Chapter 606
Fragments
Throughout the entire process, his forehead was covered in a fine layer of cold sweat, and his lips were bitten until they bled, but he managed not to utter a single groan.
After the bandage was finished, he took a deep breath, endured the excruciating pain that felt like his whole body was falling apart, struggled to stand up, moved his body slightly, and assessed his terrible condition.
The most urgent task is to find a relatively safe place as soon as possible to practice internal energy cultivation and repair the severe internal injuries. Otherwise, let alone dealing with the dangers ahead, even getting out of this mountain range will be a problem.
His gaze swept around and soon found the little girl, Luo Luo, still unconscious, in the grass not far away.
He walked over quickly, checked her carefully, and found that apart from being extremely frightened and having some minor scratches, the little girl was otherwise unharmed, which made him breathe a sigh of relief.
But as soon as he breathed a sigh of relief, an uncontrollable rage surged up, instantly engulfing his entire body! He hated the enemy's ruthlessness and unscrupulous methods! To kill him alone, they had actually used the main cannon of a warship to bombard a civilian spirit-patterned shuttle, resulting in the deaths of so many innocent people! What had the woman who gave him the clothes and had such kind eyes, and the ordinary passengers and merchants on the train done to deserve this?
Intense self-blame and anger, like a red-hot iron, relentlessly lashed at his mind! All of this stemmed from him! He hated those enemies hiding behind the scenes who treated human life like dirt!
Just then, Luo Luo, who was unconscious, seemed to be caught in a nightmare. Her little brows were tightly furrowed, and she murmured unconsciously.
"Mother...I'm scared...it's so dark..."
Her dusty little face was filled with tension and helplessness.
Seeing Luo Luo like this, Jiang Xuan felt a pang of pain and bitterness in his heart.
He thought of that kind woman, that long-lost warmth... but now her life was hanging in the balance because of him.
He shook his head forcefully, forcibly suppressing his chaotic thoughts and surging killing intent. Now was not the time to wallow in self-blame and anger.
"Don't be afraid, Luo Luo, your brother is here."
He whispered a comforting word, even though he knew she couldn't hear him while she was unconscious.
He secretly vowed that he would avenge these innocent people who died tragically for this blood debt!
He carefully carried Luo Luo on his back, securing her firmly with the remaining clean strips of cloth to ensure she wouldn't fall off during the journey.
Then, he determined his direction, endured the excruciating pain, took heavy steps, and turned to walk towards the outer edge of the canyon.
……
Inside that ancient mansion in the Forbidden City.
News of the Spirit Pattern Shuttle being destroyed by the Purple Ying warship has been relayed back through special channels.
Cheers and applause erupted in the room, and the deputies were beaming with excitement.
"Hahaha! We should have done this a long time ago! Look how clean and efficient it is!"
"Exactly! Even if Jiang Xuan had three heads and six arms, he would be nothing but ashes under the main cannons of the Ziying warship!"
"That useless Xu Qianjing, what's with all this intelligence gathering and trap setting? It's laughable! We should have used warships earlier. Why waste so much time and manpower before?"
"I really want to see what kind of expression he'll have when he hears the news! It'll be quite a sight!"
Some even excitedly suggested it.
"Miss Cangmei, this time we have succeeded in eliminating a major threat. Shouldn't we hold a celebration banquet to properly celebrate?"
Chi Cangmei's exquisite face remained expressionless, but a hint of relief and satisfaction flickered in the depths of her eyes. She waved her hand and said lightly.
"There's no rush to celebrate. We need to wait for confirmation of Jiang Xuan's exact death before asking the clan for permission to celebrate."
Upon hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement, but the excited and certain expressions on their faces clearly indicated that, subconsciously, they had already decided that Jiang Xuan was doomed and had no chance of surviving such a devastating blow.
Throughout the entire ordeal, not a single person mentioned how many innocent passengers, besides Jiang Xuan, were on the destroyed spirit-patterned shuttle. Their lives and deaths seemed utterly insignificant in the eyes of these high-ranking nobles, revealing their deep-seated disdain for the lives of the lower classes.
……
Jiang Xuan carried Luo Luo on his back and struggled out of the narrow canyon, arriving at a beach covered with jagged rocks. It was already evening, and the afterglow of the setting sun dyed the world a poignant blood red.
He looked up, his gaze instantly drawn to the scene in the distance, and his steps became incredibly heavy.
