Chapter 225: Kill Him Yourself
The warriors' expressions twisted grotesquely upon hearing those words. At first, they had thought Yeon Man Ri was simply trying to protect Yeop Hyeon.
But now it was clear—she was scheming to claim the reward all for herself.
Even the warriors from the Sado family exchanged bewildered glances.
'Wasn't that woman on Yeop Hyeon's side?'
At that moment, Yeon Man Ri swept her gaze over the warriors and spoke.
"I'm warning you—this Yeop Hyeon is mine. No one is taking him from me!"
"We can't let that woman hoard all the treasure like this!"
The warriors snapped to attention at someone's shout.
"Yeop Hyeon is already in my hands. Why shouldn't I claim him?"
"Because you can't!"
One warrior bellowed.
"Why do you think we endured that grueling journey all the way to Qingzhou? For wealth, isn't it? Yeop Hyeon's worth rivals an entire city. Hand him over, and everyone here could live in luxury until their dying days!"
"Exactly! We can't let that fox of a woman swallow it all! We have a right to our share too!"
"What if she's just stalling for time?"
"Nah, no way! She doesn't look like a fool. Would she really make enemies of the entire Qingcang Realm and Hogye Meng over one Yeop Hyeon?"
"……."
At that moment, Yeop Hyeon's body on the chair began to stir faintly. But no one paid it any mind.
Then, an old man stepped forward.
"Listen here, miss. We've all come a long way, suffering hardships. At least consider our efforts and share some of the reward with us. We'll even let you take the lion's share. What do you say?"
Some warriors flashed dissatisfied looks, but they held their tongues—the old man's martial prowess was formidable.
Yeon Man Ri pretended to ponder for a moment.
Seeing his words take effect, the old man pressed on.
"We know your skills are exceptional, so none of us want to fight you. Just yield a little to us, and……."
Yeon Man Ri shook her head in response.
"I'm all for sharing the spoils. But with so many people here, how much would each one get? Instead, why don't just the Myriad Laws Realm experts come with me? We'll take Yeop Hyeon to Hogye Meng together and divide the treasures there!"
Non-Myriad Laws Realm warriors' faces darkened instantly.
Meanwhile, the Myriad Laws Realm experts began to seriously consider it.
At that instant, an old man in a gray robe from the Sado family fixed Yeon Man Ri with a cold glare and spoke.
"From where I stand, you're the one stirring up trouble here!"
The warriors grew wary once more.
They could sense the situation turning strange.
Yeon Man Ri replied calmly.
"Trouble? Then are you saying you'd willingly share the profits with these vermin? I couldn't stomach that."
"If that's true, then fine! The Sado family will join you. But let's kill Yeop Hyeon right here. Hogye Meng wants his corpse, not him alive, don't they?"
All eyes turned back to Yeon Man Ri.
She nodded readily, pointing to Yeop Hyeon slumped on the chair.
"If you want, kill him yourself!"
The old man's expression hardened slightly. He still couldn't gauge if her words were genuine. If she was on Yeop Hyeon's side, she'd strike his back the moment he tried to kill him.
He wouldn't know her true intentions until he made his move.
The Sado family was now bound in enmity with Yeop Hyeon. If they didn't kill him now, the chance might never come again.
The gray-robed old man glanced at his nearby comrades. They nodded subtly, and together they slowly approached the chair where Yeop Hyeon lay.
Eight Myriad Laws Realm experts.
They advanced toward Yeop Hyeon while never fully dropping their guard against Yeon Man Ri.
The very woman in question simply stood there, gripping her Azure Dragon Sword, watching them impassively.
The gray-robed old man inwardly sighed in relief. From this position, even if Yeon Man Ri lunged, they could kill Yeop Hyeon first.
Right then, Yeop Hyeon—lying atop the dragon—snapped his eyes open.
Shing—!
Lightning-like sword light flashed from his eyes.
The gray-robed old man, fixated solely on Yeon Man Ri, never imagined a sneak attack from Yeop Hyeon. All he could do instinctively was raise his arms to shield his vitals.
Sslash—!
Both arms severed in an instant. Instead of countering, the old man tried to flee from Yeop Hyeon.
But in that moment, a single sword pierced his brow.
The hall fell deathly silent.
Then, Yeop Hyeon slowly rose from the chair. His eyes were closed again, and black sword intent radiated from his body.
The warriors assumed defensive stances.
The Myriad Laws Realm experts approaching him swiftly retreated.
Sword Emperor.
Yeop Hyeon had now reached a realm where he could wield the power of heaven, earth, and space.
This meant he was no different from having attained the Myriad Laws Realm.
Everyone knew no one in the hall could match him at the same level.
Someone in the crowd shouted.
"His sword intent is chaotic, and his breathing uneven—he hasn't fully recovered! If we don't unite and strike now, we'll all fall one by one to those two!"
