Chapter 282
Chapter 282
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 282
Chapter Title: Arrival at Mount Emei
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"Impressive."
"So this is Mount Emei..."
The members of the Severance Corps ascending Mount Emei couldn't help but let out gasps of admiration.
Mount Emei lived up to its widespread fame, displaying breathtaking beauty.
It towered like a pillar reaching the heavens.
And its slopes were so gentle that one could feel overwhelmed by the sheer scale unfolding before their eyes.
"Pretty high up."
But Cheonhwi's reaction was subdued.
Having lived in the Tianshan Mountains, which boasted peaks twice the height of Mount Emei in his previous life, that was all he could muster upon seeing it.
Instead, his attention was drawn elsewhere.
'Temples everywhere.'
It wasn't called one of the four great Buddhist sacred mountains for nothing—temples dotted every path they passed.
Golden Summit Temple, Ten Thousand Year Temple, Pure Sound Pavilion, State Protection Temple, and countless others and hermitages besides.
Nearly the entire mountain seemed composed of temples and hermitages.
'But it's awfully quiet.'
Cheonhwi scanned the surroundings.
How could it not be?
There wasn't a single breath or sign of presence from any of the nearby temples or hermitages.
'With war brewing, they've all evacuated?'
As they walked along, taking in the sights for a while...
"This is the place."
The nun who had silently guided them from the mountain gate stopped with her palms pressed together in prayer.
It was before a signboard reading 'Bokho Temple.'
Not as grand as the Shaolin Temple's he'd seen before, but still quite large and imposing.
'Hm? That's some dense dharma power.'
Cheonhwi's eyes narrowed as he glanced at the signboard.
A serene dharma aura emanated from the three characters inscribed on it, enveloping the surroundings.
It hinted that the one who had written it was no ordinary figure.
As he examined the signboard...
"Those are the reinforcements...?"
"Just that few?"
Whispers reached his ears.
Looking down, a crowd of nuns had gathered beneath the signboard at some point.
From those with freshly shaven heads to lay disciples with long hair still intact.
All of them stood staring at Cheonhwi and the Severance Corps.
At that moment.
Tinkle—
Suddenly, the sound of bells rang out.
"Amitabha."
Accompanied by a low chant.
'Not bad.'
Cheonhwi's eyes gleamed as he turned toward the source of the voice.
It carried substantial dharma power.
At the same time, the nuns parted like the sea, and one person walked through the midst.
"Welcome to Mount Emei."
A middle-aged nun with a benevolent face looked down upon the Severance Corps with gentle eyes, holding a six-ring staff in her right hand.
The Severance Corps members' eyes lit up.
There was only one nun in the Emei Sect who possessed such an ornate six-ring staff.
"To think the Sect Leader would come out in person."
The entire Severance Corps tensed.
Sect Leaders rarely emerged first like this.
Her personal appearance meant the situation was grave.
Meanwhile, Abbess So-un watched the tensing Corps with mixed feelings.
'They're so young.'
As Namcheon had said.
The Severance Corps were still green juniors who hadn't shed their novice aura.
At least their emanating energies were quite impressive...
But that was considering they were juniors.
Coming to Emei were elites of the Evil-Black Alliance—the Blood Phantom Squad and Ghost Phantom Squad.
Compared to the enemy, they were woefully inadequate.
'They won't be much help...'
A sigh escaped her inwardly.
But she soon shook her head.
They were youths who had risked their lives to come aid Emei despite their tender age.
She should be grateful.
As she forced down her rising disappointment and prepared to offer thanks...
'That one?'
Her gaze naturally fixed on one person.
The handsome youth at the forefront.
Unlike the others, no matter how she probed, she sensed nothing from this sharp-featured young man.
As if he hadn't cultivated any martial arts.
Yet his presence here meant he surely had.
But he looked too young to have reached the Anti-Demon Realm.
'Hiding his presence with some concealment art.'
As she stared at Cheonhwi, trying to gauge him...
'Didn't expect to see this again.'
Cheonhwi paid her no mind, his eyes fixed elsewhere.
On the six-ring staff that had rung the bells.
A staff carved from red wood.
Topped with gold rings—six of them.
The Wheel of Reincarnation Six-Ring Staff.
'How is it exactly the same as before?'
To Cheonhwi, it was astonishing.
Three hundred years had passed.
Yet nothing had changed.
Neither the dharma power nor the appearance, and...
'That mark too.'
Cheonhwi quietly gazed at a single scar etched across the Wheel of Reincarnation Six-Ring Staff.
A long, cracked line.
It was the mark he had left in his previous life when he slew the Emei Sect Leader.
As he stared...
Poke.
Ho Gwanggae prodded his side.
"Captain, you should greet her..."
At Ho Gwanggae's words, sweat beading on his brow as he glanced at Abbess So-un, Cheonhwi shrugged and offered a greeting.
"I'm Cheonhwi, captain of the Severance Corps. We've come to help with your troubles."
A curt greeting stating only the purpose.
But its impact was huge.
Because of the name he revealed.
"Cheonhwi... the Plum Blossom Divine Knight?"
"The Plum Blossom Divine Knight has come to aid our sect...?"
Abbess So-un and the Emei disciples couldn't hide their shock.
Cheonhwi's fame resounded brilliantly across the Central Plains.
'No wonder I couldn't sense his energy. He's the Plum Blossom Divine Knight.'
Abbess So-un looked at Cheonhwi with renewed eyes.
The Plum Blossom Divine Knight was the one who had crushed the Bandit King.
Young, but in a league of his own.
Only then did the faint tension ease from her face, replaced by a smile.
"Thank you for coming to our aid."
Her words carried a gentle tone.
Feeling oddly complex, Cheonhwi scratched his head.
