Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1714

“Cough!”

“Elder! You must not push yourself too hard!”

As Heogong coughed weakly, the disciples of the Wudang Sect, their faces pale, tried to stop him.

It was a natural reaction.

Heogong had used up his life force, the energy that lets him breathe. He was so weak, it wouldn’t be surprising if he coughed up blood and died right there.

“Elder!”

“Step back.”

However, those who tried to stop him had to pause, intimidated by Heogong’s strong gesture. Even though his face was as white as death, his eyes were strong and commanded respect.

“Cough.”

Heogong coughed again, then got out of the bed. His movements were slow, but steady.

He looked at Tang Gun-ak and spoke softly.

“You said that the Mount Hua Sect Leader’s body is filled with fire energy?”

Tang Gun-ak stared at him, slightly confused.

Baek Cheon was in bad shape, but Heogong’s condition was also critical. It was clear that even staying awake would be hard.

“Clan Lord.”

“…Ah.”

Heogong called out again in a firm voice, and Tang Gun-ak finally snapped out of it, sighing.

“Didn’t I say? The Mount Hua Sect Leader’s body is already beyond saving…”

Heogong quietly stared at Baek Cheon, who was unconscious.

His body seemed to be full of fire energy. It was easy to understand why Tang Gun-ak had said that he couldn’t even touch him.

“No medicine will work on the current Mount Hua Sect Leader. No treatment….”

“Yes. It would be pointless. The balance is already broken.”

As Tang Gun-ak nodded, looking sad, Heogong said,

“But… if we can fix the broken balance, your healing skills could save him, Clan Lord.”

After a moment of silence, Tang Gun-ak asked, confused.

“…What did you just say?”

Instead of answering, Heogong looked closely at Baek Cheon, his eyes deep in thought. After staring for a long time, Heogong finally ordered the Wudang disciples, who were nervous.

“Bring the Divine Pill.”

“Elder!”

The faces of the Wudang disciples turned pale at the words ‘Divine Pill’.

“Are you talking about the… the Supreme Divine Pill?”

The Supreme Divine Pill was very special, even more valuable than the Supreme Purity Pill. The Purity Pill was famous as Wudang’s best medicine. Even the Wudang Sect Leader could not easily get it. You can imagine how valuable it was.

But there was another reason why the Wudang disciples were surprised now.

“Are you thinking of using the Supreme Divine Pill on the Mount Hua Sect Leader?”

Heogong stared blankly at the surprised Wudang disciples, without saying a word. One of the Wudang disciples cried out, shocked.

“No, it can’t be! It can’t be, Elder! There is only one Divine Pill left in Wudang right now. And isn’t that Divine Pill a precious object that the Elder should use?”

Tang Gun-ak flinched.

Heogong was also in a critical state, having used up all of his inner energy. There was no way to recover his damaged energy with ordinary medicines.

“Please cancel that order! It can’t be done. Ah, even if they are from Mount Hua…”

“Watch your words.”

Heogong cut him off with a stern voice.

“My condition is not good, but it is not as bad as the Mount Hua Sect Leader’s. And the Supreme Purity Pill can help my body enough.”

“You may be able to manage it.”

Moo-jin, who had been watching the situation, spoke. Heogong’s gaze turned to him.

“But that will only just keep me alive. If you take the Supreme Purity Pill instead of the Supreme Divine Pill… you may be able to save your life, but you will lose your martial arts forever.”

“……”

“Heogong, the man, might live, but Heogong, the fighter, will be lost forever.”

Everyone in the room, even the disciples of Mount Hua who were watching anxiously, were horrified.

What kind of person was Heogong?

He was very important to Wudang, carrying their hopes. Wudang and Shaolin were the two most powerful groups in the martial world, and he was a leader in Wudang. Because of his age and experience, you could even say he *was* Wudang.

The disciples of Mount Hua also remembered clearly Heogong’s appearance, fighting against Chung Myung. Of course, even if that sword did not hit Chung Myung, no one could deny that he was the one who would lead the next generation of the martial world.

Such a person would lose his martial arts forever.

Although Heogong and many other Wudang swordsmen had died in this incident, Heogong’s sacrifice was not something that could be easily ignored.

In fact, it was even more serious because so many people had died.

Heogong was so important for the future of Wudang, especially as they needed to rebuild after this disaster. The future of Wudang would change depending on him.

Knowing this, even the disciples of Mount Hua could not speak. Who would dare to ask Heogong to save Baek Cheon by giving up his martial arts?

Moo-jin asked.

“Even so… are you really going to do that?”

But Heogong simply shook his head.

“Moo-jin. You are wrong.”

“…Elder.”

“It’s not about me living as a man and dying as a fighter.”

A small smile appeared on Heogong’s lips.

“I have always been a Taoist, and I will simply remain a Taoist.”

His voice was very calm. His eyes were like a lake without a breeze. Moo-jin, seeing this, slowly nodded his head.

“What are you doing?”

“Moo-jin, Uncle….”

“It is the Elder’s order. Bring the Divine Pill!”

