The Demon Lord's Invasion

Chapter 26: Graceful as a Swans’ Flight

Under Hua Mo Leng’s skilled hands, the carcass of a first-tier Spiny-tailed Fish was completely dissected in less than half a tea bowl’s time. Tendons, bones, blood, flesh, scales, eyes, internal organs, teeth, and the demon core—everything was meticulously separated without the slightest damage! Perfect! In Jiang Tang’s eyes, this technique was indeed flawless. He had considerable experience in dissecting demon beasts himself, but he often ended up damaging a significant portion of the materials—especially the tendons. Jiang Tang simply couldn’t separate them without damaging the flesh, yet Hua Mo Leng had managed to do just that! Without further explanation, Hua Mo Leng continued working at lightning speed, refining the dissected materials one by one into finished products. Only after sealing in the essence of the materials to prevent any further loss did he turn to Jiang Tang and ask, “Is there anything you don’t understand?” “Removing the bones allows you to extract the tendons,” Jiang Tang replied immediately. “Hmm, this can indeed stump martial cultivators, because these two tasks require no physical action—they must be controlled solely with spiritual sense.” As he spoke, Hua Mo Leng opened his right hand, and instantly, a tiny point of cold light hovered above his palm. Jiang Tang looked closely and couldn’t help but frown. “With such a fine blade, how long will it take to cut through?” Hua Mo Leng didn’t answer; instead, he flickered his palm, and instantly, countless densely packed blades—thinner than a strand of hair—floated into the air. Jiang Tang’s mind was instantly blown! He was already quite proud of himself for controlling ten flying needles with his spiritual sense, but look at this guy… “As expected, even though I grew up on Nikuang Mountain, my experience is still pitifully limited!” Jiang Tang wasn’t discouraged; on the contrary, he was filled with enthusiasm. “You arrived here by chance, so your spiritual sense is naturally not weak, but it’s one-dimensional. Although it can split into two, and two into four,generally, reaching the Spirit-Martial Realm—where one can split divine consciousness into ten strands—is the limit. Divine awareness, however, is different; it encompasses the eight consciousnesses: sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch, intention, thought, and storage. Wherever divine awareness extends, it perceives as if through these eight consciousnesses; within its reach, all things are experienced as if firsthand. Therefore, only after unifying thought and awareness can you freely manipulate your divine consciousness, splitting it into countless strands.” This differed somewhat from what Jiang Tang had known, yet it was even more subtle. “Now, I will teach you the meditation technique for cultivating your divine consciousness. There’s no rush to advance your cultivation level just yet. First, perfect your divine consciousness. Once you can project it ten zhang outward, your divine thought and consciousness will be able to split into over a hundred strands. Only then will you be able to truly practice dissecting demon beasts.” “Thank you, Senior Brother, for your guidance,” Jiang Tang said with sincere gratitude. Hua Mo Leng’s guidance was spot-on, and it was clear he, too, had switched to the path of cultivation midway through his journey. He explained to Jiang Tang, one by one, the many difficulties and drawbacks of transitioning from martial arts cultivation to immortal cultivation. While this saved Jiang Tang from taking many detours, it also left him somewhat frustrated—because when it came to cultivation techniques, not a single one was suitable for him! When Jiang Tang returned to his room, he found Dongfang still poring over his studies, while that rascal Qiong Sang continued to watch with great interest. “Hey, Qiong Ge, my Master discovered my Tai Chi Vortex. What should I do?” “I know.” Qiong Sang actually adopted an air of knowing it all, the two wispy flames on his beast-like head fixed on Jiang Tang as he added, “But he’ll only see it as the union of Yin and Yang, not the union of Demon and Spirit. Besides, how much can a mere Yuan Ying cultivator really discern? Don’t worry—just keep cultivating the way you are.” “Huh? He… Is my Master a Lingying-level cultivator?” Jiang Tang was genuinely shocked. He’d assumed Tie Wu Yi was, at most, a Gold Core-level cultivator—otherwise, why would he have come to Black Reef Island? Besides, he’d never even heard of such a figure during his time at Nikuang Mountain. Just look at True Immortal Jin Ting—after achieving the Spirit Infant stage, he practically wanted the whole world to know about it and even threw a banquet that lasted seven days and seven nights. Just how low-key does Tie Wu Yi have to be to keep his identity hidden so deeply? “Never mind. Cultivation, cultivation.” Jiang