Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1704

Yoon Jong’s eyes showed doubt.

“Master…?”

Yoon Jong started to wonder if Baek Cheon had lost his mind.

The enemy is strong.

Being strong in martial arts is not just about power. It’s also about inner strength. But the Solar Palace Lord was stronger than anyone they had ever faced.

And they were going to face such a person? With Baek Cheon at barely half his former skill?

“Uh…”

Jo Gul reached out towards Baek Cheon’s back, as if Baek Cheon might disappear at any moment.

Yet, despite everyone’s worries, Baek Cheon remained steady, like a pine tree on a cliff.

Jo Gul wanted to step forward with him, but he hesitated. The heat made his body shrink back.

That was why he was even more surprised.

How could Baek Cheon step forward? The Hwasan swordsmen, who always charged into battle, couldn’t move. How could Baek Cheon do it?

Jo Gul felt many things at once as he watched Baek Cheon.

He stared at Baek Cheon’s back, which looked strong but also unstable.

Heat slammed into him.

His skin felt like it was boiling water. Each breath was fire in his lungs, burning with pain.

He wanted to run back, to escape the furnace in front of him.

He knew that if he retreated, no one would blame him. They would say it was the right thing to do.

But Baek Cheon did not retreat.

Even if he were to disappear here, he would not retreat.

Anyone can make empty promises. It’s hard to do what you say you will do.

He put strength into his toes to avoid stepping back. He strengthened his grip on his sword to avoid being broken.

This was a different kind of fight for Baek Cheon.

Everything was shaking: his sword hand, his legs, his body, even his hair.

But his eyes did not waver as he stared at the Solar Palace Lord.

The Solar Palace Lord looked confused.

“You’re saying you’re going to stop me?”

This was a strange feeling for Solar Palace Lord Jin Pyeong.

Of course, some fools had tried to fight him. Some people didn’t know their place.

But no one had dared to stand against him like this. They might talk about fighting him when he wasn’t there, but they always trembled in his presence.

Mighty warriors, heroes, and those who were called hope were all the same.

But now, a man from the Central Plains was standing in his way. This was different from Jang Il-so. The Solar Palace Lord had never seen this before.

“You look like you’re about to lose consciousness?”

He could see that Baek Cheon was not in good condition. He wasn’t just weak.

He must have been stronger once. Now, only a little of his former glory remained.

“And you still won’t back down?”

The Solar Palace Lord laughed.

He also noticed that the others who had been retreating had stopped when Baek Cheon stepped forward. It was ridiculous.

No one thought Baek Cheon could stop the Solar Palace Lord. No one thought a cripple could win.

Even so, they stopped retreating, as if something had changed.

This annoyed the Solar Palace Lord. The golden light in his eyes grew stronger.

“A lowly wretch dares!”

The Scorching Yang Energy from his hands rushed towards Baek Cheon.

The Solar Palace Lord was sure that this energy would turn Baek Cheon into charcoal or break his dignity.

But what happened was very different.

Rustle.

A fluttering sound grew louder, and a red sword aura appeared from Baek Cheon’s sword.

‘…A flower?’

It was a sword aura like fragile petals, incomplete and imperfect.

He was going to block the Solar Palace Lord with that? Even if it were complete, it couldn’t stand against his energy. What could he do with petals that had already withered?

The petals shattered when they touched the Scorching Yang Energy.

But they bloomed again and again.

The Solar Palace Lord looked up. The blooming petals created a plum blossom forest.

‘There’s a sword like this?’

It was a strange sword, but so what?

“You don’t know your place!”

The Solar Palace Lord doubled his power. The energy blew away the plum blossom forest.

The plum blossom sword aura was engulfed in red flames. The Solar Palace Lord looked at where the sword aura had been.

His eyes widened.

Baek Cheon was still there.

He hadn’t turned into charcoal, nor was he rolling on the ground.

“This bastard…”

His energy had hurt Baek Cheon. His sword was red-hot, and his hand was burned. His uniform was tattered, and his arm was scorched.

His hair was burning, and he had burns on his face. The Solar Palace Lord’s energy had punished him, but that made him even angrier.

He wouldn’t back down, even in that state?

Baek Cheon’s eyes were the same as before. Even as he vomited blood, he looked at the Solar Palace Lord.

“This bastard…”

The Solar Palace Lord was furious.

“Dare you also disregard me!”

Terrifying energy erupted. This time, he would turn Baek Cheon into charcoal. The Scorching Yang Energy surged menacingly.

Baek Cheon gripped his sword tightly with his burned hand.

“Like a crazy human being!”

“Damn it!”

Two people flew in front of him. Including those above his head, there were three… No, four, including the one supporting his back. Maybe more.

“Aaaargh!”

Jo Gul, Yoon Jong, and Yoo I-seol’s swords released red sword aura.

“Oooooh!”

Hye-yeon, who was supporting Baek Cheon, released his power and collided with the Solar Palace Lord’s Scorching Yang Energy.

Terrible heat burst out.

The four people around Baek Cheon did not retreat, even though their bodies turned red.

“Kkeueuk…”

Yoon Jong groaned.

‘To do this alone…’

It felt like his body was boiling. Sweat turned into steam.

“Aaaargh!”

He screamed and used his swordsmanship.

The Solar Palace Lord’s energy scattered. Yoon Jong’s knees buckled.

“Keuk!”

Yoon Jong planted his sword in the ground and looked back at Baek Cheon.

“Are you planning to just die?”

“…”

“What are you trying to do when you’re not even in good shape…!”

“You guys are here.”

“Yes?”

“…You guys are here.”

Yoon Jong’s eyes trembled.

His surprise turned into anger.

He was angry at himself for not stepping forward before Baek Cheon, and for thinking he could surpass him.

“If something really goes wrong…”

“I’ve just realized it.”

Baek Cheon raised his sword. He aimed at the Solar Palace Lord, as if he would not retreat even though his fellow disciples had come to protect him. He was determined to uphold his school’s honor and protect his friends.

“If I back down here, I’m really just a loudmouth.”

Yoon Jong’s eyes cooled down. He glared at the Solar Palace Lord.

Jo Gul and Yoo I-seol stood next to Yoon Jong and aimed their swords.

Yoon Jong glared at the Solar Palace Lord and said:

“Jo Gul.”

“Yes, S 형.”

“Kill him and open the way.”

Jo Gul did not answer. It wasn’t necessary. He wanted to rush in.

The Solar Palace Lord’s face twisted with anger.

‘Those bastards…’

The swordsmen who had been trying to escape were now baring their teeth like wild beasts. They looked at him like an enemy they could not share the sky with.

‘Residue…’

The one in front was just the remaining dregs.

‘Is there a spark in it?’

A spark that would cause something to burn again?

“These… these insignificant things dare!”

The Solar Palace Lord was very angry. Even those worm-like bastards…

But he couldn’t express his anger. The heated swords came rushing in.

“Open it!”

The Hwasan swordsmen charged in like arrows, filled with self-reproach, shame, anger, and will.

They didn’t need to talk. They just had to run towards the flames that Baek Cheon had opened up.

The Solar Palace Lord struck away Jo Gul’s sword.

“This…!”

Hundreds of plum blossom leaves from Yoon Jong and Yoo I-seol wrapped around the Solar Palace Lord.

“These bastards!”

The Solar Palace Lord couldn’t see. He tried to move, but the plum blossom leaves stirred. Someone flew towards him.

‘You…?’

Baek Cheon’s face, with half of one cheek burned, quickly approached. His eyes were the same as always.

The Solar Palace Lord’s anger exploded.

“Aaaaargh!”