Episode 901

The world was filled with a suffocating silence.

Even though there were over a hundred people gathered, not even the slightest sound could be heard. Their eyes, as if forgetting to blink, were fixed on one spot.

This was because a strange sight had unfolded, which could only be described as bizarre.

A dagger, a little longer than a span, was literally floating in the air. It seemed as if it had been tied to a transparent thread and held in place, defying all the laws of the world.

Soon, the dagger began to fly slowly, at a speed as boring as a snail crawling.

There was not a single smile on the faces of those watching that sight.

Instead, their faces turned pale, their mouths shut tightly, and their lips trembled. Their appearance reflected the intense feeling of those witnessing this unusual moment.

“That…”

Baek Cheon unconsciously clenched his fist.

The dagger was moving through the air so slowly that it was questionable whether it was moving at all.

But Baek Cheon could feel it. The qi that the dagger was radiating was so strong that Baek Cheon’s internal qi began to protect his body by moving on its own, beyond his will.

He could tell.

How dangerous that dagger was. How many things were inside it?

A cold sweat broke out on Baek Cheon’s forehead.

‘And Chung Myung?’

His gaze quickly left the dagger and turned to where it was aimed.

Chung Myung’s feet also stopped. Chung Myung’s feet, which seemed like they would advance while cutting down everything in the world, were now on the ground for the first time since they started the fight.

More than the dagger floating in the air and overwhelming everything in all directions, or Tang Gunak’s face that had turned pale from releasing the dagger, Chung Myung’s face, with lips tightly shut and all his nerves focused on the dagger flying towards him, brought Baek Cheon a greater sense of crisis.

“Fa…ther.”

At that moment, a low voice emerged. When he turned around, he saw Tang Soso with her hands clasped together and eyes tightly shut.

Of course, it would be complicated. She wouldn’t be happy with anyone’s victory.

But Baek Cheon wanted to see the result of this spar with his own eyes. The others, too, felt the same.

Tang Gunak, the famous and strong warrior.

How much meaning was contained in his name?

To Baek Cheon and the younger warriors, that name was nothing less than a symbol of the Order of the Murim World and the strength of the current murim world.

Could Chung Myung really surpass that heavy and intimidating presence?

‘Overcome it!’

Baek Cheon bit his lips tightly.

‘Chung Myung!’

With a burning intention, he cast his gaze at Chung Myung. Chung Myung was still staring at the flying daggers approaching him.

Woong!

As if he wasn’t going to counterattack yet, the dagger slowly moved towards Chung Myung.

Chung Myung’s entire body felt tense.

‘This is…?’

It was as if the viper with the strongest venom, capable of taking an opponent’s life with just a brush, was staring at him from inside its hole.

The tension was such that if he moved even a hair, its venomous fangs would come flying to bite him down.

‘Dark Explosion Dagger?’

… No.

This was a move even he didn’t know.

At least, there was no move like this among the twelve techniques that Tang Bo used.

Could it have been something that Tang Bo hadn’t learned?

No, it couldn’t be so.

Tang Bo had perfectly mastered all the martial arts. Wasn’t that why he was also called the Dark Saint?

There couldn’t have been a technique among the twelve arts that Tang Bo hadn’t mastered, and there couldn’t be a technique that he wasn’t shown by Tang Bo.

So…

Kuaak.

Chung Myung’s hand gripped the sword’s handle tightly.

‘I have no choice but to confirm this.’

As Chung Myung moved, the speed of the slowly moving dagger increased slightly.

Woong!

At the same time, the dagger began to cry.

The dagger, which had been moving like a snail, flew in. The dagger, which had been increasing its speed little by little, very little by little, had now turned so fast that it was clearly visible to the eye.

And.

Rumble!

The moment a rough sword sound was emitted from it, the flying dagger began to rotate. Then, it gradually sped up and spun so fast that it couldn’t be followed with the eyes.

Swish!

The dagger’s qi, which had been spreading out in all directions, swirled around. The resulting wind pressure pushed the dust that filled the ground and soon began to pull it back, too.

The dirt and gravel shot up with a thud and got sucked into this whirlpool.

Kwaaaak!

A huge Dragon Wind Fist swept around the dagger. The huge whirlpool, dyed yellow, was more like a giant yellow dragon ascending than the wind.

