I'm Going to Jungto Sinju
Yeop Hyeon's body slowly descended from the air. Yeon Man Ri leaped forward, catching him and landing on the ground.
At this moment, Yeop Hyeon's face was deathly pale. His entire body trembled violently, as if enduring immense agony.
The warriors of Jungto Sinju's eyes lit up at the sight.
Yeon Man Ri pulled out a purple elixir and fed it to Yeop Hyeon, but there was no sign of improvement.
It was right then.
In an instant, the warriors in the area erupted in clamor. At the same time, a red light flashed in the sky, and from it, a massive scroll of light unfurled downward. Ten names in crimson script were listed upon it.
And Yeop Hyeon's name was right there on the second line.
1. [Name]
2. Yeop Hyeon
3. [Name]
4. [Name]
5. [Name]
6. [Name]
7. [Name]
8. [Name]
9. [Name]
10. [Name]
This list was exactly what it sounded like—a roster created by Hogye Meng to hunt down those who had committed grave crimes across the entire Qingcang Realm.
In simple terms, anyone whose name appeared on it had made enemies of the whole Qingcang Realm.
And killing Yeop Hyeon, positioned on the second line, would be seen as upholding justice and purging evil.
A wanted list from Cangjie!
Yeon Man Ri's grip tightened as she stared at the sky. Her expression grew gravely heavy.
This just got troublesome!
By now, Yeop Hyeon had regained some clarity of mind. The pain was simply too intense for him to steady his body.
He knew the Heavenly Maiden had left. She'd abandoned Hogye Meng behind.
It would undoubtedly be a grueling battle.
There was no choice. This was the path he had chosen.
Yeop Hyeon had resolved to carve his own way forward. No matter what obstacles lay ahead, he would have to overcome them himself.
Of course, a small part of him wondered if he should have taken an easier route.
He bit the tip of his tongue to stay conscious. Losing awareness in this situation might mean never waking again.
As he'd anticipated, once the Heavenly Maiden vanished, the Jungto Sinju warriors began slowly regaining their composure.
With the prize of Qingzhou right before them, turning back empty-handed was utterly unacceptable!
"Avenge the clan head!"
At that moment, a Myriad Laws Realm powerhouse from the Sado family roared in fury and charged at Yeop Hyeon.
Seeing this, Yeon Man Ri swung her Azure Dragon Sword fiercely with one hand. A blade qi surged toward the foe.
Boom!
The oncoming Myriad Laws Realm expert was blasted back over a hundred zhang.
All eyes turned to Yeon Man Ri.
She glared at the hundreds of warriors with icy eyes and bellowed,
"Let's see who dares step forward next!"
"Everyone, attack together!"
A Myriad Laws Realm powerhouse stepped forth and shouted,
"Kill those two, and we'll never worry about cultivation resources for life!"
The warriors eyed Yeop Hyeon and Yeon Man Ri. Their gazes were already consumed by madness.
Kill the pair, and they'd gain treasures enough for lifetimes.
At that point, Aju from the rear urgently called out,
"My lord, Hogye Meng has made up its mind—he's as good as dead. You must withdraw for now!"
"You mean abandon Yeop Hyeon?"
"Protecting him could make the Daeun Empire Hogye Meng's next target."
"I know what you're saying. But leave him like this, and the man dies!"
As Aju opened her mouth to say more, Yeon Man Ri waved her off.
"It was I who proposed we stand against these Jungto Sinju warriors together. If I break that promise and flee, I could never forgive myself!"
Yeon Man Ri shouted coldly at the Jungto Sinju warriors,
"Not a hair on his head touches before I fall!"
Seeing her resolve, Aju fell silent.
It was advice for her sake, but pressing further would overstep a vassal's bounds, Aju thought.
The Sado family Myriad Laws Realm powerhouses' faces twisted viciously at Yeon Man Ri's words. An elder in black robes bellowed,
"No need for talk—just kill the woman and Yeop Hyeon both! If we cower here, what right have we to riches and glory? Charge!"
In that instant, seven Myriad Laws Realm powerhouses surged toward Yeop Hyeon and Yeon Man Ri.
Hundreds of frenzied Jungto Sinju warriors followed in their wake.
Such a force could slay even a True Law Realm expert.
Mu Yun Qi and the trio stood before Yeop Hyeon. Facing the onrushing horde, they wore expressions of resolved death.
Meanwhile, Cheok Bal-eon spun a small hammer excitedly at his side. This was her first massive brawl(?).
Yeon Man Ri turned to Mu Yun Qi and the others.
"Hurry back to the Daeun Capital. Bring the Chang Lan Dao Soldiers, Black Flame Cavalry, and the empire's guards!"
"My lord, there's no time!"
Aju cried out.
"No worries. This king will buy time!"
With those words, Yeon Man Ri scooped up Yeop Hyeon and bolted toward the deep mountains.
