Chapter 194: Inspiration
Still, he adapted.
Around him, his spears moved tirelessly, stabbing into wings, cutting down hunters, spinning arcs of steel through the chaos. The silver glow of their blades was like a net closing over the battlefield, cutting down anything that strayed too close.
Yu Xuan’s mind observed everything. Each movement of foe, each pattern of attack, every flaw in timing — [Ultra Instinct] refined his perception, while his trait [Adaptive Mind] worked in tandem, shaping every clash into fuel for his growth. He was evolving even as he fought, each strike sharper than the last, each step more precise.
His growth, it was visible, tangible. The longer he fought, the more dangerous he became.
Yet Yu Xuan knew this was far from the end.
The army before him was vast, but it was only the surface. Pawns thrown onto the board to test him, to delay him. He could feel it, the weight of unseen eyes, the hidden malice coiled beyond the field of battle. The true mastermind had not yet stepped forward.
This, all of this, was only the beginning.
***
The hooded figure stood still at the castle’s threshold, the chaos of the battlefield unfolding before him like a stage play written for his amusement. His lips curved into a slow smile, hidden in the shadow of his hood.
The more they slaughtered, the more his satisfaction grew. Every drop of blood spilled, every soul extinguished — each contributed to the grand design. Each brought his lady one step closer to awakening, to freedom.
Yes... this was progress.
But as his eyes lingered, the smile faltered.
Those two, that boy and girl were not what he expected.
The girl had already revealed something horrifying, a bloodline power so ancient and oppressive that even he, who had a noble bloodline, had felt his spine chill. Her aura was still faint, unstable, but terrifying in its promise. She sat now, pale and recovering, but he had seen her engulf half an army in purple chaos mist with a single act.
The boy, however, was different. He was not overwhelming. Not terrifying in the same direct way. And yet... he was strong.
By all reason, the child should have been exhausted. Any other cultivator would have been torn apart in moments, consumed by fatigue, overwhelmed by sheer numbers. But this boy only grew sharper. Faster. More ruthless.
Each moment he fought, his movements refined. His aura thickened. His intent sharpened. He was like a blade being honed in the middle of battle itself, every strike carving him closer to perfection.
That isn’t normal, the figure thought, his eyes narrowing beneath the hood.
’He learns as he kills. No, he evolves.’
The thought was quite, unsettling. Was this boy some new aberrant species? Or a Heaven’s Chosen?
Whenever a foe drew near — whether it was the kin of the Sword Demons, striking with polished sword arts, or the shrieking birdfolk descending from the skies — his eyes would blaze with that golden reddish light.
Each strike he made was already in their path before they had even finished committing to the attack. He turned certainty into futility.
And the hooded figure could only watch as, one after another, his "expendables" fell.
This, too, should have pleased him. They had served their purpose. Their deaths were merely fuel for the great work. But still, he found himself unsettled.
His gaze shifted then to the girl again. Or rather, to the small, round creature perched atop her head, lazily blinking with its soft, oversized eyes. At first glance it looked ridiculous, almost comical. A slime. But his instincts screamed at him.
That thing... it was not what it seemed. He felt a creeping sense of danger just looking at it.
He exhaled slowly, tamping down the unease. No matter. The time was nearly upon them. His role was not to observe forever. His preparations were nearly complete, and when the moment came, he would have to act.
The pawns had moved. The board was painted red. The only question left was whether those two would die... or whether he would have to kill them himself.
***
Yu Xuan fought and fought, his body moving with relentless rhythm, his mind sharpening with every clash. The golden glow in his eyes intensified, scanning, dissecting, and predicting every motion of the battlefield.
His spirit sense stretched outward like an invisible net, nothing escaping his perception. Whenever an enemy dared to come too close, his [Immortal’s Gaze] — Annihilation would flare.
His [Ultra Instinct] guided him, subtle yet absolute. It didn’t manifest in any outward aura, no flashy golden cinematic glow, but its effect was undeniable. His body flowed like water, always one step ahead, always exactly where he needed to be.
Yet, even as his blade cut deeper and his steps grew swifter, a bitter thought crossed his mind.
’I need to have an AOE attack’
He couldn’t help but envy Lingluo. With a single breath, with a single eruption of power, she had erased half the army. Meanwhile, he was still carving his way through, stroke by stroke, drenched in blood and sweat. But his slight envy quickly twisted into inspiration.
A spark lit in his mind.
Yu Xuan’s gaze hardened. With a flick of his wrist, he retrieved several more spears from his space ring, until the air around him bristled with a small arsenal. They joined the original five that had already been slaughtering independently, forming a deadly constellation of hovering weapons.
He drew back a step, retreating just enough to create space. His exhaled; fatigue was setting in.
His breathing was heavy, his muscles burned, and the minor cuts and bruises he had sustained throbbed with dull pain. Hunters had nicked him with their now poisoned daggers, dragonoid claws had raked across his side, and his clothes were stained with more than just his own blood.
Still, he endured.
The battlefield before him was littered with corpses, birdfolk with their wings ripped apart by his [Telekinesis], dragonoids split open by his blade, and green-skinned monsters crumpled in piles, their acidic black blood carefully deflected away from him by his invisible field. Yet, despite the carnage, the horde pressed on, endless, unyielding.
Yu Xuan lifted both hands.
The spears scattered outward, forming a loose circle around the battlefield. The tips of each weapon began to shine, silver light humming as if responding to his intent. Slowly, impossibly, small spheres of condensed radiance blossomed at each spearhead, pulsing like newborn stars.
The strain hit him instantly. Holding so many weapons, it felt like trying to split his mind into dozens of fragments. But he endured.
"Fall," he whispered, his voice like a verdict.
And the spears dropped.