Ancient Gods and Demons! Power of Gods and Demons!

"So it's Brother Tang, I've heard of your name for a long time!"

At this moment, a burly man strode out from among the immortal cultivators, saying with a smile.

The man was nearly 1.9 meters tall, with an ordinary appearance, thick eyebrows, large eyes, and slightly dark skin. However, every muscle on his body exuded a faint luster. Just standing there, he was like a towering mountain, exuding a heavy pressure.

"And who might you be?"

Tang Jie weighed the fruit in his hand. He noticed that all the immortal cultivators were swallowing their saliva as they looked at the fruit. This made Tang Jie realize that these immortal cultivators likely had their sights set on the fruit that had appeared inside the Demonic Beast.

In response to Tang Jie's question, the tall man cupped his hands. "I am Ouyang Lian. I have long admired Brother Tang's great name!"

"Ouyang Lian? Is that Ouyang Lian, the Vice Sect Master of the Body Refining Sect?"

"No wonder he looked familiar. I saw him fifty years ago!"

Upon hearing Ouyang Lian's name, the other twenty to thirty Golden Core Realm cultivators stirred.

Tang Jie was also surprised.

The Body Refining Sect was the only Body Cultivator sect within the Great Xia Dynasty. Its disciples were few, but each was an elite. Ouyang Lian was the Vice Sect Master of the Body Refining Sect, a powerful expert at the Extreme Realm Golden Core, and a top-tier Body Cultivator renowned throughout the Great Xia Dynasty!

Ouyang Lian cleared his throat and said, "Brother Tang, I've been pursuing that Demonic Beast for a week. It's my prey. Could you bear to part with it and let me have this fruit? I'm willing to offer three wisps of Innate Qi in exchange!"

"Three wisps of Innate Qi?" The immortal cultivators all swallowed their saliva upon hearing this. The preciousness of Innate Qi was self-evident. The first use yielded the best results, extending one's lifespan by a hundred years. With enough Innate Qi, one could even transform into an innate body, allowing even ordinary people to possess a lifespan of two thousand years, undergo a complete metamorphosis, and become a cultivation prodigy.

Exchanging three wisps of Innate Qi for this fruit seemed like a fair trade to these Golden Core cultivators. After all, while the blood-red fruit was indeed precious, most people were unclear about its exact effects.

"Sorry, I don't want to exchange."

If it were anyone else, even if they knew the blood-red fruit was valuable, they would likely be tempted by the offer of three wisps of Innate Qi. But Tang Jie refused without hesitation.

Ouyang Lian's expression stiffened, and his smile vanished. "Brother Tang, this fruit is very important to me, and I was the one who discovered this prey first. You picked up a bargain… Isn't it a bit much to just take it like this?"

A terrifying pressure emanated from Ouyang Lian. Xuan Ye, standing nearby, felt an extreme threat under this pressure, baring his teeth. Feeling threatened, he almost couldn't control his primal urge to attack.

Facing the subtle threat in Ouyang Lian's tone, Tang Jie retorted unceremoniously, "So anything you discover is yours? Then if I discover your Body Refining Sect, your Body Refining Sect is mine too? If you want to snatch it, then come and get it. No need for pleasantries!"

Tang Jie showed no respect, causing all the immortal cultivators to hold their breath.

On one side was the Vice Sect Master of the Body Refining Sect, a top-tier Body Cultivator in the Great Xia Dynasty. On the other was Tang Jie, the strongest Martial Cultivator who had fought Gong Feichen to a draw and also possessed the combat power of an Extreme Realm Golden Core. The rest of them could only watch the spectacle, not daring to interject.

They were also eager to see who between these two top powerhouses was stronger!

"Rumble!"

Neither of them moved, but the aura they exuded clashed in the void, erupting with rolling thunder. The air around them seemed to be scorched by intense flames, distorting.

As the battle was about to break out, Ouyang Lian suddenly retracted his cold expression and replaced it with a smile, waving his hand. "Brother Tang, we are both cultivators of the Great Xia Dynasty. There's no need to harm our relationship. How about this: we spar, and whoever wins gets this Blood of Gods and Demons Fruit. What do you say?"

"This fruit is mine to begin with. If you win, it's yours, and if you lose, you don't have to pay any price?" Tang Jie said, unimpressed. The Demonic Beast was killed by him, so the fruit, called the Blood of Gods and Demons Fruit, naturally belonged to him.

Ouyang Lian's mouth twitched slightly. "If I lose… the three wisps of Innate Qi on me will be yours!"

