Hard Clash with a Demon Soldier

Boom!

A fierce wind howled around Li Xuancang, his muscles and skin tensing as he unleashed all his strength without holding anything back.

The gray-furred demon soldier sensed someone blocking its path and abruptly turned its head.

Its crimson eyes locked onto Li Xuancang, bloodthirsty savagery blazing within them as its venomous claws smashed down viciously.

The claw wind was cold and sinister, carrying a faint demonic aura. Once scratched, the poison would enter the body and greatly diminish one's combat strength.

Li Xuancang remained exceptionally calm. He neither dodged nor retreated, instead raising his long spear horizontally to block.

Clang!

Claws and spear collided with a thunderous ring of metal, shaking the surrounding land.

The demon soldier felt an immense force rebound through its arm, leaving it numb as its body staggered back several steps. Its face was filled with shock.

It had never imagined that the human before it possessed such terrifying brute strength.

Li Xuancang also felt an enormous force strike him. The web between his thumb and forefinger went numb, and even his internal organs trembled.

Kill!

A savage gleam flashed through Li Xuancang's eyes as he struck first.

There was a gap between him and the demon soldier, so he could only seize the initiative.

He charged forward with his spear, its momentum overbearing and tyrannical. With one thrust, it tore through the wind and split the air, aiming straight for the demon soldier's vital point—its heart.

The demon soldier hurriedly blocked, scrambling to defend itself and falling into a momentary mess.

Man and demon launched into a fierce battle, yet neither side could gain the upper hand for the moment.

"Hahaha, good! Excellent!"

Seeing this, Zhao Changlin threw back his head and laughed, the worry in his heart finally easing.

Li Xuancang could actually hold off a mid-stage Body Tempering Realm demon soldier. It was an enormous surprise.

Kill!

With his worries gone, Zhao Changlin could finally fight with all his strength.

He could see that Li Xuancang was still inferior to the demon soldier. He had to end this quickly, defeat his enemy, and support Li Xuancang.

"Th-this..."

The others stood dumbfounded, unable to believe what they were seeing.

"How is this possible?"

Li Xuancang was actually trading blows with a demon soldier. It was simply a tale from the heavens.

"Impossible. Absolutely impossible."

Zhou Mang's eyes bulged wide as he stared fixedly at Li Xuancang fighting for his life on the battlefield, his entire body trembling.

Everyone was utterly shocked. Li Xuancang, whom they had believed was certain to die beneath the demon soldier's claws, had not only survived but was firmly holding the demon soldier back. They simply couldn't accept it.

Li Xuancang gave everything he had and fought the demon soldier to the death, not daring to let his attention wander in the slightest.

His five senses were exceptionally sharp, allowing him to react in advance many times and narrowly evade the demon soldier's fatal attacks.

Though his strength was inferior to the demon soldier's, he could rely on his superior speed and keen perception to keep it tied down and prevent it from advancing.

Roar!

After battling for a long time without being able to do anything to Li Xuancang, the demon soldier let out an enraged roar and attacked even more fiercely.

From beginning to end, Li Xuancang hadn't dared let down his guard in the slightest, meeting every attack with total focus.

After half an hour of fierce fighting, the demon soldier had expended more than half its strength, and even its attacks began to slow.

Li Xuancang's endurance was astonishing. He could still maintain his peak condition and was no longer merely taking blows passively; he could now launch counterattacks.

Squelch!

As the demon soldier failed to draw back its strength in time, Li Xuancang seized the opening. His spearhead pierced through its chest, and demon blood gushed out.

Roar!

The demon soldier howled in pain and went completely mad.

It grabbed the long spear, pulled the spearhead from its body, then gave a powerful tug, trying to drag Li Xuancang at the other end of the weapon before it.

This is bad.

Li Xuancang hadn't expected the demon soldier to be so vicious and hurriedly released the spear.

The demon soldier casually flung the long spear away.

Pfft!

The long spear flew with immense force, piercing through a human soldier's body and pinning him to the ground, where it shook violently.

Roar!

The demon soldier swiftly charged toward Li Xuancang.

Having lost his weapon, Li Xuancang didn't dare clash head-on with the demon soldier. His movements were constrained, and he was suppressed at every turn.

The battle changed once again. Li Xuancang fell into a disadvantage and was pressed down by the demon soldier's attacks.

