Inspection Bureau.
In the main hall.
As Hong Minghu's aura erupted, the entire room fell silent, with no one daring to make a sound.
Those standing before him felt as if they were facing a raging tidal wave, their bodies swaying unsteadily.
Yet, one person remained unfazed, a kind smile still on his face.
This person was none other than Liu Linmen, the leader of the Yellow Heaven Sect.
After a few breaths.
The invisible pressure receded like a tide, disappearing in an instant.
"Commander Hong, what a display of skill! Such profound internal energy!" Liu Linmen said calmly. "I had heard from others that Commander Hong reached the fifth grade through external means, mastering internal energy."
"Now it seems that rumor may not be true!"
At this moment.
Hong Minghu looked at the composed leader of the Yellow Heaven Sect, his heart growing increasingly heavy.
His earlier move had been intended to intimidate Liu Linmen.
But as his internal energy pressure subsided, he realized he still couldn't gauge Liu Linmen's true strength.
The full force of his internal energy had been directed at Liu Linmen.
The others had merely been caught in the periphery.
Yet, even the peripheral effects showed the immense power of his internal energy pressure.
Those affected swayed unsteadily, their faces flushed, on the verge of collapse.
But when the pressure landed on Liu Linmen, it was like a gentle breeze brushing against a mountain ridge, unable to move him in the slightest.
This display instantly left Hong Minghu uncertain.
Just how far had Liu Linmen progressed?
Was his internal energy like a river?
A sea?
An abyss?
Or even more profound?
After a moment of contemplation, Hong Minghu's thoughts churned.
Then he spoke indifferently. "The Yellow Heaven Sect may only preach in the eastern district of the outer city. If any incidents arise, I will not show any leniency!"
"Thank you, Commander!" Liu Linmen bowed deeply, his kind smile growing even warmer.
A moment later.
After Liu Linmen and his group left the hall and disappeared into the heavy rain.
"Commander, how strong is Liu Linmen?" Ye Qiu was the first to speak, voicing the question on everyone's mind.
He had secretly observed the earlier scene.
Hearing this, Hong Minghu frowned slightly.
After a moment of thought, he said, "According to reports, Liu Linmen is a long-established fifth-grade Internal Strengthening expert! I tested him briefly earlier, and he showed no reaction to my internal energy pressure. I couldn't gauge his depth."
"But I estimate his internal energy has reached the 'sea' stage."
"The 'sea' stage?" Ye Qiu's brow also furrowed. "That strong?"
"Very strong!" Hong Minghu nodded.
At that moment.
Jiang Ning stood up.
"Commander, I have some personal matters at home and need to return." His words instantly interrupted their conversation.
Everyone's eyes turned to Jiang Ning, their attention drawn to him.
Especially Li Changkong and the other commanders, who frowned slightly.
Interrupting a conversation, especially one involving their superior, was impolite and a major taboo.
But remembering Jiang Ning's current strength and performance, they swallowed their reprimands.
Hong Minghu's brow also furrowed slightly before relaxing, a smile appearing on his face.
"Family matters?" He nodded. "Then Commander Jiang, you may go."
"Thank you, Commander!" Jiang Ning clasped his hands.
Hong Minghu added, "It's raining outside. Would you like to take an umbrella?"
"No need!" Jiang Ning smiled. "A martial artist like me can handle a little rain."
With that.
Jiang Ning stepped into the heavy rain and quickly disappeared into the downpour.
After Jiang Ning left.
Someone said, "Commander, you're too lenient with him! We haven't finished discussing, and he left first."
Hong Minghu smiled. "Commander Jiang said he has urgent family matters. It's normal for him to leave early."
Meanwhile.
Jiang Ning walked out of the Inspection Bureau.
Instantly, he broke into a run.
Leaping onto rooftops, he dashed across the tiles.
At this moment, the heavy rain and the moon obscured by dark clouds left only the occasional candlelight from the low houses below to provide illumination.
For ordinary people, most places were pitch black.
Even for powerful martial artists with enhanced senses, visibility in most areas was only a few feet.
But in Jiang Ning's current perception.
The area within a mile around him was clear in his mind.
In terms of vision alone, he could see the scenery two to three miles away.
The rain-covered world was his domain.
Following the direction Liu Linmen had gone, Jiang Ning sped forward.
Amidst the lightning, thunder, and storm, he wasn't afraid of being discovered by anyone.
Crack
A bolt of lightning splits the sky.
