"Young people are really arrogant." Under the sky full of ice crystals, the black-clad women around him huddled together, frozen, while Lu Ming narrowed his eyes.
He hadn't wasted a year in Chen Qing's faction; he had inquired about many things. Of course, Xu Hu wasn't the only capable fighter under Chen Qing!
Putting aside everything else, Tian Heng, who has been promoted to the so-called Sea God, is already a Above First Rank combatant. As far as he knows, as long as one is granted a divine title, there will be a significant improvement. Tian Heng is already Above First Rank, and with further improvement, even if he can't compare to himself, he can at least be on par with the Duke of Wei.
Then there's the Shen Family. The entire Shen Family has pledged allegiance to Chen Qing. He had secretly observed that the Lord of the Underworld in Yunzhou was the former Tenth Master Shen, who was originally just a little kid who hadn't even grown up yet. Although he was already First Rank first-rank sorcerer with extraordinary talent, in terms of actual combat strength, it wouldn't be difficult for him to take the life of First Rank experienced first-rank martial artist.
He had secretly considered studying the God of the Underworld.
After observing for a while, he didn't dare to make a move. His intuition told him that those Underworld lords were more troublesome than ordinary Above First Rank martial artists. If he acted rashly, he would probably suffer a great loss, given his injuries at the time.
He didn't believe that Nanming Prefecture Yunzhou n't have them, and that the Shen Family had so many sorcerers. If they were all transferred here, along with Tian Heng and Xu Hu, not to mention himself, even the Imperial Capital of the Xiao Household, who had obtained forbidden power, might not be able to escape.
He had known for a long time that Chen Qing's power was now enough to control Jiangnan, and he had never underestimated him.
But I never expected to be underestimated.
A one-on-one duel?
Lu Ming looked at Chen Qing as she landed on the ground, his narrowed eyes filled with a gaze colder than falling ice crystals.
Since the death of the King of Qin, no one has dared to challenge him alone for thirty years. Back then, when he was in a standoff with the Xiao Household, even the Golden Crow, who was hailed as the strongest in the world, did not risk a duel with him alone.
Xiao Mingyue had outmaneuvered him and successfully launched a sneak attack, but even though he was severely injured, she still didn't dare to fight him to the death. He never expected that the young man in front of him would dare to do so.
Interesting!
"You've got guts, kid," Lu Ming laughed. "If I lose, I'll admit defeat, but if you lose, what do you say?"
"I lost?" Chen Qing laughed, "Are you joking, Your Excellency? If I lost, do you think those people up there would just stand by and watch? Of course, they'd be fighting tooth and nail over the meat!"
"Since you understand this, why are you so willing to take such a risk?" Lu Ming said with amusement.
"Because this junior will not lose!"
"What an arrogant brat!" As soon as Lu Ming finished speaking, his qi and blood erupted instantly. The exaggerated burst of qi and blood resonated in the air, giving the impression of a faint dragon's roar, sending goosebumps up the skin of all the onlookers!
The second son of the Duke of Wei couldn't even sit still.
Lu Ming's bloodline is that of a dragon, but it is unknown what kind of species or demon it is, and there are no records of it. However, this is not something the Lu Household boasts about, but rather something that many demons have said after witnessing the Lu Household's bloodline.
The Lu Household possesses the might of a dragon!
Therefore, Lu Ming had a very high reputation back then. He brought the Lu Household's bloodline to its limit and often displayed his dragon might on the battlefield, causing all demons to submit. Even ancient families as powerful as the Lu Household would feel the fear from their bloodline under that dragon might.
Therefore, Lu Ming was very popular at that time. When the North and South were in a standoff, most of the small and medium-sized aristocratic families sided with Lu Ming. After all, in human memory, the dragon is the symbol of an emperor!
"It's been so many years since we last met."
Looking at that exaggerated aura, the Duke of Wei sighed slightly. Back when the North and South were at odds, even internally, people didn't have a very high opinion of the Xiao Household. Lu Ming's personal abilities were just too strong.
This kid actually dared to challenge Lu Ming to a duel; he's incredibly arrogant.
"The pinnacle of humanity?" Shen Laoda narrowed his eyes. "I never imagined that fragile humans, relying on demonic bloodlines, could actually reach such a level in terms of physical strength. That kid doesn't seem like a reckless person; his arrogance suggests he might have some hidden tricks up his sleeve."
The eldest princess squinted, staring intently at the situation. Chen Qing's scheme was meticulously planned, and she didn't quite believe that Chen Qing was a reckless fool. This was evident from the way he had plotted against her in the first place.
But what exactly is going on?
Lu Ming had been enveloped in a chilling aura the whole way, and he was clearly stalling for time to expel the chill. Didn't Chen Qing notice that?
Lu Ming was waiting for the chill to be forced out. What was he waiting for?
"They're here!" Shen Laoda suddenly said.
In the next instant, the ice crystals within a radius of ten feet instantly vaporized, and the terrifying aura once again shocked everyone!
The strength of one's Qi and blood is not always the same as one's combat strength. For example, the Hong Household's Thunder Elephant Bloodline is recognized as having the strongest Qi and blood, but in terms of actual combat strength, it would be difficult for it to even rank in the top ten among the aristocratic families in the capital.
But this level of power is excessive; it's practically an outward release of vital energy!
However, no one had time to think about this unreasonable burst of blood energy, because Lu Ming made his move the instant he vaporized the ice crystals within a ten-zhang radius!
The speed was very fast, and the force of the impact was extremely exaggerated. Only the eldest princess and the Laoda of the Shen Family could see the trajectory clearly. Even the Duke of Duke of Wei could not keep up with it.