Tang gathered his thoughts and began practicing the meditation technique taught to him by Hua Mo Leng. Time flew by, and two months later, Jiang Tang’s spiritual sense could finally extend ten zhang outward. With that, he began the monotonous routine of refining materials and cultivating. Another two months passed. One day, as Jiang Tang emerged from the Black Reef Hall, he was startled to see a figure so fat he looked like a meatball standing at the head of the Snake Bridge, chatting with a guy who was ridiculously handsome. “Holy crap!” Jiang Tang was dumbfounded. If he wasn’t mistaken, that incredibly handsome guy chatting with Senior Sister Ji was none other than the Xian Zong disciple who had told them outside Luoxia Town to enter the Star Cloud Sea after one stick of incense had burned! This guy—whose mere appearance usually turned countless women into lovesick fools—was now, standing before Senior Sister Ji, the one acting like a lovesick fool himself. That goofy grin on his face, coupled with the tender gaze he cast upon her despite her excess weight, gave Jiang Tang goosebumps all over. However, before long, Jiang Tang was stunned to discover that Senior Sister Ji was actually quite reluctant to deal with this guy. After exchanging just a few words, she turned and walked away with an impatient look on her face, leaving the handsome guy so flustered that he actually knelt down before Senior Sister Ji! “He’s here to borrow money, right?” Jiang Tang would have preferred that to be the case! “What are you staring at? Get back to your cultivation, or else, if you disgrace Black Reef Island during the Grand Competition, I’ll make your life a living hell for ten years.” After bellowing at the dazed Jiang Tang, Ji Yukui lifted her thigh—which was even thicker than Jiang Tang’s—and walked away, her flabby flesh jiggling all over. Jiang Tang cast one last glance at the handsome guy with the disappointed look on his face, noticing that the fellow was still staring longingly at Senior Sister Ji. He couldn’t help but shake his head. Time to go back and cultivate. Perhaps because he was unable to refine Qi Xuan Primordial Energy, Jiang Tang’s cultivation progress was very slow. In the past four months, he had only refined 4,000 units—a far cry from the 10,000 he needed. Moreover, once he reached the Spirit-Martial Realm, he would have to refine it again, and by then, his progress would likely slow even further. “No wonder they say cultivating immortality is so hard. Martial cultivation is much more satisfying, but achieving ‘Physical Body Becomes a Saint’ isn’t easy either. Sigh, it’s all so hard!” No one paid any attention to Jiang Tang’s worries. Dongfang had recently started tinkering with circuit boards again, though the new circuits turned out to be a series of tiny formations. Ten days later, when Jiang Tang awoke from his meditation, he discovered that not only had that rascal Dongfang vanished, but even Qiong Sang was nowhere to be found in the room. Jiang Tang didn’t think much of it and headed straight for the Black Reef Hall. At the same time, on Pingding Peak of Xian Zong, dozens of disciples were engaging in magical duels on a vast white stone platform. This was Xian Zong’s training ground, where disciples honed their skills. Day and night, multicolored beams of light clashed and flickered here. Near the white stone platform, even more disciples watched and learned. A small white wooden kitten with two horns on its head, flapping a pair of wooden wings, appeared on a Gu Song tree at the edge of Pingding Peak, accompanied by a bald puppet. The bald man was, of course, Dongfang, while the kitten was a puppet that Qiong Sang had recently commissioned Jiang Tang to create. As long as he remained hidden inside the puppet, outsiders would simply regard it as a spirit-possessed puppet and would never realize that it harbored the soul of an ancient ferocious beast. Dongfang took out a device resembling a tablet and, watching the rapidly fluctuating numbers on its screen, muttered, “It’s still not precise enough. It can only analyze spiritual energy attributes and total amounts, but it can’t distinguish individual spiritual energy levels. How exactly can we detect the flow of spiritual energy within their bodies?” Qiong Sang burped and yawned, saying, “As for how strong an individual’s spiritual power is, you can feel that yourself, so there’s no need to check. As for seeing through a person’s spiritual energy—well, I’m afraid only eyes that have awakened the Spiritual Eye divine ability can do that.” “Qiong Sang, you’re so stupid. What you feel yourself is different from what the Spirit Brain perceives. It’s like if you wrote down everything that happened today—you’d still overlook many details, and it’d be hard to recall them later. That’s why we have to rely on the Spirit Brain.” Qiong Sang shot Dongfang a withering glance and