Chapter 162: Staggering Battle Record

Clash! Boom!

The exchange between Xu Xuan and that towering figure lasted mere moments.

Following the brief clash, the two retreated in unison.

Dongfang Lin’s expression shifted, tinged with faint shock. Even now, his arm felt numb; his opponent’s physical strength was terrifyingly immense. At the same time, a bizarre and terrifying blazing poison crept through his blood and Qi, scorching and eroding his vitality. Fortunately, his martial cultivation realm surpassed Xu Xuan’s by quite a margin, allowing him to instantly neutralize and suppress the toxin.

Swish! Clang, clang, clang! Almost simultaneously, the beautiful woman in palace attire seized the moment to unleash a barrage of frosty lights. Striking squarely against Xu Xuan, they sparked a shower of sparks before hissing with faint wisps of smoke. They left only the faintest superficial traces on his skin, failing to inflict any substantive damage.

Xu Xuan’s entire body seemed cast in red copper, with an imperceptible silvery sheen faintly shimmering across his skin. His copper-forged body had reached grand completion, nearing the realm of the "Silver Astral Body," granting him exceptionally formidable immunity to immortal spells.

As an ancient physical cultivator mastering the element of blazing fire, Xu Xuan belonged to that rare breed of practitioners boasting transcendent prowess in both offense and defense.

Dongfang Lin and the palace-dressed woman were struck with horror, drawing sharp breaths. The youth before them possessed such terrifying offense and defense that he was utterly devoid of fear. No wonder he had dared to aggressively press the attack under such circumstances.

"Fighting two against one?"

Xu Xuan knitted his brows slightly, his expression sinking. A majestic aura suddenly erupted from his body, enveloped by a layer of semi-transparent fiery light akin to an incarnate god of fire.

Instantly, the surrounding temperature soared sharply. The scorching, blazing heat alongside the archaic, primordial divine pressure weighed heavily upon the surroundings, causing ordinary living beings to tremble in body and soul.

Hum—

Abruptly, Xu Xuan slowly opened his palms, revealing a cluster of dark red, translucent true flames. Within them welled a wisp of azure ghost light, spreading a soul-stirring aura.

"Let's go!"

Dongfang Lin grabbed the heavily injured palace-dressed woman, abandoning the remaining Dongfang clan members who had been routed like falling blossoms, and fled into the distance.

In a flash, the two fled a dozen or twenty zhang. The palace-dressed woman asked in bewilderment, "With the two of us joining forces, we should have a certain chance of victory. This person is merely at the first tier of Spirit Refining."

"There are virtually no flaws to be found on this kid. In a head-on clash, we won't gain the upper hand. Besides, you are heavily injured. Once the other Spirit Refining masters of the Zhang family arrive, the situation will turn dire," Dongfang Lin said with a wary expression.

"Since Nie Han, another terrifying young expert has emerged within the Zhang family. If this great war fails to annihilate the Zhang family, the Dongfang family will be in grave danger in the coming decades," the palace-dressed woman sighed softly.

Swish! Swish!

Shortly after Dongfang Lin and his companion fled, Zhang Kuang and Cheng Mu arrived at top speed to provide reinforcements.

Hoo—

The semi-transparent fiery light around Xu Xuan receded back into his body, and the dark red, translucent true flame in his palm transformed into a stream of fire returning within, the azure ghost light flashing and vanishing instantly.

"Why did those two run away?" Cheng Mu asked in utter confusion.

"If I'm not mistaken, one of them is Dongfang Lin of the Dongfang family—a fourth-tier Spirit Refining martial cultivator renowned for his bravery in battle, who once cut down a Spirit Refining master of our clan on the battlefield. Why did those two look so flustered as they fled?" Zhang Kuang asked with slight suspicion, noticing that the soul-shaking, supreme fiery aura around Xu Xuan had vanished in the blink of an eye, returning to ordinary levels.

Clearly, a confrontation had likely taken place just moments before, only to be cut short in haste.

"Pursue and kill the remaining deserters first!"

Without hesitation, Xu Xuan transformed his figure into a pale red blur of fire, charging toward the enemy cultivators fleeing near the small river.

