Return Of The Mount Hua Sect [EN]: Chapter 996

Hyun Jong cleared his throat, “Um, well, first of all…” He looked around the room, making sure everyone was listening. “We need to talk about what happens next.” His voice was calm but serious. “Baek Cheon.”

“Yes, Sect Leader?” Baek Cheon replied, sitting up straighter.

Hyun Jong leaned forward slightly. “What do you think Shaolin will do now?” He asked directly, his eyes fixed on Baek Cheon.

Baek Cheon paused, surprised by the question. He looked at Hyun Jong, who had never asked him something like that, especially not in front of everyone.

But Baek Cheon quickly regained his composure.

“As Chung Myung said, Shaolin probably won’t leave the Jang River anytime soon. To move, Surochae has to leave first, but their fleet is still there.”

“Hmm, that’s right,” Hyun Jong nodded, looking pleased. Then, Jo Gul jumped in.

“Right! The Great Bald Head of Shaolin cares a lot about his reputation!”

“That’s true too.”

Even though Jo Gul called Beop Jeong the Great Bald Head, no one said anything.

“So, the important thing is when Surochae will move,” Hyun Jong thought for a moment.

“Wasn’t the Black Dragon King hurt? He can’t stay there forever, even to get better, right?”

“Yes, I think so too.”

“Me too.”

“So, this won’t last long.”

Just as everyone agreed, Chung Myung spoke up.

“I don’t think so.”

“Huh?” Hyun Jong looked at Chung Myung, confused.

“Do you have a different idea?”

“Yes, Sect Leader. It makes sense that Surochae would leave because the Black Dragon King is hurt, but I disagree.”

Baek Cheon asked, not understanding, “Why? The Black Dragon King needs to get better quickly. In the Demonic Sect, where the strong rule, the leader has to be strong.”

“It’s the opposite.”

“Huh?”

“If the Black Dragon King was still in charge of Surochae, it would be like you said. But there’s another guy here, right?”

Baek Cheon knew who he meant and frowned. “Jang Il-So…”

“The Black Dragon King has lost control of Surochae. Surochae is part of the Demonic Alliance, and Jang Il-So is the leader. Even if Jang Il-So takes over because the Black Dragon King is hurt, it wouldn’t be a problem.”

“That’s right.”

“And…” Chung Myung smirked. “There’s no way that guy would just watch. He probably made an excuse to get the Black Dragon King away from the battle to take over Surochae.”

Everyone agreed. Jang Il-So, who was very greedy, wouldn’t miss this chance.

“Will the Black Dragon King let him?”

“The Black Dragon King?”

“Yes. He won’t just watch Jang Il-So take his men, will he?”

Chung Myung glared at Baek Cheon, who flinched. “What? Why!”

“Ha… And I call you Uncle. Oh, Dong-Ryong.”

“Hey, stop it!”

Chung Myung shook his head. “We’ll see. Anyway, this will probably last a while. Maybe longer than we think.”

“Why?”

“It’s a long story.” Chung Myung chuckled. “People who are greedy and power-hungry often think alike.”

The Five Swords still looked confused. Chung Myung just laughed quietly.

The Black Dragon King’s eyes were dull, like cloudy glass. His face was thin and pale, the skin stretched tight over his bones. The fire that once burned in him, the ambition to rule the world, had been completely extinguished. His skin, once a healthy dark tan, was now a sickly grey, making him look weak and pitiful.

The Black Dragon King stared blankly at Jang Il-So, who was sitting with his legs crossed on a large chair.

“So…” Jang Il-So’s lips, which had a fake smile, slowly opened. “How is your body?”

Jang Il-So was always dangerous, like a venomous snake. The Black Dragon King felt he was especially dangerous now, not just because he had lost an arm.

“Thank you for your concern…” The Black Dragon King paused and lowered his head, hiding his anger, hatred, and fear.

“…It’s getting better quickly.”

“That’s good,” Jang Il-So leaned back, looking down at the Black Dragon King with a relaxed look.

Until recently, they had been equals. Jang Il-So was the Alliance Lord of the Demonic Alliance, and the Black Dragon King was the Vice Alliance Lord, but the Black Dragon King wasn’t completely under Jang Il-So’s control.

