Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 327

The excited feeling in the arena suddenly disappeared, like a fire going out.

What were the people watching hoping to see?

They wanted to see young, talented fighters, the future heroes of their world, risking everything in these fights.

Fights between young people felt honest and fresh, unlike the battles of older, powerful leaders.

But what they were seeing was not what they expected at all.

“What is going on?” Everyone looked confused.

Chung Myung was beating Hye-yeon from Shaolin easily, even without using a sword?

And he had stopped the ‘Hundred Step Divine Fist’ – a famous Shaolin move – with just his hands?

These things were confusing, yes. But what made the crowd even more uneasy was the heavy feeling in the arena.

This heavy, dark feeling pressed down on everyone watching.

But for the leaders of the sects watching from above, it was much worse.

“Ugh,” Heo Do-jin sighed quietly. He felt a pain in his chest. *This is nothing compared to what Hwasan went through.*

Those words hit Heo Do hard.

He looked around quickly, without meaning to. Some people seemed completely lost, not understanding anything. Others, like Heo Do, looked uneasy, as if their consciences were bothering them.

This mix of confusion and guilt made the atmosphere very strange.

But Heo Do-jin was really surprised that most of the sect leaders seemed to have no idea what was happening.

‘Have they forgotten?’ Have so many already forgotten?

“Heh heh.” Heo Do-jin chuckled dryly.

It had only been a hundred years.

For Heo Do-jin, Hwasan was like a thorn in his heart. Even if others couldn’t see it, seeing Hwasan always caused him pain.

But… ‘Are there sects that haven’t just hidden it, but completely forgotten?’ Maybe that was possible.

Because it wouldn’t have been passed down. Because they wouldn’t have passed it down.

It couldn’t have been easy to pass on their own shameful secrets to future generations. Also, Hwasan was weak and failing. Those leaders probably thought if they stayed quiet and ignored it until they died, the shame would die with them.

But Hwasan had stubbornly crawled back up from that despair.

And now, Hwasan was asking them.

Were they really innocent? Really?

Heo Do-jin slowly shook his head. He stared at Chung Myung, who was clearly very angry.

That rage.

That resentment.

How could he not understand?

What would Heo Do-jin have done if he was Chung Myung? If Wudang had given up everything to save the world, but the world just ignored and forgot about Wudang? And if Wudang was almost destroyed?

He didn’t need to think more.

‘I would have become a demon.’

He would have done anything, even made a deal with the devil, to punish and destroy the Nine Sects.

He understood again how strong Hwasan had been to keep going. It was so hard for people who had been left out and forgotten to stay good and not hate everyone else.

And… ‘All that hidden anger must be bursting out of that young man now.’

“Amitabha… Amitabha.” A cold voice spoke, making Heo Do-jin, who was quietly praying, jump.

“Those words were not just for Shaolin.” He turned his head slightly.

Tang Gun-ak, the Tang family leader, was staring at the fight with a very cold look and spoke again.

“Of course, as a sect leader, sometimes you have to ignore things, even when you know what is right. But if your heart doesn’t hurt when you do that, you can’t really call yourself a good person.”

His sharp words made the feeling on the platform even heavier.

People who understood the situation stayed quiet because they knew. People who didn’t understand couldn’t speak because they were lost.

They could only stare at Chung Myung, feeling pressured.

“Get up.”

At the monotonous voice, Hye-yeon instinctively flinched and rose to his feet.

Cold sweat was beading on his forehead.

‘The Hundred Step Divine Fist doesn’t work.’

It was something he had never even considered.

Divine Fist.

A fist with god-like power, as its name said.

It was supposed to break mountains and split the oceans.

But all that power was easily destroyed by that strange red energy from Chung Myung’s hand.

His eyes began to waver, not knowing where to go.

“Get ready to fight.”

“……”

The voice felt like ice in his ears, freezing his heart.

The cold voice made Hye-yeon feel something he had never felt before.

*This is…*

Fear.

He had grown up safe in Shaolin and never felt fear like this. This cold fear made his whole body stiff.

“Your shoulders are tight.”