"You think I'm afraid of you?"

The demon soldier kept pushing its luck, forcing Li Xuancang into a corner with nowhere to evade. He no longer retreated.

The demon soldier was huge and physically powerful, but Li Xuancang was no weakling either.

His body transformed every day. Compared with the demon soldier, he was no less formidable—a humanoid ferocious beast.

The demon soldier swung a palm at Li Xuancang's head. Before the demonic palm even descended, a gale had already come howling in, cutting painfully across his face.

Li Xuancang exerted his entire body, concentrating all his strength into both fists.

Bang!

His punch blasted out, making even the air tremble. The demon soldier's palm and Li Xuancang's fist crashed together.

Bang!

Fist and palm clashed, and neither gave ground.

Buzz!

When the others saw this scene, they felt as though their souls had exploded, standing there stiff as wooden chickens.

That was a demon soldier! Yet someone was fighting it barehanded. It was simply unimaginable.

The demon soldier was no longer at its peak, while Li Xuancang remained in perfect condition. That was why he could match it evenly.

Bang!

Li Xuancang suddenly exerted force and shoved the demon soldier into a stumble.

Kill!

With an angry roar, Li Xuancang advanced rather than retreating. His fists fell like raindrops as he launched a tempestuous assault on the demon soldier.

Roar!

The demon soldier was unwilling to be outdone and retaliated with all its strength.

Man and demon exchanged blows that landed solidly on flesh, engaging in an unprecedented life-and-death battle and leaving grievous wounds upon each other.

"Th-this is still a human?"

The labor conscripts were so shocked that their jaws hung open. What lay before them had already surpassed their understanding.

The battle lasted several hours. Li Xuancang and the demon soldier fought each other for several hours.

Both were covered in wounds, and wisps of poison gas even rose from Li Xuancang's injuries.

Yet his physique was simply too strong. This poison couldn't affect him.

The defenders of Lakeside Station fought desperately in a bloody battle, forcibly withstanding the combined assault of the barbarians and demon soldiers.

"Retreat."

The barbarians had suffered devastating losses, while more than half the demon soldiers were dead or wounded. Unable to continue attacking, they could only unwillingly order a retreat and slowly withdraw into the wilderness.

Bang!

The demon soldier struck Li Xuancang back with a palm, then fled the battlefield without looking back.

Li Xuancang watched helplessly as the demon soldier departed. Covered in wounds, he had no strength left to pursue it.

The great battle came to an end. Corpses carpeted the ground, and blood flowed into rivers.

Lakeside Station had held, but the price it paid was immense. Wounded soldiers lay everywhere, and cries of pain rang out on all sides.

Of the more than a thousand labor conscripts, over half had been killed or wounded. Of the several hundred combat soldiers, more than a hundred had died.

As the smoke cleared, the sun sank toward the west.

Li Xuancang was covered in blood, his breathing uneven. The wounds across his body sent chills through anyone who saw them.

His gaze swept across the battlefield, and his heart sank.

Of the five men in his squad, only Zhou Xing had survived. The others had all vanished without even corpses left behind.

Everyone was exhausted. Caring nothing for appearances, they lay on the ground and let the blood soak through them, unwilling to move a single finger. All they wanted was to fall into a deep sleep.

"Ah!"

The wounded let out miserable screams. Wails filled the entire battlefield, and sorrow spread like a rising tide.

Zhao Changlin came to Li Xuancang's side, his eyes full of approval.

"Xuancang, you did well."

If Li Xuancang hadn't held back the demon soldier in this battle, Eastern Pass might very well have collapsed, affecting the entire battlefield in turn.

Li Xuancang had played a crucial role in this battle.

"You flatter me, sir. I merely did my utmost."

Li Xuancang was neither arrogant nor impetuous. He showed no pride in his achievement and remained deeply respectful toward Zhao Changlin.

"Very good. I won't forget your contribution."

Hearing Zhao Changlin's promise, Li Xuancang remained outwardly expressionless, but inwardly he was ecstatic.

He was full of ambition and wanted to keep climbing upward. With the merit he had earned in this battle, he had hope of becoming a squad leader.

"I will obey all of your arrangements, sir."

Li Xuancang's conduct pleased Zhao Changlin even more, and he resolved to support him as one of his own forces.