Ouyang Lian put up the Innate Qi as a stake. If he won, Tang Jie would have to hand over the Blood of Gods and Demons Fruit to him. If he lost, he would lose three wisps of Innate Qi to Tang Jie.

"I don't want your Innate Qi. If you lose, you need to tell me in detail what this Blood of Gods and Demons Fruit is and what its effects are." Tang Jie shook his head, not accepting Ouyang Lian's proposed stake.

Tang Jie was very curious about what this Blood of Gods and Demons Fruit was, why it appeared inside a Demonic Beast, and why even a powerful expert like Ouyang Lian was willing to exchange it for Innate Qi. Therefore, he changed the stake; three wisps of Innate Qi held little appeal for him.

"Alright, it's a deal!" Ouyang Lian was surprised that Tang Jie looked down on Innate Qi so much, but he readily agreed, as he couldn't have asked for more.

Then, Ouyang Lian cleared his throat. "I'll set the rules for this spar. I've heard that Brother Tang's Golden Bell Shield has reached the supreme realm, no less than the legendary Bodhidharma. So, let's test our defense. We'll take turns attacking each other without dodging until one party can no longer endure it. We are not allowed to attack the head, groin, or other vital points."

As soon as the rules for the spar were announced, Tang Jie's eyes became strange. He felt that these rules were very familiar. It was the same rule proposed by Lei Meng, the Martial Arts Grandmaster of Peerless City, back then, and he had almost paralyzed him with a single punch!

"Ouyang Lian is a Body Cultivator… and he proposed such rules?"

"I didn't expect him to look so upright and honest, but he's actually quite cunning."

The immortal cultivators whispered to each other with strange expressions. As Body Cultivators, their bodies were invincible across the Ten Nations. Proposing to take turns attacking each other was clearly an attempt to use his strengths against the opponent's weaknesses.

However, it wasn't entirely unreasonable for Ouyang Lian to do so. Tang Jie had a brilliant record. Ouyang Lian felt that in a head-on confrontation, it would be difficult for either of them to defeat the other, and the outcome would likely be a mutual destruction. It was better to propose rules that were more favorable to him.

Sensing the gazes on him, Ouyang Lian felt a little awkward and added, "Of course, Brother Tang will attack first!"

Tang Jie will attack first!

"Good!"

To everyone's surprise, Tang Jie readily agreed.

The Golden Core cultivators all had strange expressions. The reason they were called Body Cultivators was that their bodies were invincible. A Body Cultivator of Ouyang Lian's caliber ranked among the top five in the entire Great Xia Dynasty. Even an attack from an Extreme Realm Golden Core would not be able to defeat him in one blow.

Tang Jie agreed without much consideration, which seemed a bit reckless even if he attacked first!

"Good, truly a hero among men. Come on!"

Ouyang Lian grinned, patted his chest, and gestured for Tang Jie to attack.

Tang Jie didn't stand on ceremony with Ouyang Lian. He took a deep breath, and layers of dragon scales appeared on his body. An explosive power surged wildly, causing the ground to tremble violently, sand and stones to fly, and the sound of dragon elephants roaring to echo through the heavens in the void!

Ouyang Lian's eyes showed a solemn expression, but he still stood his ground without dodging or evading. He had confidence in his body; Tang Jie couldn't possibly defeat him in one exchange. Ouyang Lian was confident he could withstand several heavy blows even from a Nascent Soul expert!

"Roar!"

Tang Jie pushed his power to the limit. Every muscle in his arm erupted with infinite divine power. He unleashed a full-powered punch, slamming it into Ouyang Lian's chest.

"Bang!"

The terrifying punch, imbued with the power of five Dragon Elephants, landed on Ouyang Lian's chest. At the moment of impact, golden ripples spread from Tang Jie's fist, channeling the recoil force back into the punch, multiplying its lethality!

"Hmm?"

Ouyang Lian's expression shifted slightly. He felt as if his chest had been struck by a flying metal mountain. Intense pain surged through him, reaching deep into his bones!

A gale swept through, lifting half-meter diameter boulders from the ground and sending them flying. Trees were uprooted one by one. The wind generated by Tang Jie's punch was strong enough to blow away a mountain!

"Boom!"

The punch's force reverberated. Ouyang Lian's shirt, its quality comparable to a seventh-grade magic treasure, was instantly pulverized into dust. An invincible divine power erupted. Even though Ouyang Lian's feet were firmly planted on the ground and his body was as heavy as a mountain, he couldn't withstand Tang Jie's ultimate punch. His entire burly frame was sent tumbling uncontrollably backward.

