Chapter 239 - 138: One Strike

Zuo Mingqiu had previously used the Netherworld Divine Palm when he was with the Three Rivers Gang.

The moment Fang Yinuo saw it, he had retreated without even engaging in combat.

Back then, Jiang Ran had wondered what was so mysterious about the Netherworld Divine Palm that it would make someone like Fang Yinuo recoil in fear.

As for the slash just now, if the Three-Waters Demon Lord had wanted to dodge, he wouldn’t have needed to push Zhuo Fei forward at all.

The instant he had thrust his palm out and sent Zhuo Fei flying, a blackish hue had already spread across Zhuo Fei’s face.

’It’s poison!’

Now he understood why Fang Yinuo had retreated without a fight.

The Netherworld Divine Palm was a poison technique.

No wonder. And that was in just a few short months—even discounting the time Zuo Mingqiu had spent helping the Three-Waters Demon Lord recover his memories.

Within such a short time, Zuo Mingqiu had already managed to achieve some renown with the Netherworld Divine Palm.

It was all because this was no ordinary martial art.

It relied on external substances for its power, so its cultivation speed naturally couldn’t be compared to that of conventional skills.

However, Jiang Ran had another small question about this particular skill.

Ruan Yuqing had said the Three-Waters Demon Lord was illiterate.

Yet after receiving the inheritance of the Netherworld Ghost Monarch, he had managed to master the entire Netherworld Demon Skill.

’How did that happen?’

’He figured either Ruan Yuqing’s information was wrong...’

’...or the Netherworld Demon Skill could perhaps be learned without needing to read or write.’

Of course, none of that mattered to Jiang Ran at this moment.

His last remark, however, had thoroughly enraged the Three-Waters Demon Lord.

"You’re just a boy, yet you have such a foul mouth! Utterly arrogant!

"When I roamed the martial world, a wet-behind-the-ears brat like you hadn’t even been born!

"And now you dare act so presumptuously before me... So what if my divine skill is a poison art?

"It’s more than enough to kill you!!"

With that, his palms shifted, and with a push of his foot, he lunged forward.

Waves of Black Gang Qi emanated from his body as the sound of wailing ghosts and howling gods echoed through the air.

The Three-Waters Demon Lord’s reputation for ruling the Three Rivers domain was clearly well-earned.

The sheer sight of his power was intimidating enough.

As he closed in on Jiang Ran, he suddenly shifted his palms into claws.

This technique had a name: the Netherworld Bone-Transforming Claw, a part of his Demon Skill.

Jiang Ran’s guess had been correct. His art was indeed supplemented by deadly poison, which was why his progress had been so rapid.

Its killing blows relied not just on Inner Strength, but even more so on poison.

The moves of the Netherworld Bone-Transforming Claw were vicious, and the internal breath behind it was sinister. It was infused with a deadly poison that melted blood and dissolved bone. Anyone touched by it would have their blood liquefy, and they would die without even a fleck of bone remaining.

The Three-Waters Demon Lord had been steeped in this art for many years. This strike carried an earth-shattering might.

’This is my first fight after so many years away from the martial world. A perfect chance to make a name for myself with a kill!’

Nearly everyone in the Black Water Stronghold was watching this unfold.

Ruan Yuqing’s brow furrowed, a hint of worry for Jiang Ran in her eyes.

Song Hui’s expression was grim, and he was ready to fight to the death.

Zheng Bainian, Hou Ming, and Tan Rong waited silently, ready to intervene at a moment’s notice.

Knowing he was poisoned, Zhuo Fei was sitting cross-legged, trying to suppress the toxins in his body.

But even he couldn’t resist sneaking a glance upward.

’He had to see how this unfathomably powerful young man of unknown origin would handle the Three-Waters Demon Lord.’

Then, they saw Jiang Ran suddenly look up. He raised an eyebrow, a flicker of what seemed to be disappointment in his eyes.

The next moment, he angled his saber. HUMMM!

A blade of Gang Qi slashed forth. It shone like moonlight, as if meant to sunder the very will of all living things.

The instant the blade gleam appeared, it shot straight toward the Three-Waters Demon Lord.

The Three-Waters Demon Lord roared with laughter.

"A petty parlor trick! You dare show off in front of a master?"

WHOOSH! A skull, seemingly formed from thick, spreading ink, faintly materialized behind him.

A gale erupted around him, his aura growing ever more terrifying.

He reached out, intending to shatter Jiang Ran’s blade of Gang Qi with one grasp.

But as his fingers made contact, Jiang Ran’s blade of Gang Qi remained perfectly intact, merely letting out a constant, low hum.

The Three-Waters Demon Lord’s expression changed instantly.

He felt an endless, inexhaustible force from the blade of Gang Qi.

He channeled his Inner Strength to fight back, but the blade gleam would simply generate a corresponding force to meet his.

In the blink of an eye, the Three-Waters Demon Lord had unleashed all his Inner Strength, yet he still couldn’t dissipate the blade of Gang Qi. On the contrary, a new power was surging from within it.

’Not good...’

By the time the thought crossed his mind, it was already too late to flee.

The two forces were locked together like a pair of powerful magnets. How could he possibly break free?

And the instant those two words crossed his mind, SHLICK! The hand he’d been using to block the blade of Gang Qi was sliced open, its grip broken.

Immediately after, everyone present watched as the blade of Gang Qi swept through the Three-Waters Demon Lord’s body. It even cleaved the spectral skull behind him in two before continuing, unabated, straight into the sky.

The Three-Waters Demon Lord remained frozen in his reaching posture, completely still.

Jiang Ran shook his head.

"It seems you really are illiterate.

"Poison is formidable, but if you can’t poison me, if you can’t even touch me, then what does it matter how lethal it is?

"What can you do?

"Consider this a lesson. In your next life, try not to be so reckless.

"The great Three-Waters Demon Lord... is nothing more than a frog in a well."

He finished speaking and walked over to the Three-Waters Demon Lord.

After a moment’s thought, he took out a deerskin glove and put it on. Then, he reached out, grabbed the Three-Waters Demon Lord by the hair, and lifted his head.