All of You, Get the Hell Out!
In that instant, a storm of shivers surged from the depths of the veiled maiden's heart.
Cangjie Sword Lord!
The founder of the Cangjian Sect and the most renowned swordsman in the entire Qingcang Realm.
During the height of his power, who in the realm hadn't knelt before his blade?
The people of Qingzhou might not know, but in Jungto Sinju, there was no one unaware of his might. Back then, the Cangjian Sect, led by the Cangjie Sword Lord, had utterly dominated Hogye Meng.
And the reason that was possible was none other than the Cangjie Sword Lord himself.
'He's alive? And he's Yeop Hyeon's master? If all this is true...'
The veiled maiden tried to view the situation coldly and rationally.
But the more she thought, the stronger the conviction grew in her heart that Yeop Hyeon's words might indeed be true.
For Yeop Hyeon was a sword cultivator as rare as the Cangjie Sword Lord in the Qingcang Realm. Moreover, ascending to Sword Emperor at such a young age was nearly impossible without the backing of a colossal force like the Cangjian Sect.
Most crucially, Yeop Hyeon possessed the sword of the Cangjie Sword Lord.
At that moment, something clicked in the veiled maiden's mind.
"But why is the Sword Immortal behind you a woman? The Cangjie Sword Lord was a man. Doesn't that contradict?"
Yeop Hyeon replied in a calm tone.
"Who said the Sword Immortal and the Cangjie Sword Lord are the same person?"
The veiled maiden clenched her fists tightly under the table. She understood his words immediately. As he said, the Sword Immortal was merely one of several backers supporting Yeop Hyeon.
Someone at the Sword Immortal level would surely be a high-ranking figure in the Cangjian Sect.
A moment of silence fell, and Yeop Hyeon leisurely lifted his teacup with a composed expression.
In contrast, the veiled maiden's face shifted restlessly, betraying her unease.
After a while, regaining her composure, she asked Yeop Hyeon point-blank.
"If everything you say is a trap to ensnare Ma Jong and Gui Jong, then why are you plotting this?"
Yeop Hyeon grinned and answered.
"I can't tell you. Figure it out yourself."
The veiled maiden glanced at him and sank into thought.
"Chaos descends on the Qingcang Realm, and Hogye Meng abandons Qingzhou and Canglan Province to safeguard Jungto Sinju's stability... At that moment, if Hogye Meng seeks to protect its limited spirit energy by eliminating other forces within Jungto Sinju..."
The veiled maiden suddenly shot to her feet.
Yeop Hyeon smirked, his lips curling widely.
"Changmok Academy, Amgye, Sado Family... Doesn't anything come to mind?"
Her eyes flickered at his words. Amgye had already vanished from Jungto Sinju, Changmok Academy had paid a massive fine to Hogye Meng and plummeted endlessly, and the Sado Family had recently lost a True Law Realm expert along with over a dozen Myriad Laws Realm powerhouses, suffering a devastating blow to their forces.
In an instant, she looked at Yeop Hyeon with eyes full of disbelief.
"So Hogye Meng put out the warrant on you specifically to lure Jungto Sinju's factions to Qingzhou and exhaust their strength! You were just the bait—the real movers were them all along!"
Yeop Hyeon gave a look of genuine surprise at her deduction and stuck out his thumb.
"To figure that out? Impressive!"
"Then... what's your next plan?"
"Haha, obviously to wipe out every last warrior from Ma Jong and Gui Jong."
"They're not weak enough to crumble that easily!"
Yeop Hyeon shook his head.
"Back then, the Sado Family and Amgye joined forces, sending two True Law Realm experts, over a dozen Myriad Laws Realm fighters, and hundreds of warriors against me. And the result? As you know, they all vanished from the world without a trace. No matter how strong Ma Jong and Gui Jong are, they won't escape the same fate."
The veiled maiden fell silent, unable to retort.
"If we were enemies, we might try to deceive you, but we're in this together now—why would we? I just want to forge a good alliance with you, the strongest mercenary leader in Jungto Sinju, on this opportunity. Join hands with me, and we'll achieve great things together! What do you say?"
After much deliberation, the veiled maiden finally spoke.
"Fine. I accept your proposal."
"Hahaha, what joyous news! Then, in two days, we'll set out—so prepare accordingly. This time, we've prepared twenty-one True Law Realm experts. On the day of the operation, they'll all charge at the Ma Jong lord simultaneously. Of course, we don't know what hidden weapons Ma Jong has, so we've prepared our own trump cards!"
"Trump cards? What...?"
"Hahaha, it's a secret for now—bear with me. I have other business, so we'll meet later!"
"Wait a moment!"
As Yeop Hyeon turned to leave, the veiled maiden grabbed him.
"Is it certain the Cangjie Sword Lord is alive?"
"Of course! If there's even a shred of falsehood in my words, then I, Go Geom-hyeon, shall never die in peace!"
With that, Yeop Hyeon left the room without looking back.
Left alone, the veiled maiden stared blankly for a long while before exiting.
Leaving Canglan Academy, she slipped out of the city and headed secretly into the depths of a remote mountain.
