Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 506

As soon as the name was spoken, the air around the Ice Palace warriors changed.

It was a name they wanted to forget, but couldn’t.

They weren’t stupid. They knew about the men in black who attacked the Ice Palace during the rebellion.

They just didn’t want to think about it too much.

But now, a man from the Central Plains had said ‘Demonic Sect’ right in front of them. It was like he was forcing them to face it.

Seolcheon Sang spoke calmly.

“I haven’t the faintest idea what you’re talking about.”

“Oh, so you’re going to play dumb?”

Chung Myung chuckled.

“Well, that’s fine too, I suppose.”

It was clear he was making fun of him.

Seolcheon Sang’s mouth tightened, and he spoke, trying to hide his anger.

“You! Telling lies and tricking people…”

“Ah, enough,” Chung Myung said, waving his hand to stop him. Seolcheon Sang’s face got even angrier at this rude interruption.

Chung Myung, as if indifferent to his reaction, simply shrugged.

“I’ve learned from butting heads with all sorts of people that words just don’t work, you know?”

Seolcheon Sang stared at Chung Myung in disbelief.

What on earth was this rascal saying?

“There’s no point in trying to talk when you’ve already decided not to listen to a word I say. So, why bother with words when I have a perfectly good sword? Right?”

“…”

“You can do your thinking in hell. You’ll figure out what you did wrong when the sword’s buried in your neck.”

“You…”

Seolcheon Sang’s eyes were bloodshot.

Was this just a young kid, not even a very strong fighter, who dared to say he’d cut off his head?

“…It seems people from the Central Plains don’t teach their children any manners. How rude can you be?”

“Ah, manners, you say?”

Chung Myung chuckled as if he found the situation truly absurd.

“You’re a funny one. We’re about to start stabbing each other, and you’re asking for manners? Should I say, ‘Oh, esteemed Palace Lord! Please be careful as my sword enters your stomach?’ Would that make it hurt less?”

“…”

Seolcheon Sang’s body began to tremble visibly.

Seeing this young kid leaning back like he didn’t care, talking so carelessly, made his blood boil.

“Let’s see if you can still talk like that when your body is ripped apart!”

“How can I talk if my body’s in a thousand pieces? You need to think before you speak.”

“You little…!”

Seolcheon Sang bit his lip.

Baek Cheon, seeing blood welling from the cracks in his lip, smiled contentedly.

“He won’t die peacefully if he loses.”

“Indeed… He looks like he could kill a man with his eyes.”

Chung Myung beat them with his sword and beat them with his words.

The disciples of Mount Hua, who had experienced Chung Myung for several years, knew very well that sometimes being beaten with words was more painful than being beaten with a sword.

And now, Seolcheon Sang would come to know that fact as well.

Being made to look foolish in front of all his warriors…

Of course, from their perspective, Seolcheon Sang was the enemy, but there were lines in this world that transcended friend and foe.

But Chung Myung didn’t care about those rules.

“And…”

Chung Myung, who had been taunting Seolcheon Sang with words, now looked at the palace warriors with a strange expression.

“Even if you pretend otherwise, those who know, know, don’t they?”

“…”

The palace warriors simply avoided his gaze in silence.

It wasn’t that they were scared; they just felt ashamed.

Chung Myung gave a bitter smile at the sight.

“Yes, well. If you ignore things, life is easier. And it’s too much work to find out the bad stuff, right?”

A strange silence fell. Everyone had mouths, but no one spoke.

“But you need to know this,” Chung Myung spat out.

“If you ignore a bad wound because you don’t want to cut it open, you’ll end up losing an arm or a leg. And if you wait too long, you’ll die.”

“…”

“Now you have to choose. Whether to cut off your arm, or to die.”

You could see many different feelings on the Ice Palace warriors’ faces. Seeing this, Baek Cheon was about to say something to calm Chung Myung down.

Chung Myung was right, but Baek Cheon didn’t think he needed to be the one to deal with this problem.

Of course, Mount Hua had a reason to stop the Demonic Sect, but weren’t Yeo Sahon and Han Imyeong supposed to be here?

Mount Hua didn’t need to get involved when those two were here.

But just as he was about to speak, Yuisul subtly tugged at his sleeve, stopping him.

“…Sasuk?”

He turned back with a puzzled look, and she whispered softly.

“Expressions.”

