Chapter v18c12

## Refinement! Refinement! Refinement! Training!

– One Refinement, One Thousand Strikes

“Gasp… gasp… gasp…”

Namgung-Sang ran. All his cultivated internal energy was focused on moving his legs. Branches whipped at his face, leaving bloody scratches, but he ignored them, running like a man possessed. He had to get away, farther, faster, lower. It was the only way to survive.

“How could this happen?”

He couldn’t believe it.

“How…”

He wanted to cry. How could his trusted comrades, the people he relied on most, betray him? How could his friends, the ones who should have been helping him, push him into the abyss of death?

The face of a woman flashed in his mind. But he shook his head, pushing away the bitter thought. He was sorry, but he had to survive.

The dense forest suddenly gave way to an open space. He had reached the end of the mountain path and emerged by a stream. Judging by the gentle current and gradual slope, it was downstream.

“Just a little further…”

He could almost escape this hellish mountain. There was hope, a glimmer of light. But it vanished as quickly as it had appeared.

Namgung-Sang stared at the bushes on the left side of the stream, his expression hardening.

“Come out!”

A moment later, rustling sounds came from the bushes, and a figure emerged. It was a young man with a gentle demeanor, dressed in blue martial arts robes. The sword at his waist bore the unique markings of the Wudang Sect, and his flowing blue sleeves were embroidered with a dragon motif. It was Hyun-Woon, one of the Nine Dragons, his closest friend, and the Vice Leader of the Vermilion Bird group.

Namgung-Sang’s face darkened as he saw his sworn brother’s face.

“Hyun-Woon, is that you?”

He nodded silently.

“Do you have to stop me?”

Hyun-Woon didn’t answer, so Namgung-Sang pleaded again, his voice filled with anguish.

“Hyun-Woon, if you’re still my friend, let me go.”

He begged, his voice desperate. But Hyun-Woon shook his head, his expression pained.

“I’m sorry, Namgung. You know I can’t do that. You know it better than anyone.”

“…”

“Give up. Come back. Everyone’s waiting.”

Namgung-Sang shook his head violently, rejecting his offer.

“I’ll never go back there! That place is hell!”

He shouted, his voice cracking with emotion. It was a cry from the heart, filled with sincerity and desperation. But it wasn’t enough to sway Hyun-Woon’s resolve.

“…I’m sorry, Namgung. But I have to bring you back. If I don’t… we’ll be the ones facing hell.”

“You’re… betraying your friend?”

Namgung-Sang’s words struck a nerve. If Hyun-Woon had a conscience, he should feel some remorse.

“Do you think I enjoy doing this? It’s killing me too.”

“No! You don’t understand! You… you… you haven’t experienced it! If you had, you would feel the same way! And you wouldn’t be standing in my way! You would know that it’s inhumane!”

“But I haven’t experienced it, have I? So I can only understand your feelings superficially. And my mission is to bring you back.”

Hyun-Woon’s resolve was unwavering. Namgung-Sang realized that words wouldn’t sway his friend.

“Come back. Miss Jin is waiting too. Don’t you feel sorry for her?”

That worked. Namgung-Sang hesitated, conflicted, tormented. He agonized. Finally, he spoke.

“She… she would understand.”

Hyun-Woon sighed at his answer.

“I wouldn’t be so sure. Are you determined to go? Then I have no choice but to stand in your way.”

He said, his voice laced with regret.

“Hyun-Woon, do you really think you can stop me?”

Namgung-Sang glared at him, his body radiating a dark aura of killing intent. Hyun-Woon channeled his internal energy, preparing to face him.

“If I have to!”

He answered without hesitation, drawing his sword.

“You can curse me all you want, but I’m bringing you back.”

He seemed to have overcome his internal conflict. A man without hesitation was always strong.

“Hyun-Woon, does the Wudang Sect teach you to point your sword at your friends?”

Namgung-Sang cried out, his voice filled with anguish.

“Namgung, I don’t want to do this either! Just come back, and this will all be over! I don’t want to fight you!”

“I told you, don’t waste your breath. I’ll never go back to that hell.”

“Tsk, tsk, you’re choosing punishment over reward? Are you sure you can handle it?”

“I’ve never considered myself inferior to you in swordsmanship, Hyun-Woon. I’m still the leader of the Vermilion Bird group.”

Namgung-Sang drew his sword. He was one of the Nine Dragons, and he had never felt inferior to Hyun-Woon, even though he was a disciple of the prestigious Wudang Sect and had mastered their profound sword techniques.

“Who said there was only one punishment?”

Hyun-Woon raised his hand, and a figure emerged from the bushes. It was a woman.

“Gungsang-ah, why don’t you come back?”

“Sister…”

It was none other than Namgung-San-San, one of the Seven Phoenixes of Cheonmu and Namgung-Sang’s twin sister.

