Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1502

Time was running out. They had to act now.

As soon as everyone had gathered, the Five Swords each spoke.

“He’s not dead?”

“I guess not?”

“He’s not a ghost, is he?”

“He did always look a bit ghostly to begin with.”

Poong Young-shingae watched as the Five Swords gathered, their faces a mix of confusion and disbelief. He knew this moment would be difficult. He grimaced horribly. He had heard enough information and rumors about this group to make him sick, but seeing it in writing was vastly different from experiencing it firsthand.

“Wow, it’s the King Beggar?”

“Are you really the King Beggar? Really?”

Poong Young-shingae sighed. Hong Dae-kwang was repeating the same words over and over, his mouth hanging open the entire time.

“No, no, he couldn’t have rejuvenated in that short time, but what’s with this fresh-faced young man… Are you telling me to believe this?”

“Dae-kwang.”

“Yes! …Huh? What was that just now?”

“Do you believe it now?”

Hong Dae-kwang’s face drained of color, leaving him ashen. His eyes widened, reflecting the flickering candlelight in the room, making him look like he truly had seen a ghost rise from the grave. The voice Poong Young-shingae had just made was exactly the same as the voice of the Sect Leader he knew.

There was no denying it any longer. Although the appearance was completely different, this person was indeed Poong Young-shingae, the Sect Leader of the Beggars’ Sect.

“Heh heh… I guess there’s no one in the world you can trust.”

“Look, I know you might not get it. But I had to do it. It was the only way.”

Hong Dae-kwang bit his lip and said,

“King Beggar.”

Seeing the look in his eyes, Poong Young-shingae steeled himself.

Even though it was an act of goodwill, if those who received it condemned it as an evil deed, that was also something Poong Young-shingae had to bear. He knew harsh words would pour out…

“Is it true that you told those guys I wasn’t fit to be the next Sect Leader?”

“I trusted you! I still trusted you!”

Poong Young-shingae, momentarily at a loss for words, rubbed his face with his hands. How did someone like that end up on the Sect Leader candidate list…

“No, when I offered you the precious things I begged for, you gladly accepted them! But behind my back, you were saying such different things? This is a complete fraud… Ack!”

Chung Myung, as if annoyed, grabbed Hong Dae-kwang’s face and shoved him back.

“I’m busy, but what are these beggar bastards doing, reminiscing?”

“Hey, you! This is an important matter concerning my life!”

“What’s so important about a beggar’s life? Even if it goes well, you’re still a beggar!”

“Huh?”

Come to think of it, he was right…

Then, Baek Cheon smiled bitterly and said to Poong Young-shingae.

“Have you heard the news?”

“I have.”

Poong Young-shingae shook his head and continued.

“In their eyes, I am like a ghost. I don’t officially exist anymore. They announced I was dead, and without proof, that’s what everyone will believe.”

Dang So-so asked with a bewildered expression.

“Even though you’re alive and well here?”

“Who will prove it? I have no substance.”

“Huh?”

Everyone here knows the truth.

“Even if you prove that I am the Sect Leader, who will believe you?”

“I guess not.”

“Right, honestly, I wouldn’t trust some of the Mount Hua guys either.”

“Geol-ah. Is that something you should be saying?”

Baek Cheon stroked his chin with a serious expression and said.

“Then, even if they use such a tactic, there’s no way for you to resist?”

“Of course, there is a way to resist. The best way is for me to appear in the middle of them with the Divine Artifact.”

“Ah, that’s right. Even if they deny the person, they can’t deny the Divine Artifact.”

“But that’s what they’re really aiming for.”

“Yes?”

“Because they can kill me and take the Divine Artifact. If that happens, they can become the Sect Leader through the authority of the Divine Artifact, following proper procedures. So that no one can raise objections.”

Baek Cheon’s face became even more serious.

Poong Young-shingae had thoroughly concealed himself. That’s how he was able to create the Beggars’ Sect as it is now. The opponent was now using that fact against him.

“Is it possible to attack someone who possesses the Divine Artifact? Isn’t the Divine Artifact an absolute object that symbolizes the authority of the sect?”

