Chapter 45

First to meet Bai Lang were the white‑armored troops who drew their powerful bows and heavy swords; these veteran soldiers, skilled in combat, used direct shots rather than lobbed ones against Bai Lang—since it was just him, they couldn't expect any lobbed or multiple rounds, so they settled for a single direct shot from fifty steps away. Moreover, judging by the situation they could probably fire another round; within thirty steps the white‑armored troops were still confident in their strong bows and armor‑piercing arrows—and they could even aim at the face.

Bai Lang wielded the water‑polished Purple Gold Halberd, swinging it to deflect heavy arrows one after another; each arrow could easily pierce a human body, even through ordinary chainmail or padded armor. Bai Lang quickened his steps; the Golden Bell Shield technique should be able to block arrows that penetrate armor, after all he wore mountain‑pattern armor and chainmail. As Bai Lang gradually began to employ Lightness Skill, his sprint was hardly slower than that of the armored heavy cavalry, and the spectators such as Aba Tai were no longer surprised—warriors of this caliber have great abilities; charging in heavy armor as if flying is commonplace for them.

Nevertheless they still muttered bitterly; the losses from this encounter were certainly significant—if they could keep this person alive it would be fine, but if not… it would be a real waste and they'd have to find another way. At that moment the second round of direct shots had already been released, and the impact caused a slight tremor when Bai Lang blocked it— the 64‑jin Purple Gold Halberd; the white‑armored troops, who in their daily training of stamina and martial skill, are accustomed to wielding similarly weighted stone‑locked broadswords, thus the heavy arrows they now fired at full force had reached a rather terrifying level of power.

Basically, a Ming soldier hit by an arrow could have even his helmet pierced, but Bai Lang kept swatting the arrows away with a rapid "pa‑pa"—at least all arrows aimed at his face were knocked aside. As for his body, it was impossible to block every shot, and a few arrows did hit him. The arrows broke through the mountain‑pattern armor, passed through the chainmail, and actually pierced Bai Lang's flesh a few centimeters, though hardly any blood was shed; nevertheless the pain sparked his killing intent, and he roared, accelerating his speed once more.

Wielding both halberds, Bai Lang charged straight into the already‑set tiger‑spear great shield. Swinging the halberds horizontally, the spearheads of the tiger spears were bent or even snapped at their joints; the white‑armored soldiers holding spears let go in time, lest their tiger‑mouths be torn apart, while the white‑armored soldiers bearing shields surged forward, curling behind their shields and pressing hard to restrict Bai Lang's movement. At that moment, the Ge Bu Xian Chaoha behind him began preparing to throw grappling hooks and lariats, striving to ensnare this brave Ming warrior and then use the power of several horses to drag him to death.

Bai Lang let out a roar and suddenly retreated, his thigh driving his shoulder and back to slam into the shield behind him; the Golden Bell Shield force completely ignored the protruding spikes on the shield, and a great force hurled the shield‑bearer aside. The elite soldiers forming the formation could indeed withstand someone as fierce as Bai Lang—at least for the first few rounds they could hold. However, if Bai Lang used his foot speed to force this rather clumsy formation to start turning, a flaw would appear.

The head of this water‑polished Purple Gold Halberd was shaped like a four‑edged, not very sharp, armor‑piercing tip; under Bai Lang's successive powerful thrusts it quickly broke through a large shield, but there was no time to kill that white‑armored soldier—because other shield‑bearers and soldiers who had retrieved weapons also closed in, and Bai Lang had already dodged several lariats. Though in a very chaotic state, these Baya La had held out until now.

"It's time to use real skill!" Bai Lang resolved. He took a long breath, Internal Force surged, and with a great stride he leapt, his heavy foot landing on the shield before him. That step employed a shock force; the force from the shield transmitted directly into the Baya La's both arms, shattering his arm bones, while the shield continued to press backward, producing a clanging sound, the shield with the broken arms driven into the white‑armored soldier's chest and abdomen.

At that moment blood and entrails sprayed wildly, the person fell backward as if about to die. Seizing the chance, Bai Lang swung both halberds together, smashing down. The second shield‑bearer's great shield was struck so hard it developed huge dents and cracks—this was a heavy shield sheathed in iron, weighing dozens of jin, now essentially ruined by a single blow. Then Bai Lang swiftly swung his right‑hand Purple Gold Halberd again, delivering a head‑on strike that killed the soldier before him.

Bai Lang twisted his wrist, thrusting both halberds behind him, his body diving into the chaotic crowd that had been broken apart, stirring up a pungent wind. These elite soldiers, who had honed their formation combat between White Mountain and Black Water, were familiar with that scent—it was the aura of a fierce tiger, essentially a living beast leaping into their ranks. Bai Lang's movements became extremely swift yet immensely powerful, his figure flashing as if a real fierce tiger.

The power of the twin tiger claws was probably not inferior to the Purple Gold Halberd; he turned the claws into fists, and with a left‑hand claw grab someone immediately staggered out of position, the tiger‑spear's spearhead in his hand was seized and pulled by Bai Lang, and the sharp blade could not cut his hand. The next second a fist thundered out, striking the soldier's chest; instantly the chest collapsed and the back bulged into a lump—if not for the dual protection of chainmail and padded armor, the man's spinal bones and organs would have been blown out completely.

Bai Lang's steps halted, his body elongated and he was already in front of the Ge Bu Xian Chaoha behind him. These armored warriors on horseback swiftly threw the grappling hooks and lariats they held, while Bai Lang's twin claws seized them mid‑air, pulling several hooks and lariats into his hands. Then he exhaled and sounded a voice—not a tiger's roar but more like a bell; using that sound, Bai Lang's arms retracted, pulling those riders toward him.

Bai Lang pressed and lifted, using the pull and recoil momentum to spring high into the air, his arms retracting again; mid‑air he performed a somersault, and when he unfolded, he had already turned the momentum into a spinning kick. The armored rider on horseback was not quick enough, managing only to block with his heavy sword. Yet Bai Lang's leg, as if forged of cast iron, not only snapped the heavy sword but also kicked the armored rider into a bizarre L‑shaped posture.

To him, these heavily armored cavalrymen in double‑layered armor were like bundles of firewood, easily snapped by a kick. Adding force to his foot, the dead Ge Bu Xian Chaoha fell from his horse, and the startled warhorse that tried to flee had its neck broken instantly. Bai Lang planted his foot on the horse's neck, killing the warhorse while using the momentum to lunge at the second Ge Bu Xian Chaoha—by unleashing his true Lightness Skill, Bai Lang caused the Baya La, Niu Lu Zhangjing, Fen De Bo Shi Ku, and others to be completely outmaneuvered.