The Demon Lord's Invasion

Chapter 35: The Domineering Fist

“Commendable courage.” Facing Ji Yukui’s collision, as fierce as molten lava and boulders, Wang Jianlun offered a word of praise. He shifted to the side and swept his sword finger through the air; in an instant, a dazzling beam of sword light flashed from his fingertip, appearing before Ji Yukui as if it had cleaved through the void. Suddenly, an iron-hard hand reached out from the flames, seizing the sword light and clenching it tightly. Instantly, the sword light shattered and vanished in an instant. Wang Jianlun raised an eyebrow slightly. Showing no sign of evading Ji Yukui’s charge, he flicked his wide sleeve, and a sharp sword appeared in his hand. The tip moved silently yet as fast as a bolt of lightning, appearing before Ji Yukui in the blink of an eye. Yet Ji Yukui made no move to dodge either; she stretched out her iron hand to seize the long sword. In that split second, Wang Jianlun’s gaze suddenly grew exceptionally fierce. The moment the sword in his hand touched Ji Yukui’s iron hand, it suddenly dissipated like smoke or mist; immediately afterward, Wang Jianlun’s figure also vanished like smoke under the force of her impact. Ji Yukui froze, then suddenly seemed to realize something. With a look of horror, she turned her plump face to look behind her, only to see a cloud of smoke coalesce into the silhouette of Wang Jianlun—and his blood-stained sword! “Spurt!” Blood suddenly gushed from Ji Yukui’s waist. Wang Jianlun turned and looked at Ji Yukui, who was clutching her waist, saying, “Give it up. You’re no match for me.” “Hah! I’ll give you a taste of your own medicine!” As Ji Yukui spoke, her plump face suddenly contorted into a ferocious grimace. She clenched her fists together, and the flames surrounding her suddenly surged, engulfing her entire massive form. The heatwave that billowed out lashed against the stands on all sides, shocking every disciple present! “Whoa… the Dominating Convergence Fist?” Jiang Tang was horrified! “What’s the ‘Dominant Convergence Fist’?” Not only did Dongfang, who had asked the question, have no idea, but even Hua Mo Leng, standing nearby, was taken aback and looked at Jiang Tang in confusion. “A secret technique of the Tang family that’s never been passed down…” As Jiang Tang spoke, Wang Jianlun on the stage clearly realized the situation was turning dire; the long sword in his hand suddenly transformed into a cloud of smoke and shot toward Ji Yukui. However, just as the mist neared Ji Yukui, the sword tip that had barely begun to solidify was crushed by an iron fist! Undeterred, the mist dispersed and drifted behind Ji Yukui, instantly solidifying into a tangible form as it slashed downward. With a “whoosh,” the sword cut through empty air—Ji Yukui’s massive form had already appeared before Wang Jianlun, and his iron fist burst forth from the flames, swinging straight at Wang Jianlun’s face. At the very last moment, Wang Jianlun stepped back. As he drifted backward, he swirled his arm, and a plume of white vapor billowed from his wide sleeve, instantly forming a cluster of a hundred swords—like a blade-laden iron lotus—to meet Ji Yukui’s punch. “Boom!” The stage shook, creating a faint sensation of mountains trembling and the earth quaking. The surging heat wave swept over the stands, causing many disciples with lower cultivation levels to scramble back in panic. However, some more astute disciples had already deployed their gāng qi to shield themselves. Thus,they were fortunate enough to witness the iron lotus on the stage shatter violently. Wang Jianlun, who hadn’t managed to retreat in time, was struck directly in the cheek by Ji Yukui’s fist. In an instant, he was sent flying like a cannonball, but just as he was about to leave the stage, a net of swords suddenly formed behind him, firmly holding him back. Ji Yukui flickered into place, appearing before Wang Jianlun amid blazing flames, and unleashed a double punch. Wang Jianlun’s pupils contracted sharply; he performed a hand seal, and just as Ji Yukui’s fists were about to make contact, his entire body dissipated like smoke. “Don’t even think about escaping!” Ji Yukui barked coldly, driving a fist into the void! The searing wind from her punch warped the surrounding space, and a wave of even more terrifying heat raged through it. As the disciples in the stands ahead scrambled to defend themselves, Wang Jianlun—who had turned into a wisp of smoke—suddenly materialized and was swept skyward by the gust. Ji Yukui didn’t pause for a moment. She stomped her toes hard on the ground and shot into the sky like a sharp arrow. Just as she was about to collide with Wang Jianlun, he suddenly burst out laughing! “Well done!” Wang Jianlun’s robes