Return of the Mount Hua Sect (HTL 1634+)

"Why are you standing there looking dumb?"

"N-No... this can't be happening."

Jo Geol alternated between looking at his sword and Yoon Jong's sword with a dazed expression. There was no way this guy had gotten a new, better sword in the meantime. So how on earth had he managed to effortlessly slice through those monstrous enemies, which he and Yoo Iseol had struggled to deal with one by one?

"What did you do?"

"It's hard to explain."

"Hah, if you don't want to teach me, just say so!"

"No, really, it's hard to explain. Besides, you can do it too."

Jo Geol squinted his eyes at Yoon Jong.

"This guy... I thought he was getting more twisted lately, but now he's really crossing the line?"

"I'm serious!"

Yoon Jong snapped and then quickly turned his head forward. It wasn't the right time to be playing along with Jo Geol's antics.

"They seem to be weak against Immortal qi."

"Immortal Qi?"

"Yeah."

"...So you're saying you can wield Immortal qi now?"

"It seems like it, but I'm still not exactly sure how to use it..."

"Oh my, heavens. A celestial being has emerged from Mount Hua. He is said to be using his Immortal qi. His Immortal qi!"

"..."

A thick vein bulged on Yoon Jong's forehead. Was this really the time for such nonsense? Jo Geol had always been an irreverent guy, so Yoon Jong had thought his interaction with Cheong Myung hadn't changed him much. Apparently, his judgment had been wrong.

At that moment, Yoo Iseol, who had been listening quietly, spoke up.

"Immortal qi?"

"Yes."

"How do you use it?"

"It's hard to explain in detail, but it feels like drawing out something within. For those of us who have lived a life of Taoist, Immortal Qi is like a latent power that's already accumulated."

Yoo Iseol nodded immediately at those words.

"I understand."

Yoon Jong looked at Yoo Iseol with a different gaze than he had for Jo Geol. Given that Yoo Iseol prioritized the life of a taoist without any lingering worldly attachments, it wasn't surprising that she easily understood Yoon Jong's explanation.

"Then like this."

With those brief words, Yoo Iseol's body vanished from her spot. She reappeared right in front of a startled blood cultist who hadn't been able to hide his surprise.

Swoosh!

Her sword flashed like lightning, slashing the blood cultist's throat in an instant. A bright red line of blood appeared as his windpipe was severed.

Just as Yoon Jong was about to clench his fist in victory.....

Whoosh!

Dozens of tendrils emerged from the blood cultist's slit throat, starting to heal the wound. Yoo Iseol, closely observing this, slightly turned her head to glance at Yoon Jong.

"It didn't work."

"Aaaaah! This crazy Sago! You have to look ahead....!"

Baang!

Dust flew up from the spot where Yoo Iseol had been standing.

Jo Geol, who had narrowly pulled Yoo Iseol away as the blood cultist swung his hand down, was panting heavily. He had exerted all his strength to move that quickly. He grabbed Yoo Iseol by the collar and shook her.

"Who on earth turns their head at a time like that?!"

"It didn't work."

"Why would you think it would work in the first place, huh?"

"Hmm."

Yoo Iseol gazed at her sword with a slightly different look in her eyes than usual.

"It's no different."

"What do you mean there's no difference? That guy is Yoon Jong Sahyung! Being an immortal or having Tao qi has nothing to do with us. It's possible because it's him!"

Jo Geol ranted with frustration.

A farcical scene unfolded that was completely out of place on the battlefield, but the blood cultists, watching this spectacle, couldn't move rashly.

'The blessing of the cult.....'

They had clearly seen that the seemingly ordinary sword of the unassuming man had cut through the cult's blessing.

'A seemingly ordinary guy dares.....!'

A blood cultist bit his lip.

The blessing of the cult wasn't a power that all blood cultists possessed. Even within the cult, only about a third of them had been granted that power.

Even within the cult, this power is rare and undoubtedly falls within the realm of 'miracles'. Particularly for those ignorant unbelievers, it would be a miracle difficult to withstand. However, conversely, if these miracles fail to manifest, their power significantly diminishes.

A blood cultist glared at Yoon Jong. Unlike others who were trembling, this Yoon Jong hadn't let his guard down for even a moment since he appeared. He clearly understood what needed to be done. Despite a surge of fear and murderous intent, the transparent aura at the tip of Yoon Jong's sword gave the blood cultist pause, evoking an instinctual fear.

While others might feel fear towards the blood cultists, the blood cultists themselves were now experiencing it tenfold. The only conclusion to draw in such a situation was clear.

"Everyone retreat and return alive!"

As soon as the command was given, the blood cultists dispersed in all directions. Simultaneously, Yoon Jong's body extended in a flash, pursuing the fleeing blood cultists.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

Two blood cultists, unable to evade Yoon Jong's sword, spewed blood as they fell. However, the remaining blood cultists had already gained enough distance to make pursuit difficult.

"Those shameless bastards!"

Jo Geol looked at the fleeing blood cultists with a dumbfounded expression. They had attacked with such confidence but abandoned all pride and scattered as soon as the situation turned against them. To Jo Geol, a member of the orthodox sect, this was bewildering.

Jo Geol decided against pursuing them. Though he could probably catch a few, he doubted he could easily handle them even if he did.

"Wait. Those guys ran away because they were scared of sahyung, didn't they?"

"Not that much."

Jo Geol burst out laughing. While he and Yoo Iseol had struggled to deal with those monsters, Yoon Jong had managed not only to defeat them but to scare them off just by his presence.

Yoo Iseol, perhaps thinking the same, asked Yoon Jong again.

