The Great Martial Arts World: Hot Topics and Great Heroes

"Huh? Mr. Ouyang, why are you in such a hurry? I thought you would send your nephew to scout ahead first," Chu Luren said sarcastically.

Ouyang Feng didn't respond. Indeed, given Chu Luren's age, even if Ouyang Feng wanted to teach him a lesson, he should let Ouyang Ke try first—Ouyang Ke was already over thirty!

However, after that initial test, how could Ouyang Feng possibly let Ouyang Ke go up there and risk humiliation?

Ouyang Feng ignored Chu Luren's taunts and immediately assumed a starting stance.

In the instant his movements paused, a toad phantom briefly reappeared around him, while the force of his energy scattered the surrounding sand and gravel...

Chapter 287 Toad Gas Bomb

Upon seeing that Ouyang Feng had already taken a stance, Ouyang Ke and the others retreated one after another. The dense venomous snakes in the surrounding snake formation also seemed to have encountered their natural enemy, and they all hid back, showing even greater fear than when they encountered snake medicine!

For a moment, Chu Luren even suspected that Ouyang Feng's Toad Skill came from the "Manggu Zhuha" and seemed to have the effect of restraining poisonous insects.

Furthermore, Chu Luren understood that it was impossible to wait for Ouyang Feng to make the first move; Ouyang Feng still had his pride.

“Since Mr. Ouyang does not wish to use a staff or poison, then I, Chu, will temporarily grant Mr. Ouyang a sword.” Chu Luren said, placing the sword and scabbard together to the side.

Chu Luren wasn’t too concerned about whether or not to use a staff; his main worry was that Ouyang Feng would use poison!

However, Ouyang Feng is different from Xingxiu Laoguai. Xingxiu Laoguai uses poison to kill even the lowest-ranking soldiers, and he does it in various ways, preferably turning the poison into pus to scare people. Ouyang Feng, on the other hand, does not use poison in most situations in the original work.

If it were a true fight to the death, or some kind of conspiracy, Ouyang Feng would certainly stop at nothing. But now, dealing with a young man, he really couldn't bring himself to lower himself.

Chu Luren further confirmed this point, and then he also used his bare hands to meet Ouyang Feng.

Upon seeing Chu Luren's stance, Ouyang Feng's eyebrows twitched again—this was... reminiscent of the "Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms"!

Did he learn it from Qiao Feng? Or... are those three old guys really teaming up to trick him?

It wasn't that Ouyang Feng was overthinking things; it was just that Chu Luren's methods were too unconventional. In Ouyang Feng's understanding, Chu Luren was only related to the Southern Emperor. How come he now possessed the martial arts of the Northern Beggar and the Eastern Heretic?

Chu Luren immediately unleashed a move called "Yuan Xiang Li Zhen"—a combination of the first eight forms of the Little Dragon Turtle Force. It was the most majestic and imposing move, and the seemingly neutral and peaceful palm strike often left people with no way to avoid it.

Ouyang Feng, naturally, had no intention of avoiding Chu Luren!

He didn't even exchange blows with Chu Luren, but rather it was a "you do your thing, I'll do mine" situation—Chu Luren thrust out a palm, Ouyang Feng feinted two moves, and then toad phantoms appeared all around...

Chu Luren's palm strike, which only reached about three feet around Ouyang Feng's body, was shattered by the toad phantom!

This phantom is the "Toad Qi Shield," a combination of offense and defense, which can only be used after mastering the "Toad Kung Fu."

It doesn't rely on externally released true energy to withstand the attack, but rather on the word "tremor." Whenever the phantom of a toad appears, the powerful energy tremor neutralizes the attack and simultaneously brings a counter-attack.

Chu Luren's palm strike couldn't even get close, and the shock technique of the Toad Qi Shield alone had little effect on Chu Luren, who was empowered by the Great Sage's true qi—at most, he would feel a bit stuffy, but he could recover in an instant!

