Stranger Danger

Chapter 429: Stunning Dragon, Tiger Roar

“Haha, I was just lucky,” Yang Zhao replied in a warm and gentle voice. Clearly, he was the lucky winner who got to advance to the next round without fighting this time.

“Congratulations, Brother Yang.”

“Congratulations.”

Zhao Lan, Chen Shaoyu, Chu Renhe, Jian Wusheng and more all congratulated Yang Zhao. Everyone was at least a little envious of his luck.

“Do your best, everyone. I’ll be waiting for you in the quarter finals.” Yang Zhao saluted everyone with a smile on his face.

“Sigh. Why is it always someone else who gets to skip a battle? Why is my luck so terrible? I’m truly born under a lucky star, sigh!” Wen Xiaonuan complained while staring at Yang Zhao forlornly. An aura of sorrow, despair, and depression immediately washed out of her like a wave.

Ye Qing, Xu Rulin, Wei Bulao, Qi Xuanyun and every other participant immediately took a few steps away from her. No one wanted to be infected by her power.

“Sigh. Not even the rest of you can stand my presence? I guess I’m not just unlucky, I’m a failure of a human being as well…” Wen Xiaonuan sighed at this sight, and her debilitating aura became even stronger than before.

“Ahem. I just got lucky, Mis Wen. I’m sure you don’t need luck to advance to the next round,” Yang Zhao coughed twice and tried to console her.

He wasn’t lying. Whatever Wen Xiaonuan might think, she was among the strongest warriors out of everyone. Yang Zhao consoled her because he was hoping that he could build a good relationship with her and potentially recruit her into the Yang Clan.

“You don’t need to console me. I couldn’t even make it to the peak of Flying Dragon Mount first, much less become the champion of the Hidden Dragon Meet.” Wen Xiaonuan sighed. “Qing Emperor Junior is right. I am just a useless trash.”

Everyone subconsciously turned around and looked at Ye Qing. Their gaze was disdainful, disgusted, murderous and more.

Ye Qing: “...” What did I do?

Lin YUhuai gave Ye Qing a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. Sometimes, misfortune just falls from the sky out nowhere!

“All participants, please enter your platform right now…”

Luckily for Ye Qing, Hong Jianglong saved him with a timely announcement. Since Ye Qing’s token was number eight, he immediately strode over to the eighth platform. He was slightly taken aback when he saw his opponent. It was none other than Chu Qingge.

“Miss Qingge…” Ye Qing knew that it was only a matter of time before he ran into a familiar face, but this was still sooner than he expected. He couldn’t help but have mixed feelings about this.

For one, they had fought together at the Demon’s Tomb, and two, Chu Qingge was one of the few people who legitimately possessed the strength to defeat him.

“Brother Ye…” Chu Qingge was much less perturbed than Ye Qing was. She saluted him candidly and said, “I’ve been looking forward to this battle, Qing Emperor Junior. Please, offer me your guidance.”

In just two sentences, Chu Qingge chased away the awkward feeling plaguing Ye Qing’s heart. He lifted an eyebrow and broke into a small smile. “You too, Miss Qing.”

Chu Qingge was truly a refreshingly candid and carefree woman. He couldn’t help but admire her a little.

The battlefield was set in a desert. The duo looked good standing under the yellow sand and evening sun. However, that beauty was shattered when Ye Qing abruptly faded like a mirage, and the real Ye Qing appeared behind Chu Qingge to throw a surprise punch.

Outside the platform, the Harmony King abruptly shot to his feet and yelled, “I cannot believe that brat would ambush a girl like that! Where is his shame! His shame!”

Everyone was used to his antics by this point. They ignored him and continued watching the duel between Ye Qing and Chu Qingge.

Chu Qingge seemed aware that this would happen, however. Her surrounding force abruptly flowed in an unnatural manner, and the image of a Black Tortoise appeared in the air. Watery ripples slowly spread out of the image and enveloped Chu Qingge completely.

When Ye Qing’s fist landed on Chu Qingge, he felt like he was punching air. Not only that, the force surrounding Chu Qingge was like an invisible quagmire that slowed down his whole body after his fist entered a certain range. Even his reaction speed was a few beats slower than before.

In a battle between warriors, a few beats of difference could mean the difference between life and death.

