Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 868

“Ugh. No time to rest.”

Hong Daegwang sighed deeply.

He had thought that with the Hwasan Divine Dragon, who caused trouble as easily as breathing, finally confined, life might become a little easier. It was, in truth, a big mistake.

Now that the biggest problem was over, many smaller problems kept popping up everywhere. Each one was small, but trying to handle them all felt like he needed ten bodies to manage.

Hong Daegwang glanced around cautiously, peering about.

‘No one’s here, right?’

Of course, there was no one else there right now. It was an old, broken-down building, but still, this was the branch leader’s office.

Nevertheless, looking as if he felt guilty, he repeatedly looked left and right before secretly pulling out a gourd from under a desk that looked ready to collapse.

Pop!

He removed the stopper and sniffed at the gourd, nose buried in it.

“Kheu… This is the stuff.”

He had been so busy that he hadn’t had time to relax and drink.

‘When did I last smell alcohol?’

It felt like a month ago. The younger members were watching him closely. He couldn’t even sneak a drink without them noticing. And he couldn’t say he was drinking while working.

So, at times like this…

Hong Daegwang was drooling, just about to bring the bottle to his lips, when—

Bang!

“Aaaargh!”

Startled by the sound of the door crashing open, Hong Daegwang instinctively threw the bottle over his head.

“Branch Leader!”

The beggar who had rushed in, seeing the alcohol streaming down Hong Daegwang’s head, gaped in astonishment.

“What in the…”

“Th-that’s….”

The beggar, looking at Hong Daegwang with narrowed eyes as if he understood, flinched and quickly approached.

“This isn’t the time for that!”

“You’re not angry?”

He had expected them to be furious, accusing him of trying to drink on the job behind their backs.

“A red notice has arrived from the main headquarters!”

“What? From the main headquarters?”

Hong Daegwang’s minor worries vanished instantly.

A red notice, which means a very urgent message, was an emergency communication sent by the main headquarters, attached to a special messenger hawk. Despite the numerous events that had occurred in Henan, Hubei, and Shanxi in recent years, a red notice had never been sent even once.

“Now? It arrived just now?!”

“Yes, Branch Leader! Just now!”

Sensing that something major had happened, Hong Daegwang threw himself over the desk and snatched the red letter from the little beggar’s hand.

He tore open the seal in one swift motion and read the contents.

“Th-this… this?”

Hong Daegwang stuttered, his eyes widening in disbelief.

“Iron Ghost? Hoesan’s Mad Ghost? The Nine Luminaries Swordsman? The No Sorrow Gate’s Assassination Hall? The… the Nine Underworld Party, a group known for being very dangerous? Wait, who? The Lone Soul Blood Demon? Th-this blasted… The Lone Soul Blood Demon?”

And that wasn’t all.

“Th-the… the Seven Killers of Jiangxi?!”

The color drained from Hong Daegwang’s face.

Each and every name was not only formidable but terrifying. Hong Daegwang knew every one of these names. They were all famous for being incredibly dangerous and evil. And these individuals were all gathering in one place and moving together?

“Where? Where are they headed?”

The red notice did not specify their direction of movement.

As Hong Daegwang, now very pale, was about to shout something, another beggar burst into the room.

“Br-Branch Leader! Another red notice! Another red notice has arrived!”

“Bring it here, now!”

Hong Daegwang snatched the newly arrived red notice and tore it open almost violently.

“Ugh…”

The moment he saw the short message written inside, he forgot to breathe.

– 向去陕西 (Heading to Shanxi).

“Sh-Shanxi?”

“Th-they’re coming to Shanxi?”

“Why?”

The faces of the little beggars began to turn blue.

“Th-this is insane…”

The fingertips of Hong Daegwang, who was holding the red notice, trembled.

He had heard of every single name. Anyone who dealt with information would know that they had migrated to Jiangbei to escape the infamous Evil Faction Alliance.

But the moment he gathered their names and listed them, Hong Daegwang felt keenly how carelessly he had treated those names.

Scattering them across the vast expanse of Jiangbei made them a small force. No matter how strong each individual was, it was difficult for them to exert great power.

But what if they gathered in one place?

‘They could easily destroy an entire sect in one fell swoop.’

Considering the Evil Faction’s characteristic impulsiveness, the damage might be even greater.

“Wh-why the hell are these crazy bastards coming to Shanxi!”

Hong Daegwang roared as if screaming, and jumped up from his seat.

Their intentions were not yet clear, but looking at the situation, even a three-year-old child could guess their purpose.

“Support? What’s the status of support? Request support from the main headquarters immediately!”

“Br-Branch Leader, the main headquarters doesn’t have the capacity…”

“What kind of nonsense are you spouting! Does this look like a normal situation to you? They should drop everything else and rush here! Request support immediately! Immediately!”

“Yes!”

Hong Daegwang roared, and one of the beggars, his face pale, ran outside.

Even in that moment, Hong Daegwang’s mind was racing furiously.

‘Where? Where are they aiming? It can’t be the entire Shanxi!’

Hong Daegwang’s fingertips moved around the desk without purpose.

“This blasted… can’t figure out anything…”

Just then, the beggar who had run outside burst back in, his face even paler than when he had left.

“Br-Branch Leader! Another red notice has arrived.”

“What?”

Hong Daegwang’s eyes twitched. He had never heard of receiving three red notices in one day.

“Br-bring it here!”

