Chapter 164: No Way... a <em>Sword Lord</em>?
I Mok-rim left the arena with a wild, savage laugh.
I Mok-rim! What an impressive martial artist!
Yeop Hyeon fell silent for a moment. In his eyes, the world was overflowing with truly remarkable warriors. But those like I Mok-rim, who could recognize their own shortcomings and have the courage to withdraw, were exceedingly rare.
Such a mindset was a vital virtue for any warrior's growth. Of course, Yeop Hyeon himself was sorely lacking in that regard.
The next time they crossed paths, he might witness a completely transformed I Mok-rim.
Right then, the ground began to shake violently.
The sudden commotion threw the arena into chaos. Moments later, a group of cavalry charged toward Gaeyang Fortress, kicking up clouds of dust. Every time their horses thundered past, a black flame aura flared up.
It was the Black Flame Cavalry.
Their appearance drained the color from the faces of the Jiang Kingdom soldiers.
Who can stop the Black Flame Cavalry?
Having only heard legends of them until now, the soldiers had no choice but to tense up at their arrival right before their eyes.
The mythical unit that had woven countless legends across Qingzhou was none other than the Black Flame Cavalry.
And today, that legend had become reality.
All eyes in the arena locked onto the Black Flame Cavalry.
Yeop Hyeon narrowed his eyes, observing them. They looked as formidable as the rumors claimed—perhaps even stronger than the spear-wielding soldiers of Changmok Academy.
As they drew closer, a thick aura of slaughter radiated from them.
It felt utterly unstoppable.
The faces of every Jiang Kingdom soldier had gone deathly pale, with terror gleaming in most of their eyes.
Gang Gu's expression darkened as she saw the soldiers' morale crumbling.
In commanding an army, nothing was more crucial than the troops' fighting spirit.
If they wilted before the battle even began, the outcome was already sealed.
At that moment, Yeop Hyeon, who had been outside the walls, suddenly charged straight at the Black Flame Cavalry.
His bold move drew every gaze.
Even for Yeop Hyeon, isn't this too reckless?
What does he think he can do alone against that overwhelming Black Flame Cavalry?
That was the common thought among the soldiers.
Gang Gu clenched her fists, her eyes fixed on Yeop Hyeon. Her mind had gone blank; she couldn't think straight.
Then, Yeop Hyeon accelerated further, drawing the Spirit Water Sword in his right hand.
A strand of battle intent erupted from Yeop Hyeon's body, shooting toward the heavens.
Battle!
That single word consumed his mind entirely.
Whether he could win or not didn't matter. In this situation, Yeop Hyeon had no choice but to charge ahead recklessly to bolster the soldiers' morale.
Even if he failed to break through, he figured he'd just get back up and try again.
It was pure, quintessential Yeop Hyeon.
His speed increased relentlessly, his battle intent thickening by the moment. But the Black Flame Cavalry showed no signs of slowing, instead whipping their mounts to accelerate.
One against a hundred. Against a hundred Black Flame Cavalry, no less!
What seemed impossible was unfolding before their eyes.
Every gaze fixed on the lone youth plunging into the black cloud.
The distance closed: ten zhang, five zhang... and then!
The sword cry echoed through heaven and earth as his blade flew toward one Black Flame Cavalryman.
The opponent thrust his spear with clean, efficient precision.
Spear and sword clashed.
Boom!
The earth quaked from the impact, shattering the Black Flame soldier's spear into fragments. Yeop Hyeon's sword continued unimpeded, smashing into the man's faceguard.
Splat!
The soldier flew through the air, crashing dozens of zhang away. He struggled to rise but collapsed again.
Moments later, crimson blood trickled from beneath his faceguard.
His body beneath the armor had been utterly pulverized.
His helmet remained intact, though deeply scarred by the sword mark.
Without swinging again, Yeop Hyeon instantly retreated to the city walls.
In the stunned silence, explosive cheers erupted like a dam breaking.
"Yeop the National Scholar!"
"Yeop the National Scholar!"
"Yeop the National Scholar!"
Every Jiang Kingdom soldier raised their weapons, chanting his name in unison.
The morale of the fallen troops soared to the heavens.
Gang Gu gazed at Yeop Hyeon with shining eyes.
Just moments ago, the army's spirit had hit rock bottom, defeat looming before the fight even started.
Then Yeop Hyeon had stepped up.
Right before the entire Jiang Kingdom force, he proved that the Black Flame Cavalry were human after all.
The soldiers atop the walls burned with battle fervor, their excitement palpable.
But Yeop Hyeon's expression darkened instead. That brief clash had let him gauge the enemy's strength.
If he hadn't unleashed One Sword Determines Life and Death just now, he couldn't have killed the man.
Beyond their skill, what terrified him more was their equipment. Even though his sword had struck true, the helmet suffered only minor damage without shattering.
