Chapter 740

Ancient Strengthening Technique (Portraits of Beauty)

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AST 764 – See Who Can Hold It In

Ye Guyan stood there and watched Qing Shui from afar as she wait for him to finish his practice. She only walked closer towards him after she saw that he had stopped.

“Let’s go have breakfast. Later on, you’ll still need to go for…” Ye Guyan did not finish the sentence with ‘the battle’, she felt that these words were too heavy for now.

“Alright. Cheer up, nothing will happen. With you worrying so much for me, I’ll definitely live.” Qing Shui teased her as he looked at her crestfallen face.

Ye Guyan didn’t say much or reprimanded Qing Shui. It might be because she wasn’t in the mood for it. She turned around and head to the hall together with him.

There were more people than usual who had joined them for this meal. Qing Shui was now very close with the people from the Ye Clan. The Ye Clan had an additional ten over people and even that crazy old man was around, each of them had a grim countenance.

The mood during the meal was very heavy, but Qing Shui didn’t paid much attention to it and was very relaxed instead. Other than him, that crazy old man also had a very normal expression.

…

Martial G.o.d Street！

The area near the arena was already crowded with people, and more people still rushed over non-stop which had blocked up the entire Martial G.o.d Street.

The Martial G.o.d Street was about 1000 meter wide with a huge arena set up in the middle. Any large-scale beast carriages were forbidden to pa.s.s through the Martial G.o.d Street and people could only either walk or came by with their flying beast. Small-scaled luxurious horse carriages was only the privilege of the clans in the Martial G.o.d Street. Other people’s beast carriages and horse carriages were strictly forbidden.

There were some tables and chairs set up along the Martial G.o.d Street. Some people, who seemed to had a reputable standings and were mostly elders, were seated there as they drank tea and talked with each other.

“Old Man Qu, what should we do this time around?” An old man who gave off a healthy glow asked the question to another amiable looking old man. Both of them were seated in one of the tables together with the other elders as they drank tea.

“Old Man Gaoyang, what’s there that we need to do? Can’t the Eastern Palace Aristocrat Clan even handle a small case like this?” Old Man Qu answered in a relaxed manner as he took a sip of tea.

“That’s true. When one is old, one would worry more about useless stuff.” Old Man Gaoyang said as he looked at Old Man Qu.

The other elderly didn’t say a word but just smiled as he watched. These old men had a tremendous amount of experience in life and were able to see through a lot of things, their abilities to protect themselves were all top notch.

…

“Young Master Tuoba, it’s about time, but why haven’t they appear yet?” Qu Jiao asked the white-haired Young Master Touba.

“Haha, no need to panic. Partic.i.p.ants can be late for an hour or two. If the young man doesn’t arrive, Donggong Taiqing will not appear either. He would feel that this action is beneath his status.”
“Haha, that’s true. These two are really fighting it out. I’m going to see who will be the one who can’t hold it in.” Qu Jiao smiled and said.

They walked into the crowd. Many people would give way even when they didn"t uttered any single word. They walked towards a certain table and sat there together with another five to six people, all of them fit nicely around the table.

“Old Man Wuma is here!”

A few elderly men at the table waved to an old man with a burly built. The old man waved back with a smile then turned to the middle-aged man next to him and said, “Songyang, I’m going there. Remember to take a good look at the battle later.”

“I know grandfather. You can go there and join them.” said Wuma Songyang as he smiled. After the old man had left, he headed into the crowd where a few middle-aged people around his age waved to him.

Time had slowly pa.s.sed by and it was soon late morning, but the arena was still empty. However, it seemed that such things happened frequently so no one complained.

It was normal for people to be late because it was allowed. No one would be willing to stand on the arena for others to look at, of course, there were exceptions as well.

An hour had pa.s.sed by and many of the tables were fully occupied. The people who could sit at the tables were all people with status. As the time go by, the people around the arena started to grumble.

“d.a.m.n! How long are they going to keep us waiting? None of them are here. They can’t be making a fool out of us, right?” Someone grumbled.

“For the people from the Eastern Palace Aristocrat Clan to make a fool out of you? Who do you think you are?” Someone immediately laughed.

“Then, why they have not appeared yet? The wait is so annoying.” The person who spoke earlier was about to burst out in anger when he noticed that the other party seemed to be stronger than him.

“You’re only waiting, why are you so anxious? They are going up for a life and death battle. Is there a need to hurry when it’s a matter with their lives? Why don’t you go up?” The other person retorted, not even giving a single glance to the impatient man..

…

More time had pa.s.sed by!

“They should be here soon… There’s only half an hour left.” A cheerful and handsome man looked at the sky and said.

