The Demon Lord's Invasion

Chapter 44: Fend for Yourself

“I don’t know why it’s like this. The first time, perhaps it was because my cultivation was insufficient, and I didn’t understand the ways of the world deeply enough. The second time, it was also because my cultivation wasn’t strong enough to suppress it. Over the past two years, I’ve been to the Shenwu Empire and the Sand Sea, witnessing both prosperity and hardship. Yet after the third time, I felt a pain even more searing than the previous two—and why is it always you?” Yu Chang’s hands clenched tighter and tighter without her realizing it! “Do you know how much I hate you? Especially the third time—you made advances toward me, looked at me with that disgusting gaze, stripped me bare time and time again, and made me wear those little cloth garments I absolutely hated. They were way too flashy—did they really suit me?” “Crack… crack…” Jiang Tang’s ribs finally gave way and snapped! “Ah! The sound of breaking bones is like heavenly music—truly delightful!” Yu Chang let out a moan, a tingling sensation coursing through her bones. She seemed to lose herself in the moment, closing her eyes in sheer bliss. Her arms tightened once more, as if she wanted to squeeze Jiang Tang right into her heart. She lowered her head, resting her chin on his shoulder, and murmured, ““I hate you—I hate you so, so much. I clearly didn’t want anything to do with you, yet you kept inviting me to the Immortal Pavilion to correspond. How you’re living and how hard your cultivation is—what’s that got to do with me? And you’ve been cluttering my mind with those trashy, tacky stories—do you even know how much cultivation time you’ve wasted for me?” Jiang Tang began rolling his eyes. Faced with Yu Chang, his struggles seemed utterly futile. “Crack!” Yu Chang’s delicate little chin felt like a mountain crushing down on Jiang Tang’s shoulder, snapping his shoulder bone clean in two. “Say something! Why aren’t you saying anything? Are you a quiet pervert?” As Yu Chang’s voice trailed off, her grip on Jiang Tang’s arms tightened once more. “Cough!” Jiang Tang coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood; his internal organs were already damaged. “You even cough up blood with such flair—are you trying to seduce me again?” As she spoke, Yu Chang turned her head to look at Jiang Tang’s profile. Suddenly, her soft, delicate cheek pressed against his, their faces brushing close as she whispered tenderly, ““Even your dimples are tempting me, you little rascal. Just wait until I smooth them out!” “She’s crazy! This woman is crazy!” Jiang Tang’s spiritual energy surged forth, but just as it was about to form a gongqi, several streams of powerful, domineering spiritual energy from Yu Chang’s fingertips suddenly invaded his body. In the blink of an eye, they sealed off his Eight Extraordinary Meridians, cutting off all pathways of spiritual energy. “For hundreds of years, I’ve been the number one genius of the Human Race, but you’ve stolen that title from me. Reincarnating with your memories intact, able to cultivate from the moment you were born—how despicable! Chang’er didn’t even start cultivating until she was four. Give me back my number one spot.” “I’ll give you nothing!” Jiang Tang wanted to roar, but as soon as he opened his mouth, he coughed up blood. It’s over—if I don’t transform into a demon now, I’ll truly die! As this thought crossed Jiang Tang’s mind, he suddenly felt his entire body go limp. He immediately slumped from Yu Chang’s embrace and staggered backward. “That felt so good.” Yu Chang stretched lazily, her whole body relaxed. Watching Jiang Tang sit cross-legged on the snow, preparing to meditate, she suddenly dropped her smile, walked over, crouched down, and stared straight at him. “If anyone else finds out about what happened today, Chang’er will never let go again!” Jiang Tang, who had just experienced Yu Chang’s “embrace-and-kill” technique, showed no fear whatsoever. He stared coldly at her and asked, “What do you want?” Yu Chang suddenly grabbed Jiang Tang’s knee, pressing it into the snow. She then rested her face against his leg, using it as a pillow, shifted her head slightly, and exhaled deeply. “I want to get some