Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 1795

All eyes snapped to a single point.

The figure who appeared in the middle of the explosion wore very fancy gold clothes, but his face was so noble and calm that he looked impressive, not silly.

But in this chaos, just looking good wasn’t enough to get everyone’s attention.

It was the powerful energy coming from this middle-aged man that made everyone take notice. You could even feel the heat from his energy. It was so strong, it felt like the air was burning.

This was the Lord of the Solar Palace. His Solar Yang energy was so strong that it scorched everything around him.

“Insignificant things…,” he said, his voice full of anger.

He thought it was foolish to let such unimportant people cause trouble. Didn’t they understand that if the enemy got too strong, they wouldn’t be able to control them?

‘But what would someone who hasn’t been in a real war know?’

He thought about the wars in the Central Plains. They were probably just small fights, maybe just chances for fighters to show off their skills. Thinking that way, their foolishness made sense, but he still didn’t like it.

Now, he was stuck in the same situation as these fools. He had already failed once, and he couldn’t just sit back and watch things get worse.

The Solar Palace Lord looked back at Jang Il-so, who was wearing red.

The Solar Palace Lord’s eyes, like hot flames, met Jang Il-so’s chilling smile.

“Hmph,” the Solar Palace Lord snorted.

‘He’s still part of the Black Cloud Clan. No matter how much he shows off, he has limits.’

He still wanted to crush Jang Il-so’s pride. He would never forget the shame Jang Il-so had caused him. The memory of being afraid of such a low person would stay with him until his last breath.

So, he had to get revenge, but not right now.

If a ship has a hole, it’s best to forget even your worst grudges for the moment. Only small-minded people worry about unimportant things instead of the big picture.

The Solar Palace Lord looked away from Jang Il-so.

Instead, he stared at the young swordsmen in front of him, the ones who had suddenly changed the mood of the battle. They were like sparks that needed to be put out.

A huge power started to gather in the Solar Palace Lord’s right hand.

Kroooooooh.

“The Central Plains people are all…,” he began.

The Solar Palace Lord knew that people follow power, and power comes from strength.

Perfect power is so strong that no one even thinks about fighting back.

“…They don’t know their place!”

The power in his hand burst out like a ball of white light, like a small sun.

Kwaaaang!

A massive explosion swept through the area.

The power was based on incredible inner strength. The force of the explosion blew away the Heavenly Union members. It wasn’t just the explosion itself; the force swept through everything.

Those who were hit directly melted away without even screaming, and those who survived were in terrible pain as their bodies burned.

“Aaaaargh!”

“Ack! My leg! My leeeeg!”

But no one paid attention to their screams or injuries. Everyone was staring at the ground where the Solar Palace Lord’s energy had hit.

Bzzzzzt.

It was boiling.

The ground bubbled and moved like hot, red liquid. The energy had been so strong that it had melted the earth.

“That…,” someone whispered.

‘How can a person do that?’

The heat on their faces and the sadness of losing their friends didn’t matter as much as this shocking sight.

Every martial artist has a different idea of what’s important.

Some try to make one strike as sharp as possible, while others try to break mountains with a single punch. Some want to cut things apart, while others want to become part of nature.

Everyone has their own way, so no one is wrong. They’re just different.

So, even if they reach the same level, they can do different things with their skills.

The Solar Palace Lord’s skills were amazing. Calling it ‘terrifying power’ wasn’t an exaggeration. There might be other martial artists as strong as him, but who else could do something like this?

Power that you only hear about is easy to doubt. And power that has been talked about for a long time becomes just an idea.

But the power they were seeing now made them feel fear deep in their bones.

The Solar Palace Lord’s robe, which had been waving in the energy, slowly fell back into place. He looked too calm for someone who had just caused such destruction.

That made the people watching feel even more afraid.

“Knowing your place is important,” the Solar Palace Lord said.

He put his hands behind his back and looked down at the people in front of him. Even though they were at the same height, he clearly felt superior.

“People who don’t know their place cause trouble.”

People are born different. No matter how hard unimportant people try, they can’t change what they were born as. The Solar Palace Lord believed this was absolutely true.

He couldn’t stand to see people who weren’t good enough acting like they were.

He was still angry, but he tried to stay calm as he spoke. Even raising his voice at these people would be beneath him.

“If you have eyes and can feel, you should understand with that small brain of yours.”

Thud.

The Solar Palace Lord took a step forward. Everything in front of him seemed to move at once.

It was like a great wave.

Power is sometimes measured by how much you can do with little effort. The Solar Palace Lord’s power was so great that even a king’s power seemed small.

This made the Solar Palace Lord even more excited.

“So…,” he said.

He took another step, creating an even bigger wave. He was about to take another step when he noticed something.

