Chapter 154: A Single Man Against the Pass

“Hahaha, this brat has been poisoned. Master Huang, your Seven Poisons Powder really works wonders.” Zhong Hong sneered, gripping his greatsword as he slowly advanced toward Xu Xuan.

“Nonsense! No matter how strong his body is, he’s only a Third Stage Dao Exile cultivator—not truly forged from bronze and iron. Flesh and blood, how could he be immune to poison?” Huang Wandu said arrogantly.

“You, Xu kid, so full of ambition, boasting of your fame in Huanglong City—did you expect today’s outcome? Even if you vanish from the mortal world, Yuhan might mourn for a few days at most, but in the end, she will still fall into my embrace.” Lin Hui coldly stared at the trembling youth on the ground, quietly channeling his cultivation power.

“You... you guys...” Xu Xuan struggled to speak, attempting to stand but collapsing again.

“Junior Brother Xu, all this is your own doing. Why do you think the best woman in Huanglong City is by your side? Once I kill you, I’ll have Sister Yu all to myself.” Zhong Hong’s eyes glimmered with hatred as he raised his greatsword and swung fiercely, eager to strike.

Whoosh—

A cold, sharp sword light nearly a yard long sliced through the air, hitting the ground with a clang, leaving a long groove.

Xu Xuan rolled swiftly, barely dodging the blow.

“Huh! This kid still has the strength to dodge?” Huang Wandu and Lin Hui were shocked, hastily activating their immortal techniques or summoning magical artifacts to attack Xu Xuan.

No time to waste—they had to kill Xu Xuan quickly and destroy the body; otherwise, even if they killed him, they would not escape punishment from the Zhang family.

Clang, clang, bang—

The three attacked almost simultaneously, but Xu Xuan dodged each strike with movements as slippery as an eel and as agile as a wildcat, escaping danger every time.

How could this be someone poisoned unconscious?

Huang Wandu’s expression darkened as he increased the attack speed. Xu Xuan was clearly not as deeply poisoned as they thought and still retained considerable combat ability.

Despite Xu Xuan’s incredible agility and impossible maneuvers, he could not avoid all their attacks completely under their fierce assault.

Sizzle—

Lin Hui’s magic sword pierced the air, hitting Xu Xuan’s back with a harsh metallic clang.

Yet the struck spot was completely unscathed, without even a trace.

His skin had taken on a deep bronze hue, looking as if truly forged from copper and iron.

With his bronze forging complete, Xu Xuan’s defense had risen to a new level.

What!

Lin Hui’s heart jolted. He knew Xu Xuan was strong, but never imagined he could withstand magical artifact attacks so resolutely. Lin Hui’s own cultivation neared the Ninth Stage Refining Qi, wielding top-grade artifacts.

Huang Wandu and Zhong Hong also changed color drastically. It was not as simple as they thought to kill Xu Xuan now.

Rolling...

Xu Xuan writhed on the ground like an eel, able to block both magical artifacts and spells with sheer resilience when dodging was impossible.

“Swoosh!”

A ghostly green flame, exuding a terrifying aura that suppressed vitality, slashed from Huang Wandu’s hand, cutting through the air to where Xu Xuan had fled.

This was a divine poison technique strike from a Spirit Refining stage poison master.

No way to dodge!

At this critical moment, a sudden red glow flared over Xu Xuan’s copper-colored skin, his entire body glowing like red gold as he braced against the attack.

Sizzle—spray—

The green flame intertwined on his body’s surface, breaking through the red energy layer by force, but ultimately dissolved into a wisp of black smoke that drifted away with the wind.

The entire process took but a breath, and Xu Xuan remained unharmed, continuing to roll on the ground.

“His body... can to some extent resist magic and poison.” Huang Wandu’s eyes trembled with shock, his earlier confidence in the Earth Spirit Fire Cave shattered.

He had completely underestimated Xu Xuan’s formidable physique and resistance to poison arts.

Remember, what he just used was not an ordinary spell, but a poison technique!

If even that could not harm Xu Xuan, then the earlier Seven Poisons Powder could hardly pose a real threat.

Lin Hui and Zhong Hong were also stunned. Xu Xuan’s strength was unexpectedly overwhelming, able to resist attacks from a Spirit Refining immortal cultivator.

“Be careful, his poisoning isn’t deep at all!” Huang Wandu shouted urgently, warning Lin Hui and Zhong Hong.

The situation was dire.

For a moment, the three’s faces grew grave, Zhong Hong and Lin Hui felt a chill run down their spines...

Seizing this opportunity, Xu Xuan rolled again and finally reached his goal—the entrance of the Fire Cave.

This terrified the three immensely. Their hearts sank. If Xu Xuan escaped, things would turn grim.

“Heh, now you won’t escape.” Xu Xuan flipped leisurely, blocking the only entrance of the Earth Spirit Fire Cave, smiling at the three.

He had no intention of running; instead, he planned to trap them all!

Now, Xu Xuan stood guard at the sole entrance. Anyone wanting to get out must pass him first.

Hiss!

Lin Hui and Zhong Hong gasped, realizing Xu Xuan had faked being poisoned to lure them into a trap.

“You... you weren’t poisoned at all.” Huang Wandu said in disbelief, staring intently at Xu Xuan, whose complexion was rosy and normal with no poison signs.

