Chapter 178: If I Hold Back Any Longer, My Sword Will Rust
The reason I Hyeon-chang was shocked was that the black-robed figure before him wasn't Yeop Hyeon.
The other Changmok Academy students were equally stunned, their minds blank.
It's not Yeop Hyeon!?
Then where's the real Yeop Hyeon?
At that moment, I Hyeon-chang's face turned ashen, and he whipped his head toward the southern sky.
"The Heavenly Stair Sword! We have to hurry back!"
With those words, his figure vanished from the arena.
The Changmok Academy students, still baffled, exchanged bewildered glances.
Then who the hell was that black-robed figure?
At that point, the black-robed person slowly raised their head, revealing the striking features of a beautiful woman.
It was Geom Cho-cho.
Geom Cho-cho gazed at the sky where I Hyeon-chang had disappeared, her lips curling into a long, satisfied smile.
"It's probably over by now, right?"
Southern tip of Qingzhou, one ke prior.
Right after I Hyeon-chang and the Dark Lord vanished, the warriors who had been hiding underground began emerging one by one.
Just as they prepared to head to Changmok Academy per I Hyeon-chang's orders, one of them suddenly looked up.
At that exact instant, a sharp sword pierced straight through his brow.
The man's body stiffened, and blood poured from the back of his head like a waterfall.
As the warriors panicked from the unexpected ambush, a man charged toward them.
When they saw his face, they couldn't help but gasp in shock.
It was none other than Yeop Hyeon.
Wasn't he at Changmok Academy!?
Before they could even think, seven blades shot toward them like lightning.
Shiiik—shiiik—shiiik—shiiik—shiiik—shiiik—shiiik!
In an instant, seven heads hit the ground.
As the warriors moved to counterattack, five golden figures appeared before them, slaughtering another eight or nine in the blink of an eye.
Having lost over a dozen comrades in a heartbeat, the remaining warriors began stumbling backward. At this point, they had completely lost the will to fight. Yeop Hyeon and the five golden figures utterly overwhelmed them.
It was an overwhelming gap in skill.
However, they failed to realize that retreating only diminished their chances of survival.
The golden figures could only operate for about one ke. If the hundred or so warriors here attacked all at once, holding out for that long wasn't impossible. Once time ran out and the golden figures vanished, the Changmok Academy warriors would gain the upper hand.
One-on-one, no one in Qingzhou could stop Yeop Hyeon—but even he couldn't handle a hundred at once.
Yet, terrified by Yeop Hyeon and the golden figures' dominance, they couldn't even entertain such thoughts.
We have to run!
The warriors scattered in all directions. But this was precisely when Yeop Hyeon's sword control technique shone brightest.
Each flash of his swords strung heads together like beads on a necklace, drenched in blood. Before even one ke had passed, over seventy corpses piled up at Yeop Hyeon and the golden figures' feet. The remaining thirty-odd had fled in disarray.
Those who escaped were the strongest among them. With the golden figures' time nearly up, Yeop Hyeon chose not to pursue.
He immediately led the five golden figures into the pit where the Changmok Academy warriors had emerged. Underground, a circular altar awaited. Above it hovered a sword, still in its sheath, bound by four lightning bolts like iron chains.
This was the Heavenly Stair Sword.
Yeop Hyeon rushed toward it. But as he neared, a powerful sword qi shot straight at him.
Yeop Hyeon raised an eyebrow and thrust his own sword at the incoming qi.
Bang!
The sword qi dissipated, shoving Yeop Hyeon's figure back a dozen paces.
At that moment, the sword on the altar began thrashing wildly.
Wasting no more time, Yeop Hyeon and the five golden figures charged the sword together. More sword qi flew out, but the golden figures shattered it instantly. Reaching the altar in a flash, they snapped the lightning chains binding the sword.
The barrier broke far too easily.
Seeing this, Yeop Hyeon didn't smile in triumph—he wore a grave expression.
The now-freed sword tried to flee, but one golden figure snatched it mid-air.
Yeop Hyeon stepped onto the altar.
He didn't touch the sword himself. Instead, he ordered the golden figures to carry it into the second floor of the Gyeok Ok Tower.
Inside the tower, the sword lay still in the golden figure's grip like a dead rat—then it began thrashing madly again.
It's like it's terrified!
Yeop Hyeon could sense the sword's fear.
With no time for further thought, he swiftly sealed the tower door and returned to the surface.
Inside the Gyeok Ok Tower, the golden figure—now depleted of energy—released the sword. Freed, it transformed into a streak of sword light, slashing wildly in all directions in a desperate escape attempt.
But the Gyeok Ok Tower was no pushover. Despite the sword's relentless assaults, it couldn't inflict the slightest damage.
The sword screamed with even more ferocious sword light and cries, straining every fiber to break free.
Just then, a sword on the tower's upper level quivered lightly.
