Chapter 155: A Voice Impossible to Forget Once Heard!
It had been a long time since he'd heard that voice.
But it was one he could never forget!
It was An Ranxiu!
Yeop Hyeon's entire body went numb, frozen in place. He had never imagined she would appear at a moment like this.
An Ranxiu stepped forward toward Yeop Hyeon. Dressed in a spotless white skirt, she was as breathtakingly beautiful as ever, stealing the breath from anyone who beheld her.
Yeop Hyeon steadied his wavering mind and refocused. He had something far more important to attend to right now.
Enlightenment was like the wind—fleeting. If he didn't seize it in that moment, who knew when it might return? For Yeop Hyeon to find himself in such a state of insight could only be called heavenly fortune.
He couldn't let it slip away.
Soon enough, Yeop Hyeon sank back into his own world.
In front of him stood An Ranxiu, gripping her spear in one hand, her expression impassive as she stared down her foes.
At that moment, her opponents lunged forward all at once. An Ranxiu's eyes remained utterly serene, without a flicker of disturbance.
The foremost among them wore gray robes. He had already gathered his immense energy, and with each step he took, the ground shattered beneath his feet.
When the distance between him and An Ranxiu shrank to a mere three zhang, her spear shot forth like lightning toward his face.
The man's pupils dilated in shock. The spear's speed far exceeded his expectations. With no time to dodge, he desperately raised both hands to block it.
Thud!
Before everyone's eyes, the man's form hurtled backward over a hundred zhang. The instant his feet touched the ground, his knees buckled, and he collapsed to his knees. At the same moment, the iron shackles binding his wrists crumbled to dust, and both his arms shattered into fragments.
The man was utterly bewildered. He stared at An Ranxiu in stunned disbelief.
'Not even able to block a single strike...'
An Ranxiu kept her spear pointed downward without withdrawing it, then swung it fiercely around her in a circle. The space around her trembled violently in response.
Watching from afar, the white-robed elder cried out in alarm.
"Spear Lord! You've already become a Spear Lord!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
In an instant, several shadows scrambled backward in panic. Among them, the one-armed man lost his remaining arm to An Ranxiu's spear. The look in his eyes as he gazed at her was one of sheer terror!
"Spear Lord!"
A middle-aged man among them shouted at An Ranxiu in astonishment.
"Who the hell are you?!"
The man was deeply shaken. Jungto Sinju had its share of Spear Lords, but one this young? It was unprecedented.
An Ranxiu met the man's gaze, then silently returned to Yeop Hyeon's side without a word. Standing there beside him, she looked every bit the goddess of the battlefield.
Now, not a single movement stirred within the arena.
No one dared to move.
At that moment, the white-robed elder glared at An Ranxiu and demanded, "Who are you to interfere in the affairs of Changmok Academy and the Dark Realm?!"
An Ranxiu replied curtly.
"Are you refusing to submit to me?"
The white-robed elder narrowed his eyes.
"Can you take responsibility for what happens today?"
The elder couldn't act rashly. There was no way someone who had reached Spear Lord at such a young age lacked powerful backing.
An Ranxiu advanced toward the white-robed elder, spear in hand. Staring straight into his eyes, she said softly, "One-on-one? Or all at once?"
The elder's face twisted into a savage snarl in an instant. This woman was utterly looking down on him. Unable to contain himself, he clenched his fist.
Right then, several strands of overwhelming energy enveloped the elder's body.
This was energy at the peak of the Myriad Laws Realm or beyond.
The elder's face drained of color at the sudden surge.
At that moment, another elder stepped forward from behind An Ranxiu. Clad in black robes, his hands hidden in his sleeves, he fixed the white-robed elder with a sharp, emotionless gaze.
The white-robed elder glanced back and forth between An Ranxiu and the black-robed elder.
"What faction are you from?!"
Deep down, the elder was gripped by fear. No ordinary force could produce both a Spear Lord and a peak Myriad Laws Realm expert.
He was not only overwhelmed by their auras but also terrified of the unimaginable power backing them.
In lieu of an answer, the black-robed elder bellowed in a raspy voice.
"Get lost. Now."
It was a voice so grating it hurt the ears.
The white-robed elder could no longer hold back his rage and moved to launch himself forward. But in that instant, a voice echoed in his mind. His eyes widened as he stared at An Ranxiu.
"You're An Ran..."
The white-robed elder clamped his mouth shut, saying no more.
Moments later, he turned and withdrew. With that, not only the warriors in the arena but the entire hundred thousand Ironclad Cavalry began their retreat.
An Ranxiu!
No one in Jungto Sinju was ignorant of her name.
