Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 536

The air was still. The Bishop stared at Chung Myung, a bad feeling growing in his chest.

*Throb!*

A burning pain exploded in his chest, like hot iron pressed against his skin. He gasped, the air burning in his lungs.

The Bishop’s face twisted in pain.

He was used to pain. Years of suffering had made him strong. He could handle broken bones or cuts without even blinking.

But this pain was different. It was not just in his body. It felt like it came from his heart, from old memories and fears.

The Bishop’s bloodshot eyes stayed on Chung Myung, who stood in front of him.

‘The Plum Blossom Sword Saint?’

What a joke.

How dare he compare that weak fighter to the Plum Blossom Sword Saint?

Who was the Plum Blossom Sword Saint?

He was the best fighter of the Orthodox Faction, known by everyone for his great power.

The dead bodies of the Cultists that he killed made mountains, and their blood flowed like rivers. That Plum Blossom Sword Saint was like a devil whose body should be turned to dust.

He was so hateful that everyone had to respect him.

Not only the previous Bishop, but more than half of the Cult’s Bishops had died by the Plum Blossom Sword Saint’s sword during the Great War. They had died by that one man.

Even the previous Bishop was stronger than he was now. The Plum Blossom Sword Saint had cut off that man’s head and made the current Bishop rise to the position when he was young.

But…

How could he compare this weakling to the Plum Blossom Sword Saint, who he had even feared? It was crazy.

Grind.

The Bishop ground his teeth.

“You won’t leave this place alive! I promise you that!”

He glared at Chung Myung, who looked like he wanted to kill him.

Those words were like a puppy barking. Normally, he would have laughed when he heard them.

But now, he couldn’t laugh.

He felt afraid, and he didn’t know why.

‘Am I worried about that fighter?’

It didn’t make sense.

‘Even if he is a Mount Hua fighter, the Plum Blossom Sword Saint is much stronger than him, like heaven and earth. But why…?’

Just then…

Thud.

Chung Myung slowly walked toward the Bishop.

The Bishop’s face twisted as he watched him come closer with a sword in his hand and a look of murder in his eyes.

The Plum Blossom Sword Saint had walked toward him like that in the past. He felt like he had seen this before, something he had not felt from the other Mount Hua students.

Another wave of pain hit him.

The Bishop gritted his teeth, trying to ignore the pain in his chest.

“How dare you say such things to me!”

He shook off the confusion in his mind and let out a lot of demonic energy.

But then, a scream came from behind him.

“Bishop! No! You must retreat! It’s too dangerous! Think of our plan! You are too important!”

The Bishop’s face twisted at the screams of the Cultists.

Normally, or even a moment ago, he would have listened to those words.

He would have left the rest to the others and gone back. But he couldn’t do that now.

He didn’t want to, but he had to admit it.

That man is dangerous.

He had to deal with that man himself.

Boom!

The Bishop stomped down hard. Pieces of the broken floor flew into the air.

“Haaah!”

He shouted and stretched one hand forward. The pieces of rock flew toward Chung Myung like hidden weapons.

Seeing the rocks flying at him, Chung Myung twisted his lips.

“Still playing tricks!”

Even though it had been a long time, those Bishops hadn’t changed. It was wrong to think that such an attack would work on him.

Chung Myung ran toward the flying rocks.

Whoosh!

His body moved quickly, leaving a long shadow. He found the small spaces between the rocks and charged forward very fast.

“You bastard!”

The Bishop roared and let out a lot of demonic energy from both hands. It was like a gate to hell had opened from his hands.

“Die!”

Dark, swirling energy poured from his hands, twisting and growing into the shape of a monstrous beast. It had sharp claws, glowing red eyes, and a mouth full of teeth, ready to bite.

Black Killing Demon Palm, Demon Beast Bloodlust.

The black beast opened its mouth as if roaring and attacked Chung Myung.

It was very powerful.

It was almost impossible for Chung Myung to fight this power alone.

But.

Sssst.

Chung Myung’s sword, which had dodged the rocks and charged forward, slowly drew a line in the air.

It was not fast, and it wasn’t perfect either.

It was natural, like breathing. It was simple and strong, like nature itself.

Sssst.

The sword, which didn’t seem very strong, pierced the beast’s head.

And,

Whoosh!

The weak sword, made of steel, easily split the head of the demonic beast in two.

A ghostly scream echoed as if tearing the ears.

The long, split energy brushed past Chung Myung and hit the valley behind him.

Craaaash!

Rumble!

The narrow valley, with tall, grey rocks on both sides, collapsed, and large rocks crashed into the ground. The air was filled with dust and the smell of stone.

The fight had become something that ordinary people could not understand.

Chung Myung, who had cut through the Bishop’s fierce energy, stood still, his face calm but his eyes sharp like a hawk. There was no anger, just cold focus.

The Bishop gritted his teeth without knowing it.

The pain grew stronger, like it was tearing apart his body, starting with his chest. The demonic energy was opening the wound that had been frozen with ice.

But the Bishop couldn’t think about his wound.

Chung Myung’s sharp gaze held him tightly.

He was just a young man. The fights he had been in would have been like child’s play.

But how could this man have the eyes of a demon who lived on the battlefield?

Those eyes were familiar.

When he met those eyes, he couldn’t stop the feeling that kept rising from his chest.

“Haaah!”

The Bishop screamed and rushed toward Chung Myung, letting out streams of demonic energy.

“I will destroy you! I will grind you into dust!”

A lot of demonic energy, enough to break a mountain, gathered in his hand. The hand filled with demonic energy lunged toward Chung Myung’s head.

Whoosh!

