Return of the Mount Hua Sect

Five Swords’s face also hardened seriously.

Of course, they already suspected that the ones they encountered this time were not the main force of Magyo. Isn’t it enough to guess that fact with the existence of Heavenly Murderer alone, without even mentioning others?

‘But….’

Baek Cheon looked back at Chung Myung. There was a sense of bewilderment in his eyes.

Magyo’s cultist who were there alone put the elite of Myriad Man Manor and the elite of Black Ghost Fortress in danger. But what if Dan Jagang had just waited leisurely instead of going to the front and confronting them?

Perhaps everyone who entered Hangzhou had their bones buried there.

‘But ten times that power?’

It was truly a ridiculous statement.

Hyun Jong also seemed to feel the same way Five Swords felt, so he shook his head again and again.

“…It’s beyond than I thought. No…. To be honest, it’s hard to believe.”

His voice conveyed a sense of bewilderment and frustration to everyone.

“Of course, Magyo… it is a force that once brought Kangho to the brink of destruction. But… a hundred years have passed since then….”

“That’s exactly why.”

Chung Myung’s calm answer came back. When Hyun Jong looked at him, puzzled, he elaborated.

“Taking that into account, it’s about ten times larger. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have ended in just ten times as much.”

Hyun Jong still had a look of disbelief. But Chung Myung’s eyes did not waver even an inch. The moment Hyun Jong saw that confident expression, he had no choice but to believe every words. Because when that child spoke with such a face, there was always a reason behind it.

“Can you explain a little bit about the reason?”

“It’s simple. It’s because of the young bishop.”

“Bishop?”

“Yes.”

Chung Myung nodded and continued speaking.

“The bishop we dealt with was quite young. What this means is that Magyo, which was driven out of Jungwon, is currently expanding its ranks in some way and creating new forces.”

Chung Myung glanced at the people seated around him and spoke.

“And that means… there could be many more young bishops like the one we faced in the current Magyo.”

There was silence.

Im Sobyeong, who was pressing his cheek with his fan, raised one hand.

“No. Hold on a minute, Dojang.”

His brow was furrowed.

“Of course, there is such a possibility. There are only two bishops we have seen. There is every possibility that other bishops exist. But to simply estimate it like that….”

“There are seventeen dioceses of Magyo in total.”

Im Sobyeong shut his mouth.

He had also heard this at first glance. It is said that in the past, Heavenly Demon led Magyo, which consisted of seventeen dioceses, and invaded Jungwon.

“And each diocese is headed by a bishop. In other words, a fully formed Magyo would have seventeen bishops.”

“Seventeen….”

At that moment, Baek Cheon felt goosebumps running down his spine.

The image of Dan Jagang spewing out demonic energy like a storm flashed through his mind. It was like the embodiment of fear. That terrifying appearance overwhelms the powerful men who commanded the world, Great Master of Ten Thousand Gold, Jang Ilso, and even Chung Myung.

‘Such a being… seventeen?’

His fingertips trembled.

In the suffocating silence, Chung Myung’s eyes darkened.

It is generally known that there are about ten bishops. But this is because Magyo could not replenish the bishops who died in the war, thus only the approximate number is known.

If Magyo were to have fully restored its po, the number of bishops would be seventeen. No, for those who do not lead the diocese and only serve Heavenly Demon, if even those who hold the most honorable position are collectively called bishops, they should be more than that.

“Um. But Mount Hua Chivalrous Sword.”

Tang Gun-ak seemed to have objections as he opened his mouth with a stern face.

“Magyo of today is different from Magyo of the past. Weren’t they driven out of Jungwon? To say that these people have regained their power….”

“What about before then?”

“…What does that mean?”

“Was the previous Magyo in Jungwon?”

Tang Gun-ak fell silent. It was such an obvious point, yet one he hadn’t considered.

Chung Myung continued, as if to say, “See my point?”

“Previously, Magyo also developed its strength in places other than Jungwon. Yet they fully prepared and invaded the central plains centered around Heavenly Demon. What guarantee is there that this time would be any different?”

“…There is none.”

When Tang Gun-ak acknowledged, Chung Myung nodded.

“They are now regaining their strength to invade Jungwon once more. In that case, more than anything, they are putting all their efforts into nurturing proper bishops. Because one bishop exerts more powerful power than raising a thousand mediocre believers.”

In Kangho, it is more important to have at least one absolute master than to simply increase the numbers.

“And they’ve had a hundred years.”

Chung Myung’s eyes grew a bit colder.

“While Jungwon forgot the past and was intoxicated with peace, these guys were licking their gall and waiting for the day when they would take revenge on Jungwon. For a hundred years.”

“….”

“And do you really think that the bishop we saw is the only one they’ve cultivated in all that time? Impossible.”

Tang Gun-ak let out a deep sigh.

Cultivating an absolute master is no easy feat. Even if a sect puts in all their effort, managing to raise one in a generation is a success.

But… what if you were given a hundred years?

What if they, who were defeated in Jungwon, had poured all their energy from that moment until now into nurturing their descendants? What if Magyo, which brought the entire Jungwon to the brink of destruction as a single sect, was fiercely devoted for a hundred years?

‘…I can’t bear to say that it’s impossible.’

Tang Gun-ak, who understood the situation, looked at Chung Myung with a grim expression.

