Demonic King of the Metropolis - Chapter 121 - The Mysterious Person

As Tang Jie pondered his thoughts and prepared to head downstairs to pursue, he suddenly heard an aged voice calling out.

“Do you really think you’re invincible now?”

Tang Jie followed the direction of the voice and saw someone stepping out from the left corner of the wall. Wearing a clean linen robe, the person had an aged face, brimming with anger. It was none other than the family leader of the Chen family, Chen Feng. Upon spotting Tang Jie, Chen Feng stopped in his tracks, his posture as steady and upright as an ancient pine tree.

“Cut the nonsense. I’ve come here today to kill you.”

Tang Jie glared at Chen Feng, the anger in his heart flaring up again. Over this period, every single one of his troubles had been caused by the Chen family. He had no enmity with them, yet they continuously made life difficult for him, even injuring Wang Qianya. For that, he was determined to teach them a harsh lesson!

“Hahaha! You? Who do you think you are? You want to kill me? I’m afraid you don’t have the ability!”

Chen Feng laughed heartily as he stared at Tang Jie. Tang Jie could feel waves of immense power emanating from his laughter, the sound alone causing a slight ache in his ears.

Facing Chen Feng’s gaze, Tang Jie knew the man’s inner strength was undoubtedly greater than his own. But even so, he was not afraid. He still had the earth-piercing needle. Even if his inner strength could not best this old fox, he could still rely on his unique skill. Now that he had found him, there was no way he would let him escape so easily!

Tang Jie gathered his true qi, taking two steps forward. However, before he could even make a move, he felt as though he had collided with an invisible barrier of intense qi that sent him staggering back. He noticed Chen Feng’s hands moving ever so slightly-it must have been him unleashing his formidable true qi just moments ago.

Realizing this, Tang Jie couldn’t help but feel a bit alarmed. It seemed this cunning old man had already achieved a level of mastery that was nearly flawless. However, Tang Jie could also sense that while Chen Feng was indeed stronger than him, he had not yet reached the pinnacle of cultivation. At most, the sheer refinement of Chen Feng’s qi accounted for the immense force he could project.

With this understanding, Tang Jie formulated a plan. He could create a distraction to divert the old man’s attention and then wait for the right moment to strike.

With his plan set, Tang Jie drew his flexible sword and darted to the side, his figure flashing like an arc of lightning as he lunged toward Chen Feng. Chen Feng remained motionless, simply raising his hands and sweeping them towards the oncoming Tang Jie. Tang Jie immediately felt a powerful surge of air blocking his approach, and the force behind his sword was diminished by half. Quickly, he began mobilizing his qi, channeling true qi into the hand holding the sword. Only then was he able to counteract Chen Feng’s inner strength. With great effort, Tang Jie barely managed to hold his ground, locked in a standoff with Chen Feng’s imposing qi.

For a moment, the two opposing forces clashed and contended. Tang Jie began to feel a numbing pain spreading from his wrist as he gripped the sword, realizing that he wouldn’t be able to hold on much longer. Seizing the opportunity, he secretly mobilized qi in his free hand and sent a palm strike toward Chen Feng. Chen Feng dodged swiftly, and Tang Jie used the moment to retreat, stumbling slightly before stabilizing himself.

Tang Jie took a deep breath, realizing that just this brief confrontation with Chen Feng had consumed nearly half of his inner strength. As he worked to recover, he carefully observed Chen Feng and noticed that, although Chen Feng appeared calm, beads of sweat had already formed on his forehead.

“Hmph! You don’t know the limits of your own capability. Admit defeat now, and you might still have a chance,” Chen Feng said mockingly as he watched Tang Jie gasping for air. Tang Jie, however, let out a cold laugh and retorted bluntly, “For someone your age to be struggling against someone decades younger than you, aren’t you ashamed? If it were me, I’d have smashed my head into a wall already out of embarrassment!”

“You insolent brat! I’ll make sure to kill you today!” Chen Feng roared in anger, clearly provoked by Tang Jie’s taunt. Tang Jie had intentionally enraged him, having realized that while Chen Feng had consumed less energy than he had, the old man was also pushing his limits. Tang Jie knew that, despite Chen Feng’s superior inner strength, the man’s advanced age was catching up with him. Those old bones couldn’t hold out much longer. Soon enough, he’d be panting just as much as Tang Jie.

With this thought, Tang Jie felt his confidence swell. Today, he vowed, he would take down this old man. As the two engaged again, Tang Jie decided to avoid a head-on clash of inner strength. He knew that continuing in such a manner would only cause him to drain his own reserves faster than Chen Feng. Instead, he began strategizing, alternating between striking and defending, all the while searching for just the right opening to unleash the sky-turning needle and finish this old fox once and for all.

Besides, everyone else had already been taken out, leaving only this old man standing. Tang Jie wasn’t in a rush-he would bide his time, whittling him down, patiently playing this game.

With this plan in mind, Tang Jie’s focus began to waver as he deliberately held back. Chen Feng, unaware that Tang Jie was looking for the perfect opportunity to unleash the sky-turning needle, assumed that Tang Jie had exhausted his true qi and reached his limit. Seizing the moment, Chen Feng leaped forward, closing the distance, and engaged in fierce close-quarters combat with Tang Jie.

Tang Jie decided to play along, matching Chen Feng’s strikes while slowly retreating, putting on the appearance of someone attempting to flee.

Chen Feng pursued relentlessly, each of his attacks carrying sharp, deadly intent. When Tang Jie’s retreat brought him to the staircase, he knew the opportunity he had been waiting for was at hand. Just as before, he suddenly focused and gathered his true qi, launching a powerful strike toward Chen Feng. He then sprang into the air and, mid-leap, unleashed the sky-turning needle directly at his opponent.

