Earth-Shaking Mad Dragon Lin Xuankong, Bizarre Black Crystal

As Lin Xuankong led his people in stealth, the tallest Liao Chieftain among the hundred-odd Liao People stepped out of the group, carrying two women as it approached Han Lu. Its tail lashed with crackling snaps, making the ground tremble faintly.

"Humans are inferior and doomed to perish. Submit to the Holy Tribe, and you may gain great power, honor, and immortality! A wise man submits to the times. I can give you a chance and take you to see Lord Holy Python!"

This Liao Chieftain had indeed been demonized from a human. Though its tone was strange and its mouth split all the way to its ears, its words were remarkably coherent.

After speaking, it tossed aside the women in its hands, pulled seven or eight plump, wet, squeaking rats from the leather pouch at its waist, and threw them one by one into its mouth to chew. In an instant, blood and saliva constantly spilled from the corners of its mouth and ran down its body, making it look filthy, disgusting, savage, and terrifying.

"It's nothing but a demonic evil python, and it dares call itself holy! Calling itself a damn worm would be more fitting!"

The muscles on Han Lu's face twisted, and his beard and hair bristled. The Liao People's cruel atrocities had long since enraged him beyond his limit!

Before his words had faded, lightning suddenly coiled around the longsword in his hand as he slashed at the towering Liao Chieftain before him.

Han Lu was actually a remarkably gifted Martial Cultivator of the Yin Talisman Sect. He had already cultivated lightning, and the arcs he unleashed were nearly as thick as a little finger. Lightning scattered continuously around him with sizzling crackles, its might unmatched!

Whether in lightning or techniques, he was several times stronger than Gu Beicheng. He was a true Early Second Layer expert of the Yin Talisman Sect!

Man and Liao immediately clashed.

The disciples guarding the city and the Cattle Horse Street Barracks disciples who were still moving stealthily all watched the two combatants with concern.

To everyone's delight, Han Lu truly deserved his reputation as a gifted Early Second Layer expert. Relying on powerful lightning and exquisite techniques, he actually suppressed the Liao Chieftain whose ferocity soared to the heavens.

Within a few breaths, man and Liao had exchanged dozens of moves. Those terrifying bolts of lightning struck the Liao Chieftain again and again, stiffening its body and preventing it from unleashing the explosive force its powerful physique should have possessed.

After a hundred moves, Han Lu flashed forward, seized an opening, and fiercely swung his sword at the Liao Chieftain's left shoulder.

Though the Liao Chieftain twisted its body aside and evaded the sword aimed at its left shoulder, Han Lu's sword feinted and pierced its chest! The blade, carrying a great mass of lightning, plunged deep into its chest and stabbed through its heart, scorching that heart black with electricity!

A sword through the heart!

After Han Lu pulled out his sword, the Liao Chieftain fell to the ground with a thud and lay motionless!

The disciples guarding the city immediately erupted in cheers. Their steward was so fierce—how could they not be overjoyed?

Han Lu looked toward the two women the Liao Chieftain had thrown aside and helped them up. "Quick, get to the city gate!"

Unfortunately, desperate to save them and hindered by the darkness, Han Lu failed to notice that liquid instantly gathered around the wound in the fallen Liao's chest. In the blink of an eye, flesh buds wriggled, a heart grew anew, and the wound sealed shut.

The next instant, a deafening crack rang out.

The two women Han Lu was supporting were struck across the waist by a giant tail. Blood splashed and flesh burst apart as they were reduced to a mist of blood!

Though Han Lu reacted with extraordinary speed, in his haste he only had time to retreat one step. Even so, the Liao Chieftain's strike hit his right thigh. His leg bone instantly snapped and bent into a grotesque shape!

He let out a muffled groan and staggered back several steps on one leg, nearly collapsing on the spot. Even the lightning on his sword weakened considerably.

Han Lu stared at the Liao Chieftain that had risen again, shock and uncertainty in his eyes. He knew the Marsh Python Liao People possessed astonishing recovery abilities, but how could he have imagined that its heart had been charred black, it had not touched any water source, and yet it could recover so quickly!

