Chapter 205: Now I'll Handle It Myself!
The middle-aged man's words made the old woman's face darken instantly.
She hadn't expected him to dismiss Yeop Hyeon so casually.
Within Qingzhou, Yeop Hyeon's reputation was unmatched. And wasn't Canglan Academy the strongest force in all of Qingzhou?
Even without the academy, Yeop Hyeon's prowess alone was terrifying beyond words. Strictly speaking, a single word from him could make most factions tremble in fear.
Yet this man had treated such a figure like trash.
"Yeop Hyeon?"
At that moment, an elderly man standing beside the middle-aged man furrowed his brow slightly.
"Hm? Does Brother Gang Ya know him?"
The man called Gang Ya shook his head as he replied.
"I don't know him personally, but I've heard the name. From what I recall, Cangmu Academy and the Dark Realm sent warriors to Qingzhou specifically targeting him, but I haven't heard how that turned out."
The events at Cangmu Academy had been kept strictly under wraps. It was only natural that warriors from Jungto Sinju remained in the dark.
Hogye Meng had no desire for such rumors to spread. If word got out that two of their Hogye Lords had been slain, it would deal a devastating blow to their prestige.
They had to prevent Hogye Meng's reputation from crashing to the ground at all costs.
For that reason, aside from a select few major factions in Jungto Sinju, virtually no warriors had heard about what transpired at Cangmu Academy.
"Don't worry, Brother Gang Ya. In this Qingzhou, the only tricky one is the Daeun Empire. The rest of these countries are nothing but ants. Without their Hogye Lords, they're barely a mouthful for us."
"Mm, you're right."
As he spoke, the old man shifted his gaze toward Cheok Bal-eon. A lecherous smile crept across his lips.
"Heh heh, a beauty like that is exceedingly rare. We can't let her slip away. Besides, Jeoguk is one of the stronger powers in Qingzhou. If we capture that girl, the entire country—and all its wealth—falls into our hands. Isn't that the classic case of getting the best of both worlds? Heh heh heh..."
"Hahaha! I never dreamed I'd come to Qingzhou and end up as emperor!"
At that moment, the middle-aged man took a step forward. An invisible pressure surged toward Cheok Bal-eon's back like a whirlwind.
The old woman beside Cheok Bal-eon raised her hand and thrust out a palm strike to counter it.
Boom!
In an instant, the pressure pouring from the seductive middle-aged man vanished as if it had been a lie.
The middle-aged man's eyes turned toward the old woman.
"Hah, interesting."
Then, he glanced at the two elders standing off to the side.
"You two, since you're here, why not loosen up a bit? How about you take care of those two for me?"
"Understood!"
With their response, the two elders charged toward the old man and old woman guarding Cheok Bal-eon.
"Protect Her Highness!"
The old man and old woman on Cheok Bal-eon's side left afterimages as they shot forward in an instant.
Soon, the four Myriad Laws Realm experts clashed in midair.
Meanwhile, the middle-aged man and the elder called Gang Ya advanced toward Cheok Bal-eon.
The soldiers guarding her didn't budge an inch, even knowing they were mere ants before these two. They couldn't retreat.
Their lord of Jeoguk stood right behind them.
Cheok Bal-eon's expression remained impassive as she gripped two scorching talismans hidden in her wide sleeves.
Flame Burst Talismans!
These were equivalent to heaven-grade spirit artifacts. Though usable only once, if deployed properly, even a Myriad Laws Realm expert would be doomed without escape.
Of course, using them at close range would make it hard for her to survive as well. But it wasn't a bad option.
She knew full well that dying here would spare her agonies worse than death.
As the middle-aged man drew closer, his lascivious gaze on Cheok Bal-eon grew ever more intense.
With a calm expression, Cheok Bal-eon channeled profound energy into both talismans with her hands. They began to vibrate.
Just as they were about to explode, a streak of sword light shot from the distant sky toward the battlefield.
All the warriors in the area looked up in shock.
Cheok Bal-eon also lifted her head to the heavens.
The sword light hurtled down like a falling meteor, at tremendous speed.
The middle-aged man's face darkened as he approached her. He instinctively knew the target of that incoming sword light was himself.
Suddenly, he thrust his right hand toward the sky. A pink silk ribbon shot from his palm toward the sword light.
The pink ribbon intercepted the sword light in midair.
But in that instant, the sword light shook violently.
Boom!
The silk ribbon snapped back to the middle-aged man. And right then, the sword light descended upon his head.
Startled, the middle-aged man didn't block it directly but instead flashed dozens of paces backward in a blink.
At that moment, a young man dropped from the sky to land in front of Cheok Bal-eon.
It was Yeop Hyeon.
And beside him was Cheok Bal-soyo, looking around with wide-eyed curiosity.
Yeop Hyeon pointed his Spirit Water Sword at the middle-aged man who was staring at him.
"Wait just a moment. I'll come take your head soon enough!"
Turning to Cheok Bal-eon, Yeop Hyeon grinned.
"Surprised, huh? Surprised?"
But Cheok Bal-eon made no reply. She simply quietly tucked the Flame Burst Talismans back into her sleeve.
Yeop Hyeon gave her a light embrace.
"Now I'll handle it myself!"
Releasing Cheok Bal-eon, he slowly walked toward the middle-aged man.
Meanwhile, Cheok Bal-soyo approached Cheok Bal-eon, who was silently watching Yeop Hyeon's back.
"Are you a Cheok Bal too?"
Cheok Bal-eon nodded faintly.
"Hee hee, I'm a Cheok Bal too!"
"......"
Yeop Hyeon continued advancing on the middle-aged man. The Spirit Water Sword in his hand had already reached true-grade mid-tier.
