Yao Yao was also showing signs of fatigue. The Black Clad Brother's every move was like Mount Tai descending, and though Yao Yao possessed silky smooth techniques, she couldn't unleash them. She could only defend passively. *Clang*, her crescent blade was knocked flying by the Black Clad Brother. Yao Yao, being right-handed, had to transfer her left crescent blade to her right hand to continue her defense.
Just as she was about to collapse under the pressure, my peripheral vision caught a movement near the rockery in the corner. I turned to look, and the basement cover was pushed open from within, revealing a pair of large, yellowish eyes. Then, the entire cover was lifted, and a seven or eight meter long giant crocodile emerged. The Black Clad man had his back to the crocodile. Seeing her rescuer arrive, Yao Yao fought with all her might, using the inner edge of her crescent blade to lock onto the Black Clad man's sword. Unable to withdraw his sword, he had no choice but to twist his waist and swing his greatsword, turning 180 degrees and flinging Yao Yao, weapon and all, outwards. She crashed heavily into the rockery!
At the same time, the giant crocodile's massive body slithered closer to the ground. As Yao Yao grazed its head in her flight, the crocodile didn't go to her rescue. Instead, it opened its wide maw diagonally and lunged at the Black Clad man's legs. The Black Clad man, still off-balance from flinging Yao Yao, couldn't dodge. His entire lower body was firmly clamped by the crocodile. It seemed his protective barrier could only defend against flying sand and stones, not the crocodile's teeth and immense biting force.
*CRACK!*
The crocodile actually bit the enemy in half at the waist. The Black Clad man, perhaps not yet realizing he was only half a man, continued to stab at the crocodile's skin with his sword. Truly a Purple Qi master, his full-power thrust penetrated, but only about ten centimeters before the sword's shaft was locked by the crocodile's armor.
The giant crocodile performed a "death roll" on the spot, flinging the Black Clad man's upper body away. Upon landing, he even tried to prop himself up with his hands. Looking down, his lower body had vanished. The Black Clad Brother let out a cry. Soon, his internal organs and blood were completely drained. A Purple Qi master thus met his end in the jaws of a crocodile.
Seeing their leader dead, the Black and Gray clad figures immediately rushed forward to attempt a rescue. He was cut in half, the wound nearly half a meter in diameter. What was there to rescue? Enraged, the two grabbed two steel sabers from the surrounding lackeys and charged at the crocodile demon.
I surmised that the crocodile demon had likely expended a great deal of true qi while protecting its daughter, or else, as a higher-level master (Purple Qi intermediate, perhaps?), it wouldn't have transformed into an animal form to fight. Moreover, although the crocodile was large, it was not agile. Surrounded front and back by the White and Gray clad figures, it couldn't defend itself properly and soon took several cuts, losing many scales the size of playing cards.
At this point, Yao Yao had finally recovered. Picking up her single crescent blade, she returned to the battlefield and engaged the Gray clad woman.
Among the Black, White, and Gray clad trio, though all were at the early stage of Purple Qi, comparing them to Yao Yao, the now deceased Black Clad man was clearly stronger. The Gray clad woman's combat power was lower than Yao Yao's. Furthermore, Yao Yao continued to use magical attacks, and the Gray clad woman lacked the "Golden Bell Shield" protection. With a moment's carelessness, a mischievous tree root snaked out and tripped her. Yao Yao gave her no chance, lunging forward and slashing the Gray clad woman's neck with her crescent blade. She then casually snatched the steel saber from the Gray clad woman's hand and, without looking back, rushed to the other battlefield.
The Gray clad woman's eyes widened. She covered her neck with both hands, small fountains of blood gushing from between her fingers. Blood also poured from her mouth, soaking her mask. The scene was rather gruesome, and feeling disgusted, I looked away. I then noticed that the minor lackeys were beginning to retreat from the courtyard, likely preparing to flee as the battle turned against them.
The battle was indeed turning against them. The combination of Yao Yao and the crocodile completely overwhelmed the remaining White clad man. In a flash, the crocodile seized one of his arms. Yao Yao's saber descended, severing it. Then, her blade slashed upwards, entering his right waist and exiting his left shoulder.
The White clad man stood frozen, his head and the upper half of his body sliding along the tilted surface of the wound and falling to the ground.
He died without a whole body.
The lackeys abandoned all hope and scattered, leaving even their numerous drones behind.
The Gray clad woman was not dead, still clutching her neck, watching her second brother's beheading with grief and terror. Gurgling sounds emanated from her throat.
Sha Wuji, perhaps unable to bear it, limped over and stared at the Gray clad woman at close range. The Gray clad woman looked at Tiger Head, her expression slowly shifting from grief to despair.
The tiger demon let out a growl, its pitch rising. The Gray clad woman understood, nodded, and closed her eyes. The tiger demon opened its bloody maw, clamped down on the Gray clad woman's small head, and twisted to the left with a *crack*, ending her suffering.