Northern Commander

The stench of blood had yet to dissipate from the depths of the Imperial Prison.

Lin Feng stood inside the cell, his gaze icy, as if looking at a dead man.

Sun Dehai's dying struggle and despicable conduct only intensified his killing intent.

Seeing Lin Feng remain silent, Sun Dehai assumed he was helpless. After his thoughts turned and twisted, he actually forced down his fear and put on a seemingly sincere expression. Speaking in a low voice through the bars, he said,

"Lin Feng! I admit I misjudged you. You truly are a prodigy rarely seen in a century! Why remain trapped here and cut off your own future?"

He paused, then cast out his bait. "That little grudge between you and the Wang Family is nothing but a minor matter.

"If you nod and agree to stop making things difficult for the Wang Family, I'm willing to serve as your guarantor and ensure you enter the Wang Family's fold! Do you know how heaven-reaching the Wang Family's power is?

"When that time comes, with your talent and the Wang Family's support, never mind this mere position of a Commander of a Thousand—even the post of Commander of the Northern Garrison Command will be yours sooner or later!

"Power, resources, beauties—all within easy reach! How about it?"

The promise was tremendously alluring, painting a smooth road to rapid advancement.

Sun Dehai stared fixedly at Lin Feng, hoping to see even the slightest wavering on his face.

Lin Feng finally moved. He slowly raised his head, the corner of his mouth curling into the faintest hint of mockery. "Finished?"

Sun Dehai froze.

"If you're finished, then get on your way."

Before his voice had even faded, the aura around Lin Feng surged once more!

The Dragon-Elephant Prison-Suppressing Strength inner force at the Perfection stage surged like a raging tide. He thrust both palms forward, his ten fingers curling into claws, and a domineering, savage tearing force erupted violently!

"Eight Desolations Sky-Rending Claw"—Perfection realm!

The sturdy bars forged from a hundred-refined darksteel, strong enough to imprison a Seventh-Rank Martial Artist, actually emitted an ear-piercing creak before those bare hands!

Immediately afterward, under Lin Feng's berserk strength, the bars were forcibly twisted and torn apart, creating a massive breach!

"What?!"

Sun Dehai was scared witless. Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that Lin Feng could directly tear open the darksteel cage through brute force!

He turned to flee, but it was already too late.

Lin Feng transformed into a fleeting afterimage, like a vicious beast breaking free of its shackles, and instantly passed through the breach in the cage. A foul wind swept in from behind, carrying a deathly aura that made the heart tremble!

"Evil Tiger Heart-Plucking Palm"—Perfection realm!

Sun Dehai felt a piercing pain in his back. A sinister and treacherous palm force pierced through his body, instantly shattering his heart meridians.

His forward motion locked in place. He lowered his head in disbelief and saw a palm thrust through his chest, its center still clutching fragments of his heart that continued to twitch faintly.

"You... The Wang... Family won't..." The light in Sun Dehai's eyes rapidly dimmed, and his words cut off abruptly.

Lin Feng withdrew his hand expressionlessly, allowing the corpse to crumple onto the ground.

Slaughtered a Commander of a Thousand, obtaining 50 Slaughter Points

A cold notification appeared. Lin Feng did not even spare it a glance. His gaze swept toward the surrounding jailers, who were silent with fear.

The moment they met his gaze, all the jailers dropped to their knees in unison, their entire bodies trembling. They did not even dare raise their heads.

Just then, a terrifying pressure far stronger and more unfathomable than Sun Dehai's descended abruptly upon the entire Imperial Prison, like an invisible mountain!

The already cold and damp air seemed to solidify. Every jailer, Lin Feng included, felt their breathing seize as though a thousand pounds had been pressed onto their shoulders.

Footsteps rang out once more. They remained steady, yet carried the absolute authority to decide life and death.

A middle-aged man dressed in a Flying Fish Python Robe, with a stern face and eyes deep as an abyss, slowly entered this scene of devastation, surrounded by a group of Imperial Brocade Guards with keen, formidable auras.

His gaze swept over the corpses of Sun Dehai and the jailers on the ground before finally settling on Lin Feng, who had just withdrawn his palm and still carried Killing Intent around him.

"His Excellency Shen, the Northern Commander, has arrived!" one Imperial Brocade Guard beside him announced loudly.

The newcomer was none other than Shen Mo, the overlord who controlled the Northern Garrison Command and made every official tremble at the mere mention of his name!

The jailers buried their heads even more deeply, nearly embedding them into the floor tiles.

This was the true authority who controlled their lives and deaths, and the highest decision-maker of the Northern Garrison Command, whose strength was unfathomable!

Shen Mo looked at Lin Feng. His voice was flat, revealing neither joy nor anger. "Lin Feng? I remember you.

"You overstepped your rank and were imprisoned here. Now, you've killed one of my Commanders of a Thousand."

The pressure was like a mountain, enveloping Lin Feng.

Yet Lin Feng took a deep breath, withstood the pressure, and saluted with neither humility nor arrogance. His voice was clear.

"Your subordinate Lin Feng pays his respects to Your Excellency the Commander! I killed Sun Dehai because he colluded with the local powerful Wang Family and intended to commit treason!

"Your subordinate possesses irrefutable evidence that the Wang Family secretly communicated with foreign enemies, raised private soldiers, and plotted wrongdoing!"

"Oh?" A trace of the faintest surprise flashed through Shen Mo's eyes, but they instantly returned to their former stillness. "Where is the evidence?"

