A Clash of Masters, the Fish in the Pond Suffer (Thanks for the reward, bonus chapter)

Wang Xuance felt his entire body stiffen, as though he had stepped into a mire. Before the azure rainbow could even stab its way near Wu Shan, it, like him, was nailed motionless in midair.

At some point, a white-robed youth with a calm expression and relaxed brows had appeared before him. His eyes were like ice at the bottom of an abyss, utterly devoid of jest.

A large jade-like hand extended from his sleeve and brushed the azure rainbow. With a crisp crack, it scattered into specks of azure light.

[True Martial Qi +200!]

[True Martial Qi +200!]

[True Martial Qi +200!]

"Hehe, what a naturally gifted brat. Qilian Mountains' immortal art of warfare, passed down for a thousand years, was actually learned by someone as poorly endowed as you. It truly beggars belief..."

"Beggars belief indeed..."

"Since that is the case, you will come with me as well!"

His chest thrust forward, and his body involuntarily slid backward toward the white-robed youth.

"Cough, cough..."

An unusually deliberate cough rang out beside the three of them.

Yet to the white-robed youth, it was like thunder exploding from flat ground. His expression changed drastically, and horror filled his face!

Then Wang Xuance's body abruptly stopped, as though caught in an iron hoop, unable to move another inch forward. It was as if an unfathomable wall stood between him and the white-robed man, while two vast auras pulled against one another.

Under the violent tearing force, the shriek of air being ripped apart was like a tsunami crashing and mountains collapsing, leaving Wang Xuance and Wu Shan in unbearable misery.

Whoosh!

A dazzling streak of light came thundering from behind Wang Xuance. It lightly swept across the white-robed man's right arm, and the entire limb seemed to be pierced through by countless sharp edges before exploding into a mist of blood.

Only a golden ball of light remained, quietly floating in the air!

The severed wound was smooth as a mirror, without a trace of blood. It was strange beyond measure and chilling to the soul.

The entire sequence had taken no more than the blink of an eye!

"Ah!!!"

The white-robed youth let out a miserable howl, his handsome face twisting grotesquely. Without the slightest hesitation, he swept his one-armed sleeve and carried Wu Shan away in a streak of flight!

"Cough, cough..."

"Since you have come to my White Light City, do you think you can simply leave whenever you please? How presumptuous!"

The next moment, Wang Xuance witnessed the most terrifying sight of his life—a spectacle that shook heaven and made ghosts weep!

In an instant, heaven and earth lost their color!

A stream of sword force, like a hundred-zhang azure serpent, pierced through the sun like a rainbow and shot into the sky!

At the end of the horizon, the azure serpent was incomparably sharp. With a light sweep, the white-robed youth felt an itch at his neck, and his head instantly flew up and away.

What a fine head it truly was!

Terror beyond words filled the head's pupils as its whitening eyes stared at Wang Xuance.

But just as the azure serpent was about to shred the headless corpse together with Wu Shan, a great white light burst from the corpse's waist, and with a whoosh, a silver talisman flew out.

Swoosh!

The talisman spun rapidly, spraying out a green rainbow that wrapped around the head. Then, a jaw-dropping scene unfolded.

Countless bloody sprouts grew from the corpse's wound. Then the body swayed once and fused back together with the head. In the blink of an eye, the white-robed youth had actually come back to life out of thin air!

Only, his entire body was split open and mangled, a bloody ruin too horrible to behold.

Without any hesitation, he pointed a single finger at his brow. The silver talisman trembled slightly, transforming into a ring of light that carried the two away into the air.

Before Wang Xuance stood an old man in a dark robe, his eyes seeming to have seen through all the suffering of the world, untouched by a speck of dust.

He raised a withered hand, and a strand of azure silk flew in from afar and slipped into his sleeve.

"He actually escaped? It seems he came prepared!"

The old man then turned around, allowing Wang Xuance to finally see his face clearly.

His white brows hung to the bottom of his face, his skin resembled withered wood, and his entire person was decrepit with age. Yet his demeanor was as tranquil as an ancient cangwu tree, utterly unlike the thunderous, earth-shattering might of his earlier strike.

"Hehe, little fellow, it seems you were the only one to survive this martial gathering!"

The old man looked at him as though he could see through everything, leaving Wang Xuance with no secrets to hide.

"Thank you, Senior, for saving me. This junior is endlessly grateful!"

