Hua Zheng had been riding a wave of momentum, preparing for a major battle with Liu Feng of Blood Spirit Peak. But then, some strange kid popped out of nowhere, utterly ruining the atmosphere. A surge of fury overcame him, and he thrust a palm straight at Shen Langâs chest!
Hua Zheng was the undisputed number one disciple of his generation on Songdu Peak. Even people with backing like Tian Hao and Yan Qi were always respectful to him. Now, seeing Shen Lang ruin his plans, he put considerable force into this palm strike.
He had made up his mind: he would seriously injure this reckless brat with a single palm strike!
Yet, his palm had barely left his hand, not even close to Shen Langâs chest, when Shen Langâwithout so much as raising his headâswung a backhand of his own. Though he moved second, his strike landed first, cracking right across Hua Zhengâs face!
"SMACK!"
With that crisp sound, Hua Zheng, a Spirit Martial Realm Fourth Heaven expert, let out a miserable shriek. His body tumbled through the air countless times before he was sent flying, crashing with a THUD onto the edge of the battle stage and passing out cold.
"..."
The two men on the battle stage and the hundreds of spectators below all stared, their eyes wide in disbelief. Every single one of them thought they were seeing things.
The great Hua Zheng, a Spirit Martial Realm Fourth Heaven expert, the undisputed number one disciple of his generation on Songdu Peak... knocked out by a single slap?
What kind of farce was this?
âHua Zheng must have seen how young he was and held back, and that brat took advantage of the opening!â
âThatâs right, that must be it!â
âThat kid is despicable...â
âThis is supposed to be a showdown between Songdu Peak and Blood Spirit Peak! How dare that kid knock out Hua Zheng? This is outrageous!â
"Get down from there! That bastard, get down here right now!"
"If he wonât come down, weâll go up there and drag him down ourselves! What an absolute bastard!"
With these thoughts, the disciples of Songdu Peak immediately turned on Shen Lang. They were itching to drag him down and subject him to the eighteen forms of torture to make him properly reflect on his actions!
On the battle stage, Shen Lang paid no mind to the roar of the crowd below, not even turning his head. Before Tian Haoâs horrified gaze, he shaped his palm into a blade and chopped down on his opponentâs left shoulder!
Tian Hao had seen him send Hua Zheng flying with a single slap and had immediately gone on guard, his eyes fixed on Shen Lang.
But as Shen Langâs palm-blade chopped toward him, he could see it with perfect clarity. Yet no matter how he dodged left or right, he couldnât escape the blow. That simple strike completely enveloped him, cutting off every possible path of retreat!
"AARGH!"
The terrified thought had barely formed when an excruciating pain made Tian Hao shriek aloud.
His left arm hung limply, completely devoid of strength.
"Die!"
The inhuman agony made Tian Haoâs eyes turn blood-red. He went completely berserk, swinging his right fist in a wide arc.
Shen Langâs left hand shot out like lightning, seizing his right Vein Gate and neutralizing the ferocious punch born of his madness. Then, he simply lifted his right leg and drove his knee into Tian Haoâs abdomen!
"BLECH..."
Tian Haoâs mouth fell open as a mixture of bile and blood spewed out.
Just then, a figure from behind the crowd leaped into the air, soaring over their heads and charging furiously toward the battle stage!
"Whoever dares to touch my brother will answer to me, Yan Qi!"
Yan Qi, who was built like a tank, let out a furious roar that made the ears of everyone present ring.
This man was a straightforward brute, physically powerful and possessing immense strength. Striking out in a towering rage, the peerless force of his attack preceded him, howling like a tigerâs roar and a dragonâs cry!
The ferocious Fist Gang immediately sent sand and stones flying across the battle stage!
âHeâs wide open, covered in flaws. Nothing but a simple brute.â
Shen Lang shot a cold glance at the airborne Yan Qi, then suddenly spun. He whipped out a roundhouse kick that struck Yan Qi squarely in the abdomen, as fast as lightning and as swift as thunder!
"THUMP!"
With a muffled thud, Yan Qi, who had arrived quickly, was sent flying back even faster. Before he could even land, he retraced his path through the air and crashed with a BANG into a large tree. He then slid down limply, unable to even crawl.
Back at Qingfeng Stronghold, even before deactivating his Golden Needle Acupoint Forging Body Technique, Shen Lang had seriously injured four Spirit Martial Realm Seventh Heaven disciples from the White Rainbow Sect with just a few moves.
Earlier, when chasing Sun Hongwen, he had already taken out the golden needles on his body and released the Vein Seal.
How could a few Martial Artists at the Spirit Martial Realm Third and Fourth Heaven possibly withstand a few of his blows?
Back in Celestial Phoenix City, when Shen Lang wasnât using the power of his Chaos Divine Body or Celestial Demon Body, his raw strength wasnât much greater than that of Spirit Martial Realm Fifth Heaven experts like Xu Daolin and Ye Juexin.
What was truly strong back then was his comprehension of the Martial Arts Rules, the culmination of the War Emperorâs six thousand years of experience in his mind.
Afterward, when facing Yuwen Huaji, Shen Lang hovered between life and death. His realm underwent an unprecedented improvement, and by desperately using the Demon Blade Technique, he achieved an astonishing increase in his Sword Intent.
Later, during the nearly six months in Celestial Phoenix City, Shen Lang began to maintain the golden needle seal of his Golden Needle Acupoint Forging Body Technique for long periods. He cultivated using a self-torturous method, awakening three of the Ten Divine Beast Particles each day.
