Return of the Mount Hua Sect

“Kuakkk!”

The deeply pierced sword froze pure white through his chest.

The Demonic Sect member gasped for breath, chanting with unfocused eyes.

“Hea-heavenly… Demon… second.”

“…”

“He… will… come…”

Crack.

Upon hearing this, the warriors of the Ice Palace twisted the sword that had pierced the chest of the Demonic Sect member. With a short gurgling sound, the breathless man collapsed in despair.

“These damned things.”

They had even defeated the last warrior from the Demonic Sect that was guarding the cave. However, the faces of the Ice Palace troops didn’t reflect a sense of victory. The damage they had suffered was extensive.

Typically, when the scales tipped this far, the will of those who resisted would be shattered, but these people never lost their determination, even in the face of death.

In fact, they fought back fiercely against the Ice Palace warriors, refusing to give up on life.

‘Anyways…’

The Ice Palace warrior drew his sword slowly and glanced behind him.

The once pristine white valley, covered in snow and ice, now lay in ruins, stained with the gruesome aftermath of blood and flesh. In the midst of this chaos, the blood of the Ice Palace and the Demonic Sect mingled in a macabre display.

Truly, it was a horrifying sight to behold.

Despite bearing heavy losses and enduring significant damage, the courageous warriors of the Ice Palace managed to eliminate the remaining members of the Demonic Sect. And they did it with their own hands.

Looking back with a wearied expression, the warrior observed the disciples of Mount Hua struggling to their feet.

‘If it weren’t for them…’

Maybe it wouldn’t have been the Demonic Sect’s defeat but rather that of the Ice Palace warriors. Thanks to the Central Plains guests, they were able to safeguard the North Sea.

He was on the verge of going over to express his gratitude.

Rumble!

The mountain in the background started to shake violently.

‘What comes next?’

Bewildered, the warriors turned to the cave, their confusion evident. The vibrations grew, causing the ground beneath their feet to violently shake, making it impossible to stand.

Rumble!

The sight of the entire mountain trembling caught everyone’s attention, causing their eyes to shift towards the entrance of the cave.

Could the cave withstand this relentless shaking? Inside, it was evident that the top was trembling and slowly breaking apart.

‘Ah, those who went in haven’t emerged yet!’

The eyes of the Ice Palace warriors trembled, filled with worry and anxiety.

“N-No…”

In that very instant,

A group of people emerged from the cave that was rapidly collapsing.

“Lieutenant!”

The warrior who noticed the arrival of those who had hastily escaped the cave exclaimed. Han Yi-Myung, Seol So-Baek, and several other warriors jumped out of the collapsing cave entrance.

Rumble!

The cave collapsed a short distance behind them as heavy boulders came crashing down.

Rumble!

A cloud of white dust spread all around the valley.

“T-thank…”

The warrior felt relief upon seeing the sight and patted his chest before falling silent. As he looked back, he realized that only a fraction of those who entered had managed to escape.

‘What about the others?’

Wasn’t the answer to that obvious?

Biting his lip, he hurriedly made his way toward the Palace Lord and Han Yi-Myung.

“Lieutenant… no, Palace Lord, are you alright?”

Seol So-Baek, covered in dust, looked bewildered at the question. He mumbled under his breath as he glanced back at the cave that was now concealed.

“… Taoist Chung Myung.”

The rate at which the stones were collapsing was too much.

It was urgent that they needed to get out; they couldn’t save Chung Myung, who went further in. He cried and struggled, but in the end, Han Yi-Myung held him back.

“T-taoist Chung Myung!”

When Seol So-Baek rushed to the collapsed cave, Han Yi-Myung tightly grabbed him.

“Stop it, Palace Lord! The cave will fall again! It’s dangerous to be this close!”

“But Taoist! Taoist Chung Myung is still there!”

Han Yi-Myung let out a sigh.

He was aware of it. However, this task couldn’t be accomplished with manpower alone.

His heart felt uneasy. How could he not want to save the man? But, in his perspective, rescuing Seol So-Baek took precedence. Blood trickled from his bitten lip.

