# Chapter 32: The Bounty on his Head
The combat erupted with the kind of coordinated precision that separated professional hunters from ordinary cultivators. The tracking specialist disappeared into shadow techniques that bent light around his form, while the assassination expert's spiritual pressure spiked as he activated enhancement abilities that multiplied his speed beyond normal Gold-level parameters. Most dangerously, the leader began weaving complex formation patterns that would trap Xìng Huáng within a spatial cage designed to prevent escape while maximizing his team's tactical advantages.
But they were operating under assumptions about their target that were about to prove catastrophically incorrect.
HUNTER TACTICAL DEPLOYMENT:
Tracker/Lurker (Gold - Low):Shadow concealment, perimeter control, escape route denial
Assassin (Gold - Mid):Speed enhancement, precision strikes, vital point targeting
Leader (Gold - High):Formation control, team coordination, spatial manipulation
ENGAGEMENT ANALYSIS:Standard protocol for eliminating superior-tier target through coordinated overwhelming force
Xìng Huáng's response appeared to follow expected patterns—activating his Purification Blade's spiritual conductivity while channeling Azure Bronze cultivation through defensive techniques. But beneath the surface of conventional combat preparation, his Lord of Greed heritage was analyzing the engagement with supernatural precision that identified vulnerabilities his opponents couldn't possibly have anticipated.
HIDDEN INTERFACE: DIVINE ASSESSMENT
HUNTER COORDINATION:Excellent but predictable *(Professional training creates pattern dependence)*
INDIVIDUAL CAPABILITIES:Formidable within normal cultivation parameters*
TACTICAL WEAKNESS:Assumption of conventional opponent capabilities
DIVINE ADVANTAGE:Authority over earned vs artificial enhancement
The leader's formation reached activation threshold, creating a spatial barrier that should have trapped an Azure Bronze cultivator within a confined combat zone where three Gold-level opponents could systematically eliminate their target without risk of external interference.
Instead, Xìng Huáng activated his Spiritual Domain Projection.
The technique, enhanced by his divine heritage, didn't simply create a zone of purification influence—it asserted fundamental authority over the distinction between legitimately earned power and artificially enhanced capabilities. The hunters' professional modifications, their enhanced equipment, their coordinated techniques—all of it suddenly felt foreign and unstable as divine principle confronted their methods with philosophical rejection.
SPIRITUAL DOMAIN PROJECTION: ENHANCED MANIFESTATION
Area Effect:50-meter radius *(Far exceeding normal Azure Bronze capability)*
Authority Assertion:Earned advancement only *(Divine principle enforcement)*
Effect on Hunters:Enhancement degradation, coordination disruption, spiritual pressure reduction
"Impossible," the leader snarled as his spatial formation began unraveling under pressure that operated by rules his understanding couldn't encompass. "Azure Bronze cultivation cannot override Gold-level formation control!"
"You're correct," Xìng Huáng replied, his Purification Blade beginning to radiate golden light that had nothing to do with normal spiritual energy circulation. "Azure Bronze cultivation cannot. But earned authority transcends artificial boundaries."
The tracker emerged from shadow concealment as his techniques failed under divine pressure that recognized stealth enhancement as borrowed power rather than natural capability. His form became fully visible as Xìng Huáng's Authority Recognition Technique revealed not just his position, but the artificial nature of his concealment abilities.
TRACKING SPECIALIST: CAPABILITY DEGRADATION
Shadow Techniques:75% effectiveness reduction
Enhanced Perception:Spiritual noise interference
Mobility Advantages:Natural agility only
Combat Assessment:Reduced from Gold - Low to high Azure Bronze equivalent
The assassin's speed enhancement faced similar degradation as divine authority questioned the legitimacy of power that came from external sources rather than personal advancement. His movements remained dangerous, but the supernatural velocity that would have made him nearly impossible to track was reduced to merely exceptional agility.
But it was the leader's reaction that revealed the true scope of what they faced.
"Bloodline authority," he whispered, his Gold - High cultivation recognizing something that his subordinates lacked the experience to identify. "This target possesses inherited divine heritage."
The assessment was partially correct, which made it more dangerous than complete ignorance. Xìng Huáng's heritage was divine, but not inherited—it was earned through consistent demonstration of merit-based advancement principles. The distinction mattered because it meant his authority would continue to strengthen as the engagement proved his worthiness through combat rather than diminishing under sustained pressure.
COMBAT ESCALATION: PHASE TWO
Recognizing they faced something beyond their initial assessment, the hunters shifted from standard elimination protocol to emergency anti-bloodline tactics. The leader activated formation patterns designed to disrupt inherited power while his subordinates implemented techniques specifically developed for confronting supernatural opponents.
But their anti-bloodline methods were designed to counter inherited advantages, not divine authority that had been earned through worthy struggle.
The tracker attempted to use formation-breaking techniques that should have disrupted bloodline enhancement, only to discover that divine authority wasn't maintained through the same mechanisms as inherited power. His spiritual attacks passed through Xìng Huáng's aura without effect, while his own enhanced capabilities continued degrading under pressure that recognized professional enhancement as artificial advantage.
