The Demon Lord's Invasion

Chapter 10: The Intruders

Three hundred zhang beneath the desert, deep within a vast cave, five cultivators appeared. Every one of them was panting heavily, their clothes torn, and they looked utterly bedraggled. “Damn it!” one of them exclaimed angrily. “Yes, I never expected the heir of the Yin-Yang Sect to show up too. Now that we’ve lost two men, we can no longer cast our secret arts. The Queen of the Netherfire Ants will likely fall into their hands—what are we to do?” “Forget about coveting the Netherfire Ant Queen—our top priority right now is to find a way out!” “Right. With our numbers incomplete, we can’t cast the Seven-Star Illusion Array, and we’re deep in the heart of the Netherfire Ants’ territory—the situation is dire.” While the four were discussing, the last cultivator picked up a piece of black crystal and scanned the surroundings, saying, “This is likely an underground crystal mine. It’s a shame it’s been ruined by the Netherfire Ants.” “Forget about the crystal mine—let’s just figure out how to get out of here.” “Heh, everyone, there’s no need to panic. I think this vein is quite long—who knows, there might be an exit at the other end.” “Right. I’ve heard that there are often several Netherfire Ant nests near a single vein.” No sooner had the woman finished speaking than a rough-looking man immediately growled, “But doesn’t that amount to the same thing?” “No!” the woman explained again. “The primordial energy in this vein is too sparse, and there are no Netherfire Ants—it’s clearly been mined dry. If there are no crystal deposits near their other nests, they’ll move on.” “Then what are we waiting for?” the burly man said, setting off into the depths of the vein ahead of the others. The rest let out wry smiles and followed the burly man one after another. “Boom!” A massive crash echoed through the ant chamber. Jiang Tang’s slender figure was sent flying backward. Just before he hit the cave wall, he suddenly somersaulted; the moment his feet struck the wall, he was propelled forward again. In the next instant, he appeared right in front of the stone golem and slammed a fist hard into its chest. The force of that single punch shattered half of the stone figure’s body! Dongfang suddenly saw a wisp of black flame, like a droplet of water, tremble briefly among the scattered debris before swiftly merging into the other half of the body. Instantly, the stone figure—now with only half a body—was engulfed in blazing black flames, and the drifting fragments suddenly flew back, restoring the stone figure to its original state in the blink of an eye. “So that’s how it works!” Dongfang finally understood. When the Stone Golem and Jiang Tang clashed once more, Dongfang took out his equipment and began recording, with no intention whatsoever of helping. He knew that if Jiang Tang needed him, he would certainly ask. “After the Earth Dragon comprehended the divine ability, it manifested as a sword, then as a sand figure. Its moves clearly mimic those of Li Yishang and Yuan Shangpiao. Now, this stone figure’s build is almost identical to Jiang Tang’s, and its punches and kicks bear an uncanny resemblance. They’re learning—they’re learning the techniques and the people who pose a threat to them…” Just as Dongfang was frantically taking notes, the battle before him suddenly took a turn. The stone figure, which had previously been evenly matched with Jiang Tang, was now being utterly crushed in the blink of an eye! Jiang Tang’s punches grew faster and faster, and as they did, the blue spots on his body multiplied, beginning to gleam with a heart-stopping luster, like snake scales in the sunlight. “A genetic mutation?” Before Dongfang could fully process this, the Stone Man shattered again and again under Jiang Tang’s barrage of punches. In the blink of an eye, not a single intact part remained on his body. Although the black flame was growing increasingly intense, every time it tried to gather the碎石, it was instantly shattered by a single punch from Jiang Tang. Not only that, but the Yuan Energy surging from every part of Jiang Tang’s body coalesced into a terrifying, gale-like force within the fist’s wake, grinding the shattered stones into fine particles as small as grains of sand. The Droplet of Black Flame trembled even more violently, yet the more it did so, the more terrifying waves of heat it emitted, causing the stone walls of the entire ant chamber to glow faintly red. Suddenly, the small, elusive figure in Dongfang paused slightly, then whipped its head around to look at the ant tunnel leading downward. A gleam of insight returned to its eyes, taking in every minute detail of the scene. For it sensed that a spider silk had snapped. Under such circumstances, there was only one possibility: an intruder! “Jiang Tang……” “I know!” Without a second thought, Jiang Tang suddenly reached out and snatched the droplet of black flame from among the scattering rubble. Then, before the eyes of the five cultivators who had suddenly burst in, he slammed his hand hard against his chest. In that instant, accompanied by Jiang Tang’s furious roar—as if the heavens were collapsing and the earth splitting apart—the entire ant chamber shook violently. He crawled painfully on his knees, his body curled into a ball. Black flames blazed all around him, and the patches of green scales covering his bare chest began to curl and peel off, one after another. “Underworld Fire—that kid actually absorbed the Underworld Fire directly!” “What! He’s actually obtained the Netherfire!” “Did you see the scales falling off his body? This creature isn’t human!” “Scales? Could it be that the Earth Dragon has not only mastered a divine ability but also taken human form? It must be! Kill him—we’ll not only get the Netherfire but also its divine ability and demon core!” After a moment of shock, the five cultivators instantly reached a consensus and struck simultaneously! Leading the charge, the burly man swung his axe toward Jiang Tang’s head. However, before the axe blade could land on Jiang Tang’s head, the man was struck by a white beam and sent flying. With a thud, he slammed into a corner of the cave wall, where several layers of thick spiderwebs trapped him against the stone, leaving him unable to move as he continued to roar in fury. “A puppet!” The other four turned their gaze toward Dongfang almost simultaneously. “I don’t know what that kid is up to, but