Chapter 345 - Zuoqiu’s Challenge
Chapter 345 Zuoqiu’s Challenge
Ou Yangming happily left the Woo Residence after his duel with Woo Lejia. He had gained a deeper understanding regarding the two special skills that were inscribed into his arm guard.
Both skills were extremely powerful, and they had both surpassed his expectations. This was especially true once they were used in conjunction with the Spiritual Fist, as it was potent even against Supreme Great Ancestors. However, the downside to it was that it expended a huge amount of energy, to the extent that even Ou Yangming was having trouble dealing with its consumption.
Perhaps, he could only use the ability without restraint only after he had advanced into Extreme Grade.
However, by that point, these gimmicks would no longer be of use to him. As Ou Yangming had declined Woo Lejia’s offer to take a carriage, once he left the Woo Residence, he wandered around and constantly fretted on what his next move should be.
Not long after, Ou Yangming’s senses suddenly perked up. Ou Yangming lifted his head, and instantly, he spotted a straight figure in front of him. Upon realizing who the person was, Ou Yangming froze. ‘Zuoqiu Hongyuan! It was the first challenger of the Myriad Treasure Meet’s ring domination event, Zuoqiu Hongyuan! The young powerhouse from Huangsha County had originally planned to make his grand debut on the stage of the Myriad Treasure Meet, and he was even willing to go head to head against Her Royal Princess, Wu Hanning to make a name for himself.
Alas, fate was a cruel entity, and his dreams were shattered by the weirdo, Ou Yangming who had seemingly popped out of nowhere. By the time Ou Yangming had utilized his Simulated Spiritual Fist to force the Yang Grade powerhouses to become Supreme Great Ancestors, the door to his stardom had slammed shut. Be it Zuoqiu Hongyuan or even Wu Hanning herself, they were both equally outshined by Ou Yangming, and as a result, they had unanimously decided to back out of the ring domination.
After all, he had no chance of stealing Ou Yangming’s spotlight. Thus, retreating was undoubtedly the best course of action. Nevertheless, Zuoqiu Hongyuan’s sudden appearance had still left Ou Yangming visibly surprised. After giving a slight nod of acknowledgment, Ou Yangming asked, “To what pleasure do I owe this visit, Brother Zuoqiu?’ Zuoqiu Hongyuan extended his hand and made an inviting motion. “Brother Ou, could you come at me?” There was a fervent battle hunger emanating from his eyes, and although he did not radiate an aura, his eyes had told Ou Yangming all he needed to know.
After giving it some thought, Ou Yangming suddenly found himself enticed by the same thirst for battle as well.
They were both equally influential personalities who stood at the pinnacle of their era, and as such, they had only needed a glance to understand what the other was thinking. “Sure,” Ou Yangming softly replied. Zuoqiu Hongyuan then turned around and marched away, and Ou Yangming followed suit. Although they moved at a normal pace when they arrived at a crowd, their movements became as ethereal as a ghost’s, and before long, they had vanished within the crowd.
Once they had disappeared, several martial artists suddenly ran out in a panic. They were all martial artists that Woo Lejia had sent to watch over Ou Yangming in secret. These people were only Yin Grade at best, and their goal was not to protect Ou Yangming, but rather, to take down Ou Yangming’s whereabouts. However, once the two geniuses vanished before their eyes, they instantly exchanged glances at one another, as they could no longer complete their task.
“What do we do, boss?” “No clue! I’m just as lost as the rest of you are!” A middle-aged man angrily stamped his feet. “Bah, I don’t care anymore, let’s just report it as it is. Those two are prodigies, and there’s no way we can keep track of them!”
“Noted!”
With that, the group hurriedly turned back to report their findings to the clan leader and the two Supreme Great Ancestors.
In response, Woo Lejia and the others had only chuckled at the news. They were aware of Zuoqiu Hongyuan’s goal, but they could do nothing to stop them.
The only choice they had was to pray that they would not go overboard, as otherwise, it would become a disastrous fiasco.
The two traveled quickly, and before long, they had left the city’s gates in the dust. At their current level of strength, a no holds barred duel between them would no doubt cause massive destruction. Due to this, the city was no place for them to exchange fists, and instead, the two had unanimously chosen to leave the city. Right as they stepped out of the city, Zuoqiu Hongyuan suddenly halted and asked with a smile, “Choose the direction, Brother Ou.” Surprised, Ou Yangming exclaimed, “You led me out of the city without a destination in mind?” Zuoqiu Hongyuan folded his hands and responded, “This is only my second time visiting the capital. As such, I am unfamiliar with the place aside from a few popular spots.” The corner of Ou Yangming’s lips twitched. For the first time ever, he realized that the person before him was not as trustworthy as he thought. Ou Yangming’s eyes wandered about, and soon after, Ou Yangming’s sights had locked onto a mountain range at a distance. Zuoqiu Hongyuan followed his gaze, and he chuckled in response. “That’s a good place, now let us set off!” With that, he sprinted ahead like a bolt of lightning.
Although they were both respected geniuses with immense talent, there were still some lines that were not to be crossed. If they were to fight within the capital, panic would ensue. However, if they were to fight outside the city, they would be like birds liberated from their cages, and they could finally go all out without a care in the world.
