67: bloody battle

Lin Xuan's rescue was as brutal as a natural disaster. Chaos Sword Qi tore through array flags, Split Heaven's thunder, infused with A Zi's power, shattered spatial barriers, Jin Bao's dragon roar destabilized the Immortal Monarchs' divine souls, Yu Lin's fists struck with a strange power that annihilated matter, and You Ye's illusions were sinister and cunning.

The three ambushing Immortal Monarchs were completely stunned. They had anticipated Lin Xuan's arrival and even prepared countermeasures, but they never expected it to be in this manner! Unreasonable! Disregarding all costs! Like an ancient ferocious beast thoroughly enraged, he charged over with a pack of smaller monsters, crushing everything in his path!

"Lin Xuan! You—" The leading Immortal Monarch was furious and shocked, but before he could finish his sentence, a streak of Chaos Sword Qi, spanning his entire vision, forced him to retreat in disarray, his protective immortal treasure letting out a mournful wail under the strain.

Lin Xuan couldn't be bothered with pleasantries; his gaze was cold enough to freeze an immortal soul. He locked onto these three scoundrels, unleashing an onslaught like a torrential storm. Each strike contained the mighty Chaos power of a Mid-stage Heaven Immortal and a belly full of suppressed rage. Split Heaven and A Zi were responsible for large-scale clearing and interference, while Jin Bao, Yu Lin, and You Ye precisely targeted the other two, relentlessly tying them down.

Linglong and the surviving Demonic Sound Sect disciples, trapped on the altar, were dumbfounded. The ecstasy of a narrow escape combined with the impact of this violent aesthetic left their minds buzzing.

"What are you still standing around for! Waiting for dinner?!" Lin Xuan roared amidst the chaos, "Those who aren't dead, get up! Use your crappy flutes and play a requiem for these three old turtles!"

Linglong jolted, suddenly snapping back to reality. Looking at the three enemies, who were flustered and losing all semblance of Immortal Monarch dignity under the onslaught, a surge of ferocity and indignity washed over her. She wiped the blood from her face, bringing the Jade Demon Flute to her lips once more. This time, the notes she played were no longer those of despair, but sharp, piercing, soul-drilling, maddened killing sounds capable of stirring inner demons!

"Demonic Sound Sect! Myriad Demons Devouring Heart Melody!" she shrieked.

The dozens of surviving Demonic Sound Sect disciples braced themselves and stood up, playing their instruments. Waves of invisible, formless, yet incredibly malicious sound, like maggots clinging to bones, precisely bypassed Lin Xuan and his group, slamming into the three Immortal Monarchs' sea of consciousness!

"Ah!" One Immortal Monarch screamed, clutching his head, his movements instantly distorted. Jin Bao tore off half his shoulder with a single claw. Another was left dazed by You Ye's illusion, his hand seals a beat too slow, and Yu Lin's fist directly struck his chest, shattering his protective immortal light and sending him flying back, spitting blood. The leading one suffered the most; he had to resist Lin Xuan's main attack while also fending off the demonic sound's erosion. His face turned ashen, and fear finally appeared in his eyes.

"Go!" he shrieked, suddenly crushing a life-saving jade talisman. A black light flared, enveloping him as he tried to escape into the void. "Can you escape?" Lin Xuan scoffed, his Law-Breaking Chaos Eyes instantly seeing through the escape trajectory. He pointed his fingers like a sword, and a Silent Extinction Sword Soul, condensed to its extreme, arrived first! *Pfft!* "Ah—!" A bloodcurdling scream of extreme agony came from the rapidly closing spatial rift, then abruptly ceased. Only a severed arm, still twitching slightly, fell from the air.

Seeing this, the other two Immortal Monarchs were terrified, no longer caring about anything else. They desperately burned their vital blood, transforming into two streaks of blood-light, fleeing for their lives in different directions.