Chung Myung’s sword flashed like lightning at the Bishop’s elbow.

Clang!

The Bishop’s mouth twisted for a moment.

‘What a fool.’

No matter how fast he swung his sword, that weak power could not hurt this body.

It was a mistake that only a young man would make.

Thinking that he had overestimated his opponent, the Bishop put more strength into his swinging hand to crush Chung Myung’s head.

But then…

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Chung Myung’s sword pierced the same part of the elbow again, twice as fast as the first time.

Clang!

Once! And again! And again!

So fast you couldn’t even breathe, the Bishop’s elbow was hit ten times!

He stabbed the same spot, again and again, twelve times. Perfectly.

Scritch!

A deep cut opened up.

Magic or not, it was still flesh. Twelve stabs in the same place? It couldn’t hold up.

The stabs cut through the muscles in the Bishop’s elbow. His arm twisted. The hand reaching for Chung Myung went off course.

The magical force narrowly grazed Chung Myung’s head and plunged into the ground.

KABOOM!

The ground exploded. Rocks flew everywhere.

Even with rocks flying around, Chung Myung pushed closer to the Bishop.

Chung Myung didn’t care about normal fighting. He jumped right into the Bishop’s space, spinning fast.

Clang! Clang clang clang!

It was so close, there wasn’t even room to swing a sword properly.

But Chung Myung kept his sword tight to him. He twisted his whole body, not just his arm, to use the sword. It cut the Bishop everywhere.

Red lines appeared all over the Bishop’s body.

“You rat bastard!”

The Bishop roared, bringing his fist down.

But before the fist hit, Chung Myung’s eyes flashed, hard and cold.

Chung Myung hit the Bishop’s wrist with the hilt of his sword, right as it was coming in.

Wham!

Because of that hit, the magic hand moved a little. It just touched Chung Myung, and then sliced through empty air.

Scritch! Scritch! Scritch!

Even in that split second, Chung Myung’s sword kept cutting and slashing the Bishop.

He just needed to move a little. The Bishop’s own power, when he attacked, would actually help Chung Myung.

The Bishop’s eyes were bloodshot.

“You…!”

Then, Chung Myung’s sword stabbed into his chest.

Clang!

As the Bishop flinched, Chung Myung’s eyes flashed.

Fwoosh!

His sword, the Plum Blossom Sword, stabbed his chest again and again.

The ice on his chest, which had firmly blocked Chung Myung’s sword, was now shaking with each attack.

“Aaaaargh!”

At that moment, the Bishop spread his arms wide with a scream.

At the same time, magic exploded out of the Bishop, like a storm all around him.

The magic storm threw Chung Myung back. He coughed up blood. But even as he flew backwards, he kept his sword pointed at the Bishop’s chest, trying to attack.

KABOOOOM!

The magic hit Chung Myung full force. He was thrown backwards, far away.

But he spun in the air, flipped his body, and landed softly on his feet.

Red blood trickled down from his lips, but his gaze was as cold as ever.

Crack!

A bad sound. The Bishop heard it and looked down slowly.

A large crack had formed in the ice that firmly covered his chest.

“⋯⋯….”

He was badly hurt in just a few seconds of fighting. Cold sweat dripped down the Bishop’s back.

‘What is he really?’ The Bishop thought. ‘He’s still weak, of course.’

He hadn’t done much, and his power was tiny compared to mine,

But how could someone so weak fight like an animal? He was actually dangerous.

“⋯⋯.. I admit it.” The Bishop thought. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d said “admit.” Ten years? Fifty? A hundred?

“You are strong….”

“Shut up.” Chung Myung showed his teeth, looking angry.

“I don’t need you to tell me if I’m good or not.”

The Bishop’s eyes shook violently.

“⋯⋯Even your rudeness doesn’t bother me. You really are amazing.”

“But that’s it. You think you can beat me when you’re already breathing so hard after just a little fight?”

Chung Myung did not answer.

It wasn’t wrong. His body was already drenched in sweat.

Even a small hit could hurt him badly.

Staying focused through all this attack was hard, even for him. He had attacked a lot, but he was also getting tired faster.

“Weakling. I’ll praise you. But the result will not change.”

“Weakling, you say….” Chung Myung quietly repeated, then chuckled.

“Yeah, you’re right. I am weak.” Compared to who he used to be, the Plum Blossom Sword Saint, this Chung Myung was very weak.

But.

“So what?”

“⋯⋯What?”

“Yeah, I’m weak. But…” Chung Myung grinned.

“It’s not necessarily me who has to be strong to win. Because I’m not alone.”

Scrrritch.

The sound of a sword scraping on the ground. Someone was coming up behind Chung Myung.

“⋯⋯..”

The Bishop felt shocked, for the first time in this fight.

The disciples of Mount Hua, whom he had thought were already defeated, began to gather behind Chung Myung.

Bruised and cut, blood running from their faces, but their eyes were still the same.

Their bodies were black and blue, their legs shaky, but they didn’t seem to care.

They glared at the Bishop, their eyes full of fight.

Baek Cheon.

Yoo Iseol.

Yoon Jong.

Jo Gul.

Tang Soso.

And even Hae Yeon.

None of them had given up. They were all standing behind Chung Myung.

Chung Myung didn’t look back, but he seemed to know they were there. He grinned and said.

“Listen up, old ghost.”

“This is Mount Hua.”

Chung Myung spun his sword once, then held it ready.

“Watch closely with those eyes. How the plum blossoms of Mount Hua bloom!”

Chung Myung’s sword tip moved, drawing a tiny plum blossom in the air. It looked small, very small. But it was full of power.