Chapter 1935 - Return of The Mount Hua Sect

Chapter 1935. Anyone Else Have Something to Say? (5)

Just as Hyeon Jong unconsciously began to rise from his seat, Hyeon Sang firmly pressed a hand onto his shoulder.

Then he shook his head resolutely.

“You said you wouldn’t step in.”

“....Mm.”

Hyeon Jong let out a strained groan, like a man whose throat had gone dry.

Yes, he had promised not to intervene. No matter what happened here, this once, he would leave Cheong Myeong to handle it.

And yet the reason Hyeon Jong had nearly stood up was neither because he had forgotten that promise nor because he regarded the vow he had made with Cheong Myeong lightly.

‘Cheong Myeong-ah.’

Hyeon Jong clenched his fist tightly.

‘If things continue like this.... won’t you end up bearing all the infamy Mount Hua earns because of this.... all by yourself?’

Hyeon Jong reproached himself inwardly for failing to foresee this. But now, all he could do was watch. Before he realized it, his eyes had become fixed upon Cheong Myeong’s back as he stood one step ahead of Un Am.

✿ ✿ ✿

The Hundred-Faced Fox, Cho Geosan, deliberately put on a look of bewilderment, mixed with apparent embarrassment. Yet it could not be said that it was all an act. For inwardly, he truly had been caught off guard by Cheong Myeong’s response.

‘He’s really going this far?’

He had imagined countless possibilities. How would Mount Hua respond?

But among all the scenarios the Hundred-Faced Fox had envisioned, not one involved them turning the tables and calling out the Phantom Divine Lord directly.

That was why. For the first time in a while, the Hundred-Faced Fox found himself at a loss for words.

Looking at that figure, whose confidence bordered on sheer arrogance, he briefly wondered whether he had made some grave miscalculation.

The Phantom Divine Lord, however, was different.

If the Hundred-Faced Fox was a difficult and complicated man, then the Phantom Divine Lord was a simple one.

Why Cheong Myeong had chosen to act this way was of no importance to the Phantom Divine Lord. The only thing that mattered was that, before a gathering attended by most of the sect leaders under Heaven, a mere young junior dared make light of him.

“How dare you...!”

Just as the Phantom Divine Lord was about to thunderously rebuke Cheong Myeong’s insolence, the Hundred-Faced Fox hurriedly stepped in.

“Hahaha. I have long heard of the Mount Hua Chivalrous Sword’s reputation.”

Even as he sensed the Phantom Divine Lord turning toward him with a face full of anger, the Hundred-Faced Fox continued without pause.

“However, I do find myself somewhat concerned. Everyone gathered here belongs to a generation senior to yours, Dojang. Might not such aggressive words and conduct tarnish the lofty reputation of the Mount Hua Chivalrous Sword—”

“You don’t have to wag your tongue that hard. We already know you’re all talk, so that’s enough.”

“....Pardon?”

The Hundred-Faced Fox stared at Cheong Myeong, his bewilderment plainly written across his face.

“Pfft.”

At that expression, several sect leaders burst into laughter. They knew this was hardly the place for it, yet they couldn’t suppress the laughter that escaped them. Cheong Myeong shrugged his shoulders as if to say “See?”.

“See? Everyone already knows.”

Then, casting an indifferent glance at the Hundred-Faced Fox, he continued.

“Thanks for your concern, but that’s my problem to deal with. If you’re not planning to come at me together with him, then just sit quietly. Everyone already knows you’re only prancing around because you’ve got a tiger at your back. If I took someone like you seriously, I’d just make a fool of myself. Isn’t that right?”

“W-What are you talking about...?”

Cheong Myeong smiled at the Hundred-Faced Fox.

“Then what? Going to prove you’re not really a fox now? Against me? Wow, that’s some courage. The bastards from the unorthodox sects who died in the war would leap out of their graves just to applaud you.”

Clap. Clap. Clap. Clap.

