Chapter 1848 – Return of The Mount Hua Sect

Chapter 1848. If there is such a thing as fate. (3) ❀ ❀ ❀

When is the moment of greatest fear for one who stands on the battlefield?

Is it when they witness a person’s head being severed right before their eyes?

Or when they see the limbs of a friend—who had once promised to return alive with them—fly through the air?

Or perhaps when defeat is inevitable and no path of escape remains?

No. While these may be moments of despair, they are not the ‘most’ terrifying. Mere difficulty in a situation doesn’t automatically bring fear.

Then when does someone on the battlefield feel true terror?

Now, everyone who stands on this land can answer that question.

It is when there is no hesitation in the enemy's attack.

A wolf chasing a sheep does not hesitate. Because it is certain that it will not suffer any harm from this hunt.

This is not a charge risking life for honor or ambition. It is a rush for slaughter, a charge without even a flicker of hesitation—purely to hunt.

Everyone instinctively realized this, and their faces turned pale.

Before the confusion in their hearts could fully settle, a black horde surged in like a shower of arrows.

Kwaaaaah!

Pitch-black currents rose in all directions.

Unlike the clear dark glow of a Wudang’s power, this was utterly murky and tainted. A power once cursed by the whole world under the name ‘Demonic Qi’ now mercilessly engulfed the weary Heavenly Comrade Alliance warriors.

This clash brought back an era of the past, a time when all of the Central Plains was stained red.

“Aaaaaaagh!”

The living were torn apart while still alive. Someone—who until moments ago was undeniably human—was now scattered into dozens of pieces of flesh. The pouring rain turned red, and human flesh covered the earth.

The result was more horrifying than anyone had imagined.

“Graaahhhh!”

It wasn’t the scream of the one being torn apart, but the roar of the one doing the tearing. Like wild beasts, the black storm shredded the exhausted warriors of the alliance into bits.

“Uh... Ughhh…”

Before the shocking spectacle, the Alliance warriors froze on the spot.

It was too horrific.

Could it be that the Demonic Cult was cursed by the Central Plains just because they attacked them?

Were the cries to annihilate those who worshipped demons without leaving a single drop of blood—were they truly because the Demonic Cult threatened the survival of the people?

No, that couldn’t be. If that were all, then the countless foreign ethnics [이족(異族)] surrounding the Central Plains would have long been treated the same as the Demonic Cult. They would have endured the curses and grudges of the Central Plains as well.

And now, the sickeningly dreadful sight before their eyes gave them the answer to that question.

It is not that the Central Plains curses the Demonic Cult. It is that the Demonic Cult curses the Central Plains. The deep-rooted hostility that the Central Plains holds toward the Demonic Cult is nothing more than a desperate cry for survival.

The Demonic Ones hate the Central Plains. No—it's not just the Central Plains. They hate all living things. And because the source and nature of this hatred is unknown, their terrifying rage poured out onto everyone standing here with no filter.

Kwadeudeudeuk!

Eyes dyed red with blood, the figures in black robes, possessed like mad demons, swung their claws.

“Aaaaargh!”

They pierced chests, ripped out hearts, and tore at throats with blood-soaked fangs. Even after a body had stopped breathing, they continued to tear it apart with rabid persistence. Before the corpse could even hit the ground, they hurled themselves at the next victim.

This violent frenzy soon transformed into something better described as a fit of madness. The more blood and flesh spilled, the more frenzied the demons became—just as those who once stood on the land of the Central Plains had witnessed before.

Overwhelmed by endless malice, the warriors of the Heavenly Comrade Alliance turned pale and staggered backward.

“Mo… monsters…”

They had to run. Fighting like this was just a shortcut to a meaningless death. If the outcome of desperate resistance was the same as waiting to die, then what meaning did resistance hold?

Yet no one ran.

Maybe it was because of their final shred of pride. Or maybe it was because the remnants of their chivalric spirit held them back. Or perhaps, it was because of the words once spoken by Tang Soso of Mount Hua that still lingered in their minds.

But above all else, there was a clearer reason.

That reason stood right before them now: a monk in tattered robes and a swordsman in a white uniform stained with blood.

Hye Yeon, who had been knocked back by Jang Ilso’s strike, now dashed like lightning toward the black horde. Close behind him was Lee Songbaek, sword drawn.

That sight alone made it impossible for anyone else to flee.

‘...Why?’

Charging the enemy is a natural duty for those who speak of honor and righteousness. It shouldn’t be a shock.

But still, they were all stunned. Because now they all knew—just how hard it was to summon that sense of justice before such enemies.

‘Is there no such thing as fear?’

That can’t be the case.

Everyone has fear. Even being stronger doesn’t reduce the fear they have.

Every life is precious. Charging the enemy when you can clearly foresee a brutal and painful end—such a thing is not easy for anyone.

Yet even in this moment, there wasn’t the slightest hesitation in Hye Yeon. It wasn’t out of some grand notion like courage or overcoming fear.

It was simply because he was used to it. 

Used to running toward despair.

“A—Mi—Ta—Bha!”

Hye Yeon had seen it countless times. The backs of those stronger than him. And also, many times, the backs of those who were weaker than him.

He had seen the faint tremble on the shoulders of those who marched forward without fear.

Having seen it all, Hye Yeon could now say it proudly.

What determines one’s ability to advance is not physical strength. It is the strength of the mind—the will to suppress the instinctive fear swelling in the chest and still take a step forward.

