Return of the Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 977

Usually, you can’t hear a deep river flowing. Small streams make noise, but big rivers are quiet and powerful.

But on Plum Blossom Island, everyone could hear a river sound. It was a steady, rhythmic sound, like waves meeting each other.

The island itself was incredibly still and silent. It was so quiet, it was hard to believe your own eyes.

Chung Myung was just a young swordsman from Mount Hua, not even at his strongest yet. But he was pushing back the Black Dragon King, a powerful leader who controlled the Sword Forest area.

Looking at them, it was hard to say who was winning based on injuries alone. The Black Dragon King was big and strong, and he had cuts all over his body. But these cuts didn’t seem to hurt him much.

Chung Myung only had one bad injury, to his hand. But his hand was in terrible shape. The skin on the back was ripped open, showing the bone, and his palm was like ground meat.

If someone just walked up now, they might think it was an even fight. But everyone who had watched the whole battle knew it was not a tie.

Everyone felt something strange and wrong. Everything they thought they knew about fighting seemed to be breaking apart. They were so shocked, they couldn’t even speak.

Namgung Myung wanted to say something, but he just closed his mouth. He couldn’t find the words. He looked at his hand and saw it was covered in cold sweat.

‘Who is this guy?’ he thought. He couldn’t understand it. Maybe it was just fear.

Chung Myung’s sword moves were so precise and planned. Namgung Myung was from the Namgung family, a famous sword family that was always the best. He knew how much work it took to make even a simple sword swing perfect.

Anyone who used a sword would know. But could hard work alone explain what he was seeing? Could anyone, no matter how much they trained, fight like *that*?

‘No way,’ he thought. This wasn’t something you could learn. It wasn’t just about willpower.

Chung Myung was just different.

Namgung Myung didn’t know why, but watching Chung Myung fight made him shiver. His jaw shook, and he felt ice in his veins.

Just then…

“That crazy guy…” someone muttered angrily.

“Tsk,” another voice said, sounding annoyed. It was one of the Five Swords, and he looked really angry, not just annoyed.

They were all staring at Chung Myung.

Then, something strange happened. Chung Myung, who had just fought so fiercely, suddenly started ripping his clothes.

*Tear!*

He tore off a strip of cloth and started wrapping it around his wrecked hand.

“Tsk,” he clicked his tongue. Normally, you should never worry about getting hurt while fighting. You should focus on winning.

But Chung Myung was now awkwardly trying to bandage his hand. He was doing it because he could see the angry looks from his friends.

‘Those jerks,’ he thought. Baek Cheon, Jo Gul, and Yoon Jong were giving him death glares. Yoo Iseol’s face didn’t change, but she looked like she wanted to attack him. And Tang Soso, behind him, was sending out such angry vibes, it was scary to even look at her.

Chung Myung chuckled as he tied his hand. Bandaging himself in the middle of a fight, just because he was scared of his friends… If his old teacher Dangbo saw this, he would probably faint!

*Squeeze!*

Chung Myung finished tying his bandage with his teeth, spitting out sand. He got a better grip on his sword and smiled a little, like he couldn’t believe what had just happened.

Just then, the Black Dragon King stood up, huge and angry.

Blood dripped from his tight lips, like he was trying hard not to explode. His halberd shook as he held it on the ground.

“This…” he growled.

Suddenly, a powerful energy burst out of the Black Dragon King. It was so strong, some of the weaker bandits passed out. Even the Mount Hua disciples were surprised.

“You little rat!” the Black Dragon King yelled, his eyes red with rage.

What was going on?

He knew Chung Myung was fast. But the cuts he had gotten weren’t just from speed. It was because Chung Myung was so brave, so unpredictable, so crazy.

He cursed, but his face showed he was now very careful.

‘That guy is a born fighter,’ he thought. No, ‘born fighter’ wasn’t even strong enough to describe it. Even though he usually hated learning from others, he knew he couldn’t find the right words for Chung Myung’s fighting style.

Normal fighters wait for a weakness. Great fighters make a weakness. But Chung Myung was beyond that.

He forced openings, like digging his claws in and ripping wounds wider.

