Chapter 1873 – Return of The Mount Hua Sect

Chapter 1873. Simple, isn’t it? (3) ❀ ❀ ❀

“…To see this bastard’s neck cut off.”

Flash!

The moment the sharp blade flew toward his neck, Baek Cheon instinctively knew it was the end. There was no longer any way to avoid death.

‘I…’

Facing the final moment of his life, only one thought emerged clearly in Baek Cheon’s mind.

‘I did my best.’

That much, he could say with certainty. If he were to face the King of Hell and be asked whether he was innocent, he would have to shake his head. But if asked whether he did his best, he would nod without hesitation.

Baek Cheon slowly closed his eyes. It was not resignation—it was acceptance. Acceptance that this was his end.

Regret?

…Well.

It’s not that he had none. On the contrary, his heart was filled with regret and lingering attachments. But Baek Cheon also realized that all of it was meaningless.

A life with not a single regret is impossible. So the presence of regret doesn’t mean the life was a failure. One just needs to accept it—all of it. The life lived, and even the regrets one couldn’t let go of.

The rest… could simply be entrusted to those who remain. That was enough.

Baek Cheon had done all he could. No one could deny that he gave it his all.

At last, a small peace settled in his heart. It felt like he could finally accept death completely.

But… was that really true?

Baek Cheon opened his eyes again. The blade was now almost touching his neck.

Even now, it slowly approached—but the moment felt endlessly distant.

A long stretch of time, a single instant drawn out as if lasting an eternity.

Yet even Baek Cheon, bound by this warped time, could only exist. And in this distorted moment, he sank into endless thoughts.

Everyone leaves regrets in life. And at the moment of death, they either accept them—or turn away.

Some may deceive themselves under the name of “contentment.” Others may meet their end in anguish, unable to relinquish their regrets.

Then what is the point of life?

If regret inevitably accompanies life, couldn’t it be said that life exists only for the sake of regret?

If that’s true, then human life is just pain—so why do people struggle so hard to live?

Even if someone claims to live without regret or attachment, would they truly live the same life again without hesitation, knowing the ending?

Perhaps only those who can confidently say yes to this question are truly qualified to speak of “contentment.”

Was it a life to be content with? If not, does that mean it was a failure? And if one can be content even with a life full of regret, then does that mean human effort is meaningless?

Everything became clear. And yet, everything became ambiguous.

‘I…’

Only Baek Cheon could answer this question.

He had to answer it: What had his life been for?

What was the Tao he had chased after? Was it truly worth devoting a life to something so formless?

At that moment, a vast illusion opened before Baek Cheon's eyes—as if his mind had been flooded with light.

‘Ah…’

A towering, majestic mountain rose like a sheer cliff.

‘Mount Hua…’

A rocky mountain with peaks soaring like blades toward the sky, covered in a sea of blooming plum blossoms. The sight was utterly magnificent.

But only for a moment—the blossoms quickly withered. The mountain was soon painted in dull grey. Bare branches swayed as the fallen petals disappeared into the void.

And thus, winter arrived.

The entire mountain was covered in white. Desolate, but cold. Like death—unavoidable, no matter how much one tried to flee.

So, like a quiet apocalypse, winter descended upon the mountain.

Baek Cheon stared blankly at the scene unfolding before him.

Everything has an end.

No matter how splendid the flowers, no matter how dazzlingly the mountain was painted—its end was the same. An equal and inevitable conclusion, named white death. [baekhwa, 백화 (白化)]

If the conclusion is already decided, was it worth devoting everything to just one summer?

Had he clung to something ultimately meaningless?

A chill of doubt, suspicion—maybe even despair—seeped in.

Baek Cheon’s consciousness fell into a deep abyss. It felt like he might already be dead and fallen into hell—a hell where one endlessly questions and doubts oneself.

‘What… was I…’

In that moment, Baek Cheon's consciousness was suddenly swept toward a single point. His awareness became wind, crossing streams and leaping over peaks. He ascended the mountain covered in snow and ice, climbing ever upward, until he reached the summit in an instant.

At the blade-like peak where the icy mountain and black darkness met—there, Baek Cheon saw it.

A single red blossom.

Piercing through the snow piled high, blooming alone in winter: a snow-plum. [seolmae, 설매(雪梅)]

It was breathtaking. Beyond words. More beautiful than anything Baek Cheon had ever seen.

Not flamboyant, but noble. Not overwhelming, but deeply serene. The plum blossom, unpretentiously standing there, slowly seeped into Baek Cheon’s heart.

‘Ahh…’

Yes. It was beautiful because it had bloomed after overcoming winter.

It was meaningful because the life had suffered.

Without regret, a life cannot be complete.

The bitter sea of human existence leaves behind regret—and in doing so, creates meaning. Like the snow-plum that bloomed after winter, Baek Cheon’s life was made complete by its hardship.

Even if no one recognized it—his life had meaning. It was undoubtedly radiant.

There was no reason not to be content.

Baek Cheon smiled gently.

Everything had been perfect. Even if history recorded his life as a failure, people would remember—there was once a hero who gave everything for the world.

