Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1695

Dust and rocks rained down. The ground shook. Then, a scream ripped through the air. “Aaargh!!” It was full of fear and very loud.

Jo Gul, stunned by the sound, muttered,

“Is this the end? Did we fail? Is that why he’s screaming like that?”

Yoon-jong answered quickly.

“Impossible! Jang Il-so wouldn’t be so clumsy!”

If it ends now, everything we did was for nothing.

Of course, Yoon-jong wanted it to end now more than anyone. But if Jang Il-so and Ho Gamyung were so easily dealt with, who would have volunteered for this mission?

They will come back, for sure. Again and again. They only want one thing.

Baek Cheon murmured,

“Are they planning to collapse this entire cliff?”

“Probably…”

“…Including all the Sabae Ryun here?”

“If not, Chun Myun-so wouldn’t be acting like that, would he?”

Baek Cheon gritted his teeth. He could never get used to this ruthless behavior. It was always shocking and vicious.

“Then what do we do?”

“What do you mean, what do we do! We have to get out of here, now!”

“Now?”

Baek Cheon shouted loudly.

“What are you talking about, Gul! When else?”

They had to retreat from this place as quickly as possible. The cliff could collapse at any moment. Perhaps that explosion was just the start of something bigger.

Even if it wasn’t, it didn’t matter. What they were planning was clear.

However, Jo Gul’s face showed he was still unsure. He bit his lip, looking at the Wudang fighters. He didn’t want to leave them.

“What about the Wudang?”

Baek Cheon’s face hardened instantly. He could see the Wudang fighters, still surrounded by enemies, behind Jo Gul.

“Ah…”

They had come to save the Wudang fighters.

But even if they retreated right now, there was no guarantee that everyone would survive. Should they save the Wudang fighters to the very end, even in this situation?

Baek Cheon’s heart raced. *Save the Wudang, but risk my own people?* He looked at his disciples, then back at the Wudang. He felt torn apart.

“That…”

Baek Cheon’s eyes darted back and forth. The dilemma was too difficult, and there was not enough time to decide. How could it be so cruel?

‘What should I do?’

Baek Cheon clenched his cold fingertips.

Whoosh!

“Senior Brother!”

“Yoon-jong!”

Yoon-jong threw himself toward the Wudang fighters without a second thought.

The Sabae Ryun disciples, who had been standing still since the explosion, swung their weapons at Yoon-jong.

Clang!

Yoon-jong quickly blocked the enemies’ weapons and cut their throats.

“Kraaah!”

The scream briefly silenced the battlefield, awakening it once more.

“Senior Brother! This, damn it!”

“Yoon-jong!”

Jo Gul and Baek Cheon quickly followed behind Yoon-jong.

Crack!

Yoon-jong moved his sword faster than ever, cutting down the enemies. He shouted as if screaming.

“There’s no time to hesitate!”

“You…”

“Save the Wudang and advance! The exit is behind us!”

Baek Cheon bit his pale lower lip. He was right.

They couldn’t return through the cliff anyway. Then the only way to escape this place was on the opposite side of the cliff, where the Wudang fighters were.

‘Damn it!’

Yes, it was a simple problem if he thought about it. How could he have been so caught up in his worries that he missed something so obvious?

“Hwasan!”

Baek Cheon roared, veins standing out on his neck like thick cords. His voice shook the very stones of the cliff.

“Don’t think about the rear, clear the path! Don’t save your energy! If we can’t break through here, we’ll all die!”

“Wait a moment! Sasuk!” Jo Gul shouted in surprise.

“These guys know the situation too! If they have any sense, they wouldn’t try to fight us now…”

“It’s impossible, Gul! I told you, they wouldn’t be so easy!”

At that moment,

“What are you doing! Kill them!”

As if answering Jo Gul’s question, shouts rang out from everywhere.

“Don’t worry about it! We’re dealing with the others who are still fighting below! Don’t let them escape!”

“Fight!”

Indeed, some of them regained their momentum and charged toward Hwasan, brandishing their swords. The summit was once again engulfed in flames.

Clang!

Jo Gul blocked the sword of an oncoming enemy, his face twisting.

“These stupid bastards are now…”

“Aaargh!”

The enemy’s bloodshot eyes met Jo Gul’s. Jo Gul paused for a moment. In the enemy’s eyes, there was desperation.

