Chapter 344: Surrounded by Wolves

When Zhao Ziyang and his two companions appeared, Li Luo's gaze also lingered on him; sensing the resonance power fluctuations radiating from within his body, his eyes narrowed slightly.

With this level of strength, he should be at the second transformation of the Resonance Transformation Stage, much the same as Zhu Xuan.

Li Luo estimated his own strength. If he did not rely on the power of his dual resonances and relied solely on the resonance power contained within his two resonance palaces, he could clash with an opponent at the fifth pattern of the Resonance Pattern Stage without falling behind. If he unleashed the power of his dual resonances, he could fight an opponent at the first transformation of the Resonance Transformation Stage. The degree of leapfrogging here was already not low, but the Zhao Ziyang before him clearly exceeded this range.

However, fortunately, by relying on the "Resonance Bubble Technique" he had prepared beforehand, if they really were to fight, Li Luo would not be completely without the power to strike back.

But the problem was that neither the power of his dual resonances nor the "Resonance Bubble Technique" could be sustained; they could only be used to decide the outcome. As for this guy before him, his resonance power was overbearing and vigorous, and from their initial contact, the purity and spirituality of that resonance power meant he surely possessed an eighth-grade resonance.

Therefore, strictly speaking, if Li Luo were to fight him one-on-one, his win rate would not be high.

There was no help for it; the gap in resonance power levels between the two sides was too great. Li Luo being able to reach this level was already the limit. He believed that the step he was able to achieve was something that perhaps even Qin Zhulu, who possessed the upper eighth-grade Gold-Devouring Demon Tiger resonance, might not be able to do.

"The team from the Gold Dragon Treasury of the Red Sand Empire?"

Li Luo glanced at the badges on the chests of the three people opposite him. The emblem on them indicated that the other party was from the Red Sand Empire, which made him slightly surprised. After all, the Red Sand Empire was much more famous than the Snow Wolf Kingdom, and in terms of strength, it was not weaker than the Great Xia.

"The three of you, the Gold Dragon Qi is on you, right?"

At this moment, Zhao Ziyang was also looking at the three of them with a smile. His gaze shifted and finally landed on Lu Qinger, saying, "Judging from the intelligence, it's this young lady, right?"

Lu Qinger's pretty face was cold, and a chill slowly rose from her delicate body; frost even appeared on the withered grass beneath her feet.

"Might this friend have found the wrong person? This mountain forest is quite chaotic right now," Li Luo said with a smile.

Zhao Ziyang smiled. He swept his gaze over the three of them and said in a flat tone, "Hand her over to me, and I can let you two leave safely."

He did not say any more nonsense; his words carried an inherent sense of overbearingness, as if he had already taken control of the situation.

However, Zhao Ziyang did indeed have this confidence, because in the brief exchange earlier, he had already figured out the strength of the three of them: three at the Resonance Pattern Stage, and not even one at the Resonance Transformation Stage...

This pitiful lineup configuration made it hard for him to imagine why the Gold Dragon Qi would appear in their team.

Could it be that the weaker one is, the better their luck?

However, facing his overbearing words, Qin Zhulu gave a cold laugh. He stomped his heavy spear onto the ground, and resonance power surged; faintly, there seemed to be a fierce, violent tiger roar echoing out.

Li Luo also sighed helplessly and said, "You really are a blockhead."

His palms slowly tightened around his dual blades.

Seeing this, a faint smile appeared on Zhao Ziyang's face: "Why be so unappreciative? While the courage to protect a companion is commendable, one must act according to one's ability. I won't do anything to her; I simply need her help."

However, Li Luo and Qin Zhulu remained unmoved.

Zhao Ziyang shook his head and slowly clenched his fists. Crimson resonance power flowed over his body, as if magma were flowing, scorching and overbearing.

"Since that's the case, I can only deal with you two obstructive fellows first before taking her away."

He took a step forward with an indifferent expression.

"Wait a moment," Li Luo suddenly spoke up.

Zhao Ziyang smiled slightly: "Thought it through?"

Li Luo did not answer him, but instead pulled a signal flare from his spatial sphere and fired it directly into mid-air. Immediately, a trail of fire shot into the sky.

This fire-tail signal flare was so conspicuous that releasing it now would inevitably attract a lot of attention in the mountain forest.

Li Luo released the signal flare, then smiled at Zhao Ziyang and said, "Done."

The smile on Zhao Ziyang's face froze bit by bit, and then a fierce glint appeared in his eyes. This bastard, he dared to play him?!

"Wanting to attract other teams to come over and disrupt the situation? You are clever, but unfortunately... I'm afraid you won't live to see that moment!"

