Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 821

A terrible roar echoed across the mountains!

Rocks burst apart like bombs, flying everywhere. The cliff shook so hard, it felt like it would break apart.

“Aaaargh!” someone screamed.

“We’re falling! Aaaargh!” cried another voice.

The people holding onto the cliff screamed. They held on tight, like sailors in a storm at sea. Their knuckles were white as they gripped the rough stone, terrified of falling.

Some people were thrown off the cliff because they couldn’t hold on, falling down into the deep darkness below.

But no one could help them now. Something even more dangerous was about to happen.

Rumble! Rrrrrrrumble! Rumble!

“Th-that⋯⋯!”

Jin Hyun’s eyes widened as much as they could.

Cracks like spiderwebs spread across the cliff where Jang Il-So and Chung Myung had hit.

‘It’s collapsing⋯⋯.’

Rrrrrrrumble!

Everyone held their breath.

Soon, the upper part of the rock broke away from the cliff.

A huge rock, bigger than a house, started to tip and slide off the cliff. This made everyone very scared. Their skin crawled, and their hair stood up. Every part of them screamed, ‘Run!’

The falling rock covered the sun, making a long, dark shadow on the cliff below.

Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrumble!

Finally, as the rock began to fall, everyone screamed.

“Get ooooout of the waaaaaay!”

“Aaaaargh!”

They shouted without thinking, just because they were scared.

“Stop it!”

The elders of each group, their faces pale, jumped towards the falling rock together.

If that rock rolled down the cliff, at least thirty percent of the people below would die instantly. They hadn’t struggled to get up here just to see that happen!

They used all their powers – sword energy, blade energy, and inner strength.

Lines of white, blue, and yellow energy shot out towards the rock.

Rumble! Rrrrrrrumble!

The powerful attacks hit the huge rock, breaking pieces off. But they couldn’t break such a big rock completely in time.

“Get out of the way!”

At that moment, Namgung Hwang and Beopgye pushed past their enemies and jumped towards the edge of the cliff, shouting loudly.

Namgung Hwang’s sword shined brightly like a white sun.

Namgung Hwang used his most powerful move. He put all his strength into his sword.

Imperial Sword Form, Imperial Manifestation!

“Aaaaargh!”

Namgung Hwang roared, swinging his sword with all his might.

A giant wave of sword energy, bigger than anyone thought possible, came from his sword and crashed into the falling rock.

Kwaaaaah!

As the white sword energy went deep into the rock, Beopgye jumped up from behind Namgung Hwang.

“A—mi—ta—bul!”

He floated in the air, sitting in a special pose, and very bright golden light came from his entire body.

The light surrounded Beopgye, making him look like a giant golden Buddha.

“The Great Prajna Power!”

“Elder is using the Great Prajna Power!”

Before the surprised Shaolin people could even speak, Beopgye started to chant a deep Buddhist prayer. At the same time, the golden figure around him flew towards the rock.

Kuuuuuuuuuuuuung!

With a sound like two giant rocks hitting each other, the falling rock slowed down and stopped for a moment.

Crack! Crack crack crack!

Cracks spread from the bottom of the rock, covering the whole rock. And then⋯⋯.

Kwaaaaah!

The broken rock began to fall down. Each piece, some the size of a person, others as large as a house, falling from above, made everyone even more terrified.

“Use it now!”

“Yes!”

The Wudang elders, who were ready, all drew circles in the air at the same time. White and black sword energy mixed together, making shapes like swirling symbols in the sky.

Shaolin and Namgung also helped.

The power coming from Shaolin, and the strong sword energy released by Namgung, kept breaking the falling rocks into smaller pieces.

“Haaaaah!”

They used every bit of strength they had left.

They knew if many people died here, they would be in big trouble even if they got to the top. Everyone knew this, so they held nothing back.

Thwack!

A falling rock hit Jin Hyun’s head, and blood ran down his face.

“Hnnn⋯⋯.”

Jin Hyun’s eyes were full of terror.

Where was he? What was he doing?

Looking up, he could no longer see any light. All he saw were rocks falling, covering the sky, and the dangerous energy flying towards them.

