Chapter 1925 - Return of The Mount Hua Sect

Chapter 1925. What Is It That You Desire? (5)

Yoon Jong’s eyes tightened with tension.

Come to think of it, there was no real reason for him to be nervous. Hadn’t he seen Jo Geol rush at Cheong Myeong and get thoroughly beaten countless times already?

And yet, he couldn’t easily shake off the tension rising within him. That was probably because this match was clearly different in nature from all the ones before.

Jo Geol was strong. Incomparably stronger than he had been in the past. Even Yoon Jong could now do little more than exchange swords with him. If one had to name the person who had progressed the most through this war, it would undoubtedly be Jo Geol.

And so, even as he felt tense, he found himself curious.

‘How close has Geol-ie gotten to that bastard Cheong Myeong now?’

Would this match once again do nothing more than confirm the vast gulf between them? Or, unlike before, would Jo Geol at least be able to step on his shadow?

Yoon Jong lightly clenched his fist as he watched the two men facing each other.

And Jo Geol, standing at the end of that gaze, was even more tense than Yoon Jong realized.

‘This is driving me insane.’

Gripping his sword tightly, Jo Geol stared at the man before him.

Mount Hua Chivalrous Sword, Cheong Myeong.

The man standing before him with a sword in hand was someone impossibly familiar, someone he knew better than almost anyone. Yet now, instead of his usual carefree attitude, Cheong Myeong stood squarely in a middle guard stance, staring directly at him.

‘I can’t breathe!’

It felt as though every muscle in his body had tightened and his airway was being squeezed shut.

‘Of course it does.’

The man before him was his fellow disciples. But at the same time, he was undeniably one of the greatest swordsmen under heaven. There was no way he could face someone like that without feeling pressured.

And yet, now of all times, that pressure and burden were welcome. Because it meant Cheong Myeong was taking him seriously.

‘Petty tricks won’t work against him.’

Against an opponent like this, there was only one thing Jo Geol could do.

“Hooo...”

Lightly. Lighter still. No, rather than lightly, freely.

FInally, Jo Geol kicked off the ground.

Paaaat!

A terrifyingly swift sword. A swift sword strike carrying enough force that it was hard to believe this was merely a spar. Like a streak of light, it shot toward Cheong Myeong.

The beam that seemed poised to pierce Cheong Myeong split into dozens of streams in the blink of an eye. Then it savagely targeted his entire body.

Cheong Myeong's sword unfolded far more slowly than Jo Geol's. Yet it blocked every single one of the sword shadows flying toward him without missing a single strike. It did not appear fast. But neither was it slow. It was simply a sword that existed exactly where it needed to be when it needed to be there. Watching that sword technique—something fundamentally different—Jo Geol bit down on his lip.

Paaat!

Jo Geol’s sword cut through the air again without hesitation.

Faster. Even faster. The swift sword, pushed to its absolute limit, targeted Cheong Myeong’s throat at a speed greater than ever before.

Kaaang!

Yet once again, Cheong Myeong casually raised his sword and naturally intercepted the tip of Jo Geol’s blade.

At that moment, Jo Geol’s extended sword withdrew ever so slightly. Then its tip burst apart into dozens of strikes like exploding fireworks, spreading outward as if to pierce Cheong Myeong’s entire body. It was a sword strike akin to releasing more than a dozen arrows simultaneously at point-blank range.

No matter who the opponent was—even Cheong Myeong—it should have been impossible to block them all—

‘Huh?’

Jo Geol’s eyes widened.

Cheong Myeong’s sword dipped downward. It seemed to tremble lightly. Then dozens of plum blossoms bloomed in an instant, filling the entire space between them. The sword qi, covered in plum blossoms so deep a crimson that they seemed as though they would stain one's hand red if touched, melted away without a trace in the blink of an eye, like snow beneath the spring sun.

At that moment, the reason Jo Geol twisted his head aside may not have been skill alone. Just as Cheong Myeong knew him well, he knew Cheong Myeong well too.

Sword qi that shot through the plum blossoms grazed Jo Geol's cheek. A burning sensation followed, and soon something warm trickled down his face.

Had he been even a little slower, his face would have been pierced through. If he had not known Cheong Myeong so well, he would certainly have been caught by that move. No, the fact that he had seen it coming and still failed to avoid it completely spoke volumes about the gap between him and Cheong Myeong.

“Haha.”

A hollow laugh escaped him.

Strong. Absurdly strong.

At the same time, a despair difficult to put into words washed over him.

He had already faced opponents strong enough to inspire despair many times. In the Northern Sea, on the Yangtze River, and even in Hangzhou.

But the ‘swordsman’ standing before him now was different from those people in a way that defied comparison. The opponents he had faced until now had overwhelmed him with power, speed, and an ideal level of skill beyond his reach. But the one before him now felt like some kind of existence that could never be grasped by hand.

Something that existed, yet did not exist. Something that could never be reached.....

“An Immortal...?”

Hearing Jo Geol’s murmur, Yoon Jong tilted his head and stared in his direction. But Jo Geol merely adjusted his grip on his sword and smiled bitterly.

