Return of Mount Hua Sect - Chapter 526
Sogok!
The sound of the sword slicing through the spine was audible.
The trembling Cultist collapsed slowly over the snow field.
“He… Heavenly Demon…Advent, Blessing…..”
His mantra did not last until the end.
Baek Cheon removed the blood from his sword and replaced it with the scabbard after confirming the death of the last Cultist.
Killing a man couldn’t have been easier, no matter how much the other person was a demonic cultist. Furthermore, someone who calls himself a Taoist should not be apathetic.
He was about to turn around after closing his eyes and lightly wishing the other person peace of mind.
Puuk!
“You filthy Cultist bastard!”
The harsh voice that Baek Cheon heard surprised him.
The Ice Clan Warriors charged into the body of the fallen Demonic cultist, stabbing it with their swords and cursing it.
Baek Cheon frowned and attempted to speak, but quickly shook his head.
‘No matter what I say, they won’t listen.’
Countless Ice Clan Warriors were sacrificed before all of Magyo’s forces were defeated. It would be impossible to convince those who saw the gruesome death of a colleague with their own eyes. He just hoped their anger isn’t too excessive.
“Sasuk.”
Then Yoon Jong, Jo-Gol, Yoo Iseol, Tang So-so, and Hye Yeon all approached him.
Seeing them hurt here and there, he could feel how terrible this battle was.
Yoon Jong, who was at the forefront, wiped the blood off his face and opened his mouth.
“I think we’ve knocked down everyone who invaded.”
“Hmm.”
Baek Cheon nodded his head slightly and looked around.
‘It’s terrible.’
The snow-covered Ice Clan was already dark red with the blood of the Ice Clan Warriors and the Cultist. Considering that most of these were blood shed by the Ice Clan Warriors, it was not that he couldn’t understand the anger he had just seen.
“Magyo…..”
Baek Cheon bit his lip slightly and said.
“They were really scary.”
“…I agree.”
Not only Yoon Jong but also Jo-Gol, who usually does not lose his energy, shook his head with a sickened face.
Who can deny it? Even Baek Cheon was still struggling to calm his trembling fingertips.
Magyo were different from what any of Mount Hua’s disciples have ever been through. The terrible malice and horrifying madness still seemed pressing down on their bodies.
“….We thought too easily of the existence of Magyo.”
Everyone felt it through this incident.
Why the name “Magyo” is passed down as the epitome of fear and death even after 100 years.
“What would have happened to us without Chung Myung…….”
Baek Cheon nodded silently at Yoon Jong’s words.
If Chung Myung hadn’t completely reversed the flow of the battle, sacrifices would have increased endlessly. No, maybe the history of the North Sea Ice Clan ended today.
He has done a hell of a job.
But at the same time, it was also true that questions were raised.
‘How the hell can he do this without a hitch? No, more than that, why did he know so much about Magyo?’
Their pride in knowing Chung Myung enough was now overshadowed. After going through this battle, they wondered if they even knew anything about him.
Baek Cheon’s eyes naturally turned toward the fortress.
Then, his eyes met Han Yi-myung and Yosa Hon, who was just approaching them.
The two, who approached with pale faces, hesitated for a moment. It seemed that they couldn’t open their mouth easily. Baek Cheon understood their reaction. After that all happened, how can they speak so easily?
After a little hesitation, Han Yi-myung expressed deep gratitude first.
“You…. No, we’re more than grateful for the help of the Mount Hua Sect. The North Sea Ice Clan has been greatly indebted.”
It was a sincere greeting.
Baek Cheon’s gaze glanced at Yosa Hon, standing behind Han Yi-myung. In this situation, Yosa Hon should be the one to say this. However, all he had to do was keep his mouth shut and avoid eye contact.
“There’s nothing to thank.”
Baek Cheon, who pulled his disheveled sleeves slightly and straightened his clothes, greeted Han Yi-Myung in return.
