If She Were My Little Sister, I'd Already Be Dead
Ha Huso raised his head and looked at Yeop Hyeon. Yeop Hyeon's figure had already vanished. At the same moment, a streak of sword light appeared in Ha Huso's narrowed eyes, racing toward him.
Fast!
Only a scant few in the area could clearly see Yeop Hyeon's sword.
Ha Huso twisted his body, and the sword light grazed past him by a hair's breadth.
At that instant, Yeop Hyeon's figure reappeared a dozen zhang away from Ha Huso.
He dodged my sword!
Yeop Hyeon's expression remained unshaken, but caution stirred in his heart.
No matter the opponent, complacency was forbidden.
Besides, the man before him was the fourth-ranked in the Night Flame Gang!
How could someone like that be a pushover?
"Qingzhou's top genius? Hah, the frog in the well—that phrase was made for you..."
Before the words could finish, Ha Huso's face twitched faintly. In that moment, a single sword shot toward him like a bolt of light.
This speed surpassed the Divine Fusion Realm—no, it leaped far beyond the Myriad Laws Realm.
A single sword that outstripped ordinary Myriad Laws Realm experts hurtled toward Ha Huso.
Ha Huso took a light step to his right. It was a casual motion, yet it allowed him to evade Yeop Hyeon's swift strike with effortless grace.
"Is this the best Qingzhou's number one has to offer?"
At that moment, a middle-aged man shouted with a mocking sneer.
"To think Qingzhou's famed sword cultivator is this pathetic... Unbelievable..."
From afar, Yeop Hyeon pointed a finger at the man. A flash of sword light gleamed.
Puk!
The man clutched his throat in disbelief. But his neck was already pierced, blood gushing freely.
"I can't stand chatterboxes!"
With an irritated grunt, Yeop Hyeon extended his hand. The sword lodged in the man's throat flew back to his grasp.
Yeop Hyeon held his tongue on further needless words and charged straight at Ha Huso.
Ha Hudo's expression darkened as he watched. Outwardly, it seemed Ha Huso had brushed off the two strikes with ease, but in truth, it had been anything but light.
Yeop Hyeon's skill exceeded his expectations.
Before long, Yeop Hyeon closed in and thrust his sword deeply at Ha Huso. At the same instant, a tremendous sword momentum poured from his blade, shattering the ground in an instant and engulfing Ha Huso.
Ha Huso did not retreat.
Yeop Hyeon's sword pierced straight through Ha Huso's brow.
Puk!
The sound of something being severed rang out.
No—it was the air tearing apart.
A fake?!
Yeop Hyeon hurriedly altered his sword's trajectory, slashing toward the right. But the opponent's fist struck his chest dead-on first.
Thud!
Yeop Hyeon flinched but did not budge. Right then, Ha Huso's face paled dramatically, and his figure retreated over a dozen zhang in a flash.
His chest now bore a long sword scar.
Ha Huso ground his teeth, glaring at Yeop Hyeon. A white stream of energy had formed around Yeop Hyeon's abdomen, blocking Ha Huso's punch.
Pure Intent Sword Intent.
If Evil Intent Sword Intent boasted overwhelming offensive power, Pure Intent Sword Intent excelled in defense and healing.
Ha Huso clenched his fists and soared into the air. Simultaneously, an immense pressure arose between heaven and earth, pressing down on the ground. The earth within a hundred-zhang radius trembled violently.
The warriors paled in shock and scrambled backward in all directions.
Mu Yun Qi and the others watched with increasingly grim expressions.
"Heaven-Earth Martial Qi..."
Meanwhile, in the sky, the pressure radiating from Ha Huso exploded outward. At the same time, a red glow swelled endlessly from his right fist.
Heaven-Earth Momentum!
His Heaven-Earth Martial Qi contained the might of the heavens and earth.
By now, Yeop Hyeon had swapped his original Spirit Water Sword for the Thunder Flash Sword gifted by Yeop Ryeong. The moment the heaven-grade sword entered his hand, sword intent surged from it like raging waves, blocking Ha Huso's aura.
Ha Huso, hovering in the air, flashed a ferocious smile, spun his body, and slammed his fist downward.
"A fist borrowed from the heavens—Earth Collapse!"
In an instant, the 'momentum' gathered in Ha Hudo's fist expanded over fivefold. It pressed down on Yeop Hyeon's sword momentum, unleashing a terrifying force that seemed intent on rending the world as it poured toward the ground.
Compared to Ha Hudo's colossal energy and power, Yeop Hyeon below resembled a tiny boat on the verge of sinking in a massive storm!
As everyone watched in stunned silence, Yeop Hyeon's right foot stamped the ground. In that moment, his entire body transformed into a single streak of sword light and shot skyward.
One Sword Determines Life and Death!
The moment One Sword Determines Life and Death unfolded, sword momentum exploded from his blade, shoving back Ha Huso's oppressive energy. Simultaneously, a streak of sword light pierced through everything, soaring upward with unstoppable momentum.