Therefore, if the "special effects" of the two are removed, it will look like they are "fighting each other separately". They don't even look like they are exchanging blows when their movements are taken out individually, let alone touching each other.

It's a pity the weather is sunny now; a heavy rain would have been even more fitting...

Of course, anyone who truly understands martial arts would not think that "the two of them can't kill each other like this." On the contrary, people like Ouyang Ke were already retreating, leaving enough room for maneuver.

Otherwise, Chu Luren and Ouyang Feng might not be in any serious trouble, but the dissipated energy could cause casualties in the surrounding area!

After exchanging dozens of blows without making physical contact, Chu Luren seized an opportunity and instantly conjured three pairs of phantom arms of true energy, unleashing a barrage of "Ora Ora" at the giant toad with all eight arms.

Meanwhile, Ouyang Feng supported himself with his hands, and his Toad Qi Shield held up for an exceptionally long time, constantly counteracting Chu Luren's continuous palm strikes through tiny but persistent qi vibrations.

At this moment, Chu Luren finally understood why Wang Chongyang believed that "Innate Skill" + "One-Finger Divine Skill" could counter "Toad Skill"!

Chu Luren was initially puzzled. If the goal was simply to "break through the surface with a single point," wouldn't it be better to use a sword or an Emei dagger? Wouldn't that be even more effective than poking with a finger?

As for "Innate Skill," it is an internal skill and is not particularly aggressive in itself...

Now Chu Luren finally understood that Wang Chongyang's judgment should focus on stability—the true qi cultivated by "Xiantian Gong" is pure, condensed and does not disperse, while "Yiyang Finger" is more penetrating and good at penetrating true qi.

The former can prevent one's own strength from being easily dispersed by the toad-shaped energy shield, while the latter can be used to break through the defense of the toad-shaped energy shield!

Unfortunately, even in his "Golden Immortal Body" state, Chu Luren only barely mastered the "One-Finger Divine Skill" and could not be considered proficient. Furthermore, the Great Sage's True Qi was not known for its purity and stability.

If Chu Luren were to fight using his own meridians, the "Minor Chaos True Qi" could simulate the effect of the Primordial Qi. However, in that case, his internal strength would be far inferior to what it is now, and he would definitely be no match for the enemy!

Ouyang Feng, having withstood Chu Luren's exhausted "Little Dragon Turtle Strength," slightly curled the corners of his mouth, then forcefully pushed forward with his palms, which had been merely offering a defensive stance...

The previously blurry toad phantom suddenly became much clearer, and Ouyang Feng's cheeks bulged violently—this time, the toad phantom not only trembled, but also exhaled a burst of air.

Chu Luren's hair stood on end instantly. Without thinking, he immediately unleashed another "Little Dragon Turtle Force," his eight arms striking out with all their might...

With a loud and muffled croak, Chu Luren was sent flying back to the front of Peach Blossom Residence.

Fortunately, he managed to keep his balance and only staggered back a few steps after landing, without rolling away in a too embarrassing manner.

The fact that Chu Luren could fight Ouyang Feng to a standstill already made Ouyang Ke and the others uneasy—this was not like Hong Qigong's practice of feeding him moves; although Ouyang Feng wasn't fighting desperately, he was fighting very seriously!

Chu Luren could also guess that Ouyang Feng's move should have been enhanced by "force" and should not have been without any consumption.

While respecting his status, Ouyang Feng was also a pragmatist. Seeing that Chu Luren could block his "Toad Qi Ball," he became even more serious.

He lunged forward, assuming a toad-like stance—it must be said, the Toad Style stance is indeed unsightly, and for Ouyang Feng, it certainly hindered his performance…

Ouyang Feng wouldn't allow himself to kneel down in the face of just any opponent, which already shows that Ouyang Feng takes Chu Luren very seriously!

Ouyang Feng puffed out his cheeks once, and the toad phantom around him also puffed out once.

