The Demon Lord's Invasion

Chapter 39: An Unexpected Battle

Cheers—a rare occurrence in Xian Zong—but at that moment, the new disciples went wild! Jiang Tang and Gao Heng had treated them to a true life-and-death battle—a fierce, head-to-head clash where, had it not been for the intervention of senior masters, one of them would surely have died! Even some of the senior disciples were swept up in the excitement, but while some rejoiced, others grieved. The disciples of the Immortal Herb Pavilion wore faces as dark as storm clouds, while those of the Xuan Kong Cave looked downright terrifying! “Senior Sister Gao, how dare you show your face here again?” A female disciple—beautiful in appearance but far lacking in the grace of Gao Heng—stared at Gao Heng with a cold sneer. “Shi Ji, cut the nonsense,” snorted the male disciple who had previously scolded Jiang Tang to keep his eyes to himself. “Oh my, Senior Brother Fan! Did I say something wrong, Junior Sister? If Senior Uncle Lu hadn’t stepped in, hmph!” “Is that funny?” Gao Heng could easily have ignored Shi Ji’s mockery, but to do so would not have been like her at all! Placing one foot on the stone chair next to Shi Ji, Gao Heng glared at her and said, “Come on, tell me exactly what’s so funny? Let me have a laugh too.” “Tell me…” No sooner had Shi Ji uttered those words than her entire body flew through the air, plummeting headfirst off the viewing platform under the astonished gazes of dozens of disciples. Gao Heng withdrew her leg and glared coldly at the remaining disciples. “What are you holding back for? Go ahead and laugh.” “Heh…” The disciples let out an awkward chuckle. “Junior Sister Gao, I’ll definitely avenge you.” Gao Heng shot a cold glance at the man who had spoken, then curved the corners of her mouth slightly. “No need.” “But I want to!” the man said, leaving no room for refusal. “Suit yourself.” After saying this, Gao Heng had no intention of lingering here and was about to return to meditate, but suddenly something occurred to her. She walked over to an empty seat and sat down, her gaze drifting far off toward the northern stands, where she quickly locked onto the dark-skinned boy who was surrounded by a crowd and grinning like an idiot. Even now, she couldn’t fathom why Jiang Tang—with his fighting spirit subdued and his eyes devoid of any spark—was so powerful. And why were those ashen eyes so captivating to her? Was that state the pinnacle of fighting spirit? Or was it an entirely different realm? Gao Heng didn’t know, but she was certain that Jiang Tang was incredibly powerful in that state of mind! And if she could enter that state herself, would it mean… Fan Yanrui’s gaze followed Gao Heng’s to the north stands; his keen eyesight allowed him to catch the smug expression on the dark-skinned boy’s face! “Jiang Tang!” Fan Yanrui’s gaze instantly turned as cold as ice! As the competition among the disciples of the Thirty-Six Caves had progressed to this point, two of the final ten remaining were disciples of the Xuan Kong Cave: Gao Heng and Fan Yanrui himself—the top practitioner under thirty in the Xian Zong in terms of spellcasting prowess! When Fan Yanrui stepped onto the arena as the last disciple to be challenged, facing a disciple from the Second Rank, he merely cast a Fireball spell—and that was enough to scare his opponent off! Of course, this was no ordinary fireball—it was the Earth Spirit Flame. A cultivator at the Yuanwu Realm would be reduced to ashes the moment they touched it, while one at the Qiwu Realm, if burned by it, would be obliterated in mere moments. In the past, the spectators would have gasped in astonishment, but now they showed no interest in such a display of power, watching it all with indifference. Is that supposed to be interesting? It’s just Earth Spirit Fire. There are plenty of senior disciples in the Spirit Artifact Pavilion and the Alchemy Pavilion who have refined Heaven and Earth Spirit Fires—what’s there to show off? If you’ve got the guts, do what Senior Sister Gao did: play to your strengths and counter with the method the challenging disciple excels at. Even if you lose, it’ll be an honorable defeat! It must be said that the life-and-death battle between Jiang Tang and Gao Heng instantly broadened these disciples’ horizons! This cold indifference infuriated Fan Yanrui. He suddenly turned his head toward the North Grandstand, fixing his gaze directly on Jiang Tang and said, “Junior Brother Jiang, you’re strong, but Junior Sister Gao is even stronger than you. I refuse to accept that you made it onto the Top A List!” “What do you mean?” All the disciples watching the match instantly perked up! Jiang Tang was in the middle of a private conversation with Qiong Sang when he suddenly heard Fan Yanrui’s words. He couldn’t help but feel both amused and exasperated. Shaking his head, he declared loudly, “What are you going to do about it?” “Woohoo!” The disciples erupted in cheers! “Do you dare fight me? If I win, you’re out of the