The Demon Lord's Invasion

Chapter 38: A Battle to the Death

Countless Five-Spirit Swords, like a rainbow after the rain—or rather, like a burst flood—engulfed Jiang Tang with overwhelming force. All the disciples were stunned! Jiang Tang was actually still alive! The sheer power of the sword rainbow had left even the disciples watching the match feeling as if they couldn’t breathe, yet Jiang Tang stood in the center of the arena as if nothing had happened! “Wait, Jiang Tang’s hand…” “Severed?” The disciples with lower cultivation levels had no idea that, at that very moment, Jiang Tang had achieved an epiphany. Although he stood motionless, his right arm appeared to have been severed at the shoulder—seemingly vanished, though in reality, it was moving so fast it was nearly imperceptible to the naked eye! Gao Heng furrowed her arched brows and let a faint smile play at the corners of her mouth. As her hands danced, the sword rainbow coiled around Jiang Tang like a giant, multicolored serpent, forming a vibrant vortex that seemed poised to tear him to pieces! Yet Jiang Tang stood as still as a stone statue carved by ten thousand years of wind and frost. He did not move at all, but upon closer inspection, some sharp-eyed disciples suddenly realized that it wasn’t that Gao Heng had relented and was forcing Jiang Tang to surrender—rather, her sword aura couldn’t harm him in the slightest! Facing the Five-Spirit Swords coming at him from all directions, Jiang Tang was like a black hole at the center of the vortex. With the lightest, swiftest strokes of his blade, he parried and deflected countless Five-Spirit Swords aimed at him, causing the swords to not only collide with one another but also to block the remaining attacking Five-Spirit Swords for him! “Fast is enough, but you must use even less effort. Keep your movements small and gentle—the Way of Tai Chi allows one to move a thousand catties with just four liang…” Jiang Tang suddenly took a step forward. In an instant, the vortex of Five-Spirit Swords attacking him trembled, emitting countless clangs as the blades collided—as if, in turn, they were being guided by him, propelling him forward step by step! Gao Heng dared to clash head-on with Jiang Tang because her cultivation far surpassed his, but she never expected that Jiang Tang would dare to clash head-on with her as well! What’s more, he had actually managed to identify the weakness in her Five-Spirit Sword Rainbow! He was using this strange method to break through her Five-Spirit Sword Rainbow! After their brief exchange earlier, Gao Heng had already realized that even if Gao Rongsheng were to give it her all and unleash every killing move in her arsenal, she would still be no match for Jiang Tang! This young man was terrifying—relying solely on his physical form and a single battle axe, he was actually holding his own against her Five-Spirit Sword Rainbow, displaying the ability to pass through a forest of ten thousand swords without a single scratch! A flash of admiration flickered in Gao Heng’s eyes before giving way to an even more intense fighting spirit! Suddenly, she lowered her hands, and the vortex of the Five-Spirit Sword faltered abruptly. In the next instant, it collapsed, dissolving into a rainbow-colored glow that drifted away. “Senior Master Lu, if I die, it has nothing to do with Jiang Tang,” Gao Heng said, uttering those strange words. Then, her phoenix-like eyes widened as she fixed her gaze on Jiang Tang and added, “Likewise, his death has nothing to do with me!” “A battle to the death!” Not only were the disciples of Xian Zong collectively stunned, but even some of the elders couldn’t help but show their surprise! Leaving no room for outsiders to interject, Gao Heng’s right hand—pointing straight downward—flared with golden light, and the Spirit Sword “Slicing Gold” suddenly appeared! “To use me as a stepping stone—you certainly have good judgment.” Jiang Tang’s gaze turned cold as a battle aura surged around him; the moment his foot touched the ground, he had already vanished. At the same moment, Gao Heng, too, transformed into a streak of light, swinging the “Sword of Golden Slash” forward in a horizontal strike. “Clang!” The curved blade struck the “Zhanjin” as if materializing out of thin air. The terrifying force carried by both weapons sent Jiang Tang and Gao Heng flying simultaneously, but the moment they hit the ground, they charged at each other once more! Sword thrusts and blade slashes, horizontal and vertical strikes—they pressed their advantage with the simplest, most brutal, and direct methods. Yet with every clash between the curved blade and the Zhanjin, the two proved to be evenly matched. Jiang Tang leapt into the air and brought his blade down, only to be parried by Gao Heng’s Zhanjin. and in the instant the force was deflected—as the “Zhanjin” transformed into a stream of water flowing through the blade—a layer of gongqi suddenly erupted from Jiang Tang’s gripping hand, forming a wall that