River Battle

As soon as Luo Qingtian soared into the air, he immediately sensed something was wrong. When he heard a series of sharp whistling sounds coming from above, he immediately remembered the group of flying swords still in the air, and he looked up sharply...

The cyan flying sword, which had been hovering in the air, suddenly descended, finally seizing the opportunity to avenge its previous defeat. It hurtled towards Luo Qingtian, who was enveloped in protective Gang Qi, like a sudden storm. This breathtaking attack made many below hold their breath for Luo Qingtian; with his protective Gang Qi, he certainly wouldn't be able to dodge as quickly as before.

"Hey!" Luo Qingtian's roar suddenly rang out in the air, followed by a loud "bang" like a thunderclap. His white Gang Qi exploded, blasting away the hundred cyan flying swords that had been shooting towards him.

Ah! Self-destructing protective Gang Qi... The spectators below stirred. Everyone was puzzled. Could it be that Luo Qingtian's protective Gang Qi, with its cultivation level, couldn't withstand Yue Qianchou's flying sword attack? Why did he have to use a method that consumed so much True Essence... self-destructing his protective Gang Qi!

Unbeknownst to them, Luo Qingtian had also arrogantly believed his protective Gang Qi could withstand Yue Qianchou's azure flames. However, upon plunging into the sea of fire, he discovered it was far from his expectations. The azure flames were abnormally hot, nearly shattering his protective Gang Qi on the spot. He was immediately startled; such terrifying flames meant that if his protective Gang Qi broke, his physical body would surely face annihilation. Fortunately, he reacted quickly, and sensing something amiss, immediately flew back.

Even so, the high temperature attached to the protective Gang Qi was difficult to dispel even with his internal Gang Qi. With such a high temperature, how could he dare to withdraw the protective aura back into his body at this moment? He could only endure it and wait for it to cool down slowly, but it was so hot that he trembled slightly. Fortunately, the people below could not see it while he was flying.

Just then, Yue Qianchou's flying sword attacked. Luo Qingtian, suffering in the sweltering heat, gritted his teeth and ruthlessly detonated his protective Gang Qi, using the opportunity to defend against the flying sword and relieve his pain. However, his protective Gang Qi was formed from a significant amount of condensed True Essence, and this explosion resulted in a considerable loss of that True Essence.

Damn it! He blew it up first. Yue Qianchou was a little annoyed. He had planned to wait until the Azure Fire flying sword got a little closer, then immediately blast the hundred flying swords into a sky full of azure flames. At that time, no matter how high this old guy's cultivation was, even if he couldn't kill him, he could burn him to a pulp, and then he would have the advantage to make his move later. Because this Daluo Sect Master was indeed extraordinary, the flying swords could hardly catch up with him, so how could he fight? He could only use trickery. Who knew that he, Boss Yue, had also miscalculated. Luo Qingtian actually self-destructed his protective Gang Qi first, blowing all the flying swords away, and his plan was immediately ruined.

In fact, Yue Qianchou himself did not know that the reason why Luo Qingtian did this was because of his palm strike with the green fire.

The opportunity was fleeting. Without the restraint of his protective Gang Qi, Luo Qingtian's flying swords would definitely not be able to catch up with him. The scattered cyan flying swords quickly returned from the sky and circled around Yue Qianchou again.

Luo Qingtian remained suspended in mid-air, motionless, his expression shifting between anger and uncertainty as he stared down below, his mind still replaying Qing Huo's ferocity. He never imagined that after yielding three moves, his first attack would result in such a humiliating defeat, leaving him utterly humiliated.

The bridge collapsed, Yue Qianchou landed on the water, standing motionless on the waves, squinting as he looked up at the sky. A raging azure flame enveloped his entire body, turning this section of the river surface into a rippling blue. Floating on the water, he stood proudly facing Luo Qingtian, the renowned Daluo Sect Master, in the sky. The azure fire figure on the water shone like a dazzling azure pearl!

The sudden and bizarre events left most people confused. However, Dongfang Changao and Chou Wuyuan Yue Qianchou exchanged a glance, their eyes revealing shock. They realized that in the first one or two moves of their formal exchange, Luo Qingtian seemed to have suffered a silent loss. How could this be?

The four family heads, who were also at the Tribulation Transcendence stage, naturally noticed something amiss. They exchanged glances, all sighing inwardly that their Old Ancestor's personal disciple was indeed extraordinary; no wonder he was confident enough to challenge the Daluo Sect Master.

"Is this the 'Star Flame Fire Art'?" Luo Qingtian's voice boomed from the sky.

"Exactly," Yue Qianchou replied with a firm and proud voice.

"Dare to come up and fight!" Luo Qingtian's voice came again. Yue Qianchou, who was in the green fire, shook his head and said loudly, "Sect Leader Luo thinks too highly of me, Yue Qianchou. Whether it is cultivation or speed, I am far inferior to you. If I go up in the air, I will only be able to take a beating. I'd better stay down here and deal with everything as it comes."

Luo Qingtian paused for a moment, then nodded and said, "Again." He then suddenly swooped down and roared again, "Daluo Mountain Splitting Palm!"

A gust of wind rose in the air, and as Luo Qingtian swooped down and struck out with his palm, a gigantic palm shadow, tens of meters in diameter, materialized in mid-air and descended upon the river. Before the palm shadow even arrived, Yue Qianchou immediately felt immense pressure; the entire riverbank slightly caved in. It seemed that even if he released his Azure Flame to defend himself, it would be forced back by the immense pressure and would not be able to harm Luo Qingtian at all.