“Aaaaargh!”

“Saaave meeee!”

Even now, people hit by rocks were falling down, down into the darkness where no one could reach them. His tears mixed with blood, making red streaks on his face.

“This is⋯⋯.”

Crack.

He bit his lip so hard it bled.

“What is this! You bastards!”

He felt a huge anger inside him.

He had thought that if he learned to fight well with a sword and other martial arts, he could be able to do anything in the world of martial arts. He believed that life and death only depended on the fighting skills he had learned.

But he was wrong. He was being childish and foolish.

A monster lived on the battlefield. A monster that destroyed everything. It didn’t care about the people in the war, what they were or what they thought. It just destroyed them.

His fellow disciples, falling below, hadn’t even been able to use the swords they had worked so hard to learn.

Before the terrible evil that filled this cliff, even the fighting skills they had spent their whole lives learning were meaningless.

And that wasn’t just true for them.

“Aaaaargh!”

“Aaaaaaaaaaargh!”

“S, save meeee!”

Even the evil groups on the cliff were being swept away by the collapse, falling down below.

Those he should call enemies. No, those he hated more than anyone else in the world right now.

But the moment Jin Hyun’s eyes met those of a member of the Ten Thousand People Clan screaming as they fell, he couldn’t help but close his eyes.

On the battlefield, life meant nothing. People died like animals, not like people.

“Climb!”

At that moment, Namgung Hwang’s voice thundered like lightning.

“Now is the last chance! Climb! Get up now! I can’t hold on if we get attacked any more! Climb! Now!”

Crack!

Instinctively, Jin Hyun grabbed the cliff tightly.

Up.

Yes, up.

If he wanted to die as a human, he had to claw his way up this cliff.

Red veins stood out in Jin Hyun’s eyes as he gritted his teeth hard.

‘I will survive.’

No matter what, by any means!

Thwack!

Another falling rock hit his head, but he didn’t even blink.

He simply gripped the cliff until his fingernails were torn, gritted his teeth, and climbed up, and up.

“Ch, Chung Myung⋯⋯.”

Baek Cheon’s voice shook a lot. His eyes looked lost and confused as he looked down.

The place where they had been fighting just a moment ago was completely gone because of the fight between Jang Il-So and Chung Myung.

It was a terrible scene. Below them, chaos and destruction were everywhere. But Baek Cheon didn’t even see it.

“Cheong Myeong…” Baek Cheon whispered.

The cliff was gone.

Where was Cheong Myeong, who was under it?

*No, this can’t be happening.*

Baek Cheon’s eyes looked around wildly. He stared down at the collapsed cliff, then shouted, “I have to go down there!”

“Senior Brother!” Jo Gul grabbed Baek Cheon as he tried to jump. Jo Gul held him tightly.

“Let me go!” Baek Cheon yelled.

“It’s not safe! It could fall again!” Jo Gul cried.

“I don’t care!” Baek Cheon shouted back.

“You’ll die! I’m telling you, you’ll die!” Jo Gul insisted.

“So what if I die! Let me go!” Baek Cheon swung his arm and hit Jo Gul hard.

Jo Gul’s head turned quickly from the hit, but he still held on.

“Senior Brother, calm down!” Yoon Jong ran over and helped Jo Gul hold Baek Cheon.

“Calm?” Baek Cheon’s eyes were red and angry.

Yoon Jong bit his lip, feeling the anger coming from Baek Cheon. He spoke firmly, “You are not the only one who is worried, Senior Brother! But we need to think clearly. Cheong Myeong is strong. He won’t die from this!”

Baek Cheon didn’t say anything.

“Let’s just wait a moment… and see what happens,” Yoon Jong said, his voice becoming quieter as Baek Cheon glared at him.

Yoon Jong understood Baek Cheon’s feelings. It was just hope, not based on anything real. Even if Cheong Myeong was strong, being under falling rocks like that was very dangerous.

*That Cheong Myeong!*

*Thump. Thump.*

Just then, someone walked to the edge of the cliff, moving slowly and without emotion.

“Sago!” someone called out.

“No, why is she acting like that again! It’s driving me crazy!”

