Chapter 19
Chapter 19
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Hit and Run
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"Hmm, looks like that takes care of the intruders."
Baek Hyun stretched as he surveyed the surroundings, reduced to ash heaps in an instant.
It was an overwhelming sight, as if the area had been carpet-bombed.
The reason a mere Peak Realm martial artist like himself could create such devastation was simple.
Unlike other techniques whose power scaled with martial insight, the Solar Yang Barrage simply grew stronger with more internal energy.
After claiming the Imoogi's Cintamani, his internal energy had reached a whopping two cycles.
His Solar Yang Barrage surpassed even that of First-Generation Disciples who specialized in the Shoot the Sun Sword Art.
'Even accounting for that, the power is excessively strong.'
Most intruders had been reduced to ashes, not just corpses. Lingering embers on the incomplete ones continued burning them to nothing.
He had restrained its output considerably to avoid detection by the Starpoint Sect's Senior Brothers who might come later, yet it still unleashed this much firepower.
Just waiting would erase all traces of them from the world.
It seemed the Solar Body amplified the Solar Yang Barrage even further.
Moreover, the usual backlash of severe burns from its intense yang energy release was completely nullified by the Sun Core itself...
The more time passed, the more he appreciated the cheat-like synergy of the Solar Body and Shoot the Sun Sword Art.
'Now, how should I report this to the Senior Brothers?'
This intruder hunt had been an unqualified success.
He had killed all witnesses to his secret, obtained intel on the shadowy group behind them, and nothing in the sect had been damaged.
All that remained was subtly leaking the info to the sect, making them aware of the shadowy force.
More difficult than battling them was naturally disseminating the information...
-Thudwoooom!!!
The moment Baek Hyun relaxed, assuming the fight was over, and took a step forward.
An overwhelming surge of energy, denser than even his flaming sword aura, enveloped him.
The hallmark of a Transcendent Realm martial artist.
True aura.
"...Yeah, it would be a shame for a Transcendent Realm expert to go down that easily, right?"
Baek Hyun barely dodged the incoming fist aura and shifted back into combat stance.
Had it not been a ranged attack, he might have been done for. The chill of true peril crawled up his spine—something absent from prior fights.
Even a so-called superhuman Transcendent Realm warrior...
He hadn't expected it to survive fatal wounds, the Human-Faced Tree's deadly poison, sealed acupoints from One Yang Finger, and then endure the Solar Yang Barrage.
Truly unforeseen.
'That guy forcibly broke his sealed acupoints using innate true energy.'
Baek Hyun eyed the enemy's grotesquely bulging veins and the desperately flaring internal energy, confirming his suspicion.
A desperate, all-or-nothing suicidal charge, heedless of consequences.
He had no choice but to revise his assessment upward.
Even on the brink of death, deploying innate true energy wasn't easy.
To a martial artist, their cultivated arts were more precious than life.
Becoming a cripple, stripped of their arts, was worse than death—why most hesitated to use it until their final breath.
That it had done so proved a tenacity transcending even death.
Such foes were troublesome even if mere civilians untrained in martial arts.
All the more for a Transcendent Realm one—no need to elaborate.
"...When His era dawns, insolent heretics like you will face due punishment. Killing you here changes nothing.
But fail to kill you, and you'll become one more obstacle on His righteous path...!!
Even if it costs my life!! I won't tolerate anything upsetting His heart...!!!!"
The man bellowed madly, enveloping himself in protective aura.
An application of true aura, protective aura was an unreasonable absolute defense nothing short of rival aura could scratch.
Even his ultimate Solar Yang Barrage hadn't pierced it, leaving him without means to breach the defense.
Meanwhile, a mere graze from the enemy's fist aura would sever his limbs.
Utterly unreasonable.
That was the gap between Peak and Transcendent Realm.
This foe was stronger than the Imoogi in its frenzy.
No choice—he'd have to use that too.
His final card, deployed against the Imoogi.
-Bang!!
The 36 Stratagems: Run like hell.
In other words, flee.
"! You bastard..!! Have you no pride as a warrior?! Come back and fight me-!!!"
