Naked Sword Art

Chapter 523: Don’t Touch My Kill

Li Roh looked back at Xiao Fang’s tent again, straining to sense even a trace of Xiao Fang’s presence—but there was nothing.

"You’re sure he’s in there?" Li Roh asked quietly.

"You can still leave," Li Lian said. "If I’m being honest, you’ll probably only slow me down. I can’t protect both of you."

Li Roh shook his head.

"I want to fight."

Li Lian studied him for a moment longer before turning her gaze forward. None of her own team members had stayed, despite knowing where she was.

Yet Xiao Fang’s had. Even with his meager strength.

’This boy certainly isn’t normal,’ Li Lian thought.

If it truly came to it, Li Lian had the means to carry Xiao Fang away by force, so she wasn’t overly afraid of what lay ahead. But Li Roh remained, even while believing his death was all but certain. That kind of resolve could only be called stupidity... or madness... or unwavering loyalty.

It was the same kind of loyalty Li Lian wished she possessed. For that reason, she couldn’t help but admire the boy a little.

...

Morning came with a sound like the world tearing itself apart.

The roars grew deafening as the beast horde finally broke through the distant tree line, spilling into the open valley like a living tide. They surged forward ferociously, trampling the earth beneath them, tearing through stone, brush, and abandoned structures without slowing in the slightest. Dust and blood filled the air as the ground shook under their charge.

Their numbers were frightening.

Not hundreds, not thousands, but tens of thousands.

Li Lian stood at the edge of the camp, eyes fixed on the approaching mass. Even from this distance, she could already feel the pressure rolling off them—wild, chaotic Qi layered over instinct and hunger.

"Roh," she said without looking back, her voice calm but unwavering. "Stay behind me."

Flames wrapped around her body like living armor, her fiery wings and burning cape whipping violently in the wind.

Li Lian was only a few years older than Li Roh, yet the presence she exuded made her seem untouchable—almost heavenly. Standing behind her, he felt as though he were looking at something beyond mortality itself. Even with victory seeming impossible against such overwhelming numbers, he found comfort in knowing she stood between him and the horde.

Li Roh swallowed hard and tightened his grip on his battle axe.

"Understood."

In the next moment, he retreated back to Xiao Fang’s tent, standing with Xun Wei and Xiao Hei’s clones.

Everyone watching from the hills felt a chill crawl down their spines as they saw Li Lian standing alone, facing something no one below the Heavenly Realm should have any hope of surviving.

"I knew I didn’t imagine it," one of her siblings said quietly. "Her strength has reached the Half-Step Heavenly Realm."

"How can she be this strong?"

It wasn’t only the captains who felt it. Every soldier under Li Huxin’s command could sense the pressure rolling off her, heavy and unmistakable.

The Li Clan had not produced a Heavenly Realm cultivator in over a millennium. For someone as young as Li Lian to be radiating power so close to that realm was almost impossible to comprehend.

And yet, there she stood—burning brightly against the horde.

The horde accelerated.

Li Lian exhaled slowly—and then stopped holding anything back.

Flames erupted around her body, violent and radiant, her aura surging skyward like a blazing pillar. The air screamed as heat distorted the space around her, and her chain whips burst forth in arcs of molten fire, unfurling like living serpents.

Finally, the soul shaking roar of a dragon sounded out.

[ 1st Stage Dragon Perception ]

The first wave of beasts reached her.

She moved.

Her chains lashed out in wide, devastating arcs, tearing through the front ranks with explosive force. Bodies were ripped apart, reduced to ash and shattered bone before they could even touch her. Each swing carried overwhelming power, the flames searing flesh and spirit alike.

Typically, five Foundation Realm beasts could overwhelm a single Refinement Realm cultivator. Fifteen Refinement Realms could suppress one Core Realm. The higher the realm, the steeper the cost.

Li Lian stood far beyond that scale.

The majority of the beasts in the horde had strength equal to refinement and core realm cultivators. At her current strength, how much could she handle? Some assumed a hundred, maybe 200, or a few dozen beasts with Profound realm strength. However, no matter how many she killed, she didn’t seem to be slowing down.

Beasts lunged from all sides, piling toward her in a frenzy. Li Lian’s chains snapped and coiled, striking relentlessly, only allowing the beasts with refinement realm strength to pass her to be dealt with by Xun Wei, Xiao Hei, and Li Roh.

The ground beneath her cracked and melted, scorched black by her flames.

From the hills, Li Huxin and the captains watched in stunned silence.

"She’s insane..." someone muttered.

"She’s not retreating at all."

"She’s holding the line by herself?"

Even hardened veterans felt their throats tighten at the sight.

Beast after beast fell, but more poured in, climbing over the bodies of the dead. Her flames burned brighter, her movements sharper, but sweat began to bead along her brow. Each breath carried heat and strain.

Li Huxin’s hands clenched at his sides.

’Come on, Lian,’ he thought grimly, eyes locked on his daughter’s burning figure. ’Just get out of there.’

Nearly 300 beasts were single handedly defeated by her before she was finally getting pushed back.

Li Lian roared and swung both chains at once, a massive ring of fire erupting outward and incinerating everything within it. The blast sent shockwaves through the valley, momentarily thinning the horde.

Behind her, Li Roh stared in awe. He could barely follow her movements, but it invigorated him.

His grip tightened as another handful of beasts came his way. Xiao Hei and Xun Wei took care of the majority, but Li Roh was still confronted by a 5th tier beast, meaning it’s strength was comparable to a Core realm cultivator.

Li Anru, watching from the hills felt his chest tighten thinking Li Roh would be defeated by it, but to everyone’s surprise, there wasn’t an ounce of fear on that young man’s face. His spirit was burning with power.

Exchanging blows with the beast, his expression changed as traditional Li Clansmen marking appeared on his face.

[ Gate of Awakening ]

His battlepower surged, turning the tides against the 5th tier beast.

"Don’t touch my kill," Li Roh murmured, with a deep hunger for murder in his eyes.

Although a lot that happened, only a single breath had passed.

By the time Xun Wei and Xiao Hei were done with the beasts coming towards the tent, Li Roh was already standing on the 5th tier beast’s large body as he pulled his battleaxe out of its skull.

"Yes!" Li Anru cheered quietly to himself seeing Li Roh make quick work of a stronger opponent.

It wasn’t just Li Anru, the others from the army hiding in the hills all felt pride in the young man’s courage to defend his captain against impossible odds.

Li Roh exchanged looks with Xiao Hei and Xun Wei, nodding to each other before preparing for the next wave of beasts slipping past Li Lian’s terror.

The roars grew louder. The horde didn’t slow.

And inside the tent behind them, completely unaware—or perhaps simply unconcerned—Xiao Fang’s seclusion continued.