He Tong was silent for a moment before shaking his head and sighing. "That's right! The two of you brothers-in-arms helped me become a Xiantian Martial Artist."
"But I fell to the Houtian Realm for the sake of working for you two brothers just the same."
Wang Long was filled with disappointment. "Just because of that, you're going to betray the two of us? What exactly did the Li Family give you that was worth abandoning benevolence, disregarding the law, and helping a band of treacherous criminals who have run wild?"
"The Li Family promised to help me return to the Xiantian Realm!" He Tong rasped.
"And you believed their nonsense? Wenhe has been helping you search for a solution all this time!"
"Wang Long, I, He Tong, am not a fool." With that, He Tong pulled a pill from his robes and swallowed it in one gulp.
Wang Long merely watched coldly and did not stop him.
He Tong's aura surged violently. In the blink of an eye, the air around him began moving on its own. Streams of vitality circulated around him, and his essence, energy, and spirit merged as one. The wrinkles on his face vanished at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Before long, he had recovered from the state of a middle-aged man approaching old age to the appearance of a young man.
With his eyes closed, he felt the vigorous life force within his body. He Tong spread his arms as if embracing the world around him.
At that moment, He Tong had returned to the realm of a Xiantian Martial Artist!
"Traitor!" Seeing that He Tong had truly returned to the Xiantian Realm with the Li Family's help, Wang Long grew even more furious.
"You think that just because you've returned to the Xiantian Realm, I can't do anything to you?" He pointed his longsword and was about to attack.
Just then, a dignified voice suddenly came from the distance.
"Senior Brother, let him go."
"Junior Brother, how could you..." Wang Long froze. Wei Wenhe had appeared beside him at some point.
Wei Wenhe glanced at He Tong. "He Tong, take care of yourself."
He Tong, who had already prepared himself for a fight to the death, heard this reply and was suddenly overcome by complicated emotions.
He let out a soft sigh. "He Tong thanks Young Master for sparing my life."
Watching He Tong drift away, Wang Long hurriedly said, "Junior Brother, you're just letting him go? You treated him well, Junior Brother. You helped remove his slave status, treated him like a brother, and even nurtured him all the way to becoming a Xiantian Martial Artist..."
"Senior Brother." Wei Wenhe shook his head. "He Tong's wife and children in Youzhou were lured out of the city by the Li Family using a scheme, then tied up and brought to Liangzhou."
"What?! This..." Wang Long was rendered speechless. "Then why didn't he say anything..."
He could not continue. He knew that even if he told Wei Wenhe, there was no way to rescue He Tong's family.
Wang Long could borrow the power of the City God Temple, but the great clans and powerful families likewise had Yin God ancestors protecting them. Although they could not match the vast divine powers of the orthodox gods enshrined by the Zhou Dynasty, blocking the probing of Divine Law was effortless.
Moreover, the other side was even more likely to have hidden the hostages outside Heyuan County. The county magistrate could only control the local temple and had no authority over other places.
Whether He Tong agreed to their terms or not, whether he spoke or remained silent, the final result would actually be the same.
"Senior Brother, Shen Zhui is fine. I left a strand of divine power on the Yuanpin Pearl to protect him. Take him back to the city."
With that, Wei Wenhe's figure dissipated.
Pain—a wave of heart-piercing pain battered Shen Zhui's consciousness.
At that moment, he lay in a pit three to five meters beneath the ground, feeling as if his entire body had fallen apart and might explode at any moment.
Although Shen Zhui had desperately cleaved apart some of the attack's power earlier, a small portion of the Xiantian Spiritual Energy had still entered his body along with that azure fist.
This Xiantian Spiritual Energy was different from the gentle infusion he had received from Elder Cang earlier. The moment it entered his body, it wantonly ravaged his flesh.
His skin was cracked inch by inch, blood covered his entire body, and hardly a patch of uninjured flesh remained.
Just as Shen Zhui thought he was about to die, a mysterious and vast force protected his internal organs and dantian. It swiftly expelled the streams of rampaging spiritual energy and slowly nourished his injuries.
"This is... the Yuanpin Pearl!" Shen Zhui sensed the change and immediately grew excited.
There was great terror between life and death. The sensation of surviving such a desperate situation made Shen Zhui tremble uncontrollably.
At that moment, a deep voice entered his mind.
"Don't get excited. Gather your mind and control the vitality in your body to heal your injuries."
"Captain Wang." Shen Zhui could barely open his eyes at that moment. His mind immediately settled, and he hurriedly did as instructed.
Streams of vitality raced through his body. Once all the spiritual energy had been expelled, that magnificent force weakened along with it.