blocked every droplet from reaching him. But in the blink of an eye, the splashing droplets suddenly struck the gongqi like mud, and in an instant,countless slender vines burst forth from the mud, their roots piercing right through the aura! Jiang Tang snorted coldly. The damaged aura trembled throughout his body, transforming into a dragon’s head that swallowed the mud in one gulp and chewed it frantically. At the same time, he swept his hand through the air, tracing a series of powerful sword strokes. Countless green leaves and vines that had lunged at him were severed and scattered across the ground. Yet just as Jiang Tang prepared to attack Gao Heng, the vines and碎 leaves on the ground burst into flames,and tiny Xiao Huo balls began to shoot up from the ground. Just as they were about to reach Jiang Tang’s lower body, he leaped into the air, flipped, and swung his blade. Wherever the blade’s glow passed, the Xiao Huo balls all burst into pieces. Without pausing for a moment, the blade’s glow continued straight toward Gao Heng’s head. Gao Heng snorted coldly and stamped the ground with one foot,causing a stone brick to flip upright and block the blade’s glow like a shield. The moment Gao Heng’s slender hand pressed against the brick, it transformed into a white stone sword in her grasp, which she swiftly flung upward. The sword collided with Jiang Tang’s downward slash aimed at her head; the immense force once again sent her reeling back more than ten steps, while Jiang Tang was sent flying backward two zhang! Without a word, the moment they regained their footing, both charged at each other once more! Cutting through metal, severing wood, flowing like water, blazing like fire, and shattering earth—Gao Heng’s sword rapidly shifted through these five forms. At times, it was indestructible, clashing head-on; at others, it was as cunning as a snake, striking at vital points. Yet every attack was shattered by Jiang Tang’s blade as he counterattacked furiously, and for a time, the battle remained evenly matched! But the moment either of them showed the slightest opening—even for an instant—it would be enough to cost them their lives! Many of the new disciples watching the battle held their breath, afraid that a single gasp of awe or the blink of an eye might cause them to miss something. After all, their eyesight was limited, and this was the first time they’d ever witnessed such a masterful life-and-death battle! By this point in the battle, many disciples had realized that Gao Heng held an absolute advantage in speed, while Jiang Tang was superior in strength. Yet Gao Heng refused to resort to tricks, choosing instead to clash head-on with Jiang Tang! Whether they understood it or not, they all shared the same view: this was what a life-and-death battle was truly meant to be! Watching this kind of all-out battle allowed them to learn so much! Thinking back to the sparring matches between the disciples on the A-Rank list earlier, those were practically child’s play! This is what a real battle looks like! A life-and-death struggle fought with nothing held back, where they risk their very lives! This was exactly what they wanted to see, what they needed to learn—all those previous matches were utter nonsense! Especially the competition for the top ten on the Class A List—were they trying to fool children? Now, no disciple is wondering why Jiang Tang, despite his low cultivation level, was able to fight Gao Heng to such a dead heat. They just want to watch every single moment of this life-and-death battle, etching it deeply into their minds so they can learn from it in the future. “This isn’t good!” Dongfang suddenly sent a mental message to Qiong Sang. “Don’t worry,” Qiong Sang replied. “Jiang Tang’s attacks are growing increasingly fierce—he’s likely on the verge of succumbing to demonic influence!” Dongfang’s words sounded concerned, yet his tone was unusually cold. “He’s already succumbed to the Demon Realm!” Qiong Sang chuckled darkly, then transmitted again, “He just hasn’t used demonic energy yet. Mentally, he already possesses the cold-blooded ruthlessness of a demon—he sees nothing but battle!” “Should we stop him?” Dongfang’s understanding of demonic forces was still limited; he didn’t want Jiang Tang to be exposed and eliminated by Xian Zong’s higher-ups. “Let’s wait and see. He should be able to keep it under control.” Jiang Tang had already overcome the most difficult hurdle of his descent into demonic possession. Even with a mind consumed by darkness, he remained lucid—even more so than in his usual state. He knew exactly how to use every move to suppress Gao Heng. The deadlocked battle had every disciple on the edge of their seats, and Gao Heng herself was beginning to lose her composure! She had expected Jiang Tang to be able to hold his own against her, but she hadn’t anticipated that she would gradually be pushed into a defensive position! Every clash was a battle that unfolded in the blink of an eye. She had too much to