Return of the Mount Hua Sect

“… damn, for real.”

Chung Myung clenched his teeth.

These people from the Demonic Sect were useless before, and they were useless now. Actually, it would be better if they didn’t even try.

“Ughhh.”

He groaned inwardly and scratched his head, his eyes looking shocked at the same time.

“… rather….”

Chung Myung slowly shifted his gaze to the ice crystals in his sleeve.

The Demonic Sect wanted these ice crystals for the Heavenly Demon’s sake. Of course, Chung Myung didn’t really believe those lunatics could actually bring him back to life, but wasn’t there a saying that there couldn’t be just one of a kind in the world?

“Should I just smash them all?”

“What? The ice crystals?”

The disciples of Mount Hua were all taken aback.

“Hey, do you know how hard we had to work to get all these?”

“Suffering and hard work are not the problem right now! Damn it!”

“W-what about the pill? What will you give the Green Forest King?”

“Pill or not….”

Chung Myung clenched his fist and gritted his teeth.

Of course, the promise to the Green Forest King was important. But it was nothing compared to the horrid news of the Heavenly Demon being revived. There was no way that the Green Forest King could be beaten in the back of the head and would be able to stand it, but fighting him was a lot better than fighting the Heavenly Demon… no, maybe a thousand times better.

But…

“Ugh. Words are easy to say.”

What if the Demonic Sect found out that it was impossible to resurrect the Heavenly Demon because the ice crystals were all gone?

‘They would send this whole place down into chaos.’

It would be great if they lost their motivation and got depressed, but such people didn’t exist. At least, these ones would do everything they wanted to.

If they ran amok here, it was certain that not a single ant would survive in the North Sea. Because there wasn’t a single sane person in the Demonic Sect.

Therefore, this was really the last idea.

Then the only option remaining…

“In the end, we have to fight…”

Chung Myung groaned and pulled at his hair.

“Those damn Demonic Sect people, they’re causing chaos again! Again! How are we supposed to handle the Demonic Sect without support from the Central Plains!”

And as if that wasn’t enough, he also came across hope and despair.

“AHHHHHH! Nothing is going right!”

Watching him growl, the disciples all sighed.

Yoon Jong asked Baek Cheon in a low voice.

“Shouldn’t we stop him?”

“Stop him.”

“…”

“What now?”

Yoon Jong glanced at the prisoners behind him and whispered.

“Still, there are many watching him.”

“Doesn’t seem like there are many eyes from the other side.”

“….”

Baek Cheon looked at Chung Myung, unsure about a lot of things.

It was okay to feel desperate, but regain your senses once this was done. I wouldn’t expect too much from you.

In fact, it was a situation he could understand.

It was said Chung Myung’s nerves were made of metals and would only be shaken down each time the Demonic Sect came up. Seeing his eyes red and open, the Demonic Sect seemed to be his nemesis.

‘For now, let us calm down…’

But when Baek Cheon was about to speak, Chung Myung got up. Baek Cheon was startled by it.

The expression on Chung Myung’s face was hard to put into words.

There was anger, annoyance, resentment, and grudge.

All those emotions seemed to be mixed into one, and Chung Myung’s mouth began to twitch.

“… no, right?”

His eyes soon shone again.

“Damn it, when have things ever worked out for me? If a mountain blocks it, grind through the mountain. If a river blocks it, then swim through. That is all!”

Baek Cheon smiled at those bold words.

‘Oh my. This is a Taoist.’

Chung Myung.

What happened to understanding that humans could not involve themselves in nature’s way of things?

If the Taoist ancestors knew of this, they would all collapse, holding onto their necks.

But Chung Myung muttered.

“Right… are you saying that one will be resurrected?”

Who gave you permission for that, you jerks?

His eyes began to turn red again.

“It is the same for both who are out of luck. You jerks of the Demonic Sect, I will make sure you regret ever coming in front of me!”

Yoon Jong looked at Chung Myung, who was displaying anger, and whispered.