“Look, the people from the Tantai Aristocrat Clan are here too. This is going to be lively.” A sharp-eyed person noticed a luxurious horse carriage was coming over.

Many people stood up and crowded around the horse carriage. Although the horse carriage was not big, it was still about five meters long. Over ten people descended when the carriage had stopped. Two old men, two middle-aged men, and the others were all at a young age, or at least, they looked like they were the younger generation. Tantai Aoyun was also one of them.

“Old Master Tantai, this way, this way!” The Wuma Clan’s old man stood up and shouted.

“You guys watch from the sides. Fourth Brother, let’s go over. Those who had the rights to sit at the same table with the older generation from the Tantai Clan were only the elders from the Wuma Clan, the Eastern Palace Aristocrat Clan, and a few other clans.”

After another 15 minutes, the people from the Eastern Palace Aristocrat Clan arrived which was led by an old man. The person was very old, but his violent aura had caused many people to unconsciously step back.

Donggong Taiqing stood behind the old man as he smiled. There were also about twenty elderly and middle-aged people that stood behind the old man.

“Taiqing, go up.” The old man looked at Donggong Taiqing and said.

“Yes, Old Ancestor.” With that, Donggong Taiqing turned around. He leaped towards the huge arena and landed in it. The old man and two other elderly went over to sit at a nearby table.

“Old Man Dongong, you’re here!” Old Man Wuma said as he stood up with a smile.

Some of them casually chatted about a few insignificant topics after a bit of polite exchanges, no one even mentioned or commented about the upcoming battle at all. However, they knew that everyone, including them, were waiting for the battle to start.

Now that Donggong Taiqing had appeared and there wasn’t much time left either, they knew that the battle would start soon. Therefore, everyone looked towards the south and the north of the Martial G.o.d Street. They were waiting for that young man to appear.

“Haha, this young man can really hold it in.” The Wuma Clan’s old man said with smile as he sipped his tea.

“That’s right. There’s only 15 minutes left. His patience is hard to come by.” Old Man Tantai also said as he laughed.

“It’ll be fine if he can rush here within the time limit. It’s another second he can get to live.” The one of the youngest amongst the few elders in the Wuma Clan spoke up.

“Have you guys thought of the consequences if Taiqing failed to win?” Old Man Wuma smiled and asked casually.

“The present Taiqing can"t even be compared to the Tantai Clan’s Miss Xuan and some of the young masters. There aren’t many others who can beat him. This, I’m confident.” The youngest elder of the Wuma Clan said.

“To be honest, many things are not absolute. Have you thought of the consequences if Taiqing were to lose?” Old Man Wuma continued to ask and smile.

“It’s impossible for him to lose. You guys will find out in a while.” The Eastern Palace Aristocrat Clan’s elderly said, full of confidence. His tone was that of affirmation that didn"t gave any leeway for doubt.

The few elders also went into deep thought!

…

“No, we must all go!” Ye Yan looked at Qing Shui and said stubbornly.

Qing Shui had initially planned to go alone but the others, including Ye Yan, did not agree. He was afraid that if the Eastern Palace Aristocrat Clan were to create havoc, he wouldn’t be able to put the situation under control.

“Let’s all go. Qing Shui, we’ll go with you. Maybe we’ll be able to help you in some ways.” The crazy old man smiled and said.

Qing Shui nodded after some hesitation. They took the Ye Clan’s huge beast carriage and together with Cang Wuya, there were fifteen of them. Among them were the Ye Clan’s best warriors.

When there were only seven and a half minutes left, Qing Shui and the others arrived at the Martial G.o.d Street. Qing Shui stopped the beast carriage and walked towards the arena.

Seven and a half minutes was more than enough for them. Ye Yan was carried by the crazy old man and their group also headed towards the arena.

“Look, they’re here!”

The moment that Qing Shui and company appeared at the Martial G.o.d Street, someone immediately noticed them and cheered out which attracted everyone’s gazes. Earlier, at least half of the people had their eyes on Donggong Taiqing, but now everyone stared towards Qing Shui’s direction regardless if they could see him or not.

“d.a.m.n, he’s finally here. I thought that he had ran away.” Upon seeing Qing Shui, someone said happily.

“Ran away? Do you think that the Eastern Palace Aristocrat Clan would let him do so?” A person laughed at the previous person who spoke.

“That’s true. I hope that this battle would be more exciting. It wouldn’t be fun if he gets killed instantly by Donggong Taiqing.”

Qing Shui and the Ye Clan went into the crowd and the people around them automatically made a way for them towards the arena. A moment of silence appeared.

