Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 504

“Aaaaargh!”

“⋯⋯.”

Yeo Sahon stared up at the ramparts, his eyes wide with disbelief.

*What in the world is happening?* he wondered, completely confused.

Ever since the Mount Hua disciples had climbed onto the wall, the screams and shouts had never stopped. Battles were always noisy, of course, but this was something else entirely.

In fact…

“Uwaaaaaaargh!”

…there!

Suddenly, a blinding flash of golden light burst from the top of the wall, and four or five figures were tossed like rag dolls over the edge.

Huh?

What happened when they were thrown off the wall?

It was clear.

“Save meeeeeee!”

“Aaaaargh!”

The Ice Palace warriors plummeted from the ramparts, their cries echoing in the air.

Boom! Thud!

Looking down, Yeo Sahon winced, his eyes snapping shut against his will. The warriors who had fallen onto the snow-covered ground were twitching violently.

‘At least they’re not dead.’

They might be confined to their beds for the rest of their lives, but with all that snow, at least they’d survived, hadn’t they?

“Elder!”

“Y-yes!”

Yeo Sahon shook off his shock and moved quickly towards the wall.

*This is our fight,* he thought, his martial spirit burning with shame. *How can I stand here while our guests risk themselves for us?*

“Haaah!”

His speed increased as he climbed the wall.

Now that the rain of arrows from above had stopped, climbing the ramparts was no longer a big challenge. Reaching the top quickly, he kicked off the wall, launching himself upwards.

“You lot! I’ll… Heeek!”

But as he flew into the air, an Ice Palace sword, flung like a cannonball, rushed towards him.

“Aaaack!”

He didn’t have time to finish his cry before he flattened himself against the ground like a piece of paper. A figure, tossed like a rag doll from the ramparts, whizzed past just above his head.

‘If that had hit me…?’

He would have fallen to the depths below, just like those he had seen moments before.

Despite the freezing weather, sweat ran down his back. Steadying himself, he lifted his head, his eyes taking in the scene on top of the ramparts.

Rumble!

Each step he took shook the entire structure, causing it to tremble.

He wasn’t very large, so where did such strength come from? It was beyond understanding.

“Amitabha!”

The instant Hae Yeon’s fist shot forward, a golden Buddhist light blazed, and those who stood in his way were sent flying over the ramparts.

“Aaaaargh!”

“Aaargh!”

Buddhist monks were usually thought of as kind, but there was no kindness in Hae Yeon’s cries. What would the Buddha say if he saw Hae Yeon chanting Amitabha while sending people flying over the ramparts?

But Hae Yeon, not worried about such things, simply laughed loudly as he pushed back the Ice Palace warriors.

“S-stop him!”

The Ice Palace warriors stumbled back, their faces pale, eyes wide with terror as they stared at Hae Yeon’s incredible strength and rushed towards him. But that was only possible because they didn’t know Hae Yeon.

Whoosh.

The Arhat Fist began with a half-palm strike.

Taking the stance that symbolized Shaolin, Hae Yeon delivered a heavy punch to those who charged at him.

The sword of an Ice Palace warrior hit Hae Yeon’s fist.

Clang!

And in that moment, the steel sword, filled with inner energy, snapped like a toy.

“Gasp!”

The warrior who had charged at him stared, eyes wide, at the strange event.

And then…

Thud!

With a sound like a drum being hit, he sprayed blood and was sent flying.

A fist that had gone beyond form and reached the true meaning of law.

The Shaolin Arhat Fist, which could be called the base of all martial arts in the Central Plains, was now showing its heavy power on top of the ramparts of the Northern Ice Palace.

It was an amazing display of martial skill, making it hard to believe he was the same person who had been scolded by Chung Myung just moments before.

It clearly showed why Shaolin thought of him as a genius, one who appeared only once every hundred years.

“Amitabha!”

Chanting the Buddha’s name, Hae Yeon jumped on a retreating warrior like a falcon, bringing his foot down on the man’s thigh.

Crack!

The sound of bone breaking echoed. The man whose thigh had been crushed screamed in pain, twisting on the ground.

A Buddhist monk who followed the teachings of Shaolin had compassion, but the fists of Shaolin did not. Like the face of the Buddha, Hae Yeon’s fists did not forgive the wicked.

