such a victory?

“Retreat!”

Until the last moment of the escape, the Baekgeom Fortress maintained its formation.

Seeing that scene, Baek Hoemyung opened his mouth.

“I admit it.”

Wei Yanho, seeing Baek Hoemyung yelling at him, tilted his head curiously.

“What?”

“Today we have lost.”

“……”

“Perhaps this moment will go down in history. You are an incredible guy. I admit it. The day I cut off your head, I will leave in history that you were our greatest enemy. So now enjoy your victory to the fullest.”

“…Je.”

Wei Yanho opened his mouth exaggeratedly.

“No, I mean…”

Scratch, scratch.

Wei Yanho scratched his head frantically.

“Are they retreating?”

“That’s right.”

“And now they’re just leaving?”

“Isn’t that what I’ve said?”

Wei Yanho chuckled.

“Hey, are you kidding?”

“What?”

Wei Yanho turned his sword and advanced step by step.

“They seem to think war is a joke. Do they think war is fighting when they want and running away when they want?”

“……”

“Well, do what you want. Running away is your choice. But they will not be able to have so much calm while fleeing.”

Crick, crick.

Wei Yanho’s neck twisted left and right.

“Actually, we are also experts in running away. Which means…”

Jangil, smiling maliciously, approached Wei Yanho.

“That we are also experts in chasing. We are used to being chased.”

Wei Jeonghan also curved his lips and approached Wei Yanho.

“Just when I was tired of running away. It’s not bad to change positions.”

Seeing the group approaching stealthily, Baek Hoemyung twisted his face.

“Hey, you, the pale guy. Did you say your name is Baek Hoemyung?”

Wei Yanho raised his sword and pointed at Baek Hoemyung.

“Come on, let’s start. Run away. Now we will chase you. You must suffer as much as you made others suffer. So that those who have been running away until now will feel relieved.”

Baek Hoemyung’s face turned pale.

“Huh? Don’t run away? Then you want to fight? Well, that’s okay too.”

Baek Hoemyung, trembling, shouted.

“Retreat! Retreat! Right now!”

The Baekgeom Fortress turned en masse and began to flee. As if it were a signal, Wei Yanho also began to run like lightning.

The chase was reversed. The Baekgeom Fortress, which had been chasing the Righteous Martial Alliance, was now fleeing, and Wei Yanho was chasing their backs.

“They should run faster.”

A ray of light sprang from Wei Yanho’s sword and flew towards Baek Hoemyung’s back.

“Ugh!”

BOOOOM!

Baek Hoemyung, who brandished his sword to block Wei Yanho’s ray, spat blood. Just one exchange of blows had shaken his insides. His eyes saw Wei Yanho approaching with a cold look.

The image of Wei Yanho showing his teeth was extremely creepy. Baek Hoemyung deployed his qinggong to the maximum and ran, without needing orders, Gi Hon stood in his way.

“You shall not pass! This…!”

SLASH!

Wei Yanho, who cut Gi Hon’s neck in an instant, curved his lips.

“One.”

Hell had begun.