Return Of The Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1774

In the year 1774, a voice whispered urgently, “Who did you say it was?”

As Chung Myung slowly approached, the Thousand-Faced Strategist gripped his wrist tightly. A sharp pain shot through his wrist where the sword had cut.

“The Plum Blossom Sword Demon…”

A chilling bloodlust filled the air. It was hard to believe such power came from someone who was supposed to be good. Good or evil, he had never felt such strong, focused killing power before.

“My heart…”

The fear he had buried deep inside began to creep up. It was different from what he felt when facing the Overlord.

He feared the Overlord because he was unpredictable and could be cruel at any moment. But this man was different. Just standing near him made you feel small and afraid.

“…I don’t know who gave him the name, but Sword Demon suits him terribly well.”

The problem was that he now had to face that Sword Demon himself.

Paaah!

Chung Myung’s body blurred.

Even the Thousand-Faced Strategist, who thought his speed was unmatched, was shocked by such velocity.

However, he didn’t just stand there. He quickly made dozens of palm shadows in front of him.

Papatapat!

The sound of his sleeves fluttering echoed like a vast banner waving in the wind. The Thousand-Faced Strategist’s front was instantly covered entirely with white palm shadows.

Thousand-Faced Hands.

Also known as Myriad Flower Hands or Divine Palm of the Plain Hand, this best martial art of the Demonic Sect, bearing countless names, unleashed its great power on the moonlit field.

The sight of numerous hand shadows blooming white in the air and swirling around was so impressive that it almost resembled a blizzard.

The Thousand-Faced Strategist was certain he had perfectly blocked this attack. There wasn’t even a crack in the wall of energy he had built.

But.

Chwaaaaaaaak!

With a sound like tearing a huge silk cloth with a knife, the middle of the wall of palm shadows split vertically.

“What?”

It was an unbelievable sight.

A strange, jagged line suddenly appeared. It wasn’t a clean cut, but it was incredibly fast, faster than anything he had ever seen.

A sword strike that seemed to embody the word ‘unpredictable’ literally tore apart his palm shadows. Through the opened space, the Sword Demon rushed in silently, his eyes gleaming with a chilling light.

Kwagak!

There was no time to dodge. He barely managed to block the descending sword with his hand. It was a reflexive movement to save his life.

The Thousand-Faced Strategist’s face twisted in agony.

The sword had cut through his flesh and was now stuck in his bone. His hand, which he had made as strong as iron with his inner power, was being torn apart easily.

The Thousand-Faced Strategist clearly saw the crimson blood spurting from his snow-white palm and the Sword Demon’s merciless eyes beyond the sword.

Gagagak!

The sound of the twisting sword scraping against bone echoed chillingly. The Thousand-Faced Strategist gasped and thrust out three palms forward.

Kaang! Kaang! Kaang!

The three palm strikes, like flashes of light at point-blank range, were all blocked. But the Thousand-Faced Strategist, as if expecting this, unleashed another wave of energy with his bleeding right hand.

Uuuuuuung!

Energy was layered upon energy, and then covered again with more energy. The rapidly stacked energy soon transformed into a single, massive torrent, engulfing the one wielding the sword.

Simultaneously, the Thousand-Faced Strategist kicked off the ground and leaped backward.

“I need to create distance…”

If a swordsman and a martial artist clash at close range, the martial artist has the advantage. This is common sense.

But now was the time to trust instinct over common sense.

Kwaang!

Just then, the layered energy that the Thousand-Faced Strategist had poured out with all his might shattered into pieces and scattered in all directions, like an icicle struck hard by a stick.

The Thousand-Faced Strategist immediately realized that his instincts were correct.

However, not long after, he had to revise that realization.

Pararararak!

At first, it sounded like small things shaking. Soon, it became as noisy as thousands of birds flapping their wings, and it began to be heard from all directions.

The Thousand-Faced Strategist’s eyes grew wider and wider.

Like red paint spreading across a canvas, red blossoms spread across the dark sky.

“Plum blossoms!”

The symbol of Mount Hua, which had made the current Mount Hua the most famous sect in the world. Those plum blossoms instantly multiplied from dozens to hundreds, pouring down as if to engulf the Thousand-Faced Strategist’s entire body.

He had heard of them countless times. He had even seen them with his own eyes.

But the plum blossoms of Mount Hua, faced head-on like this, exerted a pressure that could not be compared to seeing them from the sidelines. It felt as if his whole body was being crushed.

Wasn’t it unbelievably vivid?

Each of those petals scattered like real flowers. The petals dyed the entire sky and fluttered down. This field, devoid of any breeze, seemed to be covered in the warm breeze of spring.

“Aaaargh!”

The Thousand-Faced Strategist frantically waved his hands. White palm shadows rose like clouds.

But no matter how many walls he built, he couldn’t possibly block all those petals.

Scratch!

A single petal grazed his thigh.

Scratch!

Another one pierced his solar plexus.

Scratch! Scratch! Scratch! Scratch!

Countless petals cut the Thousand-Faced Strategist’s body. His clothes were soon stained with blood, red like the fluttering petals.

