That Thing? I'll Get Rid of It for You
Doomsday!
Gazing up at the Spirit Water Sword descending slowly from the sky, everyone in the arena felt as if the end of the world had come. It was the kind of sensation that made them think Qingzhou—no, the entire Qingcang Realm—would vanish the instant that sword touched the ground.
The terror of the world's end!
The arena was utterly dominated by fear.
Especially the Hogye Meng member hovering in the air—his mind had gone blank, pure white, devoid of any thought.
A single sword that could collapse the world—who could have even imagined such a thing!
Was this truly something a human could do!
Yeop Hyeon was just as flustered. He'd thought it was just an offhand remark, never dreaming the Heavenly Maiden would actually try to destroy the world.
'That's taking the joke way too far!'
Yeop Hyeon dashed behind the Heavenly Maiden and shouted.
"Calm down! Please!"
Yeop Hyeon had no desire for the world to end. What about Jiang Kingdom? What about his friends like Mu Yun Qi?
At that moment, the Heavenly Maiden replied with an expressionless face.
[What do you mean, calm down? These vermin dare to keep disturbing my sleep— that's reason enough for them to vanish!]
Just then, the Spirit Water Sword's descent suddenly accelerated. In an instant, the Changmok Academy building turned to dust, and the surrounding mountain peaks began crumbling one after another.
Yeop Hyeon jumped in shock and cried out desperately.
"Heavenly Maiden! Didn't you say you're looking for someone? What if that person is somewhere in the Qingcang Realm? If this world collapses, they'll die with it!"
At those words, the Heavenly Maiden's eyebrows shot up. She scanned the surroundings with a single glance—enough to survey all of Qingzhou.
A moment later, her gaze settled on Yeop Hyeon, staring at him silently.
Though Yeop Hyeon couldn't see her face, he could feel her eyes on him.
He felt a bit embarrassed but decided not to look away. One wrong move, and she might smack him—it hurt too damn much when she did.
A moment passed, and the Heavenly Maiden slowly closed her eyes. At the same time, the sword plummeting toward the ground halted in midair, refusing to fall further.
Every warrior in the arena was frozen in terror, their hearts shrunk to the size of beans, barely able to breathe.
About fifteen minutes later, the Heavenly Maiden finally spoke.
[For your sake, I'll let it end here this time!]
As she pointed at Yeop Hyeon, the Spirit Water Sword vanished back into his body in a flash.
Yeop Hyeon's legs gave out, and he collapsed to the ground with a thud. Wiping the cold sweat from his brow, he muttered.
"I... saved the world...."
Right then, the sky rippled unnaturally. Space tore open, and a middle-aged man stepped through. His first glance fell on the Hogye Meng member's face, bound by the Heavenly Maiden's hair.
Seeing the man's condition made the middle-aged man's eyebrows twitch. In an instant, his gaze shifted to the Heavenly Maiden.
"Run!"
The Hogye Meng member shouted. He didn't know her exact realm, but he knew this middle-aged man couldn't handle her.
As the middle-aged man gaped in shock, mouth opening, the Heavenly Maiden plucked a single strand of her hair.
Whoosh—!
With a light breeze, the hair shot toward him like a beam of light.
The middle-aged man grimaced and slammed both palms downward. The space beneath his feet trembled violently, birthing a massive vortex.
But the Heavenly Maiden's hair passed through the vortex unscathed, as if it weren't even in the same space.
Puk—!
It pierced right between his eyes, under his stunned gaze.
The churning sky immediately calmed.
Glareing at the approaching Heavenly Maiden, the middle-aged man bellowed.
"We of Hogye Meng guard the Heavenly Dao, protecting countless lives in the Nine Provinces and Ten Realms on behalf of the Heavenly Gods! Kill us, and the Nine Provinces and Ten Realms will bring heavenly punishment in our stead!"
"Heavenly punishment?"
The Heavenly Maiden's lips curled in mockery. She looked at him like he was a bug.
"Does anyone in the heavens dare kill me? If the one I'm seeking wasn't in this Qingcang Realm, I would've slain every last one of you—Heavenly Dao, Heavenly Gods, and all the lives in the Nine Provinces and Ten Realms—with a single stroke of my sword long ago!"
"Are you insane?"
The middle-aged man roared with murderous eyes.
"Defying the Heavenly Dao and scorning the Heavenly Gods—the sin will one day...."
He couldn't finish. The hair embedded in his forehead pierced straight through his brain.
The Heavenly Maiden stared blankly at his face, blood dripping drop by drop.
"Ignorant vermin. The ones deserving awe and respect aren't me—they're the Heavenly Gods you speak of. If they prattle on to me like you did, they'll meet the same end."
With that, she slowly turned to the fading old Hogye Meng man.
"No others? Call someone competent. It's a waste of my sword qi to deal with trash like that. Or fetch those Heavenly Gods he mentioned. I'll test if they even qualify to block my single sword!"
The old man gave no reply, summoning no one. It would only lead them to death.
He glared at the Heavenly Maiden as he slowly faded, vanishing completely.
The Heavenly Maiden clasped her hands behind her back and gazed at the sky, her cold expression utterly indifferent.