"Am I crazy!? To fight a poison-fueled Transcendent Realm maniac!!"
Baek Hyun poured everything into Azure Hawk Seven Forms, fleeing for dear life.
Even a cornered rat bites a cat.
No need to face a cornered Transcendent Realm spewing aura like mad head-on.
Against the Imoogi, the cave's isolation foiled escape, but running was best against outmatched foes.
"Urgh...You pride-less vermin..! I'll remember you!!"
No matter a Transcendent Realm with unleashed innate true energy, catching a Starpoint Sect disciple famed for speed was impossible.
Continuing would waste precious innate true energy in vain.
Ultimately, the intruder leader abandoned the chase to regroup.
Losing part of his innate true energy and many subordinates hurt, but he'd gleaned intel on a mysterious expert in Starpoint Mountain.
He'd also secured most inner cores and byproducts from the spiritual beasts—half-success on the mission.
The organization was exposed to Starpoint Sect, but the tide had long turned in their favor.
Plans to subjugate Yunnan Province progressed steadily; no major setback to the grand scheme.
'You... I'll exterminate your entire clan.'
As the leader withdrew with his weary body.
-Stab-!!
"Guh...Hurk!?"
A sudden blade plunged into his back once more.
An attack he'd never have allowed normally.
But with grievous wounds and depleted innate true energy, his condition was worse than ever—he couldn't even maintain basic threat detection.
"Hey, mister, you aren't trying to run now, are you? Charging like you wanted to kill me first, then hightailing it... No warrior pride at all?"
"You... BASTAAARD-!!!!!"
Fallen for it.
Duped by the bastard's dirty trick, humiliated.
But his innate true energy remained. Seize this arrogant approach for mutual destruction...!!
"Whoa, look at those killer eyes. Guess you're surrendering, mister. I'll be off then?"
-Bang!!
But before he could muster innate true energy, Baek Hyun pivoted and fled at full speed.
Reduced to a dog chasing a chicken again, he spat blood-fueled rage in a howl.
"Kaaaaahhh!! Don't run!! Don't you dare run, you coward!!! Don't ruuuun-!!!!"
Of course, his screams never reached Baek Hyun.
"Hm... Dead?"
-Slap!
Baek Hyun delivered a crisp slap to the intruder leader's vacant-eyed face.
No reaction. No energy emanated from the body.
"Dead."
Baek Hyun confirmed the last intruder's death.
Cause: excessive blood loss, poisoning, innate true energy depletion, qi deviation, etc.
Not dying in battle, nor fleeing—quite an awkward end for a Transcendent Realm martial artist.
The result of repeating the historically proven most efficient tactic, 'Hit and Run,' about six times.
'Couldn't identify the arts he used to the end, but I memorized the movements. Should recognize it later.'
No more intel to glean.
Baek Hyun infused Solar Yang Finger Qi into the motionless corpse, incinerating it, clothes, tools—everything—to ash in seconds.
Now, intruder traces were perfectly erased from the world.
In other words, how he spun the tale to the Senior Brothers would define who they were.
Dead men tell no tales.
This allowed a natural scenario to relay the info.
Intel on the shadows gained, intruders repelled—mission fully accomplished.
-Rustle
'Plus, some nice side income.'
Baek Hyun pulled a thick leather pouch from the ashes, brushing off the soot.
Despite thick leather, faint spiritual energy leaked out.
It brimmed with inner cores and byproducts from the hunted monstrous beings.
Individually priceless, collectively surpassing even the Imoogi's Cintamani—a true treasure trove.
A group aiming to dominate the world had come here just for this; its value was immense.
Of course, top spiritual beast cores from Starpoint Mountain held little effect for him post-Cintamani.
Yet each was invaluable.
Selling just one would exceed all profits from prior elixir sales.
That capital would aid immensely when he later ventured into the martial world.
Plus, attention from the letter-sender would refocus on him—killing two birds with one stone.
'Alright, time to head back.'
With the treasure pouch and shadow intel in hand, Baek Hyun returned from Starpoint Mountain in high spirits.