Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 762

“What are we going to do?” someone cried.

“They say bandits make everyone slaves!” another voice trembled.

“Why did I ever get on this boat?” someone whispered sadly.

Everyone was scared, not just the Mount Hua disciples. But at least the disciples knew how to fight. The commoners, dragged to the bandit camp without knowing why, could only turn pale and tremble.

“Sasuk! Even now, to Hye-yeon Monk⋯⋯.”

“Impossible.”

Of course, it wasn’t difficult to attack and sink a few ships. But the problem was that this ship was now incapable of sailing.

Staying on the sinking ship meant a slow death in the river. Unless they wanted the bandits to sink it faster.

The only way to survive was to come this far.

“Pull it in!”

As the ship docked at the shore, the chains grew taut.

Creak!

With the sound of the ship’s hull breaking, the vessel they were on was pulled in with a groan.

As the disciples of Mount Hua approached the ship’s railing, they saw the water bandits, who had been waiting at the bandit camp, rushing out to surround the shore.

There were more of them than expected.

“Hoo.”

At that moment, a slow exhale was heard from behind Baek Cheon.

Turning his head, he saw his martial siblings already drawing their swords with the faces of warriors.

“So, it ends up like this after all.”

“Well, it was a predetermined outcome anyway.”

“Isn’t it just a matter of thrashing those bastards now? Right, Sasuk?”

Baek Cheon was momentarily speechless at their boldness.

They should have been intimidated by the sheer number of enemies, but his martial siblings didn’t seem the least bit afraid.

‘Stupid fools⋯⋯.’

It was a situation where they had every right to resent him.

It was Baek Cheon who had suggested boarding the ship to identify the water bandits and lure them out, and it was Baek Cheon who had failed to order a quick retreat when the water bandits approached. And now, they had been dragged all the way here and had to fight a battle where their lives couldn’t be guaranteed.

Yet, none of them showed any sign of resentment towards him. Baek Cheon quietly looked at them before speaking softly to Hye-yeon, who had been dragged here against his will.

“Monk, I’m sorry.”

Hye-yeon smiled gently and recited a Buddhist prayer.

“Amitabha,” Hye-yeon smiled gently. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“⋯⋯.”

Then, more powerfully, “Just tell us what to do. I am a monk, but I will fight with you.”

Baek Cheon bit his lower lip tightly.

Heavy.

The weight he finally realized pressed down on his shoulders. He had understood the weight of taking responsibility and leading someone in his head, but this was the first time he had felt it so acutely.

‘I won’t let a single one of them die.’

Swish.

A resolute light flickered in Baek Cheon’s eyes as he drew his sword.

“It’s what we do every time. Nothing new.”

“Yes!”

Baek Cheon’s gaze turned to the cliff.

It was impossible for the commoners to climb that high cliff. It was also difficult to swim across the river with their bare bodies. So, the most feasible option was to seize a seaworthy speedboat from the water bandits, load the commoners on board, and escape, but⋯⋯.

‘It can’t be that easy.’

However.

“We’ve never had an easy task so far anyway! When the ship reaches the shore, immediately get off and face the enemies!”

“Yes!”

“Even while fighting, keep an eye out for anyone trying to board the ship. If even one person dies, it’s our defeat.”

“We will keep that in mind.”

He knew it was a difficult task. But now, they had to accomplish that difficult task.

Baek Cheon, having confirmed that the ship pulled by the chains had almost reached the shore, shouted.

“Let’s go!”

Without even giving him and the disciples of Mount Hua time to answer, they all leaped over the railing at once. Soaring up like birds, they spun their bodies and landed in the middle of the shore occupied by the water bandits.

“Stab them!”

“Turn them into skewers!”

Countless long spears and throwing knives came stabbing at the disciples of Mount Hua falling from above. At that moment, Dang So-so spun his body around and scattered flying needles downwards.

“Eat this!”

Zzzzzing!

The fine needles, as thin as cotton fluff, rained down on the heads of the water bandits.

“Ugh!”

“Wh-what is this!”

The water bandits reflexively turned their heads as the needles poured down on their faces.

And at that moment.

“Amitabha!”

With a short Buddhist prayer, Hye-yeon unleashed his power towards the water bandits with terrifying force.

Wham!

The water bandits were swept away like leaves in a typhoon. The disciples of Mount Hua landed lightly in the cleanly secured area. Baek Cheon commanded.

“Strike!”

The disciples of Mount Hua, scattered in all directions, drew plum blossoms with their respective swords without the slightest hesitation.

The plum blossom sword energy, created in an instant with the ultimate moves, bloomed splendidly as if not to waste the time Hye-yeon had bought. And soon, it swept away the surrounding water bandits in one fell swoop.

“Aaaaargh!”

“Wh-what is this!”

The plum blossom sword energy of Mount Hua had now become a characteristic that anyone in the Jianghu had heard of at least once. But hearing it was one thing, and seeing it with one’s own eyes was another.

The bandits stared, mouths open. Flower petals of light? It was like magic, but deadly.

“Wh-what kind of sword energy is⋯⋯.”

Small and thin sword energy, like flower petals, fell down as if dancing. No matter how much they swung their clumsy weapons, it was impossible to block all these flower petals.

And that wasn’t all.

Scritch! Scritch!

That seemingly fragile sword energy was also unbelievably sharp. The fluttering flower petals cut through their bodies like sharp razor blades every moment.

“Ugh!”

“Th-this damn thing!”

The fully bloomed red plum blossoms brightly colored the desolate cliffside.

“Push them back in one go!”

“Yes!”

The disciples of Mount Hua answered loudly and swung their swords. Unable to withstand the momentum, the water bandits retreated further and further back. Those who had reached the shore were submerged in the water up to their waists.