She ranked sixth on the Yo Yeolbang. And she had climbed from thirtieth to sixth in a single day.
Even more terrifying was that Changmok Academy knew nothing of her background. Considering the academy's formidable intelligence network in Jungto Sinju, this was no small matter.
They had uncovered zero information about her origins.
In such circumstances, the white-robed elder couldn't dare attack recklessly. Fighting without a clear grasp of the enemy's strength was exceedingly dangerous. Above all, these foes showed no fear at the mention of Changmok Academy's name. They clearly backed an colossal force that dismissed the academy as insignificant.
Weighing all this, the elder had no choice but to retreat.
Once the white-robed elder and his cavalry had vanished, An Ranxiu turned her head toward Yeop Hyeon. At that moment, Yeop Hyeon rose with his Spirit Water Sword in hand and approached her.
An Ranxiu looked at him with concern.
"Did it fail?"
Yeop Hyeon smirked.
"Probably."
An Ranxiu shook her head lightly.
"Calm down first."
"Yeah! Ranxiu, how did you even get here?"
'Ranxiu?'
An Ranxiu flushed slightly at Yeop Hyeon's affectionate use of her name. Only his closest two or three companions called her that.
The black-robed elder beside her raised an eyebrow and glared at Yeop Hyeon. But seeing An Ranxiu didn't scold him, the elder eased his expression, though he continued eyeing Yeop Hyeon with a sinister look.
An Ranxiu studied Yeop Hyeon's face for a moment before saying softly, "Let's walk."
Soon, the two of them strolled off together to a spot a short distance away.
The black-robed elder watching them had a gravely hardened expression.
After walking in silence for a while, Yeop Hyeon broke the quiet first.
"Ranxiu, how did you make it all the way here?"
An Ranxiu brushed a lock of hair behind her ear.
"Word spread across all of Jungto Sinju that Changmok Academy and the Dark Realm were targeting you."
"Ah... so that's why you came?"
An Ranxiu halted and turned to face him.
"I didn't want to come!"
Yeop Hyeon blinked in surprise at her words. An Ranxiu shook her head slightly and continued.
"Because if I did, it'd bring trouble down on you. And that trouble would be no less—maybe even worse—than what Changmok Academy and the Dark Realm could inflict!"
She resumed walking slowly.
"If word gets out that we've met, a flood of annoyances will come your way. And right now, you can't handle that. I didn't want you dragged into it, but... it's too late now."
Yeop Hyeon asked in a somber tone.
"You mean your family?"
An Ranxiu nodded.
"Not just my family, but others too."
She looked at him and said, "When I get back, I'll tighten the reins on my family. But I can't stop the others. As long as you keep this connection with me, the headaches won't end. Do you understand?"
"Of course!"
But An Ranxiu shook her head.
"No, you don't fully get it. To the great clans, background, status, bloodline—these things are everything. And they're all tangled up in complicated webs. Plus, you really..."
Yeop Hyeon interrupted her with a laugh.
"So? You want to cut ties with me?"
"If I promise to do that with my family, Changmok Academy and the Dark Realm will vanish from this world after today. But if you keep our connection going, your enemies will multiply. Far more powerful ones than now—you'll make foes of titans!"
Yeop Hyeon fell silent for a moment.
An Ranxiu turned and walked back toward the black-robed elder. Her expression somehow seemed relieved.
Then, from behind her, Yeop Hyeon called out.
"Ranxiu! Looks like I'll have to pick the latter!"
An Ranxiu stopped in her tracks.
"Ranxiu, I know it. Choosing that path will make things way harder than now. I might even lose my life. But I won't regret it.
"Honestly, I don't know much about love yet. But one thing I'm dead certain of: meeting you was the happiest thing that's ever happened in my life. So for you—for our friendship—I'll gladly give my life if needed!"
Yeop Hyeon walked toward An Ranxiu.
"I fear nothing—not Changmok Academy, not your family. Not even death. But becoming strangers with you? That's truly terrifying!"
An Ranxiu stood motionless for a long while, saying nothing.
Finally, she spoke in a small voice.
"You're such an idiot!"
With that, An Ranxiu walked off toward the distance.
No one saw the faint smile that tugged at her lips.
Meanwhile, Yeop Hyeon grinned at the black-robed elder, who was staring daggers at him.
"Truth be told, I'm not such a bad guy either. Sword Master, Martial Master, and even though I'm just at the Penetrating Nether Realm, I can slice through Divine Fusion Realm experts like peeling an apple. You won't find many men like me in Qingzhou!"
Yeop Hyeon said it with utter seriousness.
"So please, judge me without prejudice, as I am. Once you understand me a little, accepting me won't be hard. I swear, I'm a really decent guy!"
"......"