Chapter 1861 – Return of The Mount Hua Sect

Chapter 1861. Yeah. Go Ahead, Try to Kill Me. (1) ❀ ❀ ❀

Paaaaat!

Cheong Myeong’s sword split the air like a bolt of lightning.

Taaang!

At the same time, a burst of flame erupted in midair, and a dazzlingly ornate ring was flung skyward into the distant sky.

Rrrring.

The sound of the falling ring resonated ominously, cloaking the area in tension. But Cheong Myeong charged toward Jang Ilso without the slightest hesitation.

Kagagagagagak!

The chilling screech of Cheong Myeong’s Dark Fragrance Plum Blossom Sword scraping the ground echoed hauntingly.

At that moment, Cheong Myeong’s lips twisted. His mouth opened, revealing stark white teeth. Jang Ilso flinched at the sudden creepiness.

Cheong Myeong kicked off the ground again, accelerating like a shooting star, instantly closing the distance between them.

Kwaaaang!

Their bursting auras collided in a violent clash, condensing for an instant before surging outward in a ferocious shockwave.

Paaaaang!

With a deafening boom that seemed to tear the very air apart, Cheong Myeong’s sword rose high. So fast the sound couldn’t keep up, the overwhelming strike shot toward Jang Ilso’s lower jaw.

But before it could reach his skin, it met Jang Ilso’s fist.

Kwaaaaang!

At the moment the fist clutching the bracelet collided with the sharply gleaming sword, an absurdly loud explosion erupted.

Kkadeudeudeudeug!

Even in that fleeting moment, the bracelet and Cheong Myeong’s sword screeched against each other, as if trying to push one another away—like wolves baring fangs and growling with locked jaws.

The sword trying to rise and the fist trying to push down.

Cheong Myeong was the one who twisted that tense standoff.

Paaaaat!

Suddenly, the power in Cheong Myeong’s sword vanished as if it had been a lie.

Unable to halt his own force, Jang Ilso’s fist plunged downward.

Kagagagak!

Cheong Myeong’s sword absorbed that force, spinning fiercely. The Dark Fragrance Plum Blossom Sword, not merely scraping but cleaving the ground itself, traced a massive arc and came crashing down toward Jang Ilso’s head.

A perfect transition—from an upward strike to a downward one. For Jang Ilso, slightly off-balance, it was not an easy blow to counter.

But at that very moment, Jang Ilso proved why he was called the Paegun. Rather than regaining his posture, he twisted sharply and swung his elbow with terrifying force.

Kaang!

Jang Ilso’s elbow slammed into the descending blade of the Dark Fragrance Plum Blossom Sword.

Cheong Myeong’s eyes widened as the force of the blow warped his sword path. The blade barely missed Jang Ilso’s body and crashed into the ground.

Swaeaeaeaek!

Jang Ilso’s foot, seizing that tiny opening, struck like a viper at Cheong Myeong’s knee.

Rather than dodge, Cheong Myeong struck out with his own foot to meet Jang Ilso’s.

Kwaang!

Their feet collided midair. A thunderous sound like something shattering echoed through the impact.

Kwang! Kwang! Kwang! Kwang!

But it didn’t stop there. The two exchanged a flurry of spinning kicks in the air.

Each collision rang out with an eerie, dull crack of bone.

Kwaang!

With another explosion, red blood—no one knew whose—splattered into the air. At that instant, Jang Ilso kicked off the ground and stepped closer to Cheong Myeong.

Swaeaeaeaek!

His kick cut through the air like a blade, aiming straight at Cheong Myeong. Naturally, Cheong Myeong responded, but at the last moment, his foot twisted down like a swallow, narrowly avoiding Jang Ilso’s strike.

Ppaaak!

Cheong Myeong’s knee drove directly into Jang Ilso’s shin. It was a terrifyingly powerful blow that sent shivers through onlookers. But instead of groaning in pain, Jang Ilso let out a blood-tinged smile.

Flaash!

