Chapter 92: The First Cry of the Azure Luan

The killing intent was like solid ice, instantly enveloping the entire inn. The independent courtyard where Lin Xuan resided was locked down by at least five powerful auras; three were at the late Nascent Soul stage, and two were at the peak of the mid Nascent Soul stage! This lineup far exceeded the ambush in the alleyway earlier; clearly, they were determined to finish him off and seize his treasures.

"It seems my actions at the auction were still too flashy," Lin Xuan sneered inwardly, though his face remained completely calm. He had long anticipated this, but he hadn't expected them to arrive so quickly and so ruthlessly.

He did not rush out immediately. Instead, his spiritual sense spread out like a tide, instantly piercing through the inn's walls and arrays to "see" the situation outside with perfect clarity.

Five cultivators surrounded the courtyard in a semicircle. The three leaders were the very members of the Zhao family who had bid against him at the auction—a youth with a feminine face and narrow eyes, whose cultivation was at the late Nascent Soul stage; standing behind him were two cold-faced elders, also at the late Nascent Soul stage, clearly acting as bodyguards. The other two wore night-traveling clothes similar to the assassins in the alley, their auras flickering as if they had merged with the night. They were assassins from the Shadow Tower, one at the late Nascent Soul stage and one at the peak of the mid Nascent Soul stage.

"Mu Xuan! Get out here and die!" The Zhao family youth, named Zhao Wuji, no longer wore the facade he had at the auction; his face was full of ferocity and greed. "Hand over the Pure Star Lotus and that piece of Star Iron, and this young master might leave your corpse intact!"

The late Nascent Soul assassin from the Shadow Tower added in a hoarse voice, "The employer has ordered your death; your soul shall be extinguished."

Before the words had even faded, all five struck at once!

Zhao Wuji summoned a long spear wreathed in black flames. The spear thrust out like a dragon, carrying Nether Ghost Fire that corroded the soul, aiming straight for the heart of the courtyard! One of the Zhao family elders unleashed a massive palm print that blotted out the sky, heavy as a mountain; the other brandished a horsetail whisk, turning thousands of silver threads into a razor-sharp storm of blades that swept forward!

The two Shadow Tower assassins were even more eerie; their figures vanished like ghosts. The next instant, countless fine spatial cracks and shadow blades cut silently toward the courtyard from all directions, sealing off every path of escape!

A joint strike from five Nascent Soul powerhouses had enough force to raze this inn and the surrounding blocks to the ground!

Just at this critical moment!

"Hum—!"

A strange humming sound rang out, not from Lin Xuan, but from the unknown piece of Star Iron in his Dust-Mote Ring!

As if sensing the violent energy and killing intent outside, the Star Iron vibrated on its own. The holes on its surface lit up once more, and that incomplete three-dimensional star map projected outward uncontrollably, instantly expanding to shroud the entire courtyard and even the area above it!

The star map flowed, as if temporarily severing this space from the Ancient Wood City and drawing it into a miniature starry domain!

Zhao Wuji’s Nether Ghost Fire spear pierced into the range of the star map, but the flames on the spear dimmed and extinguished as if they had met their nemesis! The massive palm print and the storm of whisk threads collided with the slowly rotating star map light screen, only to be swallowed like mud into the sea, their power weakened and decomposed layer by layer!

As for the Shadow Tower assassins' eerie spatial cracks and shadow blades, the moment they touched the star map, they collided with the sturdiest of star barriers and shattered, unable to penetrate even an inch!

"What?!"

"What is this thing?!"

The expressions of Zhao Wuji and the others changed drastically. They stared in disbelief at the magnificent and mysterious star map light screen before them. Their joint strike had been easily blocked by this suddenly appearing map?!

Inside the room, Lin Xuan was also slightly stunned, then a sharp light erupted in his eyes. He hadn't expected this piece of Star Iron to have the miraculous effect of autonomously protecting its master and evolving a defensive domain! Moreover, this star domain had an extremely strong restraining effect on Nether Ghost Fire, shadow power, and even spatial cutting!

