Chapter 301: Fierce Battle, The Third Patriarch's Astonishment

Chapter 301: Fierce Battle, The Third Patriarch's Astonishment

August 5th, 2024

The Third Patriarch's aura became sharp and overpowering as he held the longsword in his hand.

Facing Lu Qing's battle-ready dagger, he pointed his sword forward.

With this single move, the weather changed drastically.

Everyone was startled to find that the surrounding earthly energy was completely stirred up, quickly gathering together to form a vast sword energy that pressed towards Lu Qing.

Invisibly, the powerful experts seemed to see a giant mountain crashing towards Lu Qing.

With one sword move, the Third Patriarch's sword technique reached an unimaginable level.

"What a sword technique!"

Lu Qing's eyes lit up as he faced the Third Patriarch's overwhelming attack.

Instead of showing any fear, he accelerated his dagger, and in the blink of an eye, it clashed with the Third Patriarch's sword.

Boom!

The unimaginable collision of the dagger and sword caused the air currents around them to explode violently, creating a shockwave that spread in all directions.

If not for the fact that the onlookers were all innate realm experts, this single move would have likely caused numerous casualties.

Amidst the fierce collision, a figure retreated more than ten steps before stabilizing.

It was none other than Lu Qing.

Meanwhile, the Third Patriarch remained standing in his original spot without taking a single step back.

He even had the spare capacity to use his profound connection with the world to dissipate the impact of the air currents, protecting the injured Xuan Ming and the other Xuan Kong Mountain monks who were floating in the air.

However, those with keen eyes noticed that although the Third Patriarch hadn't retreated, the ground beneath his feet had subtly sunk by a few points.

"As expected of the Patriarch, your sword technique has reached an incredibly profound level. With each move, you can easily manipulate the earthly energy to form a grand momentum."

Although Lu Qing was pushed back, his aura remained calm and undisturbed, showing no signs of injury as he praised with a calm expression.

At the same time, his eyes shone with a subtle light.

The Third Patriarch's sword technique had given him a glimpse of the Yi realm, a higher level of application.

"Your physical body has become so formidable after transcending the tribulation?"

The Third Patriarch was surprised to see Lu Qing's nonchalant attitude.

He was well aware of the power of his sword strike.

Aside from not using his most powerful secret technique, this attack was pretty much the strongest he could muster with his current puppet body.

Even a true innate realm expert at their peak would not fare well against this move.

Yet, Lu Qing had directly withstood his attack, only retreating over ten steps without any signs of injury.

This caused even the Third Patriarch's heart to stir.

Although he knew that the anomaly capable of triggering the tribulation clouds must be extraordinary, he hadn't expected Lu Qing, who had just entered the innate realm, to be able to match his puppet body blow for blow.

The strength of his physical body was simply too exaggerated.

Upon hearing this, everyone was stunned and looked at Lu Qing in disbelief.

From the Third Patriarch's words, they realized that the one who had triggered the tribulation clouds earlier and transcended the tribulation might not have been the divine talisman with mysterious powers, but this young man before them.

"The Patriarch's insight is truly remarkable."

Lu Qing's heart stirred as he realized that the other party had seen through the fact that he was the one who had transcended the tribulation earlier, and not his divine soul talisman, as others had assumed.

Seeing that Lu Qing didn't deny it, the group of innate realm experts gaped in shock as they looked at him.

The one who had transcended the tribulation earlier was actually him!

In the shadowy corner, the black-robed figure also revealed a look of disbelief: "The one who transcended the tribulation earlier was this brat? What kind of monster is he?"

Everyone was shocked by this revelation, and it took a while for them to recover.

"No wonder his strength has increased so much. Even the Demon-Subduing Vajra Pestle was unable to harm him!"

Only then did Yang Ming Dao Ren understand the reason behind Lu Qing's rapid improvement over the past few days.

"You're the first person to undergo the tribulation since the changes in the world. No wonder I felt so restless in my heart earlier."

The senior brother from Yun Shui Secret Realm looked enlightened.

Ever since the tribulation clouds appeared, he had a constant feeling that something was amiss.

Now he realized that the one who had transcended the tribulation was not what everyone assumed—a divine treasure—but this enigmatic young man before them.

At the same time, he felt relieved that he had restrained his junior brothers and sisters from taking action earlier.

