Starting as The Young Master of A Pharmacy, He Trained Swordsmanship in Seclusion For Twenty Years - Chapter 85

In an instant, the carp demon had closed the distance and arrived before Lu Xuan.

It raised its front claw high, a colossal shadow blotting out the sky. With a howling gust of wind, it completely engulfed Lu Xuan’s figure.

The demon’s limb swept down violently, only to pass straight through Lu Xuan’s fading afterimage.

As the carp demon froze in confusion, Lu Xuan’s true form materialized beside its waist.

Channeling his inner energy, Lu Xuan’s body surged with power. He lifted his right leg and delivered a mighty kick squarely to the demon’s midsection.

BOOM!
A deafening crash echoed as the very space around them seemed to shudder, the air grinding to a standstill.

Lu Xuan’s right leg, carrying earth-shattering force, tore through the void like a violent storm, sending the demon’s enormous body flying.

The massive form of the carp demon tumbled head over heels through the air, emitting a pitiful, agonized roar.

A moment later, its body carved a deep trench into the hard ground, sending dust flying and rubble scattering in all directions.

Within the gouge, a thick fluid mixed with the dirt and chunks of earth glimmered under the faint moonlight—what appeared to be dark green blood.

“It seems we were all wrong about Senior Xuan’s martial realm,” Zhao Sheng murmured from a distance, where he and Qian Hao could clearly see the scene unfolding.

Witnessing this unbelievable turn of events, the air around the two men seemed to freeze solid. Their eyes were filled with utter shock and disbelief.

The three of them had tried to estimate Lu Xuan’s strength to the best of their ability. Yet, they never could have imagined that Senior Xuan was a powerful existence on the same level as their own Envoy—a master of the Inner Energy realm!

A figure of the Inner Energy realm!

In the distance, the carp demon lay collapsed on the ground, its life force faint but still present. Lu Xuan sensed this weak aura—the demon was not dead yet.

“Still alive?” Lu Xuan couldn’t help but remark, astonished by its tenacious vitality.

Given Lu Xuan’s current strength at the peak of Inner Energy realm, even a warrior who had just stepped into that realm wouldn’t dare claim they could withstand a full-force blow from him. Yet this demon, at the peak of the Refined Blood realm, had survived a direct hit.

Its terrifying defensive power was truly comparable to that of an Inner Energy realm warrior. So this is the fearsome physical strength and shocking vitality of a demon that can rival supernatural anomalies, Lu Xuan thought.

“Enough.”

Sensing the carp demon’s aura beginning to steadily recover, Lu Xuan drew the black iron sword from his waist. He had no intention of giving the demon time to regenerate.

In the next moment, a fierce crimson flame erupted, spreading across the entire bank of the Jinlin River.

The blaze was intense and brilliant, illuminating the area for hundreds of meters in every direction. The demon’s massive body looked sinister and grotesque under the eerie crimson light, its scales reflecting a sinister gleam.

As the scorching red light shot rapidly toward the carp demon, copious clouds of steam began to rise from its scales, as if they could no longer endure the terrifying heat of Lu Xuan’s flames.

ROAR!

Suddenly, a majestic and powerful draconic cry, resonant like thunder from the heavens, erupted from the demon’s massive form!

Just as the crimson flame, carrying its incinerating aura, was about to strike the demon’s body, the space around it collapsed, sending out endless ripples.

The crimson fire vanished without a trace in the next second, seemingly swallowed by an invisible force, leaving not even a scar behind.

“What?!” Lu Xuan’s usually calm expression shifted to one of unprecedented shock.

In the blink of an eye, an ethereal shadow shot out from the demon’s forehead and swiftly materialized before Lu Xuan.

It was a dragon-shaped phantom, hundreds of feet high, coiling in the void above.

Its enormous, profound eyes radiated authority and indifference as they fixed upon Lu Xuan.

The dragon phantom shot toward him, its claw covering the sky like a collapsing heavens.

“This isn’t a real dragon!” After a momentary daze, Lu Xuan broke free from the phantom’s oppressive pressure.

Facing this unstoppable attack, he didn’t hesitate. All the inner energy in his body erupted at once.

Lu Xuan’s eyes blazed with a golden light, his muscles bulging and covered in a mysterious golden sheen.

Then, with all his strength, the black iron sword in his hand shone once more with a dazzling crimson radiance, brighter than before, like a scorching sun—blinding and intense.

A massive pillar of crimson fire several meters wide burst forth, transforming into a fire dragon capable of destroying everything, and shot upward to meet the sky-obscuring dragon claw.

The crimson flames and the enormous ethereal dragon claw collided violently.

A thunderous boom echoed between heaven and earth, accompanied by a blinding crimson light, as if the sky itself had been set ablaze by incinerating flames.

But in the next instant, Lu Xuan’s expression quickly turned grave.

The dragon claw phantom broke through his crimson flames and, with residual force, shot toward him.

The claw grazed Lu Xuan’s chest, leaving a long, deep gash.

In that split second, Lu Xuan pushed off forcefully with both feet, twisting his body sideways and propelling himself backward.

The spot where he had stood just moments before was instantly replaced by a crater dozens of meters deep.

High in the sky, the enormous dragon phantom fixed its massive, deep eyes on Lu Xuan for a long moment before gradually fading into the void.

“What was that?!” Lu Xuan stared warily at the spot where the dragon phantom had vanished, only then suppressing his urge to flee a thousand miles away.

This was the first time—the first time Lu Xuan had been injured!

And not just a minor wound. This injury was severe enough to threaten a warrior like him, who had reached the peak of the Inner Energy realm.

He looked down at the gash on his chest, deep enough to reveal bone.

Yet no blood flowed out, as Lu Xuan had already sealed the wound with his inner energy.

Thanks to his Indestructible Vajra body tempering technique and the nourishing effect of his inner energy, the injury was healing at a frantic pace.

Initially, when the dragon phantom appeared, Lu Xuan had immediately intended to use his Wind-Chasing Steps to put as much distance as possible between himself and the Jinlin River.

But just as he prepared to move, he felt an immense pressure from the surrounding space, pinning him firmly in place.

It was as if the very world itself was suppressing him!

What kind of power was this?!
The External Release realm? No. For a mere phantom to force Lu Xuan to use his full strength… that was likely a feat only possible for that realm.

The Divine Mansion realm!

The Dragon Lord!