Benefits

"Huh?" Shen Zhui, unable to open his eyes against the fierce wind, was baffled, but he heard the old man in front of him roar.

"Wang Long, what do you think you're doing?! Do you want to sever ties with the Li Family?! Release the Young Master!"

A figure in fluttering robes appeared beside Li Ming without warning. This person stood with hands clasped behind his back, a few strands of hair dancing at his temples, exuding an air of detachment from the mundane world.

The newcomer was none other than the Martial Arts Department's Captain, Wang Long!

"Uncle Cang, Uncle Cang, save me..." Li Ming's legs went weak, his teeth chattering.

He no longer had the impassioned, commanding demeanor from before; his face was full of terror.

Though Wang Long was still a meter away, Li Ming couldn't move at all, because he felt several strands of invisible Gang Qi at his throat.

If he so much as stirred, he would die without a doubt!

"Your Li Family dares speak of honor?" Wang Long said coldly. "Xiantian Masters never get involved in Houtian Martial Artists' affairs. And now you dare ambush and kill a Constable from my Martial Arts Department! Old Ghost Cang, go ahead and try it. Let's see if Shen Zhui dies first, or your Li Family's Young Master!"

"You!"

Elder Cang was instantly frantic, his tone softening involuntarily.

"Wang Long, Captain Wang, let's talk this out. Please, don't hurt our Young Master."

Wang Long chuckled lightly at this. "A dignified Xiantian Master with no backbone at all. If you dared to kill Shen Zhui with one punch, I'd actually think a bit more of you... But you're too used to being a dog. Someone like you will never reach the Spirit Bridge Realm in this life."

Humiliated by Wang Long, Elder Cang's face flushed red. "Wang Long, don't go too far!"

Wang Long sneered and waved a hand. "I can go even further."

"Zzzt~" A strand of Gang Qi grazed Li Ming's cheek, leaving a shallow bloody mark.

"Young Master!" Elder Cang roared, about to lunge forward.

"One more step, and he dies!" Wang Long said coldly, as a second, deeper cut appeared.

"Back off! Back off! Do you want to kill me?!" Li Ming screamed.

Elder Cang had no choice but to retreat a step again.

After a moment of silence, Elder Cang sighed. "Wang Long, we admit defeat here. Tell me, what will it take for you to release the Young Master?"

"Simple." Wang Long pointed at the group of martial artists rushing up from the foot of the mountain.

"These men attacked a Constable, a heinous crime. They die."

The dozen or so who had just arrived were instantly terrified upon hearing this.

Elder Cang cast his gaze over them, a flicker of ruthlessness in his eyes, and gritted his teeth. "Fine!"

"Elder Cang, no!"

"Mercy, we did nothing wrong—"

"Ah~"

"..."

"Pfft, pfft, pfft, pfft~" Spurts of blood flew.

Elder Cang swept his sleeve, and tiny hidden weapons flashed from within, carrying penetrating true qi as they pierced through everyone's throats in an instant.

Caught off guard, and lacking Shen Zhui's profound movement technique, they all died in a single moment.

Even A'Da, a Ninth Stage Houtian Martial Artist, couldn't react in time.

"You! I hate you—"

His eyes were full of resentment, staring at Li Ming's direction with endless bitterness.

Even in death, he couldn't understand why, after swearing loyalty to the main family and even abandoning his own brother, he ended up like this.

"Ruthless." Seeing this, Shen Zhui's heart trembled.

Twenty-one people, killed in one breath without a second thought.

The Li Family truly was merciless.

"Wang Long, are you satisfied now?! Release the Young Master!"

Wang Long shook his head and pointed at Shen Zhui. "Use your Essence of Xiantian Spiritual Energy to heal him."

"Wang Long!!!" Elder Cang was truly enraged. "You're going too far!"

Wang Long looked at him calmly, saying nothing.

"Pfft~" Another cut appeared on Li Ming's face.