sleep,” she said. As night fell, the Star Cloud Sea shone brilliantly, yet on Drifting Mist Peak, the cold wind still howled and heavy snow swirled—yet nothing could conceal the two figures, one seated and one reclining. The next day, when Jiang Tang opened his eyes from his meditation, he looked down to find Yu Chang had also opened her beautiful eyes and was staring at him. “You really are extraordinary. With such severe injuries, you’ve fully recovered overnight.” “If I hadn’t held back, I would’ve healed instantly,” Jiang Tang cursed inwardly, but coldly replied, “So what? Are you worried that if you kill me, I’ll storm Nikuang Mountain someday and leave you a widow?” “Give me a break.” Yu Chang tilted her head, shifting into a more comfortable position as she rested it on Jiang Tang’s lap, her tone icy. “Do you really think I’d lose?” “There are many prodigies on Nikuang Mountain. At least three of them will have caught up to your current cultivation level by the time they’re thirty—and the same goes for Xian Zong.” “So what?” Yu Chang snorted, then turned her head back to smile at Jiang Tang. “Do you think I won’t be able to break through in this final year? Even if I can’t, I still have you!” Jiang Tang rolled his eyes and said exasperatedly, “What can I do?” “Kill them, of course,” Yu Chang said with a smile. Jiang Tang snorted coldly and said, “You’re all crazy.” “As for Spirit Island, Nikuang Mountain is probably planning to send ten people as well, and your branch family certainly wouldn’t qualify.” “You make it sound like I’m killing my own kin just for a woman.” Jiang Tang lowered his head and gazed into Yu Chang’s beautiful eyes. “Get up once you’ve slept enough—I need to head back.” “Mmm, I’m suddenly so sleepy.” Yu Chang turned her head, wrapped her arms around Jiang Tang’s thigh, pouted her lips, and closed her eyes. Jiang Tang’s face instantly darkened. Three days later, Jiang Tang finally escaped from Yu Chang’s clutches. He first went to Zhang Chaozhou’s private courtyard, only to learn that Zhang Chaozhou was in seclusion, and Dongfang had already returned home. Jiang Tang guessed that Zhang Chaozhou was probably testing Dongfang’s equipment, so he decided not to disturb him and headed straight back to Black Reef Island. “Heh heh, was that fun?” As soon as he walked through the door, Jiang Tang saw Qiong Sang’s disgusting cat-like face. “If you keep this up, I’m really going to cut ties with you,” Jiang Tang said angrily. “Don’t do that!” Qiong Sang first grinned slyly, then asked curiously, “Wasn’t it fun? It’s been four days already!” “Get lost,” Jiang Tang barked, then turned to Dongfang in the corner and asked, “So, what do you think?” Dongfang tossed a storage pouch to Jiang Tang and said, “Go to the Black Box to practice a bit, then record the data on the tablet.” “Got it.” Jiang Tang excitedly grabbed the storage bag and entered the Demon Realm. Pulling out the Pumpkin Dark Gold Hammer, Jiang Tang held one in each hand—both as large as baskets, completely out of proportion with his slender frame. As he slowly channeled spiritual energy into them, the Pumpkin Hammers grew heavier and heavier. Just as Jiang Tang was about to reach his limit, he exclaimed in astonishment, “Is this really the limit after activating only the fifth-level Power-Multiplier Talisman?” Jiang Tang hadn’t been sure of his current strength before, but now that he’d tested it, he realized his one-armed limit was only 2,500 jin—and to wield it with true agility, he’d have to reduce that by more than half. “Back in the Spirit-Martial Realm, lifting a ten-thousand-jin cauldron was child’s play. Now…” Jiang Tang shook his head, then gathered his focus and began practicing with the hammers. He practiced like this for an entire day. Only after Jiang Tang had fully adapted to the heavy weapon and recorded his progress on his tablet did he emerge from the black box. “Someone’s looking for you,” Qiong Sang said, pointing at the bulletin board with his little paw. Jiang Tang glanced at it and said impatiently, “Why is it her again?” Stepping outside, Jiang Tang made his way to the Black Reef Hall. He saw Gao Heng sitting with her legs crossed, reading a book. Noticing his arrival, she didn’t even