Return Of The Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 769

Let’s see.

Im So-byeong smiled slightly as he looked down at the battlefield from the cliff.

This will be quick, Im So-byeong thought. Too many soldiers just for one bandit.

The Green Forest was weaker because of some fights inside their group. But the Shinzhu Five Families, very important families in this land, were still very powerful. No one could ignore them.

Of course, the Janggang Water Bandits, dangerous criminals who live on the river, were the opponents. But they were just a mixed group compared to the Green Forest, led by the Green Forest King. So, they were helpless.

Green Forest King.

Hmm?

The elder of the Green Forest, who was kneeling beside him, frowned slightly and spoke.

Green Forest King, I don’t understand your big plan…

I know, I know! Why are we suddenly fighting those Janggang water ghosts? We haven’t even finished fixing things inside our own group.

That is correct.

What can I do? That man told me to come.

Im So-byeong looked at Cheong-myeong. He watched Cheong-myeong fight wildly like a tiger and laughed.

If you don’t want to die, you have to do as you’re told.

Green Forest King. I am sorry to say this…

The elder spoke seriously.

The Green Forest King is the leader of all the mountains in the Central Plains and the head of the Green Forest Seventy-Two Fortresses. He is also a member of the Shinzhu Five Families.

I know.

How can someone like that listen to that young disciple of Hwasan…

First Elder.

Yes, Green Forest King.

Be careful what you say, Im So-byeong said, his voice suddenly cold.

The Green Forest King smiled, but the elder couldn’t smile back. He saw the warning in his eyes.

Older people can become wise, but they can also become foolish because they are stuck in their old ways of thinking. Are you unhappy that I’m listening to that young disciple?

That is not my intention…

Well, I guess you might be unhappy. I get annoyed sometimes too.

Yes?

Im So-byeong seemed to be getting angry as he fanned himself.

He just sent a letter! Told me to gather everyone and go to Gugiang! Even the Emperor doesn’t order me around like that! Who does he think he is!

The elder’s face twisted as he listened to the complaints.

But… wasn’t the Green Forest King following those orders exactly? Even pushing others to make it happen…?

Im So-byeong shrugged.

But what can I do? The person who wrote the letter was Hwasan’s best fighter.

He smiled slightly.

A person should know what to do at the right time. If I only cared about my position as the Green Forest King, I would be dead now, used as fertilizer.

H-How could that happen…

Gambling isn’t fun if you bet small amounts. You have to bet everything, even what you don’t have. That’s how you win big.

Im So-byeong smiled.

That person is my big bet. Maybe because of him, the Green Forest and I can be better than we are now.

A strange desire was in his eyes.

Ah, and be careful what you say in front of him. He doesn’t care who you are, young or old, man or woman. Be careful around him.

…

Even though he didn’t say anything, the elder felt that something was going wrong with the Green Forest.

Kraaah!

Janpo Heukeo’s claw-knives tore through the air like lightning.

It was like watching a wildcat swinging its claws. But because he was so big, he was even more scary.

Clang clang clang!

The three blades on the gauntlet rubbed together, making a threatening noise.

Janpo Heukeo was cruel and violent, like a snakehead fish.

Snakeheads are more violent than people think. In a river, they have no natural enemies.

They eat anything they see. Just knowing he was called Snakehead shows Yeo Gwang-gye’s position in the Janggang.

Clang clang clang!

The claw-knives on the gauntlet moved like scissors.

This brat!

Janpo Heukeo was sure he would win.

He didn’t think too highly of himself, but he also didn’t underestimate his enemies. He was always careful, even if his enemy was young.

Those who are careless in the river get eaten by the river. He had survived in that river, so he knew how important it was to be careful.

He was sure he would win because Cheong-myeong was a swordsman.

Clang!

His claw-knives were not normal weapons.

They weren’t common weapons like swords, spears, knives, or staffs. They were strange weapons that people rarely used. They were called exotic weapons.

Compared to the weapons used by most fighters, they weren’t as deep or versatile. But in some situations, they were much stronger than normal weapons.

Janpo Heukeo thought the claw-knives were very strong against swords.

Because they were shorter than a sword, they couldn’t be used as long weapons. But because they were short, they could move more easily. The crossed blades could grab and pull the sword.

If he could trap the sword between the blades, the swordsman would be helpless. Also, he had two claw-knives, one in each hand.

Those who showed off their swordsmanship in front of him had their swords trapped, their bellies stabbed by the other claw-knife, and died with their insides spilling out.

Even if Cheong-myeong was stronger than him, he would never lose as long as Cheong-myeong was a swordsman. That was Janpo Heukeo’s belief.

I’ll tear your belly and kill you!

This guy was unforgivable. Everything had gone wrong because of him!

If he left the water fortress, he might not be able to rebuild it. He might have to run away for the rest of his life, running from the Black Dragon King. All his worry and anger went towards Cheong-myeong.

Die, raaah!

His claw-knives moved quickly, trying to hit Cheong-myeong’s body.

But Cheong-myeong easily dodged his attacks.

You little flying squirrel! How long are you going to keep running away? Are you going to sell that precious sword of yours?

Ah, really? You want to see it?

Cheong-myeong jumped back, creating some space, and then grinned.

If you want to see it that badly, I’ll show you. I’ll show you what the Hwasan sword is like.

Janpo Heukeo’s face twisted. But he was secretly happy.

I’ve got you, you fool!

It didn’t matter what kind of swordsmanship it was. No matter how strong, it would come from one sword. If he attacked, he could grab the sword quickly.

You son of a…!

As Janpo Heukeo roared, Cheong-myeong’s sword began to move.

Flutter flutter flutter.