"Stop, stop! I'll heal him!" Elder Cang quickly waved his hands, daring not to defy him further.

Even if there were no hostage, he was no match for Wang Long's strength. He could only resign himself.

"Come here!"

A pulling force drew Shen Zhui's body toward Elder Cang.

"Old Ghost Cang, I'll warn you—don't try any tricks, or he still dies." Wang Long reminded him.

Elder Cang's expression stiffened, and he snorted coldly, the sly thought that had just arisen instantly vanishing.

"Shen Zhui, if you feel unwell, just say the word."

Seeing the old man suffer a loss, Shen Zhui felt a surge of satisfaction. "To answer the squad leader, let him do his tricks—I don't mind! I've got a cheap life, and if I can drag the Li Family's young master down with me, it's worth it!"

Wang Long gave Shen Zhui a deep look and nodded.

As for Elder Cang...

Since it had come to this, he simply pretended not to hear.

He clamped one hand on Shen Zhui's wrist, and a precise, surging stream of Essence of Xiantian Spiritual Energy poured into Shen Zhui's body.

Xiantian spiritual energy was far purer than Houtian vital energy, and it had remarkable healing properties.

What's more, this wasn't just ordinary Xiantian spiritual energy.

Just as a Houtian Martial Artist could accumulate Essence of Vital Energy, Wang Long's demand was for Essence of Xiantian Spiritual Energy!

For a Xiantian Martial Artist, stockpiling Essence of Xiantian Spiritual Energy was far more difficult, and replenishing it after a loss wasn't as simple as it was for a Houtian Martial Artist.

Even Elder Cang couldn't help the pained look on his face.

As soon as the Essence of Xiantian Spiritual Energy entered his body, Shen Zhui began guiding it, flushing through his meridians, nourishing his organs, and healing his injuries.

Afraid that Shen Zhui might claim something was wrong, Elder Cang dared not slack off.

He treated Shen Zhui with all-out effort, gentler than he'd treat his own father!

The Essence of Xiantian Spiritual Energy was controlled with such tenderness that Shen Zhui felt no discomfort at all.

After one stream of Essence of Xiantian Spiritual Energy entered his body, Shen Zhui's complexion began to flush.

After two streams entered, Shen Zhui's sixteen Essence of Vital Energy were fully replenished.

Just as the old man was about to withdraw, Shen Zhui's face suddenly turned pale again, as if his injuries were far from healed.

Fearing Wang Long's dissatisfaction, the old man had no choice but to grit his teeth and input a third stream of Essence of Xiantian Spiritual Energy.

Shen Zhui, without changing his expression, guided this third stream of Essence of Xiantian Spiritual Energy, activated the "Bloodburn" technique, and began to assault the ninth Acupoint!

He had long noticed that this Essence of Xiantian Spiritual Energy was a hundred times more effective than a Great Return Pill! The thought of breaking through immediately seized him.

The moment Shen Zhui struck, he felt the bottleneck of the ninth barrier loosen by a hair!

"Such a stroke of luck?!" Shen Zhui found he had easily pried open the bottleneck and had no intention of stopping. He frantically cycled the "Bloodburn" technique!

After two attempts, the bottleneck was teetering on the edge. Just then, Shen Zhui sensed the old man withdraw his hand.

"You... have some nerve!" Elder Cang now knew exactly what Shen Zhui was up to and yanked his hand back in fury.

Shen Zhui didn't mind and said with a hint of regret, "Thank you, senior. I'm one step closer to breaking through."

Elder Cang, provoked by Shen Zhui's deliberate jab, barely held back from slapping him dead on the spot.

This loss would take him at least half a year of recuperation and a fortune in Heavenly Treasures to recover from.

But remembering that Li Ming was still in the other's hands, he had no choice but to swallow his anger.

"Wang Long, what else do you want?"

Wang Long smiled and waved at Shen Zhui. "Shen Zhui, come here."

"Hold on!" Elder Cang's eyes darted as he blocked Shen Zhui. "Release the young master first."