“……”

“Hey!” Chung Myung showed his teeth in a snarl.

“Can’t you hear me? I said your shoulders are tight!”

“Ah…” Hye-yeon jumped, finally understanding, and checked how he felt.

‘Th-this…’

Yes, his whole body was tight. His muscles were so tense, they felt like rocks.

Drip.

The sweat that trickled down his chin fell onto the arena.

“I don’t want to hear excuses like you couldn’t fight your best because you were nervous.”

Hye-yeon just stared at Chung Myung, confused.

“Fight! Show me everything you’ve got. Because that’s the only way I’ll be even a little less angry.”

Hye-yeon’s mind was spinning.

*What is this guy talking about?*

He didn’t understand.

Why was Chung Myung so angry?

And how could someone have such cold, deadly anger?

No, more than anything… *Thud!*

Chung Myung stepped forward quickly. Hye-yeon just reacted without thinking and ran at Chung Myung.

“Taaaah!” His face was twisted, no longer just tense.

He was fighting for Shaolin’s honor. Everyone in Shaolin believed he would beat this man and win.

Shaolin’s hopes were on him.

Shaolin was the greatest sect in the world, everyone knew it. Someone carrying that weight couldn’t be ordinary.

He couldn’t lose.

He must not lose!

Wham! His fist shot out, so fast it sounded like ripping cloth.

It was a very fast punch, full of power, like it could destroy anything in its way, and it flew straight for Chung Myung’s face.

But Chung Myung just stared at Hye-yeon with cold eyes as the fist came closer.

*Tap.* Chung Myung’s hand gently touched the fist just before it hit him.

It was a soft push, but Hye-yeon’s punch went off course and just swung through the air.

But this time, Hye-yeon wasn’t confused.

He now knew that Chung Myung was much stronger than he thought.

Hye-yeon twisted around, using his missed punch to spin, and kicked at Chung Myung’s side. It was a move called ‘Crouching Tiger Leg’.

*Thud!* But before his leg could even finish turning, Chung Myung’s fist hit him hard behind the knee.

Hye-yeon’s leg buckled, unable to push, and the kick failed.

Then, Chung Myung used ‘Three Quick Kicks’. His foot hit Hye-yeon’s leg, side, and shoulder, one after another, before Hye-yeon could even stand properly again.

Confused, Hye-yeon managed to block the kicks to his leg and side, but he couldn’t stop the kick aimed at his shoulder.

Wham! Pain exploded in my shoulder, like being hit by a giant hammer. Numbness spread quickly through my whole body.

“Kugh!” Hye-yeon gasped, a sound of pain escaping his lips. He bit down hard, trying to fight back.

But Chung Myung’s foot lashed out again, a blur of speed aimed right at Hye-yeon’s face.

Whoosh!

Hye-yeon ducked just in time. Chung Myung’s foot rushed past his head with a *whoosh*. Cold fear prickled Hye-yeon’s skin.

Hye-yeon was not one to just take a beating. He would fight back.

He quickly put his hand on the ground and spun around, kicking upwards towards Chung Myung’s chin.

Wham!

Hye-yeon’s fist just missed Chung Myung’s chin. *He should have dodged*, Hye-yeon thought, frustration tightening his jaw.

*He’ll dodge*, Hye-yeon thought. *He always dodges. But he’s leaning back too far now. He can’t keep dodging forever.*

He threw himself forward, slamming his shoulder into Chung Myung’s chest.

Thud!

Chung Myung crossed his arms to block, but Hye-yeon’s force pushed him back, sliding his feet across the ground.

“Haaah!”

Kooong!

Hye-yeon stomped his foot down. The stone floor cracked under the force, and a bright golden light glowed from his foot.

He launched himself off the ground, flying towards Chung Myung with incredible speed.

“The Peerless Kick!” Hae Dojin exclaimed, his eyes wide.

That seemingly insignificant kick is none other than the Peerless Kick, one of the Seventy-Two Supreme Arts of Shaolin.

Like a hawk swooping down, Hye-yeon’s foot, glowing with golden light, aimed for Chung Myung’s head.

Wham!

