Chapter 102: Post-Battle Tally, the Mysterious Yin Pouch!

Chapter 102: Post-Battle Inventory, Profound Yin Bag!
Chapter 102: The Transformation of the Dragon Tail, A Single Spear Strike Kills!

Just as the aged Taoist was struck with horror, the dozens of blood talismans linked together, their spiritual light forming a massive barrier to protect the side chamber. In the surrounding courtyard, the numerous living corpses finally reacted. They had not been placed there by the old Taoist merely to fill the numbers!

Thud! Thud! Thud!

At this moment, inside and outside the courtyard, nearly a hundred living corpses suddenly froze in place, raised their crossbows from the shadows, and fired!

The bolts were inscribed with faint talismans. They were forged entirely from refined gold mixed with cold iron, containing a faint spiritual light capable of manipulating the natural energy of heaven and earth to pierce through solidified, armored qi-blood!

"Crossbows?"

Bai Xuan, however, remained calm. He gently tapped the Sea-Subduing Spear in his hand against the ground. Half the courtyard shook; with a series of cracking sounds, the wooden houses nearby swayed, their beams and pillars groaning under the strain as the wood began to splinter!

A grandmaster at the peak of his craft can battle giant whales in the vast sea; on land, he is like a human-shaped whale. Not to mention Bai Xuan, who, now unleashing his full power, could charge through an army of thousands, crushing heavy cavalry like straw and shattering city walls like sheets of paper!

Though the courtyard was large, it appeared fragile before Bai Xuan. This moment seemed long, but it lasted only an instant.

Facing the rain of bolts, Bai Xuan took a deep breath. His golden lungs expanded infinitely, and the air in the entire courtyard was drawn toward him like a giant whale drinking from the sea.

The next moment.

Whoosh!

Bai Xuan exhaled. The breath was like a raging storm. With a thunderous boom, it blew away a dozen living corpses, and the hundreds of crossbow bolts were caught in the gale, swept back as if they were mere straws!

The green scales on his body slowly retracted and vanished.

Bai Xuan finally spoke, his voice tinged with approval.

If it were anyone else, would a grandmaster be unable to withstand this arrow? To land a hit on him now, this was truly top-tier archery, reaching the pinnacle of the craft!

"Ambush? Useless."

The fabric on Bai Xuan’s left shoulder tore, revealing the bronze skin beneath, covered in deep, terrifying green scales. He was, naturally, completely unharmed.

"Fine archery."

In an instant, the airflow in the courtyard intertwined and solidified like amber, locking the first arrow in mid-air, causing it to come to a slow halt.

Before his words had faded, a white rainbow flashed across a hundred meters. The archer attempted to shield himself, but was already pierced through the chest, sent flying, and pinned against the courtyard wall more than ten meters away!

Bai Xuan’s gaze swept over him, still calm.

The archer had fired, never pausing for an instant. His decaying qi-blood erupted, and in a blink, he fired three consecutive arrows. Swish, swish, swish—they tore through the air.

Within a single breath, nearly a hundred living corpses fell to the ground, their qi-blood shattered on the spot by the blood-breaking arrows, leaving them lifeless!

Anyone watching this scene would be terrified. This body’s functional power was truly superhuman; he was a giant whale in human form!

But, just as Bai Xuan exhausted his breath and his new breath had yet to arise...

One breath exhaled—what did it matter if ten thousand arrows were fired?

Even in death, the archer maintained a posture as if standing before an abyss or a mountain, his aura dignified, holding a sense of solitary pride and unyielding defiance!

This courtyard held many hidden traps; any ordinary grandmaster breaking in would face a bloody storm, a tiger’s den, or a dragon’s pool!

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The crossbow bolts rained down, piercing through the living corpses that had failed to escape. With the sound of continuous rainfall, the courtyard wall was soon covered in a slanted array of arrows.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The trailing arrows struck the ones in front. With the three arrows linked, the qi-blood concentrated upon them suddenly exploded. With a bang, the first arrow broke through the barrier of wind, instantly turning into a lingering shadow. It was terrifyingly fast, creating a sonic boom as a blurry shadow flashed and pierced right through Bai Xuan’s body!

