Return of the Mount Hua Sect

The sky crumbles overhead. The demonic energy that enveloped everything in darkness descends like hell itself.

A sentence of doom, a manifestation of apocalypse. In that deep despair, the sunset-stained sword moved like a beam of light, or perhaps an illusion. And as a reminiscent of a time long past.

A sword is just a sword. It is nothing more than a cold metal blade.

However, for a swordsman, a sword is not just an emotionless blade. In the end, everything about the wielder is contained.

Perhaps it represents nobility. Perhaps confidence.

And perhaps… At this sword, no, the thing that stayed at the end of this secret blade was….

‘Stretch out.’

True energy, who climbed up on his toes, gathered over his fingertips and into the sword.

A feeling of unity as if the sword and body became one in an instant. The clarity created by excessively sharpened senses. And the great satisfaction that comes from it.

The sword that encapsulates all this simply moves forward.

‘Just once!’

The two eyes of Chung Myung, who held the sword, radiated a fierce murderous intent. A sword can be swung again. Even if it cuts the air, it can be swung again, and one more thrust is all it takes.

But a hidden weapon (??(飛刀)) is a one-strike kill.

Once the hidden blade leaves the fingertips, that’s the end. The opportunity is never given twice. Under pressure that cannot be described simply as extreme, Chung Myung’s sword drew a single line. It seemed as if everything had stopped except for the sword flying in the air.

A line, by nature, connects things. It draws between things that should not touch and connects them as one.

The line drawn by Chung Myung’s sword connects the present where he stands now and the long past that has faded away.

A gap in time where the moment is divided again and again. Thoughts accelerated to an unprecedented level. In a world that was relatively slow, Chung Myung felt a burning thirst.

‘Not enough!’

This isn’t it.

‘It can’t just be this!’

Tang Bo’s hidden weapon that he remembers was by no means such an idiotic blow as this. A hidden blade that seems to carry even the soul in just one release. Like a meteor at dawn, it disappears in a split second, but that is why Tang Bo’s hidden weapon is more brilliant than anything else.

Thus, it must be faster. More precise, and more powerful! Even more so! Further!

At that moment, a phantom-like voice passed through Chung Myung’s ears.

– Taoist Hyung-nim is always in a hurry.

One day in the past, a playful remark Tang Bo had made to him.

– There are countless things Hyung-nim wants to capture. But putting it all together just makes it heavier. Just like Taoist Hyung-nim’s two shoulders. Would Hyung-nim be able to swing a sword properly with shoulders so heavily burdened?

The voice was vividly clear as if it was a whisper right next to him.

– If Hyung-nim wants to properly throw a hidden blade, it’s not about filling it up, but emptying it. Even the flying knife should just be light at its end. The more you want to hold, the more you must empty. Isn’t that the Way (?(道)) that Taoism speaks of? Of course, I don’t know if a thick-headed person like Taoist Hyung-nim can understand that….

Even the sound of laughter mixed with that voice tickles his ears. At this moment, as if one time in the past connected.

-If that becomes possible someday….

Everything that bound Chung Myung is cut off. What remains is just the sensation of the sword at his fingertips. This sensation spread throughout Chung Myung’s entire body.

The hidden weapon (??(物)) and Chung Myung (??(我)) become one (??(一體)).

The sword (?(劍)) and the body (??(身)) are connected (????(合一)).

– I don’t know. Taoist Hyung-nim’s sword might really reach that Heavenly Demon.

Chung Myung advances, cutting through a world stained with darkness. The tip of the hidden blade is aimed at the source of darkness. And the strike is the sword of Mount Hua fired by Chung Myung and the hidden weapon thrown by Tang Bo in the distant past.

Chung Myung, connecting the unconnectable, shot forth as a hidden weapon ((??(滅魔匕))) that extinguishes (?(滅)) demons (?(魔)), targeting the heart of the demon.

‘I am here!’

That’s an undeniable fact. But everything about him is clearly connected to the past.

The sword, which has achieved harmony (??(渾然)), transcended seflessness (??(無我)), and finally reached state of nature (??(自然)), cuts the world as it was supposed to. (??(渾然)? ??? ??(無我)? ??, ??? ??(自然)? ?? ?? ?? ??? ?? ??? ??? ???.)

And at that moment, Jang Ilso and Chung Myung, who turned their heads, met their gazes.

Even in a flow of time that seemed almost stopped, it was clearly visible. The playful smile that Jang Ilso makes.

Jang Ilso raised his arms. It was a gesture that seemed too feeble and helpless to fight against the enormous darkness hovering over his head. But at that moment, a searingly cold flame spewed out from Jang Ilso’s whole body.

Hwaaaaaaaaa!

A desperate strike, pulling even the last of his internal strength, soared towards the descending demonic energy.

Blue flames and dark demonic energy collided in the air. The flame was too feeble to hold off the overwhelmingly force of demonic energy.

However, even if it was only for a moment, the flame clearly pushed away the demonic energy like a collapsing mountain. A subtle but clear crack opened in the sturdy iron wall that seemed to never break. No, Jang Ilso had pried it open.

Their gazes that met changed and Chung Myung’s body passed right next to Jang Ilso. At that exact moment, Jang Ilso’s hand touched Chung Myung’s completely defenseless back.

A voice that could never be heard seemed to brush past Chung Myung’s ears.

“Go.”

Paaaaaat!

With the power of Jang Ilso pushing his back, the sword that was shot goes beyond the limit and reaches a different point.

