Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1323

Rumble! The canyon roared, shaking so hard it felt like it would break apart. But the ancient stone held firm. This canyon had stood for ages; it wouldn’t fall easily. *Unless*… a dark thought flickered – *unless* someone had planned this, planting explosions deep within the rock.

But for the Ten Thousand People Clan, the canyon holding firm was no comfort at all. As the dust and smoke cleared, blown away by the wind, a terrible sight appeared. Their clan members… they were smashed, broken, like meat ground to pieces.

Even the warriors charging forward, wild with fury, paused. They froze, staring at the ужасный scene. A choked sound escaped one throat. They *had* to keep going.

“AAAAARGH!” They screamed, a raw sound of fear and anger mixed together, trying to bury the horror in their hearts. Forward. They had to go forward.

Splash! They stepped into puddles of blood. The ground was soaked, sticky under their feet. It felt like the blood was holding them back, a heavy weight. But this was war. No time for feelings. The Ten Thousand People Clan was trapped. Their only way out was to attack and win.

But standing in their way was Chung Myung.

Whoosh! He moved like the wind, leaping back and slashing. His sword was everywhere, a blur of motion. Try to block him? Your weapon would fly from your hand. Try to grab him? Your wrist would be cut. Inner strength? His blade would shatter it. Escape? He was already there, waiting, his sword finding your weak spot. He was like a wall of iron, a wall of pure despair.

The sounds of death were all around them, sharp and clear. The choked gasps of dying men, the sickening sound of blades cutting through flesh and bone. These sounds were worse than seeing it. But they couldn’t stop. They had nowhere to run, no home to go back to.

“DIE!” The Dao was a simple weapon. If you thought too much, a spear or sword was better. The Dao needed all your strength, swung with everything you had, to cut the enemy in half. This warrior from the Ten Thousand People Clan understood this perfectly.

Kwaaaa! He pulled power from deep inside him, from his core, feeling like his arm would explode. A strange feeling, both pain and power, like ripping something out of himself. It filled his mind with one thought: this strike was perfect. This was the best he could do, his life poured into this one attack, shining like a bright light.

But even this powerful attack was useless against Chung Myung, the swordsman blocking their path. The Dao swung down, a heavy blow that cut through the air. Chung Myung raised his sword to block it. Compared to the huge Dao, his sword looked tiny, weak. The Dao seemed to glow with power, while the red energy around Chung Myung’s sword was faint, almost invisible. Anyone watching would think the sword would be crushed, knocked aside instantly. But there was something hidden in that sword, something unexpected, that broke all those assumptions.

Clang! Sword met Dao. But at the moment of impact, Chung Myung’s sword shifted, just a tiny twist. The heavy Dao, swinging down with all its force, slid along the flat side of the sword, not the sharp edge, and was pushed downwards.

Clang clang clang! For a heartbeat, the Dao scraped against the sword. It felt like time slowed down. The sword twisted again and again, quickly changing the Dao’s path. From straight down to sideways. The warrior’s powerful strike was suddenly out of control.

Then, faster than sight, Chung Myung’s left hand slammed into the warrior’s shoulder. The warrior’s body, already off balance from the Dao swing, was spun around. The Dao, which should have hit the ground, kept going, slicing through the air. Straight towards his own comrades.

Kwaaaaa! The Dao ripped through them, a wave of destruction. They had no time to react, no chance to dodge. Men were cut in half, thrown backwards, their faces frozen in shock.

“Uh…” A weak sound escaped the warrior’s lips. He had killed his own men. But there was no time for guilt. Dead men feel nothing.

Thud! He looked down, seeing Chung Myung’s sword sticking out of his chest. A strange thought came to him. He looked up and saw his comrades still charging, stepping over the bodies he had just created. They were still coming, unstoppable, but he saw it now – the fear in their eyes, hidden but there.

Swoosh! The sword was yanked out. He fell. Even before he hit the ground, the next wave of warriors was upon Chung Myung, swords raised.

“DIE!” they roared. But then, a different voice, cracking with fear, “Please!”

At the same time, warriors jumped from the canyon cliffs, trying to attack Chung Myung from above. More attackers, they thought, would overwhelm him. But they had made a deadly mistake. They had jumped into a trap.

Shwaaaaa! Tang Pae’s knives flew, hitting them one after another. Some managed to knock the knives away, but then Yoo Iseol was there. Her sword moved like a silent ghost.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Blood sprayed everywhere as her blade cut through them.

Yoo Iseol’s eyes were cold and calm. *Too easy*, she thought. These warriors, wild with rage, charging blindly – they looked scary, but they were making mistakes. Their anger made them clumsy. Her sword was precise, perfect. She wouldn’t miss. No matter how many came, she could stop them all. Yoo Iseol understood why this was so simple.