Ou Yangming laughed out loud, and with a flash, he then gave chase.
Although Ou Yangming looked as if he was fooling around, he was actually giving it his all as he pursued Zuoqiu Hongyuan.
Ou Yangming had learned a unique set of body techniques in the ring, and he had incorporated them into his physical movements. At that moment, Ou Yangming was using the body technique to its fullest potential, and because of it, Ou Yangming was gradually shortening the distance between himself and Zuoqiu Hongyuan.
However, just as Ou Yangming had finally closed in onto Zuoqiu Hongyuan, the latter suddenly picked up in speed, and an instant later, Ou Yangming was left in the dust once more. A cold gust washed over Ou Yangming’s heart, and he had contemplated activating his Blood Fight Art. However, Ou Yangming pushed down the thought just as quickly as he had thought of it. The Blood Fight Art was one of his greatest trump cards, and unless the situation demanded it, he refused to reveal it. With his thoughts cleared, Ou Yangming decided not to enter the state of integration of Heaven and man, and instead, he trailed behind Zuoqiu Hongyuan as if he had given up on catching
up.
Zuoqiu Hongyuan noticed Ou Yangming trailing behind, and with his goal of gauging Ou Yangming’s maximum speed accomplished, he slowed down as well.
The path uphill was steep and dangerous, but it posed no problem to them. Not long after, the two had reached the top of one of the mountains.
The location was not desolate, and although its surface was slightly bumpy, it could be considered relatively flat. As such, it was considered a good location for their duel. As the two stepped forward, Ou Yangming suddenly joked, “You’re a pretty good guide, Brother Zuoqiu.” Zuoqiu Hongyuan joked back in response, “Well, you were the one who chose it, so I needed to do my best to meet your expectations.” There seemed to be a deeper meaning towards his words, which prompted Ou Yangming to think. Not long after, however, he sighed and responded, “Indeed, my path is absolute, after all!” A moment later, Ou Yangming then commented, “Brother Zuoqiu, your sudden visit today is both surprising and saddening to me.” Confused, Zuoqiu Hongyuan asked, “What do you mean by this?”
Ou Yangming coldly responded, “You should’ve challenged me sooner!”
Zuoqiu Hongyuan laughed out loud. “Brother Ou, you just advanced into the Yang Grade not too long ago! Logically speaking, I should wait for your boundary to stabilize first, right?”
A spark of realization flared up within Ou Yangming’s eyes.
Zuoqiu Hongyuan was much more prideful than he had let up. Had Ou Yangming not advanced into the Yang Grade during his time in the palace, the young powerhouse from Huangsha County would likely not have challenged him, regardless of his accomplishments.
However, perhaps it was his pride that had allowed him to reach this level of cultivation.
Zuoqiu Hongyuan cheerfully stated, “Take care, Brother Ou.” With that, he then raised his hands and fired off an air fist.
A chill ran down Ou Yangming’s spine as he was suddenly bombarded with an overwhelming sense of danger from all directions. Although the fist had clearly been launched in front of him, for some reason, Ou Yangming’s senses had told him otherwise. It was as if there was a Zuoqiu Hongyuan in each cardinal direction, and they had attacked at the same time. There was a crushing weight to their attacks, and Ou Yangming felt as if he was about to be trampled.
Nevertheless, Ou Yangming took in a deep breath, and with a sway of his body, he returned an air fist of his own.
The Air-striking Fist Technique. The Air-striking Fist Technique was a mystical technique capable of energizing and expanding space itself. As such, if Ou Yangming’s counterattack were to land onto Zuoqiu Hongyuan, it would cause major damage to him.
Waves upon waves of strange energy emanated from Ou Yangming’s body as he constantly swayed about and dodged Zuoqiu Hongyuan’s fists like a demon-possessed madman. It was the spectacular result of his combination of the integration of Heaven and man, together with his thoroughly meticulous state. “Nice!”
Zuoqiu Hongyuan’s eyes lit up as he shouted in praise. He then began to sway as well, and in that instant, Ou Yangming noticed that his mental lock on Zuoqiu Hongyuan had disappeared, resulting in his powerful Air-striking Fist missing completely. ‘Integration of Heaven and man!’
Ou Yangming had encountered many powerhouses before this, and though some of them had learned of the integration of Heaven and man as well, those who shared his deep understanding of it were few and far between.
After all, Ou Yangming had also mastered the even tougher thoroughly meticulous, and though the two techniques were not the same, they had greatly complemented one another. Nevertheless, Zuoqiu Hongyuan’s performance was staggering to Ou Yangming, as the young man’s mastery of the integration of Heaven and man was on par with his own. “Woosh…Woosh…Woosh…”
Strong gales surrounded the arena in an instant, and the powerful swirling winds marched towards Ou Yangming like a tornado sowing destruction. At that point, no amount of body techniques could save Ou Yangming, as there was no place to hide from the omnidirectional whirlwinds. A faint smile appeared on Zuoqiu Hongyuan’s face. The winds were a technique that he had purposely honed to deal with Ou Yangming, as they would completely suppress Ou Yangming’s movement and leave no opening for him to escape.