Return of the Mount Hua Sect

There were bound to be uncomfortable positions in the world.

It would be great if they could be avoided, but as humans lived, there were times when situations arose that left them no choice but to face them.

Hyun Jong was in such a position now.

‘My stomach hurts.’

It had been a long tsince Chung Myung felt this odd tingling sensation in his stomach, even though he wasn’t the one handling it all.

He quietly observed those in front of him.

Where normally the Mount Hua disciples would sit around and look at him with reverence, now leaders of each sect were sitting, watching intently.

Their looks weren’t hostile, but it was clear they weren’t there with friendly intentions either.

The Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families.

The most prominent families that dominated the present Kangho.

Surely, Hyun Jong had also met the leading figures of each sect at the Worldly Martial Arts tournament.

But his position had changed since then.

At that time, he was merely a supporter of Mount Hua’s disciples. He had remained as the sect leader for a long time, attracting little interest from others. But now, he was in a position that drew everyone’s attention.

If the leaders of the Heavenly Friends Alliance hadn’t been protecting him, facing such intense scrutiny wouldn’t have been easy.

“Amitabha.”

Byeop Gae, sitting in the center, prayed as he felt the displeasure rise and looked at Hyun Jong.

“First… congratulations on the initiation of the Heavenly Friends Alliance, Alliance Leader.”

He was addressed as Alliance Leader and not Sect Leader. This meant that Shaolin would also recognize Hyun Jong as the alliance leader and treat him accordingly.

Of course, given how things had progressed, it was inevitable for Shaolin, but nonetheless, receiving Shaolin’s acceptance meant a lot to Kangho.

“Thank you.”

Hyun Jong smiled.

“When the elder says it, my heart feels more at ease.”

“Hahaha.”

Byeop Gae laughed.

And probably thanks to that laugh, the atmosphere began to normalize once again.

“Kangho’s warriors are interested in the Heavenly Friends Alliance.”

“Yes.”

“On behalf of the denizens of Kangho, I ask that you work hard for the peace and well-being of Kangho.”

“Do you have to say that?”

Byeop Gae didn’t show any particular hostility towards the alliance. This was because the abbot wasn’t hostile to them. The abbot had recognized and accepted the alliance happening through the deal Chung Myung made.

On top of that…

‘Surely…’

Byeop Gae was able to clearly understand what the abbot had said before coming here. A slight tension could be felt in the expressions of the leaders to his left and right.

During that time, the powerful families and sects scattered around, not forming a proper union. And Shaolin, which used to be the center of it, had lost its influence over them.

‘If there was no one to fight, there would be no reason to unite.’

Suppose they decided that it wasn’t beneficial to listen to Shaolin. In that case, it is impossible to control everyone, no matter how great Shaolin was.

From Shaolin’s point of view, which was losing control of the Nine Great Sects because of the tournament, it wasn’t bad at all for this alliance to form.

Of course.

It bothered him that the Taoists were the ones engaging in politics as such, but wasn’t the world

an incapable place to live with a righteous attitude?

“Amitabha.”

Anyway, all of this was something they couldn’t reveal outright.

“The abbot also has high expectations for the Heavenly Friends Alliance. So please…”

And it was at that moment.

“Elder Byeop Gae seems a bit too gentle. For those who follow the law, this might not be much, but those who follow the laws of the world cannot get over it easily.”

People, including Byeop Gae, turned to where the words cfrom.

And it was Lee Byeok of Qingcheng, who was staring at Hyun Jong with cold eyes. and his eyes turned to Tang Gunak slowly.

“If one throws a stone in the lake, it will create ripples. It is difficult forto understand why the Heavenly Friends Alliance had to bother to unite and create panic in this peaceful Kangho.”

“Rather than panic….”

“Are you sure that the intention behind it wasn’t to betray the rule?”

The last one wasn’t a question for Hyun Jong and Tang Gunak but for the other leaders.

“Hmm.”

“Amm.”

A groan escaped from the mouths of other leaders.

Qingcheng sect was a place located in Sichuan city. A prominent sect which was closer to the Sichuan Tang family, than any other place in the world.

Of course, the relationship between the Sichuan Tang family and Qingcheng wasn’t like Mount Hua and Southern Edge, where they gritted their teeth and pulled out their sword at sight. Still, it was strange if the sects that were in such close proximity were friendly.

If the distance was close, the area they looked after overlapped, so they had to either share the burden or compete for things. Maybe during the start, they could share a good relationship, but as twent by, the resentment would grow.

That was why Lee Byeok reacted in a bit of a sensitive manner.

“Who can say anything about like-minded people coming together to form an alliance? But it is hard to just celebrate when you don’t know what they are planning to do.”

Hyun Jong frowned a bit at that direct word.

“The Heavenly Friends Alliance is by no means a place which goes against the way of rule. What you think will not happen.”

“Then!”

Lee Byeok looked straight at Hyun Jong.

“Are you saying that even if a problem comes between the Sichuan Tang family and my sect, Mount Hua will not intervene, even if we choose to pick the swords out?”

“…”

“I ask if you are saying that regardless of right or wrong, you will not enter into the affairs of the sect. The alliance image you presented doesn’t seem like it?”

Hyun Jong closed his mouth and then his eyes, as if he couldn’t respond. After calming down for a moment, he opened his eyes again and then smiled gently.

“The reason why the alliance’s sect can becbrothers is because you believe that each other will not do anything unreasonable. If, in case, the sects belonging to the alliance do something they shouldn’t, the other sects in the alliance will make sure to stop it.”

“…”

“We are brothers who don’t support doing the wrong thing but prevent what is wrong.”