The next moment, his gaze fell upon the large amount of rat blood on the Liao's chest, and realization immediately dawned on him.

That Liao Chieftain had chewed all those rats alive not to satisfy its appetite. It had planned from the start to take his sword, pretend to die, then use the blood to recover its wounds, use the women to draw his attention, and easily inflict heavy damage upon him! This Liao's scheming—

"Despicable and shameless!" Han Lu stood on one leg, holding his sword in one hand as he continuously circulated his qi and blood to neutralize the Demonic Energy invading his body.

The Liao Chieftain opposite him split its massive mouth in a grin. "Stupid human!"

Han Lu's face turned pale. He gripped his longsword tightly and gazed toward Great Marsh Prefecture. The Eagle Messenger had been sent a day ago—why had reinforcements still not arrived? Once he died, the Xunyang Town disciples would surely all be slaughtered, as would several thousand townspeople. Perhaps only a few dozen with good talent would be left alive, only to be contaminated into Liao People.

Watching Han Lu desperately purge the Demonic Energy, the Liao Chieftain revealed a cold smile on its ugly face. "I can give you one final chance. The Holy Tribe welcomes powerful warriors like you!"

Several hundred yards away, the Cattle Horse Street Barracks group hid in the darkness.

Steward Han Lu, so powerful a moment ago, had been defeated in an instant, making their breathing quicken. The Marsh Python Liao People's savagery, cunning, and horrifying recovery abilities weighed heavily upon every disciple's heart!

Even Yang Shan, who hated the Liao People's brutal acts the most, could not help wondering whether Han Lu should have held the city wall rather than rushing down here to die.

"You must immediately go and lie in ambush near the dense forest. When the Liao People retreat later, make sure to block them outside the forest. There's the sound of water within it, so there must be a large water source. If they retreat inside, they'll truly stand invincible!" Lin Xuankong said in a low voice.

Hearing Lin Xuankong's words, the disciples all froze, wondering whether they had misheard him!

Guo Yun stared at Lin Xuankong with a worried expression. Had Steward Lin lost his mind? The Marsh Python Liao People before them were so ferocious that even the genius Steward Han Lu had been defeated in an instant. Yet Steward Lin said they would retreat?

He had even said that once they retreated there, they would stand invincible. These Liao People were already invincible now! How could they possibly retreat when they were about to slaughter their way into the town?

"What are you standing around for? Go! Remember, stop every Liao that tries to retreat. Leaving even one of these vicious, shameless things alive would be an eyesore!" Lin Xuankong frowned at the group and barked in a low voice.

Li Er sighed. He felt that praising Steward Lin earlier might have been a mistake!

But things had come to this—he could not exactly defy the order! He vigorously shook his bald head and took the lead toward the dense forest.

Seeing this, the others also headed toward the forest with baffled expressions. Yang Shan looked at Lin Xuankong anxiously. "Steward Lin, what about you?"

"Of course I'm going to fight. Otherwise, how am I supposed to beat them into retreating?" Lin Xuankong leaped up and strode swiftly toward the Wooden Stakes.

Yang Shan felt that the words sounded perfectly reasonable, yet he simply could not understand them.

After the group lay in ambush near the dense forest, they looked toward the Wooden Stakes. In the darkness, Lin Xuankong, racing at high speed, was already about to reach that area.

"Deputy Steward Li, you entered the sect together with Steward Lin. Is he really that powerful? Can he drive back more than a hundred Liao People alone?" One disciple made a bold guess that even he himself could scarcely believe.

"How could that be possible! Even a Third Layer Cultivator like Steward Ma couldn't kill so many Liao People. They all possess Demonic Energy, which can rapidly drain a Martial Cultivator's qi and blood!" Li Er could not be bothered to turn around and look at the fellow making wild guesses, showing him only the back of his bald head.

As the group whispered among themselves, they were like monks six feet tall trying to grasp the water—completely at a loss!

At that moment, the Marsh Python Liao People had already noticed Lin Xuankong racing toward them. Their vertical pupils turned at once, fixing upon him.

The Liao Chieftain, which had been watching Han Lu, also turned its head toward Lin Xuankong.

