Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1027

Baek Cheon bit his lip.

‘What should I do?’

Everyone has a weak spot, a part that should never be touched. The moment it is touched, they reveal an anger they cannot control.

For Chung Myung, that weak spot was undoubtedly the Demonic Sect.

The problem was that Chung Myung’s reaction to having his weak spot touched was more violent than anyone else’s. Hearing the words ‘Demonic Sect’ turned Chung Myung into a different person.

Baek Cheon didn’t know why Chung Myung reacted so violently to the mere mention of the Demonic Sect. But what was important to Baek Cheon now was not understanding, but responding.

“Chung Myung-ah, this is…”

Baek Cheon tried to start a conversation, but Chung Myung’s cold voice interrupted him quickly.

“Answer me, Martial Uncle.”

Chung Myung’s eyes were chilling.

“What appeared?”

A cold anger poured from Chung Myung, making the air around him feel icy. Even Baek Cheon, who knew the anger wasn’t for him, felt a shiver run down his spine.

“Chung Myung-ah, first… calm down.”

“Answer me first.”

“Chung Myung-ah.”

In an instant, Chung Myung’s face twisted with anger. He was about to explode.

Then, someone gently pulled his arm.

Chung Myung turned his gaze to the one who had grabbed his arm. Yoo Iseol was staring at him, her face as expressionless as ever.

“Calm down.”

“……”

“Calm.”

At that unwavering and calm voice, a long breath finally escaped Chung Myung’s lips. The blood gradually returned to his tightly clenched lips.

“Okay… I’m calm, so tell me.”

“……”

“Martial Uncle.”

Baek Cheon sighed heavily.

It wasn’t a good idea to keep hiding it. Chung Myung would find out eventually.

Baek Cheon turned to Jo Gul as if telling him to explain. Jo Gul looked back and forth between Baek Cheon and Chung Myung, scratched the back of his head, and opened his mouth.

“Well… I don’t know the exact situation yet, but… it seems a messenger has come from the Four Evil Sects.”

“Four Evil Sects?”

“That’s what I heard.”

Chung Myung’s eyes sank a little more.

“Continue.”

“…The messenger said he wanted to see the Sect Leader and tell him that the Demonic Sect was causing trouble in Gangnam.”

Jo Gul kept glancing at Chung Myung as he spoke. But it was difficult to read his emotions from his expressionless face.

“And?”

Jo Gul shook his head.

“That’s all I heard. Un Am took him to see the Sect Leader. It seems like the Lord of the Tang family was mentioned, so they’re probably together now.”

Jo Gul glanced at Chung Myung one more time and muttered in an uncertain voice.

“So, if it’s something we need to know, won’t they tell us soon?”

“……”

Chung Myung was silent for a moment, looking at Jo Gul and the other Five Swords, then turned and started walking away. Baek Cheon hurriedly shouted at him.

“Hey! Where are you going!”

Chung Myung spoke without turning his head.

“I need to check something.”

Fortunately or unfortunately, he didn’t say he was going to run to Gangnam right away. But the words that followed made Baek Cheon run towards Chung Myung in a panic.

“With those Four Evil Sects bastards.”

“Hey, you crazy bastard!”

Baek Cheon, who had run with all his might, grabbed Chung Myung’s arm.

“Why are you checking with the Four Evil Sects, you maniac!”

“……”

“Calm down! This isn’t something that can be rushed!”

“Rush?”

Chung Myung turned to look at Baek Cheon. The moment their eyes met, Baek Cheon almost let go of the arm he was holding. Chung Myung’s eyes felt so unfamiliar for a moment. They were definitely Chung Myung’s eyes, but something was different from the Chung Myung he knew.

“Martial Uncle.”

“Huh?”

“Do you know what the Demonic Sect is?”

Baek Cheon closed his mouth.

Of course, he knew. He had already experienced the Demonic Sect.

But he couldn’t answer that question. Knowing a little more about the Demonic Sect than others didn’t mean he understood what the Demonic Sect is really like.

“Let go.”

“…No.”

Baek Cheon bit his lip and shook his head.

“I still can’t. You’ve lost your reason.”

“I know, so let go.”

“Damn it! Why don’t you listen…!”

Baek Cheon grabbed Chung Myung by the collar. It was just then that he was about to roar.

“What are you doing!”

A loud shout pierced their ears. Baek Cheon flinched, released Chung Myung’s collar, and turned around.

Hyun Young was glaring at them with an angry face.

“You’re doing a fine job.”

“…Martial Grand Uncle, this is…”

Baek Cheon trailed off, at a loss for words. Hyun Jong, who was glaring at the two without hiding his anger, said coldly.

“Follow me.”

When the two didn’t move right away, Hyun Young clicked his tongue.

“The Sect Leader is calling you.”

Baek Cheon glanced at Chung Myung. Chung Myung, who had been silent, started walking towards Hyun Young, and Baek Cheon finally sighed in relief and followed him.

The tense Five Swords also exhaled all at once.

Jo Gul, who wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, looked back at Yoon Jong with an uneasy expression.

“What’s going to happen now, Senior Brother?”

“…I don’t know.”

Yoon Jong’s face, who was watching Chung Myung’s back, was more serious than usual.

“We need to see the Sect Leader first. We need to find out what’s going on.”

“…Yes, Senior Brother.”

Yoon Jong sighed briefly, hearing Jo Gul’s somewhat uneasy answer.

A heavy silence fell in the room.

