Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1588

A pain shot through Beopjeong’s chest, feeling like it was being ripped apart.

He couldn’t even look down. He knew that if he did, Jang Il-so’s fist would be aiming for his neck instead.

The bitter smell of blood filled his mouth.

This pain was new and terrible, twisting Beopjeong’s face in shock. ‘This is not like anything I have felt before,’ he thought, his mind racing.

He pushed Jang Il-so’s arm away and pretended to attack, quickly jumping back to create some space and recover.

It was a good quick plan.

But Jang Il-so was not someone to be fooled so easily.

Pah!

Jang Il-so charged at Beopjeong with incredible speed.

Azure Flame Combat Slaughter. Jang Il-so attacked with his famous Azure Flame Combat Slaughter, a fierce and fiery style that had earned him the name Tyrant.

The blue energy around him burned like hellfire, ready to destroy Beopjeong.

“Eek… !”

Beopjeong was a very religious Buddhist and rarely screamed as he threw a punch.

His face looked like a demon’s, but the light from his fist was still holy.

Arhat Divine Fist! Beopjeong used his Buddhist fighting style, the Arhat Divine Fist.

But the demon in front of him was too strong to be stopped by that alone.

“Haha!”

Jang Il-so laughed wildly, throwing dozens of punches so fast they were hard to see.

The blue energy moved faster than Beopjeong’s golden power could spread.

Usually, strong fighting moves need time to build up power. But Jang Il-so’s attack was so fast, Beopjeong didn’t even have a chance to use his full strength.

Beopjeong was clearly confused as his power failed before he could even use it properly. He quickly pulled back his hand and blocked the incoming fist.

Clang! Clash!

Jang Il-so’s fist and Beopjeong’s fist crashed together again and again.

Then, Beopjeong felt it. Jang Il-so’s fist was pushing him up slightly from below, not too much, but noticeably.

‘Did you think I was stupid enough to fall for that again?’

Beopjeong immediately gathered his inner strength.

If Jang Il-so was trying to stop his feet from touching the ground, he would destroy that plan completely!

“Tahaaa!”

With a great shout, Beopjeong’s Arhat Fist shot towards Jang Il-so’s head, carrying enough force to split a mountain. It was so powerful that Jang Il-so wouldn’t dare to block it!

Flash!

But at that moment, Jang Il-so’s fist, which was heading straight for Beopjeong’s, twisted like a snake, sliding past Beopjeong’s punch and wrapping around his forearm.

Beopjeong’s eyes widened in surprise.

‘What is this… !’

It wasn’t just the strange move that surprised him.

Crack! Crunch!

Jang Il-so’s arm twisted around Beopjeong’s wrist.

It was a natural result. Just because Jang Il-so didn’t block the punch didn’t mean the power in Beopjeong’s fist disappeared. Jang Il-so took the full force of that power as his arm twisted.

Jang Il-so’s face didn’t change, but his arm screamed in pain.

Crack!

With a terrible sound, the bone broke. The flesh swelled up like a balloon from the pressure, then burst, and blood sprayed out like an explosion.

But even then, Jang Il-so’s arm held tightly to Beopjeong’s arm, like a strong lock.

“Tyrant!”

Beopjeong shouted, and instead of using his trapped right arm, he filled his left hand with the power of the Avalokiteśvara Hand. Dozens of afterimages appeared instantly and struck Jang Il-so’s body.

This was Beopjeong’s palm strike. Even though it was rushed, it had enough force to crush anything.

At that moment, Jang Il-so pulled his trapped arm hard. Beopjeong stumbled, and his palm strike was thrown off course.

But even so, only half of the strike missed Jang Il-so. The other half hit Jang Il-so’s body directly.

“Haha!”

Madness filled Jang Il-so’s eyes.

Whoosh!

The fiery energy around Jang Il-so swirled like flames, ready to burn everything. Jang Il-so, covered in flames, charged towards the incoming palm strike.

Bang!

Dozens of afterimages struck Jang Il-so’s body at the same time.