In truth, even after absorbing eight swords, he still hadn't broken through to the Divine Fusion Realm. Afterward, he'd urgently sought out O Ru-ju, trading two heaven-grade manuals for one true-grade sword and three name-grade superior swords.
Handing over those two heaven-grade manuals had truly pained him—his hands had trembled.
But there was no choice. To contend with Myriad Laws Realm experts, he absolutely needed the Divine Fusion Realm.
Only after absorbing a total of eleven name-grade superior and true-grade swords did he finally reach the Divine Fusion Realm.
And the Spirit Water Sword had evolved into a true-grade mid-tier blade.
Now in the Divine Fusion Realm, the first thing he wanted to test was whether he could truly fight a Myriad Laws Realm expert.
And his test subject—the middle-aged man—was eyeing him with narrowed eyes.
"You..."
Without giving the man a chance to speak, Yeop Hyeon charged straight at him. In that instant, a streak of sword light targeted the man's brow.
Facing the speed and power of the sword light, the middle-aged man's expression changed drastically.
Countless pink ribbons flew from his palm, wrapping around Yeop Hyeon's sword. The Spirit Water Sword halted in midair, unable to advance further.
Yeop Hyeon naturally released the sword and threw a fist straight at the man's head.
The middle-aged man grimaced but met it with his own fist instead of dodging.
Boom!
As their fists collided and Yeop Hyeon's body was repelled, he swiftly snatched back the Spirit Water Sword. Using the momentum of his backward flight, he broke free from the pink ribbons.
The moment Yeop Hyeon landed dozens of paces away, he kicked off again, shooting forward like an arrow.
A terrifying sword momentum erupted from his Spirit Water Sword.
When the distance between them was mere paces, Yeop Hyeon's sword slashed fiercely toward the man's head.
One Sword Determines Life and Death!
In that instant, the 'borrowed power' condensed in his sword eyes exploded like a erupting volcano!
This single sword's might surpassed the Myriad Laws Realm, approaching the Law Realm!
Catching the unexpected ferocity, the middle-aged man's eyes bulged. This power far exceeded his expectations.
How could a Divine Fusion Realm expert unleash such a strike?!
There was no time to gape. The man hastily retreated half a step in place. In that moment, countless pink ribbons burst from his body, burying both the Spirit Water Sword and Yeop Hyeon.
Silence hung in the air.
Boom!
As the pink ribbons exploded, the middle-aged man staggered back wildly.
Only after retreating dozens of paces did he stop. Two massive trenches scarred the ground beneath his feet.
The watching warriors and soldiers gasped, speechless.
A Divine Fusion Realm pushing back a Myriad Laws Realm?
It was unbelievable, even with their own eyes.
But Yeop Hyeon's assault wasn't over. The Spirit Water Sword in his hand turned into a streak of light and slipped into the scabbard on his back.
A moment of stunned silence followed.
Suddenly, Yeop Hyeon pointed toward the distant middle-aged man.
Whoosh!
A sword light flashed across the battlefield. Its speed was viciously fast—even Gang Ya, the elder watching, couldn't track its trajectory.
The middle-aged man's face paled as he raised both hands to block.
But.
Pfft!
The Spirit Water Sword had already pierced his brow.
The area fell deathly silent, as if doused in cold water.
Yeop Hyeon slowly approached the middle-aged man. The man's trembling eyes, still clinging to life, met his.
"You..."
Yeop Hyeon suddenly smashed a fist into the man's face.
Splat!
The man's head burst like a watermelon.
Recalling his Spirit Water Sword, Yeop Hyeon gazed coldly at the corpse.
"Anyone who touches my people dies without exception!"
With that, he pocketed the man's storage ring and turned away.
Not a breath could be heard in the field.
A Divine Fusion Realm had slain a Myriad Laws Realm!
No one could comprehend this surreal reality.
If a Penetrating Nether Realm killed a Divine Fusion Realm, it wouldn't be so shocking—the gap between them wasn't that vast.
But Divine Fusion and Myriad Laws were worlds apart.
Yet right before their eyes, a Divine Fusion Realm expert had slain a Myriad Laws Realm one.
Gang Ya of the Harmony Sect, staring at Yeop Hyeon, darkened his expression.
In Qingzhou, a Divine Fusion Realm killing a Myriad Laws Realm was virtually unheard of.
But in Jungto Sinju, it was different.
Warriors in the top ten of the Yo Yeolbang rankings were thought capable of such feats. Those in the top five could do it reliably.
This meant the Yeop Hyeon before them was at least on par with a top-ten Yo Yeolbang warrior.
But Gang Ya had no intention of backing down.
For the Harmony Sect, incense paths were immensely valuable. And Jeoguk's national treasury surely held no small fortune.
He couldn't give up here.
With that realization, Gang Ya's eyes grew icy.
The gazes of the Jungto Sinju warriors on Yeop Hyeon were far from friendly. Many openly revealed killing intent.
How could they abandon Jeoguk's treasures when they were right there?
On the other hand, the Jeoguk warriors who'd rushed from all corners were already edging backward.
One man's reputation cast a vast shadow. Yeop Hyeon's solo assault on the imperial palaces of Wol Kingdom and Cho Kingdom, slaying their lords, had already become legend across Qingzhou.
Even the once-mighty Cangmu Academy now dared not challenge him.
Seeing the Jeoguk warriors retreating hesitantly, Gang Ya shouted.
"Jeoguk's treasury holds an enormous hoard of treasures! If you turn back now, how long can you survive in this spirit-energy-depleted Qingzhou?"
At his words, some warriors exchanged glances and hesitated.
"He's just one Divine Fusion Realm expert! With numbers like ours, what's there to fear? Let's all kill him together and claim Jeoguk's treasures!"