“…I still can’t believe it,” Jo Gul muttered, shaking his head and clicking his tongue in amazement. *He’s gotten even stronger?*

Since the Mount Hua Tournament, they had been training very hard. The Mount Hua disciples of today were much stronger than they had been back then.

But even so, the gap between them and Hae Yeon didn’t seem to be getting much smaller. They had become stronger, but Hae Yeon had clearly become even stronger than before.

“I can’t lose! Haaah!”

His sword sliced through the air.

A clear sharpness could be seen in his quick and skillful swordsmanship.

“Lower! Lower!”

“Yes!”

Whoosh!

Jo Gul dug his toes into the ground, lowering his stance and keeping his shoulders still.

His body was firm, giving him a solid base, but the sword in his hand was very light.

“I can’t lose to Shaolin!”

Jo Gul, pushing back the enemies, was as quick as a panther.

Behind them was a bottomless cliff.

One wrong step and they could fall from this high rampart. And in this dangerous place, the Mount Hua disciples had to face more than ten times their number.

Even those with strong nerves would feel their hearts pounding and their hands and feet shaking.

But there was no fear on their faces.

“Aaaaargh!”

“Hey, calm down, you show-off!” Yoon Jong grinned, playfully shoving Jo Gul with his shoulder as he pushed past him.

Anger flashed across the face of the Ice Palace warrior who was pushed back.

“These… these bastards!”

Who wouldn’t be angry when young swordsmen, barely out of their teens, were pushing them back, taking turns leading the attack?

“Dieeee!”

A sword full of rage fell towards Yoon Jong’s head with deadly intent.

But Yoon Jong was not worried at all. With half-closed eyes, he watched the swords falling on him before using his Plum Blossom Sword.

Clang.

Gently.

Clang.

And gracefully.

He didn’t have the style and flashiness of Jo Gul. But his sword, completely true to the basics, blocked the opponent’s attacks with perfect accuracy.

The perfect defense caused the swords to bounce back, leaving the Ice Palace warriors’ upper bodies open.

Whoosh!

It was only natural that Jo Gul would take the chance created by Yoon Jong.

“Aaaargh!”

The warrior yelled, a sound full of pain, as the sword cut deep into his shoulder. Blood bloomed red on his clothes, and he stumbled backward, his face twisted in pain.

“These enemies from the Central Plains have no fear!”

He tried to attack wildly, but recoiled in horror, throwing himself to the ground.

Suddenly, a flash of silver! A sword blade sliced through the small space between Yoon Jong and Jo Gul.

“The formation is breaking!”

“⋯⋯.”

“⋯⋯.”

Tang Soso’s face hardened as she snapped.

Tang Soso’s sword was small and quick, like a snake. When she saw a space to attack, her blade flashed out fast and cold, like a viper biting.

A flawless combination.

One could tell how hard her training had been simply by the way she wielded her sword.

But what caught Yeo Sa-hon’s eye most of all was… that sword.

Snikt!

“Ugh!”

The man whose shoulder had been pierced cried out, staggering backward.

Swish!

The sword, withdrawn from the shoulder, extended again without the slightest hesitation.

It looked simple, not very fast. But somehow, no one could stop it. It was like trying to catch smoke.

This was Yoo Iseol’s sword.

With a slight shift of her feet, she closed the distance to her opponent, and her sword danced like a phantom.

“What!”

In a flash, the sword split into two, slicing the Ice Palace warrior’s shoulder and ankle simultaneously. Instinctively reeling backward, he was met with the sword aimed squarely at the center of his chest.

Thunk.

“Ghk…”

It had all happened in a split second, too fast to even comprehend. The sword, piercing the center of his chest, was buried deep.

Clutching the sword, he stared at Yoo Iseol with disbelief before slowly collapsing to the side.

Plop.

Withdrawing her sword, she glanced up at the remaining enemies.

As she was about to charge in again, a quiet voice reached her ear.

“Save your energy, Junior Sister.”

Yoo Iseol turned her head, gazing silently at Baek Cheon.

Baek Cheon, calm and confident, flicked blood from his sword and stepped forward confidently.

“You don’t need to push yourself too hard yet.”

Yoo Iseol nodded wordlessly.

Yeo Sa-hon stared blankly at the scene unfolding before him.