Yes. This was the conclusion of the life he had dreamed of.

The Tao he had pursued.

In that heartscape facing the illusion, Baek Cheon smiled more brightly than ever before. And as that smile reached its peak, Baek Cheon slowly opened his mouth.

“No.”

The radiant world came to an abrupt halt.

The bitter winds that had been blowing, the fluttering petals, even the dawn touching the faraway sky—everything stopped.

“This isn't what I wanted.”

Though no one was listening, Baek Cheon spoke calmly as if someone were standing in front of him.

“I never wanted to be a hero. I never wanted to shine by overcoming hardship.”

Everyone has their own Tao.

If the most perfect thing is the Tao, then the most perfect thing cannot be the Tao.

That is why the perfect culmination of life, revered by all, could never be Baek Cheon’s Tao.

“What I truly wished for was…”

Crack.

The world began to fracture.

A faint crack spread rapidly and massively, covering the entire world in the blink of an eye. Everything started to collapse. And beyond that broken world, what Baek Cheon faced was his father, Jin Chobaek.

No, it was Jin Geumryong’s face. Or rather, Jin Eunryong’s face. No, that wasn’t it either. It was Zhongnan.

The place where his life had begun—everything flashed past him. It trembled like a wave, blew past like wind, and vanished like a dream.

And in the space left by everything that vanished, new things began to take their place.

A steep mountain, an old and crumbling temple.

Elderly men in shabby clothes, and young men smiling with innocence.

The smell of earth, the chill of early morning air.

At the end of this dream-like scene, Baek Cheon saw the backs of several people. Only their backs were visible, yet Baek Cheon knew exactly who they were. Even after hundreds of years, even if his soul were to wear away to nothing, he could never fail to recognize them.

Baek Cheon faintly smiled.

It was different from the radiant smile he had once worn, thinking he had achieved everything. This one was faint, perhaps even a little sheepish—small and genuine.

“Yes, all I ever really wanted… was to find the place where I belong.”

He took one step forward. Then another.

With no hesitation, he walked to where he naturally ought to be.

The place he should be. The place he had always longed to be.

The place where Baek Cheon could be Baek Cheon.

Slash!

At last, blood burst forth.

As Baek Sang collapsed in shock at the sight, a tremendous light suddenly engulfed them all.

‘What… is this?’

It was radiant, yet gentle. A light so mysterious that even calling it “auspicious” didn’t do it justice.

‘Sahyung?’

Baek Sang instinctively understood. The one radiating this light—was none other than Baek Cheon.

Something was happening. He had no way of knowing or guessing what exactly, but one thing was certain: something enormous and beyond his understanding was unfolding.

Baek Sang felt like he might go blind at any moment but forced his eyes open even wider. Amidst the brilliance, a figure slowly came into view. Even with all his effort, he could barely confirm that it was shaped like a person—the form was that hazy.

Even so, Baek Sang felt it in his bones.

He had to protect this moment—no matter what.

Meanwhile, the Evil Tyrant Alliance warriors felt exactly the opposite of what Baek Sang did.

“S-Stop it! Stop it nowwwww!”

Of course, the Evil Tyrant Alliance warriors also didn’t know exactly what was happening. But they could instinctively feel one thing: if they didn’t stop this right now, they would face consequences they could not handle.

Their bodies reacted faster than their thoughts. Like moths drawn to a flame, they charged toward the heart of the light.

Baek Sang’s eyes flew wide open.

‘No—Don’t!’

For moths flying toward fire, only death awaits. But these were not moths, and the light that enveloped Baek Cheon, though dazzling, was not fire—it would not harm people.

Baek Sang tried to launch himself forward, but his body no longer listened. Desperate, he hurled the sword in his hand. It flew true, stabbing squarely into one of the Evil Tyrant Alliance warriors’ backs.

But that was all he could do.

‘Please!’

For the first time, Baek Sang looked to the heavens.

He had survived countless crises before. Lived through them all. But to come all this way, only to face such an ending—wasn’t this far too cruel? How could heaven be so merciless?

The Evil Tyrant Alliance warriors swung their swords fiercely at the glowing figure. That human-shaped light looked like it might shatter into pieces at any moment.

At that instant—

“Hwaaaaaap!”

Someone answered Baek Sang’s desperate plea—not the heavens, but perhaps someone moved by their own desperation.

Fwooosh!

White sword energy scattered like snow over the Evil Tyrant Alliance warriors’ heads.

That snowy white energy blended with the radiance, appearing both present and ethereal, and instantly swept away the Evil Tyrant Alliance warriors.

“Gyaaaaaah!”

Those who had been charging were flung away, bloodied and broken.

And in the space that opened up, a man descended.

Bathed in the brilliant light, he had finally found the very thing he had searched so long for.

“These bastards… how dare they…”

Jin Geumryong of Zhongnan scowled like a wrathful demon as he glared at the Evil Tyrant Alliance warriors.

“You dared raise a blade against a bloodline of the Jin family? You’ll pay for it. None of you will die easily.”

Growling like an enraged tiger, he gripped his sword tighter.

Snow-like sword energy began to swirl in the air.

Next Chapter

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