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Chapter 116 A Master Born with Talent

In an instant, the demons that poured in from the gaps in the battle line were set ablaze, their bodies bursting with blue flames and sizzling.

It wasn't real flame, but rather the effect of spiritual energy transformation. Even when demons and humans were huddled together, the flames wouldn't burn friendly forces. It was as if it had eyes, only appearing on enemies who had been soaked in alcohol and charged into the fray.

But its destructive power is real.

The intense heat from the flames caused them to struggle and roll around in agony, but they could not extinguish the fire. Their shells visibly changed from blue to red, then from red to white, and finally burned into cracked gray stone fragments. Their bodies, upon death, turned directly into a pool of bubbling blue water, which was left all over the ground.

The dissipated spiritual energy is absorbed by the cultivators to replenish their energy and nourish themselves.

The cultivators of the Ascension Platform are skilled in formations, a phrase suddenly came to Chen Xuan's mind.

Xu Yuanqing's Drunken Army Formation covered an area of ​​about 100 meters in radius. He single-handedly suppressed the demons' offensive on the flanks, while the cultivators and magic troops could move freely within the formation without worrying about being accidentally injured by the flames. This is the greatest advantage of the formation—it is both offensive and defensive and has a long-lasting effect.

Although Xu Xuanling's Thousand Machines Locking the Moon also uses array formation talismans, its formation is completely different from this one. If one has to carry a wine gourd to set up the Drunken Army Breaking Formation, then his daughter certainly won't be able to inherit her father's mantle.

And that prodigy cultivator from Tianyan Tower, his sound-based spells were clearly self-created, which is why he was able to catch Xu Xuanling off guard.

He vaguely understood the cultivation methods of this world.

Each sect has one or two areas of expertise, from which disciples gain experience and training, learning some basic general spells. During this process, some cultivators experience sudden enlightenment, developing their own unique spells and combat styles. It is precisely this enlightenment that creates the gap between cultivators.

That's why the Immortal Alliance holds sect competitions regularly, so that everyone can show off their skills and exchange ideas. This not only verifies the effectiveness of these new spells, but also gives other observing cultivators a chance to have a flash of inspiration.

The Lianyun Sect is clearly more formally trained. The disciples who come out of the sect all have basically the same main cultivation method. For example, Liu Zhidong and Liu Shuyue use the same mental cultivation method and demon-slaying technique. The differences come more from what they see and hear after leaving the mountain.

However, now is not the time to think about this. Chen Xuan saw that the cannons on the giant crab monster were reloaded and were slowly aiming at the position where Xu Yuanqing was standing.

Very well, let them see the methods of the Lotus Cloud Sect.

Chen Xuan took out a Wind Riding Talisman and rose from the crowd—as long as he didn't actually fly, but used it as a booster to increase his altitude, he could still use it skillfully.

The moment he leaped into the air, Chen Xuan suddenly activated his Divine Eye Technique, and everything around him seemed to freeze.

French cavalry, led by Joan of Arc, charged into the main force of the demons. The sword in her hand was still dazzling, and her cloak was stained with the blue blood of the enemy.

Following closely behind Joan of Arc, assisting her, were the witches of the assembly hall, who were taking out various spellcasting materials from their waist pockets, preparing to defend against the attack of the several half-human demons.

Xu Yuanqing also noticed the enemy's movements and took out a new talisman from his pocket.

Some of the monks and soldiers also spotted him jumping into the air and were looking up to chase after him.

These are like still frames, flipping back one by one.

As soon as Chen Xuan thought of it, four qi swords immediately appeared behind him.

He then turned his gaze to the demons that were turning their massive bodies, focusing on their foreheads hidden beneath their carapaces—a spot only the size of a palm, protected by giant pincers and scalp armor, making it almost impossible to hit them from the front.

In less than a second, Chen Xuan had swept past seven or eight armored demons.

The Thousand Thoughts Sword is a sword controlled by the mind; its will is its command!
The moment the Divine Eye Technique ended, four swords of energy shot out like lightning, pointing directly at four different targets!
All anyone could see was an inconspicuous white shadow leaping over the heads of the demons, then suddenly plunging down, bypassing the enemies and the pincers blocking its path, before thrusting upwards at an angle, striking the armored crab squarely between its two small eyes, where there was no armor. Using its incomparably sharp blade, it pierced the demon's brain as easily as piercing butter.

The latter immediately began to convulse, then its second leg went limp, and its body collapsed to the ground.

But the cannon on its back had already been set on fire.

