A lone battle against a sect master (Part two)

"Haha, alright, take another palm strike from me, the Might of the Fierce Tiger."

The Beast Taming Sect, as its name suggests, is a sect that tames Fairy Monster Beast and fairies. The Might of the Fierce Tiger caused countless fine tiger fur to grow on the body of the Great Strength Tiger King, and its hands also transformed into tiger claws. With a whooshing sound, it sent Zhuge Xiang to attack.

Faintly, one could even hear the roar of a tiger echoing through the mountains and rivers. This attack was even more powerful, drawing upon the Tiger Demon's strength for its own use, its attack power even surpassing that of Spell attacks.

"Bloodthirsty Technique!" The Great Strength Tiger King's strength was indeed extraordinary. That palm strike just now made Zhuge Xiang realize that even with the Night Emblem's enhancement, he couldn't gain the slightest advantage in terms of power.

As the Bloodthirsty Technique was unleashed, a crimson aura emanated from Zhuge Xiang's body. With Zhuge Xiang's breakthrough to the Deity Transformation stage, his ferocious appearance transformed into illusory ghostly Ghost Shadow, which were incredibly shocking to behold.

With the Bloodthirsty Technique added, Zhuge Xiang's attack power doubled, making him even more formidable.

Boom!

The palms collided, unleashing a terrifying sound that almost shattered the Void itself. The terrifying force made Zhuge Xiang feel as if he had been struck in the chest with a hammer, and his face paled slightly.

As for the Great Strength Tiger King, he was in an even worse state. He spat out a mouthful of blood, his face turned ashen, and his body leaned back slightly, almost falling over. However, his legs seemed to be rooted to the spot, refusing to take a single step back.

"Alright! Take my third strike! Tiger Possession, Blood-Burning **!" Staring at Zhuge Xiang, the Great Strength Tiger King found it hard to accept that he had actually lost in a simple contest of strength. With a fierce roar, the Great Strength Tiger King's body underwent a drastic change.

Layers of fine tiger fur grew out. Its limbs also completely transformed into tiger paws. The whole person looked like Tiger Demon standing upright. When it struck out with its paw, the power was astonishing. Fine drops of blood oozed from the silky tiger fur.

Blood-Burning ** is Cultivation Technique similar to Bloodthirsty Technique, which greatly enhances combat power for a short period of time at the cost of harming the body.

With a single palm strike, it seemed to draw in the surrounding air. The Great Strength Tiger King's palm strike was like the power of a small mountain concentrated in one palm. Its power made Zhuge Xiang's expression change in horror. Even Zhuge Xiang had to admit that in terms of sheer strength, he was no match for his opponent.

The three-palm challenge was to see who could withstand the opponent's attack first and retreat. It didn't specify whose palm strike was stronger.

Faced with the Great Strength Tiger King's unparalleled palm strike, Zhuge Xiang's eyes narrowed slightly. He then raised his palm into a blade and slashed fiercely down at the Great Strength Tiger King's claws, Knockback!

Knockback (Perfection Level): Requires level 8 of the Body Tempering Realm. If the opponent's cultivation level is no more than four realms higher than yours, you can Knockback 10 meters. Consumes 300 MP. Cooldown time: 100 seconds.

Zhuge Xiang activated his Knockback Skill. What appeared to be a simple palm strike was actually quite powerful. Caught off guard, the Great Strength Tiger King Zhuge Xiang was unable to withstand it and was Knockback, smashing a chair and crashing to the ground...

"Impossible!" Seeing that the Great Strength Tiger King had actually lost in the contest of palm strikes, and was so easily Knockback away without any resistance, everyone in the Great Hall was shocked. The Great Strength Tiger King, judging from his name, was a man of extraordinary strength, but today, he had actually lost.

"You tricked me! Your palm strike wasn't stronger than mine at all..." The Great Strength Tiger King, Knockback, quickly got up from the ground and glared angrily at Zhuge Xiang.

The Knockback Skill carried no offensive power whatsoever, and the Great Strength Tiger King, Knockback away, naturally sensed that something was wrong.

"You lost," Zhuge Xiang replied calmly, seemingly oblivious to the Great Strength Tiger King's resentment and anger.

Zhuge Xiang's words left the Great Strength Tiger King speechless for a long time. Finally, he nodded helplessly, "That's right. The three-palm agreement was about who retreated first, not about whose palm force was stronger. I did lose. You, go and bring Sect Master Liu out."

Pointing to several disciples of the Beast Taming Sect, the Great Strength Tiger King spoke. The disciples who were called by the Great Strength Tiger King did not dare to be negligent, nodded and left. Soon, they brought over Liu Rufang, the Sect Master of the Azure Sword Sect.

Liu Rufang's age was unknown, but due to her cultivation, she appeared young and beautiful, seemingly in her early twenties, similar to Su Huayu. What was even more remarkable was her icy and aloof demeanor, which could ignite Human Heart's desire to conquer.

Liu Rufang was dressed in a bright red wedding gown, but her hands were bound by Chains with Runes on Chains, clearly intended to imprison her, a Deity Transformation stage expert.

Upon arriving at the Great Hall, Liu Rufang stared coldly at the Great Strength Tiger King, her indifferent eyes filled with anger. Clearly, she believed that the Great Strength Tiger King had brought her out to force her to Heaven and Earth.

