The Demon Lord's Invasion

Chapter 16: The Spirit-Martial Master

Watching Dongfang drag the boy’s corpse into the black box, Qiong Sang chuckled and said, “I’m going to see what the monk is up to.” “Old Qiong, I advise you not to watch,” Jiang Tang warned kindly. “I’ve been alive for thirty thousand years—what haven’t I seen?” Qiong Sang said, then transformed into a wisp of black smoke and drifted into the black box. Ten breaths! Jiang Tang had only just burst out of the secret chamber and was about to look for a way out when that rascal Qiong Sang flew out of the black box and began screeching “wa-ya, wa-ya” all around him. “He’s not human! The monk isn’t human!” “I told you not to look,” Jiang Tang said, immediately dashing into an ant hole. “The monk really isn’t human! How could he… That’s too cruel! The person’s already dead—why is he still messing with their intestines? Ugh… I can’t stand it! Is he even a monk?” Qiong Sang wailed as he floated ahead of Jiang Tang, occasionally pointing out the way for him. “Don’t you like bad guys? Dongfang should be bad enough, right?” Jiang Tang was curious. Although he hadn’t lived on Earth for very long, he’d heard legends about the Four Evils of Ancient Times. Qiong Sang immediately shook his head. “Pah! I love what’s real, and I hate nothing more than hypocrisy—especially those hypocrites who rely on their silver tongues to bully honest folk. I devour every single one I come across.” Having lived two lifetimes, Jiang Tang had long since shed his naivety. As soon as he heard Qiong Sang’s words, he realized that the truth is often easily distorted. Reason—what exactly is that? Jiang Tang was growing increasingly confused. “In the Demon Realm… is what you said… true?” Jiang Tang suddenly asked. Qiong Sang was taken aback for a moment, but he quickly realized what Jiang Tang wanted to know! With a deep sigh, Qiong Sang nodded. Jiang Tang froze, instinctively stopping in his tracks. He looked at Qiong Sang and said, “Can you help me settle this score?” “That was just a joke—meant to lure you completely into the path of evil. I can’t really help you with that. I know a lot about cultivation methods and martial arts, but I don’t know how to do any of them—because I’m naturally powerful…” Before Qiong Sang could get carried away, Jiang Tang cut him off: “I know—I can’t count on anyone to help me. In the end, I have to rely on myself!” Qiong Sang was a master at reading people; he could distinguish truth from falsehood at a glance and could even penetrate another’s mind to peer into their memories. That’s why he already knew exactly what Jiang Tang had been through! It was a blend of sorrow and pain, a clash of helplessness and resentment! Qiong Sang found it hard to imagine how this young man had managed to survive it all. At Nikuang Mountain, standing before his mother’s grave, what kind of vow did the young man make as he gazed at his mother, who had lost her mind? Qiong Sang didn’t know, for he dared not peer into this memory—doing so might well have affected his divine soul—but he could still guess. Yet he felt it was simply impossible! Nikuang Mountain was far too powerful—one of the mightiest forces in this realm—while the young man was but a single person. Even with the help of that monster of a monk and himself, an ancient ferocious beast, it would be nearly impossible to shake its might. Just like himself—before the gods and demons of the myriad heavens, he was as fragile as a stray dog, forced to eke out a meager existence. The slightest impure thought would surely lead to the annihilation of both his spirit and body. And he had already tasted the consequences: though he didn’t die, he was utterly crippled! A sudden, overwhelming divine presence swept over Jiang Tang and Qiong Sang. “Aren’t you going to run?” Qiong Sang looked at Jiang Tang. “At the Spirit Martial Realm—do you really think you can escape?” Jiang Tang knew that the youth must have a powerful protector watching over him. Although he didn’t know why this protector hadn’t arrived in time earlier, it wasn’t too late now! In the blink of an eye, a crystal shard crumbled into powder between Jiang Tang’s fingers, scattering in tiny specks through the gaps between his fingers. The black mist surrounding him thickened in an instant. Jiang Tang’s pupils contracted wildly as darkness surged forth like tears, filling his entire eyeball. “Boom!” Suddenly, the ant hole burst open, sending countless rocks shooting skyward. In the blink of an eye, the area within ten zhang of Jiang Tang was completely empty. “You little thief, meet your