Chapter 154: The First Move

Ouyang Lie hadn't arrived yet; Facing Facing Cang Luo stood on the empty fighting platform, bored out of his mind—but not without things to do.

He was observing. He was waiting.

He observed the changing odds of the bets, waiting for the highest payout on the option "Facing Facing Cang Luo Wins."

This duel had five factions capable of setting betting pools: Blood Knife Sect, Divine Martial Sect, Dan Yang Sect, Xiao Yao Sect, and Jin Yuan Sect—all top ten external sect factions by strength.

There was no Lie Tian Sect—likely because Ouyang Lie was one of the combatants, to avoid suspicion.

Facing Facing Cang Luo was slightly disappointed; he had wanted to bet everything on Lie Tian Sect—to not only defeat Ouyang Lie but also to seriously swindle Lie Tian Sect out of money. Now, he could only give up on that idea.

Among them, Divine Martial Sect, Dan Yang Sect, Xiao Yao Sect, and Jin Yuan Sect all set nearly identical odds, with fluctuations around ten percent.

But Blood Knife Sect was a bit flush with cash—or perhaps desperate—or just plain odd.

The odds for "Defeat Facing Facing Cang Luo in One Strike," "Defeat Facing Facing Cang Luo in Two Strikes," and other Ouyang Lie victory options were double those of the other four sects!

Others paid five times; Blood Knife Sect paid ten times!

So ruthless!

Yet the odds for "Facing Facing Cang Luo Wins" were only half of theirs!

Other sects paid ten times; Blood Knife Sect paid only five!

What did this mean?

Did it mean Blood Knife Sect believed Facing Facing Cang Luo might win?

Facing Facing Cang Luo looked toward Blood Knife Sect and saw its head, Beigong Wang, the master of Bai Hu Tang—he was looking right back and smiling at Facing Facing Cang Luo.

Facing Facing Cang Luo gave Beigong Wang a slight nod, then turned to Wang Fuhai and said, "Brother Wang, fetch two thousand lower-grade Yuan Stones. Bet five hundred each at Divine Martial Sect, Dan Yang Sect, Xiao Yao Sect, and Jin Yuan Sect—for the boss's victory!"

"Yes!"

Wang Fuhai, in charge of finances, perked up instantly, thrilled, and took two brothers with him to place the bets.

Previously, Wolf War Sect had held just over two thousand lower-grade Yuan Stones. Yesterday, Facing Facing Cang Luo won two thousand more, bringing it to four thousand—but last night, they paid out over seventeen hundred in severance, leaving only about two thousand three hundred.

Facing Facing Cang Luo kept three hundred as pocket change and split the remaining two thousand evenly into four bets, placing five hundred at each sect.

He split them because he feared betting everything at one sect might make them unable to pay—or refuse to accept the bet—even if they accepted, he worried they'd deny payment afterward, causing trouble.

Split into four, five hundred per sect posed no problem—even if Facing Facing Cang Luo pulled off an upset win against Ouyang Lie, they'd only owe five thousand lower-grade Yuan Stones total, which they could afford.

Not only could they afford it, they'd still profit—far more people bet on "Ouyang Lie defeats Facing Facing Cang Luo in One or Two Strikes" than on "Facing Facing Cang Luo Wins." They actually hoped Facing Facing Cang Luo would pull off the upset.

Pay only Facing Facing Cang Luo; clean up on all others.

Two thousand lower-grade Yuan Stones at ten times odds equals twenty thousand. Subtract the principal, and if he won the duel, he'd net eighteen thousand lower-grade Yuan Stones!

Eighteen thousand lower-grade Yuan Stones!

He'd strike it rich!

Perfect for expanding Wolf War Sect and funding his commercial plans...

Facing Facing Cang Luo got excited just thinking about it!

As Facing Facing Cang Luo pondered how to use the eighteen thousand lower-grade Yuan Stones, the crowd watching from Xuantian Town suddenly parted left and right, clearing a narrow path.

Without needing satellite scanning, Facing Facing Cang Luo saw it—Ouyang Lie had arrived, followed by over a hundred men, each carrying weapons.

"What a grand entrance!"

Facing Facing Cang Luo chuckled softly and spotted Dai Xue among them—she'd been at the Technique Pavilion yesterday—and walked shoulder-to-shoulder with Ouyang Lie, like a couple.

Their appearance instantly drew the eyes of countless external sect disciples.

