Chapter 53: Next Life, I Hope You're Born with a Handsomer Face
Before Yeop Hyeon could even draw his sword, the long-haired man pulled out his blade first and charged straight at him.
The swing of his sword carried a ferocious momentum that was utterly ruthless.
Yeop Hyeon didn't underestimate his opponent for a second.
His expression hardened as the full force of his sword energy surged from within his body into his right fist like a tidal wave.
At that moment, Yeop Hyeon clenched his fist tight.
Boom!
In an instant, an invisible fist momentum erupted from his fist, blocking the man's overwhelming domineering momentum.
The man's eyes began to waver.
That's when Yeop Hyeon stomped the ground with his right foot. His body shot forward like a bowstring snapping taut.
Boom!
A thunderous crash echoed through the chamber as both figures exploded backward in a burst of force. Yeop Hyeon planted his feet firmly and halted in place, while the long-haired man barely stopped himself by driving his sword deep into the ground.
As Yeop Hyeon moved to press the attack, the long-haired man suddenly shouted.
"You... you two can go in!"
The man had realized these two weren't ordinary foes—they were vicious killers. He had no desire to keep fighting.
Yeop Hyeon paused at the words and turned toward Gang Gu.
But she was no longer there.
When he glanced back at the long-haired man, he saw Gang Gu charging right at him.
Slash-slash-slash!
Gang Gu swung her sword three times.
Each stroke produced a razor-sharp whistle that pierced the ears.
With her third swing, the chamber fell silent once more.
Sheathing her sword, Gang Gu turned to Yeop Hyeon.
"And what an ugly mug on top of it!"
With that, she spun on her heel and headed for the cave entrance.
Inside the cave, a maze of narrow paths branched out before the two.
Gang Gu frowned.
Just then, Yeop Hyeon's face changed dramatically. The Spirit Water Sword inside him had begun to stir.
Gang Gu stopped and looked at him.
"What's wrong?"
Yeop Hyeon fell silent for a moment, then pointed to one of the paths and shouted.
"This way!"
What is this feeling?!
The Spirit Water Sword felt like it was guiding him.
Gang Gu stared at him for a long beat before speaking.
"You sure?"
Yeop Hyeon nodded.
"Good!"
Yeop Hyeon trusted Gang Gu because of An Ranxiu.
Likewise, Gang Gu trusted him because he'd single-handedly held off the authorities back then—and because An Ranxiu thought highly of him.
If An Ranxiu approved of someone, their character was beyond reproach.
The two entered the narrow path. The farther they went, the graver Yeop Hyeon's expression grew.
The cave was littered with countless corpses, all brutally mangled.
Gang Gu's words rang true: Fortuitous encounters weren't found—they were seized.
After walking for about half a shichen, they realized they were heading deeper underground toward the mountain's base.
"We're going the right way, right?"
"Yes. Straight down."
The sensation from the Spirit Water Sword inside him pulled relentlessly downward.
Gang Gu nodded wordlessly. Another half shichen passed, and they hit a dead end.
No way forward!
Suddenly, Yeop Hyeon unleashed a punch at the wall.
Boom!
The wall crumbled in a massive roar, revealing another space beyond.
Gang Gu stepped up beside him and peered inside. Faintly visible was a palace-like structure, and hovering directly above it was a sword as black as pitch.
She turned to Yeop Hyeon.
"How'd you know where the Sword Lord was?"
Yeop Hyeon smiled and drew the Spirit Water Sword.
"This sword told me."
Gang Gu examined it, then fixed him with a stare.
"You idiot? You tell everything just 'cause someone asks?"
She smacked his shoulder.
"Think before you speak from now on!"
With that curt remark, she passed through the hole toward the palace.
Yeop Hyeon said nothing. He didn't spill his secrets to just anyone, either.
He'd revealed the secret of the sword within him not just because Gang Gu was An Ranxiu's friend. After spending time together, he'd sensed she was trustworthy.
Wasn't sincerity the most important thing in making friends?
If you wanted to befriend someone, you laid everything bare without deceit.
That was his principle.
Yeop Hyeon and Gang Gu approached the palace.
Up close, it wasn't all that large. Dim light from all directions bathed it, lending an eerie chill.
Yeop Hyeon looked up at the sword floating in the air. About three chi long, its tip glowed with a crimson light.
