The Most Shameless Swordsman in the World
Yuk Ru-ju turned to the middle-aged man, who gave a wry smile and spoke.
"Outside, there are fifty Black Flame Cavalry from the Daeun Empire, and given the killing intent I sense, it looks like assassins from the Dark Realm are lying in wait as well."
Fifty Black Flame Cavalry...
Yuk Ru-ju's expression hardened.
In Qingzhou, these Black Flame Cavalry were invincible against any warrior below the Myriad Laws Realm. They weren't just dominant in Qingzhou—their firepower rivaled even the warriors of Jungto Sinju. They were a force that didn't fall short of the Dao soldiers from Chwiseonru or Chang Mok Academy.
With fifty of these Black Flame Cavalry arrayed in formation, it was no wonder Yeop Hyeon had rushed back in a panic.
No matter how exceptional Yeop Hyeon's skills were, taking on fifty Black Flame Cavalry alone would be reckless. Each rider was elite, but what made them truly terrifying was the top-grade equipment encasing their bodies like armor. Their combat power far surpassed ordinary cavalry.
If Yeop Hyeon fought them now, he'd be surrounded—and possibly killed.
"What will you do now?"
The middle-aged man asked, and Yuk Ru-ju glanced at Yeop Hyeon.
Yeop Hyeon shrugged without hesitation.
"Run, of course!"
The middle-aged man and Yuk Ru-ju's faces twisted slightly at his words.
Yeop Hyeon looked a bit concerned.
"Can't we?"
"Haha, of course we can! But didn't you just say you were going out to fight?"
In Yuk Ru-ju's mind, Yeop Hyeon had been a warrior of unyielding resolve.
But defying those expectations, Yeop Hyeon shook his head.
"Who'd be dumb enough to fight fifty Black Flame Cavalry?"
In truth, fifty Black Flame Cavalry weren't frightening enough for Yeop Hyeon to flee from.
The problem was the fox-like Myriad Laws Realm experts from Chang Mok Academy possibly hiding among them. No—Yeop Hyeon was certain of it. Besides, did he have any reason to fight them head-on?
Fight if you can win. Run if you can't. That was the smart play.
At that moment, Yuk Ru-ju stood up.
"Chwiseonru has an underground passage leading outside the city. I'll guide you there."
"Wait!"
Yeop Hyeon rose from his seat.
"Hold on just a moment!"
With that, Yeop Hyeon suddenly drew his Spirit Water Sword and stepped out the door.
The middle-aged man and Yuk Ru-ju stared at each other in bewilderment.
Emerging at the entrance of Chwiseonru, Yeop Hyeon laid eyes on the fifty Black Flame Cavalry standing in majestic formation.
They stood in perfect order, as if they were one body, their thick killing intent pressing down on the area.
To be honest, even Yeop Hyeon couldn't guarantee victory if he faced them on an open battlefield. The Black Flame Cavalry were stronger than most warriors in Qingzhou's Mubang.
As Yeop Hyeon appeared, fifty pairs of eyes snapped toward him.
Yeop Hyeon pointed his Spirit Water Sword at the Black Flame Cavalry and declared,
"Let's fight at dawn!"
With that single line, he vanished back into the Chwiseonru building.
From the shadows, the Dark Lord muttered,
"At dawn?"
Mak Cheong-hyeon, beside him, replied,
"He knows our Dark Realm assassins are stronger in the dark, so he's stalling. But the longer we wait, the better for us!"
Stall for time!
That was exactly what Mak Cheong-hyeon wanted. There was no guarantee the fifty Black Flame Cavalry could kill Yeop Hyeon.
Didn't he have his mighty golden effigies? For those waiting for reinforcements from Jungto Sinju, dragging this out was the better option.
The Dark Lord nodded, as if reading his thoughts.
"Then let's do that."
And so they stood in the night dew for another two hours until dawn broke.
The fifty cavalry before Chwiseonru's main gate never let their guard down. They knew exactly who they faced.
Qingzhou's youngest Sword Lord and his twelve golden effigies.
They couldn't be underestimated.
Thus, the fifty Black Flame Cavalry waited with eyes blazing for the man to emerge from the main gate. The moment Yeop Hyeon appeared, they would charge as one.
One hour, two hours, three hours...
Nearly half an hour after sunrise, and still no sign of Yeop Hyeon.
Mak Cheong-hyeon, hidden in the corner, furrowed his brow deeper.
Another hour passed, and an old man stepped out.
It was Yuk Ru-ju.
He stretched his arms high above his head, then spotted Mak Cheong-hyeon and smiled.
"Dean Mak, good day!"
Mak Cheong-hyeon glared instead of greeting back.
"Where's the bastard?"
"Bastard?"
Yuk Ru-ju feigned confusion.
"Who are you looking for?"
Mak Cheong-hyeon bellowed, eyes nearly bulging.
"Yeop Hyeon!"
"Yeop Hyeon?"
Yuk Ru-ju acted shocked.
"He left ages ago?"
Boom!
A tremendous surge of energy exploded from Mak Cheong-hyeon. Yuk Ru-ju hurriedly retreated ten zhang. Moments later, as the energy subsided, the ground within ten zhang around Mak Cheong-hyeon had become a massive crater.
