Chapter 511: White Flame Body, Bai Wugou

The Huaiyang Bai Clan's draw position followed immediately after the Lu Clan.

In this match, their opponents were the Iron Sword Manor.

The Iron Sword Manor was also a long-established Martial Dao family; their five heavy swords had carved out a reputation in the pugilistic world known as "Iron Sword No Gate."

These five individuals were all direct descendants of the "Iron" generation from the manor, having honed a set of combined sword techniques for over a dozen years; they prioritized stability above all else and rarely took reckless risks.

After two rounds of fighting, the Iron Sword Manor had not lost a single person, making them one of the most intact teams among the top ten.

Before the match, many people said that this would be a difficult fight for the Bai Clan.

"This Iron Sword Manor team specializes in countering those flashy types."

Huo Luan was squatting in the Lan Yuan courtyard, gnawing on a cucumber, her mouth never idle, "Once those five swords are set up, they'll shred whatever formation you have."

"Those four retainers of the Bai Clan have decent kung fu, but compared to the manor's direct descendants, they lack the necessary seasoning."

Cheng Feng leaned against a veranda pillar, draped in an outer robe; his complexion was much better than it had been two days ago, his left arm was still in a sling, and the scabs on his right knuckles had fallen off, revealing a layer of pale pink new skin.

Last night, he had again used the Dragon Snake Nine Transformations to nourish his body for half the night, and with the assistance of the Snake Coil Seal, his internal injuries were seven or eight parts healed.

Yet, he still looked somewhat languid, like a snake that had just fully awakened.

"Bai Wugou hasn't made a move yet," Cheng Feng said. "What his constitution is, is still unclear."

"White Flame Body," Wang Ji said, walking out from the room, holding a thin sheet of paper in her hand. "News just received."

"The Huaiyang Bai Clan hides things deep; this Bai Wugou was sent to study under an Outsider since childhood, and only in the last two years has he begun to stand out."

"His White Flame Body isn't famous because it's innate, but because no one has ever seen it."

"Those who have seen it are basically gone."

Upon hearing this, Huo Luan stopped gnawing her cucumber: "White Flame? The opposite of Lu Zhen's Cold Ice?"

"One spits fire, the other spits ice? What is going on with this Martial Dao tournament? Are Immortal Seeds bunching up together?"

"The Martial Dao tournament is, by nature, a place for the Immortal Sect to screen people," Liu Yu said.

"It would be strange if Immortal Seeds didn't come to the Martial Dao tournament."

"What is truly rare is that the Bai Clan could hide the White Flame Body until now to reveal it."

"Either they have a scheme, or it is... not yet complete."

On a Battle Platform to the east of the Great Drill Ground, the Bai Clan and the Iron Sword Manor had already ascended the stage.

Bai Wugou was still dressed in snow-white, his features as beautiful as a painting, his long hair unbound, his bare feet treading on the bluestone as if each step were treading on warm water.

The four retainers behind him were no longer as relaxed as before; instead, everyone was holding their breath and focusing their energy, their waists and backs taut.

The five from the Iron Sword Manor were all wearing gray-brown short garments with heavy swords slung diagonally across their backs, the hilts wrapped in coarse hemp—one look and it was clear they were swordsmen tempered by years in the wild mountains.

The referee signaled, and the drumbeats sounded like thunder.

The Iron Sword Manor moved first. Five heavy swords were unsheathed simultaneously, the sword light heavy and fierce, pushing toward the front of the Bai Clan's formation like five iron-colored rivers.

The four Bai Clan retainers gritted their teeth and met them, blades and spears emerging together to collide with the opponents.

The sound of weapons clashing made one's ears go numb; the Iron Sword Manor's swords were too heavy, and every strike brought with it a wave of bloody wind.

Although the Bai Clan retainers were not weak, blood was drawn within a few exchanges, and as they struggled to parry, their formation gradually fell into chaos.

Bai Wugou did not move. He stood behind the formation, watching quietly.

The people from the Iron Sword Manor did not bother with him either, intent only on eliminating the four retainers.

They understood in their hearts that no matter how strong an Immortal Seed was, they could not hold up alone; only by first plucking the four wings and then surrounding and killing Bai Wugou with five swords would they have a chance of victory.

In less than half an incense stick of time, the four Bai Clan retainers fell one after another.

One had their shoulder blade shattered by an iron sword and rolled on the ground unable to rise; one had three fingers sliced off by a sword edge and fell off the platform screaming;

The third and fourth did not last many more exchanges either, all beaten into serious injuries and carried away.

Only Bai Wugou remained on the platform, his white clothes still clean, as if all the blood on the stage were avoiding him.

"All four are gone," Huo Luan frowned as she watched. "This Bai Wugou is too composed."

"He is waiting," Liu Yu said in a low voice. "Waiting for all five of them to come at him."

Sure enough, after the five from the Iron Sword Manor eliminated the four Bai servants, they exchanged glances, held their heavy swords horizontally, and closed in on Bai Wugou like five iron walls.

