Chapter 301: Tongluo Secret Art!
Weng!
With a flash of light, a cold wind suddenly blasted into the surroundings, and Abutong vanished from the spot with unbelievable speed.
Boom!
Almost instantly, Abutong appeared right before Wang Chong, and his hand reached forward to grab him.
At the same moment, a loud exclamation sounded behind Abutong. The group of Tongluo youths swiftly backed away, as though alarmed by something.
Abutong’s face warped in shock. Turning around, he saw Wang Chong standing nonchalantly on the spot he was previously at, seemingly expecting him to make this move.
With a frigid expression, Abutong said, "Wang Chong, looks like I have underestimated you! I admit that you do have the qualifications to cross hands with me. Huorja, clear the area!"
Abutong raised his arm, and the group of Tongluo youths immediately backed away respectfully.
"Zhuang Zhengping and Chi Weisi, you all should back off as well." Wang Chong waved his hands.
Zhuang Zhengping, Chi Weisi, and the others were indignant, but they still followed Wang Chong’s instructions and backed away with Chen Burang.
"Gongzi, be careful!"
Abutong was no weakling. The previous move he made was extremely swift. If his target had been any of them other then Wang Chong, that person would have already fallen.
With the people from both sides backing off, a huge empty space was soon opened up on the main peak.
In this empty space, Wang Chong and Abutong were staring at one another, and the atmosphere grew tense.
"We are in trouble." Realizing the nature of the event, Zhuang Zhengping frowned.
"Even among the Tongluo Tribe, Abutong possesses astonishing talent. Furthermore, due to the Tongluo Tribe’s vast experience in battle, he is likely to be stronger than even those of equivalent cultivation realm as him, and gongzi is a single realm weaker than him!"
Wang Chong had yet to reach the True Martial realm, everyone here was aware of this fact. Even though it was only a single realm of difference, the gap between Origin Energy realm and True Martial realm was like heaven and earth.
Putting everything aside, just the augmentation from the halo meant that Abutong’s Stellar Energy was far more formidable than Wang Chong’s.
"I understand this as well, but we have no other choice at this point. Abutong planned out this entire matter to lure gongzi over. Regardless of whether gongzi is willing or not, this fight is inevitable. Furthermore, if we were to step forward and assist him, the other Hu will surely intervene, and that would only diminish our chances at victory." A worried frown also sat on Chi Weisi’s forehead.
Under the current circumstances, they had no other choice. Thus, even though everyone knew that Wang Chong shouldn’t accept the duel, there was nothing they could do.
On the other hand, the atmosphere wrapped around the Tongluo youths was the complete opposite. A glint reflecting savagery and mischief lit their eyes.
"Young master, there’s no need to be polite with him!"
"Show him that we are not to be trifled with!"
"Teach him a lasting lesson so that he will never dare to disrespect the Great General and you in the future!"
The group sneered. Even though Wang Chong’s ability to dodge that strike from Abutong was shocking, no one still thought that he would be a match for their young master.
After all, their young master’s capability extended far beyond that single fist. That fist was only an appetizer consisting of less than a tenth of their young master’s full might.
"Hmph!" Hearing the voices of his peers, Abutong sneered coldly, and a frigid gaze surfaced in his eyes.
"Wang Chong, my fists and kicks are blind. I might not be able to hold back in the battle."
"Hah! That’s exactly what I wanted to say!" Wang Chong scoffed in response as he stretched his hands and legs. How could he possibly be unaware of Abutong’s thoughts? However, this happened to coincide with what he intended.
Hmph! You’re seeking death! Even though Abutong didn’t say anything, he was provoked by Wang Chong’s words. Deep within him, he made up his mind to teach Wang Chong an excruciating lesson he would never forget.
While he didn’t intend to let Wang Chong off the hook easily from the start, Wang Chong’s actions had further strengthened his resolve.
Zheng Xuan had used his connections with King Qi to suppress the other instructors. Even though he could only stall them for a short moment, it was more than sufficient to teach Wang Chong a lesson.
Boom!
Abutong stepped heavily against the ground, and the earth immediately tremored. At the same time, a furious wind blew, and Abutong’s robe fluttered. A greenish-black halo slowly surged out from beneath Abutong’s feet.
Unlike usual martial halos, the emergence of Abutong’s halo caused a slight tinge of scarlet to appear in the air, and these scarlet tinges swiftly gathered together to form thousands of minute bloody edges.
The trembling of these thousands of minute bloody edges sliced the air in the surroundings into innumerable pieces.
Sss!
Seeing the unique halo and the floating bloody edges in the air, everyone’s heart turned cold. Even though they weren’t the one crossing blows with Abutong, they could still easily sense the danger within the matter.
If they were struck by those bloody edges, they would be severely injured even if they managed to avoid death. Not to mention, it would surely be an extremely gruesome sight.
After Abutong summoned his martial halo, the aura he exuded also abruptly changed. He suddenly felt like a domineering and callous warrior of the battlefield, and this left everyone slightly astonished.
Even Wang Chong had to view him seriously at this point.
This fellow... is indeed strong!, Wang Chong thought.
Of the scions in the capital, how many had ever been on the battlefield and witnessed the brutality and bloodiness there? Even though most of them were skilled in martial arts, they had only engaged in friendly duels and the sort in their time.
But Abutong was different.
The Tongluo Tribe viewed combat as an honor, and most of its members had been on the battlefield. They had witnessed the callousness of the battlefield, and even participated in it personally.
