42: Chapter 42 Counterattack from Desperate Circumstances, Unleashing Power

The other party sneered coldly, raising a hand and waving it: "Press forward, capture him alive! I want him on his knees begging for mercy!"

Before the words had even faded, the black-clad figures surrounding them advanced in unison, their footsteps causing the ground to tremble faintly.

Archers drew their bows and nocked arrows, aiming at the heads of the five; swordsmen and axemen blocked the escape routes, chains and grappling hooks gleaming with a cold light.

The entire courtyard of the abandoned mansion was sealed tight as a drum; not even a bird could fly out.

Chen Xuan leaned against the cage post, blood still seeping from the wound on his shoulder, his breathing slightly labored.

He closed his eyes, refusing to look at the approaching enemies or at the four women beside him. Leng Shuang's face was pale but she still forced herself to stand firm. Zhao Hongling glared angrily, refusing to retreat. Liu Ruyan's fingertips trembled slightly but she stubbornly held her ground on the wall. Dugu Xue's sword was stained with blood, yet she refused to bow her head.

Leng Shuang glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, her lips moving slightly, but in the end, she said nothing.

Zhao Hongling cursed: "You're smiling at a time like this?"

"Should I cry instead?"

He flexed his wrist, staring at the pit entrance. "They think they've trapped us, but... they've also boxed themselves in."

Liu Ruyan frowned: "What do you mean?"

He was just about to speak when a sharp shout suddenly rang out from above: "Release the cages!"

In that instant, several iron cages plummeted from the sky, crashing down with a thunderous roar, separating the five of them.

Each cage was forged from fine steel, the bars as thick as a child's arm, the mechanisms locking instantly upon landing.

Chen Xuan was trapped in the center, Leng Shuang confined to the southeast, Zhao Hongling stuck in the northeast, Dugu Xue locked in the southwest, and Liu Ruyan, who had been on the northwest wall, was also covered by a cage.

The black-clad figures no longer attacked. Instead, they formed orderly ranks, encircling the outer perimeter, swords drawn, arrows nocked.

A figure cloaked in black slowly walked onto the roof of the abandoned mansion, looking down at the five in the pit from a commanding height, his voice hoarse: "Chen Xuan, you've had enough glory."

Chen Xuan looked up, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and grinned: "You, hiding your face and skulking about, have the nerve to talk about my glory?"

That person snorted coldly and waved his hand to give the order: "Prepare to close the net!"

In that very instant, Chen Xuan abruptly closed his eyes. The true essence within his body reversed like a river flowing backward, rushing against the current through his extraordinary Meridians to break through the barrier.

In his mind flashed the fragmented text of the 'Nine Suns Incinerating Heaven True Sutra' that the System had returned to him that day. At the time, he had only felt the Cultivation Technique was too domineering and difficult to Cultivate, so he had set it aside. Now, it had ironically become his only path to survival.

His blood and Qi churned, his Meridians swelling and aching as if splitting apart. He gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead.

A scalding heat exploded from his Dantian, surged straight up his Governing Vessel to the Baihui point, then returned via the Conception Vessel, completing one full cycle. The bones throughout his body crackled.

"Break for me!"

He suddenly opened his eyes, their pupils flashing with a crimson-gold light, and slammed his right palm against the bars of the iron cage.

"Boom!"

Intense heat erupted. Flames shot from his palm, instantly melting two iron bars, sparks flying everywhere. The cage door gaped open, the wave of heat forcing nearby black-clad figures to stagger back.

"What?!" the shadowy figure on the roof exclaimed in shock.

Chen Xuan took a step forward. The blue bricks beneath his feet shattered, flames spreading from the soles of his boots. After this period of Cultivation, coupled with the System's effectiveness, his strength had already achieved a Breakthrough to the first rank.

He pressed his left hand to the ground, raised his right palm, and blasted a wave of fiery palm force toward the locking mechanism of the cage to his left.

"Crack!"

The lock shattered. Leng Shuang leaped out, her sword leaving its sheath. A wave of cold energy swept forth, congealing into an ice wall in the air, blocking the frontal assault.

Immediately after, he took three more steps in succession, his palm strikes landing one after another, blasting open the cages holding Zhao Hongling, Dugu Xue, and Liu Ruyan. The four women, now free, quickly gathered together.

"Still alive?" Zhao Hongling shook her twin maces, spitting out a mouthful of bloody foam.

"Less talk." Leng Shuang held her sword horizontally before her chest, her gaze sweeping the surroundings. "Fight our way out first."

Liu Ruyan scattered a cloud of faint pink smoke from her sleeve. It spread with the wind, blurring the vision of the enemy formation. Dugu Xue charged forward, sword in hand, her blade light arcing like a rainbow, severing two incoming arrows.

"They want to capture us alive," Dugu Xue said in a low voice. "Their formation is too tight. A direct charge won't work."