Sword light layered upon sword light, dense and impenetrable; they were clearly intent on grinding Bai Wugou to death, sword by sword.

Bai Wugou finally moved.

He slowly raised his right hand, five fingers spread, palm upward, as if catching a wisp of invisible fire.

The next moment, a cluster of extremely white and faint flames rose from his palm, without temperature, without color, like light burning out from within his bones.

The fire did not extinguish in the wind; it crawled along his fingertips to cover his entire arm, then spread to half his cheek.

"White Flame," Wang Ji's gaze sharpened. "An abnormal fire that can incinerate True Qi and Blood Qi."

Huo Luan: "Another one that counters hard-body Martial Artists."

Cheng Feng: "..."

Bai Wugou slid his feet, and he was already inside the encirclement of the five swords.

He slapped his left palm onto the leading sword's blade. That thick-backed heavy sword actually made a "hissing" sound,

and from the tip to the hilt, a layer of white flame spread; the originally cold iron sword instantly became scorching hot.

The hand of the wielder made a "sizzling" sound as the skin charred black, and they retreated, abandoning the sword while screaming.

The White Flame followed the iron sword onto the ground, actually scorching a charred mark into the bluestone as if licked by ghost fire.

The remaining four were also forced away by the White Flame, unable to get close.

The fire was not intense, nor did it flare up, but as long as it touched even a little, the Blood Qi would act like oil meeting a spark, surging extremely fast.

The Iron Sword Manor used Qi to control their swords, inherently channeling Blood Qi into the blades, and Bai Wugou was able to burn right along the sword bodies.

In the blink of an eye, two of the five heavy swords were ruined, and three people were injured.

"To hell with this fight," Huo Luan threw the cucumber end away. "This White Flame is even more sinister than Lu Zhen's cold energy. It burns Blood Qi; that's even more lethal for those who use swords."

"He is even more troublesome than Lu Zhen," Liu Yu said. "No matter how cold the Cold Abyss Body is, one can still use their physical body to withstand it. But this White Flame burns upon contact; it's difficult even to get close."

But Iron Sword Manor was, after all, no pushover.

The Young Manor Master Tie Zhongshan let out an angry roar, thrust his Sword into the ground, tore off his wrist guards to reveal a pair of refined steel Gauntlets, and actually abandoned his Sword to use his fists, charging head-on at Bai Wugou with his movement technique.

The two junior martial brothers behind him also realized what to do; they abandoned their heavy swords, switched to using fists and kicks, and closed in from three sides.

No matter how evil the White Flame was, Bai Wugou was only one person after all; besieged from three sides, he took a few hits to his body.

Tie Zhongshan slammed a fist into Bai Wugou's right shoulder with such fierce power that it forced Bai Wugou to retreat several steps, a trace of blood spilling from his mouth.

"He's injured!" a chorus of exclamations rose from the spectator stands.

Bai Wugou lowered his head to glance at his shoulder; there was a hole in his white clothes, and the skin was charred black, bearing both the scorch marks of his own White Flame and the bruise left by Tie Zhongshan's punch.

He raised his head, and instead of being angry, he smiled.

"Interesting," Bai Wugou said softly, the White Flame on his palms surging again, dancing around his body like two bright, snowy fire snakes.

This time, he did not retreat or dodge, but clashed head-on with Tie Zhongshan and the other two.

The White Flame burned so intensely that the air distorted; Tie Zhongshan's Gauntlets turned glowing red, and the robes of the two junior brothers also caught fire.

Amidst the flames, Bai Wugou was struck in the ribs by a punch and coughed up more blood, but his White Flame finally bored into Tie Zhongshan's protective True Qi.

Tie Zhongshan was also a Martial Artist at the True Qi Realm Initial Stage.

Tie Zhongshan's figure faltered, his face turning as red as charcoal, his eyes bulging.

He gripped Bai Wugou's shoulders with all his might,

his True Qi acting like oil poured onto water,

as if trying to press out this mass of white fire, but Bai Wugou simply pressed his forehead against him, touching him lightly.

Tie Zhongshan collapsed to the ground with a boom, his entire body charred black, his breath nearly extinguished.

"Iron Sword Manor, defeated!" the referee shouted loudly.

Bai Wugou stood in the center of the stage, the White Flame still unextinguished on half of his cheek, looking like a half-human, half-divine white ghost statue.

He panted, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth and falling onto his scorched white clothes, like a few red plum blossoms falling in the snow.

Cheng Feng watched for a while, then suddenly said, "He is easier to fight than Lu Zhen."

Huo Luan tilted her head: "Are you crazy? He just burned all five members of Iron Sword Manor to a crisp with one fire."

"He is injured," Cheng Feng said. "Five people getting close was enough to injure him."

"My physical body is only stronger than Tie Zhongshan's, not weaker."

"If I can get close to him, no matter how evil his White Flame is, I can suppress it with my Blood Qi."

Wang Ji glanced at Cheng Feng, neither laughing nor refuting him. After a long while, she said softly: "You should rest well for another two days. In the next battle, there won't be so many 'ifs'."