Chapter 245
Chapter 245
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 245
Chapter Title: 7장. Mount Hua Drowns in Blood, and the Fist Demon Walks the Bloody Path (2)
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When people thought of the Mount Hua Sect, they pictured the upper palace on Lotus Peak. They believed everything of the Mount Hua Sect was there. After all, the renowned orthodox sects of the Central Plains, like the Shaolin Temple or the Wudang Sect, were mostly gathered in grand compounds with splendid halls.
But the Mount Hua Sect was different.
The rugged terrain of Mount Hua had no vast flatland to accommodate such sprawling complexes. As a result, the sect's key organizations were scattered across various parts of the mountain.
The True Martial Palace, the symbol of the Mount Hua Sect's martial prowess, stood atop Cloud Platform Peak. The Golden Heaven Palace, Treasure Mystery Palace, Spirit Treasure Palace, and other important halls were tucked away in places invisible from the outside.
The most widely known sites to the world were the Jade Spring Courtyard at the mountain's base and the Palace of Peace midway up. Even for ordinary folk, the Jade Spring Courtyard was the limit of accessibility.
The Jade Spring Courtyard served as the gateway to Mount Hua. Accordingly, it was always garrisoned by numerous experts. Fitting its role as the sect's frontline defense, the warriors stationed there were among the sect's elites.
In particular, the current master of the courtyard, Daoist Hyeonu, was one of the top experts in the entire Mount Hua Sect. His martial arts were naturally profound.
Excluding Daoist Present Sword, the emblem of the sect's might, few in the Mount Hua Sect could match him.
Yet now, that very Daoist Hyeonu lay sprawled on the cold stone floor. His body was hacked to pieces, and his wide-open eyes had long lost their spark of life. The blood pooling from him stained the青강석-paved ground red.
"Courtyard Master."
"Hic!"
Sobs erupted from Mount Hua Sect disciples scattered everywhere.
Their conditions were just as wretched as his. They clung to life by a thread, rolling on the ground.
Demonic Cult warriors strode over them.
Crunch!
Their cries were crushed under the heels of the Demonic Cult warriors and silenced.
The Demonic Cult forces resembled a colossal tidal wave. Appearing without warning, they had swept through the Jade Spring Courtyard in an instant.
The area around Hwaseom County was Mount Hua Sect territory. Everyone living there was connected to the sect, overtly or covertly. Strangers were immediately reported to the sect.
The eyes and ears of all residents in Hwaseom County and vicinity formed the Mount Hua Sect's vaunted intelligence network. Yet the Demonic Cult warriors had deceived this network completely, launching a lightning raid that annihilated the courtyard.
At the center was Sang Han-cheon.
It might seem like a blind assault, but Sang Han-cheon had done extensive groundwork for this day.
First, he had steadily infiltrated groups of three or four Demonic Cult warriors into the Hwaseom County area, using them to manipulate information.
Fortunately, the region was flooded with fleeing warriors from Sakju and locals from nearby, so no one noticed the Demonic Cult's infiltration.
The first step was the hardest; after that, it was smooth. Once the sect's eyes and ears were blinded, he secretly positioned secondary forces around the Jade Spring Courtyard.
With all troops in place, he led the Demonic Cult elites in a sudden strike. Attacking from inside and out in coordination, they overwhelmed the courtyard's defenders.
Sang Han-cheon glanced back. There stood the elder from Whirlwind Bone Valley. He bowed respectfully to the old man.
"Elder! The cleanup is complete. Please ascend Mount Hua."
"Hmm. It doesn't seem over yet."
The elder, slightly shaking his head, was none other than Cheon Ogyeong.
Doubt flickered across Sang Han-cheon's face.
"What do you mean?"
"Don't you sense it?"
"Pardon?"
"Well, it's still beyond you. There's a formidable expert on Mount Hua."
Cheon Ogyeong's gaze turned toward the mountain.
Far off, Lotus Peak was visible. A single potent aura emanating from there pricked at his senses. Even from this distance, the opponent's energy was overwhelmingly powerful.
"Is he coming?"
Just as he had sensed the man, the man had sensed him and was on the move.