Hearing those words, Poong Young-shingae chuckled.

“Then would you submit to a Demonic Cultist if they appeared with Mount Hua’s Divine Artifact?”

“That’s……!”

Of course not. They would try to kill him and recover the Divine Artifact at all costs.

“That’s what the Divine Artifact is in the first place. A symbol made to be used conveniently. It has no effect in truly urgent situations.”

“Hmm.”

“The moment I appear with the Divine Artifact, they will frame me as someone who killed the Sect Leader and stole the Divine Artifact.”

“What if you disguise yourself as an old man again?”

“He used reverse disguise. Seeing his true face, he’s not the Sect Leader. Something like that would be the conclusion.”

“There’s no way out.”

Everything Poong Young-shingae had done so far was now blocking his retreat.

“Actually, I didn’t expect such a move. I thought my martial brother’s skills were great, but……” His voice was tinged with bitterness.

Jo Gul, looking bewildered at Poong Young-shingae’s muttering, asked.

“No, but if you had such a move, you should have used it sooner. Why now of all times……?”

“They probably didn’t think of it. Or, even if they did, they can only use it now. If this had happened normally, people would want to know in detail why and how I died. But now……”

“It’s not a situation where they can pay attention to every little detail.”

“Exactly.”

Indeed, with the Fourth Evil Sect ready to strike at any moment, who would bother to investigate how the Beggars’ Sect Leader, who was said to be ill, died?

“Then what happens now?”

Poong Young-shingae answered calmly.

“That’s right. The elders are already as good as Ilhoshin-gae’s henchmen, so he will be the next Sect Leader.”

“No……”

Yoon Jong, who had been silent, asked as if he couldn’t understand.

“Is it realistically possible for the previous Sect Leader’s martial brother to become the next Sect Leader?”

“It’s not unprecedented. If the situation is precarious, there’s no time to wait for the next Sect Leader to become familiar with the position and grow, so influential figures within the sect often temporarily take on the role of Sect Leader and pass the position on to future generations after the situation is resolved.”

Baek Cheon sighed. “This is a very dangerous situation,” he said.

Baek Cheon gave a short, unhappy laugh. “It’s strange how things happen,” he thought.

Poongyeong Singae felt like everything was against him. It was like the world was trying to take away his job as the Ark.

Baek Cheon thought for a moment, biting his lip. Then he asked, “So, what are you going to do now?”

Poongyeong Singae looked up at the ceiling and shook his head. “Well… to be honest, I don’t know,” he said. “If my teacher was still alive, I would ask him for advice. But he’s gone. So now, I’m talking about this with you… people who are not part of us.”

Poongyeong Singae sighed deeply and looked at them, especially at Chung Myung. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I tried to do what the leaders before me wanted, but I didn’t think things would change so fast. If they had acted just one day sooner, maybe I could have found a way to fix it…”

“Hey. Why does the Ark need to apologize?”

An unexpectedly gentle answer came back. Everyone was surprised because Chung Myung was usually very rude. They turned to look at him, confused.

Chung Myung’s eyes did not smile even slightly. As expected, the outburst soon began.

“It’s all that old and foolish man’s fault! Drag him down right now! I need to beat even his corpse…!”

“Please don’t.”

“Yeah, that’s more like it… Just stop it…”

The Oh Geom, now utterly exhausted, weren’t even surprised and listlessly restrained Chung Myung.

Chung Myung, his face full of dissatisfaction, clicked his tongue in annoyance and then bit his lip tightly.

“‘When is the meeting?’ Chung Myung asked.

“‘The rules of the Beggars’ Sect say the Elder Council meeting happens the morning after most of the leaders are here. And most of them are here now…’ Poongyeong Singae explained.

“‘So, tomorrow morning,’ Chung Myung said.”

Poongyeong Singae watched Chung Myung carefully, trying to see how he was feeling. He spoke again, “Even if I’m not the Ark anymore, I will still have some power. I can still help a little bit using the people I know in the Beggars’ Sect. So…”

Chung Myung smirked. “You can help?” he said, his voice sounding like he was making fun of Poongyeong Singae.

Poongyeong Singae didn’t get angry. He knew who Chung Myung really was, so he wouldn’t dare to.

