Flower Stealing Master

Chapter 961: Reverse Scale

In the midst of hesitation, the opposing formation had already closed in. Ouyang Feng let out a cold snort, spreading his palms apart, adhering to the principle of capturing the leader first, and charged directly towards the long-bearded daoist.

Little did he know that one of the mysteries of this formation was to lure the enemy to attack the commander, while each smaller formation would take the opportunity to encircle from the east and west, and strike from the south and north, leading the enemy into a trap. Ouyang Feng had only taken seven or eight steps when he suddenly felt the situation turn dire; the pressure behind him surged, and attacks rolled in from both sides.

As he attempted to turn to the right, two small formations in front of him thrust their fourteen long swords simultaneously. The positions of these fourteen swords were so precisely calculated that he found he had nowhere to dodge or evade.

Song Qingshu, watching from the side, noticed a glint in his eyes; it seemed he had underestimated the Quanzhen Sect. Although it was difficult to find any top-tier masters aside from Wang Chongyang and Zhou Botong, the sheer brilliance of this formation was enough to keep them standing tall in the martial world.

As the renowned Western Poison, Ouyang Feng would naturally not be intimidated by such danger. He suddenly shifted his body and leaped, his right foot flying out while his left hand reached forward, kicking one of the small daoists and simultaneously seizing his long sword.

Seeing seven swords approaching his right waist, he swung his left hand out, and with a crack, the eight swords clashed. Each of the seven swords broke into two pieces, while the long sword in his hand remained intact.

The long sword he had seized was no different from any other sword; it was not particularly sharp, but he had infused his internal energy into the sword’s edge, causing the opponent’s seven swords to shatter simultaneously.

The two formations of the Big Dipper immediately turned to protect themselves with their swords. 

Ouyang Feng observed that the fourteen individuals each supported their companions’ right shoulders with their left hands, their combined strength forming a single force. He couldn’t help but feel a surge of arrogance: “Does this old man fear you?” He swung his long sword, sticking to the sword held by the fourteenth daoist.

The daoist urgently tried to pull back, but his long sword felt as if it were welded into a copper cauldron, not moving an inch. The other thirteen individuals channeled their energy, attempting to combine their strength to break the enemy’s grip.

Ouyang Feng sensed the force on his sword suddenly increase and sneered, “Break!” With a shake of his right arm, a series of cracking sounds erupted, as if he had toppled some massive object, and all fourteen long swords snapped.

The fourteen daoists spat out blood and fell back into the formation, their expressions filled with unimaginable shock.

This turn of events instilled even more fear in the hearts of the daoists, making their attacks steadier. Although the twenty-one daoists had lost their weapons and suffered significant injuries, their palm techniques still generated a fierce wind, and their power had not noticeably diminished.

Ouyang Feng felt the enemy’s formation becoming increasingly stable and was surprisingly astonished. He was unsure what new developments Ma Yu and Qiu Chuji had introduced to the Big Dipper formation over the years, which made it somewhat tricky for him.

In truth, as the formidable Western Poison, he could easily scatter some poison powder or venomous snakes, and this formation would collapse on its own. However, he was keen to take this opportunity to glimpse the mysteries of the formation, to avoid being caught off guard when facing the Seven Disciples of Quanzhen in the future. If they suddenly employed some clever changes, he would find it difficult to dismantle it in haste, which would be too embarrassing. Therefore, he had refrained from using heavy force until now.

The long-bearded daoist, seeing that they were gradually gaining the upper hand, thought Ouyang Feng’s skills had reached their limit and coldly smiled, urging the formation to tighten further.

Ouyang Feng observed the formation for a while and noted that the opposing Big Dipper formation had shown no signs of holding back. With a sneer, he suddenly crouched down and darted to the northeast corner. However, he saw two small formations in the southwest following closely behind. He immediately flicked his fingers, and his long sword struck fourteen times in an instant, fourteen points of cold starlight seemed to burst forth simultaneously, each sword piercing the “Yang Gu” acupoint on the outer side of a daoist’s right wrist.

