Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1775

Chung Myung’s gaze turned chilling.

Even under such a gaze, the Thousand-Faced Strategist no longer felt the same fear as before.

‘He is strong. There’s no denying it.’

‘But not as much as I’d heard. And I’m certain he won’t be able to maintain his current strength.’

The Thousand-Faced Strategist subtly licked his lips. The familiar sensation of his own lips and the awkward feel of the dangling mask simultaneously brushed against the tip of his tongue.

‘The reinforcements… they should arrive before long.’

This place was, quite literally, a dragon’s den. If the reinforcements arrived, even the Thousand-Faced Strategist, Dam Yeohae, would find it impossible to escape this place alive. It would be wise to retreat immediately.

Knowing this, the Thousand-Faced Strategist hesitated.

Which would come sooner, the arrival of the Heavenly Alliance’s reinforcements, or the Sword Demon’s real strength showing?

No one could be certain. But…

“Sometimes, in life…”

A pure white energy began to gather in the Thousand-Faced Strategist’s hands.

“There are times when you have to gamble!”

Bang!

The Thousand-Faced Strategist kicked off the ground with great force.

Kwaaaaaah!

The energy erupting from both hands swirled around like a fierce blizzard. As if the north sea’s bitter winds were blowing, the surroundings were instantly dyed white.

Gggk.

In that world of white, there was only one figure of black.

Chung Myung, having raised the sword he had been holding, faced the blizzard of energy pouring down on him without the slightest tremor.

Black eyes contrasted with his pale complexion. His expression twisted fiercely.

Whirr.

The tip of his sword seemed to tremble, and then, countless blossoms began to bloom.

The sight of plum blossoms blooming in the snow was both bizarre and magnificent.

A grand spectacle that only two people in the world could witness, too magnificent for just the two of them.

Paaah!

The plum petals that spread in all directions collided with the swirling energy like snowflakes.

Clang! Ka-gagang!

Explosions and metallic sounds erupted simultaneously, a noise that could never have come from the collision of petals and snowflakes.

It sounded like a massive chunk of metal being crushed, or a giant beast from a dream howling. The smell of ozone filled the air, and the wind felt sharp against the skin.

The Thousand-Faced Strategist’s eyes were bloodshot.

‘A monster…!’

The Thousand-Faced Strategist could not even control the changes he himself was creating.

Yet, the plum blossom sword energy was blocking every single bit of the energy that the Thousand-Faced Strategist had unleashed without fully comprehending.

He was unsure whether to call the emotion surging within him astonishment or awe.

Even mentioning pride was laughable. The Thousand-Faced Strategist as a martial artist, and the Plum Blossom Sword Demon as a swordsman. Which one stood above was clear from this scene alone, and there was no need to discuss it further.

Even to the Thousand-Faced Strategist, who had watched countless strong individuals and witnessed many realms, the swordsmanship of that swordsman was so lofty that it defied explanation.

But that was precisely why…

“Taaaaah!”

The Thousand-Faced Strategist drew upon every ounce of his inner strength and unleashed his power.

That sword energy was incredibly powerful. As such, maintaining it would naturally consume immense mental and internal energy.

Kwaaaaaah!

The swirling blizzard piled up, turning into an avalanche that crashed down on Chung Myung. The swirling energy became a crushing weight, like a mountain of snow falling on him.

The Thousand-Faced Strategist, Dam Yeohae, displayed a level of skill that was not lacking in his reputation as the greatest of the Demonic Sects… no, rather, it surpassed it.

Kwaaaaaah!

As expected, the red blossoms that had been blooming endlessly faltered. Even the snow plum blossoms, which bloomed without losing their life in the chillingly cold snow mountains of midwinter, could not withstand the weight of the falling snow.

The blooming blossoms were being crushed by the pressure of the accumulated energy.

“Aaargh!”

A metallic shriek burst from the Thousand-Faced Strategist’s mouth.

There was no chance of winning in a battle of change and illusion. That had already been confirmed. But in a battle of internal energy, he could take the lead. He had now seized that possibility.

His dantian screamed. But Dam Yeohae stubbornly unleashed his power, even as blood flowed from his mouth.

This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Perhaps a single chance that would never come again.

Plum Blossom Sword Demon Chung Myung. If he could kill that Mount Hua Sword Champion, it would greatly change the war in favor of the Demonic Alliance. That would mean achieving an incredibly great feat…

In that moment, his hand twitched.

‘That’ happened at the same time as Dam Yeohae’s hesitation. Or perhaps even before.

Whirr.

The plum blossom petals that had been struggling to hold back the avalanche vanished in an instant. As if everything Dam Yeohae had seen until now had been an illusion.

Dam Yeohae’s eyes shook violently.

‘He’s not blocking it?’

If he wasn’t planning to end his own life, what on earth was he thinking, doing something like that? Unless he had finally lost his mind…

“If you want to die that badly, I’ll grant your wish!”

It was the moment Dam Yeohae was about to squeeze out every last bit of his remaining strength.

Twitch.

Goosebumps erupted all over his body. It was a warning from his instincts, something Dam Yeohae had never felt before. A warning from his soul, ringing out as it squeezed out its life force.

At first, it was just a tiny red dot in the midst of the all-white world, like a drop of blood on white paper. An extremely subtle change.

But that red dot soon transformed into a form that the Thousand-Faced Strategist had never seen before, and it engulfed the pure white energy.

Kwaaaaaah!

A sudden torrent surged over the dam. A red energy surged, swallowing and overwhelming his power. Accompanied by a deafening roar.

Kwakwakwakwa!

The red torrent crashed down violently. It was another form of death.

“Ugh, aargh!”

Sensing that there was no way to stop the torrent, the Thousand-Faced Strategist threw himself to the side with all his might.

