Eternal Heavenly Emperor-Chapter 278 - 268: The Terrifying Yue State Martial Arts
Yuan Tiangang, once the foremost genius of Cang State, had dominated that title for three long years, unshakeable by anyone.
Even now, reduced to second place, no one dared underestimate him.
He definitely had a spot among the strongest Heaven Talented individuals of the current era on Sky Martial Star.
Seeing Yuan Tiangang step forward, Lin Zhining also showed a hint of caution, not daring to be the slightest bit careless.
"People from Cang State are too weak, even if one ranks first on the Fledgling Dragon List, they’re not qualified to compete with my Senior Brother Lin," a young man behind Lin Zhining suddenly stepped forward, volunteering to fight this battle in place of Lin.
Before then, he admittedly felt some reverence towards Yuan Tiangang, but after witnessing three consecutive victories for Yue State, his confidence was completely overflowing, losing all his previous reverence toward Yuan Tiangang.
—Being king among a bunch of monkeys, can that compare to a fierce tiger?
However, Lin Zhining simply waved his hand and said, "You are not his match."
"Senior Brother!" the young man protested, but after Lin glared at him, he obediently shut his mouth. Among the seven young men who had come together, only he and Lin were from the same Sect, while the other five had joined them midway upon hearing the news.
This young man, named Wang Shuang, held the 17th rank on the Earth Tiger List in Yue State, which was quite high.
Lin Zhining stepped forward a few paces and said, "Yuan Tiangang, I’ve heard you’re the number one genius of Cang State. I’ve long wanted to challenge you to see if your reputation matches reality."
"Today you will witness it, and moreover, your defeat will mark the conclusion," Yuan Tiangang said calmly, as if just stating an extremely ordinary and normal matter.
"Arrogant!" the previously mentioned Ma Yang and others exclaimed.
"Hahaha, Yuan Tiangang, was your number one status merely bragged into existence?" Lin Zhining shot back with full confidence.
"Then let’s cut the chatter, come forth and fight. You insisted on coming all the way from Yue State to seek a beating, how could I not fully satisfy you," Yuan Tiangang said coolly, tilting his head slightly and glancing at Chu Hao.
He had intended to immediately challenge Chu Hao upon coming out from the Dragon Pool but didn’t expect to encounter a challenge from Yue State, which disrupted his plans.
"Hahaha, in Cang State, there really is no one of my generation who can beat me... indeed, there’s not even someone who can match me evenly!" Lin Zhining boasted arrogantly.
"Nonsense!"
"Too arrogant!"
"Senior Brother Yuan, crush him!"
"Yes, crush him!"
The surrounding crowd shouted, regardless of their original affiliations; now they were all from Cang State, how could they tolerate being ridiculed by a foreigner? After suffering three consecutive losses, the crowd’s emotions had reached a boiling point, and they desperately craved a victory.
And Lin Zhining, obviously the strongest in this group, could reverse the previous defeats if he were beaten.
Yuan Tiangang paid no heed, in fact, Lin Zhining’s pressure was quite substantial.
This opponent... he should be no weaker than Chu Hao, perhaps even stronger.
His battle spirit surged instantly, his eyes emitted a startling brilliance, and he explosively sprung forward, launching his attack on Lin Zhining.
"Let’s see what abilities the number one genius of Cang State truly has." Lin Zhining, unafraid, raised his fists to meet him.
Cra-cra-cra-cra!
Before Yuan Tiangang’s fist could land solidly, the space already began to oscillate; crack-pop-pop, the void shattered piece by piece, stretching towards Lin Zhining’s direction.
"Spatial Physique?" Lin Zhining was startled, but a smile quickly formed on his lips, murmured, "No wonder he could become the first in Cang State, having a Spatial Physique, nearly unbeatable in the same Realm."
Boom, his fist also thundered through, finally clashing with Yuan Tiangang’s fist.
Their figures briefly intersected before separating.
Yuan Tiangang stood proudly, while Lin Zhining’s fist showed several bloodstains, with fresh blood flowing out.
"Senior Brother Yuan has won!"
"As expected of Senior Brother Yuan, let’s see how this boy can still be arrogant."
"After all that big talk, still defeated by Senior Brother Yuan’s hand."
"Just as expected."
Seeing Yuan Tiangang gaining the upper hand, the onlookers couldn’t help cheering, feeling the long-suppressed frustration finally being vented.
Lin Zhining displayed a disdainful smile and said, "A Spatial Physique is indeed rare in the world, but thinking you can defeat me just with your physique? That’s a fool’s dream. Yuan Tiangang, you are qualified to witness my true power!"
He initiated an attack, and the wolf-shaped mark on his forehead suddenly shone brightly as if it were coming to life.
"Demon Wolf Annihilation Fist!" he roared; amid the thunderous punches, gusts of wind shaped into black-colored demon wolves, each as large as a fierce tiger, pounced towards Yuan Tiangang.
"What, Demon Wolf Annihilation Fist!" someone suddenly exclaimed.
"Why so surprised? Is this martial technique famous? I’ve never even heard of it," someone scoffed.
"Do not speak recklessly!" the first person immediately rebuked, "The Demon Wolf Annihilation Fist was created by a War Emperor from Yue State. It’s said that at its highest realm, each demon wolf it summons is as large as a mountain and can destroy an entire great city."