Envy, jealousy, admiration...

One was a top-ten external sect prodigy, at the peak of Martial General Ninth Layer, immensely powerful, handsome and elegant, just sixteen years old, with limitless potential.

The other was the third-ranked beauty among external sect women, at Martial General First Layer, under sixteen, with countless suitors.

These two were clearly made for each other; the crowd could only envy and sigh.

Yet Ouyang's opponent, this Facing Facing Cang Luo, was twenty-two and still only at Martial General Fourth Layer...

Compared like this... there was no comparison at all!

They weren't even on the same level—how could you compare them?

Ouyang Lie walked forward, completely ignoring the envious and jealous stares, calm and composed, occasionally chatting with Dai Xue beside him, laughing and jesting.

As if he weren't here for a life-or-death duel, but for a leisurely stroll—he never once looked at his opponent, Facing Facing Cang Luo, not even a single glance, utterly ignoring his existence.

On the platform, Master Wang, already impatient, now saw Ouyang Lie parading a beauty and grew even more annoyed; he snapped coldly, "Get on the platform..."

Then he glanced at the longsword on Ouyang Lie's back and added, "No weapons allowed!"

Actually, the life-or-death platform imposed no restriction on weapons—it was usually agreed upon by both sides: either both used weapons, or neither did.

Master Wang saw Facing Facing Cang Luo was unarmed and wanted him to win, so he decided for them: neither side could use weapons.

Ouyang Lie didn't care—he hadn't planned to use weapons anyway—and casually unslung his longsword, handing it to a junior behind him.

Then he softly told Dai Xue, "Xue'er, wait a moment. Let me deal with this waste first, then I'll take you to the Beast Forest to capture a beast companion."

He brought over a hundred men not just to show off his power, but mainly to help Dai Xue capture a beast companion.

And he brought so many because Dai Xue wanted to capture a mutated beast companion—but mutated beasts were exceedingly rare; you couldn't just find them on demand.

So he had to mobilize Lie Tian Sect—the more people, the higher the chance of finding a mutated beast.

Dai Xue smiled and nodded at Ouyang Lie, then turned her gaze toward Facing Facing Cang Luo—and instantly recalled that miraculous mirror...

Was her portrait still inside that mirror?

What kind of treasure was it, exactly?

So astonishing!

Dai Xue was lost in thought about yesterday's events, about Facing Facing Cang Luo's mobile phone, slightly dazed—she didn't notice Ouyang Lie's expression darkening.

At this moment, Ouyang Lie recalled again the scene in the Technique Pavilion yesterday—Dai Xue with her shoulder held by Facing Facing Cang Luo.

His woman, held by another man's arm...

Ouyang Lie instantly flew into a rage, glaring at Facing Facing Cang Luo on the arena and roaring: "Today, I will peel your skin and pull out your tendons—make you wish you were dead!"

After a furious shout, Ouyang Lie leapt onto the arena, then suddenly remembered something and turned back: "Place five hundred low-grade Qi Stones on me winning with one strike! Place one thousand low-grade Qi Stones on me winning with two strikes!"

"Yes!"

A man from Lie Tian Bang immediately stepped forward and went to place the bets.

The spectators first froze, then instantly reacted, rushing to place bets too—all betting "two strikes to defeat Facing Facing Cang Luo," betting as much as they could.

Ouyang Senior Brother's meaning was clear: one strike to win was uncertain, but two strikes to win was certain.

Ouyang Senior Brother eats meat—we drink the broth!

Thus, Ouyang Lie wasted more time, and Wang Zhishi had been holding back, wishing he could fight Facing Facing Cang Luo's battle himself and teach Ouyang Lie a lesson.

Without further delay, Wang Zhishi briefly stated the rules of this life-or-death duel as per tradition, stepped between the two, and said quickly: "In this life-or-death duel, no weapons, treasure artifacts, or formation arrays are permitted..."

Before he finished speaking, Facing Facing Cang Luo suddenly asked: "Are beast companions not considered external objects?"

Wang Zhishi shook his head: "Beast companions are born from the master's own flesh and blood—they are not external objects."

Facing Facing Cang Luo nodded. Though he already knew this, hearing the supervising Zhishi confirm it aloud still eased his mind—he felt more at ease.

Summoning a beast companion to fight was the key to victory!

So, since beast companions were allowed, Facing Facing Cang Luo did not hesitate—he immediately bent low and shouted: "Spirit Link Technique!"