With a deafening roar, the drooping cannon fired a barrage of shot directly into the throng of low-level demons swarming around it. In an instant, blue flesh and blood flew everywhere, and severed limbs lashed out!

The sword, however, seemed to have a mind of its own, retreating swiftly, withdrawing, and turning to run towards its next target.

In the blink of an eye, half of the dozen or so armored crab demons were dead.

"What a ruthless technique!" Xu Yuanqing was stunned. He had never heard of such a graceful and agile flying sword technique before!
In his view, Chen Xuan merely leaped high into the air, then casually waved his hand, sending several flying swords flying from behind him, beginning to slaughter the enemy as if the sword tips had eyes. There were also sects within the Immortal Alliance skilled in using flying swords, but none could wield them with such ease.

Its nonchalant nature means it is unpredictable and extremely efficient when launching an attack.

Xu Yuanqing thought about it for a moment, and if he were facing Chen Xuan in a sect competition, he would immediately break out in a cold sweat. He simply couldn't imagine how he could possibly block those flying swords with their unpredictable and elusive trajectories in the blink of an eye.

The other cultivators were also shocked.

They could take the enemy's head easily from hundreds of meters away; such a technique was something they had only ever dreamed of.

Joan of Arc also fought her way to the center of the battlefield.

She raised her banner high, and green light shone throughout the army. Under her leadership, soldiers charged at the demons in waves, forcing the enemy into retreat. Even when someone was wounded and fell, another would immediately fill the vacancy. This was not only a contest of skill but also a battle of courage; not only magic could destroy them, but guns and swords could also inflict fatal damage.

As the French army advanced to the remaining armored crab demons, Joan of Arc unhesitatingly handed the banner to her lieutenant, raising her longsword high with both hands, her expression devout as if praying to her god. Then, a beam of light shone through the gloomy clouds, making her armor gleam. In that holy light, she unleashed a powerful and devastating strike.

The sword light not only shattered the crab demon's enormous shell, but also sliced ​​open the keel of the warship behind it! The broken hull collapsed layer by layer, and the flying debris greatly boosted the morale of the army, with shouts of "Long live France!" echoing across the beach.

Chen Xuan doubted whether the other party was really using the spirit sword he had traded over... at least it didn't look like a white-rarity ability at all.

The battle lasted for more than two hours before ending in a complete defeat for the demons.

The beach was covered in blue blood and broken shells, and the stench carried far on the sea breeze.

Despite the victory, the French army suffered over a hundred casualties. The soldiers' bodies were gathered together, prepared for cremation and burial. According to Joan of Arc, this was the most devastating victory in recent times. It was impossible to bring the dead back to Paris, and there were far too few coffins. To prevent the spread of plague, on-site cremation was the only feasible option.

Six cultivators also perished in the battle.

However, they will be taken back to Chang'an City and handed over to their respective sects for cleanup.

As they left, the ease and eagerness they had shown upon entering this place were gone. This was different from sect training; there were no masters or senior brothers to protect them, and the slightest carelessness could lead to annihilation. Moreover, even if they remained vigilant, they would still be doomed when faced with the enemy's unprecedented attack methods.

However, Chen Xuan could sense that the spiritual energy of these people had increased slightly since they arrived.

The demon army is indeed terrifying, but the opportunity is also very real.

He believed that once the news spread, there would be far more than just a hundred or so cultivators willing to take the risk here.

In fact, five cultivators had already decided not to return to Chang'an City, but to remain on the front lines to provide combat support for the French army.

After seeing everyone off, Chen Xuan met with Joan of Arc again. Now that the Eastern reinforcements had arrived, the witch's workload could be lightened a bit, so he specifically asked Joan of Arc if there were any witches in the meeting place who were particularly skilled at finding people.

"Find someone?" She thought for a moment. "Marlena is quite good. She used to be a scout in the army, and she's very good at search and tracking spells."

So, there's a skilled person-finding expert in our own team?
Speaking of which, Malena has been learning immortal magic from Liu Shuyue recently, and I wonder if she has succeeded in learning it.

Just before saying goodbye, Chen Xuan suddenly remembered something he had suspected earlier, "By the way... can I see your abilities again?"

Joan of Arc nodded, readily agreeing.

The two arrived at the store entrance, and Chen Xuan took out a barcode scanner and aimed it at Jeanne.

An S-rank spirit sword technique suddenly appeared before their eyes.

"Superior Spirit Sword Technique" LV2, Purple.

"Sword energy adheres to external objects, and even flying flowers and fallen leaves can injure people; the thicker the sword energy, the stronger its power. Don't ask how it was trained to this level, it's just its talent."

(End of this chapter)