Can't Be Friends with Just Empty Words
On the cloud ship heading to Jeoguk.
Standing at the bow, Yeop Hyeon turned to Cheok Bal-eon and said,
"Soyo, stand guard for me. Make sure no one approaches my room."
With that, Yeop Hyeon headed straight to his cabin.
The moment he entered, he plunged into the Gyeok Ok Tower. As he spread his hand, eight swords instantly materialized before his eyes.
At that moment, Yeop Hyeon suddenly drove one of the swords straight into his own body.
Absorption!
In truth, Yeop Hyeon had agonized over this quite a bit. These eight swords had greatly boosted his combat prowess.
But no matter how mighty their power, he had to admit they were powerless against a Myriad Laws Realm expert.
To contend with Myriad Laws Realm foes, there was no path but to ascend to the Divine Fusion Realm.
The reason he'd hesitated to break through until now was that reaching Divine Fusion would allow experts of Myriad Laws Realm and above to attack him without lowering their realms.
Moreover, his previous realm hadn't been fully consolidated, so he couldn't rush the breakthrough.
But after the incident at Changmok Academy, his realm had already reached its peak. Especially his swordsmanship, which had advanced to a whole new level.
The time had finally come.
Right after absorbing the first sword, Yeop Hyeon felt a vortex of power whirl through his body. Soon, the Spirit Water Sword within him vibrated, instantly devouring the raging energy. Then, after about an incense stick's time, pure power radiated from the Spirit Water Sword, flowing into every corner of his body.
Divine Fusion Realm.
What was called Divine Fusion meant the complete union of body and soul.
Through this union, both soul and body were strengthened.
That was the essence of Divine Fusion.
Once it occurred, a person's body underwent a qualitative transformation.
What Yeop Hyeon aimed to do was elevate the quality of his body and soul to the next level.
About half a shichen later, he completed the absorption of the first sword.
Thus, Yeop Hyeon began absorbing them one by one.
Meanwhile, on the cloud ship's deck, Cheok Bal-eon grew bored and sat on the railing, swinging her legs idly.
Just then, another cloud ship rapidly approached from behind. It soon overtook the ship carrying Yeop Hyeon and Cheok Bal-eon. As it passed, Cheok Bal-eon spotted a man in brocade robes standing on deck.
The man's clothes were extravagant silk robes. A gleaming spirit jade hung at his waist. Just from that, one could tell how wealthy he was.
Sensing her gaze, the man turned and looked at her. His eyes lit up, and with a downward gesture of his hand, his ship's speed abruptly slowed.
The silk-robed man smiled and called out,
"May I know the name of this beautiful lady?"
Cheok Bal-eon replied indifferently,
"What do you want?"
The man laughed heartily.
"I know it's rude on first meeting, but seeing your grace, you seem like someone of high standing, so I couldn't help approaching. If it's alright, I'd love to be friends. What do you say?"
"Friends?"
Cheok Bal-eon blinked.
"You want to be friends with me?"
The man nodded.
"Being friends with you would be an honor to my clan!"
Cheok Bal-eon responded flatly,
"Hmm... If someone's just talking big with an empty mouth, what's the point of calling them a friend?"
"......"
The man's expression stiffened slightly, but he quickly smiled again. If money could solve it, nothing was simpler. Money rotted away anyway!
He extended his hand, and a nameplate flew toward Cheok Bal-eon.
"Five hundred thousand gold nyang. Surely that's enough for a proper introduction?"
Five hundred thousand gold nyang!
Cheok Bal-eon glanced at the nameplate and sighed deeply, muttering,
"Father was right—making true friends in this harsh world is tough. Yeop Hyeon didn't hesitate to spend hundreds of millions of gold nyang for me... Guess there's no one else like that."
With a flick of her hand, the nameplate flew back to the man.
"Shoo, shoo. Be on your way. I, Cheok Bal-eon, only befriend those with real vision. You're too poor to be my friend."
The man narrowed his eyes.
"You're dismissing my sincerity like this?"
His voice was icy, laced with threat.
Hearing that, Cheok Bal-eon said nothing and simply swung down the hammer in her hand.
The man's face changed as he swiftly retreated a dozen zhang in place. Simultaneously, the spot where he'd stood turned to dust in an instant.
Seeing this, the man's face paled.
He might not have vast experience, but he knew well who to fight and who to avoid.
Deciding swiftly, he bowed politely to Cheok Bal-eon.
"This young master has been thoughtless and rude. Please forgive me with your magnanimity."
