Chapter 186: Will They Let Me Go Just Because I Quit?
The old man narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists even tighter. At that moment, a ferocious energy erupted from his entire body like an explosion. Unable to withstand his power, the ground beneath his feet began to crack and split.
Just then, Yeop Hyeon vanished into the darkness, replaced by a single streak of sword light hurtling toward the old man.
In an instant, as if a crimson sun had emerged from the shadows, the arena blazed bright as midday.
One Sword Determines Life and Death!
It had been quite some time since Yeop Hyeon last unleashed his One Sword Determines Life and Death. Ever since becoming a Sword Lord, no one had been worthy enough to face his single stroke.
The old man shot up as if he had been waiting for this, smashing both fists toward Yeop Hyeon's sword.
The fist auras enveloping his hands tore through the air. The overwhelming fist momentum caused the ground within a hundred zhang around them to crumble endlessly.
The moment sword met twin fists—
Silence fell briefly.
And then!
Boom—!
A massive explosion, as if the heavens themselves were collapsing, engulfed the darkened arena.
From the epicenter of the blast, two shadows were flung apart like ragdolls. In that instant, the sword casket on Yeop Hyeon's back sprang open, releasing seven swords in a thunderous barrage.
The old man, eyes bulging wide, hastily released the seal suppressing his realm.
Boom—!
The seven swords were blocked by something and scattered in all directions, unable to advance.
Myriad Laws Realm!
The old man had swiftly restored his realm and deflected the swords with ease.
If his judgment had been even a fraction slower, he would already be a cold corpse.
A thin trickle of blood dripped from the corner of the old man's mouth as he glared at Yeop Hyeon. Moreover, a long sword wound had appeared on his right hand at some point.
He could no longer deny that he couldn't defeat Yeop Hyeon in the Divine Fusion Realm.
No—he might even die.
Meanwhile, Yeop Hyeon was far from unscathed. Blood trickled from his mouth, and his face was deathly pale, as if he had suffered significant internal injuries.
Suddenly, the old man burst into mad laughter.
"Yeop Hyeon, out of strength to fight already? No, no. The real fun starts now!"
As his words ended, a middle-aged man appeared beside him.
He too was in the Myriad Laws Realm.
In an instant, the middle-aged man's aura rapidly diminished, dropping from Myriad Laws Realm to Divine Fusion Realm.
The middle-aged man stared straight at Yeop Hyeon and said,
"Come on, let's continue!"
With those words, his figure shot forward like an arrow from a bow. But he was forced to halt immediately.
Twelve golden warriors had appeared beside Yeop Hyeon without a sound.
Yeop Hyeon slowly raised his head and said to the middle-aged man,
"Come on, let's continue!"
The middle-aged man merely glared at Yeop Hyeon, making no move.
He knew full well that fighting those twelve golden warriors while suppressing his realm would be suicidal.
Each golden warrior was at the peak of Divine Fusion Realm—and on a level far beyond ordinary experts of that realm.
One-on-one, or even one-on-three, he might have confidence. But twelve? That changed everything.
His chances of victory against them were virtually zero.
Moreover, Yeop Hyeon's hidden swords posed a massive threat.
Yet he didn't want to retreat just like that.
This was the perfect moment to kill the injured Yeop Hyeon. Give him time to recover, and dealing with him later would be far more troublesome.
The middle-aged man finally steeled his resolve.
"Come out!"
At his command, two more Myriad Laws Realm experts emerged from the darkness. They too swiftly lowered their realms to Divine Fusion Realm.
Three peak Divine Fusion Realm powerhouses.
To be precise, they were pseudo-Divine Fusion Realm experts.
Sending these four Myriad Laws Realm experts showed just how determined Chang Mok Academy was. The academy had nine such experts in total—nearly half dispatched here was practically baring their foundations. They hadn't sent all nine because they couldn't focus solely on Yeop Hyeon.
They needed defenses against other factions as well.
The middle-aged man glanced up at the twelve golden warriors. They stood warily, for the golden warriors were truly formidable.
But he couldn't miss this once-in-a-lifetime chance with Yeop Hyeon wounded.
"You two, handle the golden warriors. I'll take Yeop Hyeon!"
At his order, the two beside him leaped forward. Just as the middle-aged man prepared to strike, the two who had charged at the golden warriors were hurled back over ten zhang as if struck.
The middle-aged man's eyes wavered.
So fast!?
Yeop Hyeon chuckled and said,
"Come on, let's continue!"
His fist tightened at those words. Right then, the Myriad Laws Realm old man who had nearly died by Yeop Hyeon's hand shouted,
"We underestimated him. Retreat and regroup!"
