Chapter 126 - 100: Just a Joke
She subconsciously lowered her head. ’This isn’t so bad,’ she thought.
The next moment, the two of them headed into the mist.
A group was fighting not far below, so they moved with extreme caution, not wanting to spoil the infighting. Before they themselves made a move, it didn’t matter what state the group was in.
Weakening them as much as possible was the key to securing victory.
They silently skirted the battle and walked deeper into the mist.
Suddenly, they heard a voice shout with hatred:
"Vile demons and evil spirits!
"I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you!!"
The voice reached their ears, and Jiang Ran and Ye Jingshuang immediately exchanged a look. They both recognized it as Tong Yan’s voice.
But now, it was filled with a crazed, wild madness.
He didn’t sound like himself at all.
The commotion wasn’t far off. An idea struck Jiang Ran, and he led Ye Jingshuang toward the source of the sound.
Parting the mist, they saw a figure squatting before a tree, his hands striking downward relentlessly.
Every time his palms fell, blood spattered into the air.
He was continuously using the Palm of Heaven Net with both hands, beating the corpse on the ground until it was nearly unrecognizable.
As Tong Yan struck, he roared in fury:
"I’ll kill you! I’m going to kill you!
"Jingshuang is mine! No one can take her from me!!
"You? You think you can? Who the hell do you think you are?
"Hahaha, hahaha!!
"My father is Tong Wanli! My father is the Palm of Heaven Net!
"In the future, he’ll find the Jiaowei zither and unlock its secrets... and in the end, he’ll become the Martial Arts Alliance Hierarch and unite the world.
"Jingshuang! My dear Jingshuang! My status will be different then.
"So, I will surely have other wives.
"But it’s alright, Jingshuang. There will always be a place for you in my heart...
"I will love you and dote on you, and keep you by my side forever."
Listening to this, Ye Jingshuang subconsciously glanced at Jiang Ran.
Jiang Ran blinked.
"He’s completely delusional."
Ye Jingshuang’s expression turned grim as she said:
"I’m afraid he’s fallen victim to some trick... Hmm, who is that corpse?"
Jiang Ran led Ye Jingshuang to a slightly different angle.
Looking closely, they saw the corpse’s eyes were wide open, still filled with panic and disbelief.
It was none other than Zhou Wang, who had always been by Tong Yan’s side.
"Tong Yan killed Zhou Wang..."
A trace of coldness laced Ye Jingshuang’s voice.
Jiang Ran pondered for a moment, then something occurred to him.
He said to Ye Jingshuang:
"I’ll give him a hand."
"Huh?"
Ye Jingshuang was stunned as Jiang Ran pulled her over to Tong Yan’s side.
Tong Yan was completely oblivious to the world, focused only on mutilating Zhou Wang’s corpse. He was about to beat the body in two, completely unaware of Jiang Ran and Ye Jingshuang’s arrival.
Jiang Ran reached out, swiped his hand to make Tong Yan turn his head, then immediately flicked a finger and pressed it directly between Tong Yan’s eyebrows.
After that finger press, Tong Yan’s eyes, which had long since lost all reason, actually regained their focus.
Ye Jingshuang stared at Jiang Ran in astonishment.
"What technique is that?"
"The Heart-Rectifying Finger."
Jiang Ran smiled. "It’s a technique from the Sutra of Creation and the Rectified Heart, specifically for stabilizing one’s mind and preventing Qi deviation."
"Ah?"
Ye Jingshuang was stupefied.
Jiang Ran, remembering the day Ye Jingshuang had suffered from Qi deviation, quickly added an explanation:
"You had already fallen into Qi deviation that day. While the Heart-Rectifying Finger can stabilize the mind, it can’t pacify the True Qi in your body.
"That’s why I could only guide your Qi back to its source. The Heart-Rectifying Finger would have been useless."
"I know."
Ye Jingshuang nodded.
"I just never imagined that you, Brother Jiang, were cultivating the Sutra of Creation and the Rectified Heart. Why would you practice such a technique? And your Inner Energy is so profound... what level have you reached?"
"The seventh level."
Jiang Ran didn’t hide it from Ye Jingshuang.
Ye Jingshuang’s eyes widened uncontrollably.
"The seventh level!?"
Back then, countless people strived their entire lives only to reach the fifth level. Yet Jiang Ran, at his age, had reached the incredible seventh level.
’Is another legend about to be born, one who can "cleave the Cyan Sea with a single slash and scatter the clouds across half the sky"?’
’Although, if it’s Jiang Ran, it would probably be "cleave the Cyan Sea with a single slash of a saber," right?’
As her thoughts ran wild, she heard Tong Yan’s bewildered voice.
"What... what’s going on? You... why are you two together?"
Following the voice, she saw Tong Yan staring at her and Jiang Ran in disbelief.
Then, Tong Yan’s gaze fell upon Jiang Ran holding Ye Jingshuang’s hand, and he instantly flew into a rage.
"Let go of my Jingshuang!!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, he thrust out his palm to strike.
The key to the Palm of Heaven Net was its near-infinite variations, creating a state akin to a ’heaven-and-earth-ensnaring net.’
Although Tong Yan’s skill was shallow, this palm strike still created a feeling of being inescapable, whether one fled to the heavens or the earth.
Unfortunately for him, whether against Jiang Ran or Ye Jingshuang, his meager skill was simply not up to par.
A silver gleam flashed from Ye Jingshuang’s hand. Her sword’s edge was like a cloud, her Sword Qi like the sea, forcibly shattering the ’inescapable net’ and grazing past Tong Yan’s throat.
Ye Jingshuang had shown mercy. Otherwise, that single strike would have left Tong Yan dead.
Even so, sweat couldn’t help but bead on Tong Yan’s forehead.
While he was still at a loss, Ye Jingshuang flicked her sword again, slapping the flat of the blade directly against Tong Yan’s face.
Tong Yan cried out in pain, his body stumbling involuntarily to the side.
His face was a mask of disbelief.
"Jingshuang... you... you hit me?"
"Look at what you’ve done."