Who Dares Bully Our Captain!
Yeop Hyeon turned his gaze straight ahead. There stood a man gripping the Spirit Water Sword tightly in his palm. The sword twisted, trying to wrench free, but escaping the man's grasp was no easy feat.
To Yeop Hyeon's left was a slender man in gray robes, around twenty years old, with black iron rings wrapped around his arms.
And including the archer who had just loosed an arrow from the shadows, that made three in total.
Three peak Divine Fusion Realm experts had Yeop Hyeon surrounded.
Everyone on the Yo Yeolbang list was at least as strong as Yeop Hyeon. If those three attacked at once, even he would struggle to hold them off alone.
Yeop Hyeon clenched his fists, madly drawing in earth force. In that instant, a tremendous battle intent erupted fiercely from his entire body.
Battle!
Facing the three Yo Yeolbang warriors, not a trace of fear showed in Yeop Hyeon's eyes—only blazing battle intent!
He could neither retreat nor die.
If he fell, Neung Han would meet his end here too.
Yeop Hyeon's face twisted into a savage grimace as he stomped the ground hard with his right foot.
Boom!
The earth beneath his foot caved in.
By then, Yeop Hyeon had already vanished from his spot. His figure shot forward like an arrow, arriving instantly before the man holding the Spirit Water Sword.
The man had no choice but to release the sword and hurl a fist at Yeop Hyeon.
At that moment, Yeop Hyeon's right sleeve exploded as immense power surged into his arm.
This was the Dragon Power hidden within the National Scholar Token he had obtained from Cheok Bal-eon long ago.
Even with his tempered golden meridians, wielding Dragon Power alongside earth force proved too much—the skin on Yeop Hyeon's arm split open.
Boom!
The two fists collided head-on, and the man's right arm tore apart in an instant, sending him flying over fifty zhang back.
In that moment, the gray-robed man's foot slammed into Yeop Hyeon's abdomen.
Thud!
As Yeop Hyeon flew backward, hunched over, an arrow whistled from the darkness toward his throat. It couldn't pierce the Earth Battle Armor protecting his body, but it left a sharp gash on the skin behind.
The enemy's arrows couldn't be fully blocked by the Earth Battle Armor.
Yeop Hyeon rose, extending his hand—the Spirit Water Sword flew into his left palm. His right hand was already shredded, bones exposed.
That's when the gray-robed man appeared before him, an arrow streaking in with a piercing whistle.
The gray-robed man pushed off the ground with one leg, thrusting both arms forward. The iron rings on his arms hurtled toward Yeop Hyeon's face.
Sensing the overwhelming power in the rings, a subtle change flickered across Yeop Hyeon's expression. He swung the Spirit Water Sword with all his might to smash them.
He was relying solely on earth force now, too wary to use Dragon Power again.
His current body couldn't withstand both powers.
Bang!
Ripples surged across the Spirit Water Sword as Yeop Hyeon was sent flying over ten zhang.
And chasing him—a sharp arrow!
Yeop Hyeon snapped his eyes open, and the arrow shattering just before his brow.
The impact forced him back a few more steps, a trickle of blood running down his forehead.
A split-second later, and the arrowhead would have pierced his skull.
From the start, Yeop Hyeon had been pushing beyond his limits. Any new wound would only worsen his predicament.
That's when the snake-wrapped man from afar vanished, reappearing instantly before Yeop Hyeon.
His palm strike descended toward Yeop Hyeon's head, warping the space around them with its wind pressure.
Yeop Hyeon grimaced savagely, thrusting the Spirit Water Sword into the man's palm heart.
Boom!
The ground beneath them crumbled.
At that exact moment, the red snake coiled around the man's arm slipped free, shooting toward Yeop Hyeon like lightning. Before he could react, it burrowed into his chest.
Yeop Hyeon's body went rigid.
Then, a shadow streaked in like thunder, driving a knee into his abdomen.
Thud!
Yeop Hyeon flew back, spine arched.
Meanwhile, the red snake inside him lunged to devour his organs. But just then, it vanished from his body.
It reappeared inside the Gyeok Ok Tower, pulled through Yeop Hyeon's body into the tower's space.
The snake paused in confusion, then instinctively sensed danger and tried to flee.
In that instant, sharp claws seized it.
The snake trembled in utter terror.
Suddenly, a sheet of paper dropped before it, bearing a single footprint and a large '?' mark.
The snake stared at the paper in bewilderment.
Another sheet fluttered down—again, a footprint and a '?'.
The red snake shook its head frantically in panic.
Then, the claws gripping it tightened.
Pop!
The snake burst into a mist of blood and vanished.