"A fine treasure!" Lin Xuan was overjoyed; those 150,000 spirit stones were well spent!

He did not hesitate; taking advantage of their shock, he took the initiative!

With a flash, he appeared outside the star domain, facing the five of them directly. He channeled his Chaos Dao Seed to the limit, and his vast late Nascent Soul spiritual power erupted like a volcano!

He used no flashy techniques, simply throwing a single punch!

This punch condensed the origin power of the Chaos Dao Seed and incorporated his preliminary insights into the "Heavenly Star Scripture" and the Star Iron's star map. Gray, chaotic air currents swirled around his fist, within which countless tiny stars seemed to be born and die, carrying a supreme will to destroy all laws and reshape the elements of earth, water, fire, and wind!

Chaos World-Breaking Fist!

Wherever the fist passed, space let out a groan of unbearable strain, revealing fine black cracks!

The first to bear the brunt was the Zhao family elder who had unleashed the whisk-thread storm. Sensing the terrifying power contained in this punch, his face changed wildly. He frantically drove the whisk, and thousands of silver threads surged back like a waterfall, attempting to entangle and shred Lin Xuan's fist.

However, it was useless!

Where the Chaos fist aura passed, the thousands of silver threads—capable of cutting through refined gold—snapped and annihilated like fragile hair! The momentum of the punch did not diminish, striking directly onto the body of the high-quality whisk!

"Crack!"

The whisk shattered at the sound!

The fist force penetrated his body!

The Zhao family elder let out a scream as his chest instantly collapsed. He flew backward like a broken sack, spraying blood from his mouth, the life in his eyes rapidly fading—he had been killed in a single blow!

"Third Elder!" Zhao Wuji’s eyes were bloodshot, filled with shock and rage.

The other Zhao family elder and the two Shadow Tower assassins were also horrified, their attacks stalling.

Lin Xuan did not let up. His figure moved like lightning, dodging the Nether spear thrust by Zhao Wuji, and pointed his fingers like a sword directly at the Zhao family elder who had used the giant palm. Gray, star-like light flickered at his fingertips—it was the Nirvana Star Finger, fused with his new insights!

The elder roared, stacking his palms as earthy-yellow, heavy spiritual power condensed into a giant shield.

"Ssh—!"

The finger force struck the giant shield; there was no loud noise, only a faint sound like a bubble popping.

The giant shield, along with the elder's arms behind it, instantly turned to dust! The remaining force of the finger did not fade, piercing through his brow!

The second late Nascent Soul cultivator had fallen!

In the blink of an eye, two late Nascent Soul bodyguards of the Zhao family were dead!

It all happened too fast; from Lin Xuan’s first strike to killing two people, it was but a fleeting moment!

Zhao Wuji was scared out of his wits. He finally realized what a hard iron plate he had kicked! This "Mu Xuan" was no ordinary Nascent Soul rogue cultivator; his strength was terrifying to the point of being hair-raising!

"Run!" Having lost all will to fight, he burned his essence blood, turned into a streak of ghostly light, and prepared to flee.

The two Shadow Tower assassins were even more decisive. Seeing that the situation was hopeless, they merged directly into the shadows, intending to use secret arts to escape.

"You think you can come and go as you please?"

Lin Xuan’s cold voice sounded like a whisper from the Grim Reaper.

With a thought, the star map domain shrouding the courtyard suddenly expanded, the starlight blazing! A powerful binding force permeated the area like an invisible quagmire, causing the figures of Zhao Wuji and the two Shadow Tower assassins to freeze abruptly!

At the same time, Lin Xuan opened his mouth and exhaled!

"Clang!"

A clear, resonant sword chime rang through the night sky!

The Chaos Immortal-Slaying Sword embryo, tempered by Geng Metal spiritual essence, was unsheathed for the first time! The sword body was gray, yet it flowed with chaotic air currents and fine golden patterns, radiating a sharp sword intent that could cut through everything and slay immortals and demons alike!

