Return of the Mount Hua Sect

The sky above the North Sea, always dark due to the natural weather, was surprisingly clear and clean. The sun shone brightly on the snow-covered land.

Tatatata!

Under the clear sky, the disciples of Mount Hua ran on the shining snowfield.

As the distance began to narrow, the walls turned darker, and Baek Cheon, who was in the lead, changed his expression.

“Chung Myung!”

“Yes.”

“Above? Or through the gate?”

“What are you talking about? Up!”

“Okay!”

Baek Cheon swiftly reached the wall with the same speed he had used until that point.

And…

Pat!

After propelling himself off the ground and soaring upwards, they started running on the wall as if it were level ground. In his wake, the disciples of Mount Hua ascended the Ice Palace wall with the agility of squirrels.

“They…?”

“Oh my!”

The warriors who observed this from behind were left speechless by the astonishing sight.

The winters in the North Sea were severe, with blizzards occurring every other second.

Because of that, during the winter, surfaces like the walls turned into ice as snow became stuck to them. However, these disciples of Mount Hua were walking on such slippery surfaces.

Even if Yo Sa-Heon had seen this once before, it still shocked him.

“We have to climb the wall too! Do not fall too far behind!”

However, the world’s affairs weren’t things that could be solved with morale alone. Those who jumped up the wall like Mount Hua’s disciples slipped down instantly.

“Ack!”

“Kuak! Watch out! It’s so slippery!”

Even those who managed to ascend a few times couldn’t ascend any higher and clung to the wall. Looking up, they saw the disciples of Mount Hua already halfway to the top.

‘How is this possible?’

It all seemed so ridiculous.

In the past, the elders of the Ice Palace could easily scale the wall, but now they struggled to follow these young warriors from the Central Plains.

No matter how strong the disciples of Mount Hua were, they shouldn’t be as strong as the former elders of Ice Palace at their age. What was all this, then?

“Do not overdo it; focus on just climbing the wall!”

“T-that! The ice in the place where the warriors took a step is broken! There!”

The warriors of the North Sea erased all the thoughts in their minds and began to climb the ice-covered wall. Since they were also warriors, there was nothing they couldn’t do if they wanted to climb slowly.

But…

“Get lost from here! Aren’t you climbing too fast?”

“Disciple, the ice is slipping!”

“Ugh, you Shaolin bastards are always slowing down!”

“Amitabha! Amitabha!”

“Amitabha, you bastard!”

As they climbed the cliff, they observed Chung Myung kicking the yellow-robed monk.

“What are they up to?”

Pappaat!

Whether they cared about those behind them or not, the disciples of Mount Hua started ascending, giving the appearance from afar that someone was pulling them from the top of the wall.

“Soso, be careful!”

“Do not worry, and lift your head up, Sasuk!”

“Okay!”

Baek Cheon smiled.

The disciples of Mount Hua were tired of ice walls and cliffs. This one was a little slippery, but it was nothing compared to the curved and cracked cliffs of Mount Hua.

Tatata!

Jo Gul, who was beneath him, started jumping ahead at that moment.

“I will go ahead and clear the path first, Sasuk!”

“Do not overdo it, Gul!”

“This is nothing!”

Jo Gul confidently walked ahead and finally reached the edge of the wall.

“First, climb the wall…”

And then…

“Uh! “

At the top of the wall, a group of warriors popped their heads out to observe those approaching from below.

“Let’s see now…”

Ugh?

Jo Gul, who was filled with excitement, blinked.

Those who peered out held something long and aimed it downwards. It was a long, curved wooden pole with a sharp tip…

“Bow?”

“Shoot!!!”

Swish! Swish!

Arrows that were aimed downward were instantly fired. As Jo Gul witnessed this shower of arrows descending upon him, he opened his mouth in astonishment.

“No, this is madness! Are they shooting arrows from those bows? What kind of warriors are they!? Ahhhh!”

Jo Gul drew his Plum Blossom Sword to deflect the arrows.

These arrows were propelled by a warrior’s qi, so they were not ordinary warriors.

Regardless of how accustomed he was to scaling cliffs, ascending while arrows rained down proved to be a challenging task.

“This…!”

As Jo Gul lunged off the wall and attempted to swing his sword.

Slip.

“Ugh?”

His toe slipped off the icy surface, causing his leg to slip as well. His form became compromised, preventing him from accurately striking the arrow.

Though he successfully defended against the arrows aimed at his face and shoulders, he struggled to withstand their force, ultimately losing his balance and beginning to descend from the wall.

“ACKKKK! Damnitttttt!”

“Gul!”

“Jo Gul!”

Jo Gul, screaming in his descent, suddenly halted in mid-air.

“…. Uh?”

Jo Gul quickly glanced around to confirm that he wasn’t coming closer to the land, and then he lifted his gaze.

“…”

Chung Myung had grabbed hold of his ankle and was staring down at him, resembling a demon from hell. It was only at that moment that Jo Gul fully realized his mistake.

“… Chung Myung, this isn’t…”

“Sahyung, let’s meet up when this fight is over.”

