The explosion wasn't that strong, just as powerful as the Instabilities.
The needle exploded right next to the red cultivator's shoulder, creating a blast with the power of rank 2 cultivator in the liquid stage.
The soldier had a rank 4 body, the power behind the explosion was enough to pierce his natural defenses.
However, just as his skin was burnt and his flesh was destroyed, he released the "Breath" inside his dantian in a protective manner.
That raw "Breath" wasn't enough to completely block the blast but it still offered some sort of protection due to its intrinsic power.
The explosion destroyed his robe and engulfed his body, yet, he barely managed to survive, the soldiers there could see how his charred body came out of the cloud of dark smoke created after the needle detonated.
"Who dares to-"
He cursed loudly but his words were interrupted by a black saber that severed his head, Noah wasn't the type to waste such a precious chance.
The remaining soldiers of the Empire were still stunned by the even that they understood what had happened only after Noah's hooded figure entered their field of view.
'Hooded devil!'
That thought was shared among them.
Noah was, after all, renown in that battlefield, his actions had created far too chaos in the previous battles.
And here he was, ready to make a scene again.
"Retreaaaa-"
One of the blue soldiers of the Empire tried to warn his allies but that action only gave enough time for the cultivators of the Odrea nation to reach him.
They were far more experienced after all, even if Noah's appearance had surprised them, they managed to recover far quicker than their enemies.
Noah, however, completely disregarded the weaker soldiers around him and focused his gaze on the other red cultivator.
A mental shockwave shot from his eyes which directly pierced the mental sphere of his opponent, making him fall on his knees as he screamed in pain.
Months had passed since Noah was granted access to the Mausoleum, his centers of power had steadily improved and his sea of consciousness was nearing the limits of the second rank.
The difference in power between his mind and that of his opponent was too big, the red cultivator couldn't withstand Noah's Mental tremor at all.
It was with quick steps that Noah neared the kneeling cultivator and cut his head off, the Demonic sword severed his neck without any obstruction.
The power of a single Hidden blast made him kill two cultivators in the solid stage, bringing his kill count to seventeen.
However, there was no happiness in Noah's expression.
His allies were rejoicing at the sight of his feat but they were immediately scolded by his loud words.
"Kill any witnesses! We can't give the Empire intel about the new weapon!"
Noah's words awakened them from their astonishment, they immediately understood that the sooner the Empire knew about any new weapon, the sooner it will create countermeasures.
The soldiers around him quickly raised their heads and swept the battlefield with their gazes as they looked for the blue soldiers that had escaped when Noah appeared.
The cultivators of the Odrea country shot in three different directions, Noah could see how three powerless blue soldiers of the Empire were killed in a few instants.
'Damned idiots!'
Noah cursed in his mind but was relieved seeing all the witnesses dying, the Hidden blast that he had just used was the first of its kind, he didn't want its details to be revealed so soon.
'At least the test went well.'
He nodded internally at the power of his new creation.
'The actual damage that it's capable of can't be compared to the Instabilities but it can be used in far more situations. Also, it expends fewer materials.'
The Hidden blasts were the size of a finger, the Cloud eagle's bones were simply used to contain the concentrated flesh of the Fire snakes that he filled with his "Breath", their structure was really simple.
The only problem was that he still wasn't used to their forging, he would need some time to become used to the process like had done with the Instabilities.
'It's not that strong singularly and it can deal some damage only if the opponent isn't aware of its dangerousness… Ideally, each soldier should have five to ten of them… If I exclude the black cultivators, I would need to create between five thousand and ten thousand needles…'
Noah brainstormed as he wandered in the battlefield.
There wasn't much else that he could do, his surprise effect had been used, there weren't other situations where he could kill red cultivators.
'Five thousand is too much, the inventory simply doesn't have that many materials. Also, how much time would I have to spend forging? It took me more than two months to surpass two hundred Instabilities, I don't plan to stay here for much longer.'
Noah didn't forget his real purpose.
He needed cultivation techniques and methods to continue in his pursuit of power which the Odrea nation could not offer.
That country had sold its future for the chance to survive, the only thing that could save it was someone offering help from outside.
Also, he was still escaping, the formation around the nation prevented any external investigation but his traces still led there.
'I don't know how far the Royals can reach, this is Empire's territory in the end, yet, I don't see them giving up on me just because of that.'
The Empire had a God at its lead, it was safe to assume that the Royals had a similar power or they wouldn't be in the top three countries of the continent.
Noah didn't know if they had methods to freely chase him or if they had simply given up on his capture, waiting for him to appear in neutral territory.
'I can consider the Empire as my protector for now but it won't be the same after I come out of the formation, I should think of a plan before continuing my journey.'