"Talk," Jiang Dao's voice was colder than stone as he advanced on the man in white. "Who are you with? The Xie clan of Anyang? Some other order of spirit slayers?"
A palpable heatwave rolled off Jiang Dao, the air shimmering around him. The stone courtyard floor cracked and smoked under his feet, the ground itself seeming to corrode with every step he took.
"Damn you…" The man spat, pushing himself to his feet. His face was a mask of pure venom. He muttered a string of arcane words, and the mangled stump of his right shoulder began to writhe. Black blood coiled and pulsed, and then a new arm burst forth.
It wasn't a normal arm. This new limb was a grotesque parody, a mass of indigo muscle and bulging green veins so massive it dragged on the ground. A chilling, sinister aura bled from it, poisoning the air.
Jiang Dao's eyes narrowed. An evil spirit. He could feel its foul energy clear as day.
The man in white stared, a grim smile twisting his lips. "I underestimated you. A martial artist who can shatter the limits of the human body… I've never seen that before. Kid, you're actually making this fun."
Swish!
Without warning, the ground behind Jiang Dao split open. A thick black rope, wide as a man's arm, shot out and wrapped around his neck, trying to hoist him into the air and hang him.
But Jiang Dao didn't budge. He stood rooted to the spot, an immovable mountain. His eyes were chips of ice. With a hand shaped like an eagle's talon, he swiped at the rope, his speed tearing a scream from the air. The rope was fast, though. It dodged his grip and instead coiled around his entire body, binding him from head to toe, pinning his arms to his sides.
"Hehehe…" A horrifying grin spread across the man's face. He dragged his monstrous indigo arm behind him as he charged, the ground shaking with every step. With a final roar, he swung the colossal limb like a wrecking ball, aiming to pulp Jiang Dao's body.
In that split second, every muscle in Jiang Dao's body went taut. The fire poison qi inside him detonated. A two-centimeter-thick shield of pure energy, an invisible suit of armor forged by his Longevity Formula, flared to life around him.
"Get lost!" he roared.
BOOM!
The world exploded in a ten-meter radius. It was a volcanic eruption of fire, poison, and raw power.
"Aaargh!" a shriek tore through the air—not from a man, but from the rope itself. The enchanted bonds incinerated, dissolving into hissing, burning fragments.
Jiang Dao burst from the inferno and met the man's charge head-on. He drove his palm forward, his entire hand glowing a venomous purple-red, a perfect fusion of fire and poison.
DONG!
The impact sent a shockwave blasting through the courtyard. Jiang Dao didn't stop. He unleashed a furious storm of palm strikes, a blur of afterimages that filled the air with waves of deadly energy. The man howled in defiance, his two mismatched arms blocking desperately.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
They exchanged dozens of blows in a heartbeat, each impact a sonic boom. Then, Jiang Dao saw his opening. He snared the man in a web of pure energy, freezing him for a fraction of a second. It was all he needed. He brought his hand down on the man's face, his palm radiating an impossible heat, and slammed him headfirst into the ground. The courtyard floor shattered.
"Aaargh!" a choked scream, the crunch of bone, and a spray of blood. The man's face was completely caved in, his head buried in the ruined earth. From the crater, a muffled, hateful voice hissed, "Spirit Art: Blood Combustion!"
WHOOSH!
A beam of blood-red light shot from the man's body and slammed into Jiang Dao, sending him flying. He landed hard, his expression dark as he looked down at his chest. The crimson light was spreading across his skin like a disease, making him feel as if his very blood was boiling in his veins.
But then, the Longevity Formula kicked in. A powerful, cleansing energy surged through him, instantly quenching the fire in his blood. The crimson light flickered and died.
"All that, for such a pathetic result," Jiang Dao said, his voice flat with disappointment. "Truly disappointing."
"You… you…" The man gurgled, struggling to pull his ruined head from the dirt. Blood and some kind of white fluid oozed from his crushed features. He couldn't comprehend it. The terrifying force, the searing poison… it was still rampaging through his body, cooking his organs. Even with a fused evil spirit, his healing couldn't keep up.
