Return Of The Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1141

Yoon Jong struggled to breathe. His chest moved up and down quickly, each breath hard to take. His fingers were white as he gripped his sword, feeling like the metal might snap in his hand.

*That bastard is tired too,* he thought, his heart pounding. *If I can just get lucky, just land one good hit!*

Fire blazed in Yoon Jong’s eyes, reflecting the burning desire to win, a desperate flame against the encroaching darkness of defeat.

“Uraaaah! Dieee!” he roared, pushing off the ground.

He swung his sword with all his strength and charged forward. But even as he attacked with all his might, a cold feeling settled in Yoon Jong’s heart…

That lucky blow, the one he desperately needed, was not going to come.

Wham!

With a flash, Chung Myung’s sword shot out like lightning, instantly deflecting Yoon Jong’s incoming blade.

And then.

Thwack!

The hilt of the Hidden Edge Sword slammed mercilessly into Yoon Jong’s jaw.

“Ugh…”

The darkening sky filled Yoon Jong’s vision.

*Damn it…*

Plop.

In the end, Yoon Jong, the last one standing, collapsed to the ground like rotten straw. Chung Myung sheathed the Hidden Edge Sword and clicked his tongue.

“Acting tough, are we?”

“…”

“What? Revenge? Reveeeenge? Do you think the world is a joke! Do you think just making a plan and trying hard is enough to win? If that was true, why train at all!”

Chung Myung, delivering a lecture to the sprawled figures, scoffed.

“You’re a hundred years too early! You little brats!”

“…”

“Tsk, no progress at all.”

Chung Myung turned sharply. The two sect leaders and the elders, who had been watching the scene with grim faces, followed him out of the training ground.

They rounded the corner of the manor, the rough stone cool against their backs as they leaned against the wall, hidden from the training ground.

“Aigo…”

“I really thought we were going to lose.”

Even Maeng So and Tang Gunak were leaning against the wall of the manor, struggling to keep their balance.

“…That was dangerous.”

“That was truly dangerous this time.”

Tang Gunak shook his head. It might have looked like a routine victory on the surface, but this time it had been anything but easy. With so few of them, if they had lost momentum even once, they would have crumbled without a chance. If they had faltered, they would have been the ones sprawled out on the ground.

In that sense, they could say they fought well today, but…

“By the way, Sword Saint of Mount Hua.”

“Yes?”

Tang Gunak frowned slightly as he looked at Chung Myung, who was still answering with such vigor.

‘I can’t figure out his limits.’

Stamina was one thing, but fighting and fighting like this, over and over, would inevitably wear down a person’s spirit. Where did he get the mental strength to maintain such composure?

“My thought is… perhaps today…”

“It might have been better to lose on purpose?”

“Hmm.”

Tang Gunak nodded slowly.

Of course, no martial artist liked to lose. A martial artist always wanted to win, no matter when or in what situation. So, whether the opponents were his own disciples or members of the Heavenly Union, Tang Gunak didn’t want to lose on purpose either. But…

‘Given the circumstances…’

They must have made a big decision today. Didn’t they put aside their old grudges with those they had fought with and made a magnanimous decision? But the result was the same, so their motivation was bound to be dampened.

Usually, in situations like this, people start blaming each other. People are happy when things go well, but when things don’t go well, they start blaming others.

“I think so too. Even if we didn’t lose on purpose, we should have given them the impression that there was meaning in fighting together.”

Maeng So stroked his chin and added his support to Tang Gunak’s words.

Chung Myung grinned at those words.

“I understand what you’re saying.”

“Hmm?”

“You seem to think too little of your disciples. I may scold them, but they’re actually quite capable when you put them out there, you know?”

“…What are you talking about now?”

“See for yourselves.”

Chung Myung gestured with his chin towards the training ground. Tang Gunak and Maeng So cautiously approached the corner of the manor and peeked out.

“I’m telling you, the formation was wrong from the start! The Beast Palace can’t hold out!”

“No, the Beast Palace did buy us time!”

“What’s the point of buying time if it eventually collapses! To stop those monsters, we need to build a thick formation! One of the Mount Hua or Ice Palace should give up attacking and focus on defense!”

“Then the other side can just attack comfortably without any sense of crisis! That way, we’ll only buy time and never win in the end. Don’t you know that the best defense is offense?”

“That’s just an ideal!”

The sprawled figures had gathered in the center and were now engaged in a heated debate. Sighs escaped from Maeng So and Tang Gunak’s lips.

“Aish, damn it. My jaw still hurts from getting hit.”

“But I’ve been hit so many times that I can take it a bit better now.”

“…I don’t think that’s something to be proud of.”

“Anyway!”

Jo Gul’s eyes blazed.

“Did you see the Dang Family Head panting today?”

“I saw it!”

“He was gasping for breath! I thought he was going to pass out! He he he!”

Tang Gunak bristled and tensed up, but Maeng So gently grabbed his shoulder to stop him.

“What about the Beast Palace Lord? Wow! He’s so big that even when his shoulders shrug, it looks like a landslide!”

This time, Tang Gunak quietly reached out and held Maeng So’s trembling wrist.

“We didn’t really do anything amazing, but today was really doable.”

“At this rate, the day we give them a real beating isn’t far off!”

“So, let’s get back together! First, let’s think about what to do with those useless Green Forest bastards!”

“Wait, wait a minute. What about the Sword Saint of Mount Hua? Isn’t that the biggest problem?”

“The Mount Hua people will figure that out somehow. Let’s not worry about it.”

“No, why are you passing that on to us! What are we supposed to do with that!”

Tang Gunak and Maeng So, who had been listening to the escalating conversation, quietly backed away. A dumbfounded expression appeared on their faces as they turned around.

