Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 876

“Father,” Wi Sohaeng said, his voice tight with worry.

He wrapped his arm around Wi Rip-san, his father, who was swaying on his feet. Each breath Wi Rip-san took was ragged, and his face was pale with sweat. Wi Sohaeng longed to lay his father down, to let him rest on the blood-soaked ground. But this was a battlefield. Wi Rip-san couldn’t fall yet. He had to stand strong for the Hwayeongmun disciples, who were clinging to their swords with trembling hands and fear in their eyes.

“…Sohaeng-ah.”

“Father. I’m here… The Chief is here…”

“Yes.”

Even in Wi Rip-san’s voice, there was a clear sense of relief.

The situation hadn’t really changed.

The wolves were still targeting them with sharp fangs. Those who were still hungry would show their true nature and try to tear them apart.

But even with all that, Wi Rip-san was no longer worried.

How could he be? Anyone who knew the name of the person standing in front of them, with his back turned, anyone who knew what kind of person he was, would feel the same as Wi Rip-san.

The Seoan warriors were fighting like they had nothing to lose. They were at their limit. They bit their lips, their eyes red, as they looked at the back of the person in front of them.

“…Chung Myung Dojang.”

“Dojang…”

“Hwasan is…”

Then, a murmur spread from someone’s mouth, making them realize it again.

“…Hwasan has come.”

Hearing those words spread through the warriors who had held on for so long.

Just a few years ago, the name Hwasan didn’t mean much in Seoan.

But now, it was completely different.

Beyond Seoan, in Seomseo, the name Hwasan had become irreplaceable.

Even those who had been terrified of death, those who didn’t even have the strength to hold a sword and were gasping for breath, those who were desperately dragging their legs that wanted to run away, all of them began to fight again when they heard the name Hwasan.

With just three people appearing.

‘This isn’t good.’

Meanwhile, Gal Cheon-rip, who had been watching, clicked his tongue.

The situation had completely changed. Gal Cheon-rip had thought the Seoan warriors were just fighting desperately like trapped rats.

But not these people. Because of them, the whole atmosphere had changed.

The bigger problem was that those who had been rampaging madly, to the point that even he had trouble handling them, were now holding their breath.

If their spirit weakened any more, his plan might fail.

Feeling uneasy, Gal Cheon-rip looked at the man standing in front.

Chung Myung stood with his arms loose at his sides, the plum blossoms on his black uniform stark against the grime of battle. His eyes were like chips of ice, cold and sharp as they fixed on Gal Cheon-rip. The moment he faced the chilling coldness in those eyes, one name naturally came to Gal Cheon-rip’s mind.

A name that was once famous, but now, with time, its light had faded a little.

“I see.”

Gal Cheon-rip looked straight at the man and opened his mouth.

“Are you the Hwasan Sword Saint?”

Hwasan Sword Saint.

The Demonic Sect reacted strongly the moment that name was said.

“Hwasan Sword Saint?”

“The one from the Yangtze…”

The faces of the Demonic Sect members went pale.

They couldn’t finish the sentence, but the rest of the words were obvious.

The one who had fought Jang Il-so on equal terms.

Everyone here had run away from the Evil Sect Alliance. There was no need to say how much weight Jang Il-so’s name, the leader of the Evil Sect Alliance, carried for these people.

The leader of the Evil Sect Alliance and, in name and reality, the best in the Demonic Sect.

The legend who turned Gangnam into a land of blood and death, and finally united Gangnam.

At one time, people called him one of the Five Masters of the Divine Land, but three years after the Yangtze River Incident, no one in the world used that title for Jang Il-so.

So, naturally, the name of the Hwasan Sword Saint shone. In recent years, the Hwasan Sword Saint was the only one who had even slightly damaged Jang Il-so’s reputation.

‘That guy is…’

‘That rumored one?’

A tense atmosphere filled the air. But the man simply stared at Gal Cheon-rip, who had spoken, without saying a word.

“Looks like it.”

Gal Cheon-rip chuckled quietly when Chung Myung didn’t answer.

“It seems that a brat has gained a false reputation and has become quite arrogant. You fool. Does anyone really believe you are as good as Jang Il-so? I didn’t believe it before, and seeing you now makes me even more sure.”

At those words, the Demonic Sect members looked at Chung Myung warily again.

“Why? Don’t you have anything to say?”

Then Chung Myung, who had been silent, smirked and opened his mouth.

“How absurd.”

“What’s absurd? That you’re not as good as that moron Jang Il-so…”

Gal Cheon-rip sneered, but Chung Myung cut him off.

“A pathetic Demonic Sect bastard is flapping his gums in front of me.”

“You…”

“That’s right, just as you said.”

Chung Myung tilted his head from side to side, as if he still didn’t want to listen to Gal Cheon-rip’s words.

“If a Demonic Sect bastard is going to flap his gums in front of me, yeah, like you said, it has to be about as good as that moron Jang Il-so. I can at least stand to listen to what that bastard has to say. But…”

A sneer hung on Chung Myung’s lips.

“Not you. You little punk.”

“So shut your mouth. I don’t have a hobby of talking to dead people.”

Gal Cheon-rip’s face twisted hideously.

“A little punk…?”

When in his life had he ever been treated like this by such a young brat?

Moreover, what made him even angrier was that this brat was treating him as worse than Jang Il-so. This was a reverse scale for Gal Cheon-rip.

Furious enough to make his hair stand on end, he clenched his fist tightly and held back his anger. Showing his anger in front of everyone would mean admitting that Chung Myung had gotten to him.

Gritting his teeth, he tried to stay calm and opened his mouth.