Cheong Myeong applauded with exaggerated enthusiasm. The longer the applause continued, the wider the Hundred-Faced Fox’s mouth fell open.

‘What kind of lunatic is this...!’

The mockery itself was not the problem. The Hundred-Faced Fox had survived long enough in the jianghu to become thoroughly seasoned. If this much ridicule were enough to make him lose his temper and ruin everything, he would never have been worthy of the name Hundred-Faced Fox.

The real problem was where this mockery was taking place. No matter how insane a man might be, who could have imagined anyone behaving like this at an alliance gathering attended by the sect leaders of the world?

Whether this was the right response or the wrong one, no one could tell.

But one thing was certain. With just a few mocking words, the initiative that the Hundred-Faced Fox had worked so hard to seize had shifted into Cheong Myeong’s hands.

“D-Dojang. Before the seniors of the jianghu—”

“Enough.”

As the Hundred-Faced Fox desperately tried to salvage the situation somehow, the Phantom Divine Lord cut him off in an angry voice.

The Hundred-Faced Fox cast him a pleading look, but the Phantom Divine Lord did not even spare him a glance.

If he hesitated any longer here, the world would remember the Phantom Divine Lord as nothing more than a tiger hiding behind a fox. No, would they even remember him as a tiger?

“So, the young brat never learned any manners at all.”

The Phantom Divine Lord slowly rose from his seat.

“I am Yeo Mugwang, the Phantom Divine Lord.”

Several sect leaders drew sharp breaths and began murmuring among themselves.

“The Phantom Divine Lord?”

“You mean that Phantom Divine Lord, one of the Three Absolutes?”

The Three Absolutes Under Heaven.

[cheonhasamjeol. 천하삼절(天下三絶). Literally “The Three Absolutes Under Heaven.” A title once bestowed upon the three greatest martial artists of an earlier generation.]

Once, it had been a title that represented the jianghu itself. Now, it was a name buried beneath the passage of time. Yet to those gathered here, that name still carried extraordinary weight. After all, were they not the living witnesses to the age when the names of the Three Absolutes had resounded throughout the world?

“I had intended to let it pass if possible. Though I secluded myself and remained ignorant of what transpired, it is nevertheless true that I failed to lend my strength despite such a great calamity befalling the world.”

A subtle yet overwhelming aura began to flow from the Phantom Divine Lord.

At that, the faces of the surrounding sect leaders gradually turned pale. A violently surging aura, backed by overwhelming internal qi. None of them were martial artists who could be looked down upon. Even so, enduring such immense internal qi was simply impossible.

“That is why I believed I owed Mount Hua—owed you—a debt. You did what I should rightfully have done in my stead.”

Cheong Myeong merely stared at the Phantom Divine Lord as if to say, Go on.

“But... your arrogance is far too great to be repaid with that debt alone. What should I do? Would it not be only fitting to repay that debt by teaching a child who knows not how high the heavens stand just how high they truly are!”

The Phantom Divine Lord’s voice crashed through the hall like a thunderbolt.

Outwardly, it appeared to be nothing more than a senior of the jianghu reprimanding an ill-mannered junior. But the seasoned sect leaders gathered here all understood. This entire spectacle was the Phantom Divine Lord staking his claim to the title of the greatest under Heaven.

If that was so, how would the greatest swordsman of the current age answer such an open challenge?

“Ah. I see.”

Someone couldn’t help but feel deflated by Cheong Myeong’s response.

Even as the Phantom Divine Lord unleashed such overwhelming killing intent, Cheong Myeong merely dug a finger into his ear, half-listening and half-not, a reaction utterly unlike what those hoping for a serious contest had expected.

But most were aghast because they understood just how vicious an insult that lackluster response truly was. It would almost have been better had he cursed to the man’s face and flown into a rage than openly disregard a senior whose name had echoed throughout the jianghu long before he himself had even been born.

And that junior wasn’t even finished.

