Chapter 160: Obliterating a City with a Single Punch

The Dog Emperor has been slain, and the rest are not worth fearing.

The boundless killing intent that had accumulated among the people on the mountain was unleashed without restraint at this moment. They charged down the mountain to massacre and went on a grand killing spree.

It was a bloodbath, with corpses piled as high as mountains.

The peak gradually grew quiet, but the stench of blood was exceptionally pungent, alongside countless dead bodies.

Jiang Ming also learned the situation of these individuals.

The two youths were Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling, accompanied by the Heavenly Blade Song Que and the Evil King Shi Zhixuan.

In addition, there were powerful figures from both the righteous and demonic factions. They had completely cast aside the notion that righteousness and the demonic path could not coexist, uniting to resist the alien race. Yet, after all, the alien race was too formidable, and having their stronghold discovered, they were surrounded by the Dog Emperor and powerful beings of the canine race, nearly perishing this day.

"The Great Sui has fallen, the Cihang Jingzhai is finished, the Six Paths of the Heavenly Demons have been almost completely wiped out, and apart from us, there are probably very few experts left in the world," sighed the Heavenly Blade Song Que. "Currently occupying the Great Sui Dynasty is the Ape Emperor. He is frighteningly strong. Even someone as powerful as Ning Daoqi was blasted to death with a single punch, and the Grand Preceptor of the Great Sui was easily eliminated. After occupying the imperial city, he campaigned in all directions, subjugating several alien tribes, and swept across the world."

"Does the Ape Emperor possess any special abilities?" Jiang Ming asked.

"He has boundless strength, is impervious to blades and spears, immune to all techniques, and possesses peerless speed. The domain he wields is also frighteningly powerful," Song Que said, sharing everything he knew. "Under the suppression of his domain, he closes in rapidly and kills with a single punch. Oh, and his willpower is terrifyingly resolute; soul attacks are useless. He also has a pair of divine eyes that can see through illusions."

"He truly cannot be underestimated!" Jiang Ming, however, wore a peculiar expression.

According to the description, the opponent was strong.

Very, very strong.

Yet to him, this type of alien race was precisely the easiest to deal with.

"He is strong enough to make one despair," Song Que sighed. "May I ask your name, honored guest, and where you come from?"

"Jiang Ming, from Chang'an of the Great Tang," Jiang Ming replied. "There exists a terrifyingly formidable entity over there, a hundred times stronger than the Dog Emperor, whom Master Kongzi has held back for over a year. The rest of the alien races have been mostly dealt with. Although the territory is in ruins, the overall situation has stabilized. If Master Kongzi does not fall, the territory of the Great Tang will remain safe and sound. If you have nowhere else to go, you may head to Chang'an of the Great Tang."

"Even Master Kongzi cannot suppress it?" Song Que was shocked.

Shi Zhixuan frowned.

Jiang Ming nodded.

Afterward, they exchanged a great deal of information. In short, the territory was vast, and the people were living in dire straits.

No, it was more accurate to say the common people had become food for slaughter.

Many regions had even been penned up in captivity.

"We have instead become food!" Song Que said with grief and indignation. "Alien beasts, I shall exterminate every last one of you."

Jiang Ming fell silent.

To those who had always stood high above, this was an unacceptable reality.

He then proposed to borrow Song Que's art of the Heavenly Blade, the Longmen Scripture practiced by Kou Zhong and his companion, and the Undying Demonic Imprint practiced by Shi Zhixuan.

None of them refused.

Putting aside the debt of saving their lives, given the calamity facing the world today, no one was selfishly guarding their own treasures anymore. In fact, they had even exchanged cultivation manuals among themselves in hopes of advancing their cultivation levels.

Here, Jiang Ming acquired a massive collection of cultivation arts.

"Mr. Jiang, where are you heading next?" Song Que asked.

"Wandering the world, slaying the alien race!" At the peak of the mountain, Jiang Ming stood with his hands behind his back, gazing into the distance toward the imperial city. "Next, I shall go meet the Ape Emperor."