‘What…?’

Slice!

Baek Cheon cut down the screaming enemy. The hot blood that splattered into the air was like a signal.

“Kill!”

“Aaaaargh!”

The Sabae Ryun disciples clashed fiercely with the Hwasan swordsmen. Those who had been attacking the Wudang fighters also attacked faster.

“You morons! We’re all going to die if we do this!”

“I told you, it’s no use!”

Yoon-jong gritted his teeth. If it were Ho Gamyung or Jang Il-so, they would be holding the lifelines of a few individuals to control everyone. There were always things more frightening to people than their own deaths.

Even those who were unsure would eventually follow the orders from their bosses. Who would they trust more, the words of the enemy or the words of their superior?

“Damn it! Didn’t you hear Chun Myun-so screaming! You idiots!”

His insides were burning. But Jo Gul’s words didn’t reach them at all. In the end, Jo Gul also began to quickly cut down the enemies. With each strike, the Sabae Ryun disciples began to block his path. Truly frustrated, Jo Gul roared.

“You crazy bastards, the explosives are going to go off!”

“Killaaaaargh!”

Yes, they wouldn’t believe it. The number of people gathered here would stop them from thinking clearly.

Even if he were in their place, it was the same. Could he imagine that the leaders would bury them all here, just to catch a hundred or so guys?

“Get out of the way, you bastards!”

“Dirty righteous sect bastards! We’ll kill you all!”

“We’re all going to die if we do this! Get out of heeeere!”

At that moment, Yoon-jong’s voice pierced his ears.

“You get out of the way, Gul!”

“Huh?”

Jo Gul flinched and moved to the side.

“Oooooooh!”

Then, Hye-yeon’s power swept through the spot where Jo Gul had been standing just moments before.

Kaaaaaa-boom!

The golden power flew with terrifying force, sweeping away the Sabae Ryun disciples.

Jo Gul gritted his teeth again and readjusted his sword.

“I’m definitely not dying here! Get out of the way!”

Crack!

A flying spear pierced Jin Hyun’s chest. Now that he couldn’t put enough strength into his sword, he couldn’t even block such a simple attack.

“Jin Hyun!” someone yelled. *Crack!* A spear broke.

Jin Hyun broke the spear stuck in his chest and plunged his sword into the face of the enemy, who was shaking in terror.

His body was hurt everywhere. Not one part was safe. Yet, Jin Hyun fought on.

“Kkeueuk…….”

He was too tired to go on. His body was failing.

Another death cry echoed. He had been strong just a moment ago. But now, like a dying flame, the Wudang fighter fell quickly. At the same time, their group, which they had held together, started to break apart.

The enemies had stopped for a moment because of the explosion. If they hadn’t, the Wudang fighters would have lost already.

“Strength……!”

Mujin wanted to shout words of courage to Jin Hyun. But then, a sword flew at his face. He just managed to block it. Just blocking that easy hit made his whole body shake. His wrists were swollen and hurt, but he couldn’t even feel the pain anymore.

‘Is this the end……?’

For a moment, he thought they might win. But then, a huge explosion from below the cliff destroyed that hope.

He didn’t want to admit it, but he knew what was going to happen. No matter how much he tried to deny it, he simply couldn’t.

“Hoo…….”

His ragged breaths burst out like laughter, or maybe sobs. They had been tricked completely.

But something else hurt Mujin even more. Wudang was just bait. They were used to bring the Mount Hua Sect here.

Mujin blocked the enemy’s attack. He used all his last strength to push his sword forward.

With a gruesome sound, the sword pierced flesh. But he didn’t kill the enemy with one hit. He simply lacked the strength.

The enemy screamed, hit in the chest, and fought back.

A burning pain, like fire, shot through his elbow. Mujin stepped back without meaning to. Then, something hit him hard. It felt like it came from nowhere.

Wham!

His weakened body tumbled backward.

Everything went white. Suddenly, all sound stopped. It was so quiet, it hurt his ears. Mujin, slammed into the ground, blankly raised his head and stared ahead.

Enemies rushed into the space where he had been. They were like water bursting from a broken dam – wild and mean.

He watched their swords cut through his friends. It felt slow and like a dream. If this wasn’t total sadness, what was?

Maybe this was the end for Wudang. Maybe it was the end for all the good groups and this whole world.

‘Ah…….’

