Return of the Mount Hua Sect

Kwaaaaaaak!

An eerie light illuminated the ground, accompanied by a terrifying cry.

“Step into the world. And place everything beneath your feet. This lowly servant of yours eagerly awaits your arrival, Heavenly Demon!”

The high priest’s mad cry echoed. If there was a hell on earth, it would certainly resemble this.

Chung Myung silently advanced through this inferno.

And,

“Ahhhhh!”

His sword struck the high priest’s shoulder.

Chack!

But the sword, just an ordinary one without qi, couldn’t cut the body down and only left an ambiguous cut on it.

Luckily, it was sufficient to defeat a formidable, equally wounded man, so the high priest fell to the side, coughing blood.

“Cough…”

Both the high priest, who was slashed, and Chung Myung, who couldn’t withstand his wounds, trembled and fell.

“Cough”

The high priest was coughing blood, but despite having a body that should be dead, he wasn’t dying.

“…you filthy beings.”

Chung Myung clenched his teeth and rose to his feet. But as he stood halfway, his arms lacked the strength, and he toppled over.

“… damn it.”

He glared at the high priest, his eyes burning red.

“Cough! Cough!”

Despite the high priest’s anger-filled gaze.

“It’s futile.”

“… what?”

The high priest spoke, a smile on his face.

“The ritual is complete! No one can prevent the resurrection now!”

The high priest’s voice grew ominously clear.

“So unfortunate for you, a descendant of the Plum Blossom Sword Saint….”

However, his expression started to shift as he directed his attention towards Chung Myung.

“You…”

And then, it happened.

Kwaaaaang!

The ice crystals on the ritual circle now appeared crimson, resembling blood, and the howling grew more intense.

“Uhahahahahaah!”

The high priest laughed maniacally.

“No one can halt it! No one! The Heavenly Demon shall traverse into this realm and drench it in blood! After a century of yearning, our aspirations are finally coming to fruition!”

And then he started reciting these strange mantras once again. Chung Myung’s eyes shifted towards the radiating pattern.

And in that very moment.

Wheeik!

The asura painting became entangled and burned in the scorching glow. The cloth turned to ashes in a flash, revealing the figure behind it at last. It was such a shocking sight that Chung Myung’s eyes widened.

“… this…”

Chung Myung’s fingers trembled at the sight.

“You goddamn bastards….”

A man sat cross-legged, wearing a pure white robe.

His pale skin boasted perfectly red lips. Even with closed eyes, those eyelashes were unmistakably long. Whenever the wind blew, his hair, reaching the ground, danced wildly. Any stranger would see the eerie aura around him.

But what caught Chung Myung’s attention the most… was the red line encircling his neck.

He recognized it all too well.

No, it was a moment he would never forget, even in his dreams.

How could he ever forget it?

Even though he was alive, he felt dead.

A deity took human form, representing emptiness.

The person he killed with a slash to the throat.

“… Heavenly Demon.”

The word escaped from Chung Myung’s mouth. His body was ablaze.

- Remember. Disciple of Mount Hua. This is not the end.

“Fuck….”

Chung Myung clenched his teeth, fearing they would shatter.

He knew it. That was merely a lifeless body.

The Heavenly Demon was clearly beheaded by him and died there. Isn’t there a visible line around his neck as evidence?

“What the hell are you doing, you bastards!”

He wasn’t sure about their actions, but he was certain they somehow obtained and retrieved the deceased body of Heavenly Demon.

Now, he could finally see that the ice crystals surrounding Heavenly Demon’s body were not just a mere decoration.

No matter how purposeful, it was impossible for normal methods to preserve a dead body for nearly a hundred years.

‘Ice crystals, ice crystals, the corpse of the Heavenly Demon…’

He glared at the high priest.

“Insane bastards… you did something unnecessary.”

“Hehe, too late.”

Stumbling, the high priest got up and bowed to the Heavenly Demon, tears filling his eyes.

“Oh, great being! I implore you, do not abandon my fervent plea and come forth to mete out justice upon this foolish soul!”

Chung Myung stared intently at Heavenly Demon’s lifeless body, struggling to comprehend the situation. However, he realized that he had to put an end to it.

With his grip firm on the sword, he mustered all his strength and pushed himself up. Then, amidst the swirling gusts of the pattern, he took a determined step towards the Heavenly Demon.

Yet, his progress was abruptly halted.

Kwaaaang!

An enormous storm erupted within the cave.

“Kuak!”

Chung Myunng, unable to withstand the force, was thrown backward. The sheer power of it could have torn his body apart if he had been caught between the two.

As this immense force grew in intensity around the body of the Heavenly Demon, the cave could no longer bear it and started to crumble.

A colossal rock, resembling a house in size, plummeted down, causing the rocks on the wall to cascade downwards. Yet, not a single one made contact with the body of the Heavenly Demon.

“Ohhhhh!”

Filled with joy, the high priest’s eyes watched the Heavenly Demon amidst the falling rocks.

“Heavenly Demon!”

Swish.

Before long, the energy radiating from the Ice Crystals blended with blood from the pattern and was instantly absorbed by the body of the Heavenly Demon. It appeared to be an occurrence that defied logic.

“Ahhhhhh!”

Chung Myung clenched his teeth and threw his sword at Heavenly Demon, but it flew so powerlessly that it just bounced back in the wind.

Clang!

The sword simply fell down to the ground.

“Phew… ugh…”

Chung Myung had no more strength and could only watch.

Shhh…

The ice crystals began to lose their light, and the red glow slowly disappeared. All of the force that had been raging was absorbed into the body of the Heavenly Demon.

“…”

The cave grew silent as if it were a grave. And… Chung Myung saw it.

