Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 392

Hyun Sang’s sword, flexible and sharp, twisted and flashed as he attacked again.

Clang!

But his powerful strike was stopped cold. A hand, black as night up to the elbow, blocked the blade. The sword bounced back weakly.

“Damn it!” Hyun Sang cursed under his breath.

His face tightened with frustration.

The Poison Blood Hand’s arm, stained black up to the shoulder, gleamed strangely.

Hyun Sang’s Plum Blossom Sword, which could cut through steel like paper, couldn’t even leave a scratch on that blackened arm.

‘Is this the power of a Great Chieftain of the Ten Thousand People Clan?’

The Ten Thousand People Clan had over a dozen martial divisions. Each Great Chieftain was a powerhouse representing the Ten Thousand People Clan.

Although there were Clan Lords, Elders, and powerhouses above them who didn’t belong to any division, anyone holding the position of Great Chieftain was at least among the top twenty strongest in the Ten Thousand People Clan.

‘A master of the Ten Thousand People Clan, as strong as someone from the Nine Great Sects.’

A wave of complicated feelings washed over him.

Hyun Sang was the Martial Guardian of Mount Hua.

Until that rascal Chung Myung, who now surpassed him, joined the sect, Hyun Sang had always been the greatest master of Mount Hua.

But now, Hyun Sang was struggling to handle even one Great Chieftain of the Ten Thousand People Clan.

If Chung Myung hadn’t given him the Spirit Origin Pill, he might already be dead on the floor.

“Hoo.”

He took a long breath.

His wrist throbbed, and his back muscles tightened with pain. Also, unlike old him, the Poison Blood Hand in front of him was still young and strong.

Yet, Hyun Sang couldn’t retreat because…

Was it to protect his disciples? Or to uphold the name of Mount Hua?

‘I don’t know.’

Maybe grand ideas didn’t matter.

He was different from Hyun Jong. He couldn’t love his disciples so unconditionally.

And he was different from Hyun Young. Hyun Young would readily give his life for Mount Hua, but Hyun Sang couldn’t blindly serve Mount Hua like that.

He was just…

“You seem to be thinking hard.”

At the Poison Blood Hand’s words, Hyun Sang’s eyebrows twitched slightly.

The enemy’s calm face made Hyun Sang’s fingers tingle.

The Poison Blood Hand clicked his tongue.

“It’s a shame you’re old. If we had met ten years earlier, we might have been evenly matched.”

Hyun Sang gave a faint smile.

The enemy’s words cut him deeply. His chest felt cold.

“If you give up, I might let you die peacefully.”

At the offer, which wasn’t really an offer, Hyun Sang looked at the Poison Blood Hand with serious eyes.

Wasn’t it ridiculous?

“Young one.”

Hyun Sang raised his sword and pointed it at the Poison Blood Hand.

“What do you see before you?”

“⋯⋯.”

“An old swordsman who has lost his strength? Or an old man from Mount Hua pretending to be strong?”

Maybe all of that was true.

But.

“Know this.”

He took a deep breath and glared at the Poison Blood Hand with fierce eyes.

“Standing before you is the history of Mount Hua.”

Hyun Jong had to protect Mount Hua. Hyun Young rushed around, trying to stop Mount Hua from collapsing.

And Hyun Sang, while they worked hard, just studied the martial arts of Mount Hua.

Did he seem carefree?

Was it just easy to learn martial arts?

What a joke.

He had begged Hyun Jong many times.

To let him go down the mountain and earn money. Because the martial arts he had learned were valuable, he could earn a lot of money and help Mount Hua.

Each time, the answer was the same.

– Even without money, we can rise again. People will also rise again. But if the martial arts are lost, we can’t call ourselves Mount Hua, no matter how rich we become. Hyun Sang, you must protect the martial arts of Mount Hua.

A job that someone had to do.

Learning, restoring, and improving the weak martial arts of Mount Hua.

Like searching in complete darkness for a path, Hyun Sang had walked that hard and painful road to his death. For decades.

Who could understand that pain?

Who could even guess at that despair?

The martial arts of Mount Hua, which he had protected, were now growing strong, like trees in a forest.

Did that mean Hyun Sang’s job was done?

Should the old and sick tree just die, only watching future generations?

“Give up, you say?”

There was nothing left.

Everything he had to protect had already been passed on to future generations. Improving the martial arts of Mount Hua was no longer his job, and teaching the children of Mount Hua was no longer his responsibility.