Then, waves of heat came from his robes. The Yuanpin Pearl grew scorching hot, and pure energy flowed into Shen Zhui's body, helping him repair his injuries.
The county magistrate's divine power protected his internal organs, the Yuanpin Pearl's pure spiritual energy healed him, and Wang Long was currently sending in a strand of Xiantian essence to help, in addition to Shen Zhui's own recovery ability.
The injuries on his body rapidly recovered at a speed visible to the naked eye. The bloody marks quickly stopped bleeding and congealed into scars. After who knew how long, Shen Zhui finally managed to open his eyes fully and regain a little mobility.
"He's awake, he's awake! Brother Shen is awake!" The moment he opened his eyes, he saw Zhao Hu shouting excitedly beside him. More than a dozen people from the Martial Arts Department stood nearby as well.
"Keep your voice down." Wang Long glared at Zhao Hu. From the county magistrate, he had also learned that Shen Zhui had actually reached the Unity of Heaven and Man realm. Someone of such talent was even rarer than a Xiantian Master, so naturally, he regarded him very differently now.
"Captain, that He Tong..." After recovering, Shen Zhui immediately wanted to tell Wang Long that He Tong had betrayed them.
"Heal first. I already know about it." At the mention of He Tong, Wang Long's expression darkened again.
The people around them had already heard the whole story from Zhao Hu, but no one brought it up now.
He Tong was the second-in-command of the Martial Arts Department. When he had first arrived three years ago, he had been a Xiantian Martial Artist just like Wang Long, but for some unknown reason, he had later fallen to the Peak Houtian realm.
Yet whether in status or strength, He Tong was second only to Wang Long within the Martial Arts Department. Quite a few of them had even received guidance from He Tong.
His defection was difficult for the brothers of the Martial Arts Department to accept, and their hearts felt unbearably heavy.
"Hoo~"
A figure descended from the sky and landed beside Wang Long. It was Lin Ze, who had gone after the Flame Figure earlier.
"Lord Lin." Everyone from the Martial Arts Department hurriedly saluted.
Lin Ze waved his hand, walked over to Wang Long's side, and sighed when he saw Shen Zhui's miserable condition. He immediately pulled a small box from his robes.
"Captain Wang, this is a Vitality Nurturing Pill. It has the effects of strengthening the foundation, nurturing the essence, and restoring injuries."
"Earlier, I was preoccupied with military affairs. I hope you won't blame me, Captain Wang. This brother was injured helping me, so I can only offer what little aid I can. I hope Captain Wang won't refuse."
Wang Long nodded and accepted it. He gave the pill to Shen Zhui. Seeing that Shen Zhui's recovery immediately sped up after taking it and that he could now circulate his cultivation method on his own, Wang Long's impression of Lin Ze improved somewhat.
Earlier, Lin Ze had seemed somewhat cold-blooded, but he also knew that for soldiers of the Wu'an Army, military affairs naturally came first...
Besides, they truly had not helped Lin Ze capture his target.
This could not be blamed on Lin Ze, either.
Now that Shen Zhui was fine, Wang Long was not an inflexible man and naturally would not hold a grudge over it.
"Lord Lin, that fugitive..."
"Although I seriously wounded him, he still managed to escape in the end." Lin Ze shook his head.
His opponent was skilled at fleeing; otherwise, he would not have needed to invite experts to cooperate with him.
"Then what does Lord Lin plan to do next?"
Lin Ze snorted coldly. "Originally, my Wu'an Army should not have interfered in matters within the county. But the Li and Yang Families ruined my major undertaking. How could I let them off so easily?"
"I spent several months working on this mission, only for it to be ruined by them. Of course I have to demand an explanation!"
The Wu'an Army's missions came with military merit rewards, and within the Wu'an Army, military merit was the most fundamental cultivation resource. It could be exchanged for anything and was also the most direct path to promotion.
For this mission, Lin Ze had invested more than half his fortune, all in hopes of receiving a huge return after completing it. That was why he had taken this mission so seriously.
The Li and Yang Families had clearly promised to help him, yet they had retreated at the critical moment. When the four of them attacked together, only Wang Long had sincerely helped him and given it his all.
The other two had been respectful in attitude, but during the actual battle, they had merely gone through the motions. How could Lin Ze not have seen that?
Not only had they failed to help afterward, they had even plotted to borrow his blade to kill, causing his mission to fail.
He, Lin Ze, was a High-stage Xiantian Qi Cultivation True Person, proud and ambitious. How could he possibly let this go so easily?
This chapter is just laying the groundwork, everyone, so please be patient. We'll soon be revealing some of the hidden information about Divine Law. Also, please add this to your bookshelf and recommend it!