Turns Out, I’m In A Villain Clan!

Chapter 397 Bai Ren Vs Half-Qilin!

After killing Gou You, it was understandable that the next thing for Bai Ren was to deal with the Half-Qilin.

The Half-Qilin narrowed its eyes and looked at the weapon in Bai Ren's hand.

While he can sense immense power from it, he didn't think that it could change anything.

"You want to be next?"

The Half-Qilin asked arrogantly.

"You can try!"

Bai Ren replied, showing no hint of fear.

Of course, while he appeared confident, it wasn't as if he didn't know who he was facing-

A being who had easily killed an Earth Immortal.

"Zhao Wujin! Yu Xuande! Support me!"

Bai Ren called out. He wasn't arrogant enough to believe he could take on the Half-Qilin alone just because he possessed a Saint-Grade Sword.

!!!

Zhao Wujin snapped out of his stunned state. He stared at Bai Ren's sword with a mixture of envy and greed.

After all, regardless of how this battle ended, once everything was over, they would return to being enemies of the Bai Clan.

To think the Bai Clan possessed such a terrifying trump card...

He couldn't help but shudder. If they had truly attacked the Bai Clan and been met with such a sword-

Even he might have ended up like Gou You.

"S-Sure!"

Yu Xuande responded.

Zhao Wujin clenched his teeth, forcibly suppressing the turbulent thoughts in his mind.

He needs to first deal with their immediate threat.

He took a deep breath, his gaze sharpening as his aura surged.

"Fine," Zhao Wujin said heavily. "Let's do this!"

Yu Xuande was already moving.

"We'll keep it occupied like earlier!"

Yu Xuande shouted, his voice strained but resolute.

"Bai Ren, attack while we suppress it!"

Zhao Wujin didn't hesitate.

He stepped forward, blood essence burning as his aura surged violently.

"Sky-Binding Suppression!"

The heavens trembled as invisible chains descended, locking onto the Half-Qilin's massive form.

At the same time, Yu Xuande's sword flashed.

Space warped, folding in on itself as layers of restrictive force wrapped around

the Half-Qilin from all directions-exactly like before.

For a brief moment-It seemed to work.

The Half-Qilin's movements slowed.

Zhao Wujin's eyes lit up.

"Now!"

Bai Ren stepped forward-

And then the Half-Qilin laughed.

A deep, rumbling sound filled with pure contempt.

BOOM!

An overwhelming aura exploded outward.

The suppressive chains snapped instantly, shattering like brittle glass. The distorted space collapsed violently, sending Yu Xuande flying as he coughed up blood.

Zhao Wujin's face turned pale.

"What?!"

He couldn't understand how Half-Qilin easily broke free when earlier he couldn't.

"So fragile," it said coldly.

With a single step forward-

CRACK!

The ground within hundreds of meters collapsed.

With a casual sweep of its arm, a terrifying wave of force erupted.

Zhao Wujin was struck head-on.

PUFF!

Blood sprayed as his body was hurled backward like a broken doll, smashing through several mountain ridges before finally skidding to a stop.

"Zhao Wujin!"

Yu Xuande barely had time to react before a massive claw descended from above.

BOOM!

His protective artifacts shattered one after another. His formations collapsed instantly, and his body slammed into the earth as blood poured from his mouth.

"Argh!"

Both were heavily injured.

The Half-Qilin looked down at them with indifference. Earlier-it was an assumption that it had been acting but now it's confirmed.

Deliberately allowing them to believe they were suppressing it.

The Half-Qilin bared its fangs at Yu Xuande.

"Enough, I've indulged you long enough."

Yu Xuande's pupils shrank.

His defensive artifacts were broken.

He couldn't dodge.

He couldn't block.

(Is this it...?)

The claw descended.

Just as the killing blow was about to land-

CLANG!!!

A deafening metallic roar tore through the battlefield.

The shockwave ripped outward, flattening the earth and scattering Qi in violent spirals.

The Half-Qilin's claw was stopped.

Bai Ren stood between it and Yu Xuande, both hands gripping the Saint-Grade

Sword, his feet sunk deep into the fractured ground.

Cracks spiderwebbed beneath him, spreading for hundreds of meters.

Yet-

He did not retreat.

Yu Xuande stared in disbelief.

"B-Bai Ren...!"

The Half-Qilin's eyes narrowed.

"Oh?"

It said, surprised.

"You blocked that?"

Bai Ren exhaled slowly, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

The impact had shaken him to the core, his arms trembling from the sheer force behind the strike.

"Get back," Bai Ren said calmly, without turning his head.

"Both of you!"

The Half-Qilin snorted.

"How admirable," it mocked.

"But pointless!"

Its claw pushed down harder.

The ground beneath Bai Ren collapsed another layer, his knees bending slightly -but the sword held firm.

"Move!"

Bai Ren roared.

Zhao Wujin, battered and bloodied, forced himself upright. He gritted his teeth, grabbed Yu Xuande, and pulled him back at once.

The moment they cleared the area-

Bai Ren twisted his wrists and exploded backward, disengaging as the Half-Qilin's claw slammed into the ground, detonating the earth into a massive crater.

Dust and debris filled the sky.

When it cleared-the three stood together once more.

Breathing heavily.

Bloodied.

But alive.