“‘Maybe not as much help as you want,’ Poongyeong Singae said, ‘but I can give you information and control some of what the Beggars’ Sect does.’

He paused. ‘From the start, you, Sword Saint, came here to get this kind of power, right? Maybe you are very unhappy that it’s not as much as you hoped, but I will try to do even more than you expected. So, please be happy with this.”

Chung Myung’s lips twitched.

Poongyeong Singae’s words were not entirely wrong. The reason he came all the way here was to eliminate the mastermind twisting the movements of the Beggars’ Sect.

The mastermind had already disappeared, and if someone else were to lead the Beggars’ Sect, it would be as good as achieving his initial goal. But…

“Here?”

“What do you mean?”

Poongyeong Singae, standing in the dimly lit secret chamber, cautiously asked back with a questioning voice. Chung Myung’s face had already turned cold.

“Now that even that old man is dead, you’re going to spend the rest of your life in this secret chamber, watching over the situation of the Beggars’ Sect until you die?”

“No one knows who you are, and you don’t even have anyone to have a proper conversation with here? You’re going to become a dead man while still alive, just carrying out your plans?”

“What are you talking about…?”

Poongyeong Singae looked as if he didn’t understand at all. Rather, it was the others, not him, who understood Chung Myung’s words.

“It’s a prison.”

“That’s right, Senior Brother.”

“This isn’t right.”

To keep what he had said, Poongyeong Singae had to be bound here forever, at the desolate top of this luxurious palace. It was cold and dusty, with only the sound of wind whistling through cracks in the walls. That space would become a prison from which he could never escape.

He would be trapped like that and eventually die alone someday, as a bizarre being who had already died long ago, with no one to care for him.

For what?

Why should he live such a life, now that he has lost everything?

“That old and foolish man asked me for a favor before he died.”

“A favor… he asked?”

“Yes. He asked me to release you from here.”

Poongyeong Singae flinched greatly for a moment. He looked utterly shocked.

“That’s…”

He opened his mouth several times as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he couldn’t utter a word. Chung Myung’s strong gaze seemed to block his mouth.

Chung Myung said, “He said that he had locked up his student here. He told me to set you free. After listening to what the Ark was saying, I understand exactly what that meant.”

“Master…” Poongyeong Singae bit his lower lip tightly, running out of breath. He was so shocked because he thought his teacher hated him.

If it was the master he knew, he would have naturally left words giving him the Beggars’ Sect. But…

“But I don’t like that either.”

“Yes?”

“You were the Ark of the Beggars’ Sect, but you were never a proper Ark even once. You had to do what others wanted, and your appearance had to be hidden.”

Poongyeong Singae listened silently. Even if the others in this place didn’t know, he knew from what position Chung Myung was speaking these words.

“So, before you gain the freedom you desire, I will let you stand in the place you should have always had.”

The tips of Poongyeong Singae’s fingers trembled. His hands were shaking as he imagined the possibility.

He had longed for it. No, he hadn’t even dared to long for it. He had lived his whole life in the darkness, so it had never been allowed.

But now, Chung Myung was talking about that freedom, and Poongyeong Singae’s heart pounded with a mix of hope and fear.

“Are you prepared for that?”

Poongyeong Singae looked at Chung Myung with a serious face and opened his mouth with a trembling voice. “Can I… can I really do that? Dare I…”

“Can you do it?” Chung Myung twisted his lips and smiled.

“Who am I?”

The moment he felt a dizzying sensation in his head, Poongyeong Singae closed his eyes.

That’s right. This person is…

The answer he had to give was decided.

“I desire it. I long for it and wish for it. Sword Saint.”

Chung Myung nodded.

“Well, things didn’t go exactly as planned.”

His gaze turned towards the Beggars’ Sect’s headquarters beyond the window.

“The result will be the same anyway. Now that things have come to this, let’s cause chaos and take control properly.”

A wicked smile crossed Chung Myung’s lips, hinting at his plan to turn everything upside down.

After that, some time passed.

The fateful morning arrived in the silent Gaebong. The air was cold and still, waiting for what was to come.