Ouyang Feng and the toad blew three times, and this time the phantom did not just flash by, but became clearer with each blew!

Chu Luren felt a sense of unease—why did he feel that Ouyang Feng was stronger than Hong Qigong and Huang Yaoshi?

Was it because they hadn't taken me seriously before, or...?

Chu Luren had a vague feeling of being locked on. He saw that the other party was obviously gathering strength, wanting to use the Kunyou Void to move around. However, no matter how elusive the figure was, Chu Luren always felt that the toad phantom was facing him at all times. He immediately realized that with his current movement technique, he probably couldn't dodge it!

Ouyang Feng blew the drum three times, and the toad phantom also made three muffled sounds. At this moment, a burst of air was suddenly blew out. Chu Luren quickly dodged behind the stone beast and activated the third "Little Dragon Turtle Force" again, striking the back of the stone beast with all his might...

The stone beast was lifted half a foot off the ground, enveloped in Chu Luren's palm force, and shoved forward. However, it flew less than ten feet before it met Ouyang Feng's enhanced version of the Toad Qi Ball, which was a combination of three, and was directly blasted apart.

With this buffer, Chu Luren had time to activate the fourth Little Dragon Turtle Force again to meet the remaining energy.

Even so, he was still so choked that his internal organs felt blocked. Before he could catch his breath, he was hit by fragments of the stone beast, which pounded against him, causing him to stagger back a few steps.

Fortunately, Chu Luren was truly resilient after merging with the "Indestructible Vajra Divine Skill," showing no signs of injury despite the pain. Ouyang Feng's attack was not as severe as the backlash he suffered when exchanging sound techniques with the Fusang group...

Chapter 288 The Transmission of Demonic Arts to the West

Chu Luren had also realized that his previous assessment of Ouyang Feng had been slightly underestimated...

Ouyang Feng's strength is no weaker than Yagyu Tajima-no-kami's, and he has more tricks up his sleeve than Yagyu Tajima-no-kami, even without using poison!

Ouyang Feng was also secretly surprised. He didn't expect that Chu Luren, who was only in his twenties, could withstand his toad-shaped energy blast.

Even the three-in-one toad-shaped energy blast couldn't hurt Chu Luren. Seeing that he could still fight him after enduring the attack, Ouyang Feng thought to himself, "I'm afraid... without poison, I can't say I can definitely win, and I certainly can't say I can kill him!"

Of course, Ouyang Feng was unaware that Chu Luren was consuming fusion fragments and that this state could not be sustained.

If it's about using poison, putting aside the issue of face, the more important reason is that he came here to win over Huang Yaoshi.

If Chu Luren really has some kind of relationship with Huang Yaoshi, what good would it do him to swallow his pride and fight to the death?

But at that moment, Ouyang Ke, who was standing to the side, secretly made a fierce move and suddenly blew a special snake flute!

Ouyang Feng immediately noticed and quickly turned around to glare at him: "Ke'er, wait!"

But it was too late. A giant python—no, a python so thick that one person probably couldn't wrap their arms around it—suddenly emerged from the side. It was like a small mudfish encountering a giant snake.

Chu Luren felt a chill run down his spine when he saw the size!

As Chu Luren hurriedly retreated, Ouyang Feng let out a chilling hiss at the giant python. The python became slightly more docile, and Ouyang Ke, who had just been stopped, dared not continue playing the snake flute.

Speaking of such a big snake...

Could it be that White Camel Manor is actually located in Hogwarts?

No, no, that's not the way. Speaking of snakes this big...

"So Mr. Ouyang is from the lineage of the Carefree King?" Chu Luren immediately realized.

Chu Luren had previously felt that Ouyang Feng was much stronger than he had imagined. In addition, not long ago, he had just encountered a Japanese person who practiced the "Eastern Demonic Art" in Lin'an. Therefore, he quickly made the connection to the "Western Demonic Art"!