suddenly billowed out, rapidly emitting mist, and his entire body melted into the mist, vanishing without a trace! Ji Yukui, like a fireball soaring against the sky, plunged into the mist in an instant and vanished as well. In the eastern stands, a middle-aged man with an ancient sword slung across his back stroked his three long strands of beard and chuckled, “So the daughter of the Tang family has actually joined Xian Zong.” A woman with a head of white hair, yet a face as delicate as a young girl’s, snorted coldly, “You’d better worry about your grandson.” Her voice, however, sounded incredibly aged, as if she were well over eighty! “Defeat means one’s skills are inferior—what good is worrying?” After speaking, the middle-aged man’s gaze seemed to pierce through the clouds as he remarked, “If they keep fighting like this, neither of them stands a chance of winning the remaining matches.” All the other disciples could see was a ball of red light darting rapidly through the clouds, accompanied by the occasional clanging sound. “There are three major factions in the South Flower Sea, and the Tang Clan is certainly a powerful force among them. I never expected Senior Sister Ji to be from the Tang Clan—tsk, tsk,” Jiang Tang remarked meaningfully. “So that’s how it is. I’ve long heard that the Domineering Gathering Fist is peerlessly formidable—seeing it in action today, it truly is extraordinary,” Hua Mo Leng remarked with admiration. Dongfang, however, was rapidly calculating something. After a moment, he suddenly said, “If the ‘Baliang Divine Fist’ is used exactly as you described, no amount of fat would be enough to burn it all away!” “Fat! I can’t believe you’d say that. That’s a unique form of Yuan Energy cultivated through the Tang family’s martial arts—it inflates the body into a sphere without causing it to explode. No wonder Senior Sister Ji, despite being only at the mid-level of cultivation, dared to fight the disciples of the Thirty-Six Caves. It also makes me realize why that handsome guy can’t stop thinking about her!” After saying this, Jiang Tang instinctively glanced over toward the Immortal Herb Pavilion and, sure enough, saw the handsome guy staring up at the sky with a look of deep concern. But with that glance, Jiang Tang also noticed that Junior Sister Lian’er was actually glaring at him! Jiang Tang smiled, swept his wavy bangs aside with a flick of his hand, and raised an eyebrow defiantly at Junior Sister Lian’er. “Crack! Mo Canglian clenched her fists, and her knuckles suddenly cracked several times! At that very moment, a massive explosion rang out above the arena, instantly scattering the thick mist. A ball of flame plummeted from the sky like a meteor, crashing onto the arena. As the flames died down, a tall, slender figure emerged, instantly silencing the entire crowd. The woman was strikingly beautiful, her hair flowing like a waterfall. The wide lapel of her robe had slipped off her right shoulder, revealing half of her delicate, fair shoulder, her striking collarbone, and the lower half of her snow-white, high-arching curve! Her entire body was glistening with sweat, and her robe was soaked through. After a few heavy gasps, she raised a gnarled, iron-like hand—a stark contrast to her beauty—and casually adjusted the hem of her robe to cover her shoulder. The movement was as graceful as a beauty emerging from a bath, exuding infinite allure. Before the crowd could fully admire her, with a flick of her sleeve, her white robe instantly clung tightly to her delicate form. In the blink of an eye, her slender waist cinched, outlining a nearly perfect, firm, and curvaceous figure that left everyone’s eyes wide with astonishment. “Who is that?” Just as the disciples were puzzling over this, the woman on the stage gave a cold snort toward the sky, then, looking extremely displeased, flung her sleeve and drifted toward the north stands. At that very moment, a cloud of smoke shot down from the sky and instantly coalesced into the figure of Wang Jianlun. Rubbing his swollen left cheek, he gave a wry smile as he watched the beauty’s retreating figure and bowed his hands, saying, “Junior Sister, you’ve been too kind!” “Whoa!” Countless gasps of disbelief erupted from the disciples. Who could have imagined that Ji Yukui—who had resembled a primordial beast and weighed four or five hundred jin—would suddenly transform into a stunning beauty with a waist so slender it could be encircled with a single hand! “What a pity, Senior Sister Ji!” Jiang Tang, ever the tactful one, wiped the bench clean with his sleeve and respectfully invited her to sit. Ji Yukui didn’t hesitate. She plopped down, leaned back against the chair, crossed her legs, and said with a hint of annoyance, “You’d better