A flower that has done its job just dies.

But.

“I have never been allowed to give up in my life.”

Hyun Sang bit his lip.

“I don’t want to just disappear and be forgotten after I die. I don’t want my death to only help the children’s future. Even if I am old and weak, I am a swordsman of Mount Hua. If I must die, I will die as a swordsman.”

“⋯⋯.”

“Therefore.”

There was only one thing to protect.

Pride.

“Come. Villain of the Ten Thousand People Clan. Today, I will show you what the martial arts of Mount Hua really are.”

The Poison Blood Hand’s eyes turned cold.

“You talk big. Let’s see if you can still talk after I cut off your head.”

The Poison Blood Hand’s hands were stained black. At the same time, a sharp aura came from his body.

Hyun Sang stood firm, feeling that strong aura.

‘What is in this sword?’

Well.

He had never thought about it deeply. He was just using the sword that he had used for decades.

‘Even an old tree can bloom, right?’

Then why shouldn’t plum blossoms bloom on his sword?

The tip of Hyun Sang’s sword trembled.

Like a flame rising from the ashes, bright plum blossoms began to bloom.

Something he couldn’t let go of.

From the day the Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Technique returned to Mount Hua, Hyun Sang had thought about it again and again.

He knew it.

That there was a limit to how much stronger he could become at his age. That it would be more helpful to Mount Hua to teach and support the children during that time.

But he couldn’t let go.

He was a swordsman.

A swordsman who had lived his life with only a sword.

How could the fact that he couldn’t become stronger be a reason not to train?

“Hmm?”

The Poison Blood Hand’s face hardened when he saw the plum blossoms blooming like flames.

“You were hiding something!”

He swung both arms like a storm and charged forward. The flying plum blossoms hit his poisoned hands and bounced off.

The black storm and the blooming plum blossoms sent sharp pieces of sword energy flying everywhere, each aiming at the other.

A tense battle was happening, with no chance to give in.

Clang!

The flying blade was pushed back by the sword.

Hyun Jong, after quickly fighting the Night Wanderer, moved away and took a deep breath.

‘He is strong.’

The opponent was clearly more skilled than him. He was barely defending.

Hyun Jong wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked around with tired eyes.

‘Not yet⋯⋯.’

Un-geom and Hyeon-sang were fighting hard, so they were not losing ground quickly.

The Mount Hua disciples were very determined, but they were still less skilled than the Ten Thousand People Clan warriors.

If Hyeon-jong, Hyeon-sang, and Un-geom fell, many more Mount Hua disciples would die.

‘Hyeon-sang. Un-geom.’

Therefore, the two of them had to buy as much time as possible, until the children who had heard the news from Seoan arrived.

It was clear that Talmyeong Danchang and Dokhyeolsu were stronger fighters than Hyeon-sang and Un-geom.

But they had to, no matter what…

“You dare to look away when I am standing right here? Are you really the Sect Leader of Mount Hua?”

Hyeon-jong slowly turned his gaze back to Yado.

Yado tapped his palm with the blade’s sheath.

“Looking away is fine, but what about my pride, Sect Leader?”

He wore a leisurely smile, but Hyeon-jong couldn’t relax his hardened face.

“It’s not my first time facing the leader of a first-rate clan, but facing the Sect Leader of a prestigious clan like Mount Hua is definitely a first for me. I hope you will be as strong as I expect.”

Hyeon-jong stared at Yado with a clear gaze.

A desire to win?

He had none of that.

Pride?

He had thrown that away long ago.

All that remained was the heavy responsibility and burden of being the Sect Leader of Mount Hua.

“Did you say that I cannot kill anyone if I cannot overcome you?”

“That is so.”

“Fine words, but!”

At that moment, the sword in Yado’s hand flew towards Hyeon-jong like a flash of light.

Snikt.

And before Hyeon-jong could even react, it sliced across his chest.

The front of his robes split open, and bright red blood soaked through.

A wound to his clothing.

But what that wound signified was by no means light. He hadn’t been careless, yet he couldn’t even react to the opponent’s attack. This showed a huge difference in fighting skill between Hyeon-jong and Yado.

“Those words only have meaning when spoken by the strong. Don’t you agree, Sect Leader?”

Hyeon-jong glanced down at his chest, where the robes were split open.

‘He is strong.’

An enemy who had lived on the edge of death.