A true sword-grade weapon like the Spirit Water Sword couldn't cleave their helmets!
How could ordinary soldiers even scratch them in combat?
They're no match at all.
Yeop Hyeon's grip tightened on the Spirit Water Sword. No matter what, he couldn't let regular troops clash with the Black Flame Cavalry.
Just then, I Mok, who had approached the base of the walls, shouted up at Yeop Hyeon.
"Yeop Hyeon, today is the day you die!"
I Mok turned to the Chu Kingdom soldiers behind him.
"When the fortress falls, the women inside are yours to do with as you please!"
"Waaaaah!!"
The Chu soldiers' morale exploded in an instant.
"Advance!"
At I Mok's command, countless Chu siege troops began scaling the walls. Among them were thirty figures in black ghost-masks.
Dark Ghost Dao Soldiers.
Atop the walls, Gang Gu drew her sword, rallying the troops.
"Fight to the death!"
"Fight to the death!"
With the soldiers' roars, the battle commenced.
A rain of arrows felled the climbing Chu troops, piling their corpses high. Yet some Soaring Realm soldiers and the Dark Ghost Dao Soldiers easily reached the top. The Dark Ghosts were foes even the Jiang Kingdom's elite Death Servants struggled against, let alone regular soldiers.
At that moment, Bai Ze and Ji An Zhi leaped into action.
Yeop Hyeon held back from the fray, watching the distant Black Flame Cavalry.
Meanwhile, three black shadows raced toward the gates from below. But a sharp sword gleam flashed, forcing them back.
Yeop Hyeon stood before the gates, staring down the three black-robed figures.
The trio swiftly retreated, avoiding combat.
They knew they were no match for him.
I Mok, facing Yeop Hyeon directly, grinned wickedly and shouted to someone.
"Your turn!"
A woman emerged from the ranks, revealing a jade pipa cradled in her arms.
She wore a flowing white skirt trailing on the ground, embroidered with three crimson plum blossoms. Her looks weren't the stuff of national beauties, but she had a captivating allure that drew you in the longer you looked.
She walked slowly toward Yeop Hyeon, scanning him with a peculiar expression.
"To think Qingzhou hides another genius like you besides An Ranxiu. Surprising."
Yeop Hyeon approached her steadily.
"Withdraw now, and I'll show you mercy in the future. What do you say?"
She shook her head.
"I've been promised ten million top-grade spirit stones just to hold you here. Fifty million if I kill you. Is your mercy worth fifty million spirit stones?"
Yeop Hyeon shrugged.
"Guess there's nothing more to say!"
With those words, his figure vanished from sight.
The woman placed her fingers on the pipa.
Ting-ling!
The pipa's thunderous twang felled a hundred nearby soldiers, blood spraying from their ears as they collapsed. Yeop Hyeon reappeared in his original spot.
Blood trickled from his mouth, and the Spirit Water Sword trembled violently.
Yeop Hyeon stared at her in mild surprise. She smiled like a spring breeze.
"Allow me to introduce myself: Kang Ji-gwa of the Heavenly Sound Sect. Even heavenly armies and demonic hordes must lay down their arms at my pipa's sound. I'm ranked eleventh in Yo Yeolbang now, but I'll enter the top ten soon enough."
Kang Ji-gwa, introducing herself, lightly plucked the pipa again.
The ground before her collapsed toward Yeop Hyeon.
Yeop Hyeon tilted his head blankly, then thrust his sword straight ahead.
Boom!
Cracks spiderwebbed from where he stood, splitting the earth in all directions.
Kang Ji-gwa elegantly stepped closer and strummed another note.
In an instant, a clear, enchanting pipa melody filled the arena.
But to Yeop Hyeon, it sounded like a funeral dirge.
This time, I've met my match!
He sensed he could no longer hide his true power against this woman. With a fierce step forward, he thrust his sword.
Boom!
The explosion silenced the pipa's echo.
Yeop Hyeon advanced again, his sword's energy crashing like a mighty tsunami.
Boom!
Another ear-shattering blast erased her string's sound. His hand trembled slightly from the shock.
Kang Ji-gwa and I Mok watched in disbelief.
No way... a Sword Lord?
I Mok reeled from that single strike. His mind went blank. He didn't want to believe his eyes.
The power of that sword was unmistakably approaching Sword Lord level. And there was something off about his sword intent too.
No way!? ...A real Sword Lord?
I Mok's hands began to shake uncontrollably. He stared at Yeop Hyeon with eyes full of disbelief.
"No way... you've really become a Sword Lord..."
Yeop Hyeon nodded solemnly.
"I was hiding it just to surprise you. How about it? Shocked? Shocked, right? Hahaha!"
"Cough!"
I Mok spat out a mouthful of blood.