Return Of The Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1511

The Beggars’ Sect Turns

Lee Song-baek took a deep breath and gritted his teeth.

“Ugh!”

“Be careful!”

Just then, Dang So-so’s sword knocked away the Beggars’ Sect elder’s baton that was smashing down on Lee Song-baek’s sword. Still watchful, Dang So-so asked,

“Are you alright?”

“Thank you, Miss Dang!”

Lee Song-baek, after thanking her, bit his lip hard.

‘The inner force is immense.’

The energy from the baton felt cold and dangerous. It was true that the Beggars’ Sect elders weren’t very skilled fighters, but fighting skill and inner force were different things.

Time passed the same for everyone. The elders were old. They had spent many years building up their inner force.

They might not control it perfectly, but years of inner force were in every attack they made.

Lee Song-baek was a talented fighter from Jongnam, a famous school of martial arts. But he didn’t have enough inner force yet to fight against so many elders.

Also, Lee Song-baek’s sword was best in head-on fights. He was not good at fighting against this kind of strong inner force.

He could be a powerful master one day, like an old, strong tree. But his sword skills were not perfect yet.

“Haaap!”

Shwaaack!

Lee Song-baek blocked every baton coming from all directions without missing one.

Dang So-so, who was helping him, was amazed. He was like an iron wall! Unlike the Mount Hua style, his sword was strong and exact. He blocked attacks for himself and for Dang So-so.

‘Amazing.’

It was true that Mount Hua disciples had many advantages. They had amazing medicines that other groups didn’t have. They had fought in many real battles. And most importantly, they had Chung Myung.

But Lee Song-baek, without such special help, had quietly practiced his sword. Now, he was showing skills that even Dang So-so admired.

How hard had he worked? How many times had he kept going even when he felt like giving up, to get where he was now?

‘These are the best fighters in Jianghu.’

Yes, he was supposed to be like this…

“Heurayaaaaah! Dieeee!”

Just then, Jo Gul jumped through the elders, wildly swinging his sword. Jo Gul looked silly and weak, but his sword energy was surprisingly strong.

The Jianghu was strange now. Dang So-so realized that weak-looking Jo Gul was stronger than Lee Song-baek should be.

“…Something’s wrong.”

“Yes?”

“Ah, no! Nothing.”

Dang So-so felt a pang of guilt, but she pushed it down. She gripped her sword tighter.

Meanwhile, Poong Young-shin-gae, protecting their rear, rushed forward and swung his cudgel with all his might.

Kwaaaang!

The elders, who had blocked the jade-colored energy, glared at Poong Young-shin-gae with hard faces.

“Sect Leader!”

Elder: “Do you still call yourself Sect Leader?”

Elder: “Just give up. You were never strong. Surrender and save everyone.”

Poong Young-shin-gae sighed, his face full of sadness.

Poong Young-shin-gae: “No. They won’t stop even if I give up. He never gives up.”

Elder: “Who are you talking about?”

Poong Young-shin-gae shook his head.

Poong Young-shin-gae: “Enough talk. Fight me. I will punish you for disobeying your Sect Leader.”

“Try it if you have the ability!”

Kwaang!

Poong Young-shin-gae’s cudgel and the elders’ batons crashed together. Each hit sent pain through his body. But Poong Young-shin-gae’s heart hurt more than his body.

‘Where did I go wrong?’

They know I’m the Sect Leader. But they are trying to kill me. I can feel their hate in their attacks.

Chung Myung’s words kept hurting him, like sharp needles in his heart.

‘Master, we failed.’

The Beggars’ Sect had become bad. It wasn’t about doing good anymore. It was now a place where selfish people only cared about themselves.

He, himself, had made the Beggars’ Sect like this.

Just as he was about to attack again, feeling heartbroken, a dirty baton hit Poong Young-shin-gae hard on his side.

Kwaang!

“Cough!”

“Sect Leader!”

