Chapter 149: Lu Yining VS Ouyang Chunqiu

With the sound of the explosion, the area where the two men stood was instantly engulfed in thick smoke. Amidst the haze, Ouyang Chunqiu looked completely calm and collected. In his view, his opponent was merely a Martial King, and six tenths of his full power would be more than enough to obliterate him completely.

A short while later, as the thick smoke began to dissipate, Ouyang Chunqiu cast a casual glance toward the spot where Lu Yining had been standing, only to find that he was no longer there. He assumed Lu Yining must have been reduced to flying ash by his Immortal Spirit Palm.

"Hmph, that is the consequence of offending my Law Enforcement Hall!" Ouyang Chunqiu snorted coldly.

Just as Ouyang Chunqiu was about to flash forward to deal with Xiao Yu, a terrifying force suddenly surged from behind him. This caused Ouyang Chunqiu to frown, and with a quick flicker of his figure, he dodged the sneak attack. When he turned around to look behind him, however, an expression of utter astonishment appeared on his face.

The person who had appeared behind him was none of us other than Lu Yining!

Seeing that the man he thought he had eradicated with a single palm strike had somehow slipped behind him without his knowledge, Ouyang Chunqiu felt a wave of surprise. It was now clear to him that he had severely underestimated Lu Yining.

"Who are you?" Ouyang Chunqiu demanded.

"Lu Yining, a disciple of the Heavenly Dao Alliance!" Lu Yining replied with a slight smile, stating his name and background.

"Lu Yining? Lu Yining, ranked third on the Dragon Ranking?" Hearing him state his name, Ouyang Chunqiu felt a mild shock. As a cultivator, he was well aware of the Dragon Ranking because the Law Enforcement Hall also had prodigies listed upon it, including Meng Tong, who had been slain by Xiao Yu.

Lu Yining smiled faintly and gave no further response.

"Since you are a martial artist on the Dragon Ranking, it seems I truly cannot afford to spare you today!" Ouyang Chunqiu said in a chilling voice.

As his words fell, he, an expert in the Tribulation Crossing Stage, took the initiative to strike. His formidable strength at the Tribulation Crossing Stage was displayed in full view. Hand seals were formed by Ouyang Chunqiu, and the surrounding spiritual energy instantly converged toward Lu Yining. This force transformed into an invisible shackle, attempting to completely trap and suffocate Lu Yining within its grasp.

Feeling the oppressive force closing in from all directions, Lu Yining’s body trembled violently. A powerful surge of vital essence burst outward from him, instantly shattering the incoming pressure. In that very fraction of a second, Ouyang Chunqiu pointed a finger toward Lu Yining. A beam of white light shot forth from his fingertip, splitting into nine mid-flight as they hurtled directly toward various vital points on Lu Yining's body.

Lu Yining did not hold back in the slightest. With a wave of his right hand, a golden radiance materialized in his palm. As the golden light faded, a broad saber gleaming with a golden luster slowly emerged.

"Breaking the Limit with a Single Saber! Shatter!"

With a thunderous roar, Lu Yining swung the heavy saber in his hand fiercely downward. A flash of golden light collided instantly with the nine beams of white light, causing Ouyang Chunqiu's attack to miss its mark once more.

Seeing his offensive maneuvers neutralized in such a manner, Ouyang Chunqiu flew into a rage. As a dignified cultivator in the Tribulation Crossing Stage, he had launched three consecutive attacks yet failed to kill a mere Martial King. If word of this got out, where would he save face?

"Fine! Very well! You have successfully provoked my murderous intent. Today, you shall undoubtedly die!" Ouyang Chunqiu declared viciously.

In response to this fierce threat, Lu Yining merely curled his lip in disdain, then raised his middle finger at Ouyang Chunqiu in a provocative gesture.

When had Ouyang Chunqiu ever suffered such blatant provocation? His aged face flushed red and turned purple with fury.

"Ignorant child, today I shall let you witness what a true Tribulation Crossing Stage expert is capable of!" Ouyang Chunqiu roared angrily, his body slowly rising into mid-air. A black scepter materialized instantly in his grasp.

As he raised the scepter high, the void around them churned violently. A mass of dark, ominous thunderclouds rapidly gathered above Ouyang Chunqiu, followed by the sudden, deafening crackle of lightning.

"Art of Thunder Control, Descent of Heavenly Lightning!"

The moment Ouyang Chunqiu finished speaking, a bolt of lightning flashed through the dark clouds, plunging downward to strike the scepter in his hand and fusing directly into it. Infused with the power of thunder, the might emanating from the scepter multiplied manifold, accompanied by an occasional crackling sound along its shaft.

"Nine Heavens Falling Thunder!"

Ouyang Chunqiu's stern shout rang out once more. Before he even swung the scepter, a formidable aura swept across the firmament.

As Ouyang Chunqiu pointed the scepter forward, bolts of lightning shot out directly toward Lu Yining below.

Facing this ferocious and overwhelming attack from Ouyang Chunqiu, Lu Yining did not panic. Gritting his teeth, he seemed to make a firm and resolute decision. He instantly put away the broad saber, brought his hands rapidly across his chest, and began changing hand seals at a dizzying speed.

As Lu Yining's hand seals shifted, the aura emanating from his body grew increasingly powerful, soon rivaling the momentum of a Martial Emperor. But it did not stop there. Clenching his teeth tightly, his expression twisted into one of ferocious agony. He looked as though he were enduring excruciating pain, enough to send a chill down anyone's spine.

High in the air, Ouyang Chunqiu sensed the rapidly escalating aura of his opponent, and after casting a glance at Lu Yining, he instantly understood what was happening.

"Hmph, a secret martial arts technique? I never expected you to possess such a rare method for boosting strength. But so what? This Nine Heavens Divine Thunder is the power of the Thunder Immortal Emperor from the Immortal Realm. Even if it possesses only one-tenth of its true might, it is more than enough to annihilate anyone below the rank of a True Immortal! Prepare to meet your doom!"

With that, Ouyang Chunqiu swung his scepter once more. The entire sky flashed with lightning as the destructive force of thunder immediately covered a radius of several miles.

Down below, Lu Yining was still frantically forming hand seals. By this point, the aura radiating from him had reached the peak of the Martial Emperor realm, yet he did not halt his movements. In the blink of an eye, his aura broke through the barrier into the Martial Saint realm, finally coming to a stop only when it reached the peak of the Martial Saint realm.

"Hoo!"

Lu Yining let out a heavy, ragged breath, his face drenched in sweat. It was obvious that while this secret technique granted him a massive surge in power, the toll on his own body was catastrophic. That was why he never resorted to it unless absolutely driven to the brink, and the very reason he was ranked only third on the Dragon Ranking.

Otherwise, relying on this formidable trump card, let alone third place, the Dragon Ranking might have ceased to contain him long ago.

"Hmph! Ouyang Chunqiu, today I, Lu Yining, swear by the heavens that I shall sever your head from your shoulders!"

"Ah!"

With a final, heaven-shaking roar into the firmament, the overwhelming aura of a peak Martial Saint erupted from Lu Yining, soaring directly into the heavens and shattering the clouds!