“Kuak!”

“Get back!”

Those who had been watching the confrontation from a distance lowered their forms. This huge gravitational force seemed to suck them in too.

But that wasn’t the end.

The Dragon Wind Fist that was spinning fiercely and sucking everything in hadn’t yet increased its speed.

It was just spinning around and around in that spot, threatening Chung Myung.

A bright blue light radiated from Chung Myung’s eyes. Even as he watched the enormous vortex of qi, his mouth curled up. He even showed his teeth and smiled.

As if he was really enjoying this situation.

‘Here it comes.’

And then.

Kwaaaaak!

The sudden change happened.

The slow-moving dagger, which seemed to reach Chung Myung in a day, exploded with incredible speed.

At that moment, Chung Myung saw it.

The dagger, which seemed to be riding at a different time while the surroundings had slowed down, spun fiercely. The vortex that was created behind it was sucking everything around it.

Even Chung Myung’s body was being sucked into the dagger that was flying towards him.

At that moment, Chung Myung’s eyes widened.

Even Chun Myung, who had faced countless battles and overcome numerous martial arts challenges, couldn’t have anticipated this attack. Yet, there was another reason.

The myriad assassin weapons he had struck down, neutralized, and destroyed now lay scattered on the ground. Suddenly, as if responding to an unseen force, they rose into the air and began to move simultaneously.

‘What…?’

It appeared as if the ground itself was rising to engulf Chung Myung.

If the Thousand Flower Rain descended from the sky to blanket the world, this attack would devour everything from below.

An assault that could even shock Chung Myung.

In the face of flying daggers laced with poison and the Poison King’s force, as if intent on overwhelming the opponent, the assassins’ qi moved like a torrential downpour.

There was nowhere to escape. Not even above.

In that life-or-death moment, what Chung Myung saw was neither the dagger heading his way nor Tang Gunak’s pale face.

It was Baek Cheon and his group, shouting with their mouths agape.

‘Those….’

Seeing their desperate expressions, tinged with despair, Chung Myung’s face twisted.

‘Morons.’

Why would they panic?

Were they afraid he would be hurt? Or that the sword of Mount Hua wouldn’t prevail?

‘Look carefully now.’

Who could have imagined?

Who didn’t hope for this?

From the moment their ancestors settled in Mount Hua and took up their swords, everyone wished to see the tip of that sword.

That was why previous generations passed their will to the next.

That was why the next generations learned and followed the teachings of those before them.

Learning was the agreement of those with different names but the same intentions. Order was the will of those living in different times but sharing the same mind.

That was why it was called sword technique and martial arts.

‘It is here.’

The sword of Mount Hua held everything that those who had used the name of Mount Hua and their wishes from the past to the present.

And now, the sword, those who stood here, and even the will of Chung Myung would come together.

‘Bloom.’

A red plum blossom bloomed at the tip of Chung Myung’s sword.

Blooming represented the desire for conception and the nobility of birth.

What came after that?

‘Bloom out.’

If they established their will correctly, believed in it, and carried it out, it would spread throughout the world. Perhaps the fragrance of the plum blossoms would bloom across the vast nine provinces.

“Plum Blossoms… bloom in nine provinces….”

The blooming plum blossoms sway gently. In the blowing wind, there is the soft rustling of the grass and the passing clouds.

Not a single plum blossom was the same; each one was different.

Some lacked leaves, some had yet to fully bloom, and some were plain. Even in full bloom, some plum blossoms were pale and didn’t match.

However, as more plum blossoms bloomed, all the different flowers were contained in a single flow, forming waves and blending together.

The plum blossoms didn’t resist the blowing wind; instead, they carried it, slowly floating in the air.

Sometimes swiftly, and sometimes gently.

Riding the oncoming wind, swirling and rising, then quietly settling down, and then drifting far away again.

The plum blossom leaves, which spread out while swirling around Chung Myung’s body, blocked the dagger flying behind him.

Kakak!

Then, the daggers, which flew fiercely, pierced the petals without mercy.

However, before one petal could even crumble, a new petal blocked the path, and just as another petal was about to wilt, another flew in and embraced the cold metal.

Kakang!

The clear sound of the clash spread like music.