Sang Han-cheon looked back.
There loomed a giant at least two heads taller than an ordinary man.
The giant was Hwang Ryeol, Hall Leader of the Mad Demon Hall, one of the Demonic Cult's inner organizations.
True to its name, the Mad Demon Hall gathered only battle-mad fiends. With their inherently feral natures and insanity for combat crammed together, incidents were inevitable.
Thus, within the Demonic Cult, the Mad Demon Hall was the noisiest and most troublesome group. Hwang Ryeol had perfectly tamed this pack of berserkers.
Behind him stood two thousand fiends. They were the culprits who had wiped out the Jade Spring Courtyard.
The Mad Demon Hall warriors exuded ferocious auras, awaiting only the command to charge.
Nor was it just them. Invincible Spear Dan Ho-sang, one of the Seven Great Demons, and countless other experts had joined.
Above all, Sang Han-cheon himself was here. It was a force that couldn't lose even if they tried.
The madness radiating from behind made Cheon Ogyeong click his tongue.
'Tsk. Even demons have their limits...'
Those men knew no such thing.
It was because of scum like them that his beloved Divine Cult was branded demonic.
He regretted it, but he had no right to blame them. After all, he too had joined this bloodbath for personal vengeance.
It was then.
"Halt!"
With a lion's roar, countless warriors poured down from the mountain. Mount Hua Sect warriors.
"They've come."
Cheon Ogyeong snapped from his reverie and eyed the Mount Hua forces.
There he was.
The middle-aged warrior evoking a perfected divine sword—Daoist Present Sword.
Behind him stood Daoist Hyeon-cheon and the sect's experts and disciples. Rage burned in their eyes at the courtyard's massacre.
Daoist Hyeon-cheon stepped forward, raising his voice.
"To dare trample the sacred ground of our sect."
His voice boomed like a lion's roar, echoing through the Jade Spring Courtyard.
"Is Mount Hua such a big deal? We trampled it before."
Hwang Ryeol sneered.
His voice rang out vast and thunderous, like a great bell, clear in every ear.
Instantly, flames surged in Daoist Hyeon-cheon's eyes.
Hwang Ryeol's words struck at the defeat he had long harbored.
How could he forget that day?
The memory of Mount Hua's fall.
His master, his master's juniors, and countless senior brothers had perished. The scar it left was indelible, still aching in his chest.
Daoist Hyeon-cheon ground his teeth.
"We will never lose again."
Since that day, he had steeled himself with bitter resolve.
He had pushed his disciples to their limits, forging them harshly. Some, like Dam-ho, had been driven away in the process, but he harbored no regrets.
'Even if time turned back, I'd make the same choice.'
Daoist Hyeon-cheon shouted.
"This is the thousand-year Mount Hua. Shall we let the demonic cultists trample this holy ground where our ancestors' spirits linger once more?"
"No!"
The Mount Hua disciples roared in response, their voices thundering through the sect's valleys.
"We are proud disciples of Mount Hua. Today, we drive out the Demonic Cult and uphold the jianghu's righteousness. We will make history."
"Waaaaah!"
Daoist Hyeon-cheon's cry stirred the disciples' hearts. Their cheers set the entire mountain ablaze.
The Mount Hua disciples gripped their weapons.
In their sights lay the fallen warriors of the Jade Spring Courtyard—fellow disciples they had trained with. They knew every face.
'These vile demonic bastards! Today, we fight to the death.'
'I'll avenge them with my life if need be.'
Their fury pierced the heavens. In contrast, the Demonic Cult warriors were calm. Far from cowed, they were like volcanoes on the verge of eruption, their rage and madness bottled tight.
They awaited Sang Han-cheon's command in silence.
It was then.
Until now silent, Cheon Ogyeong stepped forward. As if on cue, Daoist Present Sword advanced from the Mount Hua side.
They were the supreme experts among those gathered. Knowing this, neither side spoke rashly.
Cheon Ogyeong spoke first.
"This old man is Cheon Ogyeong of the Divine Cult. And who might you be, Daoist?"
"Present Sword... that is my Daoist title."
