Chapter 1868 – Return of The Mount Hua Sect

Chapter 1868. Dying Would Be Easier. (3) ❀ ❀ ❀

“Be careful!”

Yoon Jong’s shout pierced through Jo Geol’s ears.

Normally, Jo Geol would have made a light joke in response to Yoon Jong’s worry. But now, there was no room for that.

‘Damn it!’

The only reason he could withstand this right now was thanks to his experience dealing with similar beings back in Hangzhou. If not for that, he might already be lying cold on the ground as a corpse.

‘Are these even human?’

It was completely different from facing normal martial artists. If he had to describe this strange sensation, it felt like going up against wild beasts with abnormally heightened strength.

But there was no time to whine.

“Taaah!”

Jo Geol swung his sword with all his might.

‘I have to draw their attention.’

If he let up even a little, their attention would shift to the other sahyungs. And the sahyungs who hadn’t encountered these creatures in Hangzhou would be utterly unprepared and likely slaughtered.

“Haaah!”

Yoon Jong, perhaps aware of this as well, stepped up even more aggressively than usual and unleashed a fierce assault.

Clang!

The demon blocked Yoon Jong’s sword with a pitch-black hand, frowning slightly before stepping back a few paces.

“Huff.”

In that gap, Yoon Jong exhaled roughly.

‘I can somehow endure this.’

Throb!

Terrible pain surged from the wound on his chest, but it wasn’t enough to make him lose consciousness.

‘I can do this.’

As long as no new variables exploded into the situation, he might just be able to hold out without any sacrifices—at least until Cheong Myeong took down Jang Ilso.

Just as Yoon Jong was filled with that sliver of hope and tried to rally his spirits—

“Sa...”

Jo Geol, who had been helping his fellow disciples and scanning the battlefield, suddenly froze in place.

‘Jo Geol?’

Yoon Jong had spent countless hours with Jo Geol. So he knew—this wasn’t a tactical pause. Jo Geol had frozen.

Yoon Jong turned his eyes toward where Jo Geol was staring. He forgot about the demons right in front of him. He even forgot the warning he himself had given about not looking back. Jo Geol’s expression was just that serious.

And when he finally saw what Jo Geol was seeing, Yoon Jong thought—it would’ve been better not to look.

The horizon looked as if it had been drenched in blood. A red wave surged violently in the distance, and at the sight of it, Yoon Jong groaned.

“Red... Dogs…?”

‘Why? How? Weren’t they already dismantled?’

He had clearly seen the Red Dogs scatter after the retreat of the Evil Tyrant Alliance. So how could they have regrouped into such a massive force and returned to attack?

Was all of this part of Jang Ilso’s plan? Or did these beasts instinctively regroup as they searched for him?

No, it doesn’t matter which one. What mattered was the simple fact: they were attacking again.

And now, on top of everything else, they had to deal with the Red Dogs too. Even if the Alliance’s elite warriors had gathered here… at this rate, the only outcome was annihilation.

Yoon Jong unconsciously clenched his fists tightly.

Even though they were still some distance away, he could feel the burning heat of the Red Dogs’ breath, the choking stench of blood—as if they were right in front of him.

“Damn it!”

Jo Geol’s curse, having finally shaken off the shock, rang in Yoon Jong’s ears.

‘What should I do?’

Even in a situation where no next step could be seen, Yoon Jong found himself forced to think of one. He was the one responsible for Mount Hua here. Even if he himself despaired, Mount Hua could not.

“Regroup!”

The command burst out of his mouth before the thought was complete.

“Change formation! Mount Hua disciples, group in sevens toward the rear and spread out!”

“S-sahyung! Are you crazy? In this situation, if we spread our forces now…”

“That Cheong Myeong!”

Cutting Jo Geol off mid-sentence, Yoon Jong shouted, his eyes blazing like fire.

“Do you think those mad dogs will leave Cheong Myeong alone? They’re going to flock straight to Jang Ilso’s side. We have to stop them!”

Jo Geol bit his lower lip hard, his face full of anguish.

He still thought it was an insane choice. But whether it was possible or not… choosing to let Cheong Myeong fend for himself while they looked for a way to survive? That kind of choice didn’t exist for Mount Hua.

“Damn it, there’s no other way.”

“Well, if we’re going to die anyway, might as well die in style! Let’s go!”

Even before Jo Geol could fully commit to the decision, the other Mount Hua disciples were already leaping back, pounding the earth as they launched themselves.

“Damn it, of course! I’m the idiot for thinking we might make it!”

Jo Geol, too, gritted his teeth and turned around. The demons, who had momentarily halted due to the sudden arrival of the Red Dogs, began moving again, creeping forward.

To summarize the situation, it was like this.