'Me, hearing thanks from Emei's baldies.'
In his previous life, Emei's nuns had cursed him and charged to their deaths.
Yet now, their descendants thanked him...
'If those baldies knew, there'd be hell to pay.'
A chuckle escaped him.
Hell to pay, indeed.
They'd probably try to tear him apart.
Meanwhile, Abbess So-un eyed the suddenly laughing Cheonhwi curiously before changing the mood.
"We'll discuss the details inside."
What they had to talk about involved the Evil-Black Alliance—something that might shake the disciples' resolve if overheard.
"Sure."
Cheonhwi nodded.
Continuing the conversation under the signboard felt awkward anyway.
'Especially with all the staring.'
Hearing Cheonhwi's reply, Abbess So-un turned to an elderly nun beside her.
"Junior Sister. Please show rooms to these benefactors who came to aid our sect."
"Amitabha. Understood."
The elderly nun, Abbess So-hye, bowed her head.
Abbess So-un nodded, then turned her gaze back to Cheonhwi with a smile.
A soft yet sharp smile.
"Young hero, follow me."
Cheonhwi followed the departing Abbess So-un and soon arrived at a modest room.
'Incredibly spartan.'
Entering, Cheonhwi scanned the room and inwardly remarked.
For the pillar of Bokho Temple and Emei Sect Leader's quarters, it was tiny.
No decorations either.
Just a solitary table and two chairs.
That was it.
Cheonhwi scratched his chin.
'They said she has no greed.'
Rumors about the current Emei Sect were scarce in the present martial world.
And for good reason—the current Sect Leader, Abbess So-un before him, harbored no great ambition for power or the like.
He'd heard as much, but seeing the room firsthand, it seemed even more austere. As he looked around...
Abbess So-un, watching him, carefully tilted the teapot in her hand.
Pour—
Fragrant tea flowed out, filling the room.
Once she'd filled the cup, she set down the pot and spoke.
"It'll ease your mind and body a bit. You must be tired from the rushed journey—have a cup."
"Oh? Thanks, I'll have some."
Cheonhwi replied and downed the cup in one go.
"Smack, the tea's mediocre."
Far from tea ceremony etiquette, but refreshingly bold on the other hand.
'Quite different from the rumors.'
The famed hero of Shaanxi. She'd expected a refined gentleman, yet he was a bit rougher up close.
Abbess So-un watched the somewhat unexpected Plum Blossom Divine Knight, then lifted her own cup for a sip.
To push back the worries resurfacing.
After swallowing the tea with her concerns, she spoke.
"I heard the Severance Corps is a special detachment newly formed by the Murim Alliance..."
Her expression turned serious.
"How many in total?"
She asked with expectation.
Abbess So-un didn't believe the arrivals were the entire Severance Corps.
This was a Murim Alliance special unit, after all—surely more than forty would come.
'The rest must be held in reserve hidden nearby...'
It seemed reasonable.
But.
"Including me, forty-three."
Her hopes shattered instantly.
"...That's truly all of you?"
Cheonhwi chuckled inwardly.
'Not reassured, huh?'
Though her face was calm, he'd caught the flicker of disappointment in her eyes.
"Yes."
He replied nonchalantly.
"This is the entire Severance Corps."
Her expression hardened at the straightforward answer.
"...Then is other Alliance support coming?"
"Other support..."
"The Three Battalions and Four Guards."
Unable to wait, she cut in as he pondered. She couldn't hold back despite trying to stay composed.
This concerned Emei's survival.
Cheonhwi recalled the message received upon arriving in Sichuan and replied.
"I heard the Demon Subduing Squad and Justice Guard Squad are heading straight here..."
Abbess So-un's face brightened momentarily.
Those were among the Murim Alliance's Four Guards with large numbers.
But her brightness vanished at his next words.
"Sichuan's quite far from the Alliance, so it'll take another four or five days."
"..."
Abbess So-un closed her eyes briefly.
'Worst case.'
Sighing inwardly, she opened them and spoke lowly.
"So the Alliance's aid is just these young swordsmen and the Severance Corps."
A bitter smile escaped.
Even with the Plum Blossom Divine Knight, it was far too few.
The enemies heading for Emei numbered two thousand.
She couldn't help but lament.
But she soon composed herself, faced Cheonhwi, and pressed her palms together.
"Amitabha. At least your presence and the Severance Corps give us strength."
Even composed, the thanks came with a bitter smile.
"Just doing our duty."
Abbess So-un met Cheonhwi's casual gaze and spoke.
"If things get dangerous, can you take our disciples and flee?"
Erasing her bitter smile, she continued calmly.
"I don't want these promising youths losing their lives over this."
The odds of victory were less than ten percent.
Probably even lower.
She didn't want to see the deaths of her sect's future—or the righteous sects'—juniors amid this.
Cheonhwi replied in his usual light tone.
"But we came to fight."
Abbess So-un shook her head.
"No need to risk your lives here. They're too precious to die in a place like this—our disciples, your Severance Corps juniors, and you too."
Cheonhwi silently met Abbess So-un's gaze.
Her calm eyes burned with clear resolve.
"Hm, even if Emei falls?"
"A fallen building can be rebuilt anytime as long as Emei's will endures. But..."
Abbess So-un said calmly.
"Lives cannot."
Oh ho?
Cheonhwi eyed her approvingly before nodding.
"Alright. As the Sect Leader says. If it gets dangerous, I'll lead your disciples out."
"Thank you."
"But if it's not dangerous, no need, right?"
Abbess So-un blinked in surprise at the unexpected words, then smiled, attributing it to youthful bravado.
"Of course not."
"Good."
Cheonhwi grinned.
A thoroughly confident grin.