Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 800

“Where did the leaders go who want to start a war?”

Jo Gul looked ahead, a little unsure.

Hwasan had been having a party for a while. But the other leaders were talking seriously and did not seem ready to move.

“Sect Brother, I don’t think they plan to fight today. Don’t you think they’re just enjoying the view and planning to leave after watching for a while?”

“Geol-ah.”

“Yes, Sect Brother!”

“Shut your mouth.”

“⋯⋯.”

Jo Gul looked sad and lowered his head. Yoon Jong sighed. Recently, Jo Gul seemed even more like 청명 than 청명 himself. He was becoming just as cheeky and outspoken. How could he even think of saying such things while looking at those strong sects?

But this time, Baek Cheon seemed to agree with Jo Gul.

“⋯⋯They really aren’t moving much.”

He frowned and mumbled. They didn’t seem to be preparing anything, and time was passing too slowly.

After watching for a moment, Yoon Jong said,

“Maybe attacking that valley is harder than we thought?”

“Hmm. That could be it.”

Just as Baek Cheon nodded, 청명 chuckled.

“It’s not that…”

“Huh?”

“They *are* fighting hard right now.”

“⋯⋯Fighting?”

Baek Cheon looked ahead, confused. The leaders of the four sects were still looking across the river, relaxed with their hands behind their backs.

“They are not fighting with swords. Are they having a battle of minds instead?”

“You could say that.”

“Does the Black Dragon Corps have a strategist smart enough to fight those people?”

“No. The enemy isn’t the bandits, but the ones next to them.”

“Huh?”

청명 looked at the leaders of the four sects and twisted his lips into a sneer.

“They’re so busy fighting each other that they don’t even care about the bandits in front of them.”

“⋯⋯Doesn’t look like it to me?”

“Leaders always act polite outside, but they are bad inside.”

청명’s eyes flashed with anger. It reminded him of the past.

‘It was the same back then. Those damned bastards.’

When the Demonic Sect first appeared and pushed into the Central Plains. No, when the Demonic Sect destroyed the outer regions and began turning the Central Plains into a sea of fire.

If the Central Plains had united and fought against the Demonic Sect back then, the future might have been very different.

But the Central Plains did not unite.

They seemed united to stop the Demonic Sect, but inside, they were trying to lose as little as possible and gain as much as possible.

“Haha. Those guys are the same even after all these years. Haha⋯⋯. Ha⋯⋯. Ha⋯⋯.”

The smile slowly disappeared from 청명’s face.

“Thinking about it, it makes me angry, those bastards!”

Flames burned in his eyes.

‘Even for a simple mission, they would argue all day and night about which sect to send. Those damned bastards!’

The more he thought about it, the more his teeth ground together.

I should have just turned around and smashed those bastards’ heads back then! What was I hoping to gain that I put up with it and ended up seeing this?

I should have just beaten them all up, whether Sect Brother 청문 stopped me or not.

“⋯⋯What are you mumbling about?”

“Ugh.”

청명 sighed deeply.

“It’ll be decided soon.”

“Huh? What will?”

“They’re probably fighting over who will be the first to attack.”

“⋯⋯Is that so important?”

“It is important.”

청명 nodded strongly.

“The first to attack can get the most credit, but also has the most risk. So, it’s a little awkward for me to step up, but I don’t want to let someone else have it. It’s a tricky, complicated, and unclear situation, if you understand what I mean.”

“What are you talking about? You crazy bastard.”

“⋯⋯What would 사숙 know.”

“⋯⋯.”

청명 clicked his tongue at the confused Baek Cheon and pointed towards the front.

“Don’t worry. Like I said, this problem has a set answer. No matter how much they argue, there’s only one choice for who attacks first.”

“Shaolin?”

“No, the Namgung Clan.”

“Huh?”

Everyone listening widened their eyes at those unexpected words. Jo Gul spoke for everyone.

“Uh⋯⋯. No, of course, the Namgung Clan is strong, but⋯⋯.”

“Why would the Namgung Clan be the first to attack when there’s Shaolin and Wudang?”

“Yeah.”

It was a reasonable question. 청명 smiled slightly and explained.

“If there was only Shaolin or Wudang, the Namgung Clan couldn’t be the first to attack. But if there are both, they can be. And if Cheongseong is there too, the Namgung Clan has to be the first to attack.”

“What does that even mean?”

Jo Gul looked completely lost, no matter how much he thought about it.

But Baek Cheon frowned slightly, as if he understood what 청명 meant.

“⋯⋯Rather than let one of the other Nine Great Sects be the first to attack, they’d rather give that credit to one of the Five Great Families?”

“Oh. Dong-ryong is smart after all?”

Baek Cheon laughed weakly, as if he was confused. But Yoon Jong seemed unable to understand and asked back.

“Even so, aren’t Shaolin, Wudang, and Cheongseong part of the same Nine Great Sects? Of course, they’re friendly with the Five Great Families, but it’s not as close as with the other Nine Great Sects, so why would they do that?”

청명 looked at Yoon Jong, impressed.

“Wow. Our Sect Brother is so nice. How can you be so innocent!”