Whoosh! The warriors charging from the front fell, swords piercing their throats in a flash. Chung Myung pulled back his sword, fast and clean, and blocked the next attack without moving extra. *Cold*. Yoo Iseol rarely felt strong feelings, but Chung Myung’s sword was so cold, it sent a shiver down her spine. Humans have feelings. Even swordsmen, who try to be perfect like their swords, can’t help but put some of their emotions into their blades. That’s why excited swordsmen fight fiercely, and scared swordsmen tremble. But Chung Myung’s sword… it had no feeling at all. It was just *there*, doing exactly what it needed to do, every time. It was so perfect, it was almost unnatural.

War brought out the worst in people, all the hidden darkness exploding into the open. Even Yoo Iseol, who had seen so much, felt shaken by the chaos. How could Chung Myung be so still, so untouched by it all? Did he even notice the horror around them? Suddenly, a strange idea came to Yoo Iseol. Chung Myung’s sword… it felt *sad*. Sadness and Chung Myung? It didn’t make sense, but that’s what she felt.

Whoosh! Chung Myung killed another warrior, his sword ripping through flesh. Blood sprayed, a red drop landing on his cheek. Yoo Iseol fought on, her own sword flashing. *I can hold them*, she thought. *I can block them all*. At this rate, she could defend this canyon forever. Even if a thousand, ten thousand more attacked, Chung Myung would not fall. But a worry still nagged at her. She looked past Chung Myung, to the end of the canyon. Someone was watching them, controlling everything. Ho Gamyeong, the advisor of the Four Evil Sects. Could he really be here without knowing what was happening? Yoo Iseol’s eyes flickered with unease. Ho Gamyeong’s gaze was like a snake’s, cold and fixed on them.

“Unbeatable,” Goelyang said, laughing in disbelief. “Attack and defense look the same, but they’re totally different things.”

Ho Gamyeong nodded. Chung Myung was like a deadly spear. Nothing could stop him from breaking through defenses and striking at the heart. He could pierce any shield, no matter how strong. But for that spear to also be a perfect shield, blocking every attack… that shouldn’t be possible. Swords are delicate. You have to change everything – how you use your power, how you move – when you attack and when you defend. But Chung Myung did it all so easily, like it was nothing.

Goelyang rubbed his chin, a little worried. *We’re the hunters*, he thought. Even if they escape the canyon, we can chase them forever. We have more than enough men, too many even. Even if this whole canyon fell apart and killed everyone here, we still have more. And that’s just the Ten Thousand People Clan. We have stronger warriors waiting, much stronger than these. Hong Gyeon, the symbol of our clan, hasn’t even joined the fight. And the best warriors, except for the Blood Sword Squad, are still ready. So, there’s no reason to rush. We’re in control.* But Goelyang *was* anxious. Very anxious. He couldn’t shake it off. Even though he was the hunter, he felt like he was being hunted, like something was squeezing his throat.

Goelyang said, his voice a little annoyed. “Maybe I understand why you’re being so careful.”

Ho Gamyeong looked at Goelyang, his eyes cold and empty. Goelyang bit his lip and said, “Because we can’t see it?”

“…Exactly.” Their words seemed to float in the air, unclear. But they both knew what they meant. They couldn’t see it. The end. This wasn’t about how strong someone was, or their fighting skills.

To hunt, you need to understand your prey. Deer hunters know deer habits. Tiger hunters must know everything about tigers. Otherwise, the hunt will fail, and you might die. But this Chung Myung… he was impossible to understand. Just when they thought they knew him, he showed them something new. He was full of surprises, things that shouldn’t fit together in one person. Every time they thought they had figured him out, he vanished back into the mist, confusing them again. They couldn’t guess what he would do next. And that scared them. They were afraid this unknown man could destroy even the Four Evil Sects.

“…But still,” Goelyang said, “this is pointless. This place is bad for us.”

Ho Gamyeong didn’t answer. “I don’t know if we can make him tired, but we’re just wasting our men. You know he won’t get tired this easily, right?” Goelyang didn’t care much about lives. But he didn’t like wasting good fighters. He was about to say more to Ho Gamyeong, who was still silent.

“Perfect…” Goelyang muttered.

“Hmm?” Ho Gamyeong hummed, listening.

“Yes, he might be perfect. But… perfect doesn’t mean impossible to kill, right?”

“…” Ho Gamyeong was silent.

“If he’s even human.”

Suddenly, Ho Gamyeong’s eyes sharpened, a dangerous glint in them. He stared at Chung Myung’s right leg. He had been watching it since the fight began, and now he saw it. Just for a second, Chung Myung’s right foot dragged, just a little.

“You are human after all, Hwasan Sword Saint.” A smile of victory spread across Ho Gamyeong’s face.