“Then you… Do you think Magyo has completely regained its strength?”

“To be honest….”

Chung Myung closed his mouth, pondered for a moment, and then opened his mouth again.

“In terms of numbers, I don’t think they would have regained their former strength. There are probably about ten bishops at most. That’s being optimistic.”

Everyone nodded.

The thought of having even ten individuals as strong as Dan Jagang was horrifying, but compared to seventeen, it seemed somewhat more realistic.

“The issue lies in the quality of the bishops.”

“Hm?”

“The bishops who survived when Heavenly Demon died in the past are still in the cult. Do you understand what that means?”

“…The bishop from that time is still alive? Then how old must they be?”

A look of astonishment that could not be hidden appeared in Tang Gun-ak’s eyes.

“That’s not the point. The point is, they’ve become stronger than before.”

The body naturally declines with age.

This cannot be avoided even if you are a strong person who defies the law of heaven (??(天理)) with martial arts. However, internal strength only accumulates over time. If those formidable individuals who nearly brought Kangho to ruin have been training for a hundred years, it’s unimaginable what level they’ve reached now.

“The bishop called that bastard the second bishop.”

“…That means there is another bishop above him. Does that mean there are at least two bishops who have survived from the past to the present?”

“Yes, at the very least.”

Chung Myung bit his lip slightly.

“It is reasonable to think that just by their presence, the total strength of the bishops, including those of the past, has become stronger compared to before.”

Everyone fell silent. And Chung Myung understood this silence.

Who would have imagined that anyone could survive for such a long time?

When Chung Myung died, enough time had passed that Tang Jo-pyong, who was just a child, had now become the greatest elder in Tang Family, nearing the end of his life.

But who would have thought that the bishops, who were not young even then, would still be alive….

Of course, this cannot be said to be completely impossible. Didn’t Chung Myung already see with his own eyes the bishop of the North Sea, a survivor of the past war?

But this is a different case. The North Sea bishop was nothing more than children who poorly fitted in to fill the void left by bishops at the time. Under normal circumstances, he would not have dared call himself a bishop, considering his age or his martial art.

However….

‘Heavenly Murderer.’

That was an entirely different case.

He was the most infamous among the fearsome bishops of the past. That guy is still alive. And despite this, he hadn’t reached the rank of the archbishop.

The implications of this were significant.

“Let me be clear.”

The moment those words came out, everyone looked at Chung Myung with tense faces.

“If Magyo invades Jungwon again this time, their power will be no less formidable than it was in the past.”

It felt like the tip of his tongue tingles the whole time he speaks the words. Even Chung Myung found it difficult to utter these words. No, if it had been a while ago, he wouldn’t have even dared to say this in front of them.

An enemy of moderate strength can serve as a driving force to arouse the desire to win, but an enemy so formidable as to be hopeless will cut off even the little remaining motivation.

The reason Chung Myung avoided mentioning Magyo as much as possible was not just to hide his identity. This is because they were not ready to accept the existence of Magyo.

But now, there was no avoiding it.

Having seen it with their own eyes and felt it in their bones, and now certain that the resurgence of their enemies was imminent, they needed to know the truth.

How colossal the enemy they have to fight against is and how strong it is.

‘If there’s any hope…’

It was that moment.

“There’s something I want to confirm.”

Chung Myung’s gaze turned to the side. It was none other than Baek Cheon who opened his mouth through the heavy atmosphere.

He met Chung Myung’s gaze directly, bit his lip slightly, and then opened his mouth.

“If what you say is true, and as they mentioned… wasn’t more than half of Magyo’s power in the past attributed to the presence of Heavenly Demon?”

“…That’s right.”

Baek Cheon asked with a frown.

“Then what you’re saying that Magyo will be as good as it was in the past is possible under the assumption that Heavenly Demon returns with his past power intact, right? Is this correct?”

Chung Myung nodded slowly.

“Are you certain?”

“….”

“If Heavenly Demon is really resurrected, will he be resurrected with his past powers? No…. resurrection in and of itself is absurd, but for him to come back with his full strength seems even more far-fetched.”

In response to Baek Cheon’s question, everyone nodded with a mournful expression.

Perhaps the most important thing in this discussion is Heavenly Demon. However, because they knew so little about Heavenly Demon, they missed it.

However, Chung Myung’s answer was a little different from their expectations.

“I don’t know.”

“…What?”

“I don’t know either.”

Chung Myung said firmly with a cold face.

“I have no idea how he resurrects. So I can’t predict it. Whether it takes time for him to regain his power after the resurrection, or… as soon as he is resurrected, he literally becomes a being worthy of the name ‘Heavenly Demon’.”

“….”

“There is only one thing that is certain. However he resurrects… if given time, the result will be the same.”

Mount Hua Chivalrous Sword Chung Myung. At the same time, Plum Blossom Sword Sovereign Chung Myung.

Words like inevitable fate flowed from his mouth as he lived two lives with two identities.

“If we cannot stop Heavenly Demon and Magyo, what we saw in Hangzhou will be repeated throughout the entire Jungwon. No, maybe the whole world beyond Jungwon….”

Perhaps it was a prophecy. A curse at the same time.

“Destruction will come.”

The unavoidable reality flowed from Chung Myung’s mouth.