“No… this can’t be real!”

As Poong Young-shin-gae stumbled, the elders rushed in and attacked. Lee Song-baek, gritting his teeth, risked his life to jump in and block the batons.

Kwaang! Kwaaang!

The inner force churned inside him.

“Cough!”

Red blood poured from Lee Song-baek’s mouth.

“Young Master Lee!”

Dang So-so was shocked. She quickly swung her sword to push back the elders. But Lee Song-baek was already badly hurt inside.

“Now!”

“Attack! Finish them!”

The elders screamed and charged forward. They had no choice now. If they had to get results, the sooner the better.

“Eeek!”

Dang So-so stood to protect Poong Young-shin-gae and Lee Song-baek. She gritted her teeth and faced them. Her sword was now good enough to represent Mount Hua. But against so many enemies, there was a limit.

“Miss Dang!”

Hye-yeon, seeing the danger, shot out his fist energy.

Kwaaaaaaa!

The golden energy knocked back several elders. But there were too many enemies to block from a distance.

“You shall not pass! Get lost…!”

Dang So-so fought hard, swinging her sword to block the batons. She was trying to protect everyone and fight at the same time. Then, she suddenly saw a baton coming right at her face.

‘Ah…?’

She couldn’t block it.

She knew she was about to be hit. Dang So-so didn’t close her eyes. She just stared at the baton coming closer. But then, a sword suddenly blocked the baton.

Jo Gul: “What? No… wait, what?”

Jo Gul: “Don’t you even know what a Senior Brother is for?”

Yoon Jong: “Why are you here? The others need help!”

Jo Gul: “I don’t care! Damn it!”

Yoon Jong shouted,

“Calm down, So-so!”

“Yes, Senior Brother!”

Dang So-so nodded and gripped her sword tightly again.

‘But…’

They shouldn’t be here. The plan is ruined. Now they are losing. If they all stay together, the enemies will trap them.

A grunt of pain escaped someone.

An elder gasped, ‘Amitabha!’

The people defending their spots started to give way. They stumbled back, bunching together.

Jo Gul yelled in anger, ‘Eek!’

Unable to contain his rage, anger filled Jo Gul’s sword for a moment with terrifying intent. But then,

‘Geol-ah!’

Cursing, Jo Gul glared at the approaching elders, resembling an angry wildcat.

Yoon Jong bit his lip, looking around. The situation was bad.

Of course, if they could fight to kill, like they would against the evil Demonic Sect, they could fight much more effectively. But they couldn’t do that.

‘Sasuk…’

Also, the biggest problem was that Baek Cheon didn’t seem to be in good shape.

A heavy pressure weighed down on Yoon Jong and everyone else.

‘Keuk…’

Another elder clutched at his chest and collapsed.

Cheong Myeong gasped for air, his chest heaving. He looked at his friends, surrounded and struggling. His jaw tightened, and his eyes turned cold as stone as he heard a sneering voice.

“Impressive, indeed. But while you may be strong, they don’t seem as great as the rumors said.”

Cheong Myeong silently turned his gaze. The relaxed figure of Ilho Sin-gae came into view.

“You seem to be mistaken. Those guys become strong from now on.”

“Ah, maybe.”

Ilho Sin-gae readily agreed with Cheong Myeong’s words, nodding.

“But that strength can change depending on the situation, right?”

Cheong Myeong narrowed his eyes.

It was a painful point. To make the Beggars’ Union leader their ally, would they kill all the elders? Then the Beggars’ Union would never become an ally of the Heavenly Union. They might even become enemies.

Besides, with his already unstable position, Pungyeong Sin-gae would have no way to manage the Beggars’ Union afterward.

If they killed all those who hadn’t committed a great crime, just because they had different opinions, what would be the difference between them and the Demonic Sect?

That’s why Cheong Myeong and the Five Swords couldn’t kill the elders. Even if they were ready to hurt them, they had to aim to ‘hold them back’ rather than ‘kill’ them.