The tip of the sword trembled slightly. The trembling became stronger, and soon the sword seemed to turn into many swords.

What?

Janpo Heukeo was confused.

Ah, no!

He didn’t need to panic.

He had seen the Hwasan swordsmanship before. It was flashy, but it still had substance.

If he stayed calm, he could block it…

That moment.

Many swords appeared around Chung Myung. Then, like magic, flowers bloomed at the end of each sword.

Like plum blossoms blooming all at once from a plum tree with outstretched branches.

‘Now, catch—’

Janpo Heukeo’s face turned black in an instant.

The blooming flowers fluttered in the wind and soared into the sky.

A flower garden. It was as if the world was covered in flowers.

All that could be seen was the blue sky and the petals fluttering across it.

“Uh…”

Catch?

What? What was he supposed to catch?

All he could see were flower petals.

He already knew this sword technique?

Even if it’s the same fighting style, it changes based on who uses it. The Arhat Fist used by a novice monk and the Arhat Fist used by a high-ranking Shaolin monk were the same martial art, yet completely different.

Why had he forgotten such an obvious fact?

Whoosh!

A plum blossom petal flew past his face.

His nose was cut, and red blood flowed down his face. But Janpo Heukeo didn’t even feel the pain.

Scritch! Scritch! Scritch! Scritch!

His body was being cut apart, and red blood sprayed everywhere.

“Ugh, Aargh!”

Janpo Heukeo screamed and gritted his teeth.

He, too, had toughened up through battles. He knew exactly what he had to do now.

The moment he retreated, he would die.

The moment he hesitated and stepped back, these petals would relentlessly tear him apart and turn him into rags.

The place to go wasn’t back, but forward!

Janpo Heukeo, gathering all his inner strength, focused it on his arms and abdomen. He crossed his arms to protect his head and dashed forward, and forward again.

“Aaaaargh!”

Scritch! Scritch! Scritch!

Plum blossoms tore apart his arms and legs. It felt like he was thrashing about in a pit full of blades. The terrible pain felt throughout his body made him lose consciousness.

‘Just, just once!’

Desperate anger burned in Janpo Heukeo’s eyes, like black flames in the dark.

Scritch!

In an instant, his neck was deeply cut again, and a stream of blood spurted out.

Scritch!

His side was deeply slashed. This was definitely a serious injury that exposed bone.

Scritch! Scritch!

The plum blossoms that were embedded in his body weren’t as fatal as the petals that cut and passed by, but they dug into his solid flesh at least an inch at a time.

‘Just, just one step!’

Janpo Heukeo, whose body was so covered in wounds that it would be faster to find a place that wasn’t injured, let out a beast-like roar and pierced through the wall of petals in front of him with his body.

“Aaaaargh!”

Wham!

On his blood-soaked face, the only parts that weren’t red were his two fierce eyes.

And finally, catching sight of Chung Myung, he howled.

“You goddamn son of a biiiiitch!”

The Jodo came down like a lightning strike, a flash of silver aimed at Chung Myung’s head.

At that moment, Chung Myung raised the sword he had retrieved and blocked Janpo Heukeo’s Jodo.

Clang!

The two weapons collided in the air.

Clack! Crack crack crack!

This moment was what Janpo Heukeo had been aiming for since the beginning of the battle.

As if not wanting to miss this last chance, Janpo Heukeo used all his strength to tighten his grip on Chung Myung’s sword with his Jodo. He seemed ready to break it in an instant.

Crack! Crack crack crack!

The Jodo and Ammaegum became entangled, and Chung Myung’s sword stopped for a moment.

‘Got… him! You little rat!’

Janpo Heukeo’s eyes gleamed with murderous intent.

“Dieeee!”

He swung his free right hand violently. It was a movement that seemed to cut Chung Myung in half in one swift motion.

But at that moment.

Kuuuuung!

A fierce collision of energy created wind in all directions, and dust soared as if responding to the energy.

A moment later, as the cloud-like dust slowly settled, the scene that unfolded was completely different from before.

Janpo Heukeo.

He, who had clearly been about to slash Chung Myung’s stomach, was now kneeling on one knee, crossing the Jodo in both hands to bind Chung Myung’s sword. No, it was closer to struggling to block it with both hands.

And in front of him, Chung Myung was pressing down on his sword with indifferent eyes.

“Like a bandit, using cheap tricks.”

“Guh… Grrr…”

It was truly a bizarre sight.

Chung Myung was simply pressing down on the sword he held in one hand, without showing any particular effort.

On the other hand, Janpo Heukeo, who was twice as large as Chung Myung, was exerting so much strength that the blood vessels in his entire body were bursting.

But even so, he couldn’t push back Chung Myung’s sword at all.

“Grrr…”

Crack! Crack crack! Crack!

Janpo Heukeo’s arms screamed.

Blood spurted madly from the wounds all over his body, and the sound of bones crushing was easy to hear.

Chung Myung looked down at the scene with arrogant eyes and twisted his lips.

“You stupid bastard.”

For a heartbeat, everything was still. Then, Chung Myung moved. Chung Myung’s sword flashed with sunset-colored sword energy and instantly split the Jodo blocking the sword.

Wham!

Chung Myung, who had somehow appeared behind Janpo Heukeo, shook the blood off his sword onto the ground.

“⋯⋯.”

Thud. Thud.

The severed blade of the Jodo fell to the ground.

A moment later, red blood spurted out like a fountain along the red line that had formed from the top of Janpo Heukeo’s head to the end of his groin.

“No… way…”

Splaash!

Janpo Heukeo’s body, split in two, fell to the ground with a thud.

Clang.

Chung Myung, sheathing his sword, said quietly without looking back.

“Regret forever in hell for messing with Hwasan.”