Return of the Mount Hua Sect

“….”

The bandits’ eyes were filled with shock.

Who was Go Hong?

Among the numerous bandits in the world, he was considered the best.

They weren’t special because they owned a large, separate bandit hideout, but because they led the Great Star bandits and had earned a special title among their peers.

However, Go Hong had now lost his head to a young swordsman from Mount Hua. It was a sight they couldn’t believe, even when they saw it with their own eyes.

Everyone held their breath as they saw the large bandit’s body lying like a fallen tree and Go Hong’s head not far away.

‘The leader…’

‘…for real…?’

Then it happened.

Chak!

Chung Myung, who was standing in front of Go Hong’s body, slowly looked away, shaking the blood off his sword.

The bandits flinched and stepped back.

Who didn’t know that they shouldn’t retreat in front of an enemy? But how could such common sense remain in the minds of the bandits when they saw their leader beheaded right before their eyes?

“…so.”

Chung Myung’s sword emitted a faint sword qi.

“Who’s next?”

Then, baring his teeth, he approached the bandits.

Step. Step.

His pace wasn’t fast, but it gave those watching a shocking thrill.

“Eu….”

“…”

The bandits were busy stepping back, their previous bravado gone.

For the bandits, the leader was their absolute strength.

And among them, there was no place where the leader’s existence was as important as in the Great Star bandits.

Their group was made up of people who had endured harsh training and treatment incomparable to others. And what made it possible was the existence of an absolute being named Go Hong.

Now that he was dead, the group’s unity was bound to crumble.

“A-a dog’s death!”

“How can we deal with a person who cannot be taken down by the leader!”

“E-everyone run!”

In a typical sect, the sect wouldn’t collapse just because their leader died. However, those who pursued only profit and didn’t believe in risking their lives would run when someone stronger than them died.

This was the limitation of those who followed evil.

This time, too, a rapid collapse began.

“Go against them, and you die!”

“Runaway!”

“Eikkkk!”

It was only the first time that things became difficult for them.

The moment one person turned their back, fear and despair spread like a disease. Soon, everyone turned their backs on Chung Myung and began to run away.

They ran desperately to live, pushing and pulling each other. It was the moment when their main force collapsed.

“I…”

Beon Chung clenched his fists.

“Oh my, that… Go Hong is….”

Anyone who belonged to Green Forest couldn’t have not known how strong Go Hong was. He was one of the top three in Green Forest, also known as the Five Hegemonies.

Of course, it was said that Green Forest was a place where the quality of warriors was absolutely inferior. But if Go Hong and Kwang Woo were the best, they would have been treated as the best anywhere after Green Forest.

He was someone who could at least send someone from a prestigious sect to their death.

So, how could they kill Go Hong so easily?

“…Oh my.”

Beon Chung didn’t even try to hide his shock.

Sure, he knew that Chung Myung was strong. He had felt his strength and physical build-up before.

Wasn’t this why he bowed down and treated Chung Myung as the elder despite the age difference?

But even he wasn’t sure that Chung Myung could defeat Go Hong. But this wasn’t just a victory; it was destruction.

‘The Green Forest King’s foresight is truly amazing.’

Chung Myung was Chung Myung, but even Im So-Byeong, who recognized his ability, ran to Mount Hua without another thought.

“Your Majesty.”

“Umm.”

Unlike Beon Chung, who was highly excited, Im So-Byeong only nodded his head lightly without any change in his expression. However, Im So-Byeong’s fists were clenched tightly inside his sleeves.

‘Taoist Chung Myung always exceeds expectations.’

Defeating Go Hong was truly unexpected.

But victory wasn’t enough. He had won with overwhelming strength.

The other bandits might have joined the desperate battle if Chung Myung hadn’t shown such a firm stance while defeating Go Hong. If that had happened, the scale of damage would have been enormous.

‘Did he calculate… no, was it instinct?’

Either way, it was equally terrifying.

The result was the same whether they crushed Go Hong with sheer calculation or instinct.

Im So-Byeong’s eyes shone brightly as he watched Chung Myung retrieve the sword.

“And the leftovers…”

Im So-Byeong mumbled as he looked away.

‘The frightening part is here.’

The disciples of Mount Hua were still calmly dealing with the Blood Hounds.

At first glance, it seemed like a fierce fight, but it wasn’t the case upon closer inspection.

Because from mere moments ago, the only ones falling and shedding blood weren’t the people of Mount Hua but the Blood Hounds.

Im So-Byeong frowned.

‘Is this the result of an honorable sect?’

The simple movements were so clearly noticeable.

The moment the swords of those who were obsessed with flashiness and perfection returned to the basics.

Anyone could do the hard things that strained the body, and anyone could attempt dangerous things in training.

