Chapter 36
Chapter 36
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Countermeasures
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Once the piecing together of the situation through their exchange of information was roughly complete, the two possessors began discussing future countermeasures.
"So, what do you plan to do? The situation seems more serious than expected."
"Yeah, it's pretty fucked up, no doubt."
Baek Hyun frowned as he slowly organized the information he had gleaned in his mind.
Who would've thought the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace was after the Three-Legged Crow in Demon-Subduing Hall...
Now that they knew the enemy was targeting the main sect, thwarting their plan right away wouldn't be difficult. The real issue was how to handle the aftermath.
The already irreparably hostile relations between the two forces were problematic enough.
But the biggest problem was the Wheelbreaker Society executive undoubtedly lurking among the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace's upper echelons.
If they couldn't root out that bastard, this incident could never be resolved.
In the worst case, they might have to fight until one side or the other was completely wiped out.
'Failing to wrap up this war smoothly would be failure in itself.'
To settle things decisively with the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace, Starpoint Sect would have to expend massive resources as well.
Even if they won, the sect's power would diminish, leaving them vulnerable to the Wheelbreaker Society's subsequent schemes.
Besides, the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace was the faction to which the possessor Maeng Yeon belonged.
In other words, if they handled this incident well, it could become a powerful potential ally in the battle against the Wheelbreaker Society.
Fighting them to the death at the cost of enormous losses would be far from worth it.
"First things first, we need to figure out who the Wheelbreaker Society executive is. Anyone come to mind?"
The silver lining was learning the Wheelbreaker Society's plan in advance.
That alone made countermeasures possible.
"Plenty of suspects, but it's all circumstantial—no hard evidence. I only learned about the Wheelbreaker Society today, so I haven't even had a chance to think it through properly."
"Mm, fair enough. Without solid proof, it's meaningless..."
Baek Hyun closed his eyes and pondered deeply for a moment before continuing.
"Alright, then let's go with this plan."
After finishing her conversation with Baek Hyun, Maeng Yeon returned to the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace's hideout just as swiftly and stealthily as when she had left to meet him—astride Har's back.
Her mind had grown considerably more complicated since their talk, but it didn't feel unpleasant at all.
In this unfamiliar world, watching people with whom she finally shared a sense of camaraderie throw themselves into mortal danger was far worse than a cluttered mind.
A complicated headspace was a hundred times better, at least.
-Grrrrrm...
Har, too, seemed delighted by Maeng Yeon's shift, rumbling happily as he glanced back at her on his back. She responded by vigorously scratching his chin, a smile on her lips.
Baek Hyun had no idea.
That it had been ages since she could smile over something as mundane as daily life.
Or that he was the primary reason for it.
'Until yesterday, I was just getting swept along by the currents... Now it feels like I'm riding them.'
There were still mountains of hurdles ahead, but her heart felt far more at ease regardless.
Likely because she had realized she was no longer alone in this strange world.
She still couldn't quite believe it. Another possessor besides herself...
So much had happened in a single day that she half-worried the events she'd just experienced might be a dream or illusion.
-Throb.
"...Nah, definitely not a dream."
Maeng Yeon rubbed the long, narrow gash on her abdomen.
Memories flooded back: the razor-sharp blade plunging into her gut before she could even react during their first encounter, and the foot mercilessly grinding down on her throat.
With the searing pain still so vivid, how could she dismiss that meeting as fantasy?
'Baek Hyun, was it.'
From their first meeting, his show of force to establish power hierarchy had made her worry he might be some shady creep.
But after a proper conversation, he turned out to be a decent guy—better than expected.
He didn't condescend, observed basic courtesy, knew how to tease just enough without crossing lines, and didn't spout laughable bravado just because she was a woman.
He was also adept at steering and responding in conversation, making talks with him feel effortlessly pleasant, devoid of any real annoyance.
Not stellar in any one area, but like a perfect hexagon with no flaws to hate.
Lots of people had a few of those qualities, but someone innately possessing them all was exceedingly rare. Which was why Maeng Yeon rated Baek Hyun highly.
'And... his face.'
Recalling Baek Hyun's face from moments ago, Maeng Yeon flushed in a way that was unlike her.
She'd never paid much attention to men's looks before.
She knew full well that good looks came with expectations to match.
But Baek Hyun was different.
For starters, his appearance was leagues beyond your run-of-the-mill pretty boys coasting on their faces.
Unrealistically, stupidly handsome from any angle, at any moment—consistent perfection.
The kind of aura-laden realm even a top idol group's center needed heavy makeup and Photoshop to approach, he achieved bare-faced, no enhancements.
Yet he never subtly lorded it over others or acted like a prick.
