North City Wall.
Siege ladders stood like a forest, and the barbarians swarmed like ants.
Li Xuan stood behind the crenellation, watching the densely packed barbarian soldiers climbing up. His gaze was as calm as still water.
He gripped a saber in his right hand and held a round shield scavenged from a barbarian corpse in his left.
The first wave of barbarians reached the wall.
Ten heavily armored infantrymen charged over, giant axes in hand, roaring.
Li Xuan moved.
He did not dodge. He charged straight at them!
The Black Scale Saber swept across, its edge slicing through the first barbarian's neck. His head flew up, and blood gushed like a fountain.
Before the corpse had even fallen, Li Xuan had already slammed into the second barbarian's arms. His left elbow struck the man's chest, and the sound of cracking bones rang out clearly.
The third, fourth, and fifth barbarians surrounded him and brought their giant axes down together.
Li Xuan raised his shield to block.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The giant axes hacked into the shield, sending sparks flying in all directions.
The shield's surface cracked like a tortoiseshell.
Li Xuan pulled his right foot back half a step to dissipate the force. At the same time, the Black Scale Saber swept upward, cleaving open one barbarian's chest and abdomen.
The remaining five barbarians' expressions changed drastically.
Wanted to retreat?
How could Li Xuan let them leave?
Shadow Step erupted. His figure flitted among the five like a ghost. Each flash of saber light brought down another head.
Ten breaths.
All ten heavily armored barbarians were wiped out.
He turned and looked beneath the city wall.
The second wave of barbarians was climbing up—more numerous and packed even tighter.
In the distance, barbarian archers began firing. A rain of arrows poured down, covering the troops climbing the wall.
"Raise your shields!"
The defenders atop the wall lifted their shields, the clinking sounds ringing out without end. Yet arrows still shot through the gaps, accompanied by cries of agony.
Li Xuan circulated the Blood Fiend Bone Forging Technique, absorbing the Killing Intent permeating the battlefield.
Arrows struck his body with a series of clinks, as if hitting an iron plate, and bounced off one after another.
His physique was now 51.8. His skin was as tough as bullhide, his muscles as solid as rock, and his bones had been tempered by the Blood Fiend Bone Forging Technique...
Ordinary arrows could no longer injure him.
"Monster..."
A defender saw this and muttered under his breath.
Li Xuan ignored him.
He walked to the edge of the wall, watching the barbarians climbing below like ants, then suddenly leaped!
"General Li!" the defenders cried out in alarm.
Li Xuan landed on a siege ladder.
Grabbing the ladder with one hand and wielding his saber with the other, he charged down along the ladder!
He collided head-on with three barbarians who were climbing up.
A flash of saber light.
The three men screamed and fell.
Li Xuan did not stop. He continued downward.
Like a tiger plunging into a flock of sheep.
Wherever he passed, severed limbs flew through the air.
In a mere ten breaths, he had slaughtered his way from the top of the wall to the ground, clearing three siege ladders.
The barbarian soldiers below retreated in terror.
Li Xuan landed and swept his gaze around.
Hundreds of barbarian infantry surrounded him, staring at him in fear.
One man had cowed hundreds.
"Kill him!" a barbarian centurion roared. "He's only one man!"
The barbarian soldiers exchanged glances, summoned their courage, and charged with their blades raised.
Li Xuan smiled.
Come.
The more, the better.
The denser the Killing Intent, the faster the breakthrough.
He advanced into the crowd.
Saber light spun like a wheel, and flesh flew wherever it passed.
Every strike was precise and fatal. It either severed a throat or pierced a heart. Not a shred of strength was wasted.
The Blood Fiend Bone Forging Technique circulated furiously.
The aura of death, the stench of blood, resentment, and fear on the battlefield surged into his body like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea.
His bones were transforming.
From being hard as iron, they advanced toward being indestructible.
[Blood Fiend Bone Forging Technique Layer Two: Minor Accomplishment → Major Accomplishment] [Effect: Bone Hardness +250%, Strength +150%]
His strength surged once more!
Now, with a single slash, he could cleave through heavy armor and sever an iron spear!
The barbarian soldiers began to collapse and scatter.
They did not fear death, but they feared this unkillable monster.
"Trash!"
A furious roar came from within the barbarian formation.
A giant man nine feet tall strode out, wielding two broad axes as large as wagon wheels. His upper body was bare, his muscles bulging like iron blocks, and a ferocious Blood Eagle was tattooed across his chest.
Body Tempering, seventh level; a fierce general of the Blood Eagle Tribe—Hu Yan Tu.
"Boy," Hu Yan Tu grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth. "You killed so many of my men. It's time to pay your debt."
Li Xuan looked at him and suddenly asked, "How many blows can you take from me?"
"How many?" Hu Yan Tu threw back his head and laughed. "If you can break through my defenses, I'll take your surname!"
"Good."
Li Xuan moved.
There was no flourish, only a single saber strike.
A direct chop.
Hu Yan Tu crossed his two axes and raised them to block.
Clang—!!!
The thunderous impact exploded!
Hu Yan Tu, axes and all, was driven down until both feet sank half a foot into the earth!
His expression changed dramatically.
The force behind that blow far exceeded his expectations!
"First blow." Li Xuan drew back his saber and struck again.
This time, it was faster and heavier!
Hu Yan Tu gritted his teeth and thrust both axes forward to take the blow head-on.
Clang!!!
Both axes flew from his hands!
The bones in Hu Yan Tu's arms broke, and he screamed as he stumbled backward.
"Second blow." Li Xuan's third strike had already arrived.
