Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 508

“Kill them!”

“Aaaargh! You sons of bitches!”

“We’ve waited for this day!”

“We will avenge the Princess!”

Yeo Sa-hon led the Northern Sea warriors. They attacked the Ice Palace warriors with great force.

The Northern Sea warriors were not better fighters than the Ice Palace warriors. The older leaders were strong, but the others were not very skilled.

But now, skill didn’t matter. The Northern Sea warriors were attacking so fiercely, like a flood, that even skilled fighters were overwhelmed.

Wham!

They charged forward like a storm, crashing into the Ice Palace warriors.

“Aaaaaaargh!”

“Aaaargh!”

Swords flashed, and their fighting spirit was so strong it scared the Ice Palace warriors. The Ice Palace lines broke apart quickly. Yeo Sa-hon, leading the attack, was surprised. *Were they really this weak?*

“What?”

He was shocked. Even prisoners from the Ice Palace had pride.

Seeing Ice Palace warriors run was unbelievable to him. It was shameful.

Even the warriors who were still holding their weapons looked confused and lost. Yeo Sa-hon had never seen such a pathetic sight in his life.

How could they fight when they were already afraid to die?

“Kill them!”

“Kill them all without exception!”

The Northern Sea warriors shouted and attacked even harder, feeling more confident.

‘About now…’

It was then.

Aaaaaaargh!

The Ice Palace warriors were confused, not really fighting or running away. Then, a terrible scream came from behind.

The Northern Sea warriors were attacking right in front of them, yet they were distracted by the screams coming from behind?

Now it was clear why they were fighting so badly. The Northern Sea warriors only had enemies in front. But the Ice Palace warriors were also worried about attacks from behind by the Mount Hua disciples.

They were fighting with the fear that a sword might fly from behind at any moment.

“Push them harder! Today, we reclaim the Ice Palace!”

“Waaaaaah!”

Yeo Sa-hon watched the warriors charge forward, shouting and feeling stronger. He frowned.

The Mount Hua disciples had taken control of the battle with just one attack. *Terrifying,* Yeo Sa-hon thought.

He felt confused, mixed with fear and a strange respect. Yeo Sa-hon tried to ignore his confusing thoughts. He focused his energy and attacked powerfully.

Seol Cheon-sang watched the battle and couldn’t understand what he was seeing. *How is this happening?* He stood at the back, watching everything.

He could see it all, but he still didn’t understand. *This shouldn’t be happening.*

The Ice Palace warriors should have been stronger. They were supposed to be old and weak fighters. The plan was simple: attack them with more young, strong warriors.

They were on flat ground, the training ground. Walls blocked them from running away. There were no hills or rivers to hide behind. It was a simple fight, just strength against strength. Luck shouldn’t matter here.

In this place, only fighting power should decide who wins.

But how could they be losing?

‘Lord!’

‘What’s happening?’

‘We have to do something!’

The older leaders spoke nervously.

Of course they were worried. They could see Yeo Sa-hon and his warriors easily defeating the Ice Palace fighters. Their lines had completely broken.

Seol Cheon-sang bit his lip and cursed. “Damn it!” *What could he do?*

Their strong battle lines had fallen apart. It was chaos. In the middle of it all, Cheong-myeong seemed to be at the center of a swirling storm, like looking into a hot, bubbling fire.

Now, plans didn’t matter. Plans only work if people can understand and follow them.

But Seol Cheon-sang was the leader. He couldn’t give up. He quickly decided what to do and shouted loudly.

“Ignore the ones pushing in and kill those outsiders!” His voice was like thunder.

“What are you doing! Don’t just stand there like idiots, grab those guys and kill them right now! Without those guys, Yeo Sa-hon is nothing!”

“L, Lord?” Seol Cheon-sang glared at him, eyes red with anger.

“You useless eaters, don’t tell me you’re so afraid of those brats that you’re just sitting here with your asses glued to the ground?”

“H, how could that be! I will bring their heads right now!” Some of the older leaders, looking embarrassed, hurried forward.

Seol Cheon-sang watched them go, grinding his teeth. *How much trouble are those Mount Hua people going to cause?* It was a mistake to let them into the Ice Palace. No, it was a mistake to let them even come to the Northern Sea.

He felt deep regret as he watched his army lose. But it was too late for regrets.

Fwoosh!

Crack!

He felt his sword cut through the enemy’s neck. It was a clear, cold feeling in his hand.

Baek Cheon tried to ignore the feeling of killing. He kept swinging his sword. *I think I understand…*

Baek Cheon didn’t understand why Cheong-myeong said the Mount Hua sword was evil. How could a sword style that made such beautiful flower shapes be bad?