Otherwise, they might have ended up like Xuan Ming and the others, severely injured.

"You were the one who transcended the tribulation earlier?!'

Among everyone present, the one who found it the hardest to believe was Xuan Ming.

He never expected that the one who had triggered the tribulation clouds earlier was Lu Qing.

If they had known the truth, they wouldn't have dared to provoke Lu Qing.

After all, he was the first person to undergo the tribulation since the changes in the world and the revival of spiritual energy.

Such an anomaly in the heavens and earth was bound to be favored by the heavens and earth itself, far beyond the reach of these innate realm experts.

"The first person to undergo the tribulation since the changes in the heavens; as expected, you are extraordinary." The Third Patriarch sighed, "Your physical body, tempered by the tribulation, is even stronger than the average perfected innate realm cultivator. Given time, your achievements will be immeasurable. I fear that even us old fellows will be surpassed by you."

"You flatter me, Patriarch," Lu Qing replied humbly.

"However..." The Third Patriarch's gaze turned sharp, "...you have only just undergone the tribulation, and your cultivation has not yet settled. Even if you can surpass us, it will only be possible if you are allowed to grow and develop further. For now, your strength is insufficient to stop me from taking this person away."

"Since we agreed to a battle of three moves, and the third move has not yet been made, how can you be so sure that I won't be able to repel you, Senior?" Lu Qing said with a faint smile.

"Good, very good! Truly, the audacity of youth, a calf unafraid of a tiger!"

Seeing Lu Qing's confident demeanor, the Third Patriarch nodded, his gaze turning cold and stern. "Since that's the case, then show me your third move."

As he spoke, the longsword in his hand trembled, and a chill aura rose from within him.

Everyone present felt a chill in their hearts, knowing that Lu Qing had repeatedly refused to give the Third Patriarch face, and now the latter was truly enraged.

The next clash would likely be far more intense than the previous exchanges.

"Then please be careful, Patriarch."

Lu Qing assumed a starting stance, but he did not attack immediately. Instead, he closed his eyes, immersing his mind within his body to carefully sense something.

This sensing lasted for over ten breaths.

At first, everyone found it strange that Lu Qing was taking so long to make his move. But gradually, a sense of unease crept into their hearts as they witnessed the terrifying aura that began to rise from Lu Qing's body.

It was as if some incredibly formidable power was awakening within him, sending shivers down their spines.

Could this youth still have some hidden strength?

Even the Third Patriarch's expression turned solemn as he sensed the formidable aura emanating from Lu Qing. He realized that Lu Qing now exuded a danger that even he felt threatened by.

This meant that Lu Qing had reached a level where he could truly threaten the Third Patriarch.

Stimulated by Lu Qing's aura, the Third Patriarch's sword began to gather power, drawing upon the spiritual energy of the world around him.

As Lu Qing's aura became increasingly formidable, some of the weaker innate realm cultivators felt so intimidated that they even considered fleeing.

Finally, amidst the shocked gazes of everyone present, Lu Qing opened his eyes. They shone with an otherworldly light, like a ghost or a god, striking fear into the hearts of all who beheld them.

"Please, Patriarch," Lu Qing said, his voice carrying a strange rhythm like jade beads falling onto a plate.

The Third Patriarch's heart stirred, but his expression remained unchanged, "I didn't expect you to have reserves. Come then."

Boom!

With that, Lu Qing's figure disappeared from where he stood, only to reappear in front of the Third Patriarch in the next instant.

His battle dagger had somehow found its way to within three inches of the Third Patriarch's throat.

The Third Patriarch's pupils contracted. Despite his profound soul cultivation, he had not been able to react to Lu Qing's speed in that moment, allowing him to close the distance so easily.

As Lu Qing's dagger was about to pierce his throat, the Third Patriarch reacted without hesitation, his foot pressing against the ground as he retreated at an incredible speed.

At the same time, he channeled the soul power within his brow into the surrounding heaven and earth, manipulating the rules of the world to generate a mysterious force that constrained and compressed Lu Qing, aiming to limit his speed.

This move was effective, and as the power of the world constrained Lu Qing, his speed slowed significantly.

In the end, Lu Qing missed the Third Patriarch's throat by a hair's breadth, the latter having barely managed to dodge in time.

At that moment, a loud, violent howl rang out, reaching the ears of everyone present.

