Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1688

Baek Cheon’s eyes went wide. Even Yoo Iseol, who was always calm, looked surprised.

They saw so many hand shadows it was overwhelming. Even though Baek Cheon and Yoo Iseol were strong and well-trained, they froze.

“Sa…” Baek Cheon started to say something without thinking.

But Yoo Iseol’s sword moved even faster.

Paaah!

Her sword flashed white like moonlight. It moved so fast it seemed to break into many pieces, blocking all the palm shadows coming towards them.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

The sharp tip of the sword shattered and broke the palm shadows.

The palm shadows were like foam flowers, but Yoo Iseol’s sword attack was too fast and accurate. For a moment, the palm shadows became weak.

However…….

Hwaaaah!

The faltering palm shadows suddenly doubled, then doubled again. There were so many palm shadows, it seemed impossible to stop them all with a sword. It looked like white flowers blooming everywhere.

And then.

Thud!

Thud! Thud!

The palm shadows, not slowing their momentum, struck Yoo Iseol in succession. Each time a palm shadow touched her, her body was helplessly pushed back.

“Samae!”

Baek Cheon hurriedly grabbed Yoo Iseol, who was driven to the edge of the cliff and about to fall.

“Kugh!”

She quickly extended her sword and plunged its tip into the cliff face. She couldn’t get a good grip and slipped down the cliff a little. But she stopped herself from falling completely.

Baek Cheon, still gripping Yoo Iseol, clung to the middle of the cliff again.

“Samae! Are you alright?”

“……Yes.”

Yoo Iseol wiped the blood from her lips. Both of their eyes turned to the cliff top, which soared upwards.

The cliff met the sky where the moon hung. There, a person slowly revealed himself.

They had never seen his face before. But they knew who he was right away because of his martial arts.

“Thousand Faces…….”

The Thousand-Faced Shaman frowned.

“I guess this is what people mean when they say, ‘I’m tired of this.'”

He muttered as if disgusted, then turned his gaze to the Hwasan swordsmen still climbing the cliff.

Those damned black uniforms.

Now they were so familiar that he almost felt a sense of welcome.

“I have to admit, you are very persistent, like a tick. But I can’t just let you climb the cliff so easily. I have my own position to consider.”

Baek Cheon’s face contorted involuntarily.

‘Damn it!’

This wasn’t good.

Hwasan was used to climbing cliffs. But it was still harder to climb up than for someone to defend from the top.

And now, a powerhouse like the Thousand-Faced Shaman was blocking their path? Nothing could be worse.

In the first place, to defeat and pass a strongman like him, they needed someone with equal strength. But Hwasan now…….

Paaah!

“Samae!”

As if reading Baek Cheon’s thoughts, Yoo Iseol kicked off the cliff and ascended in an instant.

Clang!

The sword, stretched out straight ahead, rushed towards the Thousand-Faced Shaman’s neck like the fangs of a viper.

But soon, the palm shadows that flared up in front of the Thousand-Faced Shaman blocked Yoo Iseol’s sword like a wall.

Kaaang!

The moment the palm shadows and the sword collided, an explosion erupted as if striking a huge lump of iron.

Kagagagak!

Yoo Iseol’s sword bent as if it would break. But she didn’t back down an inch, and instead, she drew up her inner strength as if determined to break through that wall.

The Thousand-Faced Shaman muttered quietly.

“A futile effort.”

Paaah!

In an instant, the palm shadows, which had doubled in size, completely covered Yoo Iseol’s swordsmanship and then exploded against Yoo Iseol’s body.

“Ugh……!”

Having no other choice, Yoo Iseol gritted her teeth, twisted her body in mid-air, and escaped from the range.

Fortunately, those countless palm shadows did not pursue her further, but before she knew it, her body had been pushed three lengths further down the cliff.

The Thousand-Faced Shaman, whose figure was revealed as the palm shadows scattered, glanced down at his hand.

“…….”

A red line was drawn on his white hand, as if he had been struck by a whip.

“Sharp, certainly.”

He wasn’t cut, but he couldn’t deny that there was an impact.

“But not enough yet. At least, not now.”

Meanwhile, Baek Cheon bit down on his lower lip.

He could tell for sure from the earlier collision.

Yoo Iseol was strong. But to break through the Thousand-Faced Shaman, who was occupying the cliff and focusing on defense, at least someone of equal strength had to step forward.

No matter how strong Yoo Iseol was within Hwasan, she was bound to be lacking in front of the Thousand-Faced Shaman, who had been dominating the world for decades.

A sense of urgency crept into Baek Cheon’s eyes.

Right now, they were raising their momentum and breaking through at once, but if they lingered on this cliff, they might end up being attacked from the left, right, and above.