Back then, the carefree king had a "snake demon" who kept a giant python under his command. It is said that it was later subdued by Zhang Sanfeng and released into the Wudang Mountains. Chu Luren also thought of this, and some events in the "Young Zhang Sanfeng" storyline do match up, but there are also many inconsistencies, such as the ages of Zhang Cuishan and Song Yuanqiao...

However, these are all minor details, after all, it happened so long ago—if Old Zhang was still a boy, that was almost a hundred years ago!

Chu Luren hadn't expected that Ouyang Feng, who was also from the Western Regions and also played with snakes, would actually receive part of the Xiaoyao King's inheritance.

Thinking about it this way, it's not just the giant python; it's very likely that his "Toad Skill" was also a combination of some "Western-transmitted demonic skills" with modifications.

"The lineage of the Carefree King? Ha, is Wudang also a lineage of Shaolin?" Ouyang Feng said disdainfully.

Clearly, in Ouyang Feng's view, he had absorbed a portion of the lineage of the Carefree King, and then developed his own unique style...

Chu Luren glanced at the giant snake, which seemed to sense something as well. Its eyelids rolled over its eyeballs, and its vertical pupils stared at Chu Luren. Normally, a snake's vision should be barely perceptible, but Chu Luren felt a clear sense of being stared at, and... it didn't feel like a friendly gaze!

Ouyang Feng then patted the snake's head and said, "Have you eaten any strange snakes? It doesn't like you." This was clearly directed at Chu Luren.

Since Ouyang Ke believed that the giant python could help Ouyang Feng, then this big guy was obviously not easy to deal with. Just as Chu Luren was hesitating, several stone beasts next to him began to slide along the hidden tracks, crisscrossing to block Chu Luren behind them.

Then Huang Rong's voice came through: "If Uncle Ouyang is determined to be an unwelcome guest, then this junior will have no choice but to be impolite and close the door, and refuse to receive you!"

Upon hearing this, Chu Luren took two steps back and entered the door. Sure enough, the jagged rocks and exotic flowers and plants inside the door shook, "hiding" Chu Luren. Then the door closed automatically.

When Chu Luren first set foot on Peach Blossom Island, he discovered the extraordinary nature of its magical formations.

Chu Luren already knew that in this vast martial arts world, techniques like mechanical arts and esoteric formations were also very powerful. After all, with martial arts greatly enhanced, mechanical arts and esoteric formations would be too weak to be effective. Wei Wuyuan's mechanical arts were comparable to those of a peerless master.

However, this knowledge is limited to "knowing" about it; I have never actually seen it – at most, I've seen the mechanisms in ancient tombs, which seem very ingenious, but they haven't shown any particularly strong aggressiveness.

After all, very few people understand these things, and even fewer can be considered truly knowledgeable...

The Peach Blossom Forest Formation surrounding Peach Blossom Island is a true formation that inherently possesses the ability to disturb the mind!

Chu Luren was initially puzzled as to why the peach forest could trap martial arts masters. Putting aside the fact that logging was a way to escape, even if the woodcutters were incredibly skilled, they could simply use their lightness skills to fly over the treetops.

However, Chu Luren actually tried it and then understood why no one else used this method...

After using his lightness skill to leap into the air, the illusionary array's effect of disturbing the mind became even stronger. All he could see were peach petals, and even his true energy seemed to have gone astray, causing him to fall back down without realizing it!

As a residence, Peach Blossom Residence is equipped with both ingenious formations and mechanical devices...

At this moment, Huang Rong intentionally led Chu Luren in. Chu Luren didn't feel uncomfortable at all, but Ouyang Feng outside really didn't dare to enter without permission.

On one hand, they were wary of the formation of Peach Blossom Residence, and on the other hand... they didn't want to make the scene too ugly, otherwise wouldn't they just make enemies with Huang Yaoshi for no reason?

“Since my niece doesn’t trust me, then I’ll wait outside.” Ouyang Feng’s voice pierced through the layers of traps and mechanisms, as if it were right next to her ear.