Chapter 45: Shan Xiongxin Joins the Battle

The roaring of the fierce battle instantly drew the attention of the military garrison training squads.

Amidst the crowd, sounds of amazement and clicking tongues echoed. "General Tianbao is indeed General Tianbao. Even with his cultivation realm compressed to this level, no one can withstand a single punch from him."

"Did you really think the Divine Emperor's eyes were at fault? Without true strength, how could he have been bestowed the title of Tianbao?"

"Tianbao—a treasure granted by the heavens to the divine dynasty, maintaining its stability."

"With this expedition against Goguryeo, why worry that the demonic souls will not be exterminated?"

……

Ling Xuan scrambled to his feet. Yuwen Chengdu truly lived up to his reputation; he was vastly superior to those two absolute fools.

No wonder the Divine Emperor regarded him with such high esteem.

Previously, he had been somewhat skeptical, but now that they had truly clashed, he immediately realized the difference. Even when Yuwen Chengdu suppressed his realm to the Qi Sea Mysterious Realm, he was still completely beyond what Ling Xuan could easily handle.

Ling Xuan glanced sideways at Ye Ziyan. Her purple eyes flickered, her body trembled slightly, and her fingertips dug into her palms as she suddenly leaped forward. "Again!"

Countless shadows of legs danced, and the force of her fists howled through the air.

"Not bad, now that's starting to look like something," Yuwen Chengdu laughed heartily. "Otherwise, how could you have killed so many of my Yuwen family's Gray Falcons?"

At that exact moment, a burly man burst out from the crowd. "Interesting, very interesting. This old me will come and try as well."

Before Yuwen Chengdu could respond, the figure flashed forward, throwing a direct punch straight at his chest.

With a loud crash, the burly man staggered back repeatedly before finally steadying his footing.

Yuwen Chengdu's expression remained unchanged as he reached out to block Ye Ziyan's flurry of kicks and punches. "Not bad. What is your name? My command happens to lack a spear-bearer."

"Get lost! When this lord fights, I only go by my mood," the burly man roared. "Again!"

His stance shifted abruptly. Instead of the straight-line charging from before, he began to focus on technique and leverage.

Coordinating with Ye Ziyan's flying leg shadows, he attacked Yuwen Chengdu's lower body. Meanwhile, the burly man's fist force aimed directly at Yuwen Chengdu's upper body, naturally forming a coordinated upper-and-lower dual assault.

An opening!

Ling Xuan thought to himself.

The Serpent-Form Escaping Shadow technique was instantly deployed. His body twisted and slithered directly into the space between the three of them, and the Purple Firmament Divine Flute lashed out once more.

"Prince of Changping, must you resort to such sneaky tactics?"

Yuwen Chengdu shouted coldly.

"You're bullying me with your cultivation realm. Do you really expect this prince to engage you in a fair, one-on-one duel?"

Ling Xuan retorted with a cheeky smile. "Striking while the iron is hot has always been this prince's specialty."

"Don't try to steal a chicken only to lose the rice you used as bait," Yuwen Chengdu said indifferently.

Although he had compressed his cultivation to the Qi Sea Mysterious Realm, Ye Ziyan and the burly man were also at this realm. Even with the addition of Ling Xuan, who was at the Greater Heavenly Cycle realm, what difference could it make?

Even though Ling Xuan's movement technique was bizarre and utterly incomprehensible, before absolute strength, any and all movement techniques were mere gaudy trifles.

Not to mention, to pierce through his protective罡气 (true qi barrier) required sufficient power. Without it, even a barrage of punches and kicks landing on his body would feel like nothing more than a light scratch.

On the contrary, due to the rebounding nature of his protective barrier, physical strikes from the Greater Heavenly Cycle realm would only result in the attacker facing an even stronger counter-shock.

After striking several times with the Purple Firmament Divine Flute, Ling Xuan grew increasingly alarmed.

His hands were beginning to go numb.

The Purple Firmament Divine Flute was already battered and riddled with cracks, and it had not been repaired upon their return to the Demon-Subjugating Camp.

At this moment, faint cracking sounds began to emanate from it, though they were entirely masked by the howling wind of their fists.

Ling Xuan's peripheral vision swept over Ye Ziyan. The moves she was using were not the Ten Great Tyrannical Techniques, but rather entirely those taught by Qiu Rui.

Even when facing Yuwen Chengdu's ferocious fist-force, Ye Ziyan still refused to employ the Ten Great Tyrannical Techniques.

Ling Xuan instantly understood—this was Yuwen Chengdu's test.

Whenever anyone faced a desperate situation, no matter how well they disguised themselves, they would inevitably resort to their most deeply ingrained and long-practiced hidden methods.

Yet Ye Ziyan clenched her teeth and persisted, utilizing solely the techniques imparted by Qiu Rui. Though she was no match for Yuwen Chengdu, she was actively fusing and mastering them through the combat.

He then glanced at the burly man, who was growing more and more excited with every exchange, appearing genuinely as though he had merely been itching for a fight and joined on a whim.

