From Joy of Life, the Tian Gang is reversed

Chapter 556 One Battle Destroys the Bandits, Fang Han Battles the Goddess of Lightning (Two Chapters Combined)

The Five Prisons King Cauldron crashed through the concealed light barrier, its momentum suddenly decreased, and it hovered above the turbulent sea.

Li Chengqian scanned the area with his divine sense, and the scene outside the cauldron had changed drastically.

This was a desolate island, barren of all vegetation and composed entirely of black stones. On that black stone island, a figure caught his attention.

Fang Han!

Fang Han was no longer the lowly stable boy he once was in the Fang family of Longyuan Province. He wore a slightly oversized blue robe, a common garment among overseas rogue cultivators. His face still retained some of its former features, but his brows now held a weathered resolve and a subtle, almost imperceptible ruthlessness. His cultivation had actually reached the tenth level of the Divine Transformation Realm of Physical Body! Although still considered low-ranking among these cultivators at the Divine Power Realm, his sharp eyes and refined aura suggested he was a minor leader among the rogue cultivators, directing several subordinates in the urgent repair of the array nodes damaged by the Five Prisons King Cauldron.

"Interesting. He's become a rogue cultivator and even a subordinate of the Forty Thieves. It seems he won't be able to enter the Feathered Immortal Sect. I wonder if he's met Bai Haichan yet." Li Chengqian thought to himself. He wasn't too surprised that he could meet Fang Han. After all, he had even met Bai Haichan. He just had a sense of destiny, like "I knew it."

Fang Han's appearance here, especially with his Divine Transformation Realm cultivation, must have been due to some extraordinary encounter. However, the situation outside didn't give him much time to ponder...

"Hahahaha! The Five Prisons King Cauldron is indeed powerful. Juniors of the Feathered Ascension Sect, if you know what's good for you, obediently hand over the Five Prisons King Cauldron and the treasures on your bodies, and I might spare your corpses!" An arrogant voice came from the void. Immediately, a tall figure appeared. He was tall and thin, with a sinister face. He was surrounded by dazzling starlight and had a vast aura. He was clearly a minor giant in the Golden Core Realm. His eyes were greedily locked on the Five Prisons King Cauldron, as if he were looking at what was already in his pocket.

"You are... the Planet-Destroying Pirate?!"

Li Chengqian and Fang Qingxue's figures manifested outside the Five Prisons Cauldron, and they frowned slightly as they looked at the man in front of them.

"It is indeed I, brat from the Feathered Ascension Sect! Prepare to die!!"

The Star-Destroying Pirate raised his hand, unleashing a vast expanse of dazzling starlight that pressed down upon everything. Within the stars lay countless grains of sand, each grain emitting a thunderous roar, as if capable of blasting everything apart.

Stardust Refines Thunderous Qi!
As the vast expanse of starlight swept over, Li Chengqian sneered and directly met the Star Sand Refining Thunder Qi's domain with his physical body.

"You're courting death!" Seeing this, the Star-Destroying Bandit grinned maliciously, urging the sands of the sky to erupt instantly! Like billions of miniature stars exploding, countless bolts of dark lightning burst forth, carrying destructive power, like a cascading galaxy, engulfing Li Chengqian! The starlight was blinding, the thunder was muffled, and even space itself was distorted!

Faced with an attack powerful enough to instantly tear an ordinary Celestial Realm cultivator to shreds, Li Chengqian neither dodged nor evaded, but instead threw a punch in response.

"Life and death in the heavens, the cycle of rebirth never ends!"

He unleashed both fists simultaneously, unleashing the supreme fist intent of the Wheel of Life and Death! The enormous illusory wheel behind him reappeared, with the illusory images of the sun, moon, stars, gods, demons, immortals, and Buddhas rising and falling within it, and a terrifying will that controlled the cycle of all things and determined the lifespan of all beings crushed down!
boom! boom! boom!
The fist force clashed violently with the Star Sand Yin Lightning! There was no dazzling brilliance, only the purest and most savage clash of power! The Star Sand Yin Lightning, which was enough to annihilate the Qi, struck Li Chengqian's fist and produced a loud sound like metal clashing. The lightning was shaken away, bounced off, or even directly crushed by the fist's intent!

