"Why are you smiling? Are you a fighting maniac?" the prince asked. His comment drew chuckles from the nearby members of the Yang clan. It was not particularly funny, but it helped relax the group, easing the tension before the fight.

Liu Xing decided to lighten the mood further. "No, I'm just happy because I think I might break through to the next realm during this fight."

The prince raised an eyebrow, understandably surprised. After all, Liu Xing had only advanced to the seventh stage of Lock Opening. Claiming he could break through again so soon was like someone who had just built a raft saying they could now construct a sailing ship. It was far too fast.

While all seven of his locks had been opened, advancing to the next realm was not easy. Liu Xing visualized his cultivation as a ball of lightning bound by a silver chain. Every cultivator had their own imagery to describe their cultivation—he had heard disciples describe theirs as a sun bound to a mountain with seven burning ropes, a writhing liquid trapped in a well, or even a beast caged by seven locks. But no matter the image, the essence remained the same. To break through, they had to destroy whatever bound their cultivation.

For Liu Xing, that meant destroying the silver chain around his ball of lightning. There were many ways to achieve this, but the best method involved the cultivation absorbing the binding itself. This process would improve the quality of his qi and make future progress easier. To do this, he simply needed to continue cultivating—absorbing qi and sending it to his consciousness. This time, however, instead of focusing on opening his locks, he would channel it directly into his ball of lightning.

And with so many enemies below, all waiting to be fought, he felt sure this battle would push him to that breakthrough.

"Disciples from the great sects really are crazy," someone muttered nearby.

Liu Xing saw a few others nod in agreement, but he did not care. He just grinned at the prince, then stepped to the edge of the tower.

Below, the abominations turned their heads upward toward him, growling and shouting, pointing in his direction. Twelve of them, each with a giant eye for a head, began sending pulses of air, as if issuing orders to the army.

Prince Yang Jinyan looked at Liu Xing, then nodded, signaling for him to make the first move.

Not wasting time, Liu Xing aimed his gun at the enemy below, reloaded it with six bullets, infused them with Exploding Fist, and pulled the trigger in rapid succession. He then flicked the Ethereal Pearl into his mouth, channeling its qi into his right gauntlet to form a massive ball of lightning, which he unleashed as thousands of lightning bolts.

His movements were swift. From the perspective of the army below, the sky seemed to turn blue as lightning rained down like a storm of arrows.

Several abominations, their faces covered with tiny eyes, rushed forward, slapping the ground with their hands. Their writhing hair began to dig into the earth, and soon black vines sprouted upward, growing taller and thicker before curving to form a shield over the army.

The six bullets struck the black wall, causing six massive explosions that tore through the defenses. However, the vines quickly regenerated and closed the holes. Meanwhile, Liu Xing's barrage of lightning struck the black wall like rain on a sandcastle, gradually thinning it. Several of his lightning bolts pierced through, crashing into the ground and scattering dozens of abominations.

More and more lightning crashed against the black vine wall, creating a series of loud explosions, as if a thousand cannons were firing in unison. Dust swirled around the battlefield, and though the wall was riddled with holes, it stood firm.

As his attacks began to recede, Liu Xing realized the wall was stronger than expected. Instead of spreading his attack into thousands of strikes, he would need to focus his power into one giant blast. But before he could act, abominations with yellow claws so long they dragged along the ground began to rush around the wall in unison, their footsteps creating a rhythmic pounding. Their faces, each sporting hundreds of twitching mouse noses, seemed to be searching for him.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

They stopped in formation and slashed their right hands through the air, launching hundreds of crescent-shaped wind blades in his direction.

"They are from Wu clan!" The prince and the Yang clan rushed to his side, standing on the edge of the earthen tower. "On my mark!"

The prince and the Yang clan inhaled deeply, their cheeks bulging as they gathered their qi. Liu Xing quickly created bullets, gathering qi in his gauntlet until a basketball-sized orb of lightning formed in front of his palm.

"Attack!" the prince shouted, spitting out a fireball the size of a barrel. The Yang clan followed suit, releasing fireballs of various sizes—some larger, some smaller but more numerous. Liu Xing unleashed his lightning attack, sending out thousands of lightning bolts that were smaller and weaker than his last attack.

When the crescent wind blades collided with the fireballs and lightning, the sky erupted in a chain of explosions, sending plumes of white smoke into the air and obstructing their view.

As the sky filled with explosions, he aimed his gun at a nearby Core Splitting abomination—a creature from the Wu clan, its long yellow nails scraping the ground. Judging by its aura, it likely possessed two or three cores, the average for Core Splitting abominations. Its body was blackened, probably from one of Liu Xing's earlier attacks, but it still not dead.

He decided to target that specific abomination. Once he kills it with his gun and gets his qi, he can easily tear through this second army.

Six bullets tore through the air toward the creature. Its twitching noses flared as it swiped its right hand, launching a crescent-shaped wind blade toward the bullets. The other Wu clan abominations looked up and sent their own wind blades to intercept the shots. In total, six wind blades met his six bullets, triggering six massive explosions that rocked the air and sent shockwaves across the battlefield, toppling the remains of nearby buildings.

Liu Xing pressed his lips together. It seems long-range attacks were not sufficient. He would have to get up close.

"Prince, cover me!" he shouted, then leaped from the tower before the prince could respond.

As he plummeted toward the ground, the wind whipping through his hair, Liu Xing activated his Lightning Cloak. For a moment, he considered using his invisibility but decided against it; being invisible would make him harder for not only his enemies to see, but also his allies.

The Wu clan abominations sent more wind blades his way. Liu Xing aimed his gun, loaded bullets infused with Exploding Fist, and pulled the trigger. Most of the wind blades exploded mid-air, and those he could not destroy, he dodged with the help of his shield.

He landed amid the rubble of shattered buildings and quickly scanned his surroundings. Hundreds of Wu clan abominations surrounded him. As they spotted him, they charged like hounds scenting their prey. Liu Xing's eyes darted over the battlefield, searching for a target. He spotted a weaker-looking abomination nearby. It possessed only a right arm, which showed no signs of recent injury, meaning the man had likely lost his other hand before being transformed.

Liu Xing kicked off the ground, leaving a web of cracks in his wake as he charged toward his new target. He activated his lightning blade and swung it, aiming at the abomination's left side. Just then, two more abominations lunged at him from the front, their nails slicing through the air toward his lightning blade. When Liu Xing's lightning blade met their claws, it cut through several nails but ultimately stopped short. Five more abominations jumped at him. Liu Xing quickly pulled back his lightning blade, slashed at an abomination attacking from his right, and narrowly dodged another that lunged at him from behind.

His mind and senses went into overdrive. He was merely at the peak Lock Opening realm, yet here he was, holding his own against dozens of Core Splitting abominations. Part of his success came from his incredible speed—so fast the abominations could not keep up. Another advantage was their lack of coordination. Their sheer numbers, instead of overwhelming him, caused them to get in each other's way. Occasionally, they would stumble over one another, and sometimes their long claws even tangled together.

Liu Xing whipped his lightning blade in every direction—left, right, up, and down—deflecting and slicing through the nails of the Wu clan abominations. The sound of clashing metal echoed through the battlefield, and clouds of dust rose, growing thicker with every movement he made.

His strikes were so fast it seemed as if there were not just one lightning blade but dozens, each one parrying the claws aimed at him.

For a moment, the battle was evenly matched—Liu Xing alone against these dozens of abominations. But then, he added his gun to the mix.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.