if we let him recover, we’re in trouble. You two deal with the puppet; one of you rescue the big guy; as for me…” As the cultivator spoke, Dongfang raised his small arm—which lacked a hand. The powerful Yuan Energy凝聚ing within his wrist caused the cultivator’s voice to trail off in surprise. Shouting, “Watch out!” he darted aside and flung a talisman, which ignited instantly, transforming into countless ice needles that shot toward Dongfang. “Interesting!” Dongfang swung his hand cannon and fired a shot directly at the ice needles. However, unlike when he had killed the Bone Spider, this shot did not shatter the enemy with a blast of Yuan Energy. Instead, a white sphere burst open the instant it struck the ice needles, blooming like a flower in midair and trapping every single one in its web. At the same time, Dongfang raised his other small hand high, as if cradling the sky; in an instant, his delicate, dainty palm transformed into a cannon muzzle, and he fired another shot at the stone wall above. “Boom!” This was a full-fledged Yuan Power blast that sent the ant chamber into violent tremors. Cracks spread out like a spiderweb, becoming dense in the blink of an eye, and chunks of rock began to fall one after another. This not only brought disaster upon the four cultivators but also threatened to bury Jiang Tang—who was curled up in the center—under a pile of rocks in the blink of an eye. Dongfang, however, seemed unconcerned, firing one shot after another at the surroundings, causing even more rocks to come crashing down. The Ant Chamber shook violently, and debris rained down. Suddenly, two bony spines protruded from the shoulder blades behind Dongfang’s back, piercing through his monk’s robe to emerge. In the blink of an eye, the tips of the spines fired dozens of white beams, entangling every rock about to fall on Jiang Tang. In an instant, countless rocks hung above Jiang Tang like a串 of grapes. But the situation elsewhere was dire, especially for the five cultivators. Although they were all at the Qi-Martial Realm—albeit in the early stages—none of them, except for the burly man who had initially been trapped by spider silk on the cave wall, were Body-Refining cultivators. If they were buried under the rocks, deep underground at a depth of several hundred zhang… “This is madness!” A Sword Cultivator had just shattered a boulder when he looked up to see even more massive rocks hurtling toward him. “At this rate, the entire ant nest is likely to collapse. I’ll activate my protective aura and go eliminate that puppet,” said a woman. As she spoke, a flash of light enveloped her, and she vanished. “I’ll go help. You two take care of that kid.” As soon as the Sword Cultivator finished speaking, he and the other two cultivators released their Yuan Qi, creating shields of light in various colors that blocked the falling boulders one by one. “Save me first!” roared the burly man, entangled in the spiderweb. He was truly at his wits’ end—the spiderweb was terrifying. It clung to his body as if it were growing into his flesh, blocking even his pores, making it impossible for him to release any Gāng Qi to shake it off. However, his plea drew not the slightest response, for the eyes of those four were fixed solely on Jiang Tang and Dongfang! “Divine-Shattering Needle!” the woman cried out sharply, appearing three zhang to Dongfang’s right. With a graceful, delicate hand like one plucking a flower, she flicked her palm, sending a cold gleam hurtling toward Dongfang. Without even glancing at it, Dongfang fired a blast from his hand—only for the icy beam to pierce right through it with ease! “A divine consciousness attack!” A flash of divine light gleamed in Dongfang’s eyes as the runes all over his body burst into dazzling radiance. His small frame instantly darted one zhang to the side, moving so fast it seemed like teleportation. However, the icy beam shifted course and followed close behind. No matter how fast Dongfang moved or how he used the rocks to dodge, the beam clung to him like a shadow, and he simply couldn’t shake it off. “Good!” The Sword Cultivator gave a cold chuckle. Surrounded by a surge of gāng qi, he suddenly appeared to Dongfang’s left, his long sword transforming into a streak of light. Dongfang flicked the bone spike on his shoulder backward, meeting the streak of light head-on. “Clang!” It was a clash of equals. A surge of Primordial Energy rippled out from the point of the sword and the bone spike, sending both Sword Cultivators and Dongfang flying. “Crack!” A crack suddenly appeared on Dongfang’s shoulder blade. Seeing this, the Sword Cultivator shouted excitedly, “His bone spike is tough, but his body is made of only first-tier materials—go for the direct attack!” As Dongfang dodged, he suddenly seemed to sense something. His body came to an abrupt halt; he twisted, firing a cannon blast with one hand to drive back the two cultivators lunging at Jiang Tang. What met him next was a cold gleam closing in from behind, clashing with the Sword Cultivator’s attack from the front. Without a hint of hesitation, Dongfang ignored the cold gleam behind him and charged toward the Sword Cultivator with his petite frame. In the blink of an eye, his two bone spurs clashed head-on with the Sword Cultivator’s long sword more than a dozen times. Though the bone spurs were formidable, the crack in his shoulder blade grew wider and wider, revealing countless silver threads of light coursing through it—a sight of extraordinary wonder. “What a meticulously crafted puppet!” The woman behind Dongfang, who was controlling the God-Shattering Needle, watched the scene with a gleam of greed in her eyes! She spared no effort in controlling the God-Shattering Needle with her divine sense. Just as she was about to succeed, the cold gleam abruptly halted a foot behind Dongfang. “No!” The other two cultivators attacking Jiang Tang were on the verge of success, but the youth who had been lying prostrate on the ground vanished into thin air! At the same moment, behind Dongfang, the God-Shattering Needle was pinched between the fingertips of a swarthy youth as if it were a toothpick, rendered completely immobile. With a gentle squeeze from the youth, the icy glow dissipated like smoke. At that very instant, the woman’s body trembled violently, and she coughed up a mouthful of blood. When she looked at the youth again, she couldn’t help but reveal utter horror on her face!