Watching her from behind, Yeop Hyeon's eyes were filled with extreme caution. A woman who casually threatened world destruction didn't seem like a good person at all.
Ferocious, filthy, and ill-tempered.
Then, the Heavenly Maiden slowly clenched her fists. Her soft voice soon whispered in Yeop Hyeon's ear.
[In thirty thousand years, twenty-one attempts. All failed. Even now, it's uncertain. But even if it's a one-in-ten-thousand chance, I'll never give up!]
"Heavenly Maiden?"
Yeop Hyeon cautiously approached her from behind. She spoke.
[Your sword intent is the Good and Evil Sword Intent. Benevolent intent aids all things under heaven to coexist and thrive. Malevolent intent overturns and destroys everything. The path of benevolence is profoundly complex, hard to define with clear standards. Even good people harbor evil at times, and villains perform good deeds. Thus, good or evil depends on a person's mindset in the moment.]
Yeop Hyeon pondered her words, then bowed respectfully.
"I'll keep your teachings in mind."
The Heavenly Maiden stepped forward until she was right before him—so close he could touch her with outstretched arms—yet he still couldn't see her face.
[From today, you must walk your path alone. The way of the sword cultivator is one you forge yourself, not one others hand to you.]
"I'll do my utmost to tread my path."
The Heavenly Maiden nodded lightly.
[First, recover your body, then swiftly seek the second Dochik. Of the nine that escaped the tower, six are in this Qingcang Realm. You mustn't delay retrieving them. Also, reach the Myriad Laws Realm and Sword Emperor realm as soon as possible. Only then can you protect yourself amid the great calamity to come.]
"Great calamity...?"
Yeop Hyeon didn't grasp it immediately.
She nodded and explained.
[The stars' movements reveal an utterly malevolent force targeting this realm. It's quietly devouring this world's origin essence, so subtly that its inhabitants haven't noticed. But when it fully absorbs the origin and sheds its shell, a great calamity will engulf this world!]
Yeop Hyeon's face darkened.
"Is it strong?"
The Heavenly Maiden replied flatly.
[Undeniably strong—to you all.]
"Compared to you, Senior?"
[Just an ant pupa.]
She said it like it was nothing, leaving Yeop Hyeon flustered.
"Then why don't you just kill it, Heavenly Maiden?"
She stared piercingly at his face.
[I'm already at the end of my patience holding back from destroying this damned world. Save it? If it doesn't bother me, why should I care if this pathetic place vanishes?]
"......"
[Do you want to save this world?]
Yeop Hyeon shook his head lightly.
'Save the world?'
Unfortunately, he lacked the power for such thoughts.
[Know your limits before acting—that's paramount. And don't worry about others. If you don't find the second Dochik within a year, you'll die before this world even falls.]
With that, she vanished in an instant.
Back to the tower, no doubt.
Yeop Hyeon shook his head and let out a deep sigh. Where the hell was he supposed to find the second Dochik?
And that guy from the second floor hadn't shown his face since escaping. Didn't matter where he was, but the Dochik had to be recovered.
Dochik!
Suddenly, Yeop Hyeon's face twisted horribly. With a scream of "Ah!", he collapsed, writhing madly on the ground.
The backlash from the Gyeok Ok Tower had returned.
'It's here! Damn it, not again!'
Without the Dochik to mitigate the shock, he had to endure the full price. And this pain was incomparably more excruciating than before.
He feared nothing—not even death—but the Gyeok Ok Tower's toll was another matter.
"S-Sword cultivator! You okay?"
Cheok Bal-eon rushed over, eyes filled with worry. But Yeop Hyeon, enduring pain worse than death, couldn't respond.
Cheok Bal-eon drew her hammer, hesitating as she spoke.
"Sword cultivator, maybe I should knock you out! You won't feel it if you're unconscious, right? But... what if you just die?"
"......"
As she agonized inwardly, a woman approached—Yeon Man Ri.
Seeing Yeop Hyeon's state, Yeon Man Ri smiled enigmatically.
Cheok Bal-eon looked up at her.
"What do you want?"
Yeon Man Ri pointed at Yeop Hyeon.
"I think I can help a little...."
"R-Really?"
As Cheok Bal-eon blinked in surprise, Yeon Man Ri nodded.
"Trust me. But lend me a hand for a sec."
Soon, the two grabbed one of Yeop Hyeon's legs each and dragged him across the ground to a corner.
His clothes were mostly shredded from the earlier attack by the Lu Yuan Temple master, especially his tattered pants—exposing his precious "thing" shyly to the world.
Spotting it, Cheok Bal-eon muttered with a weird look.
"What's that? I don't have one."
Yeon Man Ri eyed it with contempt.
"That's the root of all evil in the world! Cut that off, and men can't wrong us women anymore!"
Cheok Bal-eon pondered, then said.
"Hmm... This sword cultivator's a decent guy. My friend, too. Should I take out that root of evil for him while he's out?"
"Great idea!"
Yeon Man Ri nodded vigorously.
Cheok Bal-eon looked pityingly at the dazed Yeop Hyeon.
"Sword cultivator, endure the pain!"
With that, she swung her hammer down hard on his "there."
Splat!
A wretched, heartbreaking burst echoed through the arena.