Ancient Gods and Demons! Power of Gods and Demons!

"Turns out it's Brother Tang. I heard of your name long ago!"

At that moment, a burly man strode out from among the cultivators, his face wreathed in smiles.

The man stood nearly one meter ninety tall. His features were ordinary, with thick brows and large eyes, and his skin was slightly dark. Yet every muscle shimmered with a faint luster. Simply standing there, he resembled a mountain, bringing with him a heavy pressure.

"Who are you?"

Tang Jie weighed the fruit in his hand. He noticed that every cultivator was swallowing hard as they stared at it, which made him realize that their purpose was probably to obtain the fruit that had emerged from the demonic beast's body.

In response to Tang Jie's question, the tall man cupped his hands. "I am Ouyang Lian. I've long heard of your reputation, Brother Tang!"

"Ouyang Lian? Is he Ouyang Lian, the vice sect master of the Body Refining Sect?"

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

The other twenty or thirty Golden Core Realm cultivators erupted into a commotion when they heard Ouyang Lian's name.

Tang Jie was surprised as well.

The Body Refining Sect was the only Body Cultivator sect within the Great Xia Dynasty. Though it had few disciples, every one of them was an elite. Ouyang Lian was the sect's vice sect master, a powerhouse of the Extreme Realm Golden Core Realm, and a top Body Cultivator renowned throughout the Great Xia Dynasty!

Ouyang Lian coughed and said, "Brother Tang, I've been tracking that demonic beast for a week. It was my prey. Could you bear to part with it and give me this fruit? I'm willing to offer three wisps of Innate Qi in exchange!"

"Three wisps of Innate Qi?" All the cultivators swallowed hard. The preciousness of Innate Qi went without saying. Its first use was the most effective, capable of extending one's lifespan by a hundred years. With enough Innate Qi, one could even transform into an Innate Body. Even an ordinary person could then live for two thousand years, shed their mortal shell, and become a cultivation genius.

Three wisps of Innate Qi for this fruit seemed like a fair exchange to the Golden Core cultivators. The blood-red fruit was indeed precious, but most of them had no idea what use it actually had.

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

If it had been anyone else, even knowing that the blood-red fruit was precious, they might have been tempted by three wisps of Innate Qi. But Tang Jie rejected him without hesitation.

Ouyang Lian's expression stiffened, and his smile vanished. "Brother Tang, this fruit is very important to me. Besides, I was the one who discovered that prey first. You merely picked up a bargain... It wouldn't be proper for you to take it away like this, would it?"

A terrifying pressure faintly radiated from Ouyang Lian. Xuan Ye, standing nearby, sensed an intense threat beneath it. He bared his teeth, nearly unable to restrain his instincts from attacking.

Facing the faint threat in Ouyang Lian's tone, Tang Jie said bluntly, "Anything you discover belongs to you? Then I discovered your Body Refining Sect. Does that make your Body Refining Sect mine too? If you want to snatch it, come on. There's no need for all this nonsense!"

Tang Jie gave him no face at all, leaving every cultivator too frightened to even breathe loudly.

One was the vice sect master of the Body Refining Sect, a top Body Cultivator of the Great Xia Dynasty. The other was Tang Jie, the strongest Martial Cultivator, who had fought Gong Feichen to a draw and possessed Extreme Realm Golden Core combat power. The others could only watch the excitement, not daring to interrupt recklessly.

They also wanted to see which of these two top powerhouses was stronger!

"Rumble!"

Neither of them moved, yet their auras collided in the void, erupting with rolling thunder. The air around them seemed to be scorched by raging flames, warping visibly.

The battle was on the verge of breaking out, but Ouyang Lian suddenly restrained the coldness on his face. He waved his hand with a smile. "Brother Tang, we're both cultivators of the Great Xia Dynasty. There's no need to harm our friendship. How about this? We'll have a spar. Whoever wins gets this Blood of Gods and Demons Fruit. What do you think?"

"This fruit was mine to begin with. If you win, it becomes yours, but if you lose, you don't have to pay any price?" Tang Jie refused to fall for it. He had killed the demonic beast, so this fruit, which was called the Blood of Gods and Demons Fruit, naturally belonged to him.

The corner of Ouyang Lian's mouth twitched. "If I lose... the three wisps of Innate Qi on me will belong to you!"

