Chapter 41
Chapter 41
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Party Play
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-Kieeeek..!!!!!
The king of venomous creatures, bearing the world's most horrific poison, unleashed a massive surge of rage with a flap of its wings. A colossal curtain of virulent mist began closing in from all directions.
An overwhelming area attack that permitted no mere evasion.
It was a sight befitting the title of one of the Ten Great Ferocious Beasts—a natural disaster no human strength could escape.
"That guy's really pissed off, huh?"
"Means Har's attack just now was that threatening. It doesn't seem fully matured yet, so we've got a shot."
The two players willingly advanced toward the terrifying natural disaster before them.
Escaping a natural disaster with human power is impossible.
So what if two natural disasters collided?
"Har."
-Groooar..!!
At Maeng Yeon's brief command, Har—who had been glaring at Jimjo—drew in a massive breath once more.
With our current power alone, piercing that horrifying poison mist was impossible.
That's how unreasonable the Ten Great Ferocious Beasts are to humans.
But what if a monstrous being on par with Jimjo joined the fray?
Defeat was still far more likely, but victory wasn't out of reach.
________!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Just before the poison mist reached them, the lion's roar from Har erupted again, cleaving through the thick veil Jimjo had conjured.
The unstoppable natural disaster bisected by another—it was as if the laws of the world themselves were clashing.
Yet the outcome was clear.
For now, Har's lion's roar overwhelmed Jimjo's poison mist, but the amount of venom Jimjo spewed was beyond imagination.
Soon, fresh mist would fill the gaps torn by the roar and envelop them again.
The two possessors knew this better than anyone, so the moment the roar struck, they hurled themselves into the split in the mist.
"Hesitate and we're dead. Break through in one go!"
"Got it—let's do this!!"
Baek Hyun took point with his superior mobility, followed by Maeng Yeon astride Har's back.
Their victory plan was singular: close in on the Sub-Palace Lord somehow and force melee combat.
Exposed to Jimjo's poison, no strategy would win.
Even if he'd tamed Jimjo, he wasn't immune to its venom.
Exposed to that mist, he'd die miserably just like them.
To prevent Jimjo from using poison, they had to reach the Sub-Palace Lord up close.
That was the first condition for victory.
But the Sub-Palace Lord knew this too, making approach far from easy.
-Shaaaa!!
A staggering horde of venomous creatures blocked Maeng Yeon and Baek Hyun as they pierced the bisected mist.
Overwhelming numbers charging desperately to intercept them, heedless of death in Jimjo's mist.
"Hah, literal meat shields."
Jimjo's poison to smother them, endless venomous swarms to block approach.
A brute-force tactic exploiting numerical superiority—simple, yet flawlessly impregnable.
Even peak masters like Mukeon would struggle to breach the Sub-Palace Lord's tactics.
But the difference between Mukeon and the two possessors?
Before warriors, they were gamers.
To them, clearing the boss ahead meant specs and numbers didn't matter.
Just charge the goal, by any means necessary.
-Kugugugu..!!
The overwhelming solar energy of Baek Hyun's Solar Body condensed to its limit between his palms.
Since witnessing Elder Mukeong's Ten Thousand Star Meteor Sword, Baek Hyun had pondered how to adapt its inspiration.
The answer came quicker than expected.
'At my level now, I couldn't replicate it even in death.'
Ten Thousand Star Meteor Sword was too advanced for his current arts—even imitation was impossible.
But one thing.
He'd successfully integrated its most basic principle into his own techniques.
Shoot the Sun Sword Art, 5th Form
Glorious Slanting Sun
One of his main techniques: explosively release compressed solar energy to radiate immense heat and light everywhere.
Add the principle of projection.
Don't just scatter—channel from hands to compress externally into a sphere.
-Kuuguguguga..!!
The result: a tangible miniature sun.
Hyper-compressed explosive solar energy roiled wildly atop his palm.
Only then did Baek Hyun use the erupting energy as propulsion, hurling the mini-sun forward with tremendous force.
Unlike Glorious Slanting Sun, which dispersed power omnidirectionally for mere suppression.
This derivative fired the explosion's core itself, vastly boosting power and range.
Baek Hyun named this creation:
The plummeting sun shot toward the venomous creatures blocking their path.
-Kwaaaguguguguguguga-!!!!
'Falling Sun' unleashed compressed solar energy for devastating destruction while propelling itself with explosive force, incinerating everything ahead.
A massive swarm reduced to ash in an instant.
However.
-Shaaa-!!
Despite clearing the front, surrounding hordes swiftly refilled the void.
And Jimjo's poison mist, dispersed once, was closing in again.
The two possessors were trapped on all sides in a flash.
"Tch, my trump card, and it still wasn't enough."
Yet even in this desperate pinch, Baek Hyun merely clicked his tongue in mild regret.
No despair in his eyes.
Simple reason: alone, he'd never break this.
"Nah, that's plenty. It opened space enough."
