Chapter 132: The True Form Displays Its Might (Double Chapter)

Zhang Tie stepped forward with a somewhat helpless expression. Given his junior brother's aggressive attitude, it might well end up making enemies for him. He quickly cupped his fists toward the two men and said, "I am a disciple of Wu Yifeng, and this is my junior brother, Jiang Xing. Please forgive any offense."

"So you are the esteemed disciples of Senior Wu, I've heard much about you." Although Song Fang's tone was polite enough, he stood rigidly straight, showing no intention of returning the courtesy.

Zhou Bai reacted similarly. Deeply surprised by this sudden hostility, he simply took a few steps back to watch the spectacle unfold.

Moreover, Jiang Xing seemed to focus solely on the more conspicuous Song Fang, choosing to ignore Zhou Bai entirely.

Without paying any attention to Zhang Tie, who was trying to play the peacemaker, Jiang Xing walked straight up to Song Fang. "I've heard that your Minor Boundless Sword has never suffered a defeat. Is that true?"

"What business is it of yours?"

Song Fang's entire body tensed up. Instinctively, he almost felt the urge to strike back simply because his opponent had approached him with such hostility at such close range.

Seeing the atmosphere growing increasingly tense, Jiang Cheng spoke up, "Let's not block the city gates. Let's head into the Second District first."

Zhang Tie repeatedly pulled at Jiang Xing's sleeve, but the latter shook off his arm and strode away first, showing not the slightest intention of waiting for the others.

Seeing his junior brother show such blatant disrespect, Zhang Tie was naturally somewhat annoyed. Despite his rustic appearance, among Old Wu's disciples, he was actually the most adept at handling social interactions.

Still, he suppressed his anger, remembering his master's instructions. Jiang Xing was definitely no match for Song Fang, and his own primary task was to ensure that he didn't offend the other party over this.

"My apologies to you both. I'd like to invite you to a gathering at the Moon River Teahouse, where we can taste the seasonal Purple-Cyan Shoots. It would also be wonderful if you could offer my junior brother some guidance."

Song Fang snorted coldly and refused outright. "There's no need. I have important matters to attend to, and I have no interest in babysitting."

He then looked at Zhou Bai and asked, "What about you, Brother Bailong?"

"I don't mind either way, but stirring up trouble like this doesn't strike me as particularly interesting."

Seeing how highly Song Fang regarded Zhou Bai, Zhang Tie couldn't help sizing him up. The man was heavily built, with a long saber at his waist. His imposing presence indeed far surpassed that of ordinary people, and his bald head lent him an extra touch of ferocity.

"Please wait a moment."

He reached into his storage pouch and pulled out a bright silver-colored ore.

At the sight of this, Song Fang's eyes lit up instantly. "Starfall Iron?"

"Indeed. When fused into a weapon, it adds a distinct boost of power. Most importantly, after soaking in starlight for a long time, the weapon itself will become lighter and lighter."

Seeing that the other party was tempted and that both men's attention had been successfully captured, Zhang Tie presented the piece of Starfall Iron, which Old Wu had given him in advance specifically to make amends.

Song Fang did not take it immediately. He had zero interest in squabbling with Jiang Xing; his thoughts were entirely set on a duel with Zhou Bai.

Zhang Tie was a shrewd operator. Realizing that things would likely go sour if he couldn't win Zhou Bai over, he forced himself to swallow his heartache and took out the piece of Starfall Iron gifted to him by his master.

"A small token for our first meeting."

Zhou Bai reached out and took it directly, rubbing it in his palm and probing it with demonic qi. This piece of spiritual material was indeed of high quality.

However, it was not quite suitable for either his slaughter blade or his Tang dao. The former was a lethal weapon that relied purely on brute force to break through all obstacles, while the latter was saturated with thunder and saber intent, making it very difficult to integrate a third type of energy. Even so, it could still be used to forge other weapons.

Seeing Zhou Bai accept it, Song Fang took his piece as well. Most cultivators needed to continuously integrate suitable spiritual materials into their natal weapons, making self-growing natal items like Zhou Bai's a rare sight indeed.

Zhang Tie breathed a sigh of relief and led them toward the Second District.

Compared to the first two districts, the Second District was undoubtedly much more prosperous, carrying a hint of the flavor of Hangzhou. Yet, in Zhou Bai's eyes, it lacked the interesting character of the previous districts.

The group stopped in front of a teahouse. The building was shaped like a tall pagoda with distinct tiers, and the top floor featured a fairly spacious open-air terrace.

While the lower floors had quite a few patrons, the top floor was completely empty, save for Jiang Xing, who sat there drinking sullen tea by himself.

Seeing Song Fang arrive, Jiang Xing eagerly walked over, fixing him with a provocative glare.

"I can play with you for a bit, but let's make it clear beforehand: I can only guarantee not taking your life."

Song Fang's tone was rather calm, yet it exuded immense self-confidence. With his right hand merely resting on the hilt of his sword, he already radiated an aura of peerless dominance.

"Then let's begin."