Bang bang bang!

Ouyang Lian was sent flying and tumbling in a sorry state, creating massive craters in the ground. He flew back nearly a thousand meters, crashing into a small hill and bringing it down before his momentum finally stopped.

"Gulp!"

The sight made the surrounding immortal cultivators swallow hard. Anyone else receiving such a terrifying punch head-on would have exploded into a mist of blood, their bodies utterly shattered!

"As expected of an Extreme Realm Golden Core Body Cultivator!"

Tang Jie, however, looked with surprise at the scene a thousand meters away.

"Cough, cough, cough..."

Ouyang Lian emerged from the collapsed hill, coughing a few times and spitting out a little blood. He wiped his mouth, a smile spreading across his face.

Ouyang Lian had taken Tang Jie's near-full-power punch head-on and only sustained minor injuries. As one of the top five body cultivators in the Great Xia Dynasty, his reputation was well-earned!

"My turn!"

Ouyang Lian roared. He stomped his foot on the ground, his burly body lunging forward. His bare upper body rubbed against the air, creating a series of sonic booms and sparks. Tang Jie's punch had caused tiny cracks to appear in his chest bones, and he intended to return the favor.

Ouyang Lian used eighty to ninety percent of his strength in this punch. Even if he were facing a steel mountain, Ouyang Lian was confident he could send it flying and shatter it!

"Golden Bell Dragon Scale Body!"

Facing the aggressive Ouyang Lian, Tang Jie didn't dodge. Instead, he activated the Indestructible Golden Bell Body combined with the Dragon Scale Body. Black dragon scales condensed on Tang Jie's body, then were dyed a dark gold by the Golden Bell True Essence. With both layered, his defensive power would multiply!

Ouyang Lian crossed the thousand-meter distance in an instant. His fist, as large as a sandbag, slammed into Tang Jie's chest, but the expected scene of Tang Jie being sent tumbling back in a sorry state did not occur.

"Clang!!"

The moment Ouyang Lian's heavy punch struck Tang Jie's chest, Ouyang Lian was stunned!

It was as if Tang Jie wasn't flesh and blood but a colossal bell standing there, heavier than a mountain range stretching for ten thousand miles. Amidst the violent metallic impact, Tang Jie remained motionless.

Golden Bell recoil force!

Conversely, golden ripples spread outward. Ouyang Lian's ultimate punch had its force entirely reflected back at him!

"Bang!"

Ouyang Lian was sent flying back at a speed several times faster than his approach, crashing into the same collapsed hill, now reduced to rubble.

"This..."

"Ouyang Lian flew away again?"

The twenty to thirty Golden Core cultivators watching were dumbfounded. Ouyang Lian had been sent flying by Tang Jie's terrifying punch, and when he tried to retaliate with his full strength, he was once again sent flying himself!

Ouyang Lian got up from the ground, his head ringing. The reflected Golden Bell Force had left half his body numb and his hand bones in excruciating pain!

"Brother Ouyang, it's my turn again!"

Tang Jie flickered and appeared before Ouyang Lian, raising his fist and saying with a slight smile.

Ouyang Lian trembled and immediately waved his hand, saying, "Stop! You've won!"

Ouyang Lian surrendered decisively.

Ouyang Lian wasn't foolish. Tang Jie's fist could injure him, but his fist couldn't harm Tang Jie in the slightest. If they continued fighting, he would be the one to fall!

Rather than being beaten until he vomited blood and was severely injured, it was more straightforward and satisfying to surrender directly. Ouyang Lian had thought it through clearly. Upon realizing the gap between them, he immediately surrendered to suffer less!

Tang Jie lowered his fist and didn't continue his attack. Ouyang Lian's strength was quite formidable. He had taken Tang Jie's heavy punch head-on and only suffered minor injuries.

"I admire you... I admire you... I lost fair and square. I will tell you everything I know about the Blood of Gods and Demons Fruit!"

Ouyang Lian said with a wry smile, admitting defeat wholeheartedly. Tang Jie, as a martial artist, was not inferior to him in either strength or defense.

"Let's talk somewhere else."

Ouyang Lian glanced at the surrounding immortal cultivators and said to Tang Jie.

Information about the Blood of Gods and Demons Fruit was precious, and the fewer people who knew, the better. Ouyang Lian didn't want to share this valuable information with irrelevant individuals.

"Alright."

