Chapter 123: I've Killed Countless Foes!
A brief silence fell. Yeop Hyeon broke it first.
"While their firepower is focused on me, infiltrate the camp, grab the supplies, and burn the grain and hay. Can you do it?"
"You could die."
"Hm... or would you rather hold them off while I ransack the place?"
At his words, Luk Ban-jang and her group darkened. They had nothing to say.
"Haha, then let's see what you've got."
With those words, Yeop Hyeon's figure vanished from his spot.
Luk Ban-jang muttered through gritted teeth, her eyes blazing.
"We can't let the Qingzhou bastards look down on us. Prepare to move out!"
At her command, everyone finished their preparations to charge.
At that moment, a flash of sword light gleamed atop the distant city gates.
Boom!
The massive gates split apart and toppled backward.
As Yeop Hyeon crossed the gates, a group of soldiers rushed out and surrounded him. More and more poured in around them.
Once the Danguk soldiers swarmed him like ants, a ferocious smile curled Yeop Hyeon's lips.
Suddenly, he snapped his eyes wide open.
The sword becomes my eyes!
Sword Eyes!
The instant Yeop Hyeon opened his eyes, two strands of sword light shot from his pupils like lightning. Wherever the sword beams swept, dozens of soldiers collapsed with limbs severed!
The hundreds nearby couldn't escape heavy wounds from that single strike either.
Then Yeop Hyeon gripped his Spirit Water Sword and charged the mob like a wild beast.
His task was to buy time until Luk Ban-jang's group completed their mission.
Kill!
Wherever Yeop Hyeon's sword passed, soldiers' heads flew without fail.
As time wore on, even more martial artists flooded out from across the fortress.
Meanwhile, Luk Ban-jang, watching from outside, shouted.
"Charge!"
At her order, the twelve black wolves surged toward the fortress.
They breached the gates in an instant and raced straight for the military camp.
A soldier who spotted the scene blanched and yelled.
"Fall back! Protect the camp!"
A group of soldiers immediately gave chase.
But no human could keep up with the black wolves' blistering speed.
Soon, Luk Ban-jang's crew reached the camp entrance.
Hundreds of soldiers already clustered before them.
Seeing the soldiers, Luk Ban-jang's group paled sharply.
Their individual realms weren't superior, but at a glance, they were expertly trained in offense and defense. Breaking such an organized formation was harder than facing elite masters.
But retreat was no longer an option.
"Neung Han!"
At Luk Ban-jang's cry, one man among them soared into the air. Crossing his arms, the temperature in the area skyrocketed as flames erupted along them.
Neung Han looked down at the soldiers from above, smirking.
"Blazing Meteor Fall!"
His body became a blazing orb hurtling into the heart of the soldiers' formation!
Flames that incinerated even the surrounding air. At that moment, Neung Han's eyes burned like the sun.
Earth-tier Martial Technique!
Terror flickered in the soldiers' eyes, but none stepped back.
"Raise shields!"
Clang!
At the commander's order, hundreds raised their shields in perfect unison.
Then, the sun crashed upon them!
Boom!
Dozens flew back in a flash, sparks scattering everywhere as half the formation crumbled. In that instant, Luk Ban-jang's group slipped through the gap and entered the camp.
Luk Ban-jang ducked into a tent while the others surrounded it.
Inside, she found dozens of iron crates and three golden ones.
Opening one revealed it stuffed with gold.
Opening a golden one next produced a long saber.
Supreme-grade Spirit Artifact!
Luk Ban-jang quickly shut the crate and rubbed the ring on her finger. In a blink, all the crates in the tent vanished.
As she emerged, they were already surrounded by hundreds of soldiers—and the numbers kept growing.
"Stick tight! Break through at once!"
Boom!
Her single strike sent soldiers flying every which way. The rest followed as she carved a path. With a loud whistle, black wolves appeared from the side. Soon, the twelve wolves carried Luk Ban-jang's group racing for the gates.
Near the gates, they spotted Yeop Hyeon still battling soldiers.
Luk Ban-jang shouted.
"Let's go!"
Meeting her eyes, Yeop Hyeon dispatched the soldier before him and leaped skyward. His figure landed right behind her.
Seeing this, her crew's faces twisted dramatically.
Luk Ban-jang frowned too but urged her wolf onward.
Just outside the gates, Yeop Hyeon's group had no choice but to halt. Thousands of cavalry charged toward them.
'Reinforcements?'
Yeop Hyeon yelled at the scowling Luk Ban-jang.
"Back to the fortress! We need another route!"