At that moment, clear light returned to Dan Jagang’s eyes, which had been clouded as he surrendered himself to the surging demonic energy.

‘Sunset?’

It was a sight like an illusion. It was so amazing that even Dan Jagang’s rationality, which had been completely stained by demonic energy, was restored.

In the world created by Dan Jagang, where not a speck of light seemed to exist, a faint red light blossomed. That infinitely feeble red light pierced the deep, deep darkness and spread further and further.

As if the sunset spreads from the eastern sky at the end of a long night.

It’s the dawn (??(黎明)). The end of dawn and another beginning.

In that spectacle where reality and illusion mixed, a white sword flew, slicing through the red sunset.

‘This?’

It was an eerie feeling of death that Dan Jagang had never experienced before. The sword, like dawn flying in and burning the darkness, shattered everything in Danjagang and penetrated far towards his neck.

Kwadeudeuk!

At that moment, when the world seemed to have completely stopped, a deep silence descended. Everyone present here saw it clearly.

The sight of Dark Plum Blossom Sword pierced the neck of bishop Dan Jagang, a strong man the embodiment of hopelessness who seemed like never fell, sticking out from the nape of his neck.

Everyone held their breath.

It felt as if all sounds of the world were erased in an instant.

Everyone felt the silence with certainty, even though the air that still wrapped around them was swirling like a storm. The silence is even more intense because it is short.

Ttook.

A single drop of blood fell from the tip of the white blade that had pierced through Dan Jagang’s neck.

And that moment.

The dark, indifferent eyes of Chung Myung and the seething eyes of Dan Jagang intertwined at a short distance.

Dan Jagang coughed up the regurgitated blood and muttered something silently. A mantra that only Chung Myung can clearly understand even if others cannot understand it.

“…Second Coming.”

Danjagang lowered his raised arm as if violently shaking it.

The sun of demonic energy, yet to scatter, fell upon their heads. It was a sight like a great mountain collapsing.

“Ah…!”

Everyone’s pupils were greatly dilated.

“Nooooooooo!”

With a huge scream that no one could tell its origin, the formidable demonic energy collided with the earth.

Kwaaaaaaaaaaaang!

The demonic energy that was confined to the earth was pulsating as if they were about to destroy everything that existed. And soon the world was covered by a huge storm of demonic energy.

“Euaaaaak!”

The disciples of Mount Hua, who were caught up in the storm, were blown away like leaves hit by a typhoon without being able to do anything about it.

Not only the disciples of Mount Hua, but even the cultists who watched this fierce battle with mesmerized faces were swept away like fallen leaves by the irresistible force.

Mount Hua’s disciples screamed in pain as they were thrown back and hit the ground several times.

Kwaaaaaaaaaaaang!

The successive heaven-collapsing sound like they could burst eardrums overwhelmed everyone. It was a shock as if the world was collapsing all at once.

Kwaang! Kwaaaang! Kwaang!

After that massive shock swept violently across the earth.

Silence finally ensued.

Kkumteul.

Baek Cheon, entangled and messy with the dirt flung up by the roughly torn earth, shuddered. His fingertips twitched with spasms.

“Keu….”

As he regained consciousness, he violently raised his head.

“Chung Myung….”

Blood vessels began to form in his eyes.

No matter how much Chung Myung is… Could he have survived in the center of such a ridiculous explosion? Even he, caught in the aftermath, felt his insides completely turned upside down, making it difficult to even move his body?

“N- No…. No….”

Udeudeuk!

Baek Cheon crushed the stone in his hand and instilled strength to his body. Almost digging and scraping the ground, he managed to get up and frantically surveyed his surroundings.

“Chu- Chung Myung! Chung Myuuuuuung!”

Chung Myung was nowhere to be seen. Baek Cheon screamed at the top of his lungs as an ending he never wanted to think about came to mind.

“Chung Myung! You bastard!”

“Sahyung!”

At that moment, Yoo Iseol’s urgent voice penetrated his ears.

“There!”

Baek Cheon quickly turned to where she was pointing. The earth was hugely gouged out as if torn apart by divine beings. In the middle of it, two red and black spots were seen.

“Chu- Chung Myung!”

“Ryeonju-nim!”

A shout came out from Baek Cheon and Ho Gamyeong’s mouths at the same time. The two started running with all their might towards Chung Myung and Jang Ilso, who had collapsed.

At that moment, Chung Myung’s lips, which were half-buried in dirt and debris, faintly twitched.

“Uh….”

The moment his slightly cracked lips parted, the wound that had been glued together split again and red blood flowed out.

“Uuh….”

When he barely lifted his fluttering eyelids, he saw Jang Ilso, also half buried in the ground, with his head bent.

Chung Myung, who was looking at the scene in silence, managed to raise his hoarse voice after struggling for a long time.

“…Hey.”

There was no answer.

“Hey.”

At that moment, a voice without any strength came out of Jang Ilso’s mouth, who was bending his head as if he were dead.

“…What?”

The moment he heard that voice, Chung Myung frowned.

“Are you alive?”

Then a weak voice came out from Jang Ilso’s mouth. It was a lifeless voice that never seemed to come out of his mouth.

“….maybe… I think I might be dead…?”

“Is that so…?”

Chung Myung turned around with great difficulty. Forcing his unresponsive body to roll over, he saw the sky. It was blindingly blue.

“That…”

As the long night ended, and morning finally arrived.

“…good to hear.”

Chung Myung’s chuckles spread slowly into the tranquil morning world.