Chapter 39: A Brutal Battle

"Kill!" Chen Shanhe, leader of the Wild Wolf Gang, roared. His precious blade shimmered with sharp, fierce light as he frantically channeled his Innate True Qi, unleashing his full power to strike at Old Devil Xu.

"You madman, I wonder how long you can keep this insanity up?" Old Devil Xu retorted coldly, though he was forced to retreat step by step.

Before long, Chen Shanhe had driven Old Devil Xu back to the steward’s quarters of the Wild Wolf Gang, right at the threshold of the doorway.

"Die!"
"Prepare to meet your end!"

At that very moment, the second and third leaders, who had previously been knocked unconscious by Old Devil Xu’s spells, suddenly appeared from within the steward’s room, wielding an exceptionally massive crossbow.

The crossbow was two meters tall and three meters long, radiating a terrifying sense of menace. Mounted upon it were three crossbow bolts, each nearly three meters in length. The tips of these massive bolts were razor-sharp, imbued with an incredibly lethal aura.

As the second and third leaders combined their strength, the bowstring, already drawn to the shape of a full moon, was suddenly released.

*Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!*

Instantly, the three terrifying bolts tore through the void, hurtling toward the cornered Old Devil Xu.

Everything happened too quickly—so fast that Old Devil Xu had no time to prepare.

"Oh no!" Terror gripped him. He slapped his storage bag in a panic, and two protective talismans flew out, which he immediately pressed against his body.

Two layers of cyan light shimmered into existence, forming protective barriers around him. This was the absolute limit of what he could achieve.

These three massive bolts were longer than standard spears. Powered by the great tension of the giant crossbow, their destructive force far exceeded the bolts previously fired by the three leaders and nine deacons. The trajectory of these projectiles completely sealed off Old Devil Xu’s escape route, leaving him no choice but to face them head-on.

*Rip!* The middle bolt, resembling a long spear, easily shattered the first layer of his defense. Then, with another *thud*, the second barrier was also effortlessly pierced. Yet, the spear-like bolt retained enough lethal force to continue drilling toward him.

In this critical moment, Old Devil Xu had no time to channel spiritual energy for a counter-attack, and his talismans were spent. He could only channel his remaining spiritual energy into his hands, clutching the giant bolt in a desperate attempt to hold it back. He managed to shift his body slightly to avoid a fatal blow to his heart, but the terrifying momentum of the bolt punched through him, sending him flying backward under the immense force.

*Splatter!* The giant bolt tore through the flesh of his left side, leaving a gaping, bloody hole and pinning him firmly to the ground. Fortunately, he had survived.

"You... you all deserve to die!" The agonizing pain twisted Old Devil Xu’s face, making him look truly hideous.

With a thought, his talisman sword flew out, surging toward the approaching first leader.

"Second and Third, I’ll hold off the talisman sword—hurry and kill him!" Seeing his sworn brothers succeed, Chen Shanhe’s fighting spirit soared. He brandished his blade, fueled his Innate True Qi, and charged directly at the lethal talisman sword.

Previously, Old Devil Xu had thought the second and third leaders were incapacitated by his spells and had recalled his talisman sword to focus entirely on defending against Chen Shanhe, a peak-stage Innate Realm martial artist.

However, wielding the talisman sword consumed a terrifying amount of spiritual energy, so he had not been using it to attack. Now, wounded as he was, he had no choice but to use the sword to block Chen Shanhe once more.

"Old Devil! Die!"
"Hahaha! Old Devil, today is the day you perish."

The two leaders immediately charged at Old Devil Xu with their crossbows.

"You... you actually wore Ice Silkworm Armor! No wonder you could withstand my Lesser Fireball spell! But even so, you cannot kill me! Azure Wood Seal!" Old Devil Xu hurriedly channeled his remaining spiritual energy to cast the Azure Wood Seal for protection. At the same time, he shouted to Jiang Fan, who was watching from the sidelines: "Ungrateful disciple, why aren't you helping? If I am killed, there will be no antidote for your Seven-Day Heart-Eating Powder!"

"Master! I am coming to your aid!" Jiang Fan’s expression shifted instantly, and he rushed toward the two leaders.

Seeing this, Old Devil Xu breathed a slight sigh of relief.

"Jiang Fan! What are you doing?"
"Brother Jiang, how can you attack us?"

The two leaders’ expressions changed instantly. They had fought so hard to create this advantage and were on the verge of killing Old Devil Xu, but with Jiang Fan entering the fray, victory was becoming nearly impossible.

Even though Old Devil Xu was pinned to the ground by the giant bolt, he was a cultivator with many tricks up his sleeve; he was far from a "lamb to the slaughter." Furthermore, the third leader had seen Jiang Fan’s combat prowess before and knew he was extremely difficult to deal with.

"You were trying to kill me along with him just a moment ago—so you should just die!" Jiang Fan’s face was cold. He condensed a two-meter-wide Azure Wood Seal and smashed it toward the two men.

"You..."
"You deserve to die..."

The two leaders were shocked and hurriedly channeled their full Innate True Qi into their blades to defend themselves.

*Boom!*

Even though they unleashed their strongest techniques and erupted with several fierce blade auras, they were still blasted away by Jiang Fan’s massive Azure Wood Seal.

*Bang!*

As they were thrown back, their high-defense armor shattered completely. They were already severely wounded from Old Devil Xu’s fireballs and sword, so they could no longer withstand the impact of the seal. As for the Ice Silkworm Armor they wore, it was only effective against the searing heat of the Lesser Fireball spell and offered almost no protection against the blunt force of the Azure Wood Seal.

The second and third leaders flew backward, blood spewing from their mouths. The third leader, being the weakest, instantly lost his ability to fight and collapsed to the ground, blood flowing continuously from his mouth—his life hanging in the balance.

The second leader, a late-stage Innate Realm expert, still had some fight left in him, as his strength far exceeded the third leader’s.

"Third Brother... Third Brother, hang on! You must hang on!" The second leader’s expression was grim. He had not expected Jiang Fan to be so formidable. The power of the Azure Wood Seal was so immense that even he had suffered grievous injuries.

"Good disciple, well done!" Old Devil Xu, despite his severe wounds, still had some strength left and couldn't help but cheer.

"You little beast! I’ll have your life! Argh..." At this moment, the second leader’s rage eclipsed his fear. Brandishing his blade, his Innate True Qi boiling, he charged at Jiang Fan with no regard for his own life.

"Thank you for the praise, Master! But my spiritual energy is exhausted, so I must take my leave..." Jiang Fan chose not to engage the second leader and bolted away. With little spiritual energy left, he had no intention of fighting to the death.

"Go then. Once I finish off these two ignorant fools, I will come to find you!" Old Devil Xu did not object; the second leader was already heavily wounded, making him easy to finish off. As for the first leader, Chen Shanhe, once the second leader was dead, he would stand no chance of killing him.