Cheok Bal-eon immediately held out her hand.
"Drop everything you have and scram with your life. Do it!"
"......"
A moment later, Cheok Bal-eon sat on the deck, sorting through the mountain of loot piled up.
"This for Yeop Hyeon, this for me, this too, this too, this too..."
The next day, in Jeoguk.
Jeoguk was utter chaos.
More and more warriors from Jungto Sinju flooded into the imperial city. Their numbers had swelled beyond what regular soldiers could handle.
An even graver issue was the depletion of Qingzhou's spirit energy, shaking public morale. Especially in Jeoguk's imperial city, the spirit energy vanished overnight at an alarming rate. At first, the palace mobilized soldiers to prevent major unrest.
But with Jungto Sinju warriors pouring in, the imperial city spiraled out of control. Regular soldiers couldn't stop them.
Then even the controlled commoners rose up en masse. The imperial city became pure pandemonium.
The chaos within the city soon reached the palace.
At this moment, two of the palace's four main gates had already fallen.
The raiders assaulting the palace were none other than Jungto Sinju warriors.
Mercenaries, sect disciples, mountain hermits—all sorts swarmed the palace.
And what they sought, having traveled a myriad li without hesitation, was wealth.
Mad plundering!
That was their goal.
Besides Jungto Sinju warriors, attackers included Jeoguk natives, hermits, and even sect disciples.
These sects, far from aiding their nation in crisis, betrayed it by attacking the palace.
But in their eyes, Jeoguk was doomed.
Because the Heunhwan Sect and Huanso Sect from Jungto Sinju targeted the royal family.
Jeoguk had considerable power in Qingzhou, but nothing compared to Jungto Sinju forces.
With spirit energy depletion accelerating, it was a hopeless state.
Thus, like vultures swarming a dying beast for scraps, they descended. Jeoguk wasn't small; its accumulated wealth was vast.
In one of Jeoguk Palace's halls.
Cheok Bal-eon still sat on her throne. Behind her stood an elderly woman and an old man in black robes. Before them, thirty heavily armored soldiers with bows lined up on either side.
These were elite picks from the Imperial Guard—battle-hardened, mighty warriors, Jeoguk's finest.
The elderly woman stepped forward to the impassive Cheok Bal-eon.
"Your Highness, you must leave now!"
"Leave? Where to?"
Cheok Bal-eon replied flatly.
"Those two forces are after me. Where would I even go?"
"We two elders will stake our lives to clear a path!"
"And abandon the people and soldiers in the city? Just leave them behind?"
At that, the thirty Imperial Guards knelt on one knee in unison and shouted,
"We Imperial Guards will prove our loyalty with our deaths!"
Cheok Bal-eon shook her head slightly.
"I won't take a single step while leaving the city's people and soldiers behind."
She rose abruptly.
"Time to meet these Jungto Sinju intruders."
With those words, her figure was already outside the hall. The Imperial Guards hurriedly followed.
The two elders exchanged glances, sighed deeply, and chased after her.
By now, most of the palace had fallen. Myriad Laws Realm experts had intervened.
All palace soldiers were pushed back to Cheok Bal-eon's hall. Before them, a hundred Jungto Sinju warriors formed ranks.
Among them, three were Myriad Laws Realm experts. Over two hundred Jeoguk warriors encircled the hall.
The palace's swift collapse was largely due to those Myriad Laws Realm powerhouses. Normally, they couldn't act freely, especially not to topple a nation. But with Qingzhou's hegemons withdrawn, none could stop them.
At the forefront of the Jungto Sinju warriors stood a seductive middle-aged man and a diminutive old man.
The middle-aged man wore crimson robes, his face thick with makeup accentuating his allure. The old man wore oversized red robes embroidered with entwined, scantily clad men and women.
Their gazes fixed on Cheok Bal-eon amid the soldiers, unmasked with greed and lust.
The middle-aged man leered wickedly.
"Indeed, an Inner Charm Body. If tamed well... heh heh..."
The diminutive elder chuckled vilely.
"Exactly. Such a rare Inner Charm Body... To hold that girl would leave no regrets in death... hahaha..."
At that, the elderly woman behind Cheok Bal-eon stepped forward and shouted,
"Hear me! Our princess shares a deep bond with Kanguk's state advisor Yeop Hyeon. For his sake, withdraw!"
"Yeop Hyeon?"
The middle-aged man's brow twitched.
"Never heard of that trash!"