Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 949

The word ‘opportunity’ did not seem right coming from Jang Il-so. He was like a devil who steals chances from others and throws them into darkness.

But who could ignore the promise of an ‘opportunity’, even from him?

The Shaolin monks before him had to listen to Jang Il-so.

A gentle breeze ruffled Jang Il-so’s dark, perfectly styled hair. With long, pale fingers, he smoothed back a stray strand, his movements slow and deliberate.

Then, his thin lips curved into a slow, unsettling smile, and he began to speak again.

“Truly… isn’t it touching?”

Jang Il-so slowly turned his gaze backward. Even though the towering Black Dragon Ship blocked the view, he spoke as if to point out the source of his touching sentiment.

When he looked toward Plum Blossom Island, several Shaolin monks flinched and trembled. They still couldn’t look directly at it.

Jang Il-so turned back to Shaolin and nodded, as if impressed. “Life is precious to everyone. And yet, these fellows are willing to risk everything to help others and do what is right!”

A low chuckle echoed across the river.

It was confusing. When Jang Il-so said it, it should have been mockery, but there was admiration in his tone. The Shaolin monks were puzzled.

“The brave Namgung family, known for their strong sense of justice, have proven it. Their chivalry is not just empty words.”

It was as if they were being drawn into his words. Each word from Jang Il-so captivated them.

But…

“Silence!”

Beopjeong could not listen to Jang Il-so’s words any longer. He unleashed a great Lion’s Roar, cutting him off. But there was urgency mixed in with the roar.

It was as if something terrible would happen if Jang Il-so kept talking.

“He is like a wicked demon! Disciples of Shaolin, do not be fooled by his words. Protect your righteous hearts!”

At those words, the Shaolin disciples looked at Beopjeong.

Righteous hearts? What had Jang Il-so said to be so tempting?

“You don’t understand,” Jang Il-so said.

“I told you, I’m just giving you a chance.”

As Jang Il-so chuckled softly, Beopgye’s face, standing beside Beopjeong, twisted horribly. That laughter brought back vivid memories of that day three years ago.

“What chance are you offering us!”

“Beopgye!”

Beopjeong tried to cover Beopgye’s mouth, but it was too late.

As if he had been waiting for those words, Jang Il-so’s red lips stretched into a wide grin. “A chance to prove… your chivalry.”

Beopjeong’s eyes were bloodshot.

Rage filled him, and veins bulged on his neck.

But Jang Il-so, seeing his reaction, laughed as if greatly amused. “Haha! Why are you so angry, Great Master?”

Spreading his arms wide, he gestured dramatically behind him. “There! It lies there.”

“…”

“To destroy the Death Demon!”

His robes billowed and danced in the wind, making him look even more theatrical.

“To save the common people! Those who risked their lives to uphold chivalry are right there! Before your eyes!”

His exaggerated tone, like an actor in a grand, traditional play, was awkward but captivating. As his arm slowly lowered, the Shaolin monks held their breath.

Jang Il-so began to slowly bring down the atmosphere he had built up. His eyebrows softened as if in sorrow. “But alas… they are now dying.”

A deep sigh escaped his red lips.

“Those with deep wounds won’t last long. Exhausted, surrounded by evil bandits, they will die one by one. No matter how great heroes they may be, if they are trapped on an island without food, the outcome is obvious.”

Beopjeong tightly gripped the hem of his robe. The ends of the robe turned to dust from the force of his inner energy, but he was too busy glaring at Jang Il-so to notice.

“But fortunately…”

Jang Il-so’s gaze swept over all of Shaolin. “There are heroes here who can save them.”

Snap!

The sound of Jang Il-so snapping his fingers changed the atmosphere. “It’s not difficult. It’s not a difficult task.”

“…”

“Rescuing those in danger is what a hero should do, isn’t it?”

All of Shaolin bit their lips tightly. They finally understood what Jang Il-so was trying to say.

“Of course! There are obstacles. The wicked heretics are blocking the way! But… that shouldn’t be a problem, should it? The Namgung clan proved their courage with their lives. Surely Shaolin can do the same?”

“Jang Il…”

Snap.

Before Beopjeong could speak, Jang Il-so snapped his fingers again. “I’ll give you a chance.”

Beopjeong wanted to cover his ears.