“As a disciple of the Mount Hua Sect, and as a martial artist seeking Righteousness, we just did what we had to do.”
It was such a polite tone. It was so polite that it felt a little cold, like he was drawing a line.
Han Yi-myung closed his eyes unknowingly when he saw such Baek Cheon.
Thinking about their conversation about Magyo the other times, he felt like hiding in a rat hole.
‘What if they left before Magyo came in?’
Perhaps Han Yi-myung will never see the sun rising again. And it was clear that the Ice Clan must have also suffered an irreparable blow.
How can he describe the feeling of being saved from those who they pushed away?
“… It’s just, I’m sorry.”
Yosa Hon’s face grew redder as Han Yi-Myung bowed his head. Still, he can’t say it in his mouth because he’s ashamed, but he doesn’t like the situation where Han Yi-Myung bowed his head.
“I didn’t know that Magyo were so dangerous. I thought I understood it in my head, but I actually didn’t know anything. Please blame me for being stupid.”
Baek Cheon was about to say something but shut his mouth.
If it were the usual him, he would have said it was the same for Mount Hua Sect that they were not completely aware of the fear of Magyo. However, considering what they did to Chung Myung, he couldn’t bring himself to say it.
Baek Cheon just chanted ho in a low voice.
‘It’s difficult.’
The fact that the resentment against them does not easily subside, despite their status as Taoists, must mean that they still lack discipline.
But he didn’t bother to cast off his coldness.
“I don’t know in what words to express my gratitude to the disciples of Mount Hua Sect for raising their sword for the Ice Clan’s sake, even though the Ice Clan has committed great disrespect.”
He just listened to Han Yi-myung quietly and looked around.
The surrounding Ice Clan Warriors looked at them with different eyes than before. They, who had been looking at Mount Hua’s disciples with eyes mixed with fear and wariness, now looked at them with subtle admiration and awe.
‘This is….’
Baek Cheon sighed in frustration.
Of course, he knew very well that Kangho was a place where he eventually had to prove himself through force. However, the reality he faced with his eyes was sometimes colder than he thought.
“…. Let’s fix this first.”
Ultimately, he couldn’t find anything to say, so he tried to organize the situation. Then a soft voice stuck in his ear.
“Sahyung.”
“Hm?”
“There.”
Yoo Iseol chinned towards the fortress. The gate opened and Chung Myung walked out of it.
“Chung Myung…..”
Baek Cheon, who was about to exclaim, ‘You are safe, Chung Myung-ah!’, couldn’t even say half of his words and closed his mouth.
It was because he saw Chung Myung dragging something in each of his hands.
“People?”
‘No, is it a corpse?’
It doesn’t matter what it is.
The important thing was not the identity of what Chung Myung was dragging out, but his expression. It was cold enough for even Baek Cheon to feel the chill on his face.
Step. Step.
Every time he moved slowly, the warriors of the Ice Clan hurriedly opened the way left and right, pressed by the momentum.
Jijijil.
He approached Mount Hua’s disciples in a straight path and formed a line.
Then he threw the corpse in his both hands at Yosa Hon’s feet.
Thump! Thump!
Surprised Yosa Hon opened his eyes wide.
“Wha- What the hell is this….?”
Two headless corpses tumbled across the ground.
“A- Aren’t these the Elders of the Ice Clan?”
He can’t recognize it exactly because it doesn’t have a neck, but it was clear from the uniform that it was the Elder of the Ice Clan.
What the hell happened that he was dragging the body of the decapitated Elder of the Ice Clan?
Yosa Hon looked at Chung Myung and the bodies alternately, unable to speak. His face gradually grew angry.
“What the hell is this……!”
Although he couldn’t stand it and tried to raise his voice, Chung Myung’s eyes, which were full of eerie malice, blocked his mouth.
“Heavenly Demon Advent, Blessing For All Demon.”
“…..”
“That was their will.”
Han Yi-myung looked at Chung Myung with disbelief on his face.
