You promised steampunk martial arts, but you've got an internal combustion engine in your chest

Ding Yan sat in the chair with a gloomy expression; the bronze mirror had been smashed to pieces by him.

Night fell outside the warehouse, while inside it was deathly silent, like a graveyard.

Rumble...

The tightly closed warehouse door was slowly pushed open.

White steam, mixed with a strong smell of blood, surged out like a tide.

Baili Jing stepped forward first, dragging the unconscious Ye Xunwei in his arms, his face full of arrogance.

Behind him, Baili Jie followed closely, a faint smile on his face; Hua Xiangrong swayed her hips, a half-smile on her face.

None of the Blackwater Hall disciples who were still standing dared to take a single step forward. For every step Baili Jing took, they retreated a step, and no one dared to step forward to stop him.

"Third Master."

Hua Xiangrong chuckled, "Look, the one-hour time limit... doesn't seem to be up yet, does it?"

Ding Yan's eyes twitched slightly as he stared at Ye Xunwei, who was as limp as mud, and his breathing became heavier.

But only a moment later, a kind smile returned to his face.

"Bai Li Jing, Bai Li Jing..."

He sighed, clapped his hands in praise, and exclaimed, "What a genius! Shanghai has produced such a dragon!"

Baili Jing threw Ye Xunwei to the ground, spat out a mouthful of blood, and sneered, "Your son is crippled and your nephew is disabled, yet you can still laugh. I admire you."

Ding Yan slowly stood up and said with a pleasant expression, "Brother Baili, you flatter me. Our Cao Gang is about to have another genius like you, which is a great fortune for our gang. As the third leader, why shouldn't I be happy?"

Having said that, he cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards Baili Jing, his tone utterly sincere:

"Thank you, Brother Baili, for showing mercy and sparing my nephew's life. You have won this life-or-death duel. I, Ding Yan, always keep my word. From now on, the Blackwater Hall will absolutely not cause you any more trouble."

After saying that, Ding Yan turned his head, glanced at the Blackwater Hall disciples, and said indifferently, "What are you all standing there for? Get to work."

The Blackwater Hall disciples rushed forward, and together they lifted the crippled Ye Xunwei, then hurriedly dragged the other injured fellow disciples out of the storeroom.

From beginning to end, they didn't even have the courage to look Baili Jing in the eye; they were all like stray dogs.

Ding Yan maintained his smiling face, gave Baili Jing a deep look, and then cupped his hands in greeting again:

"Brother Baili... Goodbye, may our paths cross again someday."

Having said that, he turned around, put his hands behind his back, and started to leave.

"stop."

Baili Jing said in a hoarse voice, "Did I say you could leave?"

Ding Yan paused, turned around, and his smile faded slightly: "What is it? Brother Baili, is there anything else you'd like to instruct me on?"

Baili Jing twisted his wrist:

"You were chasing me relentlessly, and now that you can't outmaneuver me, you're just trying to walk away. Didn't you even ask me if I agreed?"

"Ha ha ha ha!"

Ding Yan laughed, turning his body completely around: "What, Brother Baili, are you trying to beat me to death right here?"

Baili Jing chuckled, "You're the third-in-command of the Canal Gang, you must be capable. Whether I can kill you or not, I don't know; but you've tried to kill me time and time again, and I just let you go... I can't accept that!"

Before he finished speaking, he pushed off with his foot, sending a terrifying shockwave straight towards Ding Yan!

However, Ding Yan not only remained calm, but also looked at Hua Xiangrong and sneered:

"Your White Flower Hall should really teach him... what the rules of the martial world are."

Click!

Just as the punch was about to land, Ding Yan suddenly reached out and slammed his hand heavily on a hidden button on his chest!

In an instant, his wide silk robe billowed without wind, and a series of gear-grinding sounds erupted from within.

boom!

Two scalding heat waves instantly erupted from his back.

To Baili Jing's astonishment, a pair of steam-powered mechanical wings, each over ten feet wide, violently unfurled from the tear in Ding Yan's clothes on his back, covered with countless intricate talismans.