*Thud. Thud.*

He watched Chung Myung walk closer, tightening the bandage again with his teeth. Even his steps felt threatening.

The Black Dragon King gritted his teeth. Usually, the weaker one doesn’t attack first. But Chung Myung was coming at him, showing he felt like he was winning.

This hurt the Black Dragon King’s pride. But instead of just yelling, he slowly pointed his halberd forward.

The way he moved was now very careful. It showed he understood. He knew this small swordsman was a real threat, someone he had to fight with everything he had.

Even the strongest people weren’t born strong. The Black Dragon King had also fought his way up, surviving against stronger enemies.

Instead of attacking wildly like a storm, he now focused his anger into a sharp, deadly intent.

Chung Myung’s lips curved into a small, grim smile.

“Now it’s getting fun,” he said.

“Don’t be too sure of yourself, kid…” The Black Dragon King stopped talking. It was like he couldn’t finish the insult. He couldn’t call that crazy fighter a ‘kid’ anymore.

“Keuk,” he grunted.

The Black Dragon King’s eyes became serious as he shut his mouth tightly. He knew one thing: winning is all that matters. The stronger Chung Myung was, the more respect the Black Dragon King would get when he finally won.

So…

The Black Dragon King took a deep breath and pushed his foot into the sand. His halberd moved smoothly with his breathing.

His eyes, which had been wild and angry like a wounded animal, slowly changed. They became focused, calm, the eyes of a true fighter.

*Whoosh!* The Black Dragon King jumped forward, fast as a shadow. Sand flew up as he moved, and suddenly he was right in front of Chung Myung.

*Whoosh!* He stabbed quickly, again and again. This wasn’t just about strength. He used the long halberd to its best, stabbing from far away.

Before the first stab was even finished, the blade seemed to split into many, attacking Chung Myung from everywhere.

Chung Myung jumped back fast. But the Black Dragon King’s attacks reached even further, chasing him.

“*Heup!*” Chung Myung shouted and swung his sword like a snake striking.

*Clang!* His sword hit the halberd blades perfectly, pushing them away to both sides. Just as Chung Myung was about to attack through the opening,

*Whoosh!* The Black Dragon King’s blade flashed through the gap like lightning. Chung Myung twisted his body and lifted his sword straight up.

*Claaaaaang!* Sword and halberd crashed together, and Chung Myung was thrown backwards.

The Black Dragon King shifted his grip on the halberd.

*Wham!* He stomped his foot, making the ground shake, and swung the halberd in a wide arc.

*Kwaaaah!* Black energy poured from the blade like a dark wave. It looked like painting a huge black line across the air!

The energy rushed towards Chung Myung, like it would crush him. Chung Myung twisted in the air and pulled his sword back as far as he could.

“*Heuaaaaah!*” Red energy burst from his sword as he swung it like a whip. The red energy, bright as sunset, smashed into the black energy.

*Kwaaaang!* When they hit, there was a huge explosion, like a cannon going off.

*Boom!* The black energy around the Black Dragon King’s halberd grew wilder. It swelled up, huge as a house, then squeezed back down into a single point.

It started spinning faster and faster, covering the blade in black fire.

“*Hooooooh!*” The Black Dragon King roared. The energy grew even stronger, and the halberd was now completely wrapped in spinning black fire.

*Paaaaaah!* He swung the halberd down, like tearing the sky itself. The energy from the blade ripped through the air, leaving nine rough black lines.

Nine Dragons Attack! It looked like nine black dragons flying at Chung Myung.

The Mount Hua disciples screamed for the first time.

“Chung Myung!”

But then, a single red point appeared in the air. The sky was pale blue, the river was clear blue. In this world like a painting, red flowers suddenly bloomed like clouds.

A burst of flowers. Plum blossoms opened and opened again, from a few, to many, to hundreds, making a huge red wall in the air. The world turned red, like the sunset was spreading across the blue sky.

The nine black dragons crashed into the wall of red plum blossoms.

*Kwaaaaaaaaaang!* A massive explosion shook everything, like a mountain falling apart. Red and black energy exploded outwards like fireworks.

*Rumble!*