Chapter 319: Wild Defiance and Battle
Translator: Transn Editor: Transn
There was silence.
Zhou Bao’s unscrupulous voice echoed on Mingyi Lane and went out to everyone, including experts, martial arts pract.i.tioners, and ordinary people.
He made sure that everyone could hear it, which was his purpose. His voice was being spread out by his profound Internal Qi.
That was provocation!
At this time, any wise man could figure out that he was here to make trouble.
The peaceful situation did not last long. Then, an angry shout broke out from the silence.
“Where do you come from?! Little b.a.s.t.a.r.d! How dare you slander Master Ji?” The man arrived together with his voice. He rushed at Zhou Bao swiftly and was about to slap him in the face.
“Clap!” A clear sound resounded to somewhere in the distance. The man who had approached quite fast was sent back like a flying arrow.
Zhou Bao sat still and did not move. He held a bowl of almost consumed beancurd with a slight sneer on his face.
“Pah!” That man was a Level Five Junior Master, who rushed toward Zhou Bao but ended up falling to the ground heavily, stirring up a cloud of dust. He was strong and tall, with big eyes and thick eyebrows and he seemed very powerful.
Obviously, that was his appearance before he had been battered and exhausted. Now, however, he looked quite awkward. Zhou Bao had slapped him without using his full strength or playing any dirty tricks, but it was powerful enough for the Junior Master. Both his blood and teeth were spat out on the ground, and half of his face was severely swelled. His manner of being a master of martial arts clearly disappeared with his Qi Power.
“You…!”
Since he had lost his front teeth, air leaked out from his mouth as he was talking. Then, he struggled to his knees and his eyes filled with wrath and fury as he fiercely pointed at him but did not dare to move forward.
Zhou Bao acted so quickly that he had not been able to respond. While he was on the ground, he finally realized that he had been slapped by Zhou Bao.
There was a big difference in their strength, and if he continued making an action, he would humiliate himself.
Zhou Bao sat outside the restaurant as if nothing had happened. He leisurely sipped the remaining beancurd in his bowl without looking at the man.
After that, he turned his gaze in the direction of the General Yard of Mingyi School.
“I’m scolding Ji Zhongtang loudly. I guess the White Blademaster Lu Shaoyou can’t bear it. He was a Level Eight expert decades ago. I wonder whether he has broken through to Level Nine or not!” Zhou Bao thought secretly.
Ji Zhongtang and Lu Shaoyou were like father and son, but they were even closer. Everyone knew that. He had spoken rudely about Ji Zhongtang on Mingyi Lane. This action was a show of defiance, not only to Mingyi School, but also to Lu Shaoyou. It would not make any sense if the latter did not show up except he was not there.
However, today was a good day for Ji Zhongtang because he was going to become an Elder of Mingyi School. Therefore, Lu Shaoyou had to be there.
Immense Sword Qi rose from the General Yard of Mingyi School in a few breaths as expected. The sword light followed it and slashed at Zhou Bao without greeting.
“The White Blademaster, Lu Shaoyou!”
Zhou Bao curled his mouth. He could not help laughing when seeing the sword light and the white clothes.
He had first learned of Lu Shaoyou because of Xue Wuya. Lu Shaoyou had pursued Xue Wuya to kill him, but as an irrelevant person, he implicated himself and suffered severely. Later on, he had several informal contacts with Lu Shaoyou when he was a Junior Master. He caused trouble for Lu Shaoyou every time, but he did those things indirectly.
When he was a teen, among the countless experts around the world, Lu Shaoyou had given him the deepest impression, and it was a bad one. However, if not for Lu Shaoyou, he would not have been caught by Xue Wuya. Although he had received considerable benefits from Xue Wuya, he made a narrow escape and survived completely by luck. He did not want to experience that again. Therefore, he did not appreciate Lu Shaoyou at all.
Of course, he did not hate Lu Shaoyou. Aside from being too hypocritical, Lu Shaoyou did not have anything to make him feel sick about.
He inevitably thought that he was different from Lu Shaoyou because w.a.n.g She had a bad relations.h.i.+p with Lu Shaoyou and he himself spoiled some of Lu Shaoyou’s good things indirectly.
Sharp and quick, Lu Shaoyou’s sword light was full of murderous intent. He intended to kill Zhou Bao with this single move.
“What a powerful man! He concealed the murderous intent until the sword arrived right in front of me! It’s surging and devastating. He truly deserves the reputation of Blade Master!”
Zhou Bao sighed secretly. Though he was surprised, he still was rational and stretched his fist out.
A single punch!
He gently struck out his fist, as if he had been sitting in a chair for a long time and just wanted to stretch his muscles and bones.
The “powerless” fist struck out directly.
