Chapter 1974 - Return of The Mount Hua Sect

Chapter 1974. That’s Not How the Story Went. (4)

A thought occurred to him anew.

‘Just how strong is samae?’

He had thought he knew, and in truth, he did know.

Yoo Iseol was sometimes stronger than Baek Cheon, and sometimes fell short of him. That was what it meant for people who learned the same martial arts to advance toward the same goal.

They endlessly pressed forward, sometimes moving ahead of one another, sometimes falling behind, spurring each other on along the way. That was the proper relationship between martial siblings.

‘But…… is that really so?’

The reason he had begun to question what he had taken for granted wasn’t anything particularly extraordinary.

It was because he had almost never personally felt that he was stronger than Yoo Iseol. Baek Cheon had even crossed a wall and advanced to another level. By the world’s standards, he had reached the threshold of the Transcendent Realm, yet even now, it was still the same.

[Hwagyeong. 화경(化境). Literally translated as the “Realm of Transformation” or “Transcendent Realm.”]

Step. Step.

Yoo Iseol walked toward Heavenly Executioner with her usual movements. Even with an truly powerful enemy standing before her eyes, she seemed not to feel the slightest burden.

“Samae!”

Baek Cheon suddenly shouted at the top of his voice. Contrary to their agreement, Yoo Iseol had charged straight toward Heavenly Executioner.

“Wait……!”

He didn’t know whether she meant that she didn’t need Baek Cheon’s help, or whether she was reproaching him for still being unable to move.

There was only one thing certain. If Baek Cheon wanted to keep pace with Yoo Iseol, he would have to charge forward with all his strength as well.

As Baek Cheon sprinted at full speed, he saw Yoo Iseol’s figure darting right up to Heavenly Executioner.

Her long robe billowed widely. A boundless lightness. A nimbleness so graceful that the word “Flying Swallow” naturally lingered on the tip of his tongue. Soon, Yoo Iseol’s sword split into multiple images, piercing toward Heavenly Executioner’s entire body.

[Biyeon. 비연(飛燕). Literally “flying swallow,” evoking the swift, light, and graceful movement of a swallow in flight.]

Heavenly Executioner, his hand wrapped in pitch-black Demonic qi, swept away the sword shadows flying toward him as though they were beneath his notice.

But at that moment.

Kagak.

‘Hm?’

Heavenly Executioner narrowed his eyes suspiciously. Rather than being deflected, Yoo Iseol’s sword was cutting through the Demonic qi and burrowing into his flesh.

Only then did Heavenly Executioner see the energy lingering within Yoo Iseol’s sword. Between the red energy enveloping the blade, a faint, icy blue light revealed itself.

‘Immortal Qi?’

It was even an immensely powerful Immortal Qi. Even during the previous war, the number of opponents capable of giving their Immortal Qi such a tangible form could be counted on one hand. How could such a young woman possess Immortal Qi that people usually only managed to acquire after walking the Tao of Immortality until the very end of their lifespan……

“You bunch of useless fools!”

Heavenly Executioner gritted his teeth and seized Yoo Iseol’s sword in an instant.

Kagagak!

The sword blade, with Immortal Qi circulating through it, dug into his palm.

But what did that matter?

“What the hell do you take me for!”

Did they think he would be frightened and retreat because of a mere bit of energy like this?

Heavenly Executioner stretched his right hand backward. Demonic qi instantly whirled around that hand, then shot straight toward Yoo Iseol’s side. With a sound that tore through the air, Yoo Iseol’s clothes fluttered as though they would tear at any moment.

Kaaaaang!

Baek Cheon, who had chased after Yoo Iseol with all his strength, thrust out his sword and blocked Heavenly Executioner’s fist. The moment sword and fist met, an irresistible force shoved Baek Cheon’s sword aside. Before he could fully comprehend it in his mind, the insight into softness [Yu. 유(柔)] that he had cultivated manifested on its own, redirecting Heavenly Executioner’s fist.

Kagagagak!

Even so, it amounted to turning its direction by no more than two inches, but he had succeeded in creating enough space for Yoo Iseol to evade.

Perhaps enraged by this response, Heavenly Executioner shot pitch-black Demonic qi toward Baek Cheon’s head. No, he tried to.

In that instant, Yoo Iseol’s body leapt above Heavenly Executioner as though taking flight. It was a speed that would’ve been impossible had she spared even the slightest thought for Heavenly Executioner’s straight punch, which would otherwise have been aimed at her. Without paying the slightest attention to a strike that could easily have punched a hole through her abdomen, Yoo Iseol fiercely thrust her sword down from midair toward Heavenly Executioner’s Baihui acupoint.