Just in mental resilience alone, Abutong far exceeded most of the opponents that Wang Chong had encountered. It wouldn’t be easy to deal with him.
"Hmph!" Wang Chong simply chuckled nonchalantly. Abutong might be tempered by the callousness of the battlefield, making him a difficult match for most scions in the capital. But compared to Wang Chong... Abutong was still far lacking.
The intensity and frequency of battlefields that Wang Chong had experienced was something Abutong could never imagine in his life. The thing that Abutong and the Tongluo Tribe took pride in meant nothing at all to Wang Chong.
"Wang Chong, prepare yourself!" Abutong’s voice was clear and powerful, imbued with a chill that could freeze one’s bones.
Not only so, the furious roaring of valiant war steeds seemed to vaguely sound around him. The overwhelming bloodthirstiness originating from the brutal battlefield shook everyone’s heart, and for a moment, the illusion of innumerable asuras rising from the depths of hell flashed across everyone’s minds.
Hong long long!
Before everyone’s gazes, the shadow behind Abutong warped, and an impassive and towering silhouette rose from the ground. That brawny silhouette seemed to wield incomparable strength, and the scarlet saber in his hands further accentuated his fearsome might.
The Tongluo War God!
Upon seeing the towering shadow behind Abutong’s back, all of the Tongluo men began cheering in excitement. The Tongluo War God was the deity which the members of the Tongluo Tribe had revered for the past millennia.
It was a deity that represented war, death, and glory!
The reason why Tongluo warriors didn’t fear death was because they believed that they would return to the embrace of the Tongluo War God after their deaths, and share unparalleled honor along with their deity.
And the secret art of the Tongluo used this belief of theirs as its foundation.
Depending on one’s mastery of the technique, differing Tongluo War Gods would be formed by one. Even though their young master was only able to produce the primary form of the Tongluo War God, just a simple silhouette, it was still an astounding feat already.
At the very least, no True Martial realm 1-dan cultivator would be able to stand against this.
"Young master, kill him!..." Blinded by excitement, a Tongluo youth yelled in their native tongue as he waved his hands in agitation. The martial arts of the Tongluo weren’t created for the purpose of sparring, but for war and slaughter.
Boom!
As soon as Abutong drove his Stellar Energy to its maximum and summoned the Tongluo War God, his figure immediately disappeared from the spot he was standing at.
An incomparably powerful but savage aura burst from Abutong. With a scarlet flash of light, he charged forth like a streak of lightning. This time, his speed was far swifter than before. Immense might gathered in his right fist as he thrust it forward, executing yet another secret art of the Tongluo Tribe, Legion Crusher!
Boom!
A formidable shock wave rushed into the surrounding as Abutong smashed it into Wang Chong. The tiles on the ground immediately cracked into fragments, and dust billowed into the sky.
"Abutong, is this all you can do?" a cold sneer sounded behind Abutong. Hearing everyone’s shocked exclaimations, Abutong turned around, only to see three identical Wang Chongs standing behind him.
"Phantom Steps!"
"Gongzi has mastered it!"
Around ten steps away, Xu Qi, Nie Yan, Gao Feng, and the others’ faces immediately glowed in delight. They all knew that Wang Chong was skilled in an extremely unique movement technique known as Phantom Steps, they had witnessed the wonders of it before.
But what they were unaware of was that Wang Chong had already managed to master the Phantom Steps to its pinnacle, allowing him to form three identical illusions of himself simultaneously.
Perhaps others might just regard this secret art as a means of escape and dodging, but everyone knew that its uses would far exceed just those in Wang Chong’s hands.
"Great! With this secret art, gongzi will at least be able to fight on equal grounds with Abutong!" Zhuang Zhengping exclaimed excitedly.
As long as Abutong was unable to determine which Wang Chong was the real one, it would be difficult for him to land a blow. On the contrary, he might even unwittingly expose his vulnerabilities instead.
In the Deflecting Blade Manor, everyone had crossed hands with Wang Chong, so they were well aware of this. Wang Chong’s cultivation realm might not seem to be any higher than them, but somehow, he was always able to find their flaw and exploit it.
"Heh, interesting!" Abutong’s eyes studied the three illusions for a moment before abruptly chuckling. Wang Chong’s movement technique might be profound, but Abutong had seen his fair share of formidable movement techniques as well.
In his view, that movement technique was nothing more than a fanciful performance. It was precisely this kind of technique that proved to be the most useless on the battlefield. In the end, a battle between martial artists still relied on true strength.
"Wang Chong, I have no idea what you’re up to, but if you think you can defeat me like that, then I must say that you are sorely underestimating me," Abutong smiled derisively. It wasn’t out of sheer luck that he was able to walk out of battlefields alive. Wang Chong was using the technique on the wrong person.
Today, he was determined to make Wang Chong lose tragically!
Weng!
In just an instant, Abutong had already changed his blows. Hong long, amidst the tremoring of space, the Tongluo War God behind Abutong raised his arms up high and roared.
And just as the roar occurred, the thousands of bloody edges around Abutong suddenly rotated furiously, and with a shrill whiz, they flew toward Wang Chong.
There were simply too many of those bloody edges! They sealed the space all around Wang Chong, sealing every last one of his paths of escape.
Even his illusions were locked down!
"This is bad. Retreat!"
"Gongzi, careful!..."
The entire scene immediately plunged into chaos.