Return of The Mount Hua – Chapter 1709 – That’s it (4)
Editor: Hoamz
Co-Translator: Xoxo
The eyes flung wide in shock and the half-lidded eyes sunk deep met at a distance so close they were almost touching.
"Ugh..."
The Sun Palace Master clenched the area of his chest where the sword was embedded. The blood flowing out ran thick and sticky down the sword and over his hand.
Just six centimeters. This strike hadn’t fully penetrated his body. It meant it wasn't fatal enough to end his life.
However, it was also a strike that no one had thought would occur. This sword shouldn't be embedded here.
Only the searing pain burning in his chest proved that this was real.
"You..."
Udeudeuk!
As the Sun Palace Master applied force, the plum blossom sword clenched in his grip screamed. The blood that flowed from his chest along the blade couldn't withstand the heat bursting from the Solar Palace Master's hand and rose as red vapor.
Then.
Kwaaaaaaa!
The left hand of the Sun Palace Master flew towards Jo-Gol's side with a terrifying force. Jo-Gol, still lost in a state of selflessness (무아지경(無我之境)), couldn't even think to dodge the blow.
But at that moment, Yoon Jong unleashed his sword with all his might. Hundreds of swords seemed to scatter in the air. The sword shadows that couldn't even fully bloom into plum blossoms barely blocked the Solar Palace Master's palm force that had aimed directly at Jo-Gol.
Kwaaaaang!
Gurgle!
As the sword and palm force collided, blood suddenly gushed from Yoon Jong's mouth. It felt as if all his internal organs were crushed and exploded from just a single strike. The impact was that tremendous.
But Yoon Jong's sword never wavered for a moment. If he wavered, Jo-Gol would die. Therefore, Yoon Jong could absolutely not waver.
“Euaaaaaaap!”
Rather, he shouted a kiai with enough force to vomit blood. Then, the blunt sword shadows began to transform into a single flower. It was a sword technique that poured everything into a single strike.
The steel flowers that bloomed while facing the incoming storm of tremendous heat pushed back the Sun Palace Master's scorching yang palm force if only for just a moment.
"Ooooooooooooh!"
And as if it had been waiting, vivid golden Buddhist light surged toward the Sun Palace Master's left hand.
Kuuuuuuung!
A striking sound, like a bronze bell the size of a house being struck, rang out. The incredible power didn't end with just one strike.
Kuuuuuuung! Kuuuuuuung!
Fists drawn out with full force struck the Sun Palace Master one after another.
Hye Yeon. The prodigy whom Shaolin had raised with heart and soul, poured out every ounce of power he possessed in this moment. Solely for a single purpose!
"A-Mi-!"
Before the roar-like Buddhist shout could even finish, Hye Yeon's attacks poured down without a moment's respite.
The scorching yang palm force that had been stretching out to its fullest couldn't withstand the harmony of plum blossoms and Buddha light pouring down and began to gradually shrink like a flame that had burned out completely.
"You bastards dare!"
The Sun Palace Master shouted in desperation.
The wound inflicted on his body, the weakness he had unknowingly shown, the reality that he was being pushed back by these lowly and feeble things. All of it blew away his reason completely.
“Heuaaaaaaaargh!”
A sound that was both a shriek and a scream of madness resounded loudly. This shout, unleashed in a manner unfitting his noble status, was no different from that of a beast.
Flashing golden palm force surged from the Sun Palace Master’s two hands. A radiance with the momentum to crush the world, as if all the precious things in the world had been gathered and piled up.
Malice (악의(惡意)) thick with the intent to definitely tear these bastards before his eyes into a thousand pieces welled up, even if it meant pouring out all his remaining strength.
Kwaaaaaaaang!
The sword still embedded in the Sun Palace Master's chest, Jo-Gol gripping that sword, Yoon Jong blocking with all his might, Hye Yeon desperately pounding on a door that wouldn't open...
It all seemed about to be swept away by the golden energy that swelled as if ready to burst at any moment. Just as despair was about to flood everyone's eyes.
Paaaaat!
Like lightning, someone leaped between the condensed energy like explosives on the verge of detonating. Into the storm of energy where all manner of sword energy, fist power, and the heat emitted by the Sun Palace Master raged simultaneously.
Woooooong!
The sword’s tip dyed in red advanced terribly slowly but persistently towards the Sun Palace Master's neck.
Yoon Jong's eyes widened at the unbelievable sight. Because he clearly realized who was extending their sword one step ahead, receiving all that energy with their entire body.
‘Sasuk?’
He'll die.
His heart sank. No one could guarantee they could withstand that energy even with an uninjured body. To take that head-on with a body suffering from energy deviation? He would be more likely to survive by biting down on a blade and falling forward.
But Yoon Jong couldn't do anything. The moment he slackened his sword, not only Baek Cheon, but Jo-Gol, Hye Yeon, and even Yoon Jong himself would instantly turn to charred black cinders.
No, in the end, everyone here would die.
Geugeuk.
Energies screamed as they collided. Amid that horrific symphony of noise, the sound of Baek Cheon dragging his foot forward was heard with an eerily distinct clarity.
Chiiiiiiiiik!
Flesh burned and melted. Baek Cheon’s hand gripping the sword was burned so badly that the skin began to slough off.
'N- No….'
Chiiiiiiiiik!
But even in that moment, Baek Cheon was advancing little by little, however faintly. With the sharp sword tip aimed precisely at the Sun Palace Master's neck.
That sword wouldn't stop. Yoon Jong couldn't help but sense it instinctively.
