The hooves of the Golden Crow cried out, blazing like a second sun. Wherever it passed, the grass and trees spontaneously burst into flames, turning the land into a hell of fire. Jiang Li remained utterly unafraid of the heat.
Not a single drop of sweat appeared on him. He sidestepped lightly, seizing the Golden Crow by the roots of its twin wings and letting it struggle in vain.
“Your cultivation method seems to be one that visualizes the Great Sun to comprehend Yang energy. The method itself is good,” Jiang Li said calmly, “but you’ve focused only on the fact that the Golden Crow is a race of utmost Yang, while forgetting that this world has both Yin and Yang. The Golden Crow is only one aspect of Yang, not its entirety. Go, and continue seeking other things of pure Yang quality.”
He flung the Golden Crow toward the practitioner of Manifestation of Heaven and Earth. That person was in the midst of sending down a Heaven-Covering Palm against Jiang Li. The instant the flaming bird brushed the center of his palm, the intense solar heat scorched him; instinctively, he drew his hand back.
Jiang Li released his own Spiritual Qi, forming a Heaven-Covering Palm in return. His palm caught the other's wrist, and with a light twist, the man howled in pain.
“Manifestation of Heaven and Earth, not bad in concept—balanced in both offense and defense—but your powerful outward form only hides an inner weakness. Can’t endure hardship, can’t bear pain—on what foundation can you cultivate? Bitter cultivation harms the root, yet quiet cultivation makes it difficult to comprehend the Great Dao. Only the two combined form the proper path. Go fight others head-on; taking a hit is also a form of cultivation.”
The practitioner of Manifestation of Heaven and Earth collapsed, writhing in pain. His enormous body toppled forward, pressing those nearby flat on the ground. They scrambled to display their Divine Abilities, boring small holes through his fallen body, slipping out one by one, all cursing him afterward for being good-for-nothing.
The Kunpeng reacted the fastest. Its grand wings vibrated once, propelling itself high into the sky, barely escaping from under the fallen giant. He had lost his parents since childhood, surviving through countless hardships until he finally became a core disciple of his sect.
Pain did not frighten him. The Human Emperor Jiang’s previous words could not sway him. He refused to believe that with such a massive body charging forward, Jiang Li would simply stand there and not dodge!
“Admiring the Kunpeng, yearning for freedom—good.”
Jiang Li could tell that this man was different from the previous True Dragon and Golden Crow practitioners. He manifested as the Kunpeng not for pride but for the yearning of freedom.
In the seas, he could become a vast fish to contest the True Dragons, and in the skies, he could transform into a Great Roc soaring among the clouds. If the Kirin were the symbol of freedom, he would yearn to be a Kirin; if the Human Emperor were free, he would desire to be the Human Emperor!
“However, under the Great Zhou Law, your nature doesn’t fit well. You’d better go to a place where martial strength is revered—that would benefit your cultivation more.”
Jiang Li did not move to evade. His hand came down on the bird’s beak, pressing its head into the ground. Half of its body stuck upright out of the dirt—an utterly ridiculous sight.
Afterward, Jiang Li pointed out mistakes for each person in turn, and along the way, defeated them all. Through the entire process, he never took a single step, using only one hand, while the other remained clasped behind his back. Those of the Sun-Chasing Clan, the Seven Kills Dao Child, Song Ying—none could withstand even one move beneath his hand.
At this moment, only two remained standing before Jiang Li—the one who commanded Lightning Tribulation and Qin Luan.
“Human Emperor Jiang, take this strike!”
The practitioner who controlled Lightning Tribulation had been gathering power this entire time. Above Jiang Li’s head, the skies churned into darkness, clouds so thick and black they seemed forged of solid lightning rather than vapor. His sect was famous for its mastery of Lightning Arts.
As the youngest disciple of his Sect Master, he naturally possessed deep knowledge, especially regarding Heavenly Thunder. Among Heavenly Thunders, he believed the Demonheart Immortal Lightning was the most fearsome—hardest to pass through. Who could withstand both the attack of the heart’s own inner demons and the Heavenly Thunder that did not diminish in power?
He believed no one could!
“So it’s Demonheart Immortal Lightning, hmm. A clever idea for one so young.”