Ouyang Lian offered Innate Qi as the wager. If he won, Tang Jie would have to hand him the Blood of Gods and Demons Fruit. If he lost, he would give Tang Jie three wisps of Innate Qi.

"I don't want your Innate Qi. If you lose, you must tell me in detail what this Blood of Gods and Demons Fruit is and what it does." Tang Jie shook his head, refusing Ouyang Lian's wager.

Tang Jie was very curious about what this Blood of Gods and Demons Fruit was, why it had appeared inside the demonic beast, and why even a powerhouse like Ouyang Lian was willing to offer Innate Qi for it. Thus, he changed the wager. Three wisps of Innate Qi held little appeal for him.

"Good, it's a deal!" Ouyang Lian was surprised that Tang Jie thought so little of Innate Qi, but he readily agreed.

Ouyang Lian then coughed and said, "I'll set the rules for this spar. I've long heard that Brother Tang's Golden Bell Shield has reached the highest realm, no weaker than the legendary Bodhidharma. So let's compare our defenses. We'll take turns attacking each other without dodging, until one side can no longer endure. Attacks against the head, groin, and other vital points are forbidden."

When these rules were announced, Tang Jie's gaze became strange. He found them familiar. The Martial Arts Grandmaster Lei Meng of Peerless City had proposed the exact same rules back then, only to be punched by Tang Jie until he was nearly crippled!

"Ouyang Lian is a Body Cultivator... He actually proposed rules like these?"

"He looks thick-browed and big-eyed, but he's unexpectedly cunning."

The cultivators whispered with strange expressions. As a Body Cultivator, Ouyang Lian's physical strength was unrivaled across the Ten Nations. By proposing that they take turns attacking, he was clearly seeking to use his own strength against his opponent's weakness.

Still, Ouyang Lian could hardly be blamed. Tang Jie's battle record was astonishing, and Ouyang Lian felt that in a direct clash, neither of them would likely be able to do anything to the other. The final result would probably be mutual destruction. It was better to propose rules more favorable to himself.

The many gazes made Ouyang Lian somewhat embarrassed, so he added, "Of course, Brother Tang will attack first!"

Tang Jie would attack first!

"Good!"

To everyone's surprise, Tang Jie readily agreed.

The Golden Core cultivators all wore peculiar expressions. The reason Body Cultivators were Body Cultivators was that their bodies were invincible. A Body Cultivator of Ouyang Lian's level ranked among the top five in the entire Great Xia Dynasty. Even if struck by an Extreme Realm Golden Core-level attack, it was impossible to defeat him in one blow.

Yet Tang Jie had agreed without much consideration. Even though he would attack first, it was still somewhat rash!

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

Ouyang Lian flashed his teeth in a grin and patted his chest, signaling Tang Jie to attack.

Tang Jie did not stand on ceremony. He drew in a deep breath, and scales emerged across his body. An explosive power surged madly upward. The earth trembled violently, sand and stones flew, and the roar of a dragon and elephant echoed through heaven and earth!

A solemn look appeared in Ouyang Lian's eyes, yet he continued standing where he was without dodging. He had confidence in his body. Tang Jie could never defeat him in a single exchange. Even against a Nascent Soul powerhouse, Ouyang Lian was confident he could withstand several heavy blows!

"Roar!"

Tang Jie raised his strength to its limit. Every muscle in his arm erupted with boundless divine power, and he smashed his fist into Ouyang Lian's chest with all his might.

"Bang!"

This terrifying punch, carrying the power of five dragons and elephants, slammed into Ouyang Lian's chest. At the instant of impact, golden ripples faintly spread across Tang Jie's fist, adding the resulting recoil force to the punch and multiplying its destructive power!

"Hm?"

Ouyang Lian's expression shifted slightly. His chest felt as though it had been struck by a metal mountain hurtling through the air. A fierce pain rose and pierced straight into his marrow!

A gale swept across the area. Half-meter-wide boulders were blown into the air, while trees were uprooted one after another. The force generated by Tang Jie's punch was practically capable of blowing away an entire mountain!

"Boom!"

The fist force shook violently. Ouyang Lian's upper garment, whose quality rivaled a seventh-grade magical treasure, was blasted into powder. An unstoppable divine power erupted. Even with both feet gripping the ground and his body as heavy as a mountain, Ouyang Lian could not withstand Tang Jie's ultimate strength. His entire burly body was sent tumbling uncontrollably through the air.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Ouyang Lian flew backward in a sorry state, rolling across the ground and smashing out enormous craters. He flew nearly a thousand meters before crashing into a small mountain and bringing it down, finally stopping his retreat.

