Return of Mount Hua Sect

Hyun Jong’s eyes were filled with shock.

‘Namgung Hwang.’

To be honest, the way he behaved at the gathering of the leaders a little while back was something to be frowned upon.

Of course, it wasn’t that he didn’t understand the resentment he might have towards Mount Hua. Still, even so, he clearly didn’t fit the status of the Namgung family head, which can be called the best in the world.

But what Namgung Hwang showed now was enough to blow those thoughts from Hyun Jong’s mind.

‘A reason?’

It seemed like Namgung Hwang was speaking to him.

In a world of tolerance, flammability and other trivial things aren’t important. What the head of the Namgung family needs is the strength to carry the name on his back. That is enough.

“…The absolute warrior.”

‘How does he compare to the high priest?’

The comparison felt difficult to make.

The high priest was truly a strong and terrifying being. But at that time, Baek Cheon couldn’t even judge the high priest. He had no choice but to rush ahead with all his strength, ready to die and leave the rest to Chung Myung.

But that wasn’t the case now.

As he was coldly and calmly witnessing with his own eyes the strength radiating from this absolute warrior from a distance, his spine felt tingly, and his hands were shaking.

‘The Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families.’

Baek Cheon realized at that moment.

How ridiculously he had looked at the name all this time.

“Grrr!”

The blue water of the Yangtze immediately turned red.

The Blue Sky sword troops had jumped into the water and began to kill the pirates.

Although their swords, which were lesser in strength, couldn’t split the river like Namgung Hwang, they split the current easily. Moreover, the strength they had built up since childhood allowed them to maintain their movements in the water the same as outside.

Then, all that remained was the enormous gap in skill.

Slash!

The sword that sliced through the water pierced the chest of the pirates. Those who approached quickly were repelled even faster and sank into the water.

“Huh!”

Namgung Hwang observed the scene and swung his sword.

“With peace enduring, we see how audacious the pirates are to attack the Namgung family, even with us present!”

He should let them know.

The reason they had only been observing the bastards of the Evil faction until now wasn’t due to a lack of power.

Wooong!

Namgung Hwang’s sword began to gather tremendous strength again. It was such an incredible force that one could hardly imagine a person holding it within their dantian.

“That… that…”

As Baek Cheon, who was watching, spoke in astonishment, Chung Myung spoke coldly.

“Sasuk.”

“Uh?”

“Open your eyes and look.”

Chung Myung gestured toward the ship Namgung Hwang was on.

“Do you know why the Namgung family is considered the strongest in the world?”

“… why?”

At that moment, several thoughts crossed Baek Cheon’s mind. Because their strength is immense, their children are born with extraordinary qualities, they can create spiritual pills with their wealth, and they can focus on training in a stable environment…

But Baek Cheon knew none of these were the answers Chung Myung sought.

Chung Myung said quietly.

“The Namgung family is full of idiots. In fact, if they want to pursue victory, it is better to wield the enhanced sword rather than the blade. Right, just like the Hubei Peng family.”

Baek Cheon nodded at those words.

If one was going to use an enhanced sword, it was much easier to wield a thick and strong sword than a thin and cumbersome blade.

“But those people pursued the blade yet never let go of their swords. They are greedy individuals who hold two things that are difficult to coexist—qi and sophistication—with both hands and eventually succeed in making them compatible.”

“…”

“If you are a swordsman, Sasuk, too, keep a close eye on that person’s sword. You will see a sword that is different from Mount Hua’s.”

“I see.”

Baek Cheon’s face became serious. He nodded and intently looked at Namgung Hwang. The other disciples must have heard their conversation, and all of them looked at Namgung Hwang seriously.

Chung Myung, feeling satisfied with the sight, nodded.

‘Nice.’

In fact, the reason Chung Myung thought about retreating wasn’t just because he didn’t want to fight with the pirates.

What the disciples of Mount Hua lacked was experience.

But the experience didn’t just mean fighting with their hands and experiencing with their bodies. It is also a great experience to see how others fight and what martial arts they use with our own eyes.

Mount Hua, Wudang, Namgung family.

During the time when Chung Myung was the Plum Blossom Sword Saint, the three groups were collectively called the best sword sects in the world. And wasn’t the highest leader of each sect referred to as one of the World’s Three Greatest Swordsmen?

Mount Hua had the Beautiful Sword. The Wudang has the Soft Sword, and the Namgung family pursues the powerful Enhanced Sword and broken swords, which were difficult to find among sword weapons.

‘The sword of Mount Hua is the best.’

But that didn’t mean it was perfect. If something more could be obtained from Namgung Hwang’s sword, the swords of the Mount Hua disciples would become more perfect.

“Taaat!”

Namgung Hwang swung his sword again.

His Enhanced Sword surged left and right. It looked as if some dragon that lived in the Yangtze River was playing the role of a dragon.

His Enhanced Sword flew across the river and swallowed a huge ship.

Kwaang!

It was a destructive power that couldn’t be compared to a cannon. It blew up the entire ship and then destroyed several ships in succession.

A straight path began to emerge between the densely packed pirate ships.

Quite literally, the Emperor’s Sword.