His eyes heated as he gazed at it.
This sword was no low-grade weapon—at a glance!
Gang Gu headed for the palace doors. Suddenly, Yeop Hyeon grabbed her arm and shook his head. Releasing her, he peered inside. His instincts screamed danger.
Right then, both turned sharply to the right. A man in black-and-white robes and a woman in a matching skirt approached, their auras far from ordinary.
The man and woman said nothing upon seeing Yeop Hyeon and Gang Gu.
"Heh heh!"
A chilling laugh echoed as a shadow flickered through the chamber. At the base of the stone steps by the entrance stood a man in a voluminous black robe, arms hidden in wide sleeves, grinning oddly.
Thud, thud!
Footsteps rang out again. A woman approached the palace with slow strides.
Her sky-blue skirt dragged on the ground, a white sash cinched at her waist accentuating her lithe figure. Her features were sharp and beautiful, but her face was as cold as eternal ice.
"It's her," Gang Gu said, brow furrowed.
"Who?"
"Bei Chen—one of Cangmu Academy's two great geniuses."
Cangmu Academy!
Yeop Hyeon whipped his head toward Bei Chen.
She wouldn't try to claim it right here, would she?
He wasn't afraid, but a fight in this place would complicate things.
Bei Chen quietly took a spot to the side, closed her eyes, and said nothing. But she snapped them open, glancing behind Yeop Hyeon and Gang Gu.
They turned to see a man with wild, disheveled hair walking in. His simple clothes were riddled with holes, and a black xuantie axe hung from his back.
His arrival darkened everyone's expressions.
Even Gang Gu's gaze grew serious.
The man scanned the chamber, then silently stood to one side of the palace.
The atmosphere grew oppressively heavy.
Amid it all, the black-robed man on the steps spoke to Gang Gu.
"From the look of you, you're that famed princess of Kanguk!"
Gang Gu shot back curtly.
"So? Wanna throw down?"
"Heh heh, not at all! I hear you're best friends with Kanguk's top genius, An Ranxiu. Why hasn't she come?"
An Ranxiu!
Her name from his lips shifted expressions among the warriors. Even the axe-bearing man turned, curiosity plain on his face.
An Ranxiu's name was known not just in Kanguk, but in neighboring lands and even the mountain sects above.
Gang Gu blinked.
"How'd you know she wasn't coming?"
The man smirked with a creepy grin.
"Shame she didn't. We could've seen if that famous An Ranxiu's skills are real or just hype!"
"You'd die the second she saw you. She's on a whole other level."
As her friend, Gang Gu knew her strength better than anyone. An Ranxiu could make any genius despair.
"Heh heh, is that so? Makes it even more exciting."
Gang Gu ignored him. She scanned the warriors.
"No one's stepping up, so I'll start. This is where the Sword Lord lies. But no one wants to go first—they've all sensed the danger signals from inside. Standing around glaring isn't helping, so here's my proposal: We team up. Until whenever each of us decides otherwise. Sound good?"
The warriors nodded in agreement.
Gang Gu eyed the palace doors.
"Who goes first?"
"I'll start."
The black-robed man on the steps flicked his fingers. A black object shot out, shattering the doors to splinters.
Wariness flickered in some eyes at the display.
Then a voice boomed from within.
"You've come!"
"......"
"Enter!"
As everyone froze, the voice rang out again.
They only exchanged glances—no one dared move.
No one had imagined someone inside.
Yeop Hyeon stepped toward the palace. All eyes locked on him as Gang Gu yanked his arm.
"What are you doing?!"
Yeop Hyeon's mind blanked for a second.
What am I doing?
His face darkened. Some mysterious force had just pushed him toward the palace—the Spirit Water Sword.
Is the Spirit Water Sword connected to the Sword Lord somehow?
Ah! Sword Lord?
Something flashed in his mind. The figure he'd seen upon first entering the Gyeok Ok Tower had called himself a Sword Lord too. Were they linked?
"Bunch of cowards. I'll go in!"
The black-robed man strode inside.
The others followed.
The warriors entering the hall froze in shock.
Countless wooden puppets filled the space—thousands, all shaped like a single boy, wooden swords at their waists. Yeop Hyeon jolted.
Spirit Water Sword!
The puppets' wooden swords matched it perfectly—even engraved with "Spirit Water"!