The Demons and Blood Palace troops in front. Red Dogs in the rear.

Jo Geol let out a laugh for a moment. Could things possibly get any worse?

He didn’t even have the luxury to complain about his situation. In the blink of an eye, the Red Dogs had closed the distance and were charging toward Mount Hua’s swordsmen, who hadn’t had time to get into position.

“Form the Seven Stars Sword Formation! Don’t let a single one through!” [칠성검진(七星劍陣)]

Yoon Jong’s voice was drowned out by the savage roars of the beasts. The Red Dogs, soaked in sweat, charged in like evil spirits with terrifying force.

“Kill them aaaaall!”

“Paegun!”

Kaaaaaaang!

The sound of swords and heavy blades clashing rang out like they would burst eardrums, erupting almost all at once.

“W-We’re being pushed back!”

The swordsmen of Mount Hua showed clear signs of panic on their faces.

Mount Hua had clashed with the Red Dogs countless times. No other sect knew better how terrifying and loathsome they were.

But now, the Red Dogs felt completely different from what they had seen before. They had always been more like mindless hunting dogs than people—but now, they were like beasts who had completely lost their minds after losing their master.

“Back off, you son of a— Aaaaaagh!”

“Sahyung!”

One Mount Hua swordsman, who had felt relief after stabbing his sword into an enemy’s chest, was suddenly struck in the shoulder by a wildly swung heavy blade.

“Ugh! You damn lunatics!”

The Red Dogs, having confirmed Jang Ilso’s presence, no longer cared about their own bodies.

“Out of my way! Get out of the way, you worthless bastards!”

Bloodshot eyes bulging, the Red Dogs howled and slashed their heavy blades violently. Even the disciples of Mount Hua, hardened as they were, flinched at their unrelenting brutality.

“Don’t fall back!”

Urgency was etched into Yoon Jong’s face.

He desperately wanted to rush back and provide support, but if he did that, the demons in front of him would go berserk instantly. The Red Dogs’ fangs were brutal—but the demons’ venomous fangs were no less terrifying. In fact, in some ways, they were twice as fearsome.

KAAAAANG!

“Aaaagh!”

Even amidst it all, the ferocious crashes of sword against heavy blade, and the screams of comrades he recognized, rang out without end. If it weren’t for the plum blossom swords gifted by the Tang family, their weapons would’ve already snapped in half.

But even a great sword was little help when it came to stopping Red Dogs that had gone mad and lost all reason.

“Aagh!”

“Saje! Damn it all!”

The bodies of Mount Hua’s swordsmen began to accumulate wounds one by one.

‘There’s no end to this…’

Gwak Hoe’s face twisted with despair.

He wasn’t afraid of death. The moment he set foot on this land, he had accepted that his life was forfeit. And yet, he found himself in despair now—not for his own life, but because of the terrifying realization that this hellish situation wouldn’t end with just his own death.

‘At this rate, we’re all going to die!’

Paat.

Slash!

“Aaagh!”

A scream burst from Gwak Hoe’s mouth. A flying heavy blade had slashed deep into his upper arm. The wound was so severe that bone was exposed, but there was no time to even glance at it.

“Jang Ilso’s mutts!”

Gritting his teeth, Gwak Hoe slashed violently with his sword.

One more. Just one more. Even if I die, I’ll take one more down.

So that they could endure for even a moment longer.

He didn’t know how to overcome despair. But even in despair, he could at least struggle. He could at least force his feet forward, one step at a time.

“Out of the way, Mount Hua dog!”

“Don’t make me laugh!”

Gwak Hoe thrust his sword at the Red Dog’s heavy blade.

Kaaaang!

But in that moment, his sword was flung backward helplessly. His deeply wounded arm couldn’t maintain its strength.

“Ugh!”

Gwak Hoe quickly pulled his sword back.

Claang! Claang!

Again and again, his sword clashed against the heavy blade. But he couldn’t withstand the strength behind it. The enemy’s heavy blade pushed his blade closer and closer to his torso.

‘A-at this rate…’

He would be killed not by the enemy’s heavy blade, but by his own collapsing sword.

Realizing this, Gwak Hoe prepared to make one last desperate move—but then, something familiar caught his eye. A brilliant golden light.

KWAANG!

The Red Dog swinging its heavy blade at Gwak Hoe was suddenly blasted away, as if kicked by a flying foot of divine force.

“Ami...tabha”

“Monk?! Why—why are you here…?”

Hye Yeon replied calmly.

“What do you mean, ‘why’? Mount Hua’s disciples were ordered to move to the rear, so naturally, I must follow them.”

“But… with your condition…”

Gwak Hoe looked at Hye Yeon’s stomach and couldn’t bring himself to finish his sentence.

