Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1026

“Hmm.” Jang Il-so hummed softly, a faint smile playing on his lips. He held a thin letter in his hand, the paper crinkling slightly as he turned it over.

“The Demonic Sect…” he murmured, almost to himself.

Jang Il-so closed his eyes for a moment, as if gathering his thoughts. Gold rings chimed softly on his fingers as he moved. Normally, Ho Ga-myung would have waited patiently, knowing his Lord valued quiet thinking time.

But today, Ho Ga-myung felt a knot of worry tighten in his chest. His patience was wearing thin. He finally broke the silence, speaking in a low, careful voice.

“Lord…”

Then, Jang Il-so slowly opened his eyes. They were much darker than usual.

“The Demonic Sect, you say.”

Jang Il-so chuckled dryly.

“There are always unexpected things in the world, but this… this I truly did not expect.”

The ornaments he wore jingled. Slowly raising his hand, Jang Il-so paused in thought, lightly touching his face.

Displeasure turned to icy anger in Jang Il-so’s chest. It felt like a carefully built tower of cards, about to be knocked down by a careless hand. He slowly licked his lips. Jang Il-so’s eyes burned with an eerie light, like embers in the dark.

“…First, the Black Ghost Manor has decided to respond, so…”

“They will fail.”

Ho Ga-myung flinched at the firm voice.

“Man-geum Daebu thinks he can plan for everything. He believes if a plan fails, it’s because he didn’t have enough information. He’s usually right, but…”

Jang Il-so affirmed with a chilling voice.

“Not this time.”

“…”

“There are definitely beings in this world to whom common sense does not apply. And the Demonic Sect are rare examples of such beings.”

Jang Il-so shook his head.

He, too, did not know much about the Demonic Sect. But one thing he knew for sure: you cannot reason with those who are consumed by madness. The world they see and the world those who live for themselves see are completely different.

“They live in a different world, those Demonic Sect people. Man-geum Daebu is a fool if he thinks he can understand them.”

“Then…”

“The unexpected thing that has happened is the worst, and even the first reaction is the worst…”

Jang Il-so twisted the corner of his lips wryly and mocked himself.

“This is a mess.”

He slowly rose from his chair.

He stared silently at the riverbank, as if gathering his thoughts, before a voice as cold as winter ice flowed from his lips.

“Ga-myung.”

“Yes, Lord.”

“Tell those across the river that the Demonic Sect has appeared.”

“…Are you sure? They will surely try to use this situation.”

“Of course, they will.”

Jang Il-so did not believe in negotiations or anything of the sort. Those were merely words conveniently made up by those in favorable positions to justify their actions.

Of course, those fellows seemed to believe the words they made up themselves…

“It doesn’t matter. We’re already stuck in the mud. If so, then we must make sure those fellows get stuck in the same mud. I can’t stand the sight of them wearing clean clothes and leisurely watching from the sidelines, can I?”

“…I will comply.”

Clack!

Jang Il-so’s ring rubbed harshly.

“Take away the alcohol.”

“Yes.”

“Tell everyone not to approach me for a while.”

Ho Ga-myung nodded deeply.

Jang Il-so silently gazed only at the riverbank. Ho Ga-myung watched his back for a moment before quietly, but swiftly, retreating.

“…The Demonic Sect?” Beop-jeong’s mouth fell open as if he had momentarily lost his voice. His eyes trembled.

As soon as the word ‘Demonic Sect’ was mentioned, the air in the room turned to ice, colder than a winter wind howling from the North Sea. To them, ‘Demonic Sect’ was something heavy and fearful, even just to utter.

“…Did you just say the Demonic Sect?”

“Yes, Abbot! It seems the Demonic Sect has emerged in Hangzhou.”

“Emerged?”

A chill ran down Beop-jeong’s spine, colder than the mountain winds. Tiny beads of sweat popped out on his forehead, despite the cool air. The emergence of the Demonic Sect. Even the great Beop-jeong could only groan before these words.

‘What is this out-of-the-blue situation?’

Of course, it wasn’t entirely impossible. The Demonic Sect was always like this.

Their emergence always happened without warning. They would hold their breath as if they didn’t exist, then suddenly rise up all at once.

Wasn’t the war a hundred years ago also started like that? The Demonic Sect… their name brought back memories of chaos and bloodshed from a hundred years ago.

Beop-jeong, who had been biting his lip, glared at Beop-gye.

“How did you get this information?”

“…It was delivered by the Four Evil Sects, rival groups known for their questionable methods.”

Beop-jeong’s face twisted at Beop-gye’s answer. Jongri-hyung asked the question he couldn’t bring himself to ask.

“Is that information reliable?”

“…What do you mean?”

“If the source of the information is the Four Evil Sects, we have no choice but to be suspicious, do we not? That Jang Il-so has been tormenting us with all sorts of schemes. There is no proof that this information itself is not one of Jang Il-so’s ploys.”

Beop-gye nodded as if he also thought it made sense.

“I have not yet checked it. However, I thought that I should report it before checking, as the information is very important.”

At that, Jongri-hyung nodded this time. Certainly, information about the Demonic Sect was not something to delay.

Beop-jeong spoke in a heavy voice.

“Beop-gye.”

“Yes!”

“Tell the Beggars’ Sect about this and tell them to check if it’s true as quickly as possible.”

