Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1404

White sword energy flew quickly and attacked the Maninbang.

Wham! Wham! Wham!

The sword attacks caused explosions one after another.

“Aaaaargh!”

“Aaargh!”

People hit by the explosions screamed and were thrown everywhere.

“Ku, cough!”

Some were lucky enough to survive the explosions.

As they lay hurt on the ground, a rain of poison needles fell from above.

“Eugh, Aargh!”

Swoooooosh!

The needles, finer than hair and filled with deadly poison, pierced their skin.

Thud! Thud!

The sound of needles piercing skin filled them with terror.

“N-no!”

They tried to pull out the needles, but the wounds had already turned black.

The Tang Clan’s poison, which made the Sichuan Tang Clan famous, was spreading fast.

At first, it felt strange, then it became a terrible itch, and quickly turned into burning pain all over their bodies.

“Kuh… Grrrr…”

The Maninbang twisted in pain. Blood flowed from their faces, and black foam bubbled from their mouths.

“Get out of here! It’s the Tang Clan! Those bastards are using poison!”

The Maninbang were scared as they watched their friends die quickly.

Ho Gamyeong thought it was impossible to believe.

“Don’t panic! They’re just needles! Block them!”

The needles weren’t very strong, but the Tang Clan wasn’t the only enemy.

“Hiyaaaah!”

A group of people charged into the Maninbang, screaming like animals.

Wham!

Those who were hit fell to the ground, bleeding.

The attackers, with beast-claw weapons, rushed in like panthers.

“The Beast Palace!”

“Those savage Beast Palace people!”

The Beast Palace fighters, wearing animal furs, charged like angry boars.

“Hahaha! You Demonic bastards! You’ve been ignoring us!”

“Trample them! Completely!”

The Ice Palace swordsmen guarded the Beast Palace, giving off a cold aura.

“Stay in formation! Block anyone who comes near! The Palace Lord and the Mount Hua Sword Champion must be safe. Anyone who acts without orders will die!”

“Yes!”

The Beast Palace, full of fire, and the Ice Palace, cold as ice, worked together for one goal.

“C-Counselor!”

“We’re being pushed back! Counselor! The line is breaking!”

Ho Gamyeong clenched his fist. He felt anger rising inside him. *This is all going wrong*, he thought.

‘Damn it.’

It was a natural result.

The Maninbang was a strong group, leading the Four Evil Alliance in Jiangnan.

But the Maninbang was just one part of the Four Evil Alliance. They couldn’t fight against so many powerful groups together.

Also, Ho Gamyeong’s soldiers weren’t even the best in the Maninbang.

So, they were being pushed back.

“Counselor! Orders!”

Ho Gamyeong bit his lip.

The Plum Blossom Sword Demon was right in front of him. He could have taken his head!

“Why now…”

How did they find this place? He should have stopped those spies from watching them earlier.

This wasn’t part of Ho Gamyeong’s plan, or even the Alliance Lord’s plan.

Ho Gamyeong felt like heaven had abandoned them.

Ho Gamyeong, usually calm, couldn’t stay calm now.

“Counselor! Give us orders!”

He heard the urgency in his adjutants’ voices and sighed.

“Withdraw… the troops,” Ho Gamyeong said, the words tasting like poison in his mouth. *This is a defeat*, he thought bitterly.

“W-what, Counselor!”

“Do it!”

“…Yes.”

The adjutants answered weakly. Ho Gamyeong closed his eyes. After a moment, he glared at the Heavenly Union.

‘Damn it.’

There was no way now.

The Maninbang was too tired to fight. The longer they waited, the more they would lose. They had lost hope when they missed the Plum Blossom Sword Demon.

If he could kill the Plum Blossom Sword Demon by sacrificing everyone, he would…

‘Mount Hua.’

Those Mount Hua bastards were protecting the Plum Blossom Sword Demon.

They looked like they would protect the Plum Blossom Sword Demon no matter what happened.

