Return of the Mount Hua

Let’s get to know each other better! (3)

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“Wowwww!”

Amidst a variety of colorful smoke, something sprung up like fireworks.

“Aaaah!”

One after another, they soared higher and higher.

The rising figures intertwined with the colorful smoke, drawing round rainbows in the sky.

Truly a rare and magnificent sight. If someone were to witness these soaring entities within the colorful smoke without knowing they were people and the smoke was poisonous – it would be quite astonishing.

Of course, whether aware or unaware of such facts, for outsiders watching it, this might seem like a comical spectacle… but for those within that grand performance, there existed no greater tragedy.

“Kwueeeek!”

Another person was struck by Chung Myung’s fist and flew off into the distance.

“Run!”

“Oh, he is coming!”

As those startled turned their heads, a dreadful sight met their eyes. It was Chung Myung’s terrifying figure, breaking through the thick poisonous smoke and charging forward, emitting a red glare from his eyes.

‘God save me.’

It’s frightening even in dreams. No matter how fearsome the Heavenly Demon or anything else might be, it wouldn’t be as terrifying as that.

Rampaging like a beast wounded by arrows, Chung Myung swiftly swept aside a fleeing member of Hwasan from behind.

“I can’t take this! You bastards!”

“Kyaaaah!”

With a squelching sound, the disciple who received the blow spun around wildly and bounced forward. Everyone’s jaws dropped at the utterly incomprehensible situation.

“Die! You lot! Die!”

Continuing, Chung Myung grabbed another victim, pushed them to the ground, and began raining down blows upon them.

“Sa-Sago!”

As Tang Soso watched the scene, she grabbed Yu Iseol’s sleeve, her voice trembling.

“Do, do something. It’s completely out of control.”

“What?”

“S-Sahyeong. Listen, we have to stop this!”

Yu Iseol’s head tilted slightly to the side.

“That?”

“……”

“Him?”

Uh… that was a bit too much to expect. Yes, Sago?

“Soso.”

“Yes?”

“Go.”

With that emotionless statement, Yu Iseol swiftly dashed away. Her expression remained unchanged, but her pace seemed incredibly urgent.

“…There is no hope.”

Tang Soso muttered weakly and quickly followed behind her.

Meanwhile, those who least understood this chaotic situation were the members of the Nanman Beast Palace.

“Isn’t this situation rather absurd?”

“I don’t understand why everyone is making a fuss. It’s just one person, even if he is Hwasan Geomhyeop.”

The reason was quite simple for them. To them, Hwasan Geomhyeop was merely a friend of the Beast Palace, acknowledged due to his connection to Maehwa Geomjon.

Certainly, having witnessed the power of Hwasan during the opening ceremony for Cheonumaeng, they didn’t intend to disregard Hwasan Geomhyeop, who could be considered the heart of the sect. However, they had no reason to fear that one person.

Thus, to them, all this spectacle could only be perceived as comical. It was like watching a well-orchestrated act in a play.

“Maybe they’re just trying to act scared on purpose?”

“Should we play along?”

“Why go that far?”

“In my opinion, it seems like it’s just because of that poison, right? The poison of the Tang clan seems more severe than we thought.”

The members of the Beast Palace, despite seeing Chung Myung charging towards them, didn’t feel particularly threatened.

“Hey, hey. Don’t hurt yourself. After all, you’re an esteemed person, someone cherished by the Palace Lord.”

“Just apply enough pressure, that’s all.”

Those who chuckled advanced slightly. Certainly, Hwasan Geomhyeop was a highly skilled swordsman recognized even in the Central Plains, despite his young age. However, in this gathering of Beast Palace’s members alone, their numbers easily exceeded a hundred.

Moreover, since this wasn’t a real fight, and there was no risk of death, was there any reason to be afraid?

“Well, first I’ll…”

A beast warrior stepped forward, letting out a faint sneer. Initially planning to grab Chung Myung’s foot, he was well-versed in handling beasts after all. If Chung Myung charged like an enraged wild boar, he’d just sidestep and then aim for the legs…

But that never happened.

The moment Chung Myung, who was running from the front, hit the ground, his figure seemed to blur in the air, and he suddenly appeared right in front of the beast warrior.

“Huh?”

Before even wondering about what he saw, darkness abruptly enveloped beast warrior’s world.

‘What?’

Why did the world suddenly turn… dark? No, wait. It’s not that the world turned dark – there’s something in front of his eyes. What is this?

“Fi…”

Kwaaaah!

Before the word ‘fist’ could fully form on the beast warrior’s lips, Chung Myung’s fist slammed into his face. Struck in an instant, the member of the Beast Palace flew off, contorted as if he was a wooden doll kicked away by a child.

The only thing that splattered along the trajectory of his flight was blood, confirming that the one sent flying wasn’t a wooden doll but indeed a human being.

“Huh…?”

The eyes of the beast warriors widened in shock at the sight.

A strike? A strike like that?

Certainly, the person sent flying by the strike wasn’t regarded as a remarkable master within the Beast Palace. However, if they could be sent flying so easily with just one blow, wouldn’t that indicate their skill was not to be underestimated?

But what in the…

“Heh…”

After knocking down the one at the forefront with a single blow, Chung Myung blinked and smirked. His slightly parted lips revealed white teeth that seemed oddly sinister.

“Oh, right. It seems you guys still haven’t quite grasped the situation.”

“…”

“Today, I’ll give you a little demonstration! Let’s get along, shall we? How exciting!”

“This doesn’t make sense…”

Like a battering ram, Chung Myung leaped forward and struck standing warrior’s jaw. 

Kwaaaah!

The beast warrior flew off like a mouse kicked by an elephant. In this situation beyond comprehension, the members of the Beast Palace finally grasped the severity of the situation.

