Chapter 207: Collection Time! Love Collection Time!
Gang Ya's shout drew a reaction from the Jungto Sinju warriors. The men, who had been milling about uncertainly, twisted their faces in resolve and charged toward the cavalry.
Their numbers were overwhelming, enough to crush the opposition through sheer volume.
Qualitatively, though, Yeop Hyeon's side held the edge. Especially since they had a monster like Cheok Bal-soyo on their team!
When it came to battle, she was a powerhouse second to none.
Even in a one-on-one, not even Yeop Hyeon could guarantee victory over her.
Cheok Bal-soyo's hammer crashed into the mob, instantly claiming over a dozen warriors' lives.
No one dared block her hammer for even a single exchange.
Her rank as eighth in Yo Yeolbang was no fluke.
Likewise, the Chang Lan Dao Soldiers swept through with unstoppable momentum. Ordinary Jungto Sinju warriors couldn't hope to stand against them.
Before long, the hundred-strong Chang Lan Dao Soldiers were dominating hundreds of elite Jungto Sinju fighters.
It wasn't just their superior skill— the Jungto Sinju warriors lacked any organization. They focused solely on dodging attacks, never aiding their comrades. They were desperate only to save their own skins.
Against regular soldiers, these individually superior warriors might have prevailed. But their foes were elite, well-drilled Dao Soldiers with fearsome personal prowess!
A single thought burned in the Dao Soldiers' minds: kill the enemy before you.
Meanwhile, as Gang Ya rushed toward the Chang Lan Dao Soldiers, Yeop Hyeon's devastating single sword strike hurtled at him.
Boom!
The blow sent Gang Ya flying over a hundred zhang.
As he barely regained his footing, a sword shot from the sword sheath on Yeop Hyeon's back like a streak of light.
Gang Ya saw the blade's ferocious momentum and didn't dare block it, hurling himself to the left instead. But the sword was faster.
Slash!
Gang Ya's left arm flew off, spraying blood into the air.
The Spirit Water Sword looped back dramatically into Yeop Hyeon's sheath. He didn't launch it again— Gang Ya had already fled the palace, severed arm and all.
He could have pursued with sword arts, but the distance would halve its power.
From afar, the fleeing Gang Ya glared at Yeop Hyeon with venomous eyes laced with fear.
Yeop Hyeon's flying sword was simply too terrifying.
By now, the Jungto Sinju warriors were in full collapse.
Feeling the Dao Soldiers' horrifying might, they began slinking away. They hadn't gathered here for some noble cause— just for loot. They had no intention of dying for it.
As one fled, then two, the rest poured out of the palace like the tide.
Gang Ya's face twisted as he watched in stunned silence.
Yeop Hyeon suddenly shot toward him. Instinctively, Gang Ya retreated fifty or sixty zhang.
When he finally halted, Yeop Hyeon stood exactly where he'd been moments before.
The distance between them remained vast.
Yeop Hyeon frowned in dissatisfaction. He was confident he could catch the man, but there was no countering someone who just ran.
In the end, he gave up on Gang Ya and turned away. In that instant, the Spirit Water Sword burst from his sheath, piercing the brow of a warrior dozens of zhang distant.
Soon after, the Jungto Sinju warriors vanished from the palace, leaving only around two hundred corpses behind. The Jeoguk warriors had fled long ago upon seeing Gang Ya outmatched.
They realized they could never topple Jeoguk with Yeop Hyeon aiding it.
At that moment, the two Myriad Laws Realm experts battling the two elders in midair halted. Further fighting held no meaning for them.
But they didn't leave the hall. Gang Ya, too, lurked at a distance, eyeing Yeop Hyeon's back.
Yeop Hyeon ignored the trio and recalled his Spirit Water Sword.
"Soyo, let's collect with the brothers!"
"Collection!? Love collection, love collection!"
Cheok Bal-soyo beamed and shouted to the Dao Soldiers.
"Alright, let's sweep it clean!"
The Dao Soldiers bowed deeply to her before starting to loot the corpses.
They'd shown her respect at first for Yeop Hyeon's sake. Now, it was genuine admiration.
She was that strong.
Without her, they couldn't have wrapped this up so quickly. She'd targeted and eliminated the strongest foes with ruthless speed. Facing her, the Jungto Sinju warriors had descended into pandemonium.
Every hammer swing shattered a skull— who wouldn't fear that?
In the Qingcang Realm, strength was law. The mighty commanded infinite respect.
Even at looting, Cheok Bal-soyo was top-tier. Blame her taste for banditry.
