Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 396

His mind went blank with terror.

His hand reached out, trembling as he grabbed at the ground, trying to push himself up.

His leg was gone. His perfectly fine leg, gone in an instant.

But it wasn’t just losing his leg that terrified Extinction Blade. It was *how* it happened.

“What was that?!”

He had never heard of such a thing.

He knew about using inner power to heal. It was like moving your own energy inside your body. But how could someone use a sword attack *while* healing? That was impossible!

If Extinction Blade had faced Chung Myung head-on, in a fair fight, his leg wouldn’t have been cut off with a single strike.

No one could guess that a healer would suddenly attack with a sword like that!

He was caught off guard for just a moment. It was barely even a mistake. But it cost him his leg. This made Extinction Blade furious.

“Hrrgh….”

He groaned like a wounded beast and lifted his head. He saw Chung Myung coming closer, sword in hand.

His heart clenched.

Chung Myung, with his blood-soaked sword hanging down and his face without any emotion, looked like the Grim Reaper himself. The air smelled like iron and blood.

“Get up.”

His voice was ice cold. It had no feeling at all. The words pierced Extinction Blade’s ears.

“I told you.”

*Scrrritch.*

The sword scraped on the ground. The sound was loud in his ears, like a warning.

“I would kill you… cruelly.”

Extinction Blade’s eyes gleamed with terror. He could smell the metallic tang of blood filling the air.

Hadn’t he seen how Chung Myung killed his men? Hadn’t he felt the coldness when Chung Myung cut off his leg? It was clear.

That bastard was different from any of the orthodox sect members he had ever seen. That bastard would surely keep his word.

Thud.

The footsteps stopped. The silence was chilling.

“W-What are you doing! Stop him! Stop him, you fools! Now!”

Extinction Blade screamed. His voice was desperate. Suddenly, everyone else seemed to wake up.

The other warriors had been watching, frozen. Now, they finally understood what was happening.

“S-Stop him!”

“Protect the Chief!”

The warriors Extinction Blade had brought with him, horrified, rushed between Chung Myung and Extinction Blade.

“Where do you think you’re going!”

“We won’t let you through, you bastards!”

But this time, the disciples of Mount Hua would not let them pass. The Mount Hua disciples couldn’t reach everyone. But anyone close enough to attack them faced their swords.

It was the first time the disciples of Mount Hua, who had been constantly pushed back, had launched an offensive. The clash of steel filled the air.

“You little whelps!”

“Get out of the way! You sons of bitches!”

The Murim Alliance warriors screamed, but the swords of Mount Hua did not allow them to break away.

About twelve Murim Alliance warriors pushed through the fighting. They ran towards Chung Myung and Extinction Blade.

“We can’t let the Chief….”

Thwack.

A head flew into the air.

The man who had been at the front lost his head in a single strike and fell to the ground like a log. The sight made everyone flinch and stop moving.

Swish.

Chung Myung flicked his sword, scattering the blood on the tip to the ground.

“Either way….”

Chung Myung said. His voice was chilling as he stared ahead.

“I had no intention of letting you live either. If you want to die sooner, I’ll grant your wish.”

Thud!

Chung Myung’s foot stomped on the ground.

Then, red energy burst from Chung Myung’s sword. It was a bright red, even redder than the blood on the ground. This energy rose up and formed hundreds of red plum blossoms in the air.

The Murim Alliance warriors stared, eyes wide with horror.

They had seen this attack before. Many times, when fighting the Mount Hua disciples.

But this time, it was different. It was the same attack, but it felt much stronger, much more deadly.

Could the same sword technique be so different depending on who used it?

Each plum blossom moved on its own, like it was alive in the air. It was more than just bright and red. It was scary.

‘I-I have to stop it….’

The leading warrior put all his power into his sword. He raised it, his body moving faster than his thoughts. He gathered all his energy and swung his sword like a storm.

His attack was fierce. He wanted to show his years of training were not wasted. His sword, full of power, smashed forward, trying to break everything in front of it.

But even so. No matter how hard and strong he swung, no matter how much power he used, could he stop all those flower petals floating in the air?

The plum blossoms slipped through the smallest openings, places his sword couldn’t touch.

‘N-No!’

It was already too late when he saw it with his own eyes.

Thwack.

The petals brushed his wrist. Blood burst out, and a freezing pain shot up his arm.

His sword, which had been attacking strongly, suddenly slowed down. His wrist was badly cut, so deep you could see the bone.

And that was the end of it.

‘Ah….’

He looked around. Everywhere he looked, there were plum blossoms.

‘Crazy….’

The petals cut into him everywhere.

“Aaaaaaargh!”

He screamed. Then, the men beside him were also covered in red plum blossoms.

Instantly.

*Plop. Plop.*

The Murim Alliance warriors fell to the ground with heavy thumps.

Those who watched the scene were all speechless. The only sound was the dripping of blood.

This was the Mount Hua sword. People said it was too strange and bloody for a proper sword style.

Blood poured from their bodies. They were dead before they could even blink.

The hearts of those who watched grew cold. The smell of copper filled their nostrils.

They had seen men die before. But this was different.

Looking at the bodies on the ground, they saw cuts everywhere, from head to foot.

How could one sword attack cause so many cuts, so fast?

Just looking at the wounds, they knew they had no chance to win.

Thud.

Everyone was still in shock. Only Chung Myung looked around, without any feeling. Was this all just a game to him?

Each time Chung Myung stepped, his feet splashed blood from the ground.

“Th-That….”

The Murim Alliance warriors trembled. They couldn’t move forward, and they couldn’t run.

Their teeth chattered, and their entire bodies grew as cold as if they had entered an ice cave.

