Return Of The Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 407

Rumors travel faster than the wind.

The news that the Myriad Man Clan had invaded Shaanxi and attacked Mount Hua spread quickly.

Martial artists always pay attention to news like this, so it wasn’t a surprise.

The rumor spread even faster because the Beggars’ Sect understood what was happening. They were very worried and asked for help from everyone.

Before that rumor could spread completely, a new rumor appeared even faster:

– Mount Hua defeated the Myriad Man Clan.

At first, people thought this was a false rumor.

But when they heard the same news two or three times, no one argued anymore.

After all, it wasn’t the first time Mount Hua had done something unbelievable.

“Good heavens, they defeated the Myriad Man Clan?”

“Did the entire Myriad Man Clan really attack?”

“Does it matter? It’s the Myriad Man Clan! They said three Great warriors came! The Myriad Man Clan wouldn’t send weak fighters to Mount Hua, would they?”

“Now that I think about it, that’s true.”

“Hehe. Anyway, they are really amazing. It hasn’t been long since they became famous at the Great Tournament of Mount Hua, and now they defeated the Myriad Man Clan. There’s always news about Mount Hua.”

Ordinary people were excited that Mount Hua had defeated the Myriad Man Clan.

The Myriad Man Clan, one of the Five Supreme Powers, was defeated by Mount Hua, which was just becoming famous again. It was a great topic for gossip.

But smarter people started to think about something else.

Wudang.

A man with a long black beard was painting. He carefully moved his brush, creating a beautiful orchid on the canvas.

But then he heard something.

“They say Mount Hua fought off the Myriad Man Clan. At their own mountain!”

The man’s eyes narrowed slightly. The line he was drawing became thicker. The orchid seemed to lose its beauty.

*I still need more practice,* he thought.

The Wudang Sect Leader, Heo Do-jin, put down his brush and stretched.

“…Mount Hua again,” he said.

Heo Do-jin frowned at Heo Gong-jin, who was sitting in front of him.

“Heo Gong.”

“Yes, Sect Leader.”

“Am I exaggerating if I say I’m tired of hearing about Mount Hua?”

“…No, you’re not.”

Heo Do-jin sighed.

“Taoists should not be jealous when others are happy, but I have to admit, I am feeling jealous. Just hearing the name Mount Hua makes my stomach ache.”

Heo Gong-jin listened and took a deep breath.

Jongnam would naturally be the most upset about Mount Hua’s success, since they were rivals.

But Wudang also didn’t want Mount Hua to grow so quickly.

Jongnam and another sect had problems because they were both in Shaanxi. But Mount Hua and Wudang were different. They were similar in many ways, which made it hard for them to both be successful.

They were both Taoist and sword sects, competing to be the best in the world.

Heo Do-jin hadn’t cared about Mount Hua before, but now he couldn’t ignore them.

“What do you think?”

“What are you asking?”

“What you are thinking.”

Heo Gong-jin frowned.

“I don’t know what you’re planning, but I don’t think this will end with just Mount Hua.”

“…It won’t end with Mount Hua?”

“Don’t ask so many questions when you already know the answer.”

Heo Do-jin laughed.

“I’m sorry. It’s a bad habit.”

Heo Gong-jin sighed and continued.

“The Myriad Man Clan has invaded Shaanxi. What happened with Mount Hua isn’t important. What’s important is that they entered Shaanxi.”

“That’s right.”

The Central Plains is ruled by powerful groups: the Nine Great Sects, the Five Great Families, and the Five Supreme Powers. Besides these, and the Five Outer Palaces far away, no other group is as strong.

But these groups have rarely fought each other. The war with the Demonic Cult had been so terrible that they could only take care of themselves.

So, they mostly stayed in their own areas and didn’t try to take land from others without good reason.

But now, the Myriad Man Clan has broken that rule by attacking another sect in another province.

“Mount Hua is not one of the Nine Great Sects.”

“That’s right. But we can’t relax.”

Heo Gong-jin shook his head, his eyes sharp.

“Sect Leader, isn’t Wudang also trying to expand into other provinces?”

That was true.

They had clashed with Mount Hua at the Sword Tomb.

“The other sects are the same. We can’t be satisfied with what we have anymore.”

“Hmm.”

“This move by the Myriad Man Clan will be the start of something.”

Heo Do-jin frowned.

The martial world always repeats itself. As power grows, so does desire. Conflicts increase, and eventually, there is war.

When they became weak from fighting, there would be a quiet time. But then they would fight again later.

The war with the Demonic Cult had stopped this cycle.

The Demonic Cult was so strong that everyone was exhausted, and no one dared to fight each other.

That’s how there was peace for a hundred years.

*But now, that’s over.*

Heo Do-jin looked worried.

“The situation is as bad as it can be,” he said.

“The Nine Sects, the Five Families, and the Five Supreme Powers have reached their limit. Someone will start a war, no matter what we do.”

“That is so.”

“But that’s not all.”

Heo Do-jin narrowed his eyes.

“It seems the Abbot of Shaolin is having a hard time.”

“Shaolin?”

“Yes. They can’t find a way to solve the North Sea issue.”

Heo Gong-jin’s face became serious when he heard about the North Sea.

The North Sea.

The place where they found traces of the Demonic Cult.

“The martial world should be dealing with the Demonic Cult. But there is no one to lead them.”

“Wasn’t that Shaolin’s job?”

