Bai Ningbing, clad in white robes with snow-white hair, stood on a hillside. The fading light of the setting sun reflected in his eyes, as if foreshadowing his imminent death.
"Such a beautiful sunset… I wonder how many more times I will get to see it. Of all the wonders of this world, I have only witnessed a tiny speck of dust. What a pity. Especially with these annoying fellows clamoring nearby."
Bai Ningbing snorted inwardly and withdrew his gaze, sweeping his eyes over the crowd around him.
The alliance of the Gu Yue and Xiong clans had gathered the remaining hundred or so gu masters, tightly surrounding Bai Ningbing.
"Bai Ningbing, if you voluntarily withdraw from this preliminary test, we will spare your life!"
"That's right, if you know what's good for you, we might show mercy and let you live."
"Your Bai clan gu masters have been mostly taken care of. The rest have been blocked. Don't hope for reinforcements, Bai Ningbing. They won't come!"
Led by Fang Zheng, Xiong Jiaosao, Xiong Lin, and Chi Cheng, the young gu masters spoke one after another, trying to break Bai Ningbing's fighting spirit.
But Bai Ningbing paid no attention to their words.
"How ridiculous, a bunch of rats daring to screech in front of an elephant." Bai Ningbing sneered, his eyes sweeping around with disdain. "Among you, only Gu Yue Fang Yuan is somewhat interesting. Too bad he hasn't shown up. Heh, come at me all at once."
As he spoke, Bai Ningbing condensed an ice blade and ran his hand over the transparent, frost-covered edge, not even glancing at the surrounding crowd.
"This guy is too arrogant!"
"Hmph, he looks down on us!"
"Brothers, let's attack together! If each of us strikes once, even ten Bai Ningbings would be turned into minced meat!"
The gu masters made a ruckus, but no one made a rash move.
Though Bai Ningbing was alone, his aura was astonishing, instilling fear in everyone's hearts.
"Everyone calm down, don't be provoked by Bai Ningbing. We haven't trained together, so our coordination is poor. If we attack all at once, we'll suffer heavy losses and let him take advantage." Xiong Lin shouted.
"Then who will make the first move?" Chi Cheng asked.
Although they were allied with the Xiong clan against the Bai clan, the alliance was not seamless. Whoever struck first faced greater danger. The one who attacked first also had to guard against the other side taking advantage.
"No matter, let me go first. Bai Ningbing, to be honest, I've long wanted to test your skills." Xiong Jiaosao crossed her arms and stepped forward.
She let out a loud whistle, and as soon as the sound faded, the thunder of a stampede came from afar. Soon, numerous shadows emerged from the forest—more than two hundred black bears!
The lead bear was a size larger than its kind, a hundred-beast-king level black bear.
The wolf tide was dangerous, but also an opportunity. Xiong Jiaosao had thus advanced to the third rank, and her bear-controlling gu also rose to the third rank, allowing her to command the hundred-beast king among bears!
This was the trump card of the Xiong clan.
"Sister is mighty!"
"Heavens, so many bears!"
"With these bears and our hundred-plus men, heh, Bai Ningbing is dead this time!"
The Xiong clan's gu masters were excited and stirred. The Gu Yue clan, however, looked far more conflicted. Since Xiong Li's death, Xiong Jiaosao had become the undisputed foremost talent of the Xiong clan. In contrast, the Gu Yue clan had lost Qingshu and Mochen. Although Fang Yuan had advanced to the third rank, his aptitude was only Grade C, so it was hard to place high hopes on him.
"Fortunately, our clan still has Gu Yue Fang Zheng, who is Grade A!" many gu masters looked at Fang Zheng, feeling reassured.
Especially during this three-clan tournament, Fang Zheng seemed to have matured, his attacks fierce, and many Bai clan gu masters had died at his hands. His performance brought great comfort to the clan members.
This was how a Grade A genius should carry himself!
"It's all decided! Even at peak third rank, no matter how talented, he can't be a match for a hundred people. Ah, Lord Qingshu, this time I will avenge you!! And then, if my brother appears…" Fang Zheng stared fixedly at Bai Ningbing, his thoughts churning.
"Just a mere hundred-beast king, what a boring trick." Watching the bears charge at him, Bai Ningbing remained composed, even yawning.
His whole body began to emit a faint white chill.
"Beiming Ice Soul Body… It won't hold much longer." Bai Ningbing sensed his end was near. His body had reached a limit, and soon he would die. Even now, he felt his body starting to collapse, his flesh and blood turning to ice.
But despite this, Bai Ningbing remained as calm as ever. His gaze steady, he looked at the afterglow of the setting sun, then slowly turned his head to face the charging bears.
"Since you seek death, I will be merciful and grant your wish. Perhaps this will add a touch of excitement to my life." He sighed softly.
Not far away, the clan leaders of the three families and a group of gu masters stood in silence.
"Finally, the battle begins! Killing Bai Ningbing is the greatest victory!" the Xiong clan leader was secretly delighted.
"Hmph, they've plotted against me. They actually allied to oppose me… Hehehe, you underestimate Bai Ningbing too much. Get ready to be stunned." The Bai clan leader's face was like stone as he schemed internally.
Gu Yue Bo, however, looked worried.
Until now, neither Fang Yuan nor Tie Xueleng had appeared.
Although the three-clan tournament was important, his mind was elsewhere.
"Gu Yue Yinhuang Body… If Fang Yuan truly has this constitution, then I must protect him and take him into the Blood Lake Tomb!" With this thought, Gu Yue Bo glanced discreetly at Tie Ruonan beside him.