In the woods, a man awaited her—none other than Ma Jong's lord, Go Myeong-heo.
The veiled maiden hurried to him.
"It seems we've fallen into Hogye Meng's scheme..."
She recounted every word of her conversation with Yeop Hyeon in the room, omitting nothing. Go Myeong-heo's face slowly darkened, his eyes flashing with killing intent, though he quickly regained his composure.
"Hmph... We can't fully trust that Yeop Hyeon fellow!"
"I can't be certain if his words are true or false either, but one thing is clear: someone powerful backs him. Take the Canglan Dao Soldiers, for instance—their gear is all genuine Jin-level equipment. And considering they've only existed for a few months, their prowess..."
The veiled maiden suddenly looked up at Go Myeong-heo.
"Turning a group of soldiers into elites in such a short time is difficult even for a top-tier sect. As you say, Father, we can't trust him completely, but if even a fraction of it is true, our Ma Jong could end up like Amgye, Changmok Academy, or the Sado Family!"
A shadow fell over Go Myeong-heo's face.
At that moment, the veiled maiden continued.
"And the Cangjie Sword Lord... If he's still alive—no, believing such a powerhouse died in the first place was the mistake. Given that Yeop Hyeon has his sword, some connection is certain. If we make an enemy of someone like that..."
She trailed off. It was obvious Ma Jong couldn't withstand the Cangjie Sword Lord.
He had been called invincible in the Qingcang Realm a thousand years ago!
Ma Jong back then was less than an ant in comparison.
If he were truly alive, imagining his realm after a millennium was impossible.
Go Myeong-heo closed his eyes slowly and said,
"Hogye Meng destroying Canglan Province and Qingzhou isn't enough—they're even weakening some Jungto Sinju factions... And we're one of their targets? How can I believe all that?"
"Then go verify it yourself!"
Go Myeong-heo looked at her sharply.
"Verify with whom?"
"The Sado Family!"
His eyes lit up as he let out a low sigh.
"How could I be so foolish? Why didn't I think of the Sado Family sooner? You go back and stick to Yeop Hyeon—monitor his every move! Guard him even when he visits the latrine. Meanwhile, I'll head to the Sado Family!"
"Hurry back!"
Go Myeong-heo nodded.
"I will. You be careful too!"
Moments later, their figures vanished, and the woods fell silent once more.
Gangguk's Imperial City.
The mood inside the city was foul beyond measure. Tens of thousands of Jungto Sinju warriors were camped outside the walls.
And word was that even a True Law Realm expert had arrived!
Meanwhile, after Ma Jong and Gui Jong announced that unrelated to Yeop Hyeon could leave, masses had fled the city. Especially the martial clans within—they led their families out first.
Atop the walls, Yeop Hyeon gazed calmly at the scene below, with Bai Ze, Mu Yun Qi, Ji An Zhi, and others at his back.
Outside the gates, crowds surged to escape. True to their word, Ma Jong and Gui Jong warriors touched no one. As news spread, even more flocked to flee.
Watching the throng, Mu Yun Qi asked Yeop Hyeon anxiously.
"Yeop Gangdo, you're just gonna let 'em go?"
Yeop Hyeon frowned briefly before vanishing in a blur. He reappeared at the gates, startling the crowd into halting.
Facing tens of thousands of eyes, he spoke.
"Everyone, don't trust those Jungto Sinju warriors. They're just trying to..."
"What reason do we have not to believe them?!"
A man stepped forward from the crowd.
"Ma Jong and Gui Jong want your head, not us!"
He pointed at those already exiting.
"Look—they're letting them leave without a fuss!"
"Right! Yeop Wonjang, they're here for you, not us!"
"We don't wanna get dragged into your grudge—clear the way!"
"Yeop Hyeon, you hold the grudge, so why are we suffering? And now you won't even let us escape—you want us to die with you?!"
"Hmph, looks like he doesn't wanna die alone!"
"..."
Everyone vented their fury. If Yeop Hyeon weren't a warrior, they'd have laid hands on him already.
Yeop Hyeon stared back silently, expressionless.
Then Mu Yun Qi appeared beside him, yelling furiously at the crowd.
"Yeah, all get out! Every last one of you, scram!"
The people glared sharply before hurrying past.
Mu Yun Qi reached into the crowd, snatching a man's collar like grabbing meat.
"Mo Seol, you bastard! You running too?"
The man was Mo Seol, a Canglan Academy student!
Mo Seol bowed his head in fear.
"M-My father told me to..."
As Mu Yun Qi reared back to berate him, Yeop Hyeon stopped him.
"Let him go."
Mu Yun Qi ground his teeth and kicked Mo Seol's rear.
"To think I raised trash like you! Get lost!"
Mo Seol saluted Yeop Hyeon, tried to say something, but ultimately fled without a word.
Gang Gu approached Yeop Hyeon quietly.
"Over ten students have left the academy."
Yeop Hyeon replied flatly, face impassive.
"Doesn't matter. Let those who want to leave go. Only those who endure hard times with me deserve to share in wealth and glory!"