"You old hag! If I don't teach you a lesson today, I won't be called Zhou!" Junior Leopard was outraged to see Little Du defeated. His body, enveloped by the moving shadows of the crutch, straightened and he repeatedly struck out with his fists, trying to break through the range of the Dragon Head Crutch.
But the old woman was not that easy to deal with.
"Young lad, you can't escape me!" She gave her Dragon Head Crutch a swirl and a surge of spirit emerged from it. Junior Leopard could feel the range of the crutch shrinking, encircling him into a very narrow field.
"What a joke!" Sneering, Junior Leopard circulated the Internal Qi in his body and dramatically raised his Qi Power. The originally turbulent Qi Power became scorching. Terrified of being casualties of their battle, their spectators had long retreated a hundred miles away. Though they had already kept their distance, they were still pushed further and further backward by the unexpected heat waves.
Hong! With a striking sound, Junior Leopard broke through the blockade formed by the old woman's Dragon Head Crutch using brute strength. An unexpected peculiar black ripple also appeared.
"No!" The old woman's expression changed and she immediately retreated ten steps backward. She stood firmly only with the help of her Dragon Head Crutch. She stared at Junior Leopard in disbelief.
"Fist intent!" Astonishment colored the old woman's eyes. She was dumbfounded to see Junior Leopard enveloped by Qi Power that was already crystallized into form.
"Fist intent! You managed to cultivate fist intent?!"
Though she had heard how Junior Leopard had defeated many Level Four experts with fist intent in the underground fire vein, everyone thought he was merely making use of the intensive Spiritual Energy of Fire there to form a Qi Power similar to fist intent. But they were now in River Heart Island. The Spiritual Energy of Fire here was weaker than most places, never mind those in the underground fire vein. Since the island was located in the center of the river, there was mostly Spiritual Energy of Water here.
In such a disadvantageous environment, Junior Leopard had surprisingly released such intensive and scorching spirit. When it came down to it, it all meant the old woman had underestimated his capability. But what confused her most was why such a young lad like him could materialize fist intent with mere Level Four cultivation.
Or perhaps, she should say that he had managed to materialize Qi Power similar to fist intent.
At the moment, she could not determine if the seemingly tangible Qi Power enveloping Junior Leopard was fist intent.
This was because she had not materialized fist intent herself. This meant that her divine thoughts were not intense and alert enough. Unlike Snake King and Nian Wushuang who had already achieved it, she could not easily see through Junior Leopard's fist intent. She could only feel a burst of powerful spirit coming off his body and it made her nervous.
"Great observation!" Junior Leopard sneered and raised his hands slowly toward the sky. Golden red light flashed between his hands and two visible Fire Dragons flew out of his palms, dancing and circling around his body. The sight left everyone shocked.
That was the second state of the Blaze Technique of the Heavenly Nine Dragon. After his cultivation reached Level Four, he could materialize two Fire Dragons. Compared to his first Fire Dragons, the dragons formed this time were more exquisite. Their sizes were smaller but more realistic. From the beards, scales, claws, horns, to the eyes, they were strangely lifelike.
An expert with fist intent observing the battle would have been surprised to find the two Fire Dragons were not actually flying around Junior Leopard. They were encircling the black fireball behind him as if they were playing with a pearl.
"Looks like I have still underestimated you in the end. But so what if you have materialized your fist intent?" The old woman calmed down after her initial astonishment. Though she now looked more serious, her fear and surprise had disappeared. Her killing intent was thriving. "You have not only materialized your fist intent but also cultivated your Blaze Technique of the Heavenly Nine Dragon to this extent. The second state of the Blaze Technique of the Heavenly Nine Dragon! I suppose even Lyu Yiyue from the Wu Family isn't capable of this!"
"Humph! Elder Lyu is the best expert in the Wu Family. His cultivation is not something an old hag like you can estimate. You might as well worry about how you will leave this place alive!" Junior Leopard laughed coldly and unleashed his two Fire Dragons to attack the old woman.
"Too arrogant, kid!" the old woman shouted, placing her Dragon Head Crutch horizontally before her body and confronted the two Fire Dragons dashing straight at her. Junior Leopard smiled coldly, watching the two dragons fight the old woman. Three golden fire balls appeared from his wrist, circling around it. On the other side, a cyan vortex had emerged from the old woman's Dragon Head Crutch and clashed with the dragons. The outcome was surprising and they had reached a stalemate for the moment.
Junior Leopard only smiled coldly. When he raised his hands, six golden fire balls charged at the old woman and the two dragons.
"Dragon Granny, watch out!"