Regrettably, they were about to learn a significant lesson today: whenever one realizes the situation too late in a crisis, there’s always a hefty price to pay.

“Dieeee!”

Chung Myung fiercely struck anyone within reach, unleashing blows and kicks without restraint. His eyes emitted violent madness. 

Those caught in his frenzy suffered a brutal fate. Faces turned to mush, blood streaming down their noses, they crumpled to the ground.

It seemed like even a skilled farmer wouldn’t lay down ripe grain with a sickle as effortlessly as this scene unfolded.

“Hiiiiieeek!”

The Beast Palace and the Ice Palace, belatedly sensing the danger, began to retreat without looking back.

‘If caught, we’ll die!’

‘What kind of monster is…!’

Hwasan Geomhyeop, Hwasan Geomhyeop. The name had been hammered into their ears like a nail. Naturally, they assumed he was strong. But who could have imagined it would be this overwhelming?

If it weren’t for that poison, they might have managed somehow. But with the poison enveloping them from all sides and Chung Myung rampaging madly, it turned into a disaster beyond comprehension.

“Over there, that way! That way!”

“Just climb over the wall! You idiots! Why are you heading towards the entrance?”

The Tang clan and the Beast Palace were the fastest. They spotted the wide-open gate of the expansive training grounds and the not-so-high fence.

“Just climb over… Huh?”

Their urgent movements abruptly halted as familiar figures appeared.

“My Lord!”

Tang Jan exclaimed, his voice echoing. Before they knew it, Tang Gunak appeared in front of them, leading other elders.

“My Lord! Over here, that way! Hwasan Geomhyeop, no, that insane Taoist is completely out of control! We need to suppress him quickly!”

Since they have received reinforcements worth thousands of troops, how can they not be courageous? Tang Jan pointed eagerly in the direction they’d come from.

However…

Thud!

Tang Jan collapsed to the side almost instantly.

Twitch. Twitch.

His body lying on the ground trembled uncontrollably.

From his forehead, something rolled out with a light clinking sound. It was a wooden coin. Those who confirmed it stared blankly at Tang Gunak.

Tang Gunak casually tossed a wooden coin into the air and caught it. He spoke softly.

“Of course, I don’t agree with all the decisions of Hwasan Geomhyeop, but…”

As he began to speak, the elders of the Tang clan, who stood behind him, stepped forward with somber expressions.

“It might be necessary to verify. It’s not that the lack of authority prevents one from beating someone, but rather, the lack of the beating diminishes ones authority…”

“…Pardon?”

What are you saying…?

“I have no personal feelings in this matter.”

Tang Gunak lowered his head with a solemn expression.

“Of course, I may not have found your actions pleasing, nor was I content, annoyed, or frustrated.”

Um… you seem quite filled with personal feelings?

“Such matters are naturally to be handled by the one seated in the Lord’s position. It’s not something to resolve based on personal emotions. So… I hope you understand that this was never a decision made out of personal emotions.”

With a twist of his lips, Tang Gunak skillfully caught the wooden coin he had tossed high into the air.

When everyone trembled at the feeling that his smile actually resembled Chung Myung’s, his command struck like lightning.

“Forward!”

“Yes!”

Frighteningly swift at the Lord’s command, the elders who guarded him at the back rushed towards the Tang family members.

“Such brainless fools!”

“After the collapse of the Council of Elders, you lot, thinking it’s your world, acted so arrogantly!”

“People who don’t understand the meaning of respect and manners! When I was your age…!”

With the power shifting to the younger generation after the Council of Elders’ collapse, the elders who had lived quietly in the background seized this opportunity to unleash their pent-up frustrations.

It was a moment where the pushed-aside traditionalists launched a counterattack against young members of the Tang clan.

Not only within the Tang clan but similar incidents were unfolding elsewhere.

“Waaaaa! Palace Lord! Why are you doing this?”

“Hahaha! It’s all training! Training!”

Maeng So moved like a thunderbolt with his gigantic frame and struck down the fleeing beast warriors, while Seol Sobaek appeared out of nowhere, issuing orders and efficiently striking down the Ice Palace’s members.

However, the injustice was upon these two.

“No…”

Namgung Dowi’s face turned white. Standing next to him, Im Sobyeong also wore a despairing expression.

The scenes of martial artists being thrashed by the leaders of different factions became painfully clear.

“Why are we here…?”

Shouldn’t they be on the other side? Why were only these two facing this punishment here?

At that moment, one person slowly walked towards the two.

“Why?”

“…”

“Why do you think? Want me to enlighten you?”

The faces of the two people, facing the one they least wanted to encounter, darkened with a sense of foreboding.

“Tha-”

“Oh, no, it’s nothing. Dojang, it seems we didn’t know…”

“No, no. You must know.”

Chung Myung chuckled softly, yet simultaneously, a light clicking sound emanated from his clenched fist.

“Others might not need to know, but you guys must understand, right?”

Boom!

Chung Myung’s foot drove into the ground.

“From now on, I’ll make it very clear to you.”

“…”

“Etch it properly into your body.”

“Um… If Dojang attacks, I’ll die.”

“It’s alright. I’ll beat you to death.”

“…He is not even human.”

With a smile, Chung Myung rushed towards Im Sobyeong.

And then, later on…

As the toxic haze that had filled the vast training grounds gradually subsided, only one person remained standing.

“Ahhh…”

Chung Myung wore an incredibly refreshed expression, wiping his face with his sleeve.

“It feels so refreshing inside.”

“…”

“How about it? Don’t you think we’ve become quite close now?”

Tears welled up in the eyes of numerous half-dead bodies piled up on the ground.

Next chapter >>>

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