end!” An elderly man plummeted from above like a dazzling meteor, heading straight for Jiang Tang. “Boom!” The very moment Jiang Tang’s entire body turned black, he was struck by the meteor. His body flew through the air like a kite whose string had snapped, while the meteor’s glow suddenly shot upward, swiftly following him, and reappeared right beside Jiang Tang. “Rumble, rumble…” Jiang Tang’s body was battered back and forth by the glow amid the swirling boulders, shattering countless rocks. “A Spirit Martial Realm physical cultivator—Jiang Zi is done for.” Qiong Sang looked at the black box Jiang Tang had returned to him just before being knocked away. He didn’t know whether he should step in or stand by and watch. But facing a Spirit Martial Realm cultivator, Qiong Sang was powerless—his divine sense had grown so fragile that it was on par with the opponent’s, unable to inflict even the slightest harm. Acting rashly would only cause further damage to his soul. But if he stayed outside, was he really going to stand by and watch this young man perish? “You killed His Highness! I’ll kill you, grind your bones to dust, and scatter them to the winds—so that your spirit shall never find peace for all eternity!” Amid the old man’s furious roar, Jiang Tang felt as if he were caught in a tsunami, his struggles seeming utterly futile! The Reverse Claw tore through the air! No matter how weakened he was, Jiang Tang still stubbornly exchanged a blow with the old man at that moment. Yet the blade’s glow—which had once been unstoppable—was as fleeting as a gentle breeze before the old man, vanishing completely with a single wave of his hand. “Crack!” The old man’s bony palm struck Jiang Tang. Instantly, six ribs in his chest snapped; a gruesome palm print, one inch deep, appeared on his chest. The immense force sent him flying into the air, smashing through a layer of rock and crashing into an ant chamber. With a “whoosh,” the old man reappeared beside Jiang Tang, only to be met by Jiang Tang’s desperate slash. The old man’s fingers, as withered as dead wood, shot out and seized the curved blade. With a twist of his fingers, the blade snapped in an instant. The gap between the Yuanwu Realm and the Qiwu Realm is evident, yet not insurmountable; it is not uncommon for a Qiwu Realm cultivator to be killed by a group of Yuanwu Realm cultivators. But once one reaches the Lingwu Realm, that gap is magnified infinitely. Once Yuan Power is transformed into Ling Power, practitioners can not only continuously absorb the primordial energy of heaven and earth but also, depending on their cultivation methods, create their own unique martial techniques and combat styles. Therefore, even if they do not belong to prestigious sects or powerful aristocratic clans, once they reach the Lingwu Realm and have comprehended their own path, they can still hold their own against the disciples of such elite families. As for what His Highness said, it is indeed true—it would not be difficult for him to kill a Lingwu Realm cultivator, because the Zhao family’s Golden Gang True Qi is very powerful; when mastered and combined with martial techniques, it can kill an ordinary early-stage Lingwu Realm cultivator. Moreover, he might not necessarily be outmatched by Jiang Tang; it was simply that the secret chamber was too cramped. For a Qi Cultivator to face a Physical Cultivator—especially one from Nikuang Mountain—in such a confined space was nothing short of courting death. Out on the vast desert, even three Jiang Tangs might not be able to get within striking distance of him. But now, the old man Jiang Tang was facing was a late-stage Spirit-Martial Realm physical cultivator—one who could even transform his Qi Spirit into Stellar Power. In this confined space, Jiang Tang was destined to be utterly crushed! “So what if you’re from Nikuang Mountain? You killed the Seventh Prince of the Shenwu Empire—you’re still going to die!” The old man had clearly recognized that Jiang Tang’s sword technique was “Reversed Claw Tearing the Void,” but he wasn’t the least bit afraid—because once the Prince was dead, he wouldn’t survive either! With a flick of his wrist, the old man hurled the broken blade tip at Jiang Tang, instantly piercing his arm. “I’ll snap every bone in your body, tear every tendon and meridian, and make you wish you’d never been born!” A cruel smile spread across the old man’s hideous face. As soon as he struck, the old man seized Jiang Tang’s right leg and brought his palm down in a slashing blow. Instantly, bones snapped and tendons snapped, and the center of Jiang