Chapter 653: Yang Spirit Sacred Body, Gai Hao
Xun Hua Liu chuckled and said, "Pang Long, didn't you say earlier that you wanted a life-or-death duel? How come it's turned into a challenge now?"
Pang Long naturally didn't want to appear weak. His face cold and stern, he glared at Xun Hua Liu and said, "A duel is a duel. Do you think I'm afraid?"
"Sorry, I don't have time."
Zhang Ruochen couldn't be bothered with Pang Long. He only wanted to return to Zixia Spirit Mountain immediately to figure out the three sword intents within his Qi Sea. So, he shifted one step to the right, executed a movement technique, and headed out of Shangqing Palace.
Pang Long's face couldn't take it. If he just let Lin Yue leave like this, how would the disciples of Liangyi Sect view him in the future?
Would they think Lin Yue left out of fear?
Definitely not.
They would only think that Lin Yue didn't take him seriously at all.
"Want to leave? It won't be that easy."
Pang Long let out a loud roar. All the veins on his body bulged, and surging true qi burst out from every pore. It swirled rapidly around his hands, condensing in the air into a two-meter-long sword-shaped sword qi.
"Boom!"
A deafening explosion of air rang out. The white, sword-shaped sword qi shot forward, heading straight for Zhang Ruochen's back.
"Pang Long, what kind of skill is it to attack from behind?"
Worried about Lin Yue's safety, Xun Hua Liu rushed out at the first moment. He brought his hands together and struck out with both palms simultaneously, forming a semicircular true qi shield, trying to block the sword-shaped sword qi.
Although Xun Hua Liu's strength was decent, compared to Pang Long, there was still a considerable gap.
With a bang, the sword-shaped sword qi pierced through the true qi shield in an instant and struck Xun Hua Liu's chest.
A protective treasure on Xun Hua Liu's body exploded, shattering the sword-shaped sword qi into dozens of sword qi fragments that continued flying forward.
Struck by the sword qi fragments, Xun Hua Liu was sent flying backward, blood splattering from his body as he suffered severe injuries. Just as he was about to fall to the ground, a hand reached out and grabbed his shoulder.
With a twist of the wrist, the hand spun Xun Hua Liu's body half a turn, allowing him to land steadily on his feet.
The owner of that hand was, of course, Zhang Ruochen.
In truth, even if Xun Hua Liu hadn't intervened, the sword-shaped sword qi Pang Long had unleashed wouldn't have harmed Zhang Ruochen.
But Xun Hua Liu didn't know that. So, when he stepped in to block Pang Long's sword qi, it stirred a hint of surprise in Zhang Ruochen's heart.
All along, Zhang Ruochen had only seen Xun Hua Liu as a disreputable friend of Lin Yue's, even looking down on him somewhat. He never expected that, in a dangerous moment, Xun Hua Liu would step forward to take a blow for him.
Zhang Ruochen's impression of Xun Hua Liu improved somewhat. Although this man had many bad habits, he wasn't a treacherous villain and was worth befriending.
Despite having a protective treasure, Xun Hua Liu had still suffered severe injuries. The sword qi fragments left over a dozen wounds on his body, one of which had flown past his neck, nearly severing his throat.
With just one move, Pang Long had severely injured Xun Hua Liu, who was at the same cultivation level. For a moment, all the outer and inner disciples present wore expressions of awe.
"Pang Long's strength is incredible! If he went all out, he might be able to kill Xun Hua Liu in one move."
"Even at the same Fish-Dragon First Change, the gap is huge. I wonder if Lin Yue can stand against Pang Long?"
Pang Long leaped down from the stone steps, glanced at Xun Hua Liu, and snorted coldly, "Overestimating yourself. Lin Yue, no matter what, you must fight me today."
Without waiting for Zhang Ruochen's response, Pang Long stomped his foot on the ground. A wave of true qi surged outward, within which hundreds of sword qi appeared, making a "shua shua" sound.
Zhang Ruochen extended his arm forward.
The hundreds of sword qi, as if struck by an invisible force, dissipated into nothingness in an instant.
Zhang Ruochen withdrew his arm and said calmly, "You're not worthy to fight me. Of course, if you really want an opponent, I think Xun Hua Liu would be a good match for another round."
Hearing this, Xun Hua Liu was stunned for a moment, then shook his head vigorously, "Brother, don't mess with me. How could I possibly be a match for Pang Long?"
Xun Hua Liu naturally wanted to defeat Pang Long, both for revenge and to boost his own reputation. But the key issue was that Pang Long was too strong—he simply couldn't win.
"You were injured by Pang Long, so you should rely on your own strength to win back. If you can't beat him now, it doesn't mean you can't in the future. Let's go. I'll help you."
Zhang Ruochen, leading the severely injured Xun Hua Liu, was about to leave.
But Pang Long felt insulted. Rage burned in his heart. He formed a sword technique with two fingers, unleashing the Ghost-level lower-rank sword art, Clear Spring Sword Art.
Thick true qi burst from his fingertips, condensing into a massive sword shadow that slashed down toward Zhang Ruochen's head.
Without turning around, Zhang Ruochen simply flicked his sleeve. A powerful force surged out, sweeping Pang Long and the sword shadow away.
Pang Long crashed down dozens of zhang away, his Daoist robe tattered and torn, blood gushing from his mouth.
"Impossible... pos..."
Clutching his aching, splitting chest, Pang Long stared wide-eyed at Lin Yue's figure as if looking at a ghost.
