Chapter 345 - Zuoqius Challenge (2/2)

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 b.u.mpy, 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 crus.h.i.+ng 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 s.p.a.ce 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.

<script>