Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 766

It was a swift sword.

Something flashed, and in a breath, it was near his neck. The pirate leader, terrified, twisted away.

Thwack!

There was a chilling sound, like slicing meat, and his skin was shaved off.

He felt relief at dodging the sword, then sharp pain. But the relief was too soon.

Whirr!

He heard a sound like a viper striking. He quickly rolled to the side.

“Ugh!”

But he wasn’t fast enough. A burning line ripped across his neck again.

The silver sword, like a snake, flashed back and sliced him once more.

Whirr!

The slender sword moved like a viper, quick and deadly, its silver blade flashing as it bit at him.

Slice! Slice! Slice!

His body was slashed, quickly covered in blood.

The sword cut his thigh and side at the same time, then knocked away his oar and aimed for his chest.

The pirate knew he was about to die and his eyes widened.

Clang!

A harpoon flew from behind and knocked Chung Myung’s sword away.

‘I’m alive…’

Whoosh!

The Dark Plum Sword lashed out again.

Whoosh!

The harpoon barely blocked the sword flying like lightning, but each block made the sword faster.

“Eek!”

A groan escaped. The harpoon, filled with energy, blocked the sword.

But then…

Whirr.

The sword, moving at top speed, suddenly slowed, spinning in front of the harpoon and changing direction.

‘What?’

Thunk!

The pirate stared at the sword in his chest, mouth open.

‘No way…’

Thud.

He had many thoughts, many things to say. But the dead can’t speak.

“Th-this…”

The pirates watched their friend die, and their faces turned red with rage. The pirate who had blocked Chung Myung’s sword looked especially angry.

“Why?”

Chung Myung twisted his lips.

“Do you scoundrels even have camaraderie?”

“You… you son of a bitch!”

The pirate gritted his teeth, ready to charge, but his feet stayed still.

He remembered the sword moving like lightning, slowing down, and dodging the harpoon.

He thought, ‘Stopping a sword like that? Easier said than done.’

Stopping a sword moving at full speed needs more strength than thrusting it. And to change the stopped sword from fast to slow, using the harpoon to spin it? That’s even harder than stopping it.

That amazing skill showed how strong the sword demon was.

‘And…’

He seemed playful, but his sword had no warmth. He pierced hearts without hesitation, like a killer.

Even the pirate, who had killed many, couldn’t kill without hesitating.

‘We can’t beat him alone.’

His comrades looked at each other, thinking the same thing.

They were the best fighters in the water fortress. Each could lead a pirate ship and raid on their own.

If they couldn’t stop this man, they didn’t know how much damage he would cause.

“We must kill him here!”

Chung Myung chuckled at the desperate cry.

“You lot?”

“This bastard…”

“Bastard, am I? The world has changed. Even pirates talk back to me.”

That would have been impossible in the past.

“Well, fine.”

Chung Myung grinned.

“I’ll just have to make it that way again!”

“He’s coming!”

Chung Myung charged like a tiger, and the pirates gritted their teeth and raised their weapons.

‘First, we hold on.’

Attacking head-on seemed brave, but now wasn’t the time. The sword was too unpredictable. If they tried to fight it head-on, they would die without knowing how.

If flashy swordplay were the best, then only that would be used. But flashy swordsmanship often lacks substance.

If they didn’t rush and blocked carefully, they would leave an opening. And their harpoons were perfect for using those openings.

‘Just one opening! That’s all we need!’

Everyone blocked Chung Myung’s sword with that thought.

Red plum blossoms bloomed and rained down.

“Kugh!”

Normal pirates couldn’t have withstood that, but these were the best. They were elites of the Eighteen Water Forts of the Jang Gang, part of the Shinju Ohga. They couldn’t be called the Eighteen Water Forts if they fell from one sword strike.

Clang! Clang!

The plum blossom sword energy and harpoons crashed together. The sword energy looked delicate, but it was powerful.

‘Is he a monster?’

It was threatening. But Chung Myung was sending out hundreds of these sword energies. How could each one be so powerful?

And there were more and more petals falling.

Like rain. Or a waterfall.

‘If we hold on…’

The pirates’ arms swelled. Their wrists to elbows shook as if struck by lightning.

‘Hold on…’

But the number of petals hitting the harpoons kept increasing. The petals went from a drizzle to a downpour.

“Kugh…”

Their wrists twisted, and their bodies shook.

A drop of water is small, but many drops make rivers. Each petal wasn’t strong, but hundreds and thousands together were powerful.

Twenty-Four Plum Blossom Sword Style: Falling Plum Rain.

The pirates couldn’t stand the rain of plum blossoms and tried to run. They knew they would be torn apart if they stayed.

But that’s what Chung Myung wanted.

“Heaaah!”

The pirate who was running widened his eyes as Chung Myung released a burst of energy.

A light flashed through the rain of plum blossoms, and he felt a burning pain in his chest, like a hot iron.

“……Keugh.”

Seven Plum Sword: Plum Blossom Flash.

His knees gave way, and his vision blurred. He knew what was happening.

Death.

Death was coming.

Chung Myung looked down with cold eyes.

He was dying, but he wasn’t alone. He could hear his comrades screaming.

The pirates might not be loyal, but he would go to hell with them.

Thud.

Three corpses fell to the floor.

The rain of plum blossoms was gone, leaving only the smell of blood and a hint of plum blossoms.

Cold sweat ran down Doo Ja-ryong’s back.

He was one of the top five masters in the water fortress. But he couldn’t understand what he was seeing.

He knew that they were facing a master unlike any they had faced before.

‘This is the Hwasan Divine Dragon…’

He hadn’t said his name, but they knew who he was.

‘The rumors are wrong.’

He thought the rumors were exaggerations. The orthodox sects always called talented juniors geniuses.

But this was different.

This one was real. He was a sword demon.

“There’s nothing to worry about.”

Chung Myung smiled, showing his white teeth.

“I’m going to kill every last one of you. It’s just a matter of who dies first.”

He had heard threats before.

But those words froze his heart.

He wasn’t bluffing. He was just saying what he thought. No exaggeration.

‘I can’t face him.’

Doo Ja-ryong looked away, then back at Chung Myung. Looking away from such a master was like begging to die.

“Hmm. Then… who…”

Chung Myung suddenly turned around.

Doo Ja-ryong bit his lip until it bled.

Turning away from the enemy was impossible. It was careless and arrogant.

But he couldn’t attack. He was disgusted, but he couldn’t attack the enemy’s back.

Chung Myung’s skill had broken their will to fight.

“Th-that…”

Chung Myung sounded annoyed.

“Hey! You Sasuk, you Sahyung bastards! You can’t even handle that one thing, argh!”

Chung Myung turned and ran back the way he came.

The enemy disappeared. The enemy they had to capture was walking away.

But Doo Ja-ryong couldn’t chase him. He plunged his harpoon into the ground and held himself up. His hair was wet with sweat.

“S-shouldn’t we chase after him?”

Doo Ja-ryong’s lip tore, and blood flowed down.

“Lead all the men and fight. You guys can’t handle it alone.”

He should have said ‘we,’ but he didn’t. His pride was shattered.

“Bring cannons, gunpowder, anything!”

“B-but that’s…”

“Do as I say! I’ll take responsibility! Anything is fine as long as we can kill that bastard!”

“Yes!”

Doo Ja-ryong watched the pirates run away and looked at his hands. They were shaking. He felt powerless.

‘Damn it…’

They are called dragons because humans can’t beat them.

He had worshiped the Jang Gang’s dragon all his life, and now he knew it was true.