The sword seemed to curve as it surged for its enemies.

Kang!

However, the sharp sword Qi was blocked by a black hand and bounced back.

‘This!’

Hyun Sang’s face hardened.

Poison Bloody Hand was stained in black till his shoulders and seemed to shine.

The plum sword of Hyun Sang, which could tear even the strongest steel, didn’t leave a scratch on the blackened hand.

‘Is this the strength of a leader?’

Dozens of armed forces were brought under one, each of them organized into a stronger troop that was led by a leader who held the right to rule them.

Even though there seemed to be an internal hierarchy among these troops, it didn’t mean that they were weak, and it felt like there were twenty especially strong people in one of these troops.

‘This man is on par with an elder from the Nine Great Sects.’

A strange feeling welled up.

Hyun Sang had been the martial arts head of Mount Hua.

He once again held the highest position even though Chung Myung had surpassed him since that man was currently absent.

However, the current situation was making it difficult for Hyun Sang to prove himself.

If Chung Myung hadn’t come back with qi pills and helped them improve, maybe he would have already turned into a cold corpse.

“Phew.”

He let out a deep breath.

His wrist was cold, and his back stiff. Unlike him, who had grown old, his opponent was young.

Yet, Hyun Sang couldn’t simply back out…

To protect the disciples? To carry on the name of Mount Hua?

‘I don’t know.’

Maybe such a good reason didn’t mean anything.

He was not Hyun Jong. He didn’t love the disciples like that.

And he was different from Hyun Young. Hyun Young was kind and would give up life and limb for Mount Hua, but not him.

He just…

“You seem to have a lot to think about.”

At the words of Poison Bloody Hand, Hyun Sang’s eyes twitched.

The composure in the face of his enemy made Hyun Sang’s face turn stiff.

The man clicked his tongue

“It is a pity that you are old. If we had met ten years ago, then maybe it would have been a good fight.”

Hyun Sang put on a bitter smile.

The words of his enemy had pierced his chest so sharply that it made his heart ache.

“If you give up, I will give you a merciful death.”

It wasn’t a last appeasement, but Hyun Sang looked at his opponent.

Was it because he was messing around?

“Man,” he raised his sword at his opponent, “What do you see the person in front of you as?”

“…”

“A swordsman who lost his strength due to old age? Or an old man who wears the guise of an elder from Mount Hua?”

Maybe neither answer was wrong.

But…

“But let me tell you clearly.”

Taking a deep breath, he looked at Poison Blood Hand.

“What stands in front of you is the history of Mount Hua.”

Hyun Jong had to protect Mount Hua and Hyun Young had to make sure that Mount Hua didn’t collapse.

And while they were shedding tears of blood, Hyun Sang only dug into the martial arts of the sect?

Did it make him feel good?

Weren’t they just martial arts?

That didn’t even sound plausible.

He begged Hyun Jong countless times.

-I’d rather go down the mountain and make money.

He said that learning martial arts wasn’t a light matter, so he could make money and help Mount Hua.

The answer was the same.

-Even if we don’t have money, we can stand up again. People will come back someday. However, if we don’t have martial arts… then no matter how much we grow, we cannot be called Mount Hua. Hyun Sang, you protect our martial arts.

Someone had to do that.

Learning, restoring, and developing them.

As if finding a way to grab the last string of light in the darkness, Hyun Sang had walked a painful path too. For decades.

Who could understand his pain?

Who could guess his despair?

The martial arts of Mount Hua, which were preserved through pain, were now even starting to bear fruit and create forests.

Then, did his role end?

Should the old tree just wither away?

“Give up, you say?”

There was nothing left here.

Everything he did and protected had been passed down to the future generation, and his job was no longer required, and he didn’t even teach the kids anymore.

A flower that fulfilled its’ duty dies.

But…

“I have never once allowed myself to give up in life.”

Hyun Sang bit his lip.

“I have no intention of dying. I have no intention of becoming a stepping stone for that child. Even if I am old and disgusting, I will be the swordsman of Mount Hua, and if I die, it will be as a swordsman.”

“…”

“So.”

There was only one thing to hold onto.

My pride.

“Come, my opponent. Today I will clearly tell you about Mount Hua’s martial arts.”

Poison Blood Hand’s eyes turned.

“You talk so well. Let’s see if you can talk when I pull your head off your body.”

Both his hands were stained black, and at the same time, his body began to give out blade-like energy.

Receiving that, Hyun Sang stood.

‘What is this sword?’

Well.

He never thought about it. He would always just unfold the sword as he was taught.

‘Does an old tree ever bloom?’

Then, what was the reason plum blossoms didn’t bloom from his sword?

The tip of Hyun Sang’s sword trembled.

Like a flame that bloomed from ashes, vivid blossoms began to sprout.

What he couldn’t let go…

From the day that Twenty-Four Movement Plum Blossom had returned to Mount Hua, he thought over and over.

He knew it too.

He had to grow strong at his age to know his limits, and instead of teaching and supporting the kids at the time, he should he wanted to train and work on himself.

He couldn’t just let himself go.

A swordsman.

A swordsman who lived his life holding a sword throughout all of it.

How could he just give up because he didn’t get stronger?

“Hm?”

Poison Blood Hand’s face went stiff as he looked at the firework-like plum blossoms.

“So this is the one!”

He rushed forward, swinging his arms like a storm, and the plum blossoms bounced off when they touched him…

And soon, the black storm and plum blossoms clashed against one another!

The one that penetrates and the one that pushes. A tight battle was happening, with both sides not backing down.

