One Person Defends the City (Part 1)

North City Wall.

Ladders like a forest, barbarians like ants.

Li Xuan stood behind the battlements, watching the densely packed barbarian soldiers climbing up, his eyes as calm as still water.

He gripped his saber in his right hand and held a round shield, picked up from a barbarian corpse, in his left.

The first wave of barbarians reached the wall.

Ten heavily armored infantrymen, wielding great axes, charged forward roaring.

Li Xuan moved.

Not to dodge, but to charge head-on!

The Black Scale Saber swept horizontally, its edge slicing across the neck of the first barbarian. A head flew off, blood spraying like a fountain.

Before the corpse had even fallen, Li Xuan had crashed into the second barbarian, smashing its chest with his left elbow. The sound of cracking bone was clear.

The third, fourth, and fifth barbarians surrounded him, their great axes chopping down in unison.

Li Xuan raised his shield to block.

Clang, clang, clang!

The great axes struck the shield, sparks flying.

The shield's surface cracked.

Li Xuan stepped his right foot back half a step, unloading the force, and simultaneously flicked the Black Scale Saber upward from below, splitting open a barbarian's chest and abdomen.

The remaining five barbarians' faces changed drastically.

Want to retreat?

How could Li Xuan let them go?

Shadow Step erupted, his body moving like a phantom, weaving between the five. The saber light flashed like lightning; each flash sent a head tumbling to the ground.

Ten breaths.

Ten heavily armored barbarians, all annihilated.

He turned, looking down at the city wall.

The second wave of barbarians was climbing, more numerous, denser.

And in the distance, barbarian archers began to loose arrows, a rain of them pouring down to cover the ascent.

"Shields up!"

The guards on the wall raised their shields, the clinking sound incessant. But still, arrows shot through the gaps, bringing forth screams.

Li Xuan circulated the Blood Fiend Bone Forging Technique, absorbing the malevolent energy permeating the battlefield.

Arrows struck him, making clinking sounds like they were hitting iron plates, bouncing off one after another.

His current Stamina was 51.8, his skin tough as oxhide, his muscles hard as rock, not to mention his bones tempered by the Blood Fiend Bone Forging Technique...

Ordinary arrows could no longer harm him.

"Monster..."

Some guards saw this scene and muttered.

Li Xuan ignored them.

He walked to the edge of the city wall, looking at the barbarians climbing below like ants, and suddenly leaped!

"General Li!" the guards cried out in alarm.

Li Xuan landed on a ladder.

Grabbing the ladder with one hand, saber in the other, he charged down the ladder!

He collided head-on with three barbarians climbing up.

A flash of saber light.

The three screamed and fell.

Li Xuan didn't stop, continuing downward.

Like a tiger entering a flock of sheep.

Wherever he passed, severed limbs and broken arms flew.

In just ten breaths, he had killed his way from the top of the wall to the bottom, clearing three ladders.

The barbarian soldiers below retreated in terror.

Li Xuan landed and looked around.

Hundreds of barbarian infantry surrounded him, staring at him with terrified eyes.

One man, deterring hundreds.

"Kill him!" a barbarian centurion roared, "He's all alone!"

The Barbarian soldiers exchanged glances, gathered their courage, and charged forward with their sabers.

Li Xuan smiled.

Bring it on.

The more, the better.

The denser the malevolent energy, the faster the breakthrough.

He charged into the crowd.

His saber flashed like a wheel, and wherever it passed, flesh and blood flew.

Each strike was precise and lethal, either severing throats or piercing hearts. Not an ounce of strength was wasted.

The Blood Fiend Bone Forging Technique spun wildly.

The death aura, the smell of blood, the resentment, the fear from the battlefield, all surged into his body like rivers flowing into the sea.

His bones were transforming.

From being as hard as iron, they were progressing towards being indestructible.

[Blood Fiend Bone Forging Technique Second Layer: Minor Accomplishment → Major Accomplishment]

[Effect: Bone Hardness +250%, Strength +150%]

His Strength surged again!

Now, with a single strike, he could cleave through heavy armor and shatter iron spears!

The Barbarian soldiers began to scatter.

They weren't afraid of death, but they were terrified of this monster that couldn't be killed.

"Trash!"

A furious roar echoed from the Barbarian ranks.

A giant, nine feet tall, emerged, wielding two massive, cartwheel-sized battle-axes. His upper body was bare, muscles bulging like iron blocks, and a ferocious blood eagle was tattooed on his chest.

Body Forging Seventh Layer, the Blood Eagle Tribe's fierce general, Hu Yan Tu.

"Kid," Hu Yan Tu grinned, revealing a mouth full of yellow teeth, "you've killed so many of my men, it's time to pay the debt."

Li Xuan looked at him and suddenly asked, "How many strikes can you take from me?"

"How many strikes?" Hu Yan Tu roared with laughter, "If you can break my defense, I'll take your surname!"

"Good."

Li Xuan moved.

No fancy moves, just one strike.

A direct cleave.

Hu Yan Tu crossed his axes, blocking upwards.

CLANG--!!!

The thunderous impact sent Hu Yan Tu and his axes sinking half a foot into the ground!

His expression changed drastically.

The power of this strike far exceeded his estimation!

"First strike." Li Xuan drew his saber and struck again.

This time, it was faster and heavier!

Hu Yan Tu gritted his teeth and met the blow with both axes.

CLANG!!!

His axes flew from his grasp!

