Return of the Mount Hua Sect

It is now an old city (??(古都)) that has lost its former glory, but even so, Nakyang is still Nakyang. Its brightly lit night streets attracted countless moths who were tired of life.

“Ugh… I’m getting drunk.”

“Kikik, you’ve gotten a lot weaker! How much have you had?”

“Hng. I’m far from done. I can drink till dawn.”

“Tsk, tsk. Bragging with an empty wallet… Ugh! What the—!”

The drunk man, who had been staggering around, fell to the ground with a thud. He had bumped shoulders with someone passing by.

“This guy is insane…!”

The man’s mouth, which was about to scream reflexively, closed like a clam in an instant.

“….”

The passerby briefly looked down at him. His face wasn’t particularly menacing, nor was his build overwhelmingly large.

Yet, the man who had fallen could only tremble, unable to even breathe.

It wasn’t because his guts were small. Anyone who saw the dozens of sword cuts on his face would have the same reaction as the man.

“Uh… Uhh…”

His friend, who had just sobered up, quickly ran over and bowed violently.

“I apologize! This friend was very drunk…”

“….”

“I, I will apologize on his behalf, Great Personage!”

Just as the shoulder of the person who was staring at the two drunken men with his cold eyes seemed about to move, someone beside him placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Don’t waste time. Let’s go.”

“….”

The man full of sword cuts then licked his lips.

He stared at them with eyes that were hard to tell what he was thinking, but then turned away without saying a word.

Then the person who tried to dissuade the man giggled and said to the drunken man.

“It looks like there’s a gambling house up ahead. Why don’t you guys try your luck? You seem to be really lucky today.”

“….”

“No, it isn’t. Maybe you’ve used up all your lifetime luck? Could be, since you’ve met a Blood Dao Murderer (???(血刀煞)) and survived.”

The man who had been mumbling to himself hurriedly quickened his pace to follow the one ahead.

“….”

The drunks, now completely sober, wiped off the cold sweat that had trickled down their foreheads.

“What kind of… face is that?”

“Did you see the look in his eyes?”

“A- A man of Kangho, right?”

“Of course he is.”

For commoners, encountering people of Kangho is not a common occurrence.

“Why are the people of Kangho here…. huh?”

The man who was mumbling absently flinched and tensed his shoulders. It was because a large dao was hanging from the waist of the person who had just passed by him.

“….”

It’s not just the dao.

A jagged spear rises above the back of the person walking in front, and the man behind, who has a huge body that appears to have extraordinary strength at a glance, also walks with great strides.

“Wha- What’s going on?”

Everyone who passed by was giving off an eerie vibe.

Other people seemed to sense it too, as they began to retreat to the side of the road, holding their breaths.

“Did a war break out?”

“Where did all these people of Kangho come from?”

As people with scary faces began to appear here and there, the commoners glanced at them with a feeling of half curiosity and half fear.

But there was someone who watched this spectacle with an entirely different perspective.

‘…Blood Dao Murderer, Iron Ghost (??(鐵鬼)), Revolving Spear Ghost (????(廻旋槍鬼)), Nine Abyss Swordsman (????(九幽劍客))? Damn, what’s all this?’

Seeing various unparalleled martial masters from the Evil Sects gathering, the facial expression of Gwak Pyeong (??(藿倂)), head of the Nakyang branch of Beggar Union, turned ashen.

If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, he would never have believed that these people could gather in one place. Because people of Evil Sects are basically more wary of and dislike the same Evil Sects than the Righteous Sects.

‘We, we need to call for backup.’

But to put it the other way around, it means that something big enough to bring people who are fighting against each other together in one place is happening.

Gwak Pyeong, who was scared and was about to turn around, saw something that caught his eye and froze in place.

“Uh… Eh…?”

I could clearly see the face of a man walking over there.

“So- So- Soul…. Soul-Severing Blood Hand (????(斷魂血手))….”

Gwak Pyeong’s face turned pale.

If what he had seen so far were people who had made a name for themselves among Gangnam’s Evil Sects, Soul-Severing Blood Hand is a ‘big shot’ who cannot even be compared to them.

The middle-aged man, who appeared skinny and fragile, slowly walked by and then briefly glanced at Gwak Pyeong.

“….”

As soon as their eyes met, Gwak Pyeong’s whole body cooled as if it had fallen into an ice cave.

‘Did, did he recognize me…’

However, that was it.

Even though Soul-Severing Blood Hand surely would have recognized him as a Gaebang member, he showed no particular interest and passed by.

“….”

Gwak Pyeong, who lost strength in his legs, collapsed on the spot.

“Bra- Branch Leader-nimn.”

“Are you all right?”

The beggars who were behind quickly ran up and supported him.

“…What on Earth is happening here?”

Instead of answering, Gwak Pyeong chased the back of the Evil Sects with his eyes.

As they walked down the main street, the towering of Hwahwa Pavilion stood tall.

The top floor of a pavilion is a place where only the richest guests are received, and it is no exaggeration to say that the status of a pavilion depends on how extravagantly the top floor is decorated.

Hwahwa Pavilion’s top floor, in line with its reputation as the best in Nakyang, was also beautifully adorned with extravagant decorations.

However,

The top floor of Hwahwa Pavilion, which should normally be noisy with the sound of gold being struck and the laughter of gisaengs, was now filled with dead silence.

“….”

Those sitting on chairs that looked expensive at first glance looked straight ahead in silence.

It was an interesting scene.

At least twenty people were sitting on the top floor of Hwahwa Pavilion at the moment. However, no one opened their mouths first, and none of them met each other’s eyes.

They know.

