Bai Yichen, of course, had no intention of explaining himself.
The false Tiger wasn't willing to give up so easily. He led the remaining four members in continuing their assault, the sword formation spinning, sword light flashing, sword energy crisscrossing.
However, Bai Yichen merely shook his head slightly—this was far from perfect!
To his senses, though the five Zodiac members were of similar cultivation level and fairly adept with their swords, their speed and coordination were not unified. The leader was trying his best, but it still lacked the flawless harmony necessary for true effectiveness.
Perhaps this would be enough to threaten an ordinary Innate expert, but to Bai Yichen, who had long mastered such formations, it was weak.
He moved as if strolling leisurely in a garden, like a traveler admiring autumn leaves, showing no sign of being trapped in a dangerous formation. He fought with only sixty percent of his strength, reserving thirty percent to restore his internal energy, and even sparing a moment to observe the battle between the Wheel King and Yan Bei.
What he saw was alarming.
The Wheel King's movements were impossibly fast, like a phantom darting through the dark forest. His heavy and shifting figure struck with finger attacks like a torrential storm, each strike aimed at Yan Bei's vital points—his brow, his temples, his eyes...
Yan Bei was forced to defend passively, his iron fists creating countless fist shadows to block the onslaught. However, his clothing already bore several tears, revealing faint traces of something strange and red underneath.
If this continued, Yan Bei was in grave danger.
Indeed, the rumors weren't exaggerated. The Wheel King had reached the peak of Innate cultivation and appeared to be practicing the "Kuiyin Canon." Could he be another eunuch?
Shaking off his distractions, Bai Yichen refocused, preparing to go all out.
His gaze turned cold and sharp, golden light shimmering around his body. Gripping his Water-Splitting Sword, he suddenly thrust forward!
An explosion of eightfold power!
The speed of this strike reached its absolute limit, surpassing the boundaries of typical swordsmanship. The sword split into five paths, precisely following the trajectories of the formation.
The faces of the five Zodiac members changed drastically. They hurriedly adjusted their formation, hoping to create a sword screen to block the attack.
But they were too slow. The sword light gleamed, inching forward, exploiting the flaws in the formation. It was a simple yet deadly move.
In an instant, their masks shattered, and their lives ended!
The sword formation was broken!
The disturbance naturally drew the attention of the Wheel King. His movements slowed for a moment, giving Yan Bei a brief chance to catch his breath.
The Wheel King glanced at the seven corpses on the ground and then at the Water-Splitting Sword in Bai Yichen's hand. His aura grew even colder, as if the shadow behind his mask had turned even darker.
Suddenly, he let out a sharp, eerie laugh, as grating as a steel needle scraping glass, chilling to the bone.
"Impressive. No wonder you were able to kill Heilin. I thought sending two Innate experts and a sword formation would be enough to trap you... Seems I underestimated you. But today, this place will be your grave!"
As his voice faded, the black figure flickered, and Bai Yichen suddenly felt a sharp killing intent rushing toward him. The Wheel King's speed now far surpassed what it had been before, beyond what words could describe.
Bai Yichen was known for his quick sword skills and had trained in the Kuiyin Canon himself, but he never imagined that someone who had fully mastered it could reach such terrifying speed.
The Wheel King moved like a gale, like lightning and thunder, his attacks following his voice so closely that they almost defied the limits of human perception.
With the Sitting and Forgetting Heart Refinement method running in his mind, Bai Yichen's heart remained clear and his expression calm. At the moment he sensed the killing intent, golden light flashed again. His Water-Splitting Sword danced like a continuous autumn rain, weaving a sword net to defend himself.
At the same time, almost in the same breath, Bai Yichen's figure retreated several feet.
This was a habit from his assassin days—after a strike, retreat a thousand miles, never leaving himself in danger!
Especially since Bai Yichen wasn't entirely confident that his hastily executed sword strike could fully block the Wheel King's all-out finger attack.
"You even know the Drizzling Sword Technique?" the Wheel King exclaimed, astonished by Bai Yichen's skill. But then, with a precise jab, his finger seemed to strike the weak point of the sword net, shattering its form.
Bai Yichen was fully immersed in the fight, paying no heed to his opponent's words.
The Wheel King showed no intention of stopping. Even as he spoke, his figure flashed like lightning, closing in with rapid strikes, each finger carrying immense force that instilled fear in anyone watching.
In those finger techniques, Bai Yichen could discern traces of several different martial styles, even including the Drizzling Sword Technique, all merged into one. The finger wind surged, bringing waves of chilling energy.
"Good!" Bai Yichen shouted in a thunderous voice, his cry resonating with power. His sword moved in a flurry of stabs, lifts, chops, and slashes, the sword light never ceasing, gleaming with cold brilliance. This was a point-to-point clash, strengthened eightfold.
However, the Kuiyin Canon, perfected to its peak, truly lived up to its reputation as a skill bordering on the level of a grandmaster. The Wheel King moved like a ghost, elusive and unpredictable, his fingers cloaked in layers of dark energy that gradually wore down Bai Yichen's sword light.
At that moment, a pair of powerful iron fists crashed in, their force like tidal waves.
The Wheel King, proving his mastery over the Innate realm, rotated his internal energy, continuously circulating it through his body. His speed increased yet again, narrowly avoiding the twin fists. As he retreated and then returned, his long, slender fingers controlled the momentum of a thousand pounds, attacking both Bai Yichen and Yan Bei at once.
For a brief period, the Wheel King, using his unparalleled speed, shifted positions rapidly, pressing both of them.
Yan Bei had already sustained injuries in his earlier bout with the Wheel King. After a few more rounds, his situation became even more perilous. Suddenly, a purple hue appeared on Yan Bei's face, and his internal energy circulation faltered for a brief moment.
"Careful! His fingers are laced with poison!" Bai Yichen warned.
The Wheel King had anticipated this, having focused on Yan Bei several rounds earlier. Now, his fingers, like a venomous serpent, revealed their fangs, striking straight at Yan Bei's heart.
But just as the lethal strike was about to land, a powerful palm wind surged forth, carrying the force of the Four Symbols. It was like a raging dragon bursting out of the sea, aiming to block the venomous strike.
"Don't harm him!"
The intervention came a moment too late, causing the Wheel King's strike to veer slightly off course, piercing Yan Bei's abdomen instead.
Pfft!
A mouthful of fresh blood sprayed out. Yan Bei, stumbling, managed to retreat quickly.
The Wheel King, unwilling to let him go, prepared to deliver a finishing blow. But a massive palm technique, like a sky-encompassing barrier, descended upon him, trapping him within heaven and earth.
Forced to respond, the Wheel King turned to face the incoming attack. This time, the palm technique was akin to the Vermilion Bird spreading its wings, radiating scorching yang energy, seemingly intent on burning away the Wheel King's yin energy.
Yet, the Wheel King, relying on his extreme agility, barely managed to evade the blow.
"Hmph, I didn't expect you to arrive!" he sneered.
"And I didn't expect Qingliu and Moqiu to be your Heishi people!" replied the newcomer, Yun Shou Zhenren, who had arrived just in time to intervene.
With a mocking laugh, the Wheel King taunted, "Haha, no, they are the Zodiac's Tiger and Boar. But since you're the only one here, I suppose Old Ghost Qingsong has already been taken down. The taste of that Sorrowful Breeze Dispersing Powder must be unpleasant."
He glanced over at Yan Bei, who was now half-sitting on the ground, working to expel the poison from his body.