If that happened, this terrain, which they had been using to their advantage, would instead become a poison that strangled them.

‘What should I do? At times like this…….’

Baek Cheon gripped his sword so hard it felt like it would break. There was no point in thinking about someone who wasn’t there.

Of course, if Chung Myung were here, he wouldn’t have such worries. Chung Myung wouldn’t even have to think about it. He would have just attacked the Thousand-Faced Shaman immediately.

But Chung Myung wasn’t here now. So, those who were here had to solve it themselves. No matter what it took!

It was then.

“What’s wrong?”

The Thousand-Faced Shaman’s voice, laced with mockery, reached Baek Cheon’s ears as he racked his brain.

“I thought Hwasan was a sect that didn’t bother thinking too much? Was I mistaken about Hwasan?”

“…….”

“Or…… are you not the Hwasan I knew?”

Baek Cheon’s face hardened in an instant.

“You……!”

As he tried to utter a word, suppressing his anger, the Thousand-Faced Shaman’s quiet voice pierced his ears first.

“The strategist was right about something.”

Baek Cheon’s eyes widened slightly.

Strategist? Ho Gamyung? Why was his name coming up here?

“He said this: It’s not that Hwasan is strong. It’s that the Hwasan Sword Saint is strong. The absurd things Hwasan has done so far were possible because there was an existence that defied common sense, the Hwasan Sword Saint. So…….”

Each word the Thousand-Faced Shaman uttered pierced the hearts of Baek Cheon and the Hwasan swordsmen.

“They are showing off their strength, but they don’t realize they are not as strong as they think without the Hwasan Sword Saint to protect them.”

The Thousand-Faced Shaman’s gaze fixed precisely on Baek Cheon, who was hanging on the cliff.

“What do you think? It seems quite right when you look at it this way, don’t you?”

A cold sensation ran down Baek Cheon’s spine.

Self-destruct? Hwasan?

“Nonsense!”

It was the moment Baek Cheon gritted his teeth and shouted.

“NOOO!” Cheonmyeon Soosa roared, his voice shaking the cliff. A wave of dark energy pulsed from him, followed by a sound like thunder. At the same moment, behind Baek Cheon, a huge hand made of golden light burst into existence. It burned bright gold against the night sky, a symbol of power.

“A Shaolin monk, is it?”

Cheonmyeon Soosa smirked and spread his hands wide. Then, a thick, white aura like mist poured from his hands, cold and heavy, enveloping the golden hand seal and pressing down upon it.

Kooooooom!

The clash of energy and qi sent tremors through the cliff face. The golden hand seal exploded into shards of light, like a broken mirror reflecting the moon, scattering into the dark night sky.

“No matter how talented you may be, you cannot compare to a Shaolin elder. Bring me at least the head of the Beopgye to face me.”

“You bastard!”

Tap! Tap tap tap!

Enraged, Jo Gul kicked off the cliff face and charged towards Cheonmyeon Soosa. The sword, extended straight ahead, multiplied into dozens, blooming into a flamboyant plum blossom at the cliff’s edge.

Boom!

But before that plum blossom could fully bloom, Cheonmyeon Soosa’s aura, moving with terrifying speed, struck the tip of the sword with precision.

“Kugh!”

Blood gushed from Jo Gul’s mouth as he failed to fully unleash his inner strength.

Paaah!

Then, with a flick of his wrist, Cheonmyeon Soosa copied Jo Gul’s sword move. But instead of beautiful plum blossoms, his aura formed ugly, twisted shapes, a cruel joke.

“You bastard! I’ll kill you!”

Jo Gul let out a beast-like roar, and the aura, carried by a typhoon, swirled and crashed down on Jo Gul.

At that moment, as Jo Gul’s eyes widened, Yoon Jong’s sword intervened just in time, erecting a shimmering wall of steel in the air, each blade catching the faint light. It was truly an ironclad defense.

Kooooooom!

Soon, the aura and sword energy collided head-on, and Yoon Jong’s body was flung backward like an arrow.

“Senior Brother!”

Jo Gul cried out in alarm and supported Yoon Jong’s back, but the force was not so easily manageable, even with his feet planted on the cliff.

The two eventually slid downwards, as if standing on a sheet of ice.

“Senior Brother! Are you alright?”

Jo Gul, having barely stopped, grabbed Yoon Jong’s shoulder.

“…Damn it.”

A trickle of blood flowed from Yoon Jong’s mouth. Their energy was strong, but they couldn’t beat someone so much older and stronger in a direct fight.

Yoon Jong, gritting his teeth, glared at the summit, where Cheonmyeon Soosa was shaking his head.