Now he understood why Cheong-myeong called the Plum Blossom Sword Technique evil, even though it was supposed to be a proper, traditional style.

Look.

Flutter flutter.

His sword tip moved quickly, scattering flower-shaped energy everywhere.

The flower shapes looked like illusions, but there was one real attack hidden among them.

If this was just practice fighting, the enemy might have seen the trick. They might have stepped back and waited for a chance to attack.

But this was a real battle. Here, even a second of hesitation could mean death. It was impossible to see the real attack hidden in the flower shapes.

“Aaaaaaargh!”

The enemy screamed and swung wildly. But the flower shapes just vanished when his sword touched them, like they were nothing.

Then, *thwack!*

“Ugh…” Baek Cheon’s sword went right through the enemy’s neck. The flower shapes had tricked him.

The Mount Hua sword style tricked the enemy, made fun of them, and then killed them without warning. On the battlefield, it was a cruel and scary sword style.

Swish.

Baek Cheon shook the blood off his sword, looked ahead with determined eyes, and ran forward again.

So what if that’s the way it is?

Fair and square? Fair and square? What a load of crap. I’m about to die, what good is fair and square? It’s the truth of the battlefield to win and survive, even if it’s cowardly and pathetic. If you have time to say such nonsense, swing your sword one more time.

Maybe that idea was wrong in normal life, but it was right for Baek Cheon now, in this battle.

Baek Cheon’s eyes became cold and serious. *I know what I have to do!*

“Jo Gul!”

“Yes!”

“Make sure So So doesn’t fall behind!”

“Yes, Martial Uncle!”

Hye-yeon was protecting their backs. Because of him, they could attack without fear of being attacked from behind.

“Samae!”

“Yes.”

“Clear the way!”

“Yes.”

He had to lead the way. He was following Cheong-myeong, who had charged ahead.

Just getting to the front himself wasn’t enough. As the oldest student of Mount Hua, Baek Cheon had to make sure all his fellow students were safe.

That was his responsibility as the leader of the Mount Hua students.

To do that…

“Haaap!”

Baek Cheon’s sword moved swiftly. His sword, which had always been fair and upright, now carried a strong, deadly intent, ruthlessly striking his opponent’s body.

Paaah!

Just as Chung Myung had done, blood sprayed out wherever Baek Cheon’s sword struck. It was no longer a clean strike aimed at the opponent’s neck or heart to end their life with a single blow.

This sword focused on defeating the enemy fast and well.

‘I’ll shoulder more!’

Baek Cheon, lowering his stance almost to the ground, darted forward with great speed. He cut the legs of the unguarded Ice Palace disciples in one strike, then roared loudly as he advanced.

“Yoon Jong! Protect my back!”

“Yes, Senior Brother!”

As he advanced, his face twisted like a demon, he heard a familiar Buddhist chant.

“Amitabha! (a Buddhist prayer)”

Kwaaaaaang!

It was a thunderous sound so powerful it made his body tremble, no matter how many times he heard it.

Hae Yeon trusted and followed them even in this blood-soaked battlefield, abandoning his identity as a Buddhist, relying solely on his faith.

Therefore, Baek Cheon had to move even more, shoulder even more, for the sake of that trust. He felt responsible and wanted to protect his comrades.

“Haaaaaaap!”

Baek Cheon’s sword scattered plum blossoms.

They were no longer fragile. Within the fluttering petals was his clear will, and it swept away those who stood in his path like a storm. The plum blossoms, delicate yet sharp like his sword, filled the air.

The disciples of Mount Hua, following from behind, were astonished by the tremendous power of his sword.

Even in the heart of this battlefield, Baek Cheon was clearly growing.

And.

Paaah!

Thud!

Baek Cheon, kicking off the ground with all his might, finally stopped, pressing his back against the familiar back.

“Caught up, you bastard!”

“You’re late.”

Chung Myung, with a nonchalant expression, slightly raised his sword.

The disciples of Mount Hua and Hae Yeon, who had rushed through the path Baek Cheon had cleared, flew in and surrounded Chung Myung.

Swords to the enemy.

Backs to comrades.

Feet planted firmly on the ground with unwavering resolve, waist held straight. Eyes pressed the enemy, but the sword tip was weightless.

The Ice Palace warriors were unable to rush in recklessly due to the oppressive aura they exuded. A subtle standoff had been going on even before they arrived.

Baek Cheon, catching his breath, asked.

“Shall we push?”

“Wait.”

“Right now, that Elder Yeo is…”

“Wait.”

But Chung Myung’s cold words stopped him.

The blood boiling within Baek Cheon slowly began to cool at that voice, without any feeling.

“Everyone, listen carefully.”

