Return of Mount Hua Sect

Before he knew it, Jo Gul’s back was covered in cold sweat.

Jo Gul, who had never once lost his spirit, even when dealing with the high priest of the Demonic Sect, now had an unprecedented expression on his face.

The fingertips holding the sword trembled.

Without realizing it, his tightly closed lips turned white.

It was as if a giant tiger was snarling with its mouth wide open in front of his face. The moment that mouth closed, it felt hard to breathe due to the pressure, as if his throat would be torn open and blood would rush out.

“Kuaak…”

He took a short, deep breath and gripped the sword tightly as if to prepare himself.

‘This is Jang Ilso…’

A venomous snake?

That wasn’t a way to describe him. That thing had to be an Imoogi, or rather, it might be something called an evil dragon.

And it wasn’t just Jo Gul who felt that way.

‘He is strong.’

Baek Cheon also watched Jang Ilso with eyes that were clearly tense.

‘High priest? No… more than that.’

Of course, the high priest was incredibly strong. It was difficult to deny that their win against the high priest at that time was just because of luck.

But it became clear after one clash: Jang Ilso was a lot stronger than the high priest.

The high priest was, to speak, a natural disaster.

He was a man who seemed ready to sweep away everything in the world with his unbelievably enormous power.

But, to use a crude comparison, it was no different from a 5-year-old randomly swinging a sword ten times their size. Although the size of his internal power reached the sky, the sophistication of his technique was not particularly remarkable.

But Jang Ilso was different.

‘That guy is just strong.’

He was fast, precise, and even skillful.

The words Chung Myung said when he first saw Jang Ilso flashed through Baek Cheon’s mind.

-That is a self-made monster.

Looking back, Chung Myung had never used such expressions with anyone. Although he dismissed it as being out of his mind, Chung Myung not only said everything he wanted to say in front of the Shaolin abbot but even pointed a finger at him.

They should have understood when such words came out of Chung Myung’s mouth.

‘Obviously stronger than the high priest.’

It wasn’t surprising that there was someone stronger in the world than the high priest of the Demonic Sect. Moreover, the comparison was against a high priest who was already injured.

But, when you face the person in front of you, understanding it becomes a separate problem.

Baek Cheon glanced at Chung Myung’s face without realizing it. For some reason, he felt like he needed to check what kind of expression that guy was making right now.

“…”

And soon, all the strength left Baek Cheon’s body.

Chung Myung was smiling, with a face that said he was going insane with the fun he was having.

And so… just like Jang Ilso.

“Pretty amazing.”

Chung Myung adjusted the sword he was holding and opened his mouth.

“That Evil Faction guy gets to be proud.”

“Hmm.”

“But I commend you for climbing up there.”

Jang Ilso snorted and smiled.

“This… to receive praise from the renowned Mount Hua’s Divine Dragon, I am unsure of what to say.”

Jang Ilso chuckled softly. The accessories worn all over his body jingled sharply.

Chung Myung’s teeth were revealed.

As expected, Jang Ilso’s leisureliness was excessively annoying.

It wasn’t because Jang Ilso was taking his time with Chung Myung in front of him. But the leisure was clearly from being familiar.

This was familiar to Jang Ilso.

Fighting in the hellish battlefield.

Someone trying to take his life.

The people on the other side were trying to grab his ankles, threatening to kill him without anyone knowing.

He was used to it.

The relaxedness possessed by someone who had won a thousand battles, even ten thousand battles. A realm only those who risked their lives in battle could attain.

Right, like… the past Plum Blossom Sword Saint.

Clench.

After clenching his teeth, Chung Myung lowered his body. His eyes turned cold and eerie. He looked like a small, wild beast.

“You cocky bastard.”

His eyes stared straight at the prey, relentlessly chasing it.

“Hmm.”

Jang Ilso thought as he observed Chung Myung.

‘Strange. So strange.’

These people were strange.

To put it bluntly, they seemed like they weren’t even sane.

He has dealt with many people so far. Among them were those who had been working hard in Kangho for decades and those who honed their skills religiously.

But even those guys couldn’t make Jang Ilso feel this way.

A perfect connection?

Did they have the insight to accurately understand the roles and capabilities of themselves and their colleagues without even having to say it?

‘How trivial.’

He felt sick of such things.

What really baffled Jang Ilso was that these people entirely entrusted their lives to the person next to them.

Did they attack with the belief that someone would block the attack falling on them?

Right, if it were to be asked, it was a possible task.

But not leaving even the slightest doubt within their movements wasn’t just a level of trust, but of madness.

‘What on earth have they done to build such trust?’

And…

‘That guy.’

Jang Ilso’s eyes followed Chung Myung like a snake.

The strangest one was that guy.

‘I knew he was great, but…’

That damn sword was beyond the realm of understanding.

It could not be fully explained in words; it was bizarre and poignant.

The sword of Mount Hua’s Divine Dragon was somehow twisted. If he had to compare it, it might be as if he were wielding a large ax while performing the most sophisticated swordsmanship in the world or as if he were wielding chopsticks while executing the best sword technique.

A tense sense of discomfort settled in, as if his swordsmanship, internal qi, and body were all running as they should.

‘What if it all merges into one?’

What would happen if, one day, all these swords ended up in harmony?

“… that’s creepy.”

His entire body shook at the thought.

Just imagining it made him feel scared as if a huge landslide were sweeping him away. A huge smile spread across his face, and soon he began to grin, showing his teeth.