That was what was holding everyone back.

“I shouldn’t say this as someone who deals with information, but you can’t trust rumors. To throw yourself into a fight you can’t win… Muwi, one of your fighters, is stronger than I heard. But the stories about his smartness were too much. You shouldn’t have come here.”

“Shut your mouth…”

“Ack!”

Cheong Myeong, who was about to smirk, hardened his expression and quickly turned his head. It was the voice of someone from the group that was surrounded and defending. He couldn’t help but turn around, and his heart jumped.

He knew they wouldn’t go down easily.

But he couldn’t completely ignore his concern and focus only on this place. Cheong Myeong could no longer be the Cheong Myeong of the past.

He bit down hard on the inside of his mouth.

He couldn’t waste time like this. This was different from the fights they had experienced so far. In a fight to break through, it’s okay if one part fails, as long as someone can make a path forward. But in a fight to defend and hold them back, if even one side falls, everything will fall apart quickly.

The opponent was also fiercely defending, so there was no gap for Cheong Myeong’s sword to reach Ilho Sin-gae. Using allies as walls and dodging well, such a battle tactic was rarely seen even among the Demonic Sect.

Cheong Myeong gritted his teeth.

“You shameless bastard.”

“Shameless?”

Ilho Sin-gae chuckled.

“My younger brother in the group took my place as Union Leader. For years, I have lived like a servant. What difference would it make to add one more small shame to the many shames I’ve already endured?”

Another groan pierced Cheong Myeong’s ears.

‘Kugh!’

Instantly, Hae Yeon’s power surged. It was a powerful fist technique that could blow away the elders in one go. This showed how bad the situation had become.

‘Sasuk!’

‘Don’t come! Hold your position!’

He could tell even without seeing it. They were being driven into a corner.

“Are you getting anxious?”

Ilho Sin-gae grinned. A murderous intent flashed in Cheong Myeong’s eyes.

“There’s no need to despair so soon. The real despair is just…”

Faaah!

Before Ilho Sin-gae could finish his words, Cheong Myeong’s body stretched out like lightning and charged forward. His sword sharply pierced through the forest of staffs that automatically reached out to protect Ilho Sin-gae.

Kaga gagang!

The sword moved between the staffs. It pushed away anything in its way. It made a path forward. Cheong Myeong jumped into it without hesitation.

“You!”

The staffs flew in once more from all directions.

He could block them if he wanted to, but that would only delay him and waste time. Quickly deciding, Cheong Myeong flew forward even faster instead of blocking.

Wham!

Strong staffs hit him hard on Cheong Myeong’s back and shoulders. Hot blood sprayed from between his clenched teeth, staining his lips red.

Even in that moment, Cheong Myeong’s eyes were only fixed on one person, Ilho Sin-gae.

Faaah!

The sword stretched out like lightning.

Kagagang!

It was blocked, but it didn’t matter.

“Haaap!”

Cheong Myeong rarely let out a shout. His inner power burst out, like a wave pushing away all the staffs. The Plum Blossom Sword, filled with all that power, rushed towards Ilho Sin-gae’s neck.

“Iyaaaaah!”

Even in his panic, Ilho Sin-gae, realizing that he couldn’t dodge this sword, unleashed all his power from his body.

Woooooong!

Jade-colored energy surged from his fingertips like a cloud.

The storm-like jade energy and Cheong Myeong’s sword, filled with red energy, collided head-on.

Kaga gagak!

The Plum Blossom Sword, twisting and turning, cut through Ilho Sin-gae’s energy and pierced through.

Ilho Sin-gae’s eyes widened.

“Haaaaaaat!”

He desperately gathered all his remaining power and pushed it into his energy.

Clang!

But Cheong Myeong’s sword finally pierced through the cloud-like energy and stabbed Ilho Sin-gae’s neck.