“Yes!”

“This is very urgent. We must find out at all costs, no matter what it takes.”

“I will keep that in mind!”

Beop-gye ran out. Beop-jeong watched him go and couldn’t help but groan.

‘The Demonic Sect, is it…’

Why did their name have to be heard at this moment?

“Abbot…”

Beop-jeong spoke quickly.

“Let’s wait a little longer.”

“Even though the Beggars’ Sect hasn’t been able to get good information from Jiangnan for the past three years, if the Demonic Sect has really appeared in Hangzhou, we’ll know soon enough. There are many beggars in Hangzhou.”

“That’s right.”

“It’s not too late to check the facts first and then decide what to do.”

Jongri-hyung slowly nodded. He was trying to look calm, but his heart was pounding. Ever since he heard the words ‘Demonic Sect,’ he couldn’t calm down.

“However, Abbot.”

At that moment, Peng-yeop, who had been quiet, spoke up.

“If the Demonic Sect really has appeared, what are you going to do then?”

Beop-jeong looked up at Peng-yeop. Jongri-hyung asked for him, since he couldn’t bring himself to speak.

“What do you mean, ‘what are you going to do?’ What…”

“We already learned a hundred years ago that one sect can’t handle the Demonic Sect alone.”

“…”

“A hundred years ago, all sects, good and bad, joined together to fight the Demonic Sect. If the Demonic Sect really has appeared, we may have to join hands with the Four Evil Sects.”

“…That’s…”

Jongri-hyung’s face changed as he finally understood the situation.

Joining hands with the Four Evil Sects.

It might be necessary if there was a great enemy like the Demonic Sect, but he strongly didn’t want to. Joining hands with the Four Evil Sects would undo everything they had done in the Yangtze River and ruin their reputation as a righteous sect.

“If the Demonic Sect has appeared in Hangzhou, we have to cross that river. Abbot, are you really going to do that?”

Beop-jeong slowly closed his eyes.

After a long silence, he finally opened his eyes and spoke.

“Let’s talk about what to do after we know the facts.”

“Abbot, this is…”

“Clan Leader.”

Beop-jeong looked straight at Peng-yeop.

“We can’t decide anything based on guesses. Loose words can cause big trouble, Clan Leader. We need to stay calm for now.”

“…I understand.”

With Peng-yeop’s gloomy voice, a heavy silence filled the room.

In the silence, Beop-jeong softly chanted a Buddhist prayer.

But his eyes were darkly sunken.

“…What?” Baek Cheon and Yoon Jong widened their eyes.

Jo Gul, who had delivered the message, quickly looked around again. Only after confirming that there was no one else around did he speak again in a quick whisper.

“I clearly heard it, Senior Uncle. The guys from the Four Evil Sects clearly said that to the Sect Leader.”

“…Are you sure you heard correctly?”

“This is not something to joke about.”

Baek Cheon bit his lip.

‘Damn it, what is this…’

Even Jo Gul would not joke about the Demonic Sect. If they were disciples of Mount Hua, especially those who had experienced the Demonic Sect in the North Sea, even more so.

‘The Demonic Sect.’

Why did the Demonic Sect suddenly pop up at this time?

His fingertips began to tremble. The Demonic Sect members he had experienced in the North Sea, especially the ‘Bishop’, still remained vividly in his mind.

Just thinking about it made the countless wounds he had suffered at that time seem to ache.

“If this happens… what will happen? Senior Uncle?”

Even Yoon Jong, who always stayed calm, couldn’t hide his worry now.

“…”

How would Baek Cheon know?

However, one thing was certain.

“Where is that bastard now?”

“Bastard?”

“I’m talking about Cheong-myeong.”

Yoon Jong flinched.

What if Cheong-myeong heard these words?

‘No way.’

Cheong-myeong changes as soon as the word ‘Demonic Sect’ comes out. If that bastard hears this, he might just grab a sword and run off right away.

“He went out to train with the Namgung Clan.”

Baek Cheon glared at Jo Gul.

“Have you told anyone else?”

“Ah, no. Senior Uncle. I ran straight here.”

Baek Cheon nodded with a heavy face.

“Then everyone, keep your mouths shut. Nothing is certain yet, is it? It’s not too late to tell them after everything is confirmed.”

“Yes.”

“If he hears the news that the Demonic Sect has appeared, I don’t know what that bastard will do. So, for now, make sure it doesn’t get into Cheong-myeong’s ears… No, we have to make sure it gets in as late as possible.”

“Yes, Seni…”

It was then.

“What did you just say?”

“…”

Everyone there froze at once.

The voice they never wanted to hear at this moment came from behind them.

‘Ah…’

The blood drained from Baek Cheon’s face.

He looked up at the sky for a moment and sighed softly. But he couldn’t turn away forever. He took a breath and slowly turned around.

“…Cheong-myeong.”

Cheong-myeong’s expressionless face slowly changed. It was a face he didn’t show them easily. With a look like a fierce demon, Cheong-myeong exuded a thick murderous aura. It was suffocating.

That wasn’t a murderous aura he was using to threaten them. It was a murderous aura that he was spewing out because he couldn’t control the emotions that had burst out.

“What…”

A rough voice, like scraping metal, flowed from Cheong-myeong’s lips.

“What did you just say?”

Baek Cheon closed his eyes tightly.