Ho Gamyeong groaned.

There was no other way.

“Didn’t I tell you to retreat!”

“Yes! Counselor!”

Blood dripped from Ho Gamyeong’s lips.

Wooowoong!

Sweat dripped from Tang Gunak’s face.

He looked exhausted, but he was still focused on Chung Myung.

Chung Myung’s body turned icy cold, then red hot.

Dangpae screamed. He was trying hard to control the two powerful energies inside Chung Myung’s body. One was cold Yin energy, and the other was hot Yang energy.

“Clan Lord! No more!”

Tang Gunak didn’t listen. He had to help Chung Myung. *I can’t give up now*, he thought, his eyes fixed on Chung Myung.

“Clan Lord! You’ll kill yourself! Stop now!”

Dangpae’s voice was urgent. But Tang Gunak only checked Chung Myung’s condition.

‘What is he thinking?’

He can’t hold on. Chung Myung was a great warrior, but his body couldn’t handle it!

But the real surprise was something else.

Tang Gunak suddenly took out a white bottle and opened it.

‘Poison?’

A strong, bitter smell filled his nose. It was poison, the deadliest kind.

“G-Ga-ju-nim! Ack! What are you doing!”

A scream came from Dang Pae’s mouth. Tang Gunak had upended the poison bottle and poured it straight into his own mouth.

Tang Gunak’s skin instantly turned a dark, bruised purple, like a flower dying in fast motion. Yet, without even blinking, he reached out and placed his hand right on the center of Chung Myung’s chest.

Whirrrrr!

A thick, purple aura, like dark smoke, bloomed from his fingertips, spreading out like poison gas. This energy began to seep into Chung Myung’s chest.

Dang Pae’s eyes widened as if they would tear.

‘Poison… to a patient?’

What madness was this?

“Ga-ju-nim! No! You’ll kill him! What madness is this?”

Tang Gunak glanced sideways. But he wasn’t looking at the screaming Dang Pae. Instead, he looked at Hyun Jong, who was silent, his face hard. Hyun Jong stood like a statue, his face hard, but his eyes held a deep worry that he tried to hide.

“It’s alright.”

“How could this be alright!”

“Fighting energies will not kill him. He will die when his body cannot hold all the power inside anymore!”

Dang Pae stared at Tang Gunak, his eyes trembling. Tang Gunak’s eyes were full of belief.

“If one can keep the energy inside the body, then he won’t die.”

At that moment, something changed in Chung Myung’s body.

A clear line appeared in Chung Myung’s body. Above, his skin turned a faint purple. Below, it was split in two – one side burning red, the other icy white. It was like looking at a body torn apart by different forces.

“Ah…”

“If the poison, yang, and yin powers can push and pull against each other and stay balanced, he can live until that balance breaks.”

Doubt and fear fought in Dang Pae’s mind. Was this truly the only way? He trusted Ga-ju-nim, but poison? It felt like madness.

Dang Pae’s eyes wavered.

“Then what happens after that? When the balance breaks?”

“⋯⋯.”

Tang Gunak didn’t answer, but Dang Pae understood.

“This… this is not treatment! This is suicide!”

“Get your hands off him!”

Tang Gunak roared, causing Maeng So, Seol So-baek, and Han I-myung, who had been pouring energy into Chung Myung, to collapse from exhaustion.

Tang Gunak, having put in the poison energy, took his hand off Chung Myung and stepped back.

Whirrrr.

The remaining energies rampaged inside Chung Myung. But Tang Gunak could see it. He saw the energies pushing and pulling against each other, trying to find balance.

It was a dangerous balance, ready to break at any moment, but if watched closely…

“Damn it!” Tang Gunak roared, his face tight with worry. “The poison is too strong!”

A cry burst from Tang Gunak’s lips. The poison energy he had put in, along with the Ice Palace’s yin energy, was pushing back against the yang energy that Maeng So had given.