win, or I’ll make your life miserable for ten years!” “Oh dear, well… I don’t really have a weapon that suits me…” “Here.” Ji Yukui removed the ferocious iron hand—which resembled an eagle’s claw—and tossed it to Jiang Tang before adding, “If you manage to enter Spirit Island, pick a Candle-Flame Sunflower for me. Then I’ll give you this Third-Transformation Cold Iron Hand.” “A third-transformation spirit weapon!” Jiang Tang whistled in amazement. Staring at the iron hand in his palm, he stood there dumbfounded for a moment before saying, “The Candle-Flame Sunflower sells for six thousand crystals at the Immortal Pavilion, and the Tang family would sell this third-transformation spirit weapon for no more than five thousand crystals. Junior Brother, I…” “What’s the matter? Isn’t the one jin of fragrant sweat inside enough?” Ji Yukui snorted coldly, forcing Jiang Tang to nod helplessly. “It really is all wet.” Jiang Tang looked at the water stains inside the iron glove, his feelings incredibly complex. For some reason, he felt an urge to slip it over his nose and take a whiff! Suddenly remembering something, Jiang Tang looked at Ji Yukui, but immediately stopped himself from speaking. He simply couldn’t bear the sight of her profile, which had suddenly become breathtakingly beautiful; he thought to himself that she was much cuter when she was chubby! The distracting thought vanished instantly. Jiang Tang cleared his throat and asked, “How did you lose, Senior Sister?” “I was deceived by his cultivation technique. His true sword is a Fourth-Grade Xuanhan Sword, which counters my technique. But don’t worry—even if he won, he’d be crippled. You should take some time to get familiar with the Cold Iron Glove.” “I’ve never used a third-transformation Spirit Weapon before. What transformation is this?” Jiang Tang didn’t know much about Spirit Weapons. These were creations of the Tang family and differed from ordinary weapons and magical artifacts in that they could change form as one’s cultivation level rose. Normally, they looked like mundane objects, but once infused with Yuan Power to reach the first transformation, they could rival any first-grade magical artifact; the second transformation required the Qi-Martial Realm to be effective;and the third transformation requires the Spirit Martial Realm to master. That’s not to say practitioners at the Qi Martial Realm can’t use the third transformation—it’s just that their Yuan Power is insufficient, and it would be depleted in less than half a ke. For this reason, suddenly boosting it by one transformation during a life-or-death strike is often enough to kill an opponent before they even realize what hit them. That’s why Spirit Weapons are exceptionally expensive! “It’s currently at the second transformation. The spiritual energy I’ve infused is about to be depleted, and it will automatically revert to an ordinary weapon.” As Ji Yukui’s words trailed off, the Cold Iron Gloves in Jiang Tang’s hand suddenly transformed, condensing into a pair of iron mesh gloves. At first glance, they appeared ordinary enough, but upon closer inspection, the iron mesh wasn’t simply crisscrossed horizontally and vertically—it was arranged in the pattern of a formation, with several tiny, blood-red Spirit Jades embedded at key formation points. “Amazing. I wonder what would happen if I infused it with demonic energy?” Jiang Tang was eager to try, but dared not. Just as Jiang Tang was carefully examining the Cold Iron Hands, he suddenly heard Ji Yukui say, “How long do you plan to hide your true abilities? Whether or not you’re a member of the Zhao family, they won’t do anything to you. There are plenty of people in Xian Zong who possess the Golden Gang True Qi, and not a single one of them has the surname Zhao.” “You don’t have the surname Tang either,” Jiang Tang retorted irritably. “Same here—we both have our own unspoken reasons. Now that we’ve joined Xian Zong, there’s no need to hide anything. Otherwise, others will reap all the benefits—what will we have left?” Ji Yu Kui’s words struck Jiang Tang as simple yet reasonable. He was worried about drawing the Zhao family’s attention, but hiding behind a veil of secrecy just wasn’t right. There were countless members of the Zhao clan; over the millennia, there had surely been some—like Uncle Liu—who’d fallen so low as to make straw sandals. This distant branch of a distant branch of a distant branch… He could just make up an orphan story on the spot—whether they believed it or not was beside the point. Besides, under Qiong Sang’s guidance, his Golden Gāng True Qi had been transformed beyond recognition—it was now infinitely adaptable. Yet the fact that the Gāng never dissipated was something he simply couldn’t hide from others!