The Demon Lord's Invasion

Chapter 40: A Second-Tier Peak Puppet

Jiang Tang didn’t say a word; he walked straight to the edge of the arena and sat down beside Qiong Sang, who was dozing off. His actions baffled all the disciples; even several of the elders wore puzzled expressions. “The Spirit-Devouring Array Disk?” Fan Yanrui had been completely focused on Dongfang; when he finally noticed Jiang Tang’s actions, he was so furious he was practically fuming. “What do you mean by that?” Fan Yanrui said coldly. “You’d better hope for the best,” Jiang Tang said, then closed his eyes to regulate his breath. Before anyone could comprehend what was happening, eight bone spears suddenly shot out from Dongfang’s back. In the next instant, the bone spears deftly sprayed spider silk all around him. At the same time, Dongfang took out his spirit brain and began calculating something at lightning speed. The star chart on his abdomen contained demonic particles, which could absorb primordial particles and even spiritual particles! It took Dongfang half a year of research to confirm that, unlike atomic nuclei, demonic particles do not produce energy when they split—they simply split. However, after entering Xian Zong, Dongfang discovered that while demonic particles do not undergo fission, they do undergo fusion! After Dongfang applied his method of purifying spiritual energy to his formations, he forced the demonic particles to fuse and purify. The energy produced during fusion was extremely powerful and released energy of different attributes based on the primordial energy and spiritual energy consumed by the demonic particles. How to harness this released energy has been the focus of Dongfang’s research for over a year. He collected so much information on the spells and techniques of the Xian Zong’s disciples solely to complete this project; helping Jiang Tang was merely a side matter! And now, he has succeeded! After the Star Chart absorbed Fan Yanrui’s fire spiritual energy, the demonic particles within began to split frantically. He then channeled them into the demonic furnace hidden within his abdomen, where the fire spiritual energy released during the fusion of the demonic particles was captured and stored, while the refined demonic particles crystallized into demonic crystals. No one understood what Dongfang was doing; not even Jiang Tang knew what Dongfang was up to. But one thing was crystal clear to him: Dongfang was incredibly powerful—stronger than he was. Even if he were to undergo demonic transformation, he might not be able to defeat this guy! Just as Dongfang had said, as long as he had the materials, he could grow infinitely stronger! But Jiang Tang could offer him so little. If he were to receive the full support of a major power like Xian Zong, it was likely that within the next ten years, he would completely transform this world! But Dongfang didn’t share that mindset. In his view, any faction that couldn’t accept demonic energy was an outcast! Just because you can’t control it doesn’t mean it’s wrong or harmful. Nuclear explosions bring disaster to people! But how many people have benefited from nuclear reactors? These differences in thinking made cooperation impossible, so Dongfang naturally chose to follow Jiang Tang! At that very moment, everyone’s eyes were fixed on Dongfang, puzzled by his actions, while Fan Yanrui sensed something was amiss. Without further hesitation, he traced intricate patterns with both hands, and a fiery red formation diagram appeared before him. Immediately, fiery dragons soared out of the formation; in the blink of an eye, three fire dragons, each over a zhang long, encircled Fan Yanrui. Nine-Fire Flame Dragon Technique! The senior disciples watching the battle let out a series of gasps of astonishment, and their gazes toward Fan Yanrui changed completely! The Nine-Fire Flame Dragon Art is Xian Zong’s supreme spell and one of the most complete Heaven-tier spells. This art is divided into nine levels; it is already a rare feat for a Golden Core disciple to master the third level, yet Fan Yanrui, with only a Foundation Establishment cultivation base, had reached the third level and summoned three fire dragons to strike fear into all directions. Although these fire dragons weren’t as lifelike or massive as Jiang Tang’s golden dragon, their power was even more terrifying. Facing the oppressive pressure of the three dragons, Dongfang remained motionless, not even glancing at them, as he continued to write rapidly on his tablet. “You’re asking for death!” Fan Yanrui roared, and with a wave of his hand, the three fire dragons simultaneously lunged at Dongfang. Dongfang continued his calculations without pause, his body flickering repeatedly as he evaded the fire dragons’ attacks time and time again. “Let’s see where you run now,” Fan