Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 866

“Kill and plunder.” These words weren’t particularly clever.

They were too obvious for those who called themselves evil. Evil throws away what is proper, seeing it as fake, and uses words to break the rules that hold people back. If they need something, they steal it. If they want something, they kill for it. Anyone who has a problem with that doesn’t belong to evil.

However, no one listening to Galcheon-rip took his words lightly.

“In Gangbuk?” someone asked.

“That’s right,” Galcheon-rip replied.

“Easier said than done!” another voice exclaimed.

Negative reactions came from all around the room. The reason these men, who were used to killing and stealing, were so hesitant was simple: the land of Gangbuk was controlled by the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Families.

A few years ago, they wouldn’t have worried so much. Even though the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Families were strong, if they caused trouble, they could just cross the Yangtze River and go to Gangnam.

The world is huge.

The Nine Great Sects couldn’t chase them forever, no matter how powerful they were. But now, they couldn’t even set foot in Gangnam. If they did, the Evil Union would be after them.

“We’re not doing this because we want to,” one man said. “If we act as we please, those Nine Sects’ bastards will come running with fire in their eyes. How are we supposed to kill and plunder then?”

“You’re not saying we should fight the Nine Sects, are you?” another asked.

“Don’t forget this is Gangbuk, Ilsal,” a third voice reminded.

“I shouldn’t have come,” someone muttered. “I didn’t come to listen to such nonsense.”

Despite the complaints, Ilsal, also known as Galcheon-rip, chuckled. His low laughter silenced everyone.

“What’s so funny?” Danhonhyeolsu asked.

Ilsal stopped laughing and said, “Funny? Of course, it’s funny.”

He shrugged and twisted his lips. “I’m watching hungry men drool over a feast they can’t have. How could that not be funny?”

A wave of anger filled the silent room. The men glared at Galcheon-rip as if they wanted to eat him alive. The Gangseo Seven Killers, Galcheon-rip’s bodyguards, bared their teeth and stepped forward.

“Know your place…” one of them growled.

Galcheon-rip raised his hand to stop them.

“Quiet,” he commanded.

“Yes, Captain,” the guard replied.

Galcheon-rip narrowed his eyes and asked, “Did I say anything wrong?”

“…”

“You’ve been holding back because you can’t do anything right now,” Galcheon-rip continued. “The Nine Sects’ bastards are more vicious than the Evil Sects when they see blood in their territory. So, you’re saying we should wait and see. But has anything improved?”

No one answered.

It had been two years.

They had been doing nothing for two years, and everyone felt they had reached their limit.

“In the end, your fate is clear,” Galcheon-rip said. “Either you starve to death while waiting, or you can’t take it anymore and cause trouble on your own, get caught by the Nine Sects’ bastards, and suffer the severance of tendons and meridians.”

Severance of tendons and meridians is a punishment that cripples martial artists by cutting the muscles in their arms and legs. If your dantian is destroyed, you can’t use internal energy, but you can still use the martial arts you’ve learned. But if your tendons and meridians are severed, you can’t even use your hands and feet properly, and you’re weaker than an ordinary person.

The Nine Sects use this punishment on evil groups who commit terrible crimes.

The men’s faces showed their fear. They didn’t protest strongly because they knew this future might be waiting for them.

“So, what are you going to do?” Danhonhyeolsu demanded. “Stop wasting time and tell us.”

“I told you,” Galcheon-rip sneered.

“Small groups can only rob small places. If we’re going to rob, we should rob a place with enough money for everyone to share and live comfortably for the rest of their lives.”

“What about the chase?” someone asked.

“If we have money, we don’t have to worry,” Galcheon-rip replied. “And they can’t chase us for long now. We can go to Qinghai or Xinjiang and come back with new identities when things calm down.”

“Hmm,” the man hummed.

The men had different thoughts.

‘They won’t chase me anyway,’ one thought.

‘I just need to get to Qinghai,’ another considered.

‘With the Gangseo Seven Killers’ reputation, we’ll be treated like small fry,’ a third hoped.

