Zuoqiu widened his eyes slightly and he halted what he was doing. A grim look covered his face, and with that, he then brought up his hands.
A colossal power surged forth from his hands, and with it, he took Ou Yangming’s fist head-on.
A deafening boom ensued from their clash, and Ou Yangming was hurtled backward.
Although Ou Yangming’s complexion had turned pale from the explosion, Zuoqiu Hongyuan was left in a worse state than him. A trickle of blood could be seen flowing down from the corner of his mouth.
The two locked glares while eyeing the other warily.
Back when they had crossed fists earlier, Ou Yangming had almost given up when he sensed Zuoqiu Hongyuan’s control of the elements. However, upon closer observation, he noticed that while the whirlwinds were indeed powerful, they lacked a certain liveliness to them.
It was as if the whirlwinds had been given specific orders in advance, and because of it, the way they moved had lacked any sort of flexibility.
Due to this, Ou Yangming’s resolve was rekindled once more.
Ou Yangming poured all of his attention into his five senses, and the moment he detected that the winds had congregated together, he activated his Blood Flight Art. Just as he had calculated, the powerful winds had been caught off guard by his sudden response, and as a result, Ou Yangming was able to burst out of the blockade in the nick of time. Ou Yangming could tell that Zuoqiu Hongyuan’s control of the elements was not a skill of his own, but rather, due to a unique item he had on hand.
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Just like Ou Yangming’s own Charm Arm Guard, it was too powerful for him to control its abilities perfectly.
Due to Zuoqiu Hongyuan’s inability to fully utilize it, it had ended up being the key to Ou Yangming’s counterattack.
Although Ou Yangming’s Blood Flight Art would absorb Ou Yangming’s Qi and blood, since Ou Yangming had ascended to the Yang Grade, his Qi and blood were richer than ever before, and as a result, using the Blood Flight Art in short bursts would not affect him much.
On the other hand, Zuoqiu Hongyuan had suffered serious consequences when he abruptly ceased the use of his magic tool.
Although both sides had suffered wounds from their quick exchange, if they were to compare the damage, it was clear that Ou Yangming had come up on top.
Zuoqiu Hongyuan scrutinized Ou Yangming and declared, “Impressive, Brother Ou! You’re the first person I’ve met who broke out of the whirlwinds with sheer force.”
Ou Yangming chuckled and responded, “You flatter me, Brother Zuoqiu. We’re just borrowing the powers of our equipment, there’s nothing impressive about that.”
Zuoqiu Hongyuan shook his head, “Is our equipment not part of our strength? Why do you treat them separately, Brother Ou?” Ou Yangming was at a loss for words. However, he managed to stifle a laugh and respond, “Perhaps it’s due to my nature as a blacksmith to treat them differently.” Following that, he then sighed to himself, ‘It seems that I’ve been too pedantic. Without all these rare pieces of equipment, my combat prowess would probably drop by a third.’
In Ou Yangming’s world, one’s equipment was considered as part of their strength, and there was no point in shying away from it.
With his newfound philosophy in mind, Ou Yangming then chuckled and said, “Well, since you’ve taken your best shot at me, it would be rude for me to not reciprocate. Take care, Brother Zuoqiu.”
Ou Yangming lowered his hips into a horse stance and hurled his fist forward.
The mental power within Ou Yangming’s sea of consciousness poured forth like a torrential storm, and in that instant, Ou Yangming’s Simulated Spiritual Fist was stronger than it had ever been.
A lion shows no mercy to its prey, and the same could be said of Ou Yangming.
Since Zuoqiu Hongyuan had used his ultimate trump card right off the bat, Ou Yangming had decided to return the favor as well.
That is, until he launched his attack. Upon doing so, Ou Yangming’s complexion paled even further. Much to his surprise, Ou Yangming realized that he was incapable of capturing Zuoqiu Hongyuan’s mental conception. The Spiritual Fist could be regarded as a two-way technique of sorts, in a sense that whenever it was successful, the consciousness of Ou Yangming’s opponent would enter an illusory world of Ou Yangming’s creation. However, if it were to fail, it meant that his opponent’s spiritual will was stronger than his own, and Ou Yangming would be able to detect
it.