“I thought they were rotten, but I never imagined that the Elder of the Ice Clan would have been of Magyo.”
Chung Myung spoke as if he were chewing and then gritted his teeth.
He wouldn’t have missed the Envoy if it weren’t for them. Unrelenting anger poured into Yosa Hon and Han Yi-myung.
“I- I can’t believe it!”
Yosa Hon stuttered and trembled.
“Even if they were Seol Chonsang’s subordinate…… they are still the dignified Elder of the North Sea Ice Clan! How can such people collude with Magyo? There must be some misunderstanding…….”
“Keep talking.”
Wrath rose in Chung Myung’s eyes.
“I’ll tear your mouth apart, so keep talking.”
“…, Wha- What a rude remark…..”
“The dignified Elder of the Ice Clan?”
Chung Myung laughed coldly as if he had heard a ridiculous joke.
“So what did this dignified Ice Clan do?”
“…..”
“These morons…….”
Chung Myung grabbed his sword tightly. Yosa Hon unwittingly backed away at sight.
Who here hasn’t seen Chung Myung’s martial art?
What would happen the moment that sword was pulled out was too obvious.
White-faced Yosa Hon shouted like a scream.
“Are you going to persecute the Ice Clan for something unclear right now? Is this what Mount Hua Sect will?”
His eyes were on Baek Cheon, not Chung Myung. It seemed to mean to stop Chung Myung.
But Baek Cheon just stared at him with cold eyes.
“Wha- What!”
The cornered Yosa Hon looked back at the Ice Clan Warriors.
“What are you doing! Can’t you see that foreigners are now hurting the Elders of the Ice Clan? I want you to subdue them right now…….”
“Elder-nim!”
Han Yi-myung who couldn’t bear it anymore, shouted in a sharp voice.
“Don’t talk recklessly! Before something irreversible happens!”
“…..”
Yosa Hon kept backing away with a tired look.
Chung Myung showed his teeth when he saw him like that.
“No, keep talking.”
“…I- It can’t be. The- They couldn’t have colluded with Magyo!”
His screaming voice was desperate.
Seol Chonsang joined hands with Magyo, but it was close to a “deal” with a clear line. Therefore, it was possible to draw a line with the Demonic Cult as long as Seol Chonsang was expelled.
However, the fact that the Elders of the Ice Clan died protecting a cultist is impossible to excuse.
He has to deny it. He must never admit it. That they deeply intertwined…….
At that moment, however, a voice like a bolt out of the blue sky came to his ears.
“Elder-nim, step down.”
Yosa Hon, with his mouth wide open, turned his head.
Seol So-baek, the Head of the Ice Clan, was walking toward them.
His face was pale as if he had suffered too much shock from this war, but his firm mouth, resembling that of the previous Clan Leader, showed utmost determination.
“There’s no denying it. Because I saw it with these two eyes.”
“Cla- Clan Leader?”
“I saw with my own eyes that they were attacking Chung Myung Dojang, covering the Cultist.”
“Clan Leader!”
Yosa Hon roared loudly.
“What do you mean! What the hell did you see! Does Clan Leader know what you’re talking about at all!”
And then he began to pour out his words frantically.
“Couldn’t Clan Leader have misunderstood?! A- Are you shocked by this chaotic situation….?”
“Stop it!”
Seol So-baek bit his lip and glared at Yosa Hon.
“If Elder-nim truly thinks of me as the Clan Leader, You mustn’t question what I’ve seen and heard with my own eyes in front of so many people!”
“Cla- Clan Leader…..”
Seol So-baek’s face was already cold.
“There’s something that Chung Myung Dojang told me before. The Ice Clan became like this not because of Magyo, but because of people like you.”
“…..”
“Now I know what that means. The one who runs away even in front of the enemy! A person who is in a hurry to hide his disgrace and has no self-reflection! A person who turns his head away from a crisis for immediate comfort!”