At the edge of the beach, hundreds of feet away, lay a large pile of charred, twisted metal wreckage, emitting wisps of smoke! It was the remains of the enormous spirit-patterned shuttle from before! Like the corpse of a giant, it lay pitifully prostrate on the earth, silently recounting the horrific massacre that had occurred not long ago.
Jiang Xuan felt as if an invisible hand was gripping his heart tightly, making it almost impossible for him to breathe.
He had personally participated in part of the design of the Ziying warship and knew how terrifying the power of its spirit pattern cannons was. It was a destructive force that could threaten or even kill a Spirit Sea Realm expert! The spirit pattern shuttle's defenses were as fragile as paper in front of the cannons.
The passengers on the train, at the moment of the explosion, probably... had almost no chance of survival.
He couldn't help but recall his last act of breaking through the carriage wall. If not for that, he and Luo Luo would probably have already become part of that pile of wreckage, sinking into silence along with those innocent souls.
Looking at the ruins that gleamed coldly in the setting sun, Jiang Xuan felt a tightness in his chest, as if a huge boulder weighed down on him, making it hard for him to breathe.
He stood there, stunned, his pale face appearing both fragile and stubborn in the crimson sunset.
In the depths of his dark eyes, it seemed as if two dark torches were burning fiercely, representing grief, anger, and deep-seated hatred!
A moment later, he snapped back to his senses, his eyes instantly regaining their sharpness and alertness.
He moved with lightning speed, disappearing silently into the shadows of a crevice in a massive rock, carefully placing Luo Luo on his back. At the same time, a crossbow gleamed with a chilling light in his hand—a trophy he had seized from the ambushers.
He held his breath, like the most patient hunter, waiting quietly.
Sure enough, not long after, a series of chaotic footsteps and noises came from the far distance of the rocky beach.
Fifty or sixty cultivators, dressed in various styles but with fierce eyes, were seen rushing in a fan shape toward the wreckage of the shuttle, launching a full-scale search.
The leader, a man in black, had thick hair and beard, and his face was crisscrossed with several hideous scars. He exuded a fierce aura and clearly possessed the cultivation level of the Heavenly Gang Realm.
He scanned his surroundings sharply as he shouted.
"Search thoroughly! Don't miss any corner! If you find anyone alive, kill them immediately! You must find Jiang Xuan's body, or... confirm evidence of his death!"
His cultivators scattered to search, unable to contain their complaints.
"Boss, is there even a need to search? How could there possibly be any survivors after being bombarded by the main guns of the Ziying warship?"
"Exactly! Didn't we already find a lot of mangled remains? I bet Jiang Xuan was blown to bits long ago!" "What a waste of time! If you ask me, that kid is definitely dead beyond any doubt! I bet a hundred gold coins he's turned to ashes!"
Just as a cultivator approached the rocky area where Jiang Xuan was hiding, cursing and swearing, a sudden change occurred!
"puff!"
With a soft thud, a bloody hole suddenly exploded in the cultivator's throat. His eyes bulged out, and before he could even utter a sound, he was violently dragged into the shadow of the rock by a tremendous force, instantly falling silent.
Another cultivator nearby seemed to have noticed something and approached with a puzzled look.
"Hey? Wang Laowu? What are you doing hiding there?"
When he reached the rock and saw his companion's corpse, eyes wide open and throat pierced, his expression changed drastically, and he opened his mouth to shout a warning!
However, just as he opened his mouth, a dark figure darted out from the shadows like lightning, delivering a precise chop to his neck! The cultivator's vision went black, and he collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
However, this brief disturbance still alerted several other cultivators nearby.
"There's movement over there!"
"Watch out! Go check it out!"
The seven or eight cultivators immediately became alert, taking out their crossbows and cautiously flanking the rocky area where Jiang Xuan was hiding.
Just as they were approaching with heightened tension, a figure suddenly darted out from behind a rock on the other side!
"There it is!"
Without a second thought, a cultivator reflexively pulled the trigger of his divine crossbow!
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh—!"
Several of his companions were also spurred on, and they fired their crossbow bolts almost simultaneously!
The figure was instantly riddled with holes by seven or eight powerful crossbow bolts, and collapsed to the ground screaming in agony.
"No! It's Old Zhang!"
Someone recognized the person and gasped in shock! They had mistakenly killed their own man!
In that instant of shock and brief confusion—
"Om-!"
