Chapter 604

## Chapter 604. The Lazy One Solves (4)

“…Damn it.”

Only upon entering the vast training grounds of the Righteous Martial Alliance could he finally relax the tension. Song Hyun, uttering words unbecoming of a Taoist monk, collapsed onto the ground.

His legs were faltering.

His entire body was soaked in sweat from the tension with which he had been running. Although it had not been physically exhausting to keep pace with the disciples with weaker martial skills, mentally it had been an unbearable torture.

They had not won a battle they had to win at all costs. They had fled without even facing the enemy before them.

And moreover, they had lost their alliance leader.

The fact that they had been able to escape thanks to his sacrifice tormented Song Hyun. He felt ashamed and guilty.

But more than all that, what tormented him the most was the reality that there was no longer any hope in sight.

Although the Wudang disciples, being swift, had managed to escape without great losses, the magnitude of the damage suffered by those lagging behind in the rear was obvious.

In addition, the casualties suffered in Hefei were enormous.

If the core members of the Righteous Martial Alliance had suffered such losses, what could they do from now on?

Of course, with the remaining forces, they could still contain Baekgeom Fortress. If they managed to solve the problem of that strange curse causing convulsions, the Alliance still maintained a clear advantage over the fortress.

But what about the Demon Cult?

What would they do against the Demon Cult that was at this very moment continuing to advance towards the Central Plains?

‘Oh, Primordial Heaven.’

The world was tinged with darkness.

And the saddest thing was that they could not find any light to illuminate this darkness.

‘What the hell should we do?’

Gong Mu, from Shaolin Temple, was also slumped on the ground next to him. Even the Abbot of Shaolin, known as the Great Mountain of the North, the pillar that supported the martial world, had lost all hope.

Where would the destiny of the Jianghu (Martial World) head now?

‘Leader, why did you leave us like this?’

Song Hyun pursed his lips tightly.

He would have preferred that he died and the Supreme Sovereign lived. As terrible as the situation was, if the Supreme Sovereign were alive, they would at least have been able to cling to a thread of hope.

Because they only had to believe and follow him.

But now the Supreme Sovereign was no more. And only after losing him did Song Hyun realize how important a pillar of support he had been.

How much more would the others suffer?

Perhaps, even at the cost of being massacred there, they should have saved the Supreme Sovereign. That way, together with the survivors, they could have planned a counterattack.

But now they had lost their center, their leader who guided them.

The more he thought about it, the gloomier the outlook seemed.

‘It’s not time to stay like this.’

They had to reorganize as soon as possible. Baekgeom Fortress could arrive here at any moment.

Somehow…

“Great Master!!!”

Song Hyun looked up. Someone was rushing in haste from inside the building.

“Ah…”

It was the Master of Divine Abilities, running towards him at full speed. Seeing him, Song Hyun could not help but frown.

‘What good can come of this?’

He too must know what situation they were in. And he surely already knew that the leader had died. So how could he come running with that spirit?

Song Hyun bit his lips tightly.

It was nothing important. But perhaps because of his altered mental state, everything was beginning to look negative.

With a sigh, Song Hyun looked at the Master of Divine Abilities approaching.

‘Getting angry at seeing someone happy to be alive.’

How twisted the heart could become.

For decades he had cultivated his mind to keep it serene. But all that training now seemed useless. How could he take care of the affairs of the world if he could not even control his own emotions?

“Great Master!”

The Master of Divine Abilities arrived and grabbed Song Hyun’s hand.

“You have gone through so much suffering. I cannot imagine the difficulties you have faced.”

“Don’t do this to me, Strategist…”

Song Hyun pursed his lips.

“I am a criminal who returned after losing our leader. A coward who fled turning his back on the enemy without even causing damage. I do not deserve this treatment.”

“What are you saying?”

“If I am given the opportunity, I will join the army as a common soldier. I will renounce everything. I wish I could… No, it is not time for these words. At this moment Baekgeomseg must be advancing towards here. So…”

“Baekgeom Fortress has retreated.”

“Yes, of course they retreated, but the danger… Huh?”

Song Hyun abruptly raised his head.

Had he heard wrong?

The Master of Divine Abilities nodded at seeing his expression.

“Baekgeom Fortress has retreated. We are now pursuing the stragglers.”

“Re…retreated?”

“Yes, that is right.”

“Why?”

“Wei Yanho stopped them.”

Doubt appeared in Song Hyun’s eyes, which soon transformed into suspicion, then into anger, and finally into astonishment. His emotions changed violently in an instant.

“He… stopped them?”

“Yes.”

“Baekgeom Fortress?”

“Correct.”

Song Hyun’s lips trembled.

‘It cannot be a lie.’

What kind of person was the Master of Divine Abilities to invent something like that in this situation? The man he knew was not that type.

No, even if it were not him, it was the same. Under these circumstances, anyone who made such an absurd joke would be executed on the spot without the right to defense.

So it had to be true.

“Wei… Wei Yanho?”

“Yes, that is right.”

