Lin Xiao’s gaze sharpened. The vast thunder essence within him surged wildly, coursing through his meridians and flooding into his arms. As the man and tiger charged, he stomped the ground hard, swinging his longsword upward with both hands.
The blade guarded his knees below and his chest above, clashing heavily with the tiger’s claws and the opponent’s sword.
“Courting death!” A cold smirk curled the grey-masked youth’s lips. Blocking both him and a third-tier high-level beast single-handedly? Sheer arrogance.
Even if the boy somehow avoided injury, their follow-up attacks would be ferocious and deadly, relentless until he was down.
Countless experts had fallen to his and his tiger’s opportunistic onslaughts.
“We’ll see who dies! Thunder Form One, Furious Thunder Slash!” Lin Xiao growled, his longsword meeting the youth’s blade and the tiger’s claws head-on.
Clang!
Boom!
A jarring metallic clash and a thunderous roar erupted simultaneously. The terrifying collision sparked blinding flares, a fearsome ripple spreading outward from the swords’ meeting point.
At the same time, bolts of lightning crackled from Lin Xiao’s blade, lashing out at the third-tier tiger and the grey-masked youth.
“Crackle! Crackle!”
The youth and his tiger staggered back several steps, trembling violently from the shock. The grey-masked youth froze, stunned.
Few peers he’d faced could match him and his beast together.
This boy’s strength wasn’t just enough to counter them—it unleashed lightning during the clash.
What kind of figure was this teen, so young yet wielding such immense power?
The youth’s blood churned, the unexpected lightning strike seeping through his body, unavoidable and overwhelming.
“Hit a tough one!” His expression finally shifted.
“Heh, round two!” Lin Xiao grinned wickedly, darting forward two steps and slashing again.
The grey-masked youth’s brow furrowed. Dazed by the lightning for a split second, he snapped back just as Lin Xiao’s sword closed in. He hastily raised his blade to meet it.
Clang! Boom!
Metal clashed and thunder roared, an unstoppable wave bursting forth. Lightning bolts shot forward again, striking the youth and his tiger once more.
The fierce thunder force left both grimacing in distress.
Lin Xiao beamed, striking repeatedly. Each swing unleashed a gust of wind and thunder, every clash sending countless lightning bolts surging out, engulfing the space ahead with no escape.
The Thunder Sword Art, powered by thunder essence, carried immense attack power. Its lightning bursts caught foes off guard, amplifying the assault.
Thunder’s inherent wildness fueled relentless, ferocious strikes, overwhelming opponents until they fell.
Of course, thunder essence drained quickly, but its sheer might was staggering—few could outlast Lin Xiao’s reserves.
Exhilaration surged through him. This was his first real fight with the Thunder Sword Art, and its tactics exceeded his expectations. Even a formidable ninth-level Heavenly Martial expert was left reeling.
“Boom!” “Boom!” “Boom!” …
Thunderous blasts rang out as man and beast were forced back repeatedly. The relentless barrage overwhelmed them, lightning bolts striking again and again. Though they summoned protective vital energy, it couldn’t hold.
Blood spilled from the grey-masked youth’s and tiger’s mouths. The youth’s face paled, aghast. They were supposed to deliver a crushing follow-up—yet here they were, the ones battered.
Temper fraying, the lightning strikes—non-lethal at first—piled up into crippling damage after a dozen hits.
Even when a chance to counter arose, they couldn’t muster much strength, and who knew what tricks this boy had left?
Worse, their foe had fifty-plus Heavenly Martial fighters, each skilled. In a prolonged fight, the Tiger Command Army would lose.
They’d kicked an iron plate this time—their most humiliating defeat yet.
“Retreat!” The grey-masked youth made a snap decision, shouting as he leapt back. His tiger spun around, charging rearward.
Clamping his legs around the beast, he swung his sword to parry Lin Xiao’s incoming strike as he retreated.
Boom!
The clash jolted him back faster, but the lightning surge forced out a gush of blood, wounding him further.
The third-tier tiger faltered under the shock but quickly unleashed its full strength, bolting forward.
Simultaneously, the other Tiger Command fighters battling Heaven Gate heard the order. They leapt back, turned their tigers, and struck out to cover their retreat, fleeing outward fast.
In a blink, most broke free of the fray. Only Ling Hu’s opponent took heavy damage; the rest facing strong foes sustained light injuries.
This squad was no pushover, though some Heaven Gate disciples were hurt too.
Boom! Boom!
As he retreated, the grey-masked youth endured three more of Lin Xiao’s lightning strikes before escaping his range, leading his battered crew in a frantic dash forward.
Qing Yun and Qing Feng stood dumbfounded. Raised in the Chaos Lands, they knew the Tiger Command Army’s fearsome reputation.
Yet in mere moments, before their might could fully shine, they were routed and fleeing in disgrace?
Their gazes turned to Lin Xiao, brimming with shock. They knew this少年 was the one who’d crushed the Tiger Command Army so thoroughly.
His strength was absurd—wielding thunder power from an ordinary body.
Such terrifying lightning tactics—unless you were a Martial King, anyone caught unaware would fall to him.
A fleeting, subtle glint passed over Qing Yun’s face.
“Boss’s strength shot up again!” Wang Long said, stunned. He’d hoped to close the gap with Lin Xiao, but now the latter had new tricks.
Facing that Tiger Command leader himself, victory wasn’t guaranteed. Yet Lin Xiao had handled him in moments.
If that attack hit Wang Long, he’d likely be fleeing too.
“Big shots, all of them—shame they got away!” Hu Yue sighed regretfully, watching the figures recede.
“The Tiger Command Army’s no weakling. They just didn’t get to show their full strength. Actually taking them down would be tough,” Lin Xiao mused.
Wiping them out might cost half his Heaven Gate disciples—a price he wouldn’t pay.
Scanning his team, he noted several injuries in the brief clash, though thankfully none fatal.
“Pick up the pace. After this, no lurking bandits will dare strike. Stronger factions probably won’t risk open mass robbery either,” Lin Xiao ordered.
With his words, the group quickened their steps, heading onward.