Everyone nodded as if it made sense, but Lee Byeok still didn’t accept this.

“Of course, it should be like that. But, none of the people here think that the Heavenly Friends Alliance would have problems from the start. The problem is what comes next.”

When Hyun Jong looked at him as if wondering what that meant, Lee Byeok snorted and said,

“When a child is given a knife to hold, he will end up wanting to swing it. Do you really think that the clans, which have the powerful backing like the Heavenly Friends Alliance, will have a quiet life like now?”

“…”

“Of course, one needs to be careful. But eventually, one will want to wield that power. Are you sure that the alliance will not cause trouble even then?”

Those gathered looked at Lee Byeok with unsure eyes.

Well, this was a place to celebrate a new start. Even if one didn’t like it, or had things to say, it wasn’t right to speak this openly.

But no one spoke against Lee Byeok either. Because they too wanted to hear this.

Just as Hyun Jong was about to speak and face Lee Byeok, Tang Gunak, who had been silent by the side, slowly said.

“Elder Lee Byeok, you do not have to worry about that.”

“… What do you mean?”

Tang Gunak’s lips smiled.

“Qingcheng is worried about the Sichuan Tang family, right?”

“…”

Lee Byeok went silent.

If asked directly, he couldn’t answer. In the first place, Qingcheng didn’t have an advantage over the Sichuan Tang family. But, the Sichuan Tang family took advantage of the power of the Heavenly Friends Alliance…

Tang Gunak’s blade-like eyes pierced him.

“Is there any need to borrow the hand of the alliance if the Tang family wants to deal with Qingcheng? I think you are overestimating your side.”

“W-what…”

Lee Byeok’s face turned red.

Of course, he was an elder of Qingcheng, and Tang Gunak was the head of the Tang family. But even so, this remark crossed the line.

“Your words are too much!”

“Too much?”

Tang Gunak had a cold look as he smiled.

“Wasn’t it too much for an elder, who isn’t even an elder of Qingcheng right now, to question the leader of the Heavenly Friends Alliance? Is what I am saying to the elder too much now?”

In a split second, Tang Gunak’s face went firm, and a blade-like qi emanated from him.

“Answer me.”

“T-that…”

Lee Byeok closed his mouth.

It wasn’t important to judge whether the logic of Tang Gunak was right or wrong. What was important was the fact that the Poison King, Tang Gunak, was now openly hostile towards Lee Byeok.

Even before the alliance happened, Lee Byeok wouldn’t dare to oppose Tang Gunak. But now, with the alliance formed, how could he be alright?

“Believing in power and name?”

Tang Gunak sneered at that.

“That is what you do, not us. If you didn’t have the pride of being in the Nine Great Sects, would you dare say something like that here?”

“Lord. Your words are crossing the line.”

As Byeop Gae was from Shaolin, he tried to intervene, but Tang Gunak glared and said,

“Listen carefully now. Sect Leader Hyung Jong is now the Alliance Leader, too. And to speak casually to the Alliance Leader is to ignore the alliance and, furthermore, to look down on the Sichuan Tang family, Nanman Beast Palace, and North Sea Ice Palace.”

He didn’t raise his voice. But that low tone made it feel even more threatening.

“If something like this happens in front ofonce again, the Sichuan Tang family will not sit by and watch it happen.”

“Right.”

Meng So, who was watching this, crossed his arms and glared at the leaders.

The intimidating feeling his gaze gave off was like this mountain trying to push them down.

“I do not know about the laws of the Central Plains. But I know one thing, and it is that the Alliance Leader isn’t someone you can look down on. On the other hand, don’t forget that the Alliance Leader is the one protecting you. If he hadn’t been here, I would have already made my move.”

If Tang Gunak’s words were like advice, then Meng So threatened them.

But no one could speak back.

‘That idiot gave them the justification to move!’

‘So foolish!’

Lee Byeok was the one who broke the flow.

So there was no one to step in for this. And Lee Byeok’s face turned dark as he realized it.

“The North Sea Ice Palace is not a place you can just walk around. But in the North Sea, there is no way to be verbally rude to someone who crossed a line.”

Seol So-baek also spoke.

“If you really want to know what is too much, we can show that to you.”

In terms of his strength, Seol So-Baek wasn’t too strong, so he couldn’t be as intimidating as Tang Gunak and Meng So.

But was there any place in the world where one would ignore the North Sea Ice Palace?

As the three sects began to protect Hyun Jong, the entire atmosphere went silent.

“Amitabha.”

Byeop Gae didn’t like this.

“I will apologize to the Alliance Leader on his behalf. Please forgive the rudeness.”

“Rude? How is that rude?”

When Hyun Jong slightly stretched out his arms to the left and right, the pressure from Tang Gunak and Meng So, which had been so intimidating, disappeared in an instant.

Instead, Hyun Jong’s gentle and refreshing qi enveloped the people.

“It is a very expected question to ask. I too am well aware of the anxiety one might feel due to the start of the Heavenly Friends Alliance.”

Hyun Jong smiled.

“But what you think will not happen. Trust me.”

Byeop Gae nodded.

“I believe. And I once again ask you to lead the alliance well.”

“I will.”

Watching the two people bow their heads to each other, Tang Gunak slightly curled his lips into a smile.

‘We caught him.’

This event was meaningful enough simply because it gave the impression that the alliance would never first exert pressure on the Nine Great Sects and Five Great Families.

Of course, their faces were not so good, but…

‘Now all we need to do is end this well.’

However, at that moment, nothing could be done about Tang Gunak.

The fact that something he had never thought of, or no one else in the world could have imagined, was now coming for Mount Hua.