Chapter 105: A Bloody Rampage

Chen Xian’s lips curled into a satisfied smile.

He had thoroughly mastered the technique of the Eye of Annihilation. Now, he could unleash this unfathomable power whenever he wished. However, instead of using it immediately, he turned his focus inward, extending his consciousness into his mind to see if the God-Tier Treasure Tree had successfully condensed its ninth fruit.

He had reasoned that after condensing the eighth fruit, the tree should have been able to produce a ninth, especially after absorbing the vast energy from the barrage of shells. Yet, Chen Xian was disappointed. Floating in the center of his consciousness, the tree remained mostly a translucent phantom, with only a tiny fraction of its form solidified and flushed with crimson.

"Sigh! It's becoming increasingly difficult to condense these mysterious fruits," Chen Xian murmured to himself.

On second thought, however, he felt a sense of relief. Every fruit the tree produced was a treasure of incomparable rarity; he had already obtained eight. Naturally, the more precious the prize, the harder it was to attain. Furthermore, he was quite pleased that as his cultivation reached the fourth level of the Mortal Shedding Realm, the daily limit for the tree’s absorption of external energy had also increased. The tree had completely absorbed the bombardment of at least six or seven hundred shells from the Hungry Wolf Mercenary Group without even reaching its daily capacity.

With this in mind, Chen Xian shook off his distractions and looked toward the military fortress.

Standing on the watchtower, Li Xiong and the rest of the mercenaries were frozen in shock. Seeing Chen Xian standing unscathed where he had been, their mouths hung open, wide enough to fit eggs. They could not fathom how he had survived the relentless carpet bombing of hundreds of shells. Even steel would have been reduced to scrap under such an onslaught. Even if Chen Xian were a grandmaster, it should have been impossible to withstand such firepower. Yet, the reality was undeniable: Chen Xian was truly unharmed.

Seeing that the entire artillery barrage had failed to eliminate him, Li Xiong was overcome with terror. His drive for vengeance vanished, replaced by a desperate urge to survive. How could he hope to retaliate when nearly a thousand shells had failed to leave a scratch on his opponent?

As he retreated rapidly from the watchtower, he roared, "All heavy machine guns and soldiers, open fire on him immediately! Do not let him breach the fortress!"

Though Li Xiong knew that if shells couldn't stop him, ordinary bullets likely wouldn't either, he had no choice. He could not simply watch as Chen Xian tore through their defenses as if no one were there.

*Rat-tat-tat-tat!*

Following the commander’s order, heavy machine guns mounted at the fortress entrance spat flames, unleashing a rain of lead upon Chen Xian. Other mercenaries joined in with assault rifles, firing wildly. Meanwhile, the attack helicopters, having exhausted their ammunition, began to descend into the fortress courtyard.

Facing the deluge of bullets, Chen Xian did not retreat. Instead, he charged forward. With every stride, he covered at least a hundred meters, moving like a deity walking upon the earth, his steps shrinking the distance between them. He moved with such urgency because he saw the helicopters landing to extract the leaders of the Hungry Wolf Mercenary Group.

To cut the grass without pulling the roots is to invite it to grow again. Tonight, Chen Xian would not let a single member of the Hungry Wolf Mercenary Group escape. These men were heinous villains—demons who belonged in hell.

In a few strides, Chen Xian reached the fortress’s massive iron gate, which loomed like the maw of a giant beast. He clenched his fist, channeling his spiritual energy into it, and unleashed the first form of the Dragon-Elephant Divine Fist: "Azure Dragon Strike!" He slammed his fist into the multi-ton steel gate.

*BOOM!*

With a deafening crash, the gate shattered into pieces. Shrapnel flew in every direction, acting like fragments from an exploding shell. Some shards tore through concrete barracks, collapsing them; others gouged deep craters in the ground; and those that struck the unfortunate mercenaries turned them into pulp before they could even scream.

With the gate destroyed, there was no longer anything to stop him. Chen Xian advanced toward the terrified Li Xiong and his men like a demonic god.

The attack helicopters had already touched down in the plaza. Li Xiong, accompanied by a sultry Western woman and several key figures of the mercenary group, scrambled aboard.

*Whirrr—!*

The rotors spun at maximum speed, desperate to lift off. Chen Xian would not allow it. He balled his hands into fists, his muscles bulging and his veins standing out with raw, overbearing power. As spiritual energy surged through his meridians, he let out a thunderous roar: "Azure Dragon Strike!"

He unleashed his fists toward the rising helicopters.

*ROAR!*

A deafening dragon’s roar echoed through the air. Blasts of fist-energy shot from his hands, striking the helicopters with lightning speed. Li Xiong, who had just begun to breathe a sigh of relief inside the cabin, heard the roar and looked back. Seeing the fist-shadows, which carried terrifying power, hurtling toward them, his face went pale with terror. Instinctively, he leaped from the helicopter, which was still close to the ground.

*BANG!*

The moment Li Xiong landed, a series of violent explosions erupted above him. Looking up, his eyes widened in sheer disbelief. Every single attack helicopter had been obliterated, turning into massive fireballs that bloomed like brilliant, deadly fireworks in the night sky.

Having cut off their escape, Chen Xian closed in on the stunned Li Xiong, step by step.

Li Xiong was utterly broken. A bitter, twisted smile spread across his face as he muttered, "Heaven, you truly intend to wipe me out!"

"It is not Heaven that destroys you, but your own endless wickedness. You reap what you sow," Chen Xian replied coldly.

Just as his words fell, another voice sounded—flat and devoid of emotion: "So, you are the one who killed Old Hag One-Eye?"

Chen Xian turned to look. Outside the fortress gate, two figures had appeared out of nowhere. To be precise, it was a ghostly, translucent tiger, and atop its back sat a small, thin human whose face was obscured. Though the figure appeared frail and weak, exuding no outward pressure—much like an ordinary person—Chen Xian sensed that this individual was far from simple. He had reached a level of returning to simplicity, where true brilliance is hidden behind an unassuming facade.

Without hesitation, Chen Xian channeled two wisps of spiritual energy from his Spirit Wheel into his eyes and activated the Eye of Annihilation.