To his astonishment, however, Chen Feng appeared to have anticipated this move entirely. With a practiced ease that left Tang Jie stunned, Chen Feng neutralized the attack as if it were nothing.

For a split second, Tang Jie froze, caught off guard. Before he could recover, a wave of immense force from Chen Feng’s palm wind barreled toward him. Already weakened from using the sky-turning needle, and with his true qi momentarily depleted, Tang Jie was unable to react in time. The palm wind struck his shoulder with a numbing, searing pain, nearly sending him crashing into the wall. At the last possible moment, he managed to recover just a trace of true qi and barely landed on his feet. However, his left shoulder was now injured, and his left arm had lost all strength.

Seeing Tang Jie hurt, Chen Feng’s face broke into a smug grin. Meanwhile, Tang Jie felt a creeping sense of unease. How could Chen Feng have known in advance that he would use the sky-turning needle? Could someone have tipped him off beforehand?

Before Tang Jie could untangle his suspicions, Chen Feng exploited the opening and launched another attack. This strike carried overwhelming force, the kind of power meant to crush everything in its path. With no escape route behind him, Tang Jie could only grit his teeth and muster what little true qi he had regained, barely managing to block Chen Feng’s devastating palm strike.

A heavy, dull pain spread through his chest, and Tang Jie knew he’d been injured again. For a moment, despair crept into his mind-was this it? Was he about to be killed here? But then, from the corner of his eye, he noticed the sweat now streaming down Chen Feng’s face. After unleashing that massive strike, Chen Feng seemed visibly drained, no longer able to gather the strength for another attack.

Tang Jie understood immediately-Chen Feng, like himself, had exhausted his inner strength. After prolonged exchanges at such an intense level, even the most seasoned masters would experience the same outcome: their inner strength would take longer and longer to recover with each use.

Recognizing his chance, Tang Jie ignored the burning pain in his chest and shoulder. Gritting his teeth, he swiftly began gathering his true qi in his dantian. Quietly mobilizing qi, he funneled it into his one uninjured arm.

Simultaneously, Chen Feng noticed Tang Jie’s actions and adjusted his stance, planting his feet firmly on the ground. He lowered his center of gravity, his knees subtly bending. His hands extended outward, only to slowly draw back toward his core as he too began gathering his true qi.

Tang Jie knew exactly what this meant. It all came down to this final clash-one last strike to decide the victor.

Both Tang Jie and Chen Feng focused simultaneously, channeling their true qi to restore their inner strength. However, Tang Jie quickly noticed that he was a full second faster than Chen Feng. A cold smirk tugged at the corners of his lips-one second was all he needed to secure victory.

Without hesitation, Tang Jie propelled himself off the ground, leaping into the air with unmatched precision. As his body twisted mid-air, he gathered every last bit of his remaining true qi for one final, earth-shattering strike: the earth-piercing needle, a devastating upgrade to the sky-turning needle. The earth-piercing needle was twice as powerful and covered an area nearly double that of its predecessor, firing off a barrage of needle-like energy that blanketed the battlefield.

Seeing Tang Jie unleash this technique, Chen Feng’s expression shifted from composure to shock. He was a split second too late to respond, and the sheer ferocity of the earth-piercing needle forced him to halt his initial attack. With lightning speed, Chen Feng abandoned his palm wind and dodged backward, but some of the energy needles still struck him.

Delight flashed across Tang Jie’s face as he saw Chen Feng faltering. Sensing his chance, he surged forward, determined to finish off the old man. His body moved like a coiled spring ready to unleash its full striking force. However, his focus on Chen Feng blinded him to the danger behind him-a critical oversight. By the time he noticed the faint chill of an unseen force approaching, it was too late. As he turned his head, a cold, powerful energy slammed into him, sending a shockwave through his body.

At that very moment, Chen Feng, though wounded by the earth-piercing needle and suffering only minor injuries, saw his opportunity. With a swift motion, he launched a palm strike to Tang Jie’s exposed back, exploiting his moment of vulnerability.

Tang Jie, caught in a dire situation, found himself surrounded by attacks. Having exhausted every drop of his true qi and inner strength to execute the earth-piercing needle, he was unable to dodge. Chen Feng’s palm wind struck him squarely, forcing a fiery wave of heat to rise in his chest. A mouthful of fresh blood spilled from Tang Jie’s lips as he staggered and collapsed to the ground.

Summoning the final remnants of his true qi, Tang Jie barely managed to steady himself, avoiding a complete fall. He didn’t bother turning to Chen Feng-there was no need. He could already sense that Chen Feng’s earlier palm strike was noticeably weaker. The earth-piercing needle had clearly inflicted some damage on the older man. Additionally, much like himself, Chen Feng had consumed too much energy and would need time to recover.

As Tang Jie regained his footing, his gaze slowly shifted toward the direction from which the surprise attack had originated. In the shadows of the dimly lit room stood a figure, their cold eyes locked on him like a predator sizing up its prey.

“So, sneak attacks are your style now? How despicable,” Tang Jie remarked, his tone sharp.

The figure in the shadows chuckled coldly but remained silent for a moment. Then, with deliberate movements, they stepped forward, allowing the dim light to reveal their appearance. They were dressed in casual attire-a jacket on top and black pants below-an outfit that was distinctly different from that of the Chen family. Furthermore, the person wore a mask, concealing their identity entirely.

Tang Jie studied the individual closely, his sharp instincts telling him that this person was likely not aligned with the Chen family.

“Hmph,” the masked stranger scoffed, their disdain palpable. They didn’t bother replying to Tang Jie’s accusation.

Tang Jie examined his opponent’s eyes. The icy gaze was filled with derision and indifference, as if mocking him without words. The message was clear: You’re already as good as dead-why waste your breath calling me despicable?