A few seconds later, a silver-glowing summoning array appeared, clinging to the ground, rotating slowly.

Then, the two-headed Flame-Devouring Wolf, Erha, obeyed his master's call, leaping out of the array and standing beside Facing Facing Cang Luo, glaring at Ouyang Lie with a low, growling howl.

"......"

Facing Facing Cang Luo's sudden summoning stunned many; someone laughed and cursed: "That's despicable—the Zhishi hasn't even declared the duel started, and he's already summoned his beast!"

"Haha, understand—he's challenging a higher level. His strength is vastly inferior to Ouyang Senior Brother. If he waited until the fight began to summon, the summoning time alone would be enough to kill him several times over."

"True, but even so, he's no match for Ouyang Senior Brother—he'll just lose his beast too. But if the master dies, the beast dies—what does it matter?"

The spectators' teasing made Lie Tian Bang members feel embarrassed, but Facing Facing Cang Luo remained expressionless. They were right—he feared he'd have no chance to summon his beast once the fight began, so he summoned it beforehand.

What did a few insults matter? Wasn't his own life precious?

"Silence!"

Wang Zhishi gave a light shout, added a few more words, and finally said: "We are all fellow sect brothers—I hope you won't drive each other to total annihilation. At least... spare each other's lives."

He was urging kindness, but it was ignored—Facing Facing Cang Luo was speaking to his beast, seemingly discussing tactics.

Ouyang Lie, meanwhile, stared at Facing Facing Cang Luo with revulsion, eager to eliminate him.

Even without Li Haoran's order, he would kill Facing Facing Cang Luo.

Yesterday, this worthless fool dared defy him in front of Sister Dai—and then dared touch her right before his eyes!

Moreover, he had killed Chen Yun—the deputy head of Lie Tian Bang!

And it was said this worthless fool had killed Chen Dalong, Zhang Zhen, and others from our sect!

Damn him!

I haven't even come for him yet, and he keeps killing my Lie Tian Bang members!

Killing him outright is too kind!

He must be flayed, skinned, and tendon-pulled—only then will my hatred be sated!

The duelists ignored each other completely—not even a single polite word, not even a bow?

But none came!

This meant they were already at the point of mutual annihilation—neither wished to waste breath.

Seeing this, Wang Zhishi said nothing more—he stepped quickly to one corner of the arena, cleared his throat, and announced loudly: "Duel... begin!"

The moment the words left his mouth, before Ouyang Lie moved, Facing Facing Cang Luo—like a bird startled by a bowstring—leapt away instantly, splitting with his beast Erha, retreating to opposite edges of the arena.

Then, Erha frantically spewed white smoke, creating a thick fog...

At the same time, Facing Facing Cang Luo ignored the Meiti Shengong's five-minute limit and unhesitatingly activated it, assuming a defensive stance.

At this moment, Facing Facing Cang Luo was no longer calm or relaxed—he was filled with vigilance, tense, and even... frantic!

His eyes were bloodshot, his skin faintly reddened, veins bulging, yang and wind elemental qi swirling around his arms, guarding his shoulders, heart, and head.

Only meridians that had been refined could condense qi.

Facing Facing Cang Luo was only at Martial General Fourth Rank—he could refine only a limited number of meridians. Like most martial cultivators, he prioritized the upper body.

Because eighty percent of the human body's vital points lie in the upper body.

Facing Facing Cang Luo dared not slacken—he tightly guarded his heart and head with qi, terrified Ouyang Lie would strike and kill him instantly.

Ouyang Lie had placed bets: five hundred low-grade Qi Stones on one strike to defeat him, one thousand on two strikes.

This meant he would unleash his full strength, aiming to kill him in one or two strikes.

No matter what, he must survive the first two strikes—if he did, Ouyang Lie would lose fifteen hundred low-grade Qi Stones.

Those fifteen hundred low-grade Qi Stones were certainly not Ouyang Lie's personal wealth—they were Lie Tian Bang's assets.

Losing so many Qi Stones would surely fracture Lie Tian Bang's unity. If Ouyang Lie himself were killed, the sect might even dissolve on its own.

And: first strike, morale rises; second strike, morale declines; third strike, morale exhausts!

If Ouyang Lie failed to kill him in two strikes, his momentum would drop, he'd be enraged by the loss of fifteen hundred Qi Stones, unable to fight calmly—and then he might reveal an opening...

