Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1745

The masked man left the tent, his steps heading outside the camp.

Warriors of the Four Seas Alliance were not allowed to leave the area their leaders had set. But that rule didn’t seem to apply to the masked man.

As he neared the edge of the camp, some people glanced at him. But as soon as they recognized him, they quickly looked away.

He noticed the glances, but didn’t react. It wasn’t that he ignored them, or didn’t care. They simply didn’t matter to him.

The masked man walked across the wide plain towards a small mountain. After going deep into the mountain, he saw several tents.

This place was far from the Four Seas Alliance camp. Most of the warriors probably didn’t even know it existed.

The masked man stared at the tent in front, his dark eyes unreadable. Then, he opened the entrance and stepped inside.

As soon as he stepped inside the tent, a musty smell hit his nose.

The stale stench of humans, the smell of rotting blood, and the rust from poorly kept steel mixed together, almost suffocating him.

Even though it wasn’t sunset yet, the inside of the tent was dim.

The masked man’s eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness.

Rough mats were scattered around, and people were lying on them. They must have sensed him, but no one even looked up.

The only sign of life was the soft breathing coming from different corners of the tent.

Anyone seeing this would think it was a camp for defeated soldiers, or even a prison. Even the masked man thought this place looked like a camp for defeated soldiers, or even a prison.

The masked man took a step, feeling the stale air. Then he spoke to those who didn’t even glance at him.

“A moment.”

He meant, ‘Please pay attention for a moment,’ but no one answered.

“…A letter has arrived.”

This got a reaction. Those who had been so still that they seemed dead slowly turned to look at the masked man.

They wore dirty martial uniforms and black masks. Through the holes in the masks, their eyes seemed utterly empty.

The masked man took out the letter and threw it to the person closest to him.

“There doesn’t seem to be any problem.”

The person who got the letter checked it without a word. Then, he passed it to the next person with a bored gesture.

His hand moved slowly.

Neither the person passing the letter nor the person receiving it showed any interest. But they kept reading the letter and passing it on.

It took a long time for everyone to read the letter. The last person folded it and gave it back to the masked man.

The masked man took the letter, put it away, looked around, and turned to leave. He had to show the letter to those in the other tents too.

Then, he heard a small sound.

“Heh.”

The masked man turned towards the sound, his gaze cold. But the person who chuckled didn’t seem worried.

“I don’t know…” a voice mumbled, flat and empty. No, ‘lifeless’ was a better word for it. “Whether it’s lucky… or not.”

He trailed off, but the unspoken words hung heavy in the dim air. Everyone in the tent knew what he meant.

“What are you getting at?” the masked man asked, his voice sharp.

“Nothing,” the man chuckled, a dry, humorless sound. “Just laughing. Looks like we get to be those bastards’ dogs a little longer.”

The masked man’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“It’s fortunate, isn’t it? Too fortunate?”

“Shut your mouth.”

“Why are you doing this? I’m saying it’s fortunate. Or maybe… you don’t think so?”

The corner of the man’s mouth twisted.

“Could it be that you’re even regretting it…?”

“You!”

His sword flashed out like lightning, aimed at the man’s neck. The sharp tip touched the skin below the mask, and a drop of blood appeared.

But the man didn’t react.

It wasn’t because he was brave. He just wouldn’t feel anything, even if his head was cut off.

The masked man saw the terrible emptiness in his eyes. He bit his lip and pulled back his sword. Then, as if he couldn’t stand to look at the man, he turned away and spat out the words he couldn’t hold back.

“Saying things like that won’t change anything. No one forced you to choose.”

Another low laugh came out. It was a sad laugh, not a mocking one.

“When is the next battle?”

“…I don’t know yet.”

“I see.”

No one said anything else.

But the masked man knew that the question about the next battle meant the man would rather die fighting than live like this.

“Does it end when you die? If it were that easy, I wouldn’t wear this mask.”

Several people lowered their heads silently.

The masked man laughed sadly.

“We don’t even have a hell to fall into. You should know that.”

“Don’t think about anything. If you’re confused, get some more sleep.”

He knew they were staring at him with despair, but he ignored them and left the tent.

Sunlight suddenly hit his face.

The light stung his eyes. He touched the mask on his face, wanting to keep the light away so no one could see his face.

‘There’s not much left.’

No… Was that really true?

The war would end somehow. But would there really be an end for them?