‘Damn it.’

All martial arts inevitably have weaknesses.

They cannot be fast and slow at the same time, or strong and soft at the same time. Even if the perfection of a martial art is pushed to its limit, fundamental weaknesses must exist.

Therefore, the first thing to do when facing an enemy is to identify the distance at which you can secure a clear advantage. Whether or not you can maintain that distance is the first element that determines victory or defeat.

But distance meant nothing to him. It didn’t matter if he was close or far. The sword was dangerous. It had no weakness.

Scritch! Scritch! Scritch! Scritch!

Dam Yeohae was outnumbered and weaker. He was the Thousand-Faced Investigator. He usually tricked his enemies. But now, his tricks were being used against him. No, he was being crushed.

Each cut wasn’t very deep. But soon, there wouldn’t be a spot without a cut on his body.

‘How can I… Hmm?’

A glint appeared in Dam Yeohae’s eyes.

‘Could it be?’

He brought both hands together.

Scritch!

The petals fell like rain, hitting his body. But Dam Yeohae gritted his teeth and attacked with both palms.

“Haaaargh!”

Wham!

This time, Dam Yeohae didn’t try any tricks. He just attacked with full force.

The petals had been everywhere, like a storm. But then, they disappeared suddenly, like magic.

Wham!

A twisted power hit something and slammed into the ground.

“Haa! Haah!”

Dam Yeohae gasped for breath. Pain shot through Dam Yeohae’s body. It felt like tiny, hot needles were poking him everywhere. He could even smell the metallic tang of his own blood.

Dust rose and then slowly settled, making the air thick and grey. Through the dust, Chung Myung was standing there. He looked perfect, untouched by the fight. Not a hair out of place, his robes still clean. Dam Yeohae was a mess, covered in cuts and dirt. The difference between them was huge and obvious in the dusty air.

On the surface, they looked very different.

Yet, both of them looked strange. It was like neither knew who had won or lost.

Crack.

The Thousand-Faced Investigator lightly flicked his bloody hand.

‘What was that?’ Dam Yeohae thought, his mind racing. He felt a cold unease in his stomach. Something was wrong, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. It was like a tiny mistake in a perfect plan, something that shouldn’t be there but was, and it was driving him crazy.

The opening that Chung Myung had shown wasn’t a big deal. No one is perfect all the time. Even if he hadn’t made a mistake, it would have been hard to keep up that sword energy for long.

But Dam Yeohae couldn’t ignore the unease.

What was this feeling? It was like seeing one flag out of place among thousands. Something he couldn’t understand was bothering him.

What he knew and what he saw were different. He couldn’t tell what it was, though.

But how could he figure it out? Chung Myung was so calm, even after using so much sword energy. What could he do?

‘Hmm?’

Suddenly, Dam Yeohae’s eyes flashed.

He’d found it. He’d figured it out. But it was hard to believe. His mind and body disagreed.

‘I’ll know if I check,’ he decided. He had to be sure. So, he scattered dozens of streams of energy into the air once more.

The target was Chung Myung. The swordmaster of Mount Hua, standing as if looking down on the world.

Flick flick flick!

This time, the energy streams were different. They fluttered around Chung Myung like angry butterflies, their movements quick and sharp, ready to sting.

Soon, Chung Myung’s sword became many blades, cutting through the energy streams.

At the same time, Chung Myung appeared in front of Dam Yeohae and kicked him.

Thud!

Dam Yeohae flew backward.

His sleeve turned to dust, and a footprint was on his arm. He had blocked it, but not completely.

Thump!

Even though he was hurt, Dam Yeohae didn’t look like he had lost.

Dam Yeohae smiled. It wasn’t a happy smile. It was the smile of a wolf seeing a hurt animal, a cold and hungry smile that sent a shiver down your spine. He was truly happy to see his enemy weakened.

His body still didn’t believe it, but he knew the truth.

The stories about the Plum Blossom Sword Demon and the information from the Haho Clan were wrong. His understanding of Chung Myung, based on everything he knew, was wrong.

Dam Yeohae opened his mouth.

“…You’re standing there so calm… but it’s not because you *want* to, is it?”

“…”

“You couldn’t keep it up. Anyone else, but you, with your personality, would have wanted to kill me quickly.”

“…”

“You’re not rushing at me… that means you can’t, right? Are you out of energy? Or maybe you have too much and can’t control it? Doesn’t matter, same problem for you.”

Even Dam Yeohae chuckled to himself. He was looking down on Chung Myung, even though he hadn’t hurt him and was being pushed back.

But he knew he was right.

Chung Myung could have hurt him more, but his sword energy had weakened. He had given him a chance to rest, even after attacking.

It might have looked like calmness, but Dam Yeohae knew better. The Plum Blossom Sword Demon wouldn’t be easy on the Demonic Sect.

That’s right. There was only one answer.

“You…”

Dam Yeohae showed his bloody teeth.

“You’ve gotten weaker?”

“…”

Crack.

Dam Yeohae’s knuckles cracked.

Dam Yeohae, who had been staying away from Chung Myung, now stepped closer. Carefully, but without stopping.