That devil knew how to delve into people’s hearts. He knew the weakest part of the human heart. He dug into that spot, tore open the wound, sprinkled salt, and trampled it.

“When the sun rises on the fifth day from now, we will enter that island again.”

A slightly excited voice flowed from Jang Il-so’s lips. “At that time, everyone will die… all those bearing the name of Namgung.”

The tips of Beopjeong’s fingers trembled.

“So, before five days pass, you must decide whether to watch them die at our hands, or to fight us, open a path, and rescue them.”

“Jang Il-soooo!”

Another great roar erupted from Beopjeong’s mouth. “How can a human be like that? How can you wear the skin of a person and…”

It was a valid anger.

Taking the lives of hundreds of people hostage and dragging other victims into the pit was something a human couldn’t do.

But Jang Il-so tilted his head as if he couldn’t understand Beopjeong’s words. “Is that… directed at me, Great Master?”

“You wicked fiend! Who else could it be but you!”

“Ah, I thought…”

Jang Il-so openly sneered. “I thought you were talking to yourself, Great Master.”

Beopjeong bit his lip hard enough to draw blood.

“Isn’t that so? You were watching. You watched those fellows being torn apart by the pirates, being trampled under my feet, with your own two eyes.”

Jang Il-so’s eyes glared intently at all of Shaolin.

It was bizarre. Jang Il-so was an evil bandit, and those standing here were heroes, protecting the world from such evil. But no one could look directly at the cruel leader.

It wasn’t Jang Il-so that made them avert their gaze. It was their own conscience. Jang Il-so had touched that conscience.

“Wearing the skin of a human, how could you abandon them like that? Shaolin, who are supposed to uphold chivalry? Good heavens…”

“You fiend!”

Beopjeong burst out in resentment. He would kill Jang Il-so if he could.

But a river flowed between them, and all Beopjeong could do was vent his rage.

“Hahaha!”

Jang Il-so laughed like a child, as if Beopjeong’s reaction was amusing. “Why are you angry, Great Master? Shouldn’t you be happy instead? You cannot be a hero if you don’t get a chance to prove it.”

It was as if he was asking the opposite.

You’ve been talking about chivalry, but can you risk your lives for it? You’ve already stopped once, haven’t you?

They wanted to close their eyes.

They wanted to cover their ears.

All of Shaolin realized that even if they acted differently now, their inaction would not disappear.

They had already abandoned their chivalry.

Why did they stop? Because Beopjeong ordered them to?

That wasn’t it.

They were afraid to throw their lives away for someone else. Even though they thought it was the right thing to do, they didn’t want to die.

Beopjeong had given them an excuse to stop and shift the responsibility.

“Ah, Amitabha.”

“Amitabha.”

Buddhist chants leaked out, showing their inner turmoil.

Jang Il-so deliberately brought out the truth they wanted to ignore and engraved it into their hearts.

“So, prove it to your heart’s content.”

Jang Il-so’s lips parted, revealing his pearly white teeth. “Prove that you can risk everything for chivalry.”

“Ee…”

“Or that you are hypocrites who have been taking advantage of that chivalry for your own benefit.”

Jang Il-so tapped his lips lightly with his fingernail. “With that… precious life of yours.”

“…”

“This Jang Il-so and the Four Evil Alliances will be worthy opponents.”

Jang Il-so drove in the final wedge. “Don’t forget. Five days. That should be enough time to think about it. Be grateful for my mercy, Great Master! Ahahaha!”

Having finished speaking, he turned around, his red coat fluttering, as if he didn’t care about Shaolin. He showed no regret.

Until that figure disappeared into the Black Dragon Ship, no one stopped him.

No one could stand against him and prove their chivalry.

They merely gritted their teeth and glared at the river with bloodshot eyes.

“Amitabha…”

A hollow chant escaped from Beopjeong’s lips.

Beopjeong, taking in the Black Dragon Ship, the ships of the Four Evil Alliances, and Plum Blossom Island with the Namgung swordsmen, closed his eyes.

“Amitabha…”

He should have never listened. He should have known it was too late from the moment the devil began whispering in his ear.

He was afraid to turn around and see the expressions of his disciples.

‘This place is…’

Beopjeong covered his face, completely lost and broken.

‘This place is hell.’

The place where the devil exists is hell.