Jiang Li, who had crossed fifteen Immortal Ascension Tribulations, knew at a glance exactly what sort of Lightning this was.
“But in terms of might... it’s still somewhat lacking.”
He reached out and grabbed the lightning-controller, pulling him close so the two of them stood together under the Demonheart Immortal Lightning. The Cultivation World’s iron rule held that a lightning tribulation could only be crossed by one person. The more people within it, the stronger it grew.
The lightning-controller’s eyes went wide with shock. He realized he could no longer control the thunder. The power of the Demonheart Heavenly Lightning swelled rapidly—unstoppable!
Boom!
The sound of the falling thunder echoed throughout the entire space. Merely hearing it made the distant observers shiver uncontrollably. One could well imagine the terrifying force experienced by the two standing at its center.
At the very least, the lightning-controller’s legs shook so violently he nearly collapsed. Even Meng Chun, who was hiding in the shadows to watch the drama, was startled. Jiang Li stood calmly amidst the roaring tribulation, not a shred of panic.
He even yawned. He bore the full weight of twofold Lightning Tribulation himself, leaving the lightning-controller to face only his inner demon.
“Hmm… doesn’t feel like much.”
Jiang Li smacked his lips, unsatisfied. The strongest tribulation the lightning-controller could imagine was, to Jiang Li, merely tickling. This was no surprise.
His sect had been a minor one tucked away in a corner of the Great Zhou, knowing next to nothing about the Lightning Tribulations faced by those at the Tribulation Transcendence Stage or Mahayana Stage. About the Primordial Immortal-Mortal Lightning, he likely only knew that “it is like Heaven’s Might, impossible to resist.”
As for how it was actually strong, he couldn’t even picture it. Jiang Li reached out again, pulling the bewildered Qin Luan into the tribulation as well. The Lightning Tribulation’s power increased fourfold!
Qin Luan flinched for a moment, but soon calmed himself, focusing entirely on his inner demon. He was confident the Human Emperor Jiang only meant for him to face his heart’s demon, not to suffer the wrath of the bolts themselves. He was right.
Jiang Li took the full brunt of the lightning alone.
“Hmm, a bit itchy.”
Even with fourfold Lightning Tribulation striking him, Jiang Li still felt it lacking and didn’t draw anyone else in. The others sighed in relief. They lacked experience; it was too early for them to confront inner demons.
He couldn’t just torture the flowers of the Nine Provinces merely because he wanted a good lightning massage. Jiang Li felt his own sense of benevolent restraint quite commendable. The lightning-controller had his eyes squeezed shut, trembling all over, helpless before his dark inner mirages.
Jiang Li gave him a light slap to the back of the head, snapping him out of the trance.
“Little one, so quick to let others face their inner demons, yet when yours come, you’re useless. When you return, reflect well on how to face them next time.”
The man took a while to recover from the terror of confronting his heart’s illusion. When he finally opened his eyes and heard Jiang Li’s words, he hesitated and asked, “Human Emperor Jiang, why did you not fall into your own inner demon?” There was no avoiding inner demons—once they were stirred, a cultivator had to confront them directly.
No other method existed to dispel them. Even for someone like Jiang Li, he thought, surely this rule must apply!
“Maybe because I’ve beaten mine up too many times already,” Jiang Li mused after a moment.
“They don’t dare show themselves anymore.”
Back then, the heart demons had taken the forms of all the past Human Emperors, shouting, “Forget honor and brotherhood! Everyone, join forces and charge him together!” Then they had been flattened by him until they cried for their fathers and mothers.
Just like now, actually. The man fell silent. The power of this Human Emperor truly surpassed any imagination.
To the point that even the heart demons feared him—between Jiang Li and the heart demons, who truly was the demon? He bowed deeply, thanking Jiang Li for his instruction, and quietly withdrew. Before leaving, he stole one last glance at Qin Luan, who still faced his inner demon, and his eyes were filled with envy.
If only he possessed Qin Luan’s state of mind, perhaps he too could earn the Human Emperor’s regard. Ridiculous, he thought, how before entering the Secret Realm he had foolishly believed himself a peer to Qin Luan. Now, it was clear—he was far from it.
(End of Chapter)