Hu Yan Tu's arms snapped, and he stumbled back, screaming.

"Second strike." Li Xuan's third strike was already upon him.

The saber flashed like snow, slicing across Hu Yan Tu's neck.

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His head flew off.

Blood spurted three feet high.

A fierce general of the Body Forging Seventh Layer, killed in three strikes.

Li Xuan looked towards the center of the Barbarian army.

There, Wanyan Lie sat in his war chariot, staring intently at him.

Their gazes collided in mid-air.

The killing intent was palpable.

"Great Shaman," Wanyan Lie roared, "I want him dead."

The black-robed Shaman nodded, the green fire in its skull's eye sockets flaring intensely.

In the air, the massive Wolf Soul let out another howl.

This time, it was no longer a indiscriminate deterrent.

It lowered its head, its eerie green eyes locking onto Li Xuan.

Then, it pounced!

Not a physical attack, but a soul assault!

Li Xuan felt as if his head had been struck by a heavy hammer. His vision went black, and blood streamed from his ears and nose simultaneously.

A soul attack!

This was his current weakest point.

His Spirit attribute was only 1.6. While stronger than an ordinary person, it was no match for a soul assault of this magnitude.

"Ugh..."

Li Xuan knelt on one knee, using his saber to support himself.

It felt as if countless vengeful spirits were screaming in his mind, tearing at his consciousness.

I can't fall.

If I fall, I die.

He bit his tongue, the sharp pain momentarily clearing his head.

Then, he made a desperate decision.

Activate the third layer of the Blood Fiend Bone Forging Technique!

Absorb the Wolf Soul's soul power!

You want to assault my soul?

Then I'll devour you!

A ferocious suction erupted from Li Xuan.

The soul power of the pouncing Wolf Soul was forcibly drawn into his body!

[Warning: High concentration soul power invasion, Spirit capacity has reached its limit!]

The status panel flashed a red warning.

But Li Xuan ignored it.

He continued to absorb!

The Wolf Soul let out a roar of shock and rage, realizing its soul power was being drained, being devoured by that Southern brat!

The Shaman's face also changed drastically: "How is this possible?! He's devouring the Wolf Soul!"

"Stop him!" Wanyan Lie bellowed.

Three figures rushed out from the Barbarian ranks.

They were all Shamans, clad in black robes and wielding bone staffs.

They chanted in unison, pointing their bone staffs at Li Xuan.

Three streams of eerie green light shot out, aimed directly at Li Xuan's forehead, heart, and dantian.

These were curses, dark arts, the most venomous tactics of the Barbarian Shamans.

Li Xuan was currently fully focused on resisting the Wolf Soul's soul power assault and had no ability to dodge.

Just as he was about to be struck—

The sound of bowstrings vibrating suddenly echoed from the city walls.

Three arrows, like shooting stars chasing the moon, accurately struck the three Shamans!

They were not ordinary arrows.

Talismans were affixed to their shafts, and their arrowheads gleamed with golden light.

Talisman-Arrows of Evil Warding!

Senior Sister Yun's trump card!

The three Shamans, caught off guard by this tactic from the city walls, hastily swung their staffs to block.

But the moment the talisman-arrows touched their bone staffs, they exploded!

Golden light erupted!

"Ah—!" The three Shamans screamed in unison, burned by the golden light, black smoke rising from their bodies.

The curses were broken.

Li Xuan seized the opportunity and fully absorbed the Wolf Soul's soul power.

[Spirit Soul Strength: 1.6 → 2.0]

[Spirit Soul Strength: 2.0 → 3.0]

[Spirit Soul Strength: 3.0 → 5.0]

On the status panel, the Spirit attribute was growing wildly!

The Wolf Soul's soul power had become nourishment for his enhanced spirit soul!

And as his spirit soul strengthened, his control over soul power also improved.

The absorption speed grew faster and faster!

The Wolf Soul began to feel fear.

It wanted to escape, but Li Xuan held it firmly, sucking it in.

Like an insect caught in a spider's web, the more it struggled, the deeper it sank.

"No--!" the Shaman roared hoarsely, trying to reclaim the Wolf Soul.

But it was too late.

A faint green light flashed in Li Xuan's eyes.

He opened his mouth and let out a powerful inhale.

In the air, the Wolf Soul's phantom writhed, distorted, and finally transformed into a green light, which he sucked into his abdomen!

[Obtained Special Status: Wolf Soul Mark (Temporary)]
[Effect: Spirit Soul Strength +10, can cast one Soul Shock, Duration: One incense stick]

Success!

Li Xuan stood up.

The green light in his eyes flickered and vanished.

He looked towards the center of the Barbarian army, towards the black-robed Shaman.

The Shaman was staring at him in terror, the skull in his hand shattered, the green fire in its eye sockets extinguished.

"You... you swallowed the Wolf Soul?!" the Shaman's voice trembled.

Li Xuan grinned.

Then, he activated the ability he had just acquired.

Soul Shock!

An invisible ripple shot out from his brow, heading straight for the Shaman!

The Shaman had no time to react before being hit.

His body stiffened, his eyes instantly unfocused, blood flowed from his seven orifices, and he collapsed softly.

He was dead.

His spirit soul had been directly shattered.

[Potential Points +5.0]

The status panel flickered.

But Li Xuan didn't have time to celebrate.

Wanyan Lie had moved. The young chief of the Blood Wolf Tribe had finally taken action personally.

He stood up from his war chariot and drew a blood-red long saber.

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