Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 510

“You leech!”

Lee Byeok, an important member of the Ice Palace, shouted angrily, like he was dying.

But the person blocking him didn’t react. He just held his sword quietly, keeping Lee Byeok from moving his feet.

“Aaaaargh!”

Lee Byeok unleashed energy from his hands. The air around him shimmered, and the ground trembled slightly.

It looked terrible. But to his opponent, it was just wild and uncontrolled fighting.

It was easy to stop.

“You whelp from the Central Plains!”

Baek Cheon swept his sword, blocking the energy attack. He stared at Lee Byeok with dark eyes.

‘He’s not even comparable to the female elder,’ he thought.

He had been on his guard, thinking him to be an elder of the Ice Palace, but this man’s skill didn’t even reach half of Yeo Sahon’s. It was almost embarrassing to call him an elder.

The elders of other sects he had seen so far were not so weak. Compared to the terrifying martial prowess that Seol Cheon-sang was currently displaying, this man’s energy was weak and messy.

‘So this is what happens to those who cling to power and neglect to hone themselves.’

Of course, these men were stronger than Baek Cheon was now.

But…

“We’re already experts at following powerful people.”

Baek Cheon roared, thrusting his sword towards Lee Byeok’s center line.

Of course, he wanted to overwhelm his opponent with dazzling swordsmanship. He was a martial artist, after all. But Baek Cheon knew what his role was right now.

To believe and endure.

To grab hold and drag down anyone who tried to interfere with what Chung Myung was trying to do.

That alone was enough.

Baek Cheon calmly suppressed his rising emotions.

“You miserable bastard! Do you think this will change anything?”

Despite Lee Byeok’s continued shouting, he didn’t react, as if he couldn’t hear. He focused all his remaining energy on the tip of his sword, not even sparing any to answer those paltry words.

‘I absolutely won’t miss.’

If he did what he had to do, then all that was left was for Chung Myung to somehow manage it.

If he failed to fulfill his role properly, and someone was hurt or killed, Baek Cheon would never forgive himself for the rest of his life.

So, he had to concentrate.

He focused all his senses. The sounds of battle faded away, and all he saw was Lee Byeok, every movement sharp and clear.

Because while dealing with Lee Byeok, he also had to keep an eye on his other martial siblings.

‘What about Sa-妹?’

Turning his gaze slightly, he saw Yoo Iseol, as relentless as ever, clinging to an Ice Palace elder.

A sudden chill ran down his spine, and he shuddered slightly.

Even a quick glance was enough to feel her terrifying concentration. It seemed as though no one could shake Yoo Iseol. Baek Cheon had steeled himself as well, but compared to her, he felt lukewarm.

On the opposite side, Jo Gul and Yoon Jong were pushing their opponents back hard and fast.

Clang! Clang clang clang!

Though it was two swords, they meshed together so fiercely that it was as if one person was wielding twin blades.

Baek Cheon nodded slightly.

Why wouldn’t Jo Gul and Yoon Jong want to face their enemies alone? Just as Baek Cheon felt the urge to push his opponent to the brink, they too would want to stand on their own. They would want to test their abilities to the limit.

But they were suppressing those impulses and finding the best they could do.

‘Heavy.’

Having such outstanding martial siblings wasn’t always a pleasant thing. Every time they showed such remarkable prowess, his shoulders felt heavier.

But Baek Cheon never succumbed to that weight.

Growth was, in the end, about overcoming. Without pressure, there was no growth. They were the driving force that pushed him forward.

“Amitabha!”

Kwaaaaaang!

He leaped forward, hearing Hae Yeon’s now-familiar roar. Probably, at this moment, Tang Soso was by Hae Yeon’s side, showering the enemies with the hidden weapons she had brought.

‘She must be frustrated.’

That she couldn’t fight with only a sword like the other Mount Hua disciples.

‘It’s alright. You’ll become stronger too.’

Baek Cheon now stared at Lee Byeok with a concentration that would make his opponent shudder.