"How do you use it?"

"Later. For now, let's help elsewhere."

Jo Geol finally scratched his head, realizing.

"...Oh. Right, the other teams must be struggling too."

"Indeed, but not all of them."

"What do you mean? We've been through hell here!"

"Because we are from Mount Hua."

Jo Geol frowned at Yoon Jong's words.

"Are you underestimating Mount Hua?"

"No, that's not what I meant..."

Yoon Jong started to explain but shook his head. Trying to explain to Jo Geol was futile.

"You'll see. Let's go."

"How do you use it?"

Yoon Jong dashed off, and Yoo Iseol quickly followed. Left behind, Jo Geol chuckled again.

"They always surprise me."

Today, Yoon Jong's shoulders seemed broader than usual.

* * *

Woooong!

Blackened blood spewed from the mouth of a blood cultist who had been flung far away. He clutched his chest and groaned.

"Ugh... damn you..."

Watching this, Hye Yeon's face remained calm.

"It seems you can quickly heal external wounds... but internal injuries are different."

"Shut your mouth!"

The blood cultist gritted his teeth.

He was right. The cult's blessing could rapidly heal external injuries, but it couldn't stabilize a disrupted dantian or calm chaotic qi and blood. Therefore, it doesn't match well with an expert in internal attacks.

Moreover...

'This isn't just any internal attack technique.'

Even the external wounds left by that power were healing slower than usual. Observing the faint golden aura on Hye Yeon's hands, the blood cultist asked sharply,

"Is that Shaolin's martial arts?"

"..."

"I didn't recognize because you were wearing black robes instead of yellow robes. Shaolin... indeed, you were a major obstacle to the Palace."

Muttering, the blood cultist then sneered.

"It's fortunate that the Evil Tyrant Alliance eradicated Shaolin. Don't you think so?"

A pain flashed across Hye Yeon's eyes for a moment. However, it was only for a moment, and the look of pain quickly disappeared.

"That might be true. However... while it might be good for the Palace, it's not good for you. You won't be leaving this place alive."

"You arrogant monk..."

The blood cultist's eyes filled with bloodlust.

"And actually, the Palace may not favor it as much either. If there's something Shaolin should do, I will handle it."

Determination shone in Hye Yeon's eyes as the blood cultist scoffed.

"A monk who doesn't even wear Shaolin's yellow robe?"

"A mere garment is hardly important. What matters is that I possess Shaolin's Dharma."

Thud!

Hye Yeon stomped firmly.

"Proving it is not difficult. Come at me."

The blood cultist bared his teeth viciously and charged at Hye Yeon. The ominous energy gathered in his deformed blade was chilling even before they clashed. However, the aura Hye Yeon emanated purified the evil energy instantly.

Thud!

With a soft hand motion, he deftly deflected the incoming deformed blade. Unlike in the past, it wasn't just a forceful block but a light-handed redirection.

Thump!

Hye Yeon's fist, glowing with a golden hue, struck the blood cultist's exposed side with precision. The golden fist imprint remained as the cultist spewed blood and was flung away. Even after crashing to the ground and rolling several times, the blood cultist glared at Hye Yeon through his bloodied face.

"You... you bastard!"

The writhing blood cultist's head drooped as he convulsed. He lost consciousness from a single blow. Feeling uneasy, Hye Yeon instinctively assumed a defensive stance.

"Die!"

Another cultist, who had been secretly watching, rushed at Hye Yeon with immense speed. Just as Hye Yeon reflexively threw another punch.

Baaang!

A massive white sword energy swept the blood cultist away. Hye Yeon, standing still in silence, blinked and turned around.

"Are you alright, monk?"

"….. Namgung-siju."

Namgung Dowi, emerging from behind, calmly surveyed the area.

"I apologize if I interrupted."

"No, it's fine."

"Then that's a relief."

"Were you alright, Namgung-siju? They employed some cunning tricks."

"Cunning tricks? What do you mean?"

"Well…"

Hye Yeon glanced at the blood cultist felled by Namgung Dowi's sword energy. Seeing the thoroughly mangled corpse, Hye Yeon shook his head, feeling a sense of futility.

"…It's nothing."

"Hmm? If you have something to say, please speak freely, monk."

"…Truly, it's nothing."

Indeed, what was the point? Any trickery or magic would have been attempted only if the opponent had enough strength to recover. But with a single blow reducing the head to an unrecognizable pulp, there was nothing they could do.

From Namgung Dowi's perspective, these powerless cultists charging recklessly must have seemed foolish.

'Even though it's sword too..…'

One could easily imagine how the users of Mount Hua's fluttering swords would react to this scene.

With a sigh, Hye Yeon said.

"Let's go help elsewhere for now."

"There's no need for that."

"Excuse me?"

"The enemies are retreating."

Namgung Dowi pointed down the mountain. Indeed, the figures in red clothes were seen retreating.

"Retreating already?"

"It's hard to understand, but it seems they are indeed withdrawing."

The reinforcements from Heavenly Comrade Alliance hadn't even properly arrived yet. They could have ravaged the place for a while longer. Yet, they were already retreating, which didn't make sense.

"Could they have had another objective?"

"That could be, but my guess is….."

Namgung Dowi's gaze shifted downward. Petals of the ten-day plum blossoms were fluttering.

"Something unexpected seems to have happened. As always."

"Hmm."

Hye Yeon stared blankly at the blooming plum blossoms.

Although it was a familiar plum blossom sword technique, there was something different about it this time. Hye Yeon couldn't take his eyes off those petals for a while.