Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 195

Chung Myung and Tang Gun-ak stood facing each other.

Those watching them swallowed hard, their throats suddenly dry.

Chung Myung’s supporters were very nervous.

“Sasuk…,” Yoon Jong asked, his voice trembling.

“The Tang Family Head is incredibly strong, right?”

“…Probably.”

“How strong could he be?”

Baek Cheon frowned.

How strong?

It was a difficult question.

“I don’t know about the entire world, but in Sichuan, he’d be in the top three, at least.”

“…That strong?”

Yoon Jong’s face paled slightly.

Top three…

How vast was the land of Sichuan! Moreover, Sichuan was home to the Emei Sect and the Mount Qingcheng Sect, both of which were among the Nine Great Sects. And yet, he was ranked among the top three?

“Can Chung Myung really face someone like that?”

“…”

Baek Cheon pressed his lips together tightly.

In truth, the only answer he could give was, ‘I don’t know.’

To compare strength, you need a way to measure it. To understand how strong Yoon Jong is, Baek Cheon would first need to know how strong he is compared to Yoon Jong.

Baek Cheon felt he couldn’t even begin to measure how strong Tang Gun-ak was. He was just incredibly strong.

That was how strong Tang Gun-ak was.

Very strong.

‘But isn’t that the same for Chung Myung?’

Chung Myung was equally unmeasurable by Baek Cheon’s standards. How could he predict the outcome when two people whose strength he couldn’t understand were about to clash?

Just…

“Winning? That’s impossible,” Baek Cheon said. “But… maybe he can last ten seconds.”

“…”

Baek Cheon said with conviction.

“A normal student wouldn’t last even a second against the Tang Family Head, certainly not ten seconds. But Chung Myung is not normal, right?”

Baek Cheon’s eyes fixed on Chung Myung’s back.

‘He told us to watch without blinking?’

Baek Cheon knew.

If Chung Myung had wanted to, he could have avoided the contest with Tang Gun-ak. There were other ways to prove his strength besides a duel.

But Chung Myung had instead provoked Tang Gun-ak, creating this situation.

And he told them to watch.

Why?

‘That damned brat!’

Baek Cheon gritted his teeth.

What Mount Hua lacked most.

One was internal energy.

And the other?

Obvious.

‘An absolute master.’

It wasn’t that Mount Hua lacked a strongman to fill its martial prowess. It meant they had no one to look up to, no strong example for the students to learn from.

Of course, there were Un Geom and Hyun Sang, but they couldn’t show the disciples what an absolute master truly was. There was no way to make them understand how strong someone who had transcended human limits and entered the realm of Supreme Mastery truly was.

So, the Mount Hua students could only guess at true strength. They tried to imagine it, because they had never seen or felt it themselves, and they made that imagined strength their goal.

Before such disciples of Mount Hua, an absolute master who could overwhelm the world had finally appeared.

Baek Cheon bit his lip.

‘Alright. I won’t miss a single thing.’

No matter how accurately they guessed, it would be worlds apart from seeing it directly.

Just by watching this fight, Baek Cheon and the other Mount Hua students could learn and become stronger.

With such conviction, Baek Cheon clenched his fist tightly.

Tang Gun-ak frowned slightly as he looked at Chung Myung standing before him.

‘I can’t tell.’

When facing someone like this, one could usually get a sense of their level to some extent. One could tell whether they were weaker or stronger than oneself.

But Chung Myung, standing in front of him, was a mystery. Tang Gun-ak couldn’t understand him at all.

He seemed simple, but also complicated. He seemed like a fool, but sometimes he was so clever it surprised Tang Gun-ak.

‘Should I call him strange?’

How could one person possess so many different facets?

This wasn’t about wanting to win. It was more like curiosity.

Tang Gun-ak was so curious about what was inside this fellow that he couldn’t stand it.

It was like when his father had brought him a tightly wrapped gift when he was very young. He felt like he wouldn’t be able to sleep until he opened the wrapped package and saw what was inside.