It happened to encounter Lu Shaoyou’s overwhelming sword light.
Zhou Bao used his fist to hit the sword light, specifically, the well-known Blade Master’s sword light. It was an action similar to hitting a stone with eggs in the eyes of the spectators.
“Oh no!”
However, Lu Shaoyou, who was under the fist, did not think the same as them. When Zhou Bao struck out his fist, he actually saw it. But his spiritual mind felt that the whole world was inclining toward him. His sword rushed toward a meteor falling from Ninth Heaven rather than the fist. Zhou Bao compacted the overwhelming and expansive power in his fist and released it at him.
However, at this moment, it was too late for him to withdraw his sword. Zhou Bao did not give him a chance, even though his sword technique was excellent enough. The fist that had looked powerless was quite fast. It was equal to the speed of his sword light.
Therefore, his sword and the fist encountered one another with a “Boom!” sound.
Cras.h.!.+
The wind whipped Zhou Bao’s green robe and let out a sound, but he just sat still. Lu Shaoyou’s sword light disappeared under the fist, and he was flying backward because of Zhou Bao’s strength, just like the Junior Master had earlier.
Lu Shaoyou was a Level Eight expert after all. He was about to step into Level Nine. Obviously, a Junior Master at Level Five or Six was no match for him. When he was in mid-air, his body emitted some white sword light that held his body up and kept it stable in mid-air.
In the eyes of the onlookers, they just exchanged one move. Zhou Bao sat still, but Lu Shaoyou was sent flying. Those onlookers thought that Lu Shaoyou had just suffered a small loss and that he was slightly inferior to Zhou Bao and was at a disadvantage.
But Lu Shaoyou knew his condition very well. He knew that he had lost.
He was indignant when he wielded his sword that contained 70 percent of his power. However, Zhou Bao’s fist contained power that was over 10 times stronger. Moreover, Zhou Bao struck out the fist casually. So even if he had used his full strength, he would have been no match for him.
Not to mention that the Sword Qi he was proud of was completely destroyed by the scorching hot Qi contained in the fist. Following the Sword Qi, the hot Qi invaded his body. Because of the sword light Gang Qi, he was able to stand in mid-air. However, his tendons and meridians were a mess. All of his tendons, meridians, and Dantian were severely damaged. He had totally lost his combat capability.
“Who is he? When did such a horrifying expert appear in the world?” Lu Shaoyou’s face was pale. He operated his Internal Qi to subdue his injury and looked in amazement at Zhou Bao.
Suddenly, something came to his mind. A name occurred to him.
“Are you… Zhou Bao of Yunzhou?!” He pointed at Zhou Bao and asked bitterly.
“Being remembered by Blade Master Lu really is my great honor.” Zhou Bao laughed as he cupped his hand in the other. “That’s right, I’m Zhou Bao!”
“If so, is the rumor true?” Though it was incredible, he was convinced when he thought about the rumor that he had heard among the senior leaders of Mingyi School when he returned yesterday.
“A rumor? Do you mean these two guys?” Zhou Bao laughed coldly. He raised his hand and pinned up two portraits on the wall. He said, “I’ve come here for them too!”
Lu Shaoyou’s face became much paler when he saw those two portraits. “How… how do you know?”
“If you don’t want anyone to know something, you’d better not do it!” Zhou Bao suddenly stood up. The surrounding temperature became much hotter along with this action. The air was about to boil.
“w.a.n.g Haiming and You Tianjing, both of you have besieged me. You intended to kill an Imperial Court official. I’m here to get revenge today! Be a man and stand up or else I won’t mind humiliating Mingyi School!” Zhou Bao shouted in a loud voice, which was resonant and like surging Nine Heaven Thunder that enveloped the entire Mingyi Lane.
The voice contained unparalleled and overwhelming dignity. It was like the angry shout of Ninth Heaven G.o.d that scared everyone. Some people with low cultivation could not control their minds and their legs trembled. However, ordinary people on Mingyi Lane, especially scholars, had never seen such a powerful but angry expert. They all knelt down. Some cowards even could not help peeing and s.h.i.+tting.
Lu Shaoyou looked terrible. His blood flowed backward along his veins. His body shook twice in mid-air and he nearly fell to the ground.
“No way! It’s impossible! How can he possess such profound and dense Internal Qi at such a young age?”
All the experts doubted but were astonished.
Mingyi School had a total of 23 experts, including Elders and deacons. In Mingyi Lane, except for the experts of Mingyi School, there were guests from other families who stayed at some inns. They were here to partic.i.p.ate in the inauguration ceremony.