A long trail of white mist appeared behind Lu Qing, a phenomenon caused by his physical body piercing through the air at an incredible speed.

This sight directly shocked everyone who witnessed it.

And it wasn't just because of the inhuman speed Lu Qing had displayed.

And most importantly, they saw that the Third Patriarch had retreated.

This was the first time the Third Patriarch had been forced to back down since his appearance.

And according to the agreement between him and Lu Qing, now that he had retreated, he could no longer stop Lu Qing from killing Xuan Ming.

In other words, Lu Qing had won this duel.

Xuan Ming's eyes widened in terror.

However, just when everyone thought the battle was over, Lu Qing showed no signs of stopping.

Seeing that the surrounding earthly energy was still squeezing him, he narrowed his eyes, and with a shake of his body, he instantly shook off all the restraints and regained control over his body.

Then, with a stomp of his foot, he tore the ground beneath him, distorting and warping it as his body once again broke through the atmosphere and pursued the retreating Third Patriarch.

However, the Third Patriarch, having caught his breath, reacted as well.

His soul power surged out once more, merging with the world around him, leveraging the power of the earth and sky to restrict Lu Qing.

At the same time, the longsword in his hand stirred up the wind and clouds, gathering the earth's energy from a radius of several dozen meters and slamming it toward Lu Qing.

This time, the Third Patriarch held nothing back, pouring all his strength into this attack as he engaged Lu Qing in battle.

Having sensed the terrifying power of Lu Qing's previous strike, he knew that if he held back any longer, he would lose!

To be defeated by a youth who had just entered the Innate Realm?

Even if his opponent was an anomaly capable of summoning tribulation clouds, the Third Patriarch could not tolerate such an outcome.

In this moment, the Third Patriarch's pride as a patriarch took over, and all thoughts of Xuan Ming and Xuan Kong Mountain faded from his mind.

With a fierce gaze, he precisely pointed his longsword at the blade of Lu Qing's dagger.

Boom!

The collision of the dagger and sword created an overwhelmingly powerful force that caused the air currents to explode once more.

The resulting impact wave was several times stronger than before, kicking up countless clouds of dust and shaking everything around them to pieces.

After this clash, Lu Qing and the Third Patriarch's figures separated, each retreating more than ten steps.

This time, the two were evenly matched.

However, their retreat only lasted an instant, and in the next, they charged at each other again, continuing their fierce battle.

This time, the two became thoroughly entangled in close combat.

The dagger and sword clashed continuously, their might shaking the surroundings and sending countless sword and dagger energies flying in all directions.

"Not good, retreat!"

The Innate Realm experts watching the battle turned pale and quickly backed away.

Only after retreating for over a hundred meters did they stop, their hearts still pounding as they watched from a distance.

In the center of the air current explosion, Lu Qing and the Third Patriarch fought with increasing intensity.

Wherever they went, nothing could stand in the way of the fierce onslaught they unleashed.

"Is this really a battle between Innate Realm cultivators?"

An Innate Realm expert, sensing the formidable might of the two combatants, asked with a trembling voice.

"Do you think either of them can be considered normal Innate Realm cultivators?"

His companion gave him a look, and the first expert fell silent.

The others who heard their conversation also remained quiet, deep in thought.

Indeed, neither of the combatants could be judged by the standards of ordinary Innate Realm cultivators.

As for the Third Patriarch, he was already a mysterious figure, to begin with, and couldn't be measured by common standards.

In fact, some had even speculated that the true cultivation level of the three patriarchs had already surpassed the scope of the Innate Realm.

After all, the lifespan of Innate Realm cultivators was only a few hundred years.

But the oldest of the three patriarchs had lived for over a thousand years.

Although the Third Patriarch wasn't as old, he had still lived for three to four hundred years, significantly longer than the oldest Innate Realm cultivators.

As for Lu Qing, there was no need for explanation.

He was the first person to undergo the tribulation after the changes in the world.

Just this title alone was enough to showcase his extraordinary nature.

However, while they may understand this intellectually, the powerful might displayed by the two combatants still filled the onlookers' hearts with complex emotions.

They were all cultivators, yet the gap between them and these two was just too vast.

Boom!

Just as the crowd of onlookers was lost in their thoughts, a change occurred in the battle between Lu Qing and the Third Patriarch.

A figure suddenly flew out of the dust and smoke, crashing into a house and destroying it.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end