“Well now, the more I hear, the stranger it sounds.”

“Stranger?”

“Yeah. Really strange.”

Cheong Myeong grinned.

“It’s one hell of a coincidence, isn’t it? Your seclusion just happened to never end while countless people across the world were dropping dead... and then, miraculously, the moment the war ended, it ended too.”

Cheong Myeong gave another shrug, sounding genuinely impressed.

“Anyone who didn’t know better might get the wrong idea. They might think some gentleman hid himself like a rat because he was afraid he’d crawl out only to get himself killed... then the moment he heard the war was over, he rushed out saying, ‘Perfect timing,’ and started clearing his throat and throwing his weight around.”

“Y-You insolent...! What nonsense are you spewing?”

The Phantom Divine Lord’s face turned crimson. At the same time, he involuntarily glanced around. For he was still human. He could not help but care how the other sect leaders had received those words.

“Oh, of course, I’m just saying. I don’t know who this Three Absolutes or Three-Legs fellow is, but judging by everyone’s reactions, he must’ve been a pretty famous senior. Surely someone like that wouldn’t shamelessly do something so disgraceful. No decent human being could.”

[tl note: Cheong Myeong intentionally mispronounces Three Absolutes (Samjeol, 삼절(三絶)) as the similar-sounding (Sambal (삼발)), mocking the title by pretending he can’t even remember it correctly, lmao]

“……”

“But there is one thing I’m genuinely curious about.”

Cheong Myeong flashed another grin.

“If the war hadn’t ended, would you really have broken your seclusion and come out? I don’t think you would’ve.”

The sect leaders’ faces turned white as paper.

Wasn’t this simply too rude? Even those who secretly thought Cheong Myeong had a point found themselves clicking their tongues. To expose it this bluntly before so many people was going far too far.

Ordinarily, at least one of them might have shown signs of disapproval.

“Pfft. Khehe.”

But the sudden sound left them no chance. Every head turned toward the source of the laughter.

“Ah, my apologies. This damned chronic illness of mine, it makes me cough...”

“That damned unorthodox bastard. Can’t even mind the occasion. Tsk.”

“And who was it that had his head down a second ago, grinning from ear to ear?”

Watching Im Sobyeong and Hong Daegwang bicker as though everyone else’s stares meant nothing, the sect leaders found themselves speechless. And then, all at once, they realized something.

They realized that, among those gathered here, there were a number of people wearing unmistakably cynical smiles. And that most of them were the very people who had truly fought with their lives on the line in the last war.

Even the disciples of Mount Hua lined up behind Cheong Myeong wore mocking smiles—or, at the very least, smiles as cold as winter. Seeing that, the sect leaders ultimately had no choice but to remain silent.

“Y-You...”

The Phantom Divine Lord, having likewise sensed the shift in atmosphere, twisted his face into that of a ferocious fiend.

“You bastard... not even a dog would bother biting you...”

[TL Note: 개도 안 물어 갈 놈 is a Korean insult literally meaning “the sort of bastard not even a dog would bother biting”. It expresses utter contempt, implying someone is so worthless that even a dog wouldn’t bother with them.]

“Huh? Why are you suddenly cursing? Did I happen to hit a sore spot?”

Cheong Myeong chuckled at the sight of the Phantom Divine Lord’s face turning red one moment and blue the next.

“Ah, and one more thing I’m curious about. If this weren’t Mount Hua, but the headquarters of the Evil Tyrant Alliance, with Paegun sitting there after winning the war, would you still be throwing around curses like that?”

“You wretch!”

The Phantom Divine Lord roared as though seized by a fit.

“What a foolish question. Do you think mere curses would’ve sufficed? Had that Paegun still been alive, I would’ve killed him with my own hands and restored justice to the jianghu!”

“Who? You? Kill Paegun? Hahahahahaha!”

Cheong Myeong burst into laughter as if finding it absurd. After laughing so long that tears welled in his eyes, he finally sneered.