Kang!

The storm was being pushed by the sword.

Hyun Jong distanced himself from Yado after a brief collision and exhaled.

‘He is strong.’

His opponent was clearly superior to him. At best, he could only defend.

Hyun Jong wiped the sweat off his forehead with his hand and glanced around.

‘Not yet…’

Thanks to Hyun Sang and Un Geom, they were not being pushed back yet.

No matter how much they were running on morale, Mount Hua was still lagging behind these troops.

War was half won off the back of morale.

It was obvious that the number of victims would only increase once Hyun Jon fell.

‘Hyun Sang. Un Geom.’

The two of them should use this time until they get news from the children in Xi’an.

Of course, it would not be easy. Even at a glance, both of their opponents were stronger.

Still they…

“You have time to look around with me in front of you? Because you are Mount Hua’s sect leader?”

“…”

Hyun Jong’s gaze turned to the front, and he moved his blade.

“It is good to be able to think leisurely in front of me, but have you dedicated thought to me? Sect Leader?”

He had a relaxed smile, but Hyun Jong didn’t smile back.

“This isn’t the first time I have faced a sect leader of someplace or another, and this is definitely my first time facing someone as big as you. I hope you do not disappoint me.”

Hyun Jong looked at Yado.

Luck?

No.

Pride?

He threw that out the window ages ago.

The only thing left for him was the burden of being the sect leader of Mount Hua.

“Didn’t you say that we cannot kill anyone if we didn’t kill you first?”

“Yes.”

“Stick to it!”

Yado’s blade moved for Hyun Jong.

Slash!

And before he could react, it cut through his shirt.

His forearm looked bad, with blood oozing out.

The wound on his skin looked bad. It wasn’t that he was careless but that he couldn’t react to his opponent’s speed. Didn’t this mean that there was a difference in their skills?

“That is a word that only a strong person has the right to say. Don’t you think so, Sect Leader?”

Hyun Jong lowered his eyes slightly and looked at his chest.

‘Strong.’

A person who lived as an enemy.

When he said it like that, it wasn’t someone Hyun Jong could deal with.

Even if he honed his skills, he wasn’t sure of winning over Yado. How could Hyun Jong, who never trained himself properly, do this?

But…

“You are stronger than me.”

“I am sure you knew of this”

“But that cannot be the reason I step down.”

“…”

Hyun Jong lowered his sword.

“Originally, martial arts weren’t created to fight. It was born in a world where innate capabilities couldn’t be controlled, and the weak were given the chance to be strong. After all, martial arts mean that the weak can go against the strong.”

“Haha.”

Yado laughed.

“So you want to fight me from your weak position?”

Yado grabbed his blade.

Pat!

His blade moved again, aiming for Hyun Jong’s head this time.

Kang!

A raised sword stopped it. But it was difficult to handle, so the force from the blade hurt Hyun Jong’s shoulder.

Chak!

Blood splashed out, and Hyun Jong’s white robes were stained red.

Two attacks.

Two wounds.

The difference was clear.

“Words have meaning when they come true, right?”

Yado smiled.

“I am sick of you Justice Faction types rambling words filled with sophistry. Well, even such people cry out when their heads are lopped off.”

He looked at his bloody blade and smiled,

“I cannot wait to see what sounds you will make!”

Yado’s blade moved once again.

This time with lightning speed and with a force that no one could stop, just like his name, Yado. Filled with beastly speed and power to cover its rough style.

The blade qi raged around, crushing everything in front of him.

And Hyun Jong stood there welcoming it.

Cang! Cang!

The attack blew off, but it was impossible for Hyun Jong to block the aftereffects of it completely.

Swish!

His forearm was slashed.

Slash!

His calf.

Slash!

And a light cut to his side.

But despite being cut horribly, Hyun Jong’s eyes didn’t waver.

In an instant, his entire body was stained with blood, and Yado stopped his blade.

‘What, will?’

In a short fight, he had five wounds no matter how he looked at it, he wasn’t his opponent.

But…

“Are you incapable of feeling pain?”

No matter how much one was trained, were they conditioned enough to lose their sense of pain?

This was impossible even for Yado, who had killed many.

‘No. He has the attitude of someone who was already prepared to be cut.’

Even if his extremities were slashed, his important organs were safe, from head to waist; as long as he wasn’t cut there, he wouldn’t die.

But that was something no one’s mind could handle. No savage who had lived with knives all their life would handle it, then how can a man high up in the mountains handle it?

“Pain?”

Hyun Jong opened his mouth,

“I don’t know what kind of life you have lived, but I haven’t lived comfortable enough to still feel pain from these scars.”

His eyes were shrunken.

The pain that was engraved on his body was nothing compared to the pain he felt when the sect was collapsing. The severe wounds would heal, but his decayed mind could never.

Those who protected Mount Hua endured such pain.

So compared to those, these wounds were nothing.

“You seem to misunderstand what this sect leader means.”

“… what?”

“A person with a great reputation and top position. Rather…”

Hyun Jong spoke in a low voice,

“It refers to the one who holds on till the end. You’re strong enough to cut my body but not my soul.”

Hold on…

Even if the blood was drained from his body and only the shell remained.

Hyun Jong wasn’t going to fall until the last bit of his soul was gone.

‘I have work to do.’

So I cannot fall yet.

“I am Mount Hua’s sect leader.”

His calm voice made Yado even angrier.

“That meaning.”

Hyun Jong’s sword aimed at Yado’s neck without wavering,

“I will show it to you clearly.”

At the threat, Yado gulped.