The saber light was as white as snow as it swept across Hu Yan Tu's neck.
His head flew into the air.
Blood sprayed three feet high.
A fierce general at the seventh level of Body Tempering had died in three blows.
Li Xuan looked toward the barbarian central army.
There, Wanyan Lie sat atop a war chariot, staring fixedly at him.
Their gazes collided in midair.
Killing Intent became almost tangible.
"Shaman Lord," Wanyan Lie rasped, "I want him dead."
The black-robed shaman nodded, and the Green Fire in the eye sockets of the skull in his hand blazed brightly.
In the air, the enormous Wolf Soul roared once more.
This time, it no longer intimidated everyone indiscriminately.
It lowered its head, its ghostly green eyes locking onto Li Xuan.
Then it pounced!
This was not a physical attack, but a soul assault!
Li Xuan felt as if a heavy hammer had smashed into his head. His vision went black, and blood simultaneously spilled from his ears and nose.
A soul attack!
This was his weakest point right now.
His Spirit attribute was only 1.6. Although that was stronger than an ordinary person's, it was nowhere near enough to withstand a soul assault of this level.
"Urgh..."
Li Xuan dropped to one knee, using his saber to support his body.
It felt as if countless vengeful ghosts were shrieking and tearing at his consciousness inside his head.
I can't fall.
If I fall, I'll die.
He bit through the tip of his tongue. The sharp pain brought him momentary clarity.
Then he made a reckless decision.
He circulated the general principles of the third layer of the Blood Fiend Bone Forging Technique!
He would absorb the Wolf Soul's soul force!
You want to assault my soul?
Then I'll devour you!
A violent suction force erupted from Li Xuan's body.
The soul force with which the Wolf Soul pounced was forcibly drawn into his body!
[Warning: High-concentration soul force invasion. Divine Soul capacity has reached its limit!]
A red warning popped up on the panel.
But Li Xuan ignored it.
He continued absorbing!
The Wolf Soul let out an enraged roar. It discovered that its soul force was draining away, forcibly devoured by that southern boy!
The shaman's expression also changed drastically. "How is this possible?! He's devouring the Wolf Soul!"
"Stop him!" Wanyan Lie roared.
Three figures rushed out from within the barbarian formation.
All three were shamans, dressed in black robes and holding Bone Staffs.
They chanted incantations at the same time, pointing their Bone Staffs at Li Xuan.
Three ghostly green beams shot out, aimed straight at Li Xuan's brow, heart, and dantian.
These were curses, evil arts, and the most sinister methods wielded by barbarian shamans.
Li Xuan was currently exerting all his strength to resist the Wolf Soul's assault. He had no strength left to dodge.
Just as the attacks were about to strike—
The twang of bowstrings suddenly rang out from atop the city wall.
Three arrows shot toward the three shamans like meteors chasing the moon, hitting their targets with pinpoint accuracy!
These were no ordinary arrows.
Talismans were pasted to their shafts, and golden light shimmered along their arrowheads.
Exorcising Talisman Arrows!
A trump card left behind by Senior Sister Yun!
The three shamans had not expected the city wall to possess such a weapon. They hurriedly swung their staffs to block.
But the instant the talisman arrows touched the Bone Staffs, they exploded with a thunderous boom!
Golden light blazed brilliantly!
"Ah—!" The three shamans screamed at the same time. Their bodies were scorched by the golden light, and black smoke rose from them.
The curse was interrupted.
Li Xuan seized the opportunity and went all out to devour the Wolf Soul's soul power.
[Soul Spirit Strength: 1.6→2.0] [Soul Spirit Strength: 2.0→3.0] [Soul Spirit Strength: 3.0→5.0]
On the panel, his divine attribute was skyrocketing!
The Wolf Soul's soul power had become nourishment for strengthening his soul spirit!
As his soul spirit grew stronger, his control over soul power improved as well.
His devouring speed grew faster and faster!
The Wolf Soul began to panic.
It tried to flee, but Li Xuan held it fast, sucking it in with all his might.
Like an insect fallen into a spider's web, the more it struggled, the deeper it sank.
"No—!" the shaman shrieked, trying to recall the Wolf Soul.
But it was too late.
A dark green glint flashed through Li Xuan's eyes.
He opened his mouth and sucked in sharply.
In the air, the Wolf Soul's phantom twisted and warped, finally transforming into a streak of green light that was sucked into his abdomen!
[Obtained Special Status: Wolf Soul Mark (Temporary)] [Effect: Soul Spirit Strength +10; may cast Soul Shock once; duration: one incense stick]
It worked!
Li Xuan rose to his feet.
A green light flickered briefly in his eyes.
He looked toward the barbarian central army, toward the black-robed shaman.
The shaman was staring at him in terror. The skull in his hand had already shattered, and the Green Fire in its eye sockets had gone out.
"You... you devoured the Wolf Soul?!" the shaman asked, his voice trembling.
Li Xuan bared his teeth in a grin.
Then he activated the ability he had just obtained.
Soul Shock!
An invisible ripple shot from the center of his brow, charging straight at the shaman!
The shaman had no time to react before it struck him.
His entire body stiffened. His eyes instantly went vacant, blood streamed from his seven orifices, and he crumpled to the ground.
He was dead.
His soul spirit had been shattered outright.
[Potential Points +5.0]
The panel flickered.
But Li Xuan had no time to celebrate.
Wanyan Lie moved. The Blood Wolf Tribe's young clan leader had finally taken the field himself.
He rose from the war chariot and drew a long, blood-red saber.
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