Come on, Give It a Try!
One hour later.
The sun had set, and perfect darkness soon blanketed the land.
Yeop Hyeon arrived at a vast plain, tethered his Black Flame Horse, and lay down right on its back.
Without sleep, he couldn't focus his mind properly during battle. So it was best to close his eyes whenever an opportunity arose.
But someone clearly didn't want him resting.
Rustling sounds stirred in the darkness—it seemed a group had come looking for him.
Yeop Hyeon lay utterly still on the horse's back.
About half an hour later, the rustling grew steadily closer.
Yeop Hyeon didn't budge. Footsteps drew even nearer.
Right then, a streak of sword light blazed through the pitch-black field.
Swish-!
Some ten zhang to Yeop Hyeon's left, a head thudded to the ground.
The sword returned to his side. Yeop Hyeon even started snoring.
At that moment, from the shadows, two pairs of eyes glared at the prone figure on horseback—Anju and Mok Cheonghyeon.
Anju clicked his tongue.
"Even the assassins from Jungto Sinju are worthless."
Mok Cheonghyeon said nothing.
Anju spoke again.
"At this pace, we'll reach the Imperial City in under two weeks."
Mok Cheonghyeon turned to him.
"What's the nearest city from here?"
"Nongu City."
"We need to ensure Nongu City is fully prepared. We can't kill him, but we can pin him down for a few hours."
Anju shook his head.
"That city isn't under our control."
Mok Cheonghyeon's eyebrows twitched.
"Then just have the Daeun Empire make the request."
"Hmm... But by the time the High Mountain King's order arrives, Yeop Hyeon will have left the city long ago."
A deep furrow creased Mok Cheonghyeon's brow.
A moment later, he said, "What if we put a bounty on his head?"
Anju met his gaze before replying.
"You think anyone left in Qingzhou would dare go after Yeop Hyeon for a payout? Who would have the guts?"
Mok Cheonghyeon's face darkened further.
Only now did he grasp the full extent of Yeop Hyeon's influence.
He was Qingzhou's youngest Sword Lord.
That alone was enough to strike terror into everyone's hearts. Without their grudge against him, even Changmok Academy would balk at intervening, no matter the reward offered. If Changmok Academy felt that way, what of the others?
Mok Cheonghyeon turned to stare at Yeop Hyeon. Despair clouded his eyes.
"We really can't stop him?"
Suddenly, his eyes flashed with venomous resolve.
"If we can't hit him directly, strike those around him! Kanguk, Canglan Academy, his little sister—they're no match for Yeop Hyeon..."
He whipped his head toward Anju.
"Send the Dark Realm's assassins and Changmok Academy's elites to Kanguk. Every step he advances, we hit Kanguk and Canglan Academy once. His sister—we're tracking her from Changmok Academy headquarters. Let's see if he keeps marching when his only sibling's life hangs in the balance!"
Mok Cheonghyeon's voice boomed, laced with energy that made it echo thunderously around them.
This was deliberate, meant for Yeop Hyeon to overhear.
Strike Kanguk. Strike Canglan Academy!
That was his plan.
No one could block Yeop Hyeon head-on anymore.
The only way he saw was to target his flanks and force him to turn back.
Yeop Hyeon showed no reaction. Even snores drifted from him.
Mok Cheonghyeon glared wordlessly before departing with Anju.
One hour later, five cloud ships lifted off from the Daeun Empire's Imperial City, bound for Kanguk.
Elites from Changmok Academy and the Dark Realm rode aboard.
Meanwhile, Yeop Hyeon awoke and immediately pulled out his transmission stone.
Soon, Gu Jiu's voice emanated from it.
"Don't worry. If they set foot in Kanguk, they won't leave alive."
Yeop Hyeon set the stone down and drifted back to sleep.
In truth, he wasn't overly concerned. Canglan Academy was no longer the frail institution it had once been. Even Changmok Academy and Dark Realm elites couldn't inflict real damage. Short of sending Dao soldiers from Jungto Sinju, Canglan had nothing to fear.
As dawn broke, Yeop Hyeon spurred his Black Flame Horse into motion.
The target remained the Daeun Empire's Imperial City.
By then, word of Yeop Hyeon's entry into the Daeun Realm had spread far and wide. Especially his annihilation of a thousand cavalry at Pyongyang Fortress—it had Qingzhou buzzing.
Rumors, of course, grew wilder with time. It started as one against a thousand, swelled to one against ten thousand, and soon folks claimed he'd faced ten thousand cavalry alone.
