Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1070

Mangeum Daebu watched his men tighten the circle around their enemies. His cold eyes scanned them, then moved to the Hongryeon and Hwasan fighters, who were preparing their swords.

Finally, his gaze stopped on Jang Il-so.

‘Jang Il-so, you wouldn’t call me a coward, would you?’ he thought.

Using the enemy’s weak points was normal in the Demonic Sect. It didn’t matter if they were enemies or friends. The one who got stabbed in the back wasn’t the victim, but the one who allowed it to happen. That was the Demonic Sect’s way.

Jang Il-so knew this well and had used it to get where he was. Even if he died here and became a restless spirit, he couldn’t blame Mangeum Daebu.

Mangeum Daebu looked down at his empty sleeve, his eyes darkening.

If he still had his arm, he might have made a different choice. Sucking up to Jang Il-so wasn’t fun, but if he could gain something, he would do it.

Pride wasn’t that important. He wouldn’t give it away for nothing, but for the right price, he’d sell it.

But losing his arm changed everything. As a swordsman who used his right hand, losing it meant he couldn’t live as he had before.

If he were Jang Il-so, what would he do with Mangeum Daebu, who had lost his strength? How would he treat him, who had lost most of his fighting skill and only held the title of Black Demon Fortress Lord, which he couldn’t even defend?

‘No need to think about it,’ he decided.

Jang Il-so would act like a snake, whispering promises of protection if Mangeum Daebu followed him. Once Mangeum Daebu pledged loyalty, Jang Il-so would slowly take everything he had.

And when Mangeum Daebu was useless, he would simply get rid of him.

If Jang Il-so escaped, Mangeum Daebu would have no choice: die now, or be controlled by Jang Il-so, lose everything, and die miserably later.

Mangeum Daebu didn’t hesitate. He didn’t waste time on choices that only led to loss.

He chose a third option: eliminate Jang Il-so here and change the game completely.

Jang Il-so’s death would throw Gangnam into chaos and confuse Gangbuk, which was uniting against him.

How else could someone with weaknesses survive except by causing chaos?

‘This is an opportunity that will never come again,’ he thought.

It was almost like a gift from the heavens.

If the Demonic Sect warriors hadn’t stopped fighting and retreated when Danjagang appeared, Mangeum Daebu wouldn’t have had the strength to face Hongryeon and Hwasan.

And Mangeum Daebu wasn’t going to miss that chance.

“Your mistake is one thing,” he said.

His cold eyes turned to Hwasan and Hongryeon, who were ready to fight the approaching Black Demon Fortress soldiers.

“You underestimated me, Jang Il-so.”

And that mistake would decide the fate of Jang Il-so.

The circle grew tighter.

‘This isn’t good,’ Baek Cheon thought, his eyes darkening.

It would be better if they all attacked at once. There would be openings in the chaos.

But now, only the front row seemed ready to fight.

It was clear they weren’t trying to kill them, just stop them from escaping.

They were determined to not let anyone escape, even if it meant taking more losses by not using all their forces in the first attack.

It was too much for Jang Il-so and Chung Myung, who were already weak, and Mangeum Daebu didn’t want to risk anything.

‘Or does our presence make Mangeum Daebu so careful?’

Whatever the reason, the result was the same.

Baek Cheon lowered his shoulder and bent his knees, ready to jump. But as soon as he moved, the Black Demon Fortress troops in the back tightened their formation on that side.

‘They’re like soldiers,’ he thought.

They had clearly practiced this many times. They were trained in this kind of encirclement, like hunting.

Baek Cheon licked his lips. This was a crisis. Everyone here was close to death.

But strangely, he wasn’t afraid.

“Master, should I go first?” Jo Gul asked, eager to fight.

Baek Cheon glanced at Jo Gul, who was ready to charge, and asked calmly, “Aren’t you scared?”

“Scared?” Jo Gul laughed as if it was a silly question.

“Even if these guys are strong, are they as strong as those bishops we fought before? I saw people fight those inhuman bishops even when they were badly hurt, so if I’m scared of these guys, I’ll be pathetic.”

Baek Cheon smiled.

“Yeah, I agree.”

The other Hwasan disciples raised their swords, agreeing with him. Then Baek Cheon said sharply, “But don’t get reckless like those two. We’re not here to fight them, but to make a path.”

“Yes,” they replied, their expressions serious.