[Baekhoehyeol. 백회혈(百會穴). The Baihui point is located at the crown of the head in traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture.]

Swaeaeaeaek.

It was different from simply scattering sword energy.

Her sword, carrying Immortal Qi to its fullest, flew toward a vital point possessed by every human being, with the force of a strike meant to kill in one blow. No matter how powerful Heavenly Executioner was, it was impossible for him to ignore this attack.

In the end, Heavenly Executioner withdrew the palm force he had extended toward Baek Cheon and leaned his body backward. He had evaded Yoo Iseol’s sword.

Seogeok.

Yoo Iseol’s sword grazed Heavenly Executioner’s cheek by a hair’s breadth, leaving a red cut.

At the very moment Heavenly Executioner’s eyes churned with rage, Baek Cheon lunged toward his chest and thrust his sword forward with all his strength. His target was Heavenly Executioner’s eye. The same strike as before.

“You fucking mosquitoes!”

Heavenly Executioner let out an enraged roar.

But he couldn’t easily drive them away as he wished. Both of them were rampaging as though they had put their lives on the line.

‘Why?’

What Heavenly Executioner couldn’t understand was that he was being drawn into their attacks.

A mutual-destruction attack in which they wagered their lives? Honestly, he was so familiar with it that he was sick to death of it. As someone who had always been the stronger one, a mutual-destruction attack had never been anything special to him.

Which was precisely why, conversely, this...... was difficult to dismiss as some trivial mutual-destruction attack.

Rather...... yes, a vicious combined strike formation, with attacks following one after another in an utterly impossible rhythm. That description was more fitting.

(Hapgyeokjin. 합격진(合擊陣). “combined strike formation”, a synchronized battle array that merges the martial force and rhythm of multiple fighters into a cohesive strike.]

At the same time, Baek Cheon’s eyes, too, began to hold a vivid blue light.

‘I understand.’

No, it would be more accurate to say that he could feel it.

What Yoo Iseol was thinking, what attack she would make, where she would stake her life.

Was it because they knew each other well? No. It wasn’t that simple.

Come to think of it, she had always been there. When he first learned Mount Hua’s sword, when he learned and trained, when he fought with his life on the line, and when he agonized and groaned over finding a better sword.

Yoo Iseol had always been there, never far away.

‘Of course. Because we’re martial siblings.’

If it had been a massive sect like Wudang or Shaolin, it would’ve been impossible. To them, martial siblings was a somewhat larger and more encompassing concept.

But Mount Hua was different.

Especially for Mount Hua, whose numbers had dwindled, martial siblings were no different from brothers who shared the same blood. They were people who shared not merely eating, sleeping, and breathing together, but the entirety of their lives.

Baek Cheon opened up his senses to their fullest.

‘Not yet.’

For now, they were merely fighting together. He had to support Yoo Iseol’s sword. All the more so, so that Yoo Iseol could bring her abilities to their fullest.

Baek Cheon spun his body and brought his sword down toward Heavenly Executioner’s head. A strike unleashed with all his strength. It was a sword that didn’t even consider the counterattack that would follow.

There was only one objective. To keep that man’s gaze from leaving him.

‘What should I do?’

With insufficient skill, with inadequate ability, just how was he supposed to face that man……

— So what if the opponent is strong? If you can’t handle his power, just don’t let him use it. Simple as that, isn’t it?

Fwoooosh!

Baek Cheon’s sword came flying in like a flash of lightning.

The sword that until now had been thrust only toward the opponent’s vital points changed its direction. It seized the space before Heavenly Executioner’s fist, which was about to shoot toward Yoo Iseol, and unleashed a fierce energy.

Of course, this wouldn’t be enough to bring Heavenly Executioner down. It would merely prevent Heavenly Executioner’s fist from proceeding along its intended path.

For now, that was enough.

Kwaaaaaang!

Heavenly Executioner’s fist, caught by Baek Cheon’s energy, shifted ever so slightly. At the same time, the palm force he had unleashed grazed Yoo Iseol by a hair’s breadth and caused a massive explosion in midair.

Seogeok!

Without missing that opening, Yoo Iseol swiftly swung her sword and carved a red wound into Heavenly Executioner’s neck.

“You......!”

Heavenly Executioner unleashed three punches toward Yoo Iseol, who hadn’t yet managed to land on the ground. Every single one was a deadly attack that would turn Yoo Iseol’s body into a bloody pulp.

But at that moment, Baek Cheon, unable to retrieve his sword, hurriedly threw his own body forward and slammed into Heavenly Executioner’s elbow.

Tuuuung!