Those who work together briefly scatter after the job is done. No matter how hard the pursuers try, they can’t chase everyone involved. They have to focus on those with the biggest reputations, and that’s the Gangseo Seven Killers.

“Not bad,” one man admitted.

“Definitely,” another agreed. “I’m tired of doing nothing.”

“Damn it!” a third exclaimed. “Money isn’t the problem! Those Nine Sects’ bastards are watching us. How long do we have to stay silent?”

“…It’s like this now, but if Wudang and Jongnam come out of seclusion…” someone worried.

The Evil Sects gathered in Gangnam because it was too dangerous to cause trouble in Gangbuk, where the Nine Great Sects were located. The sects guarding Gangbuk’s center were Shaolin, Wudang, the Beggars’ Sect, Jongnam, and Namgung.

Even with Wudang and Jongnam in seclusion, it was hard to breathe under the pressure. If those two sects returned, things would only get worse.

“So?” Galcheon-rip asked, raising his head.

Danhonhyeolsu crossed his arms and stared at him coldly. “Where are you planning to rob with these people? It better not be an ordinary place.”

“Of course not,” Galcheon-rip replied. “I’m going to rob one of the Ten Great Merchant Guilds of the Central Plains.”

“The Ten Great Merchant Guilds?” Danhonhyeolsu repeated in disbelief.

“Are you out of your mind?” someone exclaimed.

Everyone clicked their tongues at the mention of the Ten Great Merchant Guilds.

“You’re talking nonsense,” Danhonhyeolsu said, shaking his head.

“A place like that must be connected to one of the Nine Great Sects or the Five Great Families. The Nine Sects will chase us with fire in their eyes if we rob their warehouse.”

“You don’t have to worry about that,” Galcheon-rip assured him. “The place I’m going to rob is hard to track.”

“Hmm?” Danhonhyeolsu questioned.

“It’s the only place without guard dogs, and the warehouse is stronger than anywhere else.”

“…Where is that?” Danhonhyeolsu asked.

“Eunha Merchant Guild,” Galcheon-rip revealed.

The men frowned and whispered among themselves.

“Eunha Merchant Guild?” one asked.

“…Is there such a place?” another wondered.

“Ah, maybe you know them as Eunha Express Escort?” Galcheon-rip clarified.

“…You’re going to rob that place?” Danhonhyeolsu asked, surprised.

“They’ve recently joined the Ten Great Merchant Guilds of the Central Plains,” Galcheon-rip explained. “But that doesn’t mean they earn the least money. They’re making a fortune.”

A gruff voice broke the tense silence. “A rich place like that… they must have someone protecting them, right?”

“They did,” another man replied, a smirk playing on his lips. “But not anymore. The Silver Merchant Guild used to be backed by Mount Hua Sect.”

A hush fell over the room. Some men frowned, confused. Others understood, their eyes widening in surprise.

One man whispered, almost to himself, “Mount Hua… the sword sect in the mountains… they were their protectors?”

Even Blood Demon leaned back in his chair, a flicker of amusement in his gaze. “Now that’s a story worth hearing.”

“And…”

At that moment, Iron Ghost, who had been listening quietly, spoke up. “Right now, Shaanxi is like unclaimed land. Even Zhongnan is staying out of things.”

“It’s even close to Qinghai. Just leave Shaanxi, and you’re right in Qinghai.”

Those who understood the situation couldn’t hide their happiness and chuckled.

“They might have guards, but they’re just nobodies.”

“A powerful group without anyone in charge is like a treasure vault with the doors wide open.”

“No owner, you say?”

Even Blood Demon still didn’t seem very interested.

“You seem to be mistaken. Do you think staying out of things means they’re locked away? Even if they prefer seclusion, people will come out to protect their own interests.”

“Ah, I know. Of course, they’ll end their seclusion.”

Galcheon-rip nodded casually.

“Hmm?”

“But… wouldn’t it be the same either way? Surely…” He looked around the room.

“You’re not going to tell me that this many people gathered here can’t handle Mount Hua, are you?”