“Sasuk. Isn’t this situation making you worried?”

“Yoon Jong.”

“Yes.”

“Turn your head to the other side.”

“… what do you mean?”

“Giving up in this situation is better.”

“…. Disciple Baek Cheon, that isn’t a word to say….”

Hae Yeon, who listened to this, intervened, but no one paid attention to it.

At that time, Chung Myung turned his head and looked at the prisoner leader.

“Yah!”

“Yes?”

At his sudden call, Yo Sa-Heon flinched.

“Do you have a rough idea about the situation?”

The old man nodded quickly. In fact, he was completely lost.

“Originally, we had planned to gather information within limits, but things have changed now.”

“What do you mean?”

“So, instead of being expelled by the Central Plains, the Demonic Sect actually came here with a purpose. Their purpose is to revive the Heavenly Demon!”

“…”

“Whether this endeavor succeeds or fails, the North Sea will suffer. If it succeeds, everything is finished, and if it fails, those idiots will go crazy.”

“No, how can you say…”

“The Demonic Sect has always been like this.”

He knew because he experienced it himself.

Chung Myung frowned.

“Mister!”

“Uh?”

Yo Sa-Heon.

He was definitely not someone who could be easily controlled, considering his past status and experience. But now, he felt like this young Taoist was pulling him along.

“If you manage to escape from here, will you be able to bring back the true Ice Palace again?”

“D-Did you say Ice Palace?”

“Yes.”

The old man appeared shocked when he looked at Chung Myung.

“How can we, who have lost our status, find the true Ice Palace again? Our dantian has been sealed by the Demonic Sect….”

“I can handle that.”

“… Uh?”

“I can release that.”

His eyes widened.

“W-what…”

“Ah, you must not be able to hear well! I said I can release that and help you rediscover your internal qi.”

“That’s how, how….”

“What do you mean how?”

Of course, the people who knew martial arts the best in the world were the Demonic Sect. However, besides them, Chung Myung had the highest understanding of martial arts.

Even when the Demonic Sect was thriving, no one knew martial arts better than Chung Myung.

And above all…

‘What is so different about it?’

This was because the level of these people had fallen.

Come to think of it, a lot has changed since Chung Myung returned. However, he wasn’t going to openly say it anymore.

If it were the Plum Blossom Sword Saint, he would have yelled, ‘You people are so weak and lost your way, so this cannot happen! You idiots.’

“Is that even possible?”

“Would I deceive you? Do I appear as someone who lies?”

“….”

“…. Why aren’t you answering?”

“Well… no….”

Observing the old man hesitate to respond, the disciples of Mount Hua nodded.

“As expected from a former elder of this place, he surely has an eye for people.”

“Believe in yourself.”

At that moment, Chung Myung clapped his hands.

“Excuse me.”

And he spoke in a solemn tone.

“Please. If I can find the internal qi and free you, I wonder if the power of the previous lord can be gathered to fight against the current one.”

The old man looked confused.

“… that will not be easy.”

“What? I heard the current lord has lost public support due to his harsh actions. Aren’t there many people who are on the other side?”

The man sighed.

“Right, but even so, the warriors of Ice Palace and even the people of North Sea won’t show support.”

“Why?”

“Because they aren’t of the Seol family.”

Chung Myung frowned.

“Seol family?”

“Yes. The leadership of the North Sea has been held by the Seol family for generations. Those who aren’t of that family will not have support from the people here.”

This made Chung Myung shocked.

“No, what the hell….”

The disciples of Mount Hua also had no choice but to go stiff.

“Truly like a kingdom.”

“Right, not like a martial sect.”

Even in a sect made of blood members, a certain few did not get to monopolize the position of the head.

“… Then, are there any Seol family members suitable?”

At Baek Cheon’s question, the old man shook his head.

“The Seol family was a precious family for generations. Now, in the North Sea, the only person who lives the life of that family is Seol Chun-Sang.”

“Ugh.”

Chung Myung pondered the possibility of things going terribly awry.

