Return Of The Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1292

Geum Yang-baek’s eyes widened in horror.

He saw another of his disciples fall, an enemy sword through his body.

He tried to stand, to help, but a weight held him down. He looked at his hand. Jin-gwan.

“Ugh…”

Jin-gwan’s body was still warm. He had just died.

“Ugh… Aargh!”

But there was no time for grief. He had to leave Jin-gwan. The dead were gone, but the living still needed him.

“You filthy heretics!”

Geum Yang-baek’s fierce swordsmanship swept away two enemies at once.

“Kraaah!”

The enemy, torn apart, screamed and collapsed.

It was a deadly swordsmanship, especially for the leader of the Hainan sect. But no one blamed Geum Yang-baek.

Even after killing two people instantly, Geum Yang-baek felt immense sorrow.

‘Is this what it’s like?’

He had prepared himself for death, even the deaths of his disciples, before coming to Jiangnan. He didn’t want to dwell on sorrow now because more deaths would come.

The battlefield was ruthless, not even allowing him time to mourn.

Death felt different here. It was happening so often, so quickly, it felt less important, less real. Death should be a heavy thing, full of sorrow.

“Ak-ho, are you alright?”

Ak-ho, with a pierced shoulder, nodded with difficulty. Geum Yang-baek saw that his disciple’s lips were turning blue. His face turned pale.

“Damn it, it’s poison! Protect yourselves! Watch out for the poison!”

Even as he shouted, he felt it was absurd.

‘You must not allow the enemy to attack,’ he said. As if anyone would want to be stabbed!

It was meaningless, but it was all he could do. No matter how hard he and the elders tried, they couldn’t block all the poisoned blades.

“Kill them!”

“Target the rear! Aim for the rear!!”

The enemy saw the rear faltering and attacked more fiercely.

“B-block them!”

“You must not allow them to attack.”

The Hainan elders couldn’t keep up their defense.

The poison didn’t make the blades sharper or increase the wielder’s energy. Normally, it would be a crude attack, difficult to be injured by.

But as soon as they saw the shiny black poison on the enemy blades, they hesitated. Their bodies reacted before their minds could think.

“Kraaah!”

“Elder Jo!”

Geum Yang-baek screamed as he saw the elder collapse, blood gushing from his chest.

This shouldn’t be happening. The attackers were second- or third-rate, and the one bleeding was an elder of Hainan, one of the Nine Great Sects.

Normally, even if ten attacked, they wouldn’t suffer such a defeat. But Geum Yang-baek’s warning, the chaos, and the malice had created this result.

‘What have I done…?’

If only he hadn’t known about the poison, this wouldn’t have happened!

Geum Yang-baek realized his mistake too late.

“Aaaaargh!”

Another scream. The Hainan disciples were being cut down. They were helpless. Just as Geum Yang-baek was about to lose his mind, it happened.

“Haaaah!”

A rough roar echoed, and a storm of red petals swept over the battlefield. They were like sharp, crimson snowflakes, swirling and cutting through the enemy.

“Kraaah!”

“Aaaaargh!”

The enemy screamed as the petal storm riddled their bodies with holes. They collapsed.

Geum Yang-baek stared at the back of the person who landed in front of him.

“Vice… Sect Leader…”

“Sect Leader!”

Baek Cheon turned to Geum Yang-baek, his face stern. He had rushed from the front lines.

“You must go!”

“Vice Sect Leader?”

“The distance from the vanguard is increasing. If we fall behind, everyone here will die!”

His voice made Geum Yang-baek realize the situation.

He saw the distance between the rearguard and the main force widening. If it widened more, the enemy would fill the gap.

‘Oh, no.’

Even though it was his first battlefield, he was the Sect Leader of Hainan. He knew what to do.

“Everyone, run! We must catch up with those ahead!”

Geum Yang-baek commanded. Regret and mourning could wait until after they survived.

The Hainan disciples replied.

“Yes! Sect Leader!”

“Elders, protect the disciples!”

“Yes!”

He saw some disciples trying to lift the bodies of their comrades. Geum Yang-baek bit his lip.

“Stop it!”

“S-Sect Leader.”

He glared at the disciples.

He understood their feelings. Who would want to leave their family in this distant land? And who knew what the enemy would do to the bodies?

Geum Yang-baek wanted to recover the bodies the most. Even if he couldn’t take them home, he wanted to bury them in a sunny spot.

But it was greed. It was a desire he couldn’t have.

“Don’t worry about the dead! The living must survive!”

“Sect Leader! How can you say that…!”

“Can’t you shut up!”

Geum Yang-baek roared, and the disciples bit their lips. They didn’t accept it, but they didn’t disobey.

“Words can come later! Go! Now!”

“…Yes.”

Looking back, they ran forward, leaving the bodies behind. Among them was Jin-gwan, who had died in Geum Yang-baek’s arms.

“Damn it!”

One of the disciples cursed. It was unclear if the anger was at the situation or at Geum Yang-baek, or both.

Geum Yang-baek clenched his fists and looked at the bodies.

‘Forgive me.’

He wiped away his tears and ran.

Anything he did here was just for himself. Any comfort was meaningless to the dead.

There was only one way to release his frustration.

“Oooooooh!”

Geum Yang-baek shouted and shot forward. He stabbed a heretic who tried to block him.

Wham!

The heretic shattered like he had been hit by a cannonball. Splattered with blood, Geum Yang-baek roared.

It was his fault.

If he had been stronger, he wouldn’t have lost them. Why did they have to die here?

‘This wasn’t supposed to be like this!’

Tears of blood streamed from his heart.

Their deaths should have been more tragic, more sacred. Not like a deer getting bitten by a wolf.

But he had made it so.

His incompetence had gifted them worthless deaths because the Sect Leader of Hainan was incompetent!

How could death be so heavy and difficult? Who would have imagined carrying someone’s death would be so painful?

“All of you!”

Geum Yang-baek, like a man possessed, gathered his energy. He unleashed a fierce attack on the heretics.

“I’ll kill you all! You dogs!”

They had taken his disciples, his brothers.

“Die, raaaah!”

“Sect Leader.”

“You sons of bitches…”

“Sect Leader!”

Baek Cheon’s shout pierced Geum Yang-baek’s ears.

Geum Yang-baek turned his bloodshot eyes towards Baek Cheon.

What did he know?

Could Baek Cheon even understand how Geum Yang-baek felt? Baek Cheon hadn’t lost someone like a son, like a brother. How could that young man understand his feelings?

“Are you planning to repeat the same mistake?”

Baek Cheon’s cold voice cut off Geum Yang-baek’s anger.

“Sect Leader, you need to focus. If you lose control, more will die. You know that.”

Reason returned. Geum Yang-baek stared blankly at Baek Cheon and laughed.

Baek Cheon was right. He had to realize it.

‘I don’t even have the freedom to be angry.’

Someone with the title ‘Sect Leader’ didn’t have the freedom to be angry.

He tried to speak, but Baek Cheon spoke first.

“I apologize. I was late.”

“…Vice Sect Leader.”

“But Sect Leader! Please don’t forget what you must do now.”

Geum Yang-baek nodded weakly. Baek Cheon said.