Bai Ren straightened, wiping the blood from his lips with his sleeve.

Against Gou You, he won easily using the Saint-grade Sword. Even with the support of Yu Xuande and Zhao Wujin, they were struggling.

This showed just how powerful Half-Qilin was compared to a typical

Earth-Immortal.

"Don't hold back!"

Bai Ren said firmly.

Yu Xuande and Zhao Wujin nodded their heads.

The three spread out, forming a triangular formation around the Half-Qilin.

Yu Xuande gathered all his Qi.

"Void-Sealing Domain!"

Space trembled.

Invisible boundaries snapped into existence around the Half-Qilin, compressing the surrounding void and disrupting the flow of demonic Qi. It wasn't meant to kill-only to restrain.

The Half-Qilin immediately felt it.

"Hmph!"

It stomped forward, flames roaring as the sealing domain cracked violently.

"You insects think this is enough?"

But Zhao Wujin didn't give it time.

"Skyfall Suppression Art!"

It was a Heaven-Grade Technique which was many times more powerful than the suppression technique he used earlier.

He slammed his palm downward.

The heavens responded.

A colossal, invisible pressure descended, forcing the Half-Qilin's movements to slow-if only for a fraction of a second.

That fraction was enough.

Bai Ren stepped forward.

Sword Qi condensed to an absurd degree, sharp enough to slice through laws themselves.

The surrounding cultivators-friend and foe alike-felt their souls prickle as if standing before an execution blade.

"Don't let it move!"

Bai Ren commanded.

Yu Xuande roared as blood seeped from the corners of his mouth.

"Hold it-now!"

The Half-Qilin's eyes burned crimson as it struggled, its massive body trembling under the combined suppression.

"You dare-!"

Even if it was for millisecond, he was angry that the people he considered to be ants were able to restrain him.

Bai Ren raised the sword with both hands.

"Nine Shadows Flowing Light Sword!"

One sword-

Split into nine.

Nine identical sword shadows burst forth, each carrying terrifying sword Qi that could cut through a mountain.

Like light bending through space, the nine shadows weaved along impossible trajectories, appearing from every direction at once-above, below, left, right, and even from the void itself.

Unlike Bai Zihan, Bai Ren had clearly reached Perfect Mastery of the technique, even confusing the Half-Qilin.

"Attack!"

Zhao Wujin roared.

He thrust both palms forward, pouring his entire cultivation into the suppression art.

The pressure doubled.

The Half-Qilin snarled.

"So many tricks!"

It swung its massive arm in a wide arc.

BOOM!

Flames erupted, swallowing two sword shadows whole.

They shattered instantly.

Another shadow was crushed beneath its claw, exploding into scattered sword light.

But the remaining shadows did not retreat.

They slipped past its guard like flowing water.

CLANG! CLANG!

Several shadows struck the Half-Qilin's scales.

Sparks flew.

The sound rang like metal striking divine iron.

Yet-nothing happened.

The sword shadows dispersed, unable to pierce its terrifying defense.

The Half-Qilin laughed, its voice booming with disdain.

"Pathetic!"

Then-

Bai Ren moved.

Unlike the sword shadows, his real body stepped forward silently, perfectly

blending with the fading light.

The Saint-Grade Sword descended in a clean, precise arc.

SLASH!

The blade bit into the Half-Qilin's body.

This time-

Blood burst forth.

A massive gash tore across its side, ripping through scales, flesh, and Qi alike.

Black blood sprayed into the air, sizzling as it touched the ground.

The Half-Qilin's laughter stopped.

Its pupils shrank violently.

It staggered back, releasing a furious roar that shook the heavens.

ROOOAR-!

Zhao Wujin's eyes widened.

Yu Xuande's breath caught in his throat.

The wound did not close.

The torn flesh twitched as its body desperately tried to regenerate-

But it failed.

The wound remained.

It was as if the injury were permanent, immune to any healing ability.

The Half-Qilin stared at its own body, disbelief flashing across its ancient features.

"This... this is impossible..."

It had been wounded before.

Even Li Zhenhe's desperate attack had injured it—but those wounds had healed almost instantly.

This one didn't.

Slowly, the Half-Qilin lifted its gaze to Bai Ren.

Its expression was no longer arrogant.

Nor amused.

It was furious.

And for the first time-

Cautious.

Not of Bai Ren himself-

But of the Saint-Grade Sword in his hand.

It knew!

It was because of that sword that its injuries were not healing as they should.

Zhao Wujin stared, his heart pounding.

Yu Xuande's knees buckled as he gasped for breath.

"That... actually hurt it."

Hope ignited in their hearts.

If the Half-Qilin could be injured-then it could be killed.

For the first time, victory in this impossible battle seemed within reach.

The Half-Qilin's gaze locked onto Bai Ren.

Murderous.

It straightened, Qi surging wildly as power continued to boil within its body.

"You may injure me," it said coldly.

"But killing me-"

It took a step forward, the pressure of a supreme existence crashing outward.

"-is far beyond you."

Bai Ren tightened his grip on the sword.

Sweat trickled down his temple, though his expression remained calm.

While injuring the Half-Qilin was a huge relief, he knew it wouldn't be easy to repeat.

Especially now that the Half-Qilin was wary of the Saint-Grade Sword.

He might not get the same opportunity again.