Tiger Roar Dragon Fist

Feeling that piercingly cold Qi Force, Ye Chen experienced a sense of danger for the first time. He changed from holding the sword one-handed to gripping it with both hands, laying down a dense curtain of sword light before him.

Puff!

Like ice meeting boiling water, the sword curtain melted and collapsed beneath Zhang Haoran's palm force. Seeing the other man's palm about to press against his chest, Ye Chen let out an angry roar and met it with his left fist.

"Vajra Immeasurable!"

This was the strongest strike in the Vajra Fist. Ye Chen had long cultivated it to the point where hardness and softness merged as one. Now, fueled by his blazing rage, it immediately rose to an inconceivable realm.

Before their fists even met, faint crackling explosions already rang out. Zhang Haoran was startled. He had never seen such a fierce Vajra Fist; it was practically no weaker than a Human-grade High-tier Martial Skill. But so what? In both the quantity and quality of Internal Energy, he held an overwhelming advantage.

"Get lost!"

Cold force erupted. Zhang Haoran's strength surged again as he pressed a palm onto Ye Chen's fist like lightning.

Bang!

Frost shattered. Ye Chen was sent reeling at once, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth. Chilling air poured from his left arm, which could no longer exert any strength.

"Next time, remember to open your eyes. Not everyone is someone you can afford to offend." After pausing slightly, Zhang Haoran struck another palm at Ye Chen.

At this moment, Ye Chen could not care about anything else. With a flick of his right wrist, the Fine Steel Sword transformed into a dazzling cold gleam and stabbed straight out. It was sharp and elegant; though the distance was clearly close, it gave the illusion that it was still far away. Even Zhang Haoran was briefly dazed, hurriedly reaching out with the left hand he had kept behind his back, intending to seize that glinting sword edge.

The moment Wu Zongming saw this, he knew that even if Ye Chen injured Zhang Haoran, he himself would be crippled—and crippled right before Wu Zongming's eyes. How could he possibly endure that?

"Raging Fire Ruthless!"

Amid scattering sparks, Wu Zongming shot forward in an arrow step, punching at Zhang Haoran from the side.

Faced with the two men's pincer attack, Zhang Haoran could no longer remain composed. He instantly withdrew both hands, flicked his sleeves, and seemed to shrink the earth into inches beneath his feet, leaving their encirclement in the blink of an eye.

Human-grade High-tier Martial Skill—Inch Travel Step!

Wu Zongming had not expected to hit Zhang Haoran, but the more the other man revealed his strength, the more wary he became. The Cloud Soaring Art had reached the fifth level, Flowing Cloud Triple-Fold Force had reached major mastery, Cold-Soaking Palm had reached major mastery, and now he had even revealed a movement Martial Skill, Inch Travel Step. Who knew how many powerful Martial Skills he still had hidden away?

"Brother, what is your name?" Wu Zongming took a deep breath and turned to ask Ye Chen.

Ye Chen was circulating his Internal Energy to dispel the chill in his left arm. Hearing this, he replied, "Ye Chen."

"You should already know my name, so I will not repeat it. But your fist art and sword art are formidable indeed! I nearly misjudged you." He had noticed Ye Chen's punch just now as well. Though Ye Chen had been injured in the clash with Zhang Haoran, among Outer Sect Disciples, how many could withstand one of Zhang Haoran's palms? Not to mention that Ye Chen was only at the sixth level of the Qi Cultivation Realm.

"You flatter me." Ye Chen's tone was calm, but inwardly he was somewhat anxious. The cold energy of the Cold-Soaking Palm was like maggots clinging to the bone, impossible to purge completely. Only now did Ye Chen feel some regret. If he had cultivated a Human-grade Mid-tier cultivation method, then even if the quality of his Internal Energy could not match Zhang Haoran's, it would not have been too far behind. He surely could have expelled this cold energy.

Of course, Ye Chen could not be blamed for this. A Human-grade Mid-tier cultivation method was worth the equivalent of a Human-grade High-tier Martial Skill. With his status as an Outer Sect Disciple, he could not obtain one. The Martial Arts Pavilion did have some relatively trashy Human-grade Mid-tier cultivation methods, but cultivation methods were not something one could simply cultivate at will; they consumed tremendous time and energy. If he changed cultivation methods later, he would also need to spend time refining away his original Internal Energy. That was exceptionally unwise. Therefore, Ye Chen had originally planned to obtain a good cultivation method by clearing Wooden Man Alley. Who could have known he would encounter such a situation?