And in that moment…

The Thousand-Faced Strategist saw him. The swordsman who was already waiting for him in the direction he had thrown himself. Eyes as cold as to freeze his very soul.

Paaah!

The Thousand-Faced Strategist retreated more than ten feet in a single step.

His whole body was drenched in cold sweat. He could not control his trembling gaze as he stared ahead. And as he saw the figure standing alone in the distance, his mouth fell open and he began to breathe heavily.

“Haa, haa…”

His jaw dropped, and his chest heaved.

The Thousand-Faced Strategist’s gaze shifted slightly downward.

Something small had fallen on the ground a little ahead of where Chung Myung was standing. It was both familiar and terribly strange.

“……”

The Thousand-Faced Strategist silently raised his left hand.

It was gone.

The little and ring fingers of his left hand, which had always reliably supported his martial arts, had disappeared. The places where his fingers should have been were cut off from the base, pouring out hot blood.

Instead of stopping the bleeding, the Thousand-Faced Strategist clutched his lower abdomen with his bleeding hand.

Trickle.

Blood was gushing out between the torn clothes. The moment he took his hand away, his stomach would split open and his intestines would spill out.

In that fleeting exchange, he had his two fingers cut off with a sword and his lower abdomen slashed open in an instant.

If it had gone in just two inches, no, even one inch deeper, he would already be dead.

“……You.”

The Thousand-Faced Strategist looked back at Chung Myung with a shocked expression.

Chung Myung’s complexion was deathly pale, and dark blood streamed from his mouth.

The Thousand-Faced Strategist bit his lip tightly.

The wounds he had suffered, no matter how serious they seemed, were ultimately just superficial lacerations. But that Plum Blossom Sword Demon had suffered internal injuries and was bleeding dark blood.

Perhaps, even at this moment, the Thousand-Faced Strategist was still at an advantage. Not because his injuries were light, but because the other man’s internal injuries were severe.

But…

In that moment, Chung Myung opened his mouth.

“I’ve gotten weaker… I suppose that’s not entirely wrong.”

“……”

“But so what?”

A faint sneer appeared on Chung Myung’s lips. The sight of his black-stained lips curving into a smile sent a chill down even the Thousand-Faced Strategist’s spine.

“So what can someone like you do?”

The Thousand-Faced Strategist could not bring himself to rush at Chung Myung.

Perhaps Chung Myung’s words were nothing more than a bluff. Perhaps the Thousand-Faced Strategist could end the Plum Blossom Sword Demon’s life with a light attack, given his internal injuries.

With just one burst of power.

But knowing all this, he could not dare to reach out his hand. He could not even bring himself to take a step forward, let alone attack. It felt like facing a dark, deadly river.

Large beads of sweat trickled down the Thousand-Faced Strategist’s chin.

The only reason he didn’t turn around and run away immediately was the last desperate act of his wounded pride.

“Indeed… perhaps so.”

The Thousand-Faced Strategist said, his face twisted hideously.

“But what if? You might be able to handle me, but what about the others? Can you really protect the others as you have until now, in your weakened state?”

Chung Myung stared at the Thousand-Faced Strategist without a word. The Thousand-Faced Strategist also met Chung Myung’s gaze with eyes full of defiance. Fear warred with a desperate desire to maintain his pride.

“I will watch with these very eyes. And I will return to laugh at you when you have lost everything.”

After a moment of silence…

Paat.

The Thousand-Faced Strategist’s figure disappeared as if it had simply vanished.

Chung Myung silently stared at the spot where the Thousand-Faced Strategist had disappeared. And after staring at that spot for a long time, he suddenly bent over like a shrimp.

“Ugh.”

Chung Myung quickly covered his mouth with his hand.

“Uwaaaaaaaah!”

Dark blood poured out between his splayed fingers. After vomiting blood several times, he clenched his black-stained fist. Doubt gnawed at him, even as a grim satisfaction flickered in his dark eyes. Had he truly won? Or had he just barely survived?

No one but Chung Myung could know the emotions contained within that faintly trembling fist.

Chung Myung, who had been bent over for a long time, slowly raised his head and looked up at the night sky. The dark night sky, where dawn had not yet arrived. The stars, as always, offered no words.

How long had he been standing there?

“……What?”

Chung Myung’s head turned. Towards a person slowly approaching through the darkness and solitude.

Doubt gradually bloomed in Chung Myung’s indifferent eyes.

“Who… are you?”

Deep and profound eyes, contrasting with Chung Myung’s abyss-like eyes, were shining softly.

“Om Mani Padme Hum.”

“……”

“I have been wanting to meet you, Benefactor.”

The Dalai Lama, with his hands clasped reverently, bowed slightly towards Chung Myung.

Baek Cheon’s eyes darted around, unsure where to look.

“What… what did you just say…”

His breath grew ragged, and his vision blurred. It felt like he was falling alone into an endless abyss.

“Who did you say it was?”

‘The head of the Mount Chang Sect that you abandoned.’ Is that what he said?

“Heh heh.”

The man who identified himself as Jin Songwon let out a suppressed laugh.

“Why? Are you feeling guilty now?”

“I’m…”

Jin Songwon glared at Baek Cheon with murderous eyes.

“Or are you panicking because those who should have died have come back to life? Mount Hua’s acting sect leader, Baek Cheon?”

Baek Cheon closed his eyes tightly. His hands trembled slightly, and his heart raced. What exactly was he guilty about? What did he think happened at Mount Chang?

If their identities were as they claimed, it was understandable. The hatred and resentment they poured out on him.

But first, he had to hear it.

“Please tell me.”

“……What?”

“I must hear it.”

Baek Cheon faced Jin Songwon with a resolute attitude.

“What happened to Mount Chang, why you are here, tell me everything.”

It was time to face all the realities.