Though rash by nature, Jiang Xing was no fool. He felt a bone-chilling coldness crawl up his spine and hurriedly circulated his nether qi.

Letting out a low roar in mid-air, his body began to swell violently, transforming in no time into a black bear standing a little over four meters tall. Patches of rot covered his body, and exposed bones were clearly visible.

Jiang Xing's nether qi surged outward, wrapping continuously around his thick fur before turning into countless black crystals resembling a suit of armor.

Because of his immense weight, the floorboards beneath his feet groaned audibly, looking as though they were about to collapse at any second. Zhang Tie quickly shouted to Jiang Cheng, "Junior sister, give me a hand."

Jiang Cheng nodded, bent down, and placed her hands flat on the floorboards as a wave of demonic qi emanated from her body.

The solid wood floorboards groaned, their grain growing increasingly distinct before tiny green shoots sprouted from the surface. Countless tree branches rapidly grew out, intertwining with one another to vastly increase the floor's load-bearing capacity.

Zhou Bai activated his Yin-Yang Eyes. Unlikable as Jiang Xing's personality was, his talent was undeniably impressive.

Though he appeared to practice the demonic path, his techniques were actually rooted in the ghost path, and he was even capable of crystallizing nether qi into armor to protect his entire body without hindering his mobility.

This gave Zhou Bai some ideas regarding this divine ability, but he quickly shifted most of his attention back to Song Fang.

He saw Song Fang holding his sword in his right hand while gently brushing the blade with his left. The long sword emitted an ethereal, crisp ring.

"This is..." Zhou Bai's eyes lit up. Looking closely, the demonic qi within Song Fang's long sword circulated smoothly—it was clearly his natal weapon. Could it be that he also followed the path of refining an external object into a natal artifact?

"No, that's not it."

Zhou Bai quickly dismissed his own guess. After taking a few more glances at the sword, he sensed that its forged materials were completely integrated into a single, seamless whole, bearing no resemblance to something artificially refined later in life.

This made him even more curious about Song Fang's true demonic form. Though various clues suggested it might be a creature of the sea, the specifics remained unclear.

With a roar, Jiang Xing's eyes turned blood-red as he lunged ferociously at his opponent.

Seeing this, Song Fang dodged the attack unhurriedly, followed by a single slash of his sword.

"My sword technique isn't suited for explosive bursts, but to defeat you, three strikes will suffice."

The sword qi struck Jiang Xing's body without piercing the defense of his crystalline armor.

Zhou Bai quickly noticed that when Song Fang swung his sword, several wisps of sword qi seemed to detach from the main attack and drift upward toward the ceiling.

Then, Song Fang delivered his second slash, directly shattering the crystal armor over Jiang Xing's chest.

Facing an opponent whose size vastly exceeded his own, Song Fang appeared utterly at ease, continually shifting and dodging around the attacks with practiced grace.

Song Fang's demeanor—refusing to reveal his true form or go all out—provoked intense dissatisfaction in Jiang Xing. Having transformed into his ghostly bear form, he was already lacking in rationality, and now, growing even more impulsive, he only wanted to tear his opponent to shreds.

Consequently, the frequency of his attacks grew higher and higher, driving his opponent into a corner. While the battle appeared to be leaning in Jiang Xing's favor, Zhou Bai, standing off to the side, gave a slight shake of his head.

In a tall building in the distance, Wu Yifeng was also observing secretly, fixing his gaze on the two combatants.

Feeling somewhat uneasy from the start, he had come specifically to check on them. Now, he felt that apart from having decent talent, this disciple of his was truly hopeless.

After a few rounds, Song Fang seemed to grow somewhat impatient. With a backflip, he leaped to the edge of the terrace, balancing on his tiptoes with his entire body seemingly on the verge of falling off.

Jiang Xing did not pursue. Panting heavily, a growing sense of frustration gnawed at his heart; after fighting for so long, he hadn't even managed to brush the hem of the other's clothes. Was the gap between them truly as vast as a chasm?

"Forget it, let's end it here. Your strength is mediocre at best. I need to prepare for my sparring match with Brother Bailong."

With those words, Song Fang sheathed his long sword. Simultaneously, the fine, imperceptible strands of sword qi descended from overhead, striking the exact same spot on Jiang Xing's back armor.

Blood flowed down his fur. Jiang Xing let out a muffled grunt, pushed himself up from the floor with his arms, and reverted to human form.

With his head hanging low, his expression remained hidden from view, yet anyone could clearly feel the bitter resentment lingering within him.

Zhou Bai's impression of Jiang Xing plummeted even further. He could plainly see a venomous hatred in the man's eyes; such a petty person would never be able to break through to the True Soul realm.

Many others shared his sentiment. Wu Yifeng felt the exact same way. He had originally thought this disciple was merely immature and would change significantly after receiving a reality check. Now, it seemed he was rotten wood that could not be carved.

Zhang Tie stepped forward to pat Jiang Xing on the shoulder. Just as he was about to speak, Jiang Xing strode silently toward the stairs and quickly bolted out of the teahouse.