"Wu Zongming, you are courting death." Forced back by the two men working together, Zhang Haoran's face flushed red, then turned pale, and finally became purple-green, sinister and terrifying.

Wu Zongming said coldly, "You are not qualified to say that."

"Very well. Today, neither of you will leave. Ice and Snow Universe!" Ten layers of Internal Energy swelled within Zhang Haoran. Blue light flashed over his body and vanished; it was a sign that the Cloud Soaring Art had been pushed to its limit. Clearly, he had been truly enraged and was attacking without regard for the consequences.

Zhang Haoran drew half a circle with each hand. Bitterly cold wind gathered into a revolving mass and howled as it was thrust toward the two of them.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...

The freezing wind howled as it swept forth like a tornado. Layer upon layer of frost covered the ground and spread rapidly.

Wu Zongming was alarmed. It was not difficult to tell from the might of this palm strike that Zhang Haoran was only one final step away from condensing the false into the true and converting his Internal Energy into True Qi. Otherwise, he could never have brought the Cold-Soaking Palm to such a level. It was practically a genuine blizzard.

"Raging Fire Over the Plains!"

Wu Zongming had not used his full strength for a long time. This time, even his latent potential was forced out. In an instant, heat waves rolled like tides. His face gradually reddened, until at last it became like fiery jade, heat streaming from it in rising billows.

His two fists became even more scorching, nearly melting as they blasted out with terrifying momentum to meet that mass of bitterly cold wind.

The earth trembled, and the walls were shaken soft by the Qi Force, chunks of rubble dropping one after another.

Boom!

Zhang Haoran and Wu Zongming each retreated. However, Zhang Haoran took only three steps back, while Wu Zongming took four.

Just then, an astonishing Sword Light abruptly appeared, stabbing directly toward Zhang Haoran's left ribs. It was as swift as a startled swan gliding through rain, soundless and silent.

"Courting death."

Before Zhang Haoran could catch his breath, he saw Ye Chen strike with his sword. In a fury, disregarding the limits of what his body could bear, he forcibly raised his Internal Energy and threw a punch through the air.

Under the effect of the powerful Qi Force, the Fine Steel Sword bent like a bow and could advance no farther. This gave Ye Chen a deeper understanding of Zhang Haoran's strength.

"Zhang Haoran, take my punch."

Wu Zongming seemed to have forgotten that they were outnumbering their opponent. He stamped the ground, his body shooting straight at Zhang Haoran.

Without sufficient Internal Energy to support it, Zhang Haoran could not use the Inch Travel Step. Cursing inwardly, he exchanged a fist and a palm with Wu Zongming, blood seeping from the corners of his mouth.

"You forced me to do this."

Borrowing the impact of the other man's Fist Force, Zhang Haoran exaggeratedly staggered back more than ten steps. He wiped the blood from his mouth and spoke in a grim voice.

Hearing this, Wu Zongming thought to himself, Does this guy still have a Martial Skill he has not used?

Ye Chen also frowned. He had to admit that Zhang Haoran was the only genius he had admired so far. He had cultivated several Martial Skills to the point of perfection.

Looking at the two men with a cold gaze, Zhang Haoran clenched both fists. Intense blue light burst from his fists, eventually transforming into magnificent blue currents of air.

As the blue currents surged, a faint tiger's roar sounded out of thin air, its Momentum terrifying.

"Tiger Roar Dragon Fist!"

The instant Wu Zongming saw this, his expression changed drastically, and he blurted out the name.

"Human-grade Top-tier Martial Skill, Tiger Roar Dragon Fist. This is bad. How does Zhang Haoran possess so many Martial Skills?" Ye Chen had heard of this Martial Skill before. It was said that among the Flowing Cloud Sect's Human-grade Top-tier Martial Skills, only a scant few, such as the Demon Subduing Divine Fist, could contend with the Tiger Roar Dragon Fist. By rights, only Inner Sect Disciples could cultivate Human-grade Top-tier Martial Skills, yet Zhang Haoran had clearly shattered that rule.