The rest, I'll handle.
He had a reliable ally at his side.
-Sususus..
Jimjo's horrific poison settled around them again.
Baek Hyun instantly enveloped himself in flawless protective energy, shielding from the venom.
Without reaching Manifest Realm or higher, even one poisoning from Jimjo was fatal.
But with a shield (protective aura), poisoning was avoidable.
Of course, Jimjo's poison could melt even protective qi, so it'd shatter quickly normally.
-Puhwaak!!
But beside him now was a Ten Great Ferocious Beast rivaling Jimjo.
As the poison refilled, Har instantly whipped up fierce winds, shielding Baek Hyun and Maeng Yeon.
This was why Har had to be the core.
In their current party, only fellow Ten Great Ferocious Beast Har could counter Jimjo's poison.
Thus, only the swarming venomous creatures in the filled mist were poisoned.
-Kieeek!!
-Shaaaak!!
Undeterred, the horde pressed the two possessors relentlessly.
Like honeybees sacrificing themselves to kill an invading wasp.
Thoroughly trained by the Sub-Palace Lord, they lunged ferociously, death be damned.
"Hyun, stick behind me."
Maeng Yeon hardened her expression fiercely, securing her body to Har's with ironclad legs—no saddle or stirrups needed, becoming one.
Then formed her hands into beast-jaw shapes.
A supreme joint technique and secret art passed only to Southern Barbarian Beast Palace Lords: move as one with your spiritual beast, unleashing dozens-fold power.
Joint Technique
Claw
-Chwajujujujuk-!!!
Each time Har charged through subtle gaps in the swarming foes, impudent venomous creatures in the path were shredded.
Ripping everything ahead in furious advance—like a fierce tiger incarnate.
Baek Hyun, trailing tightly behind, couldn't help smiling at his ally's rock-solid performance.
Southern Barbarian signature art mimicking animal claws/nails: concentrate qi at fingertips to tear anything touched—a claw technique.
Among three joint techniques for Palace Lords, the most versatile mainstay.
With a tamed spiritual beast, its power was transcendent.
As a multi-being joint art, perfected, it surpassed even Nine Great Righteous Sects' pinnacle arts.
Of course, block the joint, and it's useless—like their prior fight.
But executed flawlessly, unmatched in class.
Thus, Southern Barbarian Beast Palace joint techniques shone in PVE, where interruptions were rare.
Like this spectacle: shredding oncoming hordes on contact, traversing the venom zone at breakneck speed.
'Keep performing like that, and it makes protecting you worthwhile!'
-Puk! Puk!!
Baek Hyun stabbed another creeping blind-spot venomous creature, faithfully supporting.
Southern joint techniques boasted immense power but were incomplete versus Nine Great Righteous Sects' peaks.
Thus, Maeng Yeon and Har couldn't handle every angle alone.
But Baek Hyun covered the gaps perfectly.
His PvP-specialized skills couldn't clear hordes, but picking off stragglers was trivial with his superhuman senses and reflexes.
A cannon for masses and sniper for precision—an ideal combo.
Perfectly complementing weaknesses, their synergy birthed an unimaginable 'miracle' beyond their individual capabilities.
-Thud!!
Maeng Yeon and Baek Hyun burst from Jimjo's poison mist.
The sole spot Jimjo couldn't spray venom.
They'd reached the Black Mane Vanguard's doorstep.
A feat that would've stalled even Radiant Sword—accomplished in moments.
But spotting the Black Mane Vanguard Lord's shocked face upon exit, the possessors charged without hesitation to end him.
Shoot the Sun Sword Art, 1st Form
Sun's Initial Emergence
Joint Technique
Bite
But just as their strikes neared the Black Mane Vanguard Lord.
-Kakakang!!
His elite high-rank venomous guards intercepted.
"Truly... astounding. To think I'd need these against you lot."
Human-Faced Tree, Millennium Poison Centipede, Three-Eyed Venom Snake, Poison Horn Illusion Net, and more.
Handpicked from Poison Valley's myriad horrors—the worst of the worst, empowered by the Sub-Palace Lord's qi, his personal guard.
Unlike mere meat shields, their united block denied the possessors their golden chance.
"Come closer again—if you can breach my finest masterpieces."
With dozens of elite high-rankers binding their feet, the Black Mane Vanguard Lord leisurely widened the gap.
Meaning Jimjo's mist would engulf them anew.
"Damn it—we should've nabbed him just now..!"
Baek Hyun cursed, scowling fiercely.
He could sweep endless weak fodder.
But with mist incoming, piercing those powerhouses to reach him again?
Even with Maeng Yeon, impossible.
'Use Red Bow White Arrow? But its uptime's too short..'
Before exhaustion, kill them all plus the Lord?
As Baek Hyun hesitated to play his final held card.
-Grab
Maeng Yeon, pondering silently, placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Hyun, when I signal, fall back."
I'll use the special technique.
She drew her final card first.