"Mr. Jiang, that place has been forged by the Ape Emperor into something as impregnable as an iron bucket. The Ape Emperor is already powerful, and combined with his host of subordinates, his might is terrifyingly formidable. Once you fall into it, I fear..." Song Que attempted to dissuade him.

"It's fine!" Jiang Ming smiled, turned to cup his fists in salute to the group, and said, "The Ape Emperor is a dead man. You may head to Chang'an of the Great Tang, or unite with martial artists from other territories. Only by gathering numerous powerful individuals can we resist the mighty alien race. The ends of the earth are far apart; farewell, everyone, until we meet again!"

As his words faded, he shifted his step and vanished without a trace.

"The Dao of Space, teleportation!" Song Que gasped, drawing in a sharp breath.

"With this ability, the entire world is open to him. As long as he is cautious, the Ape Emperor cannot do anything to him," Shi Zhixuan exhaled a breath of turbid air. "Old Song, what are your plans next? Are you heading to Chang'an of the Great Tang, or staying behind to await news?"

"Let's wait for news. If the Ape Emperor is slain by him, we will have a chance to resist the alien race," Song Que said, slightly lost in thought. "After all, this is our homeland; how can we abandon it? Once we leave, returning will be difficult."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

It was hard to leave one's native soil.

Especially when their homeland had been invaded; no one was willing to concede defeat.

Jiang Ming did not travel fast.

Walking and stopping, he also observed the conditions everywhere.

A town ahead had been blockaded and enclosed by a wolf demon. Upon arriving here, he witnessed several large cauldrons set up in the middle of the town, while a dozen or so people numbly listened to instructions.

Steaming, roasting, braising, stir-frying...

All of them were humans.

The wolf demon feasted gluttonously nearby.

Jiang Ming closed his eyes, the killing intent boiling within his chest surging to a point he could barely suppress.

"Why?"

He raised his head, gazing up at the firmament and murmuring.

To broaden one's horizons, to witness the strength of the alien race and their various methods?

To let us understand the cruelty of the alien race and temper our willpower?

"Or is it to let us understand the naked, cannibalistic law of the universe!"

Jiang Ming sighed softly and stepped forward.

A single step covered a hundred meters. As he passed through the center of the town, the wolf demon froze, its skull split apart, and it collapsed to the ground, dead. The numb villagers nearby saw this scene, and after a moment of blank shock, they erupted into wild euphoria. Then, howling like madmen, they lunged forward, biting with their teeth and scratching with their hands.

More and more people gathered, quickly engulfing the wolf demon.

Jiang Ming did not stop his pace and continued onward.

Along this journey, he had witnessed far too much cruelty, yet there were still countless human experts stubbornly fighting back...

The setting sun sank, the afterglow resembling blood.

Outside Chang'an City of the Great Sui.

Treading upon the twilight, Jiang Ming arrived outside the South City Gate. The former prosperity was gone; along both sides of the road lay piles of white bones, and within the city, a monstrous baleful aura soared into the heavens.

The city gates stood open, and soldiers still kept watch, but they were lifeless, their faces filled with numb expressions.

A thought flickered in Jiang Ming's mind, and his soul force directly invaded the soldiers' minds, peeking into their memories, prompting a soft sigh.

He gathered some information.

Back then, the Ape Emperor had forcefully broken in, turning Chang'an into a river of blood. The Sui Emperor was blasted to death within the imperial palace, a battle that shook the heavens.

He did not exterminate everyone, instead accepting the surrender of spineless individuals to serve him—such as preparing delicacies, searching for beautiful women, maidservants to wait upon him, indulging in ultimate luxury.

Upon the city wall sat a long-armed ape, gnawing on a thick ox leg while continuously drinking fine wine. Sensing something, it turned its head and spotted Jiang Ming stepping closer.

"How long has it been since a human dared to break in?" The long-armed ape smiled hideously, leaped down from the city wall, smashing a deep pit below, and with a flash of its figure, arrived right before Jiang Ming.

Standing three meters tall, it possessed a considerable sense of oppression.

It stroked its chin, looking down at Jiang Ming, appraising and commenting uninhibitedly: "You human are not bad, smooth and sleek, delicate skin and tender meat, lacking the musky stench of a pig, carrying only the pure aroma of meat. Little Dezi..."