"What are you?" he wheezed.
He began chanting again, a cold, unholy power gathering around him. It felt as if something ancient and alien was descending, pouring itself into his broken body. His eyes began to glow, shifting to an eerie, spectral green. As they did, his caved-in face started to reform, inflating like a balloon as the blood and fluid flowed back inside.
He pushed himself to his feet, his green eyes locked on Jiang Dao.
Jiang Dao felt the evil spirit's presence swell, now stronger than ever.
"Me?" Jiang Dao's body began to glow with an inner fire, his massive frame casting a shadow that swallowed the entire courtyard. "I'm human. Can't you tell?"
Human? The man's heart stuttered. There was nothing remotely human about the creature standing before him. But it didn't matter. He had to die.
"I've wasted enough time playing with you." The man's voice changed, becoming a layered, chilling whisper. "This ends now. Did you really think you could win? I was only using fifty percent of my power…"
A mournful wind howled around him, and a dark light pulsed under his skin. His aura skyrocketed, and then he vanished.
Jiang Dao threw his head back and laughed, a terrifying sound that came from a mouth full of fangs. In his eyes, the world moved in slow motion. He could see the man's every move, no matter how fast.
"You only used fifty percent?" he roared with laughter. "That's funny. I was just warming up."
Swoosh!
The man appeared behind him, a ghoulish, green-glowing claw with impossibly long nails, slashing at Jiang Dao's back.
CLANG!
Sparks flew. The man's eyes went wide with shock as a bone-jarring impact shot up his arm. It was like striking solid steel. Impossible!
"Little mouse," Jiang Dao sneered, turning slowly. "Playtime's over."
BOOM!
In an instant, the world dissolved into a blinding maelstrom of light. A massive ring of pure energy erupted around them, transforming the ten-meter area into a pocket of molten magma. The heat was unbearable, the poison thick enough to choke on.
The man's speed, his power, his sinister energy—it all evaporated under the crushing pressure. The evil spirit inside him let out a piercing shriek of pure terror.
Jiang Dao moved, a blur too fast for the eye to follow. He thrust his palm forward.
The world was fire and poison. The only sound was a final, agonized scream that was cut brutally short.
And then, silence.
When the light faded, Jiang Dao stood alone in the ruined courtyard. In each hand, he held a mangled, bloody torso. One was the man in white.
The other was the indigo-colored, two-meter-tall parasite he had ripped from the man's soul.
"Interesting," Jiang Dao's grin was utterly savage as he examined the whimpering evil spirit in his left hand. "So this was your little secret? A parasite. How pathetic."
CRUNCH.
He closed his fist. The fire poison qi net flared, and the spirit disintegrated into nothingness. It had been strong, maybe on par with Fang Tianba, but to him, it was less than nothing.
He turned his gaze to the dying man. "Now, about where you come from…"
"Cough… please…" The man's face was a portrait of absolute terror. He was broken, held aloft by his waist, every bone in his body shattered. "Don't… don't kill me… I'm from… the Xie family of Anyang…"
"The Xie family." Jiang Dao's smile widened. "I knew it. You were supposed to move tomorrow. Why the rush?"
"I… I was worried… wanted to end you quickly…" the man stammered, his arrogance completely gone. He knew Jiang Dao could snuff him out like a candle.
"Is that so? And the Black Tiger Gang? What's your connection to them? And while we're at it, my two hall masters… that was you, wasn't it?" Jiang Dao's eyes bored into him.
A primal fear gripped the man's soul. "No! Not me! It was Xie Xuan! He's the leader of the Black Tiger Gang… he's half-human, the eldest son of our family! He sent me!"
"The Black Tiger leader is your family's eldest son?" Jiang Dao's interest was piqued. "I thought you were spirit slayers. Why are you meddling in the mortal world?"
