Return Of The Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 505

When the sword cut his neck, just a little bit, he felt his strength leave him. He twisted his body quickly, which stopped the sword from cutting off his head completely.

A burning pain, like fire, touched his side where he had twisted. Then, something sharp moved past his chest.

The sword moved back, and the Ice Battle Commander saw it with blurry eyes. He looked up from the sword and saw a face. It was icy and cold.

His eyes showed no feelings at all. They were so cold and deep that just looking at them made you feel cold too.

He couldn’t finish his sentence. The sword moved again and cut through his neck. His head flew up.

“You should have paid more attention.”

Chung Myung grinned, looking around at everyone.

“Who wants to fight next?”

The Ice Battle Squad was terrified. They had seen their leader killed so quickly.

“Ah… Aaaah….”

“Ru, run away!”

“Jump down! We’re going to die!”

Those gripped by fear began to throw down their weapons and flee. Some tumbled as they ran towards the stairs of the fortress, and some even jumped down from the fortress walls.

Watching the scene of the surroundings emptying in an instant, Chung Myung clicked his tongue.

“Tsk. These fighters today are weak.”

He thought, *Like in my time…*

He cleared his throat. *Never mind.*

Yeo Sahon’s face was as stiff as could be.

*That guy….*

That’s clearly strange.

He didn’t know this Ice Battle Commander. He didn’t remember anyone like that from when he was an elder in the Ice Palace.

Even quickly looking at him, Yeo Sahon could see the Ice Battle Commander was very skilled.

Of course, he had to be.

Commanders of fighters are usually very strong, because warriors only follow strong leaders.

But for his head to be cut off in just seconds?

Yeo Sahon himself couldn’t do that.

Even if Chung Myung, this Hwasan Divine Dragon, was very strong, a real fight with the Commander should have lasted many moves, at least a hundred.

It should have been impossible for his head to be cut off so quickly.

But Yeo Sahon was seeing it happen.

Yeo Sahon’s body trembled.

He was probably the only one here who understood what that meant.

Was it just carelessness?

Yes, maybe.

If he had to explain it, he would say the Ice Battle Commander lost focus in battle.

But Yeo Sahon couldn’t blame the Commander.

People always say you must stay focused in battle, but it’s very hard to do.

Just a moment.

Chung Myung had seen a tiny opening, something almost too quick to notice.

He had decided instantly to attack, jumping right into the enemy without fear.

And he was brave enough to use his sword perfectly, even though one mistake could kill him.

*Like a monster….*

If that young swordsman had simply killed all the Ice Battle Squad on the fortress wall with one sword, he wouldn’t have been so surprised. That’s something that can be explained by the level of martial arts.

But such decisiveness and boldness are not something that can be simply called strength. Even Yeo Sahon, who had fought countless battles throughout his life, couldn’t dare to do such a thing.

“Just what….”

It was then.

Chung Myung spun his sword, the Dark Fragrance Plum Blossom Sword, once, then put it back in its holder. He walked quickly to the edge of the fortress wall and looked down.

“There are many of them down there.”

They had climbed the fortress, which was good, but the war was just starting. The Ice Palace had to have more fighters than this.

Then, Chung Myung turned to Yeo Sahon and called,

“Hey, old man!”

“M-me? Are you talking to me?”

“Yes. Tell the others to hurry up! Are they as slow as snails?”

Chung Myung clicked his tongue and pointed down from the wall.

“So, what’s the plan?”

“…What do you mean?”

“Ha! You’re really annoying.”

Chung Myung hit his chest like he was very annoyed.

Yeo Sahon flinched slightly. Until now, he would have just chuckled and brushed off whatever Chung Myung said, but after seeing Chung Myung’s movements just now, he was mindful of every single word.

“You said you wanted to talk to them, using the child?”

“Y-yes, that’s right.”

“They are all gathered down there, and we are high up here. It looks like a good place to talk. So, what will you do?”

Yeo Sahon nodded, looking a little confused.

*Was Chung Myung really thinking about all this?*

He didn’t seem very smart at first, but he was actually understanding the situation much better than Yeo Sahon.

“I think I was wrong about you.”

“…What did you think of me?”

The answer came from behind them, not from Yeo Sahon.

“A fake priest.”

“A rude kid.”

“Someone who talks too much.”

“Someone who deserves to go to hell…”

“Hey, bald monk, come here!”

Hye-yeon jumped and hid behind Baek Cheon.

“Is that guy hiding?”

“Ah, Amitabha! Amitabha!” (a Buddhist prayer)

Yeo Sahon sighed, watching Chung Myung grab Hye-yeon’s head.

*They are amazing,* Yeo Sahon thought. Because the Hwasan disciples led the way, everyone else climbed onto the fortress safely, and no one was hurt.

Yeo Sahon didn’t know if Chung Myung had planned everything so well, or if they were just lucky. But either way, it was very good for them.

“Chung Myung-ah. You shouldn’t grab a monk’s head.”

“Sasuk. It’s not that you shouldn’t grab a monk’s head, but that you shouldn’t grab anyone’s head in the first place.”

“Oh… Right?”

Watching those who had become a little more relaxed, Jo Gul tilted his head.

“Sasuk. Aren’t we going down? What are we doing instead of fighting?”

“Geol-ah.”

“Yes!”