said, “Even if you’ve figured it out, won’t you still have to consult this Spirit Brain when looking for details? By the time you’ve scoured through it, I’ll have already thought of it myself.” “That’s because it hasn’t been developed into an AI yet. Once it is, all I’ll need is a single command, and it’ll instantly provide the information I need. Now, tell me everything you know about cultivation techniques and moves—I’m going to record them.” Qiong Sang really wanted to ask what “artificial intelligence” was. However, having spent so much time with Dongfang, he knew the monk’s temperament all too well—he clearly didn’t want to waste time on small talk. Just as Qiong Sang was explaining to Dongfang the spells the disciples were demonstrating on the platform, a streak of white light streaked across the sky. It seemed poised to pass by in an instant, but paused just as it neared Pingding Peak. Then, after a single circle, it landed on a green stone not far from Gu Song. As the radiance faded, a woman clad in snow-white robes emerged. This woman moved as gracefully as a swan in flight, as if a mountain breeze could carry her straight to the heavens. Her beauty surpassed that of every other woman in the world; those who had seen her once remarked that no matter how breathtakingly beautiful a woman might be, the mere thought of her would make that beauty instantly pale in comparison! Strangely, however, none of the disciples noticed her; they remained engrossed in their magical duels or watching the battle unfold. Only Qiong Sang sensed her presence, but he paid her no mind, instead continuing his explanation to Dongfang. The white-clad woman’s gaze lingered on Dongfang for a moment before she soared into the air, transforming into a streak of light and vanishing without a trace. “Wow, Jiang Zi’s future wife is truly terrifying! It hasn’t even been that long, and her Golden Core cultivation has already deepened another level,” Qiong Sang suddenly exclaimed. “Did Yu Chang come by?” Dongfang asked without looking up. “Mm-hmm. She probably hasn’t seen you before, but why was she looking at you? Could it be that she understands the art of divination? Or perhaps…” Qiong Sang considered many possibilities, but dismissed each one in his mind. Yu Chang’s cultivation was indeed strong, but no matter how strong she was, she couldn’t defy the heavens. With her current strength, it was impossible for her to master those divine abilities. “It was her who spent five hundred crystals to buy Jiang Tang’s doll.” Dongfang’s single sentence left Qiong Sang completely speechless. “Didn’t you mention this to Xiao Jiang Zi?” “Would he have come to Xian Zong if I had?” Dongfang said, his fingers darting rapidly across the screen of his spirit tablet. “I just remembered—after Jiang Zi saw her portrait, besides sending his own portrait, he also specially made a beautiful doll that looked just like this goddess and sent it to her as a token of their affection. Hehe, this is going to be fun!” “You’re overthinking it. Given this woman’s status, there’s no way she’d approach Jiang Tang on her own. And as for Jiang Tang—if what you say about his past is true—with his current half-demon nature, it’s already a miracle he hasn’t killed her.” Qiong Sang shook his head. “You don’t know a damn thing. All you do is study. Love is a strange thing, you know? When you like someone, you just do—there’s no reason for it. Back by the Green River, the moment this woman laid eyes on Xiao Jiang Zi, her emotions flared up instantly!” “Her fighting spirit was high? You’re just a beast that knows nothing but mating—what do you know about love?” “Monk, you’re going too far!” Qiong Sang was annoyed and retorted coldly, “It’s true she was outshone by Xiao Jiang Zi, but that doesn’t mean she’d only feel a fighting spirit. There must be a mutual admiration between them—otherwise, why would they waste their cultivation time secretly exchanging letters? In this world, only you and I know that Xiao Jiang Zi has reached his limit—once he passes the Spirit-Martial Realm, he’ll be left far behind by this woman. Others don’t understand that. And as for her—after years of receiving no replies, she’ll chance upon the True Immortal, see through the illusion, and realize the truth. What will she think in that moment? Others might wonder, ‘How did the peerless genius of Nikuang Mountain end up like this?’ Or perhaps they’ll feel pity—or even take schadenfreude! But for this young woman, the excitement was followed by heart-wrenching pain! She watched as Jiang Tang kept waiting—as if waiting for the moment he would call out her name—but Jiang Tang didn’t recognize her at all. This made her so furious that she floated away in a huff!” “You’ve read too many romance novels.” Dongfang shot a sidelong glance at Qiong Sang and urged him impatiently, “Stop beating around the bush. Just tell me what spell that disciple used!”