The pair's flight momentarily stunned the black-robed elder. A fellow Myriad Laws Realm warrior beside him shouted,
"Yeop Hyeon's gravely wounded. We must kill him now to eliminate future threats!"
The elder snapped back to focus.
If Yeop Hyeon recovered, he'd be an even bigger headache!
Soon, the Sado family Myriad Laws Realm warriors led hundreds in pursuit of Yeon Man Ri and Yeop Hyeon.
Mu Yun Qi and Bai Ze tried to follow, but Aju blocked their path.
"Your skills would only burden them. As your lord commanded, rush back for the Dao Soldiers and return. We must stop them from entering Qingzhou!"
With that, Aju vanished from the field in a flash.
Mu Yun Qi turned worriedly toward where Yeop Hyeon had disappeared.
"Yun Qi, we do as Yeon小姐 said!"
Bai Ze urged. Mu Yun Qi nodded.
Ji An Zhi wordlessly shot toward the transport formation.
As Mu Yun Qi moved to follow, she suddenly halted and returned.
"So-yo, you not going?"
"Nah, I'm heading to Jungto Sinju!"
Mu Yun Qi asked no more and dashed off with Bai Ze toward the formation.
Cheok Bal-eon looked up at the deep mountains.
Then, an explosion echoed from the depths.
She tore her gaze away and raced along the Qingzhou road.
"Sword cultivator, hang in there just a bit. I'll bring Father, Uncle, and Big Bro... Ah, but I hate running back like this... This wasn't the plan..."
Cheok Bal-eon sobbed as she ran.
Jungto Sinju.
News of Yeop Hyeon's placement on the Qingcang Realm wanted list spread like wildfire across the continent. With such lavish rewards on a low-realm target, hordes headed to Qingzhou—half curiosity, half dreams of instant wealth.
In some deep mountain hollow, a woman stuffed massive rice cakes into her mouth nonstop while chasing something.
It was Luk Ban-jang.
Right then, a huge scroll unfurled above her and her band of followers, crimson script appearing.
Spotting "Yeop Hyeon" amid the names, she spat out her chewed cake.
Yuk Gwang rushed to her side in alarm.
"Don't even think about doing something stupid!"
Luk Ban-jang ignored him and shot off.
Yuk Gwang blocked her path.
"You crazy? Don't you know that's the Cangjie wanted order? Helping him means making enemies of the entire Qingcang Realm—not to mention crippling our clan!"
"...Then from now on, I'm not a Yuk family member."
Yuk Gwang yanked the departing Luk Ban-jang back.
"Are you seriously insane?"
"Bro, if someone were about to kill your sibling, what would you do?"
Yuk Gwang drew a deep breath and replied,
"You idiot, that's a Cangjie wanted order—issued by Hogye Meng!"
"That's why I gotta go."
With that, Luk Ban-jang launched herself forward.
"Go like this, and you're expelled from the clan—expelled!"
Yuk Gwang's bellow echoed behind, but she didn't even glance back.
Neung Family Manor.
A man cautiously slipped out the main gate. Confirming the street empty, he bolted like an arrow. But before rounding the corner, a middle-aged man blocked his path.
The younger man startled, then plastered on a fawning smile.
"Heh heh, Father, off on a trip?"
This was none other than Neunghan.
"To Qingzhou, right?"
"Qingzhou?"
Neunghan feigned confusion.
"What's this sudden talk of Qingzhou? Got business there?"
"......"
"Haha, Father, just heading out for a drink. Really!"
"...I know about you and this Yeop Hyeon. For a stubborn fool like you to call him 'hyungnim,' he must be no ordinary man! I won't stop you associating with him. However!"
The middle-aged man sighed deeply before continuing.
"Son, this is a Cangjie wanted order. One misstep, and you'll have the whole Qingcang Realm against you! Our Neung family isn't weak in Jungto Sinju, but we can't rival Hogye Meng!"
Neunghan listened silently.
"Since the Qingcang chaos began, Hogye Meng has recalled all its Qingzhou and Canglan Continent operatives. They're abandoning those two continents. Yet Yeop Hyeon gathers forces to defy that—think Hogye Meng will let him be?"
Neunghan gave a wry smile.
"Father, but he's my brother!"
"And you and I are father and son! If this brings shame on the Neung family, could you live at ease?"
After long silence, Neunghan met his father's eyes with resolve.
"Father, Yeop-hyung survived the Changmok Academy and shadow realm alliance. Think he's ordinary? Word is he's already ascended to Sword Emperor! Ever heard of someone reaching Sword Emperor in Jungto Sinju before twenty?"
The middle-aged man fell quiet. Neunghan pressed on.
"Father, I'm a Neung family man—that won't change. You're speaking from the clan's interests, so let me address that. Hogye Meng targeting Yeop-hyung means he's that formidable. Otherwise, they'd have struck directly instead of issuing a wanted order!"