Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 667

“Is it really true?” whispered a man, leaning closer to his friend.

“What? What’s true?”

“That story… about Mount Hua. Did you hear? They say Mount Hua defeated the Demonic Sect in the Northern Sea!”

The friend frowned. “They are from the North Sea Ice Palace. Do you think they would just make up such a big story?”

“Well…” The first man hesitated. “The Palace Lord looked young. Maybe… maybe she got it wrong?”

He stopped talking suddenly, his mouth clicking shut. A cold feeling washed over him. A guard from the North Sea Ice Palace was walking past, and his eyes were like ice as he glared at them.

He quickly lowered his head, avoiding eye contact. The Ice Palace guard turned away and continued walking.

The man next to him, who had also been holding his breath, whispered a scolding.

“Watch your mouth! That blasted mouth of yours!”

“My, my apologies.”

“From what I hear, the Palace Lord of the North Sea Ice Palace is chosen by bloodline, like the head of a prestigious family. So, it’s not strange for a young Palace Lord to appear.”

“Y-yes, that’s right.”

The man cautiously glanced around before speaking.

“If it’s true, isn’t it an extraordinary event? It’s the Demonic Sect, after all.”

“…Perhaps they only found and dealt with a few members of the Demonic Sect?”

“Come now, man! The North Sea wouldn’t be so foolish. Would they lower their heads in gratitude for something so small?”

“Now that I hear it, that’s true…”

“It’s frustrating. There’s no way to confirm it.”

“Why is there no way to confirm it! There are so many people here!”

“Huh?”

One of them subtly gestured towards the Ice Palace guards with his chin.

“Since it happened in the Northern Sea, shouldn’t we just ask the people from the Northern Sea?”

“…It feels a bit awkward. They are from the North Sea, and we don’t usually talk to them.”

The North Sea Ice Palace rarely interacted with the Central Plains. Moreover, since they were essentially foreigners, it wasn’t easy to start a conversation.

“What’s awkward about it! They came to participate in the Sky Union Alliance’s founding ceremony; surely they won’t get angry? I’ll go ask.”

Speaking boldly, he glanced around, then subtly called out to one of the Ice Palace guards passing by.

“Excuse me…”

“What is it?”

The Ice Palace guard turned to look at them.

“I… may I ask you something?”

“Go ahead.”

Swallowing hard, the man quickly spoke.

“A little while ago, that… what your Palace Lord said…”

“What are you referring to?”

“You know, about Mount Hua defeating the Demonic Sect in the Northern Sea…”

The Ice Palace guard nodded emphatically.

“You mean that story.”

“Yes, yes! Is it true?”

As the man asked with a bright expression, the Ice Palace guard’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“Are you saying my Palace Lord is a liar?”

“No, no! How could I ever suggest such a thing? That would be ridiculous.”

The man, terrified by the cold aura coming from the Ice Palace guard, quickly added.

“It’s not that, I was just curious about the extent of those Demonic Sect remnants…”

A moment of silence passed. The Ice Palace guard frowned as if in disbelief.

“You truly know nothing?”

“Well, we haven’t heard anything about it…”

The Ice Palace guard, Song Yuan, sighed quietly.

‘Truly, these people are hopeless.’

To achieve such an incredible feat and not boast about it even once?

No matter how much one says that merit shouldn’t be flaunted, that’s just an ideal. Most people can’t resist the urge to brag, even about the smallest achievements.

“How many Demonic Sect members were there?”

As the man subtly pressed, a smile formed on Song Yuan’s lips. Song Yuan felt a surge of pride for Mount Hua. These people really knew nothing.

‘Not flaunting one’s achievements, eh?’

Is it considered virtuous to conceal one’s own merits and praise the merits of others? If Mount Hua follows virtue, then he had no reason not to do the same.

“The thing is…”

Song Yuan began to recount the events that had happened in the Northern Sea, adding a bit of extra details to make it sound even better.

“That’s what happened.”

“…”

“…”

Those who had gathered around Song Yuan were so engrossed that they didn’t even think to close their gaping mouths.

“…A Grand Elder, you say?”

“Indeed.”

“A Grand Elder and over two hundred Demonic Sect members. Good heavens…”

That was an enormous force.

Those who had assumed that Mount Hua had merely captured a few remnants of the Demonic Sect in the Northern Sea were completely stunned by the untold story that flowed from Song Yuan’s lips. During Song Yuan’s story, we could break up the dialogue with short descriptions of the listeners’ reactions to emphasize the impact of his words.

“Is that truly the truth?”

“A North Sea person does not lie.”