The corners of the Heavenly Demon’s eyes twitched.

Ba-dump.

The sound of a heartbeat echoed from somewhere.

Ba-dump.

He didn’t need to ponder over the source of this sound; the blood started flowing through the Heavenly Demon’s body, and his face was no longer pale.

It was indeed a revival.

The dead, returning to life.

Ugh.

The Heavenly Demon’s eyes snapped open.

“OH, HEAVENLY DEMONNNN!”

The high priest exclaimed with delight.

“I was waiting for the moment you would show up, Heavenly Demon! Ah, Heavenly Demon!”

The arrival of the Demon.

The lifeless body of the demon, who had once shrouded the world in darkness, began breathing once more. Despite clearly witnessing this, Chung Myung remained still, simply opening his eyes and gazing at Heavenly Demon.

A chilling silence fell upon the surroundings.

Everything became silent.

“….”

The high priest, who didn’t move as he bowed, slowly raised his head, and a shock registered in his eyes.

The face of the high priest now lifted to confirm the existence of the Heavenly Demon, soon distorted. Indeed, the Heavenly Demon had opened his eyes and was clearly breathing.

But…

“… why…?”

There was no focus in the newly opened eyes. It was as if it was a person who had lost their soul.

“T-this… cannot be…”

The high priest immediately recognized the truth. The body was vacant. The eyes were open, and he was breathing, but there was no sign of life. It was merely the shell of the Heavenly Demon, still breathing.

“NOOO… this is impossible! Ah, this! THIS CANNOT HAPPEN!!!! NOOOO! WHYYYYYYYY!”

The high priest, seemingly struck insane, started screaming and babbling.

“I had confirmed it so many times! There is no way the ritual can fail! Even those insignificant things were alive and breathing, so why is it just our Heavenly Demon! WHYYY, just him!”

Hearing the piercing scream that was tearing the soul, Chung Myung smiled and stood up.

“… I knew it.”

The Heavenly Demon didn’t resurrect.

But Chung Myung couldn’t feel even a hint of joy from it.

Not even a bit.

“This cannot be. This cannot be…. No. No. This cannot be. This cannot be. No. This cannot be. This cannot be….”

The high priest continued to mumble.

Srrng.

The sound of the sword being grabbed again brought him to his senses. The blank gaze turned to Chung Myung. And, clenching the sword, he said,

“Let us finish this now. You bastard.”

Then, as if he had lost his will, the high priest just looked shocked and done with everything.

It was as if he had realized something significant.

“You…”

The unanswered questions started to unravel in his mind.

“…the first resurrection ritual…”

His voice started to become clearer.

“Right. There’s no way the ritual failed.”

He was becoming more confident with his words.

“Then, there’s only one possibility… ah!”

His eyes filled with joy, sadness, and fear.

“Y… You! You truly are the Plum Blossom Sword Saint!”

“…”

With everything now clear, he threw his head back and laughed.

“AHAHAHAHAH! Right! Right! You really are the Plum Blossom Sword Saint! Right! Right! Right! AHAHAHAAH! Now I understand! PLUM BLOSSOM SWORD SAINT! In the flesh! AHAHAHAH!”

Chung Myung approached him without any expression on his face.

“The ritual of summoning a soul is to call forth a soul! Not just to respond to the one called! If the soul has already found another body!”

Tears streamed down the eyes of the high priest.

“If you were able to do it, he should be able to as well. Right! He surely should…”

Puak!

The sword’s tip pierced the high priest’s chest.

The high priest, who had been looking down at the sword that pierced his head, struggled and weakly said,

“Heavenly Demon…”

His voice faltered.

“Already…”

Finally, his body went limp.

Thud!

No blood even dripped down from his chest anymore. Even though his life had been taken a long time ago, he was a person who survived through sheer willpower. And the moment he lost that will, he simply turned into nothing.

The high priest’s lifeless face wore a jubilant smile, causing Chung Myung to lick his lips in anticipation.

“…I had a feeling it would be like this.”

His gaze shifted towards the Heavenly Demon, whose eyes seemed unfocused.

No, in reality, he was simply observing the Heavenly Demon’s lifeless stare.

But…

Chung Myung faltered and gradually approached the Heavenly Demon.

Step. Step.

He stared straight ahead as if transported back to the moment they first encountered each other on the mound of corpses.

Of course, the Heavenly Demon’s eyes were devoid of consciousness, but his arrogant smile when he saw Chung Myung at the last moment was still there.

Kwaaak!

The sound of teeth grinding leaked out from Chung Myung’s lips, his face distorted.

- The Heavenly Demon already…

Paaaat!

Chung Myung’s sword, swung as if in the midst of war, slashed the neck of the Heavenly Demon.

The head, which soared into the air, rolled down helplessly. The throat was cut, but the smile remained.

Seeing that mocking smile, Chung Myung couldn’t help but feel a surge of anger.

His anger was so intense that he coughed up blood multiple times.

Already?

“Don’t make me laugh!”

That demon, from his past…

“Uhh…”

The image of that bloodstained mountain flashed through his mind.

Those who had perished were unable to escape. A vast field of lifeless bodies.

And the Heavenly Demon, standing alone in the world.

Everything in Chung Myung’s life was trampled and destroyed at their hands.

Chung Myung was consumed by anger and hatred, and his reasoning clouded. He groaned with his mouth wide open, finally releasing a terrible roar, venting his rage.

“AHHHHHH!”

With a primal howl, the entire cave started to crumble.

- The Demon will return.

The laughter of the Heavenly Demon, a sound that should not be heard, started to echo in his ears.

“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

The rocks were thrown, accompanied by his angry howl.