Return of the Mount Hua Sect

“Ughh. This is the Hwa-Um village!”

Go Han-Wi of the Shadow Clan finally sighed in relief as he saw the houses in the distance.

If it had been a hundred miles more, he would have been lying on the ground by now, shouting that he couldn’t handle it any further. The destination, Hwa-Um, had appeared after so long.

And they had been running for so long that their legs were shaking.

So was the case with his sajaes. Everyone was breathing heavily, looking like half-corpses.

“No, master.”

Go Han-Wi stood in the lead and spoke to his master, who was observing the village.

“Is this really a place for us to go through so much trouble just to see? Sure, it is Mount Hua…”

“Do not speak when you don’t know anything!”

But before he could even speak, his master turned his head to face him and scolded.

“Do you not know how big of a deal this is?”

“…”

The voice of Master Jang Yong rang around.

“The Sichuan Tang family, which rules the land of Sichuan, and the Mount Hua sect, whose reputation is soaring these days, have joined hands. Even those over the wall have joined it!”

“… but even so, compared to the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families, aren’t they nothing?”

“Tsk tsk, you and your short-sighted thoughts!”

“…”

Jang Yong looked at Go Han-Wi with a disapproving look.

“This is not something you judge based on looking at the current forces. Wasn’t it the case that Mount Hua once belonged to the Nine Great Sects and the Tang family to the Five Great Families, and the two of the Five Palaces outside the wall, which have never joined the Central Plains in anything before this?”

“True, but…”

“Right now, everyone is paying attention, but it is determined that this is something, a true change. The sects, which are all paying attention to this, will join the Heavenly Friends Alliance.”

But even after he explained all this, Go Han-Wi couldn’t understand it.

“Should we also join them?”

“You idiot!”

Go Han-Wi, scared, covered his ears at the shout.

“That way, there will be no difference between us and the other clans! Everything can be an opportunity! Joining this new alliance is a choice one can make later, but if you leave your mark in advance, will the seniors of the Heavenly Friends Alliance even remember us?”

“… why go that far….”

“Tsk tsk. The great disciple, who is supposed to be the clan leader one day, is like….”

Jang Yong clicked his tongue and then continued.

“There is no money to be made in rushing. If one can profit by putting in effort, then there is a lot more business to be done. So, stop talking nonsense and follow me!”

“Yes!”

In the end, Jang Yong, seeing Go Han-Wi answer silently, clicked his tongue and began to walk again.

‘That is why these days…’

He had no idea how things were going in the rough world of Kangho.

No one knew what would happen in the world. So, you needed to spread your influence as widely as you could.

In particular, one had to be careful about places like the Shadow Clan, which stood between Hebei and Sichuan.

‘The Nine Great Sects will not be able to openly stop me from participating in the ceremony of the Alliance, all because of that.’

No matter how he thought about it, if one could establish a good relationship with the newly formed alliance, then it was worth it, even if it meant getting a mean eye from the other guests.

Of course, even the Heavenly Friends Alliance would try to appease them, but they had nothing to lose, so they would just do anything within a clear limit.

‘The world belongs to the one who moves first!’

The important thing was to dominate it.

It wasn’t about what the Heavenly Friends Alliance would be like in the future, but right now, one person will feel sad! In times like these, it was important to show magnanimity.

“Hurry up! We need to climb Mount Hua before the other clans arrive.”

“Yes!”

They immediately set off with excited hearts.

But Jang Yong soon had to face a reality he had never envisioned.

“…”

“…”

As they stepped toward the entrance of Hwa-Um village, they were all shocked.

An oddity?

There was nothing odd.

From what they had heard, Hwa-Um village couldn’t be called a big city, but it was a fairly large place that had everything one needed.

If there was a problem…

“What is this?”

The point was that the crowd was moving endlessly into the village.

“… master?”

“Uh, uhh?”

Jang Yong, who had been staring at Hwa-Um in shock, closed his eyes.

‘What is all this?’

His eyes naturally turned to the waists of those forming the crowd. It was clear that they were all warriors, as each had weapons at their waist.

“No, what is this…”

“Move out of my way!”

At that moment, people running from behind bumped into Jang Yong on his shoulder and passed by.

“Eik!”

Jang Yong, who was thrown a couple of steps ahead in shock, screamed.

“Just what kind of people are you! How dare you touch our….”

“What?”

Then, those who were running ahead turned their heads, which made Jang Yong close his mouth abruptly.

Jang Yong had also gone through numerous tough situations. It wasn’t that he was stupid enough to step back because of the harsh voice of the opponent, but what made him go silent was the mark on their chest.

The three swords crossed one another.

‘T-Three Swords Clan.’

There was no doubt that this was the Three Swords Clan, known to be as famous as the Reaper in the Guangdong region.

‘Why are such people…’

But there was no time to think; he immediately straightened up and said,

“You’re the Three Swords Clan? I advise you to stop….”

“Tsk.”

The man with the scary look who had bumped into him first said,

“Just consider yourself lucky. If it weren’t for Hwa-Um village, we would have acted differently.”