‘The Taoist saved the North Sea.’

A powerful earthquake abruptly shook the surroundings, causing the mountain to collapse and emitting a subtle tremor.

Considering the events that transpired, it wasn’t hard to surmise what occurred within. Chung Myung may have prevented Heavenly Demon’s resurrection…

Han Yi-Myung shut his eyes tightly.

‘How can I repay this debt?’

And how should he confront the disciples of Mount Hua? Inside that cavern, numerous Ice Palace warriors were also sacrificed. While fleeing from the cave and eluding the gangshi, some didn’t make it.

However, it was natural for the North Sea’s people to die for the North Sea.

It was incomparable to the man who threw his life away after coming all the way to this far-off land and saving the North Sea from the clutches of the Demonic Sect.

“You need to strengthen your mind. Taoist Chung Myung wouldn’t want the Palace Lord to succumb to sorrow,”

Seol So-Baek bit his lip and peered into the collapsed cave. Judging from the expression on his face, he appeared on the verge of tears yet remained speechless.

Han Yi-Myung let out a sigh and stood up. As the commander of Ice Palace, he had tasks to attend to. He cast a burdened gaze upon the disciples of Mount Hua, who lay helpless and unable to rise.

“Sasuk.”

“… what?”

“Are you… still alive?”

“… I’m dead.”

“… That’s what I suspected.”

With his face pressed against the ground, Baek Cheon squirmed in agony.

‘I feel like I’m going to die.’

It was a grueling task, something that seemed impossible to accomplish. He literally couldn’t move a muscle. But he couldn’t stay like this forever.

“Ughh….”

Baek Cheon mustered all the strength he had left and pushed himself up, determined to stand.

Crack.

The sound of bones breaking filled the air, and the wounds that had begun to heal from the previous fight reopened, causing blood to trickle down.

“Uhh…..”

The pain made Baek Cheon grit his teeth, but he managed to stand up.

“Is everyone okay?”

Even though he was in the worst condition, Baek Cheon checked on the disciples first. But no one responded.

“I… I’m sleeping.”

“S-senior. Focus… you’ll die if you sleep here!”

“Plum blossoms… the plum blossoms of Mount Hua.”

“No, this man has lost his mind, huh?”

Jo Gul, who was in good shape, slapped Yoon Jong on the cheek.

“Get up, sahyung!”

Jo Gul.

It seems like you had emotions in those hands. Yoon Jong might be beaten to death before freezing to death here…

“… Amitabha.”

Hae Yeon trembled and exerted a lot of effort to sit up. Looking at the lifeless body, he realized just how terrible the battle they fought was.

Baek Cheon tried to approach Tang Soso and Yu Yiseol, who were not in good condition. Tang Soso was taking care of Yu Yiseol, who thankfully didn’t have any serious injuries, but her body was in shock.

“How is she?”

“…fortunately, she doesn’t have any major wounds, so it won’t affect her life. But her body is still in shock.”

“Good.”

“Sago! You can’t get up now! No!”

“I’ll be fine.”

As Yu Yiseol attempted to rise, Baek Cheon grabbed her shoulders and gently pressed her back down.

“…sahyung?”

“Don’t exert yourself too much.”

Yu Yiseol sat down, seeing Baek Cheon’s messed up face. Baek Cheon sighed.

“If you don’t take the injuries seriously, the aftereffects will remain in your body. It will hinder you as a warrior the next time. Listen to Soso’s advice, samae.”

“… yes, sahyung.”

Baek Cheon sighed, observing Yu Yiseol’s face.

‘This.’

He had been lucky.

None of them would have survived if the battle had lasted a little longer or been more intense.

At that moment.

A couple of people stumbled forward to them.

“I hope you feel good… no, this isn’t to ask.”

Han Yi-Myung glanced at the disciples of Mount Hua, shaking his head.

‘This is embarrassing.’

Of course, the Ice Palace had made sacrifices here, but if he was asked who had fought with everything on the line it wasn’t his people. His body trembled just thinking about the fight between the high priest and the disciples of Mount Hua.