"Gulp!"

The sight made the many cultivators swallow hard. Faced with such a terrifying punch, any of them would have exploded into a mist of blood and been reduced to shattered bones after taking it head-on!

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

Tang Jie stared toward the distant thousand meters with a look of surprise on his face.

"Cough, cough, cough..."

Ouyang Lian crawled out from the collapsed mountain. He coughed several times, bringing up a little blood, then wiped the corner of his mouth. Yet his face was filled with a smile.

Ouyang Lian had endured Tang Jie's nearly full-powered punch and suffered only a minor injury. As one of the top five Body Cultivators in the Great Xia Dynasty, he was no mere pretender!

"My turn!"

Ouyang Lian roared. He stamped one foot into the ground, and his burly body pounced forward. His bare upper body scraped against the air, erupting with a string of sonic booms and sparks. Tang Jie's punch had slightly cracked the bones in his chest, and he intended to return the favor.

Ouyang Lian used eighty to ninety percent of his strength in this punch. Even if there were an iron mountain before him, he was confident he could send it flying and smash it apart!

"Golden Bell Dragon Scale Body!"

Facing Ouyang Lian's fierce charge, Tang Jie likewise did not dodge. Instead, he activated the Indestructible Golden Bell Body together with the Dragon Scale Body. Layer upon layer of black dragon scales condensed across his body, then were dyed dark gold by the Golden Bell true essence. With the two abilities stacked, his defensive power increased severalfold!

Ouyang Lian crossed the thousand-meter distance in an instant. His enormous fist, as large as a sandbag, slammed furiously into Tang Jie's chest. Yet the scene Tang Jie being beaten into a sorry tumble and sent flying did not appear.

"Clang!!"

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

It was as if Tang Jie before him was not made of flesh and blood, but a huge bell standing there, heavier than a mountain stretching ten thousand miles. Amid the fierce metallic clang, Tang Jie did not move an inch.

The force of the Golden Bell's recoil!

Instead, golden ripples spread outward, and the power of Ouyang Lian's ultimate punch was reflected back in its entirety!

"Bang!"

Ouyang Lian was blasted backward a thousand meters at a speed several times faster than his charge, crashing once more into the small mountain that had collapsed into rubble.

"This..."

"Ouyang Lian flew again?"

The twenty or thirty Golden Core cultivators who saw this were dumbfounded. Ouyang Lian had been sent flying by Tang Jie's terrifying punch. He had used all his strength to return the blow, only to be blasted away again!

Ouyang Lian climbed to his feet, his head buzzing. The Golden Bell Force that had rebounded back left half his body numb, while the bones in his hand throbbed with intense pain!

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

Tang Jie flickered and appeared before Ouyang Lian. He raised his fist and said with a faint smile, "It's my turn again."

Ouyang Lian's body trembled, and he immediately waved his hand. "Stop! You win!"

Ouyang Lian had actually conceded decisively.

Ouyang Lian was no fool. Tang Jie's fists could injure him, while his own fists could not harm Tang Jie in the slightest. If they continued, the one who ultimately fell would certainly be him!

Rather than be beaten until he was battered, bleeding, and heavily injured, it was better to concede directly and get it over with. Ouyang Lian had thought it through clearly, so once he sensed the disparity between them, he immediately admitted defeat to suffer a little less.

Tang Jie lowered his fist and did not continue attacking. Ouyang Lian's strength was quite formidable. He had endured Tang Jie's heavy punches head-on and suffered only minor injuries.

"I'm impressed... Truly impressed. A wager was a wager. I'll tell you everything I know about the Blood of Gods and Demons Fruit!"

Ouyang Lian smiled bitterly, accepting his defeat wholeheartedly. As a martial artist, Tang Jie's strength and defense were both completely on par with his own.

"Let's go somewhere else to talk."

Ouyang Lian glanced at the nearby cultivators and spoke to Tang Jie.

Information about the Blood of Gods and Demons Fruit was extremely precious. The fewer people who knew about it, the better. Ouyang Lian did not want to reveal such valuable information to unrelated people.

"Good."