He narrowed his eyes, and the flying sword swirling around his body plunged into the azure flames possessing him, quickly disappearing without a trace along with them. Suddenly, the river beneath his feet split open, Yue Qianchou darted into the water, vanishing instantly.

Pressure and momentum descended simultaneously, and the massive palm shadow struck the water surface where Yue Qianchou had just stood. With a deafening "bang," a towering wave erupted from the river, accompanied by a powerful gust of wind that swept away the surrounding area. Many onlookers immediately fled, but many others, with cultivation levels too low, were unable to escape and were swept away by the sudden surge of water. This was the price of watching the spectacle.

Many shops near the river were immediately destroyed, and once the floodwaters receded, fish were seen leaping everywhere on the ground. Of course, those with cultivation levels like Dongfang Changao immediately released their protective Gang Qi, standing like pillars against the sudden flood.

Luo Qingtian paused low in the air, his sharp eyes beneath his white eyebrows blazing as he quickly surveyed the area below. The power of his palm strike had instantly extinguished the flow of a section of the river, dozens of meters deep, before the waters surged back together and began to flow again. That brief moment was enough for him to get a clear view of the situation below, but Yue Qianchou.

After waiting for a while, Yue Qianchou still hadn't emerged. The group remaining on the bank began to look suspicious. Yue Qianchou's choice to duel in the river suggested he was an exceptional swimmer and had already prepared to flee. Only Ziyi remained calm, watching the river. She simply couldn't believe that Elder Bi's disciple would be so useless, running away before even suffering a loss.

Luo Qingtian, seemingly growing impatient from his low-flying position, suddenly descended, stepping on the water's surface and releasing his Divine Sense to probe deep into the riverbed. His act of descending to the surface was likely also intended to lure Yue Qianchou out.

In truth, upon seeing the force of that palm strike, Yue Qianchou knew he couldn't withstand it with his current cultivation level. He simply submerged into the river, using a water-based technique to quickly escape to a distant place. This was why he chose to fight on the river. With the river as his backing, and having mastered the water-based technique, he could easily escape at any time. This was a method he had learned at Thousand Mile Lake; who could be faster than him in the water? It was truly one of the best ways to escape.

But fleeing for his life was not running away; after the force of the palm strike, he quickly returned. Luo Qingtian's Divine Sense swept over him several times but could not detect him, which showed the profoundness of this water technique, which had made him one with the river water. It was likely that Luo Qingtian's current cultivation level would make it difficult for him to detect him.

The people on the river continued their search. Yue Qianchou, however, was frowning in thought. Going out to fight was too dangerous, and running away was too risky. If he was driven away as soon as he showed his face, how could he survive in the Cultivation World afterward... Suddenly, his brows relaxed and his eyes lit up. He remembered what He Li had said. He Li had said that black fire could burn people's minds and destroy their Divine Sense. Why didn't he give it a try?

Luo Qingtian's Divine Sense swept across the riverbed, leaving no corner unchecked, fearing that Yue Qianchou might be hiding somewhere. Yue Qianchou quietly extended two fingers, a black light the size of an egg emanating from their tips, and pointed them at the sweeping Divine Sense ...

On the shore, the scattered people gradually approached again, and most of them suspected that Yue Qianchou had run away. As time went on, even Ziyi was losing confidence. But just then, Luo Qingtian, who was standing on the water, suddenly raised his head and let out a painful groan from his throat. He staggered on the water and lost control, with half of his body sinking into the water.

Seeing that the black fire could indeed damage Divine Sense, Yue Qianchou was overjoyed. Taking advantage of Luo Qingtian's Yue Qianchou lapse in concentration, he seized the opportunity again and attacked without hesitation.

Suddenly, a change occurred on the river's surface. Waves surged, and the river water rapidly swirled, completely engulfing Luo Qingtian. A water dragon, tens of meters wide and nearly a hundred meters long, instantly formed from the river's surface. Just as everyone was astonished, the enormous water dragon suddenly reflected dazzling sunlight, appearing crystal clear, and stood motionless in the river.

"Ah! It's frozen..." many people exclaimed. After everyone realized what was happening, they discovered that the water dragon had indeed frozen into ice in an instant, exuding a chilling aura in the sunlight.

"Ah! The river has also frozen..." Exclamations rang out again, and everyone looked over. They saw that the river, which was a hundred meters wide and had a length of two or three hundred meters, was covered with white frost, with a chilling aura rising from the ice dragon.

"Ah! Look, Yue Qianchou is up there!" someone exclaimed and pointed. Everyone looked and saw Yue Qianchou standing proudly with his hands behind his back at the top of the hundred-meter-high ice dragon. The sunlight and rosy clouds reflected from the top made him look quite impressive.

Dongfang Changao and Chou Wuyuan astonished. It was unbelievable that someone could instantly conjure such a large block of ice. The heads of the Four Great Families, as well as the six Clan Elder floating in mid-air on the opposite bank of the river, all looked at Yue Qianchou, thinking to themselves, "As expected of the Old Ancestor's disciple!"

The man in Ziyi had a strange glint in his eyes; the disciple of Elder Bi had indeed not disappointed him.

Those who knew who Yue Qianchou's Master was assumed that such a profound technique must have been taught by Bi Changchun, but little did they know that it was Yue Qianchou's own creation. Of course, Bi Changchun's guidance was also indispensable.

"Sect Leader..." The disciples of the Daluo Sect cried out in grief, all rushing towards the ice throne. Just then, Luo Qingtian's voice suddenly rang out from under the ice throne, shouting, "Get out of my way! This is a personal feud between me and Yue Qianchou. How can mere ice trap me?"

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