Return of Mount Hua Sect - Chapter 768
“Let’s see.”
A smile crept onto the face of Im Sobyong, overlooking the battlefield from the cliff.
“It will be over soon. Well, it’s too much manpower for one Water Fortress to handle.”
It is true that Nokrim lost some of its power due to the rebellion of several mountain strongholds, including the Daebyeolchae, but the name of the Five Great Evil Sect is too heavy to be devalued to that extent.
Of course, the opponents were also the Water Fortress of Yangtze River, a member of the Five Great Evil Sect, but they were nothing more than small fries when compared to the Nokchae led by the Nokrim King, so they were helpless.
“Nokrim King.”
“Hm?”
The elder of the Nokchae, who had been standing next to him, frowned slightly and opened his mouth.
“I couldn’t possibly dare to guess the lofty will of Nokrim King…….”
“I know, I know! You’re asking why we are fighting against these ghosts of the Yangtze River, right? When we haven’t even finished our internal maintenance, too.”
“…That’s right.”
“What can I do? He wants me to come.”
Im Sobyong’s gaze stealthily moved towards Chung Myung. Watching Chung Myung running wild like a tiger made him burst into laughter.
“If you don’t want to die, you do as you’re told.”
“…Nokrim King. I dare to speak…”
The elder said with a stiff face.
“Nokrim King is the head of the Seventy-Two Stronghold of Nokrim, the ruler of all mountains in Jungwon, and a member of the Five Great Evil Sect.”
“I’m aware.”
“Why would someone like you, with such a young disciple from Mount Hua Sect…”
“First Elder.”
“Yes, Nokrim King.”
“Mind your words.”
Nokrim King laughed lightly, but the elder couldn’t smile. Because he read the warning in his eyes.
“People become wise as they age, but they also become stupid, they simultaneously find themselves ensnared by their own conventional thinking. Does it displease you that I lend a keen ear to the words of the youthful disciple?”
“…I don’t mean that…”
“Well, it may indeed be displeasing. It annoys me from time to time.”
“…Pardon?”
Im Sobyong seemed irritated as he fanned himself thoughtfully.
“They send a single letter, ordering us to gather all our forces, and head to Kugang immediately! Not even the damned Emperor would dare give me such a command. What do they think people are, damn it!”
Upon hearing his complaints, the elder’s face twisted strangely.
‘But… You followed that order, didn’t you, Nokrim King? And you did it by scraping together whatever you could find…’
Im Sobyong then shrugged his shoulders.
“But what can I do? The man who wrote said letter is Mount Hua Divine Dragon.”
And said with a sly smile.
“One must possess the discernment to read the signs of the times. Had I, as the Nokrim King, clung rigidly to my pride and prestige, wouldn’t I have perished long ago, reduced to a lifeless corpse, serving as fertile compost?”
“H- How could that be…”
“Gambling isn’t fun if it’s done in small amounts. You have to take all the money you have and don’t have and risk it to the point of disgrace. Only then can you win big when you win.”
Im Sobyong laughed, twisting the corners of his mouth.
“That man is the bet I’m making. Who knows, thanks to that yangban, both I and Nokrim might be in a different position than before.”
A curious aspiration was burning in his eyes.
“Oh, and really, be careful what you say in front of that man. He doesn’t discriminate between men and women, old and young.”
“….”
The elder, even though he closed his mouth, couldn’t shake off the feeling that something was going wrong with Nokrim.
“Keuaaat!”
The claw sword (조도(爪刀)) of Barbarous Black Fish split the air like a bolt of lightning.
It looked like a venomous leopard swinging its claws, but the intimidation from that massive body was incomparable to a mere leopard.
Kagagagagak!
The three blades at the end of the iron fist glove (권갑(拳鉀)) rattled against each other, creating an extremely threatening noise.
Barbarous Black Fish. A title referring to a cruel and barbaric snakehead fish.
Snakehead fish are more vicious creatures than people think. If it’s just in the river, not the sea, there are hardly any natural enemies of the snakehead fish.
A tyrant of the river who devours everything he sees. Even just by looking at his nickname, it was possible to know the position that Yeo Gwang-gye had in the Yangtze River.
Kagagagagak!
The claw swords attached at the end of the fist interlocked like scissors.
‘This little brat!’
Barbarous Black Fish was confident of victory.
He wasn’t one to overestimate himself, nor a man who underestimated his enemy. And he wasn’t careless just because his opponent was young.