It was Yoo Iseol. Her face showed no feeling, and she was about to jump down without stopping.

*Rumble!*

The ground shook, stopping her. She looked down from the cliff to the ground under her feet.

*Rumble!*

Yoo Iseol stared hard at the ground and stepped back quickly.

*Wham!*

The ground where she had just been burst open. Someone flew up from below. Yoo Iseol grabbed his hand and pulled him up quickly.

“Cheong Myeong!”

“Cheong Myeoooong! You!” The others shouted loudly and ran to Cheong Myeong, who had come out of the ground.

“This… this is terrible!” He was completely destroyed. That was the only way to say it.

Cheong Myeong, coming out of the ground, looked like he wasn’t even human. His face was covered in cuts and blood. His shirt was ripped, showing skin that was black and blue. Parts of his skin were torn, showing red muscle underneath. His pants were wet with blood.

Baek Cheon ran to Cheong Myeong and held his shoulders.

“Cheong Myeong! Are you okay?”

Cheong Myeong didn’t answer.

“Soso! Quickly, someone get Soso!” Baek Cheon yelled.

Then, Cheong Myeong spoke. “Teacher.”

“Yes! Cheong Myeong…” Baek Cheon replied.

“Get out of the way,” Cheong Myeong said. He pushed Baek Cheon gently and stood up straight. He was still holding his Plum Blossom Sword tightly, even though he was hurt and weak. He took a shaky step forward.

“Cheong Myeong…” Baek Cheon stopped talking.

He saw the terrible anger in Cheong Myeong’s eyes. It was like the saying, “Even if the body is dying, the eyes are still alive.”

But that wasn’t the only reason Baek Cheon was quiet. Cheong Myeong’s angry eyes showed something important.

*No… it can’t be.*

*Wham!*

Suddenly, the ground in front of them burst open again. Rocks and dirt flew up like a waterfall going backwards. The cliff shook hard again, like it would fall apart. Dirt rained down on them. From inside the dust, a quiet voice, but very clear, reached Baek Cheon. His heart tightened.

“This is… this is…” When the dust cleared, a man was standing there. His hat was gone. His hair, which was always neat, was now messy and wild, moving like a lion’s mane in the wind. But even messy, he still looked powerful. Instead, his hidden wildness was now showing, like a hungry animal growling.

*Rip.* The man ripped off the pieces of his torn clothes. His chest, full of scars, was now visible.

Baek Cheon stopped breathing. *What is this?*

Jang Il-So. Jang Il-So looked completely different. He showed his teeth, covered in blood, and smiled cruelly. His eyes, seen through his messy hair, shone with wild craziness.

“I don’t know…” His voice was cold, like an animal growling.

“How long it has been since someone made me feel this excited.”

Baek Cheon quickly moved in front of Cheong Myeong to protect him. But his hand holding his sword was shaking a lot. This man was just too strong. Baek Cheon felt a fear he had never felt before. But he didn’t move back.

Then, Cheong Myeong put a hand on Baek Cheon’s shoulder and walked forward.

“Cheong Myeong…” Baek Cheon wanted to stop him, but he couldn’t say anything. Could he protect Cheong Myeong? Could he really protect him from Jang Il-So?

“Ptooey!” Cheong Myeong spat out blood, wiped his mouth quickly, and held his sword tighter.

“You are wrong about something.”

As Cheong Myeong talked, Jang Il-So looked at him with cold, white eyes.

“This hasn’t even begun. This is not even a fight.”

Cheong Myeong’s sword pointed at Jang Il-So. The tip of the sword moved weakly, like he had no strength left. But the eyes of the person holding the sword were still cold and calm, like ice.

“I will show you what a real fight is. You little kid.”

“Ha… Heh… Heh heh heh…” Jang Il-So laughed quietly. The small laugh, like it was coming from sadness, became louder and louder. Soon it was a huge, crazy laugh that seemed to shake the air around them, pushing down on the Five Swords.

“Kyahahahahahaha! Euhahahahahahaha!” The crazy feeling in the laugh grabbed the hearts of the Five Swords and shook them hard.