Heavenly Executioner’s attack went astray once again. Yoo Iseol’s sword shot toward Heavenly Executioner’s face like lightning once more.

A vicious chain of consecutive attacks that could only inspire admiration.

But in that instant, Heavenly Executioner’s eyes sank colder than ever. Baek Cheon felt a chilling shudder.

‘Samae?’

Heavenly Executioner’s blackened hand seized Yoo Iseol’s incoming sword. The moment Yoo Iseol’s eyes widened, Heavenly Executioner ignored Baek Cheon and fiercely swung his right hand toward the crown of her head.

‘No.’

It can’t be blocked. It can’t be dodged either.

What flashed through Baek Cheon’s mind as he instinctively realized this was, absurdly enough, a memory from the distant past, one that had already long since passed.

❀ ❀ ❀

“But, you know.”

“......”

“Hey.”

“......”

“I’m talking to you.”

“Ha……”

Cheong Myeong, who was leaning against a tree and leisurely tilting a liquor bottle, reluctantly turned his gaze toward Baek Cheon as though he were dying of annoyance.

“What. What now?”

“No, what’s with that face? When your sasuk asks you something, it’s a sajil’s duty to answer with all sincerity and effort.”

“It’s the other way around, you idiot.”

“Ah, is that so? Anyway.”

Baek Cheon shrugged as though it didn’t matter either way, then opened his mouth.

“Why does Mount Hua’s sword flutter like flower petals?”

“......Huh?”

Cheong Myeong looked at Baek Cheon with his brow furrowed, as though he’d heard the wailing of a ghost. As though he’d been asked why the sky was blue and water was transparent.

Baek Cheon frowned.

“No, isn’t that right? It takes more effort for no reason, and it’s not as though it’s efficient, either.”

“.......”

“I understand that martial arts isn’t merely a means of defeating the enemy, but the embodiment of a concept. But...... even taking that into consideration, this is too......”

“Troublesome?”

Baek Cheon slowly nodded.

“Yeah. I never thought that way when I was only learning Mount Hua’s martial arts, but after understanding Wudang’s martial arts, I could feel it clearly. The heaviness of Shaolin and the softness of Wudang, both are methods for the weak to contend against the strong. But Mount Hua’s splendor, how should I put it....... I can’t help thinking that it’s rather meaningless against a stronger opponent.”

“Hmm.”

“Uh, huh? You agree?”

“No. I was just thinking that even pathetic people can think that way.”

“You little bastard?”

Cheong Myeong took another leisurely sip of liquor. Then he gave Baek Cheon a strange look.

“Why?”

“Sasuk isn’t entirely wrong about that.”

“......Really?”

“Deception itself is one of the methods the weak use to contend against the strong. But Mount Hua’s plum blossoms don’t feel that way. It’s not as though we’re going to scatter flowers and run away.”

“Exactly. If anything, they make the opponent focus even more. That’s why I wonder if this is really right.”

“That’s probably why.”

“Hm?”

When Baek Cheon asked back, Cheong Myeong gave a faint snort of laughter.

“If my goal were to survive, then Wudang’s way would be right. And to uphold the Buddhist way, which holds that enduring is more important than surviving, Shaolin’s way would be appropriate. But Mount Hua, well......”

Cheong Myeong glanced up at the plum blossom tree against which he was leaning.

“Perhaps its purpose is different?”

“What purpose?”

“That’s something sasuk has to think about.”

“What the hell, you bastard. You made it sound like you were going to tell me, then ruined the mood.”

Cheong Myeong chuckled as though teasing him, then took a long, refreshing gulp of liquor.

“Good?”

Annoyed, Baek Cheon needlessly kicked a stone on the ground and sent it bouncing toward Cheong Myeong.

❀ ❀ ❀

Fwoooosh!

Baek Cheon’s sword explosively burst into plum blossoms.

Countless plum blossoms, so splendid and vivid that it was impossible to tear one’s eyes away, instantly filled Heavenly Executioner’s field of vision.

And then Baek Cheon saw it.

Heavenly Executioner, seemingly bewildered by the plum blossoms that had filled the world in an instant, momentarily faltered. The pause lasted no more than an instant, quite literally, but for Yoo Iseol, it was enough.

Fwoooosh.

Yoo Iseol’s sword burrowed into the space where thousands of plum blossom petals were fluttering. Having read the fleeting openings where countless plum blossoms crossed and intersected, she thrust her sword toward the Demonic person’s shoulder without the slightest delay.

Kwadeudeudeuk.

The sword pierced through Heavenly Executioner’s body and emerged on the other side, and from its tip, red blood scattered like celebratory fireworks.

❀ ❀ ❀

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)