Chapter 414: Breaking the Encirclement

Bai Lang let out a roar, and the demonic toxin inside forced him to spew a mouthful of black blood, but that roar greatly intimidated the guy in front of him—the roar of the White Tiger's killing intent; stopping him for even a single thought was already good enough. Bai Lang only needed that instant; when the playboy resumed movement, the playboy's shoulder was already being gripped by a sneering Bai Lang's hand.

Close‑quarters fighting is exactly Bai Lang's specialty; he has cultivated external martial arts into the Innate stage, and such melee techniques are his foundation. Immediately the two engaged in close‑range striking, constantly dismantling each other's attacks. Yet Bai Lang suddenly let out a long howl, "Damn! I'm not here to dissect you!"

The other guy suddenly realized what he was training—Golden Bell Shield! Why bother matching moves? Just launch a reckless full‑force assault! So Bai Lang completely ignored the opponent's punches and kicks raining down on him, allowing fire and ice to carve wounds all over his body—indeed, real wounds.

The opponent, also an Innate Expert, when engaged in such close combat, the barrage of fists, palms, kicks and feet might not be fully blocked even by the Golden Bell Shield Divine Skill—its force, even if weakened, can still pierce through. And Bai Lang's counter‑shock power is strong enough; the opponent's condition would not have been better than his, but the Ice and Fire Extraordinary Skill makes the difference.

He can neutralize the counter‑shock ice force with fire force, and the counter‑shock fire force with ice force to freeze it, so in this round the playboy's own techniques did not harm him. Bai Lang, however, is covered with both ice and burns; his wounds even spurt frozen ice‑shard blood or burning blood water. His Golden Bell Shield Divine Skill tightly suppresses these energies, only occasionally dissipating the force by spitting out blood.

The playboy may not be injured by his own techniques, but he cannot dodge Bai Lang's sharp attacks. Bai Lang's claw power is the White Tiger's fang; a single grab and a downward shake strips away a large chunk of flesh and skin, and a straight thrust of his palm is like a long spear or halberd. Though the playboy has protective Ice and Fire aura, it is pierced cleanly, leaving a hole through front and back.

But within a breath, the playboy could no longer move; his body was a mess of blood like a blood‑filled gourd. The Ice and Fire formed two rings, one blue, one red, spiraling around him, also reflecting his attacks back with his own Ice and Fire Extraordinary Skill. Yet Bai Lang simply endured the counter‑injury and fierce assault, letting the blue‑red aura halos flash continuously as ice swords and fire blades struck him.

Bai Lang's exposed upper body was truly shocking to behold, covered with knife cuts and sword scars, with ice shards and flames flowing from the wounds, and black demonic aura intermittently flickering on his surface. Yet he still leapt about, punching and clawing as he continued to brawl with the playboy.

The playboy's folding fan had already been crushed by Bai Lang, and since his protective aura was useless, no matter how graceful his fist and palm techniques were, they could not withstand the overwhelming force of the Southern Dipper White Tiger Fist. Bai Lang grew more ferocious; before the other two opponents could strike again, he let out a tiger's roar, the White Tiger leapt and roared, and Bai Lang's claw seized the playboy's head.

That single claw ripped through the Ice and Fire aura, allowing the converging ice‑fire to tear his arm down to the bone; the splattered blood instantly froze then burned to ash. Bai Lang's claw seized the head, and his other hand, in the same motion, struck; the black Bi Wind was slammed by Bai Lang's palm into the severed neck where the head had been removed.

As the black wind brushed, the playboy's body gradually turned to ash, leaving on the ground only a peculiar heart—half blue, half red. Having just slain the playboy, Bai Lang turned and lunged at the old man, who had only just caught his breath, taking a few calming breaths to recover, but when Bai Lang charged, the highest‑level cultivator among the three was already dead.

And his death was tragic; the one who had just killed turned and rushed forward, wounded all over yet his spirit surged after slaying an Innate Expert—like a ferocious tiger, bearing a chilling killing aura as he lunged. The old man practiced a fire‑based cultivation technique; although he reached the Innate stage by ingesting pills, he normally possessed a fiery drive, like wildfire. Yet now, facing Bai Lang's raging tiger, that fiery temperament slid into ice…

Nevertheless, he knew he could not retreat, at least not at first sight, for if he yielded, the opponent's mere pounce would finish him. Even though both were Innate Experts, there was only a single strike left. So the old man let out a fierce roar, transforming into a fire‑man several zhang tall, gathering boundless fire force that stirred the molten lava on the ground, and he hurled it straight at Bai Lang.

"All‑out attacks? Nonsense! Watch me blast you to scraps!" Bai Lang shouted in a boastful tone, "I'll kill you miserably! Extremely miserably! Beyond miserable!" With that, Bai Lang arrogantly twisted his body and kicked, his leg flashing like a blade, turning into a black wind blade that cut a long fissure through earth and sky.

The black wind blade sliced straight through the flames and lava, and from the cut it continuously eroded the fire force; the old man flailed, his palms repeatedly slapping, trying to disperse Bai Lang's strike, "Hurry and help! Otherwise no one gets away today!" he cried miserably.

The old woman emerged from the shadows, her two claws pulling forth a black leopard‑shaped beast; after a shriek it lunged at Bai Lang. The two together finally intercepted Bai Lang's strike, but by then Bai Lang had already turned, gathering force; his supreme attack was about to erupt.

Bai Lang raised his two claws to the sky, watching the two foes catch his strike, and burst into a wild laugh, "Now see my move!" He struck downward with both hands; a massive tiger claw shot out from the heavens, its sharp talons snapping down heavily. Bai Lang folded his body, riding the force of that tiger claw as he plunged down, while his both hands stayed ready; should either of the two show a flaw, he would instantly take their lives.

The two let out a shriek; the old man's hands tugged, pulling out a blazing great staff, which he swung upward to meet the attack, gathering all the boundless fire force outside into the staff. Meanwhile the old woman crouched, slipped back into the shadows, stretching a long pull… "Old weakling! How dare you!" the old man roared, and Bai Lang realized the old woman had slipped away.

Bai Lang's tiger claw pressed down like a mountain, yet when it landed on the staff's tip it seemed to bear no force; with a light, deft twist, Bai Lang's claw sank into the ground… The old man thrust his staff with force, but he laughed heartily, his laughter full of resentment yet also a great sense of revenge.

Bai Lang understood why the old man acted so; with a single claw he seized the copper bell that the Southern Dipper White Tiger Fist had turned into the Thirteen Tai Bao Golden Bell Shield, and it had firmly trapped the old woman, who had become a shadow, beneath the bell!