Chapter 1864 – Return of The Mount Hua Sect

Chapter 1864. Yeah. Go Ahead, Try to Kill Me. (4) ❀ ❀ ❀

Jo Geol’s face twisted in utter horror.

“Damn it, what the hell is this…!”

The killing intent was so overwhelming it was hard to breathe. If even Jo Geol, who wasn’t directly facing Jang Ilso, felt this much pressure, how unimaginable must it be for Cheong Myeong to bear it?

‘Even for him, this might not be easy.’

His eyes kept drifting toward the source of his worry.

But unfortunately, Jo Geol didn’t have the luxury to be concerned. Right in front of him, a monstrous figure cloaked in dark energy was charging straight at him. [note: goe-in, 괴인 (怪人): monstrous figure]

“Uwaaaaah!”

Jo Geol swung his sword with all his might at the oncoming black hand.

CLAAAANG!

A metallic screech, sharp enough to tear eardrums, rang out the moment the sword and hand collided, followed by a rush of a foul stench.

A sudden wave of familiarity made Jo Geol grit his teeth and widen his eyes.

‘This feels just like what we faced in Hangzhou...!’

No doubt about it.

It wasn’t exactly the same, but it was strikingly similar to the aura of the demons he’d faced in Hangzhou. The discomfort and nausea welling up from deep inside his body confirmed it beyond any doubt.

“Are you bastards from the Demonic Cult?”

Shhhhhhiiiing!

Jo Geol’s sword split into over a dozen copies, aiming for the monstrous figure’s entire body. A terrifying red light burst from the monstrous figure monstrous figure monstrous figure monstrous figure’s bloodshot eyes. Ignoring Jo Geol’s attack, it thrust its hand straight forward.

If Jo Geol extended his sword, he might pierce the enemy—but at the cost of his own neck.

“Damn!”

There was no way he’d choose to lose his head in the very first encounter. Jo Geol quickly withdrew his sword and twisted his body.

CRACK!

But that bastard was even faster than Jo Geol had anticipated. Its claw, wreathed in dark demonic energy, dug mercilessly into his shoulder.

“Aaarghhh!”

The searing pain was so intense that Jo Geol couldn’t help but scream.

It wasn’t just that the world’s best Jo Geol was whining over a scratch. The problem was that the moment the claw pierced him, a chilling energy surged into his body. Wherever that vile energy moved, it brought a pain like being gouged with a red-hot iron.

“Jo Geol!”

“Goddamn it!”

Before someone could finish shouting his name, Jo Geol swung his sword horizontally with all his strength. The monstrous figure, who had attacked relentlessly without regard for its own life, finally recoiled from this strike and leapt backward.

“Ugh…”

“Are you okay?”

Jo Geol raised his left arm to hold back his concerned fellow disciples who tried to rush to him, then shouted through heavy breaths.

“Be careful!”

“You…”

“Think back to Hangzhou. These bastards don’t care about their lives! If you treat them like ordinary martial artists, you’ll pay the price!”

“Got it!”

Jo Geol clutched his wounded left shoulder tightly.

‘Damn it, what a stupid mistake!’

He had underestimated them. He already knew these enemies weren’t normal.

He ground his teeth hard enough to make noise and gripped his sword tightly. Honestly, these enemies were far too much for the Mount Hua disciples to handle. If Jo Geol and Yoon Jong couldn’t lead from the front, he didn’t even want to imagine how many would die.

Just then, the expressionless monstrous figure staring at him slowly parted its lips.

“Heh…”

It was barely even a smile. More like a mechanical movement, emotionless like a crack on a stone wall. That not-quite-smile grated on Jo Geol’s nerves.

‘This bastard?’

In an instant, heat rushed to his head. Jo Geol closed his eyes tightly.

“…Huft.”

He took a short breath, raised his sword, and slowly swung it.

‘Hmm?’

Jo Geol’s movement caught not only the enemy’s attention, but also the eyes of the Mount Hua disciples. Their eyes sparkled with realization.