He never imagined that Lin Yue could unleash such terrifying power, leaving him utterly helpless.
This scene left the onlookers stunned and dumbfounded.
All along, Pang Long's strength had far surpassed Lin Yue's. Even after Lin Yue had merged with the three ancestral sword intents, everyone only thought he might be able to put up a fight against Pang Long.
What had just happened?
Lin Yue had sent Pang Long flying with just a flick of his sleeve.
This showed that Lin Yue's strength far exceeded Pang Long's, perhaps by more than a single realm.
"Is he still the same Lin Yue?"
Han Qiu's beautiful eyes flickered with surprise. The current Lin Yue gave her a completely unfathomable feeling.
Xun Hua Liu was startled, his eyes wide, and he exclaimed, "Damn! When did your cultivation reach such a monstrous level? Is it because of merging with the three ancestral sword intents?"
The other Liangyi Sect disciples shared the same thought as Xun Hua Liu, all believing that Lin Yue's incredible cultivation was due to the three ancestral sword intents.
"What realm has Lin Yue's cultivation reached?"
"It seems Pang Long really isn't qualified to fight him."
The Liangyi Sect disciples present looked at Zhang Ruochen with a different expression.
It was the look of someone gazing up at a strong person—yes, looking up.
In their eyes, the current Lin Yue was like a towering, majestic mountain. Just standing there made it hard for them to breathe.
From the crowd, a tall, imposing man stepped out, radiating a powerful aura. He walked toward Pang Long in the training ground and said, "Lin Yue's cultivation is at least at the Fish-Dragon Third Change. Defeating Pang Long isn't surprising."
This man's steps were very steady. He had a burly, tiger-backed, bear-waisted build, with arms as thick as a woman's waist and a height of about two meters and two.
He wasn't circulating true qi, but his body emitted waves of scorching heat, as if a boiling furnace were hidden beneath his skin, its power enough to burn down the entire Shangqing Palace.
He walked over to Pang Long, reached out a hand, and helped him up.
"Senior Brother, Lin Yue has gone too far," Pang Long said angrily.
The man's masculine aura was extremely strong. He extended a large hand and gently patted Pang Long's shoulder, saying, "Having become a Saint-Transmitted Disciple, I'm no longer the Senior Brother of Shangqing Palace. But how can we let our Shangqing Palace disciples be bullied on our own turf? Go heal your injuries first. Leave this to me."
Pang Long's face lit up with joy. Since Senior Brother had come out of seclusion, could Lin Yue possibly escape unscathed today?
Seeing the man beside Pang Long, Xun Hua Liu's face turned pale. "Why has this freak come out of seclusion?"
When that man appeared, the surrounding inner disciples had already erupted in excitement.
"Gai Hao has come out of seclusion!"
"Gai Hao was once the Inner Sect Senior Brother of Shangqing Palace and has a close friendship with Pang Long. Since he's out, he won't allow anyone to bully Pang Long."
"I really hope Gai Hao gives Lin Yue a good lesson and shows him the might of our Shangqing Palace."
Gai Hao possessed the Yang Spirit Sacred Body. He was the most talented prodigy of Liangyi Sect in the past decade and a soul figure among the new generation of disciples. Before even stepping into the Fish-Dragon Realm, he had left behind many legends.
Many present regarded Gai Hao as their idol and the direction of their efforts.
In the past, no one would have compared Gai Hao with Lin Yue, because Lin Yue wasn't even fit to hold Gai Hao's shoes.
But now, after Lin Yue had defeated Pang Long and displayed formidable strength, the Liangyi Sect disciples were eager to see Gai Hao fight Lin Yue.
Of course, in their eyes, Lin Yue was no match for Gai Hao. At best, he could exchange a few moves with him.
"Gai Hao!"
Hearing that name, Zhang Ruochen glanced at the tall, imposing man.
He was quite familiar with this name. Back when Shengshu Cainü compiled an issue of the "Eastern Region Fengyun Report," she had ranked "Zhang Ruochen, Di Yi, Mu Lingxi, Gai Hao, Luo Shuihan, and Bu Qianfan" as the six kings of the new generation in the Eastern Region.
Zhang Ruochen had met the other five, but this was his first time seeing Gai Hao.
"Fish-Dragon Third Change cultivation. For his age, reaching this level is quite good." Zhang Ruochen saw through Gai Hao's cultivation and nodded slightly.
Gai Hao's cultivation speed was already very fast. Among the six new-generation kings, only Zhang Ruochen and Mu Lingxi surpassed him.
In the past, Gai Hao might have been a worthy opponent for Zhang Ruochen, but now, Zhang Ruochen had left him far behind.
"Lin Yue, do you plan to leave Shangqing Palace just like that?"
Gai Hao's gaze locked onto Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen stopped, turned around, and said calmly, "Oh? Any advice?"
Gai Hao said, "You've injured a Saint-Transmitted Disciple of Shangqing Palace. As his senior brother, I think it's reasonable to ask for a few pointers from you. Don't you agree?"
Gai Hao was indeed preparing to make a move, having already issued a challenge to Lin Yue.
The Liangyi Sect disciples present were all boiling with excitement.
Gai Hao had once been an invincible presence in the inner sect, with no one able to withstand a single move from him. Since becoming a Saint-Transmitted Disciple, he hadn't fought anyone.
And the opponent for his first battle as a Saint-Transmitted Disciple was Lin Yue, who had once been unknown.
...
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