"This humble servant is here!" A middle-aged man scurried over bowing and scraping, standing before the long-armed ape with his body hunched like a boiled shrimp, his face plastered with extreme flattery. "Master, what are your orders?"

"Tell me, should this little sweetheart be stewed, boiled, chopped up and braised, or stir-fried dry?" The long-armed ape licked its lips, drool flowing out.

"The limbs should be boiled for tenderness; the skull braised for flavor; the torso stir-fried dry for richness." Little Dezi looked Jiang Ming over, quickly giving his arrangement, and then staring at Jiang Ming's lower regions, his eyes lighting up as he said, "Master, he has a colossal asset; it can be used to steep wine."

"A colossal asset? That's brilliant!" The long-armed ape laughed. "Sliced raw is the only way to taste its true flavor!"

Listening to the commentary of man and ape, the corners of Jiang Ming's mouth twitched.

Damn it.

In just this brief moment, this lord has already been carved into eight pieces, all arranged nice and clear?

They really treated this lord like a dish on a platter.

Jiang Ming was so angry he laughed.

"Traitors exist in every era—no, human traitors!"

Shaking his head, he flicked his finger, releasing two strands of sword Qi that blasted the pair into oblivion.

With a single step, he entered the city.

True Qi burst forth from his body, transforming into a Yin-Yang Taiji diagram that rapidly expanded, reaching a range of a thousand meters. Everything it passed crushed the alien race completely, leaving not a single one alive.

These alien entities varied in form.

From Jiang Ming's perspective, they should all be classified as members of the demon race.

"How bold, daring to slaughter your way into my imperial city!" A roar echoed from the inner city, shaking the void and resounding across the entire city. Immediately afterward, a massive figure appeared atop a tall building not far away.

Densely packed figures of various simians and other alien races also appeared around, every single one exuding a powerful aura.

Scanning the area with a glance, Jiang Ming spotted no fewer than a hundred entities at the seventh realm alone.

This was an extremely terrifying force.

Finally, his gaze landed upon the Ape Emperor at the highest vantage point. Standing slightly over three meters tall, he was not exceptionally towering, yet his aura was earth-shattering.

A slight twitch of his twin arms stirred the winds and clouds.

"To think it's a human!" The Ape Emperor's voice was exceptionally cold. "To dare storm this place, you have considerable guts. However, my heart is as vast and broad as the sea, and I am willing to absorb experts of all races. If you kneel and submit now, this Emperor will not only spare your life but grant you supreme status."

"You are merely a monkey that has gained spiritual enlightenment, yet you wish to stand high above?" Jiang Ming's expression was indifferent.

"Heh..." The Ape Emperor sneered and shouted, "Wolf Emperor, go kill him!"

"Understood!" A white wolf towering five meters high leaped up, charging straight at Jiang Ming. Its maw opened, and with a single breath, thousands of howling wind blades erupted, tearing everything around it to shreds.

Clang, clang, clang...

The Yin-Yang True Qi outside Jiang Ming's body suddenly shrank, enveloping only his immediate vicinity and spinning rapidly, blocking all the wind blades outside.

Swish...

A wolf claw slashed through the air, tearing the space itself.

A fiercely formidable attack meant to strike Jiang Ming down instantly.

"God-Shattering Form!"

Jiang Ming's gaze locked, his soul force undergoing a miraculous combination to transform into an invisible strike, shooting straight into the Wolf Emperor's sea of consciousness.

Invisible and formless, piercing through time and space.

Fast to the absolute limit.

This was a divine-path technique he had derived during his cultivation after digesting the various divine-path scriptures he had acquired: the God-Shattering Art.

His soul force was boundless, like an abyss or an ocean, yet he had never effectively utilized it, often struggling to bring out his soul-dominating talent. This had sparked the idea of creating an art of his own.

Jiang Ming's requirements were simple: straightforward attacks with high lethality.

Along this journey, he had managed to derive the first form of the God-Shattering Art.

Hum...

The Wolf Emperor sensed the attack. He channeled his blood Qi, manifesting divine techniques with his willpower united, attempting to resist, but he was effortlessly broken through layer after layer of defense, reaching deep into his sea of consciousness.

