Chapter 125: I'll Specially Become Your Friend
Assassins from the Dark Realm appeared once more!
Yeop Hyeon's face twisted into a savage grimace. He stomped his right foot hard against the ground, and in that instant, a suit of golden armor enveloped his body.
Summoned from the power of the earth.
The daggers aimed at his vital points failed to pierce the armor and clattered harmlessly to the ground!
Yeop Hyeon spun around in a flash and unleashed a single punch.
A devastating strike that shatters skulls.
Boom!
One shadowy figure vanished under his blow.
Luk Ban-jang's reaction was no less impressive. She pinched the incoming streak of cold light between her thumb and forefinger, then drove her knee upward with ferocious force.
Crash!
With a thunderous roar, another shadow before her dissipated into nothing.
In the blink of an eye, the chamber fell silent once more.
At that moment, Luk Ban-jang glanced at Yeop Hyeon and asked, "Dark Realm?"
Yeop Hyeon nodded, and she withdrew her gaze. "We'll talk later."
The two departed the report hall without another word.
At the entrance to the city lord's residence, countless soldiers were swarming in, but they fell one after another to Ya Ri and his crew.
Yeop Hyeon couldn't help but be astonished by the sight of Ya Ri's group holding off hundreds of soldiers.
Each one's skill was extraordinarily potent. They were all battle-hardened veterans with exceptional talent to boot. True to their origins in Jungto Sinju, their prowess rivaled even Divine Fusion Realm experts without yielding an inch.
The world was vast, and there were many masters indeed.
Putting idle thoughts aside, Yeop Hyeon plunged into the fray alongside Luk Ban-jang.
Boom! Boom!
With their full power unleashed, a path cleared before them in short order. Yeop Hyeon's group dashed through the opening toward the city gates. They had just exited the walls when urgent hoofbeats thundered from behind.
It was the Black Knife Guard.
The masked man at their forefront spotted the fleeing group and bellowed, "Pursue at full gallop!"
Hundreds of horses shook the earth as they charged.
Outside the city, Yeop Hyeon's party raced at breakneck speed.
If it had only been the Black Knife Guard, they wouldn't have feared much. What truly terrified them was getting tangled with the guards while the main army bore down on them.
Ten at a time was manageable, but a hundred? No chance.
For now, their only option was to flee as far as possible.
"Into those mountains over there!"
At Yeop Hyeon's command, Luk Ban-jang's group veered toward the towering peak ahead.
The Black Knife Guard's faces darkened as they watched Yeop Hyeon's party vanish into the mountains. Their mobility would suffer greatly in the dense terrain.
The masked man's expression grew grim as he stared into the thick forest.
One of the Black Knife Guard approached and stood beside him. "Blade Commander, His Highness commanded us not to let them escape until reinforcements arrive!"
He raised an eyebrow. "What reinforcements?"
"We don't know yet, but they'll contact us when the time comes. Then we strike together and wipe them out."
"Hmph... Understood. Have you identified them?"
"The sword user among them is Yeop Hyeon, National Scholar of Jiang Kingdom and dean of Canglan Academy!"
Yeop Hyeon?
His grip tightened on his sword hilt.
"Yeop Hyeon..."
Deep in the mountains, Yeop Hyeon's group finally halted at a stream. Ya Ri's crew dismounted their black wolves and rushed to the puddle, gulping water greedily.
Yeop Hyeon slid off his black wolf and approached Luk Ban-jang, who was tearing into rations as if lost in thought.
"Where'd you get these black wolves?"
Black wolves like Heuk Rang were inherently swift and tough—most arrows couldn't even scratch them. Far superior to horses in every way.
Luk Ban-jang met his eyes. "Bought 'em in Jungto Sinju."
Yeop Hyeon nodded, then noticed one of their men—three arrows embedded in his body—yanking them out with steady hands.
The man didn't even flinch.
Yeop Hyeon approached and offered a pill. "Golden Wound Pill?"
He nodded. "The next clash will be fiercer than this one. Best heal up quick."
With things as they were, the authorities wouldn't let Yeop Hyeon's group rampage unchecked. He could sense they'd come prepared next time.
The man eyed him. "This goes for tens of thousands of taels a pop."
"Haha, you think I'm trying to buy you off?"
No one thought that, of course.
Yeop Hyeon chuckled. "Actually, yeah. I'm trying to win you all over. A gentleman doesn't hide his intentions. Truth is, Yeop Hyeon wants to befriend you lot. Weird?"
"Hahaha!"
Neung Han burst out laughing from the side.
"Not weird at all! You're a fun one! I'll specially be your friend, Neung Han!"
Laughter erupted throughout the group.
Yeop Hyeon's frank, straightforward demeanor had won them over. His formidable strength and sword cultivator status only added to the appeal.
