Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1508

A dangerous feeling suddenly filled the air in Daejeon.

Daejeon had felt like it was trying to be peaceful, even though everyone was tense. But now, that feeling was gone. Suddenly, it felt like a battlefield.

Chu Myeon-gae shouted, his face pale.

“What are you saying? Beheading! That man is…!”

“Shut your mouth!”

Before Chu Myeon-gae could finish, Ilho Shin-gae’s loud roar echoed.

“You idiot! Don’t you see what’s happening? If we back down now, everyone will laugh at the Beggars’ Sect!”

“That….”

Ilho Shin-gae’s powerful presence made Chu Myeon-gae stop talking.

“I will not ask you to help! But at least do not interfere! Those who cannot bear to watch, turn your heads, and those who will not help, leave this place! Now!”

Ilho Shin-gae glared at him with eyes like a tiger ready to pounce. Chu Myeon-gae hesitated and stepped back.

He could resist if he really tried. But considering what Ilho Shin-gae said, he couldn’t bring himself to speak.

“Ugh….”

Chu Myeon-gae bit his lip, agonizing over the decision, and eventually let out a groan.

“Elder, Mount Hua is….”

“I know. Do not forget that I am Ilho Shin-gae.”

Overwhelmed, Chu Myeon-gae glanced at Pungyeong Shin-gae. Their eyes met briefly. Chu Myeon-gae made a bitter expression, then turned and left Daejeon.

“Hmm.”

“Hoo.”

The elders, who had been holding their breath, groaned. With this, it was decided what they had to do.

The elders, who couldn’t oppose the Sect Leader but didn’t dare resist those with such high spirits, lowered their heads and left Daejeon.

Some glanced at Pungyeong Shin-gae, out of lingering attachment or guilt, but not many.

“Tsk.”

Ilho Shin-gae clicked his tongue, glaring at the elders leaving.

They were not brave enough to face shame, but also not willing to be completely weak. It was they who were eating away at the Beggars’ Sect.

But Ilho Shin-gae didn’t hate them. The one he had to hate was someone else. He looked at Pungyeong Shin-gae, then shifted his gaze to Baek Cheon.

“I will give you a chance.”

“…….”

“If you promise to withdraw and keep everything secret, the Beggars’ Sect will be your friend. But if not, you will die here.”

He didn’t give them any room to maneuver. Considering this was the Beggars’ Sect’s headquarters and he was leading the elders, it was a threat that should have made them buckle.

“What will you do?”

But Baek Cheon remained calm.

“Die, you say….”

Baek Cheon shrugged.

“Are you sure you can deal with what happens next?”

“You trust Mount Hua too much. But Mount Hua won’t even know what happened. They’ll just find your bodies and think you were killed by demons.”

Baek Cheon laughed.

He was saying he would kill them here and blame it on the Demonic Sect.

“From what you said, it sounds like you have done this before. How many people have you killed and blamed on others?”

“…….”

“Certainly, those who handle information are frightening. They can make lies seem true. But… you don’t know much.”

“What do you mean?”

Shwing!

Baek Cheon slowly drew his sword. Ilho Shin-gae’s face hardened. Baek Cheon glared at Ilho Shin-gae with calm eyes.

“Intimidation is not the way to deal with Mount Hua. It is the most wrong way. The Shaolin and the Four Great Evils know this, but the Beggars’ Sect does not.”

“……You….”

“I am merely trying to uphold your words, Elder. Those words that you would take all responsibility if your claim was false.”

Baek Cheon smiled faintly and took a stance.

“Mount Hua is sensitive to the word ‘responsibility.’ So… I don’t think we need any more words. What do you say?”

Ilho Shin-gae chuckled.

“……So, you’re saying Mount Hua is Mount Hua.”

He knew it too.

Mount Hua had forced a life-or-death journey to Hainan, which was dominated by the Four Great Evils, because their pride had been twisted. There was no way they would surrender just because the situation was difficult.

Nevertheless, he couldn’t help but look at them anew because of their endlessly confident attitude.

But having seen them, Ilho Shin-gae could not back down either.

If it hadn’t been for Pungyeong Shin-gae… could the Beggars’ Sect have nurtured such young martial artists?

“……If so.”

Boom!

Ilho Shin-gae stomped heavily on the floor. At the same time, an enormous force erupted from his body.

“Do not resent me. This is what you have chosen!”

Jo Gul and Yoon Jong, sensing there was no more room for dialogue, drew their swords and rushed forward. A groan escaped from Jo Gul’s mouth as he stood to Baek Cheon’s left.

“I knew it would end up like this!”

“No, if this was going to happen, why waste time talking? You should have just started swinging your sword.”

“……Both of you are noisy.”

“Amitabha. It’s nothing new. When Senior Brother steps up, it’s always like this.”

“That’s how my martial uncle is.”

“Incompetent.”

Hae Yeon, Dang So-so, and Yoo Iseol also walked out with indifferent faces and stood as if to protect Baek Cheon. For a moment, they looked at each other and made puzzled expressions, as if something was missing, and then turned around at the same time.

The face of the person who received all the attention in the silence changed several times.

But….

“Hoo!”

Lee Song-baek took a short breath and came forward, drawing his sword. A sharp, blue sword energy glowed at the tip of his sword.

Jo Gul sneered.

“You were so confident earlier, but it seems you were scared when you actually had to fight?”

“That’s not true.”

Lee Song-baek gave a bitter smile. Then, he glanced at Chung Myung behind him.

“If this is the right thing to do… I will not hesitate to go down that path, even if I break along the way.”

“You seemed to be hesitating, though?”

“That’s not because of that….”

“Yes?”