The sand and the needles, which shot out reflecting the sunlight, lost their force as they were entangled in the flower petals, which did not feel a single bit of pressure.

The expanse of the sky is vast and sparse, yet it misses nothing.

The flower petals carried by the wind seemed to flutter aimlessly, but they did not miss anything as they flew towards Chung Myung.

And at that moment, everyone witnessed it.

The assassin needles and the Soul Destroying Sand, which seemed poised to envelop Chung Myung and create chaos, were deflected by the plum blossoms.

“….!”

The plum blossoms gently repelled everything they encountered, stretching and scattering into the world.

Across the vast field, reaching far beyond.

The red-tinged plum blossoms spread out like giant plum blossoms, unfurling their leaves.

Kwaak! Kuwaak!

The final daggers, infused with all of Tang Gunak’s qi, advanced through the swirling plum blossoms. Forward and forward.

Though they trembled as if they might falter at any moment, they never ceased.

They surged fiercely, tearing through and pushing aside the petals. As if drawing on the last of their strength, they pressed forward relentlessly.

Swish.

Tear apart another petal.

Swish.

Crush through another sword qi.

However, the dagger, which had been advancing determinedly, soon began to tremble as if its strength had waned, slowing down and coming to a stop. Even the disciples of Mount Hua gasped in awe.

But at that very moment.

Kwang!

With a thunderous noise that shattered the silence enveloping Mount Hua, Tang Gunak’s body surged forward toward the halted dagger like a bolt of lightning.

The disciples of Mount Hua widened their eyes in astonishment at the unexpected movement.

Tang Gunak seized the dagger in an instant, breaking through the plum blossom sword qi as he rushed forward.

And Chung Myung also charged toward him as if it were the most natural thing.

“That!”

“E-enough!”

A scream-like voice erupted from the disciples’ mouths, who believed this confrontation would end with one of them perishing.

Kwaaang!

The dagger and the plum blossom sword collided head-on in the air.

Kwaaaak!

A strong wind blew explosively in all directions, and an incredible wave of qi surged upward.

Wooong.

The dagger aimed right in front of Chung Myung’s neck twitched. Tang Gunak’s sleeves bulged as if they would release the qi at any moment.

Kuaak!

The sword, which approached Tang Gunak’s face as if it would split it open at any moment, emitted a red sword qi. It seemed as if it would split Tang Gunak apart at any moment.

The world stopped as the blades met.

At that moment, no one could move forward, and no one could even speak.

There was only one thing moving.

A fluttering petal.

A fragile petal swept up in the confrontation between the two rose to the sky and slowly fell down along the calming flow of air.

Everyone’s eyes were fixed on that sight.

The petal, which slowly fell, then rose up again and slightly moved around, soon approached the weapons aiming at one another.

And then, as if it was coming to a quiet end, it fell on the dagger.

“….”

“….”

The two people’s eyes turned to the plum leaf that fell on the blue blade.

Not the plum blossom sword qi, but a real plum leaf.

The moment they saw the petal that didn’t match this powerful clash, the two people’s faces turned blank at the same time.

Their blades were naturally lowered.

A dejected smile soon appeared on their lips as they looked back and forth between the petals and each other’s faces.

Chung Myung’s hand lightly grabbed the dagger at his neck with his left hand. Tang Gunak also lightly grabbed the sword pointed at his face with his left hand.

The two people, who grabbed the weapons as if they were stealing them, looked at each other’s weapons in their hands without another word.

“… I never thought this sword’s blade would break.”

“That is what I should say. The weapon of Lord Tang should be the one…”

The numerous scars engraved on the sword’s body seemed to tell of each other’s past.

Tak!

Tang Gunak, who caught the blade thrown by Chung Myung, handed over the sword to Chung Myung.

The two people who had been staring at each other in silence for a while burst into laughter.

Chung Myung shrugged his shoulders and asked with a smile.

“Continue?”

“Hmm.”

Tang Gunak hesitated for a moment and then shook his head.

“Then there is no point anymore.”

“….”

A warm smile spread across his lips.

“Welcome back, Mount Hua’s Sword Saint.”

“Wpoahhhh!”

Finally, a huge cheer erupted from all directions.

It wasn’t just a single word.

Mount Hua and Tang family. It was the moment when those two great names faced each other after three years.