Clang!

Like the tolling of an ancient bronze bell, the arrow hit Bai Xuan’s shoulder, emitting a resonating chime before shattering into pieces, snapped by the sheer force of his physique.

...

But Bai Xuan’s current hard-qigong body was terrifying. By stimulating his Giant Whale qi-blood, he unleashed the power within his flesh, truly capable of turning breath into clouds and shouts into rain! When a giant whale spews a column of air at sea, it possesses such divine power that even from hundreds or thousands of meters away, one can see the roaring white mist it ejects!

That finger-long flying knife was still trembling.

Swish!

A cunning arrow suddenly shot from the shadows, twisting through the air like a venomous snake, moving with astonishing speed to bite at Bai Xuan!

The archer stood beneath the eaves, as if merged with the shadows, holding a massive bow over two meters long. His eyes were a dull, grayish-blue; he was clearly a corpse-puppet.

At this moment, the courtyard finally fell silent; no more enemies appeared.

Every trap in this courtyard had been shaken like a reflection in a mirror the moment Bai Xuan stepped in, shattered by a single breath. Only the final blood-red talisman remained, still shielding the side chamber.

But no talisman, unless it reached the level of Dao-entry, could last forever. At this moment, the surging, massive blood light was dimming bit by bit.

"Half a quarter of an hour."

Bai Xuan lowered his eyes and said calmly, "At most, half a quarter of an hour... and you will die."

...

Inside the side chamber.

"Where did this martial artist come from? Where did this... madman come from! He is completely insane! How can all my preparations and traps be useless against him?"

"A single breath, exhaling like a storm. My crossbowmen, armed with blood-breaking arrows, could even ambush a grandmaster!"

The aged Taoist’s hands were trembling slightly.

In truth, at this moment, he felt not only terror but, more importantly, confusion and incomprehension. He could not recall when he had offended such a terrifying powerhouse. It was a disaster from out of the blue—to have someone storm his home overnight!

"With this level of strength, even among the Star-Hunting Bandits, he would rank among the top head-hunters, standing as a brother to the Lord of the Sea-Severing Abyss... How could this be? My decades of bitter cultivation—must I end it all here?"

Though the old Taoist was a man apart from the world, at this sudden moment, his whole body turned cold. In this instant... it was as if his entire life over the past decades flashed before his eyes!

He could even feel his spirit vaguely dissolving; this was a sign that his cultivation was fading. All his true arts, in the end, were turning to nothing in an instant!

Between life and death, there is great terror!

At this moment.

After a moment of silence, an aged voice slowly drifted from the room, steady and composed, as if there were no fear at all.

"This grandmaster, I have no grievances with you, past or present... why must you be so aggressive?"

"I know not how I have offended you to warrant this attack. Whatever the matter, I am willing to offer amends. In matters of life and death, there is no grudge that cannot be resolved."

"If you require spiritual elixirs or the art of longevity, I can impart them to you. Whether it is refining pills from Tai-Sui, blood pills from the sea, spirit pills, or even Yin-Yang True Blood Pills—though I cannot refine them myself, I can seek them out for you."

The old voice drifted from the chamber.

"I wish to turn hostility into friendship. I have practiced the Dao for many years; I cannot let it all be lost in a single day. If your intention is to kill and plunder, know that before I die, I will surely destroy all my treasures. I beg you to think thrice!"

The old man’s voice was aged and wise, measured in its advances and retreats. Anyone hearing these words would be stirred.

But, in the courtyard.

"Even through this blood light, I can see it."

Bai Xuan’s expression was calm.

In his eyes, reflections of the sea abyss emerged, along with the changes of the celestial phenomena, evolving into storms, layer upon layer, like overlapping worlds!