Song Qingshu nodded secretly; although Ouyang Feng was not particularly known for his swordsmanship, his martial arts had reached such a level that he had mastered one technique to the extent that it transcended all others. The few strikes he had just executed were clearly the pinnacle of swordsmanship, wielding the sword like wind and lightning, yet landing precisely without a hair’s breadth of error, akin to shooting out fourteen concealed weapons at once.

The group of daoists cried out in alarm, feeling a sharp pain in their wrists, their fingers losing strength, and all fourteen long swords fell to the ground.

In their shock, they hurriedly retreated to examine their wrist injuries, only to see blood gushing forth, fearing that their tendons had been severed.

The long-bearded daoist was instantly furious: “You have such vicious methods!”

Ouyang Feng coldly laughed: “You truly do not recognize good from bad; I have shown mercy by not severing their hands just now.”

Song Qingshu could only smile bitterly; he knew Ouyang Feng was speaking the truth and guessed that it was probably due to his previous orders that he had not used heavy force. After all, although severed tendons meant they could no longer wield swords, with a little care in daily life, they would not be much different from ordinary people.

However, Ouyang Feng had just injured their people and saying such words would undoubtedly come off as overly mocking to the others.

Sure enough, the daoists from Chongyang Palace were immediately enraged, and the long-bearded daoist fell silent, repeatedly issuing commands to tighten the formation, thinking that with ninety-eight daoists surrounding him, they would crush him to death. How could they not turn him into a pile of flesh to avenge their companions?

Ouyang Feng remained unconcerned, drawing his left palm diagonally and pushing his right palm to the left. Seven daoists from a Big Dipper formation turned to intercept him. Ouyang Feng then rushed towards the North Star Position, and the second Big Dipper formation followed suit.

At this moment, there were a total of fourteen Big Dipper formations, corresponding to fourteen North Star positions. Ouyang Feng, lacking the ability to split himself, naturally could not occupy all fourteen key positions at once. However, he unleashed his lightness skill, occupying the North Star position of one formation, and immediately shifted to the North Star position of the second formation. As he rotated through several formations, his speed made it appear to others as if there were fourteen Ouyang Fengs, quickly causing the Big Dipper formation to show signs of chaos.

Seeing the situation turn unfavorable, the long-bearded daoist urgently transmitted orders, commanding the daoists to spread out and stabilize their positions, using stillness to counter movement. He understood that if everyone followed the enemy’s chaotic movements, the enemy’s swift running would surely create gaps to disrupt the formation. However, if they held their ground, the fourteen North Star positions would be mutually distant, and no matter how fast the enemy was, it would be difficult to seize them all at once.

Qiu Qianren beside him couldn’t help but exclaim, “Chongyang Palace indeed has deep foundations; even a fourth-generation disciple is so well-versed in the essentials of formations and reacts swiftly. Young Master, since these daoists are standing still, why don’t we take the opportunity to head to Chongyang Palace?”

Song Qingshu nodded: “That works. Brother Feng, we will trouble you here.”

Ouyang Feng replied indifferently, “You go ahead first; I will be there shortly.”

Hearing their conversation, which completely disregarded his presence, the group of daoists was instantly enraged. The long-bearded daoist sneered, “A toad yawning—what a big mouth!”

A flash of killing intent flickered in Ouyang Feng’s eyes; it turned out that the opponent had inadvertently touched on his taboo. His renowned skill was the Toad Style Martial Art, and thus he was sometimes insulted as a stinky toad by people like Hong Qigong, Zhou Botong, and Huang Rong. Those individuals were tolerable since they were acquaintances, but this daoist, merely a fourth-generation disciple of Chongyang Palace, was nothing significant.

Ouyang Feng’s face darkened like water as he crouched down, his hands bent at shoulder level, producing a croaking sound from his throat, his belly swelling and contracting, making him resemble a large toad about to pounce.

Song Qingshu sighed, “It seems Brother Feng is truly enraged; this group of daoists can only seek their own fortune now.”