“Your little poison is nothing to a true body cultivator. A single burp and it’s digested.” Xu Xuan’s eyes brimmed with scorn.

“You lie... that’s impossible!” Huang Wandu was thrown into chaos, stammering, greatly shaken.

As a poison master, he was slightly inferior in magic compared to ordinary immortal cultivators, but his mastery of poison could pose lethal threats to equals.

Yet now, the poison powder he created and his poison arts were powerless against a mere Refining Qi stage youth, even treated like a toy.

For a seasoned poison master, this was a crushing blow—like losing to an unknown nobody in his strongest, most confident field.

“Master Huang, we must work together to kill this boy, or we’ll be the ones who die.” Lin Hui’s voice was urgent, his face full of panic.

Xu Xuan alone now blocked the entrance, standing like a sentinel atop a commanding height.

Huang Wandu understood this well. The three exchanged glances, their faces murderous as they struck at Xu Xuan simultaneously:

Kill!

Lin Hui wielded his top-grade artifact; a cold gleam slashed upward at Xu Xuan’s lower body. Zhong Hong gathered all his strength, leaping into the air with his giant sword, bringing down a weighty strike like a river of sword qi.

Huang Wandu took a deep breath, forming hand seals as green poison light appeared between his palms, quickly condensing into a sharp spear. The surrounding atmosphere turned eerie and sinister, blood freezing in the veins—a terrifying poison art was brewing.

“Haha! The three of you, none will escape.”

Xu Xuan stood firm at the cave’s entrance, neither dodging nor retreating, extending a bronze-red arm to fiercely block Zhong Hong’s greatsword.

Clang!

A burst of tremendous force sent Zhong Hong flying, crashing against the narrow Earth Spirit Fire Cave wall, coughing up blood.

As for Lin Hui’s attack from below, Xu Xuan ignored it completely. The top-grade magic sword struck his leg, sparks flying, but was repelled by Xu Xuan’s powerful energy.

In just a breath’s time, Lin Hui and Zhong Hong’s attacks were all effortlessly deflected as if they were mere playthings. Both turned pale with fear, realizing their strength could not harm him in the slightest, placing all hope on Master Huang.

Whoosh—

A strange fluctuation radiated from Huang Wandu’s palm as a spear-shaped ghostly green poison light shot toward Xu Xuan’s brow.

Xu Xuan’s face grew serious, taking a deep breath as he raised an arm across his head. His body glowed with a red-gold hue, dazzlingly bright, faintly resembling a red figure attached to him.

The green poison light struck Xu Xuan, intertwining with the red glow, spreading and clinging stubbornly.

Lin Hui and Zhong Hong’s eyes flickered with hope—Huang Wandu was a Spirit Refining stage immortal cultivator; surely he had a secret weapon.

But in the next moment—

“Hey!” Xu Xuan shouted fiercely, eyes blazing like divine lightning. He swung both arms, unleashing a violent, astonishing wave of flame energy, like a mountain flood bursting forth, rushing into the narrow Earth Spirit Fire Cave.

In an instant, the three were thrown into chaos. Huang Wandu hastily summoned a spiritual energy shield, which creaked under the fiery assault, while Lin Hui and Zhong Hong were knocked to the ground, screaming in pain.

Xu Xuan breathed heavily, then calmly stood firm at the cave’s wide mouth.

He resembled an ancient war god, unmoved by wind, waves, storms, or rain.

Suddenly, an invisible, intangible fiery energy surged from him, flooding toward Huang Wandu and the others. A scorching heat spread through their bodies and minds, unbearably tormenting.

Not only that, Xu Xuan’s fiery energy kept rising, seemingly enhancing the flame within the Earth Spirit Fire Cave.

Whoosh—

The temperature soared sharply, and flames sprouted rapidly from the rocky walls.

Without borrowing the power of heaven or earth, Xu Xuan influenced all things around through his own strength, amplifying the fire’s power.

The three felt as if trapped inside a burning house, with the only exit blocked by Xu Xuan.

He had seized both time and terrain.

Under this oppressive force, Lin Hui and Zhong Hong struggled to breathe, their power reduced to less than half. Huang Wandu’s Spirit Refining awareness could not overcome the fiery energy and was suppressed as fiery waves crashed around him.

“Spirit Refining First Stage? That’s all you’ve got?” Xu Xuan sneered. Of course, he knew that as a poison master, Huang Wandu’s magical power was inferior to that of a cultivator of the same rank.

Huang Wandu roared in fury, his awareness surging toward the youth to no avail. He quickly formed hand seals, unleashing a combination of immortal and poison arts at Xu Xuan.

In desperation, Lin Hui and Zhong Hong’s eyes reddened, attacking with all their might.

Bang, clang, crash—

After a series of strikes, the youth at the cave entrance still stood tall and unyielding like an ancient immovable rock.

One man guards the pass, ten thousand cannot break through!

Now, this youth single-handedly blocked the exit, and even the combined strength of three could not budge him. He was no mere mortal—he was a monster!

Lin Hui and the others were momentarily stunned and frightened, overwhelmed by a sense of helplessness and despair.

(Second update during double points period; please support with votes for Zhang.)