But, the reason why those known as famous are frightening was because they consistently repeated basic training for years, or even decades, when for others, it would become boring after just three months.

The foundation built in this way wasn’t particularly noticeable in normal times, but when faced with a crisis, it supported a person more solidly than other flashy ones.

‘It isn’t something one even knows in their head.’

There were many sects that had left their marks on the world. There were many sects that seemed to sweep the world with their fame and were significant enough to write histories about them.

But those who preserved their name even as time passed were ultimately those who maintained the basics, not their riches.

The light that shone from Mount Hua also came from strength.

‘Maybe a lot bigger than I thought, too.’

Kakang!

The sharp blade that blew in was bounced back.

Slash!

The stab that came straight from that movement pierced the shoulder of the Blood Hound.

“Kuak!”

The Blood Hound grabbed his shoulder and stepped back,

The plum blossom sword was recovered as if they didn’t want to attack again.

Paaat!

But then, the sword flew in like lightning, which made the Blood Hound retreat again.

Slash!

“…”

The Blood Hound looked at his chest, which had been cut, and fell down in shock.

“… sa-sauk.”

“Will you show mercy when your mercy ends up causing death for your sahyung and sajae?”

“…”

“The one with a kind heart dies first on a battlefield. No, you will die first. It would be better than having someone else die because of the mercy which you show.”

Gwak Hwi gritted his teeth at those cold words.

“I will not hesitate.”

Baek Cheon nodded slightly.

“Do not let your guard down till the end.”

“Yes!”

After speaking, Baek Cheon quickly swung his sword and bit his lip.

‘So odd.’

There were quite a few injured disciples, but not a single one was fatally injured. On the other hand, the number of enemies was reduced by half now.

They had come to a situation where a win would be achieved without much difficulty as long as they didn’t slack.

The problem was…

“They probably don’t know either, do they?”

Unlike the bandits, who sensed defeat and began to run, they seemed to have no intention of retreating, even in this situation.

Loyalty?

No, it wasn’t that.

These people were clearly not Go Hong’s subordinates. Hadn’t Baek Cheon heard them laughing at Go Hong’s actions? That wasn’t the behavior of loyal followers.

Even if he hadn’t heard their conversations, it was obvious that their nature differed from the bandits of the other groups.

“I don’t know.”

He couldn’t understand why people who had no connection to the force would willingly throw away their lives in a fight whose outcome was already decided.

However, after a while, Baek Cheon’s doubts were answered in a way he hadn’t expected.

“Kuaaaaah!”

A Blood Hound, injured all over his body, let out this horrific scream.

“Damn it! Why! Why are we in this position?”

His clothes were soaked in blood that flowed from his entire body, and he let out this terrible scream as he half-crouched on the ground.

“Why! Why! Why! Just why do I have to die! Why us! AHHHHH!”

He seemed to be shouting at the sky, and his voice held more despair than the disciples of Mount Hua, who had almost been killed.

“Why! Just why do we have to be like this… this is… cough!”

Puaah!

But suddenly, he covered his mouth. And this red blood began to leak out despite how much he covered it.

No, it was a bit much to say it was red blood because it seemed more like black blood.

‘Poison?’

The person who responded the fastest to this was Tang Soso. The moment the man vomited black blood, she shouted.

“Get back right now!”

“Soso!”

Upon hearing Hyun Sang’s cry, she took a closer look at the man.

“No…”

And she bit her lip as she shouted.

“I don’t think it’s contagious! But just to be safe, don’t let the blood touch you!”

“Okay!”

At this point, Baek Cheon couldn’t even know more.

‘Why were they poisoned, though?’

Who could have poisoned them?

“Cough! Cough!”

The person who had coughed up blood was now clutching their chest and groaning.

It seemed that the poison qi, which hadn’t risen from his body when it wasn’t injured, began to spread widely now.

“I… I don’t want to die…”

Slash!

Thud!

The head of the mumbling man fell to the ground. Baek Cheon’s eyes widened in shock, and it wasn’t because of the man being beheaded but because it was his ally who had done it.

“Pathetic.”

The man cut down his comrade’s head in one slash and approached the Mount Hua disciples with an eerie look on his face.

“Do you think you can survive by getting out?”

“…”

“In the end, all of us will die.”

The eyes of the Blood Hounds turned sad at those words, but it looked like they were losing their reasoning. They even gripped their swords tighter.

“Die as a warrior! You trash!”

“AHHH!”

And they rushed forward like moths to a flame.

Even though they knew there was no chance to win, they rushed towards Mount Hua’s formation.

It wasn’t about fighting and winning. It was about poisoning even one more opponent before dying.

Mount Hua’s disciples clenched their teeth. It was the final battle in this long war.

But even then, there was doubt in Baek Cheon’s eyes.

‘Just…’

What was happening here?