Chapter 163 Snatching Credit

The volcano was littered with mangled corpses and covered in a bloody haze. The area was deathly silent, and a terrifying aura filled every inch of air.

Everyone had blank expressions as they dazedly looked toward the dead corpses of Shi Zhi and the others. They were still unable to comprehend how Lin Xun had done it.

Those five were the top individuals of the younger generation!

They were the true elites of the nine tribes who should have become great individuals who could influence the future of the brute race.

It would be difficult to find such individuals even amongst a thousand people. They possessed unimaginable potential and the loss of each one was a heavy blow to the entire brute race!

Under normal circumstances, it was extremely difficult to kill such people in the Demon Cloud Ridge battlefield because they possessed various trump cards and had the extraordinary ability to adapt to any situation. Even if they encountered an opponent they could not defeat, they had a high chance of escaping.

However, five of these top brute experts had been killed in an instant!

The frightening thing was that everyone present had failed to see how Lin Xun had done it…

Gulp!

In the vicinity of the volcano, numerous empire experts’ hearts thumped loudly in their chests as they swallowed with some difficulty.

Lin Xun…is far too frightening!

Qi Can and Muo Leng looked at each other and saw a sliver of intense fear and bewilderment in each other’s eyes. Neither of them had expected Lin Xun to make a comeback from that hopeless situation. They never imagined that he possessed a terrifying power that could kill peak brute experts in a single strike.

Their backs were drenched in cold sweat. They had originally believed they had already regarded Lin Xun highly enough and viewed him as a formidable foe. Who could have imagined that they had still underestimated this unconventional youngster? The young man they once viewed with disdain and contempt had displayed power that stood far above them!

……

The deathly silence was broken by a piercing scream which was filled with panic and terror.

The brute experts on the volcano began to flee like a frightened pack of beasts.

At the start of the battle, more than fifty brute experts had lost their lives to Lin Xun’s blade.

This had already shaken their fighting spirit. When they saw the dead bodies of Shui Zhi, Ba Xun, Rui Huaji, Hua Caiyi, and Min Jiang, the last sliver of their fighting spirit finally crumbled.

Escape!

The further the better!

This human youngster was an undefeatable demon god and the herald of despair.

The place immediately became chaotic with desperately fleeing figures everywhere.

Lin Xun stood on the spot and did not give chase.

It was not that he didn’t want to. Almost all of his energy had been used for the Star-Gather technique and that wasn’t even the worst part. A tearing pain was currently ripping through his entire body and soul.

These were the repercussions of executing the Star-Gather technique.

The Star-Gather technique was the first move in the first half of the Heavenly Yuan Blade Art. It was an ancient inheritance from the second trial of the Omega Secret Realm’s Great Azure Cloud Path.

Although there were only three moves, Star-Gather, Moon-Catch, and Burning Sun, each move was extremely complicated and boasted overwhelming power.

When Lin Xun first obtained this inheritance, he found himself unable to understand anything despite his astounding comprehension ability.

It was only recently after achieving the initial level of the Mystery Grotto Devour Wilderness Scripture that he finally managed to begin delving into the Star-Gather technique’s profoundness.

However, he barely managed to scratch the surface and was still far from obtaining any semblance of mastery over the technique.

It was only because he had been forced into a corner by Shui Zhi and the others that he decided to risk it all and attempt to execute the move.

However, Lin Xun had not expected his meager knowledge to create such terrifying power!

In that moment, he had felt a tearing pain in his flesh, skin, bones, channels, and organs.

Almost all of his spirit power had been instantly sucked dry as well.

This made Lin Xun understand that the Star-Gather technique’s power far surpassed the realms of his imagination. It was not something his current self could use.

Fortunately, his understanding was at best skin-deep, allowing him to somehow pull it off without suffering overly severe consequences.

The usage of the Star-Gather technique had also allowed him to understand it a little more. It turns out that abundant aeth power and a strong body that could endure the circulation of power and tenacious spirit power were some of the requirements to properly use the technique.

Simply put, despite being a mere blade art, it required the perfect fusion of physical power, aeth power, and spirit to activate.

Phew~

Lin Xun deeply exhaled. He ignored the desperately fleeing brute experts and began to go through his battle spoils.

The Defeat Army Blade had finally shattered after using the Star-Gather technique, leaving only a sharp fragment behind. However, it was sufficient for him to remove the brute totem runes from the corpses of his enemies.

The corpses were harvested one after another. Brute totem runes, personal artifacts…anything of value was quickly collected by Lin Xun.

These were his battle spoils and his reward for winning that crazy battle.

“Kill!”

“Kill all of these brute trash!”

“Fellow warriors, come and kill the enemy together with me!”