Of course, his current otherworldly looks were largely thanks to his innate Solar Body providing massive buffs.
Even without it, he'd have been plenty handsome originally—yet he treated her like any ordinary person.
That allowed Maeng Yeon to accept his appearance at face value and genuinely like it.
'Wonder when I'll see him next.'
Just as Maeng Yeon anticipated their next meeting,
a marker recognizable only to the Southern Barbarian tribes caught her eye.
Only then did she realize she'd reached the hideout, and her expression hardened in an instant.
She'd never felt comfortable there even before, but now, knowing of the Wheelbreaker Society's existence, it felt like stepping right into the enemy's lair.
'You cockroach bastards... I'll find you and wipe you out for sure.'
-Tap.
As she steeled herself and arrived at the hideout, warriors from the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace guarding nearby revealed themselves.
Perfectly concealed amid the dense foliage, they dropped from the trees the moment they spotted her and called out.
"Sis! Your wound hasn't even healed yet—where've you been...?"
"Do I need your permission just to step out for a breather?"
The guarding warrior immediately bowed his head at Maeng Yeon's sharply displeased expression.
"S-Sorry, sis."
Switching to an entirely different demeanor in a flash, Maeng Yeon smoothly deflected questions about her whereabouts and strode deeper into the hideout.
This sharp edge, absent during her time with Baek Hyun, was far closer to her true nature.
She'd always had an aggressive, competitive streak more masculine than feminine.
Compounded by decades of enduring men's leering gazes and sleazy advances drawn to her exceptional looks and figure, plus women's envy and backbiting.
The result: a ferocious temperament akin to a beast's.
But since that ferocity was restrained rather than lashing out indiscriminately, plenty admired and even idolized her for it.
How much time passed as Maeng Yeon made her way to the heart of the hideout?
She stepped into a tent occupied by two men exuding extraordinary auras.
"You've returned. Takmu just got back from the front lines as well."
Maeng Sa—Deputy Palace Lord of the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace and Maeng Yeon's uncle—nodded toward the man beside him as he spoke.
Next to him sat a giant of overwhelming build, seemingly over eight chi tall, swathed in bandages across his body.
One wall of the tent held an enormous axe to match the giant's stature, while scales reminiscent of a reptile's peeked from the unbandaged gaps in his flesh.
The head of Ogo Sect, who had honed Southern Barbarian external arts to their absolute limit—and the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace's most prominent hardliner.
"Kekeke, Yeon's back? You look like shit too."
Takmu.
One of the Southern Barbarians' pillars, boasting the mightiest individual prowess within the Southern Barbarian Beast Palace.
"How's the war going?"
"Keuk. Even with my Diamond Inviolable body long perfected, that Radiant Sword bastard's blade was unstoppable. Charged with dozens of elite warriors, and we weren't even a match. Sacrificing dozens of my men's lives was all it took to escape."
Takmu pointed to the massive puncture wound on his shoulder and barked a hearty laugh.
An overwhelming sword strike that pierced even his scale-clad body with ease.
The current Southern Barbarian Beast Palace had no one capable of withstanding a transcendent realm expert's unreasonable thrust.
With the Palace Lord—the only one who could match Mokheon—laid low by poison, victory over Starpoint Sect was utterly impossible.
Yet Takmu's smile never wavered.
Their goal from the start hadn't been triumph in this skirmish.
"But now, they'll think we're fully committed this time. They've pulled Radiant Sword, Tempest Sword, and Meteor Sword from the main sect, after all..."
Finally, the moment had arrived.
Takmu rose to his full, massive height and spoke with grim resolve.
"You can't imagine the humiliating days we've endured. The 'Southern Barbarians' label those Central Plains scum slapped on us has come to define us, our proud history and spirit endlessly defiled. But that shameful saga ends soon."
Maeng Sa let out a small sigh at Takmu's satisfied smile despite his grievous wounds before replying.
"I don't agree with all you say, but I'll concede now's the perfect time to strike Starpoint Sect's headquarters. My lone operatives are ready.
That said, using even the palace's 'divine treasure' to tame the Three-Legged Crow... I dread to think of the Palace Lord's reaction upon awakening."
"Cut the weak-kneed whining. You know full well there's no turning back. Seize the Three-Legged Crow, and a new era dawns. The Palace Lord will approve, you'll see."
Maeng Yeon swallowed dryly, goosebumps rising at his near-maniacal zeal.
She still couldn't pinpoint the Wheelbreaker Society executive for certain.
No matter how damning the signs, it remained mere suspicion.
But she had countermeasures ready.
When the time came, the filthy cockroaches would reveal themselves.