Shen Daofeng was still in a daze, but Shen Lang's eyes were already fixed on his armor.
To redirect the ferocious gust from that punch, Shen Lang had used "Transplanting and Grafting," a powerful Cultivation Technique from his memories. Though it was a last-minute resort, it had worked. Using a sledgehammer to crack a nut might have been overkill, but it was the best technique available to handle the situation.
As for the Sky-splitting Python's Gang Feng, a day ago, he would have had no choice but to dodge such a ferocious attack.
But now, with the memories of another life in his mind, he knew the Sky-splitting Python's Level, including its attacks and the very structure of its Gang Feng.
The Sky-splitting Python would create its Gang Feng by taking a deep breath, rapidly contracting the muscles in its neck to compress the air, and then spitting it out. On the surface, the Gang Feng looked like nothing more than a pitch-black mass, but it was actually a hollow sphere. On its surface were patterns most people would never notice. By following these patterns with just a tiny amount of Spiritual Qi, one could completely dispel the Gang Feng.
In those memories, Shen Lang's knowledge wasn't limited to the Sky-splitting Python; he had even performed anatomical research on many powerful Demon Beasts...
In any case, the War Emperor in his memories was a master of Alchemy, Artifact Refining, and Talisman Making. He had reached the Peak Realm in every one of these fields, achieving a level of power that was simply astonishing.
Now, Shen Lang stared at the Black Gold Iron Armor Shen Daofeng was wearing and couldn't help but shake his head and sneer. How could such an inferior Magical Artifact possibly be worthy of his notice? From the defensive shield of light that had flared up from the previous kick, he had already seen the armor's flaws with perfect clarity.
The Black Gold Iron Armor was forged by forcibly smelting black gold and refined iron together. It was like forcing a rooster and a duck to marry. An armor this shoddily made would practically fall apart on its own if it suffered a slightly stronger blow.
But that wasn't the main issue. The real key was the Spirit Array Map inside the Black Gold Iron Armor.
Originally, this armor was just an ordinary Magical Artifact, little more than common weaponry, and nowhere near the level of a Spiritual Artifact. However, the Artifact Refiner who forged it probably wanted to boost its power and forcibly carved a simple Spirit Array Map inside.
As a result, the Black Gold Iron Armor appeared to have greatly increased Defense Power, and anyone who saw it would reveal looks of envy and jealousy...
Too bad it ran into Shen Lang.
In Shen Lang's eyes, the Spirit Array Map inside this shoddy armor was just as unstable. By infusing just a little Spiritual Power into the starting point where the Spirit Array Map was drawn, he could instantly disrupt it. This would cause chaos from the inside out, using the Energy within the Spirit Array Map to make the armor disintegrate and become useless in an instant.
Others didn't know any of this, so as they watched Shen Lang walk toward Shen Daofeng step by step, they stared intently, assuming he would take advantage of the momentum and launch a ferocious assault.
Shen Lang didn't attack. He simply held two fingers of his right hand together and smiled as he walked. "Showing up in a piece of scrap metal like this... you're a disgrace to the Shen Family. Is your household really that poor?"
"Sc... scrap metal? Fine! You really think you can destroy my Black Gold Iron Armor with two fingers? Come on! I'll stand right here and watch you try! If you can destroy my armor with two fingers, I'll kowtow to you three times!" Shen Daofeng seemed utterly provoked, and he roared like a madman.
It was no wonder. The Black Gold Iron Armor was a possession he was extremely proud of and had not been easy to obtain. In his eyes, Shen Lang was nothing but scum—the kind of worthless trash that couldn't even be put on display.
At this moment, watching Shen Lang walk over so leisurely, the surrounding crowd broke into discussion again.
He had already shocked the crowd twice in a row, and now, a good number of people were starting to think he was telling the truth.
Some thought he was courting death. The moment his fingers touched the armor, the immense recoil would instantly shatter them!
Others, however, were extremely curious to see if he could actually breach the armor's defense...
That's right—breach it, not destroy it.
Destroying it would be insane... That was the Black Gold Iron Armor! Any fool knew that it would take the Cultivation of at least a Qi Martial Realm Third Heaven expert to break through its defense! 'You're just a piece of trash at the measly Power Martial Realm Second Heaven, with barely a wisp of Spiritual Qi in your body, and you want to use your fists—no, two fingers—to destroy this armor?'
'You think your fingers are a Spiritual Artifact?'
'If you can pierce through the Black Gold Iron Armor with two fingers, doesn't that mean... you could also just poke Shen Daofeng, a Power Martial Realm Ninth Heaven expert, to death with two fingers?'
'This has to be a joke, right? There's a limit to arrogance...'
At that moment, Shen Lang, who had now reached Shen Daofeng, shook his head in resignation. 'The Black Gold Iron Armor might be shoddy, but this wimp Shen Daofeng really doesn't deserve it.'
'It's a pity I haven't started my Cultivation with the techniques from my memories yet. My strength is just too weak. Otherwise, why would I need to resort to such tricks?'
'I could have just poked him to death with one finger and been done with it!'
'Why would I need to find the armor's flaw and go to all this trouble?'
"Messing with me was the biggest mistake of your life." With almost no pause, Shen Lang let out a faint laugh and casually poked with his two fingers at a spot slightly to the right of the center on the lower part of the armor. If one looked closely at that spot, they would notice its color was slightly different from the rest—a grayish-white patch about the size of a fingernail.