consider, and every shift in the Five Spirits Sword required careful deliberation—otherwise, unable to attack effectively or defend adequately, she would surely be defeated in the blink of an eye! But the more she thought, the weaker she found herself becoming! It wasn’t that Jiang Tang had grown stronger; Gao Heng knew full well that he had been maintaining peak combat condition the entire time. To be overwhelmed even under those conditions meant the problem lay with her—she simply couldn’t keep up with Jiang Tang’s high-speed combat for long! As Gao Heng pondered this, she did not forget that she was in a life-or-death battle. Suddenly, the Five-Colored Flames gathered in her Blazing Sword, and she even drew upon the sword embryo within the vortex of qi in her dantian. When she struck with this sword, no magical artifact or spirit weapon below the Third Rank could withstand it! However, Jiang Tang clearly sensed this coming. The blade he was using to counterattack suddenly vanished, only to reappear in his other hand. With a swift stroke, it sliced a bloody gash between Gao Heng’s legs! Gao Heng was horrified. Had she not instantly discerned Jiang Tang’s intent and pulled her leg back half a step, that leg would have been severed at the knee! “How does he manage to keep his full focus on a life-or-death battle for so long?” As Gao Heng retreated, she instinctively glanced at Jiang Tang. But that single glance sent a shiver through her entire body! If she remembered correctly, Jiang Tang’s gaze had previously been cold and filled with fighting spirit, but now, there was nothing to be seen in his eyes at all! “Nothing?” Gao Heng’s momentary distraction proved to be fatal! Jiang Tang’s eyes were like two bottomless black holes, sucking Gao Heng’s mind and spirit entirely into them. In that brief moment of daze, Jiang Tang had already appeared right in front of her! Gao Heng snapped back to her senses immediately, realizing the danger. Just as she was about to raise her hand to swing her sword, her elbow was struck by a bone spike spat from Jiang Tang’s mouth. Though it couldn’t harm her physique—tempered over many years—it numbed her arm, leaving her no time to block the attack with her sword! The gleaming edge of the curved blade, as thin as a thread, appeared before Gao Heng’s eyes, just one chi away from her forehead! In that split second between life and death, spiritual energy surged involuntarily from Gao Heng’s entire body, instantly forming three layers of gongqi that burst outward from her surface, attempting to blast the intruder away. However, the moment the gongqi appeared, a bone spear materialized in Jiang Tang’s left hand! “Boom!” As the first layer of gongqi was sliced open by the curved blade—before the five-colored crystalline light could even disperse—the second layer of gongqi exploded with the sound of the bone spear. Immediately following was a tiger’s roar, and the Tiger-Head Fist broke through the third layer of gongqi before slamming relentlessly into Gao Heng’s abdomen! “Pfft!” Gao Heng, spitting out a mouthful of blood, rolled ceaselessly across the ring. Had the third layer of gongqi not absorbed more than half the force, that punch—even if it hadn’t killed her—would have been enough to knock her off the ring! But because of that, just as she struggled to steady herself, she looked up to see that Jiang Tang’s curved blade no longer appeared as a thin sliver—it seemed instead like a massive mountain weighing ten thousand jin crashing down from the sky! Gao Heng had never been so close to death—so much so that her mind went completely blank. All she could see was the curved blade drawing ever closer, until it finally came crashing down from above her head! Every disciple watching the match stared wide-eyed, holding their breath! “What’s the meaning of this?” Jiang Tang’s vacant pupils suddenly sharpened as he glared coldly at the elderly master of ceremonies who had suddenly appeared before him. The elderly master of ceremonies flicked his wrist, sending the broken half of the curved blade flying, and, radiating an overwhelming aura, addressed Jiang Tang and Gao Heng: “If you wish to arrange a private life-or-death duel, there are rules here.” Jiang Tang looked at the elderly man, whose aura was overwhelming. His tense, dark face suddenly relaxed, revealing two dimples as he said, “You owe me a sword.” “You…” The elderly master of ceremonies clearly hadn’t expected Jiang Tang to blurt out those words; his imposing aura crumbled instantly! Even Gao Heng, who had been staring blankly, couldn’t help but chuckle. She curled the corners of her mouth and shook her head, though her gaze kept drifting back to Jiang Tang’s face, her eyes brimming with curiosity. “Since you’re a disciple of Tie Wu Yi, I’ll give it back to you. Go fight for it yourself.” With that, the elderly master of ceremonies flung a piece of black gold ore toward Jiang Tang, then announced in a loud voice, “Jiang Tang of Black Reef Island, you win!”