Return of Mount Hua Sect

“Where are the people fighting?”

Jo Gul looked ahead with a slightly shocked expression.

It had been a while since Mount Hua began to party, but the other members of the sects were discussing as if they had no intention of moving.

“Sahyung, do you think they have no intention of fighting today? The scenery is nice. Aren’t they planning to take a leisurely look around and then just withdraw?”

“Gul.”

“Yes, sahyung!”

“Shut your mouth.”

“…”

Jo Gul, who became sullen, lowered his head, and Yoon Jong sighed. These days, if one looked closely, it did seem like Jo Gul barely had a better side than Chung Myung. But how could he think of saying something like that when looking at such great sects?

But this time, Baek Cheon seemed to have similar thoughts as Jo Gul.

“… They haven’t moved much.”

He frowned and mumbled. It didn’t seem like they were preparing anything, but time was dragging on.

Then Yoon Jong looked at that and said,

“Isn’t it because conquering the valley is more difficult than expected?”

“Hmm. Could be so.”

The moment Baek Cheon nodded, Chung Myung, listening to them, laughed.

“It isn’t that.”

“Uh?”

“They are in the midst of a bloody fight right now.”

“… Fight?”

Baek Cheon looked puzzled. The leaders of the four sects were still leisurely leaning back, looking across the river.

“They aren’t fighting with swords, but maybe call it a battle of wits?”

“It could be said like that.”

“Is there a discussion on who will handle the Black Dragon pirates?”

“No. The enemy aren’t the pirates, but the ones next to them.”

“Eh?”

Chung Myung looked at the leaders of the four sects and twitched the corners of his mouth into a sneer.

“They are so busy fighting among themselves that they don’t care about the pirates in front of them.”

“… It does look like that, right?”

“Normally, high-ranking people pretend to be polite on the outside but are upset on the inside.”

A look of pity flashed in the eyes of Chung Myung as he remembered the past.

‘It was like that in the past too. Damn bastards.’

This was around the time when the Demonic Sect first rose to prominence and pushed into the Central Plains. No, it was around the time when the Demonic Sect began to turn the sects on the outskirts into a wasteland and the Central Plains into a sea of fire.

Even then, if the Central Plains had united as one, if they had come together to fight against the Demonic Sect, the future might have been very different.

But the Central Plains were ultimately unable to come together.

On the outside, it seemed like they were united under the goal of stopping the Demonic Sect. Still, on the inside, they were intent on somehow reducing the damage from the group and taking advantage.

“Haha. They remain the same over time. Haa… haa… haha….”

The smile on Chung Myung’s face gradually faded and vanished.

“Think about it. They must be pissed, those bastards!”

Flames rose in his eyes.

‘Even in simple missions, they fought all day and night over which sect to deploy. The damn bastards!’

The more he thought about it, the more his teeth were clenched.

At that time, he should have just ripped the heads off those bastards without care! Why did he put up with it? To enjoy wealth and fame? Only to end up like this?

It would have been alright if everyone else was defeated, regardless of whether his sahyungs and sajaes would stop him.

“… I don’t know why people are fussing around like that.”

“Ugh.”

Chung Myung sighed deeply.

“They will come to a conclusion soon.”

“Uh? What?”

“In the end, they will be fighting over who will lead the way.”

“… Is it that important?”

“It is.”

Chung Myung shook his head firmly.

“Being a leader is a position where you make the greatest contribution and at the same time take the greatest risk. I am saying this because it is a delicate, complicated, and ambiguous position, which feels strangely awkward for them to step up to. Still, it is also a shame to give it to someone else.”

“What is he even saying now? Insane bastard.”

“… what does sasuk even know?”

“…”

Looking at the shocked Baek Cheon, Chung Myung clicked his tongue and gestured to the front.

“Don’t worry. As I said, this is a matter with a definite conclusion. No matter how much controversy there is, there is just one place that will be at the top.”

“Shaolin?”

“No, the Namgung family.”

“Uh?”

Everyone who heard the unexpected words was shocked. Jo Gul spoke on behalf of everyone’s feelings.

“Uh… no, of course, the Namgung family isn’t one with low status….”

“There was Shaolin and Wudang, so why would the Namgung family be at the forefront?”

“Uh.”

It was a question worth asking. Chung Myung explained with a small smile.

“If there was just Shaolin or Wudang, the Namgung family wouldn’t have stood at the forefront. But if they both are there, they can step forward. If Qingcheng is also there, there is no one but Namgung to stand at the front.”

“What does that mean?”

No matter how he thought of it, Jo Gul couldn’t understand it at all.

However, Baek Cheon frowned slightly as if he understood what Chung Myung meant.

“… are you saying that they would rather hand over the credit to the Five Great Families than see one of the Nine Great Sects lead it?”

“Oh. Dong-Ryong’s head still works, huh?”

Baek Cheon burst out laughing as if it was absurd. But Yoon Jong asked back as if he didn’t understand at all.

“No matter what, aren’t Shaolin, Wudang, and Qingcheng part of the same group? Of course, they claim to be close to the Five Great Families, but they can’t be compared to the Nine Great Sects One Union, right? So why come to that conclusion?”

Chung Myung looked at Yoon Jong as if he were impressed.

“Wow, our sahyung is so kind. How can you be this naïve?”

“… just curse at me, Chung Myung.”

“It seems like sahyung doesn’t know much about it, but it’s normal for people to dislike seeing others succeed. If a complete stranger buys the land, it might be okay, but if your own cousin buys it, you’ll feel like your stomach is turning.”