Although they are called “Evil Sects”, they were never meant to get along in the first place. Why should people who swing swords at each other, even stabbing each other in the back to claim more territory, be on good terms?

It was even more surprising that even though this many people were gathered in one place, there was no stabbing.

They had gathered for a reason today, and to avoid unnecessary conflict, they tried their best not to provoke each other.

However… the silence lasted so long that eventually, someone couldn’t hold back anymore.

“For God’s sake! How long are we supposed to wait!”

Jade Snake Dao (碧蛇刀) Jin Ryang (??(眞自)) burst out shouting. They had been here for almost half an hour, yet the one who summoned them was nowhere to be found.

Naturally, it was frustrating.

However, not everyone seemed to share this sentiment.

“Stop causing a ruckus, you brat.”

“…What did you say?”

“It means shut your mouth before I stab the dao at your waist in your mouth.”

A murderous look appeared in Jade Snake Dao’s eyes.

“Do you have the ability to do that, Red Monster (??(赤怪))?”

As Jade Snake Dao growled, Red Monster chuckled.

“It’s not easy for me to deal with Jade Snake Dao alone.”

“You know it well.”

“But there might be around ten people here who can jam a sword into your mouth. Know your place and shut up.”

“You son of a….”

Just as Jade Snake Dao was about to lash out.

“Noisy.”

“….”

Jade Snake Dao shut his mouth.

His eyes met those of Soul-Severing Blood Hand, seated at the far end. Seeing the expressionless face whose true intentions were hard to guess, the Jade Snake Dao flushed his face but sat back down in his seat without saying a word.

Although he was so infamous in Zhejiang (??) that his name alone made a child stop crying, he could not dare to offend that Soul-Severing Blood Hand.

In Kangho, the strong command respect (???(强者尊)).

And this law was even more strictly observed in the world of Evil Sects.

“But….”

At that time, Soul-Severing Blood Hand opened his mouth with a little annoyance.

“This is indeed boring. Gangseo Seven Murderer doesn’t treat his guests well.”

“If you were guests, you would have been treated as such.”

At that moment, the door behind them swung open, and seven men walked in. All eyes instantly turned toward them.

‘They’re… ‘

‘…Indeed.’

The world is vast and wide.

Not everyone who has a reputation knows each other. Even if they recognize each other’s monikers or fame.

And those who saw Gangseo Seven Murderer for the first time today involuntarily nodded their heads.

Iron Ghost twisted the corner of his mouth.

‘The rumor wasn’t exaggerated.’

A tingling aura powerful enough to make one’s fingertips tingle.

Gangseo Seven Murderer. Seven sworn brothers who are called the envoys of Gangseo Province.

Each and every one of them were people who could build a tower with notoriety.

It was inevitable that they would have to confront each other. If a mountain can’t have two tigers, then having seven tigers would naturally lead to hell on earth.

However, instead of fighting each other to death, Gangseo Seven Murderer became brothers.

Their numbers may be only seven, but at that moment, a powerful group was born that no force under heaven could easily mess with.

Especially….

‘Is that person the First Murderer, the Ruthless Ghost Dao Gal Cheonrip?’

The moment they saw the person walking in with a languid expression at the front, everyone felt their muscles tighten. It was as if their bodies instinctively knew the danger of this individual and were sounding a warning.

Thump. Thump.

Gal Cheonrip, who was at the front, swiveled his body around and smirked at everyone.

“Good to see you, you pieces of trash. No… Should I call you bastards who turned their tails and ran away instead of pieces of trash?”

“This…”

Everyone’s face was hardened at the sudden outpouring of swear words.

“Didn’t know spitting while lying down was your hobby.”

Gal Cheonrip laughed out loud as Iron Ghost coldly retorted.

“You have a point. Let’s say hello first. I’m Gal Cheonrip, First Dog (??(一犬)) of Gangseo Seven Sight (????(江西七見)).”

The others who had their arms folded slightly nodded their heads.

Everyone here already knew that he was Gal Cheonrip even if they didn’t hear him. First of all, his momentum is different.

“Let’s get down to business.”

Gal Cheonrip opened his mouth as if there was no need for formalities.

“The fact that these guys who live for their own pride took such heavy steps to get here means that your gut is glued to your back, right? You ran away from wolves in the Gangnam and came up to Gangbuk, only to find out that this is where the tigers reside.”

Everyone here is a person who moved to Gangbuk because they did not want to fall under the control of the Evil Tyrant Alliance.

Jang Ilso offered only submission or death as an option.

But there was no way paradise could be found where they fled.

Although it was not as brutal as Gangnam, Gangbuk was a place where it was even more difficult to breathe. Every time they try to do something, the damned Shaolin, the Tang Family, and Beggar Union would madly rush over and keep watch.

Although they didn’t specifically open their mouths to say anything, everyone was feeling deeply sick of this reality.

That’s why they responded to the call of Gal Cheonrip. Had the situation not been so, these people would never have gathered face to face.

Especially since they came to Gangbuk in the first place because they hated being in groups.

“Quit the nonsense and speak. Why did you call us here?”

At the words of Soul-Severing Blood Hand, Gal Cheonrip’s eyes lit up.

“If the renowned Soul-Severing Blood Hand asks, I must answer. The reason I called you is simple. I’m running out of money.”

Those words brought laughter from all over the place.

“So what? You want us to lend you money?”

“I may be a beggar, but you all are beggars too, right? A beggar can’t lend to another beggar. Instead…”

A bluish gleam poured out of Gal Cheonrip’s eyes.

“It’s better to kill and take.”

At his icy voice, even the air inside began to grow colder.