The explosions sounded like a giant hammer hitting a golden bell.

No matter how much energy he used to protect himself, he couldn’t block all that power. The shock was enough to take his breath away, and it hit Jang Il-so hard.

But even as black blood poured from his mouth and nose, Jang Il-so reached Beopjeong’s chest, his arm still locked around Beopjeong’s arm.

Bang!

Jang Il-so’s elbow slammed into Beopjeong’s stomach.

It felt like hitting a giant steel wall. The force was so strong that it seemed like Jang Il-so’s elbow would break instead.

But Jang Il-so didn’t care and kept hitting Beopjeong’s chest and stomach with his elbow.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Hot, thick blood burst from Beopjeong’s mouth, spraying onto Jang Il-so’s face like a dark red rain. Jang Il-so’s face was covered in blood, both his own and Beopjeong’s, and his eyes burned with blue anger. He hit Beopjeong’s stomach hard again.

Thud!

At that moment, Beopjeong struck Jang Il-so’s chin with his palm. Jang Il-so’s head snapped back with a sickening crack. His eyes rolled up for a moment, and a string of blood flew from his lips like a broken thread.

“Guh!”

Instantly, Jang Il-so’s fingers dug into Beopjeong’s side. As Beopjeong focused his energy on attacking, Jang Il-so’s fingers found a gap, pierced through Beopjeong’s ribs, and grabbed hold.

“Aaaaargh!”

Wham!

Beopjeong punched Jang Il-so’s chest again and again, trying to crush him and escape the pain.

And.

Wham!

Beopjeong’s vision went white. Stars exploded behind his eyes. For a heartbeat, everything stopped. Then, pain roared through his chin, bringing him back to the brutal reality of the fight. He saw the dark sky filled with stars.

‘What?’

Beopjeong’s face was blank as he tried to understand what was happening. What brought him back was the terrible pain in his chin.

Jang Il-so had headbutted him.

“This…”

Crack.

Beopjeong gritted his teeth. Anger he had never felt before boiled inside him. He hated the enemy who had pushed him this far, and his mercy burned away.

“You baaaaaastard!”

Thud!

Beopjeong kicked Jang Il-so straight in the stomach.

It was just a kick, without any skill or technique. But somehow, it worked. Jang Il-so flew backward.

Beopjeong, now with both hands free, unleashed all his rage.

“Haaaargh!”

It was, quite literally, a storm of relentless blows.

Beop-Jeong used the Great Strength Vajra Fist. This move is usually about hitting hard with heavy strikes. But now, he used it in a strange way. It was like he wanted to rip Jang Il-So apart.

“Aaargh!”

Beop-Jeong didn’t stop there. He roared loudly and put his hands together in a strange way in front of his chest. Then, he pushed them forward with great power. Bright red energy, almost like fire, came from his hands and flew towards Jang Il-So.

Lion Muni Seal!

This is a powerful move created by Sakyamuni to defeat demons while he was training. It was meant to destroy the enemy completely. Even masters of this move were careful because it was full of anger and violence. This was strange for Buddhist fighting, which is usually peaceful. It was one of the best martial arts among the Seventy-Two Supreme Arts.

The red energy made Beop-Jeong’s eyes glow red too.

Kawaaaaaaaang!

The ground exploded with a deafening roar. Pieces of earth and rock flew everywhere like bullets. A thick cloud of dust rose up, choking the air and making it hard to see, like a grey blanket covering the sky. It was hard to believe that a human could cause such destruction.

“Haa… haa… haa!”

Beop-Jeong was breathing hard, and sweat poured down his body. His clothes were soaked with blood and sweat and didn’t look shiny anymore.

His fingers were shaking.

‘Why…?’

Why was he having so much trouble?

Jang Il-So’s skills were not as good as his. If he was careful, he should have been able to beat him easily.

But what was happening?

He could win. He still could.

But it wouldn’t be a real victory. He could tell from the blood he had lost, his heavy breathing, and his shaking fingers.