“…”

“How dare you think you can….”

“Sahyung, we do not have time for this! We need to head up to Mount Hua quickly!”

“Damn it! Why did so many people come here? Ugh! If we are late, then the clan leader will surely punish us. Everyone, hurry up!”

“Yes!”

Jang Yong gulped as he saw the Three Swords Clan disciples run up in a hurry.

‘No, did they come here from Guangdong…’

The surprise didn’t end there.

People dressed in yellow robes were rushing ahead.

“Jo-Hyun clan!”

“They came from Kuju! Oh my, they are here too!”

Jang Yong’s eyes were wide.

‘Jo-Hyun clan?’

Was he talking about the one clan that never left their home of Kuju?

“The Black Tortoise Clan is here too!”

“Well, isn’t that the Mount Hang sect? No, even they came here…!”

Jang Yong was quite shocked and turned his head. As expected, swordsmen wearing wonderful white robes with weapons were stepping ahead.

‘H-heavens! It is the Mount Hang Sect!’

The Shadow Clan was also a place that was proud of its existence among the small and medium clans. But the sects whose names were now coming from around him were those whom no one would even speak of in the same breath.

They were names of sects which couldn’t be compared to the major sects in the world like the Nine Great Sects, but they were proud of being the best ones in their own regions and were constantly revered.

‘M-Mount Hua… for the Heavenly Friends Alliance?’

Even he, who just scolded Go Han-Wi right now, felt unable to understand all this. The influence of the alliance was already a lot more than he thought, even though they haven’t even spoken of it.

‘All are climbing Mount Hua?’

Just what was happening?

The warriors gathered together like ants moving up in an order. As a result, problems did come up here and there.

“You don’t seem that busy. How about giving way?”

“What? You want to try fighting me?”

“Hahaha. I think it would be too much to call for a fight in the front yard of Mount Hua. But if it weren’t for the Hwa-Um village, I would have dared to say this.”

“This man!”

Of course, some raised their voices to make others give way.

“Didn’t I tell you not to push me!”

“What can I do when they are pushing me from behind!”

“You’re saying that you, a so-called warrior, cannot even handle this? What are you doing here with such skills?”

“Oh my? Would you like to check how good the skills are? Instead of just making noise, how about competing with one another?”

Some shouted and sneered, and those who drew their swords.

Everyone wanted to climb up quickly, but the path was narrow, and the number of people who could climb up was limited, so everyone was frustrated.

‘Isn’t this going to lead to a really big accident?’

Jang Yong clenched his hand at the anxiety that rose.

It was then,

“Peng family!”

“It is the Peng family! From Hubei!”

The heads of those gathered on the path turned back.

“Uh?”

Jang Yong’s face, who was near the , turned red. Because he was also there, it seemed like everyone turned to look at him.

And instead of retreating, he looked.

“Ohh…”

The disciples of the Shadow Clan all stepped to the side with several warriors approaching them.

Intense red clothes, with five tigers engraved on the chest. There was a huge blade that could catch anyone’s attention.

‘Hubei Peng family.’

Even the Hubei Peng family, the lord of the Hubei region and a member of the Five Great Families has appeared in the Hua-Um village.

Although it was just five people, their presence was enough to overwhelm everyone.

“Hmm.”

The eight-foot-tall man in the lead looked at those around him and then burst into laughter.

“Hahaha. Such a long way.”

“Seems like we were a little late.”

“Hmm. That is the problem. Before the ceremony starts, I need to head up to Mount Hua and greet the sect leader and family head.”

The Peng family looked around once again and proceeded without further hesitation. The man who reached the end of the crowd smiled and said,

“If you don’t mind, would it be alright if we climbed the mountain first?”

The person turned back, looking shocked, then stepped aside in astonishment.

“P-please, come up.”

“Thank you.”

As if that was the signal, the people gathered there all moved to the left and right, clearing the path for the Peng family.

Although they were willing to risk their lives to get there a bit early, they all turned gentle in the presence of this name, the Hubei Peng family.

A scene that clearly showed why the people of Kangho risked everything for fame.

The person who was slowly walking on the path that opened up said,

“The other ones in the Five Great Families couldn’t have come, right?”

“Hmm, I don’t know if they have arrived, but everyone will definitely come. It cannot be helped that everyone will want to see this.”

“Right. This seems like a fun ceremony to attend. I guess I should go up quickly and say my greetings to the sect leader of Mount Hua. Let’s go!”

“Yes!”

Everyone gathered in Hwa-Um gulped as the Peng family picked up the pace.

‘Have the Five Great Families come?’

‘Then, will the Nine Great Sects come too?’

‘Maybe this is a lot bigger than we thought.’

‘The Hubei Peng family wanted to greet Mount Hua’s sect leader. Just when did Mount Hua become this great?’

So many thoughts, so many questions, but there was just one answer.

‘We have to climb up fast!’

‘I need to see this with my own eyes!’

Now, everyone was excited. They all rushed to the rough mountain path.

Each had their own curiosity, desire, hope, and expectation to fulfill.