Jang Il-So hadn’t taken the position of Alliance Lord by force. The Black Dragon King was slowly losing control to Jang Il-So, but he still had a chance to fight back, before things got this bad.

“Getting better, you say…” Jang Il-So repeated.

“Yes, that’s right. You need to get better soon so you can get revenge and get your reputation back, right?”

“First, focus on getting better. It will take time to learn to use a sword with your left hand.”

It felt like he could hear laughter, even though Jang Il-So’s voice was calm. The Black Dragon King kept hearing laughter in his head.

No, he was probably laughing inside. Even if he didn’t show it, Jang Il-So was probably laughing right now.

“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of the small things. Just step back and focus on getting your strength back.”

The Black Dragon King clenched his teeth. Step back?

He hadn’t even faced Surochae since leaving Mount Hua. Stepping back required discussion, but the Black Dragon King was cut off from Surochae.

He wondered if all of this was a coincidence.

Jang Il-So’s timely arrival, his failure to stop Mount Hua Sect and the Namgung Family from going to Plum Blossom Island, and his late intervention to save the Black Dragon King…

Could it all be a coincidence?

At first, he thought it was just his imagination. Jang Il-So couldn’t have known the Black Dragon King would lose to the Sword Saint of Mount Hua. It just happened that things went Jang Il-So’s way, and he took advantage of it.

Yes, he believed that, until he saw Jang Il-So’s eyes.

When he saw those eyes, looking at him like a snake looks at its prey, the Black Dragon King realized everything.

“Is there a problem?” Jang Il-So’s voice was calm. The Black Dragon King swallowed his anger. Anger he couldn’t show was just the sadness of the weak.

“No, Alliance Lord.”

“Hmph,” Jang Il-So hummed.

“Alliance Lord…” He muttered and slowly stood up. The gold ornaments on Jang Il-So’s robes clattered like dry bones as he moved.

Anyone who knew Jang Il-So knew that sound. But to the Black Dragon King, it was scarier than the wails of ghosts.

Step. Step. Step.

Jang Il-So slowly walked towards the Black Dragon King, whose shoulders trembled.

He wasn’t afraid of dying. If it was just death, he would accept it. But Jang Il-So wouldn’t be satisfied with that. He would use his death to take everything: Surochae, his honor, everything he had built would be destroyed by Jang Il-So.

Step. Step.

Jang Il-So stopped in front of the Black Dragon King and smiled gently.

“Why are you trembling?”

“Do you think I’m going to…” His voice was slow and soft. “Kill you?”

The Black Dragon King closed his eyes.

He now understood why people feared Jang Il-So. A tiger doesn’t fear a snake; it just avoids it because its venom is annoying. That’s why snakes and tigers can live together.

But what if the snake was big enough to swallow the tiger? If a giant snake was opening its jaws in front of you, wouldn’t you be afraid?

“Don’t worry. I won’t do that,” Jang Il-So chuckled. “I’m a nicer person than people think… But people fear me. Do you know why?”

His tone changed, as if he was talking to someone inferior. The Black Dragon King couldn’t protest.

“Because in their hearts…” Jang Il-So’s eyes shone with a blue light. “There is hostility.”

“A dog doesn’t fear its owner. It trusts and likes them. It fears the whip, but it respects its owner. What a dog fears is its enemy. Do you understand?”

“Alliance Lord.”

“Then I’ll ask you.” A sharp smile appeared on Jang Il-So’s lips. “In your heart…”

Clatter.

The rings in his sleeve made a chilling sound, louder than thunder to the Black Dragon King.

“What is in there right now?”

The Black Dragon King opened his eyes and looked at Jang Il-So. When he saw those gloomy eyes, something broke inside him.

“I…”

“Yes. Answer me.”

“I, I…” The Black Dragon King slowly bent down.

Thud!

His knees hit the floor. Covered in fear, the Black Dragon King trembled and lowered his head. “What I have… is only respect.”

Jang Il-So looked down at the kneeling Black Dragon King with icy eyes. After a long silence, he slowly reached out his hand.