“……Aren’t there still people behind us who haven’t come up yet? We already have a small number, so if we split up and fight, wouldn’t we just be defeated one by one?”

“Ah….”

Only then did Jo Gul understand and turn around. Then, he tilted his head again as if he still didn’t understand.

“There’s no one blocking us, so why are they having so much trouble coming up?”

Baek Cheon was about to say something but closed his mouth. That was because he was thinking the same thing.

“We don’t need to hurry. The enemy isn’t going anywhere. We need to be ready.”

He said this mostly for the people from the Northern Sea.

Most of them understood what he meant. But one person in Hwasan didn’t understand at all.

“But waiting gives them time to prepare too…”

“Geol-ah.”

“Yes?”

“Are you asking for trouble? Do you want me to hit you?”

“…No, Yoon Jong.”

Jo Gul looked unhappy and lowered his head as Yoon Jong stared at him angrily.

Yeo Sahon’s face flushed with embarrassment at their conversation.

*To think that our skills would be holding them back.*

Even though they were tired from the long journey, most of them were once elders and the best fighters of the Ice Palace.

They were just as skilled as the young Hwasan disciples.

But strangely, the Hwasan group was in charge. It wasn’t just about fighting skill; there was something else about them.

*I’ve been surprised so many times today,* he thought. He knew he shouldn’t be thinking about his feelings on this important day for the Northern Sea, but he couldn’t stop them.

“So, what are you going to do?”

Yeo Sahon’s expression hardened at Chung Myung’s words.

“I know that it’s better to keep a distance in terms of strategy.”

“Yes.”

“But I think it’s better to go down from the fortress wall.”

“Why?”

He answered Chung Myung calmly. “We need to let them see the young palace lord clearly. Even if they are good fighters and have sharp eyes, they can’t be sure he is really the old palace lord’s child from up here.”

“Ah. So you’re going to take the kid there and hold him in front of the guys holding swords?”

Chung Myung asked, pointing towards Han Yi-myung. Seol So-baek, who had been carried on Han Yi-myung’s back, flinched slightly and stared at Chung Myung quietly.

“…That is…”

Han Yi-myung, who had been quiet until now, spoke up as Yeo Sahon hesitated, unable to find the words.

“I understand what you are worried about, Elder. But if we don’t do this, everyone will die anyway. Especially the young palace lord.”

“Hmm.”

“This is the best choice. Please understand.”

Chung Myung nodded, not really caring.

“Okay, if that’s how you do things in the Northern Sea, I won’t stop you. Everyone has their own way of doing things.”

“Thank you for understanding.”

“However.”

Chung Myung’s face suddenly became cold.

“Since you say it’s the best choice, you must be ready to be the first to die if it goes wrong. That’s what it means to be responsible.”

“Let’s go down then. They look very angry down there.”

Chung Myung laughed quietly and looked down from the wall.

Seol Cheon-sang’s face twisted, turning red and then blue.

“Those…”

He had seen the Ice Battle Squad running away from the fortress in panic.

“Those cowards!”

The Ice Battle Squad was a fighting group he had trained himself, created after he became palace lord. He thought they would be the best defense for the fortress he had built so high, better than any other fighters, if someone attacked.

But if they ran away like that, looking so scared, what would people think of him?

“Ice Battle Commander! You stupid fool!”

Seol Cheon-sang looked angrily at the fortress wall. He saw others looking down at him from the high wall, not the Ice Battle Squad.

His pride was completely destroyed.

He clenched his fists so hard they bled, and his teeth ground together, but he was still very angry.

“What are you doing! Drag those guys down here immediately!”

“P, Palace Lord. If we go back up to the fortress wall, the damage will be too great.”

“Then what? Are you saying we should just stand by and watch this?”

The elder who had spoken frankly quickly lowered his head as soon as Seol Cheon-sang’s bloodshot eyes turned towards him.

“Are you even fighters from the Ice Palace! You have no shame!”

Everyone knew that their lives were more important than pride.

But…

*It was wrong from the start.*

No one could tell that fact to the palace lord. Because their heads would be the first to be cut off if they did.

People who had given up their pride to save themselves were not likely to be brave enough to risk their lives now.

“Bring those guys before me immediately! Those damned youngsters from the Central Plains must be kept alive….”

“P, Palace Lord!”

“Hmm?”

“Th, there!”

Seol Cheon-sang turned his head with questioning eyes.

One person was leisurely coming down from the fortress wall.

“That…”

Seol Cheon-sang’s face twisted, looking like a demon. Chung Myung was coming down the stairs. He had taken off his leather clothes and was now wearing his Hwasan uniform, with the plum blossom design. It was the symbol of Hwasan. He walked towards them slowly.

“It’s been a while, Palace Lord?”

Seeing him even offering greetings with a nonchalant face, Seol Cheon-sang’s face instantly turned bright red.

“You… you monster! I want to rip you apart and kill you!”

His loud voice echoed through the Ice Palace.

“I! The Ice Palace was good to you, but you Central Plains people are evil! You repay kindness with hate! You are wicked…!”

“Ah, you misunderstand. I always return kindness, even more than I received.”

“What?”

“But this is different.”

Chung Myung’s smile slowly disappeared. His face became cold.

“I don’t think of people who work with the Demonic Sect as human.”

“…”

“I don’t owe anything to a dog of the Demonic Sect. Only my sword.”