In that instant, Jang Ilso’s right foot stomped down hard.

Kuuuuuung!

The solid ground split like a spiderweb, fragments flying upward. At the center of that shattered pattern—right under Jang Ilso’s foot—was Cheong Myeong’s left foot.

Flaaash!

The distance was too short to swing a sword properly. But Cheong Myeong, without a moment’s hesitation, swung it anyway. Twisting his wrist to the limit, the blade aligned with his forearm sliced toward Jang Ilso as if it were an extension of his own arm.

Seogeok!

Jang Ilso leaned his upper body back as far as he could, but Cheong Myeong’s blade still managed to slash across his chest with less than a heartbeat’s difference.

In that instant, Jang Ilso’s eyes flashed wickedly.

Taah!

Jang Ilso’s outstretched right palm pushed aside Cheong Myeong’s upper right arm. He had preemptively acted to prevent Cheong Myeong from using the force of his twisted body to stab back with a reverse grip.

Whirrrrr!

At the same time, his left hand, infused with a vivid blue flame steel energy [염강(炎鋼)], shot straight for Cheong Myeong’s side.

But then.

Tap!

Cheong Myeong let go of his sword, almost like he was tossing it away.

‘What?’

Even the great Jang Ilso couldn’t help but widen his eyes in that brief moment.

And then—

Flaaaash!

Cheong Myeong’s left hand shot out like a viper lunging from its den, snatching the airborne sword and thrusting it toward Jang Ilso.

A sword flying toward the neck—

A palm flying toward the ribs—

Neither was an attack a human body could endure, but neither of them backed down even a fraction. They tore into each other without pause.

Slice!

Kwaaaang!

The terrifying sound of flesh being cut and the explosive burst of power rang out at once.

And in the aftermath of that impact, Cheong Myeong was flung away like a loosed arrow, slamming into the ground at a staggering speed.

Kuuung!

Even after the heavy impact, Cheong Myeong’s body didn’t stop. It rolled across the ground, as though his body was being dragged by the leftover momentum.

“Cheong Myeong-ah!”

Yoon Jong and Jo Geol both shouted at the same time, unable to contain themselves at the sight.

Eventually, Cheong Myeong’s body came to a stop. Lying sprawled like the character for “大”, he slowly opened his eyes and began to raise his upper body. [tl note: lmaaaoooo (sorry for this note)]

“Ah…”

Tang Soso, seeing that, collapsed to the ground as if the strength had drained from her legs.

“Sahyung…”

Just looking at Cheong Myeong’s dirt-covered figure made it easy to imagine the severity of the impact he had taken.

But it wasn’t a one-sided exchange.

Thud.

“Hmm…”

Jang Ilso raised his right hand and lightly touched beneath his chin.

The sensation of hot blood met his fingertips. A long wound ran from just beneath his Adam’s apple to his ear. If Cheong Myeong’s sword had gone just an inch deeper, Jang Ilso wouldn’t still be breathing.

The proof was clear—his neck and even the front of his robe beneath it were drenched in crimson blood.

“Ha ha.”

Jang Ilso let out a laugh.

They were both the same. If he had been even a little slower to tilt his head, he would have died. If Cheong Myeong had been a little slower to twist his body, he’d have died instead. Life and death were literally decided by a split second of judgment.

“Every time, I think the same thing.”

Jang Ilso shook his head slowly.

“How can anyone call this fighting a man of the orthodox sect?”

A twisted grin curled up the corners of his mouth. That sinister smile spread as he locked his burning gaze on Cheong Myeong.

“Like this… it’s like I’m fighting some devil of the unorthodox sect. Huh?”

Cheong Myeong stood up fully.

“Ptuh!”

He casually spat out the blood pooled in his mouth and shook the blood off his sword.

‘Chest and neck.’

The wounds he had carved into Jang Ilso were clearly visible.

But it wasn’t something to be happy about. His own foot was crushed, and his ribs were shattered. A few cuts on Jang Ilso’s body didn’t exactly count as a win.