"Release them..." Despite his reluctance, Great Strength Tiger King wasn't one to go back on his word, and waved his hand as he spoke.

The words of the Great Strength Tiger King made the disciples hesitate, and even more so Liu Rufang, who was astonished and did not understand why the Great Strength Tiger King suddenly expressed his intention to release her.

"Sect Master, wait! We can't let her go!" At that moment, a hurried shout rang out, and then three Deity Transformation stage elders stepped forward from the crowd.

An elderly man with white hair and beard, who was at the head of the group, said urgently, "The Sect Master's marriage is not just a matter for you alone, but also concerns the reputation of our Beast Taming Sect. So many Cultivators have come to attend the Sect Master's wedding banquet today, but the bride has been rescued. If this gets out, how can our Beast Taming Sect maintain its standing in Canghai Commandery? Moreover, when Sect Master returns, he will surely become our Beast Taming Sect's mortal enemy."

"Indeed, we hope the Sect Master will reconsider," the other two Deity Transformation stage elders nodded in agreement and said in unison to the Great Strength Tiger King.

"Sect Master, please reconsider!" These three elders clearly held extraordinary positions within the Beast Taming Sect. As soon as they finished speaking, all the disciples of the Beast Taming Sect in the Great Hall knelt down and sang in unison.

"You... you people... do you even dare to disobey my orders, the orders of your Sect Master? I said, release them! That's an order!" The Great Strength Tiger King looked around, his eyes blazing with Flame, and shouted sternly.

The disciples looked troubled. On one side was the Sect Master, and on the other were three Grand Elders. Their authority was beyond their reach, and they were truly at a loss.

"Very well, since you won't make a move, then I, the Sect Master, will do it myself and see who dares to stop me," the Great Strength Tiger King said with a laugh of anger, and as he spoke, he personally reached out and grabbed at the Runes Chains on Liu Rufang's body.

"Fellow Daoists, today is a joyous occasion for me, Great Strength Tiger King. Unfortunately, my skills are inferior, and I lost by half a move to Brother Zhuge. I am utterly convinced of my defeat. According to the bet, I will now release Sect Master, making this a wasted trip for everyone. I am truly sorry..."

As he removed Liu Rufang's restraints, the Great Strength Tiger King addressed the assembled relatives and friends in the Great Hall.

"Not at all, Brother Tiger, you're too kind. We admire Brother Tiger for keeping his promise," some Cultivator said after a moment of silence, breaking the deadlock. Then, one by one, the Cultivator expressed their agreement.

"Sigh..." The three Grand Elders of the Beast Taming Sect looked at the current situation and saw the Great Strength Tiger King personally release Liu Rufang. They exchanged glances and sighed inwardly. Since the situation was hopeless, they would no longer make a futile effort to persist.

"Sect Master, let's go back quickly..." Seeing that the Great Strength Tiger King had finally freed Liu Rufang from the Runes Chains on her hands, Hua Lingsha couldn't contain her joy and came to Liu Rufang, calling out happily.

"You are... Hua Lingsha?" Liu Rufang looked at Hua Lingsha in surprise, but didn't say much. Instead, she gave Great Strength Tiger King a deep look to make sure he wasn't joking before turning to leave. This place was not suitable for staying any longer; she should return to the Azure Sword Sect first.

"Sect Master, is this really worth it?" For the sake of a so-called promise and reputation, they let Liu Rufang go on their own territory. Several elders of the Beast Taming Sect felt it wasn't worth it. So what if Young Master Zhuge was strong? After all, on their own Beast Taming Sect's territory, what trouble could nine Deity Transformation Beast Taming Sect possibly cause?

"What do you think of that Young Master Zhuge's strength?" Without rushing to answer the elders' questions, the Great Strength Tiger King simply asked in return.

The elders exchanged glances, then replied, "He is indeed strong, but ultimately his strength is limited. If the nine of us were to attack, given his cultivation level, he would have absolutely no chance of survival."

"Oh? So you mean you have a solution? But my intuition tells me otherwise. That Young Master Zhuge gives me an instinctive sense of threat. His presence instills a deep-seated fear and tension in me, as if I were facing a natural enemy."

At this point, a hint of fear appeared in the eyes of the Great Strength Tiger King.

Upon hearing his words, the elders of the Beast Taming Sect exchanged glances and remained silent. When it came to intuition about danger, the Great Strength Tiger King surpassed everyone present. His intuition about danger was incredibly accurate, and he had even saved the Beast Taming Sect from many catastrophic disasters on several occasions. It was precisely because of this that he was able to ascend to the position Sect Master Beast Taming Sect Master and gain the respect of the masses.

"Even with our combined strength, we still can't subdue him? Just who is he?" Several elders of the Beast Taming Sect muttered to themselves, their faces filled with confusion, trying to guess Zhuge Xiang's identity. However, they couldn't recall when such a powerful figure had appeared in Canghai Commandery.

"I pay my respects to the Sect Master. From now on, I am a member of the Azure Sword Sect," Zhuge Xiang said to Liu Rufang as they left Mount Wanshou and Artifact Flight. Su Huayu had already explained the entire mission to rescue her to Liu Rufang.

"Many thanks to Brother Zhuge for saving us this time. But I'm curious, with your cultivation level, why would you take a liking to our Azure Sword Sect?" Even when speaking to Zhuge Xiang, Liu Rufang smiled, though the coldness in her words had lessened considerably. (To be continued...)