Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 155

Jo Myeong-san, known as Janggang Mukdo, felt his hand shake a little. He stared.

*What is this feeling?* he wondered.

His eyes were locked on the young monk who had just walked ahead.

At first glance, the young man seemed ordinary.

He didn’t glow with any special power. He looked like any other young monk from Mount Hua.

But from the moment he moved, Jo Myeong-san couldn’t look away. Something about him was deeply unsettling.

“Am I right to feel this way?”

A chill ran down his spine, making him shiver.

He was called Janggang Mukdo. This name came from many hard fights. He learned to fight in real battles, not in safe training.

So, he could usually tell just by looking at someone if they were truly dangerous.

If they were just strong and simple, he wouldn’t worry. He had beaten many stronger people before.

A strong sword is nothing to fear if the person holding it is not willing to kill.

But…

“What is it? What is that thing?”

His senses screamed a warning.

Danger, they said.

That young monk was dangerous.

His muscles tensed. His hand gripped his sword tightly. His mouth felt dry, and his neck stiffened.

Jo Myeong-san couldn’t understand why he felt this way.

The monk looked young and inexperienced. He was a disciple from Mount Hua, who had only recently started becoming known in the fighting world.

Yet, his senses told him that this monk was a veteran of many battles. The most dangerous kind of enemy, the kind you run from without thinking.

How could that be?

Large, cold drops of sweat ran down Jo Myeong-san’s forehead.

It didn’t make sense.

But Jo Myeong-san knew that the fighting world was a place where many impossible things happened. If you collected the bodies of those who died because they trusted common sense, they would fill a lake.

To survive in this dangerous world, it was better to trust your feelings than common sense.

“It would be smart not to underestimate that kid,” Jo Myeong-san said with difficulty.

But no one understood what he meant.

Dae Ra-geom smirked and looked at Jo Myeong-san.

“What are you saying, Jo Hyeong? Are you kidding me?”

“Heh heh heh. It seems Janggang Mukdo is scared. Are you one of those people who get nervous around famous sects?” Geo Ryuk-bu Mak-hoe laughed loudly.

Jo Myeong-san didn’t get angry. He didn’t expect them to understand. Even he couldn’t understand why he felt this way, so how could they?

“If you’re scared, step aside. I’ll take care of that little brat,” Dae Ra-geom said, smirking as he stepped forward.

Jo Myeong-san didn’t stop him.

He had warned them. He didn’t have to stop someone who was walking to their death. They were only allies for now.

Dae Ra-geom walked up to Cheong-myeong and glared at him.

“You said you would show us what ruthlessness is?”

Cheong-myeong didn’t answer.

Dae Ra-geom sneered.

“You’re fearless because you’re young. Or maybe your weak idea of justice is making you brave?”

Cheong-myeong stared at Dae Ra-geom without saying a word.

“Let me tell you something, kid. Justice is useless in the fighting world. Only the strong can be righteous. Righteousness without power is just a tantrum. You’ll learn that today. And it will cost you your life.”

Cheong-myeong looked at Dae Ra-geom and then spoke.

“Are you done?”

“What?”

“I was going to tell you to come at me if you were finished talking.”

Dae Ra-geom’s eyes narrowed.

“You little brat, you have a bad mouth.”

Cheong-myeong’s eyes darkened. He slowly walked towards Dae Ra-geom.

He casually lowered his plum blossom sword and walked silently and calmly. It strangely made Dae Ra-geom feel uneasy.

“You!” Dae Ra-geom shouted.

Cheong-myeong coldly replied, “Weren’t you going to kill me anyway?”

Dae Ra-geom was speechless.

“Then just kill me.”

That was true.

No matter what Cheong-myeong did, Dae Ra-geom would kill him. They were here to kill anyone who came in.

So, as Cheong-myeong said, he should just kill him.

Whether he was cocky, didn’t know the fighting world, or was terrified, it didn’t matter.

*Wasn’t I acting that way until now?* he thought.

The people he had killed had cursed him as they died. But had Dae Ra-geom cared? He had laughed and killed them.

So why was he trying to talk to Cheong-myeong now?

Dae Ra-geom bit his lip.

He realized he was acting like a scared puppy.

