High Martial Arts: Enlightenment after Practices

Milo struggled frantically, trying to extinguish the flames, but it was useless.

The flames were no longer an external force, but a part of his body, burning him from the inside out.

Shi Gang and the others seized the opportunity, unleashing all their attacks on Milo without reservation.

A shield shattered his sternum, blades sliced open his throat, and fists and feet broke his spine.

Milo’s struggles gradually weakened.

Finally, his massive body crashed to the ground.

The dark gold flames continued to burn, rapidly incinerating his corpse.

When the flames died out, all that remained was a small pile of ash and a few dark gold bone fragments that hadn’t been completely burned away.

The canyon fell deathly silent.

The only sounds were the heavy panting of the group and the distant rush of the subterranean river.

Xu Wuyi slowly retracted his spear, the flame on its tip gradually extinguishing.

He glanced down at his right hand. The wound in the web of his thumb was already beginning to heal under the circulation of his Qi and Blood.

”Is... is it over?” a young Martial Artist from the bait squad murmured.

”It’s over.” The sword-wielding captain exhaled a long, heavy breath and looked at Xu Wuyi. ”Mission complete. We need to pull out immediately.”

Xu Wuyi nodded.

He walked over to the pile of ash and picked up a dark gold bone fragment.

The fragment was warm to the touch, its surface covered in natural patterns. He could faintly sense a weak spiritual residue on it.

This was what was left of Milo, and proof that the mission was complete.

”Let’s go.” Liu Yue had already checked on Zhou Ming’s position. The sniper was quickly withdrawing from his perch to regroup with them.

Lin Zhaowen put away the energy net device. His data pad showed a large number of heat signatures beginning to appear in the surrounding area.

”The main force of the Werewolf Race is massing in this direction, less than ten kilometers away. We have to leave now.”

No one hesitated.

The ten of them quickly cleared the battlefield. After briefly tending to the remains of their fallen comrade, they sped off along the predetermined extraction route.

Xu Wuyi glanced back at the canyon.

The canyon remained silent beneath the dark purple sky.

’Old Cat, and the others who died here...’

’Revenge has been partially served.’

’But the war... is far from over.’

He turned and followed the squad.

His figure quickly vanished into the depths of the dense forest.

...

The battle in the canyon was over, but the danger was not.

On Lin Zhaowen’s data pad, the dense heat signatures representing the main force of the Werewolf Race were converging on the canyon from three directions.

The closest was less than eight kilometers away. At the speed of a Wolfman War General, they could arrive in twenty minutes at most.

”Move!”

The bait squad’s captain, the middle-aged, sword-wielding Martial Artist, gave the order decisively. His callsign was ”Iron Sword.” He was a veteran of the Celestial Spirit Star Realm’s front lines and knew the dangers here all too well.

There was no time to clear the battlefield, no time to even mourn the team member who had just been sacrificed.

The ten of them assembled quickly.

Xu Wuyi stored Milo’s bone fragment in his tactical pouch, and Shi Gang retrieved his shield.

The face of the shield was covered in cracks, and five deep claw marks at its center had nearly torn it apart.

Liu Yue checked on Zhou Ming’s condition.

During the fight, the sniper had fired seven consecutive shots to cover the others and hinder Milo. Each shot had been precise and lethal, but the intense spiritual focus and consumption of Qi and Blood had left his face pale.

One had to understand, High-Tier Martial Artists moved so fast that even bullets from ordinary firearms couldn’t keep up. Locking onto their position was no easy feat.

”I’m fine.” Zhou Ming put away his sniper rifle, his voice still steady. ”I can move.”

”The bait squad has two more heavily wounded who need support,” Iron Sword said, looking at Xu Wuyi’s group. ”In our team, ’Black Fox’ has three broken ribs and internal organ trauma. ’Mountain Cat’s’ left leg was hit by the wind from a Wolfman War General’s claw; his tendons are damaged, and his mobility is impaired.”

Shi Gang immediately stepped forward and hoisted the young Martial Artist with the callsign ”Mountain Cat,” whose left leg was bleeding profusely, onto his back. ”I’ve got him.”

Liu Yue supported the pale-faced, middle-aged Martial Artist with the callsign ”Black Fox.”

Xu Wuyi looked at Iron Sword. ”Captain, your injury...”

There was a gash on Iron Sword’s left shoulder so deep the bone was visible, and blood had soaked through half of his combat uniform. But he just shook his head. ”Flesh wound. It won’t affect my movement.”

Lin Zhaowen was already leading the way. ”The extraction route is planned. The nearest pickup point is twelve kilometers to the northeast.

The military has set up a temporary landing platform there with an aircraft on standby.”

”Let’s move out!”

The ten of them—or rather, nine, plus one wounded man being carried—quickly left the canyon and plunged into the dense forest.

Xu Wuyi moved in the middle of the formation, his Spiritual Perception still spread out around him.

He could feel the heat signatures of the Werewolf Race closing in fast from behind. Among them were the auras of at least seven or eight War General Level combatants.

The Werewolf Race had clearly sensed Milo’s death and were in hot pursuit.

”Pick up the pace!” Lin Zhaowen urged. ”They’re catching up!”

Moving through the dense forest was not easy.

The terrain was rugged, the vegetation thick, and they had to be wary of any Star Beasts that might be lurking.

Although the two heavily wounded men were being supported, the jostling still made their complexions turn even uglier.

Xu Wuyi could hear Black Fox’s suppressed groans and Mountain Cat’s sharp inhales as he gritted his teeth against the pain.

Behind them, the sound of howling werewolves grew closer.

”Five kilometers to go!” Lin Zhaowen said, looking at his data pad. ”But the pursuers are only three kilometers behind us! At this rate, we’ll be caught before we reach the pickup point!”

Iron Sword gritted his teeth. ”You guys go on ahead. I’ll bring up the rear...”

”No,” Xu Wuyi interrupted him. ”You can’t hold them off alone.”

He looked at Shi Gang and Liu Yue. ”You take the wounded and keep moving. Zhou Ming and I will stay behind to delay the pursuers.”

Shi Gang’s eyes widened. ”Are you kidding me? How are the two of you supposed to hold them off?”

”We’re not going to face them head-on,” Xu Wuyi said, looking at Zhou Ming. ”A sniper is perfect for guerrilla tactics. Senior Zhou Ming, you harass them from a high point, and I’ll take care of any enemies that get close. We only need to delay them for ten minutes. Once you’re on the aircraft, we’ll pull back.”

Zhou Ming had already taken out his sniper rifle. Hearing the plan, he nodded. ”Feasible.”

Iron Sword was about to say something else, but Liu Yue had already spoken. ”That’s the plan. Shi Gang, let’s go!”

Shi Gang gritted his teeth, adjusted Mountain Cat on his back, and accelerated forward.

Iron Sword gave Xu Wuyi and Zhou Ming a deep look. ”Come back alive.”

”We will.”

Xu Wuyi and Zhou Ming broke off from the group, heading toward a higher ridge to the side.

Zhou Ming quickly found a sniping position and set up his rifle.

Meanwhile, Xu Wuyi hid in the bushes below the ridge, his long spear resting across his lap as he closed his eyes to regulate his breathing.

Three minutes later, the first wave of pursuers arrived.

Four Wolfman War Generals, leading more than a dozen warriors, followed their trail. The Werewolves were clearly enraged, their scarlet pupils filled with killing intent.

Zhou Ming opened fire.

The first shot hit the lead War General in the right eye. A special armor-piercing round entered through the socket and blew out the back of his head. The War General collapsed without so much as a grunt.

The second and third shots followed in quick succession, and two more warriors were taken out with headshots.