Lee Byeok felt a cold shiver run down his spine.

‘What the hell are these guys?’

They were just young pups, after all. At the Ice Palace, they would only be new recruits in the martial force.

But the energy and concentration they were showing were crushing Lee Byeok’s common sense. He couldn’t understand how they could possess such seasoned skill at such a young age.

‘Are all the Central Plains guys like this?’

Or were these Mount Hua guys special?

‘Damn it.’

The situation was getting worse and worse. Once morale had fallen, it wasn’t easy to recover. On the other hand, the rebel forces led by Yeo Sahon were raising their morale even at this moment.

Of course.

Why wouldn’t the morale of these men, who were pushing their opponents beyond their capabilities, be soaring?

‘This won’t do!’

If things continued like this, even if they won, the damage would be too great. He had to find a clue for a counterattack as quickly as possible…

But at that very moment.

“Palace Lord!”

“Aaaargh! Palace Lord!”

A desperate scream pierced his ears. Lee Byeok, his face ashen, reflexively turned around.

And.

An unbelievable sight entered his eyes.

“Cough…”

Fresh blood gurgled from his mouth. The metallic smell of blood filled the air.

The sword that had pierced through his solar plexus and churned his insides was causing blood to flow back up his esophagus.

“Cough.”

Seol Cheon-sang, coughing and spitting out blood, stared at the sword embedded in his abdomen.

Drip.

Red blood flowed down the blade.

It was not his blood, but Chung Myung’s. The blood flowing from Chung Myung’s hand, which had grabbed the blade with his bare hand, dripped down the sword and onto Seol Cheon-sang’s abdomen.

‘…Is he out of his mind?’

That was a famed sword that could even shave off his hand, which was covered in freezing energy. No matter how much internal energy he poured into it, there was no guarantee that his fingers wouldn’t be cut off in an instant.

Yet, in that desperate moment where lives were on the line, he had grabbed the blade with his bare hand and pierced his abdomen.

“Kuh-euk…”

The mental shock was greater than the pain of having his stomach pierced.

“Heuaaaak!”

Seol Cheon-sang, gathering all his remaining strength, gripped the blade, pulled it from his stomach, and pushed Chung Myung away with all his might. Crimson blood poured between his knees as they hit the snow. The cold snow instantly soaked through his clothes.

He leaned back. His fingers were sliced off by the sharp blade, and his back slammed into the snow, but he felt no pain, no coldness.

Even as he vomited blood, he turned his body. Crawling, rolling, scratching at the ground, he forced himself to stand.

His legs trembled, and his whole body shook. His vision blurred momentarily, his consciousness fading and returning.

But even in the midst of all that, he saw it clearly.

Chung Myung, gripping his sword, staring straight at him.

“…Why.”

Seol Cheon-sang muttered, his mouth foaming with blood.

Chung Myung’s mouth filled with the hot, metallic taste of blood. He spat it onto the icy ground. He couldn’t fall now, not with the old anger still burning in his chest.

Seolcheon Sang’s voice was weak and shaking. “Why… why should I… listen to you?”

“Ptooey.” Chung Myung wiped his bloody hand across his mouth, smearing red across his skin.

“Because you are weak.”

Seolcheon Sang didn’t respond.

“The reason is simple. Because you are weak.”

Seolcheon Sang’s face twisted in anger.

“I… I’m weak?”

“Yes.”

Chung Myung spoke coldly, and made it clear.

“When the previous Palace Lord was here, you never dared to fight him with your own strength.”

Seolcheon Sang didn’t respond.

“You even used others to become the leader. In the end, you’ve never once fought with your life on the line.”

Chung Myung showed his teeth, stained with blood.

“That’s why you’re just a kid.”

“Heu…”

A sad laugh came from Seolcheon Sang.

“I… I’m a kid? Me? Hahaha! Me?”

Blood streamed from his eyes, his blood vessels having burst.

“What do you know! What do you know! You who have lived in the comfortable Central Plains, what do you know! To survive in this poor land, we have no choice but to constantly take from each other! By any means necessary! What do you know about that…”

Paaah!