After his breakthrough, Erha's white smoke spewed faster and thicker—within ten seconds, the fog had already covered nearly a third of the arena.

Opposite him, Ouyang Lie had not expected Facing Facing Cang Luo to be so cautious, so cowardly—no sooner had Wang Zhishi declared the duel than Facing Facing Cang Luo had dashed to the edge and assumed a defensive posture.

If you're this afraid of death, why provoke me?

Ouyang Lie sneered, not rushing to attack. Instead, he turned with mild interest toward the mutated Flame-Devouring Wolf, frantically spewing smoke.

"So this is a mutated beast? Indeed far stronger than its kind—no wonder Xue'er wants so badly to capture a mutated beast as a companion..."

Ouyang Lie muttered, curious about the mutated Flame-Devouring Wolf, and ignored the fog that had already engulfed him.

This kind of mist trickery doesn't affect his combat at all...

But the next moment, Ouyang Lie suddenly sniffed, then burst into violent coughing.

This mist caught him off guard—it actually choked him!

Ouyang Lie immediately channeled Qi to hold his breath and sneered: "You fool, I was going to let you live a little longer, but now you've forced me to act..."

At one corner of the arena, the supervising Officer Wang also failed to escape, quickly engulfed by the white smoke.

He hadn't expected the smoke to choke him either, got coughed out, spat twice, then immediately leapt onto the nearby No. 6 arena.

Beside them, an inner sect disciple commented: "The Flame-Devouring Wolf is a Tier-One beast, with very low growth potential—but this one's mutated, can produce mist, so it's decent. Its combat power can support its master up to Martial Spirit cultivation."

After that, it'll fall behind its master's progress, become a burden, and eventually only serve as a mount, offering no real combat assistance."

"Hah, you overrate this beast!"

Someone else chimed in with a laugh: "This mist trick? Fine for fooling Martial Masters—but at Martial Spirit, your spiritual sense is refined; you'll see through mist as if it's nothing..."

Facing Facing Cang Luo heard their comments—it was true—but he didn't care.

He wasn't limited to summoning just one beast companion?

Ignoring what others said, Facing Facing Cang Luo now tensed his whole body, eyes blood-red, waiting for the mist to fully cover the arena.

Once the mist enveloped the arena, it became his battlefield.

Though he couldn't see through the mist, he could share Erha's sense of smell, using it to track Ouyang Lie's position.

Erha's smell wouldn't be disturbed by his own white smoke—so Ouyang Lie would be blind. How could he lose?

Soon, the mist covered the entire arena, swallowing Facing Facing Cang Luo and Erha alike.

Facing Facing Cang Luo instantly held his breath to avoid choking, then ordered Erha to search for Ouyang Lie...

Around the arena, many people coughed and cursed Facing Facing Cang Luo for being despicable.

"So that's it... cough, cough—no wonder this guy dared challenge Brother Ouyang! His mutated Flame-Devouring Wolf spits white mist to blind him!"

"Damn! Without vision, Brother Ouyang probably can't defeat him in one or two strikes..."

"Cough, cough... Not only that, don't you know that the Fire Devouring Wolf's sense of smell is extremely keen? It can easily judge Senior Brother Ouyang's approximate position by scent, then spray flames to launch a sneak attack..."

The moment the words ended, several flashes of fire erupted from within the mist.

"Bad! The Flame-Devouring Wolf is firing flames!"

"Brother Ouyang, dodge!"

"Can't see—how do you dodge?"

At that moment, countless spectators held their breath, worried Ouyang Lie would be hit by the flames, afraid he'd lose the duel and cost them their bets.

No one expected this fight—once clearly a guaranteed win for Brother Ouyang—would start like this.

Brother Ouyang couldn't see his opponent, but the opponent could roughly track his position and had ranged attacks...

Would Brother Ouyang lose?

Just as everyone thought Ouyang Lie would be struck by flames, the next instant, a roar of boundless fury erupted from within the mist.

"Die!"

After the roar came a gale, seemingly from nowhere.

Though small, the gale was ferocious—it instantly split the mist covering the entire arena, carving out a clear, one-zhang-wide path untouched by smoke.

In the center of that path stood Ouyang Lie, right fist raised, its surface sheathed in a blazing crimson aura that seemed to burn.

The spectators, seeing Ouyang Lie, instantly understood—and turned worry into joy.

"That gale just now? It was Brother Ouyang's fist wind!"

"So strong! No wonder he's Brother Ouyang!"