“Ch-chieftain!”

Voices crying out desperately echoed from here and there. Zanpogeogeo, who was watching the scene from the dragon boat, was filled with interest.

“In the past, Mount Hua rose to the position of the greatest sword sect in the world, and it seems that those words were not empty.”

Wicked.

He had no way of knowing whether it was especially those called the Five Swords of Mount Hua or whether all of Mount Hua’s martial arts were like that, but at least the swordsmanship they were displaying was so impressive that it wouldn’t be surprising if it belonged to a demonic sect.

The flamboyant stances and illusionary swordsmanship deceived people’s eyes, but the sword energy that pierced through the body without the slightest hesitation was also extremely practical.

Besides.

“A-mi-ta-bha!”

A huge Buddhist prayer resounded grandly, and golden light soared from the center of the flower garden where the petals were in full bloom.

Kraaaah!

Those swept away by the tremendous power, like a waterfall pouring down, couldn’t even scream and were flung out, falling into the Jang River.

Splash! Splash! Splash!

The water bandits trembled at the awe-inspiring sight.

If they were just watching, they could simply gape and be amazed, but they weren’t mere spectators; they were the ones who had to face that power. So, they couldn’t help but be terrified.

And the disciples of Mount Hua didn’t miss the moment when the enemies flinched. Originally, the plum blossom sword technique was a sword technique that required a certain amount of vulnerability when used, as flamboyant as it was.

It was inevitable that a sword that had to scatter flamboyant sword energy would be slower to activate than a concise sword that cut short. Therefore, in order to unleash the plum blossom sword technique, a process of exchanging swords appropriately to push back the opponent or create an opening was necessary.

But if the enemies were flinching like this, they could scatter their swords more boldly than usual.

‘In one go!’

‘We have to seize the initiative!’

Chung Myung wasn’t here, but the memories of fighting with him remained in their heads and were engraved in their bodies. When facing a large number of enemies, they must never be pushed back in terms of momentum.

Bold and flamboyant sword moves poured out towards the water bandits.

“Th-they’re monsters!”

“What kind of guys are⋯⋯!”

The water bandits scattered in all directions in a panic.

If they had the will to risk their lives to face the enemy, there would be no reason to become water bandits in the first place. The Demonic Sect was more cruel than anyone else when they were winning, but when the tide turned against them, they would run away without looking back.

Because they valued profit more than honor, and they cared about their own safety more than anything else in the world.

Zanpogeogeo frowned as the bandits ran. ‘Useless!’ he spat.

‘What now?’ someone asked.

Zanpogeogeo thought for a moment, a cruel smile spreading. ‘Let’s teach these young fools a lesson. They think being strong is everything. They’ll learn the world doesn’t work that way.’

“Understood.”

As Jo Seung gestured to his subordinate next to him, several water bandits quickly ran out.

“Hmm.”

Zanpogeogeo lightly tapped the gauntlet (a combat glove made of steel) on his waist.

“Things like pyramids.”

The smile on his lips was truly triumphant.

‘Good!’

Heat flickered in Baek Cheon’s eyes.

They had succeeded in seizing the initiative. Of course, that didn’t mean they could defeat all these water bandits with just their strength. Even though they had already knocked down dozens, the water bandits were swarming like grains of sand on the riverbank.

Besides, the real power of this bandit camp hadn’t even come out yet. Baek Cheon wasn’t a fool who would get carried away by a brief victory and ruin things.

‘The back.’

His gaze flicked towards the back.

Even at this moment, water bandits were jumping off the ship and rushing towards them. This meant that there weren’t many water bandits on that docked ship.

‘If we quickly occupy the back and get the commoners to transfer to the ship⋯⋯.’

He knew. They had harpoons that could destroy the ship. So, they couldn’t guarantee their safety even if they got on the ship. Since it was a speedboat, it would be faster than a merchant ship, and they also had sailors, so if they abandoned their luggage and only took the people, they wouldn’t be far behind in terms of speed, but even so, they would have to fight a difficult battle.

But it was better than fighting here at least.

‘First, we need to occupy the back and buy time for the commoners to transfer to the ship⋯⋯.’

It was then.

Bang! Bang!

Something soared over their heads and exploded, emitting smoke.

“What?”

Gunpowder? Or a cannon?

Baek Cheon’s eyes, which had instinctively looked up, soon shook greatly. What emerged through the smoke was none other than a large net.

“D-dodge⋯⋯.”

He tried to leap away, but its size was too great. It was so large that it threatened to cover not only the disciples of Mount Hua but also the water bandits surrounding them.

“Kuk!”

It seemed impossible to avoid that net unless they plunged into the water bandits and ran.

“Damn it!”

The disciples of Mount Hua reflexively swung their swords at the falling net. They intended to cut the net in one fell swoop with their sword energy.

Clang!

But even though the sword energy touched it, the net didn’t split and fell down unchanged, making a loud metallic sound.

“Kuk!”

“Th-this!”

And the black net finally covered and crushed the disciples of Mount Hua like black water.

Baek Cheon desperately grabbed the net that was heavily pressing down on his entire body and slashed at it with his sword.

‘What is it made of!’

He had never heard of a net so strong that it couldn’t be cut with sword energy. At this rate, his movements would be restricted, and there would be no way to avoid the harpoons stabbing at him from above the net.

He simply grabbed the net with one hand and desperately drew out sword energy, slashing at it once more.

Gagagagak!

The net finally began to be cut.

“Got it!”

Just as Baek Cheon was about to let out a cry of joy, a voice piercing his ears rang out.

“P-poison! Everyone, don’t touch the net!”

Baek Cheon’s face turned white at Dang So-so’s urgent scream.