"You want us to run into the lion's den!?"
"We got no choice!"
The woman stroked her wolf's mane without retort. Soon, the twelve wolves thundered back toward the gates.
Soldiers had already reformed their lines at the entrance, waiting.
"Block them!"
"Leave none alive!"
Countless soldiers rushed them.
Yeop Hyeon launched himself forward. Heads rolled with every swing.
Luk Ban-jang followed, and together they carved a bloody path through the formation.
Soon after, a band of ironclad cavalry entered the fortress. Their leader, a middle-aged man, blanched at the corpse-strewn field.
This was Pei Xiaohu, commander of the 100,000 Black Armored Cavalry.
"Find out who they are immediately! Rush to the lord and request Black Blade Guard support! Send 30,000 cavalry to seal the border—no ant escapes!"
"Yes, Marshal!"
Several soldiers scattered at his command.
Pei Xiaohu glared down the long official road with a sinister expression.
Their losses weren't just soldiers. The treasures they'd amassed—top-grade spirit artifacts—were gone.
A massive blow.
If they'd stored them in storage rings beforehand, this wouldn't have happened. But there was a reason they hadn't.
Storage rings were exorbitantly expensive, and securing that many treasures required at least dozens. It could end up costing more than the haul.
Plus, storage rings weren't foolproof. Lose the ring or its wearer dies, and everything's gone.
'I must recover them!'
Pei Xiaohu slowly closed his eyes. Failure meant his own doom.
And where had all those Penetrating Nether Realm experts come from? His head throbbed.
After two hours of nonstop flight, Yeop Hyeon's group entered a deep forest.
Their bodies were covered in wounds large and small.
Yeop Hyeon's especially looked like he'd been butchered.
In the recent clash, he'd felt the Danguk soldiers' strength firsthand. Individually weak, but organized, they were terrifying. Without escaping before the Black Armored Cavalry arrived, even Earth Battle Armor wouldn't have saved them—death was ninety percent certain.
In inter-nation wars, even Divine Fusion Realm experts couldn't shine. Human wave tactics countered everything.
As Luk Ban-jang's group sat, Yeop Hyeon settled among them.
Luk Ban-jang offered him a storage ring. In a flash, dozens of crates appeared before them.
One opened to reveal gold coins overflowing.
Everyone's eyes widened.
But no greed showed.
"Thirty-eight crates total. At least two million taels each—that's about seventy million. The three golden crates hold eight supreme-grade spirit artifacts, worth five hundred thousand gold each."
Nearly a hundred million gold.
Luk Ban-jang's words lit up their faces.
She looked at Yeop Hyeon.
"Half's yours."
All eyes turned to him.
After a moment's thought, Yeop Hyeon shook his head.
"Divide it equally."
Luk Ban-jang's crew stared, dumbfounded.
"We all crossed death's door together. I don't deserve half alone. Split by headcount!"
The martial artists said nothing. But their gazes toward Yeop Hyeon softened.
"You're serious?"
"Hahaha, sword cultivators don't lie!"
Sword Cultivator!
Luk Ban-jang nodded slowly. She'd forgotten this man was a Sword Master.
After a short silence, she spoke.
"But your drawing fire made this possible. Take twenty million gold from the seventy, and three supreme-grade spirit artifacts. Fair?"
Yeop Hyeon nodded.
"Agreed."
They divided the gold and treasures swiftly.
Everyone claimed hefty sums. Some got their desired spirit artifacts.
With shares secured, Luk Ban-jang asked Yeop Hyeon.
"What's next?"
"Danguk cavalry's hot on our tail. We keep running forward, no choice."
"They might've already sent Myriad Laws Realm experts."
"Nah, don't worry. They won't."
"You've got backing, huh..."
Yeop Hyeon nodded.
"They can't spare Myriad Laws Realmers. But Divine Fusion Realm? Scared?"
Luk Ban-jang met his eyes without flinching.
"I've killed countless ones like them!"
"Good! Then introductions. Yeop Hyeon, dean of Canglan Academy in Jiang Kingdom of Qingzhou!"
Luk Ban-jang bit into a massive pancake.
"Jungto Sinju, Lu Clan, Luk Ban-jang."
The men around her followed suit.
"Jungto Sinju, Ya Clan, Ya Ri."
"Jungto Sinju, Shang Qing Sect, Neung Han!"
"Jungto Sinju, Mo Clan, Mak U!"
"Jungto Sinju, Nam Clan, Nam Gae-myeong!"
"Jungto Sinju, Sheng Clan, Gam Mu-wi!"
"......"