In that instant, Chung Myung moved like light, flashing past Seolcheon Sang.

Seolcheon Sang stopped speaking and stared blankly up at the sky.

“I wasn’t wrong…”

Soon, a red line appeared on his neck.

At first, it looked like a thin thread, but it gradually became clearer. After a moment, Seolcheon Sang’s head was slowly cut off, falling to the side with a thud.

Chung Myung watched. He quietly opened his mouth.

“I said I’d cut off that head, didn’t I?”

The dead wouldn’t feel anything anymore anyway.

Throb.

After a moment, terrible pain began to fill him.

It had been a very short fight, but very intense. Terrible pain erupted from the wounds made by sword energy and the force of his opponent’s palm strikes.

‘Weakling.’

He had to take such a risk even against someone like that. If the fight had gone on even a little longer, Chung Myung would have been the one lying on the floor.

But he had won.

The difference that decided the victory was only one thing.

Seolcheon Sang had never fought with his life on the line, while Chung Myung had always fought with his life on the line. That difference in experience decided what happened to them.

Thud. Thud.

Chung Myung walked with slow steps and picked up Seolcheon Sang’s head from the floor.

Seolcheon Sang’s eyes were wide open, unable to believe what had happened even as he died.

Chung Myung held the head and looked around.

“Lo, Lord Palace Master…”

“The Palace Lord…”

The Ice Palace warriors looked back and forth between Chung Myung and their Palace Lord’s head. They were shocked and scared.

They had never imagined that Seolcheon Sang could be defeated, so this was very shocking.

Drip.

Chung Myung wiped the blood flowing from his nose and looked at the battlefield. A silence quickly spread across the battlefield, where there had been blood and death.

Those who had been fighting without thinking also stopped in surprise at the cold silence they felt. The battlefield became still.

The disciples of Mount Hua watched and trembled. Everyone on the battlefield was looking only at Chung Myung.

This was a place where his reputation was not known.

This was a place where he could not fight with many people helping him.

In this difficult place, Chung Myung had completely won the battle with only his sword.

Chung Myung threw the head he was holding forward.

Everyone watched the head roll on the floor until it stopped. They looked back at Chung Myung with many different feelings.

“The war is over.”

Chung Myung’s voice was strong and cold.

“The Palace Lord is dead.”

The Ice Palace warriors didn’t respond.

“Anyone who wants to fight without a reason, step forward. I will deal with you.”

Chung Myung glared at the Ice Palace warriors. His body was covered in blood. No one dared to step forward or even look at Chung Myung.

With Seolcheon Sang’s head cut off, this fight no longer had any meaning. Now, only Seol So-baek could become the Palace Lord.

When they lost Seolcheon Sang, their war was over.

The battle that would decide the future of the Ice Palace was easily decided by a stranger from the Central Plains, not by them.

Chung Myung looked at one person.

Yeo Sa-hon met his gaze, clutched his heart, and took a deep breath. Then, with a slightly shaking voice, he shouted loudly.

“Drop your weapons! Those who surrender will not be punished!”

The crowd hesitated for a moment.

Yeo Sa-hon pushed them further.

“Are you still going to fight even though the new Palace Lord is watching?”

As he shouted, everyone looked at Seol So-baek, who was being protected by Han Yi-myung.

The Ice Palace warriors felt weak when they saw the child. Her face was pale, but she was standing firm.

Clang.

Clink.

Weapons fell to the floor one by one.

Plop.

Plop. Plop.

The Ice Palace warriors who were resisting knelt down together.

Chung Myung watched quietly. He spat out the blood that had filled his mouth again and chuckled.

“How boring.”

But it was alright.

The enemies he would have to face from now on would not be so boring.

Chung Myung looked at the setting sun far away.

When the sun sets, darkness comes.

And in that darkness, he would now have to face those he knew well.

‘Now it’s your turn.’

Chung Myung smiled in a mean way as he thought of the Demonic Sect.