Yeon Man Ri's brow twitched. She couldn't pinpoint the speaker.
And that same voice rang out again.
"If we swarm them together, not even those geniuses can escape death! Sado family warriors, hear this—if we don't kill Yeop Hyeon now, avenging the Sado family will be a distant dream!"
The seven Sado family Myriad Laws Realm experts exchanged glances and leaped at Yeop Hyeon in unison.
Seeing the Sado family lead the charge, the other warriors followed without hesitation.
Yeon Man Ri, now standing before Yeop Hyeon, watched the onrushing horde with a blank expression, like a shepherd facing wolves.
Then, the seven Myriad Laws Realm experts' momentum crashed over Yeop Hyeon and Yeon Man Ri like raging waves.
Yeon Man Ri urgently shouted at Yeop Hyeon.
"How long do you need!?"
"One hour!"
"Just die already!"
As Yeon Man Ri turned to leave, Yeop Hyeon yelled hastily.
"Half an hour! Hold them off somehow!"
With that, Yeon Man Ri spun around, gripped her Azure Dragon Sword in one hand, and slashed downward.
"Azure Dragon Break!"
In that instant, a hundred-zhang surge of azure saber qi erupted from the blade. At its center, an azure dragon reared its head and roared.
The moment the saber qi appeared, the seven experts' auras vanished. They retreated over a hundred zhang in a flash.
But the ordinary warriors charging from behind couldn't react so swiftly.
Boom—!
Dozens were shredded by the saber qi, carving a gorge dozens of zhang deep into the hall floor.
Right then, a shadow flickered toward her.
Law Realm!
Yeon Man Ri frowned and slashed again with the Azure Dragon Sword. But her blade was stopped by a single finger.
True Law Realm.
Yeon Man Ri's brow furrowed as she poured power into the sword. This time, the shadow clamped the blade between his palms.
At that very moment, another shadow materialized silently behind her.
Two True Law Realm experts—top-tier assassins!
In the crisis, Yeon Man Ri abandoned the Azure Dragon Sword and swung her left hand backward. A cold gleam flashed toward her left shoulder.
Shing—!
Her left arm severed from the shoulder. She swiftly withdrew, blood spraying like a dance from the stump.
Seizing her moment of shock, the two True Law Realm experts lunged at Yeop Hyeon. Then, a dragon's roar echoed toward them.
The assassins turned to see Yeon Man Ri, one-handed on the Azure Dragon Sword, striding forward to stand before Yeop Hyeon.
She glared at the two True Law Realm experts with fierce eyes and bellowed.
"I promised him half an hour—no one touches him until then!"
As she roared, blood poured from her severed shoulder like a wild dance.
The Azure Dragon Sword gleamed in Yeon Man Ri's grip, its edge pointed downward, a faint dragon's cry emanating from the blade.
She stood resolute before Yeop Hyeon, refusing to yield a single step.
Before her stood an old man with hair white as snow and a face etched with wrinkles. His eyes were sharp as honed blades. Nearby loomed a man in black robes, feet hovering slightly off the ground. His face was blurred, his presence undetectable—like no being of this world.
This was the True Law Realm.
They were peak experts not just in Qingzhou, but even in Jungto Sinju.
The white-haired old man stared piercingly at Yeon Man Ri and spoke.
"I thought An Ranxiu was Qingzhou's top genius, but you match her without question. Had we two not acted together, I'm not sure we could have severed your arm."
"Hahaha! To think two True Law Realm experts would grace us—I must've scared you that much!"
"Your talent in reaching Sword Emperor at such a young age is indeed fearsome, but not enough to threaten the Sado family. We're simply tying up loose ends, just in case."
'Sado family?'
Yeon Man Ri's gaze shifted from the white-haired old man to the black-robed figure.
"To conceal your aura this perfectly… you must be from the Dark Realm! I thought you'd gone quiet after Yeop Hyeon humiliated you, but you've been honing your blades for revenge all along?"
The black-robed man finally spoke.
"Lady Yeon, we know you're no simple figure. Our goal is Yeop Hyeon. Step aside now, and we won't attack you. But if you meddle to the end, we have no choice!"
Yeon Man Ri glanced at Yeop Hyeon.
"If I'd known you had this many enemies, I never would've allied with you! This queen's suffered more than a little loss today!"
She turned back to the two warriors ahead.
"There's an old saying: 'Build a myriad-li Great Wall in one night.' This queen and Yeop Hyeon… no, forget I said that……."
Her face flushed red, and she charged at the pair, Azure Dragon Sword raised.
"You're throwing away your chance to live!"
The white-haired old man narrowed his eyes and casually flicked his sleeve.
Boom—!
The ground erupted entirely, surging toward Yeon Man Ri like crashing waves.