Hong Daegwang hurriedly took the red notice and tore it open.

“…”

This time, it wasn’t a letter like the previous ones.

A map.

A small map, crudely depicting the Central Plains, had a clear red line drawn across it.

The ominous line, starting from Luoyang, spread westward. Following it with his eyes, the line abruptly stopped midway, but Hong Daegwang’s gaze moved to the left, then further left, where the line was headed.

Finally, the name of a city at the end of the line caused an uncontrollable groan to escape Hong Daegwang’s lips.

“Seo…Seoan.”

Cold sweat poured down his forehead like rain.

Perhaps this news was sure to happen.

Their target was all too obvious. Such a large group wouldn’t be strolling into Shanxi for a picnic. Whether their goal was wealth or chaos, their first target would inevitably be Seoan, a big city in Shanxi.

“Oh, no.”

If both Jongnam and Hwasan were still intact, the Evil Factions would never dare to invade Seoan. Seoan was a city guarded by Jongnam and Hwasan to the south and east.

But now, both sects were in seclusion. In other words, Shanxi was currently a lawless land without any major sects.

If they invaded Seoan and started a massacre in such a situation?

“Why! Why, you crazy bastards! Why!”

All sorts of curses erupted from Hong Daegwang’s mouth.

“Br-Branch Leader! What do we do?”

“…”

Hong Daegwang, clenching his fists and glaring at the air, gritted his teeth and spoke.

“Request support from the main headquarters! And request support from Shaolin right now! Immediately!”

“Without going through the main headquarters?”

“There’s no time for that! Send a message directly to Shaolin at the same time as requesting from the main headquarters!”

“Yes!”

“Aso!”

“Yes!”

“Run to Jongnam immediately! Tell those Jongnam bastards to break their seclusion and come out! Hurry!”

“B-but they’re in seclusion…!”

“This isn’t the time to worry about that! Go and knock on their door!”

“Yes!”

“Ohmyeong!”

“Yes!”

“Go to the Hwayeong Gate in Seoan right now! Inform them of the situation and rally the sects in Seoan! These guys are different from the Myriad Man Manor that invaded Seoan before! Don’t let a single one of them set foot in Seoan!”

“Understood!”

“You, send letters to the sects around Seoan right now! Tell them all to go to Seoan! They must support the sects in Seoan!”

“Yes!”

“Move! Right now!”

“Yes!”

Hong Daegwang bit his lip until it bled.

He wanted to rush outside and run around himself, but he had to stay here and contact the main headquarters. Without Hwasan and Jongnam, the sects around Seoan could never stop them, so support from Shaolin or the Beggars’ Sect was essential.

‘Please, please!’

In truth, it was already too late.

The distance from Luoyang to here was only five hundred *li*, about two hundred kilometers, a distance that a master could easily cover in half a day. Even if Shaolin set out right now, they couldn’t arrive in Seoan before them.

That meant they had to hold them back with the current forces and buy time until Shaolin arrived.

‘Please, even a little faster!’

Hong Daegwang stood up and rushed outside.

He flung the door open and tilted his head back so far that his neck ached, taking in the sight of Hwasan. The peaks were obscured by clouds.

He stared at the scene painfully for a moment, then bit his lip and turned back, hurrying away.

❀ ❀ ❀

A crimson inferno was engulfing everything around it.

An entire village burning to the ground was not a common sight, even for those who didn’t care about consequences.

The black smoke spewed out by the red flames soared high into the sky, spreading out like a scene from hell brought to earth.

Black smoke, red flames.

And…

Blood, far thicker and redder than the flames, soaked the ground.

“Kkeueu…”

A man convulsing, lying face down in a pool of blood, forced his trembling head up.

“A cu… curse… A curse upon you…”

“Tsk, tsk.”

Gal Cheonrip smirked, looking at the old man glaring at him with hateful eyes.

“You’ve already been cursed, old man. That’s why you’re in a place like this.”

“Hwa… Hwasan will….”

Thwack!

Gal Cheonrip’s blade pierced the old man’s body and slammed into the ground.

The old man, convulsing, died and slumped over. Gal Cheonrip pulled out his blade and muttered with a displeased expression.

“These villagers keep mentioning Hwasan. This one and that one, Hwasan, Hwasan.”

What was strange was that the name coming out of their mouths was Hwasan, not Jongnam.

‘Truly bizarre.’

No matter how high Hwasan’s reputation had risen, Shanxi was practically Jongnam’s territory. Why was it that the name Hwasan, not Jongnam, was on everyone’s lips?

“Well, whatever.”

Gal Cheonrip raised his head and looked at the burning village.

And he clearly saw the Evil Faction bastards standing in front of it, exuding a thick murderous aura.

The moment he saw the blood staining their hands, an uncontrollable smile spread across Gal Cheonrip’s face.

‘It’s slowly getting dangerous.’

He slowly licked his lips with his tongue. The thick murderous intent that everyone was exuding made even him shudder.

The heinous nature that had been suppressed for so long was gradually erupting.

Just as a heavy drinker who had abstained from alcohol for a long time would drink until he was senseless on the day he tasted it again, those who had refrained from slaughter for a while had tasted blood, so no one could stop them today.

“Big Brother.”

“I know. Let’s move.”

Gal Cheonrip’s gaze turned west.

“We’ll clear out a couple more villages before arriving in Seoan.”

By then, a truly insane force would be created.

A force that would soak that great city in blood.