Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1346

It was a very dark night in the Sipman-dae Mountains. The moon was almost gone, and it was so dark you couldn’t see anything in front of you.

In the dark mountains, many eyes glowed mysteriously.

Thud.

The Maninbang warriors, swords in hand, warily scanned their surroundings, their eyes full of anger and a desire to kill.

Rustle.

“Who’s there!”

As soon as the sound was heard, a Maninbang warrior swung his sword without hesitation. The blade flew towards the noise.

Whack!

The warrior rushed forward and found a rabbit twitching, its head cut off. He frowned in annoyance.

“…Damn it.”

“Tsk, tsk. Quite the hunter, aren’t we?”

The man turned sharply to the mocking voice behind him.

“Watch your tongue.”

“Save your breath. Just watch out.”

Annoyed, he kicked the rabbit’s warm body away and put his sword back at his waist. He stared silently at the mountain, which looked like a blade cutting through the darkness. The mountains were so tall they looked like they were trying to reach the sky. It was a frightening sight.

‘Ominous.’

The man looked around with uneasy eyes.

The darkness was so deep it felt like the mountains were holding their breath. It was silent, but not peaceful. It was a silence that made your skin crawl.

They were careful not to make a sound, especially those who knew the land’s dark past.

As the man stepped forward, feeling frustrated…

“Ugh.”

A sudden pain shot through his foot. He looked down and saw the tip of an old, rusty spear sticking out of the ground.

If you dug there, you’d probably find the skeleton of the warrior who used it, buried long ago.

“Damn it.”

The spear looked old and strange, not like the weapons used by the main martial arts groups. It was the kind of weapon a wandering fighter might use. The man frowned. He didn’t feel sorry for the unknown fighter who had died a hundred years ago, but he still felt uneasy.

“Hurt?”

“No. Do you think I’d be hurt by a rusty old spear like this?”

Crack!

The man stomped on the spear, breaking it, and kicked aside the plants next to him.

He saw swords scattered around, the kind used by the main martial arts groups.

If this were a normal battlefield, the locals would have taken them long ago to sell or melt down for tools.

But this was the Sipman-dae Mountains, a land of death that even ordinary people avoided.

So, the signs of past wars were still there.

“This is unsettling.”

“Stop thinking about useless things and keep watch. If we miss them, we’re dead.”

The man glared at the one who spoke the truth, spat on the ground, and moved on.

“Damn it, no rest for the wicked.”

“Don’t even joke about that! Can’t you feel the air here?”

“Damn it.”

Again, he couldn’t argue, so the man just cursed.

“How many died, anyway?”

“Damn it, who knows…? The Blood Sword Squad was wiped out, and many others died too. If you count the small fries, we could build a mountain of bodies.”

“…Serves them right.”

The Maninbang had never lost so many soldiers just to catch two hundred people. It was a terrible loss for them. Even after such heavy losses, they hadn’t caught everyone, so the strategist was understandably angry.

If they lost the enemies now, many lives would be lost. So, they had to find the trail by any means.

“Could they have escaped the mountains already?”

“Don’t talk nonsense. They’re probably hiding in a cave. I’ve never heard of a cave that goes on for hundreds of miles.”

“I suppose so?”

If that was true, the enemies were hiding somewhere nearby.

Maybe they were right under his feet. The Mount Hua Sword Master who had destroyed the Guai Liang and the Blood Sword Squad.

“…Then the Mount Hua Sword Master could jump out at any moment?”

“Hey, damn it! Don’t jinx it!”

His comrade’s eyes twisted in fear.

The man was silenced. It was strange. They were searching hard for the Mount Hua Sword Master, but at the same time, they were terrified of finding him.

Because they were afraid.

Everyone had seen him fight. No one wanted to fight that devilish fiend, who seemed more like an unorthodox martial artist than the real ones.

“…But the Plum Blossom Sword Demon is just a man, right? He was badly hurt. How could he even be moving around?”

“Y-yeah, you’re right…” the other warrior mumbled, trying to believe it.

“He could be dead already… No, he *has* to be dead. Right?” His voice shook, and he didn’t sound sure at all.

Deep down, they all hoped the Mount Hua Sword Master was dead. But a cold feeling told them he wasn’t. They were starting to believe he was something more than just a man.