Zhao Ziyang stomped his foot, and the ground exploded with a boom. His figure shot out like a cannonball, and in that instant, he crossed the deep ravine and landed in front of Li Luo.

"You two, grab the others. I'll handle this brat," he grinned, revealing his stark white teeth, and it seemed as if heat was rising between them.

Clearly, Li Luo's previous actions had angered him.

Zhao Ziyang's two companions both cast sympathetic glances at Li Luo. This kid really had no sense of the situation; even at a time like this, he still had to be cheeky. Now that he had angered Zhao Ziyang, he was likely going to suffer.

Zhao Ziyang's personality was also swift and decisive. Once he decided to strike, he did not drag his feet. Crimson resonance power surged with heat, circulating over the surface of his body, and then, with a roar of heat, he charged aggressively toward Li Luo.

Seeing this, Li Luo retreated rapidly.

However, Zhao Ziyang's speed burst was even more ferocious. Within a few breaths, he appeared in front of Li Luo, and then that scorching, overbearing fist wind, carrying fierce power, smashed heavily toward Li Luo.

That wave of heat made Li Luo's skin sting.

Facing Zhao Ziyang's fierce offensive, Li Luo continued to dodge. Only when he truly could not avoid it did he exert his full strength and use his dual blades to receive the attack.

Clang! Clang!

As fist and blade made contact, it sounded like metal striking metal.

Within just a few rounds, Li Luo was covered by the scorching fist shadows. His figure shifted within a square inch, and unsurprisingly, he was completely suppressed by Zhao Ziyang.

Facing Li Luo's dodging and shifting, a mocking expression appeared at the corner of Zhao Ziyang's mouth.

"Still stalling for time?"

"Your methods are nothing more than wanting to wait for other teams to enter the fray and create a mutual check. You are smart, but you forgot that in this situation, with your mere strength at the third pattern of the Resonance Pattern Stage, do you really have the qualifications to play with balance?"

Hearing this, Li Luo looked at Zhao Ziyang with some surprise. This guy, who looked overbearing and fierce, actually had a delicate mind.

This point was something even he hadn't thought of earlier.

No wonder he had already faintly sensed teams arriving in the surrounding forest, yet no one had interfered in the situation until now.

It was because the strength of their team was too poor; those teams didn't really take them seriously, merely treating them as fish on a chopping block.

And this unequal situation was not conducive to his subsequent plans.

Li Luo's gaze flickered. He looked at Zhao Ziyang in front of him, and a smile appeared in his eyes. This was a very good opponent.

Clang!

During one collision, Li Luo's figure slid back. He then stomped his foot hard, gripped his dual blades tightly, and his eyes suddenly became sharp in that instant.

In front of him, Zhao Ziyang moved like a shooting star, crossing several yards in one step, and then threw a punch.

This punch, with deep red resonance power rolling out, seemed to transform into a giant python, baring its fangs and brandishing its claws, scorching the air until it distorted, and arrived with an extremely overbearing force.

"Tiger General Art, Crimson Python Flame Fist!"

The withered leaves on the nearby ground spontaneously ignited, and even the soil turned charred black. Anyone could see that Zhao Ziyang was no longer holding back with this punch.

His strength as a second transformation of the Resonance Transformation Stage with an eighth-grade resonance was revealed without doubt.

Facing such a fierce strike from Zhao Ziyang, Li Luo did not choose to dodge again; instead, to the astonishment of some in the shadows, he took the initiative to meet it.

His dual blades shook, spinning out two blade flowers.

The crimson python fist shadow rapidly enlarged in his pupils. The next instant, the two resonance palaces within Li Luo's body emitted a humming vibration, and rolling resonance power poured out entirely from his two resonance power seeds.

That was not all; the four resonance power bubbles within the two resonance palaces also shattered at this moment, and rolling resonance power flowed out.

These resonance powers quickly merged within his body.

Dual resonance power!

Li Luo held his dual blades, the blade light whistling past, fast as lightning, and collided head-on with the crimson python fist shadow.

Clang!

This sound was exceptionally loud. The violent force raged like a storm. Li Luo's figure was, unsurprisingly, sent flying backward. He retreated more than a dozen steps, leaving deep footprints on the ground with every step. The blood and Qi within his body surged and vibrated violently.

Then, no one paid attention to his side; in the surrounding forest, many gazes were looking toward Zhao Ziyang with some shock.

Because at this moment, he had also landed, and then his body shook, and he retreated two steps. Moreover, most importantly...

On his fist, a tiny bloodstain appeared, and several drops of fresh blood dripped down along his fist.

The mountain wind whistled past, and the surrounding forest seemed to have quietly become silent at this moment.