The latter case had applied to Zuoqiu Hongyuan, as to Ou Yangming’s surprise, Zuoqiu Hongyuan had a will of iron, and despite being only in Yang Grade, it was much sturdier than even the newly ascended Supreme Great Ancestor, Woo Lejia.
Indeed, and it was not only stronger by a slight margin, but by a landslide.
Mental power and spiritual will were not the same, and although Ou Yangming’s mental power had far surpassed his opponent’s, the same could not be said of his spiritual will.
An enigmatic smile flashed across Zuoqiu Hongyuan’s face as he seized Ou Yangming’s moment of surprise to fire off the strongest attack he could muster.
Ou Yangming snapped back to reality and instantly retreated while using his body technique.
Without the use of his Blood Flight Art, Ou Yangming’s speed was inferior to Zuoqiu Hongyuan’s. However, if he were to combine his mystical body techniques together with the Integration of Heaven and man and thoroughly meticulous, Ou Yangming could give Zuoqiu Hongyuan a run for his money.
While falling back, Ou Yangming raised both his hands and fired several attacks in-air.
They were Air-striking Fists, and at that moment, several invisible waves of energy were hurtling towards Zuoqiu Hongyuan’s direction. This mysterious power had intimidated even Zuoqiu Hongyuan, as he had pushed himself to the limits just to avoid them.
For a period, the two looked as if they had morphed into rays of light as they constantly moved around the arena, shifting between attack and defense.
They moved at insane speeds, and if a bystander were to catch sight of their battle, they would undoubtedly become dizzy and lose track of them.
Ou Yangming constantly fired off his Air-striking Fists, and for an instant, he had managed to create an opening to land a solid blow onto Zuoqiu Hongyuan. Alas, just as he was about to take advantage of it, he suddenly noticed that the air around him had become stiffer.
His fight against Zuoqiu Hongyuan was like a fight within a giant spider web, and the longer they fought, the harder it became for him to move.
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Earlier, Zuoqiu Hongyuan had commanded the winds via his equipment to besiege Ou Yangming. However, in that moment, Zuoqiu Hongyuan had somehow converted his order to make Ou Yangming feel as if he was fighting in quicksand. Every action that Ou Yangming took had expended much more energy than he normally would. Although there were lush greenery and serene mountains dotted across the landscape, to Ou Yangming’s senses, it felt as if he was caught within a sandstorm. It was as if the young man from the Huangsha (TL: ), Huangsha means yellow sand) County had the ability to envelop his surroundings in yellow sand.
In a battle against Zuoqiu Hongyuan, one’s home ground advantage meant nothing.
Zuoqiu Hongyuan constantly swung his arms around as his mind conjured up the yellowy, sandy landscape of his hometown. He had integrated his spiritual will with his fist art, and as a result, those scenes within his memories had begun to take shape in reality.
This was Zuoqiu Hongyuan’s ultimate fist technique, and it was a skill that he had only managed to cultivate due to the precarious nature of Huangsha County.
Even within all the generations of the Zuoqiu Family, those who had managed to cultivate it were few and far between.
Amidst the ethereal veil of sand, an expression of assured victory hung on Zuoqiu Hongyuan’s face. He had gained the upper hand once more, and this time, he refused to let Ou Yangming escape.
Ou Yangming
inhaled a deep breath, and to his surprise, the air he breathed felt grainy.
Although Zuoqiu Hongyuan was not using the Simulated Spiritual Fist, it had seemed that they shared certain similarities.
Nevertheless, the Simulated Spiritual Fist was still the superior technique.
Ou Yangming’s figure began to sway, and although his movements were restrained, there was not an ounce of sluggishness to it.
A moment later, Ou Yangming hurled his fist forward once more. The technique of the fist was no different from his prior attempts, but this time, his arm guard had lit up when he unleashed it.
A strange power surged forth from the arm guard and infused itself within the fist.
The next instant, Zuoqiu Hongyuan who was on the cusp of victory suddenly found himself face-to-face with a gargantuan creature.
It was a multicolored tiger, and it had lazily lifted its body from its sandy surroundings. Following that, the tiger then turned around and flashed its plump buttocks in Zuoqiu Hongyuan’s face.
To his surprise, Zuoqiu Hongyuan had found the multicolored tiger… Rather seductive!
