Heart Fire Shows Its Might

"Young Master, let's leave quickly. I have a bad feeling—I feel stifled inside," Gongsun Li said.

A sense that danger was about to descend.

Gongsun Sheng said, "What are you panicking for? In broad daylight, could someone really eat me alive?"

"My cousin has already lost. Now that Uncle has stepped in, he will surely make Chu Jiang spill his blood on the spot!"

With his uncle's strength as Dahe Commandery's number one Vajra, he refused to believe Chu Jiang could withstand him.

Gongsun Sheng gritted his teeth. Today, he had to see Chu Jiang suffer a miserable defeat.

Suddenly.

He felt a gust of sinister wind sweep over him. In an instant, an eerie infant soul rushed into his body, reaching his spiritual platform with lightning speed before one could cover one's ears.

Upon the spiritual platform, a ball of soul light cried out in panic, "Who are you? What do you want? Get out of my body! Get lost..."

"Hehehe... obediently open your mind and suffer a little less. This one has taken a liking to you. That is your good fortune."

The infant soul instantly pounced forward, seeking to seize the soul light.

The soul light swiftly dimmed, its original will gradually being replaced by the infant soul.

Yet that final sliver remained impossible for the infant soul to break through, leaving it immensely enraged.

"Damn it. If you have any last words, say them now. This one may consider fulfilling them for you!"

The soul light roared, "I want Chu Jiang dead. Otherwise, I will not give up the struggle!"

Targeted by such a bizarre creature, Gongsun Sheng knew he was doomed today. Yet the obsession in his heart refused to settle for a long time.

He regretted not listening to Old Li's advice.

"Fine. This one promises you that Chu Jiang will be torn to pieces!"

Wasn't this a perfect coincidence? It already had a grudge against Chu Jiang. Chu Jiang had destroyed its avatar, and it had long since placed him on its kill list.

If its true body had not been trapped, why would this have been so troublesome?

The final line of defense was breached, and the infant soul successfully took over the body.

It also read all of his memories.

"Now, I must advance to Vajra Peak as quickly as possible and prepare for that secret realm."

Gongsun Sheng's eyes flickered, and he had completely changed.

"Old Li, let's go!"

Gongsun Li froze for a moment. Gongsun Sheng had just refused to leave no matter what, so why had he changed his mind in the blink of an eye? Still, he did not dwell on it.

As long as Gongsun Sheng returned as soon as possible, that was enough.

"Young Master, right away!"

The infant soul secretly sneered. If Gongsun Sheng had not begged it before dying not to harm him, it would have devoured this fellow on the road.

The two figures quickly departed.

Rumble!

Every collision between the two was like a muffled thunderclap exploding.

Not a single intact boulder remained around the battlefield, while every tree had been felled.

The spectators swiftly retreated, terrified of being caught in the aftermath.

"Gu Hongchen, is this all you amount to? I seriously doubt whether your former first place on the Human Ranking was self-proclaimed. You're far too weak!"

Like an unparalleled Fierce God, Chu Jiang slaughtered in every direction. His berserk power continuously pounded Gu Hongchen's body, leaving it covered in densely packed fist marks.

"Little thief, how dare you be so arrogant!"

"Crimson Sun Heaven-Rending Strike!"

Gu Hongchen roared. The sword in his hand seemed to transform into a terrifying crimson sun, flashing like lightning and seemingly capable of tearing everything apart as it wildly struck toward Chu Jiang's body.

Relying on his powerful physique, Chu Jiang forcibly endured Gu Hongchen's terrifying sword art. Waves of scorching power made his flesh churn and his organs tremble.

"Great Strength Divine Palm!"

Chu Jiang poured the Power of Lightning and Fire from the Wind-Thunder Vajra Body into his palm. Strands of terrifying aura radiated from it, making hearts tremble.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Palm strike after palm strike—when Chu Jiang unleashed martial arts, it was as though he expended no true essence at all.

The Wind-Thunder Vajra Body had reached completion.

His current reserves of true essence were ten times those of someone at the same realm, enough to unleash the Great Strength Divine Palm dozens of times.

Gu Hongchen howled in agony, tightly guarding his vital areas.

But soon, he sensed that something was wrong.

His arms, chest, and back were not only bearing tremendous force, but also being ravaged by the Power of Lightning and Fire. Wherever it passed, his skin split open and his meridians were scorched.

He felt as though he were enduring the punishment of a thousand cuts.

Then, his injuries grew worse and worse, spiraling completely out of control.

"Ah..."

Chu Jiang threw another punch, smashing Gu Hongchen viciously into the distance.

When he hit the ground, clouds of dust burst up, and he never rose again.

Blood seeped from his body, his flesh twitched, and he no longer had the strength to fight.

Spectators in every direction trembled from head to toe, staring wide-eyed and dumbfoundedly at the scene before them.

Was this still a human?

No.

Others were like savage beasts.

Chu Jiang was an unparalleled ferocious beast outright. He was far too monstrous.

It felt as though the world had changed.

After defeating Gu Jian, the former first place of the Human Ranking, Chu Jiang had already become famous far and wide.

He became the foremost figure among the younger generation.

Now, after defeating Gu Hongchen as well, he had become a top powerhouse among the older generation of cultivators, his momentum blazing like the noon sun.

After two great battles, his status had leapt several times over.

The remaining Sword King Sect members stayed in the distance, their bodies trembling as they did not dare move an inch.

"Tell me. When you besieged True Person Xuantong back then, where did he go?"

Remembering Blood Saber's final words, Chu Jiang immediately began questioning him.

"Cough, cough... cough... You want to know? I won't tell you... hehehe!"

Gu Hongchen coughed up mouthfuls of blood. Seemingly having found something to use against Chu Jiang, he let out an eerie laugh.

A chill flashed through Chu Jiang's eyes. He raised his right foot, wrapped in the Power of Lightning and Fire, and stomped viciously down on Gu Hongchen's right foot.

Splat.

Flesh exploded and bone shattered.

Gu Hongchen lay on the ground in a horrific state, drenched in blood from head to toe.

"You think I can do nothing to you just because you won't speak?"

Chu Jiang sneered and struck Gu Hongchen's shoulder with his palm. A formless Heart Fire was instantly driven into his body.

This Heart Fire could only be planted into an opponent once they had lost all ability to fight.

Otherwise, the opponent would have to open his mind and body and allow Chu Jiang to plant the Heart Fire.

With a thought from Chu Jiang.

The Heart Fire began burning within Gu Hongchen's body.

"Ah... no... what did you do to me?!"

That cluster of Heart Fire was like demonic flame bursting forth from the depths of hell, ruthlessly devouring his soul.

Every corner of his heart was enveloped by searing heat, every cell tormented beneath the blazing temperature.

The flames were exceedingly strange, awakening the deepest fears, rage, and despair in his heart. Like maggots clinging to bone, they were impossible to shake off.

"Stop... I said stop... I'll talk, I'll talk..."

Chu Jiang's Heart Fire stopped. This Heart Fire truly was an ultimate art. If it were used to interrogate prisoners, what mouth could it fail to pry open?

Its agony was far more searing and unforgettable than physical pain. It came from the depths of a person's heart.

"True Person Xuantong was indeed powerful. The seven of us joined forces to besiege him, and there was even a martial arts grandmaster among us, yet we still could not trap him. But we wounded him, and he vanished without a trace."

"No one knows where he is!"

Gu Hongchen answered honestly. He did not wish to experience that pain a second time. The intensity of it was no less than his desire to escape his inner demons.

What kind of method was this? It rivaled the punishments of hell itself—utterly unbearable.