Return of Mount Hua Sect

Gal Cheon-rip lowered his head and looked at his chest.

More than half of the sword with a faint white glow was embedded in him. The tip of the sword was probably poking out through his back.

Despair, fear, frustration, anger, and more.

Countless emotions flashed through his eyes in an instant. But if one had to pick the most prominent of those emotions, it would be shock.

“You…”

His mouth opened with difficulty.

But his trembling jaw prevented him from speaking properly. In the end, red blood flowed out before the words.

“You…”

The blood that was flowing out had clogged up in his throat.

Un Geom tried to twist the sword, but he let go and faced Gal Cheon-rip.

“Once…”

“….”

“You, too, could have achieved what you wanted.”

Gal Cheon-rip looked at Un Geom with blurry eyes.

“If only you hadn’t been satisfied with the small achievement.”

“….”

Un Geom, who was about to say something more, shook his head.

What he originally wanted to say was, ‘I am not that great either, but a warrior should never stop moving ahead until the moment of death, right?’

But those words meant nothing to this man. Gal Cheon-rip was not someone who deserved to be treated as a warrior.

“Death is fair, whether you are good or bad. If there is an afterlife, atone for your sins and live.”

However, he never forgot his duty as a Taoist till the very end.

Gal Cheon-rip stepped back hesitantly.

It wasn’t because he was overwhelmed by Un Geom’s force. He was so close to death that he could barely stand.

“I… am…”

The blood that surged up blocked his mouth. The world did not give him what he wanted until the very end.

His head turned to the side with difficulty.

Not only the disciples of Mount Hua who were surrounded, but also the Evil Sect people he had led, all watched his death with cold eyes. There was not even the slightest warmth there.

“Cough…”

Gal Cheon-rip’s body slowly collapsed.

“Fucking dog…”

Thud.

In the end, Un Geom’s sword dug deeper into Gal Cheon-rip’s chest as he fell forward. That was enough to sever the lifeline that he had been barely holding on.

The corpse of Gal Cheon-rip, who had just closed his eyes and was breathing his last, slowly began to cool.

Only then did a deep sigh escape Un Geom’s mouth.

It had been a strong opponent. If he had been rusty, unable to use his full abilities, it would have been a tough battle.

But he was the one who emerged victorious.

“Dorm leader!”

“Senior Sasuk.”

The people who had come near him checked if UN Geom was injured. It was a short battle, but it was fierce enough to make the onlookers tense.

“I am fine.”

At that moment, Un Geom nodded to them.

Step. Step.

One person slowly walked forward.

The Evil Sect members held their breath as if they had forgotten how to breathe in his presence.

Step. Step.

He approached with unhurried steps, flipped Gal Cheon-rip over with his toe, and pulled out Un Geom’s sword, which was embedded in the chest.

Sskk.

The eerie sound of the sword being pulled out pierced everyone’s ears.

Srrk!

Chung Myung, who had wiped the blood off the sword, turned his head and looked around at the Evil Sect members, who wore tense expressions.

Flinch.

Those who met Chung Myung’s gaze were shaken by his presence.

“Should we continue?”

There were many words in the world.

But at this moment, could there be any more appropriate words to break their fighting spirit?

As the battle paused for a moment and the blood boiling in their heads cooled down, the surrounding situation became clear.

Gal Cheon-rip lay dead with eyes wide open. Behind him were the Soul Breaking Killer and other warriors, their corpses cooling, and those who were not dead but subdued and collapsed, groaning….

Even Mount Hua disciples continued to glare at them with cold gazes.

The situation was too obvious.

Tak.

The sound of a weapon falling from someone’s grasp echoed clearly in the quiet garden.

Ripples in a calm lake tend to spread farther and larger. That small sound completely extinguished the remaining will to fight.

Weapons fell one after another from the hands of the Evil Sect members.

They had taken up arms without any great purpose in the first place. There was no reason left to risk their lives and fight when there was no one to lead them or shout commands.

