The Speedrun Begins with Choosing Hunter

Chapter 272: Chapter 269: Reward

The Black Bear Demon’s earth-shattering scream drowned out all other sounds.

A figure used the Bear Demon’s enormous body as cover, rapidly approaching Bai Yuan.

"You little bastard, die!"

Cangsong Taoist’s face twisted into a savage expression.

He had left Fenggu City three days ago and had been spying outside Guiyuan City ever since.

He was the one who had deliberately lured these demons to attack the city today.

His goal was to draw Bai Yuan out of the city and kill him in a single, decisive strike!

The forbearance he had maintained for days finally erupted today.

Bai Yuan spun around, his gaze locking with the charging Cangsong Taoist.

His eyes narrowed. He hadn’t expected to run into Cangsong Taoist here.

He knew Cangsong Taoist had wanted to kill him before, but Old Dong had stopped him. He never thought that after all this time, the man’s malicious intent was still alive.

"Old dog!"

A murderous glint flashed in Bai Yuan’s eyes.

He didn’t care what reason Cangsong Taoist had for attacking him; since the man dared to try and kill him, he had to die.

Cangsong Taoist was incredibly fast, arriving before Bai Yuan in an instant.

Bai Yuan waved his right hand, and an invisible poison mist spread out.

But Cangsong Taoist seemed completely unaffected as he continued to charge Bai Yuan.

Bai Yuan focused his gaze and saw that Cangsong Taoist was covered in an extremely thin membrane, almost invisible if one didn’t look closely.

It was actually a secret treasure of the Celestial Profound Sect, the Cicada Wing Armor.

The armor’s greatest function was its ability to resist all poisons under heaven, an essential treasure for any wanderer of the Jianghu.

However, the Cicada Wing Armor was extremely expensive and had a very short lifespan, so very few people could afford to use it.

It was precisely because of Bai Yuan’s infamous reputation as the Ten Thousand Poison Yama that Cangsong Taoist had paid a fortune for this Cicada Wing Armor, all to ensure Bai Yuan’s death without fail.

Although Bai Yuan didn’t recognize the Cicada Wing Armor, he could guess that the thin layer of armor was the reason Cangsong Taoist was unaffected by the poison mist.

He drew his long saber and fearlessly clashed with Cangsong Taoist’s Duster Long Sword in midair.

CLANG!

The sound of metal striking metal rang out.

Under the force of Bai Yuan’s single strike, Cangsong Taoist was actually knocked back several steps.

He stared at Bai Yuan in disbelief.

He had never considered Bai Yuan a worthy opponent. After all, despite Bai Yuan’s impressive record, he had never openly defeated a truly powerful Martial Artist.

But after clashing today, he finally understood Bai Yuan’s true strength.

’This kid has been hiding his strength!’

He was horrified.

’Could it be that he was the one who killed Jiu Zhen?!’

Once the thought appeared, it clung to him like a nightmare that couldn’t be shaken off.

Cangsong Taoist gritted his teeth, steeled his heart, and thrust his Long Sword at Bai Yuan once more.

This time, he immediately used his strongest killing move—White Crane Spreads its Wings!

Cangsong Taoist’s killing intent surged severalfold, and his Long Sword moved so fast it became a blur.

Bai Yuan neither dodged nor retreated.

In the next instant, Cangsong Taoist felt as if the person standing before him had transformed into an ancient, ferocious beast. An aura of primeval desolation made his breath catch in his throat.

He had never seen such a technique.

Bai Yuan had activated the Demon Transformation Art, his aura reaching its peak in an instant.

Chaotic Blood Hidden Tiger Saber!

A tyrannical saber strike slashed down fearlessly at Cangsong Taoist.

Though he struck last, his blow landed first!

Cangsong Taoist’s pupils shrank.

It was a suppression born of absolute power. Bai Yuan’s saber strike far surpassed his sword in both speed and strength.

The outcome was, of course, already decided.

Bai Yuan’s long saber tore a bloody gash across Cangsong Taoist’s right abdomen.

