Demonic King of the Metropolis - Chapter 36 - First Meeting with an Ancient Martial Master! Part 1

Inside a room at Blue Bay Apartment, Tang Jie stood on the balcony, his gaze fixed on the bright red Maserati below, until it disappeared from view. He then slowly turned and went back inside.

“Hmm?”

In the living room, Tang Jie suddenly stopped in his tracks, his eyebrows slightly furrowed. He looked towards the door, and after a moment, a slight smile formed at the corner of his mouth. He exclaimed, “To think that in such an ordinary world, there exists such a powerful master!”

After saying this, Tang Jie resumed his usual demeanor, walked back into his room, changed into a new set of clothes, and with a slight smile, opened the door and headed to the roof of the apartment.

“The air is so fresh!” At the rooftop, Tang Jie spread his arms wide, took a deep breath, and said leisurely, “The friend hiding in the shadows, aren’t you tired?”

“Whoosh…”

Aside from Tang Jie’s voice, there was only the sound of the wind blowing past, no sign of anyone else. To the unaware, it might seem like Tang Jie was rambling to himself.

“Unwilling to show yourself, huh.” Tang Jie narrowed his eyes, a wicked smile flashing across his face, and suddenly turned to look towards a dark corner behind him.

“Young man, you are too confident!”

From the dark corner, an aged voice spoke up. As the words ended, a figure slowly emerged: an elder dressed in a tattered gray Daoist robe, his long hair tied up, with white at his temples, slowly walked out.

“Pfft!”

Seeing this, Tang Jie couldn’t help but grin and pointed at the elder emerging from the darkness, laughing, “I say, old man, what are you playing at? Dressed like someone from ancient times, did you travel here from the past?”

The elder frowned slightly and responded, “Hold your tongue! My surname is Pang, first name Guang, and I am a genuine modern-day person. You must be Tang Jie, right?”

As he spoke, a powerful aura emanated from the elder, waves of oppressive energy rolled towards Tang Jie.

“Pang Guang? Bladder¹?”

“Haha…” Tang Jie burst out laughing again, “What a unique name you have! Pang Guang, bladder! Haha…”

Pang Guang watched Tang Jie clutching his stomach and bending over with laughter, his face shifting from a gentle expression to an icy coldness in an instant, a murderous intent fleeting through his eyes as he coldly said, “Hmph, Tang Jie, keep laughing, but soon you won’t be able to!”

Hearing this, Tang Jie stopped laughing, slowly straightened up, and asked, “Are you here to kill me?”

“Guess!” Suddenly, Pang Guang’s aged face broke into a slight smile as he slowly replied.

“Guess if I’m guessing?” Tang Jie shrugged, countering the question.

“No need to guess, I’m indeed here to kill you!” Angered by Tang Jie’s mockery and his earlier laughter, Pang Guang’s rage ignited, his aura surging as an oppressive presence swept over.

“Truly an ancient martial artist, and a master at that!” Feeling the aura Pang Guang released, Tang Jie nodded silently in confirmation, slowly saying.

“Prepare to die!” Ignoring Tang Jie’s murmur, Pang Guang’s aura surged, and in his hand appeared a willow leaf sword, thin as a cicada’s wing, its blade as soft as cotton, fluttering rapidly with the cold wind and emitting bursts of chilling light.

In the moment Tang Jie regained his senses, Pang Guang had already charged up to him, flicking his wrist, and the supple blade of the sword instantly straightened, its sharp edge thrusting straight towards Tang Jie’s face.

Just as the sword was about to reach less than a meter from Tang Jie, he slightly moved, sidestepping Pang Guang’s attack and stepping aside, leaving Pang Guang lunging at empty air.

“Well done, lad, you indeed have some skills to dodge my attack, but no matter how strong you are, you’re still just a mere mortal,” Pang Guang said, not discouraged by his missed strike, but instead smiling with interest. “Tang Jie, if there’s anyone to blame, it’s your own unfortunate fate, to leave this beautiful world so young; I truly pity you!”

“Who sent you?” Tang Jie’s face showed no emotion as he dodged Pang Guang’s attack and then asked.

“A dying man doesn’t need to know that,” Pang Guang sneered, “but since you’re about to meet the King of Hell, I’ll satisfy your last wish. Remember, the one who wants your life is Young Master Wang!”

With that, Pang Guang’s aura surged again, stronger than before, making it clear that he had been concealing his true strength.

“Wang Shiwen!” Tang Jie’s lips twitched as he muttered to himself, then noticing the aura emanating from Pang Guang, his face showed a hint of surprise, “Acquired Realm!”

“I really don’t understand why the head of the family insists that I must use all my strength to kill a mere mortal!” Pang Guang thought bitterly as he charged toward Tang Jie, clearly dissatisfied.

In his eyes, Tang Jie was less than an ant. Using all his strength to kill him felt like an insult, but, owing a debt of gratitude, Pang Guang had no choice!

Tang Jie stood still, expressionless, locked in place by Pang Guang’s imposing presence, waiting obediently for his judgment. This thought brought a slight smile to Pang Guang’s gaunt face.

“Mock me, will you!”

As he spoke, his willow leaf sword flashed with a cold light as he swung it at Tang Jie, a sword sound tearing through the air.

“Clang…”

To Pang Guang’s surprise, Tang Jie managed to block his attack. At that moment, a look of caution appeared in Pang Guang’s eyes.

“Are you also an ancient martial artist?”

Stepping back, Pang Guang, holding the willow leaf sword, stared at Tang Jie and asked.

“Old man, how much did Wang Shiwen give you to make it worth your while to fight so hard for him?” Tang Jie didn’t answer Pang Guang’s question but instead asked one of his own.

“Hmph!” Seeing that Tang Jie didn’t respond to his question but instead questioned him, Pang Guang’s relaxed nerves tightened slightly, and he slowly said, “I thought you were just a normal person, but it turns out you’re also an ancient martial artist. In that case, I don’t need to hide my strength anymore!”

With that, Pang Guang burst out laughing, his aura soaring once again. If someone were there, they would see a white radiance swirling around him.

“Acquired true qi!” Seeing this, Tang Jie murmured softly, shook his head, and spoke no more. With a flick of his right hand, a sharp cold light flashed under the dark night sky, and a nearly two-meter-long sword appeared in his hand.

With a push off his feet, Tang Jie charged at Pang Guang, and the two quickly engaged in combat. From initially hiding his strength, Pang Guang gradually revealed his Acquired Realm capabilities.

However, the more they fought, the more terrified he became. Every move he made was just a hair’s breadth from taking Tang Jie’s life, all cleverly dodged by Tang Jie. Once or twice might be luck, but every time? This stirred a sense of unease in him.

Footnote:

1. Bladder(膀胱): In Chinese, “Pang Guang” sounds similar to “膀胱” (páng guāng), which means “bladder.” This phonetic similarity is the source of Tang Jie’s amusement.