Chapter 1866 – Return of The Mount Hua Sect

Chapter 1866. Dying Would Be Easier. (1) ❀ ❀ ❀

Crunch!

A line of blue light pierced through his body. Yoon Jong was dragged away as if pulled by something invisible.

‘Huh?’

Not even aware of what had happened to him, Yoon Jong stared up at the sky that filled his vision.

‘What is this…?’

At that moment, a terrible pain spread through his chest. His mouth opened on its own, and a strained groan burst out.

Thud.

Yoon Jong collapsed to the ground, clutching his chest as hot blood gushed out uncontrollably.

“Sahyuuuuuung!”

Jo Geol shouted and turned toward Yoon Jong.

“Don’t come!”

Yoon Jong abruptly lifted his head and yelled.

Jo Geol, who had been about to rush over, flinched and froze in place. There wasn’t even time to gather his emotions. He quickly blocked the incoming attack from the demon.

Clang!

“Out of the way, you bastard!”

Yoon Jong, who had barely managed to keep Jo Geol's reason from flying off, finally couldn’t hold out and slammed his head to the ground.

“Ugh…”

The pain of being pierced was beyond imagination. He trembled violently from head to toe.

‘….No. This much isn’t enough.…’

Scratching desperately at the ground, Yoon Jong forced strength into his trembling legs. He strained to get back on his feet.

“Cough!”

Blood surged back up and filled his mouth. The metallic stench of blood snapped his fading consciousness awake.

“Sahyung!”

“Don’t... make a fuss!”

Flash!

Yoon Jong swung his sword powerfully across. As if trying to shake off the pain eating away at his body.

“This won’t kill me.”

“But still—”

“Focus on the enemy!”

Faced with Yoon Jong’s unyielding attitude, Jo Geol reluctantly nodded. But his eyes kept drifting backward—to where Jang Ilso’s attack had come from.

“Don’t look!”

Yoon Jong’s scream, almost a shriek, burst out again. Jo Geol shouted in confusion.

“S-Sahyung! But that bastard Jang Ilso—!”

“If you worry about the back, you can’t block the front. Either way, dying’s the same.”

“.....”

“Cheong Myeong will stop him.”

“W-What if he can’t?”

Yoon Jong let out a small laugh. His bloodied teeth revealed a strange, chilling expression never before seen on his face.

“Who cares. If you die, that’s the end of it.”

“….You’re seriously crazy, really.”

Jo Geol shook his head in exasperation. But he didn’t disobey Yoon Jong’s orders. Instead, he raised his sword in full readiness, showing he would follow completely.

“Damn it. If I die, I’m gonna beat the crap out of you in the afterlife.”

“….Why would I be in the afterlife if you die?”

“Would you be alive if I die? You’d be dead already!”

“….You son of a bitch.”

Though he was joking, Yoon Jong was focused on stopping the bleeding from his chest with one hand. Of course, there were limits to this kind of crude first aid.

‘Still… I can hold on.’

No—even if he couldn’t, he had to. He even had to pretend like nothing was wrong.

The reason was simple. Because even now, he could feel the scorching gaze stabbing into his back.

‘It’s not your fault, you dumbass.’

This wasn’t Cheong Myeong’s fault. No matter how strong he was, it was impossible to block all of Jang Ilso’s attacks. If blame had to be placed, it was Yoon Jong’s own inexperience for getting hit by a sneak attack.

‘Still, that idiot will definitely blame himself again as if it were his fault.’

For someone like that, the best way to help wasn’t to comfort him with words, but to act like everything was fine. And Yoon Jong was someone who could do that flawlessly.

‘This is all I can do for him.’

Just then, a chilling sound of something tearing through the air came from behind.

Piiiiiing!

It wasn’t very loud, but the pitch was high enough to grate on the nerves. The sensation of his body being pierced returned, and fear froze Yoon Jong in place.

He wanted to turn around and check immediately. To throw his sword away and just flatten himself to the ground. Technically, that would be the right move. After all, what’s more important than your own life?

Grit!

Even so, Yoon Jong clenched his teeth and stubbornly kept his gaze fixed forward. Soon, he felt something narrowly graze past his ear.

“Sa…hyung…?”

“I told you not to look back.”

Jo Geol, looking at Yoon Jong, showed a trace of dread in his eyes. Seeing Jo Geol’s dazed face, Yoon Jong couldn’t help but chuckle.

Throb. Throb. Throb.

The pain rising from his chest was proof that he was still alive.

‘This is nothing.’

Compared to what Cheong Myeong and Baek Cheon had gone through, this wasn’t even a hundredth of that. Whining about this would make the plum blossom engraved over his heart weep.

“Leave the back to him! We’ll take down the ones in front!”

“R-Right!”

Yoon Jong never once looked back. He just gripped his sword tightly and staggered forward.

‘I won’t lose to myself. So you don’t lose either, Cheong Myeong-ah.’

❀ ❀ ❀

“Hmph.”

Jang Ilso clicked his tongue in disappointment. Had the second ring he fired not been deflected by Cheong Myeong’s sword energy, it would have surely embedded itself in the back of the man’s head.

“You blocked it well this time. I have to admit it.”

“.....”

“But still… hmm...”

Jang Ilso subtly moved his pointed finger from its original direction. No longer aimed at Yoon Jong, it now targeted another disciple of Mount Hua.