A sharp, piercing scream, like the call of death, burst forth from the shadowy rock they had initially been wary of!
That was the sound of seven or eight crossbow bolts firing simultaneously!
A rain of arrows burst forth! Swift as lightning, ruthless and cunning!
"Puff puff puff puff—!"
Blood spurted out one after another!
The seven or eight cultivators who approached had no time to dodge or parry effectively. Their throats, chests, and heads were instantly pierced by the cold crossbow bolts! The shock and fear on their faces froze instantly. With expressions of disbelief, they fell to the ground like fallen straw, dying on the spot!
"Enemy attack!!"
"It's Jiang Xuan! He's not dead yet!!"
"Kill him! Avenge our brothers!!"
The remaining cultivators finally reacted, both shocked and furious. They roared wildly, abandoned their crossbows, drew their weapons, and charged towards Jiang Xuan's hiding place like a tidal wave!
However, how could their speed compare to Jiang Xuan, who had been preparing for a long time and was determined to kill?
The instant they started moving, Jiang Xuan's figure shot out from behind the rocks like a ghost! He was even faster! Like a bolt of lightning tearing through the night!
The gleaming battle blade was drawn! A chilling glint flashed within it!
A flash of light!
The cultivator at the forefront felt a chill on his neck, and his vision began to spin uncontrollably, revealing his own headless body that was spurting blood.
Jiang Xuan didn't stop moving. Taking advantage of the momentum of his charge, the battle blade in his hand seemed to come alive, drawing sharp and incomparable arcs of death!
"puff!"
"puff!"
"puff!"
"puff!"
The blade flashed like a bolt of lightning, stirring up a storm of blood and gore!
Four cultivators were struck in vital areas by the incredibly fast and chillingly ruthless blade light before they could even see Jiang Xuan's figure. They were sent flying backward, spitting out blood, and fell silent in an instant!
In the blink of an eye, Jiang Xuan had already forcefully killed five people! He was like a tiger among sheep. Although he was seriously injured and his combat power was greatly reduced, his ruthless decisiveness and exquisite killing skills, which came from the Blood Killing Camp, still made him display a terrifying combat power in close combat!
On the rocky beach, the surviving cultivators stared at Jiang Xuan, who had suddenly appeared like a god of death and was wreaking havoc in all directions. Their faces were filled with disbelief and horror!
"He...he's still alive?!"
"How is this possible! How could he have survived the main guns of the Ziying warship?!"
"A monster! He's definitely a monster!"
Jiang Xuan completely ignored the horrified looks and discussions.
The anger that had been building up inside him, the hatred he felt for those who treated human life like dirt, and the deep remorse he felt for the innocent people who had died because of him, all erupted like a long-suppressed volcano at this moment! He was no longer fighting just to survive, but also to vent his anger and to seek revenge!
Wielding his Radiant Blade, he charged into the enemy ranks, his aura like that of a king conquering the battlefield, or a destructive storm sweeping everything away! Every strike was precise, swift, and ruthless, destined to take a life! With each flash of his blade, a cultivator would fall with a scream, blood splattering onto the cold rocks.
The cultivators attempted to use their numerical advantage to surround him, brandishing their swords and wielding their spiritual energy.
However, Jiang Xuan's blade seemed capable of tearing through any obstacle, like a hot knife through butter, easily ripping open bloody gashes in the seemingly tight encirclement! Seven or eight cultivators who attempted to confront him head-on were struck by the immense force contained in his blade, coughing up blood, their weapons flying out of their hands, and they were sent flying backward like rolling gourds, instantly losing their fighting ability!
He carried the unconscious Luo Luo on his back, but this did not hinder his movements at all; on the contrary, it made him seem to have eyes in the back of his head. A cultivator attempted to ambush him from behind, aiming directly at Luo Luo on his back. Jiang Xuan did not even turn around; with a backhand motion, he fired a thorny wooden crossbow he had obtained from the spoils of war, accurately piercing the attacker's throat!
"Use crossbows! Quickly, shoot him with crossbows!!"
The scarred man's eyes widened in fury as he roared and ordered his men to use ranged weapons.
However, no sooner had he given the order than Jiang Xuan acted faster!
Suddenly, Jiang Xuan's left hand held a uniquely shaped crossbow, its entire body shimmering with silver light, as if inlaid with countless tiny stars—the Flying Star Crossbow! (End of Chapter)