He who belittles the river is eventually eaten by it. Surviving the river, he is one of the people who knows best to be cautious.
Even so, the reason he was confident of victory was none other than that the young Chung Myung was a swordsman.
Kagak!
His claw swords were not ordinary weapons.
In general, rather than the familiar Eighteen Martial Arts Weapons (십팔반병기(十八般兵器)) such as swords, spears, swords, and staff, they were bizarre weapons that were rarely encountered. It is commonly referred to as the Unconventional Martial Arts Weapons (기문병기(奇門兵器)).
Although there is a disadvantage that the depth is shallow and less general-purpose compared to the weapons used by the people of Kangho, they are bound to exert strengths that cannot be compared to ordinary weapons in certain situations.
The characteristic of claw swords that the Barbarous Black Fish thought was that they were ridiculously strong when dealing with swords.
Since it’s shorter than a sword, it can’t exhibit its advantages as a long weapon, but as it is shorter, more delicate movements are possible, and the crossed blades can capture the sword.
If you just wedge a sword between the blades and suppress it, even the master swords warrior is nothing. Moreover, he has two claw swords, one in each hand.
In front of him, those who boasted brilliant swordsmanship were all suppressed, their swords held at bay, and died spilling their intestines as they were pierced by the other claw sword.
Even if Chung Myung is a stronger master swords warrior than that, he will never lose as long as the opponent is a swordsman. That was the confidence of Barbarous Black Fish.
‘I’ll rip your stomach to death!’
He can’t forgive this one guy. Isn’t everything messed up because of this guy!
If he abandons the Water Fortress like this and runs away, there is no guarantee that he can rebuild it again. No, maybe he’ll have to run for the rest of his life to avoid the pursuit of the furious Black Dragon King. All that anxiety and anger were poured onto him thanks to Chung Myung.
“Dieeee!”
His claw sword moved fiercely after Chung Myung’s whole body.
However, Chung Myung dodged his attacks that aimed to scratch his body without any effort.
“You flying squirrel! How long are you going to run? Is that fine sword of yours just for decoration?”
“Oh, really? You want to see?”
At that moment, Chung Myung distanced himself with a leap, then laughed softly.
“If you really want to see, I’ll show you. What Mount Hua’s sword is.”
Barbarous Black Fish distorted his face. But this was just a facade, inwardly he was delighted.
‘Got you, you dumb idiot!’
It doesn’t matter what kind of swordsmanship. Any formidable swordsmanship ultimately comes from one sword. If he just comes to attack, he will be able to seize the sword in one go.
“You bastaaaaaaaaaaard!”
As soon as the roar of Barbarous Black Fish disguised as anger rang out, Chung Myung’s sword began to move.
Pareururu.
The tip of the sword trembled very lightly. The tremble grew, and soon the sword began to overlap, appearing as if there were dozens, hundreds of swords.
‘Huh?’
A look of confusion bloomed in Barbarous Black Fish’s eyes.
‘N- No!’
There’s no need to panic.
Hadn’t he already seen the swordsmanship used by these Mount Hua guys several times? It’s flashy and splendid, but it’s almost devoid of substance.
If he receives it calmly without being dazzled, there is no reason why he can’t withstand it…
At that moment.
Chung Myung’s sword, which swelled countless times, spread out like being fanned out into the air, soon flowers began to bloom at the tips of all those many swords.
Like plum blossoms blooming all at once from a plum tree with outstretched branches.
‘Re- Receive it…’
Barbarous Black Fish’s face turned pitch black in an instant.
The blooming flowers fluttered in the wind and flew towards him in unison.
Flower Garden (화원(花園)). It is as if the world is covered with flowers.
All he could see were the blue sky and the petals fluttering and covering the sky.
Receive?
What? What the hell is he supposed to receive?
All he can see is petals.
He has already seen the swordsmanship?
Even the same martial arts differ in intensity depending on who uses them. Arhat Fist, performed by a novice monk, and Arhat Fist, performed by the old monk of Shaolin, are the same but completely different.
Why had he forgotten that obvious fact?
Piiit!
The flying plum petal grazed his face.
A red stream of blood flowed down his face as his nose was sliced. But Barbarous Black Fish couldn’t even feel the pain.
Sogok! Sogok! Sogok! Sogok!
Red blood spouted sporadically as all parts of his body were cut.
“U- Uaaaarghhh!”
Barbarous Black Fish screamed and clenched his teeth.