“Haa... Sure, that bastard really was a piece of work. If he were still alive, I’d want to kill him one more time myself. But... at least he fought with his life on the line, you know? Unlike some rat hiding in a dark hole, doing nothing but waiting for an opportunity.”

The expression vanished from the Phantom Divine Lord’s face. His fury had reached such an extreme that it had instead settled into terrifying calm.

“Oh? Looks like you’re really angry now?”

Cheong Myeong raised a finger and pointed it at him. Then he casually curled it once in a beckoning gesture.

“So quit talking and come out already.”

“.....”

“Uh, wait? Aah! Was your grand plan to prove it by waiting until I die of old age? Going back into seclusion again, are you?”

No matter how composed a person might be, after suffering humiliation to this extent, they could not help but draw their sword. And the Phantom Divine Lord was not someone anyone could honestly call composed.

“Very well.”

Bang!

It was a bizarre sight.

Everyone present heard it clearly, the sound of the Phantom Divine Lord kicking off the ground. Yet at the same time, not a single person saw him fly toward the training ground.

The instant they registered the sound, the Phantom Divine Lord was already standing atop the arena.

“...Good heavens.”

Someone’s involuntary gasp spoke for everyone present. A speed so great that not even his trail could be followed. Just how powerful did a person have to be to move like that?

Standing a mere one zhang before Cheong Myeong, the Phantom Divine Lord silently glared at him before grinding out the words.

[note: A traditional unit of length, approximately 3,3 meters (10.8 feet).]

“Say it again.”

“.....”

When Cheong Myeong gave no reply, the Phantom Divine Lord growled once more.

“Let’s see if you can spout the same nonsense to my face. Go on, say it again—”

“Oh. Rat. Cowardly bastard. Hypocrite. Craven. Blowhard. Doddering old idiot who’s lived so long he doesn’t even know what dignity is anymore.”

“.....”

“Want me to keep going?”

The Phantom Divine Lord’s eyes trembled. It was easy for everyone to recognize that the emotion filling those eyes was murderous intent.

Yet the one standing directly before that murderous intent merely grinned. Then, with even greater mockery, Cheong Myeong continued.

“Oh dear, how scary. You’re even releasing killing intent. If you had this much energy to spare, wouldn’t it have been nice if you’d come out sooner and taken at least one more head off those unorthodox bastards?”

“Hoo...”

After a brief silence, the Phantom God let out a deep sigh and gritted his teeth.

“Do not regret this, you litte taoist brat. I have given you every opportunity. From this point on, even if I tear you limb from limb, not a single soul under Heaven will dare condemn me.”

“Hngh. I’m still gonna beat you first, even if people do condemn me. Oh, and don’t worry.”

Cheong Myeong tilted his neck from side to side before smiling.

“I won’t tear you apart. Doesn’t look like you’ve got that many years left anyway.”

Only then did the Phantom Divine Lord realize his mistake. He should never have exchanged words with this accursed bastard in the first place.

“Draw your sword. I have no desire to kill an unarmed opponent.”

“Huh? Really?”

“What?”

Cheong Myeong let out a small scoff at Phantom Divine Lord’s stupid questioning. Then he lifted the sword at his waist—still inside its scabbard—and rested it across his shoulder.

“Why would I bother drawing my sword just to catch one rat? The scabbard’s more than enough.”

“Y-You...! Even now...!”

“Ugh, come on. Quit wasting time and get over here. Ah, and try to remember your age. I know from experience that you really need to be careful with your bones. Even if I don’t mean to kill you, your joints are so brittle you might die from a single hit.”

The Phantom Divine Lord bit down so hard that blood seeped from his gums.

“Do not expect another shred of mercy from these hands. You damned taoist brat!”

As he listened to that shout, packed to the brim with suppressed fury, Cheong Myeong smiled. It was, truly, a smile of complete satisfaction.

❀ ❀ ❀

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)