Mak Cheong-hyeon clenched his fists, his face twisted viciously.
He ran away!
He'd never imagined Yeop Hyeon would flee.
Didn't he say they'd fight at dawn?
Could such a man call himself a sword cultivator?
A sword cultivator who fears death?
A lying sword cultivator?
Shameless—utterly shameless!
Mak Cheong-hyeon's rage boiled so fiercely it felt like his organs would burst.
From afar, Yuk Ru-ju chuckled.
"Dean Mak, don't be so angry. National Scholar Yeop had a message for you. He says he's not feeling well today, so let's postpone the fight. Oh, and he's already picked the spot—your Chang Mok Academy. I'd hurry back if I were you, before it's too late. Haha!"
With that, Yuk Ru-ju retreated into Chwiseonru.
Mak Cheong-hyeon trembled, fists clenched, but quickly suppressed his fury.
The Dark Lord approached.
"He's probably reached Suiyin City by now."
Suiyin City?
Mak Cheong-hyeon's eyes narrowed. After passing two more cities from Suiyin City, it was a day's ride to the Daeun Empire's Imperial City.
Once Yeop Hyeon entered the Imperial City, he'd head straight for Chang Mok Academy.
Mak Cheong-hyeon didn't even want to imagine what came next.
With Yeop Hyeon's fiery temper, anything was possible.
Shaking his head, Mak Cheong-hyeon shouted,
"Pursue him! We can't let him reach the Imperial City before reinforcements from Jungto Sinju arrive!"
The Dark Lord nodded and vanished into the shadows.
Mak Cheong-hyeon bellowed at the Chwiseonru building.
"Chwiseonru, you'll regret this one day!"
From the rooftop of Chwiseonru, watching Mak Cheong-hyeon depart in haste, Yuk Ru-ju smirked.
"Regret? You'll be the ones regretting it, Chang Mok Academy!"
And just like that, the fifty Black Flame Cavalry besieging Chwiseonru vanished in pursuit of Yeop Hyeon.
Across endless plains, a single Black Flame Horse galloped madly. Wherever it passed, black flames erupted without fail.
Riding it, Yeop Hyeon seemed lost in thought.
At this speed, he'd reach the Imperial City in six or seven days. Once there, the battlefield would be Chang Mok Academy.
Suddenly, three black arrows shot toward him like lightning.
Yeop Hyeon's eyes flashed wide.
Whoosh!
Two beams of sword-light burst from his eyes.
Boom!
The arrows turned to ash and scattered.
In that instant, a sharp spear tore through the air from somewhere, hurtling toward Yeop Hyeon.
He extended his hand, and the Spirit Water Sword hummed as it flew to meet the spear tip.
Boom!
Blocked by the Spirit Water Sword, the spear shook violently and retreated.
Yeop Hyeon's eyes caught a woman ten-odd zhang away, gripping the spear. Her long hair was tied back, her face painted in a garish mix of five or six colors. A large nose ring dangled from her nose. She wore beast hide barely covering her chest and a short leather skirt shielding only her vital areas.
Five men stood beside her—three with greatbows, two with long spears.
All shared fierce, brutal faces.
The woman eyed Yeop Hyeon up and down, then spoke to the men.
"Qingzhou's top genius?? Looks like just another bookish weakling to me."
She turned to the side.
"Your head belongs to the Beast Wolf Mercenary Corps..."
In that instant, Yeop Hyeon vanished from the Black Flame Horse's back. Simultaneously, a razor-sharp sword glow hurtled toward the woman.
Her face twisted.
She realized she couldn't block this single strike with her skills.
A terrifying sword that could claim her life in one blow!
But she had no intention of dying so pointlessly. Stomping the ground with her left foot, a mighty 势—imposing force—whirled around her body. She thrust her long spear forward with all her might. Her face contorted hideously.
Her full-power strike!
Fail to block it, and death was certain.
The sword and spear tip clashed.
Clang!
With the sound of metal snapping, sword-light pierced her brow.
Through her trembling eyes, a man appeared.
"F-Fast..."
With those words, her brow split, blood spraying. She collapsed to the ground.
The men beside her were dumbfounded.
Instant kill!?
The scene before the five men was utterly unbelievable.
At that moment, the sword sheath on Yeop Hyeon's back opened, and seven swords shot out.
Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh-whoosh-whoosh-whoosh-whoosh!
Before the remaining five could react, their heads hit the dirt.
Yeop Hyeon quickly rifled through their belongings, finding four hundred million taels of gold and over a million top-grade spirit stones.
A million spirit stones!
At this unexpected windfall, Yeop Hyeon couldn't hide his joy. He'd been short on spirit stones lately from summoning the golden effigies so often.
It was like rain in a drought.
Bowing sincerely to the already-dead corpses, Yeop Hyeon said,
"You all were good people."
"Heehee!"
Suddenly, a bizarre laugh echoed in his ear.
And it was very close.
Yeop Hyeon gripped his Spirit Water Sword with a grave expression. He hadn't sensed their presence until they'd gotten this near.
Who is it?