“Hmm?”

“In the back, their expressions.”

At her words, Baek Cheon glanced back.

He saw the warriors of the Northern Sea lined up.

Just a moment ago, they were nervous because the Ice Palace warriors outnumbered them by a lot. Even though they were determined, seeing so many enemies was still scary.

But now… something had changed. They weren’t any less tense, but their expressions now held a subtle sense of pride.

‘Is this what they call justification?’

He had an idea of what was happening.

The warriors of the Northern Sea here had gathered to defeat Seolcheon Sang and place Seol So-baek in the position of Palace Lord.

But that couldn’t be a perfect justification.

No matter how much Seol So-baek was the rightful heir of the Northern Sea, judging who was the true heir wasn’t an act of distinguishing good from evil.

But the Demonic Sect was different.

Everyone who had heard of them knew how evil it was to work with them. It was clearly wrong, no question about it.

Chung Myung had now given the people behind him a strong, clear reason to fight. People gained confidence when they had a firm justification.

Baek Cheon’s gaze was fixed on Chung Myung’s back.

‘That rascal…’

He was confident that he now knew enough about Chung Myung, but Chung Myung was still showing him new sides.

Without trying to be the boss or even raising his voice, he was naturally leading everyone.

Baek Cheon could only shake his head. It was something he couldn’t dare to imitate.

That back.

How many people was that back leading right now?

Every time he realized that, Baek Cheon felt that back was reliable and dependable, but also a little unfamiliar.

At that moment.

Seolcheon Sang realized things were going wrong for him, and he shouted.

“What do you know about the Northern Sea to talk to me like that?”

His voice was filled with venom.

“The Northern Sea is a very poor, empty place. What do you know about that, living in the rich and comfortable Central Plains?”

“You’re talking nonsense.”

But Chung Myung laughed again this time.

“Whether it’s prosperous or barren, there are things you can do and things you can’t. If you’re going to use being poor as an excuse, you shouldn’t have kicked out the old Palace Lord.”

When he heard about the former Palace Lord, Seolcheon Sang’s face twisted in anger.

“That rascal…,”

Just then, Chung Myung subtly turned his head.

Yeo Saheon met his gaze, nodded, and stepped forward. Chung Myung had made his move, and now it was Yeo Saheon’s turn to speak.

Yeo Saheon advanced silently, glaring at Seol Cheon-sang with icy eyes.

“Seol Cheon-sang.”

Not Palace Lord, but Seol Cheon-sang.

With just that word, he made it clear he did not see Seol Cheon-sang as the Palace Lord.

“You have committed three sins.”

“….”

“First, the sin of bringing in those who should not have been brought in.”

Yeo Saheon’s voice resonated heavily.

“Second, the sin of daring to join hands with them to assassinate the previous Palace Lord and ascend to that position yourself. And third, the sin of handing over the people of the Northern Sea to their grasp, plunging everyone into suffering.”

Even though these shameful truths were spoken out loud for everyone to hear, Seol Cheon-sang’s face became calm.

“I, and we, will judge you in this very place today and enthrone the true heir of the Ice Palace as the Palace Lord. And we will force those disgusting creatures who try to take over the Northern Sea land out of here!”

Yeo Saheon’s voice echoed throughout the fortress walls.

His sharp gaze then turned towards the Ice Palace disciples, not Seol Cheon-sang.

“What about you? How long will you continue to live as the lackeys of that traitor! Here is the true heir of the Northern Sea! The true heir who can rebuild the fallen Northern Sea!”

Yeo Saheon subtly shifted his body to the side, revealing the small child standing before Han I-myung.

“….”

Everyone could tell at a glance that anyone who remembered the previous Palace Lord could not deny that this child was his son, so alike were they.

Some were shaken.

Some wavered.

And some even gritted their teeth.

The atmosphere in the fortress became tense and dangerous, like a furnace about to explode.

“Mistakes can be corrected! Even now, stand on the right side and lend your strength to defeat that villain. Then, we can return everything that is twisted to its rightful place!”

Yeo Saheon’s voice carried his very soul.

It was the will he had never lost, even after enduring years in that agonizing Ice Crystal Mine. It was the conviction of an old warrior who had vowed to one day bring down Seol Cheon-sang and return the Ice Palace to the right path.

But only silence filled the surroundings.