“Keep yapping while you can.”

Cheong Myeong’s eyes darkened, growing cold and still.

“There’s probably not much time left for you to run your mouth.”

At Cheong Myeong’s cold remark, Jang Ilso’s eyes curved into crescents.

“Yes. That’s it. That’s why I’ve always seen you as special.”

“Funny, isn’t it? The so-called orthodox sect bastards always act like they’re already tigers, even when they’re not fit to be dogs. But you… you were strange. A man who was at least a wolf behaving like some worthless mongrel.”

A twitch flickered at the edge of Cheong Myeong’s eye.

“I thought that was hunger. But…”

Jang Ilso’s smile deepened for a moment.

“Now that I think about it, maybe it was just a form of flailing around in desperation?”

“Shut up.”

Cheong Myeong bared his teeth, his presence turning feral.

“And that’s why you can fight like this.”

But Jang Ilso continued, unfazed.

“A swordsman who tries to close the distance against me? That’s like shoving your own neck under the executioner’s blade. So why would the famed Plum Blossom Sword Demon do something that foolish?”

“….”

Cheong Myeong didn’t respond, and Jang Ilso’s eyes glinted ominously.

“It’s not that you want to fight this way—it’s that you have no other choice, isn’t it? As long as you haven’t healed your internal injuries, you can’t win using orthodox methods.”

Cheong Myeong remained silent.

Taking that silence as confirmation, Jang Ilso shrugged.

“It’s a pity, really. Of all times, my final act—yet my nemesis isn’t even at full strength.”

“Full strength?”

Cheong Myeong let out a dry laugh.

“…Hm?”

Jang Ilso narrowed his eyes slightly, unsettled by that mocking laugh.

“What’s so funny?”

“‘Full strength’, you say… You sure talk like you’ve lived a soft life.”

“…”

“The enemy won’t wait for me.”

Cheong Myeong reversed his grip on the sword.

“If I lose an arm, I fight with one. If I lose a leg, I fight crawling. Even as my guts are torn apart and I’m coughing blood, I still swing my sword. Even poisoned by demonic energy, I throw my fists. That’s war. Even as I weep before a fallen comrade, if an enemy appears, I’ll raise that corpse as a shield and keep fighting.”

He grinned, cold and sharp.

“In this peaceful world, people like you who pick fights only when it suits you… you’re the ones who can afford to talk about ‘full strength’.”

“….”

“I’ve never used luxury like that as an excuse. I just fight. And I kill.”

A chill ran down Jang Ilso’s spine.

Was it those words? Or that expression? Or was it the chilling grin, baring those teeth in such a terrifying way?

“Anyway... you really do spout nonsense I can’t understand.”

It didn’t matter. What mattered was that Jang Ilso wasn’t weak enough to fall to the last thrashings of a wounded beast.

“You’re not just going to keep talking, are you? Huh? After all that, don’t you think it’s time to prove yourself?”

“I was about to.”

A fierce blue gleam erupted from Cheong Myeong’s eyes.

“I intend to.”

Paaaaat!

Cheong Myeong’s body turned into a streak of light once more and shot toward Jang Ilso. Even with one foot crushed, his speed hadn’t lessened in the slightest—if anything, it seemed to have increased.

With murderous intent and icy cold fury pouring from him like a tidal wave, Cheong Myeong rushed in. The sight alone was enough to take one’s breath away, and Jang Ilso’s face twisted grotesquely at the terrifying vision bearing down on him.

Fwoooosh!

Blue flame steel surged across Jang Ilso’s entire body.

‘Ah…’

A burning heat filled Jang Ilso’s eyes.

‘Isn’t this thrilling?’

How strange it was, truly. To feel such joy at the sight of a foe he loathed so deeply.

“Yeah. Go ahead, try to kill me.”

Jang Ilso’s fist lashed out, wreathed in searing blue flame.

“If you can, that is!”

The blue inferno twisted like a vortex, instantly engulfing the charging Cheong Myeong.

Next Chapter

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