Tang Gun-ak was sitting next to Hyun Jong, whose face was unusually dark, and the leaders of Hwasan and the Tang family were gathered around them.

It wasn’t Hyun Jong or Tang Gun-ak who made the atmosphere in this room so dark. It was Chung Myung, who was sitting across from them. Because he was silent with a hardened face, no one could easily open their mouth.

It was a scene that directly showed how much influence Chung Myung’s existence had on this Cheonwu Alliance.

“Alliance Leader.”

“…Yes.”

Tang Gun-ak urged him a little, thinking the silence had become too long. Then Hyun Jong opened his mouth in a heavy tone.

“The Four Evil Sects…”

He paused for a moment and closed his eyes tightly. The words were continued only after everyone had sighed two or three times.

“The Four Evil Sects have reported the situation. It seems that people suspected to be from the Demonic Sect have appeared in Hangzhou.”

“…Demonic Sect.”

Someone let out a groan.

Whether they were silent or sighing in dismay, their feelings were not so different. The weight of the words ‘Demonic Sect’ was not light for anyone.

Especially…

“Demonic Sect…”

The reaction of the Hwasan disciples was far more violent than that of the Tang family. It was only natural. Hwasan’s feelings towards the Demonic Sect were bound to be complex and dark.

“Was there anything else?”

Hyun Jong shook his head at Hyun Sang’s question.

“That’s all for now. And they said they would provide additional information separately.”

Hyun Sang nodded with a serious face. This time, Hyun Young opened his mouth.

“If it’s a message from the Four Evil Sects, it must be an order from Jang Il-so. Can we trust all of those words? It might be Jang Il-so’s trick.”

But Tang Gun-ak shook his head.

“That’s unlikely, Elder.”

“Why do you think so?”

“Because the area known to be causing trouble is Hangzhou.”

Tang Gun-ak spoke as if forcing his lips to open.

“The people of Hwasan will know this especially well. The Demonic Sect does not discriminate between martial artists and commoners. Isn’t that why they became the enemy of all?”

Hyun Young nodded silently.

But to be honest, he didn’t really know that fact. The fall of Hwasan didn’t just make them forget the history of Hwasan. There wasn’t much information about the Demonic Sect left in Hwasan either.

“It’s Hangzhou, a place where many people live. In particular, Hangzhou is a place where people from all over the world gather. If the words of the Four Evil Sects are true, it won’t take a few days for that fact to spread.”

“Hmm. Indeed…”

“Jang Il-so wouldn’t do something that would be so obvious.”

Hyun Young nodded, thinking there was some truth in Tang Gun-ak’s words.

Besides, if it was as Hyun Jong said, the Four Evil Sects hadn’t really asked for anything. They had just reported the situation, hadn’t they? No matter how much he hated Jang Il-so’s tricks, it was too early to suspect Jang Il-so already.

“Then…”

Then Tang Pae asked, his voice low with worry.

“Doesn’t that mean there’s a high probability that the information they’ve given us is true?”

“……”

No one answered that question.

“Ahem.”

Hyun Jong cleared his throat loudly to change the atmosphere.

“Anyway, that’s the situation we’ve been informed of. So… first, we’re going to ask the Beggars’ Sect to find out what’s happening in Gangnam, and then we’ll decide on the direction of the Alliance.”

Everyone nodded. That was clearly the right thing to do in this situation.

But Hyun Jong, who had said that, still had something on his face. His gaze was fixed on one person across from him.

“Chung Myung-ah.”

At that low voice, Chung Myung opened his eyes, which had been closed, and stared at Hyun Jong. His eyes were frighteningly calm.

Hyun Jong let out a low groan and asked.

“Do you have anything else to say?”

Chung Myung was silent for a moment, without saying anything.

“Chung Myung-ah?”

“I don’t know if anything will change if I speak.”

He opened his mouth only after being called once more. His voice was sharper than usual.

“If you understand what the appearance of the Demonic Sect means, you wouldn’t be saying that you’re going to wait for information slowly and calmly in this place.”

“…What does that mean?”

“The Heavenly Demon does not discriminate between martial artists and commoners. You clearly said that.”

Chung Myung’s gaze turned to Tang Gun-ak this time. It was clearly what he had said. Tang Gun-ak nodded slowly.

“…I did.”

“Did you say that understanding what it means?”

The moment Tang Gun-ak tried to ask back, Chung Myung spoke first.

“Today it was Hangzhou.”

“……”

“Tomorrow it will be Suzhou.”

Tang Gun-ak couldn’t bring himself to say anything.

“Then it will be Wenzhou, and then it will be Fuzhou.”

It was a voice without warmth. But what was colder was the meaning contained in those words.

“Villages will be erased.”

Someone swallowed hard.

“Cities will be erased.”

“……”

“Everything that lives will be erased.”

Hyun Jong’s fingertips trembled without thinking.

“During that one day that the Sect Leader wants to wait.”

Chung Myung’s eyes stared at Hyun Jong as if piercing through him.

“Not hundreds, but thousands of lives will disappear.”

“……”

“So!”

Chung Myung’s voice rose for the first time.

“…There were those who risked their lives to fight, even knowing that there were those behind them who were looking for their own interests and backing out.”

Grind.

The sound of Chung Myung grinding his teeth echoed in the silent room.

“Chung Myung-ah…”

“I’m not blaming you. Just understand, Sect Leader.”

“……”

“What is the price of that one day of waiting with your hands tied.”

Hyun Jong felt dizzy for a moment and closed his eyes.