Han Lu and the Outer City disciples noticed him as well. But seeing that only one person had come, and that he was definitely not some powerful expert they knew, such as a steward or Great Steward, looks of confusion surfaced on their faces.

"Is this our reinforcement? Just one man?" one disciple said uncertainly.

"He's only coming to die!"

The Liao Chieftain split its huge mouth in a grin, turned its body, swung its long tail, and charged toward Lin Xuankong.

This Marsh Python Liao stood nearly two meters tall, with a broad body and bulging muscles. As it ran while twisting its long tail, the ground boomed beneath it, making it appear incomparably fierce.

Lin Xuankong, charging toward it, had a head of silver hair, and his footsteps were almost soundless as they touched the ground. Compared to it, Lin Xuankong appeared extremely small and weak!

Very soon, man and Liao closed in on each other.

The Liao Chieftain let out a hissing shriek. Its giant tail curled and whipped through the air with a howling sound, lashing at Lin Xuankong with the intent of snapping him in two at the waist!

The giant tail's power was incomparably terrifying. With one casual strike just now, it had crushed two women and Han Lu's thigh.

Seeing this while running, Lin Xuankong's feet suddenly erupted with a thunderous boom.

The ground caved in slightly beneath him as his body abruptly accelerated. He crashed directly into the Liao Chieftain's embrace, and his three-hundred-pound Dragon-like Right Arm thrust out without hesitation like a spear, stabbing toward the Liao Chieftain's chest.

With a squelch.

The caught-off-guard Liao Chieftain's expression changed. Its broad, solid, muscle-swollen chest, which had seemed indestructible, was directly pierced through by Lin Xuankong's right arm!

Lin Xuankong's right fingers and palm burst out through the Liao Chieftain's back, bringing with them a skyful of shredded heart flesh and blood mist!

More than that, the tremendous force from a full-speed charge at the Mid Stage of Mortal Transformation Layer Two, combined with the terrifying weight of the Evil-Dispelling Hand—

Lin Xuankong actually drove the Liao Chieftain's tall body before him, charging more than ten yards onward and crashing into the Liao People's ranks!

The many Liao People immediately howled, throwing aside the townspeople in their hands and preparing to attack Lin Xuankong!

Only then did Lin Xuankong pull back his arm.

The Liao Chieftain with its shattered heart swayed a few times and toppled backward weakly. Yet it believed that, with its powerful recovery ability and rat blood, it would need no more than half a breath to restore its shattered heart and chest!

But just as that thought arose in its mind, it suddenly saw Lin Xuankong fiercely swing his right arm and smash a fist toward its head!

That was the final sight it saw before dying completely.

At this moment, the surrounding Liao People were about to rush forward.

But Lin Xuankong had already activated the most violent qi and blood throughout his body, swung his Dragon-like Right Arm weighing several hundred pounds, and smashed it directly down upon the Liao Chieftain's head on the ground.

That one punch erupted with a colossal boom, like heaven collapsing and earth splitting. The ground exploded into a massive crater as countless clouds of dust and spiderweb-like cracks rapidly spread outward.

The Liao Chieftain's entire head, along with half its body, was obliterated by that savage force. The ground shook violently, and the nearby Marsh Python Liao People staggered, their expressions changing!

At that moment, Lin Xuankong, who had struck the ground within several hundred yards into violent tremors, seemed to have transformed into an Earth-Shaking Mad Dragon!

Feeling the vibration beneath his feet, he pulled his arm from the earth and casually placed the White Scales he had removed at his waist.

On the ground, the Liao Chieftain's thoroughly dead half-corpse gradually shrank until it soon became the size of an ordinary human.

Yet beside that corpse, a strange Black Crystal condensed. Amid the flames soaring into the sky from Xunyang Town, it emitted swaying, bizarre light!

Lin Xuankong was somewhat surprised. He casually picked it up and examined it carefully for a few moments. At that moment, he completely ignored the hundred-odd ferocious Marsh Python Liao People closing in around him!

What exactly is this Black Crystal? Lin Xuankong raised an eyebrow slightly.