"Impossible, right? If it’s a secret technique of the War Emperor, it must be of Heaven Level, so how could a martial sect possibly cultivate it?"
"That you do not know. Some secret techniques are created by supreme powerhouses at a very low level in their cultivation, and are continuously perfected as their realms advance. Thus, if someone can obtain this complete legacy, not only is it easier to master advanced martial techniques, but it also amounts to retracing the steps of a powerhouse, which is hugely beneficial."
"No wonder!"
"Although Yuan Tiangang is hugely talented, he is not the heir to an Emperor Level family, so he must be at a disadvantage in terms of martial techniques and cultivation techniques," another spoke.
"This battle is really hard to predict."
Yuan Tiangang and Lin Zhining were locked in a fierce battle, both prodigies continuously employing their ultimate moves. There were no protective formations outside the arena, forcing those of weaker strength to keep retreating, lest they be caught up in the terrifying battle and injured or even killed on the spot. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢
Chu Hao listened to others’ discussions and couldn’t help but think to himself that being born into a top-tier family had its advantages.
A Heaven Level Martial Technique might be obscure and difficult, but if one could start learning from the Earth Level or even Human Level, the difficulty of mastering it could be decreased significantly.
Moreover, retracing the path of a powerful figure was itself a profound experience.
However, Yuan Tiangang’s Spatial Physique was indeed very strong, effectively compensating for his slight setback in martial techniques, and he kept up evenly with Lin Zhining, fully demonstrating why he had firmly held the crown of Cang State’s number one prodigy for the past three years.
At this point, several people from Yue State also showed their astonishment. Yuan Tiangang was indeed strong, strong enough to evenly match Lin Zhining.
But Cang State only had one Yuan Tiangang. The others were mediocre and would soon be trampled underfoot by Yue State. No matter how fierce and astonishing Yuan Tiangang was, could he really stand against so many talents from Yue State?
After watching for a while, Chu Hao couldn’t help but yawn.
The two were indeed powerful, probably both at the martial sect of Nine Meridians, having broken through from the martial masters of Ten Meridians, their strength boundless. But he had already caught up in realm, and being a body cultivator, his strength doubled. Even facing both at once, he could defeat them.
He found this battle less appealing than the previous fight between Wu Shitong and Gao Feng, and despite the current strengths of these two not looking supreme, in the future, they might have a chance to surpass others.
Ten Meridians were indeed powerful, but many War Gods did not come from a Ten Meridians background. Ultimately, who could reach the peak was what mattered. Otherwise, no matter how invincible you were in the War Venerable Realm, facing a War Emperor would mean being wiped out with a flick of a finger.
The two prodigies battled to craziness, but the fight was ultimately forcefully stopped.
The interveners were a War King from the Haiyuan Sect and a strong warrior from Yue State because if the fight continued, both prodigies were at risk of perishing, a loss unbearable for their respective sects and families.
"Hahahaha, Yuan Tiangang, you really didn’t disappoint me!" Lin Zhining, although covered in blood, was not internally injured. He laughed, "But do you know what my rank is in Yue State?"
Hearing this, everyone changed color. Please don’t say this guy is just second, third, or fourth.
"I am merely ranked 11th," Lin Zhining said calmly.
Just 11th?
That’s it?
Lin Zhining, so strong he could match Yuan Tiangang, yet he could only rank 11th among Yue State’s talents? Was that to say, if Yuan Tiangang went to Yue State, he would only rank 11th as well?
Everyone turned pale. People ranked around the 40th or 50th in Yue State could defeat the top ten of Cang State, yet their strongest prodigy could only match Yue State’s 11th?
Although there was still Chu Hao, he too had only narrowly defeated Yuan Tiangang back then. Grant him one more rank, and at most, he’d be Yue State’s tenth.
Was the gap between the two states really that wide?
Not only were the younger generation demoralized, but even the representatives of the great sects looked solemn.
Yue State and Cang State, both being weaker states of Sky Martial Star, hadn’t seen a War God-level powerhouse in many years. And Cang State had produced a Yuan Tiangang, touted as the most likely to become a War God in thousands of years. Even figures unrelated to Yuan Tiangang would lend a hand if they saw him in danger.
Because this related to the grand fate of the entire Cang State.
But in Yue State, there were at least eleven such figures, and ten were even above Lin Zhining.
How could the significant figures of Cang State not be shocked?
The only slight comfort for them was that this time, the Fledgling Dragon List had some exceptional prodigies emerge, such as the body cultivator Barbaric Girl and double cultivator Chu Hao.
"People of Cang State are really too weak!" Lin Zhining shook his head, "The top five in the Earth Tiger List of Yue State are already Warriors! Sigh, this trip was really a mistake. There are no experts in Cang State, just a bunch of losers!"
Even though his words were harsh, the people of Cang State couldn’t refute them and could only clutch their fists with flushed faces.
The truth was, just sending a few people ranked just below tenth in the Earth Tiger List was enough to nearly sweep all the prodigies of Cang State. What was there to argue?
"Let’s go!" Lin Zhining waved his hand, ready to lead the six young people back to the Skyship.
"Wait!" Amidst the indignation of the crowd, the Barbaric Girl spoke up. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, we invite you to cast your vote at qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)