‘It doesn’t matter.’

Whether the thing standing before him was an Immortal—or rather, a Sword Immortal—or some kind of monster, all he could do was swing his sword. If he could not reach him, then he would become faster. And if that still wasn’t enough, then faster still.

[Sword Immortal. geomseon. 검선(劍仙).]

“Haaap!”

Jo Geol closed the distance between them in a single burst. At the same time, he unleashed the fastest sword qi he could possibly produce.

Kaaang! Kaang!

The moment his sword qi was blocked once again by Cheong Myeong’s sword, a sharp blue light burst from Jo Geol’s eyes. Jo Geol’s sword shot forward like lightning once more, and Cheong Myeong lightly tilted his head aside to avoid it.

‘Now!’

From the tip of Jo Geol's sword, which had just passed by Cheong Myeong, a crimson plum blossom flared into bloom.

The pinnacle of swift swordsmanship. Jo Geol’s own method of making plum blossoms bloom within a fleeting instant.

The new sword art that belonged to Jo Geol alone, forged through the war against the Evil Tyrant Alliance, revealed itself at that moment.

Of course, the plum blossom was imperfect. Its petals were incomplete, neither clean nor vivid. But a plum blossom blooming suddenly from an unexpected angle was threatening enough on its own.

No matter how skillful Cheong Myeong was, surely he couldn’t deal with this move so easily. His attention would inevitably be drawn to the plum blossom blooming behind him.

‘I’ve got—‘

But at that very moment, Cheong Myeong stepped forward.

‘What?’

Puhk!

Before he could even understand what had happened, Cheong Myeong’s open palm struck him squarely on the jaw. The impact was so dizzying that Jo Geol staggered backward several steps.

Drip.

Blood ran from his nose.

“Hah...”

Only then did he grasp what had happened, and a hollow laugh escaped him.

‘So it wasn't you who got distracted by the plum blossoms behind you... it was me?’

Still laughing bitterly, he clenched his teeth so hard they creaked. Self-loathing and despair at the gap between them mixed together, burning inside him like he’d swallowed hot charcoal.

“This...”

Just as Jo Geol was about to raise his sword again, a voice colder than cold—one stripped of all emotion—cut into his ears.

“Pouring everything out and feeling relieved afterward. That’s not necessarily a bad thing.”

Jo Geol froze.

It wasn’t mockery. Nor was it advice casually offered.

The swordsman before him was still looking at him with exactly the same eyes as before.

And from that brief sentence, Jo Geol suddenly realized what he had been doing.

‘Was I trying to decide the outcome of this fight?’

Had he unconsciously intended to vent his frustrations now that he finally had an opponent against whom he could unleash his sword freely?

No, that was certainly not the case.

Jo Geol slowly steadied his breathing. Then he fixed a calmer gaze on Cheong Myeong. Only then did Cheong Myeong give the faintest nod.

Jo Geol’s sword slowly traced Mount Hua’s opening stance. Slowly. As though taking its very first steps, it lightly tapped at Cheong Myeong.

The sword that had begun slowly and lightly gradually gained speed. Accelerating again and again, it soon began repeating the same sword form at a terrifying velocity.

Cheong Myeong narrowed his eyes.

The speed was enough to make one’s head spin. Even Cheong Myeong, who had been mentally prepared, found himself holding his breath for a moment.

But Cheong Myeong already knew. The real thing was something else.

Paat.

The absurdly fast sword suddenly began to change. The sword path that had been thrusting straight forward abruptly curved and shot toward Cheong Myeong’s neck.

Cheong Myeong swiftly drew back his sword and blocked the incoming sword qi. Had he not known beforehand and prepared for it, even Cheong Myeong would have been caught off guard.

Drawing back his sword, he watched the incoming sword qi carefully. One after another, the sword qi began to leave their original paths. The moment Jo Geol released the sword he had been forcefully restraining, dozens of sword qi flying toward Cheong Myeong twisted wildly of their own accord in midair.

Watching it, Cheong Myeong couldn’t help but let out a dry laugh.

‘This is practically...’

Cheong Myeong’s sword unleashed streams of crimson plum blossoms.

‘…an Unorthodox sword.’ [Jo Geol is called sapa lmao]

Kagagagagagang!

Dozens of sword qi tracing sinister trajectories slammed into the plum-blossom sword qi. Yet even then, some of the more powerful sword qi pierced through the thin plum-blossom sword qi and finally grazed Cheong Myeong’s body.

Slash.

His robe was cut, and a thin red line appeared across his skin. The smile on Cheong Myeong’s face deepened.

What would Cheong Mun have said if he saw this sword? The very same Cheong Mun who had clicked his tongue at Cheong Myeong’s sword and call it overflowing with murderous intent. Even so, would he still have acknowledged it as Mount Hua’s sword? Or would he have denounced it as heresy and tried to suppress it?

Well, there was no real need to ponder that now. Cheong Mun was gone. And the one judging this sword now was none other than Cheong Myeong himself.

“Haaaaaap!”