His gaze, which had been looking down on everyone, stopped somewhere. He saw someone still standing on the red earth, where he didn’t want anyone to stand.

Someone who should have been blown away, but had stubbornly stayed.

“Hmm,” the Solar Palace Lord said softly.

He was annoyed, not impressed. It was as if his pride had been slightly hurt.

The Solar Palace Lord frowned.

“You lasted well,” he said.

Of course, he didn’t show any more anger than that. He didn’t want to waste his emotions on someone so unimportant.

But the next words made him lose his patience.

“It was just luck,” Lee Song-baek said.

The Solar Palace Lord’s eyes narrowed.

“Who are you?” he asked.

It was a short question, but it was rare for the Solar Palace Lord to even remember someone’s name.

“I am Lee Song-baek of Jongnam,” he replied.

Lee Song-baek, holding his sword with his palm, stared at the Solar Palace Lord with a different look in his eyes than he showed his friends.

The Solar Palace Lord sneered.

“You’re too proud. You might have survived once by luck, but how long can you last with your weak skills?”

Lee Song-baek took a deep breath.

What the Solar Palace Lord said wasn’t wrong. His legs were shaking. It wasn’t about skill, but about inner strength. Lee Song-baek’s sword wasn’t strong enough to handle the Solar Palace Lord’s energy.

But he couldn’t retreat. Lee Song-baek grabbed his sword with both hands and prepared to fight.

“I don’t know how long I can last, but I will not retreat at least until I die,” he declared.

“…This is why I hate those who don’t know their place,” the Solar Palace Lord said, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Power is easily broken when someone fights back. It’s very fragile.

But the Solar Palace Lord knew how to fix power that had been damaged.

“You will be completely destroyed,” he threatened.

He would punish those who fought back without mercy.

Kroooooh!

Inner strength gathered in the Solar Palace Lord’s right hand again. It was so strong that it made people’s mouths dry and their hair stand on end.

The heat from the energy was enormous. Lee Song-baek’s skin felt like it was burning.

“Kuh…!”

Lee Song-baek poured all his inner strength into his sword.

But his thin sword couldn’t block the heat, let alone the energy.

‘What should I do?’ he wondered.

Lee Song-baek started breathing faster.

It could block everything, but only if he had enough power. He felt hopeless. Was his sword this weak?

‘No! No!’

Lee Song-baek bit his lip.

If he was lacking something, it wasn’t his sword, but his own strength. He couldn’t blame his sword for his own weakness.

“Melt and disappear!” the Solar Palace Lord shouted.

Kwaaaang!

The energy from the Solar Palace Lord’s right hand rushed toward Lee Song-baek.

At the same time, Lee Song-baek’s sword moved in every direction.

He attacked again and again, creating a wall of swords by pushing his body to its limit.

It was like a thousand hands moving at once.

It was the highest level of swordsmanship, creating an unbreakable wall, maybe even reaching perfection.

But….

Kuguuuung!

The wall twisted and melted.

It was too early to talk about perfection. The Solar Palace Lord’s energy crushed Lee Song-baek’s sword wall and kept going. Even an unbreakable wall was crushed like paper.

“Disappear!” the Solar Palace Lord yelled.

Lee Song-baek gritted his teeth.

Give up? He would never!

He tried to attack again. Even if it was useless, he couldn’t stop. He knew that better than anyone.

Just as Lee Song-baek was about to shout, something shot out from behind him.

‘What?’ he thought.

It was a bright golden light, and a sword stronger than the Solar Palace Lord’s energy.

The two energies crashed into the Solar Palace Lord’s attack, causing a huge explosion.

Kwaaaang!

“Cough!” Lee Song-baek coughed as he was thrown backward by the force of the explosion.

But before he could fall, two strong hands grabbed his shoulders.

Lee Song-baek opened his eyes as the shock wore off.

“Amitabha,” a familiar voice said.

“Excellent, Benefactor. You don’t have to do it alone,” Hye-yeon said.

“Uh…,” Lee Song-baek mumbled.

“It seems the elements are not compatible. We will take over here,” Namgung Dowi added.

Lee Song-baek didn’t need to look to know who they were.

If Cheong-myeong didn’t exist, these two would be the strongest in the world. And they might have been Lee Song-baek’s rivals.

“You two…,” he said.

Hye-yeon of Shaolin and Namgung Dowi of Namgung stepped forward, letting go of Lee Song-baek’s shoulders.

“He seems strong. Be careful, Benefactor,” Hye-yeon warned.

“He certainly seems so, Monk. But well…,” Namgung Dowi said with a smile.

“Who can compare to that monster?”

“Haha. That is true,” Hye-yeon agreed.

The Solar Palace Lord’s face twisted in anger as he looked at the two of them.