"rise!"

Ding Yan snorted coldly, and the high-pressure steam was released wildly. With a flap of his wings, his body was lifted off the ground and soared into the sky!

Baili Jing's punch missed its mark. He chased after him for a few steps, but found that he couldn't catch up at all.

With the help of the talismanic mechanical wings, Ding Yan flew into the air in just a few breaths, floating high above.

"Brother Baili, don't rush. I know you're angry, but now... is not the time."

He chuckled and said, "You'll be a big shot in the Grand Canal Gang someday. We shouldn't be fighting now... After your second brother has taught you, we can catch up later."

After saying that, Ding Yan's mechanical wings spewed out a large amount of steam, and he quickly turned into a blurry black dot and disappeared into the distance.

"Damn it... that fatso got away..."

Baili Jing cursed under his breath.

Just as he was about to turn back, a feeling of emptiness suddenly spread wildly from his abdomen, as if a raging fire was burning in his stomach, threatening to devour all his flesh and blood.

His knees buckled, and Baili Jing collapsed to his knees with a thud, panting heavily with veins bulging on his forehead.

"Brother! What's wrong?!" Baili Jie rushed over to support him.

"N-nothing..."

Baili Jing gritted his teeth: "That last outburst with Ye Xunwei... consumed too much of my energy and blood, and now my stomach is rebelling."

Hua Xiangrong also came up and looked at Baili Jing:

"Third Master Ding is one of the top talisman masters in Shencheng. Although he's not a steam cultivator, he has many skills. Even I wouldn't be able to take him down, but..."

Her beautiful eyes sparkled, and she covered her mouth with a charming smile, her eyes shining brightly, almost dripping with tears.

"Young man, you have truly broadened my horizons. A person who has not even entered the realm has actually crippled a disciple of the Xuandu Immortal Temple. I like you more and more now."

Baili Jing was in no mood for her flirting at the moment. He clutched his stomach and weakly said:

"Sister Hua... let's not talk about that now... meat... I'm starving! Can you get me some meat? Any kind of meat will do!"

"Hehe, look how anxious you are. You've done a great service, how could your elder sister let her hero go hungry?"

Hua Xiangrong covered her mouth and giggled, "There's still a lot of meat in this storeroom. You couldn't find it earlier, so I'll get it for you right away."

She darted into a hidden compartment deep within the warehouse.

A moment later, she came out carrying a box.

Upon opening the box, one finds a large pile of monster meat neatly stacked inside.

Baili Jing was so hungry that he was delirious. He snatched a piece of food and began to tear it apart frantically.

The monster meat melted in the mouth, turning into scalding energy that slid down the esophagus into the stomach.

"Cool!"

He was like a starving wolf who hadn't eaten for three days; he swallowed all the monster meat in just a few bites.

"etc?"

After eating, he suddenly froze: "My stomach is growling so loudly, and I'm still hungry. No way... uh... ahhhhhh!!"

He suddenly let out a piercing scream!

The body, which was extremely hungry just a second ago, suddenly swelled up!

Immediately afterwards, his skin began to turn bright red at a visible speed, and then countless jets of blood gushed out from his pores!

In an instant, a thick blood mist completely enveloped him, and within a radius of three zhang, there was a pungent, blood-red mist.

"Brother!! Brother, what's wrong?!"

Baili Jie was shocked and reached out to pull Baili Jing, but the terrifying heat emanating from Baili Jing made him pull his hand back sharply, his palm instantly turning black.

"Damn it! Is he suffering from excessive blood and qi?"

Hua Xiangrong also gasped: "Is this a problem with her blood and qi constitution?"

"It's so hot...it's so hot!!"

Baili Jing screamed in pain.

He felt as if his internal organs had fallen into lava, and every blood vessel and every muscle was being burned and vaporized!

He could hear his brother's shouts and what Hua Xiangrong was saying, but these sounds were fading away rapidly.

Soon, the world before him turned into darkness, and he collapsed to the ground, covered in a thick mist of hot blood, unconscious.