Seol So-baek’s voice, which resonated in the silence, seemed like crying or screaming.
“Is this the reality of the Ice Clan?”
Han Yi-myung’s eyelashes trembled even though they were tightly closed.
He would have denied and refuted it if it had been before Magyo invaded. He would have made an excuse.
But the reality he saw today wasn’t that different either. They forgot about the soul of the Ice Clan people and threw away things that should not be lost because of peace.
Seol So-baek turned his head and looked directly at Chung Myung.
“Chung Myung Dojang.”
“…..”
“You said they were going to get Ice Crystal and resurrect Heavenly Demon, right?”
“Yeah.”
Seol So-baek nodded at Chung Myung’s short reply.
“As the Leader of the Ice Clan, I would like to lead the North Sea Ice Clan and strike Magyo.”
And he slowly knelt down in front of Chung Myung. Murmur then spread like wildfire.
“Cl- Clan Leader!”
“Just what!”
“Noisy!”
But with Seol So-baek’s cry, the surroundings were quiet again. Seol So-baek, who glared at everyone with a sad face unlike a child, looked at Chung Myung again and said.
“… But the power of the Ice Clan is not enough. Please lend me the power of Mount Hua Sect. Ice Clan…. No, we must defeat them for the sake of the North Sea. Whatever they’re trying to do, the North Sea will soon be drowned in blood at this rate. Therefore, please help the North Sea! I beg you!”
He lowered his head as if he would hit his forehead on the ground at any moment. No, he was going to.
But his body soon floated into the air.
“…..”
Before he knew it, Chung Myung grabbed him by the back of his neck and lifted him up.
“Chu- Chung Myung Dojang?”
“It’s hard for the kids because adults can’t live up to their age.”
Chung Myung, who laid Seol So-baek well on the ground, glanced up at the distant sky.
‘That’s d*mn right.’
His stomach is upset.
It was not because he missed the Envoy or saw the Ice Clan’s disgrace.
It was because it seemed that he had seen with his own eyes how the young disciples of Mount Hua Sect, who had lost their senior, would have faced the invasion of Magyo.
Perhaps Mount Hua Sect at that time also earnestly asked for help like Seol So-baek. To those who believed, to those who trusted. There must have been hoped and faith in the corner of their heart.
But for Mount Hua Sect at that time, no one in the world reached out.
No one.
“… Don’t bow your head.”
“Yes?”
Chung Myung clasped his fist tightly.
“I was going to do that even if you didn’t ask me this much.”
Chung Myung turned his head and looked at Baek Cheon.
Baek Cheon bit his lips as if about to say something and eventually sighed.
“….I got it, you damn thing.”
When his permission was given, Mount Hua’s disciples shone their eyes as if they understood Chung Myung’s mind.
“Honestly, I’m reluctant to leave them alone.”
Yoon Jong said firmly.
“I feel ashamed because it felt like we’re running away.”
Jo-Gol smirked and added.
“Punish.”
“Sago says that the Demonic Cult must be punished!”
“….Soso, I understand even if you don’t explain it.”
“Amitabha.”
Hye Yeon chanted and nodded.
“I thought that if it was Chung Myung Siju, of course, you would say that.”
There was a faint smile around his mouth. Two eyes full of trust stared at Chung Myung.
He knows.
In a way, it is stupid. If you were to die fighting Magyo in this distant land of the North Sea, who in the world would praise your death?
No one would blame them even if they just left as it is.
No, in common sense, it is right to head to Jungwon immediately. Everyone here was fully aware of that fact.
But.
No one was willing to do that ‘right’ thing.
“At the request of the Clan Leader of the North Sea Ice Clan.”
Baek Cheon opened his mouth with a determined face.
“Mount Hua Sect, and Shaolin, will participate in the subjugation of the Demonic Cult.”
To follow the path of the heart without regard for reasoning (이(理)) nor self-interest (리(利)) in one’s actions.
The world calls it ‘Chivalry’. (협의(俠義))