Chapter 194: Annoyed to Death
'Master?'
The Myriad Laws Realm experts of Chang Mok Academy exchanged glances. Their faces were filled with not just fear, but utter terror.
A Sword Immortal was a being who could sweep away every martial artist in Qingzhou, even if they all charged at once.
And now that Ma Qingxian was dead, they had even less power to stand against a Sword Immortal.
If one appeared here, Chang Mok Academy would vanish from the world that very day!
At that moment, Yeop Hyeon, still gazing at the sky as if listening to someone, shook his head.
"No, Master. You don't need to come. I can handle this much on my own."
Yeop Hyeon perked up his ears again, as if hearing a response, then shook his head once more.
"If you step in every time, when will my skills improve? So please don't come this time. Hm? Myriad Laws Realm? Haha, no! They're just standing there watching. If they make a move, then you can step in, Master. How about that?"
The Myriad Laws Realm experts' faces grew deathly serious at Yeop Hyeon's words.
Wasn't he talking about them?
Yeop Hyeon then bowed politely toward the air.
"Don't worry, Master! If they stay put, I won't call for you at all. But the moment they lay a hand on me, I'll ask for your help right away!"
"……."
Yeop Hyeon turned his head toward the Myriad Laws Realm experts.
"Hey... didn't one of you just say something about mutual destruction? Or did I hear wrong?"
One of the Myriad Laws Realm experts snarled venomously.
"Yeop Hyeon! You think we're scared just because your master is coming?!"
Yeop Hyeon laughed in response.
"No, no, that's not it! I'm actually hoping you lot do step in. If you do, our master will show up and clean this place out in one go, right? Then I won't even get blood on my hands—best of both worlds, yeah?"
Yeop Hyeon began walking toward the Myriad Laws Realm experts.
"Come on, then. Mutual destruction, whatever—do your worst. I'll just stand here."
One Myriad Laws Realm expert's eyes turned bloodshot, on the verge of charging, but the others held him back. An elderly one among them gave him a cautious look.
"This is a ploy. He's deliberately provoking you to make you act. Don't fall for it!"
The other Myriad Laws Realm experts nodded in agreement.
But the one who'd nearly charged still glared at Yeop Hyeon with murderous intent.
Yeop Hyeon took a couple more steps forward.
"Man, I just wanna see what you've got, and you're acting all high and mighty. Come on quick, cheap and easy!"
Another expert nearly lost it, but his comrades barely restrained him.
Yeop Hyeon shrugged with a bored expression and stepped back to his spot. Pushing further might lead to something he didn't want.
Just then, Cheok Bal-eon, who'd gone to ransack Chang Mok Academy's treasury, bounced over excitedly and grabbed Yeop Hyeon's arm.
"Guess how much gold there was?"
Yeop Hyeon shook his head, and Cheok Bal-eon widened her eyes.
"Guess! Quick!"
Yeop Hyeon looked dumbfounded for a second.
How am I supposed to guess that...?
Cheok Bal-eon held up three fingers.
"Thirty billion taels of gold! And top-grade spirit stones—nearly 2.6 million! Can you believe it? 2.6 million pieces! And, and, there's more! Heavenly realm weapons—four of them, heavenly realm manuals—two, earthly realm ones were too many to count, and then true realm spirit artifacts—five, famed realm—eleven, top-grade spirit artifacts—a whopping ninety-six!"
Cheok Bal-eon leaned on Yeop Hyeon's shoulder with a creepy grin.
"And what else?"
Yeop Hyeon shook his head again, and she opened her palm. A massive spirit stone appeared in it—not just any, but a jade-grade spirit stone.
"Hehe, jade-grade spirit stones—1,300 of them!"
Cheok Bal-eon suddenly hugged Yeop Hyeon's neck and planted a kiss on his cheek, hopping in place.
"We're rich now, rich! Hahaha!"
"……."
Meanwhile, the Chang Mok Academy martial artists who'd overheard turned green as if they'd swallowed a bug.
Right in front of their fuming owner, brazenly looting their house!
Cheok Bal-eon suddenly jolted, her eyes wide like a startled rabbit.
"W-Wait... did I just... kiss you?"
Yeop Hyeon frantically shook his head.
"N-No! You didn't!"
"No... I definitely kissed you......"
Yeop Hyeon pondered for a moment, then leaned down and lightly kissed her cheek.
"There. Now we're even!"
Cheok Bal-eon stood dazed, touching her cheek.
"You... just kissed me?"
"Yeah, since you kissed me first. Now neither of us is at a loss. What do you think?"
Cheok Bal-eon thought it over, then nodded.
"Fine! So, what now?"