‘Hmm?’

Tang Gun-ak realized his state anew and wore a strange expression.

‘Have I been this excited recently?’

It was a bizarre thing.

This was truly a bizarre thing.

Tang Gun-ak took a deep breath and looked straight at the source of the excitement he was feeling.

“Ten seconds.”

This wasn’t to confirm with Chung Myung. It was closer to Tang Gun-ak clarifying the purpose of this match for himself. Otherwise, he might become too excited.

“If you can withstand ten seconds, then I… no, the Tang Family will acknowledge you.”

“Why are you being so formal all of a sudden?”

Chung Myung held out his hand and beckoned.

“You can make the first move.”

A smile formed on Tang Gun-ak’s lips.

“Bold.”

If anyone else had dared to act this way in front of him, Tang Gun-ak would never have forgiven them. But strangely, he didn’t find Chung Myung particularly offensive.

‘Not arrogance, but confidence?’

If so, there was no reason to dislike him. Confidence came from skill, and skill came from effort.

It was only natural for a martial artist who had worked tirelessly to improve himself to have confidence.

Wasn’t Chung Myung a hundred times better than his own sons, who were always intimidated and couldn’t even meet his eyes properly?

“I heard you broke through my son’s Flying Dagger Technique.”

“Isn’t that what Sajong Jo Gul did?”

“…It’s probably the same.”

“Huh? They’re completely different, though?”

“…There’s not much difference.”

Chung Myung looked at Tang Gun-ak with strange eyes.

‘Blood doesn’t lie, they say.’

The Tang Family fellows he knew also pretended to be incredibly dignified on the outside, but were actually quite foolish. Perhaps Tang Gun-ak was similar.

“So, I will use the same Flying Dagger Technique against you.”

“Oh? The one you showed once?”

“Do you think it’s the same Flying Dagger Technique?”

Chung Myung grinned.

“How could it be?”

“You know well.”

Even if it was the same Flying Dagger Technique, it couldn’t be the same.

Even if it was the same sword, the one wielded by Jo Gul would be different from the one wielded by Baek Cheon, and the one wielded by Chung Myung would be different from both.

Likewise, there was no way Tang Gun-ak’s Flying Dagger Technique could be compared to Tang Zhan’s.

That was skill.

Tang Gun-ak reached into his sleeve. When his hand came out again, it held a slightly worn-looking flying dagger.

“…”

Chung Myung stared intently at the flying dagger in Tang Gun-ak’s hand.

And then, with a slightly hardened face, he briefly closed his eyes and opened them again.

‘It’s been a while.’

That Willow Leaf Flying Dagger.

“You should be honored to face this dagger. It’s special. It belonged to the best Flying Dagger master in Tang Family history.”

Chung Myung chuckled lightly.

Well, I think I know more about that flying dagger than you do.

How could he not know?

That old, worn flying dagger. That flying dagger was none other than Tang Bo’s treasured weapon.

The Soul Chasing Dagger.

‘It returned to the Tang Family.’

Seeing Tang Bo’s treasured weapon in Tang Gun-ak’s hand made him feel a little strange.

Chung Myung sighed softly and calmed his mind again.

“An honor indeed.”

“An honor?”

Wham!

Suddenly, the Soul Chasing Dagger flew from Tang Gun-ak’s hand with a loud bang. It moved like a flash of light and just touched Chung Myung’s face.

Trickle trickle.

Although it just touched him, it left a long cut on his cheek, and bright red blood flowed.

Tang Gun-ak smiled coldly as he watched.

“Don’t talk about ‘honor.’ This will not be an honorable death for you.”

At Tang Gun-ak’s words, Chung Myung quietly raised his hand and lightly wiped the blood flowing from his cheek. Then, he licked the blood on his fingertip.

“Ugh.”

Then, he shook his hand with a disgusted expression.

Chung Myung spat out the taste of blood. ‘Ugh, that ruined my appetite.’