Battle cries erupted at the foot of the mountain and soared into the clouds.

The originally concealed empire cultivators had charged out from their hiding spots.

Each person’s face was filled with hatred as if they were ready to die to kill the enemy.

They charged like warriors who did not fear death and wished to exterminate the enemy in order to bring peace back to the land.

Lin Xun could not help but be stunned by this scene. A faint sneer soon appeared on his lips.

How could he not tell that these guys were clearly trying to take advantage after realizing the brute experts had been defeated and had lost their will to fight.

Although he felt contempt towards their actions, Lin Xun could not be bothered to argue. However, it did deepen his experience of war.

War was heartless and cruel and no one wanted to die. Everyone would weigh the cost and benefits and avoid things that were likely detrimental to themselves.

When there were benefits, they would charge together without hesitation.

When there was none, they would consider the big picture and make the cruelest decisions.

It made Lin Xun recall a certain sentence from a book called the Empire’s Secret Anals――

When soldiers began to fear death and make decisions based on profit, they were no longer proper soldiers.

𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

However, after some contemplation, Lin Xun decided that the Blood Kill Camp students could not be called soldiers.

They had special identities and participated in the battle only to pass Blood Kill Camp’s exam. They naturally would not view themselves as brave empire soldiers who sought only to kill enemies and expand the empire’s territories.

……

Lin Xun ignored the fighting at the foot of the mountain and concentrated on collecting his battle spoils. However, it was not long before he began to frown.

Several Blood Kill Camp students had approached and started to harvest brute totem runes from the corpses.

They had not asked his permission.

Lin Xun walked forward. The broken blade in his hand buzzed fiercely as he swung it at one of the Kill Blood Camp students.

The student was caught off guard. His expression abruptly changed as he threw himself to the side to avoid the attack and furiously shouted, “Lin Xun, are you crazy!?”

Lin Xun’s expression remained indifferent and showed no intention of stopping. He continued attacking, forcing the Blood Kill Camp students to abandon their tasks to dodge.

“Lin Xun, do you think we don’t dare to fight back against you?”

“Don’t forget that according to the army rules, those who kill their companions will be put to death!”

“He’s crazy. When the exam is over, I will definitely report this matter to Senior Colonel Song Ling!”

The students shouted in exasperation.

“I didn’t see any of you come to help when I was fighting the enemy earlier, but you’re all so quick when it comes to stealing army credit. Did you guys take me as someone who wouldn’t dare to kill you?”

Lin Xun finally stopped, his eyes flashing murderously.

The students’ expressions abruptly changed. However, they were clearly reluctant to admit that his accusations were right, “Stealing army credit? This is the battlefield, army credit belongs to whoever manages to take it!”

Lin Xun icily snorted and suddenly dashed forward. He swiftly arrived in front of a student and smashed his chest.

With a loud thud, the student was sent flying amidst a shriek. He tumbled a hundred feet on the ground before finally getting back to his feet.

The other students’ expressions changed as a cold hand seemed to grip their hearts.

Does he really dare to ignore the rules of the army?

“Remember, these brute trash were killed by me and the army credit belongs to me alone. If you dare to snatch it, I will also dare to kill you.” Lin Xun coldly looked at them before turning around to continue looting the corpses.

The students’ expressions fluctuated indefinitely. They looked at Lin Xun with hatred but no one dared to step forward again in the end.

The terrifying scene of Lin Xun killing Shui Zhi and the other four was still fresh in their minds. They did not dare to risk their lives and provoke that madman.

“Just wait Lin Xun! You ignored the army rules today. When the exam is over, you will pay for what you’ve done!” They angrily left after leaving this threat behind.

In the distance, many empire cultivators observed the entire exchange. Their hearts shivered as they extinguished any thoughts of trying to steal Lin Xun’s army contributions.

“A bunch of trash!” Lin Xun sneered inside. He knew that he obtained an enormous amount of army contributions this time. Even if the Black Wind Army’s higher-ups found out about his actions, they would not use it as an excuse to punish him.

If they did, it would turn the other cultivators against them.

If a soldier’s army credit could be openly stolen by a fellow soldier, who would want to fight for the empire in the future?

“Detestable! Lin Xun is growing increasingly arrogant. Does he think he can ignore the rules just because he killed a few brute trash?”

At the foot of the mountain, Muo Leng was pretty pissed by Lin Xun’s actions.

“Which dog wouldn’t grow anxious when they see the bone they desperately fought for being stolen?” Qi Can’s reply was filled with mockery but his expression was quite complicated.

He knew that Lin Xun would not be punished after this battle but instead it would solidify his position in Blood Kill Camp. It would be very difficult for anyone to touch him after this.

Unless…

He somehow died in Demon Cloud Ridge!