Lacking leaders at the Spirit Refining level, the remaining Dongfang clan cultivators were utterly routed, with more than half of them slaughtered.

Wherever Xu Xuan passed, not a single cultivator could withstand a single blow, all meeting instant death.

"Reporting to Leader Xu, a palace-shaped flying magical artifact has been captured in the small river," a cultivator reported.

Flying over to a certain spot along the river, Xu Xuan indeed discovered that the previously sighted small silver palace had been occupied by the Zhang clan youths.

"Not bad, not bad."

Xu Xuan nodded with a smile. Large flying magical artifacts of this sort held immense value. Cast entirely from artifact-grade materials, its greatest asset was its massive scale—comparable to the materials of tens of thousands of ordinary artifacts. Most importantly, the refining arrays inscribed upon the artifact covered the entire palace, integrating flight and defense into one.

"I never expected such a massive trophy right in our first battle," Zhang Kuang flashed an excited look in his eyes.

Cheng Mu wore a look of astonishment, though he remained silent with a slightly disappointed mood. Previously, he had consistently belonged to the conservative faction, advising against clashing with the enemy.

Yet unexpectedly, Xu Xuan was wise, martial, and decisive in killing. Their opening battle was a resounding victory, slaying two Spirit Refining masters and capturing such a formidable treasure.

"Secure this item first; we can distribute it after returning to the clan," Xu Xuan instructed Zhang Kuang to handle the palace trophy.

Naturally, he could not brazenly swallow such a large public spoils of war all by himself, as that would inevitably provoke public censure.

By slaying the two Spirit Refining masters and seizing their storage bags, Xu Xuan had harvested a wealth of spoils: several thousand secondary-grade spirit stones, two or three spiritual weapons, and a considerable array of materials and spiritual elixirs.

He estimated that these spirit stones and materials would be sufficient to support his cultivation all the way to the second tier of Spirit Refining, or even elevate his physical forging stage to the Silver Astral Body.

A small-scale battle had instantly lifted Xu Xuan out of poverty and enriched him, leaving him naturally overjoyed and growing increasingly expectant of this Huanglong campaign.

The remnant soul of his past life had been entirely correct: for those with strength, war was nothing more than an opportunity to plunder resources and amass great fortunes.

Just as the group was cleaning up the battlefield, dozens of cultivators flew out from the direction of Qingmu Town—this time, cultivators from the Zhang family.

An elderly man in a Dharma robe was someone Xu Xuan recognized: the immortal surnamed Hu from the Zhang Family Heavenly Spirit Pavilion, who had once served as his notary and escorted him away from Huanglong Spirit City.

"We arrived late. Has the battle here already concluded?" the elderly man surnamed Hu asked with slight bewilderment.

Zhang Kuang laughed heartily, "Elder Hu, the enemies here were long since half-slaughtered by us and fled in panic..."

"Impossible! This area near the small river is guarded by three Spirit Refining masters of the Dongfang family, all of higher cultivation than you. Furthermore, a fourth-tier Spirit Refining powerhouse lurks in this region, and a master of our own clan was once ambushed and killed here."

Beside Elder Hu, another middle-aged man in brocade robes wore an utterly skeptical expression, muttering discontentedly, "The situation in Qingmu Town is precarious; why on earth would the clan dispatch a few unaccomplished youngsters over?"

This brocade-robed man possessed a cultivation level that had reached the third tier of Spirit Refining. His words carried not only doubt, but also a distinct trace of disdain.

Hearing this, Zhang Kuang immediately grew somewhat displeased. With a sunken voice, he retorted, "Uncle Zhang De! We kindly came to participate in the campaign, to reinforce Qingmu Town, and we've even achieved a great merit by slaying two Spirit Refining masters. Is this how you welcome us? Complaining that our cultivation is insufficient?"

He was also a man of pride. Zhang De's attitude and tone were utterly grating, and disregarding the other's status as an elder, he directly erupted on the spot. Furthermore, Zhang De was merely a paternal cousin-uncle of the Zhang family, far from being a core elder.

"What! Slain two Spirit Refining masters? Based on just the likes of you?"

Zhang De was greatly shocked, his face a mask of skepticism.