A strange CROAK was heard, and then a large amount of liquid gushed from Bai Yuan’s mouth, enveloping Cangsong Taoist’s entire body.

The spiritual poison seeped into Cangsong Taoist’s body through the wound carved by the long saber.

Regret, unwillingness...

But Cangsong Taoist couldn’t even manage a scream. By the time the dust settled, he had dissolved into a pool of blood.

Bai Yuan stared expressionlessly at the spot where Cangsong Taoist had been, where not even ash remained.

Cangsong Taoist’s death was not unjust; he had actually made ample preparations.

The only thing he hadn’t anticipated was the sheer speed of Bai Yuan’s growth.

After days of "monster grinding," Bai Yuan’s strength had long since surpassed its previous level. He could have crushed Cangsong Taoist completely with sheer power alone.

With the swirling dust, the screams of the Bear Demon, and the distance, no one on the city wall noticed anything unusual until Cangsong Taoist had already dissolved into a pool of liquid.

Of course, the most crucial factor was that it all happened too fast.

So fast that from the moment Cangsong Taoist appeared to his death, only five breaths of time had passed.

Duels between experts were always swift, let alone a life-or-death battle like this one between Cangsong Taoist and Bai Yuan, devoid of any flashy tricks.

The Bear Demon was crippled, and the threat to the city wall was gone.

The demon disturbance was quickly quelled.

Bai Yuan returned to the top of the city wall.

"Brother Bai, why do you look so pale?"

Li Huan looked at Bai Yuan in surprise.

Bai Yuan’s face was indeed pale, and he looked as if he’d been completely drained by overindulgence.

"It’s nothing. Just overexerted myself."

"Brother Bai, get some rest. I’ll keep watch here."

Li Huan wasn’t suspicious.

After all, that Bear Demon had looked incredibly fierce. Bai Yuan’s technique had clearly not been as effortless as it appeared.

Of course, Bai Yuan wasn’t going to tell him that he had just killed an expert who was only a notch weaker than Jiang Changpin.

At this thought, a surge of pride welled up within him.

’After ten years of training, I’ve finally reached the level Old Dong once had.’

"Cough, cough."

Bai Yuan clenched his right hand into a fist, brought it to his mouth, and coughed a few times.

To ensure there were no mistakes, he had just spat out more than half of the spiritual poison in his body in one go. Now, his stomach was churning.

The feeling was like vomiting after a hangover—decidedly unpleasant.

He left the city wall, returned to his room, and fell straight into a deep sleep.

...

The council meeting was over.

The various parties had all left Fenggu City.

Since no one had stayed for the vegetarian meal, the two old monks, Fa Ding and Fatong, could only eat by themselves.

In truth, the vegetarian dishes of the Celestial Profound Sect were excellent; aside from the lack of meat, the flavor was not the least bit inferior.

Monk Fa Ding picked up a piece of soft tofu with his chopsticks and placed it in his mouth. Before he could even savor it, the tofu had already slid down into his stomach.

"Why haven’t I seen Junior Brother Cangsong?"

he asked lightly.

Cangsong Taoist had disappeared several days ago and hadn’t even shown up for the Fenggu council meeting.

Elder Monk Fatong replied, "Senior Brother, perhaps Junior Brother Cangsong has returned to the sect."

"That must be it."

Fa Ding nodded and didn’t press the matter further.

The Buddhist and Daoist Sects of the Celestial Profound Sect were not on good terms, so it was normal for Cangsong Taoist to leave without a word.

Since Cangsong Taoist had chosen not to inform them, they naturally felt no need to concern themselves. Whether he was alive or dead was a matter for the Daoist Sect, and had nothing to do with the Buddhists.

Little did they know, Cangsong Taoist was already dead, with not even dregs remaining.

"Junior Brother, you must be more cautious in the future. Don’t leave behind any leverage for others to use against you."

"Yes, Senior Brother."

Monk Fatong offered no excuse, just like a Little Monk who had just entered the temple.

Although the two looked to be of similar age now, Fa Ding was a full thirty years older than Fatong.

When Fa Ding made his name, Fatong was indeed just a Little Monk.