Lee Song-baek sighed as if the ground was sinking.

“If I ever get out of here alive, how am I supposed to explain this whole situation to my Senior Brother….”

“Wow….”

“Creepy.”

“I would leave the sect if I were you.”

“You already did, Martial Uncle.”

“Shut up!”

The Five Swords conveyed their condolences to Lee Song-baek while maintaining their defensive posture. Just imagining Jin Geum-ryong contorting his face like a demon made even those who were here feel their knees buckle.

“Amitabha. Just think of it as karma.”

“……Are you really a Buddhist, monk?”

Lee Song-baek shook his head and gripped his sword again.

“Still, I never thought I’d be fighting with the Orthodox Sect….”

At that very moment.

“Ooooooh!”

Kwargh!

A terrifying blue light erupted from Ilho Shin-gae and flew towards Pungyeong Shin-gae. Pungyeong Shin-gae’s face changed instantly.

“Geez, you’re impatient.”

Paaah!

A flash of light that seemed to split Daejeon in two cut the incoming force in half.

Clang!

Chung Myung, who had rushed in and cut off the power that was aiming for Pungyeong Shin-gae, chuckled and looked at Ilho Shin-gae.

“Looking at your personality, the Demonic Sect guys would call you ‘hyung’ (older brother).”

“Hwasan Sword Saint!”

“If you want to kill the Sect Leader, try killing me first.”

Chung Myung flicked the Plum Blossom Sword in his hand and pointed it at Ilho Shin-gae.

“If you can do it with your skills.”

“Presumptuous….”

Ilho Shin-gae gritted his teeth.

“Alright! I’ll show you how high the sky is today.”

“Ah, I probably know better than you.”

“You…!”

“I’m just telling you the truth, but you’re getting angry. Anyway, you beggar bastards.”

Chung Myung clicked his tongue, and Pungyeong Shin-gae opened his mouth with a nervous face.

“Be careful, Sword Saint. My martial brother is strong.”

“Surely you’re not saying that to me right now?”

“……I’m sorry. I was presumptuous.”

“I can’t even joke around.”

Chung Myung chuckled. It seems like it’s going to be difficult to get close to this guy.

This was such a natural reaction in the past, but now this kind of reaction felt awkward. Maybe it’s because there are so many people around me who are always nagging me.

“Chung Myung-ah! They’re coming!”

“I know!”

The elders of the Beggars’ Sect rushed towards them all at once. The Beggars’ Sect was the sect that made the best use of numbers. The elders of the Beggars’ Sect, who had the advantage of being the majority, were by no means easy opponents.

“They’re just a bunch of beggars anyway!”

A thunderous shout erupted from Chung Myung’s mouth.

“Sweep them away!”

“Eura-cha!”

No sooner had Chung Myung’s words fallen than Jo Gul became a streak of light and plunged into the elders. Following him, the other members jumped into the elders without a moment’s hesitation.

“Huh?”

“T, these guys!”

A moment of bewilderment flickered across the faces of the Beggars’ Sect elders. They had never imagined that the small number of them would stick together and attack first instead of defending.

“Kraaah!”

With a shout, Jo Gul moved like lightning. His sword flashed, a silver streak in the dim light of Daejeon, and a Beggars’ Sect elder cried out as it pierced his shoulder. The elder’s desperate scream instantly changed the atmosphere of Daejeon.

“You!”

The elders, who had instantly occupied Jo Gul’s left and right sides, struck his sides with their palms. But that force was blocked without fail by two swords that flew in afterwards.

One sword was Yoon Jong’s, and the other was none other than Lee Song-baek’s.

Lee Song-baek quickly struck down the incoming force of the Beggars’ Sect elder and hardened his expression. The inner strength contained in the force was very strong.

“Be careful….”

But before Lee Song-baek could convey his intention to be careful, Jo Gul rushed forward again and spewed out more than a dozen sword shadows.

“Aaaaargh!”

“Be careful! It’s not the sword of a brat!”

As the elders hesitated at the truly fast and sharp sword energy, the disciples of Hwasan drove their opponents like wolves without missing the gap.

“Drive them all at once!”

A red sword energy fell over the heads of the bewildered elders. At that murderous sword energy, the elders turned pale as if all the blood had drained from their bodies for a moment.

“Get out of the way!”

Kwargh!

An explosion that deafened the ears erupted. Following the trajectory created by the Five Swords, the blood of the Beggars’ Sect elders splattered.

“……That’s why they’re called the Demonic Sect.”

Chung Myung shook his head. At first glance, didn’t they really look like Demonic Sect guys who had raided the Beggars’ Sect’s headquarters? It was a murderous sword that was so easy to mistake.

“Well… that’s what Hwasan should be.”

Chung Myung, who smiled slyly, stared at one person who had not yet fully participated in this battle.

“You’re probably thinking that it’ll be over if you just catch the Sect Leader, right?”

“…….”

“But what should I do? That’s the same for us. Isn’t it over if only you die? With that personality, you probably haven’t decided on the next Sect Leader, have you?”

Ilho Shin-gae’s face contorted.

“……You….”

“You just need to catch the head, right?”

Chung Myung turned his sword and held it in reverse.

“Don’t worry. Even though I’m a beggar, I’m still part of the Orthodox Sect, so I’ll cut you down neatly. I’m the kind of person who definitely gives preferential treatment, you see?”

Chung Myung grinned, revealing his teeth.

“So, let’s stop talking and start fighting. I haven’t got all day.”

Paaah!

Chung Myung rushed in, closing the distance in an instant. Twilight-colored sword energy, like the last light of a stormy day, swirled around the Plum Blossom Sword in his hand. It pulsed with power, promising destruction.