Chapter 347 - Heart To Heart Between The Strong
Chapter 347 A Heart To Heart Between The Strong
Zuoqiu Hongyuan’s eyes narrowed as he mentally cursed at his predicament.
He instantly realized that he was caught within Ou Yangming’s Simulated Spiritual Fist. His expression turned grim, and confusion began to well up within his heart.
Although he was no Supreme Great Ancestor, he possessed extraordinary talent, and as a result, he had already cultivated his spiritual will and flesh into one. In a sense, Zuoqiu Hongyuan could ascend into Extreme Grade anytime he wanted.
However, his greed had stopped him from doing so.
Although becoming a Supreme Great Ancestor was the greatest desire of many martial artists, that was not the case for Zuoqiu Hongyuan.
As such, he suppressed his cultivation base to the peak of Yang Grade and continued to hone his body to its absolute limits. Only after he had achieved this goal would he finally step into Extreme Grade.
It was also for this reason that Zuoqiu Hongyuan had abstained from supporting Ou Yangming during the Myriad Treasure Meet.
He had absolute confidence in his own abilities, and at the same time, he doubted that he would fall prey to Ou Yangming’s Simulated Spiritual Fist.
Moreover, he had also proven his doubts earlier when Ou Yangming had attempted the Simulated Spiritual Fist on him. Not only did Ou Yangming fail to change his perception of his surroundings, but he had also failed to faze Zuoqiu Hongyuan’s spiritual will at all. As such, Zuoqiu Hongyuan had not expected Ou Yangming to use the same skill again. Worse still, his second attempt was much stronger than before, and Zuoqiu Hongyuan had felled prey to it immediately without even putting up a fight.
Zuoqiu Hongyuan’s swaying motion had come to a halt, and as far as he was concerned, nowhere was safe. Even a moment’s loss of focus would result in his situation taking a turn for the worst.
That was the strength of the Simulated Spiritual Fist, so long as it had ensnared its target’s spiritual will, it could unleash unlimited possibilities.
The huge multicolored tiger strode towards Zuoqiu Hongyuan from a distance. It moved slowly as if it had all the time in the world, and in response, Zuoqiu Hongyuan began to sweat profusely.
Had this been the actual multicolored tiger, Zuoqiu Hongyuan would likely not have panicked as much as he did.
However, the multicolored tiger before him was not the original. For every step the multicolored tiger took, an indescribable sense of cuteness could be felt. Zuoqiu Hongyuan could not muster a single ounce of excitement to face it, as in his eyes, the multicolored tiger had looked no different from a little kitten.
Caught in an impasse, Zuoqiu Hongyuan’s aura suddenly thickened, and he clenched his teeth while hesitating on his next move.
Meanwhile, Ou Yangming had chosen not to attack aggressively with the tiger, as doing so would exhaust his mental power at a greater rate. Moreover, he was also curious as to what kind of interesting results he would obtain if he were to make the tiger move slowly.
The closer the multicolored tiger had gotten to Zuoqiu Hongyuan, the sharper its glare became, and due to this, its intimidation had become even more potent.
Ou Yangming’s eyes gleamed with excitement and relief as he observed the immobile Zuoqiu Hongyuan from afar.
The seemingly endless sandstorm that besieged him earlier had worried him deeply. Nevertheless, once he had successfully activated his Simulated Spiritual Fist, he could feel the pressure vanishing in an instant. For the time being, Ou Yangming had kept a close watch on his opponent. So long as he could land a solid hit onto Zuoqiu Hongyuan with his multicolored tiger, victory would be his for the taking.
Time trickled slowly, and the longer Ou Yangming observed, the greater his confidence was. In the end, Ou Yangming was certain that victory was in his grasp.
The multicolored tiger had finally reached Zuoqiu Hongyuan’s side. Nevertheless, it did not open its maw, and instead, it had closed the gap between them even further. While drawing Zuoqiu Hongyuan’s attention with its enchanting eyes, the multicolored tiger lifted its tail and dropped a snake in Zuoqiu Hongyuan’s blind spot. The snake then widened its mouth and pounced directly towards Zuoqiu Hongyuan’s neck.
Nevertheless, right before the snake had managed to sink its fangs into Zuoqiu Hongyuan, an earth-shattering chime erupted from its body.
