Fierce Battle

The sun slanted west, not far from dusk.

Mount Hua had always been known for its precipitousness, with few traces of human passage.

Normally, at this hour, only the calls of birds and the roars of tigers and wolves would be heard, but today, a group of visitors was present at the summit of Mount Hua.

Huang Rong grew impatient with the two individuals facing off on the field, who had yet to make a move. Seeing that her father wasn't continuing his breath recovery, she brought Guo Jing over.

Huang Rong asked Huang Yaoshi with confusion, "Father! Why aren't Uncle Hong and Ouyang Feng making a move?"

Huang Yaoshi glanced at his daughter. He found his daughter beautiful and intelligent, and her martial arts aptitude was quite satisfactory. It was just that she wasn't very willing to endure the hardships of training, otherwise, she wouldn't have failed to see the situation on the field.

Huang Yaoshi said to Huang Rong with a gentle expression, "Look, Ouyang Feng has his palms flat on the ground, shoulder-width apart, his legs extended straight back with his toes touching the ground. His elbows are bent. This is clearly the Toad Skill. You two should have witnessed the power of this martial art, but you don't understand its characteristics."

Huang Rong said dismissively, "Isn't it just lying on the ground pretending to be a toad? What's so impressive about it? Can it be more powerful than Father's Finger Flicking Divine Skill or Uncle Hong's Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms?"

Huang Yaoshi shook his head, "Rong'er, you're mistaken. Among the martial arts of the Five Greats, except for Wang Chongyang, they are all supreme skills of the same level. It's not a matter of who is more powerful, just that their characteristics are different."

Huang Yaoshi pointed towards Ouyang Feng and said to his daughter beside him, "Toads, for example, hide in the earth for a long time, accumulating energy. After emerging, they don't need to eat much. The Toad Skill also emphasizes the way of accumulating strength and storing power. Therefore, the cultivation of its internal energy is extremely difficult. If there's any slight mistake in its practice, one might suffer severe injuries, or even spit blood and die. The Toad Skill is purely about using stillness to overcome movement. The entire body accumulates and stores power without releasing it. As soon as the enemy attacks, an incredibly fierce force is immediately unleashed in retaliation. Not only is it powerful, fierce, and sharp, but it is also unpredictable and wondrous, capable of instantly killing the opponent."

Huang Yaoshi then pointed towards Hong Qigong, "Your master's left palm is in a circular motion, and his right palm is in a straight posture. I surmise it should be Dragon Appearing in the Field from the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms. This move is purely defensive. I've seen it many times when I sparred with Hong Qi. This move creates an impenetrable barrier in front of him; it blocks any incoming attack, and if there's no attack, it vanishes into nothingness. None of us among the Five Greats would dare to directly receive a fully charged Toad Skill from Ouyang Feng."

Huang Rong exclaimed in surprise, "Then isn't he invincible?"

Huang Yaoshi shook his head again, "Not so. The longer the charging time, the greater the damage, but there is a limit. It's like a strong bow; the more it's drawn, the more powerful the force. But if you overdraw it, it will be destroyed."

Huang Rong's eyes lit up, "Father means that if the Toad Skill charges for too long, it will actually harm himself."

Huang Yaoshi's gaze remained on the two figures on the field as he continued, "That's right. So, to deal with the Toad Skill, you either prevent him from charging from the beginning, or you create distance and wait for his limit."

Guo Jing was full of confusion. He had been tormented by Ouyang Feng in the stone house for a long time. He asked doubtfully, "Is the Toad Skill that easy to break?"

Huang Yaoshi turned to look at Guo Jing. He still didn't like Guo Jing, but as a doting father, he couldn't resist his beloved daughter.

Huang Yaoshi explained for his daughter's sake, "A short charging time makes it agile and easy to hit the enemy; a long charging time increases its power but makes it difficult to control."

Guo Jing also understood. The most powerful aspect of the Toad Skill was when the charge was in the middle, that was the perfect state. Therefore, these two methods meant either confronting Ouyang Feng head-on and not giving him time to charge, or using Lightness Skill to dodge and make him waste his effort.

