Chapter Seventy-Nine: The Decisive Victory! (1)

Jiang Feng perhaps had no idea just how dire his situation truly was. Everyone present, upon seeing him, couldn't help but be terrified. His body, pierced by that deadly strike, had shattered layer by layer, leaving only his head intact. Even his eyes atop that head were hollow and lifeless, no different from the dead. Nearly everyone believed Jiang Feng's soul had dissipated, not a trace of his spirit remained!

To be stabbed through the body, for the flesh to rot away and blood to fly, leaving nothing but a head—such a fate meant certain death for anyone at the ninth stage of Nether Servant. Even masters of the Void Nether Realm would be beyond saving, unless they had reached the True Nether Realm and cultivated a false pill; only then could they ignore physical injury, for even if their bodies were destroyed, a pill or artifact could restore them.

Yet, in the eyes of the four family heads and Master Xuan Xingzi, salvation wasn't utterly impossible. Unless a Nether King-level expert intervened, condensing the soul with immense Nether power and sending it to another realm, there might be a chance for resurrection. But in Jiuyan Town, to find a Nether King was nothing short of wishful thinking.

"Old Master Jiang, you must accept this loss and move on," Xuan Xingzi sighed, "Though Jiang Feng has perished, his formidable strength and the dazzling moments he left in the Jiuyan Tournament will forever be etched in the town's history."

Li Tao and Wang Yu, the two other family heads, nodded in agreement. Especially Li Tao, whose son Li Mengbai, though not dead, had lost all his cultivation, rendered a useless cripple—an agony unmatched for him. They all sympathized with Jiang Yuehai's pain and offered comfort: "Yes, Master Jiang, the dead cannot return, and the Jiang family needs your support. If you let the shadow of Jiang Feng's death cloud your heart, the mighty Jiang family that stands tall in Jiuyan Town might soon collapse."

Jiang Yuehai pressed his lips tightly together, refusing to accept the truth.

"The family heads are right," Fang Yichen said with a smile, "Jiang Feng was ruthless and infamous in Jiuyan Town. His death is no great loss. Do not let the death of such a disgraceful traitor harm your health, Master Jiang." His smile seemed to celebrate Jiang Feng's demise.

Duan Xingyun, witnessing Jiang Feng's body explode, was already in agony. Hearing Fang Yichen's words, rage boiled over as he cursed, "You bald thief! Stop slandering him! It's said only cowards speak ill behind others' backs. You've been a monk your whole life, but all you do is speak sweetly in public and venomously in private. Jiang Feng is gone, yet you still spread these lies!"

"Xingyun, mind your manners!" Xuan Xingzi barked, though he didn't truly blame Duan Xingyun. When he looked at Fang Yichen, his brows furrowed deeply; he couldn't shake the feeling that Master Fang held a profound grudge against Jiang Feng.

"Hmph, but I'm not wrong!" Duan Xingyun's eyes were bloodshot, tears beginning to fall.

Fang Yichen forced a smile, "Little demon star Xingyun is right; I am slandering Jiang Feng now, for all those evil deeds he committed were witnessed by few. Too bad he's dead, leaving no way to confront him otherwise..."

"Master Yichen, if you persist in such provocations, do not blame me for showing no respect to the Fang family!" Jiang Yuehai declared sharply. From his body surged a mighty pressure, freezing the atmosphere between them. The family heads managed to withstand it, but someone like Duan Xingyun felt terror clutch his heart, nearly coughing blood.

Seeing things turn sour, Xuan Xingzi quickly intervened, "Old Master Jiang, please calm yourself. Master Yichen, you too—let us not dwell on Jiang Feng. Let this matter be, let it pass like a fleeting cloud."

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"Like a fleeting cloud?" Jiang Yuehai's eyes burned with fury. "The Fang family dredged up some unknown youth to cause trouble, nearly killing my nephew Xingyun, and now has murdered my son Feng'er! How can I simply let this go?"

"Master Jiang, are you implying you're ready to fight?" Fang Chuhan, who had kept silent all along, finally spoke. He was never eloquent, which is why he brought Fang Yichen to stir the pot. Seeing Fang Yichen succeed, his heart soared; for him, now was the perfect moment. The Liu and Wang families always held reservations about the Fang family, and Xuan Xingzi, as Jiuyan Town's leading figure, would never openly fight the Fang family. In truth, his only real opponent was Jiang Yuehai, and with Fang Yichen at his side, two against one—the odds were in his favor!

If he could defeat Jiang Yuehai, the Jiang family would be struck from the ranks of the four great clans!

"Hmph, so what if we fight!" Jiang Yuehai's voice rang out, fearless.

"Everyone, don't be rash—Jiang Feng might not be dead!" Liu Tao was frightened by their hostility. He never imagined Jiang Yuehai would defend his son to the point of risking his entire family against the Fang clan.