"Who said anything about a direct charge?" Chen Xuan grinned, wiping the tip of his nose, Battle Intent rising in his eyes. "Let's play something bigger."

He took a deep breath, formed hand seals with both hands. The true essence on his body's surface boiled, Nine Suns True Fire surging from his limbs and bones, forming a circle of crimson light around him.

He let out a low roar, a ball of blazing flame coalescing in his palm, which he then violently slammed toward the ground.

"Nine Suns - Incinerating Heaven Palm!"

A thunderous roar echoed as a wave of fire exploded. Centered on him, the ground within a radius of three zhang turned completely scorched.

Seven or eight black-clad figures who had charged forward were sent flying on the spot, screaming as they slammed into the walls.

Flames climbed up the ruined walls, igniting the roof beams. The entire abandoned mansion began to burn.

"Quick! Use the chaos to break through!" Liu Ruyan shouted.

Leng Shuang's sword tip tapped the ground. Cold energy erupted, ice rapidly spreading and freezing a large area, making the enemy lose their footing.

Zhao Hongling swung her twin maces with wide, powerful strokes, knocking down three people, directly carving a bloody path through the crowd.

Dugu Xue's swordplay was unorthodox, specifically targeting archers and commanders, sealing throats with a single strike, showing no mercy. She leaped onto a half-collapsed section of wall and shouted coldly: "Gap in the west, follow me!"

Chen Xuan, however, did not immediately follow. He turned and looked toward the roof, where the black-cloaked figure was attempting to flee.

"Trying to run?"

He pushed off with his feet, using the rising flames to propel himself into a leap. Mid-air, he struck out with a palm, a wave of fiery palm force sweeping forth.

The black-cloaked man hastily blocked, but was shaken back several steps, lost his footing, and tumbled down from the eaves.

He struggled to his feet, his mask falling off, revealing a sinister face.

Chen Xuan landed steadily and stepped closer: "Now you see who's having the glory?"

That man gnashed his teeth: "You... you can't possibly be this strong!"

"I didn't originally want to be this strong," Chen Xuan shrugged. "But you people just had to push me to the brink."

Before the words had even faded, he abruptly struck out with his palm, hitting the other squarely in the chest. That man flew backward like a kite with its string cut, crashed through a section of ruined wall, and fell silent.

"Dealt with?" Zhao Hongling jumped over, wiping the grime from her face.

"Probably." Chen Xuan glanced back at the blazing abandoned mansion. "At any rate, he won't be waking up for a while."

"Don't be careless," Leng Shuang warned. "There are still people outside."

Sure enough, the sound of chaotic footsteps came from a distant street corner. More black-clad figures were closing in from all directions.

"Go!" Liu Ruyan grabbed Chen Xuan's arm. "If we keep fighting, it'll never end."

The five of them regrouped and sprinted swiftly in the direction Dugu Xue had indicated. Along the way, the residual flames in Chen Xuan's palm had not yet extinguished; he casually blasted a section of wall, creating chaos to block the pursuers.

Leng Shuang flung out a wave of cold energy behind her, forming an ice barrier at the alley entrance.

Zhao Hongling smoothly picked up a wooden stick from the roadside and knocked out two scouts peeking around.

They dashed through three streets in one breath, the sounds of killing and shouting gradually fading behind them.

They stopped on a quiet official road, looking back the way they came. The firelight dyed half the night sky red.

Chen Xuan stood with his palms withdrawn, the flames slowly receding back into his body. His breathing was steady and normal, the bleeding from his shoulder wound had stopped, revealing a recovery power far exceeding others of his rank. He scanned the surroundings and said clearly: "Who else wants to try?"

His voice boomed like a great bell, shaking loose dust and broken tiles.

From the depths of the streets and alleys, several figures quietly emerged. There were Jianghu heroes who had once looked down on him, wandering knights and blade masters who had been watching from the shadows, and even street-level martial artists who had originally spread rumors. Now, everyone was silent; no one dared to respond.

Someone muttered in a low voice: "This is hardly riding on women's coattails! This is clearly a true Dragon turning over!"

Another shook his head: "I'd heard he'd had a fortuitous encounter, but I never imagined it had reached this level..."

The murmurs gradually dissipated as the crowd silently retreated into the darkness.

Chen Xuan stood unmoving, his gaze sweeping over every hidden face.

Leng Shuang stood half a step behind and to his left, her sword still unsheathed in her hand.

Zhao Hongling stood to his right, her twin maces resting on the ground, her arm bandaged to stop the bleeding.

Dugu Xue was positioned to the southwest, her sword tip touching the ground as she regulated her breathing. Liu Ruyan stood on the remnant of the northwest wall, a medicine bottle still hidden in her sleeve.

Bathed in the firelight, the shadows of the five stretched long.

Chen Xuan raised his hand, looked at the scorch marks that hadn't completely faded from his palm, and suddenly smiled.

"Tonight's little game... was quite filling."