Instantly illuminating the entire dark town in a stark white light.
If anyone had looked up at the rooftops at that moment, they would have seen a ghostly figure darting across the tiles.
Boom
As the lightning faded, the deafening thunder followed.
"Found them!" Jiang Ning's eyes narrowed.
At the end of the street two miles ahead, he suddenly saw Liu Linmen and his group of seven.
Among them was the familiar face.
The seven were walking hurriedly, occasionally wiping the rain from their faces to keep their vision somewhat clear.
Suddenly.
Liu Linmen raised his hand.
"Stop!"
At his command, the other six immediately halted.
"What is it, Deacon?" someone asked.
Liu Linmen's expression grew grave. "Something's wrong."
Hearing this, the other six became alert, scanning their surroundings.
But under the heavy rain and dark clouds, all they saw was endless darkness, a darkness that seemed ready to devour them.
"Deacon, could it be the Inspection Bureau?"
"Not sure," Liu Linmen said, his eyes still scanning the area.
Meanwhile.
Jiang Ning, having located the group, took out a bow and arrow from his Spatial Ring, slowly drawing the bowstring and aiming at his target.
As he did so, he noticed the changes in Liu Linmen and his group and overheard their brief exchange.
"This Liu Linman is impressive!" Jiang Ning thought to himself, slightly alarmed.
At this moment, he was still over two miles away from Liu Linmen and his group.
Under the cover of heavy rain and night, he was confident Liu Linmen wouldn't detect him.
But as he slowly drew his bow, aiming in Liu Linmen's direction, Liu Linmen immediately sensed something.
It was as if the cicada sensed the wind before it blew.
After observing for a while, Jiang Ning relaxed slightly.
From Liu Linmen's reaction, it seemed he had only vaguely sensed something, not discovered Jiang Ning.
In the next moment.
Twang
Jiang Ning released the bowstring, and the arrow shot forth, carrying a powerful Wind and Thunder Force.
Boom
The sound of the arrow breaking the sound barrier echoed in Jiang Ning's ears.
As the arrow pierced through the air, it left a visible trail in the void.
At the same time.
Liu Linmen's hair stood on end, his senses screaming with alarm.
"Not good!!"
"Everyone, be careful!!"
He shouted, his eyes darting around.
Even though he sensed something was wrong, felt the danger.
He still couldn't tell where the threat was coming from.
An arrow breaking the sound barrier traveled faster than the speed of sound.
By the time you heard it, it was already too late.
Only sight could track its trajectory.
But on this stormy night, even Liu Linmen's vision was severely limited, able to see only about twenty to thirty feet ahead.
Beyond that, there was only endless darkness and rain.
In the next moment.
When the sound-barrier-breaking arrow appeared in Liu Linmen's line of sight, his expression changed drastically.
In such conditions, combined with the arrow breaking the sound barrier, he knew he was in trouble.
Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't fear a sound-barrier-breaking arrow.
With a burst of internal energy, he could easily deflect it.
Then close the distance and kill the enemy.
But in this environment, with these liabilities by his side, the situation had become extremely unfavorable.
The hidden enemy had the advantage of timing and terrain.
In the blink of an eye, as the arrow approached.
Liu Linmen's right palm erupted with internal energy, slapping toward the arrow.
Boom
The arrow exploded with a deafening roar.
Thud, thud
The powerful blast forced Liu Linmen to take two steps back.
"So strong!!" His expression changed again.
At that moment.
Two more arrows suddenly appeared before him.
This time, with preparation, he saw them more clearly.
"They're not aiming for me, but for the people behind me?"
As this thought arose, Liu Linmen sneered.
"In that case, I won't let you have your way!"
He unleashed his internal energy again.
With his internal energy enhancing his palms, they were as strong as divine weapons.
He swung his palms repeatedly.
Boom
Boom
The arrows were deflected once more.
The powerful explosive force only caused his body to sway slightly.
On the other side.
Jiang Ning frowned.
Witnessing this, he gained a deeper understanding of the true strength of a fifth-grade expert.
With his seventh-grade martial arts, he perfected intermediate martial art Wind and Thunder Archery.
And the element of surprise, with him in the shadows and the enemy in the open, Liu Linmen had less than a second to react, yet he easily intercepted the arrows Jiang Ning had shot.
After a moment of hesitation.
Jiang Ning continued to draw his bow and shoot.