As one of the Three Great Sects in the Jin, it was common to have a disciple become an Elder. However, as this was important, the school still needed to invite guests here. Those who came here had a good relations.h.i.+p with Mingyi School. They were qualified to partic.i.p.ate in the ceremony, and obviously, they had high statuses. Among these guests, Level Seven experts were numerous. They stabilized their minds on one hand but, on the other hand, they all had the same thought—how did this guy practice? Why did he have such profound Internal Qi?
However, their reactions were different. There were mixed feelings, including delight, solemnity, doubt, and worry. But more people were stunned as if they were dreaming.
“He can’t possess such profound Internal Qi without 300 or 400 years of practice! But he’s less than 20 years old now. Is he truly a unique genius?” The people who were stunned thought like this.
“Acupoints! He must have opened other acupoints, but how could he have opened them? Could it be that he knows a method to open them? But that has been lost for a long time. Even in Tian Long Taoism, it is controlled by those Highest Elders and kept a secret. Perhaps he’s a secret weapon of Tian Long Taoism!”
“That’s impossible! The way of opening the acupoints is extremely dangerous. Even experts in the Mysterious Realm should be quite cautious, otherwise, they’ll die with no hope of reprieve. However, he’s only a Level Eight expert, so it’s impossible for him to open the acupoints!”
“This is something fun to enjoy. Mingyi School should offend such a little freak! Haha. Today is a good day for Ji Zhongtang to become an Elder but Mingyi School completely lost its reputation through this freak’s provocation!”
“That’s true. Tian Long Taoism has received an excellent disciple!”
“Why did Mingyi School besiege and try to kill him? Moreover, they sent two Elders to pursue him. What has he done? Did he dig up their ancestral graves?”
All of a sudden, various ideas lingered in the spectators’ minds. They wanted to know what Mingyi School would do to handle this matter.
If they were not cautious enough today, they would destroy their prestige and reputation that they had established several thousand years ago.
A horrible silence permeated everywhere!
After Zhou Bao had shouted in anger, the entire Mingyi Lane was silent once again. All the people s.h.i.+fted their attention to the General Yard of Mingyi School, the Mingyi Tower.
They were waiting for the response from this millennial school.
Mingyi School was in chaos, and everything was a mess.
“I’ll never forgive him! Never! How dare he disturb our ceremony and cause trouble for us! He must die! He has to die!” The dean of Mingyi School shouted. His eyes were bloodshot like those of a crazy rabbit.
Such a thing had not happened for many years. This teen was not just causing trouble, but provoking them. He ruined the reputation of Mingyi School in front of so many prestigious sects, schools, and millennial families. No one could bear it!
“He’s too arrogant! Oh no, I’m going to kill him! I must peel off his skin and fry his bones!”
That angry shout spread out from Mingyi Tower. Then, a strong black figure darted toward Zhou Bao from the tower.
“Elder Yuan, no…!”
Although the dean of Mingyi School was livid, he was rational after all. He had not partic.i.p.ated in the besieging of Zhou Bao, but he knew how powerful Zhou Bao was from w.a.n.g Haiming and You Tianjing. Zhou Bao had broken the devastating formation and killed four Level Eight experts. Moreover, he had stolen a Pure Yang Celestial Device from them. Thus, ordinary Level Nine experts were no match for him.
Though Elder Yuan was already a Level Nine expert, it was hard to tell who would be the winner if he confronted Zhou Bao. What was worse, he was one of the two aces in the hole of Mingyi School. If he was severely injured or killed, Mingyi School would suffer greatly.
Unfortunately, his warning arrived too late.
Elder Yuan had a short fuse and had lived in Mingyi School since he was young. He could not tolerate anything that was bad. How could he tolerate Zhou Bao’s humiliation of Mingyi School on Mingyi Lane?
“It’s Yuan Hai!”
“Yuan Hai is coming out. He’s one of the two Level Nine Elders of Mingyi School. I hadn’t expected that he’d come out so quickly!”
“Mingyi School is resolute. They want to solve the matter quickly by sending a Level Nine expert to fight Zhou Bao!”
When experts partic.i.p.ating in the ceremony saw that figure, they harbored these thoughts in their minds.
“It’s true that Zhou Bao’s Internal Qi is profound. However, Level Nine experts have comprehended the power of Real Essence and possessed Real Essence Sources. Their Internal Qi quality is higher than ordinary Internal Qi. It’s hard to tell who will be the winner!”
…
…
“A Level Nine expert?” When he saw that figure coming, Zhou Bao smiled, but at the same time, he became more serious.
“Little b.a.s.t.a.r.d. How dare you provoke Mingyi School. Go to h.e.l.l!” Obviously, Elder Yuan was a hot-tempered man. Instead of greeting him, he shot out a palm at Zhou Bao, wanting to kill him.
It was not an ordinary palm but, rather, a powerful secret skill named the Sky-covering Palm!