“Those morons.”

Chung Myung glared at them with a cold gaze, as if despising them. If only he could cut off their heads, whether they fought back or not.

When they had strength, they went wild and ran, but when they sensed a disadvantage, they begged for their lives. These were the people Chung Myung despised the most.

As he gripped the sword tightly, someone tapped his shoulder lightly.

When he turned around, Un Geom was shaking his head.

“We have shed too much blood.”

“… I know.”

He clicked his tongue lightly and politely handed the sword in his hand to Un Geom.

Un Geom, with the sword back in his hand, turned his gaze to the person approaching him.

“Disciples, listen up!”

“Yes, sect leader!”

Hyun Jong spoke with a heavy voice.

“Crush the dantian of the criminals and subdue them, imprison them all. Their punishment will be decided later.”

“Yes!”

“Move the wounded to the physician hall. Look around to see if there are any enemies around, and prevent any harm to the civilians!”

“Yes, sect leader!”

As soon as Hyun Jong finished speaking, Mount Hua’s disciples moved in unison.

The Evil Sect members, who had thrown away their weapons and knelt, were lost in thought at the words that their dantian would be destroyed. But they couldn’t dare to rebel, recalling the sight of those who had swung their swords with killing intent.

“Kuak!”

“Ah-ack!”

The terrible feeling of their dantian breaking and their internal qi vanishing was overwhelming.

However, they didn’t even have time to groan amidst the exhaustion and the strength draining from their bodies. A vicious hand pinned them to the ground and tied their entire bodies tightly with ropes brought from somewhere.

Hong Dae-Kwang, who was watching the scene, completely collapsed as if his legs had lost strength.

Watching Mount Hua’s swordsmen subdue the remaining members of the Evil Sect and Hyun Jong carrying out the orders, he felt so empty that he couldn’t even help them.

“… huh, huhu. So easily…”

Everything happened in a flash, from Mount Hua’s appearance to the beheading of Soul Breaking Killer and Gal Cheon-rip.

‘Does this make sense?’

Hong Dae-Kwang knew the true value of Mount Hua better than anyone else. He was the one who recognized the value of Mount Hua, which had neither fame nor skill and came here, even turning down the role of the Nanyang branch leader.

But the scene unfolding before his eyes was absurd even by his standards.

The vicious demons who were so notorious in the South.

They fell like mere third-rate warriors, not by the hands of Shaolin, Wudang, or Southern Edge, but in the hands of Mount Hua.

They got stronger… it was surprising, but it could happen. Didn’t Mount Hua always easily surpass Hong Dae-Kwang’s expectations? However, the reason he was flustered now wasn’t because of how strong Mount Hua got.

Hyun Jong, who was watching his disciples subdue others, turned around. And he began to walk briskly towards Hong Dae-Kwang.

Gulp.

Watching that sight, Hong Dae-Kwang unconsciously gulped.

As he watched Hyun Jong approaching him with steady steps and the elders of Mount Hua with disciples following behind him like guards, his body shrank down.

‘What has changed?’

In the past, Hong Dae-Kwang would have greeted Hyun Jong with a smile. He might have even teased him for arriving too late.

But now, Hong Dae-Kwang was straightening his posture, ignoring the pain throughout his body. It was as if he were meeting the abbot of Shaolin or Wudang.

If he were to describe what he felt from Hyun Jong at that moment in crude terms, he would have to say, “attack.”

Hyun Jong, standing in front of Hong Dae-Kwang and the people of Xi’an city who had gathered, slowly took them all in.

Although there was no sense of hostility, a strangely large presence weighed down on those facing Hyun Jong.

“Sect leader….”

In the end, someone who couldn’t overcome the weight of the situation hurriedly opened his mouth to express his gratitude.

Hyun Jong slowly bowed his head. Very deeply.

“S-sect leader!”

“Why are you doing that!”