Yanrui roared in fury. With a flick of his fingers to form a spell seal, the three dragons suddenly soared into the air and, in unison, opened their mouths to spew vast streams of flame down onto the arena below. “Holy shit!” As soon as Jiang Tang saw this overwhelming display, he and Qiong Sang shot upward almost instantly. The moment they took to the air, the wings on Qiong Sang’s back suddenly grew, expanding to over a zhang in length in the blink of an eye. Gripping Jiang Tang by the collar, he flew upward while chuckling, “That kid is truly foolish.” “Hmm, if he’d self-detonated the Fire Dragon, it might have inflicted some damage on Dongfang Zhao, but this kind of minor area-of-effect damage is practically handing his energy over to Dongfang.” No sooner had Jiang Tang finished speaking than a vortex suddenly appeared in the sea of fire below. All the flames spewed by the three dragons were surging madly into it. That very spot was where Dongfang had set up a Spirit-Gathering Array woven with spider silk—and at the array’s core was none other than himself, or rather, the astral disk on his abdomen! “I’ll see just how long your Spirit-Devouring Array can hold out,” Fan Yanrui roared. With a rapid series of taps from his index finger, he channeled streams of pure spiritual energy into the bodies of the three dragons, instantly swelling the gradually shrinking fire dragons back to their original size in the blink of an eye. Fierce flames engulfed the entire arena below; had the elderly emcee not cast a spell to prevent the flames from spilling out, the disciples watching from the stands would surely have been forced to retreat en masse. Yet the vortex in the center continued to spin! “Senior Brother Fan, my puppet is powered by a Fifth-Grade Spirit-Devouring Array Disk. Even if you squeezed every last drop of courage out of yourself, it wouldn’t be enough for it to devour.” “What!” Hearing Jiang Tang’s words, all the disciples were utterly stunned. A Fifth-Grade Spirit-Devouring Array Disk—how many spirit crystals would that cost? It must be no less than ten thousand! Just how rich must Jiang Tang be to have gotten his hands on something like this! “Aren’t the Zhao Clan’s trial disciples supposed to leave home with nothing but the clothes on their backs? Where did Jiang Tang get those crystals?” “Hmm, maybe he stumbled upon a Cave Abode left behind by some senior cultivator—what they call ‘striking it rich.’ ” “What incredible luck! I’m so jealous!” The disciples who didn’t understand all speculated along these lines, but the elders all furrowed their brows—especially one elder well-versed in formation arts, whose gaze remained fixed on the center of the fiery vortex. “Senior Brother Lü, have you spotted anything?” Upon hearing this, Elder Lü didn’t move a muscle. His gaze remained fixed on Dongfang as he said, “It is indeed a Spirit-Devouring Array Disk, but it’s certainly not a Fifth-Grade one—at most, a Second-Grade. The reason it’s so powerful is entirely because that golem is a Spirit-Devouring Golem; the Spirit-Devouring Array Disk is merely a cover!” “Isn’t the method for crafting a Spirit-Devouring Puppet a secret technique of Kui City that isn’t passed down? Even the most outstanding disciples wouldn’t have access to it, let alone be granted it,” said the fair-skinned, gray-haired female elder, furrowing her brow. “That Flying Cat Puppet is also quite unique; it seems capable of mind-capturing techniques,” said Sect Master Feng Qing with a smile. “Mind-capturing puppets are mostly used against demon beasts or those with weak spiritual seas, but the Soul-Devouring Puppet is different—the higher its grade, the more terrifying it becomes. The ancient Patriarch of Kui City once used a Ninth-Grade Soul-Devouring Puppet to devour all laws, securing the realm in a single battle. However, crafting such puppets requires extremely high skill; there are now very few in Kui City capable of doing so. The quantity of every single ingredient must be precisely measured—including the Spirit-Gathering Array, the Spirit-Devouring Array, and the Spirit-Condensing Array…must all interlock seamlessly. The selected materials and the restrictive formations must be combined without the slightest error; otherwise, the puppet will explode the moment it’s activated, resulting in the waste of a vast amount of materials.” Elder Lü and the others had all attempted to peer into Dongfang’s body with their divine sense, but upon discovering a talismanic array that repelled divine sense, they abandoned the effort. If Dongfang were truly the creation of a master from Kui City, forcing a divine sense scan would inevitably trigger the talismanic array, causing Dongfang to explode into a pile of debris! This was one of Kui City’s most despicable tactics: since low-tier puppets couldn’t