In that instant, the tower fell eerily still. In one corner of the wall, the sword trembled as if cowering in fear.
Meanwhile, back on the surface, Mu Yun Qi greeted Yeop Hyeon with a grin.
"Just as planned, we hit the jackpot. Rifled through the corpses and nabbed over forty top-grade spirit artifacts, three hundred million taels of gold, thirty-odd thousand premium spirit stones, and more."
Mu Yun Qi eyed Yeop Hyeon intently.
"You grabbed it too, right?"
Yeop Hyeon nodded.
"Of course! Now let's go!"
With that, the two vanished from the arena.
Not long after, I Hyeon-chang and the Dark Lord arrived. The sight of the strewn corpses twisted their faces into grotesque masks of rage. I Hyeon-chang dove underground without delay.
But the altar was empty. Nothing remained.
I Hyeon-chang's face darkened gravely as he clenched his fists, his entire body trembling. The composure and dignity once etched on his features had vanished entirely.
The Heavenly Stair Sword, prepared to capture Yeop Hyeon, had slipped away in vain.
I Hyeon-chang felt like vomiting blood.
That sword wasn't even theirs—it had been borrowed from Jungto Sinju.
And now it was lost.
Not even selling off the entire Daeun Changmok Academy could repay it.
The Dark Lord approached.
"Can't we track the sword's presence?"
Snapping to attention, I Hyeon-chang closed his eyes and formed hand seals. The space before him rippled faintly.
Moments later, he opened his eyes and furrowed his brow.
"No presence at all!"
"At any rate, he surely hasn't subdued the sword yet. Once he does, he'll want to wield it—and if you recite the sword seal then, Yeop Hyeon will die by the sword itself, clueless till the end."
I Hyeon-chang's expression grew complicated.
"It seems we've underestimated Yeop Hyeon far too much."
Back on the surface, I Hyeon-chang stared at the sprawled corpses for a long while.
"Yeop Hyeon clearly saw through our scheme and laid this trap. Without formations, no Myriad Laws Realm expert could take him—he's invincible in Qingzhou!"
Invincible...
The Dark Lord said nothing.
I Hyeon-chang's words rang true.
Scanning the bodies once more, I Hyeon-chang spoke darkly.
"He has a Sword Immortal backing him. With that, we can't deploy Myriad Laws Realm experts. Yeop Hyeon is now Qingzhou's strongest warrior. His Canglan Academy is expanding at a terrifying pace too. Give it another year, and Qingzhou's power landscape will be unrecognizable. By then, neither Changmok Academy nor the Dark Realm will have a foothold here!"
I Hyeon-chang had long recognized this. That's why he'd staked everything on this plan.
Even then, he'd suffered total defeat.
Yeop Hyeon hadn't fallen for the trap. Instead, he'd inflicted heavy losses on Changmok Academy and the Dark Realm.
"No word from the main Changmok Academy branch?"
I Hyeon-chang shook his head at the Dark Lord's question.
"No idea what they're thinking. But even if Yeop Hyeon surrendered now, they wouldn't accept him. Alive and entering Jungto Sinju, he'd be a massive threat. The headquarters is like a tiger riding its own back—they'll decide soon."
The Dark Lord nodded.
"Our Dark Realm is in the same boat. After today, neither of us can take the initiative anymore. If the main branches stay silent, we'll have to pull out of Qingzhou. Then Yeop Hyeon and Canglan Academy's growth will be unstoppable."
I Hyeon-chang sighed heavily.
"All we can do is hope that sword kills him... or at least wounds him badly."
The Dark Lord nodded slightly.
"A serious injury would make him far easier to handle. But that bastard Yeop Hyeon... gutsy, clever, a real tough nut. And we still know nothing about his Sword Immortal backer..."
The Dark Lord trailed off with a deep sigh.
In truth, the Dark Realm had no prior grudge with Yeop Hyeon. They'd made him a blood enemy themselves—who was to blame? Now, they were backed into a corner with nowhere left to retreat.
With that, the two departed.
Meanwhile, racing across the wasteland on Black Wolf, Yeop Hyeon suddenly reined it in and turned to Mu Yun Qi.
"Yun Qi, take the spoils back to the Imperial City first. Hand them to Lu Guok-sa—she'll handle the distribution."
"And you?"
"I've got to make a trip to the Daeun Capital!"
Mu Yun Qi yelped in shock.
"Yeop, what the hell are you planning? This is the time to quietly build your strength!"
Yeop Hyeon shook his head.
"They've hounded me nonstop. Why? Because they see me as nothing. They think I'll just endure it again this time. But not anymore! If I hold back longer, my sword'll rust clean through!"
Yeop Hyeon grinned fiercely.
"I'm heading to the Daeun Capital not for wealth, fortune, or training—but purely to break their damn noses!"
With that, Yeop Hyeon spurred Black Wolf onward. Soon, he vanished, leaving only a cloud of white dust in Mu Yun Qi's view.