Return of the Mount Hua Sect Chapter 1272: A Tiger Trapped In Poison, I Suppose. (2)
Previously on Return of the Mount Hua Sect...
The poison-infused Snake Belly Sword lunged forward like a ravenous snake.
With a typical sword, one might twist their body to evade. However, that option was practically non-existent now. The Snake Belly Sword, more akin to a whip than a blade, possessed the ability to alter its attack trajectory at any given moment.
Even if one managed to dodge, stopping the weapon from coiling around them proved impossible. Should the chain-like, razor-edged Snake Belly Sword ensnare a person, the consequences would be dire and predictable.
Thud!
At the precipice of disaster, Chung Myung planted his true step firmly. The dormant internal qi, slumbering deep within his dantian, surged forth like a raging river, coursing through his entire being. The world's most pristine qi coalesced, momentarily unleashing a power of explosive magnitude.
Kagagagak!
The Snake Belly Swords, which had been gripping Chung Myung's own blade, strained to their limit as if on the verge of snapping. In that critical juncture, Chung Myung yanked the Dark Fragrant Plum Blossom Sword inwards with sharp force, drawing it close.
Thud!
A heavy impact resonated. Simultaneously, those who had been ensnaring Chung Myung and yanking the Snake Belly Sword were propelled forward with arrow-like velocity.
The expressions of those who had remained impassive throughout the ordeal flickered with momentary bewilderment.
Was it due to the sheer pulling force that managed to drag them in, despite the combined efforts of more than five individuals?
No.
It stemmed from their realization of what was hurtling towards the very spot they were being drawn into.
Members of the Blood Sword troops, who had been pulled along, rapidly discarded their weapons and attempted to disengage. However, the potent suction, carried by the Snake Belly Sword, refused to release their grasp.
‘No, ah…’
Even as they were helplessly drawn closer, they glimpsed Chung Myung's visage, contorted into a chilling sneer. He appeared utterly demonic.
Kwaduk! Kwaduk! Kwaduk!
The Snake Belly Sword, which had previously moved like a venomous serpent, plunged into the backs of the Blood Sword troops members.
“Kkrrk…”
They stared, dumbfounded, at the Snake Belly Sword that had impaled them like a serpent's tongue. Those who seemed incapable of believing their own eyes struggled to lift their heads. Their gazes met Chung Myung’s grinning countenance.
“You showed some skill, though…”
Paaaat!
In a single, fluid motion, the Dark Fragrant Plum Blossom Sword descended, bisecting the Blood Sword troops member directly in front with a vertical slice.
“That won't suffice.”
Chung Myung surged forward, his entire form drenched in blood. The Snake Belly Swords, previously writhing around him, now lashed out with cunning precision. Yet, he was not one to be ensnared by the same ploy twice.
Kang! Kaang! Kaang! Kang!!
The Dark Fragrant Plum Blossom Sword struck the advancing Snake Belly Swords' heads in rapid succession. These weapons, which had writhed with an almost lifelike animation, were sent ricocheting back, their movements becoming listless, like snakes decapitated.
While capable of exerting considerable force when pulling, the Snake Belly Sword lost nearly all its power when it pierced an object, becoming less than half as effective as a standard blade.
Having lost its former impetus, the Snake Belly Sword ceased to pose a threat to Chung Myung.
Paat!!
Chung Myung launched himself from the ground, accelerating rapidly.
What lay ahead were merely five remaining members of the Blood Sword Troops, the vast expanse of the sea stretching out behind them, and in the far distance, the ship of the Heavenly Friends Alliance vanishing into the watery horizon.
Propelling himself forward like an arrow released from a bowstring, Chung Myung surged towards the Blood Sword Squad members, who were desperately swinging their Snake Belly Swords, closing the distance to striking range. The instant bewilderment flickered within their steely gazes.
Paat!
Chung Myung contorted his body sideways, unleashing a single, ferocious slash. The qi emanating from his sword appeared capable of cleaving through any obstacle in its path.
A strike that the skills of the Blood Sword troops members were utterly incapable of repelling!
But at that precise moment, a most malevolent glint flared in their eyes.