look up as she said, “One thousand five hundred crystals.” Jiang Tang was silent for a moment before replying, “Alright.” Gao Heng uncrossed her legs, stood up, and tossed a storage pouch to Jiang Tang, saying, “Let’s go.” Jiang Tang inspected it briefly, nodded, and followed Gao Heng to Ping, but he still began practicing according to Qiong Sang’s suggestion. Under Qiong Sang’s detailed analysis, the “Six Forms of Shattering the Heavens” had evolved into thirty-six combo sequences and one hundred twenty variations! As a result, the new “Heaven-Shattering Hammer” was now on par with a Fifth-Grade Earth-Rank martial art! However, Jiang Tang was spending more and more time on this. Before he knew it, the deadline was approaching. Jiang Tang took a break to leave the Demon Realm and look around outside. He had originally intended to find Senior Brother Hua, but instead encountered Senior Sister Ji, who had put on weight again, and learned from her that Hua Mo Leng had already gone into seclusion to attempt a breakthrough. Without a second thought, Jiang Tang handed the Cold Iron Hand back to her, saying, “I’ll go gather the Candlelight Sunflowers for you.” Ji Yukui took the Cold Iron Glove and nodded. “I didn’t spoil you for nothing.” “Senior Sister, is it true that the more powerful a woman is, the more distinctive her personality becomes?” Jiang Tang suddenly asked. Ji Yukui was taken aback for a moment, then gave Jiang Tang a once-over from head to toe before suddenly smiling and asking, “Got a crush on someone?” “Stop changing the subject—I’m obviously talking about you,” Jiang Tang said irritably. Ji Yukui smiled and said, “Of course. If you’re pursuing strength, you shouldn’t rely on others. Only women who lack strength would flatter men and deliberately put on a mask to make themselves likable.” Jiang Tang pressed further, “What if she’s really strong but still flatters you? Even if it’s subtle—maybe it doesn’t really count.” “That’s a no-brainer,” Ji Yukui snorted derisively. “She flatters you because she likes you. But if—just suppose—she were to unreservedly display the most repulsive aspects of a woman right in front of you—like picking her nose, scratching her armpits, or scratching her butt—it would mean either she’s determined to marry no one but you, or she doesn’t even consider you a man.” Jiang Tang sighed as he looked up at the sky and said, “If only it were really just those things.” “What’s the matter? Got a girl clinging to you? It wouldn’t be surprising. You’re such a standout, little guy—you really caught the girls’ attention during the Grand Competition. Is it Gao Heng? Let me tell you, if a woman like her gets her hooks into you, just accept your fate. She’ll stop at nothing to get what she wants. Besides, she’s pretty enough—it’d be a waste for her to marry you.” “Her… Hmph.” Jiang Tang let out a cold laugh and said, “What if it’s something even more troublesome?” Ji Yukui paused for a moment, then fixed Jiang Tang with a pitying gaze and said, “I’ll sweep the grave of my junior brother for you.” “Huh?” Jiang Tang was momentarily dumbfounded. “Come on! If there really were a woman like that, she’d have to be crazy. Do you know Junior Great-Grandmaster Yu Chang?” “Uh… I know a little about her,” Jiang Tang said, a cold sweat breaking out on his brow. “Her father didn’t like her mother, but her mother deeply loved him. To force them to become Dao companions, she repeatedly broke his arms and legs. Then, she forced herself on him and gave birth to our Great-Great-Aunt. That’s what I mean by a ‘troublesome’ woman—and there are plenty of them out there. My aunt is one too—they’re all driven to it by their arduous cultivation. My aunt cultivated for fifty years, but on her very first trip out to gain experience, she fell into the abyss of love. When she couldn’t have him, she ate that man!” “She really ate him?” Jiang Tang swallowed hard. “Of course she did. That’s why, on the path of cultivation, you can’t just stay in seclusion practicing endlessly—cultivating your state of mind is the most important thing, especially in immortal cultivation!” Ji Yukui let out a long sigh, then patted Jiang Tang on the shoulder and said, “May you find your own happiness.” 89