Li Chengqian remained unmoved amidst the stardust storm, his fists seemingly propelling the stars in the heavens to their revolving positions, blasting the dense stardust into vacuum zones!

His physical body was too powerful. After being tempered by the Taiyin Refining Technique and nourished by the immortal energy fed back by the World Tree sapling, the strength of his body had long been comparable to that of a true ancestor like Jiang Chen. It was indestructible and could withstand the Star Sand Refining Thunder Gang without being injured!
"What?! Your physical body?!" The Star Destroyer's pupils constricted, and for the first time, a look of shock appeared on his face. His signature supernatural power couldn't even break through the opponent's physical defenses?

"Starfall Thunder Explosion!" The Star-Destroying Bandit was both shocked and enraged. He bit his tongue, spitting out a mouthful of his life essence blood, which merged into the star sand. Instantly, the star sand shone brightly, and the power of Yin Thunder surged several times over, condensing into fist-sized star lightning balls. Like a meteor shower, carrying an even more terrifying aura of destruction, they rained down on Li Chengqian!

"A mere trick, yet you dare to show off your skills before an expert!" Li Chengqian laughed wildly, his fist stance unchanged, the will of the Wheel of Life and Death of the Heavens becoming more and more condensed, as if he had transformed into the master of the cycle of heaven and earth. Wherever the fist wind passed, those star lightning balls had not yet fully erupted, but were preemptively triggered by the fist intent, either deviating from their course or colliding and annihilating with each other, unable to get close!
Just then, a figure suddenly appeared, opened its mouth and spat out rolling yellow sand, which condensed into several huge sand pythons. Each one contained a vicious power that could devour the essence of living beings. They coiled around Li Chengqian's legs from different directions. At the same time, the suction force of the sand vortex increased greatly, trying to pull him down from the air.

"You cowardly rat hiding your head and tail, how dare you make a move?" Li Chengqian sneered, and stomped his right foot hard in the air! It was not a simple stomp, but contained the profound mystery of lotus blossoms with every step, and a magnificent, vast, and demon-suppressing Buddhist Zen aura burst forth!
hum!
The void seemed to turn golden, and a gigantic, illusory golden lotus bloomed beneath his feet, bathed in Buddhist light! The moment those giant sand pythons came into contact with the Buddhist light, they melted away like ice and snow meeting the spring sun, emitting a "sizzling" sound! The vortex of yellow sand below also paused for a moment!
Tathagata's Fist Manual: Every step brings forth a lotus!
"Buddhist supernatural powers?! Who exactly are you?!" From deep within the yellow sand came the voice of the Moon Pirate, filled with surprise and doubt.

"Kill your people!" Li Chengqian pressed his advantage relentlessly, his figure as swift as lightning as he charged towards the Star Destroyer Bandits in the Star Sand Domain! With the Wheel of Life and Death in his left hand and the Tathagata Fist Sutra in his right, he combined strength and gentleness, embodying both divinity and Buddhahood, perfectly unleashing two completely different supreme fist intents, causing the Star Destroyer Bandits to retreat step by step, their protective star energy constantly shattering!
On the other side, Fang Qingxue had also made her move. She did not leave the Five Prisons King Cauldron, but stood on the lid of the cauldron. With a light wave of her jade hand, the Purple Lightning Yin Thunder Blade transformed into countless purple lightning snakes, shooting with unparalleled accuracy towards the scattered cultivators who were forming an array around her!
Chichi, chichi, chichi——!
The power of thunder, supremely yang and unyielding, was the nemesis of these evil demons and heretics! Wherever the lightning snakes passed, the protective true energy and low-level magic treasures of those rogue cultivators were pierced and torn apart as easily as paper! Screams rose and fell, blood and flesh flew everywhere, and severed limbs rained down onto the sea. Fang Qingxue moved like lightning, weaving around the cauldron. With each strike, a rogue cultivator would die. Her cold face remained expressionless, like a lightning goddess reaping lives.