Back outside the Gyeok Ok Tower, Yeop Hyeon shuddered involuntarily as he lay fallen. He had felt the ripple from within.
The snake had likely been slain for failing to understand the second-floor entity's riddle.
In a way, that entity had treated him kindly by comparison.
Yeop Hyeon startled himself with the absurd thought.
No time for that. He was still facing three warriors.
One against three—all peak Divine Fusion Realm!
'Ah... I'm not so sure about this...'
Turning his head, he saw Yuk Ban-jang locked in combat with the middle-aged man. The man was a notch below her but clung tenaciously. She couldn't dispatch him quickly either.
Cheong Sam-nyeo and Neung Han were similarly tied down.
No one could help him now.
Yeop Hyeon sighed. In the end, he could only rely on himself!
That's when the snake's owner shouted at him in disbelief.
"How—how can you be unscathed!?"
That red snake was a Divine Fusion Realm venomous creature that could enter a body and devour the organs in seconds—his trump card.
Yet its aura had vanished the moment it entered Yeop Hyeon.
Yeop Hyeon found the situation almost amusing. Though he could tap the Gyeok Ok Tower's power, he dared not risk the consequences. The Sword Immortal had warned him repeatedly: unless his life hung by a thread, he couldn't awaken it.
But unexpectedly, the poor snake had been dragged inside. Once in the Gyeok Ok Tower, it was over. Who could survive without deciphering the second-floor entity's cryptic drawings!
In truth, cold sweat beaded on Yeop Hyeon's forehead. If the entity hadn't dealt with the snake, he would have been in real trouble.
Right then, the gray-robed man in front of him spread his legs wide.
He slammed the iron rings on his arms into the ground.
Boom!
The earth split before Yeop Hyeon, unleashing a surge of mighty energy. Amid it, about ten iron rings, linked together, flew at him.
Feeling their tyrannical power, Yeop Hyeon swung the Spirit Water Sword with full force.
Unleashing powerful techniques in succession wrecked his body, but Yeop Hyeon had no choice.
He'd die if he didn't block.
Bang!
His sword obliterated the rings, but Yeop Hyeon staggered back.
Then—a golden arrow streaked like lightning!
Yeop Hyeon snapped his eyes open, unleashing two sword gleams. But their power was far weaker than before.
Clashing with three warriors had drained his sword energy severely.
The two gleams struck the arrow, but the golden shaft pierced through, heading straight for him.
Yeop Hyeon desperately swung the Spirit Water Sword to deflect it. But another arrow followed.
'Can't dodge this one.'
He twisted his body.
Thud!
The arrow embedded in his shoulder as his figure flew back over ten zhang.
Yeop Hyeon slapped the ground with his palm to right himself—only for the gray-robed man to appear, kicking out.
Yeop Hyeon blocked with his body.
As he soared into the air again, the Spirit Water Sword flew at the man. But he retreated ten zhang as if anticipating it.
Falling to the ground, Yeop Hyeon struggled to rise. Blood trickled from his mouth.
Then, the two warriors before him vanished simultaneously.
Yeop Hyeon's face twisted.
He knew this clash would decide his fate.
As he gritted his teeth to strike—
"Who dares bully our captain!"
Neung Han!
A thunderous roar echoed through the hall as Neung Han charged the two warriors.
"Which bastard touched our captain!"
"I'll chew you up and spit you out!"
Enraged voices erupted from behind Yeop Hyeon!
Besides Neung Han, four others had awakened: Gam Mu-wi, Ya Ri, Nam Gae-myeong, and Bai Ze.
Five had now reached the Divine Fusion Realm.
Bai Ze and the other four Divine Fusion Realm powerhouses blocked the two warriors. Thick killing intent burned in their eyes.
In truth, while breaking through, they had grasped the hall's situation.
Watching Yeop Hyeon fight desperately against three had ignited a thousand flames in their hearts—but they were helpless.
Facing them at Penetrating Nether Realm would only mean a dog's death.
Gnashing their teeth to break through had been their only option.
Five against three!
Yet the three Yo Yeolbang members showed no hint of faltering before the five.
They were the strongest of Jungto Sinju's younger generation, after all.
Meanwhile, Yeop Hyeon slumped uncomfortably to the ground, pulling a Golden Wound Pill from his bosom and swallowing it.
That last battle had left him utterly exhausted.
Drained to the bone, as the saying went.
And the arrow in his shoulder was no trifle.
Right now, he lacked even the strength to twitch a finger.
At that moment, a shadow raced toward him at blinding speed.
But another shadow blocked it even faster.
Boom!
With a dull thud, one shadow staggered back and vanished into the darkness.
The one guarding Yeop Hyeon was Mu Yun Qi.