On the open ground, cold winds rose from every direction.
Qin An's voice sounded like a death-knell, drawing beads of cold sweat from Hu Rong's brow.
Years of battle had honed his reflexes. The moment he heard wind at the back of his head, he raised both claws to block the Black Blade.
A heartbeat slower, and his head would have been severed, that enormous tiger skull taken away as a drinking trophy.
The ice and fire coursing through the Black Blade made Hu Rong's whole body writhe with discomfort.
Gritting his teeth, Hu Rong roared and threw all his strength into forcing Qin An back. He turned to Hu Sanniang. "All three Bronze Captains are here! Help me, and stop hiding your strength!"
The tide had turned. Hu Rong knew how dire things had become, and could only pin his hopes on Hu Sanniang.
Hu Sanniang swept her alluring gaze over Qin An, her eyes gleaming with interest. "You're Qin An, the one wanted by Azure Cloud Valley?"
Wanted?
Qin An drew back his blade. "Interesting."
Those heart-eating Monkey Demons had even put a bounty on him among the demons.
Joining the Evil Extermination Division was the right choice. Without time to grow stronger, those Monkey Demons would probably have taken my head.
Hu Sanniang raised a pale hand and brushed it across her red lips. "If I kill you today, I can build ties with the Monkey Demons too. How delightful."
A dense patter of footsteps sounded.
A wind stirred in the dark woods. Then pair after pair of cold, glinting eyes appeared—more than a hundred in all.
White-furred foxes darted out of the trees, their swaying forms turning into alluring women.
Their figures flowed like water, captivating the soul.
Hu Rong's eyes lit up with joy. Fox Women excel at transformation, but even so, bringing this many here must have cost the fox clan dearly.
With these soul-bewitching Fox Women, the tide had swung back their way.
Hu Sanniang waved a hand. "Make wine flasks from their heads."
At her command, the Fox Women shrieked and charged Qin An and the others.
Nie Hu had barely begun to move when tearing pain surged through his body.
Ma Rou pressed a hand to Nie Hu's shoulder. "Stay alive. Everyone else, fight with me!"
The Prefecture Clerks of the Evil Extermination Division drew their weapons and charged the Fox Women.
Both sides numbered over a hundred. The battlefield plunged into chaos.
The Fox Women were poor at close combat, but their charms took an unorthodox path.
Without a way to resist them, a fighter's strength would be severely diminished.
Pink mist rolled in with the Fox Women. Qin An turned his Black Blade, holding the twin forces of ice and fire in check upon its edge.
Several beautiful heads flew into the air, blood spraying in their wake.
A fierce rush of wind came through the pink mist.
Hu Rong lunged at Qin An, his face contorted. "You little bastard! Lord Tiger will feast on your flesh and blood today!"
Ma Rou wielded the Life-Taking Rope, sweeping Fox Women aside with a strike both supple and hard. Seeing Qin An's predicament, she shouted, "Watch out!"
Nie Hu's expression shifted. "He excels at close combat! Don't trade blows with him!"
Nie Hu might dislike Qin An, but right now, all that mattered was whether one was human or demon.
If Hu Rong pinned Qin An down in close combat while Hu Sanniang released more pink mist, Qin An would likely die on the spot.
Qin An's face remained calm as still water. As Hu Rong pounced within reach, the corner of his mouth lifted.
Hu Rong caught the smile and felt a flicker of alarm.
But with things as they were, he had no choice but to press on.
Kill Qin An, then Ma Rou. Claim the blood and vitality of all three Bronze Captains and open the Tiger Clan's Secret Treasure.
The tiger clan will rise!
"Lord Tiger has spent years refining these claws! Let's see how your flesh holds up!"
A cold light blazed in Hu Rong's eyes. His claws clashed with Qin An's Black Blade, and the ring of metal on metal shook the ears.
Holding the Black Blade, Qin An said evenly, "Old Monkey said the same thing."
Three Yang Power erupted from the Demon-Subduing Three Suns Blade.
The Three Yang Power he had stored for days blazed like a scorching sun as Qin An swept the blade across.
Agony shot through Hu Rong's claws. When he looked down, he saw they had all been severed.
The Black Blade drove into his chest with unstoppable force.
His striped fur turned slick with blood. Hu Rong opened his mouth and saw an enormous fist swelling before his eyes.
Boom!
His headless corpse rolled onto the ground. After two twitches, it lay still.
Qin An pulled out the Black Blade and calmly wiped it on Hu Rong's fur. "Nice tiger pelt. I'll skin it later and make a rug."
Ma Rou's clear eyes widened as she stared at the scene in disbelief.
A chill ran through Nie Hu, and he looked at Qin An with conflicted eyes.
Even with his Body-Tempering Method, Nie Hu had not dared grapple with Hu Rong. Yet Qin An had cut him down with a single stroke.
He suddenly understood why Cheng Sufeng treated Qin An as he did.
The man before him was someone he could never match.
Hu Sanniang watched Hu Rong die without surprise. She flicked her pale hand. "Tiger blood reeks."
Qin An turned and dragged the Black Blade behind him. Using Azure Serpent Movement, he arrived before Hu Sanniang. "Does your blood smell sweet? Let me find out."
As he spoke, the Black Blade came down toward Hu Sanniang's head.
Hu Sanniang remained composed. Her rounded hips swayed slightly.
A snow-white tail emerged and wrapped around her entire body.
The Black Blade struck the tail with a deafening clang.
Hu Sanniang's voice drifted out. "That Blade Technique of yours seems to have a special move. You can't use it again, can you? How will you resist my charms?"
The pink mist compressed rapidly, surrounding Qin An on every side.
Nie Hu burned with anxiety. "That mist grows far stronger when compressed! If it charms him, he'll lose his head. Don't worry about me—go help him!"
Ma Rou said helplessly, "Even if I wanted to, I couldn't reach him."
Fox Demons surrounded her. Their charms worked on men and women alike, and with the battlefield changing by the instant, she could hardly break through quickly.
On the battlefield, Qin An's eyes turned vacant, and the Black Blade drooped in his hand.
Seeing this, Hu Sanniang curved her lips in a soul-stealing smile. "I'll take your head."
Her pale palm swept toward the crown of Qin An's head. If it landed cleanly, his skull would burst like a watermelon.
But just then, a hand caught Hu Sanniang's wrist.
Hu Sanniang froze. Qin An was looking at her with clear eyes.
At the same moment, she finally saw what was happening around him.
A layer of invisible Gang Qi encircled Qin An. Whenever the pink mist neared it, the Gang Qi swiftly repelled it.
Ma Rou's eyes widened in shock. "A defensive technique!"
Nie Hu's mouth twitched. "He's training in so many Cultivation Methods, yet progressing this fast. Is he some peerless monster?"
Both were shaken by Qin An's strength. They suddenly felt that their branch of the Bronze Captains might produce someone who would astonish the world.
Hu Sanniang said in disbelief, "If you have a Cultivation Method like that, why pretend?"
Qin An smiled faintly. "It made it easier to catch you."
Hu Sanniang recovered and sneered. "So what? You've already used that special move of your Blade Technique. How will you get through my fox tail?"
She had spent years refining her fox tail. Its defenses were formidable.
She did not believe Qin An could unleash that blade move again.
Qin An raised his left hand and pressed it against Hu Sanniang's white tail. His voice was as calm as a cloud.
"I don't just know how to use a blade."
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