Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 673

Step! Step! Step! Step!

The crowd swallowed hard. They had already seen the Mount Hua Sect (a famous group of fighters from Mount Hua), the Sichuan Tang Clan (known for their poison and hidden weapons), and the Outer Land’s Beast Palace arrive.

Earlier, they saw people preparing for the guests. But seeing the important groups arrive in their uniforms and lines was very different.

The steps were so precise, without any mistakes. It seemed like they controlled everyone’s breathing.

T-Tang Clan!

It’s the Sichuan Tang Clan!

From behind the main building, people in green martial robes appeared.

They were the leaders of Sichuan, the masters of poison and hidden weapons.

The warriors of the Sichuan Tang Clan, who had been powerful in Sichuan for a long time, were walking slowly toward the training grounds in perfect lines.

Wow.

This was why they were so famous. They truly deserved their reputation.

Because the Sichuan Tang Clan passed down their skills within the family, they had fewer members than other famous groups. So, even people who knew a lot about the martial world were seeing so many Tang Clan members together for the first time.

Just looking at them made people feel like they couldn’t breathe.

The green robes of the Sichuan Tang Clan fluttered in the wind as the warriors walked into the training grounds. The crowd watched them from both sides.

Gulp.

Someone swallowed hard.

In the martial world, where fairness was important, they had become famous for using poison and hidden weapons. So, everyone avoided them, but no one dared to ignore them.

No other group could make the crowd feel so serious and important as the Sichuan Tang Clan. They were fierce and powerful.

T-The Ice Palace! The Northern Ice Palace is coming too!

From the other side of the path, where the Sichuan Tang Clan had come from, warriors in pure white robes appeared. They seemed to have a knife-like aura. Everyone understood what it meant to be from the cold north.

Their robes were pure white, as white as fresh snow, and not a speck of dust touched them. Everyone stared. The warriors’ eyes were calm but strong, looking straight ahead. They seemed so serious and in control that people felt a little scared just looking at them.

They were the King of the North.

The warriors of the Northern Ice Palace ruled over the cold, empty land. They walked into the training grounds with a chilling aura, like a sword ready to be used.

Han Yi-myung, the Chief of the Northern Ice Palace, was at the front. He didn’t look gentle at all.

He had seen great success and survived hard times in the North Sea. Maybe that was why he was wiser than others.

He was perfect for the important job of leading the Northern Ice Palace. He looked proud and strong.

People were trying to breathe, feeling overwhelmed by the Ice Palace’s presence.

Everyone talked about them easily.

The Nine Great Sects, the Five Great Families, the Five Overlords of the Divine Land, and the Four Outer Palaces. These names were famous in the martial world, but they were only a small number compared to all the martial artists in the world.

But these few warriors were the best, leading the martial world.

Seeing them all together was very rare. It had almost never happened in the hundred years since the war with the Demonic Cult.

The people who had come to see this amazing sight could not stop looking at the Northern Ice Palace and the Sichuan Tang Clan.

How could anyone know how strong they were just by looking? What people could see was only a small part of their power.

But even that little bit was enough to show why they were known as the best in the martial world.

These are the ones who are joining hands! These are the ones!

Each group was respected in their own area.

Now, they were joining together as the Cheonwu Alliance. Everyone knew that this alliance was real and important.

The Beast Palace!

The Southern Beast Palace is coming!

Everyone looked again.

Oh…

Well…

Warriors from the Southern Beast Palace came onto the path where the Sichuan Tang Clan had entered.

The crowd’s faces, which had been tense, relaxed a little when they saw them.

The Beast Palace wasn’t serious like the Sichuan Tang Clan and the Northern Ice Palace. They weren’t marching in lines, and they didn’t have a cold aura.

They looked like a ragtag bunch, but they were still impressive.

They seemed to be walking in without a care in the world.

But they couldn’t be ignored because they all looked confident and strong.

There were many people gathered there.

Also, the leaders of the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Families, who were the most powerful in the martial world, were sitting around the platform.

Normally, palace members wouldn’t be so confident in such a place. They could only act that way if they were sure of their skills and determined.

So, no one there made fun of how they looked.

Confidence without skill was annoying, but confidence with skill was always respected. Everyone knew that the Southern Beast Palace, as one of the Four Outer Palaces, had every reason to be confident.

Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.

The Beast Palace walked into the training grounds, not quite marching, and stood between the Sichuan Tang Clan on the left and the Northern Ice Palace on the right. They took their place in the center.

Even though they hadn’t marched in, they lined up perfectly at the end. It was like they knew how important this was.

Amitabha.

Beopgye quietly said a Buddhist prayer.

He could see the three groups in front of him.

It’s different.

Everyone in the martial world knew that these three groups were allies.

But knowing it was different from seeing the three groups, who were famous around the world, standing together. It felt different.

If the Nine Sects gathered together, could they give off this kind of feeling?

