Chapter 25
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Translator: MJK
Chapter: 10.1
Chapter Title: Blade Lord
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The situation was unfolding even better than he had anticipated, yet An Hoe's expression remained grim.
"Will that Blade Lord really just sit idly by?"
That was the reason.
From what he'd seen through Mi Bang and Mi Ryang, the Blade Lord was an arrogant man.
For such a person, everything he'd meticulously prepared over so long was now crumbling away.
And it had happened while losing his cherished subordinates in the process, so it was only natural that he'd be consumed by rage.
"He's the one scheming a rebellion and shaking hands with Evil Spirit Castle. It wouldn't be surprising no matter what insane stunt he pulls next."
Of course, whatever he did from here, reversing the already twisted course of events would be no easy task.
So the Blade Lord's likely move would be...
"Punishing those who ruined his plans—starting with assassinating the city lord, something along those lines?"
Just in time, a few protectors had returned to the clan, so he could act with their assistance.
From those protectors' standpoint, wouldn't they desperately wish for revenge on behalf of their Chief Protector, whom they revered like a master?
"Of course, there's also the chance the Blade Lord won't make a move."
Stubborn pride aside, his devotion to the clan was genuine.
Would a man like that really throw a pointless tantrum over mere personal grudges?
It defied all common sense.
But then, if he'd been sensible to begin with, he never would have resorted to such madness.
An Hoe pondered for a moment before shaking his head.
"I'll worry about that later. For now, there's something here I need to grab."
Muttering to himself, An Hoe began rummaging through the bookshelf in one corner of the office.
Expensive valuables lay scattered about, but he ignored them completely, his hands probing the shelves in a way that looked utterly bizarre.
-Click—
But that lasted only a moment. A loud clatter rang out, and soon a section of the bookshelf split open, revealing a hidden compartment.
The space itself wasn't particularly large.
But what lay concealed within was anything but insignificant.
Ten gold bills each worth a hundred nyang from the Continental War Bank, five kwan of gold, jade pearls the size of a baby's fist, and a single small wooden box.
Treasures enough to make one's eyes bulge, yet the item that drew An Hoe's attention—incongruously—was the wooden box.
"...So this is the Mid-Heaven Pill?"
It wasn't something money alone could buy.
Of course, it paled in comparison to a Great Reversion Pill, but even a Mid-Heaven Pill was a miraculous elixir so potent it was practically priceless.
Mi Bang had painstakingly acquired and safeguarded it to use when perfecting his sword one day.
Now it had ended up in An Hoe's hands, but from Mi Bang's perspective, he probably wouldn't have minded too much.
In the end, he'd achieved enlightenment on the brink of death, and thanks to An Hoe, he'd completed his sword.
"With this, I can push the Nine Yang True Scripture to the 5th Star."
It couldn't hold a candle to the Nine Yang Golden Body gained at Lesser Completion, but reaching the 5th Star would also amplify the effects of the Nine Yang Life Bestowal Art.
In other words, it meant he could shed some of the crushing burden weighing him down.
'Roughly a tenth of the current load should lift.'
It might sound like just a tenth, but the tangible relief would feel several times greater.
For An Hoe, this Mid-Heaven Pill felt more precious than any other treasure.
Starting with the pill, he gathered up the rest of the valuables before striding out of the stronghold without a backward glance.
-Waaaa—
Soon, the triumphant cheers of the subjugation army rolling in from afar began to echo.
The Blade Lord's entire body trembled uncontrollably.
His once-prized beard had grown wild and unkempt; he simply hadn't had the time to tend to it amid the barrage of grim tidings.
In the midst of it all, he'd received word of the Chief Protector's death—the man he'd trusted above all—and the fall of Red Bear Stronghold.
"D-Do you expect me to believe this?!"
He bellowed his fury.
His imposing aura surged outward, crushing down on the entire room.
Yet not a single protector so much as groaned.
It wasn't that they weren't suffering.
Their mental torment dwarfed any physical agony from his pressure.
Even if it was to bide time for future plans, they had fled without fully avenging the Chief Protector, abandoning their comrades in the process.
To them, mere survival felt like no life at all.
"...Mi Bang. Even that fool is gone."
He was the one the Blade Lord had taken in and personally named.
In truth, like an adopted son.
His death struck the Blade Lord a profound blow in every sense.
Surprisingly, though, the collapse of his royal ambitions didn't faze him as much.
The moment things unraveled in Juyang City, he'd already deemed it a lost cause.
His alliance with Evil Spirit Castle had been a desperate gamble, but he'd quickly realized his error.
In fact, the instant Red Bear Stronghold was settled, he'd planned to turn on their branch.
But now, even that had become unfeasible.
With this, he could no longer step forward for the clan.
A skeptical look crossed his face for a moment, but then his eyes shifted as he regarded the protectors concealing their grief before him.
"No. There's still time."
"...Yes, my lord."
One of the protectors replied cautiously.
What had driven them to race back to the clan, shoving aside their comrades' deaths?
To buy time to spur the Blade Lord into action.
He saw right through their intentions.
Even knowing they sought to use him, the Blade Lord smiled.
"Being used once in a while isn't so bad."
