Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1709

Shocked eyes stared into eyes narrowed in pain. They were very close.

“Guh…….”

The Lord of the Solar Palace grabbed his chest where the sword stuck out. Blood poured down the blade and over his hand. It was thick and sticky.

Only two inches deep. The sword hadn’t gone all the way through. It might not kill him, maybe.

No one expected this attack. The sword should not be in him.

But the burning, hot pain in his chest was real. Very real.

“Th—.”

*Crack!*

The Lord of the Solar Palace used all his power. The Plum Blossom Sword in his hand screamed as it broke. The blood on the blade, from his chest, turned to red smoke because of the heat from his hand.

Then –

*Wham!*

The Lord of the Solar Palace’s left hand, full of scary power, smashed towards Jo Gul. Jo Gul was still shocked and didn’t even think about moving.

But right then, Yoon Jong swung his sword with all his strength. It looked like hundreds of blades suddenly appeared in the air. These blurry sword shapes, not yet perfect plum blossoms, just barely stopped the Lord of the Solar Palace’s palm from hitting Jo Gul.

*Wham!*

*Gah!*

Sword and palm crashed together. Yoon Jong choked and spat out blood. It felt like his insides were being smashed by one huge hit. The power was unbelievable.

But Yoon Jong’s sword tip didn’t move, not even a little. If he moved back, Jo Gul would die. Yoon Jong *couldn’t* move back.

“Aaaaargh!”

He yelled, like he was in terrible pain. Then, the blurry sword shapes started to become one perfect flower. This sword move used all of his energy in one attack.

The steel flowers, opening up against the wave of burning heat, pushed back the Lord of the Solar Palace’s Solar Heat Palm for a tiny moment.

“Oooooooh!”

As if he was waiting for this, bright golden Buddhist light rushed towards the Lord of the Solar Palace’s left hand.

*Thud!*

A loud sound like hitting a giant bell filled the air. The strong attack didn’t stop there.

*Thud! Thud!*

Fists, thrown with all his power, slammed into the Lord of the Solar Palace again and again.

This was Hae Yeon. The Shaolin Temple had trained him carefully. Now, he was using every bit of strength he had. He had one goal!

“A—mi—!”

Hae Yeon’s attacks kept coming, like rain. He couldn’t even finish his Buddhist prayer, which sounded like a lion roaring.

The Solar Heat Palm, which had been reaching out strongly, couldn’t fight against the plum blossom swords and Buddhist light together. It started to get smaller and smaller, like a flame burning out.

“How dare these weaklings!”

The Lord of the Solar Palace yelled, completely filled with anger.

His wounds, the weakness he had shown without meaning to, and the fact that these small, unimportant people were pushing him back – all of this made him lose his mind.

“Haaaargh!”

It was a sound of despair and madness mixed together. This yell, not right for someone of his rank, was like an animal’s cry.

Golden energy burst from the Lord of the Solar Palace’s hands. It was so bright, like it held all the treasures in the world and could crush anything.

You could feel the evil intent. He wanted to rip these people apart, even if it used up all his power.

*Wham!*

The sword was still in the Lord of the Solar Palace. Jo Gul held onto it. Yoon Jong fought hard to block the attacks. Hae Yeon kept hitting the strong defense.

It looked like they would all be destroyed by the growing golden energy, ready to explode. Just when they were about to lose hope –

*Whoosh!*

Someone moved like lightning, right through the thick energy, like going into an exploding bomb. Into the storm of power – sword energy, fist power, and the Lord of the Solar Palace’s heat all mixed together.

*Oooooong!*

The sword tip, red with blood, moved towards the Lord of the Solar Palace’s neck. It was very slow, but it kept coming, never stopping.

Yoon Jong’s eyes opened wide. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. He knew who it was, pushing through that energy with his whole body, sword out in front.

‘Martial Uncle?’

He’s going to die!

Yoon Jong’s heart dropped. Even if he was healthy, he couldn’t stand in that energy. Facing it with a body already hurt? He’d be better off just giving up and falling down.

But Yoon Jong couldn’t stop. If he slowed his sword, not just Baek Cheon, but Jo Gul, Hae Yeon, and even Yoon Jong would be burned to nothing.

No, everyone here would die anyway.

*Screech.*

Energy crashed against energy, screaming. In the middle of all that terrible noise, the sound of Baek Cheon’s feet dragging forward was clear and scary.

*Sssssss!*

Flesh burned and melted. The skin on Baek Cheon’s hand holding the sword started to peel away, worse than just burning.

‘Ah, no…….’

*Sssssss!*

But even then, Baek Cheon kept moving forward, step by tiny step, even though he was weak. His sword tip was still pointed right at the Lord of the Solar Palace’s neck.

That sword would not stop. Yoon Jong couldn’t help but sense it.

Even if that body was completely burned away, even if it melted away without leaving even bones, that sword would not stop until the moment it pierced the Lord of the Solar Palace’s neck.