Suddenly, Jo Geol’s sword surged forward with tremendous force. Crimson sword qi followed its path, scattering scarlet plum-blossom petals in its wake like lingering afterimages.

Baring his teeth, Cheong Myeong swung his own sword with all his might toward Jo Geol’s blade.

KWAAAAAANG!

Jo Geol’s body was blasted backward like an arrow loosed from a bow.

Even after rolling across the ground several times, he couldn’t fully absorb the force. Grabbing his wrist, he groaned.

“Ugh... Thought it was going to break.”

But only for a moment. Jo Geol sprang to his feet and immediately asked, his face full of anticipation.

“Well? What do you think?”

“Hmm.”

Cheong Myeong smirked.

“A fast sword you can’t control yourself is no different from a killing sword. It’ll kill your enemies, and one day it’ll kill your sahyung too.”

Jo Geol’s spirits dampened slightly, and he nodded.

“I know. That’s why I’m worried.”

“.....”

“Maybe it’d be better to give up on this sword altogether? The more I think about it, the more it feels like I was influenced too much by those unorthodox sect bastards.”

“Unorthodox sect?”

“Well, yeah.”

Jo Geol clicked his tongue bitterly.

“We spent all that time trying so desperately to kill each other. It’s only natural for killing intent to seep into my sword.”

Cheong Myeong stared at him blankly for a moment before bursting into laughter.

“What are you laughing at?”

“That’s enough, idiot.”

Cheong Myeong let out a long sigh.

“No matter how much it gets battered by hail, lashed by the wind, or even scorched by spreading flames, a great tree doesn’t become a reed. Its roots are different.”

“Huh?”

“Your sword came from Mount Hua. Going through a few things isn’t enough to turn it into a unorthodox sword.”

Jo Geol stared blankly at him, then nodded with a stiff expression.

“….Then why is it like this? Deadly sword strikes keep springing out of their own accord, and I can’t keep them under control.”

“Because you’re trying to control them.”

“What are you talking about? If I don’t control them, it’s dangerous.”

“That’s not the real problem.”

“Huh?”

Cheong Myeong extended his sword straight ahead.

“Making plum blossoms bloom from the tip of your sword. Not a bad idea.”

“It just sort of came out by accident while I was fighting...”

“But why does it have to?”

“...What?”

“Do you know when plum blossoms bloom, sahyung?”

“What kind of obvious question is that? Plum blossoms bloom in early spring.”

Cheong Myeong shook his head.

“No. I’m asking whether you know when each individual plum blossom opens its bud.”

“That...”

Jo Geol fell silent. Who in the world had ever stood there and watched something like that happen?

“That’s what blooming is like. If you try to watch for it, you don’t see it. But before you know it, it’s bloomed, and before you know it, it’s fallen. Countless fleeting instants.”

As he listened, Jo Geol’s mouth slowly fell open. Cheong Myeong continued calmly.

“You can’t force blooming to follow your will. You adjust yourself to the blooming instead. If a flower wants to bloom, just let it. But instead, you’re trying to forcibly stop it and control it....”

Cheong Myeong trailed off and looked at Jo Geol.

Jo Geol was staring into the distant sky, frozen like a statue. Without anyone noticing, he had already sunk deep into contemplation, left behind in his own mental landscape.

Yoon Jong let out a sigh and walked over.

“Looks like standing guard is my job again.”

[Tl note: 호법은 또 내 몫이지. Literally “protecting the Dharma”. In murim contexts, it often means standing guard over someone while they meditate, cultivate, or enter a state of enlightenment, protecting them from external interference.]

“You okay with that?”

“Looking after a troublesome saje is a sahyung’s duty, I suppose. If I’d known it’d be like this, I should’ve joined Mount Hua as the youngest.”

“Wouldn’t that have been even worse?”

“...Ugh. Fair point.”

Yoon Jong plopped down beside Jo Geol and crossed his legs into a meditative posture. Cheong Myeong was about to say something, but Yoon Jong spoke first.

“Just in case, don’t jump to conclusions.”

“...What’s that supposed to mean all of a sudden?”

“I don't want that kind of thing.”

Yoon Jong shrugged his shoulders.

“If there are people walking new paths, then there also need to be people who stubbornly keep walking the old ones. That’s what makes a sect.”

“That’s not what I was going to say.”

“I was just saying, just in case.”

Yoon Jong smiled faintly.

“Go ahead. You’re probably busy.”

“Yeah.”

Cheong Myeong took a few steps away from Jo Geol and Yoon Jong, then turned his head.

“Sahyung.”

“Hm?”

“Thanks.”

“That’s a strange thing to hear from you.”

Cheong Myeong took several more steps before looking back again.

Jo Geol was gazing at the distant sky. Beside him sat Yoon Jong, rooted in place like a great tree. For some reason, that scene carved itself deeply into Cheong Myeong’s mind.

After watching them for a long while, Cheong Myeong finally turned away with a faint smile.

When did those little trees grow so large?

There was a strange lightness in Cheong Myeong steps as he walked on.

❀ ❀ ❀

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)