Chapter 45: Xu Lin’s Anomaly

Blood scattered like rain upon the earth, dyeing the white snow red. Xu Ziyan covered her mouth with one hand, while her other hand clenched tightly into a fist. Her fingernails dug into her palm, and drops of blood dripped from her hand onto the snowy ground. Tears blurred her vision.

“What are you all standing around for? Attack! Use the talismans! Blast these damn monster beasts to pieces!” Seventeenth Uncle roared.

Xu Ziyan blinked forcefully, and tears fell from her eyes. Her vision was no longer blurry. Her clear eyes now shone with determination. She dashed to the front of the defenses and tore open five talismans at once, hurling them with all her might toward the monster beasts. She shouted with a hoarse voice:

“Kill!”

“Boom!”

Five talismans exploded simultaneously, giving off a dazzling light amidst the monster beasts. Instantly, the area around the explosion was filled with the corpses and pained cries of monster beasts. Flesh and blood flew everywhere, and a clear space was blasted open in the dense horde of beasts.

During the momentary confusion of the monster beasts, all the Xu Clan disciples snapped out of their grief. They threw their last remaining talismans toward the monster beasts. In a chain of explosions, large numbers of monster beasts fell. But at the same time, the counterattack from the monster beasts was extremely fierce. A huge blast erupted among the crowd; dozens of monster beasts had simultaneously cast spells at Seventeenth Uncle, who had the highest cultivation level.

Seventeenth Uncle, only at the Tenth Layer of the Qi Refining Stage, couldn’t withstand so many attacks. Already enraged beyond reason, he had lost his usual alertness and failed to dodge in time. In an instant, he was blasted into dust by the monster beasts.

All the Xu Clan disciples were stunned. Currently, the four senior experts led by Xu Haoliang were fighting the Four-Armed Ape. On the defensive line, Seventeenth Uncle was the only senior expert at the Tenth Layer of the Qi Refining Stage. With his death, the morale of the Xu Clan disciples suffered a heavy blow. A feeling of uncertainty and confusion began to spread among them.

“Boom!”

Another wave of attacks from the monster beasts caused heavy losses among the somewhat dazed Xu Clan disciples. Seeing the situation from afar, Xu Haoliang felt a heat in his throat. “Pfft!” He spat out a mouthful of hot blood.

Xu Ziyan was not dazed. She hadn’t been with the clan for long and didn’t hold excessive respect or dependence on the clan’s experts. So, Seventeenth Uncle’s death didn’t shock her greatly; instead, it only fueled her anger. Her eyes red, Xu Ziyan swiftly moved along the front line of the defenses. She continuously pulled various talismans from her storage pouch and hurled them at the monster beasts.

By now, the Xu Clan disciples had used up all their talismans. Seeing Xu Ziyan’s bravery, they not only looked at her with admiration but also regained their courage. They drew their weapons, ready to charge out and fight the monster beasts in close combat once Xu Ziyan ran out of talismans.

Xu Ziyan quickly exhausted her stock of first-grade talismans. Without hesitation, she immediately took out second-grade talismans and threw them decisively at the monster beasts.

Before the eyes of all the Xu Clan disciples, a shocking scene unfolded. A light several times brighter than before and an even more deafening sound suddenly erupted in front of them. Groups of monster beasts were blasted into the air, and severed limbs and chunks of flesh rained down from the sky.

“What… what kind of talismans are these?” The same thought crossed everyone’s mind.

“So… powerful!”

Xu Haoliang and the others also abruptly turned their heads. They saw Xu Ziyan’s figure.

“Boom! Boom! Boom!”

Another series of explosions rang out, accompanied by the fall of large numbers of monster beasts. Xu Ziyan’s figure weaved back and forth along the front line, continuously throwing talismans. Behind her stood the Xu Clan disciples, their expressions stunned.

Finally, Xu Ziyan had used up all her talismans. She looked at the thousands of monster beasts still remaining, then glanced back at the fewer than six hundred Xu Clan disciples left. She understood in her heart that she would likely die here today.

She abruptly drew her longsword, pointed it toward the sky, spat fiercely on the ground, then lifted her head and shouted loudly:

“Charge!”

She pushed off the ground with her feet, and her body shot into the midst of the monster beasts like an arrow.

“Charge!”

Every Xu Clan disciple’s eyes were bloodshot. At this moment, they had only one thought in their hearts: to follow Xu Ziyan and kill the monster beasts. Many of them didn’t even know Xu Ziyan’s name, especially those from the Inner Hall who had never seen her before. But at this moment, Xu Ziyan’s image was deeply imprinted in their hearts. In this instant, Xu Ziyan had taken on the role of the deceased Seventeenth Uncle, becoming the spiritual pillar of the Xu Clan disciples. Even Xu Gan, Xu Wen, and Xu Tianxiao, who had some disagreements with Xu Ziyan, now felt a surge of hot blood in their hearts and admired her from the bottom of their hearts.

The Xu Clan disciples were completely ignited with ferocity. The entire Tongyou Valley became a massive meat grinder. Everyone forgot about defense, knowing only to kill the monster beast in front of them.

The blade of Xu Ziyan’s longsword was already chipped and rolled from hacking, but she was completely unaware, fully immersed in the bloodthirsty slaughter. A Netherworld Wolf suddenly appeared behind Xu Ziyan. Its vicious fangs, attached to its pouncing body, aimed for Xu Ziyan’s neck.

Just as the Netherworld Wolf’s fangs were about to bite Xu Ziyan’s neck, a sword flash swept across the wolf’s head.

A piercing wolf howl snapped Xu Ziyan out of her bloodlust at the last moment. She whirled around and saw Xu Lin slicing the Netherworld Wolf away with his sword.

Xu Lin, gripping his longsword, had been closely following behind Xu Ziyan, his eyes vigilantly scanning her surroundings. Seeing Xu Ziyan ambushed by the Netherworld Wolf, his soul shook. He felt an unprecedented power surge from the depths of his soul. After slicing the wolf away, Xu Lin suddenly raised his head and let out a long, clear cry. An aura pressure shot straight into the sky, then spread out in all directions, radiating around him.

Behind Xu Lin, the faint virtual image of a Qilin appeared. The surrounding monster beasts suddenly stopped, standing in place and trembling. Xu Lin’s speed suddenly increased, leaving afterimages in his wake. As his sword flashed, the throats of one monster beast after another spurted blood.

Everyone stopped, including Xu Haobo and the other three. They all stared dumbfounded at Xu Lin. Ten breaths felt as long as years. Xu Lin suddenly stopped, his figure emerging from the afterimages. His face was pale from overexertion, and his eyes were vacant.

“Clang!”

Xu Lin’s longsword fell to the ground. The Qilin virtual image behind him had completely dissipated. He staggered and collapsed heavily onto the ground.

Xu Ziyan flashed to Xu Lin’s side in an instant. She reached out, picked up the unconscious Xu Lin, and swiftly retreated with him back toward the defenses.

“Boom!”

Humans and monster beasts alike seemed to awaken from the stillness, throwing themselves back into the slaughter. Xu Ziyan, carrying Xu Lin, withdrew behind the defenses. She laid Xu Lin down, then turned to look outside the defenses, her brow furrowed with deep worry…