Lightning blades clashed against hundreds of nails as Liu Xing pulled the trigger of his gun. Each bullet either paralyzes his enemies or explodes on impact. Though he used the gun sparingly, each shot created just enough of an opening for him to land more hits and steadily wear down the abominations one by one.
Hundreds of Wu clan abominations surrounded him, many now bearing deep gashes across their chests, arms, and legs. Though he hadn't managed to kill any yet, it was enough. After all, he wasn't fighting this battle alone.
From above, dozens of fireballs rained down upon the abominations around him. Each explosion carved holes in the ground and disrupted the creatures' balance, creating precious opportunities for Liu Xing to strike with his lightning blades.
Liu Xing shouted as he fought, his eyes seeing only blurs while his mind remained razor-sharp, perceiving everything around him. He channeled more qi into his lightning blades, extending them several meters in length.
Working in concert with the Yang clan's fireballs, he carved deeper and deeper wounds into the surrounding abominations.
The damage was mounting: one creature's right arm hung useless, another's head dangled precariously from its neck, and several more bled profusely from long gashes. It was only a matter of time before one of them died.
Liu Xing moved through the enemy ranks with blinding speed, deflecting nails and wind blades in a blur of motion. He needed to kill just one Core Splitting realm spirit beast with his gun to turn the tide of battle.
As he deflected several nails and landed an exploding bullet in an abomination's face, he felt several pulses ripple through the wind. Glancing at the army beyond his immediate fight, he saw the Hei clan abominations retract their wall of black vines as the forces behind them began their charge toward the towers.
Their advance wasn't mindless. The army split into three groups, forming what looked like a trident from above. The central force, led by abominations with elephant noses on their faces and holding spears in their right hands charged directly at Liu Xing's position. The Hei clan led the left flank, while the civilian abominations, led by the Wu clan forces that were not busy fighting him moved to the right flank.
As the formation advanced, the flanking groups spread wider and wider until they resembled three separate arrows rather than a trident. One aimed straight ahead while two angled toward the sides of the towers.
Liu Xing realized their strategy: they would use the shorter towers as stepping stones to reach the Yang Clan's position, forcing them to split their defenses into three groups. The sheer numbers of the enemy would eventually overwhelm them.
As he watched the elephant-nosed abominations approach, Liu Xing understood how important his own position had become.
Anxiety spread from his belly throughout his body. Part of him screamed to retreat, but his tactical mind—the part that believed victory was still possible—insisted he needed to kill just one abomination. If he could manage that before the approaching groups arrived and split the Yang clan into three groups, their chances would improve dramatically. He just had to hurry!
As he thought about why the hell these abominations were so durable, Liu Xing kicked off the ground and rushed towards the abomination with the dangling head.
He aimed his gun and fired. A blue bolt tore through the air, too fast for the creature to dodge. The bullets struck its face and the explosion threw it backward. He glanced at his gun, hoping to see six green strips glowing, but found none.
Pursing his lips, he kicked off again, determined to finish his target. A dozen abominations converged on him from both sides and swung their nail-blades.
"You're in my way!"
Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
Liu Xing created six bullets, sending three to each gauntlet, and threw his gun skyward to free his hands. He needs two lightning blades to deal with them. But he cannot do it fast enough by using Lightning Palm techniques twice. That's why he used his Thunderstrike Gauntlets to form two lightning balls in his palms, each the size of a chicken egg, and unleashed two palm strikes that erupted into two pillars of lightning. He shouted as he swung both of his arms outward, swinging the pillars like his lightning blades.
The lightning pillars forced back the intercepting abominations, creating a narrow tunnel straight to the abomination he was targeting, which had landed on its back. Liu Xing channeled stable qi to his feet and kicked off with maximum force, launching himself forward.
As the twin pillars receded, he dismissed his gun, resummoned it, and aimed forward.
The mouse-nosed creature with the dangling neck began to rise. Liu Xing extended his lightning blade, transforming it from a meter-long weapon into a piercing shaft that impaled the abomination's chest and pinned it to the ground. Though not fatal, the strike immobilized it.
Struck by inspiration, Liu Xing transformed the tips of his lightning blade that protruded from the creature's back into a square shape. As Liu Xing pulled in his transformed blade like a grappling hook, the captured abomination rushed towards him, its limbs flailing helplessly against the pull.
A wild smile spread across his face. This was it. It is his moment to secure victory!
As the distance closed, Liu Xing aimed his gun, infused his bullets with Exploding Fist, and fired rapidly. All six shots hit the abomination's head in quick succession. The blasts tore off chunks of flesh and scattered its mouse-like noses. When the smoke cleared, the creature's face was a charred ruin, but it clung stubbornly to life.
Finally, as the lightning blade's pull brought them face-to-face, barely a meter apart, Liu Xing let instinct take over. The trapped abomination desperately swung its nail-blade, but it's too late—Liu Xing's left hand, still gripping his gun, struck like a cobra. He drove the gun's solid barrel up through the creature's already mangled neck like a hammer striking an anvil. A wet crunch echoed as bone shattered, and the creature's head, already half-severed from his earlier attacks, ripped free and flew off like a ball.
It felt surreal to decapitate an enemy with the blunt side of his gun, but seeing six green strips now glowing on his gun, Liu Xing's fierce smile returned.
"With this, I can win!"
He transformed his lightning blade and swung vertically, splitting the abomination's body stuck in his lightning blade in two. Spinning, he summoned his shield and leaped high into the air.
As he ascended, black hair fluttering, his eyes rapidly assessed the battlefield. Many of the Wu clan abominations now scaled the wall like spiders, their long nails digging into the earthen tower. The two flanking groups climbed the tower-steps from both sides while the Yang clan descended, launching fireball after fireball at the enemy. Prince Yang Jinyan spat several massive fireballs that resembled miniature suns, while the blood-drenched woman conjured and controlled fire birds that sliced through the climbing abominations.
Below, the army, led by spear-wielding abominations, reached the base of the tower. With no stairs to climb, they began to pile on top of each other like zombies.
Taking a deep breath, Liu Xing planned his route. With the six bullets in his gun, he could kill them all!
A Yang clan member lay pinned atop one of the smaller towers, black vines from a Wu clan abomination binding him to the ground. A second abomination with long nail-blades charged toward the helpless cultivator. Though another Yang clan member rushed down to help, he wouldn't make it in time.
Liu Xing summoned his shield and kicked it with devastating force. The impact created a shockwave so powerful that even his shield was thrown back before he dismissed it. He shot through the air like a black and blue blur, and as he closed in, he aimed his gun at the back of the Wu clan abomination's head.
Infusing his bullets with Exploding Fist, he pulled the trigger. A blue bolt erupted from his gun, moving so fast it created its own shockwave. The abomination turned its head, then bent its knees to dodge, but it was too late. The bullet struck dead center in its head, causing its head to explode in a spray of red that painted the Yang clan member's face crimson.
His gun instantly recharged with six bullets, and Liu Xing pulled the trigger in rapid succession. The bullets screamed through the sky toward multiple targets: one for an abomination whose face writhed with countless tiny eyes and wriggling black hair, another for a Wu clan abomination, one more for a spear-wielding abomination, and the remaining three for civilian abominations.
All six bullets struck simultaneously—some finding heads, others bodies. Each impact triggered an explosion that killed its target instantly.
Liu Xing landed atop the tower beside the Yang clan member still bound by black vines and slashed through the restraints with his lightning blade.
Without pausing, he kicked off his position and launched himself at another group of abominations.
The real massacre was about to begin.