‘Six Harmonies Sword?’

‘The Opening Form?’

The Opening Form of the Six Harmonies Sword. It was a declaration that he was about to unleash the full form of the Six Harmonies Sword.

The Six Harmonies were the foundation of Mount Hua. That’s why the Opening Form of the Six Harmonies Sword was considered the start of all Mount Hua sword techniques.

Everyone could clearly see the rage slowly fade from Jo Geol’s face as he regained his composure.

‘That guy.’

Jo Geol’s greatest weakness was his tendency to get emotional.

It was in his nature—no amount of internal effort could easily suppress it. Because he couldn’t control it, it was a weakness. That Opening Form must be a technique he’d discovered through desperate introspection, a way to restore his calm.

Eventually, Jo Geol’s gaze became astoundingly serene.

Everyone here was putting their lives on the line to fight. At the very least, they couldn’t say they failed to show their true ability. That was the bare minimum respect due to the fellow disciples who had staked everything on this battlefield.

“Ugh…”

Sensing the shift in atmosphere, the monstrous figure hesitated slightly and glared at Jo Geol.

In contrast, Jo Geol observed the monstrous figures with an even colder stare.

“Pair up and attack in twos! These bastards have no coordination. If you stay calm, they’re not unbeatable!”

“Understood!”

At Jo Geol’s command, the disciples immediately followed his instructions.

Watching Jo Geol from a distance with barely suppressed anxiety, Yoon Jong finally nodded.

‘That guy… he’s growing even in this chaos.’

No, thinking about it, there was no way he wouldn’t grow. They were all fighting for their lives.

And this wasn’t just true for Mount Hua. Everyone in this land who was fighting against the enemy was desperate every moment—and growing every moment.

‘Isn’t that right, Sasuk?’

Yoon Jong gripped his sword, thinking of Baek Cheon, who was surely fighting somewhere like them.

If Baek Cheon were here, he would definitely have said this:

“Don’t let anyone go near that damned bastard!”

"Oooooh!"

With a shout that rang out like a response, Yoon Jong’s sword drew a vivid red arc through the air.

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“Sa…”

Baek Sang’s eyes widened to an indescribable degree.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but there was no time for words. Like a madman, Baek Sang charged forward and swung his sword.

The assailant who had struck Baek Cheon with a sword retreated swiftly at the sight and dodged Baek Sang’s sword.

“Sahyung! Aaaargh! Sahyuuuung!”

Screaming, Baek Sang grabbed Baek Cheon's shoulder. But Baek Cheon's body only sagged limply in response.

Blood continued to seep into the ground. What else could that mean? As much blood as had flowed from Baek Cheon, that much of Baek Sang’s soul seemed to have drained away with it.

“Daehyeeooopp!”

“Oh, what do we do...”

The disciples of Diancang, having only now grasped the situation, screamed. But their cries didn’t even register with Baek Sang.

“No, no… this can’t be…”

Baek Sang’s hands began to tremble.

No. It shouldn't be like this.

Even if he could no longer wield martial arts, even if he could no longer live as a disciple of Mount Hua, and even if Baek Cheon himself would be the one who’d suffer the most from seeing his own value fade away….

Still, Baek Cheon was not someone who deserved to die like this.

But the warmth was draining all too quickly from Baek Cheon’s body in Baek Sang’s grasp.

“Sa-Sahyung…”

“What’s with all the fuss?”

Baek Sang stiffly turned his head toward the voice.

The man who had slashed Baek Cheon’s chest was looking down at them with a mocking smile.

“How many have already died in this war? Did you really think you’d make it through unscathed?”

“If you wanted that, you shouldn’t have crawled all the way here without a shred of fear.”

The man snorted and raised his hand. Gray silhouettes appeared all around them.

“If you’ve got time to worry about others, you’d best start worrying about yourself. Oh, and by ‘worry’, I don’t mean about your life. We’re stuck here and get pretty bored, you see.”

