Chapter 412: Golden Bell Shield

Bai Lang raised a foul wind that tore the clouds before his eyes, but the silhouette of Huahua Gongzi, shouting "The clouds are deep and unknown!" was as faint as mist, drifting ethereally before turning into a rolling, all‑covering surge. Behind them, the old man, like a fire god, unleashed blazing flames that also pierced the heavens and earth, vowing to enclose Bai Lang within them.

As for the black shadow formed by the old woman, it was a strange, poisonous darkness that might appear within Bai Lang's own shadow, and Bai Lang felt that if that old lady were to touch his shadow, it could have some adverse effect on him. The young protector Bai Lang immediately exhaled and shouted, a whirlwind pouring from his whole body, forming a terrifying blade‑ring of wind that expanded outward.

His roar also rang louder than clouds in flight, and together with the spreading wind‑blade ring it truly sounded like a raging tiger's bellow. The sound carried force; anyone who heard the roar felt golden blades spontaneously slash through their meridians. That single shout forced the old lady out of the shadows, and after the flash of the black blade shadow in her hand, she finally ceased her relentless retreat, spitting a mouthful of blood that seemed to boil.

The old man's flames also seemed to disperse, but in the blink of an eye they steadied, still rolling in an all‑covering surge.

The misty Huahua Gongzi, his form shattered beyond repair yet appearing on the other side, seemed the most untroubled. "Hum!" Bai Lang snorted, slamming his palms together heavily. A grand, bright bell toll instantly swept all directions, and the magnificent sunlight in the sky burst through the clouds, illuminating everything; Bai Lang's whole body became as if cloaked in golden glow.

This was the anti‑demon bell toll of the Thirteen Tai Bao Golden Bell Shield, and although no moves had yet intersected, Bai Lang had already grievously wounded one of the three— the old lady had not even achieved anything, first shaken out of the shadows by a roar, then her true qi rattled by the anti‑demon bell; the old lady's complexion turned ghastly, she kept spitting blood and fell into a feeble state.

This was entirely unbecoming of an Innate Expert, yet there was no way to restrain such ruthlessness—Bai Lang's Golden Bell Shield, embodying the bright, true intent of the Buddhist Sect's demon‑subduing doctrine, was truly the deadly counterpart to the old lady's entire arsenal of demonic arts. Whether it was her Lightness Skill stealth, her poisonous internal force that corroded like a festering ulcer, or her habit of siphoning others' life‑qi to heal herself endlessly, all were shattered cleanly like mist under sunlight when faced with Bai Lang's Golden Bell Shield bell toll.

She let out a hoarse, high‑pitched scream, spitting blood, "Deceived! This old hag is done for!" she said, then withdrew, no longer daring to enter the shadows for fear of being shaken out by Bai Lang again.

The old man wielding fire force was not affected by the sunlight or the bell toll; his steps merely slowed slightly within the bell's sound. As for the mist evaporated by the sun, it had little effect on Huahua Gongzi either—his Lightness Skill's original ethereal intangibility was shattered by the sunlight, and his form solidified instantly.

Up to now, the four had not exchanged a single move, yet the disparity in strength was clear. The fire force finally arrived, and Bai Lang had to thrust a fist forward, piercing the fire to strike directly onto the old man's palm. The fire force swept in all directions, and the sand and stones on the ground seemed to turn into crystal.

Bai Lang's hair became slightly curled, and his clothing burst into flame with a "whoosh". He gave a snarling grin, "Indeed, strong fire force!" and, turning his hand, seized a fan with a claw. The Huahua Gongzi's cloud‑like strike was shattered by him, and a pale gold hue emanated from Bai Lang, making him look like a bronze statue.

This whole suite of practiced techniques is Bai Lang's confidence; although the fire force is fierce, a single strike cannot defeat Bai Lang. However, Bai Lang's fist power forced the old man to step back a few paces, shedding the raw physical force. As for Huahua Gongzi, the moment he moved, Bai Lang had to let go—the fan blossomed like a flower, its sharp intent even Bai Lang was reluctant to accept. He could not tell whether it would pierce his Golden Bell Shield, but the residual force certainly could not harm him.

He retracted his hand, then slapped out; the cloud‑like formation instantly turned into an ice cloud, countless tiny ice blades spewed from the clouds, and with his Innate Expert's true qi they formed an ice storm that froze the area around Bai Lang's movable range. The chilling air seeped through gaps, grinding at the Golden Bell Shield's protective aura, trying to penetrate it.

The old man then lunged upward, his twin claws slashing up and down like tearing the heavens and parting clouds; a fire cloud rose in the sky while fire waves surged below. "Yin and yang combine, ice and fire together!" Bai Lang could only brace hard. The three of them were truly a coordinated kill team. Even with the assassin‑type old lady removed, the remaining two could still force Bai Lang into a fierce stand‑off.

The rotating ice‑fire wears down opponents, eroding their Innate true qi until, in the end, it kills. Is any of this useful against Bai Lang? The Golden Bell Shield Divine Skill is massive and weighty, while the Southern Dipper White Tiger Fist is fierce and domineering; Bai Lang defends with the Golden Bell Shield and attacks with the White Tiger Fist. Yet regardless of how he counters, his immediate task is still to block the opponents' combined assault first.

Since he must defend, he might as well hide himself completely, compressing all counter‑attacks. Bai Lang pressed his palms together at his chest, his body slightly bent and arched like a massive bell. The attacks from both sides arrived; the fire force scorched the air, turning the bronze bell that surfaced on Bai Lang's body into a golden‑red hue, yet the fire could not penetrate.

"That brat's protective true qi is formidable!" the old man cursed. His fire force tried to find a gap and enter, but it could not; the fire aimed to burn away the opponent's protective aura, yet the aura kept circulating endlessly. At that moment, Huahua Gongzi's ice force arrived, and Bai Lang's bronze bell instantly shifted from golden‑red to a pale cyan, its surface riddled with countless cracks.

It indeed looked shocking, yet the Huahua Gongzi's palm strike landed on the Golden Bell Shield's aura with just a "thud", and although the bell was cracked, it did not break. Bai Lang's body remained still, and his palms finally pressed together. "Clang!" a distant bell rang again, and the surface cracks fell away—just a layer of ice shell condensed outside the aura; though the ice shell was harder than rock, it was shattered by the bell's sound.

This bronze bell, forged from Bai Lang's Innate true qi, bore clear, bright patterns; its bronze hue was simple and weighty, and a winged tiger motif curled across its body. Bai Lang's Golden Bell Shield technique at this moment could finally claim to have broken the eleventh level, reaching the highest standard described in the manual—the twelfth level is noted as a mere tally, its description written casually, whether that's good or not is debatable.

The bronze bell shrank, its patterns becoming ever clearer, and the winged tiger on its surface grew increasingly vivid, the bronze lines turning into a relief, its eyes finally blinking like a living creature. Bai Lang's counterattack was at hand; he had stored the Golden Bell Shield's rebound force, ready to unleash it in this strike, sending it back in full to those two foes!