“By the way, Plum Blossom Sword Demon? What’s that?”

“Don’t you know? That’s what they’re calling the Mount Hua Sword Master.”

“…What…”

“To be honest, does ‘Sword Master’ even fit that madman? It seems like it’s already spread throughout the squad.”

The man nodded.

Indeed, ‘Plum Blossom Sword Demon’ suited Chung Myung better than ‘Mount Hua Sword Master.’ No, even ‘Plum Blossom Sword Demon’ wasn’t enough.

“Plum Blossom Sword Demon, my foot. Blood Blossom Demon Sword would be better.”

“…But he’s from the orthodox sect.”

“Orthodox sect, my ass. Does he look like he’s from the orthodox sect? Even the Demonic Sect isn’t that vicious.”

“That’s true.”

“No, the Demonic Sect is much more vicious.”

“What are you talking about? The Demonic Sect…”

The man stopped talking. He realized the voice was behind him.

Drip. Drip.

He froze as he heard liquid dripping near his ear. He smelled blood, a scent he didn’t want to smell.

The man’s shoulders twitched. He didn’t want to look. He didn’t want to confirm what he thought was happening.

But in emergencies, people ignore their minds and follow their instincts. He turned around to check who was behind him.

The figure in black blended into the night. All that was visible was a sword covered in blood and two sharp blue eyes.

The man knew who it was.

“M-Mount Hua Sword…”

Snikt.

Before he could finish, pain spread through his neck. His neck bone and vocal cords were severed in an instant.

Whoosh.

Air escaped from his neck. The man fell backward, unable to scream. He saw his comrade’s head flying into the air.

The blood sprayed into the air, a sudden burst of red against the black night. Looking at the cold eyes through the blood, the man thought:

‘Indeed… the title is wrong…’

The man’s body grew cold.

Snikt.

Chung Myung plunged his sword into the corpse’s chest.

Thunk!

Red blood darkened the silver of the sword as it went through the heart. Chung Myung used the blood like a cloak, hiding the sword’s shine as he slipped back into the shadows. He moved silently and quickly.

Swoosh.

Moving like black water, Chung Myung slipped behind the Maninbang warriors.

“Wh-what…”

Snikt!

Blood spurted from the necks. They didn’t even have a chance to scream. They just collapsed.

“Krrk…”

They probably wouldn’t know how they died.

Chung Myung’s eyes were cold.

‘Not yet?’

It was about time they discovered him…

“Wh-who’s there!”

Chung Myung smiled. The Maninbang warriors were staring at him with confused faces.

Chung Myung kicked off the ground and closed the distance. He struck the neck of the man in front, sending it flying.

Whack!

The man’s head flew into the air. His eyes were still open as it fell to the ground.

“Gasp!”

Snikt!

Chung Myung’s sword reached the neck of the last man.

Click!

The man with the signal horn froze. His eyes trembled in fear. If he tried to blow the horn, the sword would slice through his neck.

The fierce blue eyes glared at him.

The man was covered in sweat. Then, the Mount Hua Sword Master spoke.

“Blow it.”

It was a strange command. But he didn’t have time to think. As he hesitated, Chung Myung’s sword began to pierce his skin.

“Can’t you hear me?”

Sssk.

The sword sliced through his skin, and the man’s legs gave way.

“Blow it.”

He couldn’t think. He didn’t have time. The man trembled and blew the horn as hard as he could.

Peeeeeeeeeeeeep!

The horn echoed through the night. Chung Myung smiled.

“That’s right.”

Snikt!

The man’s body collapsed. But the horn had alerted everyone.

“It’s this way!”

The surroundings became noisy. Chung Myung’s lips twisted eerily.

❀ ❀ ❀

“The horn sounded!”

“Run! It’s that way!”

“Yes!”

Everyone ran as fast as they could.

“Hurry!”

The plants, trampled by those running, slowly stood up again. As the noise faded and silence returned…

A group cautiously emerged from under a large tree stump.

Baek Cheon looked around nervously and nodded.

“Let’s go.”

Nearly a hundred people emerged. They moved silently and began running north, where the Maninbang warriors had left vacant.