"Your tone is rather arrogant. Please consider my proposal seriously," Bai Xiaosheng said softly, stroking Xiao Lan's soul, his eyelids lowered.
In Xiao Lan's current state, any slight attack would cause her soul to dissipate, forever barring her from reincarnation.
In Bai Xiaosheng's eyes, by capturing this young black dragon, he held her life and death in his hands.
Unless Ye Ling truly didn't care about the young black dragon's fate, no matter how strong Ye Ling was, he would be manipulated by Bai Xiaosheng.
Furthermore, from Wu Shuyi, Bai Xiaosheng had learned about Ye Ling subduing Ji Xue. It was likely that this young black dragon was part of some agreement between Ye Ling and Ji Xue.
Otherwise, Bai Xiaosheng couldn't believe that a dignified dragon would submit to a human.
Now that Ye Ling kept the young black dragon with him, he presumably didn't want her to die.
"Arrogant tone?"
Suddenly, Ye Ling's voice echoed from behind Bai Xiaosheng, causing him to tremble violently!
"You!"
An ominous premonition arose in Bai Xiaosheng's heart. He quickly used his Qimen array to switch positions, attempting to create distance from Ye Ling.
But before he could move, he felt a hand on his shoulder.
His meridians were blocked, and the Qimen array he had activated beneath his feet instantly dissipated!
"Brother, you don't seem to be much either..." Ye Ling mocked with a smile, his five fingers tightening slightly.
*Crack!*
"Ahhh ahhh ahhh!"
Bai Xiaosheng's shoulder was crushed, and he let out a piercing scream!
Xiao Lan, whom he had been holding, seized the opportunity to break free and crawled up his arm onto Ye Ling's hand.
"You!!!"
Bai Xiaosheng spun around abruptly, only to find that no one was behind him.
"Boss, behind you!"
The trembling voices of a group of men in black sounded from behind Bai Xiaosheng. Bai Xiaosheng turned again and saw that Ye Ling had returned to his original position at some point.
The young black dragon was nestled in Ye Ling's palm, being gently caressed by him.
'So fast!'
Bai Xiaosheng's scalp tingled, and a storm of shock surged in his heart.
The display Ye Ling had just shown made him acutely aware of the gap in their strength.
If Ye Ling attacked without warning, he would surely lose!
Bai Xiaosheng's true strength was only at the half-step Red Dust Immortal realm. The reason he could easily kill Wu Shuyi was due to his prior preparations targeting Wu Shuyi, allowing him to quickly dissolve Wu Shuyi's spiritual energy barrier and cripple him with a single blow!
But Ye Ling was different.
After killing Wu Shuyi, although Bai Xiaosheng could anticipate that Ye Ling would discover Wu Shuyi's death, and he had left a game coin as a provocation, he hadn't expected Ye Ling to find him so quickly after he had killed Wu Shuyi.
He knew nothing about Ye Ling and had made no preparations to deal with him...
Now, in a fight against Ye Ling, he was bound to lose!
With this thought, Bai Xiaosheng's desire to retreat surged. He quickly swallowed a healing pill, reactivated his Bagua disk, and set up his Qimen formation.
He then loudly ordered the men in black behind Ye Ling, "Open fire freely, shoot him!"
As Bai Xiaosheng gave the order, the men in black raised their guns, aiming at Ye Ling, ready to fire!
Their bullets were specially made by the Red Dust Pavilion. Each one contained immense spiritual energy, capable of piercing an armored vehicle and bypassing spiritual energy barriers!
Moreover, the bullets were coated with a potent poison!
Even an eighth-grade异士 (yi shi - a type of practitioner) would be severely incapacitated if accidentally struck by one, and several more would be life-threatening!
However, an eighth-grade 异士 was significantly faster than bullets. While the bullets possessed considerable power, hitting the target was another matter.
Generally, without suppressing firepower, these men in black could only serve to distract.
Bai Xiaosheng never intended for these men in black to harm Ye Ling. He merely wanted these expendable pawns to buy him time.
'While Ye Ling is dodging bullets, I'll seize the opportunity to escape!'
Bai Xiaosheng's mind raced. He was just about to wait for Ye Ling to make a move and then use his Qimen formation to escape!
But...
'Why is he still staring at me?' Bai Xiaosheng's heart sank when he saw Ye Ling continuously focusing on him, completely ignoring the men behind him. He dared not escape rashly.
He wouldn't dare expose his back to Ye Ling!
'Could he think those are ordinary bullets? If so, then I could...'
Although Bai Xiaosheng had many thoughts, everything happened in a flash. He immediately made up his mind, abandoning the idea of escape!
*Bang! Bang! Bang!*
As the men in black behind him pulled the triggers, Bai Xiaosheng immediately activated his Qimen formation, "Shenji Qimen · Tian Yue Gui Shou!" (Divine Mechanism Qimen · Sky Moon Ghost Beast!)
As he spoke, the space above Ye Ling distorted, and a giant wooden wolf lunged out, tearing towards Ye Ling!
With a divine mechanism beast in front and roaring bullets behind, all of Ye Ling's escape routes were blocked!
However, Ye Ling acted as if he knew nothing, continuing to caress Xiao Lan in his palm. He didn't even lift his head or show any sign of dodging.
"To be so overconfident, I think you're just tired of living!"
Seeing Ye Ling's arrogance, Bai Xiaosheng not only wasn't angered but his eyes lit up with joy. He once again activated his Qimen formation, accelerating the mechanical giant wolf.
The bullets from a distance whizzed towards Ye Ling, about to riddle him with holes!
But as the bullets touched Ye Ling, they passed through his body, directly piercing the divine mechanism beast in front of him!
*Boom!*
The giant wolf exploded in front of Ye Ling, scattering parts everywhere!
Bai Xiaosheng was pushed back by the explosion's impact, his knee struck by shrapnel!
"How is this possible?"
Bai Xiaosheng knelt on one knee, staring at Ye Ling with disbelief, unable to believe his eyes!
He clearly saw the bullets hit Ye Ling, so why did they pass through his body?
The men in black behind him were also stunned, frozen in place, unsure whether to continue firing...
Since Ye Ling wasn't hit, but Bai Xiaosheng and his divine mechanism beast were injured, this bizarre scene caused everyone to cease thinking.
"D-damn it..."
Bai Xiaosheng forcefully expelled the bullets from his body, then swallowed another healing and detoxifying pill, his face extremely grim.
This near-crushing strength filled him with boundless fear.
"Do you have any other moves?"
Ye Ling yawned, letting Xiao Lan rest on his shoulder again. He glanced at the scattered mechanism parts and said to Bai Xiaosheng with a smile, "I heard from Wu Shuyi that your swordsmanship is divine. When did you switch to Qimen?"
"These mechanical beasts are interesting, but their craftsmanship is only third-rate, too easily broken."
Bai Xiaosheng: "..."
Bai Xiaosheng remained silent, his mind racing, contemplating a strategy for escape.
Although there was a Red Dust Pavilion stronghold in this oil town, with Ye Ling's strength, any reinforcements from the stronghold would be negligible.
To deal with Ye Ling, he would need reinforcements from headquarters, or...
Seeing Bai Xiaosheng's silence, Ye Ling said with disappointment, "It seems you really only have these tricks. For someone with the reputation of Bai Xiaosheng, you've truly disappointed me..."
"You forced me to do this!"
Bai Xiaosheng suddenly erupted with a not-insignificant aura, causing Ye Ling to pause slightly, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.
This guy really did have another move!