He never seemed to get used to the taste of blood.

Chung Myung roughly wiped the remaining blood on his clothes, chuckled, and looked at Tang Gun-ak.

“One second.”

“…What?”

“That was one attack. Now there are nine left.”

“Huh?”

Tang Gun-ak stared at Chung Myung with a blank face.

The flying dagger he had launched had passed right next to his face. Having clearly seen its power and speed, it wouldn’t be strange if he screamed and ran away, declaring that he would give up the duel right now.

Now there are nine seconds left?

‘I can’t figure this fellow out at all.’

Scratch.

The two Soul Chasing Daggers held in Tang Gun-ak’s hand rubbed against each other, creating a grating sound.

“Nine seconds.”

Tang Gun-ak’s cold eyes stared at Chung Myung.

“It seems like more than enough time to take your life.”

“No. You’ll regret it, you know? Regret wasting a move like that.”

“You…”

“I’ll show you.”

Swish.

A sword was drawn from Chung Myung’s hand.

“Why that was a mistake. From now on, with this sword.”

At the same time, the playfulness disappeared from Chung Myung’s face.

The slowly raised sword pointed at Tang Gun-ak.

When Chung Myung pointed his sword at him, Tang Gun-ak tightened his grip on the flying daggers.

His face became serious as he felt a strange emotion.

‘What do they call this feeling?’

…That’s right.

It was dread.

Tang Gun-ak bit his lip.

To feel dread from the sword of a child younger than his own son.

‘It can’t be happening.’

The emotion disappeared from Tang Gun-ak’s face.

‘I am Poison King Tang Gun-ak.’

Tang Gun-ak’s pride was hurt, and he truly wanted to kill Chung Myung now.

He hadn’t intended to hold back from the start.

If Chung Myung couldn’t block his flying daggers and died, then that was the extent of his abilities. What would change by killing one such person?

But what if Chung Myung blocked all of his flying daggers?

‘The Tang Family would be receiving a true guest for the first time in decades.’

A guest they had to acknowledge and treat with respect.

However…

Crack!

Tang Gun-ak’s eyes flashed with a terrifying light.

‘That will not happen!’

At the same time, another Soul Chasing Dagger, imbued with his internal energy, was launched once again.

This time, it wasn’t a simple threat.

The Soul Chasing Dagger, launched from Tang Gun-ak’s fingertips, shot towards Chung Myung at an incredible speed that couldn’t even be followed with the eye.

Clang!

At that moment, Chung Myung gently swung his sword, striking the incoming Soul Chasing Dagger and deflecting it.

The Soul Chasing Dagger, now turned aside, flew past Chung Myung and hit a pillar in the hall behind him.

At the same time, Tang Gun-ak’s eyes widened as if they were about to tear.

‘He deflected it?’

My Soul Chasing Dagger?

‘How?’

The flying dagger he had launched wasn’t just fast. It contained an excessive amount of internal energy that he had poured into it.

If one tried to deflect or block it carelessly, their sword would break, and the Soul Chasing Dagger would be lodged in their neck.

But Chung Myung deflected his Soul Chasing Dagger and changed its direction without much effort, simply by swinging his sword.

Did anyone realize how difficult that was?

“It seems…”

A cruel smile appeared on Tang Gun-ak’s lips.

“That I really underestimated you.”

“I told you, you’d regret it.”

“That’s right. So…”

Suddenly, Tang Gun-ak’s sleeves puffed out as if they would explode. At the same time, energy started spinning around him like a whirlwind. His power was so strong it made the air around him shake.

The disciples of Mount Hua behind him unconsciously stepped back from the tremendous force.

Even Chung Myung flinched and took a step back.

Tang Gun-ak spread his arms to the left and right and roared.

“From now on…”

The Poison King’s full power attacked Chung Myung.

“…Isn’t that a bit much?!”

Doesn’t that old man understand jokes?

The old Tang Family wasn’t like this!