He looked down, avoiding the sky, and walked towards the next tent.

Far away, dark clouds were slowly coming, as if trying to hide him from the sky.

“He’s not here.”

“I suppose not.”

Jegeal Jonghyo answered without much disappointment, but he looked annoyed.

How many more days would they waste on this search? They had searched all of Mount Wudang and were now searching private homes.

Were they really going to find one person in this huge world?

“Since he’s not here after all this searching, he must be far away.”

“But isn’t it strange, brother? He doesn’t have his martial arts anymore…”

“Even so, he was the acting leader of the Mount Hua Sect.”

“If he doesn’t have martial arts, isn’t he just an ordinary person?”

“Watch your mouth.”

“…I’m sorry.”

Even though he spoke sharply, Jegeal Jonghyo felt the same way.

‘Baek Cheon.’

Mount Hua’s Righteous Sword, Baek Cheon. The leader of the Mount Hua Five Swords, famous throughout the land, and the next leader of Mount Hua.

He was a swordsman with a bright future.

‘It’s a shame.’

He didn’t understand why the leaders were so desperate to find Baek Cheon.

But it was still a waste of time.

‘This is nothing but a waste.’

No matter how great he was, he was now just an ordinary person without martial arts. What would they do if they found him?

Even if he still had his martial arts, it wouldn’t matter.

They were in the middle of a big battle with the Four Seas Alliance. It was a waste to use so many people to find one person. Could that one person change the war?

“Hoo.”

Jegeal Jonghyo sighed. His cousin spoke carefully.

“Brother.”

“Why?”

“Isn’t it time to tell them to give up? We can’t say much, but doesn’t the head of the family understand the situation?”

Jegeal Jonghyo didn’t answer.

“Everyone is complaining, even if they don’t say it. There’s no need to…”

“Then keep your mouth shut.”

“Brother.”

“Stop wasting time and search again.”

“…Yes.”

Jegeal Jonghyo sighed and looked away.

‘Stupid…’

He had said it directly many times. The head of the family knew it was pointless.

He couldn’t say it strongly because Mount Hua and Jongnam were pushing for the search. Even the Tang family supported them.

The most powerful families in the Heavenly Union all agreed, so the Jegeal family, who had joined later, wouldn’t be heard.

“Just a little more.”

“If we suffer for a day or two more, they’ll realize it’s pointless.”

“Will people who know that do this?”

“At least we’ll have a reason to speak strongly to them.”

Jegeal Dongin sighed.

“Yes, yes. I understand. You’re saying we should keep going for now, even if it’s pointless.”

“To be honest, I don’t see how this is different from the old Nine Sects. I thought the Heavenly Union would be better, but…”

“…Your mouth invites trouble.”

“I understand.”

Jegeal Jonghyo clicked his tongue.

His cousin was right. The Heavenly Union wasn’t like this before. He had envied it, even when he was with the Nine Sects.

But the current Heavenly Union didn’t feel the same. Did every large group end up like this?

‘No. There must be another reason.’

When the Heavenly Union became famous, one person’s name was always mentioned. But lately, that name wasn’t heard as often.

Was that when the Heavenly Union lost its energy, and more people became frustrated?

‘Mount Hua Sword Saint, Chung Myung.’

What was he thinking? He should be the most upset about Baek Cheon, but he was strangely quiet.

Had he changed because he was leading a large group?

Jegeal Jonghyo shook his head, stopping his thoughts.

He couldn’t know for sure. He had to do his job. He cleared his head and started searching again.

And where they couldn’t see… red eyes were watching.

The Blood Demon Lord smiled as he watched the two men leave the village. Just two of them walking around at the foot of the mountain.

“I wasn’t expecting much of a guard, but this feels like they’re ignoring me.”

Did they think the Four Seas Alliance wouldn’t attack? Or was finding Baek Cheon more important?

“Lord, the order.”

“Hmm.”

The Blood Demon Lord’s eyes turned cold.

It was probably a trap. The Heavenly Union had some smart people.

But…

“It’s not bad either.”

Strike the grass to see what comes out.

“If we’re going to strike, let’s do it right.”

The Blood Demon Lord smiled bitterly.

“Kill all the ones that stand out.”

“Yes!”

The cultists he had brought with him shot forward like venomous snakes. The Blood Demon Lord’s eyes glowed red.