The Wudang disciples bit their lips tightly. With Heogong and Moo-jin giving the same order, no one could refuse.

As some ran to get the Divine Pill, Heogong turned his gaze to the disciples of Mount Hua, who had fallen silent, and to Baek Cheon, who had lost consciousness.

Tang Gun-ak hesitated before speaking.

“…Hey, Heogong Jin-in.”

“Just call me Heogong. Jin-in is too formal.”

“Titles don’t matter now. What on earth are you thinking? The Mount Hua Sect Leader’s body is now….”

“Medicine can’t save him now. But maybe martial arts, Wudang’s martial arts, can.”

“Is that true?”

A faint smile spread across Heogong’s pale face.

“That’s what Tai Chi is about. Even when things are broken and fall apart, they can come back together and find balance again. That’s how the world works, and how people work. I’m just helping to make that happen.”

Tang Gun-ak nodded heavily.

There was no way to fix the broken balance with medicine. But if it was Wudang’s martial arts, which was based on the balance of yin and yang from the beginning, there might be a way to control the fire energy in that body.

“But then… what about you, Elder?”

Yoon Jong hesitated to speak, but Heogong’s expression did not change. His somewhat blunt appearance was the same as usual.

“I am alive. Right here.”

“……”

“Mount Hua Sect Leader saved my life. And not just mine. If Mount Hua and their leader hadn’t come all the way here to help, none of us would be alive.”

Heogong closed his eyes tightly.

The image of Baek Cheon jumping over that cliff and appearing was vivid. What Heogong saw at that time was not just joy.

“I’m not saying this will repay what they did for us. I know it can’t repay everything. But if we can give back even a little of the kindness we received, if this can help the Mount Hua Sect Leader live…”

Heogong opened his eyes. There was no wavering in his eyes as he stared at Baek Cheon.

“That’s enough.”

No one dared to speak.

Because they could not know how difficult that calm word was.

“Taoist Master….”

“Elder!”

At that time, the Wudang disciples who had left returned. They were holding something in their arms. Heogong silently accepted the small jade box that they held out with trembling hands.

When he opened the small box with the Tai Chi pattern on it, two pills the size of a little fingernail appeared.

One was white, and the other was black.

“This is….”

“These are the ultimate yang and ultimate yin pills. Yang is like fire and yin is like water – two opposite but connected energies.”

Tang Gun-ak nodded greatly. But even Tang Gun-ak had no idea how to use these divine pills. He couldn’t even get a sense of it.

At that time, Heogong picked up the white divine pill and handed it to Tang Gun-ak.

“Give this to the Mount Hua Sect Leader.”

“Are you saying to give it to him? But if we do that…”

“Don’t worry. Leave the rest to me.”

Tang Gun-ak bit his lip slightly. It was too risky to trust only Heogong’s words.

‘But there is no other way.’

If left as it is, Baek Cheon will surely die. So now, he has no choice but to trust Heogong and Wudang.

“Protect the Mount Hua Sect Leader!”

“Yes!”

As Tang Gun-ak made a quick decision, the disciples of Mount Hua also guarded Baek Cheon with tense faces. Tang Gun-ak approached Baek Cheon, stared at his face, and bit his lip tightly.

‘No, what I have to believe in now is rather….’

He believed that this man would surely endure. That he would not die in a place like this.

Paat.

Golden needles began to be inserted into Baek Cheon’s neck and chest. As Baek Cheon’s mouth opened on its own, Tang Gun-ak put energy into the hand holding the white pill. The melted pill flowed into Baek Cheon’s mouth.

“Heogong Taoist Master!”

Heogong opened his slightly closed eyes. He then poured the black pill remaining in the jade box into his mouth and sat cross-legged in that spot.

Oooooong!

Yang energy soared from Heogong’s body as if it were boiling.

He circulated the energy of the divine pill throughout his body and slowly rose to approach Baek Cheon.

‘Yin and yang are different, but they are also the same. They meet and combine….’

This is the goal of Wudang Tai Chi – to find perfect balance. If Heogong can reach that balance, even for a moment, Baek Cheon might live.

Step.

Those surrounding Baek Cheon came into view. They stood by his side, united, like they shared the same fate.

A smile unknowingly bloomed on Heogong’s lips.

‘A good sect.’

Perhaps he had now truly come to acknowledge the Mount Hua Sect.

“Sect Brother! Uncle’s body is…!”

“…Calm down, Geolae.”

Baek Cheon’s body froze. At the same time, it was burning.

The yang energy filled inside the body collided with the yin energy and began to burst out of the body. And Baek Cheon’s infinitely weakened body would not be able to withstand this shock.

In the moment when the faces of the Five Swords twisted, Heogong lightly touched Baek Cheon’s forehead and said,

“Don’t worry. My path and your path are not so different…”

Then he slowly closed his eyes.

“The path of Mount Hua and the path of Wudang are also not so different.”

A clear and pure energy flowed from him and entered Baek Cheon.

“Eventually, we will all reach that understanding.”

Right there, Tao existed.