“Old Man Ye, come over here and have a seat!” Old Man Wuma said as he stood up and smiled.

“I’ll pa.s.s today. Let’s have a meetup again on another day.” Old Man Ye laughed, his draping hair covered up his face. However, there was still someone who had cried out in astonishment when they saw his pitch black eyes.

Old Man Ye didn"t accepted the invitation so that he could take care of the others, the other party didn’t insist either and he let him be. At this moment, Qing Shui stepped into the air and headed towards the arena gradually.

When his feet had landed on the arena, the timing was just right as the last incense burned off.

Many people were astonished over how well he had grasped his timing. There were also many of them who saw him for the first time. Compared to Donggong Taiqing, Qing Shui"s appearance was more pleasing to the eye.

After Qing Shui arrived on the arena, everyone fell silent and just stared at the two person on the stage. It had been very long since they last saw a battle at Donggong Taiqing’s level.

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AST 765 – The Duel With Donggong Taiqing

The audiences below focused their attention on the two men standing above the arena. Qing Shui and Donggong Taiqing exchanged death stares as they stood opposite to one another without making their first moves.

"This day has finally come. Today, the matters regarding the Old Ancestor will be settled once and for all. You will be the first one in line, Donggong Taiqing." A smile curled on Qing Shui"s face. He was quite calm as he stood on the arena in antic.i.p.ation of what was to come.

Donggong Taiqing continued to stare at Qing Shui as he remembered the absurd words the latter had said three days ago. Being so arrogant and disrespectful in his presence, who did this guy think he was? Qing Shui had even made him wait on the arena for 30 minutes. Although this wasn"t excessively long, it still p.i.s.sed him off.(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

"Do you regret standing here? No matter how wise your smart mouth is, it"s utterly useless in the arena." Donggong Taiqing scoffed at Qing Shui when he saw his insincere smile.

"Regret? No, I don"t feel any regrets. All I feel is the antic.i.p.ation of killing an inhumane freak like you. It"s too bad though. If you die, I won"t be able to see your clownish acts of stupidity and ignorance ever again. That"ll be less entertaining for me then." Qing Shui shook his head and forced a frown as he laughed insolently.

"So you still want to be a wise-a.s.s, even though you are going to die soon. I will make sure to make the end of your life a living h.e.l.l." Donggong Taiqing turned pale with anger.

He didn"t understand why he had been so easily infuriated by Qing Shui"s words at this point. The young man in front of Donggong Taiqing seemed calm as he remained indifferent to his death threat. Because of that nonchalant att.i.tude, Donggong Taiqing felt extremely uncomfortable.

"Is your grandfather Donggong Maisun?" Qing Shui shouted, albeit in a somewhat restrained voice. Regardless, everyone could hear him, especially the members of the Eastern Palace Aristocrat Clan.

Donggong Maisun was among the spectators below the arena. He had no idea why this young man would mention his name, even though many people, including the younger generation of other clans, knew who he was.

"Don"t take this too far. You should be thinking of how to protect your own life when the fight starts." Donggong Taiqing wasn"t concerned with Qing Shui"s question, although he couldn"t make sense of the reason why Qing Shui would ask.

"The Eastern Palace Aristocrat Clan threatens people aggressively and arrogantly. I wonder if that"s the signature style of your precious clan. I"m curious as to why no one has annihilated you all yet." Qing Shui completely ignored Donggong Taiqing"s words. He seemed like he was talking to himself, narrating the bad side of the Eastern Palace Aristocrat Clan.

"There are reasons why we exist. We have never threatened anyone with aggressiveness or anything of that sort. You, on the other hand, have been intentionally picking a fight with us. Even when you are about to die, you still want to humiliate our clan." Of course Donggong Taiqing would never admit his own clan"s methods of treating other people, even if they really were being aggressive or arrogant.

"The sins the Donggong Aristocrats have committed must have piled up like a mountain. I suppose you wouldn"t remember all of it. It"s a miracle that a clan like yours has survived until now."

"Enough!"

Donggong Taiqing shouted as he flew up to the sky. He felt that he would vomit blood if he had to listen to anymore of Qing Shui"s nonsense. Initially, he had wanted to humiliate Qing Shui before the fight began, but now all he wanted to do was kill Qing Shui as quickly as possible. Qing Shui hadn"t even been listening to him in the first place, rambling about things that came to his mind and pointing out the faults of the Eastern Palace Aristocrat Clan. Anyone would be angry if his family"s bad points were publicly dragged across mud.

While floating in the sky, Donggong Taiqing let out a soft roar, tearing his outer clothes instantly. Inside was a set of dark green battle armor that gleamed brilliantly green after it had been imbued with the qi of Xiantian.

