“Since you seek death, then I shall grant it to you!” Shangguan Tong said coldly.
She also wanted to directly kill Ouyang Chen, however, eliminating the most outstanding genius of Ouyang Chen’s generation might cause the Ouyang family to tear off the pretence, igniting conflict between the two families.
She was merely preparing to severely injure him, or even seize the chance to cripple him.
Now, since Ouyang Chen had invited it himself, even if she killed Ouyang Chen, even if the Ouyang family wished to turn hostile, they probably would lack sufficient reason.
“Sizzle!”
Before Shangguan Tong, the ancient bridge primary spirit condensed into form once more.
She was confident that her attack was not so feeble, even if Ouyang Chen’s injuries carried elements of feigning, they certainly were not in good shape.
After this strike landed, even if he did not lose combat ability entirely, he would be nearly there.
Then, no matter how Ouyang Chen provoked her further, she would no longer unleash primary spirit attacks, but switch to weapon assaults, thereby thoroughly defeating Ouyang Chen.
To everyone’s astonishment, this time facing Shangguan Tong’s attack, Ouyang Chen unexpectedly did not urge his primary spirit again, but charged straight ahead, allowing that ancient bridge primary spirit to smash through the air unimpeded towards him.
“What?”
Everyone widened their eyes in succession, Ouyang Chen not urging his primary spirit to block once more, but advancing headlong instead?
Could it be that Ouyang Chen truly sought death with all his heart?
“Sizzle!”
Amid the crowd’s shock, the ancient bridge primary spirit had already boomed right up to Ouyang Chen, and precisely at this juncture, a potent sixth-grade intermediate-level spiritual power aura erupted from atop Ouyang Chen’s head.
In that instant, a spiritual power barrier surged forth, condensing before Ouyang Chen’s body and interposing itself against the ancient bridge primary spirit.
“Rumble rumble!”
Upon colliding with the defensive barrier, the ancient bridge primary spirit boomed and shattered asunder, morphing into billowing waves of qi that surged turbulently upwards, downwards, leftwards, rightwards, and in all four directions.
Yet the defensive barrier before Ouyang Chen did not dissipate, merely attenuating somewhat.
“What, Ouyang Chen has actually broken through?”
“How is this possible?”
Now the Shangguan family members could no longer remain seated, each one abruptly displaying an incredulous expression.
Ouyang Chen had broken through at this very moment?
The post-breakthrough Ouyang Chen, relying solely on a spiritual power barrier for defence, could fully repel Shangguan Tong’s primary spirit assault?
The Shangguan family crowd all felt as though they had plummeted abruptly into the depths.
Whereas the Ouyang family members, after their initial daze, many could not restrain themselves from erupting into laughter.
“Broken through, the young master has broken through, hahaha”
“So that’s how it is, the young master intended to force a breakthrough under duress, now let’s see how the Shangguan family can claim victory.”
“The outcome is sealed, the Bei Qin Medicine Mountain and Shangguan Tong fall to our Ouyang family, hahaha”
The Ouyang family members were all wildly exhilarated, this reversal marking a plunge from despair into renewed hope in an instant.
Their Ouyang family had not lost, but stood to triumph in this contest.
“Interesting!” Even Xue Ling upon the main dais could not help but exclaim in admiration, her face alight with profound approbation.
Even she had discerned it only now, that Ouyang Chen had not aimed to deplete Shangguan Tong’s spiritual power through feigned wounds, but to seize the moment for his breakthrough.
Such audacity was scarce among geniuses of the younger generation.
At this juncture, even the ever-imperturbable Shangguan Rui’s countenance shifted, his eyes kindling with a brooding gleam.
And Shangguan Xiong, seated beside Xue Ling, grew visibly agitated, unable to forbear twisting his head towards Ouyang Kuo and speaking with suppressed ire: “Ouyang Kuo, this Ouyang Chen could have advanced long ago, deliberately repressing his cultivation until this instant to break through, was he not?”
“Hahaha, does only your Shangguan family possess the art of concealing strength?” Ouyang Kuo retorted with a hearty guffaw.
