One Against Two

"Brat, you've angered me! The consequences of angering me will be disastrous!" Chang Litian glared at Jiang Ming, his eyes vicious.

"Heh." Jiang Ming smiled faintly.

"Great Flame God!" Chang Litian's crimson hair stood on end as flames engulfed his entire body. The fire expanded without end, eventually forming a flaming giant dozens of meters tall.

Chang Litian had already witnessed Jiang Ming's extraordinary nature earlier, so the moment he attacked, he used a killing move.

The flaming giant swung its enormous fist of fire at Jiang Ming. Behind Jiang Ming, Chen Xuanjia and the others felt scorching heat rush at them.

Jiang Ming smiled faintly and raised his right hand, preparing to meet the fist head-on.

Everyone was stunned. Wasn't this a moth flying into the flame, courting death?

Chen Xuanjia and the others revealed worried expressions. Yet even more people wore looks of eager anticipation, ready to watch a good show.

"Boom!"

To everyone's surprise, the instant the gigantic flaming fist touched Jiang Ming's slender fist, the flames scattered in every direction as though they had encountered their natural nemesis.

In the blink of an eye, one arm of the massive flaming giant vanished.

"Holy shit, what happened?!"

"What the hell? How is that possible?!"

Chang Litian, within the flaming giant, wore a face full of shock. One had to know that even Peak Ninth Layer of the Nascent Soul Realm cultivators of the same level would not dare receive his Great Flame God head-on. They would certainly suffer severe injuries.

Yet the truth was that this First Layer of the Nascent Soul Realm brat before him had not only taken it head-on, but had even crippled his Great Flame God.

Jiang Ming would not give him a second chance to attack.

"Tribulation Flame Dragon!" Jiang Ming muttered inwardly. Violent Sun Power surged forth, and a crimson fire dragon coiled through the air.

"Roar!" The fire dragon let out a roar and charged straight at Chang Litian.

Chang Litian's expression changed. He controlled the flaming giant's remaining arm and used it to block.

The fire dragon swept forward with unstoppable force, smashing through the flaming giant as easily as rotten wood. "Boom—" A thunderous explosion rang out in the sky, flames bursting across the heavens as a charred figure fell from above.

It was Chang Litian. The expressions of the crowd below shifted slightly. They had not expected a favored son of Heaven Domain to be defeated so quickly—in such a short span of time.

Jiang Ming watched Chang Litian fly backward. His Golden Eyes lit up with powerful golden radiance, and almost instantly, two beams of golden light streaked with crimson shot toward Chang Litian.

This was an innate special ability of the Solar Divine Body. It could compress Sun Power to an extreme degree and release it through the Golden Eyes innate to the divine body. However, limited by the strength of the Golden Eyes, it was still inferior to the Sun-Sundering Heaven Technique.

Yet as his strength increased, the power of the Solar Divine Body would naturally rise as well. By then, the rays released by the Golden Eyes presumably would not be weaker than the Sun-Sundering Heaven Technique.

Jiang Ming had not yet thought of a name for this skill. He had activated it entirely through the Solar Divine Body's instinct.

Just then, a figure clad in blue stepped in front of Chang Litian.

"Cold Jade Shield!" An icy-blue shield blocked the golden radiance, but the sturdy Cold Jade Shield melted away in an instant.

"Gusu Zhouling?" Jiang Ming said calmly.

"It is I." Gusu Zhouling frowned tightly as he looked at the plain-robed youth before him. Though his clothing was ordinary, his aura was far too mysterious.

In truth, after the youth's brief display, no one dared underestimate the so-called First Layer of the Nascent Soul Realm any longer.

Gusu Zhouling did not dare be careless. When he had first seen Chang Litian defeated, he had assumed it was merely due to the suppression of a superior fire attribute. After all, Chang Litian had been defeated far too suddenly. Since his own ice-water attribute restrained fire, coupled with his advantage in cultivation, he should not have been defeated.

But that brief exchange had made him understand that while the youth's flames were indeed no ordinary flames, the youth himself was also exceedingly formidable apart from them.