"Hmph, Old Ghost Cang, do you think everyone is as shameless as you? One word: let Shen Zhui come over first! Otherwise, feel free to slap him dead, and then I'll kill your young master."

"With your spiritual energy depleted, I might even take you out too—a fair trade!"

Elder Cang hesitated, but then Li Ming spoke up, frantic: "Uncle Cang, let him come over first! Hurry!"

"Young Master..." Elder Cang sighed inwardly and waved his hand, no longer blocking Shen Zhui.

Shen Zhui unhurriedly walked over to Wang Long's side.

True to his word, Wang Long gave a light flick, and Li Ming's body drifted silently over to Elder Cang.

This casual move made the old man's pupils contract.

Such effortless control showed that Wang Long was far stronger than him, likely already in the late Xiantian stage, beginning to build a Spirit Bridge and glimpse the Power of Heaven and Earth.

"Let's go!" Li Ming's face was pale as he gasped for air.

Elder Cang grabbed Li Ming, and the two floated down the hillside.

Watching them truly leave, Shen Zhui opened his mouth but ultimately said nothing.

"What do you want to say?" Wang Long glanced at Shen Zhui.

"Squad leader, are we really just letting them go?"

"Oh? What would you have done?"

"I'd kill the Li Family young master, and you'd take out Elder Cang..."

Before Shen Zhui could finish, Wang Long shook his head with a light laugh.

"It's not that simple. To be honest, even if that Old Ghost Cang had killed you today, I could at most have gravely wounded him. As for Li Ming, he can't be killed."

"Why?" Shen Zhui found it hard to believe. Could it be that Captain Wang's earlier arrogance was all just a bluff?

"There are many things tied up in this... Killing him outside the city would lead to serious consequences."

"A Xiantian Realm cultivator cannot casually strike at a Houtian cultivator—that's the rule. That's the first reason."

"He's the Young Master of the Li family, an important figure. He carries a Sin Concealing Treasure for protection. Killing him would be easy enough, but I'd have to break that treasure first. That's a tricky matter for me, and I can't waste my effort on him."

"Of course, the Li family wouldn't dare push me either... Without absolute certainty, no one wants to see the worst-case scenario unfold. There are other reasons too. You'll understand in time."

"Yes, I understand." Shen Zhui listened obediently.

He wasn't well-versed in governance, but he got the gist.

The county magistrate wanted to uproot these two families, but he couldn't do it by brute force.

If they could be killed so easily, it wouldn't have dragged on for three years.

Moreover, the great families held sway over local power and could easily stir up unrest and incite public outrage.

He had to strike the right balance—

Overthrowing the Li and Yang families while ensuring his own safety, minimizing harm to the local people, and making the whole affair a clean success that counted as merit...

Of course, that wasn't something Shen Zhui needed to worry about.

Seeing that Shen Zhui had no more questions, Wang Long didn't dwell on it either.

"That said... you've got some nerve, kid, using borrowed force to break through your realm! Weren't you afraid Old Ghost Cang would fly into a rage and destroy your dantian and meridians?"

Shen Zhui seized the chance to flatter him: "With you backing me up, Captain, what's there to fear?"

Truth be told, over these three years, Wang Long had looked out for him plenty. He'd even guided Shen Zhui into the Nine Layers of Iron Ruler. In Shen Zhui's heart, Wang Long was practically a half-master to him.

"Don't get that idea. I didn't come today specifically to save you. I just got word that the Li family's Young Master and Old Ghost Cang had mobilized two Elite Squads out of the city, so I followed to check things out. Didn't expect to stumble into this."

"Now... they've lost face and taken a hit in strength, and you've gained something. But that's not a good thing for you."

"I protected you today by chance. But in the Li family's eyes, they'll think you're important. They'll take notice of you, and their revenge will be all the more vicious."

"If I were you, you'd better not leave the city for a while. Stay on duty inside."

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