‘Each one isn’t a problem…’ he thought.

The problem was their numbers and formation. It looked like a rough encirclement, but their slow movements suggested it was a real formation. If they fought without thinking, they could be in trouble.

But…

‘We can’t waste time!’

Baek Cheon gripped his sword tightly.

‘Okay! I’ll charge in and open the way!’

Just as Baek Cheon was about to jump forward, a voice interrupted him.

“Oho?”

“Gasp!”

Baek Cheon turned around, surprised.

“Wow, this is interesting,” Im So-byeong said excitedly.

“Yes?” Baek Cheon asked.

Im So-byeong fanned himself, ignoring Baek Cheon’s confused look.

“Just a moment… just a moment…” he muttered, scanning the Black Demon Fortress troops. His eyes were sharp.

“Bagua, inverse principle. And there’s Gihwan… or is Samjae mixed in too…”

Baek Cheon blinked, confused.

Im So-byeong suddenly closed his fan and hit his hand with it.

“Tsk tsk tsk. A high-class formation wasted on these Demonic Sect fools.”

“Yes?” Baek Cheon asked again.

“Now, now. Look, disciple,” Im So-byeong said, pointing at the Black Demon Fortress soldiers.

“The key isn’t the guys in front, but the ones in the back. If you charge straight ahead, the front guys will defend and retreat, and the back guys will surround you from the sides.”

“You’ll be attacked from at least five directions. Then what will happen?”

“…Yes?” Baek Cheon asked, still confused.

Im So-byeong frowned, looking at him with contempt, as if saying, ‘How can a Hwasan guy not understand something so simple?’ Baek Cheon looked down.

‘Well, no one taught me…’ he thought.

‘All I learned in Hwasan was ‘If a fight breaks out, hit them in the head first’ and ‘People don’t die that easily, so just rush in’, so what am I supposed to do?’

“…If you rush in, you’ll be ganged up on and die,” Im So-byeong explained simply.

“Ah,” Baek Cheon said, finally understanding.

“It seems Mangeum Daebu has studied Hwasan and Maninbang. Hwasan and Maninbang are like boars representing the righteous and demonic sects, so they just rush in without thinking, right?”

“…No, that’s not quite right…” Baek Cheon said.

Of course, it wasn’t completely wrong, but it didn’t sound good coming from a bandit boss.

“It looks like they’re in a hurry to surround us, but they’re prepared to respond. If we rush in, they’ll surround us and cut off our heads. Heh heh heh. Of course, no one would be stupid enough to rush in after seeing that…”

A man who had been about to charge stopped, feeling a chill in his neck and a pain in his stomach.

“Mangeum Daebu is different from Black Dragon King. He understands tactics. He might be the worst enemy for Hwasan or Maninbang. Heh heh heh.”

Im So-byeong’s eyes twinkled. He looked like someone who had finally found his passion.

‘This guy is crazy,’ Baek Cheon thought.

‘Why do only these kinds of people gather around Hwasan?’

“But!” Im So-byeong shouted.

He hit his palm with his fan again.

“That’s only true when I’m not here.”

He smiled and pushed Baek Cheon forward slightly.

“If they attack from all sides, just hold your ground. Even if there’s an opening, don’t jump out. If anyone does, they’ll be surrounded, even if it means exposing their backs. If you get pulled in one by one to save them, you’ll all be defeated.”

Hearing this, Baek Cheon shouted, “Yoon Jong-ah!”

“Yes, Master!”

“Keep Jo Gul on a leash!”

“Yes!”

“No, why me…” Jo Gul complained.

“Shut up and stay next to me!” Yoon Jong shouted.

“…”

Baek Cheon glanced at Im So-byeong and said, “But will holding out really help? The longer we wait, the worse it will be for us, since we’re outnumbered.”

“Of course, you’re right. But…” Im So-byeong glanced at something and smiled.

“I’ll tell you again later.”

“…”

“Now, they’re coming. Talk later! First, hold your ground as much as possible. You can do that, right? Because you’re Hwasan?”

At that moment, the Black Demon Fortress troops lowered their stance and began to charge.

“What kind of…” Baek Cheon started to say.

A huge smile spread across his face.

“You’re stating the obvious!”

The moment Baek Cheon swung his sword, the Hwasan disciples brandished theirs. The red plum blossoms bloomed in front of the rushing Black Demon Fortress troops.

“”