“Right?”

“Heo…”

Maeng So seemed even more surprised than Tang Gunak.

‘Those bastards…’

The Beast Palace disciples were already mingling with them naturally. The Beast Palace was located in a very remote area of Yunnan. As a result, they didn’t have much interaction with ordinary people. Wasn’t the chronic problem of the Beast Palace that they only befriended animals and couldn’t get along with outsiders?

And now those disciples were talking to people from the Central Plains, not even people from Yunnan, without any reservations. While half-sprawled on the ground.

‘I can’t figure it out.’

It was enough to make one suspect that Chung Myung had cast some kind of spell.

“It’s often said that parents don’t truly know their children, and teachers don’t truly know their students. Even though they should, it’s often true.”

Tang Gunak and Maeng So nodded as they looked at the smiling Chung Myung.

“So, instead of worrying about them, you should worry about yourselves. You might end up being humiliated.”

“That won’t happen.”

“That’s nonsense!”

Chung Myung chuckled and stretched, turning away.

“Well, we’ll have to see about that.”

Maeng So and Tang Gunak shook their heads as they watched Chung Myung saunter away.

“Aigo. There’s not a single part of my body that doesn’t hurt.”

“Jo Gul… Don’t take your shirt off in the dining hall.”

“What’s the problem? We’re all guys here.”

“Soso is here too, you know?”

“Aish, Soso is family.”

“Senior Brother.”

“Huh?”

Tang Soso smiled brightly.

“I’ve never had a younger sibling like you.”

“…”

“If I had a younger sibling like you, I would have buried you with my own hands a long time ago. You should be grateful you weren’t born into the Dang family.”

“…I’m always grateful for that.”

Sincerely.

At that moment, Baek Cheon stood up from his seat. Jo Gul turned his gaze and asked.

“Huh? Uncle-Master, where are you going?”

Baek Cheon was usually the type to finish his meal first and wait for the others to finish. So, when he suddenly got up during the meal, they couldn’t help but be curious.

“It’s nothing. I just have somewhere to stop by. Continue eating.”

“Yes, Uncle-Master.”

Baek Cheon quietly left the dining hall. The remaining people didn’t pay much attention and were soon busy chattering among themselves.

Baek Cheon walked slowly along the river. His gaze was fixed on the carelessly flowing river.

“Hoo.”

A sigh escaped his lips.

The reason he had taken the time to come to the river was because the frustration he had been feeling lately had grown quite large.

‘How did that bastard do all this?’

Mount Hua had been led by Chung Myung all along. But recently, Chung Myung hadn’t really said anything about what was happening within Mount Hua.

Of course, Chung Myung had to handle the affairs of the entire Heavenly Union, so he might not be in a situation to pay attention to the internal affairs of Mount Hua. One could think that way.

But Baek Cheon knew. Chung Myung wasn’t the type to act like that. If he felt the need, he was the type to do what needed to be done, even if it meant cutting down on sleep.

The fact that such a guy was cutting off his attention to this extent was…

‘It’s probably an unspoken pressure to do it on my own now.’

Baek Cheon sighed deeply once more.

It wasn’t that he felt burdened by leading Mount Hua itself. Of course, he didn’t think he could do it like Chung Myung, but he didn’t need to do as much as that bastard in the first place.

Besides, he wasn’t leading Mount Hua alone. Weren’t his fellow disciples and junior disciples helping him? Moreover, even Hae Yeon was subtly paying attention to whether the work being poured on him was excessive…

‘It’s almost embarrassing to complain.’

So, he certainly didn’t feel particularly burdened by playing the role of the chief disciple in Mount Hua. It was originally his job to begin with. The work that had been temporarily entrusted to Chung Myung was simply returning to its rightful place.

That wasn’t the problem. The reason Baek Cheon felt frustrated was something else.

Baek Cheon quietly gripped the hilt of his sword for a moment, then released it weakly.

‘I’ve stagnated.’

The problem was himself.

During the three years he spent in seclusion, he had grown exponentially. But since then, despite experiencing many things, he hadn’t felt like his skills were improving.

At first, he wasn’t too worried. This was a problem that time would solve. But at some point, Baek Cheon realized.

‘There’s no time.’

Watching Chung Myung and Jang Il-so face the bishop, Baek Cheon realized it painfully. The time for them to fight each other with their lives on the line would come sooner than he thought.

And when that moment came, Baek Cheon realized that there would be nothing he could do.

“Hoo.”

Even taking a long breath didn’t ease his frustrated heart.

Baek Cheon was strong. Objectively speaking, he was definitely strong.

Even Namgung Dowi, who had received all of Namgung’s expectations, and Dang Pae, who had been confirmed as the next head of the Dang family, were honestly no match for him.

Right now, he might even be able to subdue Jin Geum-ryong within ten moves. That’s how much Baek Cheon had grown into a strongman who was unmatched in the same generation.

But even so, the reason he felt frustrated was that with that level of skill, he wouldn’t be of much help in a battle where these huge factions clashed.

‘What should I do?’

His skills were lacking, and there was no time. At this rate, there might come a day when he would have to watch other disciples die before his eyes.

And perhaps that time might be closer than he thought.

That worry and anxiety had led Baek Cheon here. Looking at the open river might ease his mind a little.

But even looking at the flowing river didn’t ease his mind at all. It only made him feel more frustrated.

He sighed repeatedly and walked along the riverbank. How long had he been walking aimlessly like that?

“Huh?”

Baek Cheon’s steps suddenly stopped. He tilted his head and listened carefully.

‘What is it? This sound…’

His eyes shone sharply.

‘The sound of weapons clashing?’

At this time of night, in a place like this?