Ou Yangming shuddered at the sound, and he felt as if his internal organs had been crushed by a stone. Unable to maintain his Spiritual Fist in that state, the constructs within his sea of consciousness began to fall apart. The sound continued to play out, and it had invaded Ou Yangming’s sea of consciousness, threatening to obliterate his mental scape completely
Suddenly, an unparalleled power was triggered within Ou Yangming.
Deep within Ou Yangming’s sea of consciousness, the purple Military Fire flared up. As if it had sensed Ou Yangming’s danger, the Military Fire had chosen to unleash its full power.
The chime continuously rang out within Ou Yangming’s sea of consciousness, and it felt as if it had an unlimited source of energy. Nevertheless, once the purple flames were ignited and spread out, the chime instantly vanished, and Ou Yangming’s sea of consciousness had returned to a blank state, as if nothing had transpired.
Ou Yangming was rattled by Zuoqiu Hongyuan’s move. The threat it posed was no laughing matter.
Nevertheless, when Ou Yangming directed his gaze to Zuoqiu Hongyuan, he noticed that his opponent had worn the same rattled expression as well.
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A moment later, Zuoqiu Hongyuan pulled out a necklace from his sleeves. It was an odd-looking necklace, and its main ornament was an archaic miniature bell that glowed slightly. At that moment, the bell’s glow looked weak, and it felt as if it would extinguish at any moment.
After a bitter chuckle, Zuoqiu Hongyuan then asked, “You’ve improved your Simulated Spiritual Fist even further, huh, Brother Ou?”
Ou Yangming inhaled deeply. Once he had calmed down his internal organs that had been thrown into disarray, he then responded, “The amount of treasures you’re carrying is astounding, Brother Zuoqiu!” Zuoqiu Hongyuan chuckled once more before explaining, “It’s only natural to possess some of one’s family’s treasures, no?”
A memory suddenly resurfaced in Ou Yangming’s mind. It was a recollection of He Liangce, back when he had faced the multicolored tiger. Similar to Zuoqiu Hongyuan, He Liangce did not panic, and he had instead bided his time to unleash a powerful counterattack at the last moment.
A feeling of disgust welled up within Ou Yangming’s heart. He cursed, ‘All these young and talented powerhouses from major families disgust me!’
The two unanimously backed off a few steps to put some distance between each other.
Although there was no clear victor yet, both sides were equall
y wary of one another.
While it was indeed fun to cross fists, neither of them had wanted to concede defeat to the other.
Facing off with one’s equal was undeniably a happy occasion, but at the same time, the sadness of losing the battle was also soul-crushing
The two eyed one another from afar. At that moment, they were like two ferocious tigers fighting over a piece of land. Both sides constantly emitted a powerful aura, and they both took note of all their opponent’s moves, such that if an opportunity were to present itself, they would immediately pounce at the chance.
The two were fraught with nervous energy. After experiencing two close calls, both sides had expanded their auras to their maximum output.
They were both planning to end the battle in the next strike.
However, right as both sides had expanded their auras to the max, the two young powerhouses’ expressions wavered. A slight hesitance crept into their eyes, and as if it were planned, both sides suddenly retracted their auras. A mere instant later, both powerhouses had calmed down, and the tense atmosphere that surrounded them had vanished.
Zuoqiu Hongyuan looked long and hard at Ou Yangming. “You. You’re strong. Very strong.”
Ou Yangming laughed and asked, “Are you praising yourself?”
Zuoqiu Hongyuan flinched for a moment before laughing out loud as well. “Crossing hands with you is really fun! There’s just one issue that I can’t quite figure out. How did you achieve what you did in the end?”
Ou Yangming waved his right hand and told the truth. “I’ve created a special piece of equipment that amplifies the strength of my Spiritual Fist.”
“Amplifies your Spiritual Fist?” Zuoqiu Hongyuan’s eyes lit up as he continued, “I’ve never heard of such an item before! Where did you obtain it, Brother Ou?”. The corner of Ou Yangming’s lips curled into a smile as he proudly declared, “I made it myself!”
Zuoqiu Hongyuan was well and truly impressed this time. After a moment of pause, he slowly asked, “Is… Is it a magic tool?”
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