But this wasn’t the end. Her appearance was just the beginning.

No-Hak, Geum Yeong-Ho, Tang Sam, and Tang Mun-Hye.

They were all his comrades, people he had shared meals and hardships with. His fellow members of the Vermilion Bird group were blocking his path.

“Let’s go back, Leader!”

No-Hak said. He sometimes called him “Leader” instead of “Captain.”

“Stop this, Namgung. My calculations show that this will only result in losses, no gains.”

Geum Yeong-Ho advised. “My calculations show” was his catchphrase.

“It’s not too late. You’re addicted to weakness. You can still detoxify here. But if you wait any longer, it’ll be too late. Do you really want to experience that hell?”

Tang Sam offered his sincere advice.

“I agree with Tang Sam. The more the poison spreads, the more you’ll suffer.”

Tang Mun-Hye echoed his sentiment. It was rare for her to agree with him.

“Is there anyone else?”

“Of course.”

More familiar faces emerged from the bushes.

Il-Gong from the Shaolin Temple, Jo Cheon-Woo and Hwa Seol-Ok from the Hwasan Sect, Mo Yong-Chwi from the Mo Yong family, Dan Mok-Su from the Dan Mok family, Lee Ja-Ryong from the Kunlun Sect (who was so inconspicuous that people often forgot he existed), Cheong-Mun from the Cheongseong Sect, and Hwang Bo-Ok-Yeon, the eldest daughter of the Hwang Bo family.

Everyone from the Vermilion Bird group, except for him and Jin-Ryeong, was blocking his path.

Hyun-Woon looked around and said,

“I told you, there wasn’t just one punishment. Do you think you can handle all of our punishments?”

“Even if I have to drink all your punishments and collapse, I’ll never, ever go back to that hell!”

Namgung-Sang declared, gripping his sword tightly.

“You’ll be killed if you go back.”

“But we’ll be killed if we don’t bring you back. And…”

“And?”

“You’ll be killed eventually even if you escape. Don’t you know that man better than anyone, after all the torment you’ve endured?”

“Th-that’s…”

Hyun-Woon had a point.

“So why don’t you come back and fight your fate?”

Namgung-Sang lowered his head, his inner turmoil evident on his face.

“But… but… I’ll never go back.”

Roar!

He suddenly roared and charged at his comrades.

“He’s gone mad! Gungsang has lost it!”

“Stop him!”

But the first line of defense, formed by the “Invisible Trio” – Lee Ja-Ryong, Cheong-Mun, and Hwang Bo-Ok-Yeon, who were hoping to make themselves a little more visible – was easily broken through. The force behind Namgung-Sang’s sword was no joke.

“Damn, he’s gotten ridiculously strong…”

Hyun-Woon frowned. He felt a sense of dread, realizing that the gap between them might become insurmountable. But the thought of the training required to close that gap sent shivers down his spine. He wanted no part of it.

“Stop him! Stop him at all costs! We’ll die if we don’t!”

“He’s going that way! Stop him over there!”

“Waaaaaaaaaaah!”

His friends swarmed him like a pack of dogs.

“Don’t just attack randomly! Form the Combined Formation! Subdue him in one go!”

Their Combined Formation was already highly refined. They had naturally developed it from constantly facing opponents of superior skill. But without everyone present, there were bound to be weaknesses. Namgung-Sang charged towards the section he had been responsible for.

“Oh no!”

It was the section he should have been defending, but he was too busy attacking. Their Combined Formation crumbled. Namgung-Sang was clearly a different fighter now. He was faster, more precise, and stronger than before.

‘Is this the result of hell?’

Hyun-Woon was unsure whether to be envious or terrified of his friend’s transformation.

But Namgung-Sang was alone, and they were fourteen. It would be embarrassing to let him escape. There was no room for friendship now. It was either capture or escape. And then, a woman stepped out from the bushes, blocking his path. The moment he saw her face, despair washed over him.

“H-how… you…”

The last person to block his path was none other than his beloved, Jin-Ryeong. His sword slipped from his grasp and clattered to the ground.

“I’m sorry, Sang… I have no choice.”

Jin-Ryeong said, her voice trembling, avoiding his gaze.

“Ryeong… even you…”

It was a bolt from the blue.

Thud!

Hyun-Woon, who had been stealthily approaching, struck him from behind, knocking him unconscious. He collapsed like a sandcastle washed away by the tide.

“Don’t make things so difficult for your friends, Namgung.”

Hyun-Woon said, wiping the sweat from his brow.

“Drag him away!”

Two trails, evenly spaced, appeared on the damp mountain path. Hyun-Woon and Tang Sam, each holding one of Namgung-Sang’s arms, dragged him up the mountain, oblivious to his feet scraping against the ground.