“⋯⋯Just insult me, 청명-ah.”

“Sect Brother doesn’t know, but people can’t stand seeing others succeed. If a stranger buys land, they accept it, but if a cousin buys land, they’re jealous.”

“Isn’t that seeing the world too much like you?”

“Then watch.”

청명 pointed towards the front again.

“See if I’m wrong.”

“⋯⋯.”

Yoon Jong looked in the direction 청명 was pointing, suspicious.

Just then, those who had been lining up began to move.

“Where is it?”

As everyone watched, those wearing sky-blue martial robes rushed towards the riverbank.

“It’s the Namgung Clan!”

Baek Cheon looked at 청명, slightly stunned.

‘How does this guy guess these things?’

“Why? Surprised?”

“⋯⋯.”

“There’s no need to be surprised. If you just understand what kind of people those guys are, anyone can guess it.”

청명 twisted his lips into a sneer and took another drink.

“That being said⋯⋯ that Namgung Clan Lord must be very ambitious. To grab that position so quickly. Well⋯⋯ with the Tang Clan leaving the Five Great Families, they need to show that the Five Great Families are still strong somehow. Hee hee.”

Baek Cheon sighed quietly as he listened.

‘Anyway, this guy is really unpredictable.’

Everyone in Hwasan now knew that 청명 was much smarter than they thought. But even so, even the leaders of the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Families were following his predictions.

Even as they were talking, the battlefield was moving.

The disciples of the Namgung Clan, who had rushed to the river, jumped onto the ships docked at the riverbank. They got on the ships and raised the anchors very quickly.

‘Skillful.’

Baek Cheon was impressed.

They might be able to match that speed, but that perfect teamwork was something Hwasan couldn’t even imagine. Watching them, you could easily see how strict their lives were and how hard they trained.

‘That’s the Namgung Clan⋯⋯!’

Being the head of the Five Great Families showed that it wasn’t something anyone could get easily. The ships carrying the Namgung Clan were quickly moving towards the bandit ships on the other side of the river.

Jo Gul shouted, a little worried.

“A frontal attack?!”

“Even so, they’re still bandits!”

The other Hwasan disciples watched the Namgung Clan ships charging with surprise.

There were more ships heading towards the bandits than they had expected. But even that was only a small number compared to the bandit ships that filled the other side of the river.

“Shouldn’t it be okay? The quality of the soldiers is different, right?”

“Ah, no, but if they attack from underwater, there’s no way to stop them, right?”

The bandits began jumping into the river as they saw the ships approaching, thinking the same thing as Baek Cheon. They were planning to approach from below and make holes in the bottom of the ships.

But the Namgung Clan wasn’t going to be easily defeated.

Namgung Hwang, called ‘Emperor Sword,’ stood at the front of the leading ship, above the lion-shaped figurehead, his face full of anger.

Screeeech.

“How dare you, small bandits!”

He raised his sword high above his head.

Gooooooo!

Power exploded from the sword, spinning around it like a storm. Soon, a milky-white sword light appeared from his sword, coiling around it.

“Taaaaah!”

The sword was swung down from above.

At the same time, a huge sword aura, the size of a house, was fired like a cannonball.

Fwoooooosh!

The sword’s power was so strong, it’s hard to describe. When it hit the water, the calm river exploded and water shot everywhere. The river was pushed to the sides, splitting for more than ten feet.

“Wh-what is that!”

“Crazy!”

The Hwasan disciples exclaimed in horror, almost screaming.

“Splitting the river with a sword? Really?”

It was truly amazing.

The milky-white sword aura continued forward even after splitting the river. It crashed into the ship in front.

A ship made of planks was too weak to face a sword aura that could split a river.

Kwaaaaaang!

The ship exploded, and debris flew everywhere like fireworks.

“Aaaaaaargh!”

“Aaaaaaargh!”

People thrown back by the blast screamed as they flew. They were the lucky ones. Those hit by the sword aura were torn to pieces and died without knowing how they died.

Kwaaaang! Kwaaaang!

The sword aura destroyed two more ships and damaged another before disappearing.

One sword.

With one sword, he had destroyed three ships and slowly sunk another.

“Aaaaaaargh!”

“Wh-what is this!”

The bandits in the water were even more confused.

The power of Namgung Hwang’s sword aura had stirred up the water. Those swept away by the whirlpool were carried away without being able to use their water skills. They found themselves falling to the bottom of the river.

What they saw was the deep riverbed, which they never thought they would see.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

A lot of water fell on the bandits who were slammed into the riverbed. The river rushed back together, crushing the bandits under the water.

Namgung Hwang, who had made the Jang River bandits drown, roared like an angry tiger.

“Charge! Let those small bandits know the name of Namgung!”

“Yes, sir!”

As soon as Namgung Hwang finished speaking, the disciples of the Namgung Clan rushed out of the ship and jumped into the swirling Jang River.

Those who watched the scene shivered.

“⋯⋯That’s the Namgung Clan.”

“Emperor Sword⋯⋯. Namgung Hwang.”

This was the moment the Hwasan disciples saw the real power of a master who was greater than anyone else.