A chilling silence fell over the battlefield.
The corpse of an elder lay crumpled at Xuan Long's feet—his life snuffed out in an instant.
The disciples trembled. The elders and the Nascent Soul Realm Sect Leader of the Heavenly Flying Sect stood frozen, disbelief etched into every wrinkle of their faces.
The leader took a step forward, trying to suppress the rising fear in his chest.
"Kid… you're strong," he admitted coldly. "Join us. I'll give you a second chance. Serve as an elder in my sect. You'll have status, wealth, women—everything."
But Xuan Long just laughed.
Slowly, bitterly… a cold, mocking laugh that echoed across the entire mountain.
"Are you blind?" he spat, his eyes burning with disdain. "You've lost your elders… your disciples are dying… and you still speak nonsense like a dog begging for mercy."
The leader's face twisted with rage.
"Fine! All elders—attack him! Kill him now!"
Ten Core Formation elders moved at once, their combined aura twisting the air as they launched deadly attacks toward Xuan Long.
But before they could land—
"Brother, no!!"
A piercing scream tore through the chaos.
Xun'er rushed forward, her small frame bursting through the mist of energy.
"Go back!" Xuan Long's eyes widened—but it was too late.
In the blink of an eye, he dropped to his knees, spreading his arms and wrapping her tightly in his embrace. His back absorbed the full brunt of the incoming attacks.
Boom!
The ground cracked under the force. His robes tore, skin ruptured, blood flowed freely down his back. But Xun'er… was untouched.
"I'm invincible," Xuan Long thought bitterly, "But… if even a single attack touches her… she'll die."
Above them, the elders laughed wickedly.
"Let's see how long you'll protect her… with your body."
But they underestimated him.
Xuan Long rose slowly, shielding the girl behind him.
"Mu Chen, Hei Mo… kill every disciple. Leave none but the strongest hundred alive."
Mu Chen's eyes flared green as poison clouds erupted. The battlefield turned into a hellscape.
Two elders charged toward the defending teammates—but a sudden crack of thunder shook the sky.
"You dare touch my people?"
A voice boomed from the sky.
It was Hei Mo, arriving like a black flame, his Corpse Puppet crashing down beside him. Without hesitation, he and his forces joined the bloodbath.
One elder screamed, impaled through the chest by Hei Mo's puppet.
Another's limbs were crushed by the puppet's grip.
"Mu Chen! Hei Mo! Protect her at all costs!" Xuan Long roared.
Just then, more than thirty disciples surrounded Xun'er.
Xuan Long's face turned demonic. His veins pulsed, and with a furious roar, he soared into the air, absorbing dozens of attacks.
Then—
He struck.
A single move.
Five Core Formation elders were torn apart mid-air, their bodies blasted into mist.
The Heavenly Flying Sect Leader's fury exploded.
"You arrogant brat! Taste my Nascent Soul Skill—Soul Crusher!!"
A beam of death-like spiritual energy tore through the skies toward Xuan Long.
The ground shattered. Mountains shook.
But Xuan Long stood firm. He absorbed the attack. Entirely.
Then his eyes turned pitch black.
"Let me show you the real Soul Crusher."
His counterattack was immediate and devastating. The same technique—but refined by his system, boosted by his unnatural will.
It struck through the elder ranks like a divine judgment.
The leader reeled back, coughing blood.
"H-How?! You know my technique!?"
Xuan Long's eyes narrowed.
"You talk too much."
The leader, desperate, activated a forbidden skill, burning his life force.
But once again… Xuan Long absorbed it, walked forward calmly, then blasted the leader's dantian, destroying his cultivation.
The once-mighty sect leader collapsed—broken and powerless.
Hei Mo arrived at Xuan Long's side.
"Master, what are your orders?"
Xuan Long turned toward the battlefield—now a graveyard.
"Look, Hei Mo. See how they die. This is what happens to those who challenge us."
He turned to his team.
"Leave only 100 disciples alive—the ones worth taming."
The leader screamed from the ground.
"Spare them! Spare my disciples!!"
But Xuan Long didn't flinch.
"Hei Mo, give them the child insect. I have the mother insect. From now on… they belong to me."
Screams echoed as parasites invaded the bodies of the surviving disciples. The bond was formed—they were now his.
Among them, 100 Core Formation cultivators, most above Level 5, fell to their knees—Xuan Long's Shadow Army had grown again.
Xuan Long turned to Hei Mo.
"You must breed more insects. At least… one lakh."
Hei Mo's eyes widened.
"O-One lakh…?"
But then he lowered his head.
"Yes, Master. I'll make it happen."
Xuan Long gave a cold smile.
"Good. Now soul-search the elders, loot their skills, resources, everything. Leave nothing."
The Shadow Army moved efficiently. Every elder was drained of their secrets.
Hei Mo refined the corpses, crafting 500 energy-rich blood pills, and even refined two Nascent Soul Realm puppets—from the fallen leader and his top elder.
Xuan Long turned to him again.
"You now hold the power to kill Nascent Soul Realm cultivators."
Hei Mo knelt before him, eyes blazing with reverence.
"Master, this is all because of you. Without you… I would still be crawling. Now—I am unstoppable. And no one… will ever harm you again."