Fang Han, mingling among the rogue cultivators, witnessed his companions being slaughtered like weeds, and was filled with shock and rage. He desperately activated a strange power within his body, his figure flashing like a ghost, narrowly avoiding several deadly electric snakes. However, he was only at the Divine Transformation Realm, far too weak compared to Fang Qingxue, who was at the Divine Power Secret Realm. A sharp shockwave from an electric snake swept across his left shoulder, instantly tearing his skin open and leaving it charred black. He was struck as if by a heavy blow, coughing up blood and flying backward, crashing into the surging waves and instantly swept away, disappearing without a trace.

Fang Qingxue glanced in the direction Fang Han had disappeared but didn't give chase. She was simply curious why such an insignificant character gave her such a strange feeling.

However, being on the battlefield, she didn't think too much about it and continued to clear out the rogue cultivators on Black Stone Island beneath her feet.

In the center of the battlefield, the battle between Li Chengqian and the two Golden Core Realm bandits had reached a fever pitch. The Star Destroyer Bandit and the Moon Piercer Bandit finally realized they had met their match and dared not hold back any longer, unleashing a combined, deadly attack! "Stardust and Yellow Sand, Heaven and Earth Grieve Together!" The Star Destroyer Bandit and the hidden Moon Piercer Bandit's auras connected, and the Stardust Domain and the Ten Thousand Miles of Yellow Sand Technique began to merge! The power of stellar destruction and the intent of earth's demise intertwined, transforming into a chaotic domain, as if to reenact the cycle of earth, water, fire, and wind, reducing everything to nothingness! This was their trump card, a combined attack technique, its power comparable to a full-force strike from a peak Golden Core Realm expert!
"Well done! Perfect opportunity to test my newly acquired supernatural powers on you!" Li Chengqian's eyes flashed with a sharp light. Faced with this terrifying attack, he actually put away the Wheel of Life and Death and the Tathagata Fist Scripture, and formed a strange hand seal in front of his chest!

A terrifying aura, completely different from before and filled with the intent of absolute destruction, collapse, and disintegration of the origin of all things, suddenly erupted from his body!

Great Destruction Technique!

This is the Three Thousand Great Dao that I obtained from the Demon General, no, the Demonic Flower Ying Tianqing.

"Collapse! Annihilation!"

Li Chengqian let out a low shout and thrust his palms forward! A visible, twisted, and transparent wave of annihilation spread forward like a tide! Wherever it passed, space seemed to turn into fragile glass, shattering with a "crackling" sound! The chaotic domain, which had fused stardust and yellow sand, upon contact with the annihilation wave, began to disintegrate and annihilate inch by inch, like paper thrown into a shredder! The stardust turned to nothingness, and the yellow sand returned to dust!
"No—! This is... the Great Annihilation Technique?! How do you know such a supreme demonic power?!" The Star-Destroying Bandit roared in despair. His Star Sand Refined Thunder Qi was the first to be hit and was instantly disintegrated by the power of annihilation. He was struck as if by an invisible giant hammer. His golden core trembled violently, cracks appeared on its surface, and he spat out blood. His body flew backward like a kite with a broken string. His aura instantly weakened to the extreme. He was almost punched and his golden core was shattered!
The Moon Pirate hiding below was also in bad shape. His Ten Thousand Miles of Yellow Sand Technique was broken, and the backlash caused his blood and qi to churn. The Yellow Sand Domain collapsed, revealing a short, stocky figure with a yellowish complexion. He looked at Li Chengqian in shock, and without saying a word, he transformed into a beam of yellow light and was about to disappear into the seabed.

"Trying to leave? Leave something behind!" Li Chengqian wouldn't let him escape so easily. He threw a punch from a distance, the Tathagata's fist intent condensing into a golden fist aura, striking the Moon Pirate's back hard!
"Pfft!" Thorn Moon Thief also spat out a mouthful of blood. His protective aura shattered, his vest collapsed, and he was severely injured. However, he used the momentum to move even faster and instantly disappeared into the sea.

