Chapter 45: What Kind of Rhythm Is This?
Chapter 45: What Kind of Rhythm Is This?
“Brother Biao!”
“Brother Biao!”
Hearing Tang Jinbiao’s words, gleams sparkled in Tang Bi and the others’ eyes as they gazed at him once more with near-worshipful adoration.
“Haha, don’t worry! Who else am I but your Brother Biao? Leave the wine here! Let your Brother Biao go lop off that bastard’s dog head first!”
Tang Jinbiao always felt his combat power surge uncontrollably whenever he saw that look in these youngsters’ eyes. His heart swelled with immense satisfaction. At this moment, he felt like Lord Guan himself, brewing the wine while preparing to defeat Hua Xiong. Slapping Tang Bi on the shoulder, he proclaimed with boundless swagger.
“Brother Biao!”
“Brother Biao!”
Tang Bi and the others were utterly swept away, almost dizzy with blind adoration for Tang Jinbiao.
“Ha! No farewells needed, my lads! Your great king is off to capture this Tang Seng!”
In this instant, Tang Jinbiao seemed to feel like a mighty demon king, setting out to capture the Tang monk.
“Tang Seng?”
“Why capture Tang Seng?”
Puzzled expressions crossed the young boys’ faces. Even a few people not far from them glanced over, seeming curious.
“Err…”
Tang Jinbiao snapped back to reality immediately. This was the Tang Family – someone named Tang Seng might actually exist here. Slightly exasperated, he quickly amended his statement, “Little brothers, fear not! Brother Biao is going to settle the score for you right now!”
Having said that, Tang Jinbiao pushed off the ground with one foot and sprang up in a great leap, landing directly onto the Platform Stage. As he soared, he shouted at the top of his lungs, “Hold your blade!”
“Brother Biao!”
“Brother Biao!”
The small boys watched Tang Jinbiao’s cool, departing figure, already bordering on ecstasy. Their eyes held nothing but pure adoration—only the words ‘worship’ remained!
“Hmm?”
“What’s that kid trying to do?”
However, the moment Tang Jinbiao leapt up, several attendees in the gathering noticed his abrupt move. Furrows creased their brows, their faces showing clear confusion and bewilderment.
Whoosh!
Tang Jinbiao landed firmly on the Platform Stage and stood stock-still, turning his gaze towards Tang Shan. He spoke in a superior, condescending tone, “Lowly Mortal! Do you not kneel before your master?”
“Eh? It’s you!” Tang Shan paused his actions upon seeing Tang Jinbiao storm onto the stage. His brows knitted together as he stared at Tang Jinbiao, clearly perplexed.
Tang Jinbiao stood there, head arrogantly held high, chest puffed out, the very picture of haughty pride. An expression of profound disdain was etched onto his face as he folded his arms across his chest.
“Hmph! Mortal! Kneel before your Brother Biao, the Great Demon King! Do you seek death?” Tang Jinbiao’s mind was already overheated, nearly bordering on that same heedless realm. In this instant, he truly seemed like a Great Demon King, his words dripping with contempt.
“B-bro… ther… Biao…” The severely beaten Tang Hu, barely recognizable, seemed to sense Tang Jinbiao’s presence and managed a faint, groaning whisper.
Hmm?
Tang Shan knitted his brows deeply, still unable to grasp the situation. He glanced back at the group on the Elders’ Podium. Yet, each Elder there sat with brows furrowed and heads lowered in deep contemplation; none seemed to be paying the least bit of attention to the Platform Stage. He then scanned the expressions of the surrounding crowd. Seeing that apart from Tang Bi and his few companions, whose faces were flushed with excitement, everyone else wore similar dumbfounded looks, a flicker of understanding finally dawned on him.
“Ohhh! So that’s how it is! Haha!”
Realization struck Tang Shan instantly, blossoming into a radiantly bright smile. He had been agonizing over lacking an opportunity to deal with Tang Jinbiao, and now, unexpectedly, Tang Jinbiao had delivered himself right to Tang Shan’s doorstep.
If one sentence could encapsulate Tang Shan’s emotional journey at this precise moment, it would undoubtedly be: Happiness arrived far too suddenly!
“Hmph, Mortal. Are you not kneeling down yet?”
Tang Jinbiao maintained his mask of utter disdain, giving a scornful snort as he challenged.
“Bi— Aah!”
Tang Hu had barely started to groan when Tang Shan, wielding the Flying Sword Spiritual Treasure once more, struck him with a brutal, club-like blow, flinging him clear off the Platform Stage.
“Heh heh. I never expected you’d actually dare to come up here. Seems you don’t know what ‘death’ even means, do you? Why do I see the character for ‘death’ hovering right above your head?”
Tang Shan slowly retracted the Flying Sword, advancing deliberately towards Tang Jinbiao. A sneer curled at the corner of his mouth as he spoke.
“Holy shit!”
“Damn, the world’s gone mad!”
“What kind of beat is this?”
“This is the beat straight to heaven!”
Witnessing Tang Hu being hurled off the platform instantly clarified the situation for the onlookers below. Tang Jinbiao was here to challenge Tang Shan! And this wasn’t just any challenge, nor a simple cross-layer challenge – this was a cross-stage challenge!
What did that signify?
Put simply, it was like a first-grade elementary school student itching to pick a fight with a first-grade junior high school student!
This realization hit the crowd like a bolt of lightning. A wave of utter shock, beyond measure, swept over them. But mere moments later, the shock erupted into a frenzy of fervent, surging cheers.