What would people think if they saw this? What would they say about all the blood he was spilling?

“This…”

Hatred, anger, and unbearable rage flared up again.

“Defeaaaaaat!”

A roar ripped from Beop-Jeong’s throat. It was a lion’s roar, shaking the ground beneath their feet. The sound was so loud and fierce, it seemed to stop the very air from moving. Even the dust cloud, still hanging in the air, was pushed back by the force of his shout.

He couldn’t be dead from that.

That horrible person couldn’t be dead from just that. He had to finish him off himself…

“Ugh, ugh!”

Suddenly, Beop-Jeong felt sick and grabbed his mouth. He felt dizzy.

‘Poison?’

He was definitely poisoned.

But when did it happen?

“Ugh…”

Beop-Jeong looked at his body. One side of his clothes, already covered in sweat and blood, was stained black.

“This, this can’t be…”

His side, where Jang Il-So’s fingers had pierced him. The clothes there were deep purple. He had been poisoned in that short moment.

“Such a cheap trick!”

Beop-Jeong gritted his teeth.

Poison was not a big deal for a master with his inner energy. It would only weaken him for a short time.

Beop-Jeong quickly used his inner energy to burn away the poison in his body.

But…

‘It’s not disappearing?’

The poison kept spreading through his body, even when he tried to burn it away. He could not understand it.

Beop-Jeong’s eyes shook as if there was an earthquake.

“Wh-what…!”

Beop-Jeong quickly grabbed his side. He felt something strange that he hadn’t noticed before because of the pain.

It was a strange feeling in the side where Jang Il-So’s hand had pierced him…

“A ring…”

“That’s right.”

A soft voice spoke.

It was Jang Il-So. His hair was messy, but he was standing and looking at Beop-Jeong.

His upper clothes were torn, showing his scarred chest, which was red and black in places.

One arm was broken and twisted, still bleeding.

But Jang Il-So didn’t seem to care about his injuries. He raised his limp arm and used his other hand to put the broken bones back in place.

“This is something I really…”

Crack.

“…cherish.”

Crack.

Each time that sound echoed, Jang Il-So’s twisted arm straightened a little.

“What do you think? It’s a good trick, isn’t it?”

“…Ugh.”

Beop-Jeong gritted his teeth so hard they cracked.

Crack!

His shaking hand reached into the hole in his side. The ring caught on his fingers, but it wouldn’t come out easily, causing terrible pain.

“Hmm. You’re thinking too simply. If it were that easy, I wouldn’t have gone to so much trouble, would I?”

Jang Il-So smiled gently. The smile on his ruined face was eerie.

“It has hooks like a harpoon. It’ll stay stuck there for a while, dripping poison. It won’t do much, but it will keep draining your inner energy…”

“Amitabha!”

Jang Il-So stopped speaking and twitched his eyebrows.

Beop-Jeong put his palm against his side and used his mental power to grab the ring inside. Then, he pulled the ring out with force.

Crack crack crack!

His ribs broke, and the flesh caught on the hooks was torn out. It was a horrible sight. Even Jang Il-So frowned for a moment.

“Oh, my. How violent.”

“Haa… haa… Jang… Il-So…!”

Beop-Jeong’s eyes were bloodshot as he glared at Jang Il-So. He looked like someone who was full of anger and wanted revenge.

“Your eyes look much better now.”

Jang Il-So laughed and walked towards Beop-Jeong.

Even with Beop-Jeong’s injuries, Jang Il-So was in worse shape. That was clear.

But it didn’t matter.

“You’ve come to the right place. This is the battlefield, and this is what a fight is. You’re only just now standing here. In a place where honest people don’t belong.”

“Jang Il-Sooooo!”

Beop-Jeong charged at Jang Il-So without another word. He had forgotten mercy and Buddhist law. He was only driven by rage.

So, Beop-Jeong didn’t see.

He didn’t see Jang Il-So glance away as he charged.

The battle, no, this war, was racing to its end.

Towards an outcome that no one expected.