"Now it's settled—Facing Facing Cang Luo's mist plan failed. Brother Ouyang will win!"

"By the way, where's Facing Facing Cang Luo? Where's his mutated Flame-Devouring Wolf?"

"Probably still hiding in the mist, too scared to show up..."

At that moment, countless hearts finally relaxed—they no longer feared Ouyang Lie would lose, no longer feared losing their money.

On the arena, Ouyang Lie coldly retracted his right fist, then turned to the lingering mist on either side and sneered: "Arrogant fool. A frog in a well!"

As he spoke, he punched toward the denser mist on the left!

Boom!

The fist wind was violent!

The left mist instantly scattered, revealing the mutated Flame-Devouring Wolf, Erha, hiding within.

Exposed, Erha's eyes flickered with fear—he knew he couldn't match this human, would be killed. Both wolf heads frantically spat fire and white smoke, then bolted away.

"Beast!"

Ouyang Lie snorted, easily dodging the flames, ignored the wolf, and instantly spun to punch the mist on the right.

Facing Facing Cang Luo wasn't in the left mist—he must be in the right mist.

True enough—the fist wind swept through, clearing the mist, exposing Facing Facing Cang Luo's figure.

Facing Facing Cang Luo had nowhere to hide—he froze in shock, without thinking, turned and ran toward Erha.

There, Erha's white smoke had once again shrouded half the arena. Facing Facing Cang Luo wanted to hide in the mist again—he wasn't ready to fight Ouyang Lie head-on yet; he'd focus on draining his Qi first.

Facing Facing Cang Luo moved fast—he was about to vanish into the mist.

But Ouyang Lie was faster—in an instant, he appeared before Facing Facing Cang Luo, blocking his path.

Seeing Ouyang Lie appear before him as if by teleportation, Facing Facing Cang Luo froze slightly—he hadn't expected such speed. Had Ouyang Lie held back yesterday?

After a half-second shock, Facing Facing Cang Luo went on full alert, sweat bursting from his forehead.

This time, he couldn't dodge—he couldn't escape. His body couldn't keep up with the feedback from his dynamic tracking. All he could do was cross his arms before his chest and unleash maximum aura defense.

The next instant, Ouyang Lie, face twisted in a cold sneer, delivered a punch straight at Facing Facing Cang Luo's face.

This punch, like the three punches that had just scattered the fog, was not any martial technique — it was simply a punch that erupted all the accumulated Yuan Force of the Five Thunder Heaven Yang Art in a single instant.

This punch stressed pure hardness and pure Yang, straight in and straight out.

Although it was not a martial technique, the force it unleashed was comparable to a high-grade Profound-rank martial technique. It could be considered a half-finished martial technique that he, Ouyang Lie, had created himself, powerful enough to blow apart an ordinary second-tier demon beast.

Of course, the expenditure of this punch was also enormous.

Boom!

Boom!

A fist wrapped in fiery-red Gang Qi, carrying a fierce gust of wind, slammed into Facing Facing Cang Luo's arms, sending him flying back and knocking him to the edge of the arena.

At this point, Ouyang Lie's first move was complete — a single punch had sent Facing Facing Cang Luo flying.

Although he had not defeated him, let alone killed him, Facing Facing Cang Luo had still suffered heavy injuries.

Facing Facing Cang Luo's left forearm, which he had held up to block, had shattered the instant it made contact with Ouyang Lie's fist — a comminuted fracture — and was now being painfully healed.

Across from him, Ouyang Lie frowned slightly. He was a bit disappointed that he had failed to kill Facing Facing Cang Luo with a single punch, though it was within his expectations — otherwise he would not have bet a thousand low-grade Yuan Stones on "defeating Facing Facing Cang Luo in two moves."

At this moment, the fire-devouring wolf Erha ran to the heavily injured Facing Facing Cang Luo's side and rapidly spewed white smoke to create fog, hiding Facing Facing Cang Luo within it.

The fog spread quickly, once again shrouding the entire arena, and Ouyang Lie was also enveloped within the fog.

Because he had consecutively thrown four punches powerful enough to blow apart a second-tier demon beast, the expenditure was somewhat large, so Ouyang Lie did not rush to disperse the smoke and pursue Facing Facing Cang Luo. He was currently regulating his breath to recover, preparing for the second move.

The first move could be considered a probe; for the second move, he was determined to blow Facing Facing Cang Luo apart!