Speaking coldly, he was not someone Hyeon-jong could dare to face.

Even if he had trained his whole life in Mount Hua’s martial arts, which had become weak, he wasn’t sure he could win. How could Hyeon-jong, who hadn’t even been able to train properly in order to revive Mount Hua, possibly face Yado?

But.

“You are certainly stronger than I am.”

“I know that well.”

“But that is not a reason for me to back down.”

Hyeon-jong quietly lowered his sword.

Martial arts were created so that even the weak could fight the strong. They are for those who are not naturally talented to stand up to those who are.

“Haha.”

Yado grinned, revealing his teeth.

“So, you’re going to face me from the standpoint of the weak?”

Yado gripped his sword again.

Flash!

The sword strike, launched without further ado, rushed in with the force to split Hyeon-jong’s head open.

Clang!

The raised sword deflected the blade. But it was difficult to completely withstand the force, so the deflected sword tore away a chunk of flesh from Hyeon-jong’s shoulder as it passed.

Shwaaa!

The sprayed blood scattered, quickly dyeing Hyeon-jong’s black robes a deep color.

Two attacks.

And two wounds.

The difference in skill was crystal clear.

“Words only have meaning when they are fulfilled. Don’t you think so?”

Yado sneered.

“I’m sick of the nonsense that righteous sects spout. They always make up ridiculous sophistry. But even those guys make good sounds and cry when they’re about to have their heads cut off.”

And he looked at the blood on his sword and laughed cruelly.

“I’m looking forward to what kind of sounds the Sect Leader will make as he cries!”

Yado’s sword stretched out once more.

Lightning speed. And a terrifying power that didn’t match that speed.

Yado, whose name meant ‘wild sword,’ had a wild and rough fighting style. But his speed and power were so great that it didn’t matter.

His sword attacks were like strong waves in a storm.

And Hyeon-jong’s posture, facing that pouring sword energy, did not waver even an inch.

Clang! Clang!

The flying sword strikes were deflected. But it was impossible for Hyeon-jong to completely block all the sword strikes pouring down, aiming for his entire body.

Snikt!

His forearm was cut.

Snikt.

Blood spurted from his calf.

Snikt.

His lightly cut side quickly became stained with blood.

But even as he was being cut all over, Hyeon-jong’s eyes did not waver even once.

His whole body instantly stained with blood, he took a stance in the middle and aimed at Yado. Then, Yado, who had unleashed a storm of sword strikes, stopped his attack with a subtle expression.

‘What is this guy?’

In just a short exchange, he had been cut at least five times.

No matter how he looked at it, that man was not his opponent.

But…

“Can’t he feel pain?”

No matter how much he had trained and trained, how could he accept the pain of being cut so nonchalantly?

This was impossible even for Yado, who had lived through countless injuries.

‘No. That’s a stance that’s prepared to be cut from the start.’

Even if his body was being cut all over, he was definitely blocking the center line.

He was trying to protect the center of his body, the most important part to keep safe.

But that was something that could not even be attempted without a considerable amount of resolve. Yado thought, ‘Hyeon-jong is not a warrior who has lived a hard life. How can an old man from the mountains be so determined?’

“Did you say pain?”

But then, Hyeon-jong opened his mouth calmly with a bloodless face.

“I do not know what kind of life you have lived, but I have not lived comfortably enough to feel these wounds to my flesh as pain.”

His eyes were terribly sunken.

The pain of his wounds was nothing compared to the pain of seeing his sect fall apart. Body wounds can heal, but the damage to his sect was much deeper.

Those who had protected Mount Hua had endured that much pain to get here.

Compared to that, these wounds were less than scratches.

“You seem to misunderstand the position of Sect Leader.”

“What?”

“The Sect Leader is not the one who is most respected at the top. Rather…”

Hyeon-jong’s quiet voice dug into Yado’s ears.

“It means the one who endures to the very end. You may be strong enough to cut my flesh, but you cannot cut my soul.”

He would endure.

Even if all the blood drained from his body, leaving only a husk.

Hyeon-jong would never fall until the last drop of his soul disappeared.

‘I still have things to do.’

So he could not fall yet.

“I am the Sect Leader of Mount Hua.”

His calm voice tightened around Yado more strongly than any command or roar.

“I will make the meaning of that,”

Hyeon-jong’s sword steadily aimed at Yado’s neck.

Yado unknowingly swallowed hard and gripped his sword tighter.