top ten; if you win, I’m out of the top ten.” “Fight! Before Jiang Tang could even respond, nearly eighty percent of the disciples on the three stands began cheering wildly. The Immortal Herb Pavilion was the loudest of all, fearing that Jiang Tang might refuse, and they kept goading him with taunts. The Immortal Herb Pavilion wasn’t known for combat; even when they had free time, they spent it studying alchemy, drawing talismans, and earning crystals. As a result, not a single new disciple could actually stand a chance against Jiang Tang. However, the Thirty-Six Caves were the main combat force of Xian Zong. Gao Heng went without saying, but if even Fan Yanrui couldn’t defeat Jiang Tang, where would justice lie? As long as Jiang Tang dared to accept the challenge, defeat was certain—how could the Immortal Herb Pavilion possibly pass up such a chance to teach him a lesson! “Junior Brother Jiang, this is a rare opportunity!” “That’s right—a victory here would make you famous overnight!” “I don’t think Junior Brother Jiang dares to do it—just look at him, his face is full of fear!” “He’s about to wet his pants!” The elderly emcee furrowed his brow and was about to intervene when he suddenly paused, then glanced at the Third Elder in the eastern stands and nodded slowly. “Allowing them to make such a spectacle—it seems the Third Elder hasn’t thought this through,” remarked the white-haired, fair-skinned female elder with a faint smile, her voice as weathered as ever. “It’s a rare treat. Why not watch?” the Third Elder chuckled. “What’s so amusing?” An elder with black hair and white eyebrows shot the Third Elder a disapproving glance, then looked at Fan Yanrui on the stage and added, “Yanrui was born with a spiritual physique; his cultivation has already reached the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment, and he practices the Pure Fire Path. How does Jiang Tang plan to win?” “Not necessarily!” The speaker was none other than Sect Master Feng Qing. His gaze fixed on the space behind Jiang Tang as he said, “He is also a Spirit Puppet Cultivator.” “Huh?” Upon hearing this, the elders were all taken aback. When they looked at Jiang Tang, they indeed discovered two spirit-infused puppets! This grand competition is a test of one’s own strength, so participants are not allowed to use spirit beasts or puppets to assist them—but can this still be called a grand competition? Meanwhile, the elderly master of ceremonies had already stepped onto the stage and said to Jiang Tang, “If you accept, you may bring a golem or a spirit beast.” Having said that, he turned to Fan Yanrui and asked, “The same applies to you. Do you have any objections?” Fan Yanrui replied confidently, “I’d be more than happy to.” In the stands, Jiang Tang turned to look at Dongfang and Qiong Sang. Before he could speak, Dongfang spoke first: “I’ll sell a spot in the top ten for spirit crystals.” This wasn’t a private transmission; the disciples nearby all heard it, and for a moment, they all stared in shock at Dongfang, the little bald-headed boy. “Junior Brother, don’t be so impulsive!” Hua Mo Leng cautioned. Ji Yukui, on the other hand, encouraged him, “What’s there to be afraid of? If you can secure a spot, I’ll pay you a thousand crystals for it.” “Heh heh heh, that’s a huge profit!” Qiong Sang chuckled slyly. “Alright,” Jiang Tang smiled as well, stood up, and addressed the arena: “I’ll win. Once you withdraw, I’ll decide who fills the vacant spot.” “Fine!” Fan Yanrui replied without hesitation. The elderly emcee seemed to have received a telepathic message as well; he made no attempt to stop them and stepped down from the arena. Only then did Jiang Tang step onto the stage amid the cheers of his disciples, with Dongfang and Qiong Sang following on his left and right. Fan Yanrui did not underestimate Jiang Tang; he immediately lined up his spirit beast pouches and summoned a giant python over ten feet long, its entire body covered in crimson scales. “A second-tier Fire-Poison Python!” Jiang Tang was somewhat surprised, as this creature was an evolved form of the Fire-Poison Snake from the Sand Sea—yet he had never encountered a Fire-Poison Python there. “Leave this beast to me,” Qiong Sang said, then flapped his wings, flew to the edge of the arena, and lay down to take a nap. Jiang Tang didn’t mind. He bowed slightly toward Fan Yanrui, who returned the gesture half-heartedly. Just as Fan Yanrui was about to say, “Be careful, Junior Brother Jiang!” he saw the small, bald figure standing a chi tall beside Jiang Tang burst into a brilliant glow and lunge toward him in a flash. “Go!” Fan Yanrui commanded the Fire-Poison Python without hesitation. But the Fire-Poison Python kept cowering and retreating, its snake eyes fixed intently on the little wooden cat that was watching it with a smile! “Huh?” Before Fan Yanrui had time to think, danger had already closed in on him. “Duuu-duuu-duuu-duuu-duuu…” Dongfang’s left hand transformed into a Gatling gun, firing a frenzied