Jade-Armored Immortal Garb!

The crowd below gasped in surprise. Even Qing Shui was surprised that Donggong Taiqing would have such a rare treasure. It seemed that the duel today wouldn"t be as simple as he initially thought.

The Jade-Armored Immortal Garb had the worth of a treasured gem, its defensive skill allowing the deflection of half of all damage taken. It could also deflect a deadly attack once per day.

"Old Man Donggong, no wonder you were completely confident that Taiqing would win. I see now it"s because of the Jade-Armored Immortal Garb on his body." said Old Man Wuma as smiled towards Old Man Donggong, who didn"t reply.

"How will anyone defeat him? He is already strong, but with this Jade-Armored Immortal Garb, he can also deflect half of the damage he takes. In order to defeat him, his opponent must possess much stronger abilities. But how many young men in this world could possess such tremendous power?" exclaimed an audience member as he sighed.

"It seems that there will be no suspense in this battle today." Another person added.

"The sons of aristocrats sure have it good. Donggong Taiqing can just wear a simple disguised armor and his ability will be practically doubled. This must be the benefit of being born in a strong aristocrat clan."

"When will we get an Jade-Armored Immortal Garb as well? Our lives would be protected if we wore it everyday, essentially having two lives in one day. But why did Donggong Taiqing show it off now? If he had kept it a secret, he would have had the chance to kill Qing Shui after deflecting a deadly hit." One of the spectators was suspicious about Donggong Taiqing"s intentions.

"Actually, it"s simple. Donggong Taiqing didn"t feel the need to hide it. Qing Shui is not worth his time, so doing this was a move to decrease his confidence. He wants to make Qing Shui feel despair, that he has no chance of winning against him." A handsome young man explained frankly.

Swis.h.!.+

Donggong Taiqing unsheathed a three-foot sharp green sword. Qing Shui was shocked after he took a closer look. The weapon Donggong Taiqing was holding had a strong venomous aura that seemed quite familiar.

The weapon had been grinded from a Poison Beast"s giant tooth. The tooth itself was poisonous and contained a strong venom as well. The penetrating force, the sharpness, and the armor breaking ability of the weapon had all been doubled from the original tooth.

Donggong Taiqing not only had the Jade-Armored Immortal Garb that deflected half the damage he took and allowed him to gain another life, he also had a poisonous tooth weapon that could double his attack damage.

Donggong Taiqing was considered a very important person in the Eastern Palace Aristocrat Clan, so his family members would never allow anything bad to happen to him. He might have already been given all the rare treasures in the household. Qing Shui also managed to steal a glance at Donggong Taiqing"s boots as he ascended into the sky.

Donggong Taiqing was wearing a pair of azure blue boots that was imbued with an abundance of spiritual powers. Even though his boots were not on par with Qing Shui"s Nine Continent Boots, it was still decent. Of course, Qing Shui"s boots were superior due to their Nine Continents Steps Effect and their ability to decrease the energy consumption of the skill. After all, the Nine Continents Steps Effect was strongest ability possible for the Nine Continent Boots.

Qing Shui then slowly ascended into the air himself. He took out the Thunder G.o.d and the Violet Gold Divine s.h.i.+eld as he slowly began to circulate his abilities and strength.

"Wow, that"s Thunder G.o.d!"

"This is getting interesting. This young man wasn"t as strong as Donggong Taiqing before, but with the Thunder G.o.d, he might actually have a chance. It"s too bad he won"t be able to break Donggong Taiqing"s defence, unless he is able to at least exploit his weaknesses twice. The chances of this man winning are still slim though." A random person pointed out the key problem regarding Qing Shui"s weapon.

"You see that giant s.h.i.+eld? That might have tremendous power too. Qing Shui doesn"t seem nervous at all. Maybe he has a final move or something."

………

"He has a future, that young man." The old man from the Tantai Aristocrat Clan said calmly. It wasn"t clear whether he was making that statement to someone or just simply voicing his thoughts.

"Haha, I have the same thoughts as Old Tantai. I think this young man is not as bad as everything thinks." Old Man Wuma spoke with a smile on his face.

Old Man Tantai and Old Man Wuma spoke without restraint even in the presence of the members of the Eastern Palace Aristocrat Clan. Even though the Tantai Aristocrat Clan was not the strongest of the aristocratic clans, the old man"s prestige was considerably high. His ability was also one of the best of his generation. The statements he made were accurate about 80% of the time, which was why the members of the Eastern Palace Aristocrat Clan felt a bit nervous when he commented about Qing Shui.