Huang Yaoshi's mind was focused on the field, not wanting to miss any exciting moments. However, he still said to the two beside him, "Your master and Ouyang Feng are likely planning to decide the outcome in one move. If Ouyang Feng lands this blow, Hong Qi will undoubtedly lose; if he misses, there will be a brief period of weakness, and he will inevitably face Hong Qi's continuous counterattacks, leading to his defeat and demise."

Hearing this, Huang Rong and Guo Jing immediately became nervous, starting to worry about Hong Qigong's safety.

"Pfft."

Ouyang Feng exerted force with his feet, pushing back, and the entire person shot towards Hong Qigong like a cannonball. If an uncharged full-power strike was ten, this charged strike's force was twenty.

Hong Qigong had originally adopted the stance of "Dragon Appearing in the Field," but internally, he was channeling "Shocking a Hundred Li," a move of immense power within the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms. He felt that after practicing the Nine Yin Manual, his strength had undergone a transformation, and he expected to withstand this blow without issue, having no intention of dodging.

"Bang!"

Instantly, their palms met, emitting a loud slapping sound.

At the same time, the powerful internal energy carried by their palms collided with each other, canceling each other out at the point of impact.

The residual force radiated outwards in all directions. Grass and stones within an eight-meter radius were as if combed by a rake, leaving only a flat, bare earth surface.

Li Mochou blocked a stone that had been thrown by the residual force of the battle with her sword. After glancing at Wang Ming, who was still diligently recovering his internal energy, she looked back towards the center of the battle.

Hong Qigong was sent flying back two to three zhang before he stabilized himself.

Hong Qi wiped a trace of blood from the corner of his mouth and said, "Old Poison, I didn't expect your martial arts to improve so rapidly."

Ouyang Feng walked slowly towards him for a few meters, closing the distance, and then assumed the starting posture of the Toad Skill again.

"Hahaha, I have mastered the Nine Yin Manual. This Mount Hua Sword Debate, the title of The First Under Heaven is mine for the taking," Ouyang Feng said wildly.

Guo Jing and Huang Rong in the distance heard this and exchanged glances, their faces filled with confusion.

Huang Rong asked, "Jing Gege, when did you give him the Nine Yin Manual?"

Guo Jing shook his head, "No. Only when we were on the boat, Rong'er, you asked me to write a Fake Nine Yin Manual for him."

Guo Jing then suddenly asked, "Did you give him the Nine Yin Manual?"

Huang Rong replied, "No. I was captured by him, and when he asked me to explain the Nine Yin Manual, I just made things up for him."

Huang Yaoshi was shocked upon hearing this, "Ouyang Feng is truly extraordinary! He forcefully practiced the Fake Nine Yin Manual that you altered!"

During the time they were discussing, the two had exchanged several more blows, but Ouyang Feng had the upper hand in all of them.

Originally, if he had directly received this Toad Skill attack head-on, Hong Qi should have been defeated.

Fortunately, he had cultivated the Nine Yin Manual, and his martial arts had greatly advanced. At the last moment, he suddenly changed his mind and decided not to use "Shocking a Hundred Li," but instead used "Dragon Ascending to Heaven," which attacks the enemy with seventy percent of the force while retaining thirty percent.

Although this move was not the most powerful, it was the most unique.

"Dragon Ascending to Heaven." The movements of this move were very ordinary: just a slight bend of the left leg, the right arm bent inward, the right palm drawing a circle and pushing outwards. However, its subtlety lay in the channeling of its energy.

When first pushed out, it appeared effortless, but upon encountering resistance, it could instantly add ten layers of after-force, each stronger than the last, piling up one after another, making it virtually unstoppable and unbreakable.

However, it was also because he had learned the Nine Yin Manual and his martial arts had greatly advanced that he became overconfident. He hadn't expected Ouyang Feng to be so formidable and had made the mistake of directly receiving this Toad Skill attack. Now, he was running out of steam and was at the end of his rope. Defeat was only a matter of time.