Chapter 165: Trap! Surrounded!
Chen Xuan encountered all kinds of methods as he traveled from one battlefield to another.
Battle formations similar to the Blood God Formation, puppets capable of displaying the power of Nascent Soul cultivators, and even armies of walking corpses that marched relentlessly toward their enemies without showing the slightest fear or hesitation.
The demonic faction employed an astonishing variety of techniques.
Clearly, the Blood Son Sect was far from the only outside force they had allied with.
According to the information Su Tianyi had provided, each of these methods originated from a different organization beyond the Tianxuan Domain.
Even so, Chen Xuan encountered little real danger.
His cultivation of the Dragon-Phoenix Body had already given him an exceptionally powerful physique.
Following his recent breakthrough, that body-refining technique had also advanced to the next level.
Now, the toughness of his physical body was comparable to a High-Grade Spirit Weapon.
In other words, even if Chen Xuan stood motionless and allowed his opponents to attack freely, ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators would struggle to inflict any meaningful injuries upon him.
The outcome across the battlefields was naturally obvious.
Regardless of what enemy stood before him, Chen Xuan swept them aside with ease.
One battlefield after another along the borders of the Jade Pure Sect gradually fell silent.
Within less than a single day, the demonic faction suffered heavier losses than during all of the previous clashes combined.
Given such devastating losses, a counterattack was only a matter of time.
--
As Chen Xuan appeared above yet another battlefield, he lowered his gaze toward the enormous puppet below.
It possessed the form of a giant beast.
Yet thanks to the precious materials used in its construction and the mysterious refinement techniques behind it, its combat strength had long since reached the Nascent Soul realm.
Even veterans like Peak Master Yuan would struggle to defeat such a puppet.
Only someone like Lan Lanyue—before suffering his injuries—could confidently contend against it.
Of course, to the current Chen Xuan, such comparisons were meaningless.
Watching the puppet rampage through the Jade Pure Sect disciples, he immediately prepared to act.
Concealing both his aura and figure, he slowly approached the puppet, intending to destroy it with a single decisive strike before anyone noticed his arrival.
Yet just as he appeared above it, and victory seemed certain, something suddenly changed.
Several loud shouts suddenly echoed across the battlefield.
The next instant, more than a dozen powerful auras erupted among the demonic cultivators.
Those who had appeared to be nothing more than ordinary Foundation Establishment disciples suddenly unleashed power that far exceeded their previous cultivation.
Their auras rose at an astonishing speed.
Peak Foundation Establishment. Core Formation. Peak Core Formation.
Nascent Soul!
Yet they still did not stop.
Only after reaching the Late Stage of Nascent Soul did their cultivation finally stabilize.
The sudden development shocked everyone present. Even Chen Xuan narrowed his eyes.
During all the previous battlefields, the strongest opponent he had encountered had merely been at the Middle Stage of Nascent Soul.
According to the intelligence gathered by the righteous faction, every Late Stage Nascent Soul expert had disappeared alongside the various Sect Leaders and Ancestors.
Yet now, more than a dozen of them had appeared before him at once.
Moreover, judging from the unfamiliar fluctuations of their auras, none of them belonged to the Tianxuan Domain.
Chen Xuan’s expression became solemn.
Without the slightest hesitation, his figure blurred into a streak of light as he prepared to withdraw from the encirclement.
Unfortunately, a brilliant light suddenly shot into the sky.
Out of nowhere, an enormous barrier descended and blocked his path.
Within the blink of an eye, the surrounding space was completely sealed.
It was a sealing formation. One whose strength was sufficient to trouble even Soul Formation cultivators.
One of the dozen experts chuckled.
Turning toward the woman beside him, he smiled.
"As expected of Fairy Yu. Your reputation truly isn’t undeserved."
"This fellow’s strength is obviously extraordinary, yet even he failed to detect the formation you secretly arranged."
"It seems your attainments have improved once again."
Fairy Yu offered no reply.
Her expression remained as cold as ice, her gaze fixed unwaveringly upon Chen Xuan from beginning to end.
Seeing that she ignored him, the thin, sharp-faced old man showed no sign of displeasure.
Instead, he laughed again before glancing around at the surrounding cultivators.
"Fellow Daoists, our agreement still stands."
"Once this battle is over, this man’s corpse belongs to me."
As he spoke, he unconsciously licked his lips while rubbing his hands together, barely suppressing the excitement in his eyes.
His appearance was eerie. Yet it also struck Chen Xuan as strangely familiar.
Although he couldn’t confirm it with certainty, the old man’s appearance reminded him greatly of Elder Xia.
His gaze shifted elsewhere. A young man wearing blood-red robes.
Blood Son Sect.
His gaze continued wandering.
One familiar name after another surfaced within Chen Xuan’s mind.
Primordial Sin Sect. Yang Cauldron Sect. Corpse Refining Valley. Thousand Puppet Pavilion.
Every single one belonged to the demonic path.
More importantly, none of them originated from the Tianxuan Domain.
Some came from the familiar Xuanyuan Domain, while others hailed from neighboring Domains whose names Chen Xuan had only recently learned from Su Tianyi.
Surrounded by more than a dozen Late Stage Nascent Soul cultivators, Chen Xuan naturally felt a considerable amount of pressure.
Especially after witnessing the various strange methods employed throughout the previous battlefields, he understood that the trump cards carried by these experts would only be more terrifying.
A trace of solemnity flashed across his eyes. But at the same time, a faint excitement also rose within him.
"It seems you’ve assembled quite an impressive lineup."
He slowly swept his gaze across everyone present before smiling faintly.
"So this trap... was prepared specifically for me?"
His tone remained calm, as though the encirclement before him posed no threat whatsoever.
But in the eyes of his opponents, this was merely a facade.
"Chen Xuan!"
"You can stop pretending! Today is the day you die!"
One of the cultivators sneered.
"Do you really think we failed to notice that you’ve been hiding your strength? We’ve known all along."
"However, we’ve already confirmed through our own methods that you’re still only at the Nascent Soul realm."
He grinned coldly.
"As long as one hasn’t stepped into Soul Formation, no one here can survive against us."
"No! Even the various Ancestors would meet the same fate."
As these confident words echoed across the battlefield, the surrounding experts stopped wasting time.
None of them dared underestimate their opponent.
Almost simultaneously, they all activated their strongest trump cards.
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