"Xie Xuan's… his body is damaged. He needs to be sustained by human life force," the man gasped. "And… there's an Xuan-grade sacred artifact appearing in the south. We need to consolidate power, to have forces on the ground to find it for us."
"I see," Jiang Dao's smile returned. "Where is this artifact?"
"We don't know the exact location… just somewhere between the southern dynasty and the central plains…"
"And Xie Xuan? Where is he? How strong is he?"
"At the Black Tiger headquarters… I don't know his true strength, I swear… Just don't kill me…"
"Answer my questions, and I won't kill you," Jiang Dao said, his grin widening into a predator's snarl. "Where are the headquarters?"
"Sifang… Sifang City…"
"Sifang City," Jiang Dao repeated thoughtfully.
Then he squeezed.
CRACK!
The man's scream was cut short as his body imploded. A fine mist of blood and bone was instantly incinerated by the fire poison qi, leaving nothing but ash.
Jiang Dao looked up at the invisible panel that only he could see. With the spirit's energy absorbed, the [Modifiable] tag had reappeared next to his techniques. He focused his intent, pouring the raw power into the [Longevity Formula] and the [Hundred Li Like a Dragon Body Technique].
The world blurred. Information flooded his mind. He felt a surge of raw power, and a cool, cleansing current swept through him, tempering the inferno that always raged within. It was like a cool breeze on the hottest day of summer. His body, battered from the fight, healed in seconds.
Evil spirits, Jiang Dao mused. They're far more useful alive.
"Gang Leader…"
It was only then that his men finally dared to approach. Xiang An, his right-hand man, led a group of hall masters into the courtyard, their faces pale with shock. The ground was a disaster zone, and the air was still hot enough to burn their lungs. They couldn't begin to imagine the kind of battle that had taken place.
"See to our dead," Jiang Dao commanded. "Make sure their families are well compensated."
"Yes, Gang Leader!" the men bowed in grim understanding.
"Xiang An," Jiang Dao said, his voice low. "I want you to verify something for me. Find out if the Black Tiger Gang's headquarters is really in Sifang City."
"Yes, Gang Leader!" Xiang An replied, his mind racing. He knew exactly what that meant. Jiang Dao was going to march into the heart of his enemy and burn them to the ground.
For the next two days, Jiang Dao locked himself away in the Martial Arts Pavilion, poring over ancient texts and absorbing new techniques. He wouldn't move on to Sifang City until he had confirmation. The Black Tiger leader was the heir of a powerful clan; underestimating him would be a fatal mistake.
Meanwhile, the Blazing Flame Gang was falling apart. With most of its top fighters dead—killed by Jiang Dao himself—the sharks had begun to circle. Rival factions, petty gangs, and opportunistic thugs who once paid them tribute were now openly attacking their businesses. The Golden Saber Sect, a second-rate outfit that used to grovel at their feet, even colluded with the city guard to shut down a dozen of their casinos and brothels.
Xiang An was at his wits' end. He was trying to hold an empire together with a skeleton crew. Their only other top expert, the deputy gang leader, was a crafty old coward who spent his days acting senile and refusing to lift a finger.
"Protector!" a gang member burst in, his face ashen. "It's the Golden Saber Sect again! They've taken over our eastern docks!"
Xiang An's fists clenched, his knuckles white. "Damn them!" he seethed. "They think we're finished. They think we have no masters left to protect us."
He let out a grim, humorless laugh. They were wrong. The Blazing Flame Gang no longer had masters.
It had a monster.
And Xiang An knew it was time to wake him up.
"Report!" another messenger sprinted into the room, holding out a sealed letter. "Right Protector! We have news from Sifang City!"
Xiang An tore it open. As he read, a slow, predatory smile spread across his face.
"Excellent," he said, his voice filled with chilling relief. "Reward the scouts handsomely."
Clutching the letter, he turned and marched toward the Martial Arts Pavilion. The city thought they were weak. They had no idea what they were about to unleash.