Jiang Yuehai and Fang Chuhan readied their deadly moves, but Liu Tao's words stunned them both, and their eyes returned to the battlefield in disbelief.

Jiang Feng's head hovered alone in the air, spinning. Though none could sense any life from it, they couldn't help but wonder why it did not fall.

"What manner of monster is he? Only a head remains, yet he still won't die?"

Fang Ping, too, kept his guard up, his gaze icy and chilling. From outside the arena, he could hear the tumultuous cheers, a thunderous storm of voices. Living his life in the dark world of assassins, he now felt a sense of unprecedented superiority, standing tall like a towering mountain, exuding the aura of a master.

Indeed, though his appearance was unremarkable, he was one who had lasted to the final moment of the Jiuyan Tournament. Compared to Jiang Feng or the other contenders, his stature was even more imposing.

He swept his gaze across the field, searching for Jiang Feng's exploded remains. Others might not know, but he understood well—he'd encountered strange Nether arts in his assassinations, capable of devouring others' Nether artifacts or power. He was certain that among Jiang Feng's remains, there would be valuable Nether artifacts—at least the extraordinary dark Nine-Turn Ringed Blade, which could surely be found!

He knew that until the judges outside declared the champion, the victory wasn't his. He would use this time to suppress Jiang Feng's head and gather whatever Nether artifacts remained.

But just then, Jiang Feng's shattered body transformed into puzzle pieces, fruit segments, threads, and webs, as if to reassemble meridians and bones.

The void twisted, powerful Nether force rippled in the air, making Fang Ping unsteady. To his shock, Jiang Feng's body, which he had destroyed, was reconstituting itself, truly rebuilding! Becoming an even mightier form, merging with the head, tremendous power erupted from every inch of flesh. At his step, space shook; at his movement, the winds and clouds rolled, thunder roared, the momentum unmatched, and all ten directions seemed to tremble for Jiang Feng.

"What is happening?" Jiang Feng himself was baffled. Moments ago, he felt as if plunged into endless darkness, his strength drained, his will submerged in a bottomless sea, consumed until nothing remained. Yet as the stirring within his body grew louder, it suddenly stopped, leaving an odd sensation across his mind, difficult to adjust to.

Jue, however, was far clearer, analyzing for Jiang Feng step by step: "At first, you were blasted down to just a head, but since your sea of consciousness still remained, the Nether soul power didn't dissipate. This kept your head from entering true death. Ha, you ought to thank that Nether soul power in your sea of consciousness. Without it, with your Nether Servant cultivation, you wouldn't have survived even a breath longer."

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Hearing this, Jiang Feng couldn't help but pray silently, "Luckily, I accidentally acquired Nether soul power, or I'd already be meeting Xue Qiming. I wonder, if he sees me in heaven, would he laugh at me again?"

Jue chuckled, "Is this the time for jokes? Then your body fragments triggered the Calamity of Corpse Explosion. You were already dead, but the calamity still came. Thanks to your Nether soul power, you heard those wriggling sounds; when they grew louder, the calamity arrived. But suddenly, it vanished. That's the mystery—how did it disappear?"

"Maybe I've got good luck?" Jiang Feng said solemnly.

"Not likely," Jue retorted without hesitation, rolling his eyes. "If you had good luck, you wouldn't have run into Xue Qiming, gotten Liu Mengbai killed, and then encountered this killer Fang Ping! Sigh, but how did you get through the Calamity of Corpse Explosion?"

Jiang Feng was equally confused. Suddenly, within his new body, he felt a fresh, spring-like sensation and a surge of immense power, making him want to cry out. A name flashed into his mind, and he blurted, "The River Mountain Bottle! It's the River Mountain Bottle—my entire body is now filled with its power!"

The River Mountain Bottle!

Like a sudden revelation, Jue's face lit up. He unleashed his soul force to examine Jiang Feng, then laughed, "Not only the River Mountain Bottle, but also Little Ghost's Ice Soul Liquid. Too bad Little Ghost has gone deep into the sea of consciousness to cultivate, leaving no time to share our joy."

"Haha, I've been reborn!" Jiang Feng shouted with clarity, raising his arm. He could now feel endless power within, filling him with confidence—victory was surely his!

He threw a punch, using no techniques or tricks. Nether power surged through his fist, rampaging inside and out, dominating all!

Bang!

With that punch, Fang Ping's body was sent crashing into the mountains behind, his roar ringing out—though silent, the pain was clear on his face. The blow was immense, forcing him deep into the rocks!

"Undying body!"

"Blasted to pieces, yet the fragments reassemble and condense anew. This is the undying body! Only legends say Nether Kings and above possess such power. How could Jiang Feng have it?"