Those who heard him chuckled quietly.

The people gathered here aren’t the only ones involved.

Of course, some are acting alone, but about half of them lead at least a small group. If they gathered all those people, dealing with a decent sect would be easy.

“If it were one of the top groups, it would be difficult, but Mount Hua isn’t even one of them.”

“Don’t underestimate them. Mount Hua is the leader of the Heavenly Union, an alliance of different fighting groups.”

“They’re just the leader in name only. Does anyone really think Mount Hua is stronger than the Sichuan Tang Clan?”

Mount Hua was a famous group long ago, and recently, they became known again because of a big event. This event made them more respected.

But really, Mount Hua is just a small to medium-sized sect that isn’t close to the level of the top groups. Being famous doesn’t always mean you’re skilled.

The Mount Hua Sword Saint, who had been forgotten during their seclusion, became famous again by fighting against Jang Il-so, but that’s just his achievement, not Mount Hua’s.

“Even so, they’re part of the Heavenly Union, right?”

“There’s no reason to care about the Heavenly Union. The Tang Clan, which is the main force, is busy in the Yangtze River, so we don’t need to worry about them. And the rest are far away from here.”

Those who had thought it over looked at each other meaningfully.

“So, you’re saying that if we can handle Mount Hua, we don’t need to worry about anything else?”

Galcheon-rip nodded strongly.

“It seems everyone understands now.”

“Is this really okay?”

“If you’re scared, you can leave now.”

The gathered people looked at each other. It was a tempting idea, but there were also concerns.

One of those watching raised his hand slightly.

“I’ll leave.”

“Hmm?” Galcheon-rip looked at the person with a strange smile.

“I’ve never heard of Shadow Assassin being a coward.”

“It’s not because I’m scared. Even if we go to Qinghai, we’ll have to return here eventually. I don’t want to be chased my whole life.”

“Good. That’s not a bad choice. However…”

At that moment, a sword flashed from Galcheon-rip’s waist.

Shwick!

At the same time, Shadow Assassin’s arm, which had been raised, was cut off and flew into the air.

“Aaaaargh!” A desperate scream came from Shadow Assassin’s mouth. He held the stump of his arm, fell from his chair, and rolled on the floor.

Thud. Thud.

Galcheon-rip walked over with a calm face and stomped on Shadow Assassin’s face.

“Ugh, ugh…”

“That’s what you call a coward. And I hate cowards.”

“Please, please stop…”

Shwick!

Shadow Assassin’s body slumped to the floor, his neck cut in an instant.

Everyone was silent.

Shadow Assassin was a strong person whom most of those present couldn’t easily defeat. He had died like a fly without even fighting back.

‘Ghostly Blade of Ruthlessness.’ This showed why he was the First Executioner and why he was known as the Ghostly Blade of Ruthlessness.

“Tsk.” Galcheon-rip shook the blood off his sword and looked back at the others with a cold smile.

“Anyone else want to leave?”

There was no answer.

Those who were here would have done something bad soon anyway, even if Galcheon-rip hadn’t started anything. Now that they had seen this, they couldn’t leave.

“There’s no way I’m leaving.” Even Blood Demon crossed his arms and stared at Galcheon-rip.

“However, you should be ready for one thing. If you gather this many people and move, you can’t expect to control them. It’ll probably be chaotic.”

“Good. Very good.” Galcheon-rip grinned, showing his teeth.

“I allow it. Go wild as you please. Isn’t it my job to clean up the mess anyway?”

“If you put it that way…”

The moment Even Blood Demon nodded, everything was decided.

“The fact that we’ve gathered here has probably already reached the ears of the top groups. They don’t have the strength to stop us, but there’s no point in waiting.”

“Then when are we moving?”

“Tomorrow.”

“In just one day?”

“Why? Is there any reason why we can’t?”

Hearing that, Blood Demon slowly licked his lips.

“I like it. I was already bored.”

“It’s not just you. Bring everyone who’s interested. I’ll make it a big show.”

The wolves, who had been hungry for a long time, grinned at the scent of blood in the air.