“You little brat, you have a sharp tongue. But you have to stop bluffing. Even if you are as skilled as the rumors say, with just three people, you can’t do anything…”

“I told you to shut your stinky mouth.”

This time as well, a cold voice blocked Gal Cheon-rip’s mouth. Gal Cheon-rip’s face was now as cold as it could possibly get.

“This dog-like bastard, I’ve been holding back…”

“You seem to be mistaken about something.”

Chung Myung bared his teeth.

“I’m just holding back from tearing you bastards all apart right now. So don’t flap your gums. There’s a limit to my patience.”

“That son of a bitch!”

The youngest of the Gangseo Seven Killers, Damhae, had bloodshot eyes.

But Gal Cheon-rip felt more confused and strange than angry at Chung Myung’s words.

“Holding back?”

“Why? What are you holding back from?”

“It’s simple.”

Chung Myung said with a sneer.

“Because the person who will catch and kill you isn’t me.”

“What?”

“And let me correct another misunderstanding.”

Chung Myung snorted and asked.

“Who said there were three of us?”

And at that moment…

“It’s definitely not three.”

Gal Cheon-rip hurriedly turned around at the clear voice coming from behind him.

A tall man wearing a black uniform was crossing the gate with slow steps.

The moment he saw him, Gal Cheon-rip’s body tensed up without him even realizing it.

His steps were steady and measured. His breathing was even and controlled. All of that told him that the man was a master who had reached a level where he could completely control his body.

His gaze, filled with anger, lingered on Gal Cheon-rip’s face for a moment.

“It’s not like three people aren’t enough.”

As soon as the man finished speaking, a group of martial artists appeared behind him.

‘Oh, when? I didn’t feel any presence?’

But that wasn’t all.

Figures in black uniforms swarmed onto the walls surrounding the manor, appearing as if from nowhere. The sound of their boots on the stone echoed in the sudden silence.

The eyes of the Demonic Sect members shook as if they had been hit by an earthquake when they saw that.

Were they surrounded?

Or was it because an unexpected enemy had appeared?

No. The reason they were so flustered was because of the intense aura that those surrounding them were emitting.

‘Where on earth did these guys come from?’

It wasn’t the heavy and gentle aura of the Orthodox Sect. The murderous intent radiating from the Sword Demons was a physical weight, pressing down on the Demonic Sect members. It felt like ice water in their veins, chilling them to the bone.

In particular, the woman standing in the center of those who had climbed onto the walls caught their attention.

She was excessively beautiful.

And a ruthless and cold murderous intent covered even that beauty.

Those who faced that gaze, which didn’t contain even a shred of emotion, unknowingly took a step back.

‘Sword Demon…’

The murderous intent emitted by over a hundred Sword Demons was thick.

The more skilled they were, the greater the pressure they felt. Only those who had experience dealing with those who emitted such an aura could know how terrible they were.

‘This is…’

Cold sweat ran down Damhae’s forehead.

There were a hundred of those guys…

‘Damn it. What the hell is going on?’

Just looking at the plum blossom pattern on their chests, it was certain.

Hwasan.

The famous sword sect of Seomseo that once aimed to be the best sword sect in the world.

But everyone knew that the current Hwasan’s reputation was only because of the Hwasan Sword Saint, not because of the sect’s own power, right?

But the Hwasan they actually faced ruthlessly destroyed Damhae’s thoughts.

If he could, he wanted to find all the guys who had been saying that Hwasan itself wasn’t a big deal and shut them up.

But wasn’t regret always too late, no matter how fast it came, and didn’t you always realize that the information you had was wrong after everything was over?

The manor of the Eunha Merchant Guild, which had seemed so spacious, began to feel infinitely narrow.

And at that moment, those who had entered through the gate and occupied their rear split to the left and right. Between them, three old men walked with heavy steps, showing themselves.

“Sect Leader!”

“Sect Leader!”

A scream-like shout came from the mouths of the Hwayeongmun disciples.

The Sect Leader of Hwasan, Hyun Jong, walked in with a cold face, taking in the scene with his eyes.

Seeing the chilling, miserable corpses and the survivors who were still breathing but covered in blood, a strong anger filled Hyun Jong’s eyes.

“How dare they…”

He clenched his fist and gritted his teeth as he shouted.

“Un Geom! Baek Cheon!”

“Yes! Sect Leader!”

The two people who were called knelt down.

The aura that Hyun Jong was emitting was enormous. It wasn’t the same murderous intent as his disciples, but it was a rage like a giant mountain.

Even without being the Sect Leader of Hwasan, no one could ignore Hyun Jong if they saw him now.

“To dare invade Seomseo.”

The Demonic Sect members groaned when Hyun Jong’s heavy voice erupted.

“To attack the friends of Hwasan!”

The disciples of Hwayeongmun and the Seoan sects clenched their fists when they heard those words.

“In this land of Hwasan…”

Hyun Jong took a short breath and ordered in a weighty voice.

“Make those who dared to commit such atrocities pay the price! Let them know exactly what the anger of Hwasan is like!”

“We obey the order!”

Clang! Clang!

As soon as those words ended, the disciples of Hwasan drew their swords all at once.

The sight of a hundred swordsmen drawing their swords at the same time caused both excitement and fear.

An unspeakable thrill and overwhelming feeling to those who had been waiting for them.

A suffocating pressure and fear to those who had to face them.

“In the name of Hwasan!”

Baek Cheon’s voice erupted.

“Punish the villains!”

The disciples of Hwasan, with their swords pointing downwards, rushed towards the Demonic Sect. It was like a black wave rippling in the middle of Seoan.

That movement declared to the world that Hwasan had finally returned.