Return of the Mount Hua

This is the fight you started. (1)

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It might be more appropriate to call it a storm rather than a gust of wind; the atmosphere, previously as frozen as an ice sheet, flipped in an instant. Those who had been silently pressuring their opponents suddenly reconciled with fiery enthusiasm.

“What… what’s going on?”

“They’re coming this way!”

Screams erupted from the lips of the enemy troops. However, among those who shouted, there were hardly any who actively tried to stop the situation. They were taken aback.

Because they had Maehwado surrounded and nearly occupied, they didn’t need to worry about external attacks for now. No matter how great a warrior is, it definitely takes time to cross this distance.

And during their movement, they would be subjected to attacks from the boats stationed on the river. Even if they could overcome those attacks, they would have to endure significant losses. And even if they reached Maehwado, they would have to engage in battle with the enemy forces that had occupied the island.

Knowing this situation all too well, was it surprising that they couldn’t muster the courage to throw themselves into this river?

How unfavorable this situation was for them had already been proven by the life of Namgoong Hwang. So, even if they were to boast that Hwasan could fly recently, they believed it was just empty talk.

However, Hwasan’s response exceeded their expectations entirely. Baek Cheon’s foot struck a wooden plank. The plank, which had briefly submerged in the water, quickly resurfaced.

Paaht! Paaah!

Stepping on the floating wooden planks like stepping stones, Baek Cheon’s speed rivaled that of running on flat ground.

The distance from the riverside to Maehwado was undoubtedly far.

But what if this wasn’t a river, but solid ground?

To a martial artist, this distance could hardly be considered far at all.

Paaah!

Following Baek Cheon, the Hwasan’s disciples in black attire lined up and dashed forward. From a distance, it looked as if they were running on water.

Among those who had been watching this sight in awe, someone suddenly cried out in surprise.

“What, what are you doing? You fools! Shoot! Shoot arrows!”

Of course, their momentary distraction was short-lived. However, in that brief moment, Hwasan and Sichuan Tang had already covered a considerable distance.

“Shoot!”

Terrified individuals frantically unleashed their arrows in shock. They were hastily fired without proper formation, but arrows filled with inner strength were nonetheless a formidable force. The momentum behind them was extraordinary.

Arrows shot into the sky as if they could pierce through it, raining down towards Hwasan charging at the front like a black dragon.

Swoosh!

It was as if a dark rain was falling from the sky. However, young swordsmen charging forward didn’t slow down in the slightest; instead, they all raised their swords towards the sky.

Clang, clang, clang!

The arrows that were falling were cleanly deflected away by the raised swords, without a single one being wasted.

The reason bows were rarely used in battles among the martial arts warriors was clear. Long-range weapons with a predictable trajectory couldn’t penetrate the defenses of the skilled warriors.

However, there was one reason why pirates favored arrows. It was because even though enemies clearly knew about the attacks, they couldn’t defend against them when submerged in water.

However, the arrows raining down on Hwasan’s swordsmen, who were sprinting across the river like it was flat ground, couldn’t pose even a slight hindrance.

“Keep shooting! More arrows! Damn it, slow down these bastards!”

Since their attacks weren’t hitting, someone erupted in fury and shouted.

Even though these arrows wouldn’t bring them down, they had to buy time somehow. The strategy was undeniably sound.

However, what they had overlooked was that it wasn’t just Hwasan racing across the water to rescue Namgung.

“Shoot faster… Ugh!”

One of the enemy troops who had been shouting suddenly convulsed as if struck by lightning.

“G-gurgle… g-gurgle.”

“Chief!”

“Chief, why are you…”

When the surrounding enemy troops turned their heads, their leader had fallen backward like a rotten log.

Thud!

With his eyes rolled back, a trickle of blood ran down from his forehead as he lay on the ground.

“A- a dagger!”

A dagger was embedded deep in the leader’s forehead, with its shaft driven all the way to the hilt. The enemy troops screamed in horror.

That was the beginning.

“Aaah!”

“Aaaah!”

Those who had been shooting arrows from the ship’s railing fell one by one, screaming, and tumbled over the railing.

Thunk! Thunk!

In the midst of the chaotic situation, just as everyone was struggling to regain their composure, someone’s frantic shout burst forth.

“Flying Daggers! It’s Daggers! It’s the Tang clan! Lower your bodies… Ugh!”

Swoosh!

In terror, those who had crouched down felt a breeze of air above their heads as the venomous needles from Sichuan Tang brushed past. The backs of those who narrowly escaped with their lives were drenched in cold sweat.

There was no doubt that Tang Clan’s venom heavily coated those needles. For warriors of their caliber, even a mere brush against those needles could not guarantee their survival. And, of course, not everyone was fortunate enough to avoid the needles.

“Aaaaah!”

Someone who had been struck in the face by the flying needles fell to the ground, clutching their face.

“Aaagh! Aaaah! Aaaaaah!”

They screamed in agony, writhing on the ground, frothing at the mouth. Soon, their eyes rolled back, and their whole body trembled.

G-gurgle… g-gurgle…

Starting from their face, a strange energy began to spread outwards. Gradually, their entire body became covered in red and black blotches.