He too is seasoned in combat. He knew exactly what he had to do now.
He would die the moment he retreated.
The moment he faltered and retreated, these petals would relentlessly tear him and turn him into rags.
The place to go isn’t the back, but the front!
Barbarous Black Fish, raising all his internal strength, focused on both arms and abdomen. Crossing his arms to protect his head, he pushed forward and forward.
“Aaaaaaaaah!”
Sogok! Sogok! Sogok!
The plum blossoms ruthlessly sliced his arms and legs. It felt as if he was struggling in a pit filled with blades. The terrible agony that he felt throughout his body made his mind fuzzy.
‘Ju- Just once!’
Black flames soared in the eyes of Barbarous Black Fish.
Sogok!
In an instant, another cut in the side of his neck and a stream of blood spurt out.
Sogok!
His side was gashed open lengthwise. It was undoubtedly a severe wound that exposed the bone.
Sogok! Sogok!
The plum blossom that stuck into his body wasn’t as deadly as the passing petals, but it still managed to penetrate at least an inch into his muscular body.
‘J- Just one step!’
Barbarous Black Fish, whose entire body was so injured that it would be faster to find an area without wounds, let out a beast-like scream and pierced the wall of petals in front of him with his own body.
“Euuuaaaaaa!”
Paaaat!
The only place on his blood-stained face that was not red was his sharply defined eyes.
And finally, he caught sight of Chung Myung and roared.
“You damn bastard!”
His claw sword, striking down like lightning, aimed for Chung Myung’s head.
At that moment, Chung Myung raised his retrieved sword and blocked Barbarous Black Fish’s claw sword.
Kaaaang!
Two weapons collided in the air.
Kagak! Kagagak!
This was the moment Barbarous Black Fish had been aiming for from the start of the battle.
As if he would not miss his last chance, Barbarous Black Fish put all his strength into his Jodo, pressing Chung Myung’s sword. His momentum was such that it seemed like he might break it in one blow.
Gagagak! Gagagagak!
As the claw sword and the Dark Fragrance Plum Blossom Sword were entangled, Chung Myung’s blade stopped.
‘I’ve… got you, you rat!’
Barbarous Black Fish’s eyes glistened with murderous intent.
“Dieeeeeee!”
He swung his free right hand wildly. It was a movement that seemed to cleave Chung Myung in half horizontally.
However, At that moment.
Kuuuung!
A fierce collision of energy caused the wind to blow all around, and as if in response to that energy, a cloud of dust rose up.
After a while, the scene that unfolded at the moment when the cloud of dust slowly subsided was completely different from the previous situation.
Barbarous Black Fish.
He, who was almost about to slice Chung Myung’s belly, was now kneeling on one knee, crossing both his hands and holding the claw sword to contain Chung Myung’s sword. No, it was rather more of a struggle with both hands.
And in front of him, Chung Myung was pressing down his sword with indifferent eyes.
“Didn’t want to show any tricks in case someone would say I’m acting like a pirate.”
“Kkeuk…Kkeuuk….”
It was a truly bizarre sight.
Chung Myung was just pressing down the sword he held with one hand, not seeming to exert much strength.
On the other hand, Barbarous Black Fish, which was twice as big as Chung Myung, was exerting strength to the point where veins in his entire body were about to burst.
Nevertheless, Chung Myung’s sword cannot be pushed back.
“Keuuk….”
Udeuk! Udeudeuk! Udeuk!
Barbarous Black Fish’s arms screamed.
Blood gushed out insanely from the wounds all over his body, and the terrifying sound of his bones being crushed could be heard.
Chung Myung looked down at the scene with an arrogant gaze and twisted the corner of his mouth.
“You idiot.”
Chung Myung’s sword exploded with a sunset-colored energy, and at once cut off the claw sword blocking his sword.
Paaaat!
Chung Myung, who had suddenly appeared behind Barbarous Black Fish, flicked the blood off his sword onto the ground.
“….”
Tuk. Tuduk.
The cut part of the claw sword fell to the ground.
A moment later, following the red line that had formed from the top of Barbarous Black Fish’s head to his groin, blood spurted out like a fountain.
“Un…believable….”
Chwaaaaak!
Barbarous Black Fish’s body, which split into two sides, fell to the ground with a thud.
Seureureung.
Chung Myung, indifferent, spoke quietly without looking back.
“Regret touching Mount Hua in hell for eternity.”
It was a cold voice that announced the end of the battle.