One More Word and You Die
After leaving Cho Country, Yeop Hyeon headed not for Ganguk, but for Wol Country.
It was impossible for one man alone to destroy both Cho Country and Wol Country. Even if Ganguk mobilized its army, it couldn't conquer both nations in a short time without severely damaging its own vitality. Moreover, the existence of Cangmu Academy and the Daeun Empire could not be ignored.
For these reasons, dispatching troops now would never benefit Ganguk. Yet he couldn't simply stand by and let the two countries be.
Thus, Yeop Hyeon and Gang Gu devised a clever plan.
It was to plunder their national treasuries, rendering them unable to sustain an army for at least a decade. This would inevitably inflict massive damage on their vitality. In the meantime, Ganguk would achieve explosive growth compared to its rivals.
Furthermore, this approach would aid Canglan Academy's development.
To make the academy prosper, money was essential. And now, with Yeop Hyeon planning to forge Dao soldiers, he needed vast sums. Plundering their treasuries would free him from financial worries for the foreseeable future.
The next day, Yeop Hyeon arrived in Wol Country.
Like Cho Country, Wol Country had been on edge since Cangmu Academy and the Daeun Empire's great defeat, fearing Ganguk's retaliation.
The moment news from Cho Country reached them, the Wol Country imperial family doubled the guards around the palace.
Inside the Wol Country palace, in one of the grand halls.
The lord of Wol Country sat upon his dragon throne, with countless ministers gathered at his feet below.
The hall was stark and silent, heavy air hanging thick.
At that moment, the lord of Wol Country spoke.
"Does no one have anything to say?"
In response, one Wol Country minister rose from his seat.
"This humble servant shall share Wol Country's rise and fall!"
At this, numerous ministers bowed their heads and shouted in unison.
"We too shall share Wol Country's rise and fall!"
The lord of Wol Country smiled and replied.
"At least you lot show more spirit than Cho Country's ministers! Fear not. Even if the heavens collapse, there's always a way through!"
Just then, a soldier burst into the hall, gasping for breath.
"Report! A man named Yeop Hyeon is causing havoc at the palace gates. Over a hundred soldiers have already been slain!"
Yeop Hyeon! You've finally come!
At his words, the ministers' faces darkened instantly.
The lord of Wol Country spoke calmly.
"Cease resistance and bring him here."
The soldier hesitated briefly, but the lord smiled and added,
"Don't worry—just do as I say."
The soldier turned and hurried out.
Moments later, Yeop Hyeon appeared in the hall. Fresh blood dripped from the Spirit Water Sword in his hand.
All eyes turned to him.
Yeop Hyeon, the youngest Sword Lord in Qingzhou.
The lord of Wol Country smiled at him.
"Indeed, Qingzhou's youngest Sword Lord—your bearing is unmistakable at a glance."
Yeop Hyeon halted. At the same moment, a man appeared in the hall—a young man in his early twenties, dressed in white robes, bearing a striking resemblance to the lord.
Behind him emerged a young man in a blue robe, clutching a jade plaque.
The white-robed man bowed to the lord.
"Father!"
The lord feigned anger.
"Who told you it was fine to return?!"
"How could I stay away when the nation is in turmoil?!"
With that, the white-robed man signaled the blue-robed youth, who turned to Yeop Hyeon.
"Are you from Qingzhou's Canglan Academy?"
Yeop Hyeon nodded.
The blue-robed youth raised the jade plaque before his eyes.
"Do you recognize this token?"
Canglan Token!
Yeop Hyeon's eyebrow twitched.
The youth strode forward arrogantly.
"As the chief disciple of Canglan Academy in Jungto Sinju, I command you—leave Wol Country at once..."
The youth's voice cut off abruptly.
A sword had flown to hover at his brow.
As the hall filled with shock, Yeop Hyeon shook his head.
"Chief disciple? I'm the dean—where do you get off giving me orders?"
The atmosphere froze like ice in an instant.
Even Canglan Academy's name meant nothing?
Not only the ministers, but the white-robed man who brought the youth looked flustered.
The white-robed man, Wol Country's crown prince, had been training abroad. Upon hearing Yeop Hyeon was from Canglan Academy, he'd brought his old acquaintance to save their nation in crisis.
Yet this Yeop Hyeon clearly held even fellow Canglan students in contempt.
The crown prince realized his plan had been flawed from the start.
Meanwhile, the blue-robed youth stared at Yeop Hyeon in terror. Though he'd been caught off guard, he doubted he could have blocked that single sword anyway.