Yuwen Chengdu remained entirely at ease, casting a cold glance at Ling Xuan. "Does the Prince of Changping always lack focus during a fight?"

With a sharp whistle, Yuwen Chengdu's boxing style changed abruptly as he lashed out toward Ling Xuan's chest.

Ling Xuan swiftly raised the Purple Firmament Divine Flute, barely managing to block the blow.

*Crack, crack.* Dense fractures spread across the surface.

The Purple Firmament Divine Flute, a gift from Yang Xuangan, actually shattered under the force of this single blow.

The purple thin blade was already covered in fractures, and under this heavy impact, it finally broke apart completely.

Ling Xuan was secretly delighted. He had been struggling to find an excuse to get rid of the Purple Firmament Divine Flute anyway, and now that the opportunity had presented itself, a wicked smile curled the corner of his mouth. "Yuwen Chengdu, that was a gift from the Prince of Yue. You've gotten yourself into serious trouble."

"Relics of the previous dynasty—anything of the sort can be shattered," Yuwen Chengdu said unconcernedly, turning the insult back on him. "Does the Prince of Changping wish to forcefully keep it? Could it be that you are connected to the remnants of the former Chen dynasty?"

"Go to hell."

Ling Xuan whipped his hand forward, executing the 'Spirit Serpent Spits its Tongue' technique, utilizing the broken flute fragments like silver needles.

"Just these petty tricks?"

Yuwen Chengdu neither dodged nor evaded.

*Clang, clang, clang……*

The broken flute fragments struck Yuwen Chengdu's body, producing metallic ringing sounds.

"Dodge!"

Ye Ziyan suddenly shrieked.

"What?"

Before Ling Xuan could fully snap out of his daze, a piercing cold glint suddenly erupted before his eyes.

If not for Ye Ziyan's warning, he would likely have fallen victim to a sneak attack.

The Serpent-Form Escaping Shadow distorted, and he leaped violently aside.

With two muffled thuds, Ye Ziyan was blasted flying by a single punch.

The burly man fared no better, stumbling backward continuously before spitting out a mouthful of blood with a loud *blech*.

Yuwen Chengdu lightly dusted his shoulder. "What absolute trash. With just this pitiful bit of skill, you dare to play the hero and meddle in others' business?"

"The Prince of Changping used acupuncture to save my sworn brother. What's wrong with me, Dan Tong, accompanying him in a fight?"

The burly man sat heavily on the ground, looking indignant and resentful.

Dan Tong?

Ling Xuan could not help but be stunned. Wasn't this the renowned master of the Two Worthies Manor?

Why had he also come to the military garrison and become a member of the demon-subjugating army?

Yuwen Chengdu wore an expression of utter disdain. "Prince of Changping, if this is the extent of your abilities, you might as well quietly lie in the Imperial Medical Valley for three months."

"Tch, this prince came here to gather medicinal herbs, not to fight," Ling Xuan's lips curled up. "Who knew I'd get bitten by a mad dog?"

"Get lost! With your pathetic strength, how dare you attempt to ambush and slaughter my Gray Falcons?"

Yuwen Chengdu chided coldly.

"If you won't let me gather herbs, will you hand your military merits over to me instead?"

Ling Xuan replied unceremoniously. "Or did you, General Tianbao, intentionally come here to show off and plunder the military merits of the garrison squads?"

"Keep that sharp tongue of yours; you'll need it when you face the demonic souls," Yuwen Chengdu sneered. "Don't say I didn't warn you—deep within the Three Thousand Mountain Range, there are at least two five-star blue-glow demonic souls."

What?

There were actually two five-star blue-glow demonic souls in the Three Thousand Mountains of Changbai?

The various military garrison squads instantly broke into an uproar.

Everyone had come here for the chance to truly enter the Eastern and Western Demon-Hunting Camps; none of them wanted to throw their lives away so casually.

A five-star blue-glow demonic soul possessed strength comparable to the Qi Sea Earth Realm, and if it were slightly stronger, it could even contend with those in the Qi Sea Sky Realm.

As everyone knew, the Pulse-Opening and Heavenly Cycle realms corresponded to one-to-three-star demonic souls.

However, the Qi Sea realm merely corresponded to four-and-five-star demonic souls.

Once a demonic soul reached the six-star level, only those at the Divine Storage realm could hope to deal with it.

Most soldiers in the various military garrison squads were only at the Heavenly Cycle or Qi Sea Mysterious Realm.

Attempting to deal with a five-star blue-glow demonic soul was no different from throwing eggs against a rock.

No wonder the core members of the Gray Falcons, the Gray Eagles, had been slaughtered in the Misty Hidden Valley, causing over twenty Gray Falcon members to lose their lives right there.

Watching Yuwen Chengdu leave, the various garrison squads scattered.

Noticing that the burly man had no intention of leaving, Ling Xuan grew even more suspicious. Could this really be Dan Xiongxin?