The young girl Junior Leopard had knocked out and thrown aside had regained consciousness. Watching the scene unfolding before her, her expression froze with shock and she could help screaming.
"Don't worry, my lady!" The old woman called Dragon Granny tried to comfort her. She took three steps backward and struck the ground heavily with her Dragon Head Crutch. Something odd happened. A greenish translucent light visible to the naked eye had completely enveloped her, protecting her. The Fire Dragons slammed into the light cover but were rebounded far away, unable to break through.
Dragon Granny's expression turned smug as she looked at the golden fire balls meant for her and the Fire Dragons flying around her barrier. "It's true I have underestimated your capability, but do you really think you can win me with merely Blaze Technique of the Heavenly Nine Dragon?"
"Then just watch and see!" Junior Leopard sneered, suddenly running at the old woman.
Hong! Hong! Hong! The six fire balls slammed into her light cover one after another emitting ear-deafening humming sounds.
"Young lad, stop dreaming! My Green Spiritual Glass Cover is… What?!"
Before she could finish her cocky words, she felt a blast of scorching airflow enter the Green Spiritual Glass Cover and aim at her Dragon Head Crutch. She raised her head and became shocked by what she saw. The six fire balls continued burning the light cover even when they could not break through it in a clean hit. Under the golden flame, the light cover began to melt. Dragon Granny began to panic. She had never seen such an uncanny thing happen since she started practicing the secret skill of Green Spiritual Glass Cover. She had never heard such a thing could happen. It was unexpected that there was a flame capable of melting the harder-than-iron light cover formed by Internal Qi through the secret skill.
"Green Spiritual Glass Cover? So what if you know how to use a secret skill?" Junior Leopard laughed coldly. He had long approached the light cover, punching through it without much thought.
Junior Leopard's fist was tough, plus he was fueled by his Qi Power and fist intent. It took him only three punches or so before the light cover that was Dragon Granny's pride began cracking.
"Impossible...!" Dragon Granny made a strangled cry as if she had seen the most unbelievable thing in the world.
Universal Three-chop Sword and Green Spiritual Glass Cover were two of the three secret techniques of the Meng Family in Ningzhou. They formed the basis for the Meng Family's confidence for surviving in Jianghu. After thousands of years, these techniques earned prestige for the family.
The Green Spiritual Glass Cover was recognized as one of the strongest defense secret skills in the world.
It was said that even an expert with cultivation below Level Seven and no knowledge of protective Qi could have a defensive power equivalent to Gang Qi when using this skill. Those who have already practiced Gang Qi, on the other hand, would have even more terrifying defensive power when using it.
Dragon Granny had Level Seven cultivation and her Internal Qi was essentially unique and far stronger than those with cultivation beneath her despite her lack of success with Gang Qi. The defensive power of the Green Spiritual Glass Cover she demonstrated with her Internal Qi ought to be greater than the Protective Gang Qi by a new expert. But she did not expect the secret skill would be cracked so easily by the young lad in front of her. Everything happened too easily and inexplicably.
What she did not know was the six fire balls Junior Leopard hurled at her earlier were incidentally transformed by the Lion, which was created when the Internal Qi of the Blaze Technique of the Heavenly Nine Dragon was refined to the extreme.
Besides, Junior Leopard's Internal Qi was not just any ordinary flame. It contained the power from Mysterious Fire of the Dragon Chimera. As great as the Green Spiritual Glass Cover was, it was merely molded through ordinary Internal Qi. It obviously could not endure the power of a real dragon!
Moreover, Junior Leopard had a wickedly powerful fist. The Green Spiritual Glass Cover that was famous throughout the martial arts world finally cracked under the dual pressure.
A series of clear and melodious chimes rang in everyone's ears as if pearls were falling down on a plate. Dragon Granny leaned on her crutch with a pale face and took a step back. The cyan light cover crashed to the ground like broken glass and, with the loss of her Internal Qi, soon disappeared like cyan smoke.
"You...!"
Dragon Granny's morale was now completely gone. Her once neat hair hung down like messy curtains. With her pale, wrinkled face combined with her loose hair made her look quite like a ghost. She trembled in the wind with her walking stick, making her look desolate. Nobody could see the spirit of a Level Seven expert on her.
The newly-constructed road was also ruined by their battle. Deep traces made by saber were scattered all over the ground. Potholes caused by the Internal Qi vibration were everywhere. Junior Leopard's heated Internal Qi had melted the stones and mud. There was no trace of a new road remaining.
Junior Leopard sneered and stepped toward Dragon Granny.
"Level Seven? Haha! There is really nothing remarkable about it!"