Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 638

The air felt heavy and hard to breathe.

No matter what they felt about the person who just left, everyone knew this fight was very important.

“When you think about it, all the fights before this were just for fun.”

On one side was Heogong, an elder from the Wudang Sect.

And on the other, Chung Myung, known as the best young talent, and truly the best swordsman from Mount Hua.

Whether they were evenly matched or not, everyone agreed that this was a fight worth watching.

The result of this fight would be huge news around the world, bigger than anything since Mount Hua moved from their old home.

“Sect Brother,” Baek Sang asked, his voice trembling slightly.

“Can he win?”

“Hmm.”

Baek Cheon hesitated before speaking carefully, “It should be difficult, normally.”

“So, it is as I thought?”

“…”

Even Baek Sang thought Chung Myung was amazing.

Even Baek Cheon and Yui Seol, who were also incredibly talented and among the best, seemed like children compared to Chung Myung.

But…

‘Even so, if the opponent is an elder of the Wudang Sect…’

Logically, there was no way he could win.

This was a common thought among the disciples of Mount Hua, not just Baek Sang.

“I hope Chung Myung doesn’t get hurt.”

If he were an ordinary third-generation disciple, he wouldn’t be too proud to be upset by a loss to a Wudang elder. But Chung Myung was so sure of himself that he seemed likely to be very upset if he lost.

As Baek Sang watched Chung Myung with worried eyes, a casual voice spoke near him.

“Well… logically speaking, that is.”

“…Yes?”

A strange look crossed Baek Cheon’s face.

“That guy has no sense of logic.”

At Baek Cheon’s words, the other Five Swords nodded, adding their own thoughts.

“I can’t imagine him losing at all.”

“Is Seolcheon stronger, or is that elder Heogong stronger?”

“…Hmm. It’s hard to say for sure just by looking.”

“I don’t think he’ll lose.”

“Me neither.”

Baek Sang’s face twisted in confusion as he listened to the Five Swords’ conversation.

“Are you all out of your minds? The opponent is a Wudang elder!”

“That’s why we’re saying it. Because we know….”

Even Baek Cheon shook his head, seemingly confused by his own words.

“That’s right. The opponent is a Wudang elder. So, this shouldn’t make sense….”

Then, he sighed deeply.

“What can I do? I just can’t imagine that Chung Myung fellow losing.”

“…Are you joking?”

“I wish I were.”

Baek Sang stared blankly at Baek Cheon. No matter how he looked, he couldn’t see a joking expression on his face.

Feeling hopeless, Baek Sang looked around and saw Monk Hae Yeon, hoping for a fair opinion.

“M-Monk. Venerable Hae Yeon. Please say something.”

“…Amitabha.”

Hae Yeon clasped his hands together and spoke in a serious tone.

“The Wudang sword is very strong. And because he is an elder from Wudang, his sword skills must be incredibly high, almost perfect.”

“Y-Yes, that’s right.”

“So, it will be a good match.”

“…”

Baek Sang’s mouth slowly opened.

‘Are they all crazy, really?’

The opponent was Wudang, the elder of the greatest sword sect in the world.

No matter how amazing Chung Myung was, surpassing seniority and age, this was unbelievable.

“What is this… This is….”

Baek Cheon quietly watched Baek Sang, who was muttering nonsense in a daze.

Come to think of it, these guys hadn’t properly seen Chung Myung wield his sword since the Later Generations Tournament.

During the hard fight with Maninbang, Chung Myung fought where others couldn’t watch, and they didn’t go with him to the Northern Sea.

Maybe they saw him briefly in the recent fight with Daebyeolchae, but it was a messy battle, so they couldn’t really see his skills.

Also, the Wudang elder is much more important than the Lord of Daebyeolchae. He has a different kind of respect and power, more than just skill.

‘So, this reaction is only natural.’

They must have been judging Chung Myung’s skills as the best among the younger generation. At best, they would think he was slightly better than Hae Yeon.

“Tsk.”

Baek Cheon frowned slightly and said words he didn’t want to say.

“Everyone, watch closely.”

“…Yes?”

“His personality is terrible.”

The Five Swords chimed in as if they had been waiting for it.

“A fiend.”

“He’s like a beast.”

“Apologize to the beast, Sect Brother!”

“…”

Baek Cheon cleared his throat quietly and continued.

“Anyway, that fellow is now the undisputed finest swordsman of Mount Hua. Take a good look at what kind of swordsmanship you should be pursuing.”

At those words, the disciples of Mount Hua stopped talking and focused on Chung Myung, who had gone up to the dueling platform. Their eyes were full of strange anticipation and excitement.

‘Mount Hua Divine Dragon.’

Meanwhile, Mu Jin bit his lip slightly as he watched Chung Myung go up to the dueling platform.

Chung Myung didn’t seem to have changed much.

He seemed a little taller and a little bigger, but the relaxed expression and gestures he had shown back then hadn’t changed at all.

Compared to the time when he had badly defeated him.

The person hadn’t changed, but Chung Myung’s position was much higher than before. He was called the best young talent then and now, but the meaning behind those words was stronger than before.

Did Mu Jin’s acceptance of his past defeat become any easier?

Not at all.

A strong sense of rivalry and passion flickered in his eyes as he looked at Chung Myung.

“Calm yourself.”

“Ah….”