“O, of course. But it’s such an incredible feat…”

“And all of this I witnessed with my own eyes. I even participated in that final battle.”

“…”

Sensing the doubt mixed in with the gazes directed at him, Song Yuan frowned. He could feel their doubt growing.

“I cannot show you what I saw, but I can show you what I experienced.”

“Yes?”

Song Yuan began to unbutton his upper garment.

‘Huh?’

The surrounding people stirred slightly at the inexplicable action, but Song Yuan, instead of answering, threw open his shirt.

“Gasp!”

“Th-that!”

His fully exposed upper body was covered in thick, black scars that twisted like angry snakes across his skin, etched like tattoos. The still-sunken wounds perfectly demonstrated that he had crossed the line between life and death to stand in this place.

“Th-those scars are…”

“Indeed. Scars I sustained in battle with the Demonic Sect.”

They were clearly recent wounds.

Gulp.

The sound of nervous swallowing could be heard clearly from here and there.

“Good heavens… It was all true.”

“Mount Hua…”

Seeing the rapidly changing atmosphere, Song Yuan fastened his clothes and emphasized his point.

“If the Mount Hua Five Swords had not come, the Northern Sea would have become a land of death. Not a single North Sea person would have survived, and by now, the Central Plains would not be safe either.”

“…”

It was an unbelievable statement at first hearing.

How could just five people make such a difference?

But no one could argue against his words. What sect in the world would lower itself to praise another?

The fact that those words came from the mouth of an Ice Palace guard, of all people, meant that Mount Hua’s contribution was that great.

“Therefore, not only the Ice Palace but also the Central Plains should be grateful to Mount Hua. To be ignorant of such grace is no different from being a beast, wouldn’t you agree?”

Leaving a sharp remark, Song Yuan turned and walked away.

“…It’s all true.”

Someone’s groan echoed clearly in the minds of the people.

“Did you say they didn’t know the Divine Spears of Mount Hua?”

“…”

Gong Wan-ri saw the Beast Palace Warrior staring at him. He felt like hiding his head in his shoulders.

He had never seen such a clear look of ‘Are you stupid?’ before.

“Ha…”

The Beast Palace Warrior chuckled, his tanned arms rippling with muscle.

“Okay, okay,” the Beast Palace Warrior said, his voice rough. “Maybe you don’t know about the Five Demon Slayers. Fine. But the Plum Blossom Sword Saint? Seriously? Are people in the Central Plains walking around with their eyes shut and ears blocked? How can you *not* know him? He’s the reason we’re all still here today!” He paused, looking at Gong Wan-ri with disbelief.

Gong Wan-ri stayed silent, feeling smaller and smaller.

The warrior scoffed. “I heard Central Plains people are all about manners and doing the right thing. Rubbish! To stand there and say you don’t know the Plum Blossom Sword Saint? The man who beat the Demonic Sect, who stopped the Heavenly Demon himself? Shameful! Absolutely shameful!”

“Who is this Plum Blossom Sword Saint your Palace Lord mentioned?” Gong Wan-ri grumbled, feeling unfairly judged.

“This is the first I’m hearing of it…”

“What?”

The Beast Palace Warrior’s eyes flashed. He suddenly seemed like a hungry wolf, and Gong Wan-ri took a step back.

“How can someone from the Central Plains not know the Plum Blossom Sword Saint! His sword has killed so many Demonic Sect followers, he has defeated so many Sect Leaders, he has saved so many sects! You blasted fool!”

The Beast Palace Warrior’s booming voice echoed across the training ground, making the Mount Hua disciples jump. They came running.

“W-what’s going on?”

“These blockheads don’t know the Plum Blossom Sword Saint!”

“What?”

“A Central Plains person doesn’t know the Plum Blossom Sword Saint?”

“Are you mad?”

The Beast Palace Warriors rushed over, hearing that someone didn’t know the Plum Blossom Sword Saint. They moved like a wave of angry bees, their faces set and their hands gripping their weapons.

“Is it this bloke?”

“Who doesn’t he know?”

“Shall we teach him?”

Surrounded by the Beast Palace Warriors, Gong Wan-ri turned pale and looked at the Mount Hua disciples.

“S-save me!”

“He saved you! The Plum Blossom Sword Saint did! And you don’t even know him?”

“C-calm down, everyone!”

Sweat dripped from Yoon Jong’s forehead as he tried to calm the Beast Palace Warriors. He had noticed it before when he visited the Beast Palace, but their respect for the Plum Blossom Sword Saint was even greater than that of Mount Hua.

Mount Hua didn’t even have a shrine for the Plum Blossom Sword Saint, but the Beast Palace did.