As Shangguan Xiong had observed, Ouyang Chen’s cultivation was no mystery to him, the youth having been primed for sixth-grade intermediate-level spiritual power long since, yet he had steadfastly suppressed it to evade the Shangguan family’s scrutiny.
The Shangguan family aside, even within their own ranks, scarce few high echelons were privy to the truth.
This, too, explained his boldness in staking the Purple Ginseng Medicine Mountain.
Elsewise, how could he hazard the Ouyang family’s prospects so?
At Ouyang Kuo’s words, Shangguan Xiong’s visage darkened profoundly, their meticulous stratagems having promised assured victory, only for the Ouyang family to outmanoeuvre them once more and seize the bout.
In the void at this moment, Shangguan Tong reeled in a haze, Ouyang Chen having ascended to sixth-grade intermediate-level spiritual power!
Even her primary spirit proved impotent against his spiritual power barrier, rendering her no match whatsoever.
“Hahaha!” Ouyang Chen’s laughter rang out then: “Tong’er, my gratitude for your assaults, this breakthrough elevating my spiritual power by a full grade and rendering my prowess yet mightier.”
Upon his frame now, no vestige of enervation lingered, the man vibrant and hale, his aura formidable, the bloodstains upon him evoking nary a suggestion of impairment.
“Tong’er, we two as husband and wife might deem this a case of rivals turned intimates.” Ouyang Chen grinned towards Shangguan Tong.
Shangguan Tong’s lithe form quivered, a near-fracturing anguish assailing her depths, the reality before her eyes intolerable.
“Fear not, upon your marriage to me, I and my entire Ouyang clan shall cherish you well.” Ouyang Chen pressed on.
“You! Hmph, the fight concludes not yet!” Shangguan Tong snorted icily, grinding her teeth before flinging forth several slender swords, which she directed hurtling towards Ouyang Chen.
Ouyang Chen merely shook his head, a stir of spiritual power halting those incoming blades dead before him.
Even at sixth-grade initial-level spiritual power had his might neared hers, now at intermediate, Shangguan Tong could scarce imperil him.
Moreover, her spiritual power teetered on exhaustion.
This confrontation required no further engagement.
“Tong’er, yield, for you have lost.” Ouyang Chen stated flatly.
“To compel my surrender, impossible!” Shangguan Tong gnashed her teeth, abandoning command of the hovering blades as spiritual power welled anew, manifesting a vast hand that boomed palm-first towards Ouyang Chen.
Ouyang Chen relinquished the swords in turn, conjuring a spiritual power barrier to enshroud his form entire, permitting the spiritual power hand to crash against him.
A thunderous detonation ensued, the hand disintegrating into expansive qi billows roiling every which way.
Ouyang Chen’s stance held firm, his forward barrier scarcely diminished.
Where primary spirit strikes yielded to his guard, commonplace spiritual forms availed him less.
In truth, Shangguan Tong commanded no further resistance.
“Swish!”
With the manifested palm’s dispersal, Ouyang Chen’s figure surged savagely towards Shangguan Tong.
“Boom!”
A spiritual beast form erupted before Shangguan Tong, interdicting Ouyang Chen’s path.
Yet anew his spiritual power barrier coalesced, repulsing the beast form outright.
“Boom!” “Boom!” “Boom!”
Shangguan Tong fell back whilst unleashing ceaseless spiritual form barrages, Ouyang Chen countering by sheathing his form in the barrier, pressing relentlessly upon her at undiminished velocity, undeterred onslaught persisting despite the onslaughts.
Shangguan Tong yielded ground unceasingly, even arcing a vast loop through the void expanse, yet inexorably Ouyang Chen closed to within dozens of zhang.
“Sizzle!”
As the prior spiritual form assault detonated, Ouyang Chen’s preceding barrier abruptly vanished, a tendril of spiritual power forthwith enwrapping Shangguan Tong’s frame.
Shangguan Tong’s features congealed in rigidity, her reserves now perilously scant and this potent spiritual binding rendering extrication impossible, her body inexorably drawn forth by the inexorable tug.
“Better death than your triumph!” Teeth clenched, a steely resolve flickered through Shangguan Tong’s mind.