Before Jang Ilso could even fire the next ring, Cheong Myeong's body flickered like a collapsing shadow and blocked the path.

Jang Ilso smiled, wiggling his finger twice playfully. That small, almost teasing motion made Cheong Myeong’s shoulders twitch in response.

“How long do you think you can keep blocking it?”

Cheong Myeong’s face twisted like a demon’s. Jang Ilso burst into loud laughter.

“Ahahahahaha! What’s with that expression? You told me you could do it, didn’t you?”

The laughter came to a bizarre and sudden stop. A chilling voice leaked through his red lips.

“Or... was it nothing but bluffing?”

“.....”

“Ah. Or maybe you’re just a fool who can’t tell the difference between what you can do and what you can’t.”

Crkkk.

The leather wrapped around his sword's hilt creaked as it was crushed tightly in Cheong Myeong’s palm.

“….Jang Ilso.”

“Don’t be so angry, now.”

Jang Ilso gave a dismissive smile.

“I only wanted to teach you something—that no matter how hard you try, there are things you can’t help but let go of in the end.”

Grrrk.

Cheong Myeong clenched his teeth.

“You, bas-…”

“Hmm. Seems like you still don’t get it. In that case, I’ll have to teach you more.”

Jang Ilso smiled softly.

Fweeeeee!

A brilliant blue surge of energy shot from his fingertip.

It wasn’t using a ring—just ordinary internal energy. But aimed at one’s back, even that was lethal.

Cheong Myeong leapt through space as if tearing it apart and swung his sword at the incoming blast.

CLAAANG!

The energy deflected violently skyward from his blade. But at that instant, another blast came from a different direction. With no time to breathe, Cheong Myeong sprang again to block it.

“Hahaha! Now that’s a spectacle! AHAHAHAHAHA!”

Several more attacks followed. Each time, Cheong Myeong unleashed internal energy to its limit, narrowly deflecting the onslaught.

’Ugh!’

Just as he reached to deflect a blast aimed at Gwak Hoe, a hateful voice growled beside him.

“You... really shouldn’t take your eyes off me...”

Kwaaaaaaaang!

A devastating blow struck his side. Cheong Myeong shot through the air like a cannonball.

Kuuuuung!

He crashed into the ground, sending muddy water and soaked earth splattering everywhere.

“Tsk, tsk. That’s why I said not to overreach. What a stubborn one you are.”

Jang Ilso waved his hand as if fed up.

“Saying you’ll protect them, that you’ll accomplish something... any thoughtless pig can say that. What matters is whether you can actually do it.”

He harshly wiped the rain from his face.

“If there were a way to achieve everything while protecting everything, the world wouldn’t be this cruel and painful. What matters is what you’re willing to give up—what you’re ready to sacrifice. But here you are, still spouting childish dreams, because you’re still just a—”

Kwaaaaang!

At that moment, Cheong Myeong surged forth through the rain like lightning, charging directly at Jang Ilso.

“JANG ILSOOOOOOO!”

KAAAAAANG!

Their clash—Cheong Myeong’s descending sword and Jang Ilso’s intercepting hand—met in mid-air. Jang Ilso’s face contorted in agony.

‘That power….?’

A blow incomparably stronger than their initial encounter. The sheer force made him worry his hand might’ve been completely crushed.

He grows stronger with every fight. An impossible reality. And yet, that impossible reality stood right before his eyes.

Before he could mount a counterattack, Cheong Myeong’s sword pressed even harder. The added force sent Jang Ilso flying, only able to barely support himself by kicking his leg back.

“Ooooooooh!”

But before he could regain balance, Cheong Myeong’s sword split into dozens of blades, all aimed at Jang Ilso’s body. Though not as refined as the Plum Blossom Sword technique, the raw, unpolished ferocity made it all the more dangerous.

Jang Ilso barely managed to block them with his hands wreathed in blue flame.

CLAAANG!

But the moment sword and fist touched, the sword images vanished as if they’d been a mirage. Instead, the real blade slithered like a venomous snake and wrapped around Jang Ilso’s arm.

“What!?”

Jang Ilso’s eyes widened in shock.

Slash! Slash!

The blade crossed over his arm, slicing into both his forearm and elbow.

“Tch!”

Jang Ilso shook his arm furiously as if trying to fling off a snake, retreating step after step. But once Cheong Myeong had his opening, he became utterly relentless—more than dogged, he was feral.

Jang Ilso’s eyes gleamed wickedly.

Sensing he couldn’t shake Cheong Myeong like this, he threw a lightning-fast punch toward Cheong Myeong’s face—too fast for the eye to follow.

‘Fall back—’

And in that instant, Jang Ilso realized he had miscalculated—fatally.

Cheong Myeong was smiling, chillingly, as the fist approached.

Kwaaaaang!

The blow struck dead-on. His neck twisted so violently it seemed it might break. His head snapped back, and even his torso twisted as if his spine had shattered.

But—

CRUNCH!

At that exact moment, Cheong Myeong’s Dark Fragrance Plum Blossom Sword drove itself deep into Jang Ilso’s chest.

“Ha...”

From the sword protruding out his back, blood dripped in heavy drops—blood spilled by the Paegun, Jang Ilso.

Next Chapter

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