The assassin's response was more direct—activating emergency combat stimulants that pushed his cultivation beyond safe parameters in exchange for temporary power that could theoretically overcome bloodline advantages through raw spiritual force.
ASSASSIN: EMERGENCY ENHANCEMENT
Cultivation Boost:Gold - Mid → Gold - High *(Temporary)*
Cost:Severe spiritual damage, potential cultivation deviation
Effectiveness:Reduced by 60% due to artificial nature
The enhanced assassin's assault was devastating despite the divine degradation effects. His strikes came with speed that left afterimages while his spiritual pressure created shock waves that cracked the facility's reinforced walls. Any normal Azure Bronze cultivator would have been overwhelmed within seconds.
But Xìng Huáng's Lord of Greed heritage had been analyzing the assassin's enhanced techniques, learning their patterns while identifying the vulnerabilities created by desperate power augmentation.
His Purification Blade met the assassin's enhanced strikes with precision that seemed to anticipate attacks before they were fully committed. Each deflection guided the assassin's momentum into positions that created opportunities for counter-strikes, while his divine authority began actively purifying the artificial enhancements that made the desperate assault possible.
COMBAT EVOLUTION: DIVINE PRECISION
Anticipation Accuracy:99.7% *(Divine authority predicting artificial enhancement patterns)*
Counter-Strike Efficiency:Maximum *(Each deflection creating optimal positioning)*
Enhancement Purification:Progressive *(Artificial power being cleansed in real-time)*
The assassin's emergency enhancement began failing as divine purification stripped away the artificial augmentation, leaving him with natural Gold - Mid capabilities while suffering the spiritual damage costs of the failed boost. His attacks became increasingly desperate as he realized his trump card was being systematically neutralized.
But the leader had been using the engagement to gather intelligence about Xìng Huáng's capabilities, and his assessment was reaching disturbing conclusions.
"This isn't bloodline authority," he announced to his subordinates while preparing formation techniques designed for different opposition entirely. "This is active divine manifestation. We're facing a deity candidate."
HUNTER LEADER: TACTICAL REASSESSMENT
Target Classification:Deity Candidate *(Partial divine authority access)*
Threat Level:Beyond contract parameters
Recommended Response:Immediate withdrawal or anti-divine protocols
Contract Status:Escalation beyond agreed compensation
The leader's anti-divine formation was sophisticated, designed specifically to counter divine authority through spatial manipulation that operated independent of spiritual enhancement principles. Instead of directly opposing divine power, the technique attempted to isolate it within dimensional barriers that prevented authority from affecting the surrounding environment.
For a moment, the formation's activation created genuine pressure against Xìng Huáng's Spiritual Domain Projection. The anti-divine arrays were professionally designed and skillfully implemented, representing the kind of specialized knowledge that came from extensive experience hunting supernatural targets.
But the leader's formation assumed he was facing someone with limited divine manifestation who would be vulnerable to spatial containment.
Instead, his Lord of Greed heritage recognized the anti-divine formation as exactly the kind of worthy opposition that justified increased manifestation intensity.
LORD OF GREED AUTHORITY: ESCALATED MANIFESTATION
Dimensional Barrier Response:Divine authority assertion through spatial dominance
Anti-Divine Formation:Overwhelmed by earned worthiness demonstration
Environmental Effect:Golden light expansion, reality assertion
The abandoned facility filled with golden radiance as Xìng Huáng's divine heritage manifested with intensity that made concealment impossible but provided overwhelming tactical advantage. The anti-divine formation didn't just fail—it was systematically dismantled by authority that operated at fundamental levels of reality.
"Contract termination," the leader declared, his professional assessment recognizing defeat when facing opposition beyond their operational parameters. "Target classification exceeds agreed parameters. Withdrawal authorized."
But even as the hunters attempted tactical extraction, their original intelligence about the bounty revealed information that would have profound implications for Xìng Huáng's future security.
"The Blood Iron Tribe's contract specifies elimination or capture," the tracker called out during their retreat. "Bounty value: one hundred thousand gold talismans for confirmed death, two hundred thousand for live delivery. Every hunter guild in three territories has access to this posting."
The numbers were staggering. Two hundred thousand gold talismans represented wealth that could purchase entire settlements, making him one of the highest-value bounties in the region. But more concerning was the scope—every hunter guild in three territories meant hundreds of professional teams would eventually attempt collection.
BOUNTY ASSESSMENT: BLOOD IRON TRIBE CONTRACT
Death Bounty:100,000 gold talismans
Capture Bounty:200,000 gold talismans
Distribution:Every hunter guild in three major territories
Threat Multiplier:Hundreds of professional teams
Long-term Security:Permanently compromised
As the three hunters completed their withdrawal using emergency extraction techniques, Xìng Huáng stood amid the golden radiance of his divine manifestation, understanding that his careful balance between advancement and concealment had been irrevocably shattered.
The bounty on his head would attract attention from across the region, while his divine manifestation during the engagement had been witnessed by professionals who would report his supernatural capabilities to whatever authority paid for their intelligence.
His time as an anonymous sect member was ending, replaced by recognition as someone whose very existence represented a threat—or opportunity—that major powers could no longer ignore.
The Lord of Greed had proven his authority over professional hunters, but in doing so had revealed himself as prey worthy of far more sophisticated predators.