That guy… no, these people were all getting stronger.

After clashing arms, it became clear. These people would always be at the top of the Justice Faction. There were as many as five in one sect. On the day they realized their full potential, no sect would dare raise their heads in front of Mount Hua.

So how could all this not be fun?

He was given the chance to tear and trample on this infinite potential with his own hands, turning it into trash.

This was a pleasure that could not be compared to anything else.

“I thought you were all morons, but you turned out to be at least as good as tiger cubs. But that won’t be any good for you. I am not one to keep tiger cubs alive.”

Clank. Clank.

As if to prove that a death wish had risen in his heart, the jewels all began to cry out. The accessories were shaking in response to the increased qi.

“So die here!”

Swish!

Jang Ilso’s body disappeared on the spot. And without any time to be surprised, he appeared right in front of Chung Myung.

Yoon Jong’s eyes opened wide.

The reason he was surprised wasn’t because of Jang Ilso’s footwork, but because Chung Myung’s sword was touching Jang Ilso’s neck. As if he had predicted in advance that Jang Ilso would appear there.

Kakang!

The bracelet on Jang Ilso’s wrist clashed with Chung Myung’s sword. Baek Cheon’s sword, swiftly aimed at Jang Ilso’s back, was also quickly caught by Jang Ilso’s other hand.

“Slow.”

With a light twist of his wrist, Jang Ilso made the swords bounce off each other like toys.

Kwang!

Jang Ilso’s fist then moved towards Baek Cheon. Baek Cheon quickly raised his sword to block, but it was futile. Baek Cheon’s body was sent flying like a cannonball.

Simultaneously, Jang Ilso, who lunged at Chung Myung like a tiger, lowered his hand, which was bent like a claw.

Chaak!

Chung Myung moved back without hesitation. Although he narrowly avoided a direct hit, his front robe was torn, and five streaks of red blood spread across his chest and stomach.

The attack that narrowly missed Chung Myung ended up crashing into the cliff they were standing on.

Kwaang!

“Kuak!”

Yu Yiseol rushed through the rising dust cloud, slashing her sword horizontally. The sword, loaded with internal qi and wielded with all her might, was more powerful than any she had shown before.

But.

Kakakang!

Her sword stopped midair with the sound of metal clashing.

Yu Yiseol’s eyes widened.

As the dust cloud cleared, she saw Jang Ilso standing calmly, his hand grasping her sword.

“Hmm.”

Jang Ilso smoothed his chin with one hand, carefully examining the Plum Blossom Sword in his grasp.

“A good sword.”

“Euk!”

Paak!

Before Yu Yiseol could react, Jang Ilso’s foot struck her stomach.

Crack.

Yu Yiseol, her intestines turned upside down by the hit, fell, coughing blood.

“It was too much of a waste for morons like you to use it.”

Slowly, the dust cloud settled.

It was a perfect demonstration of everything the Mount Hua disciples had learned until then.

But that success was so easily thwarted.

Jang Ilso, who had nullified Mount Hua’s acceptance just by wedging himself between them, smiled like a tiger leisurely strolling under the languid sun.

“There is just one person here who is suited to use a sword like that.”

Step. Step.

Chung Myung, with a scar on his chest as if scratched by a tiger’s claws, held the sword backward and walked towards Jang Ilso.

Jang Ilso burst into laughter. The moment he saw Chung Myung’s eyes, sunken and low, it felt like a spark was flowing through his entire body.

‘One never knows.’

It was difficult for him to understand why he felt so nervous.

Possibilities were just possibilities. They were like illusions that didn’t exist until one grasped them with their own hands and made them their own.

So, at that moment, Chung Myung couldn’t reach him; it was worth nothing more than a single piece of chess to him.

But strangely, he couldn’t take his eyes off that kid.

The moment he turned his gaze away, his entire body trembled with a sense of crisis, as if that sword would soon find its way to his neck and his head would be ripped off.

“Spit!”

What tore Jang Ilso’s attention away, which had been focused on one person, was a low sound from behind.

Yu Yiseol.

She, who had been kicked and sent flying, was coming back, spitting blood from her mouth.

‘… her body should have been entirely messed up inside?’

The attack was such that it wouldn’t be surprising if her breathing had stopped. But she was calmly walking?

No, even if it did happen, she hadn’t lost her will to fight at all?

It wasn’t just Yu Yiseol and Chung Myung.

Step. Step.

Baek Cheon, who had fallen back after being hit by Jang Ilso’s fist, also walked back with an expression that said nothing much had happened. Yoon Jong and Jo Gul were also approaching him with determined eyes.

Like wolves surrounding a tiger, they began to close in on him.

“Haha… hahaha… Hahahahaha!”

In the end, Jang Ilso laughed loudly again.

He never thought he would feel his blood boiling against such kids in such a place.

Not to Wudang’s Heo Do or Namgung Hwang, but the brats of Mount Hua!

“Jang Ilso.”

“Hmm?”

Chung Myung had a bitter laugh.

“You need to be careful. My kids are a little rough.”

“Listening to that…”

Jang Ilso’s eyes held madness flaring.

“Makes it feel like good news.”

The qi exploded from Jang Ilso’s whole body. His red long sleeves bulged and fluttered, and the accessories all began to jingle like they would break.

Even in the face of this overwhelming sight, the Five Swords didn’t back down at all.

Paat!

Five streams of light rushed to Jang Ilso without giving up.

The sunset light that rose from their bodies bloomed like the five petals of a red plum blossom.