Tang Jie did not refuse and left with Ouyang Lian.

"Tang Jie... He's even more terrifying than the legends say! Ouyang Lian actually conceded directly?"

"I heard that powerful Martial Cultivators resembling Tang Jie have appeared in various places across the Ten Nations recently. I wonder whether Tang Jie is the strongest among all those Martial Cultivators!"

Seeing this, the other cultivators understood that the Blood of Gods and Demons Fruit had nothing to do with them. They dispersed one after another, excitedly discussing what they had just witnessed.

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

After arriving at a quiet place nearby, Ouyang Lian spoke to Tang Jie.

"Gods and Devils?" The name left Tang Jie slightly bewildered. He had only heard of demons.

Ouyang Lian's expression grew solemn. "The Gods and Devils were creatures born when this world first began. They once ruled the entire world. However, their numbers were too few, and they all lived alone, allowing other races to rise later."

"Every God and Devil was as powerful as its name suggested, powerful enough to make people tremble. According to legend, some of the mightiest Gods and Devils could pluck stars from the sky with a casual gesture and easily destroy a continent inhabited by countless billions of living beings."

Ouyang Lian's voice held a trace of excitement. He yearned deeply for such powerful lifeforms.

Plucking stars and seizing the moon, destroying continents!

Even the weakest God or Devil possessed power far beyond what ordinary people could reach.

"Then what use does this Blood of Gods and Demons Fruit have?"

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

Ouyang Lian stared at the fruit. "This fruit is very strange. There is a drop of the Blood of Gods and Demons inside it. If an external force forcibly destroys the fruit, the Blood of Gods and Demons inside will automatically evaporate and disperse. As far as I know, the only way to obtain the Blood of Gods and Demons within is to eat it."

"Eat it?" Tang Jie slightly furrowed his brows. He could not forcibly destroy the fruit, and the only way to obtain the Blood of Gods and Demons was to eat it?

Ouyang Lian continued, "After eating the Blood of Gods and Demons Fruit... it takes root inside a living creature and draws its life force as nourishment. At the same time, it returns a surge of power, strengthening the host to a certain extent and gradually allowing its body to adapt to the power of the Blood of Gods and Demons. However, this strengthening is only useful to weak creatures. Its effect on those above the Golden Core Realm is slight."

"If someone eats the Blood of Gods and Demons Fruit but cannot supply enough nourishment for it to absorb, they will die... Their body and soul will be annihilated. Those demonic beasts went berserk because they had eaten the Blood of Gods and Demons Fruit and needed to replenish the energy they were rapidly consuming. That was why they slaughtered and fed so wantonly. Once the Blood of Gods and Demons Fruit has eaten its fill, it will split open on its own and reveal the Blood of Gods and Demons inside."

Ouyang Lian explained everything he knew.

Tang Jie was secretly astonished. This Blood of Gods and Demons Fruit was far too bizarre. After eating it, one would be endlessly drained of energy. If one could not keep up with the supply, one's body and soul would be annihilated!

"What use is the Blood of Gods and Demons inside?"

Tang Jie asked in a deep voice. Eating the Blood of Gods and Demons Fruit was so dangerous. Was it merely for a single drop of the Blood of Gods and Demons within?

"Our sect master obtained a Blood of Gods and Demons Fruit not long ago and ate it. During that time, he consumed enormous amounts of demonic beast flesh and blood, heavenly materials, and earthly treasures to replenish his own expenditure and feed the Blood of Gods and Demons Fruit. Only after it had eaten its fill did it hatch the drop of Blood of Gods and Demons within. After refining it, the sect master immediately departed for the Savage Mountain Range. Before leaving, he said... refining the Blood of Gods and Demons would give him a chance to obtain the power of the Gods and Devils!"

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

The Gods and Devils were mysterious and powerful! It was likely that no one across the Ten Nations Continent could stand against even the weakest God or Devil!

The sect master of the Body Refining Sect was the only Nascent Soul Realm Body Cultivator in the Great Xia Dynasty. After successfully hatching a drop of the Blood of Gods and Demons from the Blood of Gods and Demons Fruit, he hurried to the Savage Mountain Range, eager to obtain more of the Blood of Gods and Demons.

That was because refining the Blood of Gods and Demons gave him a chance to obtain the power possessed by the terrifying creatures born at the beginning of this world—the Gods and Devils!