Before Ye Qing could pull free, Chu Qingge took a step backward and leaned into Ye Qing’s chest like he was her lover. Ye Qing didn’t look happy in the slightest, however. As soon as Chu Qingge leaned into his chest, she threw her elbows backward like she was swinging a pair of hammers into his chest.

Ye Qing raised his left arm and blocked the double attack. Right before the duo would separate from one another, Chu Qingge raised her leg and attempted to kick Ye Qing in the calf. At the same time, she dropped and lifted her left shoulder like she was carrying a mountain and launched a shoulder strike.

Ye Qing bent his knees a little and took Chu Qingge’s kick head on, refusing to budge even a little. Then, he brought down his left arm and met Chu Qingge’s shoulder strike with a cascade of pure power.

Boom! The dune they were standing on abruptly crumbled, and both warriors fell. That didn’t mean that the battle was interrupted, however. Throughout the fall, Chu Qingge kept attacking Ye Qing with her shoulders, elbows and legs, while Ye Qing defended against her attacks. The sounds of impact were deafening to say the least.

When the two warriors finally landed on solid ground, Chu Qingge abruptly dashed away from Ye Qing. On the other hand, Ye Qing simply stood there with a smile on his face.

“What’s going on? Who’s winning?” The Harmony King asked urgently while his eyes were glued to the screen.

“It’s too early to say who’s winning yet,” Lei Xiaodan began slowly, “but Miss Chu lost the exchange by a small margin.”

The duo had only been fighting for a few breaths, but to a spectator, every move looked like it was a move that could end the battle and even the participant’s life.

“She lost? How?” The Harmony King asked worriedly and urgently.

Lei Xiaodan explained, “Ye Qing’s cultivation level is equal to Miss Chu’s, and their combat experience and reaction speed are almost the same. While Miss Chu holds the advantage in terms of technique, Ye Qing is the superior one in terms of physical tenacity and strength. In melee combat, the greatest factors that decide the victor is body, reaction, and experience, which is why Miss Chu lost the exchange—but only slightly. She can easily turn it around at a later time.”

“For now, I can’t say who’s going to win this battle.”

The Harmony King relaxed a little and let out a hmph. “I can tell at first glance that that boy is all brawn and no brain. He’s still a long way away from being able to defeat Qingge.”

Everyone paying attention to Ye Qing and Chu Qingge’s battle smiled noncommittally and maintained their silence.

Back in the desert, a hint of astonishment and respect flickered in Chu Qingge’s eyes. “You truly are a genius, Brother Ye. You have my utmost respect.”

When they first met at the Demon’s Tomb, Ye Qing was just a late-stage Astral Refiner. Strong as he was, there was no chance he could have defeated her back then. A month had passed then, and not only was he almost at the same cultivation level as she was, his strength and skill were at least on par with hers, if not better.

It was one thing if he only ascended the cultivation levels quickly. There were plenty of natural treasures out there that could quickly increase a warrior’s cultivation level in a short time. It wasn’t really something to be proud about.

His combat knowledge and experience was a whole different story, however. As the daughter of the Harmony King, she had received a comprehensive education from famous tutors since young. She also fought in the army for a time before joining the Pacification Bureau. Since Hong Jianglong spared no effort in teaching her, there was almost no one at her age whose combat knowledge and experience was a match for her.

However, Ye Qing had caught up to her despite all of her advantages. No, that wasn’t right. He had surpassed her. His reputation was well-deserved.

“You flatter me, Miss Qingge. You’re quite the warrioress yourself,” Ye Qing returned the compliment wholeheartedly. He had already witnessed her strength back at the Demon’s Tomb, and at the time she was only a middle-stage Spirit Purifier. Now that she had entered the late stage, he could tell that she was at least twice as strong as she was before. If it wasn’t for the lifelong training he experienced inside the Nanke Dream, she could’ve put him at a disadvantage in a single exchange.

“I’m glad to hear that.” Chu Qingge shot him a dazzling smile. “Here I come!”

As soon as she finished, Chu Qingge pointed a finger at Ye Qing and summoned a sky of stars.

“Starfall Finger”

The sky shuddered, and the stars rained down on Ye Qing like the apocalypse. The power behind the martial art was such that it shook the world.

“Well met!”

Ye Qing smiled at this sight and took off with a loud boom. Every time he moved three meters, his energy would grow just a tad stronger. By the time the finger beams got close, his fist intent was as tall as a mountain. He punched forward.