Even if that body were to completely char, even if it melted away leaving not a single bone behind, that sword would not stop until the very moment it pierced the neck of Sun Palace Master.
And it wasn't just Yoon Jong who sensed this. In fact, the one who sensed it most strongly was none other than the Sun Palace Master Jin Pyeong, who was watching the sword's tip approach.
'Why?'
Why on earth go to such lengths?
That man’s death was determined anyway. Wouldn't it be better to die peacefully rather than volunteering such pain?
Taking the scorching yang palm force with a bare body would inflict pain that makes death seem preferable. No, even the death that would follow would be paved with unparalleled agony in this mortal world.
So then, for what purpose does he continue such mad behavior?
The moment he saw Baek Cheon approaching without hesitation, looking no different from a sinner suffering in the hottest part of the Scorching Hell (초열지옥(焦熱地獄)), an emotion he had never once felt before surged in the Sun Palace Master's chest.
Chiiiiiiiiik!
Beyond the energy that was on the verge of exploding, he could see a distorted face.
Though covered in wounds and a mess from burns, Baek Cheon’s two eyes alone were without a single inch of wavering, like those of an enlightened monk.
The Sun Palace Master felt like his soul was escaping. His martial prowess might overwhelm them, but he as a person couldn't handle their 'strength.'
As his heart shrank, so did his energy. It became difficult to unleash his energy freely as before.
Baek Cheon's eyes were gradually closing.
Now there was no pain either. All that remained was the will to advance. His body surpassed its limits, and his spirit set foot in a place it had never reached before.
As the faint yet great advance continued with difficulty, flames rose in the heart of the beast driven into a corner.
"Eu- Euuwaaaaaaaah!"
The Sun Palace Master struggled frantically, stretched both hands with all his power.
They say even a cornered mouse will bite a cat, but the Sun Palace Master was far too mighty a beast.
Paaaaat!
The Sun Palace Master’s palm force, which had been losing momentum, suddenly spread out like a wildfire. Toward Baek Cheon, who was at the very front.
Yoon Jong and Jo-Gol screamed without realizing it.
At that moment, a single arrow shot through the path Baek Cheon had opened with his life.
Swaaaaak!
With a sound like a sharp sword slicing through silk in a single stroke, Yoo Iseol’s plum blossom sword pierced through the soaring flames and shot toward the center of the Sun Palace Master’s forehead.
That sword held all of Yoo Iseol's power. An attack that left nothing behind, pouring everything into a single point.
On Yoo Iseol’s usually expressionless face, there was now a terrible resolve, and beyond that resolve, a desperate earnestness.
'Please!'
That sword tip soon reached the Solar Palace Master's brow, just as Yoo Iseol, just as everyone had hoped.
But then.
Dopsseok.
The Sun Palace Master’s hand snatched Yoo Iseol’s sword. Since it was a sword imbued with sword energy to the fullest, the Sun Palace Master’s hand paid a price. The blade dug into his palm and severed bone.
However, the Sun Palace Master stubbornly held onto Yoo Iseol's sword and wouldn't let go.
'Ah...'
Yoo Iseol’s eyes, which seemed as if they would never waver, shook greatly.
It didn’t reach.
The exchange on which she had staked everything ended in failure, falling short by just a single inch.
She instinctively knew. That such a strike would never come again.
It was the moment when desperate despair filled Yoo Iseol's eyes as they faced a regrettable end.
"Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!"
But then, an immense shout erupted from behind them.
It was an unfamiliar voice. Yet, one could tell it was desperate beyond measure. The moment they recognized the shout, it was already beside them, and the moment they realized it, it was already ahead of them.
The back of a stranger came into everyone's view. Even at a glance, it was a back radiating fierce urgency and malice.
What everyone saw next were the Sun Palace Master’s eyes dyed with shock and his mouth gaping wide.
‘Thousand-Faced...?'
The palm of Thousand-Faced Gentleman, who had appeared before them at some point, ruthlessly embedded itself into the Sun Palace Master's chest that Jo-Gol had torn open.
Puuuk!
The moment the hand dyed in white struck his chest, the Sun Palace Master spewed blood like a fountain and was flung backward.
All Mount Hua disciples froze on the spot. Their thoughts stopped at a situation they had never once imagined.
“Heuk, heueuk...”
Thousand-Faced Gentleman landed lightly on the ground and let out a ragged breath. His face with wounds all over was twisted like a demon's.
“What’s this...”
Kuung!
Just as Jo-Gol tried to say something at this incredibly bizarre sight, the fallen Sun Palace Master laboriously raised his body with a dull sound. His two eyes dyed with vicious rage, he looked as if he would devour Thousand-Faced Gentleman at any moment.
“Th-This... What... Th-This... This treacher... Cough!”
"P- Palace Master-nim!"
Blood gushed once more from the mouth of Sun Palace Master Jin Pyeong who had been about to unleash his full fury.
"Th- This... this..."
Blocking his mouth with one hand, he glared at Thousand-Faced Gentleman with burning eyes. At the very moment when his hatred for someone who should have fought on the same side reached its peak.
"You... damn..."
His body stiffened like a withered tree and he fell forward.
Kuung!
It was the sound of the giant's body crashing to the ground. A sizzling sound followed as his flesh scorched against the scorched earth.
Everyone was left speechless.
A brief silence flowed.
Within that stillness, Thousand-Faced Gentleman Dam Yeohae looked down at his own trembling hand for a moment, then bit his lip tightly.
“...Fuck.”
Then he stepped over the Sun Palace Master and shot forward like the wind.
It was the moment the final gatekeeper crumbled before the blade of someone completely unexpected.
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