“…”

Chung Myung forcefully swung Jo Gul towards the wall and looked up.

“Sasuk!”

“Yes, on it!”

Baek Cheon accelerated.

“Fire!”

Swish! Swish!

The torrent of arrows descended relentlessly, yet Baek Cheon skillfully brandished his sword, cleanly striking them down. Taking the forefront, he and Yu Yiseol handled the situation precisely.

But…

“Gah!”

“A-arrows!”

Those trailing behind struggled to defend against the oncoming arrows. Yoon Jong’s expression turned tense as he witnessed the warriors falling, one after another.

“We must put a stop to this….”

“For now, let them be! It’s quicker to eliminate these scoundrels than to block each and every arrow!”

“Alright!”

Yoon Jong quickened his pace as per Chung Myung’s instructions. Upon observing the disciples who remained unfazed by the barrage of arrows, the individuals atop the wall shouted.

“Fire! Fire! Aim for the forefront! Get rid of those scoundrels on the wall!”

“Understood!”

“Oil! Pour the oil! Bring the boiling oil!”

“We’re bringing it!”

Baek Cheon’s expression twisted upon hearing the commotion from above.

“This is an all-out war!”

He considered the battle against Ice Palace to be just an ordinary fight, so he didn’t expect it to escalate like this.

If they attempted to scale the wall without knowing the proper approach, the disciples would surely suffer heavy injuries.

Crack!

The arrows were aimed at Baek Cheon, who was in the lead. His pace gradually faltered as he climbed the cliff while deflecting the arrows with his internal energy-infused sword. Climbing with arrows raining down proved challenging even for Baek Cheon.

“Shoot!”

“That bastard!”

Baek Cheon grunted in frustration.

“Sasuk, shoulder.”

“Huh?”

As Yu Yiseol climbed the wall beside him, she used Baek Cheon’s shoulder to propel herself upwards.

“Sago!”

Leaping into the air, she somersaulted once and, using his shoulder as leverage, unleashed a powerful sword slash over the wall.

Swish!

The sword spun with ferocious speed towards their exposed enemies.

“Avoid it!”

“Lay low!”

Wheeing!

The wall’s defenders quickly cowered as the sword loomed above their heads.

The attack didn’t manage to harm anyone but bought them valuable time and lessened Baek Cheon’s burden.

“Nowwww!”

Seizing the opportunity, Baek Cheon swiftly leaped higher on the wall.

As her sword returned to her, Yu Yiseol skilfully ascended the wall. With a graceful somersault in mid-air, she clung immediately to its surface.

“You acted immediately!”

“Because I am capable.”

A calm tone that only further irritated people.

“I’d rather die of cold!”

Chung Myung clenched his teeth and glanced upwards.

“Kuak!”

Baek Cheon trembled.

It was clear. The closer they got to the arrows, the stronger they became. And with the impact of taking so many arrows, Baek Cheon’s feet would inevitably slip.

Tuk!

But before he could lose his balance, Yoon Jong firmly supported his feet.

“Step on it and move, sasuk!”

“Yes!”

Baek Cheon gritted his teeth as he glared up, but this wasn’t something that could be accomplished by willpower alone. How could one block a dozen arrows and still keep moving forward?

‘Something feels different…’

Just then, he heard a familiar voice.

“Ehh, baldie.”

“Yes, disciple!”

“Pay for the meal.”

“Uh?”

Baek Cheon looked down.

Hae Yeon also nodded as if he understood Chung Myung’s intentions. Then, after firmly placing both feet between the cracked ice, he instantly flipped his body perpendicular to the wall.

At the same time, the robe attached to his waist swayed, and a golden light shimmered from his body.

“No?”

Was he insane?

Chung Myung crouched slightly in the air and reached out for Hae Yeon. At that moment, Hae Yeon used the cloth at his waist to lift Chung Myung’s feet.

Kwaaaaak!

And then he utilized Shaolin’s golden technique that soared up like an ascending dragon. Chung Myung, situated at its peak, leaped over the wall, soaring as if riding a dragon.

“What!”

“W-what?”

The Ice Palace warriors, who were stationed at the top of the wall, raised their heads in astonishment.

“That insane man!”

“Wow… so ridiculous.”

It was a spectacle of such magnitude that even the disciples of Mount Hua were astounded. The sun radiated brightly in the cloudless sky.

And Chung Myung was then present. He swooped over the walls like a hawk descending on its prey.

“Sto…!”

At that very moment.

Those who attempted to shout instinctively flinched.

And their gazes locked with Chung Myung’s.

As they stared into the frigid depths of Chung Myung’s eyes, devoid of emotion, their entire bodies chilled as if their blood had been drained.

Pat!

Rotating his body in one fluid motion, Chung Myung brandished his sword and landed on the wall. He crouched on the ground before gradually rising up.

And…

Swish!

Blood started flowing from the necks of those standing before him.

They stumbled and spilled blood, falling one by one.

“….”

A cold silence descended.

Chak!

Chung Myung lightly swung his sword, drawing more blood as he spoke.

“Let’s begin.”

The Plum Blossom Swordsman swiftly closed the gap with the white-clad warriors.