"As expected, Daoist Present Sword. I've heard tales of your prowess in Mount Hua."
"You flatter me, Elder."
Daoist Present Sword replied courteously. Though usually arrogant beyond measure, he was not now.
His skin prickled. From the moment he faced Cheon Ogyeong, his body reacted instinctively.
Others might not sense it, but Daoist Present Sword felt the old man's power. It pinned him in place, forbidding rash movement.
Cheon Ogyeong scrutinized Daoist Present Sword.
"Yet the rumors seem to capture but half the truth. It seems you've achieved remarkable progress lately."
"I had a stroke of fortune recently."
"A stroke of fortune. How enviable. What boon elevated your strength so?"
"What special thing is a warrior's fortune? Insights gained in battle."
"Indeed. I'm curious whom you fought to gain such insights. Care to share?"
To an outsider, they seemed like old friends chatting amiably. But tension crackled between them.
Daoist Present Sword said,
"If you're so curious, defeat me. Then you'll know naturally."
"Mount Hua... truly remarkable. From the great tree Hyun-so to birthing a divine sword like you."
"You know Junior Brother Hyun-so?"
Daoist Present Sword looked puzzled. Cheon Ogyeong smiled gently.
"I met him once before. Never have I seen such profound Daoist power."
"Hyun-so truly possesses great Daoist attainment. Shamefully, I've only realized it myself lately."
"I'm truly sorry to Hyun-so, my young brother. Mount Hua is the place he loves most, yet here I come sword in hand."
The greatest worry on coming to Mount Hua had been Daoist Hyun-so. Though they'd spent but one night together, their bond ran deeper than with any acquaintance.
It shamed him to draw sword against the land his friend cherished. But vengeance for his disciple had blinded him, leading him here.
Daoist Present Sword spoke as if understanding.
"Isn't that the jianghu?"
"True. That's the jianghu. All the more terrifying for it. Once entangled, karmic ties can never be severed."
Cheon Ogyeong sighed deeply.
"For the sake of my bond with Junior Brother Hyun-so, could you not withdraw?"
"I'd like nothing more. But I cannot. Is the Hundred War Sect's Branch Chief residing here by chance?"
"Why do you ask?"
"In the jianghu, one seeks another for but one reason."
"Karmic ties."
"Precisely. That child killed my disciple."
"Hmm."
Daoist Present Sword groaned.
In the jianghu, grudges were shackles one could never escape. Once entwined, breaking free was nigh impossible.
It was then.
"I am Cho Yeon-un, Branch Chief of the Hundred War Sect."
Cho Yeon-un's voice thundered across the field.
Descending Mount Hua late, he wielded the massive Hundred War Banner. At the sight, flames ignited in the Demonic Cult warriors' eyes.
To them, it symbolized utter humiliation. Their shoulders trembled with shame.
Cheon Ogyeong's gaze fixed on Cho Yeon-un holding the banner.
"Cho Yeon-un... So you're him."
"And who might you be, elder, to seek me so?"
"I am a foolish master burning with rage over his lost disciple."
"Whoever your disciple was, I owe you no apology for it. Fights in the jianghu inevitably breed grudges."
"I know. Had you not, I'd have thought less of you."
Despite Cho Yeon-un's bold retort, Cheon Ogyeong smiled calmly. He seemed nothing like a man facing his disciple's killer.
But Cho Yeon-un sensed it—the killing intent in those eyes. The profound sorrow. In his visage, Cho Yeon-un saw another's face superimposed.
"Jo Ja-gyeong... You're his master."
"Correct."
"He was stronger than any warrior I've faced. I defeated him fairly, with no shame."
"You've none to feel. But I do. Blinded by vengeance, I slew your master."
"What did you say?"
"I wanted you to taste the pain of losing a disciple. So I killed your master. How is it? Feel my pain now?"
"What nonsense? My master's dead?"
"That's my revenge on you. Live in torment like me forever."
"Uwaaaaaah!"
Cho Yeon-un's anguished scream echoed across Mount Hua. Reason snapped in his mind.
He charged at Cheon Ogyeong.
That ignited the war. Mount Hua Sect clashed with the Demonic Cult.