Fa Ding said nothing more after that single sentence.

The reason Qiu Yang of the Cao Bang had jumped out to object today was precisely because Fatong had tried to corner and kill Feng San.

He had failed in the killing, and on top of that, had let Feng San escape, creating two powerful enemies for the Celestial Profound Sect.

Fortunately, the Yang Family and Fang Family had agreed in the end; otherwise, the meeting would have ended on a sour note.

Even so, the Celestial Profound Sect now had to be constantly on guard against the Cao Bang trying to trip them up.

Elder Monk Fa Ding ate very seriously, even licking his bowl clean until not a single drop of oil remained, saving the trouble of washing it.

He set down his bowl and chopsticks with a slow, deliberate motion.

SHH... SHH... SHH...

"Junior Brother, tell everyone to close the windows. It’s going to rain."

...

Before the second watch, a heavy rain began to fall over Huaiyuan Prefecture, washing the bloodstains from the ground completely clean.

"Giddy-up!"

CLIP-CLOP... CLIP-CLOP...

"Open the gates!"

A group of people arrived under the walls of Guiyuan County Town in the rainy night.

Everyone’s clothes were soaked through, but they didn’t seem to mind.

With a soft CREAK, the main gate of Guiyuan County was slowly pushed open from the inside.

"Second Uncle, you’re back,"

a member of the Yang Family said in pleasant surprise.

Yang Jiuyan nodded.

They had traveled for four hours from Fenggu County and had finally returned to Guiyuan City.

The men jumped off their horses, and some of the younger family members deftly took the reins from their hands.

A young man held up an oil-paper umbrella.

Yang Jiuyan spoke as he walked, "Did anything happen in the city while I was away?"

The young man replied, "Second Uncle, not long after you left, a troop of demons from the Demon Sect came to attack the city. One of them, a Bear Demon, nearly broke through the wall. Luckily, Bai Yuan took action and saved the day. But it seems Bai Yuan was also badly injured."

"Oh?"

Yang Jiuyan raised an eyebrow.

"Take me to see him."

"Yes!"

Hearing this, Yang Fangyu, who was trailing behind Yang Jiuyan, also quietly followed.

...

In a large residence within the city, only a single, lonely candle flame flickered in the vast compound.

Bai Yuan was still sitting cross-legged on his bed.

Although the unpleasant feeling had faded, he needed to replenish his spiritual poison again.

Just then—KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK!—a knock rang out from the courtyard gate.

Bai Yuan got off the bed, picked up a fan from the side, and walked out of the room.

When he pushed open the gate, he saw Yang Jiuyan and Yang Fangyu standing outside.

The uncle and nephew duo’s clothes were soaked, clear evidence that they had come straight to his place upon returning to the city.

Yang Jiuyan first sized Bai Yuan up for a few moments. "Are you feeling any better?"

Bai Yuan knew that Yang Jiuyan was already aware of what happened outside the city today, but he certainly didn’t know about the killing of Cangsong Taoist.

"Thank you for your concern, Senior. I’ve mostly recovered."

Yang Jiuyan nodded.

He could tell from Bai Yuan’s complexion that he was not in bad shape.

"Nephew Bai, I am endlessly grateful for your willingness to help. I’ve heard from Fangyu that you have a fondness for Cultivation Techniques. My Yang Family happens to have quite a few decent ones. In a few days, you are welcome to go and pick one. I can at least make that decision."

Hearing this, Bai Yuan was overjoyed.

Yang Jiuyan’s status was worlds apart from Yang Fangyu’s.

His words were practically law in the Yang Family.

At most, Yang Fangyu could promise Bai Yuan some of the Cultivation Techniques the Yang Family was willing to show outsiders, but Yang Jiuyan’s authority was much greater.

’I’ve really hit the jackpot this time,’ Bai Yuan thought.

’It really pays to negotiate directly with the person in charge to get the greatest benefits.’

The Yang Family had been established for a thousand years and had even produced a great figure who ranked among the Three Ducal Ministers. Their foundation was naturally extraordinary.

The Cultivation Techniques hidden within would surely not disappoint him.