Lin Xuan did not pursue. He slowly descended, standing on the altar, his face somewhat pale, and his aura slightly disordered. That burst of power just now, seemingly overwhelming, had actually consumed a vast amount of energy, especially the forced tearing of space disrupted by Immortal Monarch power, and enduring the desperate counterattacks of three Immortal Monarchs. A Mid-stage Heaven Immortal, while capable of fighting Immortal Monarchs above his level, dealing with three desperate ones simultaneously while also having to protect disciples was not so easy.

"Master!" Linglong stumbled over, tears finally falling, mixing with the bloodstains on her face. "It's alright," Lin Xuan patted her shoulder, his voice softening slightly, "Count the casualties, bring those who can move, and withdraw immediately. Split Heaven, clear the way, back to Star Palace!"

"Yes!" Split Heaven let out a low growl, tearing through space once more, this time much more steadily.

When Lin Xuan returned to Star Palace with Linglong and the others he had rescued, the earth-shattering roars and explosions from the main battlefield were already rolling in like thunder, the destructive energy fluctuations palpable even from thousands of miles away.

The periphery of Star Palace had become a true meat grinder!

The hideous figures of the Asura Clan surged like a tide against the Chaos Star Radiance Great Array! They roared, brandishing bone blades and bone spikes, spitting corrosive malevolent energy. Countless World-Devouring Insects of various forms were mixed among them; some rammed like tanks, some sprayed acid and venomous barbs, and some burrowed underground for sneak attacks! The sky was illuminated by the light of various energies, flickering between bright and dark, with exploding fireballs constantly rising.

The nascent Chaos War Fortress, built by Chu Xinghe, played a huge role. Its massive muzzles continuously spewed destructive Chaos light beams, each capable of clearing a large area. The battle formations formed by inner disciples stood like reefs, staunchly resisting wave after wave of assaults. Leng Yuechan's Nirvana Sword Hall sword cultivators were like a death whirlwind; where their sword qi passed, Asuras and insectoids fell in droves. Kong Ming's Martial Monk Corps stood at the very front, their Merit Golden Wheels forming a continuous shield, enduring the damage. Feng Qiqi's Divine Fire Army put out fires everywhere; wherever her Nirvana Flames reached, the insectoids shrieked and screamed as they burned. Mo Sha's Ancient Demon Battle Group, like ghosts, specialized in targeting Asura commanders and large insectoid units for decapitation strikes!

But the enemy's numbers were too great! Kill one batch, and two more immediately surged forward! The array's light barrier violently fluctuated under the continuous attacks, already showing fine cracks. Disciples were constantly being injured and carried off, or even falling. On the Blood Crystal Stele,Merit Points were frantically increasing, but the casualty list also grew longer.

Yun Qingyao, stationed at the command center, her pretty face taut, issued clear commands, deploying forces to various locations. Liu Ruyan led the Star Immortal Generals to plug gaps. Su Yuan's Heavenly Evolution Array Disk operated at overdrive, analyzing the battlefield situation and searching for enemy weaknesses. Qing Xuan led the purification team, busily treating the wounded, with soft purification lights constantly illuminating. Mu Ling Nannan even risked approaching the front lines, using Wood Spirit Qi to grow thorny vines, temporarily trapping some enemies.

Tragic! True war was far more brutal than imagined!

Lin Xuan handed Linglong over to Qing Xuan for treatment, then his figure flickered, appearing atop the main hall. He looked down at the tragic battlefield, at his disciples fighting valiantly, at the constantly flickering lights of fallen comrades, his eyes as cold as iron.

He did not immediately intervene. This was tempering, a baptism of blood and fire. Star Palace needed to grow, and its disciples needed to break through themselves under this extreme pressure. He couldn't always be a babysitter.

But he wasn't just watching either. He raised his hand, and the power of the Chaos Thunder Tribulation Pool was invoked. Streaks of Chaos lightning, as thick as buckets, struck with pinpoint accuracy like they had eyes, targeting the Asura War Generals or large insectoid units on the verge of breaching the defenses, alleviating pressure on the precarious front lines. He was more like a precise sniper than a carpet-bombing artillery.