“Nope, no other option, huh?”

If there was a different approach, he would have attempted it already. The elderly man exhaled deeply, expressing his frustration.

“That’s why we insisted on tapping into the power of the Central Plains. Given our circumstances, the Seol family’s blood is indispensable. If only the previous lord had a son who had managed to escape at that time….”

Jo Gul interjected,

“Are you referring to the son of the former palace lord?”

“…yes.”

The disciples of Mount Hua exchanged glances.

“So…you mean Seol So-Baek?”

“I believe so?”

The old man’s eyes widened as he asked, his voice trembling.

“H-How did you guys find out about that…”

“We’ve crossed paths.”

Chung Myung replied.

“With a man named Han Yi-Myung.”

“General Han?”

A multitude of emotions danced across his face. Even if his physical self was imprisoned here, how much anguish did he endure to receive such news?

However, nothing was confirmed about the state of the two for several years. So he didn’t expect to hear that the child would be alive after such a long time…

And he asked in a rushed voice.

“W-where are they now?”

“I don’t know. Where did they go after?”

At those words, the hope that had been on his face vanished.

“Ah… things might change if we knew where he was….”

“Is that so?”

“… yes. Young Seol is the enemy of the current Lord. Those who followed the previous Lord wouldn’t hesitate to support him. If only we could find the whereabouts of Young Lord Seol… things would change.”

“Hmmm.”

Chung Myung raised his eyebrows.

“So, if we find the little boy, then you can unite the forces of the Ice Palace and the former Lord’s men, right?”

“Yes. But how do we find him in such a large land?”

Chung Myung smiled.

“We fed and put them to sleep, and the time has finally come for them to pay for the meal.”

“… Ugh?”

Chung Myung tapped his chest.

“Come on, yah.”

Kik?

A fluffy white ball peeked out from his clothes, appearing as if it had just woken up, with sleepy eyes.

Chung Myung gripped Baek Ah by the stomach and pulled it out.

“Remember that kid?”

Baek Ah, who was caught in Chung Myung’s hand, nodded.

“Can you find him?”

…

“I told you to remember the scent. Can you find him?”

Baek Ah, who had been staring at Chung Myung, began to speak.

Baek Cheon looked at this and whispered to Jo Gul.

“Gul. Do animals sweat?”

“Well, dogs don’t. But a marten….”

“… I see it perspiring. Is it because it’s a spirit animal?”

It was evident in their eyes. Baek Ah was sweating on the back of its head.

Chung Myung asked again,

“Why? Can’t you find him?”

Kiiik!

There was no way to understand the animal’s words, but strangely, the meaning of that cry was accurately understood.

If one could translate it into human words, ‘You insane bastard. How do we find a person with just a small whiff in this wide land?’

“You cannot find it?”

….

“I asked if you cannot?”

…

The sweat didn’t stop flowing from the back of Baek Ah.

“For real?”

Chung Myung’s eyes shone with madness now. And Baek Ah ended up nodding.

Kikk! Kiiiiik! Ki!

“Right. That is how it should be.”

Chung Myung smiled happily and pushed Baek Ah to the ground.

“Now, then, it is all simple.”

He turned his head and looked at the disciples of Mount Hua and Hae Yeon.

“I am not one to get involved in the affairs of other people’s sects, but the situation here is one thing, so there is nothing I can do about it.”

“… What now?”

“What, what?”

Chung Myung smiled.

“Kill the bastards of the Demonic Sect.”

“… We are lacking.”

“Lacking? The troops of the Ice Palace are all over.”

“You, you… no?”

“Right.”

The eyes of Chung Myung opened wide.

“Looking for that little boy who is out and brought to be a puppet… no, use them well to move the warriors of Ice Palace to our side! And then lead the Ice Palace and wipe out those Demonic Sect jerks!”

Chung Myung explained briefly with a strong voice and smiled.

“Simple, isn’t it?”

“Uh… It is simple.”

Everything was fine except that dying seemed much easier.

Huh…