Twang
Twang
Twang
Arrows rained down, their target now shifted to Liu Linmen.
A breath later.
The arrows reached Liu Linmen.
Boom
Boom
Boom
With preparation, he deflected them one after another with his palms.
The powerful explosions echoed, but they only caused his body to sway slightly, the impact easily neutralized.
Getting into the rhythm, Liu Linmen grew more at ease.
He began to ponder the situation.
"Arrows breaking the sound barrier... From what I know, in Luoshui County, only Cao Rong should be capable of that!"
"But Cao Rong should still be in the military camp in Dongling City!"
"Moreover, Cao Rong is only a peak seventh-grade martial artist. How could he shoot arrows with such terrifying power?"
"The impact and explosive force are enough to kill most sixth-grade martial artists."
"And on this rainy night, how could he spot me without me noticing?"
"Strange! Too strange!!!"
As he pondered these questions, Liu Linmen became slightly distracted.
At that moment.
In a spot he had overlooked.
The falling rain suddenly changed.
In the next moment.
Ah
Liu Linmen let out a pained cry, his eyes tightly shut, blood seeping from the corners.
At the same time.
An arrow whizzed past him, heading straight for one of the people behind him.
At this moment.
The person behind him saw the sound-barrier-breaking arrow and realized the hidden attacker's target was him.
"Could it be him!!!"
The man's mind flashed back to Jiang Ning's figure from earlier.
In that split second, there was no time to think.
Roar
He let out a beast-like roar.
Bone spikes protruded from his body, his muscles rapidly expanding, covered in black keratin.
Boom
But before his transformation could be complete, the arrow pierced his skull.
With the explosion of the Wind and Thunder Force, his head was blown apart.
The transformation came to an abrupt halt.
All of this happened in an instant.
As the headless body slowly collapsed to the ground.
The person next to him wiped the blood and brain matter from his face, only then coming to his senses, his face filled with terror as he looked at the corpse on the ground.
"It's over!"
Jiang Ning, watching from afar, murmured to himself, his heart finally settling.
He felt as if a weight had been lifted.
After barely a breath.
Jiang Ning drew his bow again.
Twang
The arrow shot through the air, creating a visible trail in the rain.
On the other side.
Liu Linmen, after the sudden turn of events, quickly regained his composure.
"Retreat, find cover!!" He blinked rapidly, trying to clear the blood from his eyes, barely able to make out the blurry scene before him.
With his eyes injured, Liu Linmen abandoned any thought of counterattacking.
Hearing this, the others quickly retreated.
But at that moment, the arrows that had just stopped came again, silently appearing.
The arrows cut through the rain, leaving a visible trail.
"Deacon, ahead!!"
Someone shouted a warning.
Liu Linmen acted first. Even with his injured eyes and blurred vision, his heightened senses allowed him to barely track the arrows.
Boom
Boom
With his strikes, the arrows were deflected again.
But then.
Ah
A scream echoed, followed by an explosion.
The powerful blast tore one of the men apart, his body shattered into pieces.
"Retreat!!" Liu Linmen didn't have time to vent his anger, urging the others to flee.
At this moment.
Jiang Ning continued to shoot arrows.
Twang
Twang
Twang
Each twang of the bowstring sent an arrow flying.
After a few breaths.
Jiang Ning put away his bow and turned to leave.
By now, the group had taken cover behind buildings.
While this made little difference to him.
With his target already dead, there was no point in continuing the fight.
Most importantly, Liu Linmen was now following the arrow's trajectory, closing in.
Jiang Ning had no intention of facing Liu Linmen head-on.
A fifth-grade Internal Strengthening expert was far beyond his current capabilities.
In an instant.
Jiang Ning vanished into the stormy night.
This was his domain.
If he didn't want to be found, no one in Luoshui County could discover him on a rainy night.
A moment later.
In the distance, Liu Linmen's furious roars echoed.
Tonight, he had suffered heavy losses.
Not only were his eyes injured, impairing his vision.
Of the seven who had set out, only four remained; the other three had perished in the rain.
Most crucially, he still didn't know who the enemy was.
And among the three who had died, one was a key figure a deacon of the Worship Sect.
The Worship Sect had recently been recruited by the sect leader.
The Worship Sect's inclusion would further strengthen the Yellow Heaven Sect's influence.
The deacon had come to Luoshui County with him to help the leaderless Worship Sect followers find a new backbone.
With this person dead during such a sensitive time, trouble was sure to arise.
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