Chapter 1288

Return of The Mount Hua – Chapter 1288. It's a sight you’ll sick of seeing (2)

Editor: Hoamzz

Co-Translator: Xoxo

“Damn it. The Little Ghost Sect has been annihilated!”

“Little Ghost Sect? They had over a hundred men there, and they couldn't even hold for one incense stick's time?"

"What one incense stick! They didn't even last half that time!"

"Dammit! Then where are they now?"

“They’re close! They’re right nearby!”

The face of Yaksha Manor Bangju Jang Cheon-gi turned deathly pale.

‘W- What on earth is happening here?’

It was utter chaos. What's more, though the enemy hadn't even shown their nose here yet, there was already pandemonium as if an army had swept through.

It couldn't be helped. The foundation of an encirclement was perfect positioning that leaves no gaps for the enemy to escape. Achieving that requires flawless communication between each stationed point.

But now, the communication network established for this purpose kept delivering bad news. This meant that the encirclement they had established earlier was being breached at an impossible speed.

So wouldn't it be stranger if there wasn't chaos?

"Th- They'll arrive soon, Bangju!"

“Already here? What happened to the guys in front?”

"Isn't that obvious….”

"Th- This..."

Jang Cheon-gi didn’t even think to wipe the cold sweat trickling down his chin as he blankly stared ahead.

'How did it come to this?'

The situation had seemed calm and orderly when he came here. There was even enough leisure to exchange casual greetings with other familiar leaders of Evil Sects.

Was it complacency? Of course not.

Of course, Yaksha Manor was a somewhat well-known Evil Sects in Guangdong. And they had maintained their existence even in Guangdong under Myriad Man Manor's rule.

But that doesn't mean that Yaksha Manor was a powerful sect.

The reason for their survival was simple. When Myriad Man Manor started gradually cleaning up their surroundings, they quickly lay flat on their stomach instead of fighting back clumsily.

Ironically, it was precisely because they were an insignificant third-rate sect that they had managed to survive.

If they had been a faction with real strength, they would have either been absorbed into Myriad Man Manor or eliminated entirely. But Yaksha Manor was a place where Myriad Man Manor had no reason to interfere. So just by volunteering to be an obedient dog doing whatever Myriad Man Manor ordered, they could at least preserve their sect's signboard.

Would proper missions even be assigned to people like them?

Ho Gamyeong also knew this fact very well, and any orders given to them were nothing more than a way to pad out the numbers.

So their job was simply to show up at the designated location as instructed by Ho Gamyeong, stand around acting tough, and later bask in the victory achieved by Myriad Man Manor. If they were lucky enough to get a chance to finish off some fleeing remnants, all the better.

The missions given to Yaksha Manor had always been like that. So they assumed this time wouldn’t be any different.

But the current situation was unfolding completely differently from what Jang Cheon-gi had expected.

“Are Hainan Sect guys really that strong? Even if they belong to Ten Great Sects, Little Ghost Sect is leagues stronger than us!”

“H- How would I know? I’ve never fought against Hainan Sect before.”

To be honest, it wasn’t just Hainan Sect they had never fought.

They had never crossed swords with any prestigious orthodox sect on the level of Ten Great Sects. If they had, they wouldn’t be alive to tell the tale.

“Damn it… If they were this strong, do you think those guys would have been holed up on that remote island all this time? They're not insane! Does this situation make any sense?"

“Bangju-nim.”

The vice leader cautiously calmed the agitated Jang Cheon-gi while scanning their surroundings. Then he asked in a hushed tone.

"Wh- What are you going to do?"

"What do you mean what?"

“If we stay here, we’ll all die a dog’s death. Even Little Ghost Sect was annihilated.”

"What...?"

“Perhaps we should just…”

Jang Cheon-gi kept licking his parched lips. The vice leader trailed off, but Jang Cheon-gi understood exactly what he was implying.

Though he hesitated, the truth was that his decision was already made.

“N- No, we can’t.”

"Bangju!"

“I would rather die cleanly.”

Jang Cheon-gi shook his head violently. Wasn't it all too obvious what fate awaited those who disobeyed Ho Gamyeong's orders and deserted their post?

Of course, clinging to life for even one more day was an incredibly important matter. Jang Cheon-gi too was certain he would do anything if it meant living even one more day.

But that was only if the ‘death’ awaiting him was the same. There were no fools left alive in Guangdong who would equate death by an enemy's blade with that man Ho Gamyeong's retaliation. Those who remained alive knew all too well how horrific that retaliation was.

For Jang Cheon-gi, who had watched such scenes until he was sick of them, there could be no other choice. If one lacked the courage to bite off their own tongue, they had no option but to stay and fight.

“Ho Gamyeong might have given the wrong orders!”

“You crazy bastard! How dare you say that? Do you think that man would make a mistake with his orders!”

“But this is no different from telling us to just die…”

"That's exactly it."

"What?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying! Are you deaf!"

Jang Cheon-gi suddenly raised his voice.

It was unimaginable that Ho Gamyeong would misread the situation and make a mistake. No, even if such a mistake had occurred, he was not the type to forgive someone for disobeying his orders.