The Burning Wind howled, and a mini sandstorm overtook the battlefield. Heaven and earth cooked like the whole world was a furnace.

“Cloud Vaporization Style”

The stars resisted valiantly against the melting heat, but in the end, they all melted into nothing. At the same time, the Burning Wind mixed with a ton of sand overwhelmed Chu Qingge completely.

Scree!

Suddenly, a high-pitched, resonant cry of a vermillion bird pierced through the air. A pentacolored vermillion bird appeared in the sky and swam between the Burning Wind, the sand and its own flames.

There was a flash of colors, and Ye Qing suddenly felt every hair on his body standing on end. Without hesitation, he surrounded himself in yin and yang energy, moved his right foot forward diagonally, and spun around so fast it defied logic. Remember that he was running at high speed before he executed the maneuver. He then punched the ground with his fist.

His astral qi mixed with the yellow sand rolled back to his side and took the shape of a wall, all the while flowing rapidly like a river.

“Divide”

The instant after “Divide” appeared, a draconic cry deafened everyone’s ears and punched a hole in the raging river. Ye Qing could only watch as a silky smooth fist grew bigger and bigger in his eyes until it finally hit him in the face.

A wave of dizziness overcame him. Chu Qingge’s punch was so powerful that he actually staggered nine steps away from her.

Every time his foot smashed into the sand, it was like a drake was rolling on its back.

Chu Qingge wasn’t one to let go of such an excellent opportunity, of course. A vermillion bird cry pierced the air, and the image of a penta-colored vermillion bird appeared around her body in a flash. Leaning forward, she sprinted toward Ye Qing like a bolt of lightning and swiped both hands at Ye Qing like a starved predator.

“Roar!”

That wasn’t all. A fiendish, incredibly handsome white tiger appeared in the sky as Chu Qingge swooped down on Ye Qing. It felt as terrible as it was invincible. When it let out a roar, everyone including those standing outside the platform felt their minds wobbling, and their heads pounding like someone had taken a hammer to it.

When the tiger descends from its mountain, its roar resounds across the Nether.

Right here and now, Ye Qing looked as helpless as a lamb. Chu Qingge was able to land a pair of palm strikes on his chest and sent him crashing into a nearby sand dune. The sand dune crumbled, and Ye Qing was buried underneath.

“Hahaha! I told y’all that that boy only has brawn! There is no way he could defeat Qingge!”

The Harmony King’s nervousness was wiped clean by an onslaught of pure ecstasy. He was so delighted by Chu Qingge’s successful attack that he was dancing on his feet.

“Miss Chu is definitely gifted.”

Even Fang Muyun was paying her a compliment, “She’s still very young, but she has already mastered the ‘Four Symbols of Supremacy’ to the point where she could execute it with grace and display its essence. She has a bright future ahead of her.”

The “Four Symbols of Supremacy” was an ultimate martial art that only a member of the imperial family of Chu could learn. In fact, only those who bore the Will of the Dragon could unleash its true strength.

As its name might suggest, the “Four Symbols of Supremacy” was made up of four ultimate martial arts. They were called the Stunning Dragon Fist, the Vermillion Bird Step, the White Tiger Palm and the Black Tortoise Force.

The Stunning Dragon Fist was an aural martial art derived from the Azure Dragon of the east. When the practitioner executed the Stunning Dragon Fist, the Nine Heavens were stunned, and the dragon could soar thousands and thousands of kilometers without end.

The White Tiger Palm was an offensive martial art derived from the White Tiger of the west. It was especially effective against the mind. Its roar could sever the mind, and its palm the body.

The Vermillion Bird Step was an evasive martial art derived from the Vermillion Bird of the south. Speed was its greatest strength, and it bestowed upon its practitioner a pair of colorful wings that granted incredible speed.

The Black Tortoise Force was a defensive martial art derived from the Black Tortoise of the north. Its defensive capabilities were said to rival an abyss that could accommodate a hundred rivers. The force could freely change between the tangible and the intangible, making it very difficult for enemies to breach through its defense.

Offense, defense, movement, and mental. The four martial arts encompassed everything a warrior might need. If the martial practitioner reached the adept level in all four martial arts, they would achieve a union and become even stronger than they already were.