The middle-aged man shot Yeop Hyeon a ferocious glare before turning his body.
"Withdraw!"
With that, the Chang Mok Academy warriors restored their realms and vanished in an instant.
Silence returned to the arena. Yeop Hyeon, having recalled the golden warriors, furrowed his brow deeply. Chang Mok Academy's ploy was something he hadn't anticipated at all.
Lower their realms, and if victory seemed impossible, revert and flee.
He hadn't expected such a cheap trick.
If Yeop Hyeon wanted to kill them, he had to finish them before they restored their realms.
One gain, at least: confirmation that the gap between him and a Myriad Laws Realm expert still existed.
And it was a gap that equipment or weapons couldn't bridge.
Summoning the golden warriors just now had consumed over five hundred thousand spirit stones. A longer standoff might have demanded over a million.
He knew they were powerful, but the cost was exorbitant.
Every summoning pained him—not his body, but his heart.
I need money!
Yeop Hyeon sighed deeply. He currently possessed over ten billion nyang in gold and more than two million top-grade spirit stones, but it was still woefully insufficient.
He had to repay massive amounts of spirit stones to Chwiseonru every month. And each use of the golden warriors burned through gold like wildfire.
Time to make money! Grit my teeth and earn it!
Yeop Hyeon let out a bone-deep sigh, popped a golden healing pill into his mouth, and vanished into the darkness atop his Black Flame Horse moments later.
His expression atop the Black Flame Horse was grim. No matter where he went, Chang Mok Academy tracked him like ghosts. They had him under constant surveillance, like a fly on their palm.
At this rate, he'd forever be dragged around.
Yeop Hyeon urged his mount faster, flames erupting as their forms lit up the shadows.
An hour later, as dawn broke, he arrived at the ancient city of Gyeongwon City.
Entering the city, Yeop Hyeon didn't bolt straight for the opposite gate as before. Instead, he sought out the Chwiseonru branch within.
Waiting for him was Yuk Ru-ju, lord of Chwiseonru.
In a secret chamber of Chwiseonru, Yuk Ru-ju broke a long silence.
"Evading Chang Mok Academy's surveillance net is no easy task."
"Why is that?"
"If my guess is right, they're being tracked by Myriad Laws Realm experts. Especially ones who can monitor without revealing their auras—only the Dark Realm's Myriad Laws Realm assassins fit that bill."
"No way to eliminate them?"
Yuk Ru-ju gave a wry smile.
"Stealth and tracking are the Dark Realm assassins' specialties. Killing them without a Law Realm expert stepping in is nearly impossible."
"Hm... If we can't kill them, shaking them off temporarily works. Buy some time, disguise myself, and head to the Imperial City."
"To be frank, I wish you wouldn't go to the Imperial City. They've surely prepared countermeasures by now. Things could escalate, or you might walk into a trap..."
To Yuk Ru-ju, Yeop Hyeon's actions seemed unwise.
Facing the Dark Realm and all of Chang Mok Academy alone?
Impossible.
"Will they let me go just because I quit here?"
Yuk Ru-ju fell silent, unable to reply.
Yeop Hyeon continued,
"They'll never give up. Worse, they've already started targeting those around me. Better to strike first than sit and take it. I may not uproot their forces, but I can reduce the threat. Otherwise, I'll just keep getting pummeled until I die of frustration!"
Yuk Ru-ju looked up, staring intently at Yeop Hyeon's face.
To him, Yeop Hyeon looked like a lone wolf—mad with resolve to tear out his enemy's throat, even if it meant death.
How did Chang Mok Academy and the Dark Realm provoke someone like this? Talk about rotten luck!
After a moment's thought, Yuk Ru-ju spoke.
"If you're set on this, I'll send men—no, I'll handle the assassins tailing you myself. But shaking their pursuit is ultimately your burden."
Yeop Hyeon nodded.
"Good."
At that moment, a middle-aged man burst into the room. He spoke lowly to Yuk Ru-ju and Yeop Hyeon.
"Chwiseonru is surrounded."
Yuk Ru-ju's face twisted.
"Chang Mok Academy?"
The middle-aged man nodded.
"I Mok-hyeon himself is here, demanding you hand over National Scholar Yeop. If not..."
Yeop Hyeon cut him off.
"Just kill those idiots outright!"
Grabbing his sword from the table, Yeop Hyeon stormed out.
The middle-aged man and Yuk Ru-ju stared at each other in stunned silence.
Right then, Yeop Hyeon rushed back in, sat down, placed the sword back on the table, glanced at them, and asked with a serious expression,
"By any chance... is there a back door?"
"......"
"......"