Chwarararak!
The Snake Belly Swords, poised to strike Chung Myung, recoiled with blinding speed and coiled around the bodies of the Blood Sword troops members wielding them.
Kwaduk! Kwaduk!
As the Snake Belly Swords, constructed from segmented blades, wrapped around the Blood Sword troops members, crimson blood erupted. It was an act that defied all logic. The Blood Sword troops members, performing what amounted to self-inflicted harm without hesitation, grit their teeth and threw themselves forward, intent on intercepting Chung Myung's blade.
Chung Myung's eyes widened infinitesimally. In that fleeting instant.
Kwaaaang!
The bodies of the Blood Sword Troops members, now entwined with the Snake Belly Swords, were cleaved in twain simultaneously. Despite their use of the Snake Belly Swords as makeshift armor, or their channeling of all their internal qi into these wire-connected blades, such a formation was utterly incapable of withstanding Chung Myung’s full-powered assault.
The bisected bodies, unable to contain the residual force, were violently propelled outwards. The Dark Fragrant Plum Blossom Sword, having shattered three bodies with a single blow, continued its unstoppable trajectory, plunging into the fourth.
Kwagagagak!
Fragments of blades and wires became entwined with Chung Myung’s sword. Even human flesh and bone seemed to cling to his blade like tenacious rubber.
Kwaaaang!
Yet, Chung Myung’s sword ruthlessly cleaved through the fourth body. As his blade, still charged with residual force, surged towards the final member of the Blood Sword Squad.
A frigid sensation crawled up Chung Myung’s spine.
A premonition of danger. Or perhaps, a heightened sixth sense.
An undefinable awareness alerted him to a threat approaching from behind. It was a stealthy maneuver, one he would have utterly missed had his focus been any more consumed by the heat of the battle.
But just as Chung Myung prepared to shift his gaze, the last standing member of the Blood Sword troops lunged forward, driving his own body into the Dark Fragrant Plum Blossom Sword.
Kagagagak!
The Snake Belly Swords began to coil and wrench at the Dark Plum Sword embedded within his flesh. It was as if he was determined to hold onto the blade, even at the cost of his own insides being shredded.
Chung Myung’s eyes, however, turned reflexively. He witnessed Captain Gwi Yang of the Blood Sword troops hurtling in at a speed that rendered the term “lightning” laughably inadequate.
Shwaaeaaak!
For a fleeting moment, the world appeared to distort and warp. Within that compressed space, the sole visible element was the obsidian tip of Gwi Yang’s thrusting blade.
Ppudeudeudeuk!
As if sensing this moment, a Blood Sword Troops member seized Chung Myung’s sword with all his might, yanking ferociously. It was as if he had drawn upon his very innate Qi, as bright crimson blood cascaded from his mouth like a waterfall.
But in that precise instant, a faint smirk touched Chung Myung’s lips, and he released his grip on the Dark Fragrant Plum Blossom Sword.
Kwaduk!
The moment the balance of power fractured, the Dark Fragrant Plum Blossom Sword, pulled by the Blood Sword member’s desperate grip, drove through his chest, handle and all.
Chung Myung capitalized on this opening. He spun his body, utilizing the resulting momentum to strike the pommel of the sword with his elbow.
Bang!
With a sharp, potent thud, the Dark Fragrant Plum Blossom Sword fully impaled the Blood Sword member’s chest. Moving with the supple grace of a willow yet with speed surpassing lightning, Chung Myung glided past the man’s side, grasped the hilt of the flying sword, and spun around with practiced ease.
The piercing glare of Gwi Yang, now within striking range, and the calmly resolute gaze of Chung Myung briefly met in the air.
Chwaaah!
Like a decisive flourish of a brush on canvas, a single, impactful sword stroke carved through the air, colliding directly with Gwi Yang’s descending blade.
Kwaaaang!
A cataclysmic explosion erupted in their wake.
Seawater erupted skyward, unable to withstand the shockwave of force against force, internal Qi clashing with internal Qi. It was as if the very fabric of heaven and earth had been torn asunder.
The deluge of seawater momentarily obscured the scene, hiding it from all eyes.
