Chapter 209: I Support You in My Heart
Jeoguk Imperial City.
Yeop Hyeon sat cross-legged inside the Gyeok Ok Tower. A single sword floated before him.
The blade measured about four cheok in length and the width of two fingers. An ominous chill emanated from it, and the hilt bore the carving of an unidentified beast with wide, glaring eyes and a fiercely savage expression.
It was a true treasure of the Heavenly Realm: the Heavenly Realm Sword.
Yeop Hyeon slowly grasped the hilt. The sword hummed faintly but showed no sign of resistance.
Yet he could feel his internal spiritual energy draining away at an alarming rate. The Spirit Water Sword reacted violently within him, as if sensing imminent danger.
As expected, the Spirit Water Sword was still no match for the Heavenly Realm Sword. Even Yeop Hyeon lacked full confidence in subduing it completely.
He released the hilt. In that brief moment, a third of his total spiritual energy had vanished.
In his current state, he could wield this sword a maximum of three times. After those three strikes, his spiritual energy would be utterly depleted.
As if struck by a brilliant idea, Yeop Hyeon sheathed the sword in its scabbard.
The scabbard trembled violently for an instant before settling into stillness.
A moment later, a meaningful smile curved Yeop Hyeon's lips. He had discovered that with the scabbard's aid, he could unleash the flying sword up to five times.
Five strikes.
Combining his current prowess, the scabbard's power, the might of the Heavenly Realm Sword, sword momentum, and sword intent, he could slay an ordinary Myriad Laws Realm expert in an instant. Of course, that assumed the opponent wasn't on utmost alert.
But if one strike failed to kill, he could simply launch another.
At that moment, Yeop Hyeon hurriedly exited the tower.
In the grand hall.
Cheok Bal-eon rushed in and stood breathlessly before him.
"They're here!"
Yeop Hyeon nodded lightly.
"I'll handle it."
As Yeop Hyeon strode out of the hall, Cheok Bal-eon stared blankly at his retreating figure.
Outside the hall, five Myriad Laws Realm experts hovered in the air, gazing down at him. Among them were Gang Ya and Yeon Man Ri, both of whom had lost an arm to him not long ago.
Yeop Hyeon's expression twisted oddly upon spotting Yeon Man Ri.
What's that crazy woman scheming now?
Elder Hap Hwan scanned Yeop Hyeon, poised to strike—when his gaze suddenly shifted rightward.
"I never expected anyone from Hwan So Gate to show up!"
No sooner had the words left his mouth than three elders appeared from one side.
All three were Myriad Laws Realm experts.
Elder Hap Hwan's eyes locked onto the gray-robed elder in the center.
"Hah, Go So-cheon. I didn't think you'd come in person..."
Go So-cheon, the Great Elder of Hwan So Gate. The sect's undisputed number two.
Go So-cheon smiled faintly in response.
"How could Hwan So Gate abandon a woman of the Nae Mi Ji Che constitution?"
His gaze drifted to Cheok Bal-eon, who had appeared behind Yeop Hyeon. He couldn't hide his excitement.
"Indeed, a true Nae Mi Ji Che! To encounter such a rarity—hard to find even in Jungto Sinju—here in this tiny Qingzhou!"
"That child is ours!"
Elder Hap Hwan snapped gruffly, but Go So-cheon laughed.
"You'd best not hope we'll back down!"
As Elder Hap Hwan opened his mouth to retort, a sword suddenly shot up from behind Yeop Hyeon below.
Whing—!
A piercing sword cry tore through the silent sky.
Elder Hap Hwan and the others hastily retreated.
Gang Ya's reaction was a fraction too slow. In that tiny gap, he lost his head.
The area fell deathly silent in an instant.
Yeop Hyeon extended his hand, and the Heavenly Realm Sword flew back to him. He pulled a white cloth from his bosom and wiped the fresh blood from the blade, shaking his head.
"A Myriad Laws Realm expert, and that's all you've got? I only used a third of my power..."
He inspected the cleaned blade from various angles before lifting his head toward Elder Hap Hwan and the rest.
"What's the matter? Why stop your chit-chat?"
The faces of those hovering in the air stiffened rigidly.
Even gravely wounded, Gang Ya had been a Myriad Laws Realm powerhouse!
And Yeop Hyeon had executed him with a single strike.
Yeop Hyeon was merely at the Divine Fusion Realm.
The disdain in their eyes toward him vanished in a flash.
Only Yeon Man Ri maintained her composure, eyes fixed on the sword in his hand.
The Heavenly Realm Sword!
Such a treasure was rare even in the Daeun Empire.
At that moment, an enigmatic smile played on her lips.
Elder Hap Hwan and the others, finally registering the sword, grew even grimmer.
In truth, the Heavenly Realm Sword was a rarity not just in Qingzhou, but even in Jungto Sinju.
For a sword cultivator like Yeop Hyeon, it was akin to wings on a tiger's back.
Having glared coldly at Yeop Hyeon, Elder Hap Hwan turned to Yeon Man Ri.
"Lady Yeon, that brat's no ordinary foe. Giving him more chances is risky. Shall we all charge together?"
"Agreed. Let's do it."
With Yeon Man Ri's assent, Elder Hap Hwan smirked, then eyed Go So-cheon.
"We'll settle the matter of the Nae Mi Ji Che later. First, eliminate him."
