**Youtube "Aero Chord – Drop It" song and listen to it while reading. You won't regret it.
****
While Hao Xuan stood among the guards, his mere presence was enough to draw the attention of all the surrounding undead.
They became more aggressive and came back with renewed vigor trying to get to this new source of vitality.
The undead were only attracted to living beings, those brimming with lifeforce and right now, Hao Xuan was like a burning beacon that could be felt if not seen by every single creature within the pit.
They went mad with desire, drowning what little sense of reasoning that was left within these empty husks. In their eyes, the guards were like flickering candles and Hao Xuan was akin to a bonfire in the dark of the night.
The poor guards that were trying to hold them back could barely manage even that now, becoming little more than a flimsy barricade made of flesh and bone against the onslaught of the undead that were jumping over one another to try and get to Hao Xuan.
The guards joined hands with one another to try and stay upright.
Now the creatures weren't even attempting to kill them anymore. Their only objective was to try and reach this new source of light by whatever means possible.
The cacophony of growling howls became even louder than before, muffling every other sound which were mostly the cries of help from the guards.
Han Rong looked at the crazed creatures and then at Hao Xuan, "Is this your plan? To get us killed faster?" he asked with a scowl.
Hao Xuan closed his eyes and sent out the entirety of his spiritual sense, getting a response not long after. He smiled looking towards Zou Huan.
"There is an active formation about 170 meters northwest. It is blocking my spiritual sense so there are probably other cultivators there with weapons and hopefully, a way out. Run straight for it, alright?"
It took Han Rong a few seconds to realize what he meant.
"Wait, are you actually-"
"Yes!" Hao Xuan nodded with a toothy grin, "This is gonna be fun."
Han Rong reached out to try and stop him but Hao Xuan bent his knees and pushed against the ground, leaping away before he could. A shockwave that sent all the guards and creatures a foot into the air reverberated through the ground.
The skin on his legs burst open revealing a moving black metallic substance underneath. These were the nanomachines in all their glory. They covered every inch of Hao Xuan's muscles, so much so that even his skin wasn't able to bear with the added pressure.
"Warning! Sensory overload! Shutting down pain receptors, body condition at 97%."
A good third of the skin on Hao Xuan's legs was simply evaporated. His body was not able to bear the pressure.
Like a bullet, he tore through the air and rammed directly into the minor demon that was about to land another strike on Zou Huan, sending it flying back.
Flabbergasted, Zou Huan turned around and saw Hao Xuan standing in the demon's place.
"That way," Hao Xuan pointed him towards the same direction, "I'll take care of this guy so lead them to safety," he threw out the words before chasing after the demon.
"OI WAIT!"
Just like Han Rong, Zou Huan tried to stop him as well but there was nothing to be done. Hao Xuan landed in front of the minor demon that was still trying to wrap its mind around what just happened and kicked it again, sending it reeling into the dirt and mud.
The entire earth shook.
"Warning! Body condition at 92%!"
Hao Xuan couldn't feel it anymore but most of the skin around his feet was gone. The nanotech was creating a layer of moving armor that protected him.
"Enough, I don't need to hear every little thing!" Hao Xuan said before turning off the notifications.
The undead that were attacking the guards all changed direction as soon as Hao Xuan left the encirclement and followed after him. There were only a handful of creatures still left trying to attack the guards.
These were either too slow, too stupid, or too injured to chase after Hao Xuan so they just attacked whatever was in front of them.
Zou Huan landed behind them and punched one of the creature's head clean off.
"Let's go!" he shouted, waking up the dazed guards and Han Rong.
"But he-" Han Rong pointed towards Hao Xuan.
"Will you let his sacrifice be in vain? The kid is buying us some time so the least we can do is escape with our lives!" Zou Huan cut in, berating Han Rong.
To others Hao Xuan might look invincible in his current state but for these two Profound Realm experts, it was way too easy to tell what was going on inside his body.
Even though he had borrowed Han Rong's Qi, it was still far from being his own. Sooner rather than later he would run out and then he would be much worse off than before.
Han Rong looked for Hao Xuan's silhouette in the darkness but all he could see were the squirming undead. He nodded dejectedly, telling himself that his sacrifice would save close to 15 other lives and the group took the opportunity to make their way towards the other location Hao Xuan had pointed out.
**
A torrent of creatures rushed towards Hao Xuan from all sides before the minor demon could even get out of the ditch.
He turned to face them.
His blackened arms that were double their normal size resembled more so like giant cannons welded onto his fleshy body. He gazed towards the incoming horde that couldn't be differentiated from one another in the dark.
It just looked like a moving mass of arms, legs, and teeth.
"Hmm, let me try this then."
Recalling the infamous one-inch punch back from earth that he had practiced so many times without bearing any fruit, Hao Xuan extended his left hand and waited. When the first row of creatures were less than five meters away, he thrust the left hand forward with such speed that it created a sonic boom, creating a vacuum.
The air inside this area was perhaps sharper than the inside of a shredder. Whatever came close was turned into threads of meat.
But the relentless battering of bodies soon overcame it and they reached him.
"AAAAHH!"
Shouting, Hao Xuan punched and kicked everything that moved, creating loud noises with each successful attack.
His vision went dark and soon, bloodthirst overtook him.
Hao Xuan's arms were like jackhammers, pummeling everything around him into the ground. The slightest hint of movement was enough to trigger a response from him who was only running on pure instinct and reflex.
There was no time to think, nor a reason to. Everything moving was a threat that needed to be eliminated.
Assault of the Mad God was utilized to its absolute maximum potential, true to its name. Hao Xuan resembled a fiend in his current state, truly a God that had lost its mind.
The aftershocks of this fight could be felt throughout the pit, shaking the heart of every single individual.