Tshaaah.
Soon, the spray of water descended like a torrential rain.
As the shore gradually reappeared, only Gwi Yang remained standing.
Thud.
Gwi Yang, staggering precariously, dropped to a single knee.
A deep wound, stretching from his left shoulder down to his right lower abdomen, bled freely into the cerulean sea.
“Captain!”
A frantic Blood Sword troops member rushed forward, but Gwi Yang ignored him, his sharp gaze fixed on the distant ocean.
By then, Chung Myung had already vanished over that sea, disappearing to a distance so vast it was beyond pursuit.
“...Mount Hua’s Sword Saint.”
Gwi Yang let out a wry smile. Amidst his contorted lips, his blood-stained teeth glinted.
“His renown is well-earned, as expected.”
Even after employing his subordinates as decoys and launching a full-scale ambush during the ensuing chaos, this was the result. Yet, he felt neither disappointment nor despair.
Because this outcome was entirely predictable.
“This is merely the beginning...”
Gwi Yang clutched his chest. The injury was severe enough that a single misstep could spill his entrails. Yet, it was not fatal. For now, that was sufficient. Remaining alive meant that a chance still existed.
“Prepare the pursuit party.”
“Yes!”
Gwi Yang surveyed the blood-soaked shoreline.
“...It turned out as intended.”
He had anticipated this, but witnessing the reality with his own eyes prompted an involuntary, bitter chuckle.
True to the reputation of the South Sea, the strikingly white beach was already drenched a deep, dark red with blood. The corpses scattered across it were so ghastly they could chill the very soul of the most hardened individual.
Finding an intact corpse was a rarity. Even if one Sect were to wage war against another with the intent of total annihilation, the resulting carnage would scarcely be this horrific.
“Kkukk.”
What Gwi Yang found most astonishing was that the vast majority of these fallen belonged to the Ten Thousand People Clan. Scattered here and there were a few Southern Island Sect disciples, but their numbers were so minuscule they would barely be noticed if one weren't actively searching for them.
It was a massacre, a one-sided defeat so absolute that no other description sufficed.
“It almost makes one want to laugh.”
Gwi Yang turned, hearing the cold voice beside him. Ho Ga-Myung, his face still smeared with blood, approached him. He spoke with a chill.
“If the Lord knew, he would surely mock us for how ridiculous this is.”
“No, he would commend you.”
“……”
“That’s the nature of hunting.”
Gwi Yang murmured, a grim smile touching his lips.
The hunt for beasts and the hunt for humans differ greatly. Beasts prey on creatures weaker than themselves, while humans pursue beasts that are stronger. This implies one does not always need superior strength to achieve the hunt.
Soon, Mount Hua’s Sword Saint would understand this truth.
The dread of being pursued by someone inferior, and the shame of being dominated by a weaker entity.
“Now, we simply need to track them effectively. They are, after all, rats caught in a venomous trap.”
“More like a tiger ensnared by poison, I’d wager.”
“Poisoned or trapped, the outcome remains the same.”
“Hm.”
Ho Ga-Myung did not engage further, his gaze fixed on the distant sea.
The vessel was charting a course for Gangnam. While it seemed a more sensible destination than any other, it would ultimately prove to be a deadly snare for them.
“We must intensify our pursuit.”
Gwi Yang was poised to agree.
“C-Commander!”
“...Hm?”
The men who had ventured out to give chase returned, their faces ashen.
“Th-the ship—its hull is breached! All of them!”
“...What?”
“If this continues, even if we manage to pull them from the sandbar, the ships…”
Ho Ga-Myung’s intense stare met the informant’s before returning to the sea. The ships had already vanished far into the distance.
“We have been deceived.”
Ho Ga-Myung would not typically fall prey to such a transparent stratagem.
‘Despite my attempts to remain composed, it appears the very presence of Mount Hua’s Sword Saint has unsettled even me.’
A flicker of irritation crossed Ho Ga-Myung’s eyes, a rare display.
“Dispatch ships to search! Immediately!”
“Yes!”
Having issued the command, he fixed an icy glare upon the retreating vessels.