His body trembled, and with a miserable cry, blood spurted from his seven orifices.

He looked utterly wretched.

His aura also withered in an instant.

Clang...

Jiang Ming reached out, condensing Qi into a sword, and in a thousandth of a snap, he beheaded the Wolf Emperor.

The dignified Wolf Emperor, stronger even than the Pino Emperor, was killed just like that? Not only was the Ape Emperor surprised, even Jiang Ming was taken aback.

Unawares, his combat power had actually risen to such a terrifying degree.

"It's the merit of the God-Shattering Form!"

Jiang Ming understood the reason.

The God-Shattering Art was strong.

But his ultimate control over soul force was one reason, and the purity of his soul force, likely exceeding that of an eighth-tier divine-path expert, was another.

Under these conditions, effectively utilizing soul force produced terrifying lethality. Although a single strike of the God-Shattering Art had not instantly killed the Wolf Emperor, it stripped him of his resistance within a short moment.

This created a situation akin to a one-hit kill.

"To actually kill the Wolf Emperor!" The Ape Emperor leaped over, stopping a hundred meters away. He manipulated the power of heaven and earth to form a domain that descended, instantly distorting space and shattering laws.

Jiang Ming's figure stalled; relying merely on Yin-Yang intent to resist, he found it extremely strenuous, suppressed to the point where his domain could only shroud a foot around his body.

"Under my domain, your domain can still be maintained? Not bad, not bad!" The Ape Emperor strode forward, his momentum climbing with every step he took.

The buildings on both sides were destroyed by his formless power.

"God-Shattering Form!"

"Yin-Yang Sword Slash!"

Jiang Ming activated the previous abilities once again. Visible to the eye, a burst of light exploded between the Ape Emperor's brows; his body halted, and two streams of blood sprayed from his nose.

His pupils turned blood-red in an instant.

The chaotic aura stabilized in a split second, growing even more berserk.

Simultaneously, he threw a punch that shattered the sword Qi Jiang Ming had sent descending upon his head.

"If not for my defensive capabilities regarding the soul, I would have followed in the Wolf Emperor's footsteps." The Ape Emperor's killing intent was frigid, his grin revealing terrifying fangs. "No wonder you dared to storm this place alone; you came with the intent to slay me. Heh, interesting!"

"As expected of the Ape Emperor, stronger than imagined." Jiang Ming frowned, dismissed his sword Qi, and walked toward his opponent.

"Having witnessed my methods, you still aren't afraid? Interesting, haha, interesting." The Ape Emperor's battle intent soared. "I hope you can give me a thoroughly satisfying battle, or else I will make you taste every torture known to the world."

He met him head-on.

Boom...

Power erupted, a fist breaking all laws.

The Ape Emperor unleashed his supreme punch; whatever laws, order, or rules stood in the way were blasted apart by that single strike.

"I've been waiting for this!"

Jiang Ming gave a cold snort and met the attack proactively.

He threw a punch as well.

"Ever since I descended into this world, no living creature has ever been able to block a single punch of mine. Since you know of me, you still dared to test my sharpness. Heh, for that alone, I respect you!" The Ape Emperor roared, his power climbing further. "To show respect, taste my ultimate fist."

His domain suddenly merged into his fist, causing his power to surge by yet another tier.

Jiang Ming's eyes were filled with ruthless coldness.

His fist had already arrived.

Boom...

The two fists collided, and the Ape Emperor froze, a flash of shock crossing his face.

His fist burst apart with a loud bang, followed by his arm and his shoulder, all shattered to pieces by this single punch.

"How can he be this strong?"

The Ape Emperor cried out in alarm. Unknowing what ability he triggered, after his shoulder exploded, the terrifying force failed to transmit any further, yet he was still blasted flying, piercing through countless walls and collapsing numerous houses. Jiang Ming had driven him all the way from inside the city to outside.

"He's still not dead!" Jiang Ming knitted his brows, teleporting to appear directly ahead of the Ape Emperor.

At this moment, his opponent had yet to steady his body.

"You are the first alien entity that wasn't blasted to death by a single punch of mine." Jiang Ming spoke, then struck once more.