“Fuck…. I don't want to die... I don't want to die either. But if we flee, we'll die even more miserably. What are we supposed to do..."

Jang Cheon-gi muttered like a madman without even the composure to care about those listening around him.

"Had I known this would happen, I should have crossed over to Gangbuk three years ago, why did I remain here..."

“Ba- Bangju.”

The words that should have followed were supposed to be ‘Lower your voice, there are ears listening’. But those words never left his mouth. Before he could even say them, a faint scream was heard from far away.

In an instant, Jang Cheon-gi along with several others at the front snapped their heads forward with their gazes sharp and focused.

Everyone's faces turned deathly white.

Just as they were about to doubt whether they had misheard, another scream rang out. This time slightly clearer than before.

"Th- They're coming..."

Someone muttered in a trembling voice.

In a desperate attempt to lift the plummeting morale, a few sect leaders shouted urgently.

“Do not be afraid! No matter how formidable Hainan Sect may be, this is Guangdong! There’s no way Advisor-nim hasn’t prepared for them.”

“That’s right! Hainan Sect is nothing compared to Myriad Man Manor!”

Of course, not everyone took those words at face value.

If Ho Gamyeong had truly prepared to capture them, then why had the sects at the front fallen so quickly? And how had Hainan Sect which supposedly couldn't measure up to even Myriad Man Manor's toe appear here in Guangdong? Most of all, why were the sect leaders’ voices gradually fading as if they were afraid their location might be discovered?

But such questions were meaningless here. Even if someone dared to voice them, there was no one who could provide an answer.

Everyone simply watched the front with trembling gazes while suppressing their rising anxiety.

However, what they encountered moments later was not the bloodthirsty appearance of their enemies. What burst from the swaying bushes were Evil Sect members fleeing in complete panic and overwhelmed by uncontrollable terror.

"Ugh- Uwaaaah!"

“Spare meeeeeee!”

“G- Get away! Get awaaaaaaay!”

Their bodies froze momentarily at this sight they had never witnessed before.

These were martial artists of Evil Sects. Evil Sects of Guangdong, no less. Though they might not be called first-rate martial artists, as Guangdong Evil Sects members, they had all experienced various battlefields multiple times and seen people die until they were sick of it.

But they had never seen anyone this consumed by fear.

Jang Cheon-gi realized for the first time that a person's bloodshot eyes could tremble like that.

Faces drained of blood yet eyes shot with blood, soulless expressions, and drool trickling from their mouths.

What on earth must one witness to end up like that? And not an ordinary person, but someone trained in martial arts?

For better or worse, that question was soon answered.

“Sa- Save me….”

Puuk!

Something sharp and glimmering pierced through the throat of the man at the back of the fleeing group.

"Kkeuruk... Grrkk..."

With his throat pierced in an instant, he forcibly raised his trembling hands as if trying to grasp whatever had skewered him. Countless people blankly watched this unnatural and grotesque movement.

However.

Kwadeuk.

The blade, or what should have been called a sword, twisted mercilessly inside his throat.

Those who witnessed this scene unconsciously shrank back.

It was a primal reaction, something that no amount of martial training could suppress.

“Grrk…”

Dark red blood gushed from the hole created by the twisting blade. The faint light in the convulsing man's eyes gradually dimmed.

Finally, the man's body crumbled forward lifelessly like a rotting bundle of straw.

And everyone there saw it.

The figure who emerged from behind the fallen man.

A young swordsman clad in deep black martial robes holding a dazzlingly white sword that contrasted sharply with his attire.

Jang Cheon-gi eyes bulged.

"That..."

Astonishment overtook him before fear could. He was so overwhelmed that he didn’t even register the terrified martial artists screaming and rushing past him.

His gaze was locked onto the young swordsman’s chest. On the black robe that’s further darkened by smeared blood was a crimson plum blossom embroidered in vivid detail.

Black martial robes embroidered with plum blossoms and a snow-white sword.

Hair tied back tightly and eyes as cold and piercing as ice.

It all spoke of one name.

“Mo- Mount Hua…. Mount Hua Chivalrous Sword….”

Paaaaaaat!

A blinding flash of light burst before Jang Cheon-gi’s eyes.

He caught a faint glimpse of something white and felt the sensation of someone's clothes brushing past his side.

A terrible burning sensation followed.

“Ugh….”

It felt as though his neck was being seared by fire. That pain soon spread and blazed up to his shoulders.

Jang Cheon-gi knew what this burning sensation was. He didn't need to look around to know. This hot thing was blood. Red blood pouring from his neck.

‘Right…’

Jang Cheon-gi's world distorted. Even the screams that had been piercing his eardrums quickly grew to a distant murmur.

As the painfully clear blue sky tilted and seemed to pour down upon him, a thought crossed his fading mind.

‘Of course, there’s no way Hainan Sect alone could’ve done this.’

Only Mount Hua Chivalrous Sword could break through this defensive line as if it were child’s play.

'That's... ri...ght...'

Whether his final emotion was relief or resignation, only Jang Cheon-gi himself would ever know.