Return of the Mount Hua Sect
Chapter 870: This Is The Land Of Mount Hua. (5)

“Euk! Huk! Huk!”

Heavy breaths escaped from Hong Dae-Kwang’s mouth.

Even though he was a branch leader of the Beggars Union, he couldn’t help but gasp after exerting himself to climb the steep cliffs of Mount Hua with all his might.

His lungs felt like they would explode and burn, and his dantian felt like it was being stabbed by needles, but he couldn’t stop moving.

“Kuak!”

Hong Dae-Kwang’s eyes, having jumped up the last cliff in one breath, saw the firmly shut gates of Mount Hua.

Hong Dae-Kwang, who had rushed immediately, began to pound on the gate.

“Mount Hua’s Divine Dragon! Mount Hua’s Divine Dragon! You fucking moron!”

Kwang! Thud!

The gate shook wildly as if it would break at any moment. But no answer came from inside.

“Mount Hua clan! Anyone! Damn it! Come out for a moment! We are in huge trouble!”

Hong Dae-Kwang’s voice, filled with internal qi, resonated loudly. But there was still no answer from inside.

“This…”

Hong Dae-Kwang bit his lip tightly.

It was already improper to shout outside the Closed Gate of a sect, but right now, he didn’t have the time to consider such things.

His eyes turned to the low walls of Mount Hua.

‘Nothing more can be done.’

Invading a Closed Gate was an act of showing no respect to the sect. Even if Mount Hua regarded him as an enemy and publicly declared it after, no one would be surprised.

However, Hong Dae-Kwang didn’t care.

‘There is no way Mount Hua’s Divine Dragon cares about trivial manners.’

If he didn’t deliver this news, the only thing left would be to be beaten to death at the hands of Mount Hua’s Divine Dragon.

With his resolve firm, he took a deep breath and jumped over Mount Hua’s wall in one breath.

“Mount Hua sect! Now…”

Hong Dae-Kwang, who had been shouting while jumping over, closed his mouth before he could even land.

“W-what?”

The sight that came into his eyes was different from what he expected.

His eyes fluttered open wide.

Everything was shattered.

The guesthouse, once neatly constructed with stone, was now broken and dug up as if stones had fallen from the sky. The surrounding pavilions were half-collapsed.

“This is…”

Hong Dae-Kwang’s face turned pale.

Didn’t this seem like someone attacked this place?

Hong Dae-Kwang gulped and came to his senses.

‘T-this isn’t the time.’

No matter what happened to the pavilion, he must inform the disciples of Mount Hua about what was happening outside right now. If they didn’t help him immediately, the people of Xi’an would be in trouble.

“Mount Hua’s Divine Dragon!”

Hong Dae-Kwang ran ahead, shouting loudly, and opened the gate of the pavilion that was still intact.

“Outside now…”

But once again, Hong Dae-Kwang couldn’t finish his words.

There was no one inside the pavilion he opened. What shocked Hong Dae-Kwang the most wasn’t the emptiness, but the white dust that had piled up inside.

It was dust that suggested no one had set foot there for at least several months.

Hong Dae-Kwang turned around with trembling eyes and opened the doors of another pavilion.

Kwang!

… nothing.

His face, as he opened all the doors around the pavilion, looked like someone who had lost his mind.

And until the moment the last pavilion was opened, not a single ant could be seen in Mount Hua.

“N-no…”

Hong Dae-Kwang mumbled hoarsely and collapsed to the ground.

All sorts of thoughts swirled in his mind.

“Why…”

What on earth happened here?

‘Did the Ten Thousand People clan invade?’

That couldn’t be the case.

Even if it wasn’t the Ten Thousand People clan but the Four Precepts alliance, it would be impossible to come all the way to Xi’an and eliminate Mount Hua without anyone noticing.

Then.

Then what happened here?

Hong Dae-Kwang covered his mouth with trembling hands.

“If that happens… if this happened then Xi’an….”

His eyes were filled with despair. No matter what happened here, the only thing certain at this moment was that Mount Hua, the protector of Xi’an, did not exist.

“Damn it…”

Hong Dae-Kwang cursed as if he were in pain, and soon his bloodshot eyes turned red.

“Damn it! If this is the case, the people in Xi’an will die! Mount Hua’s Divine Dragon! MOUNT HUA BASTARDDDD!”

Hong Dae-Kwang screamed as if his lungs would burst out of his throat and slammed his fist into the ground.

Kwang!

He then bit his lips until they bled again.

‘… I need to go.’

If Mount Hua wasn’t there, he had to go. He had to go and help. He jumped up from the mountain and looked back, feeling foolish.

He clenched his fists and took in the scenery of Mount Hua with both eyes red and teeth gritted.

“Damn it!”

His loud voice echoed harshly in the quiet Mount Hua.

A heavy silence slowly descended on Mount Hua after Hong Dae-Kwang left.

“… Thank you for coming, Clan Leader.”

Hwang Jongi grabbed Wei Lishan’s hand tightly. Then Wei Lishan shook his head.

“It isn’t something to be grateful for. This is an obvious thing.”

“Clan Leader…”

“It is so obvious that the Xi’an sect protected the people in Xi’an. And it is also obvious that the Mount Hua clan protects the merchant union.”

“It is easy to speak, but…”

How many people would risk their lives to do that?

Hwang Jongi’s heart was filled with emotions, but he didn’t say them out loud. He thought that Wei Lishan could also guess the gratitude without it being spoken.

“The gratitude should be given to them and not me.”

Hwang Jongi turned his gaze to the back of Wei Lishan.