prevent high-tier cultivators from spying on them, they’d simply be blown to smithereens to prevent the sect’s technology from being leaked. As for anyone attempting to dismantle them—they’d be blown to absolute pieces! “Senior Brother Fan, that’s a Spirit-Devouring Puppet—don’t waste your spiritual energy!” Finally, a disciple who had caught on to the problem warned him. “A Spirit-Devouring Puppet? Hmph, so what!” Fan Yanrui scoffed coldly, rapidly forming a series of finger seals. In the blink of an eye, countless sparks of fire shot into the three-headed fire dragon, causing its body to swell slightly once more, and the flames it spewed became even more ferocious. However, few noticed that these flames were actually laced with countless sparks, which blended into the sea of fire and were nearly impossible to discern with the naked eye. Just as the sparks became so numerous that people finally took notice, a triumphant smile appeared at the corner of Fan Yanrui’s mouth. He focused his hand seals and murmured softly, “Explode!” “Boom!” Blinding flames and shockwaves rolled ceaselessly across the arena, though the audience below could no longer feel them—the aftershocks were simply too powerful. Had the elderly emcee not stepped in to block them, some of the disciples with lower cultivation levels would surely have been injured. After a long while, when the flames faded and the shockwaves dissipated, the disciples saw that the little bald-headed boy from Dongfang was completely shielded by a thick layer of fiery gong energy. “Am I seeing things? Can a golem really wield gongqi?” “What’s so strange about that? All defensive puppets in Kui City can wield Gāng Qi—though they’re quite expensive, that’s for sure.” “First Spirit Devouring, then Gāng Qi—and it seems to have other offensive capabilities as well. Just how much is this puppet worth, anyway?” “Well, it’s hard to say. After all, it’s cobbled together from cheap materials. It definitely can’t withstand a single strike from a Spirit Martial Realm cultivator, but among Qi Martial Realm puppets, it’s top-tier. I’d say it’d cost at least three to five thousand crystals.” Dongfang’s Gang Qi didn’t last long before dissipating. He finally stopped fiddling with the tablet, looked up at Jiang Tang, and said, “He’s no longer of any use. Take him out.” “Huh?” All the disciples were taken aback, and even the elders looked stunned! “Your spirit-imbued golem is indeed quite remarkable, but making such a bold claim—isn’t that a bit too arrogant?” However, what Jiang Tang said next made their faces turn an exceptionally grim shade! “Fan Yanrui, you’re very strong!” After throwing those words back at Fan Yanrui, Jiang Tang landed on the ground, drew his curved sword, aimed it at Fan Yanrui, and declared in a loud voice: “In this competition, you’re indeed the top contender in terms of spells. But wasting all your time on spells has sealed your fate. It’s true that the Spirit Body Technique can withstand sword slashes and axe blows, but it has a time limit. Currently, you can only maintain it for ten breaths. After ten breaths, you’ll need one breath to prepare to cast it again—and for me, that single breath is more than enough to kill you a hundred times!” As Jiang Tang spoke, he vanished from where he stood. At the same moment, Dongfang transformed into a streak of light and, in coordination with Jiang Tang, charged toward Fan Yanrui. Fan Yanrui’s expression turned grim. He hadn’t expected Jiang Tang to be aware of the Spirit Body Technique’s weakness—and to expose it in front of so many people. How was he supposed to save face now? Every technique has its strengths and weaknesses, but those who do not practice it cannot possibly understand them. Practitioners, of course, would never publicly reveal their own weaknesses. Jiang Tang’s actions might very well cost him the use of that entire technique! “Ten breaths are enough for me to kill you ten thousand times!” Fan Yanrui roared in fury, driven mad as a fierce aura surged around him. The Earth Spirit Flame—a Second-Grade Spirit Fire—hovered in his palm, radiating an overwhelming aura of power! But Jiang Tang showed not the slightest fear as he charged straight toward him. “Die!” Fan Yanrui roared. The Earth Spirit Flame suddenly shot out,expanding in an instant. Just as it seemed poised to engulf Jiang Tang, a figure from Dongfang suddenly appeared before him. The figure clasped both hands together to form a cannon muzzle, unleashing a powerful blast imbued with spiritual energy—a strike nearly equivalent to the full might of a Foundation Establishment peak cultivator. The cannon blast tore a gaping hole right through the massive Earth Spirit Flame. The next moment, Jiang Tang shot through the gap in the flames. As his curved blade pierced Fan Yanrui’s body, he murmured, “One!”