“That’s right. It would have been handled that way if things had gone as planned. But Beopjeong was too greedy. If Shaolin’s martial arts competition had worked out, Shaolin would now control the whole martial world. But…”

Heo Do-jin smiled.

“Mount Hua ruined everything.”

“…That’s right.”

Shaolin had been embarrassed at the Great Tournament of Mount Hua. It would have been better if they had lost in the beginning.

In the martial world, skill and reputation are both important.

The Shaolin Sect had lost face. If they asked for help, people might not listen.

“Each sect is starting to act up, and the matters concerning the Demonic Cult are dragging on. Plus, a new power is becoming known. Heogong, what do we call this time?”

“I’m not sure,” Heogong-jin replied.

“A chaotic era,” Heo Do-jin said, his eyes darkening.

“Peace cannot last forever. Just like the moon grows and then shrinks, peaceful times will always be followed by chaos.”

“A chaotic era,” Heogong-jin repeated, a tense shadow falling over his face.

“The way to survive in chaos is to protect ourselves. We should wait and gather information. Somewhere, something new is starting.”

“Understood, Sect Leader,” Heogong-jin responded.

“And…” Heo Do-jin paused.

“Yes?” Heogong-jin asked.

“Increase surveillance on the Mount Hua Sect.”

Heogong-jin blinked in surprise. “Mount Hua, you say?”

“Indeed,” Heo Do-jin confirmed.

Heogong-jin looked peculiar. “Sect Leader, with all due respect…”

“Hmm?” Heo Do-jin prompted.

“I know Mount Hua is strong right now. They have talented young fighters and even fought off the Myriad Man Manor. But still, Mount Hua is…”

Heo Do-jin cut him off, knowing what he wanted to say. “Do you know what always appears in a chaotic era?”

“I do not,” Heogong-jin admitted.

“Heroes.”

Heogong-jin’s face stiffened.

“Mount Hua fought off the Myriad Man Manor. Do you know what that means? It means that Mount Hua, with few experienced fighters, defeated the Myriad Man Manor with their younger students.”

“But the Wudang Sect could easily do that much…” Heogong-jin mumbled.

“Young students who haven’t fought much pushed back the Myriad Man Manor. That will make them stronger and give them confidence,” Heo Do-jin explained.

“…”

“Don’t underestimate Mount Hua. They are not easy to deal with. The Wudang Sect might be stronger now, but if things continue like this, Mount Hua might become more famous than Wudang in the future.”

“I will keep that in mind,” Heogong-jin said, lowering his head slightly, but his face showed he didn’t understand.

‘Indeed,’ Heo Do-jin thought. Those who have always known that the Wudang Sect was stronger than Mount Hua would not understand his worries.

Heo Do-jin knew that there was a time when the Wudang Sect had to respect Mount Hua.

‘I will not let that happen again.’

Heo Do-jin clenched his fist.

“We need to watch Mount Hua not just to be careful of them.”

“Then why?” Heogong-jin asked.

“Do you think the Myriad Man Manor will do nothing after this?”

“Ah…” Heogong-jin nodded.

The Lord of the Myriad Man Manor, Paegun Jang Il-so, was known for being cruel. He would not give up after being defeated.

“The Myriad Man Manor can’t move easily right now, but people can be reckless. If Jang Il-so leads the entire Myriad Man Manor into Shanxi…” Heo Do-jin’s eyes darkened.

“It would cause chaos in the martial world.”

“So…” Jang Il-so’s eyes gleamed like a predator’s in the dark, sending shivers down the spine.

Even though there was no wind, his white robe billowed around him, making him look like a phantom.

Jingle.

The rings on his fingers made a clear, eerie sound.

“All dead?” Jang Il-so asked.

“Not all, but most,” Ho Ga-myeong replied.

“Mostly dead?”

“Yes.”

Jang Il-so sat up and propped up his chin.

“Ga-myeong.”

“Yes,” Ho Ga-myeong, the Myriad Man Manor’s strategist, bowed his head low.

“I sent three squads, even the Black Crow Unit. I sent too many troops because I wanted to kill those Mount Hua bastards completely. But instead, they were defeated?” Jang Il-so asked, his voice exceedingly gentle and soft.

Ho Ga-myeong lowered his head, a chill running down his neck.

“What went wrong? Hmm?”

“Mount Hua was stronger than we thought,” Ho Ga-myeong answered.

“Yes, that’s obvious. Do you think I don’t know that? The people of the world must be laughing at the Myriad Man Manor and me, saying that a toothless tiger can’t even handle one small sect and lost its claws. Haha! Isn’t it funny? A tiger without claws.”

The laughter stopped suddenly, and Jang Il-so’s eyes flashed an eerily blue light.

“Gather everyone. We’re going to Mount Hua.”

“Lord! We can’t move right now!” Ho Ga-myeong protested.

Wham!

Ho Ga-myeong crashed into the wall, vomited blood, and fell to the floor.

“You don’t know what’s important. I’ve told you to think about the future, not just the present,” Jang Il-so said.

“Cough.”

Ho Ga-myeong knelt again and bowed his head.

“People must fear those who do evil. Even if they curse us, there must be fear. Do you understand?”

“I will keep that in mind,” Ho Ga-myeong replied.

“Gather everyone. I will go to Mount Hua myself.”

Jang Il-so was about to leave when one of the Great Chiefs burst through the doors, looking desperate.