Ouyang Feng originally had the strength of the Late Acquired Stage, and after he mistakenly cultivated the Inverted Nine Yin Manual, he had already reached the Peak Acquired Master, making the breakthrough to the Innate Realm merely a matter of time.
However, this assumed his cultivation method did not run into trouble, as his Nine Yin Manual was originally written down indiscriminately by Guo Jing, compounded by Huang Rong's random explanations, making the possibility of suffering a cultivation deviation far greater than the possibility of breaking through to the Innate Realm.
Under the siege of the Eastern Heretic, the Northern Beggar, and Guo Jing, his inner Qi within his body was already somewhat restless, coupled with repetitive, high-intensity combat, leaving him vulnerable to a backlash from his inner Qi at any moment.
Having weathered the attacks of the three, combined with the restless inner Qi within his body, the two factors intertwined by a stroke of luck to let him clear the Heaven and Earth Bridge and break through to the Innate Realm.
The Innate Realm.
The greatest distinction between the Innate Realm and the Acquired Realm was the ability to absorb a trace of the Qi of Heaven and Earth.
This Qi of Heaven and Earth possessed many names, such as spiritual energy, energy...
Acquired inner strength was actually transformed by practitioners through refining the energy in food and drink.
Clearing the Heaven and Earth Bridge in the Innate Realm allowed the link between the human body and heaven and earth to open, absorbing free material energy between heaven and earth.
Breaking through to the Innate Realm often enhanced bodily functions, restoring elderly individuals to their prime physical fitness and extending their lifespan, while young people, if fortunate, could also sharpen sensory faculties, such as Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling.
Even so, this realm still did not escape the category of ordinary humans; one still needed to eat and sleep.
The three saw that a full-strength strike landed on Ouyang Feng without killing him, instantly realizing that continuing would yield no better outcome.
Thus, they decisively conceded defeat.
Although Hong Qigong had not suffered heavy injuries, his entire left side was sore and numb, leaving him temporarily devoid of the strength to fight again. No matter what, he was still one of the current martial arts Five Greats; if he refused to concede, it would border on shamelessness, yet in his heart he truly admired the other's superb martial arts, so he cupped his fists and said, "Brother Ouyang, this old beggar concedes to you. You are The First Under Heaven!"
Ouyang Feng looked up and laughed wildly, saying to Huang Yaoshi, "Brother Huang, do you concede to me?"
Huang Yaoshi had likewise been injured by the force of Ouyang Feng's outburst just moments before, only slightly better off than Hong Qigong, but he too was unable to fight again. Besides, Huang Yaoshi had been proud all his life, and admitting defeat while refusing to acknowledge it was something he could not bring himself to do, so he held his jade flute, cupped his fists, and said, "Brother Ouyang, The First Under Heaven."
Guo Jing was the weakest in martial arts among the three, and so when he was blasted flying, he spat out a mouthful of blood. The vital energy within his body surged violently, feeling extremely uncomfortable as it blocked his chest, but fortunately it was not a serious injury, and after a sound period of recuperation he would be fine.
Hearing this, Ouyang Feng was overjoyed. "Hahaha... This old man is finally The First Under Heaven!"
After being happy for a while, a sudden void opened up in his heart, as if the goal of his life had suddenly vanished, and a sense of loss spread out.
Gradually, he reflected upon his life, missing his sister-in-law somewhat—the woman he would never forget in this lifetime.
Then, his thoughts turned to Ouyang Ke, this nephew.
No!
It should be his son.
This was originally his only attachment in this world, and the thought of him involuntarily stirred a deep sorrow in his heart.
With lifeless eyes, he said, "My child, your father's martial arts are peerless and invincible. Do you like that?"
Ouyang Feng's gaze accidentally swept past Huang Rong, a flash of light darting through his mind before his eyes locked fixedly upon Huang Rong.
In an instant, that expression carrying desolation and grief turned sinister.
Ouyang Feng's face abruptly softened into extreme gentleness and affection as he said to Huang Rong in the distance, "Lass of the Huang family, Ke'er liked you so much during his lifetime, so you will be my daughter-in-law. How could I, his father, fail to fulfill his wish?"
Ouyang Feng swept his gaze across the crowd, then spoke extremely casually, as if talking to himself, "Ke'er, I am sending your wife to see you right now."
Then he slowly closed in on Huang Rong.
Everyone present was accomplished in martial arts cultivation and naturally heard Ouyang Feng's low murmur.
Huang Rong had been clever and astute since childhood; how could she fail to understand the meaning behind Ouyang Feng's words? The Dog Beating Staff in her hand trembled violently in sudden fright.
In the critical moment, she instinctively looked toward her most reliable support.
The hope in her heart vanished. Her father, whom she regarded as formidable in her mind, her invincible master, and her reliable brother Jing were all currently showing weak expressions, and she knew they could not save her.
Her body kept retreating backward, trying to use this to widen the distance between herself and Ouyang Feng.
Huang Yaoshi's reaction was not slow either, and he hastily shouted, "Rong'er, run! Ouyang Feng wants my daughter to be buried with Ouyang Ke. You truly do not take me seriously."
Huang Yaoshi had no other choice, thinking inwardly, I am definitely not Ouyang Feng's match, but I must stall him and buy time for Rong'er to escape.
Hong Qigong reacted in a flash as well. He truly adored Huang Rong as a disciple; initially he had indeed taken her in out of gluttony and not thought much of it, but later at sea, when he himself had become a cripple, the two of them still tirelessly took care of him, which was when he truly acknowledged these two disciples. Disregarding his injuries, he forced his inner Qi to circulate and rushed forward together with Huang Yaoshi. Running, he shouted, "Rong'er! Run, your father and I will stall Ouyang Feng."
Guo Jing on the ground reacted half a beat slower than them, but by now he also understood what was happening. Enduring his discomfort, he got up and joined Hong and Huang in stalling Ouyang Feng. "Rong'er! Leave this place."
Seeing this situation, Huang Rong felt both moved and worried. She knew they were no match for Ouyang Feng, and how long could they stall him anyway? Given her own strength, she could not outrun Ouyang Feng at all and would soon be hunted down; running was simply unrealistic.
Sure enough, the three who stepped forward to entangle Ouyang Feng were all struck at their acupoints within ten moves, leaving them completely unable to move.
Huang Rong had considered begging Wang Ming to save her life, but upon reflection she felt it was useless.
Wang Ming was stronger than her father, but the gap was not that large. Ouyang Feng could defeat the joint three-man siege of her father and the others, which meant he was currently the veritable First Under Heaven, and no one could save her.
Despairingly, she dropped her resistance and stood frozen in place, only casting reluctant glances at her brother Jing, her father, and her master.
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