‘Come to think of it, they didn’t seem to have a shrine for their past Palace Lords.’

He hadn’t paid much attention then, but now he realized it was strange to build a shrine for someone from another sect, who wasn’t even one of their predecessors.

“Know this! The Plum Blossom Sword Saint defeated the Demonic Sect and saved the Central Plains and beyond! It was the Plum Blossom Sword Saint of Mount Hua!”

“Yes! Yes! I understand! I understand clearly!”

“Are you sure you understand?”

“He still seems to have no idea!”

“Should we carve it into his body?”

As the Beast Palace Warriors glared and threatened Gong Wan-ri, Yoon Jong cried out.

“Y-you can’t treat a guest like this!”

The Beast Palace Warriors instantly let go and stepped back, as if by magic.

“Stand back!”

“It is the word of the Mount Hua disciple. Release him!”

“Yes!”

They acted like nothing had happened. Gong Wan-ri, free from the pressure, collapsed to the ground.

“Tsk. If this were Yunnan, we would have dragged him off to a secluded place.”

“Or thrown him into a snake pit.”

“Aww, what a shame.”

The Central Plains people turned pale at the Beast Palace Warriors’ words. Yoon Jong smiled weakly and looked up at the sky.

‘I shouldn’t have called the Beast Palace.’

Regret, no matter how early, is always too late.

The Ice Palace disciples carefully explained how well Mount Hua did in the Northern Sea, and the Beast Palace Warriors praised the Plum Blossom Sword Saint with fierce looks. The doubts of those gathered grew.

It all seemed unbelievable.

If someone else had said this, or if Mount Hua had told the story themselves, they would have ignored it.

But the ones telling the story were the Beast Palace and the Ice Palace.

The Beast Palace had lived apart from the Central Plains, and the Ice Palace had created their own world in the barren north. What would they gain by praising Mount Hua so much?

That meant what they were saying was probably true…

“Was Mount Hua really a great sect in the past?”

“Then why wasn’t it more famous?”

“Actually, I’ve heard it before. Mount Hua used to be stronger than even Wudang.”

“I thought it was just gossip.”

“There’s no smoke without fire, right?”

“Then why did such a sect fall so much that it was kicked out of the Nine Great Sects?”

“Fall? After hearing what Mount Hua did in the Northern Sea, can you say that? How could a fallen sect do that! Besides, they even won against Wudang in a martial arts contest recently!”

“Y-yes, that’s right. That’s right.”

“I get it now. I thought Wudang was just being nice to Mount Hua, but it seems that wasn’t the case. I didn’t believe the story of a Wudang elder being defeated by a third-generation disciple because it seemed impossible, but if what Mount Hua did in the Northern Sea is true, then it might be possible!”

“That’s right! That’s right!”

Baek Cheon watched the changing mood and smiled.

‘They say that even if you don’t promote yourself, people will recognize you someday.’

If Mount Hua had gone around bragging about their achievements, this would never have happened. It was frustrating and unfair, but this reaction was because they had quietly endured and walked their own path.

‘The Opening Ceremony will be a success.’

If they could keep this good feeling going, there shouldn’t be any major problems.

But, as always, accidents happen where people gather.

“What are you babbling about? You barbarian!”

Baek Cheon turned his head sharply at the angry voice.

‘What is it?’

He had seen people gathered there, but he thought the Ice Palace disciples or the Beast Palace Warriors had started another story. But it wasn’t that simple.

“You filthy foreigners, how dare you act so proud! Know your place!”

Baek Cheon was shocked by the rude words.

‘What is that…!’

He felt a surge of anger. But Baek Cheon’s anger quickly turned into worry.

He quickly looked around.

Baek Cheon had to make this event perfect, no matter what. He couldn’t let an accident happen.

Wasn’t there someone in Mount Hua who could turn a small accident into a big one?

‘He’s not here, is he?’

Not here?

Baek Cheon felt a moment of relief.

‘Good. Quickly. I have to deal with it before that bastard comes!’

Baek Cheon hurried to where the problem was. He had to fix it, one way or another.

But sadly, bad feelings are usually right.

“What did you say, you son of a bitch?”

Baek Cheon stopped, hearing the familiar voice.

“Who is he messing with? Is he crazy?! Hey! Come over here! Come on, you!”

He knew what was happening without seeing it, and he knew what would happen.

Now, he was beyond worry; he was miserable.

‘Oh, Primordial Celestial Lord.’

Why was that bastard always there when something bad happened?

Why!

No! Whyyyyy!

No one could answer him.