Two notorious Golden Core thieves, one severely injured and the other fleeing in defeat! Fang Qingxue also wiped out all the rogue cultivators under her command, leaving countless wreckage floating on the sea.

Li Chengqian did not pursue. Although his foundation was far stronger than that of ordinary cultivators, fighting two Golden Core cultivators head-on was still a considerable strain on him, and he needed to recuperate. When he returned to the Five Prisons King Cauldron, his breathing was slightly disordered.

Fang Qingxue came to his side and asked with concern, "Cousin, are you alright?"

"It's alright, those two good-for-nothings can't do anything to me." Li Chengqian waved his hand, his gaze fixed on the most intense part of the battle. The space there was extremely unstable, filled with fine black cracks, vaguely leading to some unknown place. Just now, he had used the Great Annihilation Technique, which collided with the combined attack of the two thieves. The power was so great that it had briefly torn apart the void.

Fang Qingxue also sensed a strange fluctuation emanating from the spatial rift, and a hint of doubt and inexplicable attraction flashed in her cold eyes.

"Qingxue, what did you sense?" Li Chengqian asked.

“It seems… something is calling to me, very faint, but very familiar…” Fang Qingxue said uncertainly, “It’s like… the aura of thunder, but even more ancient and chaotic.”

Li Chengqian's heart stirred, recalling Fang Qingxue's fortuitous encounter in the Ruins of Return in the original story. He made a quick decision: "This place is not safe to stay long. The commotion just now was too great and may have attracted even stronger beings. Since you sensed it, let's follow this spatial rift and take a look. Perhaps your opportunity has arrived."

He manipulated the Five Prisons King Cauldron, transforming it into a streak of dark light, and carefully entered the gradually shrinking spatial rift. With a flash of light, the King Cauldron vanished, leaving only the devastation of the battle and the gradually calming spatial ripples on the sea surface.

————I am a dividing line——————

Just as Li Chengqian and Fang Qingxue were piloting the Five Prison King Cauldrons into the spatial rift, on a remote island hundreds of miles away from the battlefield...

Fang Han was washed ashore on the rocks by the icy seawater. His left shoulder was a bloody mess, and his whole body ached as if his bones were falling apart. He struggled to sit up and looked around. It was a black reef, only a few feet in diameter, surrounded by the vast sea, with no sign of human habitation.

"Damn it... Feathered Ascension Sect... Fang Qingxue!" Fang Han gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with hatred and resentment. By chance, he obtained the inheritance of a deceased rogue cultivator and went through many hardships to cultivate to the Divine Transformation Realm. He finally managed to become a small leader under the Star Destroyer Bandits, thinking that he could take this opportunity to acquire resources and rise step by step. Unexpectedly, he encountered such an undeserved disaster and almost lost his life on the spot.

"Power! I need more power!" Fang Han clenched his fists, his nails digging deep into his palms. Without power, he would be at the mercy of others, just like today, with no chance to resist.

Just then, he suddenly heard a faint groan. Looking in the direction of the sound, he saw a man in black, covered in blood and barely breathing, wedged in a crevice in the rocks. The man had an ordinary face, but his eyes were unusually deep. If Li Chengqian were here, he would definitely recognize him as Bai Haichan, who had mysteriously disappeared from the hands of the Taiyi Sect and the Qunxing Sect!
At this moment, Bai Haichan seemed to have suffered some incomprehensible severe injury. His life force was like a candle flickering in the wind, a hundred times weaker than when he was outside Bixue Island.

Fang Han's heart skipped a beat, and he cautiously approached. He could sense that this person was extraordinary; although severely injured and on the verge of death, the last trace of his life force still made him uneasy.

Bai Haichan seemed to sense someone approaching. He opened his eyes with difficulty and saw Fang Han. A complex and incomprehensible light flashed in his cloudy eyes. There was bewilderment, surprise, and also a trace of... fatalistic understanding.
“Little…boy…you…come here…” Bai Haichan’s voice was hoarse and intermittent, as if he might die at any moment.

P.S.: Oh no, there was some repetition in the previous draft. It has been corrected now. It was 300 words short, which will be added in later chapters.

(End of this chapter)