Even Elder Hu wore an incredulous expression: this reinforcement squad led by young juniors had just arrived in Qingmu Town, yet they had already slain two Spirit Refining masters?

"Cheng Mu, is what he says true?" Zhang De asked in a deep voice.

Cheng Mu was barely considered part of the older generation—steady and conservative—so his words ought to be trustworthy.

"Indeed it is." Cheng Mu remained neither humble nor arrogant, raising a hand to point toward Xu Xuan. "The leader of this reinforcement force is Guest Elder Xu. Those two Spirit Refining martial cultivators were both successively slain by him in a single breath, instantly turning the tide of battle."

"Him? He successively slew two Spirit Refining masters...?"

Zhang De wore a look of astonishment, freezing blankly for a moment.

Zhang Kuang snorted coldly and ordered his subordinates to carry forward the corpses of the two Spirit Refining masters.

"Indeed, these two are indeed masters from the Dongfang family. This old man has crossed paths with them a few times. Judging by the marks and manner of their deaths, they clearly met their end at the hands of the same person," Elder Hu nodded, a gratified smile blooming as he patted Xu Xuan’s shoulder in a warm manner. "Back then, the young master and I truly did not misjudge our man. Your performance is completely inferior to none, not even Nie Han. He joined the campaign and slew two Spirit Refining masters within half a month; you've only just arrived for a single day yet have already cut down two masters and established a monumental merit. I will certainly report this matter to the family head."

Zhang Kuang cast a cold glance at Zhang De. "Guest Elder Xu not only successively slew two Spirit Refining masters, but also heavily injured Fan Jiugu of the Dongfang family. Had the fourth-tier Spirit Refining Dongfang Lin not arrived, she might well have been successfully eliminated. If you lot had arrived just a little earlier for a pincer attack, not a single enemy from the Dongfang family would have escaped!"

Upon hearing this, cold sweat instantly beaded on Zhang De's forehead. He immediately fell silent, utter astonishment flashing in his eyes as he occasionally glanced at the calm and composed youth. He had vaguely heard rumors of the youth's exploits, but never imagined they would be several times more terrifying than the tales suggested.

"Fan Jiugu broke through to the third tier of Spirit Refining many years ago and possesses extraordinary mastery in immortal spells, yet she was severely injured by Brother Xu and nearly slain. Dongfang Lin possesses astonishing strength; when you crossed paths with him, were you injured?"

Amidst his gratification and pleasant surprise, Elder Hu could not help but voice concern for Xu Xuan's condition. After all, the fourth-tier Spirit Refining realm was no small watershed; for Xu Xuan to cross paths with him and preserve his life was already remarkable.

"My vital Qi was slightly depleted, but there's no major hindrance."

Xu Xuan spoke in a calm tone, his face carrying a trace of lingering regret.

He indeed felt some misgivings about failing to slay Fan Jiugu. However, when he unleashed his trump card in an attempt to trap both Dongfang Lin and Fan Jiugu, the pair had managed to flee.

"I vaguely caught sight of Guest Elder Xu exchanging blows with that Dongfang Lin. Before we even arrived, Dongfang Lin suddenly took Fan Jiugu and fled," Zhang Kuang voiced his own doubt.

"They ran away, and I couldn't catch them."

Xu Xuan shook his head with a bitter smile. A fourth-tier Spirit Refining powerhouse exceeded the scope of what he could successfully hunt down, unless the other party was willing to fight to the death.

As soon as these words fell, storm surges churned within the hearts of Zhang De and the others.

What Xu Xuan described so simply clearly revealed that he had not only pursued Fan Jiugu, but had even driven off Dongfang Lin along the way.

"Such truly exhilarating battle achievements! With reinforcement forces like you, I believe the situation in Qingmu Town can surely be reversed."

Elder Hu was immensely agitated. For the Zhang family to produce someone so valiant and skilled in battle was nothing short of fortunate. Given time, would they not become invincible?

Some cultivators were born masters of combat, possessing combat power far surpassing those of the same tier—truly the proud sons of the cultivation world's wars.

Zhang De felt utterly embarrassed, offering an awkward, forced smile. "Truly, heroes come from the youths. I believe you will all shine brilliantly throughout this campaign."