“Everyone…”

The clan leaders of small and medium clans of Xi’an and their disciples. Among them, there were those who had close ties with Mount Hua or Hwayoung Clan, but there were also those of Southern Edge’s sub-clans who opposed them.

“… Thank you.”

“Well…”

The head of the Dawning Moon Clan, Heart Moon Sword Nam Ja-Myung, scratched his head with a slightly embarrassed look.

The Dawning Moon Clan was the representative of Xi’an’s Southern Edge sub-clans. No matter what, they couldn’t maintain good ties with the Hwayoung clan, a sub-clan of Mount Hua, or the Eunha, which was close to Mount Hua.

They weren’t at the level of conflict as before, but there was still this subtle uneasiness lingering.

But.

“As the Hwayoung clan leader said, this is a natural thing, so you don’t have to be thankful. I cannot leave the responsibility of protecting Xi’an to Mount Hua alone.”

“Clan leader…”

“Ahem.”

Nam Ja-Myung coughed loudly.

During the past incident, he also realized something significant.

‘The important thing isn’t about which sect is stronger.’

That might be important now. But, in the end, the future of a sect never depended solely on strength. The sects and clans that fled with their tails between their legs during their last fights had to endure unspeakable humiliation for years.

Not only was the influence of Southern Edge in Xi’an shattered, but the Hwayoung clan took away his position as the representative of Xi’an. As a result, he had to watch, eyes wide open, as many sects left Southern Edge and came under Mount Hua’s command.

But he didn’t really feel any resentment. That was the price they paid for their mistakes.

‘A man who doesn’t protect the powerless commoners is no different from a thug with a sword.’

The men under Nam Ja-Myung and the Xi’an sects learned their lessons through experience.

It wasn’t that they weren’t afraid. Who didn’t know the fierce reputation of the Evil sect people rushing toward them now? No one was stupid enough to not know that clashing with such people was no different from inviting death.

But.

‘There are times when we have to face the oncoming storm head-on.’

They learned this by observing Mount Hua, which was initially ignored and then became famous worldwide.

People who weren’t from Shaanxi might think that Mount Hua was renowned for its strength, but at least the people in Shaanxi knew the truth. The reason Mount Hua gained fame was that they never backed down.

“Don’t worry too much. I will fight with my life on the line, to the very last of the disciples.”

“Thank you, clan leader.”

At that moment, Dong Bang-hwi, the clan leader of the Righteous Sword Clan, asked with a worried expression.

“But clan leader Nam, why are we setting up camp at the Eunha merchant union?”

“Hm?”

“No. If those people are interested in money, they will come here… wouldn’t it be better to shut the gates and block it with a wall?”

In response, Wei Lishan replied.

“That is a bad idea.”

“A bad idea?”

Wei Lishan nodded.

“Not many people can climb that high wall, and for those skilled in climbing, that wall would be no obstacle. If they jump over the wall, can we stop them?”

“… Hmm, right.”

“And it is impossible for us to guard the entire wall by ourselves. It would be better to do it here, where we have the advantage of numbers.”

The Eunha merchant union had the largest manor in Xi’an. If they stayed together there, it might actually be easier to deal with the enemy.

“I am worried that the enemies might not come here right away and attack the civilians first…”

“Then we should go and fight. However… the probability of that happening isn’t so high. They will want to check if the Eunha merchants have escaped or not.”

“Hmm. Could be so.”

The clan leaders nodded, indicating they understood Wei Lishan’s reasoning.

At the same time, tension began to spread across everyone’s faces. After hearing Wei Lishan’s explanation, they truly felt that they had to confront the evil people with just their numbers.

“… those damn evil people. Why Xi’an of all places?”

“Isn’t it because our benefactors are gone? Damn it! If Southern Edge hadn’t closed the gates, they wouldn’t have even come close.”

“Even if Southern Edge did so if only we had Mount Hua…”

The fact that the last words came not from the Hwayoung Clan but from Dong Bang-hwi of Southern Edge’s sub-clan proved that the status of Mount Hua had changed.

It was during that movement that everyone felt subtle glances of unease upon them.

“Clan leader!”

A Beggars Union member came running in from outside.

“The Evil Sect have arrived outside the border!”

Wei Lishan’s face hardened.

‘Already?’

It was much faster than expected. That meant their skills were beyond what was known.

‘I guess there will be more trouble than expected today.’

He steeled his resolve and gave a warning to the wavering clan leaders.

“They are after none other than our Xi’an.”

“…”

“So, of course, we should be protecting it, right? It doesn’t matter how strong the enemy is. What matters is the civilians of Xi’an who trust us.”

Nam Ja-Myung opened his eyes.

“You are saying something so obvious to us all. We know better than anyone else. We were born and raised in Xi’an!”

It meant that they would fulfill their role, and no one had to remind them. Wei Lishan smiled at those words.

“Sounds dependable.”

“Hmp.”

Nam Ja-Myung shouted with a determined look.

“Let us tell those evil bastards that Xi’an is full of vicious people!”

“Yes!”

“Defeat the Evil Sect!”

It was a shout to shake off the fear, but it was definitely effective. When those who had raised their morale formed their formation, Hwang Jongi quietly approached Wei Lishan and asked.

“Will this be alright, clan leader?”

Wei Lishan quietly responded with a chuckle.

“Merchant lord. I don’t know much, but I do know one thing.”

“That is…”

“If we receive a favor, we should know how to repay it.”

“…”

“I was finally given the chance to repay the favor I received from Mount Hua, so I am happy; what more is there to be afraid of?”

Hwang Jongi, who saw him smiling, finally nodded quietly.

“I feel the same way.”

And at that moment.

Finally, the group of people with wild killing intent arrived in front of Xi’an city gate.