“Ugh… ugh…”

Witnessing this horrifying sight, those around them let out nauseated groans. Just watching it made their bodies shake.

The person, convulsing as if they were having a seizure, eventually went limp and lifeless. Despite being struck by just a few needles as thin as hair strands, they couldn’t even take a few breaths before succumbing to the poison.

The observers’ faces turned ashen as they felt the power of the venom. In an era that had been extremely peaceful, everyone had forgotten something important.

Why Sichuan Tang, despite its weakness in one-on-one battles, could still vie for the position of the Five Great Family’ leader?

This is precisely why, in a large scale battles where clans clash, the most dangerous place is the Tang clan, more so than any other. After enduring in silence for a long time in a distant land, the venomous snake had finally broken its silence, and the rain had begun on the waters of the Yangtze River.

“Hey, you stupid bastards! Stop cowering and shoot those arrows! Do you want to die in my hands?”

Commanders with bloodshot eyes shouted furiously. To hide under the railing and await death would be a pointless endeavor. Wouldn’t the wrath of the Black Dragon King descend upon them inevitably?

Whether they raised their heads or kept them low, what awaited them was ultimately death.

But fortunately or unfortunately, they didn’t need to contemplate further. Something other than the venomous needles began to fly above their heads.

Swoosh!

The heads of the pirates who had been bowing down reflexively turned upward.

“A pouch?”

Their puzzled eyes noticed small green pouches swiftly flying through the air.

Splat! Splat!

As the pouches burst open mid-air, toxic powder and venomous sand spread out, covering those who had crouched low.

“Ugh!”

“Kraah! Krk!”

In an instant, agonizing screams filled the air. The toxic sand burrowed into their flesh, and the black venomous powder infiltrated their noses and mouths.

“Euaaaargh!”

“Kraaaah! Argh! Aaaargh!”

Soon, the screams became unbearable.

Gurgle…

“Kraah, kraaah…”

The deck rapidly transformed into a death trap.

Their faces turned white as they felt the effects of the venom.

In the midst of the land-to-island sprint, Chung Myung’s sharp voice echoed from the center of the group.

“They’re coming!”

Before the words were even finished, Hwasan’s disciples swiftly drew their swords and thrusted them toward the water’s surface below.

Pa-aa-aa-aat!

A surge of sword energy erupted from the tips of their blades, pierced through the water’s surface. Even though they couldn’t see properly beneath the water, there was no hesitation in their movements as they unleashed their sword energy.

“Once more!”

With Chung Myung’s incantation, the disciples acted as if they were one body, sending another burst of sword energy into the water.

Their attacks had an immediate impact—the river gradually turned a bloody hue. The enemies lurking beneath the water, targeting them from below, were obliterated by the released sword energy before they could even approach Hwasan’s disciples.

Paa-at!

Several of the young swordsmen propelled themselves up from the floating planks they were standing on. Simultaneously, they pierced through the planks they were stepping on, and slender harpoons shot up from the water’s surface.

Paa-aa-aa-at!

A vibrant sword stroke descended upon them. Before the enemy could even scream properly, they were mercilessly slayed by the Hwasan swordsmen, who did not pause to confirm the enemy’s fate. They surged forward, and forward again.

Paa-aa-aa-at!

As if to block their advance, dozens of enemies who had been running ahead now leaped up in front of Baek Cheon and Yu Iseol.

However, they didn’t slow down; they accelerated even faster.

Thwack!

Yu Iseol lightly stepped on a wooden plank, and Baek Cheon, as if expecting it, slightly turned his head to the side to provide her with a foothold on his shoulder.

And then!

Taa-a-a-at!

Stepping on Baek Cheon’s shoulder, Yu Iseol leaped into the air. She soared through the air, and began to fall behind the enemies.

With Baek Cheon’s support, she was able to fly forward from the front.

“Haaaaaah!”

Baek Cheon’s sword emitted dozens of sword energies, covering the enemies in front of him in an instant.

‘What?’

The enemies’ eyes widened in disbelief. The amount of sword energy released from a single person’s sword was almost unbelievable.

But they didn’t have time to be astonished yet. Even before the sword energy could reach them, Yu Iseol’s sword, as she flew from behind, also unleashed dozens of sword energies.

A storm of sword energies flying from the front and back simultaneously. Baek Cheon and Yu Iseol were taking on dozens of enemies on their own.

The results were truly devastating.

“Aaaah!”

“Aaaah!”

Screams filled the air as the enemies were struck by the onslaught of sword energies.

The soaring sword energies mercilessly pierced through the bodies of the enemies.

Shraaaah!

As Baek Cheon’s foot pushed through the water’s surface, his sword swept strongly once again horizontally.

Paaaaah!

With a sound resembling the swing of a long whip, the bodies of the enemies pierced by the sword energies were slashed sideways and bounced away.

“I will clear the path!”

Baek Cheon’s voice roared like a lion breaking through the sky.

“Run! We’re saving Namgung!”

“Yes!”

The disciples of Hwasan, led by Baek Cheon and Yu Iseol, rushed forward on the blood-soaked river. They were getting closer and closer to the Maehwa Island.

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