At the voice that came from beside him, Mu Jin unconsciously let go of the fist he had been clenching.

“You will have plenty of chances to get revenge, even if it’s not this time.”

“…I know.”

“Restoring the sect’s honor comes first.”

Mu Jin nodded quietly.

He had no intention of insisting on fighting in his place here. The situation had already gone too far for him to do anything about it.

He was just sad that his martial uncle would get revenge on Chung Myung, the ‘Mount Hua Divine Dragon,’ instead of him.

“That child is certainly remarkable. Not only did he defeat you, but he also practically defeated Shaolin’s greatest talent, and he even beheaded that Gwangudo of Daebyeolchae.”

“…Yes.”

“But being great now doesn’t mean it will continue in the future.”

Mu Jin stared at Heo Sanja with questioning eyes.

“What do you mean?”

“I have seen many shining talents disappear.”

“…”

“It’s not just about being strong now, but about staying strong. A proud genius can lose their confidence after just one loss. I wonder if that child has the strong will to accept defeat and rise again.”

Heo Sanja narrowed his eyes.

‘Mount Hua is dangerous.’

It was something he had known since coming here, but seeing it with his own eyes, Mount Hua was impressive enough to make the rumors of the Jianghu seem weak in comparison.

He was afraid of how much stronger they would become if they were allowed to continue growing.

‘My mistake was not finding the real cause of the problem.’

He understood it when Heogong stepped up.

He saw who the Mount Hua disciples looked to when facing someone too strong for them.

Even the ‘Five Swords,’ who he respected for their skill even though they were enemies, automatically looked at Chung Myung when Heogong came forward.

‘That child was leading them.’

He had heard such rumors, but he couldn’t believe them until he saw it himself. No matter how weak Mount Hua had become, it was once a famous sect that ruled the world. Who would believe that a child who had just become an adult was leading such a sect?

Anyone with common sense would just laugh it off.

So, he thought that even if Chung Myung was talented and expected to lead the sect in the future, the rumor that he was the center of the sect and leading its rise was an exaggeration.

But the latter, not the former, was the truth.

Now, nothing else mattered.

Heogong’s judgment was correct. To stop Mount Hua’s rise, they had to defeat Chung Myung first.

Even if Wudang won completely, Mount Hua’s rise wouldn’t stop unless Chung Myung was defeated. On the other hand, even if Wudang was completely defeated, Mount Hua would no longer be able to grow if Chung Myung was defeated.

‘So.’

They had to defeat that child in this place.

‘Even if it means using too much force and causing an accident.’

And Heogong would know this better than anyone else. Wasn’t that why Heo Dojin sent him in the first place?

‘Immeasurable Buddha.’

It was a thought that he, as someone who claimed to be a Taoist, shouldn’t have, but the future of his sect was much more important to him than his principles.

‘Today, Heogong will cut off the lifeline of Mount Hua in this place.’

Heo Sanja’s eyes shone coldly.

Heogong looked strangely at Chung Myung, who had come up to the dueling platform and stood facing him.

It was a truly awkward situation.

Had he ever imagined that he would seriously fight with someone who was three generations younger than him?

It was truly embarrassing, but one couldn’t always do what one wanted.

The role of the Wudang elders was to make sure that the tasks they were given were done well in exchange for being allowed their usual freedom.

Heogong looked at Chung Myung seriously.

“It’s not easy to exchange swords even once.”

“I’m a bit valuable, you see.”

Heogong nodded.

“That’s right, that’s right. Not just valuable, but very precious.”

“Oh? You know?”

“I know it well.”

Heogong’s eyes turned serious.

And a small voice, too quiet to be heard outside the dueling platform, came from his mouth.

“Wudang had to admit defeat in order to fight you, and the Sect Leader specially sent me, didn’t he?”

“…”

“We paid a pretty high price, but now that I’m facing you like this, I don’t regret the price we paid.”

This was genuine.

He thought he could pretend while he was below the dueling platform. But Chung Myung was acting the same way he had below the dueling platform, even while standing in front of him.

‘I’m afraid of how much he will grow if he continues like this.’

Heogong’s resolve became even stronger.

He didn’t always agree with the Sect Leader or Heo Sanja’s ideas. But he believed it was all for the good of Wudang sect.

If this child became a big problem for Wudang’s future, he was willing to take the blame and remove that problem.

“I’ll teach you a lesson. My discipline is quite harsh, so you’d better be careful.”

Screeeech.

Heogong slowly drew his sword.

But even though his opponent had taken a stance, Chung Myung didn’t seem nervous and sighed.

“Seriously, this guy and that guy.”

“…What did you say?”

At the sharp question, Chung Myung chuckled.

Heogong started to show his power, and there was a very slight hint of danger in it, so small it was almost hidden.

“Well, I can understand why the guys from the Nine Sects are like that, but you see.”

Heogong frowned as he watched Chung Myung say things he didn’t understand.

But his suspicion quickly disappeared.

Screeeech.

Chung Myung slowly drew his sword.

“You keep saying you’ll teach me a lesson, like I’m worth your time.”

“…”

“I don’t know when Wudang became better than Mount Hua that you’re talking so big.”

A bitter smile appeared on Chung Myung’s lips.

“That pride, I’ll shatter it to pieces for you.”

The two men’s angry eyes met.