And it wasn’t just Yoon Jong who felt this. In fact, the one who sensed it most strongly was Jin Pyung, the Lord of the Solar Palace, who was watching that sword tip approaching.

‘Why?’

Why was he pushing so hard?

He was going to die anyway. Wouldn’t it be better to just die easily, instead of suffering so much?

The pain of the Solar Heat Palm was so bad, death would be better. No, even dying like this would be the worst pain ever.

But why was he doing this crazy thing?

When he saw Baek Cheon coming closer without stopping, looking like someone burning in hell, the Lord of the Solar Palace felt something new in his heart.

*Sssssss!*

Through the energy that was about to burst, he could see a twisted face.

Baek Cheon was covered in cuts and burns. But his eyes were steady, like a wise, calm monk.

The Lord of the Solar Palace felt like his soul was running away. He might be stronger in fighting skill, but he couldn’t fight against their inner strength.

As his courage got smaller, his energy also got weaker. It was harder to use his power like before.

Baek Cheon’s eyes were slowly closing.

He didn’t feel pain anymore. Only the will to keep going forward was left. His body was past its breaking point, and his mind was somewhere new.

As Baek Cheon kept moving forward, weak but strong, a fire started in the heart of the trapped animal.

“Ugh, Aaargh!”

The Lord of the Solar Palace roared and threw out both hands with all his power.

People say even a cornered mouse will bite a cat. The Lord of the Solar Palace was much stronger than a mouse.

*Whoosh!*

The Lord of the Solar Palace’s energy, which had been getting weaker, suddenly exploded outwards like fire spreading fast. It rushed towards Baek Cheon, who was still moving forward in front.

Yoon Jong and Jo Gul yelled without thinking.

Just then, an arrow flew through the space Baek Cheon had made, risking his life.

*Whoosh!*

With a sound like a sharp blade slicing silk, Yoo Iseol’s Plum Blossom Sword cut through the flames and flew straight for the Lord of the Solar Palace’s forehead.

Yoo Iseol put all her power into that sword. One attack with everything she had, holding nothing back.

Yoo Iseol’s face, usually showing no feelings, now showed desperate strength, a wish even stronger than her strength.

‘Please!’

The sword tip reached the Lord of the Solar Palace’s forehead, just like Yoo Iseol and everyone else wanted.

But then –

*Clutch.*

The Lord of the Solar Palace grabbed Yoo Iseol’s sword. Because it was full of sword energy, his hand was hurt badly. The blade cut deep into his palm, breaking bone.

But even hurt, the Lord of the Solar Palace held tight to Yoo Iseol’s sword and wouldn’t let go.

‘Ah…….’

Yoo Iseol’s eyes, which always looked so strong, now shook.

It didn’t work.

Her attack, which risked everything, had failed. It was just a little bit too short.

She knew it right away. She would never get another chance like this.

Despair filled Yoo Iseol’s eyes. It was going to end badly.

“Aaaaargh!”

But then, a huge yell burst out from behind them.

It was a voice they didn’t know. But they could hear the desperation in it. The yell was right next to them as soon as they heard it, and then in front of them before they even understood what was happening.

They all saw the back of someone they didn’t know. Just looking at his back, you could feel his terrible desperation and anger.

Then, they saw the Lord of the Solar Palace’s eyes, wide with shock, and his mouth open.

‘Thousand-Faced……?’

The Thousand-Faced Scholar, who had appeared without anyone seeing him come, slammed his palm hard into the Lord of the Solar Palace’s chest, right where Jo Gul’s sword had cut.

*Wham!*

The moment the white hand struck his chest, the Lord of the Solar Palace spewed out blood like a fountain and was thrown backward.

All the Mount Hua students stopped moving. They couldn’t think straight. This was something they never expected.

“Huk, huk…….”

The Thousand-Faced Scholar landed on the ground, breathing hard. His face, covered in cuts, was twisted and ugly, like a demon.

“What is going on…….”

*Thud!*

Just as Jo Gul started to speak, confused by what he saw, the Lord of the Solar Palace fell to the ground with a heavy sound. He tried to stand up. His eyes were full of terrible anger, like he wanted to eat the Thousand-Faced Scholar alive.

“Th, this…… What…… Th, this……. You evil…… Cough!”

“L, Lord!”

Blood poured from the mouth of Jin Pyung, the Lord of the Solar Palace, who was about to explode with anger.

“Th……. Th…….”

He put his hand over his mouth and stared at the Thousand-Faced Scholar with burning eyes. Right then, his hate for the person who should have been on his side was as strong as it could be.

“You…… son of a…….”

His body became stiff like an old tree and he fell forward.

*Thud!*

It was the sound of a huge body hitting the ground. Then, the sound of his body burning on the hot ground came after.

Everyone was silent.

For a moment, no one spoke.

In the silence, the Thousand-Faced Scholar, Dam Yeo-hae, looked down at his shaking hand for a second, then bit his lip hard.

“……Damn it.”

Then, he stepped over the Lord of the Solar Palace and rushed forward like the wind.

It was the moment the last guard fell, killed by someone they never saw coming.