Stop him? Stop him, he says? *Who do they think they are to stop him?* Now they understood how foolish they had been.

But it was already irreversible.

Their hands shook as they held their swords. But they didn’t run. They should be praised for even standing there.

Their minds were going blank.

“Stop him! Stop him, you fools!”

Extinction Blade kept screaming. His desperate voice still reached them.

They couldn’t obey, and they couldn’t refuse. They were too terrified to even listen to his orders anymore.

‘How⋯⋯.’ But, thankfully, they didn’t need to wonder for long.

When had Chung Myung drawn his sword?

They blinked, confused. Then, they saw it: crimson plum blossoms filled their eyes. They knew what those plum blossoms meant. They knew how dangerous they were.

Yet, they briefly found it beautiful. It wasn’t entirely their fault.

Someone gasped, ‘An illusion!’ But it was too late. The crimson blossoms, swirling like a magical storm, touched their skin. A strange numbness spread through their bodies, making it hard to move.

Once again, a desperate scream tore through the air, raw and filled with pain.

The rain of plum blossoms, blooming like an illusion, vanished like a dream.

Not a single person remained standing between Talmyung Danchang and Chung Myung.

Thud.

The plum blossom attack was beautiful to see. But where it had struck, everything was destroyed.

Standing among the bloodied corpses, Chung Myung spoke slowly.

“Now, it’s your turn.”

“Hu, huh⋯⋯ Ugh!”

Talmyung Danchang’s eyes were bloodshot, as if they would burst.

“You son of a bitch⋯⋯.”

He planted his one remaining short spear into the ground and struggled to stand. Having lost a leg, he wobbled, but he managed to right himself.

“You son of a bitch!”

His eyes were bloodshot, filled with broken veins. He glared at Chung Myung. Anger and fear burned in his gaze.

Crack.

He pulled the short spear from the ground, gripped it with both hands, and aimed it at Chung Myung.

“Don’t⋯⋯ Don’t underestimate me⋯⋯.”

Chung Myung cut him off, his voice like ice. “Be quiet.”

“Yi!”

Talmyung Danchang bit his lip so hard that it bled, but he felt no pain.

Talmyung Danchang began to pour all his remaining energy into the short spear. The spinning spear tore at the flesh of his hands, but he poured in even more energy.

His hand? It meant nothing compared to his life.

He hurled the short spear like a thunderbolt.

“Die, Raaah!”

His desperate attack, the Seven Snakes Searching for a Frog technique, was stronger than ever. Seven streams of swirling energy flew towards Chung Myung with great power.

Even with one leg gone, his attack was stronger than before. It showed why he was the Great Lord of the Myriad Man Clan.

But his opponent was Chung Myung.

Chung Myung watched the swirling energy come towards him, then stepped forward.

Claaang!

The plum blossom sword struck the side of the energy, bending like it would break.

Clang! Clang!

Deflecting the energy, Chung Myung moved forward.

The last five streams of energy flew towards Chung Myung’s body.

‘What?’

Talmyung Danchang’s eyes widened.

Chung Myung disappeared. It was like he had sunk into the ground.

Talmyung Danchang was scared and tried to sense where Chung Myung was. He knew it would be too late if he tried to see him.

“This⋯⋯!”

Talmyung Danchang’s head snapped back.

Finally, he saw Chung Myung falling like a bird.

“Too slow.”

Thwack!

The sound of a sword cutting through fabric filled his ears.

A moment later, another sound echoed.

Thud.

It was the sound of metal falling to the ground. The short spear he had been holding was now on the floor, still gripped in his hand.

“⋯⋯.”

He looked down and saw that his wrist had been cut off. But it didn’t feel real. He felt no pain.

He looked forward. Chung Myung was staring back at him from close by.

“I’m a man who keeps his promises.” Chung Myung watched Talmyung Danchang. *This is the end,* he thought coldly. *He deserves nothing less.*

Thwack!

“Aaaargh!”

Pain shot up Talmyung Danchang’s leg. The sword in his shoulder brought him back to reality. As the sword dug deeper, his body moved backward.

Talmyung Danchang desperately tried to move backward with his one remaining leg. *No,* he thought, panic rising. *I can’t lose here. I can’t die.*

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Thwack.

His chest was sliced open.

Thwack.

His stomach split open, and blood poured out like a waterfall.

Thwack.

His face was cut, and he couldn’t see out of one eye.

Chung Myung sliced Talmyung Danchang’s body little by little, as if he were mocking him, just like he had done to Un-geom.

“Aaaaargh!”

Talmyung Danchang screamed and swung his one remaining fist, filled with energy.

“You bastard⋯⋯.”

Thwack!

But his arm was cut off before it could reach Chung Myung.

“⋯⋯Ah.”

Thwack.

More than half of his one remaining thigh was cut off. Talmyung Danchang fell to the floor.

Chung Myung’s sword flew towards his body like a snake.

Whizz!

The sword moved dozens of times, creating a burst of air.

Dozens of new wounds appeared on Talmyung Danchang’s chest.

“Krrrk⋯⋯.”

He began to die. He tried to speak, but blood filled his throat.

“Dying words are for those who deserve them.”

Chung Myung’s sword touched Talmyung Danchang’s neck.

“Die like a bug. Even that is too good for you.”

Thwack.

Chung Myung’s sword cut through Talmyung Danchang’s neck.

He shuddered and died.

Chung Myung pulled out his sword and shook off the blood.

Silence filled the surroundings.

Chung Myung stared at Talmyung Danchang’s body for a long time, then turned around. His face was hard, but for a moment, a shadow of something like weariness crossed his eyes.

Flinch.

The Myriad Man Clan members cowered.

Chung Myung’s cold voice cut through their fear.

“⋯⋯Next.”