“Isn’t that a bit too harsh a way of looking at the world?”

“Then watch.”

Chung Myung gestured to the front again.

“Perhaps I might be wrong.”

“…”

Yoon Jong looked in the direction Chung Myung pointed with doubtful eyes.

At that moment, those who had formed a camp began to move.

“Who is it?”

With everyone paying attention, those in light blue robes rushed to the riverside at once.

“It is the Namgung family!”

Baek Cheon looked at Chung Myung with slightly shocked eyes.

‘How does this guy manage to get it right?’

“What? Is it interesting?”

“…”

“There is nothing to be so surprised about. If you understand what kind of people they are, anyone can guess it.”

Chung Myung twitched his lips mockingly and drank again.

“That is alright, but… it seems like the Namgung family head is also a person with great merit. I see he cornered them into a hard place to give him the spot. But… since the Tang family has broken away from the Five Great Families, they will have to show that the Five Great Families are still strong. Hehe.”

Baek Cheon sighed softly as he listened to him.

‘Anyway, this guy is truly unpredictable.’

Everyone in Mount Hua knew Chung Myung was a lot smarter than they had first thought. But even so, he never imagined that even the heads of the Nine Great Sects and the Five Great Families would move according to his predictions.

Even as they were talking, the troops were advancing.

The disciples of the Namgung family, who rushed to the river, quickly boarded the ship anchored there. The process from completing boarding to retrieving the anchor passed by literally in the blink of an eye.

‘He is good.’

Baek Cheon was deeply impressed.

It might be possible to somehow imitate that speed, but that unerring consistency was something that Mount Hua never dreamed of. It was a sight that made one guess how strictly they lived under control and how hard they trained.

‘That Namgung family….’

They seemed to prove that the reputation of being the leader of the Five Great Families wasn’t something just anyone could earn. The ships carrying the Namgung family quickly moved ahead to confront the pirate ships occupying the other side of the river.

Jo Gul shouted, flustered.

“A head-on breakthrough?!”

“Even so, they are pirates!”

The other disciples of Mount Hua also looked at the rushing ship of the Namgung family with startled eyes.

The number of ships captured by the pirates was greater than expected. But even that was just a handful compared to the numerous pirate ships that could be filled on the other side.

“Will it be alright? Isn’t the quality of the troops different?”

“Ah, no, but if they attack from underwater, there is nothing they can do to stop it, right?”

Perhaps they had the same thought as Baek Cheon when they saw the approaching ship and began to jump into the river. It was clear that the intention was to reach down and make a hole in the bottom of the ship.

But Namgung Hwang wasn’t without a plan.

At the very front of the ship moving ahead, a person stood on top of the lion-shaped figurehead.

Srng.

The Namgung family head drew his sword and stared ahead with an angry look.

“These insignificant pirates!”

He raised the sword above his head.

Wooong!

The qi that rose from his sword raged like a storm. Soon, a milky sword light bloomed from the blade and enveloped it.

“Taaat!”

The sword was then brought down in a single slash.

At the same time, a sword the size of a house, surrounded by qi, shot out like a cannon, an unbelievable sight.

Slassshhhh!

The moment this enhanced sword, which could barely even be described as simply formidable, touched the river, the flowing water exploded in all directions. In an instant, the entire river was pushed to the left and right, splitting into multiple sections.

“W-what is that!”

“Fuck!”

The disciples of Mount Hua were shocked and exclaimed loudly.

“Splitting a river with a sword? For real?”

It was such a spectacular sight.

The milky sword qi moved forward without losing strength, even after splitting the river. In an instant, it crashed into the ship ahead and camped in front.

A ship made of planks was too weak and insignificant to withstand the enhanced sword that split it.

Kwaang!

The ship was cut and exploded, with debris flying everywhere.

“Ackkk!”

“Ackkk!”

Those who were swept away in the aftermath, screaming and flying away, were in a better situation. Those who were hit directly by the sword were shredded to pieces and died without knowing how they died.

Kwang! Kwaang!

As if completely destroying a ship wasn’t enough, the enhanced sword destroyed two ships in succession and only stopped after destroying half of another ship.

One sword slash.

With a single slash, he shattered as many as three ships, which were now sinking.

“Ackkkkk!”

“W-what is that!”

The screams came not just from those on the ship.

The shock of those who jumped into the water was the same.

The destructive strength of Namgung Hwang’s single slash, which disrupted the water, was astonishing. Those caught in the suddenly formed vortex were swept away without a chance to react, finding themselves in an unimaginable situation where their bodies were pushed atop the water.

What awaited them as they fell was the deep riverbed, a sight they never thought they would encounter in their lives.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Soon, a massive amount of water crashed down on the pirates lying on the riverbed. The divided river returned to its original course, immediately crushing the pirates with its immense pressure.

Namgung Hwang, who orchestrated this situation beyond normal comprehension, where the pirates on the Yangtze River drowned and perished, roared like an enraged tiger.

“Strike! Let those insignificant pirates know the name of Namgung!”

“Yes!”

Upon Namgung Hwang’s command, the disciples of the Namgung family leaped from the ship without hesitation, diving into the swirling Yangtze River.

Everyone who witnessed the scene couldn’t help but shudder.

“…That is the Namgung family.”

“Namgung Hwang… Sword Emperor.”

It was a moment when the disciples of Mount Hua could witness firsthand the majesty of a truly powerful man who commanded the world.