Chapter 347: Both Sides Suffer Losses

Bai Lang was injured, while the four people opposite also felt slight numbness in their palms and arms—Bai Lang's force was extraordinary; even an Innate Expert lacked such a formidable physique, and using true qi to block it would still require withstanding this great force, so all four of their hands went a little numb. This force cannot be diverted; if true qi invades the body, one could try to channel it into the earth or sky, and many Innate Experts can do that.

The four attacking together produced exactly this result, showing how hard it is to kill an external Innate Expert. With steel tendons, iron bones, bronze head and iron arms, if you can't find their weak point you really have to wear them down by grinding. Bai Lang also belongs to the especially hard-to-kill type—this was already proved by their joint attack. Such a fierce attack carrying sword qi merely left a few scars on him.

Moreover, it was of no great consequence.

However, the advantage is that external experts don't directly draw heavenly and earthly qi to slaughter like internal qigong experts do. But what is this strange, chaotic whirlwind swirling around the Mountain God Temple? Bai Lang stirred the gale, and the four assassins of spring, summer, autumn, and winter noticed, raising their swords in silence—assassins are aloof, what more need they say to their target? This type of assassin belongs to the high‑end tier, namely the truly formidable Nie Zheng‑style assassin.

This time the four changed their sword techniques and intents—it seemed genuine skill had emerged. Bai Lang didn't know who these assassins were, but one's sword method was gentle, like a spring wind that penetrates everywhere, like spring rain that moistens silently, yet in fact it leaves no chance to live; one dies amidst the intoxication of the spring wind, the throat gently slit or the heart pierced. Another's sword method was blazing like the sun landing on earth, scorching heat like a blazing red sun, his sword being endless light and heat.

This sword method brims with fiery power, scorching beyond compare. The third sword's intent is vast like surging floodwaters, mutually enhancing that fiery intent. If fire is blossoming, this intent is the gathering. The final intent is lethal, freezing all things, yet it blends seamlessly with the spring‑wind‑like intent, hiding the spring wind behind it and blossoming under the lethal intent.

As the four sword intents emerged, the flowing heavenly and earthly qi caused the intents to aid each other, constantly turning and growing, directly suppressing this low‑pressure storm. "Sword intents of spring, summer, autumn, winter? No wonder they came together… tch, a single Innate Expert isn't much, but four together are troublesome." Bai Lang thrust out both palms; the edges traced dazzling arcs like blades, his palm strike being a gust of wild wind to block the sword intents pouring down from heaven and earth.

Bai Lang also stirred the gale with his palms—clouds follow the dragon, wind follows the tiger; the gale carried a tiger's roar, sweeping straight into the sword qi and then dissipating. The sword qi had just vanished when, in the blink of an eye, the spring wind blew it back to life; if this growth of sword qi and intent continued, Bai Lang dared not guarantee they wouldn't turn into a "time" sword intent. "Then so be it." Bai Lang grunted and instantly manifested a huge white tiger—this is the Seven Mansions Return to One; spreading his claws split the heavens and rent the earth into two tornadoes.

At this moment, the area within dozens of li around the Mountain God Temple had fallen into a strange spectacle: here the four seasons cycled repeatedly in brief moments, while the sky showed blazing sun, violent rain, and heavy snow simultaneously, and a terrifying storm's eye enveloped everything. Inside, lightning pierced earth and connected to heaven—it was basically a demonic realm. Bai Lang controlled the tornadoes with his claws, continually tearing and wearing down the sword qi, and he launched himself at the four, engaging in close‑quarters combat.

Bai Lang's hands and feet were shrouded in wind‑blade energy, plus the qi of his own Southern Dipper White Tiger Fist; when he struck with hands and feet, afterimages like blade reflections lingered in the void. From time to time he would raise his hand to let the tornado swirl wildly around him, and he would also form ground‑skimming qi blades on the ground to attack. Of course there were also light cannons, ranging from hemispherical to a focused beam—nothing an ordinary external expert should possess.

This was comparable to an internal expert; the four assassins felt they were at a loss—especially seeing the White Jade Pillar blast a light cannon that tore apart the sword‑qi barrier formed by the four seasons and caused an explosion far away, making things even worse. Bai Lang's stamina seemed endless; when they closed in to fight him, they were blocked by the qi erupting from his body. Although swords could still pierce the qi wave, they were often deflected, making it hard for them to inflict fatal wounds on Bai Lang.

Speaking of which, the four‑season sword qi is indeed formidable; Bai Lang's body has been pierced with several holes, and the wounds contain different sword intents that are damaging his body, which he must suppress with qi. The penetrating wound from spring's sword intent cannot heal; it remains the freshest wound, continually producing blood that drains Bai Lang's own vital energy. The summer sword intent is scorching—hot, dry wounds are burnt black.

From time to time one can see fiery energy spurting from the wounds; of course the injured inner organs are the same, and sometimes even a great thunderstorm‑like spray of tiny blue‑white, purple‑red lightning pierces the wound entirely and tries to spread elsewhere. The autumn sword intent is like endless autumn rain and tide, constantly trying to seep into Bai Lang's body to cause withering—isn't the gift of maturity just a march toward decay?

The winter sword intent is simple: it freezes and kills nearby vitality, then links with the spring sword intent to form an unbroken cycle of the four seasons, aiming to destroy Bai Lang's body from within. If Bai Lang did not suppress it with his own sharp‑metal qi, he would truly suffer unspeakable horrors. At least four holes pierce him straight through, front to back, and countless other sword wounds mar him—he looks like a trapped beast.

Those four weren't looking any better—their clothes were naturally ragged, not worth mentioning, and of their four swords three had already become twisted scrap iron; now their fight was with hands as swords or simply erupting a sword qi. Their bodies were also battered: the spring sword's wielder had one arm swinging uselessly, his shoulder and half his back taking a palm from Bai Lang, essentially shattering his scapula, clavicle, and ribs, relying only on his own sword qi to keep them in place and suppress the injuries.

Bai Lang's killing qi entering his body was also unpleasant; the sharp‑metal qi surged violently, his meridians suffered considerable damage, and the blood he spat out, carrying sharp‑metal qi, could even make a tinkling sound on the ground.

Using sword qi to block sharp‑metal qi is half‑effective at best......

As for the summer sword, there is a long gash from chest to waist through which the five viscera and six bowels can be seen; only thanks to the other three desperately shielding him could he hastily smear on a layer of gold wound medicine and tightly bind it with cloth, yet the wound continues to tear. The autumn and winter swords' injuries are similar: each has a leg broken into several pieces, and the body also bears cuts from wind blades. The five of them are wounded in relation to each other—should they keep fighting now?