It seemed Maeng So’s yang energy was not strong enough compared to his poison and the Ice Palace’s yin energy.

Tang Gunak snapped his head up and shouted.

“Elixir! Does anyone have an elixir containing yang energy!”

Everyone looked at each other with desperate eyes, but no one stepped forward.

“I have a Jaso Dan!”

“Jaso Dan won’t do! It’s not an elixir of the yang-gang type!”

“Th-Then…”

“Ah, no.”

Despair clouded Tang Gunak’s face. If things kept going like this, the balance would break, and Chung Myung’s body would explode.

Everyone looked around, faces pale, knowing they were running out of time. Hope seemed to vanish from the room.

“I can still squeeze out yang energy!”

Maeng So cried out, but Tang Gunak couldn’t say anything. This wasn’t a matter that could be solved with the amount of yang energy. A purer yang-gang force was needed.

Tang Gunak’s face was stained with utter despair.

“Dang Ga-ju!”

It was at that moment that desperate cries erupted from Maeng So and Hyun Jong.

Whoosh!

Tang Gunak raised his hand and caught something flying towards him. The moment he caught it, the yang energy he felt in his hand made his eyes widen.

“It’s the Hainan’s Joyang Dan. When it comes to yang energy, Hainan is the best. With that, you should be able to save the Mount Hua Divine Dragon.”

“Geum Jang-mun?”

Geum Yang-baek, the Hainan Sect Leader who had joined them unnoticed, nodded with a grim face.

“Jang-munin! Why didn’t you take it yourself!”

The Hainan elders, who had rushed in after him, gasped out the words.

Tang Gunak’s eyes fell upon the long scar that cut across Geum Yang-baek’s chest. It was a deep wound that ran past his chest and reached his dantian.

“Jang-munin…”

A bitter smile touched Geum Yang-baek’s lips.

“My wound is beyond what any elixir can heal.”

“⋯⋯.”

“What are you doing! Dang Ga-ju! Our benefactor is in critical condition!”

At the stern rebuke, Tang Gunak nodded and immediately shoved the pill in his hand into Chung Myung’s mouth.

The moment it entered his mouth, Tang Gunak guided the dissolving pill’s energy into Chung Myung’s body, channeling his own vital energy with all his might.

Whirrrrr!

Chung Myung’s body was covered in a scorching heat.

‘Good!’

This much yang energy should be enough! With this, he could bring back the broken balance.

And then.

Whirrrr.

“It’s done!”

The energies inside Chung Myung’s body finally found balance. The energies, careful of each other, unable to attack, stayed in place.

“Ga-ju-nim! How is Chung Myung?”

Tang Gunak scooped Chung Myung up into his arms and shouted.

“I’ve managed to keep him alive for now! But for proper treatment, we must get to Gangbuk as soon as possible.”

Hyun Jong, seeing Chung Myung in Tang Gunak’s arms, shouted with inner force.

“Mount Hua’s disciples, listen!”

“Yes! Supreme Sect Leader!”

“Clear the path. Show no mercy to anyone who stands in your way! Let them know just how ruthless Mount Hua’s swords can be!”

“We obey!”

The murderous intent of Mount Hua’s swords was unleashed once more.

As Mount Hua’s swordsmen charged forward with all their might, Hyun Jong reached out and supported Baek Cheon.

“Lean on me.”

“S-Supreme Sect Leader. I can walk on my own…”

“Baek Cheon-ah.”

“⋯⋯.”

Hyun Jong’s gentle voice reached Baek Cheon’s ears.

“Baek Cheon-ah, you have suffered so much… Let us go home. You are safe now.”

Baek Cheon turned his head, confused. He saw Hyun Jong’s face, with a gentle smile. Baek Cheon bit his lip, overwhelmed, and silently nodded.

“⋯⋯Yes. Sect Leader.”

Those carrying the injured raced towards the path cleared by Mount Hua’s swords.

Towards that path, covered in thick blood, but no longer filled with despair.