No one in the world turned down friendship with the strong. And Yeop Hyeon's personality meshed well with everyone.
The man accepted the pill with a nod. "Thanks."
After swallowing it, he spoke again. "Go Un-cheong of the Go family."
Yeop Hyeon smiled. "I remembered your name."
"Haha, honored! So, what happened to your eyes?"
All eyes turned to Yeop Hyeon's face.
It was the question on everyone's mind. They'd held back out of courtesy before, but now that they were comfortable, no need for pretense.
"Haha, cultivation mishap. Side effect blinded me mid-training."
"..."
Luk Ban-jang spoke up. "Why'd the Dark Realm assassins target us?"
"Truth is, I've got bad blood with Daeun's Changmok Academy and the Dark Realm. They stirred up wars across nations—partly because of me. They want me gone, but Myriad Laws Realm experts can't touch me directly. That's how we made it this far."
Ya Ri asked curiously, "Dark Realm and Changmok Academy aren't pushovers. You made enemies of them?"
"Yep. From now on, assassins could pop up anytime, anywhere. I'll say it upfront: anyone who wants out, go now. No hard feelings."
Ya Ri shook his head. "We're not scared of them."
Go Un-cheong chimed in from beside him. "Dark Realm scum are vile, but not terrifying. Still, we'd best stay sharp. Their assassins are no joke."
Neung Han's expression hardened. "Qingzhou's Dark Realm? No sweat. But if Jungto Sinju killers get involved... their elites..."
The air grew heavy.
Jungto Sinju assassins were on another level. A fair fight? No problem. But assassins never fought fair.
An arrow from the shadows was the real terror.
Luk Ban-jang's voice cut through. "Doesn't matter."
All eyes turned to her.
"Kill anyone who blocks us. Nothing else to think about."
She looked at Yeop Hyeon. "You and I handle the assassins. No need to worry. But everyone, stay alert. I don't want to lose any of you."
The mercenaries nodded firmly.
Yeop Hyeon dumped the loot from the city lord's report hall onto the ground. Luk Ban-jang followed suit with her haul.
Eyes locked onto the overflowing treasures.
Yeop Hyeon sorted them. "Gold totals ninety million taels, seven top-grade spirit artifacts, eight martial techniques... no Earth-grade ones. Still, sell 'em for ten million each easy. Plus a jade artifact worth ten million... and about a million top-grade spirit stones."
Top-grade spirit stones.
Market rate was a hundred taels of gold per stone. Spirit stones were rarer than gold, especially top-grade ones. Indispensable for martial artists' cultivation.
An absolute fortune. Smiles lit every face.
"Those who need spirit stones or artifacts, grab what fits. Others, we'll split the gold."
Two snatched top-grade artifacts swiftly. Yeop Hyeon and Luk Ban-jang divided the gold among the rest. Everyone's share was substantial.
Yeop Hyeon now had sixty million taels in gold, four top-grade artifacts, and a hundred thousand top-grade spirit stones. Adding his prior holdings: eight artifacts total, over two hundred thirty million taels in gold.
Impressive, but not enough. It wasn't just for him—it funded Mu Yun Qi's crew's training and Canglan Academy's operations. No steady income meant feeding students alone would drain it fast.
Yeop Hyeon was losing hair over money worries at night.
Suddenly, his brows twitched. Luk Ban-jang shot to her feet. "Battle stations!"
The mercenaries clustered back-to-back in an instant.
Yeop Hyeon drew his Spirit Water Sword with a grim face.
The forest remained eerily still.
Then the trees began shaking violently. Luk Ban-jang's eyes widened. "Fall back!"
Black-clad figures emerged from the woods—over thirty, moving like ghosts.
Each wielded a heavy crossbow: all top-grade spirit artifacts!
Their auras? All Penetrating Nether Realm, at the peak no less.
Yeop Hyeon spotted two yellow-embroidered characters on their chests: Daeun.
Daeun Empire bastards.
Hoofbeats approached rapidly—Black Knife Guard.
Trapped front and rear.
"Now what?"
Luk Ban-jang asked. Yeop Hyeon grinned ferociously, pointing at the black-clad foes. "What now? Kill 'em all and snag those crossbows!"
She nodded. "Take them out in one kak. I'll hold off the cavalry behind us."
"Six of you, with me!"
Six mercenaries followed her to the rear.
The remaining five stuck by Yeop Hyeon, glaring at the enemy without a trace of fear.
One kak? Plenty.
The Spirit Water Sword hummed in his grip. Silence hung, then Yeop Hyeon roared.
"Kill!"
Whiiing—
With the sword cry as signal, six warriors surged toward the thirty-odd black-clad foes.