Meanwhile, Yeop Hyeon approached Cheok Bal-eon slowly. Her Gold Owl Guard escorts hurriedly cleared a path.
As Cheok Bal-eon opened her mouth to speak, Yeop Hyeon pulled a glossy, oiled book from his bosom and handed it over.
"Thunderbolt Incantation (奔雷咒), Heavenly Grade Martial Technique. A gift."
'Heavenly Grade Martial Technique?'
Cheok Bal-eon looked up, meeting Yeop Hyeon's eyes.
Not just her— everyone gaped. Even the two Myriad Laws Realm experts from Jungto Sinju peeked over and recoiled in shock.
Heavenly Grade techniques defied valuation.
Some said one could trade for an entire city.
Jeoguk's imperial house, with millennia of history, had never owned one.
In all Qingzhou, only Changmok Academy and the Daeun Empire boasted such treasures.
Yet Yeop Hyeon casually produced one.
He smiled at the speechless Cheok Bal-eon.
"Why the long face?"
"Why give me this…"
Yeop Hyeon chuckled softly, pressing the book into her hand.
"Why? I wanted to, that's why."
She stared at him a long moment before accepting it.
Just then, Cheok Bal-soyo returned from her clean sweep, grinning ear to ear.
"Sword Cultivator, we hit it big today!"
"Haha, anything good?"
"Twenty-nine billion nyang in gold, seven million top-grade spirit stones, seven Mingjie weapons, seventy-two top-grade spirit artifacts, and a bunch of junk that wasn't worth much!"
Seven million top-grade spirit stones!
Yeop Hyeon nodded lightly. Less than Changmok Academy's haul, but no small prize. Especially spirit stones gained like this— invaluable.
"Soyo, pull out thirty percent and divide it among the brothers."
Cheok Bal-soyo glanced at the Dao Soldiers and nodded.
"Got it!"
The Dao Soldiers' eyes widened at the unexpected windfall, exchanging glances.
They already received solid monthly pay from Canglan Academy, plus resources, gear, and pills for training.
Their treatment was more than satisfactory.
One Dao Soldier stepped forward.
"Dean, we already get plenty of support. No need to share spoils with us."
His heart stirred at the treasures, but he knew greed had limits. Excess became poison.
"Haha! No. Without you, there'd be no spoils. From now on— every mission, thirty percent to you, the rest to the academy!"
As the soldier hesitated, Cheok Bal-soyo tossed him a storage ring.
"It's your due— take it without fuss!"
The Dao Soldiers bowed formally to Yeop Hyeon and withdrew without protest.
"Yeop Hyeon, can I borrow some of them?"
Cheok Bal-eon asked.
"Jungto Sinju stragglers are still causing trouble in the city. Regular soldiers can't handle them."
Yeop Hyeon nodded.
"Sure, fifty Dao Soldiers. Have your people guide them to the threats. And Cheok Bal-eon, Gang Gu— let's talk privately."
"What about those guys?"
Gang Gu pointed to Gang Ya and the others.
They'd retreated far from Yeop Hyeon, terrified of his flying sword.
An old retainer behind Cheok Bal-eon spoke up.
"We'll guard them, no need to worry."
Yeop Hyeon nodded curtly and entered the throne room with Cheok Bal-eon and Gang Gu.
Cheok Bal-soyo slipped out of the palace instead of joining them.
From what she'd overheard, countless Jungto Sinju warriors still roamed the Imperial City.
'Can't miss a chance to get rich!'
Inside the sealed throne room, the three sat across a table.
Yeop Hyeon spoke first.
"I want a new Dao Soldier unit. Ten men— small, but elite. Top-tier skill, and I'll equip them with the best gear."
"So… True Grade equipment?"
Gang Gu asked. Yeop Hyeon nodded.
Cheok Bal-eon and Gang Gu exchanged surprised glances.
'True Grade gear?'
The women fell silent.
Yeop Hyeon gave a wry smile. He knew it was mad.
A single True Grade piece rivaled a city's worth. His own sword sheath exceeded thirty billion nyang in gold.
He still owed Chwiseonru over twenty million top-grade spirit stones. Sword cultivator gear cost more, but even standard Mingjie pieces ran at least fifteen million top-grade stones each.
In their situation, that was enormous.
Cheok Bal-eon met his eyes.
"Even emptying Jeoguk and Ganguk treasuries wouldn't cover True Grade gear easily. And wasting national strength now could cost more than it gains."
"She's right. True Grade is insanely expensive."
Gang Gu agreed.
"Then here's the deal: I'll cover the cost. You find the people."
The women stared.
"Where would you get that kind of money?"