Perhaps the man before him was a supreme expert beyond his level.
With this thought, the youth swallowed his arrogance and spoke earnestly.
"Aren't we fellow Canglan Academy students?"
Yeop Hyeon burst into mad laughter.
"True, I'm from Canglan Academy. But it's a different beast from your Canglan Academy. If you get it, stay out of this and step aside."
The youth shouted,
"You refuse to acknowledge the main academy?!"
"The opposite. It was your main academy that refused to acknowledge us."
As the youth opened his mouth to retort, Yeop Hyeon's sword moved.
Pfbt!
The blade pierced half an inch, blood trickling from the youth's forehead.
His eyes widened in shock.
"One more word, and you die."
The youth met Yeop Hyeon's gaze, then turned and walked out of the hall.
True to his word—one more utterance, and his life would have ended.
He wasn't fool enough to test it.
The white-robed man rushed to block him.
"Brother Gu?"
The youth paused.
"Sorry. This is beyond my power."
With that, he left completely.
Silence returned to the hall.
As Yeop Hyeon advanced toward the throne, several Wol Country ministers blocked his path. At first just a few, but soon nearly all stood against him.
Fear gleamed in their eyes, mingled with resolve to die.
Yeop Hyeon turned his head toward the lord.
"You don't strike me as a fool—why start this war?"
The lord rose and approached Yeop Hyeon.
The white-robed crown prince hurriedly blocked him.
"Father!"
The lord shook his head, passing him to stand before Yeop Hyeon.
"Wol Country lacks the power to defy Cangmu Academy and the Daeun Empire. Of course, I had my own greed to devour Ganguk and grow strong. But I failed to account for you."
Yeop Hyeon nodded.
"So you're prepared to pay the price?"
"Yeop Hyeon!"
The crown prince stormed forward, snarling.
"There's a limit to insulting people! Even if Wol Country dies, you bastard..."
In an instant, Yeop Hyeon drew his sword, aiming between the prince's brows.
At that moment, countless Wol Country soldiers lunged at Yeop Hyeon.
The hall and even the corridors outside filled with troops in seconds.
Tension hung on a knife's edge.
Yeop Hyeon extended his left hand; two swords flew out, beheading over twenty soldiers in a flash. He then gestured behind him, felling another twenty charging from the rear.
The warriors could scarcely process the blitz.
As Yeop Hyeon raised his sword again,
"Enough! Wol Country admits defeat!"
The lord's cry halted the airborne blades at two soldiers' throats. Cold sweat traced their spines.
Yeop Hyeon retracted the swords with a pull of his hand, then eyed the lord.
"You seem aware of the terms we set for Cho Country. Any objections?"
As the lord opened his mouth, the crown prince tried to speak first. Instantly, the sword at his brow advanced a finger's width.
Pfbt!
Blood streamed between his brows.
Yeop Hyeon flashed a chilling smile.
"One more word, and you die."
The prince glared defiantly, lips parting—only for the lord to slap his cheek.
Crack!
The lord fixed him with icy eyes.
"This isn't the time for bravado!"
The prince burst out, indignant.
"We still have countless soldiers—must we bow to that one man?!"
The lord shook his head in disappointment.
If it were just Yeop Hyeon, even a Sword Lord posed no terror.
But he wasn't alone. Behind him stood a Sword Immortal, Ganguk, Chwiseonru, and Jeoguk.
Without Cangmu Academy and Daeun Empire's aid, Wol Country couldn't win a full war.
Cho Country's princess had known this, letting Yeop Hyeon rampage freely.
If Wol Country forced war now, defeat was certain—a hundred times out of a hundred.
The lord shouted to the hall.
"From this day, I depose the current crown prince and install Third Prince Wol Myeong in his place."
"F-Father!"
The lord waved dismissively, unwilling to hear more. As the prince protested, a Myriad Laws Realm expert appeared beside him, whispering,
"Crown Prince, the lord seeks to protect your life."
The expert whisked him away.
Wol Country's soldiers still surrounded Yeop Hyeon but dared not attack.
The lord gazed at him with complex eyes.
"For Ganguk to birth a man like you is true fortune."
Yeop Hyeon said nothing, so the lord smiled.
"Just one question. Your next targets—Cangmu Academy, Hogye Meng, and the Daeun Empire?"
Yeop Hyeon nodded.
The lord laughed heartily, returning to his throne. Slumping onto it, he drew a golden dagger from his belt and plunged it into his own throat.
Pfbt!
Leaving the hall in chaos, Yeop Hyeon strode out.
---