He, too, had raised disciples as an elder of the Ice Palace before his disgrace. That was precisely why he couldn’t understand it.

What kind of training did the Mount Hua Sect practice to produce such young swordsmen?

It was truly…

“Aaaargh!”

He flinched.

Lost in thought, he was startled by a booming shout.

“The swords! Huh? Wield them like that, huh? Augh! I’m about to lose it, I swear! I am!”

“⋯⋯.”

“Flies will land on your swords, you lot! Did you come here for a picnic?!”

Amidst all the chaos, one thing was certain.

That one has a terrible temper.

“Ugh, they’re coming up!”

Only then did the warriors of the Northern Sea begin to climb over the walls. Realizing that the time had come, Yeo Sa-hon raised his voice.

“Do not yield the front line to the brave fighters from the Central Plains! We are the proud warriors of the Northern Sea!”

“Yes, Elder!”

“Let’s go!”

Yeo Sa-hon charged forward, leaping over the heads of the Mount Hua disciples.

“Oh?”

“The old man’s still going strong.”

He thought he heard something irritating, but Yeo Sa-hon cleanly ignored it. To be distracted in battle is very dangerous.

Whooooosh!

A terrifyingly cold energy began to gather in his hands.

Even when he had just broken free from the confinement on the cliff, he was skilled enough to handle Bang Pyo with one hand. Now that he had recovered to some extent, ordinary warriors of the Ice Palace were no match for him.

“Taaaaah!”

The Ice Killing Energy(氷殺剛氣) unleashed from his hands fell upon the clustered warriors of the Ice Palace.

KABOOOOM!

A burst of freezing energy erupted, sending those caught in the blast flying backward, spitting blood.

“Wow… impressive.”

“He probably didn’t win the Elder’s seat easily.”

“Augh! Cold! Damn it!”

Yeo Sa-hon kept hearing irritating noises, but he resolved not to get involved with the Mount Hua disciples anymore.

“Those who closed their eyes to the wickedness of the traitors are no longer the proud warriors of the Ice Palace! Today, I shall punish you and establish a true heaven in the Northern Sea!”

“That traitor is spouting nonsense! What are you all doing! Attack!”

The Ice Battle Commander roared, but the situation was not unfolding as he wished.

Emboldened by Yeo Sa-hon’s fighting skill, the warriors of the Northern Sea fiercely pressed the Ice Battle Squad. If those who specialized in archery were to engage in close combat with highly motivated warriors, the outcome was obvious.

‘Damn it, this isn’t how it was supposed to go.’

Where had things gone wrong?

The walls of the Ice Palace were exceptionally high.

It was impossible for the Ice Palace to build such high walls thick enough for a large number of troops to climb.

Therefore, there was bound to be a limit to the number of people defending the walls.

The reason he thought there wouldn’t be a big problem was that simply showering arrows imbued with internal energy on those climbing the high, slippery walls would inflict significant damage.

But this battle had not gone his way for a single moment.

‘It’s all because of that bastard!’

That young rascal swaggering behind the warriors of the Northern Sea!

If it weren’t for that bastard, this group of traitors would have been spitting blood and falling off the walls before they could even climb halfway!

“Eek!”

But it was too late to regret it. He had to focus on the current situation.

“Create distance! Reinforcements are coming up from below! Set up a line in front of the stairs leading to the walls and focus on defense…”

That was the moment.

‘Huh?’

The Ice Battle Commander stopped speaking, suddenly sensing a strange feeling.

What is it?

This sensation?

Nothing had changed in particular, but a nauseatingly strange feeling enveloped his body.

‘What’s different?’

But no matter how much he looked, nothing seemed to have changed. Except…

‘Huh?’

Gone.

The figure of that young rascal, who had been grinning and turning his stomach inside out just moments ago, was nowhere to be seen.

‘Where did he go…’

Then, a voice that seemed to come from the depths of the underworld reached his ear from right beside him.

“If you lose focus on the battlefield, you have no right to complain even if you die.”

The Ice Battle Commander automatically snapped his head around. What entered his vision was not a person, but the pure white blade of a sword that had already reached his nose.

Thwick. The sound of the blade cutting through flesh was sharp and cold in the air, making everyone nearby shiver.