Chapter 154: Once a Leader, Forever a Leader!
The hall was shrouded in silence.
At that moment, the eyes of Neung Han and the others, fixed on Yeop Hyeon, brimmed with tears.
To die alongside Yeop Hyeon! That was truly what they desired.
But they couldn't abandon their families.
Yeop Hyeon patted Neung Han's shoulder and spoke softly.
"Just because you go back doesn't mean we're no longer brothers! We're still brothers who share life and death!"
Yeop Hyeon turned to Ya Ri and the rest.
"Your families might already be in danger because of your actions here. Hurry back and protect them first—that's your top priority! You have brothers, friends, even lovers to safeguard. So let's meet again in Jungto Sinju, alive and well!"
"Big bro! What about you if we leave?"
Neung Han's eyes reddened as he asked, and Yeop Hyeon smiled in reply.
"Don't worry! I've still got my trump card up my sleeve—no problem!"
Despite his persuasion, Neung Han and the others stood rooted to the spot, unmoving.
At last, the dark-faced men began to shed tears.
Yeop Hyeon suddenly glanced at Luk Ban-jang. She had been quietly listening from the start.
He walked over to her, met her gaze, and said,
"Take them all with you. We'll meet in Jungto Sinju."
Luk Ban-jang remained silent.
Yeop Hyeon spoke again.
"Right now, protecting your families comes first. Our time will come again soon. When you get back to Jungto Sinju, don't go getting beaten up needlessly and tarnish our Bi Jeok Bandits' reputation—stay safe."
Luk Ban-jang stared at Yeop Hyeon's face for a long while before finally murmuring in a small voice,
"Understand... If we don't go back, a lot of people from the Luk family will die..."
At that moment, uncharacteristically for her, tears welled in Luk Ban-jang's eyes.
"But if I go, who'll help you?"
Her words made Neung Han and the others' noses sting.
Who indeed could help Yeop Hyeon now?
With Chang Mok Academy and the Dark Shadow Sect declaring all-out war, standing against them alone was like shielding a candle from the wind. They'd barely held on so far thanks to Luk Ban-jang and the others, but if they all left, Yeop Hyeon's fate was obvious without even needing to see it.
"Do you all remember what Sang Wol said before he left?"
Everyone turned to look at Yeop Hyeon's face.
"He said he's got a blunt personality with no flexibility—if anyone messes with him, he can't hold back. Even against an unbeatable foe, he has to charge in to satisfy his nature."
Yeop Hyeon smiled faintly, as if recalling his face, and continued.
"My personality's the same. It never changes. If I die someday, it'll be my own fault, my own lack of skill. I won't die resenting anyone.
And when you get back, train hard. I promise I'll come find you soon. Anyone who forgets this leader's face by then... I won't let 'em off easy!"
"Leader!"
Neung Han called out to Yeop Hyeon.
"Yeop hyung, Yeop hyung is our leader forever. The Bi Jeok Mercenary Corps will have only one leader for eternity!"
Ya Ri nodded vigorously.
"Yeah, once a leader, forever a leader!"
The rest of the Bi Jeok Mercenary Corps members nodded fiercely in agreement.
Yeop Hyeon laughed heartily.
"Alright, see you next time!"
Yeop Hyeon turned to Luk Ban-jang.
"You're their big sis now—time to show some big-sis poise, right?"
Luk Ban-jang gazed at Yeop Hyeon's face for a moment, then turned and strode toward the Black Wolf.
"Everyone, board! Follow me!"
Neung Han stared straight at Yeop Hyeon and said,
"Leader, I'll be waiting in Jungto Sinju!"
"Leader, take care!"
"Leader, I'm Im Un-seon. We never got a chance to talk one-on-one. I'm not much of a talker. Anyway, see you in Jungto Sinju!"
"Leader, you have to survive..."
"..."
A moment later, Luk Ban-jang and the others departed the fortress aboard the Black Wolf.
Crossing the desolate plains, they said nothing.
Luk Ban-jang's face remained expressionless. Neung Han and the others' faces were streaked with tears.
'I want to stay!'
That was the thought in everyone's mind.
But they truly had no choice.
Suddenly, Neung Han bellowed like a roar,
"When I get back, I'll definitely become the family head!"
"Me too... I'll become family head..."
Ya Ri and everyone else nodded and chimed in.
If they became family heads, they'd gain immense influence and could wield their clan's power as they wished.
To do that, they first had to grow stronger. Only then could they seize that influence and control their own destinies.
Outside the fortress gates.
Confirming that Ya Ri and the others had completely vanished from sight, Yeop Hyeon slowly turned away.
'They're all gone.'
A pang of loneliness tugged at Yeop Hyeon's heart.
He hadn't said it aloud, but he'd grown deeply attached to them over time.
The thrill of roaming the world with peers his age was indescribable.
But all gatherings must end eventually. It was time to let them go. Regrettable as it was, if they didn't return, their families would suffer—and he couldn't selfishly hold them back any longer.