“Is that truly the best Hwasan can offer? Disappointing. I expected more from legends. It’s clear that without the Hwasan Sword Saint, you’re nothing more than hot-blooded youngsters. Even I overestimated you.”

Baek Cheon bit his lip until it bled.

Before they knew it, the movements of those climbing the cliff had stopped, and it was clear that their morale had noticeably plummeted.

They had to break through. If they couldn’t, they were in danger.

‘Combined attack?’

No. It wouldn’t work.

This situation was completely different from facing the Black Dragon King on flat ground. A combined attack from below was simply impossible.

Then what could they do?

Clench.

He gripped his sword tightly in anxiety. He didn’t know the method. No, even if there was a method, there was no time to calmly figure it out.

Baek Cheon gritted his teeth and shouted.

“Junior Sister!”

Baek Cheon and Yoo Iseol’s eyes met. Reading the unwavering determination in Baek Cheon’s eyes, Yoo Iseol reached out without a word, grabbed Baek Cheon’s sleeve, and began to climb the cliff in one swift motion.

“Haaaah!”

Baek Cheon exhaled a great burst of energy.

Charging in one by one wouldn’t solve anything. Then, the only option was to somehow overlap their attacks.

Yoo Iseol and Baek Cheon climbed the cliff in one breath.

And just before reaching Cheonmyeon Soosa’s feet, Baek Cheon swung his hand, throwing Yoo Iseol, who was holding his sleeve, upwards.

Yoo Iseol, floating lightly into the air, arced towards Cheonmyeon Soosa from above. At the same time, Baek Cheon, surging up from below, slashed his sword towards Cheonmyeon Soosa’s abdomen.

“Still don’t understand?”

Hwaaaaah!

A snow-white hand bloomed like a cloud once more.

Kagagagagang!

Yoo Iseol’s desperate sword strike was blocked by the aura that had bloomed like a wall, and her body was once again flung away.

Clang!

Almost simultaneously, Baek Cheon’s sword, which had been extended, was caught directly in Cheonmyeon Soosa’s whitened hand. A sigh involuntarily escaped Baek Cheon’s lips.

“Ah……”

It was a sword strike unleashed with all his might, but it was suppressed so easily that it was absurd.

Baek Cheon’s eyes, wavering with bewilderment, met the ruthless gaze of Cheonmyeon Soosa in the air.

“This is a sword not even worth facing. Was this the one leading Hwasan? A fox cub with even its claws plucked?”

At that moment, undisguisable despair surfaced in Baek Cheon’s eyes. Or perhaps, it wasn’t despair, but sadness.

“You must pay the price for not knowing your place and running wild. Die.”

Twoong!

Cheonmyeon Soosa’s left hand swung towards Baek Cheon.

Baek Cheon felt the movement was somehow slow. The aura rising in the air, covering his vision and flying towards his face, was seen very clearly.

Facing unavoidable death.

Baek Cheon neither squeezed his eyes shut nor widened them.

Instead, he opened his eyes wide, emitting a clear light.

Kwaang!

With a great explosion, Baek Cheon’s body was flung backward. A black night sky and the moon in its center entered his vision.

But only for a moment.

An unknown force pulled him. Someone had grabbed and supported his body floating in the air.

‘What is this……’

At that moment, what Baek Cheon saw was Cheonmyeon Soosa’s hardened face on the cliff and something protruding from his shoulder.

‘That’s……’

A small knife. A small dagger like a child’s toy. But it was a familiar object to Baek Cheon.

“These are not people to be treated like foxes by the likes of you.”

Baek Cheon blankly turned his gaze to the man holding his shoulder.

“D-Dang Family Head?”

“Are you alright?”

“Yes? Ah… Yes! I am……”

“It seems it’s my turn here. I’ll clear the way.”

Tang Gunak, lightly patting Baek Cheon’s shoulder, walked up the cliff. Literally slowly, as if the near-vertical cliff face were ordinary ground.

His calm eyes and Cheonmyeon Soosa’s distorted eyes met in the air.

Tang Gunak said.

“‘Hwasan without the Hwasan Sword Saint is not Hwasan’… Perhaps he is right.”

“Poison King… Tang Gunak.”

“But the Hwasan Sword Saint without Hwasan is not the Hwasan Sword Saint either. Hwasan is that great. Much more than you know. At least, they are not people to be carelessly insulted by an old monster from a heretical sect who doesn’t even have the courage to show his face.”

Sreung.

A sharp dagger was caught in Tang Gunak’s fingertips.

“There is a battle for adults. Let’s see if that arrogant neck is as strong as your words.”

Tang Gunak’s eyes emitted a chilling coldness.