Wang Xuance clasped his hands and bowed, his expression humble as he did not dare show the slightest impropriety.

Had he not seen with his own eyes how the old man's strike had stirred thunderous fury and overturned rivers and seas, how could he have known that this seemingly ordinary elder possessed such terrifying strength?

The long-browed elder chuckled and shook his head. Closing his five fingers, he caught the yellow ball of light floating high in the air.

"This is..."

Wang Xuance's gaze sharpened as he recognized the treasure within the yellow light. It was the martial killing weapon that had eternally guarded White Light City—the Autumn Killing Black-Yellow Drum.

"Little fellow, once you break through and become a martial artist, you may activate this token!"

A breeze swept before him, and the dark-robed elder vanished, leaving behind only a palm-sized violet-gold token.

It felt icy in his hand, neither gold nor wood. Two ancient seal-script cloud patterns were engraved upon it, their strokes like iron paintings and silver hooks, exuding a towering and majestic presence.

With only a brief glance, he felt as though needlepoints had stabbed into his eyes, making them ache, tear up, and bleed.

After turning it over a few times, he tucked it into his sleeve. Suddenly, an azure rainbow flashed beneath him, and azure light blazed before his eyes. He involuntarily shut them, leaving only the old man's gentle words ringing in his ears.

"Hehe, little fellow, you alone survived this martial gathering, while all those martial academy disciples perished. This matter will most likely not be settled peacefully!"

"Judging by how you are dressed, I reckon you do not wish to be dragged into this turmoil. I shall send you on your way once more!"

When he came back to his senses, he was already far from the pitted arena, less than a hundred meters from his second courtyard.

High above the clouds, pink mist churned and drifted. Countless golden thunder serpents raced through the mist, their heads and tails linked together as they blasted and flashed, encircling and attacking the figure within!

More than thirty streams of immense aura, each as thick as a bowl, coiled around General Li's body like flood dragons and pythons roaming through the clouds, their momentum grand beyond measure.

The flood dragons and pythons swam freely. Whenever their forked tongues flicked out, they became streaks of snow-white spear light, peerlessly sharp as they shattered the thunder serpents!

Blinding lightning and fire flickered on and off, while the pink aura around him continuously transformed into graceful, voluptuous, seductive female figures!

Before those figures of pink mist could even draw near, they were blasted apart like the thunder serpents by the vast aura surrounding him!

At the current thickness of the pink mist, it would take only a few breaths to break through it.

"I have already been in this mist for a hundred breaths. Though this pink aura has thunder serpents woven into it, why have I still been unable to find my direction?"

"Hmph! Since you wish to keep playing, then Li shall show you a thing or two!"

His five fingers clawed forward, and the aura around him surged wildly as a two-zhang spear blazing with white light shot forth!

Six coiling dragons fighting over a single pearl were carved into the spear shaft. Azure-purple aura swirled around the dragons' eyes, their whiskers flaring and claws dancing, like a heavenly king opening his eyes!

He gripped the spear and prepared to thrust. Its tip had already gathered force, while countless tiny flares of sharp aura surged upward. Once it struck, it would surely break the deadlock with sheer force.

The pink female forms before him suddenly churned madly, and more than a hundred thunder serpents as thick as water vats collapsed into golden light.

Buzz!

An extraordinary clang of metal rang out. As the golden light spun like a disc, it transformed into a great formation ten zhang long and fired six hundred-zhang streams of light!

If someone stood on the ground and looked upward, they would clearly see the sky divided into three distinct sections.

On one side was white radiance overflowing with golden-metal qi, coldly murderous and brimming with killing aura!

Its outer layer was wrapped in rings of red mist filled with bewitching women's voices, stretching endlessly in layer upon layer.

On the other side, golden and pink qi intertwined in the sky, blazing with light. An incomparably enormous golden formation spun beneath the pink aura, with three figures each standing within it.

"Go!"

At the sound of a naturally seductive, charming shout whose rolling enchanting tone threw the listener's heart into chaos, the golden formation vanished from the sky with lightning speed.

Crack—

General Li burst through the formation, his entire body radiating the killing intent of golden weapons. A great white spear pressed the sky until it hissed.

Wherever his gaze reached, there was no longer any trace of the enemy in the sky. Below, the ground was a complete wreck, littered with corpses.

"Li the Barbarian, this girl merely lost by one move today. You may guard that thing in White Light City for a time, but not for a lifetime. We will meet again another day!"