The flames of the world were divided into Strange Flames, Spirit Flames, and Divine Flames.

The ice and water of the world were the same, divided into three grades: Mystic Water, Spirit Water, and Divine Water.

Chang Litian's flames belonged to the Strange Flame grade, while the ice-water of Gusu Zhouling belonged to Spirit Water, the second tier.

Gusu Zhouling laughed at himself. He had been called the Gusu Family's greatest genius, yet now, with his cultivation at the Peak Ninth Layer of the Nascent Soul Realm, he could only fight a First Layer of the Nascent Soul Realm cultivator to a draw.

"Your maid was abducted by Chang Litian. That was indeed his fault. However, you have already taught him a lesson. How about we let the matter rest here?" After pondering for a moment, Gusu Zhouling decided not to make an enemy lightly and took on the role of peacemaker.

The youth before him was far too calm and composed. Their brief clash had made him realize that the youth surely possessed both strength and backing. Spirit Flame alone was not something an ordinary person could possess. His own Spirit Water had been obtained only after the Gusu Family exhausted half its assets. The Gusu Family had staked everything on him; they could not take risks lightly.

"What if I say no?" Jiang Ming's lips curled upward. He knew that Gusu Zhouling and Chang Litian had joined forces against Chen Xuanjia earlier. Chen Xuanjia was his underling—how could he allow others to bully him? Moreover, Zhang Lingyue was his maid. How could he let others bully her?

"Does Your Excellency intend to fight until the fish dies and the net splits?" Gusu Zhouling said in a low voice.

"Do you have the strength to make the fish die and the net split?" Jiang Ming mocked.

"You..." Gusu Zhouling did not have a good temper either. The other party had practically trampled on his face; if he retreated again, he would be laughed to death when he returned home.

"Such big words—you aren't afraid of biting your tongue?" Chang Litian had already risen to his feet. Other than his burned and tattered clothes, he had not suffered serious injuries. "You're merely relying on the might of a Spirit Flame. Do you really think a mere First Layer of the Nascent Soul Realm cultivator like you can defeat me?"

The crowd suddenly understood. So it was flame suppression—no wonder Chang Litian had lost so abruptly. The gap between flames of different grades was enormous, like a superior crushing an inferior.

"This is boring. The two of you, come at me together!" Jiang Ming said.

"Little brat, you must be blind to your own worth!" Chang Litian sneered, his movements not slowing as he rushed toward Jiang Ming.

Since his flames were being suppressed, he would use his physical body instead. Chang Litian was a genius who cultivated both law and body. His flesh had been tempered by Strange Flames and was no weaker than that of a body cultivator.

As for whether Jiang Ming cultivated his body, that was simply impossible. Those with special flames were usually overly reliant on them. Besides, body cultivation was far too arduous; the suffering it entailed was several times greater than that of law cultivation.

Seeing this, Gusu Zhouling said no more. He followed behind Chang Litian, preparing to attack alongside him.

"Gusu Zhouling, I, Chang Litian, do not need your help! If word gets out that two fought one, how will I ever show my face in Heaven Domain?!" Chang Litian immediately shouted when he noticed Gusu Zhouling's actions.

"Idiot." Gusu Zhouling curled his lips and cursed under his breath. "If we kill him, then there won't be anyone to spread the word."

"That makes sense!" Chang Litian's eyes lit up. "Attack with me and take down this brat."

Jiang Ming calmly watched the two rapidly approaching figures and smiled slightly. Finally.

Finally, he could fight without holding back. Hadn't he cultivated for so long precisely to enjoy the thrill of battle?

Besides, with so many cultivators present, this was a perfect opportunity to show off.

In the time it took to speak, Chang Litian had already rushed before Jiang Ming. At lightning speed, he kicked toward Jiang Ming's head. If this kick landed solidly, even if Jiang Ming did not die, he would be grievously injured.

The smile on Jiang Ming's face grew even broader as he grabbed Chang Litian's ankle.