Furthermore, he received one drop of Life Spiritual Liquid every month, so his Cultivation and the strength of his Flesh Shell could be said to have improved by leaps and bounds.
After leaving Celestial Phoenix City, Shen Lang carried a weight of over seventeen thousand jin on his back, walking like an ascetic monk all the way from Celestial Phoenix City to the Profound Dao Sect. His training during this period grew more arduous with each passing day, and another two months went by like this.
A little over eight months wasnât a long time, but Shen Lang had already undergone a complete, transformative change.
The strength of his power now was immeasurably greater than before.
Back when he fought Drunken Thousand Cups, who was at the Xuanwu Realm Second Heaven, he could only rely on Combat Techniques in close-quarters combat, disrupting the flow of his opponentâs Spiritual Power to gain a slight advantage.
Although Shen Langâs current Cultivation had not yet reached the Xuanwu Realm, if he were to encounter a Xuanwu Realm Martial Artist like Drunken Thousand Cups again, he could kill them as easily as turning over his hand, even without using the Immortal Celestial Saber.
Whether in his understanding of Martial Arts Rules, his experience with Combat Techniques, or his own Cultivation and power, these early-to-middle stage Spirit Martial Realm Martial Artists were no different from three-year-old children in his eyes.
After kicking Yan Qi away, Shen Lang ignored the protesting shouts from below, bent down, and dislocated all of Tian Haoâs joints, including his shoulders and elbows. He gave him the exact same treatment he had given Sun Hongwen.
The pitiful Tian Hao had just been injured by Liu Feng and hadnât even had a chance to get treatment before Shen Lang dislocated every joint in his body. Gurgling sounds came from his throat, and after just a moment, he passed out.
By comparison, Sun Hongwen had lasted quite a bit longer than him.
The reason Shen Lang had kicked Yan Qi away instead of capturing him too was that he knew a simple brute like Yan Qi wouldnât be capable of plotting something like this.
When it came down to it, Yan Qi was just Tian Haoâs muscle.
And muscle that didnât think, at that.
Tian Hao was definitely the one who had masterminded everything.
That was why he showed no mercy, even in front of so many people!
"SPLASH!"
A sphere of water landed on Tian Haoâs head, and he jolted awake.
But a moment later, he fainted again.
He did this three times. Then, under the dumbfounded gazes of Liu Feng and the crowd below, Shen Lang reset all of Tian Haoâs joints.
At that moment, a foul, acrid stench spread out from the ground, finally snapping the crowd out of their stupor.
A gust of night wind blew past, and everyone present shivered.
Even Tian Haoâs closest cronies didnât dare set foot on the stage...
Whoever dared to go up would end up just like Tian Hao.
Shen Lang hadnât said a word, but everyone understood his meaning.
"My house... was it you who had people tear it down?" Shen Lang asked indifferently as he squatted down.
This casual indifference, as if the torturous methods heâd just used had nothing to do with himânot only had nothing to do with him, but as if he hadnât even been watching!
Those utterly placid eyes only made the fear in Tian Haoâs own eyes grow more intense.
Tian Hao almost wished he were dead... âHe didnât even confirm if I did it before using such vicious methods?â
âWho the hell acts so unpredictably?â
âWhat if it wasnât me?â
âWhat if you go back later and find your friend has been beaten or killed? Are you just going to find me and torture me half to death without even asking any questions?â
âHow can you not even want evidence? How can you just skip the interrogation entirely?â
âHeâs a goddamn Little Evil Star who just does whatever the hell he wants!â
"We can talk this out, Shen Lang! I just saw you were new to the Profound Dao Sect and wanted to play a little joke! Please, please donât mind!" Tian Hao was actually crying. He hadnât cried like this in years, hadnât begged someone so submissively in years.
âWhat choice do I have? This kid is completely lawless! He clearly knows my grandfather is a Grand Elder, yet he still dares to do this. He obviously doesnât give a damn about my grandfather!â
âFor all I know, if my grandfather shows up, this guy might just twist my head right off!â
âThe fierce fear the reckless, and the reckless fear those who donât fear deathâand this guy Shen Lang is clearly the type who doesnât fear death!â
At this point, Tian Hao was regretting his actions to his very core.
âHe, Tian Hao, might be a bully, but he wasnât a fool. He knew who he could afford to provoke, who he couldnât, and who he simply had to endure.â
"Oh, so it was a joke?" Shen Lang nodded. "I thought you were joking, too. Thatâs why I was just joking around just now. I hope you donât mind."
"I donât mind, I donât mind at all..." Tian Hao wailed, tears and snot streaming down his face.
Shen Lang patted Tian Haoâs shoulder familiarly and said, "There, there. It was just a joke. No need to get so moved youâre crying buckets. There are two things I need to tell you."
"Go on, say it." Tian Haoâs little tyrant aura was long gone. Right now, he just wished this Evil Star would finish talking and leave as quickly as possible.
He had never been this afraid of someone before, so afraid he couldnât even muster the will to resist...
"First, find a group of people to rebuild my house. You have one day. If it takes any longer, I canât guarantee what I might do."
As he spoke, Shen Lang flicked his finger. A small pebble shot through the air and struck the head of Hua Zheng, who had just regained consciousness and was trying to get up.
In an instant, the number one disciple of Songdu Peak was knocked unconscious once again.