Tang Jie didn't refuse and left with Ouyang Lian.

"Tang Jie... he's even more terrifying than the legends! Ouyang Lian actually surrendered directly?"

"I heard that recently, powerful martial cultivators similar to Tang Jie have appeared across the Ten Nations. I wonder if Tang Jie is the strongest among all these martial cultivators!" The other immortal cultivators, seeing this, understood that the Blood of Gods and Demons Fruit was no longer their concern. They dispersed, excitedly discussing what they had just witnessed.

"Brother Tang, this Blood of Gods and Demons Fruit is actually nurtured by the blood of Gods and Demons."

Arriving at a secluded spot, Ouyang Lian told Tang Jie.

"Gods and Demons?" The name left Tang Jie slightly bewildered; he had only heard of demons.

Ouyang Lian said with a solemn expression, "Gods and Demons, these are creatures born when this world first opened. They once dominated the entire world, but they were too few in number and lived solitary lives, which allowed later races to rise."

"Every God and Demon, as their name suggests, is powerful enough to make one tremble. According to legend, some powerful Gods and Demons could even pluck stars from the sky with their bare hands and easily destroy a continent inhabited by billions of living beings."

Ouyang Lian's tone carried a hint of excitement, as he greatly admired such powerful beings.

Plucking stars and moons, destroying continents!

Even the weakest God and Demon possessed a power that was unattainable for ordinary people.

"Then what's the use of this Blood of Gods and Demons Fruit?"

Tang Jie took out the blood-red fruit and asked. According to Ouyang Lian, this fruit was cultivated by the Blood of Gods and Demons!

Ouyang Lian stared at the fruit and said, "This fruit is very peculiar. It contains a drop of Blood of Gods and Demons. If this fruit is forcibly destroyed by external means, the Blood of Gods and Demons within will automatically evaporate and dissipate. As far as I know, the only way to obtain the Blood of Gods and Demons inside is to eat it."

"Eat it?" Tang Jie frowned. It couldn't be forcibly destroyed, and the only way to get the Blood of Gods and Demons was to eat it?

Ouyang Lian continued, "Eating the Blood of Gods and Demons Fruit... it will take root within the creature, drawing life force as nourishment, and in return, it will feed back a power that strengthens the host to a certain extent, allowing their body to gradually adapt to the power of the Blood of Gods and Demons. However, this enhancement is most effective on weaker creatures; its effect on those beyond the Golden Core Realm is not significant."

"If one eats the Blood of Gods and Demons Fruit but cannot supply the nourishment it draws, they will die... vanishing into thin air. Those Demonic Beasts became violent and engaged in widespread killing and eating precisely because they ate the Blood of Gods and Demons Fruit. To replenish their rapidly depleted energy, once the Blood of Gods and Demons Fruit is satisfied, it will automatically split open, revealing the Blood of Gods and Demons within."

Ouyang Lian said, revealing all that he knew.

Tang Jie was secretly astonished. This Blood of Gods and Demons Fruit was too bizarre. Eating it would continuously drain one's internal energy, and failure to supply it would result in utter annihilation!

"What's the use of obtaining the Blood of Gods and Demons within?"

Tang Jie asked in a deep voice. Eating the Blood of Gods and Demons Fruit was so dangerous, all for a single drop of Blood of Gods and Demons?

"Our Sect Master obtained a Blood of Gods and Demons Fruit not long ago and ate it. During that time, he consumed a large amount of Demonic Beast flesh and rare treasures to supplement his consumption, feeding the Blood of Gods and Demons Fruit until it was satisfied, thus hatching a drop of Blood of Gods and Demons. After refining it, the Sect Master immediately set off for the Savage Mountain Range. Before leaving, he said... refining the Blood of Gods and Demons offers a chance to obtain the power of Gods and Demons!"

Ouyang Lian licked his dry lips, his voice trembling slightly.

Gods and Demons, mysterious and powerful! Even the weakest God and Demon would be difficult for anyone on the Ten Nations Continent to contend with!

The Sect Master of the Body Refining Sect, the only Nascent Soul Realm Body Cultivator in the Great Xia Dynasty, rushed to the Savage Mountain Range in a hurry after successfully hatching a drop of Blood of Gods and Demons from the Blood of Gods and Demons Fruit, eager to obtain more Blood of Gods and Demons.

This was solely because refining the Blood of Gods and Demons offered a chance to obtain the power possessed by the terrifying creatures, Gods and Demons, that were born at the dawn of this world!