"Go to h.e.l.l!"

Donggong Taiqing shouted abruptly and rushed towards Qing Shui, his body a flash of green light. After seeing how quickly Donggong Taiqing moved, Qing Shui sighed a breath of relief. His opponent’s speed wasn’t as fast as his own. In fact, Donggong Taiqing was moving much slower than he had antic.i.p.ated.

Cloudmist Steps!

Qing Shui s.h.i.+fted as if he had become multiples flashes of his own silhouette. He rushed towards the incoming Donggong Taiqing in a flash as he aimed a strike with his Thunder G.o.d, which gleamed a frightening purple light.

Bang!

Donggong Taiqing countered Qing Shui"s Thunder G.o.d without hesitation!

Ten Thousand Great Thunderbolt!

The outcome had left Qing Shui bewildered, but to some extent, he had expected it. The paralyzing effect of his technique was ineffective towards Donggong Taiqing as the gleaming green light of his garb deflected the attack.

Qing Shui was forced backwards by the clas.h.i.+ng of their weapons. Nonetheless, he was still unharmed. He had an inkling that his opponent’s strength was about 50 percent higher than his own. When they had clashed, Donggong Taiqing had used his Taichi force to try and wound Qing Shui. Fortunately, Qing Shui had been able to withstand his attack after being forced back a distance.

Even if Donggong Taiqing had used a stronger force to attempt to knock him out, Qing Shui would have still been able to stand up without any injuries. However, he had to stay extra vigilant for the next few attacks as he might be critically injured if he wasn"t careful.

The first clash may have been just a test, but that had already left Donggong Taiqing and the others in a state of shock. To be more precise, everyone was shocked when Qing Shui began to circulate his supplementary skills and prepare his Heavenly Talismans for the next move.

He was truly a well-rounded martial warrior……

Donggong Taiqing was beginning to panic a little bit. Nonetheless, he still had confidence that would be able to kill Qing Shui eventually. He could also tell that Qing Shui was a bit weaker than him after sensing his strength and abilities.

Qing Shui had a careful mindset in approaching this duel. He didn"t want to reveal too many of his abilities, so he decided to put off using his trump cards for the time being.

Descending Heavens Talisman!

The talisman managed to decrease Donggong Taiqing"s strength by about 700 countries. His speed and other attributes were also cut by 2%. Although it seemed small, 2% was actually a great deal, sometimes deciding a person"s fate in battle.

Art of Pursuing!

Boom!

Even with such a disparity between their strengths, Qing Shui could still find ways to weaken his opponent until Donggong Taiqing had become significantly weaker. This was provided that he could still be in melee range of Donggong Taiqing during the weakening process.

Donggong Taiqing was obviously distressed when his speed had been decreased by 20% and his weight had been increased by 20%. He was immediately thrown into a state of depression, to the point of almost vomiting blood.

Body Securing Talisman!

Binding Talisman!

Qing Shui found another opportunity to hit more Heavenly Talismans towards Donggong Taiqing. While the Body Securing Talisman was ineffective against him, the Binding Talisman had a positive result due to Qing Shui"s agility advantage. Donggong Taiqing"s speed was further reduced from when he had previously been subdued by the Descending Heavens Talisman and the Art of Pursuing. Donggong Taiqing immediately s.h.i.+fted into defensive mode after that.

The crucial key in any battle would always be the speed!

Donggong Taiqing was quite surprised and a little bit alarmed. Even though Qing Shui"s defense was not as strong as his, Qing Shui"s large s.h.i.+eld and hammer could definitely withstand his attack. Moreover, Qing Shui had the speed advantage, while his own speed had been greatly reduced by more than 30%…….

s.h.i.+eld Attack!

Bang!

Qing Shui"s s.h.i.+eld Attack managed to thrust Donggong Taiqing backwards due to the minor difference between their powers. However, Qing Shui was shocked, because Donggong Taiqing was completely rendered in a state of dizziness.

After a while, Qing Shui remembered that his s.h.i.+eld Attack had a small chance of staggering his opponent, but it had never happened before until now, which was why he had forgotten about it.

But now, it had indeed appeared. Qing Shui was suspicious about Donggong Taiqing"s character, thinking that maybe he had some sort of "problem". Qing Shui had used the s.h.i.+eld Attack numerous times before, but the staggering had never occurred. It seemed to Qing Shui that he should further cultivate the s.h.i.+eld Attack after all.

Qing Shui would never pa.s.s up this great opportunity, even if it was only for a split-second. With no interruption, he focused his force on his Thunder G.o.d and struck Donggong Taiqing"s head swiftly and violently.

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