The sword light flashed, like the first ray of light to pierce the chaos!

The speed was absolute!

"Puff! Puff!"

Two soft sounds followed. The two Shadow Tower assassins, who had been attempting to vanish into the shadows, were sliced through by the sword light just as they began to fade. From head to toe, along with their Nascent Souls, they were neatly cut in two and died instantly!

Lin Xuan held the sword embryo, his cold gaze fixed on Zhao Wuji, who was trapped by the star domain and filled with despair.

"No! Don't kill me! I am a direct descendant of the Zhao family! If you kill me, the Zhao family will never rest until you are dead!" Zhao Wuji screamed frantically, his bravado failing him.

"The Zhao family?" A mocking arc appeared on the corner of Lin Xuan’s mouth. "I'll be waiting."

The sword embryo trembled slightly, and a gray sword aura shot out.

Zhao Wuji’s pleas for mercy stopped abruptly. A tiny red dot appeared between his brows, and the light in his eyes faded rapidly. His body slumped down, his life extinguished.

A direct descendant of the Ancient Wood City Zhao family had fallen!

In a short moment, five Nascent Soul powerhouses had been wiped out!

Lin Xuan waved his hand to retract the star domain and the Chaos Immortal-Slaying Sword embryo, looking at the corpses on the ground with indifference. He quickly cleared the battlefield, collecting their storage bags and useful magic treasures, then unleashed several clusters of Chaos Dao Fire, burning the bodies to ash.

After finishing this, he looked toward the direction of the City Lord's Mansion. Although the commotion of the battle had been muffled by the star domain, the energy fluctuations must have already attracted the attention of the city's powerhouses.

He had to leave immediately!

However, just as he was about to move—

"Ree—!"

A cry, though weak, remained clear, noble, and filled with a hint of joy, sounding from the cave-heaven magic treasure within him!

It was Feng Xi! Under the medicinal power of the Pure Star Elixir, it had awakened! And it seemed to have recovered a bit of vitality!

Lin Xuan was overjoyed and immediately sank his consciousness into the cave-heaven.

Inside, the Azure Luan Feng Xi had already stood up. Although its body was still a bit unsteady and its feathers were far from recovering their former luster, its blue-gold eyes had regained their spirit. The overbearing residual star power in its body had been mostly neutralized by the Pure Star Elixir!

"Master..." Feng Xi conveyed its gratitude and submission through divine sense. "Thank you, Master, for saving my life and healing me! Feng Xi feels much better."

"Very good," Lin Xuan nodded. "This place is not to be lingered in; we must leave Ancient Wood City immediately."

"Master, I can help!" Feng Xi struggled and shook its wings. "Although my injuries are not fully healed, carrying you for a short distance is no problem! Besides, my speed is much faster than ordinary escape light!"

Lin Xuan pondered for a moment and agreed. Having the Azure Luan as a mount would not only save spiritual power but also increase his speed and demonstrate a certain status, making some petty villains think twice.

With a flash, he left the inn and released Feng Xi from the cave-heaven.

With a flash of blue light, a magnificent Azure Luan—though injured, still possessing an innate majesty—appeared under the night sky of Ancient Wood City! Its blue wings shimmered in the moonlight, instantly attracting countless shocked gazes from across the city!

"It's an Azure Luan!"

"Heavens! Isn't that the divine bird that fought the Star Palace successor a few days ago? Why is it here?"

"There's someone on its back! Who is it?!"

Under the gaze of countless shocked, envious, and jealous eyes, Lin Xuan landed lightly on Feng Xi’s broad back.

Feng Xi let out a clear, long cry announcing its return. Spreading its wings, it stirred up a blue whirlwind, transformed into a blue rainbow, and instantly pierced through the clouds, galloping toward the direction of the Eastern Imperial Capital, disappearing into the depths of the night in the blink of an eye.

It left behind only an uproar and a lingering, unshakable shock within Ancient Wood City.

The name "Mu Xuan," along with the image of him riding the Azure Luan, was destined to spread in all directions at an even more violent speed after tonight!