Wei Yanho, Wei Yanho…

Of course he had heard of him. In the current martial world, anyone who did not know Wei Yanho must be suspected of being a spy for the Demon Cult. No, perhaps he was even more famous among the Cult than in the Central Plains.

And that Wei Yanho had stopped Baekgeom Fortress?

“Alone?”

“Well, to say it was alone is not accurate, but something like that. He stopped it together with his group.”

Song Hyun, remembering the faces of those who used to accompany Wei Yanho, said astonished:

“So that means it was alone.”

“…Yes.”

He had stopped them.

Baekgeom Fortress. And practically alone.

‘This makes no sense…’

Although everything indicated that it was true, his mind refused to accept it. The Supreme Sovereign and the entire Righteous Martial Alliance had been crushed.

They had fled all the way here, abandoning even their companions. And that Wei Yanho had stopped the fearsome Baekgeom Fortress all by himself?

All by himself?

“No… it cannot be…”

He did not know what to say.

“Is this true?”

Gong Mu had approached without him noticing. Seeing this man, who had previously seemed without strength, come running agitated showed that the news had also shocked him.

“It is the absolute truth.”

“Wow, Yanho, Yanho…”

Gong Mu shook his head repeatedly. He probably felt the same as Song Hyun.

“And what is Wei Yanho doing now?”

“He is currently pursuing the enemy. He said that once he finishes the pursuit he will go to Hefei to provide assistance.”

“To Hefei?”

Song Hyun’s expression turned stupefied.

“What is he going to do in Hefei? Those who remained there are…”

“Yes. Those affected by that strange convulsive disease.”

“E… exactly.”

The Master of Divine Abilities smiled slightly.

“Wei Yanho has already treated a similar disease before with the Tang Family. We do not know if it will be possible or not, but no one in the world could offer a better solution than him.”

“Ah…”

Song Hyun and Gong Mu shook their heads repeatedly.

‘What kind of situation is this?’

It made no sense.

What the Supreme Sovereign and all of them together could not solve, Wei Yanho was solving it all by himself without problems.

Was a single Wei Yanho superior to all of them together?

“How is this possible?”

“Great Master.”

The Master of Divine Abilities looked at Song Hyun with a peculiar expression.

‘He will not be able to rejoice sincerely.’

When humans have a breather, they start thinking about other things. While they were desperately fleeing for their lives, they only longed to survive, but now that they were safe, the calculations would begin.

Shaolin and Wudang had suffered a great defeat and fled.

But Wei Yanho had not only repelled Baekgeom Fortress that made them flee, but was now pursuing them.

If this were to become known, people would think that Wei Yanho was above Shaolin and Wudang. For them, this would not be good at all.

‘Even in the midst of this…’

He wanted to click his tongue but restrained himself. It was not the time to create discord.

And after all, they were also humans.

Those who abandon their personal interests for a greater good are called saints. In other words, common people are much more sensitive to their own benefits than to any noble cause.

You can urge them to follow the noble cause, but you cannot blame them if they do not.

“Do not judge Wei Yanho with common sense. When he does something, simply accept the fact. It is impossible to control him anyway. He is now at war, acting like a madman with his tail on fire, but when it ends, no matter how much you beg him, he will return to Guangdong to lock himself in his room to sleep.”

“Eh… eh…”

He subtly dropped the information that Wei Yanho had no intention of forming his own faction even after the war. Song Hyun seemed to understand, as his expression relaxed a bit.

‘Having to explain this in the middle of everything…’

The Master of Divine Abilities sighed and looked up.

The exhausted were lying on the ground panting. It was a scene he had seen countless times in the past. Upon beginning to witness it again, his heart felt a bit heavier.

The only good thing was that, by speaking deliberately loudly, everyone had learned of the situation, preventing the atmosphere from becoming hopeless.

“So… what should we do now?”

“Counterattack.”

The eyes of the Master of Divine Abilities turned cold.

“The losses are great. Although we have managed to recover, if we continue like this the situation will only worsen. They must also suffer similar losses.”

“But how?”

“I have a plan. Thanks to Yanho’s commotion, a path has been opened. So please, reorganize quickly. You must save the martial world.”

A solemn expression appeared on the faces of Song Hyun and Gong Mu.

Having managed to calm them, the Master of Divine Abilities turned his gaze towards the entrance.

‘At least the reorganization is underway.’

By offering them an opportunity to earn merits, they would act with enthusiasm. When humans see hope, they think of victory, and upon thinking of victory, they become obsessed with the benefits it will bring.

When the war ends, they will not want to hear that Wei Yanho did everything. They will undoubtedly fight even harder now.

‘Especially that guy.’

In the eyes of the Master of Divine Abilities appeared the figure of Namgung Jowi entering through the main door with a somber expression.

The Master of Divine Abilities smiled.

‘How will I handle this guy?’

Thanks to Wei Yanho having prepared the ground, he could now act freely. And he had no intention of wasting this opportunity.

‘Just keep causing trouble a little more, just a little. That way we can win.’

The Master of Divine Abilities had found hope on the verge of despair.