“……”

Chung Myung, fixing his gaze solely on the enemies, said.

“Don’t get so heated up in someone else’s fight.”

“…Is that what you have to say?”

“What was the objective?”

Baek Cheon pressed his lips tightly together.

The moment he heard those words, it felt as if he had been doused in ice water. He realized he was getting caught up in the chaos and losing sight of their goal.

“A battlefield is like a living creature.”

Everyone listened intently to Chung Myung’s words.

“Formations, strategies, none of that matters. In a place where people clash and death meets death, a flow is bound to arise.”

“Flow?”

“Yes. So feel it. Even while fighting, even while a blade grazes your face, you must not miss that flow. If you feel that flow…”

Chung Myung smiled like a wolf, baring his teeth.

“You’ll see an opening.”

His eyes quickly scanned the battlefield. The troops began to concentrate on the area where Yeo Sa-hon had broken through.

The center, where the disciples of Mount Hua were, was definitely becoming less crowded.

“You bastards!”

Just then, several elders who were with Seolcheon Sang began to rush towards the disciples of Mount Hua, and the Ice Palace disciples began to clear a path to the left and right.

A perfect straight path leading to Seolcheon Sang!

“See it?”

Everyone nodded. They would have been too busy fighting to notice normally, but after hearing Chung Myung’s words, they understood.

A path had opened before them.

“Let’s go!”

No answer was needed.

“Follow me with the resolve to die!”

No sooner had he spoken than Chung Myung became a ray of light, dashing forward. The sword shadows that erupted in an instant swept away and blew away the Ice Palace warriors who were backing away.

There were no screams.

The limbs of those who couldn’t even leave behind a death cry scattered in all directions, and blood poured down like rain.

But before that blood could even touch his body, Chung Myung had already left his spot and was charging forward.

The disciples of Mount Hua followed Chung Myung without the slightest hesitation, braving the pouring blood.

“St, stop them!”

“Elder! The elders are coming!”

The troops momentarily fell into chaos.

Should they risk their lives to stop the enemies rushing towards them? Or should they trust the elders coming to deal with them and open the path?

Hesitation breeds indecision, and indecision dulls the sword.

And Chung Myung was not merciful enough to forgive that dullness.

Paaah!

The fiercely swung sword cleanly decapitated the necks of those who faltered.

Chung Myung, who had advanced more than ten feet in an instant, shouted.

“Senior Brother!”

“Haaaaaaap!”

As if knowing his role without needing to be told, Baek Cheon sprang forward. And he sent the power of his sword directly at one of the elders who was shooting towards them.

Kaaaang!

“You, you damn brat!”

That wasn’t all.

Yoo Iseol rushed out in an instant and pushed back one of the elders, and in that gap, Yoon Jong and Jo Gul thrust their swords together.

Hae Yeon, who was protecting their backs, also shouted a Buddhist chant and jumped over Chung Myung’s head, unleashing his power.

The chain reaction of explosions and impacts shook the battlefield.

In the midst of that chaos, Chung Myung saw a faint path.

He moved forward with the speed of lightning, running along the opened path and swinging his sword relentlessly. If anyone blocked his way, he cut them down, and if the path was blocked again, he dug into newly opened gaps.

Like a ghost, he weaved through the enemies and ran, then kicked off the ground with all his might, leaping over those who stood in his way.

“Uh oh!”

“Gu, Palace Lord!”

“Nooooo!”

As the view cleared, the world unfolded widely.

In Chung Myung’s eyes, who had leaped over the last line of defense, the bewildered face of Seolcheon Sang came into clear view.

“You son of a biiitch!”

Seolcheon Sang, fluttering his fur robe, unleashed his energy towards Chung Myung.

The chilling energy, like a stream of pure white water that could freeze you to the bone, flew in with great force. But Chung Myung neither retreated nor dodged.

He simply brought down his sword, bisecting the incoming energy.

Paaah!

The crescent-shaped sword energy emitted from Chung Myung’s sword split the energy to the left and right and headed towards Seolcheon Sang.

Seolcheon Sang’s eyes were filled with horror.

And.

Shwaak!

A chilling noise spread.

A moment later, blood began to drip onto the floor.

“……”

From the left forehead to the end of the right jaw.

It was a deep wound that crossed his face. Seolcheon Sang distorted his blood-soaked face like a beast and glared at Chung Myung.

Thud.

Chung Myung, who had landed on the floor, coldly faced him.

“There are many things to say, but…”

Chung Myung’s pearly white teeth were revealed.

“Let’s finish this quickly, kid, since we don’t have time.”

From the tip of his sword, plum blossoms as red as blood began to pour out endlessly.