At this moment, Hye Yeon firmly believed that he possessed such a strong heart.

Kuuung!

A fist imbued with golden energy crashed into the enemy’s chest.

But the familiar result didn’t follow. Even though Hye Yeon’s punch landed cleanly, the enemy only staggered back a few steps.

Swooosh!

Then, a blast of internal energy surged out like a storm. The aura, as frightening as claw marks left by a beast on a massive tree trunk, was indescribably terrifying. It carried a force so tremendous it could shred even Hye Yeon’s well-trained body like paper.

Hye Yeon’s fists crossed in mid-air. The fist he had pulled inward with a twisting motion now struck outward with tremendous force.

Kwaaang!

The spiraling punch shattered the enemy’s guard. Hye Yeon then advanced with powerful footwork and launched his signature technique, the Divine Fist, at the enemy’s chest.

Kuuuuuung!

The sound rang out like dozens of temple bells being struck simultaneously. The demon was blasted away like a cannonball, his chest caving in as he vomited thick, dark blood in a fountain. At close range, the Hundred-Step Divine Fist had truly purified the demon.

Kwagagak!

Unfortunately, Hye Yeon didn’t come out unscathed. Three deep claw marks etched across his shoulder, and searing pain spread through him.

More enemies pouring out thick demonic qi swarmed toward him. It looked as if a black torrent was cascading down, so thick that it was hard to see even a foot ahead.

Even Hye Yeon, who had dedicated his life to attaining a righteous heart, felt dizzying fear and despair in the face of this scene.

[tl note: jeongsim, 정심(正心), or pure heart. A disciplined, upright, or virtuous state of mind.]

No matter how much one hammers at it, the human heart can never truly become steel. Hye Yeon had to feel that truth in his bones.

Thud!

His reflexive punch landed on the enemy’s face, nearly breaking their neck backward. It was a solid, direct hit.

Fwoosh!

But even with his neck bent, the demon swung his arm. It was like a jiangshi that moved after death. His fingers, curved like a hawk’s talons, wreathed in pitch-black demonic energy, flew at Hye Yeon. [tl note: an undead corpse, 강시(殭屍)]

“Ooooooh!”

Gritting his teeth, Hye Yeon unleashed another barrage of punches.

In that most desperate moment, what he turned to was neither Divine Fist nor Divine Art. It was the foundation of all Shaolin martial arts. The fully mastered Arhat Fist unfolded from his hands.

The claws wrapped in demonic energy were pierced by Hye Yeon’s fist, which surged with Buddhist light, leaving holes. In return, he crushed the demon’s ribs to dust.

But then, something that defied all reason occurred.

The demon, even with all his ribs crushed and his organs pulped, kept attacking Hye Yeon, howling like a wild beast.

After that, more demons, who were spewing demonic energy, continued to surge forward with their red eyes flashing.

There was no end in sight.

Hye Yeon was so terrified, he wanted to just close his eyes. His heart felt far too weak to endure this.

But it didn’t matter. Even without a heart of steel, even without the strength to overcome everything… he could still remain here.

Whoosh!

A flawless Mu-sang-gak in its purest form. A foot imbued with the energy of breaking evil [pasa, 파사(破邪)] sliced through the air with a sharp sound and crushed the enemy’s skull.

[tl note: 무상각 (無想脚). refers to a kick technique—literally ‘No-Mind Kick’ or ‘Thoughtless Kick.’]

Right after the attack, a tide of ink-like pressure surged toward Hyeon, who had lost the strength to resist.

“Oooooooooh!”

At that moment, dozens of sword energies flew in, erecting a wall in front of Hye Yeon.

No, this wasn’t just a wall of sword energy. It was the world’s strongest wall of willpower, built from the single determination not to fall.

Kwagagagak!

The enemy’s attacks clawed violently at the sword wall. But though it seemed about to collapse, the wall held firm, shielding Hye Yeon from the claws.

“Aaaaargh!”

A shout burst forth as if squeezing out every last ounce of strength.

In truth, Lee Songbaek was squeezing out everything he had left.

He would not let them pass. The sword of Zhongnan blocks everything. For that and that alone, Lee Songbaek had rigorously trained himself to this day.

But if that sword only blocked attacks aimed at himself, what would be the point, even if it could pierce the heavens?

— With your sword, you can block anything in this world.

‘No, that’s wrong, Sect Leader.’

He couldn’t stop there. That would make him no different from the Zhongnan of the past.

“It’s not about blocking…”

Lee Songbaek gritted his teeth. Blood seeped from between his lips.

“…It’s about protecting!”

With a roar that sounded like he was pushing past his limits, two figures—one man and one woman—leapt into the air above him.

Flutter!

Over the mighty sword wall raised by Zhongnan, dozens of plum blossoms bloomed.

Though the flowers blooming on the steadfast wall were precarious, that only made them more beautiful—and deadly. They rained down upon the demons.

It was in that instant, as the demons instinctively faltered from the sudden shower of Plum Blossom Sword Qi—

“….Let’s check it out.”

A pure white sword pierced the sky.

“Whether Heaven stands with me.”

Woooooong!

A brilliant white sun fell into the midst of the black horde of demons.

Next Chapter

❀ ❀ ❀

If anyone wants to donate to motivate me (I'll use the money to buy the RAWs from Naver Series too). Thank you so much!

- Buy Me a Coffee

- Patreon

- Trakteer (this one for Indonesian)