The kick exploded with power, a roar like a waterfall crashing down on Chung Myung’s upper body.

But Hye-yeon wasn’t finished. Using the force of the kick, he flipped himself into the air.

Wooooo.

He twisted his body in the air, legs crossed, and the golden light around him grew even brighter.

“Amitabha!” Hye-yeon shouted, his voice boomed across the arena. He thrust his right hand forward, a blur of motion.

“That!” People who knew the move gasped and stood up.

“Is it…?”

“No way!”

Hae Dojin stared, his eyes wide. He whispered, almost in pain, “The Buddha’s Palm?”

The Buddha’s Palm. A legendary move, thought lost for a hundred years.

The golden hand of light from Hye-yeon’s hand grew bigger and bigger, faster than anyone could blink, until it was huge.

It looked like the hand of a god, come down to earth. The giant hand of light crashed down on Chung Myung, who was trying to get away.

Kwwaaaaaaang!

The hard stone floor exploded, breaking into sharp pieces that flew everywhere. Spectators gasped as stone shards rained down.

“Aaaargh!”

“Get out of the way!”

The experts among the spectators, who had been watching the sparring match, leaped into the air, deflecting and warding off the flying fragments.

Some pieces got past the guards and hit people in the crowd, but luckily, no one was badly hurt. Even with the flying stones, the crowd stayed still, eyes glued to the arena.

No one could look away. The giant handprint on the arena floor held everyone’s gaze.

“…Good heavens.”

The arena was huge, big enough for hundreds of people. The bluestone floor, known to be unbreakable, now had a giant handprint smashed into it, as if a god had struck the ground.

“Can a human really do that?” someone whispered.

“This… this is Shaolin power,” another voice breathed.

Seeing the power of the Buddha’s Palm unleashed by Hye-yeon, everyone was speechless.

Now they understood why Shaolin was so respected for so long.

Even the Mount Hua disciples were stunned, staring blankly from the ruined arena to Hye-yeon.

Then, a quiet voice broke the silence. “…Where’s Chung Myung?” The Mount Hua disciples jumped, suddenly looking around.

Yoon Jong’s voice shook as he pointed at the arena and called out, “Ch-Chung Myung…!”

“Quiet,” a cold voice cut him off. It was Baek Cheon. He sat with a stiff expression, staring at the sparring arena.

“Sasuk!”

“Be quiet,” Baek Cheon snapped, his voice tight. “Look at Hye-yeon’s face.”

Everyone, who had been staring at the handprint and the dust, now looked at Hye-yeon. And they saw it. *He’s terrified.* His face was white.

After a blow like that, anyone would expect him to look proud, even arrogant. But Hye-yeon’s face was grey, like he was running from something terrible.

Which meant only one thing… A rumble shook the broken stones. Slowly, Chung Myung climbed out from under them.

“Ptooey!” He spat out blood, wiped his messy hair back, and looked up. His eyes were burning, wild and angry.

Hye-yeon flinched. He saw those eyes and stumbled back a step.

“Hoo…” His entire body soaked in sweat, he could no longer even attempt to hide his fear.

The Buddha’s Palm. Done right, no human should survive that. *No one.* But… how was Chung Myung still standing? Still on his feet?

Crack. Crack. Chung Myung stepped out of the rubble. The crushed stones crunched under his boots, a sound like snapping bones.

“Well, I saw it,” Chung Myung grinned, teeth flashing white in his blood-streaked face. Blood dripped from his head, staining his skin. He looked terrifying.

“So…” Chung Myung held out his hand. The broken stones shifted, and his Plum Blossom Sword flew into his grasp, as if pulled by magic.

“Let’s finish this.” *Shhhhk*. Slowly, Chung Myung drew his Plum Blossom Sword. *Thud!* He dropped the scabbard, lowered the sword, and looked up at the sky for a moment.

“Sect Leader…” *Don’t call me childish. I know this isn’t grown-up. But… but…*

Chung Myung closed his eyes for a breath. Silence hung in the air. Then, he opened his eyes. The sword in his hand moved, drawing a curve so smooth, so perfect, it was breathtaking.