No matter the truth, Yeop Hyeon shone brightest in Qingzhou now.
And his sights were set on Changmok Academy and the Dark Realm—long hailed as Qingzhou's mightiest. Everyone knew it.
Near noon, as Yeop Hyeon rode swiftly, a city loomed ahead.
Nongu City.
Atop the walls, a middle-aged man watched him enter and smiled.
"That him? Yeop Hyeon?"
A soldier beside him nodded.
"Yes, City Lord."
"What presence, what audacity—befitting Qingzhou's youngest Sword Lord! A rare majesty among the youth."
"But City Lord, Changmok Academy asked us to detain him."
"Detain?"
The man's face turned frigid.
"Sacrifice Nongu City's entire garrison just to stall him? What nonsense!"
"But if we don't mobilize, later Changmok Academy..."
He turned sharply to the soldier.
"Changmok Academy? I heed only the High Mountain King's command. Proclaim it: anyone blocking Yeop Hyeon loses their head!"
"Understood!"
The soldier bowed and descended the walls.
The City Lord gazed inward. Yeop Hyeon was already crossing the city center.
He watched until Yeop Hyeon vanished from sight.
Inside the city.
As Yeop Hyeon neared the gate, an elder in gray robes blocked his path. His right hand hid in the long robe; his left gripped two black iron rings.
A Myriad Laws Realm powerhouse.
The elder fixed Yeop Hyeon with a piercing stare.
"Yeop Hyeon. I'm a guiding professor from Changmok Academy. I've come to warn you: our elites and the Dark Realm's have entered Kanguk's borders. Turn back now, or Canglan Academy and Kanguk's imperial house become ashes!"
Yeop Hyeon brushed past with bored indifference.
Ignored like that, the elder's face darkened. The rings in his hand clashed with a sharp click.
Temptation to strike surged.
He could kill Yeop Hyeon—he was sure. Strong or not, merely Penetrating Mystery Realm, two full realms below his own.
But he held back.
I Mok's death—a former Law Realm powerhouse—remained unsolved.
The elder eased his grip.
Then Yeop Hyeon halted, turned, and eyed him.
"Why hesitate? Don't you want me dead? Come on—give it a try!"
Strength flooded the elder's hand anew. His face twisted grotesquely.
Yeop Hyeon dismounted, strode up, jabbed a finger at his chest, and bellowed.
"That's the spirit! Now swing what you've got!"
From the corner, Nongu City's lord's lips curled into a long grin.
The elder before Yeop Hyeon trembled madly with rage.
Seeing no strike come, Yeop Hyeon smirked, remounted, and vanished beyond the gates.
Boom-!
The elder finally snapped, slamming a ferocious palm into the ground. A massive crater yawned beneath him.
Killing intent sharp enough to slay with a glance.
Unable to touch a mere Penetrating Mystery Realm who mocked him!
Frustration choked him like blood rising in his throat.
Yet endure he must. Even I Mok hadn't lasted an exchange against a Sword Immortal—and he was weaker still!
Yeop Hyeon had exploited that fear to humiliate him.
Finally, the elder swallowed his fury and staggered away.
Outside the city, Yeop Hyeon whipped his Black Flame Horse to full gallop once more.
Truth be told, he'd baited the elder to strike—to gauge the gap against Myriad Laws Realm.
A difference surely existed.
Sword Lord or not, with True Realm Sword and Sword Armor, he knew the chasm remained.
Still, he craved a real test.
He couldn't precisely measure his own power. Below Myriad Laws Realm, none could match him.
'But against Myriad Laws Realm...?'
He could've struck first, but time was too precious. The Imperial City lay far ahead.
To recoup the delay, he rode harder.
For two days after, none barred his way. Passing three cities smoothly, the Imperial City loomed ever closer.
Meanwhile, Changmok Academy and Dark Realm warriors had entered Kanguk soil.
Outside Kanguk's Imperial City, three cloud ships descended slowly. Nearly a hundred warriors poured out swiftly. As the thirty black-clad figures moved to conceal themselves, dozens of arrows whistled from nowhere.
Stunned by the ambush, Changmok students and Dark Realm assassins recoiled. Over ten already lay pierced in the chest.
No respite—city gates flew open, seventy cavalry charging at breakneck speed.
Seeing their mounts, Changmok students paled.
'Black Flame Horses?!'
Identical to the Daeun Empire's elite steeds.