Chapter 74: The Demonized Bat

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Streaks of blue, red, and purple smoke flashed across the sky, visible for miles around with startling clarity.

"Let's go."

Le Feng exchanged a glance with Senior Brother Jia, and hurried toward the direction of the distress signal.

Their fellow disciples were calling for help, and naturally Xu Xuan's group would not stand idly by. After a brief hesitation, they too set off in pursuit.

A distance of two or three miles was not far, and in a group of five or six, they swiftly closed in on a shadowy purple cliff with light, agile leaps.

Even from afar, everyone could see clusters of dark spots suspended in midair like ominous clouds.

"What is that?"

The tri-colored smoke hovered above the cave, clearly marking the source of the distress signal.

Focusing their gaze, the group was startled.

Swish, swish, swish—

Thousands upon thousands of bats, a dense black mass, blanketed the sky, surrounding two Immortal Sect disciples and launching relentless, fearless attacks.

The two trapped disciples were Wang Fushan and Senior Brother Fei. Their bodies radiated spiritual light, and bats dropped dead at their feet with every move, but they were clearly battered and exhausted. Wang Fushan, in particular, bore several wounds.

When Xu Xuan and his companions arrived, they saw that the endless swarm of bats originated from a cave within the shadowy purple cliff.

"Help us!" Wang Fushan cried out in desperation.

All around, a sea of bats grew ever thicker, emitting strange, piercing sound waves that reverberated across heaven and earth.

The sound waves churned the vital energy in their bodies, inducing hallucinations in their minds.

"These are not ordinary bats—some have already become demonized. Be careful!"

Le Feng's expression was grave. He was the first to rush forward, a flash of spiritual light in his hand, sending a wave of blue-scaled light surging forth. Dozens of bats were immediately struck down, leaving a bloody mess.

Senior Brother Jia followed, sweeping his sleeve and releasing a red glow. Whole swathes of bats were scorched black.

With the aid of these two Immortal Cultivators of the fourth level of Qi Refining, Wang Fushan and Senior Brother Fei felt their pressure ease and were temporarily rescued.

Yet more bats poured from the cave, almost shrouding the sky in darkness.

Xu Xuan and his group, arriving later, witnessed the scene with heavy hearts—whether from psychological stress or the influence of the sound waves was unclear.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—

A portion of the bats darted toward Xu Xuan and his companions.

Senior Brother Lin snorted lightly, shook his arm, and swept away a wave of fire, knocking down more than a dozen bats.

Yu Qin and Yang Xiaoqian activated their powers, dispatching common bats before they could approach.

As for Xu Xuan, standing beside Yu Qin, he made no overt moves. With subtle tremors of his joints, bats close to him dropped away. Sometimes, a slight shrug of his shoulder or a forward bend of his knee spelled the death of one or two more bats.

"Even if more of these bats come, what does it matter?"

Senior Brother Lin was relaxed and confident, his cultivation the highest among the four. Each strike sent many bats plummeting.

Swish—

Suddenly, a sharp, strange screech pierced their minds, causing their vital energy to surge and their heads to spin.

A large purple bat, twice the size of the others, burst into view, accompanied by a wave of force.

The four were shaken, their faces pale with shock.

A demonized bat!

Senior Brother Lin barely evaded the initial strike, while Yang Xiaoqian and Yu Qin were terrified.

The purple bat charged at them, emitting bizarre sound waves, its fanged maw open, eyes crimson and cold.

Yu Qin's slender body trembled; she activated her power to resist, barely regaining composure.

Smack!

A hand swept through the air, sending the purple bat flying and crashing into a nearby rock.

"Thank you."

Yu Qin looked gratefully at the young man beside her.

Xu Xuan withdrew his hand, standing before her, his expression calm and unmoved.

Senior Brother Lin let out a sigh of relief, secretly fearful—had Xu Xuan not acted promptly and Yu Qin, the direct disciple, been injured, he would have borne great responsibility.

"Use your power to shield your ears. These sound waves affect the mind," Xu Xuan quietly advised.

Yu Qin and Yang Xiaoqian followed his instructions.

Sure enough, when the purple bat struggled up and attacked again, the two women felt only a slight stirring of their vital energy; the sound waves' effect on their minds was greatly diminished.

With this method, so long as not too many demonized bats attacked at once, they would not be greatly affected.

Yang Xiaoqian glanced at Xu Xuan in surprise—he was just a physical cultivator, unable to wield spiritual power, yet he seemed more experienced than the Immortal Cultivators.

This time, the purple bat glared fiercely and charged at Xu Xuan, as if bearing a grudge.

Xu Xuan felt the sound wave and screech rush toward him, his vital energy quivering. He activated his breathing technique and quickly calmed himself.