“Brother Biao!”
“Brother Biao, you’re the most handsome!”
“Brother Biao, smash him!”
“Brother Biao, destroy the world!”
“Brother Biao!”
The memories of Tang Jinbiao fighting one against two the previous day flooded their minds. They began screaming their support wildly, almost insanely. Some voices even became hoarse from the strain.
Of course, much of this shouting was laced with mockery. After all, just yesterday, Tang Jinbiao had struggled immensely against two mere Qi Condensation Fourth Layer cultivators, resorting to using an Elixir bottle as a weapon. Now, facing someone at the Late Foundation Building Stage? It was even less plausible than throwing an egg against a stone.
But the crowd didn’t care. As long as there was drama, they would fan the flames — a tendency not unlike the world Tang Jinbiao once knew.
“Brother Biao!”
“Brother Biao!”
Tang Bi and the others quickly dragged Tang Hu back. They didn’t rush to seek treatment for him immediately, instead choosing to focus eagerly on the spectacle they anticipated unfolding within Tang Jinbiao.
“Heh heh. Trash, so you’ve come hoping to humiliate me too?”
Tang Shan continued his slow, deliberate approach towards Tang Jinbiao, the sneering smile never leaving his face. He deliberately emphasized the word “humiliate” with biting clarity.
He already harbored an immense hatred for Tang Jinbiao, but never found an opportunity to deal with him. Now that Tang Jinbiao had delivered himself to his doorstep, he decided to vent his fury in the simplest, most brutal way possible. He intended to personally teach this whelp a lesson with his own fists. His previous match with Tang Yilin had ended in an unwilling defeat, leaving him bitter yet helpless. Tang Hu had consequently become the target for his pent-up rage, so Tang Hu was instantly beaten to a pulp the moment he stepped up.
Seeing Tang Jinbiao take the stage now, he didn’t want this to end too quickly. He planned to first overwhelm Tang Jinbiao with sheer presence, to instill terror and paralyze any will to resist. Only then would torturing him be truly satisfying and meaningful. Despite Tang Jinbiao being nothing but trash with a combat power of five even at full strength, he relished the thought of crushing him precisely this way.
“Ha! Ha!”
Tang Shan stepped closer, seemingly tasting Tang Jinbiao’s inner dread already. He saw visions of Tang Jinbiao pleading on his knees, wailing for mercy like a terrified child. He couldn’t suppress his laughter.
“Hmph! Shake in fear, Mortal!”
Tang Jinbiao remained outwardly aloof, yet as Tang Shan narrowed the gap, cold sweat formed within. Inside his mind, a fierce argument raged between him and Huang Biaozi.
“Fuck! Huang Biaozi! Why aren’t you fucking possessing me already? You wanna watch me get beaten to death?!”
Tang Jinbiao felt Tang Shan’s approach like tangible pressure—an invisible force bearing down on him. His pretended composure was cracking. Clearly, he was playing tough!
“Bah! Didn’t you insist on proving your own strength first? Why back out now?”
Huang Biaozi seemed displeased by Tang Jinbiao’s flip-flop. They’d agreed earlier that against an ordinary Qi Condensation Cultivator, Huang Biaozi wouldn’t assist. This was Tang Jinbiao’s chance to grasp the benefits of Body Refining through battle. But then Tang Bi and others whispered a few taunts, and Tang Jinbiao just charged in.
“Shut the fuck up! Save it for later! My goon got beaten—you think I’d tolerate that?! Possess me NOW! I’ll teach this little fucker a lesson! Daring to intimidate ME?!”
Sweat beaded Tang Jinbiao’s brow. Tang Shan was barely seven steps away when—suddenly—Tang Shan froze in place.
“Mortal! On your knees NOW!”
Tang Jinbiao bellowed, his voice sharp with feigned authority.
“Heh heh…”
Tang Shan relished the satisfaction of seeing Tang Jinbiao’s terror. A smirk twisted his lips. But the next moment, he clutched his chest, face contorting. In a pitiful whine, he pleaded, “Aiyo! I’m soooo scared, Brother Biao! Brother Biao! Please don’t hit me! Xiao Shan knows his error! Spare this humble one, sir!”
“Fuck!”
Seeing Tang Shan putting on an act, Tang Jinbiao silently swore. He urged Huang Biaozi again, “Huang Biaozi! No more bullshit! Possess me, damn it! I must tear this fake-apology clown apart, pretending in MY face?! He’s got a fucking death wish! I am the Acting Genius here! I deserve the Olympic fucking stage!”
“I…”
Huang Biaozi was speechless.
“Huang Biaozi! For fuck’s sake, hurry! He’s coming!”
Tang Jinbiao’s legs trembled; Tang Shan resumed pacing towards him, scorn and mockery dripping from his smirk.
“I… Fine. But this time, I won’t possess you. Instead, I shall impart enlightenment. For one quarter-hour, you will wield the might of the Three-Step Great Power—the strength rivaling Divine Realm’s Celestial General! This realm I name Substantive Utterance. It marks the third stage of the Way of Deception, the true turning point! Only upon reaching it does deception become an art! Speak, and your word becomes divine decree! Speak, and it manifests as truth! Whatever you proclaim shall BE!” Huang Biaozi paused briefly, then his expression hardened into solemnity. Yellow light radiated from him as countless chains formed of glowing sigils shot into Tang Jinbiao’s mind…