When Zhao Ziyang and his squad appeared, Li Luo locked on to him immediately. He watched him warily, noting the resonant power pulsing from his body.
He was probably around the Second Changing of the Evolving Resonance Tier—the same as Zhu Xuan.
Li Luo weighed his chances. If he did not use dual resonances, his two resonant palaces alone would give him enough power to fight a Fifth Pattern of the Pattern Genesis Tier and stay even. With his dual resonances, he could take on a First Changing cultivator of the Evolving Resonance Tier. That was a significant leap across major tiers, but Zhao Ziyang surpassed even that.
Still, with his Resonant Bubble Art prepared from before, Li Luo was not completely without weapons.
The problem was that neither his dual resonances nor the Resonant Bubble Art could be sustained for long. They were there to secure a quick win. This guy did not look like a quick win at all. His resonant power was flowing out of him in powerful pulses. In their first clash, the purity and clarity of his attack marked him as probably an eighth-grade resonance user.
Strictly speaking, Li Luo probably could not beat him alone.
The difference in their cultivation levels was too big. Li Luo sighed. Just when he thought he had overcome that problem from a while back. Still, he believed that he had come further than anyone else, even the upper eighth-grade Snarling Golden Demon Tiger resonance user, Qin Zhulu.
“The Iron Sand Empire’s squad, eh?” Li Luo said, eying the badges on their chests with a glittering, red motif. The Iron Sand Empire was much more famous than the Polar Wolf Kingdom, and it was at least as strong as the Xia Kingdom.
“So it’s you three with the Golden Dragon Qi?” Zhao Ziyang grinned at them, sizing them up before his gaze stopped on Lu Qing’er. “Intel says it’s you, girl.”
She stared at him with an expression as frosty as her resonance. Under her feet, a layer of ice started to form over the withered grass.
“Could you have the wrong person, friend? These woods are a confusing place,” Li Luo offered.
Zhao Ziyang ignored this. “Hand her over,” he said mildly, “and I’ll let you two walk.”
No minced words, no beating around the bush. A straightforward and direct threat. He was in control here.
His read of the situation was spot on. Through one brief exchange, he had already determined how strong their squad was. Three Pattern Genesis Tier cultivators, and not a single Evolving Resonance to be seen…
It was a pathetic lineup. He could not believe that the Golden Dragon Qi had appeared with them.
Beginner’s luck!
Qin Zhulu laughed coldly at him. Slamming his heavy spear into the ground, his resonant power began to build like a tiger stalking its prey through the tall grass.
Li Luo sighed. “You’re really a berserker, you know?” He hefted his own shortswords at the ready.
Zhao Ziyang let his amusement show. “You don’t know your own strength, I see. Your determination to protect your friend is commendable, but you should know your own limits. I’m not even going to harm her. I just want her help.”
Neither Li Luo nor Qin Zhulu budged an inch.
Zhao Ziyang shook his head. Clenching his fists, a glowing, ruby-colored power sprang forth, flowing along his arms like veins of lava.
“Fine. I’ll finish you two pests off and then take her away.” He stepped forward.
“Wait,” Li Luo suddenly said.
Zhao Ziyang smiled at him. “Thought things through?”
Li Luo did not answer him, but fished out a signal tool from within his pocket sphere. He sent the flare shooting high into the sky with a high-pitched firework-whistle. It bloomed grandly above them, a cluster of pyrotechnics that announced their location to all.
It would definitely attract the attention of anybody in the vicinity.
Li Luo put his pocket sphere away and then calmly turned back to Zhao Ziyang. “Okay, continue.”
Zhao Ziyang stiffened, dark anger flashing on his face. This bastard was toying with him!
“Trying to attract other squads to create chaos? Smart, aren’t you… but you won’t survive until then!” Zhao Ziyang’s foot slammed into the ground with a thunderous boom. It cracked with a loud report under him as he shot forth like a bullet. He was facing Li Luo in a heartbeat.
“Get the other two. I’ll handle this punk.” He bared his teeth, releasing a hiss of hot air from his mouth.
Li Luo had pissed him off.
Zhao Ziyang’s two companions looked at Li Luo almost pityingly. The kid had no sense of danger. Angering Zhao Ziyang always ended in pain. Loads of it.
The flame-fisted youth was a rash and impetuous character. And once he attacked, he never stopped until his job was done. Vermilion energy shone around him, crackling the air with its temperature. He shot towards Li Luo like a comet.
Li Luo started to run away like a comet.
Zhao Ziyang’s speed was terrific. He caught up to Li Luo in a matter of seconds, his insistently furious fists punching out attacks like a jackhammer.
He was a wave of heat, and Li Luo’s skin felt the scorching burn from up close.
Li Luo continued to duck and weave, only choosing to engage when he could not avoid an attack. He would take it with his blue shortswords.
Tang, tang!
Fist on blade, and still the sound was metallic in its ring.
A few short exchanges later, Li Luo was covered in fist-shaped scorch marks. He was smoking from burn wounds, completely outclassed by Zhao Ziyang.
Zhao Ziyang smirked at him, disdainful of his evasive approach.
“Buying time?
“You might be able to cause some serious trouble for other teams in this. You’re smart, but you forget yourself. You think a puny Third Pattern like you deserves to come compete in a place like this?”
Li Luo privately thought to himself that Zhao Ziyang might seem like a fiery, powerful guy, but he had a really narrow mind.
Not even he would have stooped so low with the personal attacks.
No wonder no one had joined the fray yet even though Li Luo had spotted some squads watching nearby.
They were probably too weak. They would be squashed into fish paste if they joined.
Joining such an unequal fight wouldn’t benefit them at all.
Li Luo regarded Zhao Ziyang with unconcerned amusement. This guy was really something else.
Dang!
After another clash, Li Luo suddenly slid away. Opening the distance between them with one sinuous move, he changed the grip on his swords, and his eyes turned serious.
Zhao Ziyang came at him again, large strides that ate ground between them. He thundered on, fists cocked and ready.
He unleashed a tremendous punch that was backed by a roaring river of vermilion power that twisted like a python.
“Tiger-general resonance art, Flaming Serpent’s Punch!”
The dried leaves on the ground were turned to ashes before they could even catch fire, such was the intensity of the heat. His attack shot forth, leaving a black streak on the forest floor in its wake. Zhao Ziyang was holding nothing back with this punch.
Eighth-grade Evolving Resonance Second Changing. His power was indisputable.
Li Luo stood his ground this time, to the surprise of the eyes watching from the sidelines.
His blades crossed and drew two sword patterns in the air.
The python punch attack rapidly grew larger in his vision, and Li Luo’s two resonance palaces roared to life, sending a torrent of resonance power from his resonance seeds.
The torrent of power was further cranked up a notch as his four resonant bubbles were popped as well, releasing yet more resonant power into the flow.
His body was flooded with power beyond his limits.
Dual resonances!
Li Luo raised his swords and leaped at the fire punch attack head-on.
Dang!
The clash was colossal, and Li Luo was sent flying backwards, staggering to maintain balance. Each foot he tried to put down left deep imprints in the ground as he countered the impact bit by bit.
No one was watching him. They were all too busy looking at Zhao Ziyang.
Because he had been sent staggering back a couple of steps too.
And there was a thin trickle of blood flowing down his knuckles.
Even the wind seemed to cease, and silence fell over the battlefield.