He cackled.

“The last guy we caught—how long did he last again? You should at least hold out half a day. Being a famous Mount Hua disciple and all, right? Don’t you think so?”

As the man jeered, Baek Sang gently laid Baek Cheon down and stood up.

“You guys.”

“Yes?”

“Protect him.”

A futile command. Baek Sang knew it, and so did the children who responded.

But not one of them—including Ok Danghyang or the Diancang disciples—shook their heads. They simply gathered around Baek Cheon with determined expressions.

Leaving Baek Cheon completely in their care, Baek Sang fixed his gaze solely on the enemy. As he pointed his sword, one phrase echoed in his mind.

Outnumbered and outmatched.

[note: jung-gwabujeok, 중과부적 (衆寡不敵) is a classical idiom from Sino-Korean, meaning “The few cannot match the many.”]

There was no way he could win. If it were someone like Yoo Iseol or Jogul, they might still pull off a reversal even in this situation, but Baek Sang was just an average man. He didn’t have the skill to handle this many enemies.

The only thing he could gain here was a certain death. Nothing more.

If he chose to flee, there might be a small chance of survival. Judging from what that bastard had just said—“we can’t leave this area”—if Baek Sang could break through the encirclement, there would be no pursuit.

Yes, that would be the smart choice. Rather than dying to guard Baek Cheon— who was already as good as dead, or throwing his life away for a bunch of kids he just met—anyone would say running is the right call.

‘But, so what?’

Baek Sang gritted his teeth.

“If I were someone who only picked the easy, smart path... I wouldn’t have followed that man in the first place.”

What could he do? That’s just who he was.

He might fool his brain, but he couldn’t deceive his heart. Better to die without regret than live a life buried under guilt.

Baek Sang aimed his sword at the man who seemed to be the leader. Then he muttered in a low voice, just loud enough for the children to hear:

“I’ll create an opening, no matter what. You guys take that chance and get sahyung out of here.”

“But…”

“No ‘but’! Just do it if I say so!”

Baek Sang bit his lip hard.

‘Guess I’m playing the hero again—even though it doesn’t suit me.’

Pretending to be a hero didn’t fit him. He was always meant to be in the background while the true heroes took center stage.

“Trembling like a leaf, and still pretending to be brave, huh?”

The enemy sneered and gave a slight nod.

“Take his arms and legs first.”

“Yes.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, the gray-uniformed attackers rushed Baek Sang all at once.

“Uaaaargh!”

Baek Sang shouted back with a war cry and swung his sword wildly in retaliation.

Of course, screaming didn’t make the sword any sharper. His blood boiled, and the sword trembled relentlessly.

Clang!

He swung his sword and struck away a flying blade.

Clang! Clang!

The clashes continued in quick succession. But each time, Baek Sang’s sword lost more force, bouncing back again and again.

‘Damn it!’

A fire lit in Baek Sang’s eyes.

These weren’t even elite fighters. The Evil Tyrant Alliance wouldn’t have had the luxury to place top troops here anyway.

The truth was, Baek Sang had simply become too exhausted to deal with even them. Or maybe… maybe he was just weak.

Without the name of Mount Hua, without someone to lead and fight beside him, he would’ve remained ordinary forever. That was Baek Sang’s own judgment of himself.

And this moment felt like punishment for daring to act otherwise.

‘Even so!’

Baek Sang clenched his teeth and swung his sword once more.

But perhaps his fiery determination had become a double-edged sword. His sword, which should have stayed cold and steady, wavered. And because of that, a sword he failed to fully block came flying at his neck.

‘Huh?’

The moment Baek Sang's eyes widened.

“You damn idiots!”

Thwack!

A sword came plunging from above his head, stabbing straight through the enemy’s skull. Baek Sang, startled, turned toward the source.

“You…?”

“I told you to hurry up, you dumbasses!”

Yu Gong landed beside him, face twisted like a demon, and roared in anger.

Next Chapter

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