No. Beopgye knew that even if more groups, even stronger groups, gathered, they could not give off the feeling he had now.

It was because the alliance was different.

People call them the Nine Great Sects, but they are not really united. They meet in the same place because they have some things in common, and people see them as a group. But really, they are always watching each other and ready to fight.

The Five Great Families are the same. The Shinju Five Lords are not important, and the Outer Five Palaces barely know each other.

But the Heavenly Union is different.

Maybe things will change later, but for now, it feels like many groups from one sect have gathered, not different sects in the same place.

“The Heavenly Union…” someone whispered.

They didn’t join because they were forced, and they didn’t join for one clear reason. But this lack of a specific goal is what makes them so united.

They didn’t join for one clear reason. But this lack of a specific goal is what makes them so united.

“This isn’t just a simple alliance.”

In an alliance where people don’t think about themselves but care about others, it’s almost like one big sect. Maybe the Buddhist community isn’t just seeing an alliance called the Heavenly Union, but a new sect being formed.

And…

The Buddhist community looked in one direction.

The ones who did this amazing thing, something other sects could only dream of, will come from there.

Mount Hua.

Has any place in the world of martial artists grown so much in such a short time?

“Abbot, maybe Mount Hua is even stranger than we thought.”

The Sichuan Tang Family.

The North Sea Ice Palace.

The Southern Savage Beast Palace.

These sects would rather fight than trust each other. But when Mount Hua gets involved, they all join together like pieces of a puzzle.

“How can we not be amazed by this?”

Mount Hua has done impressive things, but uniting these sects is even more impressive than anything they’ve done before.

“Amazing,” one elder whispered.

“Seeing it ourselves, their power is even greater than we thought, isn’t it?” another added.

“Hmm… Indeed,” a third agreed.

Worried whispers drifted from the elders at the head table.

They were trying to look happy, because they couldn’t cause trouble at a celebration. But after seeing the Heavenly Union, they couldn’t hide their worry.

“Heh heh. It’s true what they say, you live long enough to see everything. Mount Hua…” one elder chuckled nervously.

“Maybe it’s lucky that Jongnam has closed its doors. If they had seen this, they would have been upset for days,” another elder said.

“Who says it would only be for days?” a third replied.

No one is worried about someone who isn’t a threat.

The fact that these complaints are being made means that this sight is a clear threat to them. And these are the elders of the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Families.

“After today, no one will ignore Mount Hua.”

These changes have been happening for a while, but today’s opening ceremony makes it certain.

Some people might still look down on Mount Hua of Shaanxi, but no one can look down on Mount Hua of the Heavenly Union.

No one can ignore a sect where the Sichuan Tang Family gives up the head seat, and where two sects of the Outer Four Palaces respect them. Even Shaolin couldn’t do that.

“Amitabha,” the Abbot murmured.

The Buddhist community couldn’t help but be curious.

Of course, he didn’t only have good feelings about Mount Hua. But he couldn’t deny that Mount Hua was the main focus of this event. So, he was naturally curious and excited to see what they would be like when they appeared.

He looked towards the place where Mount Hua would come out, waiting.

His anticipation grew.

Grew.

Grew, but…

“Why aren’t they coming out?” someone asked.

“That’s what I’m saying,” another replied.

“What’s going on? Are they doing this on purpose to make us wait?” a third wondered.

The time had passed, but Mount Hua still hadn’t appeared.

“They’re taking too long…” someone complained.

Waiting a little to build excitement is normal, but this was too much.

Just as he was starting to frown and wonder if something was wrong, he heard a sharp voice.

It was a quiet sound that only those skilled in martial arts could hear, but it was definitely…

“Hey, you! You’re late, even on a day like today! You should die! Just die, you jerk!”

“Tsk, what’s all the fuss about?” another voice said.

“Aaaargh!” someone screamed.

“Sasuk, please calm down! Now is not the time!” a fourth voice pleaded.

“We need to get out there quickly! Quickly!”

The Abbot frowned slightly.

“What…” he muttered.

Surprised, he coughed a few times.

At that moment, the crowd started to stir.

“They’re coming out!” someone shouted.

“It’s Mount Hua!” another yelled.

“Mount Hua is here!” a third exclaimed.

A great cheer went up in the hall.

Even the elders at the head table were surprised by the sudden cheers and looked around.

“No, not this much…” one elder mumbled.

The reaction was very different from when the other three sects had appeared.

It was clear how Mount Hua was seen in the world of martial artists.

The faces of the elders of the Nine Sects and Five Great Families turned pale. Before they could hide their expressions, the disciples of Mount Hua appeared from behind the main hall.

The crowd was shouting and cheering. Above them, plum blossom patterns on the pavilion danced in the wind.

Finally, the disciples of Mount Hua, wearing simple black martial robes, walked in with focused eyes and steady, powerful strides.