barrage at Fan Yanrui. At the same time, Jiang Tang clasped and parted his hands, striking out with both palms. Instantly, two golden dragons burst forth, merging into one. Though they made no roar, they let out a cry to the heavens as if roaring, soared ten zhang high, and then plunged down, lunging toward Fan Yanrui. “Petty tricks,” Fan Yanrui snorted coldly. His body trembled as a unique, flame-burning aura surged forth, intended to block Dongfang’s spider web rounds and Jiang Tang’s golden dragons. However, those tiny projectiles were not spider-web bullets at all, but armor-piercing rounds—something Fan Yanrui hadn’t even anticipated—which pierced right through his gongqi! The moment countless sharp armor-piercing projectiles struck the fiery aura, a piercing, shrill clanging sound grew increasingly intense,Fan Yanrui’s aura was suddenly riddled with cracks. At the same time, the Golden Dragon swooped down from above. Being formed entirely of aura itself, the Golden Dragon was absolutely incapable of breaking through the Flaming Aura, let alone inflicting any damage on Fan Yanrui. But for some reason, when the golden dragon collided with his Gāng Qi, it actually exploded layer by layer! More ferocious than a barrage of armor-piercing rounds, every particle of Gāng Qi on the golden dragon’s surface shattered like lit firecrackers, causing Fan Yanrui’s Gāng Qi to explode into fragments. Meanwhile, the remaining two zhang-long dragon body did not pause for a moment, plunging headlong toward the completely exposed Fan Yanrui. “How is this possible?” The disciples watching the battle were stunned. They had already learned from the disciple who had seen through the Golden Dragon that it was composed of fragmented particles of gongqi—merely a hollow shell that actually weakened the hardness of the gongqi itself. They believed that as long as they countered it with their own gongqi, it would never harm them. But this time, the Golden Dragon exploded! And its power was no small matter! “The Golden Dragon’s roar to the heavens just now must have absorbed the primordial energy of heaven and earth, suppressing and sealing it within each fragment of gongqi. Thus, when the gongqi shattered, the suppressed primordial energy was no longer restrained. This is in the same vein as martial arts techniques like the Empty Resonance Palm and the Whirling Primordial Slash—truly brilliant!” praised the Third Elder. Apart from the Elders, only about ten disciples present were able to see through this. The shockwaves generated as the Golden Dragon exploded segment by segment caused the robes of the disciples on the three stands to flutter wildly and their hair to become disheveled—its power was truly formidable. Yet even so, when the golden light faded, Fan Yanrui was seen forming a magical seal with his hands, still standing perfectly upright in the same spot, completely unscathed. The disciples from Xuan Kong Cave all let out a series of cold laughs. “Senior Brother Fan possesses a natural Fire Spirit Constitution and cultivates the Pure Fire Dao—he is immune to all mundane forces!” Gao Heng cast a glance at the disciple who had spoken, then turned her gaze to Jiang Tang. She had stayed behind precisely to see what other skills Jiang Tang possessed. “He’s immune to physical attacks—don’t waste your energy,” Dongfang said. Just then, he saw Fan Yanrui flick his finger, sending a speck of fire toward him. Dongfang leaped backward while raising his right hand to fire a cannon blast. The moment the Yuan Power cannon made contact with the fireball, it happened silently and without a sound. The fireball appeared to pass right through it, yet in reality, the Yuan Power cannon shrank the instant it touched the fireball and was instantly consumed by it, causing the fireball to grow slightly larger. “Interesting!” Dongfang said as he raised his hand and conjured a small, three-cun-square star disk to use as a shield against the fireball. The next moment, a miraculous scene unfolded. Just as the flame had absorbed the Yuan Energy Cannon earlier, this time it was the flame’s turn to be devoured by the astrolabe! The star disk in Dongfang’s hand, glowing brilliantly red, left the disciples watching the battle marveling in awe. Before they could even figure out what kind of magical artifact it was, a scene unfolded that left them speechless! Dongfang suddenly lifted his robe and slapped the star chart against his abdomen, embedding it into a circular recess. Instantly, Dongfang’s entire body blazed with fiery light, and a spiritual pressure at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage radiated out, causing the disciples in the stands—whose cultivation levels were only at the early Foundation Establishment stage or hadn’t even reached it yet—to feel terrified and struggle to breathe. “Don’t attack him—just guard against his divine sense.” As soon as Dongfang finished speaking, the oppressive aura surrounding him abruptly receded, and he returned to normal.