The Emperor only moved forward. They knew how to advance, but had no idea how to retreat or choose a different path.

And Namgung Hwang’s sword was the Emperor’s Sword, which destroyed everything in its way.

“Kill them all! Make those who dare to stand in Namgung’s way regret not knowing their place!”

“Yes!”

The ships flanking Namgung Hwang’s vessel on the left and right increased their speed and surged forward.

Srng.

Namgung Hwang slowly raised his head and turned it gradually.

“Huh.”

Initially, the pirates blocking the path were not even aware. What he was watching closely were the Wudang, Qingcheng, and Shaolin ships trailing behind him.

Namgung Hwang, staring at them with cold eyes, gestured forward.

He could see the Mount Hua sect observing them with wide eyes.

‘Huh!’

The shock on their faces was unmistakable.

‘What a bunch of morons.’

They were fools who believed they had achieved something just because they had some fame. That was why Namgung Hwang didn’t like Mount Hua. A truly strong person doesn’t act carelessly and must build their strength.

“Watch carefully. The strength of the Namgung family.”

“Hmm.”

Venerable Heo Do slightly twitched his lips and let out a laugh.

“It looks like the Namgung family is quite excited.”

“Must be so, right? A warrior who has no use for a sword is meaningless.”

“Yes.”

Peace had lasted too long.

Enough to replenish the strength exhausted during the past war with the Demonic Sect… no, enough time had passed to gather even more qi.

Those who have gathered strength always wanted to prove it. But there was no way or chance to do so in Kangho until now. Ultimately, the proof of strength was possible only when there was an enemy. They couldn’t run out onto the street and perform a sword dance to prove their level of martial arts, was it?

“Anyway, the strength of the Namgung family is a lot more than I expected.”

“Right. This means that Namgung Hwang also gritted his teeth like us.”

Venerable Heo Do’s eyes shone coldly. He felt his stomach churn. The perfection of the sword was out of the question. Still, it was an exciting and eccentric sword that had a way of stimulating people.

As expected.

“Am-itah-bha!”

A loud roar was heard from the ship on the right, and a golden fist rushed ahead.

The immense strength of this intangible fist ran down the water! The pirate ship caught in it was instantly crushed, losing its shape.

It wasn’t an attack that broke and destroyed things like Namgung Hwang’s sword. But it was a blow to the ship that crushed it with its enormous weight.

The method might be different, but the strength it carried was in no way inferior to that of Namgung Hwang’s sword.

“It seems like the Buddhist monk’s cultivation is as deep as Beop Gye’s.”

“Even if he is a monk, he is a warrior too. The spirit of winning is bound to be in him.”

Venerable Heo Do laughed softly.

If the abbot were here, he would have smiled kindly watching Namgung Hwang run wild. But, no matter how great Beop Gye was in the world, he was just an elder. There was bound to be impatience that Shaolin, whom he led, shouldn’t fall behind Namgung.

“What do you think?”

“It isn’t the right stage yet.”

Venerable Heo Do let out a bitter laugh.

It was by no means lacking, but the form of martial arts felt different. No matter how hard they tried, it would be difficult to keep up with the impact of the sword.

‘There is nothing wrong with overdoing, but there is no need to do it now.’

This wasn’t the stage meant for them. The real stage was right inside the valley.

“Namgung and Shaolin will open the path. As soon as we enter, we disembark and drive away the pirates.”

“Yes, sect leader!”

Just in time, Namgung Hwang’s ship, which had taken the lead, finally cleared the path in a straight line.

The pirate ships, which had been firmly positioned with confidence in their numbers, became frightened and began to turn their bows to the left and right. Of course, they probably knew that if they lost the Black Dragon pirates’ base, there would be no future for them. However, the force of Namgung Hwang, who was using the enhanced sword right before their eyes, was enough to blow away their reason and instill fear within.

Just two sword strikes.

With just those two, Namgung Hwang succeeded in creating a huge path between the gathered ships, so much so that water couldn’t be seen.

“Don’t worry, bastards! The following sects will handle things. We need to clear the path to Black Dragon Palace!”

“Yes!”

Namgung Hwang smiled.

‘You gave me the lead?’

They had their own calculations, so they obediently placed the Namgung family at the forefront…

‘Your miscalculation is that you underestimated the strength of the Namgung family.’

There was absolutely no intention that the name and fame that follow will give credit. As long as they were there, the escape route was blocked. They would enter at once and destroy everything in one swoop.

May only the name of Namgung resound on the Yangtze River.

“Do-wei!”

“Yes, lord!”

Namgung Hwang glanced back at Namgung Do-wei. His face was red and ready to fight.

“When we enter, take the lead. Regain the lost fame with your own hands!”

“I will surely do so.”

“Nice!”

Now, the path leading to the valley was stretched out before the eyes of Namgung Hwang.

“Speed up! Enter at once! Don’t worry about traps! I will crush them with my hands!”

“Yes!”

The warriors of the Namgung family, whose morale was soaring, shouted in unison, causing the entrance to the valley to resound.

Numerous ships were rushing through the Yangtze River’s currents into a deep, dark valley.