Yeop Hyeon recalled Sang Wol's final moments. Sang Wol had desperately wanted to live but ended his own life for the sake of everyone. Sometimes, the world demanded you do what you didn't want.
At that moment, Gang Gu approached Yeop Hyeon.
"I've got your back!"
"Me too!"
Mu Yun Qi grinned at Yeop Hyeon from nearby.
Gang Gu! Mu Yun Qi!
"Hahaha! Right, I've still got you two!"
From afar, a white-robed elder called out to Yeop Hyeon.
"Yeop Hyeon, even the geniuses of Jungto Sinju accept you as their leader and are willing to die for you—you're no ordinary man, that's for sure. But look around. What do you have left now? You'll end up dying with the regret of never entering Chang Mok Academy all those years ago."
"Hahaha! Cut the nonsense—shall we get to fighting properly?"
"As you wish."
As the elder finished speaking, a man stepped out from behind him.
A familiar face. Yeop Hyeon recognized him as the gray-robed man he'd clashed with days ago. Black iron rings still bound his arms.
Seeing him, Yeop Hyeon smirked.
"Can't handle it alone?"
The man scowled at the taunt and charged, kicking off the ground. In an instant, he closed in on Yeop Hyeon and thrust both hands forward.
At the same time, the iron rings on his arms spun ferociously toward Yeop Hyeon.
Yeop Hyeon expressionlessly extended the hand holding his sword.
Clang!
Sparks flew from the iron rings as the man's form skidded back a dozen zhang. Coming to a halt, the ground beneath his feet was cracked to pieces, and his hands trembled nonstop.
Yeop Hyeon advanced slowly, sword in hand, a mocking smile on his face.
"Is this all the Yo Yeolbang of Jungto Sinju has got?"
Yeop Hyeon's words struck the man's pride. As he teetered on the edge of losing control, the watching white-robed elder intervened.
"He pours everything into every sword swing. If you don't go all out, you'll lose."
The gray-robed man clenched his fists, bent his knees into a horse stance.
Crack!
The ground within a dozen zhang
around him split open. A tremendous aura erupted from his body and shot straight at Yeop Hyeon.
Meanwhile, as Yeop Hyeon strode unyieldingly toward the gray-robed man, a strand of energy seeped from his own body.
Sword Momentum!
Soon, the man's aura clashed head-on with Yeop Hyeon's sword momentum at the center.
Boom!
The earth around them trembled violently.
Yeop Hyeon paused briefly from the shockwave but soon resumed his advance.
The opponent's pupils dilated. Yeop Hyeon's sword momentum was stronger than expected!
Then Yeop Hyeon picked up speed. His steps quickened to a jog, and in a flash, he was before the man.
His momentum had reached its peak, like a flood sweeping all before it.
One Sword Determines Life and Death!
The white-robed elder's face paled dramatically.
Momentum!
No matter the martial path, all cultivators could harness momentum. What came after was intent.
A common misconception was that intent outranked momentum.
In truth, momentum could be just as crucial—because it could be gathered or borrowed.
And Yeop Hyeon was already grasping Borrowed Power, the art of accumulating momentum or merging it with others' intent and momentum.
Suddenly, as he charged, Yeop Hyeon halted.
The elder let out a quiet sigh of relief. It seemed Yeop Hyeon hadn't fully comprehended Borrowed Power yet. True understanding couldn't come from mere explanation—it required personal insight. Without comprehension, how could one wield it?
Just then, the Borrowed Power emanating from Yeop Hyeon vanished.
Yeop Hyeon furrowed his brow, muttering as if puzzled.
"Momentum... Sword intent and battle intent can fuse into sword momentum, so what about other things?"
Other things!
In that instant, the sword in Yeop Hyeon's hand began to spin. A whirlwind of sword-born breeze swirled around him, then melted into his sword eyes.
Feeling it, Yeop Hyeon grinned brightly. His idea had worked.
Suddenly, the white-robed elder bellowed,
"Kill him! You must kill him now!"
The elder's face was filled with shock.
For in the moment Yeop Hyeon grasped the secret of momentum, he could transcend Sword Master to become a Sword Lord.
One who ruled earth and wind with the sword, controlling all things under heaven—
Sword Lord!
The realization made the elder's breathing ragged.
"Everyone, come out! Attack together!"
As his words fell, more warriors appeared around him: I Mok-rim, who had dueled with the aphrodisiac poison last night; the archer; and a one-armed man—the master of the red snake slain by the entity on the second floor of Gyeok Ok Tower.
Three Yo Yeolbang warriors and a middle-aged man faced Yeop Hyeon.
Six shadowy figures like ghosts encircled him as well. In a flash, the six shadows lunged at Yeop Hyeon simultaneously.
Elite assassins of the Dark Shadow Sect.
Beings whose mere name inspired terror.
Yeop Hyeon reluctantly shelved his epiphany and focused on the threats before him. Opportunities for insight would return as long as he lived!
As Yeop Hyeon snapped back to reality, a hand white as snow gently touched his shoulder. A dreamlike voice whispered in his ear.
"Keep going. I'll handle them."