The moment he made his move, Lu Ming closed the distance. Wherever he passed, the space around him distorted. Clearly, the unreasonable force had warped the very fabric of space!
The eldest princess's eyes once again showed apprehension. It was a wise choice not to fight Lu Ming to the death while Lu Ming was injured!
That's really impressive.
Chen Qing looked at the other party with a hint of admiration in his eyes. Although he did not think much of the other party's way of doing things, the other party's strength was truly worthy of the name of the First Duke. Under the framework he had designed, Lu Ming had almost reached the limit of the framework!
boom!
Suddenly, a thunderclap descended from the sky without warning!
The sound was so loud that everyone in the entire Nanming Prefecture could hear it, but the speed of the lightning was faster than the sound. It crashed down and landed on Chen Qing, arriving before Lu Ming.
Clearly, even though Lu Ming's power can distort space, his speed is no longer able to keep up with the light!
The situation changed in an instant. The two sons of the Duke of Wei didn't even have time to react, while the eldest princess and her husband stared intently at the scene, trying to guess Lu Ming's next move!
Chen Qing's ability to summon the power of heavenly lightning once again astonished everyone. In the entire history of the sorcerer world, there are only two people recorded as being able to use the power of heavenly lightning. The first is the first generation of the Zhang Family Master, a legendary figure known as the Heavenly Lord Duke. He is the strongest sorcerer recorded in the documents of the Warlock Dynasty of that time, and his ability is above the Four Saints!
The second person is the current head of the Zhang Family, who is also the current Grand Preceptor of Cloud Capital. This force, which is loyal to the previous dynasty, is so powerful that even the current Great Jin does not dare to easily offend it. The top figure in the Zhang Family who can control heavenly thunder accounts for a large part of this!
He is also widely recognized as the greatest warlock of our time!
Chen Qing actually possesses the Zhang Family's Heavenly Thunder Secret Technique; is he related to the Zhang Family?
A multitude of speculations arose in the princess's mind, but there was no way to verify them now. What she cared about more was what Lu Ming would do.
The best way for a martial artist to deal with a sorcerer is to close the distance. The reason why the Zhang Family's Heavenly Thunder sorcerer has never been defeated by the world's top martial artists is that his opponent possesses the same power of Heavenly Thunder Descending as Chen Qing.
Once this move is used, no martial artist dares to approach. However, the Heavenly Thunder Sorcerer possesses the most terrifying long-range killing power, because the Heavenly Thunder technique is not only powerful, but its speed also surpasses the limits of martial artists, making it virtually impossible to dodge!
Once Lu Ming creates distance, in this environment of intense cold, it will be a slow suicide!
It seems Chen Qing wasn't being arrogant; he really does have the ability to fight Lu Ming one-on-one. But why haven't we seen him use it before?
"I overestimated myself!" Shen Laoda suddenly muttered.
The princess was taken aback upon hearing this, but she immediately understood what Shen Laoda meant. She saw a flash of surprise in Lu Ming's eyes, followed by a ruthless glint. Instead of retreating, he advanced, enduring the power of the heavenly lightning, and actually tore the terrifying lightning apart with his bare hands!
The power of thunder can paralyze the nerves and instantly evaporate a martial artist's vital energy. Many martial artists have tried to force a breakthrough, but they have all died at the hands of the Zhang Family.
Lu Ming's choice was correct; retreating would mean an even more miserable death, but advancing... could he possibly survive?
The answer is yes!
All the martial artists who challenged the Zhang Family back then are dead, but Lu Ming is not among them!
A dragon's roar soared into the sky, and the terrifying power of lightning was torn apart by Lu Ming's flesh and blood. Under the heavenly lightning, the man remained fearless. Such spirit and strength finally made a trace of admiration flash in the eyes of the princess.
Regardless of how much one despises the other person's character, in terms of combat, this guy truly deserves to be ranked among the world's strongest!
So, what will Chen Qing do in the face of Lu Ming like this?
Shen Laoda and the Eldest Princess stared wide-eyed, not wanting to miss a single detail. If Chen Qing continued to confront Lu Ming head-on with the power of thunder, he would most likely be torn to shreds. However, if they retreated immediately...
The tiger had reached his hunting range; at this distance, even a Celestial Master with the power of thunder magic wouldn't be able to escape from Lu Ming's grasp.
Retreat means certain death!
boom!
As the lightning twisted and distorted, the surrounding space was instantly warped. The princess and the others could not hear the sound, but they could feel the deafening roar in their hearts.
After the distorted space came a raging storm, and the ground in the hundred-zhang space collapsed instantly, as if it were a natural disaster.
Who would have thought that this was a duel between two humans?
Even Xu Hu, who was on guard above against the princess and her group, couldn't take his eyes off them, deeply shocked. Many soldiers were discussing who was the strongest person in Jiangnan now.
Is it the Sea God Tian Heng, or the Battle God Xu Hu, or perhaps one of those Underworld who hold the power of life and death?
No one included Chen Qing in the list. Chen Qing gave people the impression of being a leader, but no one ever thought that he was a strong person with such combat power!
After the storm spread, everyone finally saw the two fighting inside, but neither Shen Laoda nor the Eldest Princess could have imagined it.
At the eye of the storm, their clothes were ripped to shreds by their own immense power, yet neither of them dared to retreat an inch!
"I'm still far from reaching the level of the Lord," Xu Hu said with wide eyes in surprise.
At this moment, Duke of Wei and the others finally saw the situation clearly, but they were all shocked by what they saw.
The two are actually locked in a direct confrontation!
After the thunder was torn apart, Chen Qing was actually able to fight Lu Ming head-on!!