Those who saw that were shocked and shouted. Some rushed to raise Hyun Jong up but couldn’t bring themselves to do so, standing still while others trembled, going pale.

And a low voice came from Hyun Jong’s mouth as he bowed down.

“I am sorry.”

“…”

At that moment, everyone fell silent.

“The sect arrived too late, and the damage to the various sects was too much. I hope you will understand and forgive me for not doing what Mount Hua should have done.”

Someone bit down on their lips at those unexpected words.

“… don’t do this, sect leader.”

Full Moon Clan leader Nam Ja-Myung opened his mouth, sighing.

“If Mount Hua hadn’t come, everyone here would have died.”

Nam Ja-Myung, who was about to express his gratitude, bit his lips and then clenched his fists as he said,

“We, the Full Moon Clan, are Southern Edge’s sub-sect. If things were as they were, the sect leader wouldn’t have been the one to save us. But… you bow your head to us. No one would have criticized Mount Hua if it hadn’t come down from Closed Gates…”

His words trailed off, and soon, he clasped his hands and extended them ahead. Then he bowed deeply, truly expressing his gratitude and respect.

“… I am truly grateful for Mount Hua.”

“Thank you!”

“Thank you, sect leader!”

The clan leaders of Xi’an, the sub-disciples of Mount Hua, and the allied clans all bowed their heads. Even those who weren’t in good shape, despite their injuries, showed their sincere gratitude without caring about their own bodies.

Only then did Hyun Jong slowly straighten his bowed back.

“I am grateful that you consider us, who are lacking, with such generous hearts.”

At those words, the faces of the clan leaders all flashed with emotions that were tough to express.

‘It is done.’

Hong Dae-Kwang realized it at that moment.

Perhaps the clan leaders of Xi’an, no, everyone belonging here, would never forget this sight for the rest of their lives.

Sometimes, a single word could capture a person’s heart more than a strong force. It had to be like this.

‘Even the sect leader has changed from the past.’

Gentleness and tolerance. And an overwhelming presence. None of them are lacking in the qualifications a Great Sect’s leader should have.

The fact that Mount Hua had become a completely different sect than before was realized anew by others. After realizing this, Hong Dae-Kwang’s eyes naturally wandered to another person.

The one who had created all these changes.

“Uh?”

At that moment, Hong Dae-Kwang’s eyes narrowed.

‘What is this?’

Chung Myung, who would normally be busy running around or at least guarding, was blankly standing in the center, staring into the distance.

“What is he looking at?”

Baek Cheon, who seemed to have the same doubts as Hong Dae-Kwang, approached Chung Myung and asked.

“What could you be looking at?”

“Uh.”

Chung Myung snorted softly and twisted his lips at this odd look.

“I was just looking at how big the little ones had become.”

“… your little ones are in front of you.”

“No, not those ones. But the real little ones.”

“Uh?”

Baek Cheon asked back, not knowing what was happening, but Chung Myung didn’t answer and turned away.

“Let us get this sorted out. I want to finish this quickly and head back to Mount Hua.”

“… maybe because we haven’t seen anyone in a while, he is speaking such nonsense.”

The corners of Chung Myung’s lips slightly turned up, so Baek Cheon tilted his head with a puzzled expression.

“You always seem to be a step behind, sahyung.”

“Uh.”

There was a subtle discomfort in the snort.

“Isn’t that a pity?”

“What are you even saying?”

“You haven’t seen how strong Taoist Chung Myung has become. Your sajae…”

“If you have time to babble, go back and swing your sword. We haven’t lifted the closed gate yet.”

“Yes, sahyung. I will do so.”

The outskirts of Xi’an.

A group of warriors who had entered a path that was not noticeable to people turned around without hesitation and hurried back.

The one who was following behind stopped in his tracks and looked back.

“We will meet again, Taoist Chung Myung.”

Lee Song-Baek, smiling brightly, looked at Xi’an as if he was longing for it, then turned around and hurried on. Every step felt lively.