He was moved that Hye Yeon still called himself a disciple of Mount Hua. But realistically, this wasn’t a situation in which Hye Yeon should be pushing himself. If he continued like this, he might truly die.

“Amitabha.”

Even so, Gwak Hoe couldn’t stop him any longer. This wasn’t a situation where retreating and holding out would let anyone survive.

If they were all going to die anyway, then they had to fight. Had he been in Hye Yeon’s place, Gwak Hoe would have made the same decision.

“Then... will you watch my back?”

“....As much as you need.”

Hye Yeon gave a small nod and resolutely stepped forward to block the Red Dogs’ advance.

‘Is this the end for me?’

He didn’t know.

There was something he had sought so desperately that he left the ascetic life behind of his own will. If someone asked him whether he had found the answer, he would have to say—no, he had not.

And yet, if he were asked whether he regretted it—no, he didn’t.

In the end, life is the endless search for answers. Not finding them doesn’t make the journey meaningless. The search itself is meaningful.

“Amitabha.”

With pale, purplish lips, Hye Yeon smiled faintly.

‘So what if this is the end? And what if it isn’t? The end will only lead to a new beginning.’

A golden light began to radiate from his body.

“Kill him!”

Under normal circumstances, the Red Dogs would have flinched at that divine glow—but now, they charged forward as if they saw nothing at all.

Hye Yeon’s Arhat Fist crashed down upon the charging Red Dogs.

With every punch, every kick, blood surged from his damaged organs. But Hye Yeon didn’t care.

‘What meaning is there in the death of this body?’

If a single wound carved into this body could protect even one person’s life for just a moment longer, Hye Yeon would gladly endure the pain of having his flesh torn apart piece by piece.

He knew now, better than anyone, that the pain of severed bonds hurt more than wounds of the flesh.

Kwaang!

His fist collided directly with a Red Dog’s heavy blade.

‘I am not a swordsman of Mount Hua.’

That much was undeniable. He was clearly a monk of Shaolin.

‘But… I am still a disciple of Mount Hua.’

Martial arts alone were not everything. In Mount Hua, he had learned how to face life, what values to pursue. Having received those teachings, how could he not call himself a disciple of Mount Hua?

So if this battlefield became his grave… perhaps that was only natural.

Kwang!

When his fist struck the heavy blade again, Hye Yeon staggered.

“Monk!”

Coughing up blood over and over, Hye Yeon kept throwing punches.

But now that the jackals had noticed the tiger was wounded, they struck relentlessly, never missing a chance. In the blink of an eye, several new wounds were carved into Hye Yeon’s body.

“Out of the way! Get out of the way! You bastards!”

Gwak Hoe and the other disciples of Mount Hua desperately tried to reach Hye Yeon to help, but the Red Dogs would not let them through.

“Monk!”

Five or six Red Dogs charged at Hye Yeon all at once. At that critical moment, a sword shot forward from the rear like a lightning bolt, scattering sword light toward the attackers.

“Argh!”

“Wha—?!”

The Red Dogs, pierced by sword energy, shrieked and jerked their heads wildly.

“Sago!”

A familiar figure stepped in front of Hye Yeon. The disciples of Mount Hua cried out, nearly in tears.

Yoo Iseol had arrived. Gasping for breath, she stood guard in front of Hye Yeon. Her usual cold, serene demeanor was completely gone. Yoo Iseol, who had nearly exhausted herself trying to protect even one more of her sahyungs, now held her sword with trembling arms.

“.... (you) can’t pass. Not anymore.”

Despite her tattered appearance, the murderous aura radiating from Yoo Iseol was terrifying enough to make the Red Dogs flinch.

But perhaps that very killing intent only provoked them further. Without saying a word, they rushed at Yoo Iseol without hesitation.

Paaaaat!

Yoo Iseol’s sword swept through the air like lightning. But surrounded on all sides by the Red Dogs, wounds began to appear rapidly all over her body.

“Aaaaaagh!”

Another scream rang out. Though every single Mount Hua disciple was giving it their all, the situation was too dire. Those defending the rear and those fighting up front—soon none of them would be able to hold their ground.

This was no longer something that could be reversed by the strength of one or two individuals.

Everyone here now understood that.

❀ ❀ ❀

The one who had been leisurely watching it all from afar turned to Cheong Myeong with a delighted expression and asked.

“How do you feel?”

Jang Ilso smiled gently. It was a soft, pleasant smile, with not a trace of malice in it.

“Didn’t you say you would protect them?”

“……”

“But what now? Looks like you won’t be able to protect anything. Huh?”

Cheong Myeong’s hands trembled like aspen leaves.

The fear of losing someone again. The nightmare he had pressed down with all his might and pretended not to see could no longer be held back. It had begun to surge up and overflow.

❀ ❀ ❀

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)