Everyone's eyes were glued to Shen Lang's fingers. They saw that the moment his fingers touched the armor, a flash of Spirit Light appeared and then vanished!
And then... then, there was no other reaction!
The scene they had imagined—his two fingers being shattered by the recoil—didn't happen. Nor did the armor fall apart.
"BOO!" The crowd let out a collective jeer.
"Hahaha, you piece of trash, you were just trying to bluff me! Good thing I'm smart and didn't fall for it! Now you can be the one to kowtow to me three times!" Shen Daofeng, who had been quite nervous just a moment ago, burst into wild laughter again.
"Idiot," Shen Lang cursed before shrugging and turning to walk away.
Shen Daofeng was furious. "You cunning piece of trash, you dare curse me? I'll kill you!"
Furious, Shen Daofeng swung his right fist toward Shen Lang. The air cracked with the force of the blow, and the surrounding crowd cried out in alarm, as the two were now far too close.
However, just as Shen Daofeng's fist shot out, a "CRACK" was heard. The Black Gold Iron Armor, which had been perfectly intact, suddenly developed several fissures. Then, to the absolute disbelief of the crowd, a few more CRACKS sounded as it fell to pieces, shattering into several large chunks that clattered to the ground!
At that same moment, Shen Lang ducked, spun around, and slammed a fist into Shen Daofeng's now-unprotected abdomen, sending his bulky body flying through the air!
The next second, Shen Lang, who was in a low crouch, pushed off the ground with legs like springs. He launched into the air, and though he had moved second, he arrived first. High above, he raised his right leg over his head and brought it down in a vicious axe kick, striking Shen Daofeng on the head!
PFFT!
Shen Daofeng sprayed a mouthful of blood as he slammed violently onto the ground, knocked unconscious.
The Martial Power Realm couldn't compare to the Qi Martial Realm, after all. Experts at the Qi Martial Realm could already condense Spiritual Armor outside their bodies. But if a Martial Power Realm Martial Artist's armor was removed, they had very little protection left—especially not for their head.
"Second Young Master!" The few of Shen Daofeng's lackeys who could still move screamed and rushed forward.
Shen Lang lifted his foot and stomped on Shen Daofeng's back, causing him to spray blood once more. He then looked coldly at the charging group, extended his right hand, and pointed at them one by one. "If you want to die, I'll oblige you. If you don't, then stand right there and don't move."
His voice was devoid of any emotion. It was quiet, but the chill within it sent a shiver down the spine of everyone nearby.
If they hadn't seen him, just hearing that voice would have made them think it belonged to a powerful expert forged in slaughter. His tone carried an extreme, unshakable confidence and the icy chill of ruthless decisiveness.
To defy him felt like it would invite utter annihilation, where nothing and no one would be left behind.
At this moment, the crowd had even forgotten one thing: the Shen Lang standing before them was merely a piece of trash at the Power Martial Realm Second Heaven, a famous-for-being-useless waste in both Celestial Phoenix City and Tayun Academy...
The group that had been about to charge forward instinctively froze in their tracks. Some even took a couple of steps back!
Shen Lang nodded with satisfaction. Under everyone's watchful eyes, he bent down, plucked the Sumeru Ring from Shen Daofeng's finger, wiped it on his clothes, and said leisurely, "Many of the academy's instructors can't even get a Sumeru Ring. You're far too ostentatious. You should learn to be more low-key."
He blew on the ring, then stuffed it into his own pocket and added, "See? I'm very low-key. I'm going to let everyone in the entire academy know just how low-key I am."
The people around looked at each other, but no one said a word. The scene was utterly bizarre.
He was certainly "low-key," snatching Shen Daofeng's ring in front of so many people with movements so natural it was as if he were just picking up a ring he himself had dropped.
Was this the same piece of trash they knew, the one who slept all day? The waste of space, Shen Lang, who couldn't cultivate?
"You... give Young Master Feng's ring back! Or don't blame us for getting rough!" one of them said, mustering his courage to step forward. It seemed there was at least one loyal lackey among Shen Daofeng's cronies.
"Oh?" Shen Lang was amused. He obediently took the ring out of his pocket and then beckoned to the rather sturdy-looking youth.
A smug look appeared on the young man's face. Thinking he had intimidated Shen Lang, he strode over in just a few steps and reached out to grab the ring from his left hand.
Shen Lang's hand seemed to "slip," and the ring dropped right back into his pocket. He then smoothly grabbed the young man's wrist, pulled him off balance, and casually slapped him squarely across the face with his right hand.
"I was just showing it to you. Who said I was giving it to you?"
The youth was stunned, then started yelling hysterically, "You... you dare hit me? Do you know who my father is?"
"Well... it's definitely not me. You'll have to go home and ask your mom," Shen Lang said, looking annoyed. With a backhand slap, he sent the blockhead flying.
He might be considered trash, but a Power Martial Realm Second Heaven expert could still generate five to six hundred pounds of force with a single palm strike.
"Hahahaha..." The surrounding crowd roared with laughter.
"If you've had your fun, let him go. Why must you humiliate your own clansman like this?" A cold, clear voice cut through the air, silencing the crowd's laughter.
Shen Lang's gaze shifted to the side, and he saw Ye Qinghan walking out from the crowd.
The moment Ye Qinghan appeared, the entire area fell silent. It seemed most people were quite familiar with this favored daughter of Tayun Academy.
"And what if... I don't let him go?" The corners of Shen Lang's mouth curled into a wicked smile, his gaze holding a clear hint of provocation.