What now?
Yeop Hyeon glanced around and saw Chang Mok Academy students surrounding them—about eight hundred strong.
Cheok Bal-eon counted them with her fingers, then said to Yeop Hyeon,
"Around eight hundred. I'll take three hundred, you take five hundred. Deal?"
Yeop Hyeon thought it over.
"That's not fair for me."
"Hm... okay, half each! But no guarantees!"
"Odds you take down four hundred?"
"Nine out of ten!"
Nine out of ten?
Yeop Hyeon feigned surprise, and Cheok Bal-eon continued.
"My dad always said don't do something without full confidence. But for you, I can take that risk!"
Yeop Hyeon choked up dramatically.
"I'm... really touched. Truly."
Cheok Bal-eon blinked.
"Then why aren't you crying? If you're touched, you should cry, right?"
"……Haha. How about we skip this and get started? We've kept them waiting too long!"
Cheok Bal-eon nodded and turned to the students.
"Sorry, but if my hammer hits you, you're dead. So watch out!"
With that, she slammed her hammer into the ground.
Boom!
The earth cracked like gold fracturing, racing toward the students' feet. They scrambled back.
Cheok Bal-eon's hammer struck again.
Boom!
The impact shook the entire mountain like an earthquake, launching dozens of students into the air. Seven swords flew out, piercing seven hearts.
As Yeop Hyeon and Cheok Bal-eon prepared to repeat the assault, a massive surge of energy gathered around them. Yeop Hyeon's face changed; he pulled Cheok Bal-eon behind him and unleashed Pure Intent Sword Intent, forming a thick barrier.
Kaboom!
The barrier shattered instantly. Yeop Hyeon and Cheok Bal-eon were hurled a hundred zhang away, crashing into the ground. Yeop Hyeon rose quickly, but blood already stained his lips and chest.
A middle-aged man had appeared before them unnoticed. He wore a lavish silk robe embroidered with a blue tree surrounded by clouds, and golden thread spelled three large characters on his chest.
He was the Left Emissary.
The elders and masters of Chang Mok Academy bowed deeply in shock.
"We greet the Left Emissary!"
The Left Emissary was the true second-in-command of Chang Mok Academy's main branch—one of the two emissaries assisting the dean.
He held real power over the entire academy.
The Left Emissary scanned the area sternly.
"Where is Ma Qingxian?"
One elder replied gloomily.
"Dean Ma has already been slain!"
The Left Emissary's eyebrow twitched.
"Did that Sword Immortal woman already come and go?"
The elder shook his head.
"Not the Sword Immortal—it was that Yeop Hyeon over there. Dean Ma lowered his own realm to fight him fairly, and then..."
The Left Emissary turned to Yeop Hyeon.
"Sword Lord before even forty... Your talent wouldn't pale even in Jungto Sinju."
Cheok Bal-eon suddenly stepped in front of Yeop Hyeon, snarling coldly.
"Pah! Trying to crush the weak with brute force—you shameless old bastard!"
The Left Emissary eyed her briefly.
"A child of the Cheok Bal Clan... Fine. Today, this old man will spare your clan's face."
His hand flicked lightly, and an invisible force seized Cheok Bal-eon, moving her aside.
"Keep her safe somewhere out of the way, unharmed."
An elder nodded and dragged her off. She couldn't move a muscle.
The Left Emissary approached Yeop Hyeon slowly, stopping a few zhang away.
"Let's end the grudge between you and Chang Mok Academy here. Oh, and I'm not here for you. You don't yet deserve to summon this seat."
The Left Emissary slowly clenched his fist.
"Call your master!"
In that instant, a frail old man appeared beside him. Slightly hunched, he leaned on a pitch-black staff wreathed in three strands of dark energy. A bizarre human eye embedded in the staff's center darted around.
The old man sized up Yeop Hyeon with a sinister smile.
"I hear your master is quite strong. I'd love to test her myself!"
As he spoke, eleven black-robed figures materialized behind him, wearing large hats and holding slender staffs.
With the Left Emissary, that made thirteen warriors before Yeop Hyeon. Their realms were as unfathomable as stars in the night sky.
Yeop Hyeon fell silent.
They'd come for the Sword Immortal, clearly.
"Sword Immortal sis... they're looking for you......"
Yeop Hyeon didn't expect a reply from the Heavenly Maiden. She'd slept too long for that.
But then, a voice he hadn't heard in ages echoed in his mind.
Truly, I want to wipe your entire world away with one sword... This is so annoying I could die!
At that moment, the Left Emissary nearby sneered.
"The mighty Sword Immortal of the world—is she scared, perhaps?"