Almost no one responded to the old warrior’s fervent cry.

There were no echoing shouts, no enthusiastic roars. Only a deathly, chilling silence filled the air.

Bewilderment crossed Yeo Saheon’s face.

“Do not hesitate!”

He raised his voice even louder.

“If you join us now, no one will be held accountable! Everything will be buried. Only the revival of the Ice Palace….”

“That little brat, you say?”

Seol Cheon-sang’s voice nonchalantly cut off Yeo Saheon’s desperate cry.

“Or is it you, Elder Yeo? No, Yeo Saheon, is it you?”

“…Seol Cheon-sang.”

A sneer hung on Seol Cheon-sang’s lips.

“I wondered what grand plan you had to come down here so confidently. But all you’re relying on is that greenhorn with barely any blood in his veins?”

“You! This one is the true heir of the Northern Sea….”

“So?”

“….”

Seeing Yeo Saheon at a loss for words, Seol Cheon-sang shook his head.

“Foolish one. If that child is the heir of the Northern Sea, then so am I. I, too, am of the Seol family bloodline. And I, at least, have fought with my own two feet to stand here.”

“….”

“What does that child have, anyway? Did you think that everyone would follow him just because he inherited the blood of the Seol family? Did you think that fact alone would make their blood boil and turn their swords against me, the Palace Lord? How pathetic.”

“Do not speak carelessly, you!”

Unlike the enraged Yeo Saheon, Seol Cheon-sang had completely regained his composure. The situation had been reversed.

“People who are too stubborn and only believe they are right often fail.”

“What foolish things is that traitor saying….”

Just then, Chung Myung coldly interjected.

“That’s enough.”

Yeo Saheon glared at Chung Myung with an agitated face. Yeo Saheon knew he shouldn’t, but the situation was such that a harsh voice burst out.

“What do you mean, enough?!”

But even as he faced that resentment, Chung Myung merely smiled lightly.

“You’re quite naive, old man.”

“….”

“Do you think they didn’t step forward because they didn’t know what was right? They knew what was right, but they didn’t step forward because they didn’t want to die, didn’t want to get hurt. But would those who remained silent for such reasons suddenly have a great awakening just because the situation changed a little, and take the side of the weaker party?”

Chung Myung’s calm, quiet words spread out.

“Those who believe they are on the right side feel that their value is great. But from the other side, that’s nothing. To someone, that value is less than a thorn in my foot.”

“….”

He had seen it enough to be sick of it.

War makes humans reveal their true colors.

One who spoke of friendship abandons his comrade to survive. One who spoke of loyalty abandons the one he served and flees. Those who knew and upheld righteousness above all else turn a blind eye to those who sacrificed themselves for the Central Plains and, instead, look after their own interests.

Chung Myung had seen and experienced all of this.

Did he resent it?

Of course, he resented it.

He resented his own weakness for upholding his own values but failing to survive to the end.

Clang!

Chung Myung slowly drew the Plum Blossom Sword.

“Righteousness, you see…”

His face, as he smiled, revealing his teeth, was eerily terrifying.

“…is weaker than anything else in the world when you don’t have the strength to enforce it.”

And the person who agreed with those words was, unexpectedly, Seol Cheon-sang.

“True enough.”

His sneer turned towards Chung Myung.

“But doesn’t that apply to you as well? It seems you’re out of options now?”

“Don’t misunderstand.”

A chilling voice flowed from Chung Myung’s lips.

“Nothing has changed.”

With those words, the disciples of Mount Hua began to fill Chung Myung’s left, right, and rear, as if to say they would be with Chung Myung no matter what he did.

Feeling the disciples of Mount Hua around him, Chung Myung twisted the corners of his lips triumphantly.

“I’ll show you.”

His two eyes flashed with a bright blue light.

“That the current Mount Hua has the strength to enforce its beliefs!”

Clang!

The disciples of Mount Hua drew their swords in unison.

“Sasuk! Sago! Sahyung!”

“Yeah!”

“Let’s go!”

Chung Myung’s feet kicked off the ground.

At the same time, the disciples of Mount Hua and Hae Yeon also kicked off the ground, charging in a straight line towards the warriors of the Ice Palace.

Enemies lined up as far as the eye could see.

Seven black dots plunged like meteors towards the countless warriors of the Northern Sea Ice Palace, who looked like a pure white snow mountain.