A wolf doesn’t bark before a hunt. It attacks, tears its prey, and cuts off its breath. Only a scared dog barks to avoid a fight.

‘Nonsense,’ he thought.

Why would he be scared?

Of the Beggars’ Sect and Mount Hua?

No way!

The people he had killed here could have easily defeated young disciples from those sects.

So why was he suddenly afraid?

Dae Ra-geom tightened his grip on his sword.

His muscles tensed.

‘Alright. Let’s see if you can still talk with a sword in your mouth,’ he thought.

Dae Ra-geom fueled his anger towards Cheong-myeong.

But he didn’t realize something was wrong.

If he had been calm, he would have found it strange that he was angry at Cheong-myeong. A fearless young brat rushing to his death was something to laugh at, not be angry about.

But Dae Ra-geom didn’t realize this until the end, and it led to his death.

Dae Ra-geom, who had been glaring at Cheong-myeong, shouted and charged forward.

His greatsword, longer than most, cut through the air towards Cheong-myeong’s head.

Clang!

But his sword didn’t reach Cheong-myeong’s head.

Cheong-myeong’s sword flashed and blocked his greatsword.

‘He blocked it?’

That young monk blocked his sword?

Anger and confusion filled Dae Ra-geom’s heart. But he had been through a lot in the fighting world. The confusion didn’t last long. He quickly swung his sword again, aiming for Cheong-myeong’s side.

Whoosh!

The sword, filled with blue energy, flew towards Cheong-myeong’s side.

Clang!

But it didn’t reach Cheong-myeong’s body either. Dae Ra-geom’s eyes widened as he saw his greatsword being blocked.

It was blocked?

No, that wasn’t the important thing.

The important thing was that Dae Ra-geom hadn’t even seen Cheong-myeong’s sword move to block his own.

It was so fast, it seemed his sword just appeared in front of Dae Ra-geom’s, blocking it.

‘That can’t be!’

This was crazy.

He was Dae Ra-geom.

Even the best disciples from famous sects would be nervous facing him.

But this young monk was stronger than him?

It couldn’t be.

“Kraaaah!”

Dae Ra-geom roared.

But Cheong-myeong’s eyes were lowered as he looked at him.

Dae Ra-geom swung his sword wildly, trying to tear Cheong-myeong apart. He showed no mercy.

Clang. Clang. Clang!

But none of his attacks hit Cheong-myeong.

They were all blocked just before hitting him.

Despair filled Dae Ra-geom’s eyes.

“You baaaaastard!”

The energy on his sword glowed blue.

He knew he couldn’t win with speed and skill, so he decided to use his internal energy.

No matter how strong Cheong-myeong was, he was still young. Dae Ra-geom thought he could win if he made it a battle of energy.

Dae Ra-geom was right in most cases. Experience usually beats youth.

But Cheong-myeong was not normal.

“Taaaaah!”

He put all his energy into his sword and swung it at Cheong-myeong’s head. The energy made the sword look twice as big.

It looked like it would split his skull open.

However, Dae Ra-geom quickly realized he had made a mistake.

Swoosh!

The moment he swung his heavy sword, Cheong-myeong’s sword shot out twice as fast as before.

Thud.

Dae Ra-geom saw his sword flying into the air.

He saw his own hand holding the sword, filled with blue energy. The word ‘despair’ filled his mind.

The last thing he saw was Cheong-myeong’s emotionless eyes staring at him.

There was no anger or hate.

How could someone look at another person like that?

Soon, Cheong-myeong walked past Dae Ra-geom.

A question popped into his head.

‘Huh?’

The world slowly tilted.

The world spun, as if the sky and earth were turning upside down.

‘What is th…’

The ground flew into the sky, and the sky crashed to the ground.

He saw something familiar and unfamiliar.

A person’s body.

He knew what a body was, but it was also strange. He had never seen his own body from this angle before.

And he had never seen his own body without a head.

‘I, it can’t be…’

That was his last thought.

Plop.

Dae Ra-geom’s headless body fell to the floor.

Whoosh.

Blood gushed from his neck, soaking Cheong-myeong’s feet.

But Cheong-myeong didn’t even look at the body. He simply said, “Next.”