Go So-cheon glanced at Yeop Hyeon, nodded gravely.
"Very well."
With both sides' approval, Elder Hap Hwan fixed Yeop Hyeon with a sinister glare.
"Let's see just how formidable you are!"
His figure shot toward Yeop Hyeon like an arrow. The three Myriad Laws Realm experts with him and Go So-cheon's group followed suit.
Seven Myriad Laws Realm powerhouses charging at once.
Their combined might was enough to make all of Qingzhou tremble.
Against them stood Yeop Hyeon, a mere Divine Fusion Realm cultivator.
Yeop Hyeon tapped the flat of his blade against his palm, face impassive. As Elder Hap Hwan closed within a few jang, he unleashed a lightning-fast strike.
Boom—!
A thunderous crash sent Elder Hap Hwan hurtling dozens of jang back. Yeop Hyeon, too, was pushed fifty paces, stopping only at the hall's entrance.
Right then, Go So-cheon and the others descended upon him.
Boom—!
A roar like thunder echoed as the grand hall behind Yeop Hyeon collapsed into rubble.
Yeop Hyeon madly executed footwork to retreat, but Elder Hap Hwan had already returned. Eight Myriad Laws Realm experts now surrounded him.
Kwa-kwa-kwa-boom—!
Ear-shattering explosions rang out as Elder Hap Hwan and the others suddenly withdrew over a hundred jang. At that instant, eight shadows appeared before Yeop Hyeon.
Familiar faces, every one.
Led by former Kanguk Lord Gang Wol-cheon: Bong Nam, Muk Won, the Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Lords of Chwi Seon Ru, and the two elders who served Cheok Bal-eon.
Eight Myriad Laws Realm experts.
Gang Wol-cheon's arrival darkened Elder Hap Hwan's face dramatically.
"Who the hell are you to interfere in the affairs of Hap Hwan Sect and Hwan So Gate?!"
Gang Wol-cheon replied calmly.
"We share life and death with Yeop Hyeon!"
That single declaration clarified all allegiances.
With Qingzhou in crisis, Gang Wol-cheon and Chwi Seon Ru had no choice but to unite.
Bong Nam and Muk Won went without saying—their hope for Yudo rested with Yeop Hyeon. They couldn't let harm come to him.
Moreover, as members of Canglan Academy, failing to act would mean losing their place there.
They had rushed here upon receiving Yeop Hyeon's voice transmission.
Yeop Hyeon slowly advanced toward Elder Hap Hwan and the others.
"I, Yeop Hyeon, bear no great grudge against you yet. If you leave Jeoguk now, we can pretend none of this happened. What say you?"
"Hah! Possible, of course. But we'll be taking that Nae Mi Ji Che girl..."
Before Elder Hap Hwan could finish, Yeop Hyeon bellowed at Gang Wol-cheon and the rest.
"Kill them all! Don't leave a single one alive!"
With those words, he leaped like lightning, slashing down at Elder Hap Hwan.
One Sword Determines Life and Death!
It was a strike infused with all of Yeop Hyeon's power.
Sword momentum, sword intent, and the Heavenly Realm Sword!
This One Sword Determines Life and Death was stronger than any he had unleashed before.
Elder Hap Hwan's face hardened as he spread his arms wide. A pink shield materialized in the space before him, and a torrent of immense energy erupted from his body like a breached dam.
Boom—!
Yeop Hyeon's sword shattered the pink shield and Elder Hap Hwan's energy, sending the elder flying over a hundred jang away.
A massive crater formed where he landed, cracks spiderwebbing across the ground for a hundred jang around.
Yeop Hyeon, too, was hurled back over sixty jang.
Meanwhile, the others had already plunged into fierce combat.
But one person merely observed the chaos.
Yeon Man Ri!
She hadn't joined the fray from the start and was even chatting idly.
Her interlocutor was Cheok Bal-soyo.
While blood flew everywhere, their conversation flowed uninterrupted.
Blood streamed ceaselessly from Elder Hap Hwan's mouth, his organs battered. His arms were torn open to the bone.
Glaring at Yeon Man Ri, who conversed leisurely from afar, his expression froze.
"Lady Yeon! Why are you just standing there?!"
Yeon Man Ri looked flustered at his shout.
"Do I have to fight too?"
"Lady Yeon! Didn't you promise your full support?!"
"That's true. But I never said I'd fight, did I? My support was from the heart. And I'm supporting you heartily right now!"
Cough!
His qi and blood churning, Elder Hap Hwan spat a mouthful of crimson blood. Glaring venomously at Yeon Man Ri, he finally realized he was being toyed with.
But what baffled him was her motive. Killing Yeop Hyeon and toppling Jeoguk and Kanguk would make Daeun Empire the ruler of Qingzhou—and gain a powerful ally in Hap Hwan Sect from Jungto Sinju.
Elder Hap Hwan couldn't fathom her behavior.
In truth, Yeon Man Ri leaned toward Yeop Hyeon.
Jungto Sinju's forces would only bring Qingzhou's ruin. Yeop Hyeon, like her, sought to protect it.
Allying with Hap Hwan Sect was something she could never do.
As Elder Hap Hwan opened his mouth again, Yeop Hyeon—having closed in—slashed down from above.
This strike was even fiercer than the last.
Gritting his teeth, Elder Hap Hwan dodged and fled the battlefield without a backward glance.
'Huh?'