Then, he saw someone.

Slow, careful steps. Everything else seemed to be moving very slowly, but this person walked at his own speed.

Mujin’s eyes opened wide. He knew that back.

‘Sa…….’

It was Heogong.

He, who was so exhausted he had even lost consciousness, was standing there. He should not even have the strength to move a finger.

Heogong moved his hand. He lifted his sword. It must have felt as heavy as a mountain to him now.

Mujin’s one good eye opened as wide as possible.

‘No…….’

Just then, Heogong spoke quietly, but Mujin heard him clearly.

“If you let it go with the flow… it will circle back to its original place.”

Heogong moved his sword in a slow curve. It went from low to the left, then up, then to the right. It made a perfect circle, something Mujin had never seen.

Soon, black and white light came from his sword. This was from a man who should not even be able to stand.

“Therefore…….”

Whooooosh!

Then, another light joined the black and white light. This light was clear and blue, like pure water from the mountains.

This pure, water-like energy was called… primordial energy.

The black, white, and blue lights mixed together at the tip of Heogong’s sword, swirling like a storm.

“The Supreme Polarity.”

Kwaaaaaaah!

The energy spread out as if exploding.

The bad guys were thrown back. They couldn’t fight against the sudden, huge power from the sword.

Kwaaaaaaah!

The sword power, filled with everything good, destroyed the enemies instantly. They were gone before they could even scream.

“Ah…….”

Nothing was left. The space in front of Heogong was empty. The enemies who had rushed in were gone, even if you searched everywhere.

It was amazing power from the sword. It was hard to believe a person could do this.

In the middle of all this, Heogong stood alone.

“S-Senior… Uncle…….”

Was Mujin’s whispered voice the signal?

Heogong had been standing straight and still. Now, he fell. But not like a normal fall. It was like sand flowing down.

“Ugh…….”

Mujin reached out to Heogong without thinking. His fingers were covered in blood and shook weakly.

Mujin had given up hope. But Heogong had not. He had given everything to protect Wudang until the end.

But was it worth it? This place was…

“D-Die, you monster!”

One of the few enemies who lived through the sword attack woke up and ran at Heogong.

It might not have been bravery. It was probably just fear making him fight. But Heogong and Mujin were too weak to stop him.

The enemy’s sword came down towards Heogong’s neck. Heogong was kneeling, head down, like he was guilty.

“Sasuuuuuuk!”

Just then, Mujin screamed and reached out with all his strength.

Suddenly, something long stuck out of the bad guy’s chin. He was about to hit Heogong with his sword.

Whizzzz!

The enemy’s sword flew out of his hand. It spun around and stuck into the ground near Mujin.

He could have been killed. But Mujin was looking at something else.

“Keureuk…….”

The enemy was still, like he was frozen. And there was someone else. Someone who had stabbed a sword into the enemy’s head. He seemed to appear like a ghost.

That person’s name was definitely…….

“Yui…….”

Then, someone quickly cut the enemy’s neck. The enemy’s body shook. This person ran to Heogong.

He looked at Mujin with strong eyes. Mujin was still confused.

That person, his face distorted like a demon, covered in blood…….

“……Baek Cheon.”

“What are you doing!”

Baek Cheon, who had just killed the enemy, grabbed Mujin’s shoulder.

“No time to waste! We have to escape now!”

“But…… but this place is…….”

Mujin’s face darkened.

The Cheonwu Alliance and Mount Hua had risked everything to save Wudang. But now, they were going to lose everything instead.

How could he ever look them in the eye after this?

“You also know…….”

“So what!”

“…….”

“So, are you saying we should just sit here and die? Is that the Wudang way?”

“I, I……!”

“Shut up and come here!”

“Oh, Okay!”

Baek Cheon picked up Mujin and threw him over his shoulder.

“W-What are you doing!”

“Just stay still! I’m also stressed right now!”

Mujin was silent. He had no words. Baek Cheon shouted.

“Carry all the survivors! We’re escaping right now!”

“Yes!”

The Mount Hua fighters were determined. They rushed to carry the Wudang fighters on their backs.

Baek Cheon was breathing hard. He looked at the path going up the cliff. It was the way to the top of Wudang.

‘The Path of Life!’

If they could live, it was only that way!

‘We will survive. No, we will save them! Everyone!’

Even if they had to die to do it.