Would they ever witness a battle like that again in this lifetime?

Han Yi-Myung fully embraced the sincerity of Baek Cheon.

“And….”

He bowed his head as his shoulders trembled.

“I don’t know how to express regret. How can we even begin to fathom the emotions….”

He spoke slowly and finally closed his mouth as if unable to speak further. Then, after a moment of silence, he spoke with difficulty.

“The North Sea will never forget the sacrifice of Taoist Chung Myung. We will honor him by regarding his efforts as heroic, as he saved the North Sea.”

“Uh?”

When Baek Cheon asked for clarification, the face of Han Yi-Myung darkened even more.

“… Taoist Chung Myung didn’t make it out of the cave.”

“…”

“I am truly… truly sorry. He…”

“Ah, what is it now?”

Baek Cheon responded calmly, causing Han Yi-Myung to appear slightly surprised by his unexpected reply.

‘Is he unable to accept the shocking reality?’

However, Jo Gul interjected and questioned Baek Cheon.

“What did you say? Chung Myung, what’s going on?”

“I believe he is saying Chung Myung was crushed by the rocks and died?”

“Ah….”

Jo Gul smiled.

“If he died like that, at least he didn’t suffer.”

“Agreed.”

Han Yi-Myung widened his eyes and glanced at the others. It wasn’t just the two of them who appeared serene.

“Amitabha… Taoist Chung Myung is the kind of person who’d come back from hell alive. If a mountain falling on him was fatal, he would’ve died many times over.”

“Ah… the plum blossoms…”

“Wait, is this guy actually dying? Sahyung! Relax, okay? Sahyung!”

Slap! Slap!

“Gul. You are beating Yoon Jong to death.”

“No, this man is simply sleeping! Soso, you will have to attend to him. He seems determined to die here.”

Han Yi-Myung found it difficult to believe.

‘What is happening…’

Before he could gather his thoughts and respond, Baek Cheon grinned and spoke up.

“Commander Han.”

“… Huh?”

“Do you know what Chung Myung excels at besides fighting?”

“Deception?”

“Ah, intimidation?”

“…”

Ah… Yes, those seemed correct.

It wasn’t completely incorrect; he couldn’t even manage to refute that.

“Y-yes, but that’s not all.”

After feeling a sense of sadness, Baek Cheon closed his eyes and then opened them again.

“Besides fighting, bullying, manipulating people, stealing, being disrespectful, and cursing… Do you know the two things he excels at?”

No… could the phrase ‘excelling at’ really be used after what he just said?

“Scaling cliffs and digging.”

“… Uh?”

The response seemed even more ridiculous. Han Yi-Myung simply frowned at Baek Cheon, not knowing how to handle the situation…

But to make matters worse, the disciples of Mount Hua and Hae Yeon nodded in agreement.

“A ghost, that person is a ghost.”

“Amitabha, indeed.”

“P-plum blossom…”

“I told you to cut it out! You moron!”

Baek Cheon smiled at Han Yi-Myung, who appeared lost. His gaze shifted towards the collapsed mountain, causing Han Yi-Myung to instinctively follow his line of sight.

“In other words, he…”

At that very moment…

In what seemed like a response to Baek Cheon’s voice, the side of the collapsed mountain began to create a cavity and tremble.

“Huh?”

For a brief moment, Han Yi-Myung questioned his eyesight and involuntarily opened his mouth wide.

“It means he will also crawl out of the grave. He’ll never die. Never!”

Thud!

Paaat!

A red hand burst through the collapsed stone. Han Yi-Myung’s eyes widened as if they were about to jump out.

“I-I…”

He stammered.

The arm emerged, causing the soil to explode on both sides.

“Puaaaah!”

And in the chaos, Chung Myung thrust his face forward.

“Ughhh! I knew it would happen! Woooo! Where is Sasuk? Sasukkkkkkk! Hurry up and come dig this out! Ahhhhhh! Do not mess around!”

Baek Cheon, who had been talking proudly, looked at that and smiled.

“I wish he had died.”

But that was an impossible dream.

Unfortunate as it might be.