The battle raged from day to night, and from night to daybreak. The Asura Clan and insectoid offensive seemed endless. The disciples of Star Palace were holding on purely through sheer grit and ample resource replenishment. Elixirs were popped like candy, and talismans were thrown around as if they were free.

Finally, at noon on the second day, the enemy's offensive showed a slight sign of weakening. It seemed their subsequent forces were struggling to keep up.

"Now! Counterattack! Chu Xinghe! Blast a path open for me! Leng Yuechan! Feng Qiqi! Mo Sha! Lead the charge out! Pierce through them!" Yun Qingyao seized the opportunity and commanded sharply!

Boom! The main cannon of the Chaos War Fortress let out a deafening roar, and a Chaos light beam, several times thicker than before, slammed into the densest part of the enemy formation, instantly clearing a massive gap!

"Kill!" Leng Yuechan led the charge, her Silent Extinction Sword Qi paving the way! Feng Qiqi transformed into a fiery meteor! Mo Sha was like a humanoid beast! Countless inner disciples, like a breaching flood, charged out after them!

Counterattack! A brutal counterattack! Every step was taken through blood-mud and wreckage!

When the last active Asura was ignited into dust by Ye Chen's Silent Extinction Sword Soul, and the last large World-Devouring Insect fell, its internal organs shattered by Kong Ming's Great Mighty Heavenly Dragon Roar, the entire battlefield suddenly fell into an eerie silence.

Only heavy breathing, the painful moans of the wounded, and the crackling of flames burning corpses remained.

They had won, for now.

Star Palace had held. But the cost was heavy. The periphery of the ten-thousand-mile dojo was a mess, the array's light barrier dim, requiring vast resources to repair. The disciple casualty count was horrifying, with a long list of fallen comrades on the Blood Crystal Stele.

Exhausted disciples supported each other, silently clearing the battlefield, collecting the relics of their comrades and materials from the enemy.

Lin Xuan descended from the hall's summit, arriving at the edge of the battlefield. Beneath his feet was blood-mud up to his ankles, mixed with shattered insect carapaces and Asura bone fragments. The air was filled with a nauseating smell of char and blood.

He bent down and picked up a half-shattered identity token from the blood-mud; an unfamiliar name was carved on it. He looked at it silently for a moment, then put it away.

"Qing Yao, tally the casualties, give them a grand burial, and provide generous compensation," his voice was a little hoarse. "Yes, Master," Yun Qingyao's voice also carried fatigue.

Lin Xuan walked to the spiritual herb that Mu Ling Nannan had carefully protected, which had been corroded by malevolent energy. Little Nuan Nuan was meticulously dispelling the black spots on the leaves with Wood Spirit Qi, her small face covered in sweat and concentration.

Lin Xuan extended a finger, and a subtle trace of Chaos aura merged into the Wood Spirit Qi. The spiritual herb trembled violently, the black spots on its leaves receding at a visible rate. Instead, it became even more verdant and vibrant, even emitting a faint, peculiar glow that fused vitality and chaos.

"Master?" Mu Ling Nannan looked up in surprise.

"It's nothing," Lin Xuan ruffled her head, "Take good care of them. In the future, they might be even more resilient than before."

He looked up, gazing in the direction of the Immortal Alliance Headquarters, and then further into the deeper, darker reaches of the universe. The Asura Clan, the Insect Queen, traitors, and that unknown mastermind!

Star Palace was just a sapling that had just taken root in this purgatory of blood and fire. Born from blood, it was still very fragile, requiring more time, more blood and fire, and more sacrifices to grow into a towering tree.

The road ahead was still very long.

In an unnoticed corner, deep within the spiritual medicine garden, the Immortal Kun that Lin Xuan had brought out from the Dark Gold World, now in the form of a sleeping bird, trembled slightly. A trace of chaotic light flowed across its surface, and the speed at which it absorbed the surrounding spiritual energy and blood-malevolent energy seemed to accelerate slightly. As if stimulated simultaneously by the external brutality and vitality, it began to accelerate its recovery.