Without the slightest hesitation, Lin Feng took a bloodstained letter and an ordinary-looking account book from his robes. These were his trump cards, which he had endured in silence until this moment to reveal.

"The letter is secret correspondence between the Wang Family and the Black Wind Wolf Riders outside the Great Wall. The account book records the weapons, armor, provisions, and pay secretly supplied by the Wang Family!

"Sun Dehai was one of the Wang Family's protective umbrellas within the Northern Garrison Command. He tried to kill your subordinate to silence him, and even attempted to buy him off with a high position!"

One of Shen Mo's trusted aides stepped forward and accepted the evidence. After carefully examining it, he nodded slightly at Shen Mo and said in a low voice,

"My lord, these are indeed irrefutable proofs. The sums are enormous, and the matter implicates a great many people."

Shen Mo was silent for a moment. His gaze fell on Lin Feng once again, examining his astonishing aura despite being at the mid-Eighth Rank, as well as his composure in the face of danger.

Suddenly, he spoke. "Sun Dehai colluded with rebels. He deserved his death.

"Lin Feng, you have rendered merit by exposing this matter, and your strength is sufficient to shoulder great responsibility."

He paused, then raised his voice, making it ring throughout the Imperial Prison. "From this day forth, Lin Feng is promoted and will take over the position of Commander of a Thousand in the Northern Garrison Command. He will temporarily assume all of Sun Dehai's duties!"

The surroundings fell deathly silent, followed by the restrained gasps of the jailers.

To leap directly from a prisoner to a Commander of a Thousand! This was simply unprecedented!

Lin Feng's heart settled. He knew he had bet correctly on the first step. He immediately dropped to one knee and said in a deep voice,

"Thank you for the promotion, my lord!

"Your subordinate requests permission to immediately lead the Imperial Guards under his command in raiding the Wang Family and uprooting this treasonous conspiracy!"

However, Shen Mo slowly shook his head, pouring a basin of cold water over him. "No."

Lin Feng raised his head, confusion in his eyes.

Shen Mo's tone remained flat, yet he spoke of the cold reality.

"The Wang Family's roots run deep, and its connections in court are tangled and deeply entrenched. It is no ordinary family.

"Without explicit orders from the capital's central authorities, the Grand Secretariat, or the Directorate of Ceremonial, we cannot move against them by ourselves."

He looked at Lin Feng. "Your evidence must be sent to the capital at top speed for His Majesty to review, or at the very least for the Eunuch Director and the Grand Secretaries to deliberate upon. Only then can we act."

"Then please send someone immediately by Urgent Dispatch—"

"It can't be sent." Shen Mo cut him off and pointed toward the direction outside the Imperial Prison. Though nothing could be seen, a murderous aura seemed to seep through the thick walls. "Black Rock City has been surrounded by the bandits of Black Wind Stronghold for three days."

Lin Feng's pupils constricted slightly.

Black Wind Stronghold was the greatest bandit scourge outside the city. Its chieftain, Li Tianxiong, was a fierce bandit at Seventh Rank Perfection, with countless desperate men under his command.

Shen Mo continued, "The city gates are shut tight, and carrier pigeons cannot fly through.

"Several groups of scouts have been sent out, but all returned empty-handed. Some even... failed to return at all. Li Tianxiong's men have surrounded the city as tightly as an iron barrel."

Just then, a Company Commander hurried inside and whispered several words into Shen Mo's ear.

After listening, Shen Mo turned his gaze toward Lin Feng, carrying a hard-to-describe meaning. "We've just received word.

"Black Wind Stronghold's chieftain, Li Tianxiong, had sworn brotherhood with the Zhao Family's head, Zhao Tianhao.

"You killed Zhao Tianhao. Li Tianxiong has declared that unless... you, Lin Feng, are bound hand and foot and sent outside the city for him to deal with,

"otherwise, he will starve Black Rock City to death until the walls fall—and leave not a single chicken or dog alive."

When his voice fell, the Imperial Prison sank into utter silence.

At this moment, all the pressure, hatred, and danger seemed to converge upon Lin Feng, who had just been promoted to Commander of a Thousand.

Outside the city was a murderous bandit demanding his life; within it were deeply entrenched rebels; above his head was evidence that had to be delivered but could not be sent.

Lin Feng straightened, and instead of fear, a thread of icy flame ignited in his eyes.

He met Shen Mo's gaze and slowly spoke:

"My lord, what significance does a mere Black Wind Stronghold have?"

"Give your subordinate a force of men. I am willing to leave the city and first crush this band of troublesome bandits!"

Faced with Lin Feng's request to leave the city and suppress the bandits, Shen Mo waved his hand.

"No rush." His voice was steady, without the slightest ripple. "Suppressing bandits is the shared responsibility of Black Rock City. There is no reason for only the people of my Northern Garrison Command to bleed.

"The Wang Family has occupied this place for many years. Its roots run deep, so it should contribute as well."

As he spoke, Shen Mo took out a Jade Token that felt warm and smooth to the touch, carved with a ferocious python pattern, and handed it to Lin Feng.

"This is my command token. Seeing it is the same as seeing me in person. Go to the Wang Family and demand five thousand soldiers, along with provisions and military equipment. Tell them this is to relieve Black Rock City's siege."

Lin Feng accepted the Jade Token. It felt slightly heavy in his hand, as though it contained an invisible authority.

"Your subordinate accepts the order." Without the slightest hesitation, he turned and left.

With this Jade Token in hand, the Wang Family... he wanted to see how they could possibly evade their duty!