"Brother Song, it's about time for the two of us to have a go."

Zhou Bai turned to look at Song Fang. Having broken through to the True Body realm in the demonic path without having sparred with anyone yet, he couldn't help feeling an itch for a fight.

"Very well. I haven't consumed much demonic qi just yet, so this should be a thoroughly enjoyable match with you."

Zhang Tie and Jiang Cheng exchanged glances. Neither of them knew Zhou Bai, and it was hard for them to imagine just how powerful someone capable of matching Song Fang really was.

Zhou Bai did not intend to hold back too much; he purely wanted to test out his Demonic True Body.

His heart began to beat rapidly as demonic qi emanated from every pore of his body. His physique started to expand involuntarily, stopping only when he reached a height of a little over three meters.

Zhou Bai's body was covered in a layer of scales, his pupils turned a dark golden color, a thick tail burst through his trousers, and his limbs all transformed into dragon claws.

Even so, he largely retained his humanoid shape. While this form lacked the sheer might of his full Tyrannosaurus True Body, its advantage lay in the ability to wield weapons.

Besides, after all, this was merely the terrace of a teahouse; transforming into a ten-meter-long giant tyrannosaurus was out of the question, so he had no choice but to fight in this half-man, half-demon state.

One had to admit that regardless of its actual power, the visual impact of the Tyrannosaurus True Body was terrifyingly intimidating, especially to those who had just stepped into the world and had yet to master their own true forms. It radiated an intense, feral aura.

Squinting his tyrannosaurus eyes at Song Fang, Zhou Bai asked, "Brother Song, aren't you going to transform into your true form?"

"No need—"

Before Song Fang could finish his sentence, Zhou Bai stomped his feet against the floorboards, transforming into a blurred afterimage that vanished on the spot.

The floor caved in, coming within a hair's breadth of collapsing the entire tier. Zhang Tie felt his eyelids twitch violently. He had chosen this venue assuming Jiang Xing's strength was still within manageable bounds, but now it was clear his plan had backfired completely.

"Junior sister, keep maintaining your divine ability. I'll go downstairs to evacuate the patrons."

"Understood."

In the blink of an eye, Song Fang felt a dragon claw materialize right in front of him, lunging directly toward his face.

An opponent who showed such disregard for convention only served to stoke his fighting spirit. Nimbly dodging out of the way, he drew his long sword.

Song Fang clearly hadn't used his full strength earlier. This time, a dozen slash attacks fused into a single line, unleashing a torrential wave of sword qi toward Zhou Bai.

Zhou Bai sidestepped, taking the brunt of the sword qi with his back. Though the attacks appeared scattered, they linked together to strike the exact same spot, tearing open his flesh and skin.

Yet, severe as the wounds looked, they had merely broken the surface. The health bar of the Tyrannosaurus True Body was remarkably thick.

The two traded blows across the terrace, causing the entire teahouse to vibrate and leaving numerous cracks along the walls.

Nearby residents had long since noticed the commotion. Accustomed to such occurrences, they orderly evacuated toward safer areas in the distance.

As time passed, Song Fang began to feel increasingly stifled. His attacks could only fracture a few scales at best, posing no real threat to his opponent.

The moment his focus wavered, a tail lashed toward him at an astonishing speed.

With no room to dodge, the strike landed dead-on with a dull thud, bringing the floor one step closer to total collapse.

Zhou Bai leaped backward to a safe distance and looked over at Song Fang. The latter had also transformed into a half-man, half-demon state, his entire body covered in a layer of silvery fish skin while his long sword had merged directly with his right hand, turning into a bone-like appendage.

A sense of familiarity washed over Zhou Bai, and he blurted out, "A swordfish?!"

Song Fang's face darkened, unwilling to utter another word. In his half-true form, his speed was terrifying, turning him straight into a streak of silver light as he charged forward once more.

Zhou Bai immediately rose to meet him, though he still felt somewhat unaccustomed to coping with such blistering speed in his bulky form.

He realized he still had many shortcomings—not because he couldn't win, but because most of his methods could not be used.

While he had awakened quite a few demonic path divine abilities, he dared not display them for fear of exposing himself; ghost path abilities were similarly out of the question. Otherwise, with the aid of his Yin-Yang Eyes, he would have been able to track Song Fang no matter how fast he moved.

Under these constraints, Zhou Bai felt a nameless fire ignite in his chest. Unlike his state of mind during the Skeleton True Body fights, which grew increasingly calm, the Tyrannosaurus True Body thoroughly unleashed the ferocity hidden deep within his heart.

Unable to hold back any longer, he let out a roar, releasing an ancient, primordial aura from his body mixed with the dragon qi of a salted fish, pressing down directly upon Song Fang.

Song Fang let out a muffled grunt as if crushed under the weight of infinite gravity, crashing straight down onto the floorboards and plunging through a gaping hole, tumbling floor by floor all the way down.

Yet, as he fell, he managed to endure the pain and mutter softly under his breath, "A timely rain."