It was Yeop Hyeon's strongest technique. Infused with Evil Intent Sword Intent, this single sword held enough power to shatter even the heavens.
Rumble...
With a deafening roar, countless sword lights and fist shadows burst outward in all directions from the sky. People cried out in alarm and fled over a hundred zhang away.
Yeop Hyeon and Ha Huso were already lost amid the myriad sword gleams and qi waves. But the ceaseless explosions from above suggested their battle raged on.
Soon, the lights filling the sky began to fade. Yeop Hyeon and Ha Huso slowly revealed themselves.
Facing each other, the two stood about twenty zhang apart.
The Thunder Flash Sword in Yeop Hyeon's hand pointed toward the ground, its blade stained black with Evil Intent Sword Intent, dripping with fresh red blood.
And directly ahead, staring at Yeop Hyeon, Ha Huso was missing one arm.
Seeing Ha Huso had lost his arm, the opposing warriors' faces darkened gravely.
It was an undeniable, utter defeat for Ha Huso.
With a resentful glare, Ha Huso glowered at Yeop Hyeon.
"I didn't lose to you—I lost to your heaven-grade sword!"
Yeop Hyeon swung the sword in his hand a couple times with a smug grin.
"My sister gave me this sword. How is it my fault you don't have a heaven-grade weapon? Shouldn't you blame yourself for not having a sister like that?"
"..."
Yeop Hyeon gazed at the Thunder Flash Sword, his heart content. Anything from Yeop Ryeong pleased him.
I'm so glad I have a little sister!
Of course, if she were like Cheok Bal-eon, he'd have needed two lives to survive. Yeop Hyeon was relieved she wasn't his sister.
"I was careless! The Sado family underestimated you too! But don't worry—next time, I won't be careless..."
Right then, the Thunder Flash Sword slipped from Yeop Hyeon's hand, streaking as sword light toward Ha Huso. He raised his hand to block it.
But he'd forgotten his arm had just been severed. As panic crossed his face, the sword pierced his brow.
Puk!
A spurt of blood erupted from between his eyes.
Yeop Hyeon walked slowly toward Ha Huso.
"Next time? Where's that? You dream big!"
Yeop Hyeon reached out, and the storage ring on Ha Huso's finger flew to him.
Checking the contents, Yeop Hyeon nearly dropped it in shock.
Inside was a true-grade sword artifact and nearly a hundred million top-grade spirit stones.
An unexpected windfall brought a smile to Yeop Hyeon's lips.
These were undoubtedly spoils Ha Huso had plundered on his way to Qingzhou.
Yeop Hyeon turned to the hundreds of warriors staring at him. They too likely carried treasures looted from Chang Lan Province.
If they entered Qingzhou, the situation in Jiang Kingdom and Jeoguk would deteriorate beyond imagination.
Meeting Yeop Hyeon's eyes, fear began blooming in the warriors' gazes.
Yeop Hyeon had slain Ha Huso, the Night Flame Gang's fourth-ranked, with ease. It meant his power was at least that level.
The warriors confronting him felt dread. A one-on-one with Yeop Hyeon meant death.
Yet after coming so far, they couldn't just retreat. Qingzhou held women, treasures—everything they desired!
Withdrawing now would mean massive losses.
Just then, a hunchbacked old man stepped forward.
A Law Realm powerhouse.
Approaching Yeop Hyeon, the elder offered a kindly smile.
"This old man is the Great Elder of the Hyeon Yu Sect from Jungto Sinju. Our sect isn't vast, but we boast over ten Myriad Laws Realm experts and four or five Law Realm ones..."
The elder gave Yeop Hyeon an apologetic look.
"Ah, this isn't a threat, young friend. Just stating facts—no need for other thoughts."
"Understood! By the way, Elder, do you know of Chang Mok Academy?"
"Who hasn't heard of Chang Mok Academy?"
"Then we'll speak the same language. When I destroyed it, I alone slew over ten Myriad Laws Realm experts and Law Realm ones. Oh, all by myself, without any help.
Eh? What's that look? You don't believe me? But it's all true. I, Yeop Hyeon, annihilated Chang Mok Academy without a single backer!"
The elder's face remained serene as he listened.
Yeop Hyeon returned a friendly smile.
A moment later, the elder chuckled softly.
"Well then, excuse me."
With that, he departed.
He'd decided against clashing with Yeop Hyeon.
The tale of Chang Mok Academy targeting Yeop Hyeon had rocked Jungto Sinju. And his sect was far weaker than that academy.
In the end, Chang Mok Academy in Qingzhou vanished, while Yeop Hyeon survived.
That fact alone dispelled countless doubts.
Having reached the Law Realm, the elder instinctively knew some people were not to be touched. He understood that provoking such a one could endanger not just himself, but his entire sect.
Instead of fighting, the elder chose to lurk in the shadows and observe further.
After he vanished, none of the hundreds of warriors stepped forward.
No one wanted to lose their head needlessly.