Stacking Passives to Survive!

Huo Hengxuan straightened his back and looked up toward the vast, frozen night sky.

"Shhhk, shhhk..."

His body, which had moments ago been little more than mangled flesh, began to heal at an alarming rate. Bones grew like branches sprouting, and flesh regenerated like creeping moss.

The rapid growth made a dense, hair-raising sound.

In just a few seconds, through rapid regeneration, a completely new body was born.

Though streaked with blood, it was apparent this was no longer an old man's body. The figure now standing there was that of a youthful man, strong-featured and handsome and only the shape of his brows and eyes faintly resembled his older self.

Only the streaked white hair remained, unchanged.

Time itself seemed to have reversed within Huo Hengxuan's body, bringing back the young general, the Slaughter God of Liang, from four decades ago.

But more terrifying was the aura now surging from him.

So overpowering was it that it seemed to rival the oppressive force of the starry heavens themselves, enough to make one's heart rupture and soul flee.

And it was still rising, building into a power equal to that of the heavens above!

The once-clear sky now began to churn with the forming of boundless tribulation clouds, with thunder roaring, converging into a vortex that blotted out the heavens.

It was this very phenomenon that made Li Hongling's face drain of all color.

Huo Hengxuan was transcending. He was proving his Dao to Heaven and Earth.

In that moment, Li Hongling realized she had overlooked something critical, and lethal.

Huo Hengxuan wasn't one of the new-generation Master Realm cultivators...

He had been at the Master Realm for many years.

A man who had stood at that level for decades, yet rarely did anyone discuss what his "Dao" was. That, in itself, was strange.

Stranger still, Huo Hengxuan had never seemed concerned. As if the idea of seeking the Profound Realm had never occurred to him.

For decades, he had done only two things:

Killing the enemy, and defending Liang.

Because of his brutal methods and the hundreds of thousands he'd slain, people assumed his Dao was slaughter, was ruthlessness.

But only now did Li Hongling realize, what everyone had overlooked was perhaps the true Dao that Huo Hengxuan had been quietly embodying all along.

His Dao wasn't to kill, but to protect.

And just now, he had used his own life to protect the final glimmer of hope for the Kingdom of Liang.

And finally, that act had allowed him to touch upon the Grand Dao, to be acknowledged by the heavens, and take that final step, into the mysterious and elusive Profound Realm, the Upper Third Rank.

But his aura didn't stop there.

For some reason, Huo Hengxuan's energy continued to surge, transcending even the Profound Realm, as if his accumulated karmic merit had carried him across the sea of suffering to reach the far shore of the Dao.

Huo Hengxuan had become a Saint..

It was a terrifying thought that chilled Li Hongling to the core.

Her will faltered.

She took a deep breath. Without hesitation, she turned and burst into motion, a black shadow fleeing the royal capital.

She didn't know how Huo Hengxuan had done it, but in his current state, he was far beyond anything she could confront.

The moment fear took root, it spread like a wildfire.

While the Heavenly Tribulation clouds gathered and his power was still being suppressed, she had to carve out a path for herself.

In a flash, she had already fled over a hundred zhang away, her worsening injuries surged against her control, but she forced the blood back down her throat.

"Hiss-!"

She retrieved a Summoning Incense from her robes and lit it against the wind.

In moments, it burned down to nothing. A wisp of green smoke spiraled up, slowly taking the form of a tall, burly old man.

With flowing beard and long blade in hand, his aura was calm and vast:

This was the Martial Saint, Mu Zhao.

This incense was the last resort Mu Zhao had left her, only to be used at a moment of life or death.

...

Back atop the city wall, Qingcuo had been ready to pursue, but Huo Hengxuan firmly grabbed her wrist.

She turned to look at him, body trembling, her eyes filled with grief. "General... why?"

Huo Hengxuan shook his head. "Today, three people must die."

"And you, little girl, are not one of them."

He smiled at her kindly, like a normal old man. Then, with grandfatherly tenderness, he reached out and patted her head.

It was the same warmth as on the banks of the River that day.

Tears of blood streamed down Qingcuo's face, and the blood-red color in her eyes faded away.

The Blood Parasite Seal, which had bound her life to Li Hongling's, was purged.

Huo Hengxuan said softly:

"Someone else will kill Li Hongling for you. He'll avenge you. From now on, follow him... and see just how far he can go."

Qingcuo was stunned.

That man...

Before she could process it, Huo Hengxuan shoved her forcefully.

Whumph!

The next moment, she found herself thrown far into the distance.

By the time she regained her balance and looked around, she was already on the edge of the battlefield, surrounded by the disordered remnants of the Black Armor army camp.

These were just mortal soldiers, men who had barely trained. The army's formation had already been broken. Their morale, crushed.

Not far away, Li Hongling's disheveled figure stumbled forward, shouting hoarsely:

"Where are the Black Armor Guards?! Prepare the Heavenly Steed! Escort me, now!"

There was a hint of panic and desperation in her voice.

The soldiers hesitated, then finally recognized the crazed, wild-haired figure as their general. They rushed to bring her a Heavenly Steed, a war mount with demonic beast blood, used only in critical moments.

At full strength, it could fly a thousand li with a single wingbeat, traversing a large prefecture in a day.

But such a ride would also kill the steed outright. These mounts were typically treated with more care than even high-ranking humans.

Li Hongling leapt into the saddle, exhaling in relief.

But before she could escape-

"Boom!"

A burst of white light tore through the ranks, landing directly in front of her.

There stood Chen Kuang, holding the two women.

A narrow encounter.

He let go of the madam and princess. Seeing Li Hongling there, seemingly by coincidence, he was briefly stunned.

Then, feeling the immense power still surging in his body, power that had yet to fall below Moon-Embracing Realm, his eyes lit up.

"Well, what a perfect time for this!"

Chen Kuang stepped forward. His narrow Dragon Gums sword floated into the air with a twist of his hand.

With a flick-"Shhk!"

The Heavenly Steed's forelegs were instantly severed.

"Neighhh-!"

The heavenly steed screamed and collapsed.

Li Hongling's pupils shrank. Thrown by the sudden momentum, she tumbled twice across the ground before managing to kneel upright.

Blood sprayed from her mouth as Huo Hengxuan's residual sword energy within her body finally ran amok.

She raised her head, face twisted with rage, and roared:

"You want to die?!"

Chen Kuang plucked the strings again.

The music rang like a sword's edge, an invisible, massive killing intent swept forward, slicing through numerous Black Armor Guards nearby.

Li Hongling barely evaded the blast. Looking back, she saw a massive sword gouge across the earth.

Her scalp went numb.

She drew in a sharp breath.

She knew this Spiritual Energy, it was unmistakable.

Moon-Embracing Realm.

She scoffed.

"A cultivation you forced through with twisted methods, how long do you think you can maintain it? I advise you to turn and run now. You might still live."

"To stop me now is to waste time. It brings you no benefit whatsoever."

Chen Kuang stepped forward slowly.

At her words, his eyes flashed cold. His killing intent surged instead of faltering.

"You're wrong."

He smiled thinly.

"Right now, breaking your legs to vent my anger, That's all the benefit and relief I need."