"!!!"
His insufferably arrogant lord uttering such words—the protectors looked up in shock.
But upon glimpsing the sorrow in their master's eyes, the knots in their chests eased ever so slightly.
At the very least, they realized the Chief Protector hadn't met a meaningless end.
-Clack—
With that, he snatched up his Ghost Blade and strode out of the clan manor.
-Waaaaa—
With Red Bear Stronghold's subjugation successfully concluded, all of Juyang City buzzed with excitement.
Cheers for the triumphant soldiers and officers echoed everywhere, and for once, smiles lit up the merchants' faces.
"No more fretting over supplies now."
"They're already clamoring for us to ship the backlog."
"Hahaha! If business booms like this every day, what more could we ask for?"
The festive mood had pried open the purses of customers who'd been holding back, naturally drawing whoops of joy from the merchants.
But the true biggest winner from this subjugation was elsewhere.
The An Family Merchant Group, who had early recognized the army's potential and taken charge of their provisions.
They already drew plenty of envy for that alone, but word spread that they'd now monopolized military supply contracts—prompting other merchants to bend over backward cozying up to them.
Wang Sam shrewdly rounded up the approaching merchants, divvying up supply categories by field and hammering out terms.
The contracts' sheer scale was too vast for the An Family to swallow alone anyway; this matchmaking let them profit while expanding their foothold in Juyang City as a bonus.
"Call me Baek Do."
"Black Sword."
"...Song Hwa. Treat me casually, please."
Song Hwa's eyes went wide at the sudden influx of new family members.
And understandably so—they were Peak Realm experts.
She herself had only recently begun martial arts training.
Thus, she knew full well how extraordinary the Peak Realm truly was.
The An Family's own guard captain hadn't even reached it, so bringing two such masters into the fold as family was downright astonishing.
She'd been visibly awkward at first, but soon warmed up.
"Kekekeke. You don't say? That really happened?"
"Totally! You have no idea how flustered I was."
Because she'd grown close to Baek Do, whose playful streak belied his intimidating looks.
Naturally, that brought her closer to his bosom buddy, Black Sword.
Before long, she was calling them "Uncle Baek" and "Uncle Black."
They, in turn, called her "Miss Song Hwa" and doted on her like a niece.
Had they married young, they might've had a daughter her age—their gazes brimmed with that sort of affection.
"Anyone seeing you lot would swear you've been together for years."
An Hoe watched their camaraderie with bemused wonder, his face more serene than it had been in ages.
This was thanks to consuming the Mid-Heaven Pill the night before.
Truth be told, elevating the Nine Yang True Scripture's attainment with a mere Mid-Heaven Pill—hardly a Great Reversion Pill—was absurd on its face.
Yet he'd been confident of reaching the 5th Star because he trusted in himself.
He was one who had attained the Martial God realm.
Meaning he could wield qi in perfect harmony with heaven and earth.
So why had he waited two full days after descending the mountain to take the pill?
No other reason.
To draw out the Mid-Heaven Pill's full potential, he needed the aid of his multi-layered harmony formation.
The formation he'd devised was nothing short of miraculous.
Within it, the laws governing qi grew lax, letting anyone inside bend qi to their will with ease.
Qi manipulation flowed several times more smoothly.
-Gulp—
With all preparations complete, An Hoe retrieved the Mid-Heaven Pill and swallowed it.
True to its reputation as a supreme elixir, a refreshing qi bloomed the instant it touched his tongue.
-Shudder—
Moments later, colossal qi erupted from his solar plexus, rattling his entire body.
Equivalent to half a jia of internal energy, it burst forth like an active volcano.
Typically, half would dissipate in the process—but astonishingly, An Hoe began reining in the qi rampaging every which way.
Without even deploying the Two Forms Divine Art, he effortlessly quelled the strands splintering into dozens.
Even more astonishing: he circulated and condensed it all along the way.
No matter how much the formation loosened qi's laws, achieving this artificially flew in the face of common sense.
Yet An Hoe handled it like child's play, subduing the wild qi through sheer will until it coalesced into a small orb.
Had anyone witnessed his creation, they'd have been dumbstruck.
It bore the exact qualities of an inner core from divine beasts or spirit creatures.
For a human to forge one that potent required eons of effort.
Yet he'd done it in under half a day—transcending all reason.
But An Hoe pressed on.
He guided the newborn core straight to his dantian.
As if drawn by fate, it softened and seeped into the dantian moments later.
-Humm—
Such a feat was possible because the core was qi perfectly attuned to him.
Having already refined the pre-refined pill into core form, the sublimated qi ascended naturally to his dantian—like vapor to the heavens.
"Huu—."
Process complete, An Hoe exhaled deeply and cracked open his eyes.
His complexion upon waking brimmed with far more vitality than before. The lethargy that had clouded his features was gone.
Admittedly, it soon crept back—but far lighter than previously.
"The Mid-Heaven Pill's qi exceeded expectations."
Purer than he'd foreseen, it propelled him beyond mere 5th Star entry.
In one fell swoop, he'd solidly anchored the 5th Star and glimpsed the 6th.
At this rate, he'd step into the 6th Star before a few months passed.