The Eye of Watching the Sea could observe the sea’s energy to judge the changes in the world’s momentum. But the Eye of Celestial Phenomena could directly perceive the grand momentum of heaven and earth. Even with his eyes closed, through the spiritual light, he could vaguely sense...

Inside that room, a terrifying heavenly might, sharp as a sword, was stacking layer upon layer, frantically accumulating and climbing, enhancing its horrific power!

"This sword-might is not bad—it is much stronger than I imagined..."

"Perfect."

Bai Xuan lifted the Sea-Subduing Spear and gripped the end of the shaft with his other hand. With a *zing*, the entire spear vibrated slightly. The Sea-Subduing Spear was breathing; it was vibrating with excitement, its divine power awakening!

A look of anticipation finally appeared in Bai Xuan’s eyes.

"It is time to test my... Transformation of the Dragon Tail!"

...

Inside the room.

"In over a dozen years, I have only refined eight corpse-puppets at the Blood-Refining level, and this person has cut down seven of them in an instant... He cannot be left alive!"

"How could I die here? My path to immortality should end today. I will fight with all my might to kill you!"

The aged Taoist’s ten fingers were dripping blood. He used a wooden sword to pierce his own fingertips, using his blood to carve talismans onto the blade.

Each time he carved, the black aura and spiritual light rising from the wooden sword became more terrifying. Its power surged, and the surrounding natural energy of heaven and earth condensed onto the single blade, becoming increasingly dense and horrific!

But.

The aged Taoist’s face was rapidly turning pale. He swallowed several pills, but could not stop the color from draining away.

This was draining his entire life’s cultivation, causing his spirit to flow faintly into the wooden sword!

"This Three-Yin Talisman Sword is the culmination of my life’s work... it will surely kill this man!"

He knew Bai Xuan’s strength was terrifying. Thinking quickly, he took another talisman from his bag and held it in his palm.

He used his finger to draw on it with his own blood. The talisman lit up, transforming into black fire that swirled incessantly.

The old Taoist gritted his teeth and spat out a mouthful of blood. The black fire merged instantly with the wooden sword, and light erupted from the blade!

"Slay him!"

The old Taoist gave a low shout, and the next moment, the wooden sword was about to strike out of the room!

But, just as the sword’s might reached its peak.

A green shadow flashed, like a thunderbolt suddenly igniting in a vast sea of clouds, instantly illuminating the heavens and earth as it cleaved into the side chamber!

As this green shadow streaked past, it was like breaking through clouds and parting mist, like severing waves and dividing the sea. In an instant, the massive blood light was struck and quietly parted, unable to block it in the slightest!

Terrifying!

Condensed!

Within the green shadow was, vaguely, a spear blade, or perhaps it was the tail of a dragon, moving slightly and sweeping across with light, effortless grace.

"No... no!"

In the eyes of the aged Taoist, the black aura and spiritual light were struck squarely by the green shadow, collapsing into a small half and revealing his true form.

Boom!

At this moment, the quiet stillness faded. Between the two, a terrifying shockwave erupted, shaking the earth and causing the entire side chamber to collapse!

The next moment, the black aura on the sword dissipated completely. The talisman on the wooden sword shattered, leaving a deep mark. With a clatter, it was struck and sent flying, pinning itself into the ground more than ten meters away!

In his fear and despair, the aged Taoist reacted with lightning speed, flashing three spiritual talismans to cast a layer of light to protect his body.

But the lingering force of the green shadow had not faded. With a ringing *clang*, a single strike of the spear hit the light. A terrifying force surged through, instantly suppressing and shattering it!

Boom!

The layers of golden light and spiritual light all crumbled, turning into a gale that swept across the courtyard. The old Taoist’s head flew off, a look of disbelief, confusion, and incredulity still etched upon his face in mid-air.

The next moment, Bai Xuan shook his spear. With a vibration, the head and the body both exploded into a mist of blood!