Whoosh!

The purple bat missed as Xu Xuan shifted minutely, evading the attack by a hair's breadth. He remained standing by Yu Qin's side, steadfastly guarding her, his presence steady.

Frustrated, the demonized purple bat screeched and attacked again, displaying a tenacious, unyielding spirit.

Senior Brother Lin, intent only on protecting Yu Qin, did not assist, secretly sneering: This demonized bat's strength rivals an Immortal Cultivator of the first Qi Refining level. Let's see how you handle it—what can a physical cultivator of the eighth level do?

Seeing the purple bat lunge again, this time Xu Xuan stood motionless. A chill spread from his entire body, and his icy eyes harbored a deadly intent like that of a venomous snake.

Not far off, Yang Xiaoqian's heart stirred. Xu Xuan's current state resembled the confrontation between Qing Lou and Wang Fushan, but with a difference: the cold, venomous light in Xu Xuan's eyes seemed to pierce through every weakness of his adversary.

He was employing the dual secrets of "Stillness" and "Poison."

In an instant, Xu Xuan's senses sharpened; his gaze was keen, able to discern the fine textures of the purple bat's skin, its bones and joints, and even the flow of blood within its body.

In the depths of his mind, he traced the creature's skeletal structure and the pattern of its blood flow.

The flight trajectory, physical weaknesses, and attack directions—all flaws were laid bare before his eyes.

Time seemed to slow as the demonized bat hurtled toward him. Yu Qin looked on with concern, ready to lend aid.

Zap!

A flash of purple-red energy, like an arc of electricity, streaked by. The demonized bat's fangs nearly grazed Xu Xuan's face, but then froze.

Xu Xuan's finger pressed the vital point on the bat's abdomen, unleashing the strange internal force of the "Poison" secret. In an instant, it surged through the meridians, damaging internal organs and severing its life force, killing it almost instantly.

The essence of the "Poison" secret was to cut off the life force of vital organs, producing an effect akin to poisoning.

Splat!

The demonized bat collapsed, its skin glowing with a purple-black hue.

Senior Brother Lin drew a sharp breath, a chill rising in his heart as he stared at Xu Xuan's fingernails with unease.

Yang Xiaoqian and Yu Qin had seen Xu Xuan employ such techniques before and were less fazed, but nonetheless awed by his prowess.

The demonized bat's strength rivaled that of a first-level Immortal Cultivator, yet Xu Xuan had slain it with a single poisonous strike.

He was merely a mortal at the eighth level of physical cultivation?

For the first time, Senior Brother Lin harbored doubts: Could Xu Xuan be a martial cultivator?

Ordinary mortal cultivators of the eighth level could never achieve such feats.

In truth, Xu Xuan was indeed a pure physical cultivator. Compared to others of his rank, he possessed no overwhelming strength.

The difference lay in his cultivation of the "Nine Transformations of Dragon and Snake," which had transformed his body beyond that of ordinary mortals, even surpassing typical Immortal Cultivators. The intricate techniques and insights gained through repeated transformations placed all peers before him as mere ants.

To defeat peers instantly and slay Immortal Cultivators across ranks—this was Xu Xuan's power, rivaling even sword cultivators.

Of course, Xu Xuan had not yet stepped into the true path of cultivation.

It was hard to imagine what he would be like once he entered the world of cultivation.

Xu Xuan had pondered: If he had abandoned the "Nine Transformations of Dragon and Snake" and pursued the Immortal path, at best he would be somewhat stronger than others of his rank. According to the memories of his past life's remnant soul, the "Nine Transformations of Dragon and Snake" was merely an entry technique to some ancient cultivation method...

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—

More bats gathered from all directions, most attracted by the powerful Immortal cultivators near Wang Fushan and Le Feng.

But a dense swarm also rushed toward Xu Xuan and his group.

Yu Qin and her companions were thrown into chaos.

Fortunately, everyone shielded their ears with spiritual power, greatly reducing the effect of the sound waves. By cooperating, they managed to cope.

"Where is Senior Brother?"

Amidst the sea of black bats, Le Feng called out in a low voice.

Wang Fushan and Senior Brother Fei belonged to the same group as Senior Brother Yun Yuanhang.

Wang Fushan was about to speak when a terrifying, soul-stirring screech erupted from within the cave.

In an instant, fierce winds whipped around them, and the bats grew even more savage, attacking like a violent storm.

What was happening?

Xu Xuan and the others were stunned.

The thunderous screech came from the cave entrance.

Boom!

The entire cliff trembled, and from the cave burst a youth shrouded in azure light, blood-stained and fleeing in disarray.

Senior Brother Yun!

Everyone was shocked. What could possibly injure a master of such powerful Immortal techniques?

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