Yuan Hai’s temperament was like the raging fire. However, as a Level Nine expert, he had a discerning eye. Zhou Bao had knocked Lu Shaoyou back with one punch and broken the siege of 10 Level Eight experts, so his strength should not be underestimated. Therefore, Yuan Hai did not show any mercy. He took out his trump card in order to kill Zhou Bao at once.
The wind rose and the clouds bl.u.s.tered after the display of the Sky-covering Palm. The essence of the world within a radius of 10,000 feet was completely dragged down and condensed. The sky had been sunny and cloudless earlier, but now, it was immediately filled with the cloud-like essence of the world. It finally formed a 100-foot huge palm, covering the entire sky.
Suddenly, the sky became dark.
Any powerful man whose cultivation reached a certain phase could activate the power of heaven and earth through his own Genuine Soul and, thus, could execute incredible power. Yuan Hai’s current action was the same as that. Zhou Bao was going to be smacked by the huge palm from the sky as if he were an ant.
“Humph. Do you think that I don’t have a secret skill?”
Zhou Bao sneered when he felt the limitless pressure of the Sky-covering Palm. He clapped his hands to make a strange gesture and black flames burst out from his body. They encircled him and then formed two hands that were made of black flames.
“Relying on the strength of heaven and earth, your power is quite strong. But it’s a pity that your cultivation is not high enough. Your palm is huge, but the power in it isn’t compact. It can only intimidate people!” Zhou Bao shouted out loud. “Look at my Flipping Sky Seal!”
The Flipping Sky Seal!
It was a secret skill that he had acquired when he was exterminating the water bandits on River Heart Island. In fact, it was an unfathomable and powerful secret skill that those bandits were unable to comprehend and learn. After acquiring it, he practiced it but had scarcely used it because he knew so many other things and had numerous skills. Thus, he had few opportunities to use it. When confronting ordinary opponents, he could easily suppress them by using the Heavenly Jade Technique and Snake-like Breath Holding Skill. However, today was different.
Though he had said that Yuan Hai’s Sky-covering Palm was worthless, he clearly understood that it was hard to handle the power of heaven and earth. Therefore, he used this secret skill.
Two hands that had been made from the black flames quickly made the same gesture as his two hands did. Immediately, he raised his hands to confront that 100-foot giant palm.
The scene was so ridiculous.
Zhou Bao looked like a little ant under that giant palm. But he tried to fight against it with his weak and laughable strength. This action was like an infant trying to hold a 10,000-kilogram iron hammer. It was impossible.
But was it really impossible?
In a flash, the giant palm and the flame gesture met.
They collided together at once.
“Ugh…!” Zhou Bao let out a deep grunt. He gently retreated one step backward, leaving only a shallow footprint. The wind whipped his green robe and the fierce essence of the world encircled him, forming a pneuma flow that was equal to a tornado that was sweeping around.
Wheeze, Wheeze, Wheeze…!
Boom, Boom, Boom…!
Fierce and loud sounds echoed around this place. Sometimes, thunder could be heard.
The onlookers with low cultivation could not keep their feet on the ground. They were rolled up and sent flying by the uncontrolled airflow. Even Level Seven experts tottered and leaned back when the essence of the world and Zhou Bao’s hands collided.
After a moment, everything became clear. A huge hole appeared in front of everyone and encircled Zhou Bao. Its diameter was 300 feet and had a depth of 30 to 40 feet.
The poor beancurd restaurant had already disappeared. Every house that surrounded the hole leaned outward in a radial pattern. Such a scene could be seen even from 3,000 feet away.
3,000 feet was a tremendous distance!
If using the unit of measurement that Zhou Bao had used in his previous life, it was one kilometer. Everything within a radius of one kilometer was completely destroyed.
Mingyi Lane was a densely populated downtown. The scene was the same as terrorists exploding a bomb in an American downtown. Without a doubt, there were many casualties.
Of course, no one cared about the casualties. They only paid attention to the outcome of this battle!
“Haha, there is something about this Level Nine expert!” Zhou Bao smiled in the hole. Then, he patted his green robe and dust floated in the air.
The giant palm had already disappeared. The surrounding essence of the world was in chaos. But gradually, it became normal and quiet.
The First Elder of Mingyi School stood in mid-air and his eyes were wide open. The corners of his eyes, nostrils, ears, and mouth were dripping with blood.
His Seven Apertures were bleeding!
“Pfft!”
Finally, Yuan Hai spat out a mouthful of blood fog and fell to the ground. No one knew whether he was dead or alive.
All the people were in chaos!
They rose up in an uproar.
Yuan Hai, the First Elder of Mingyi School and Level Nine expert, had been defeated!