Tang’s calf caved in completely. Yet such pain seemed to have no effect on Jiang Tang. The two blood-red points in his pitch-black eye sockets appeared even more eerie; as he glared at the old man, the latter felt a bone-chilling cold seep into his very soul. What kind of eyes were these? In his three hundred years of life, the old man had never seen—or even heard of—anything like them. For some reason, as he looked into Jiang Tang’s eyes, the old man felt a wave of restlessness wash over his mind, and images that once filled him with anger, rage, and hatred kept surfacing. Just as the old man stood there in a daze, Jiang Tang’s sunken calf suddenly swelled rapidly, returning to its normal state in the blink of an eye. “Boom!” He swept out a leg, striking the old man right beside his ear, instantly sending him reeling with dizziness and a ringing in his ears. “Damn it!” The old man instantly refocused his mind, no longer daring to look into Jiang Tang’s eyes. He raised his hand and slapped down on Jiang Tang’s outstretched fist, clenching his fingers like an eagle’s talons! The sound of cracking bones came from Jiang Tang’s fist. Jiang Tang immediately pulled his hand back. As he flicked his palm, his hand—which had been as pliable as dough—returned to its original state, leaving the old man somewhat dumbfounded. “Is the body-tempering technique of Nikuang Mountain truly so formidable and miraculous?” Though the old man’s mind had wandered, his attack was by no means slow. His entire arm coiled around Jiang Tang’s striking arm like a snake, and in the next instant, like a python crushing a rabbit, it crushed every bone in Jiang Tang’s arm to powder. “Every time you heal, I’ll destroy you anew. I refuse to believe that the supreme arts of Nikuang Mountain can truly defy the heavens!” The old man struck out in fury. His arms blurred for a moment, and in the next instant, his fists suddenly appeared before Jiang Tang’s chest. His gaunt fists carried a force as mighty as a mountain, slamming into Jiang Tang and sending him flying five zhang away, crashing into a pile of rocks. “Perfect timing.” Suddenly, a streak of light flashed from the black box in Qiong Sang’s hand. Before his stunned eyes, it flew directly toward the ant chamber above. The old man, who had been about to charge at Jiang Tang to tear the young man to pieces, suddenly froze. Looking down at the opening at his feet, he saw a figure flying toward him. “Your Highness!” The old man was suddenly overcome with a mix of surprise and joy; he hadn’t expected that His Highness was still alive! But just as his palm made contact with the youth, a sudden thought flashed through the old man’s mind: “Trouble!” Before he could step aside to escape, he was completely engulfed by the blinding golden light radiating from the youth! “Boom!” The earth shook violently, and the entire ant nest trembled violently. Every cultivator still hunting the Netherfire Ants within the nest looked utterly horrified and frantically rushed upward without a second thought. “Monk, what on earth did you do?” Qiong Sang was nearly at a loss! “Let’s go.” Two bone spines suddenly sprang from Dongfang’s back, shooting out two strands of spider silk that wrapped around Jiang Tang—who was falling from above along with a boulder—and pulled him back. Qiong Sang immediately used the black box to suck him into the shattered Demon Realm, and only then did he and Dongfang rush toward another ant hole that hadn’t yet collapsed. Cracks spreading from the ant tunnel’s perimeter raced after Dongfang, and massive boulders followed in their wake, crashing down. This place was like a thousand-zhang-deep abyss beneath the earth; the once-solid ant nest crumbled completely in a single surge, like mud-brick huts facing a torrential flood. Out on the sandy plains, a group of cultivators was busy chasing the last remaining herd of Blazing Wind Horses. Under their greedy stares, the horses suddenly came to a halt. Immediately afterward, more than a dozen of them bolted madly to the left—toward Green Moon Lake, where even more cultivators were gathered. Had these beasts gone mad? Were they willing to die rather than let the cultivators have them? Before these cultivators could even react, their expressions changed in unison, and they fled backward in a frenzied panic. However, before they could get very far, the sandy ground—like a whirlpool in the ocean—began to flow frantically toward the center. No matter how much these cultivators struggled, it was all in vain, for the quicksand had already expanded to a hundred zhang ahead of them!