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He Tong was silent for a moment, then shook his head with a sigh. "That's right. You two brothers did help me reach Xiantian."

"But my fall back to the Houtian Realm was also because I was fighting for you two."

Wang Long said in disappointment, "And for that, you'd betray us? What did the Li Family promise you that's worth abandoning righteousness, flouting the law, and helping a pack of villains?"

"The Li Family promised to help me return to Xiantian!" He Tong said hoarsely.

"And you believe their lies? Wenhe has been searching for a way for you all along!"

"Wang Long, I'm no fool." With that, He Tong pulled a pill from his bosom and swallowed it in one gulp.

Wang Long only watched coldly, making no move to stop him.

He Tong's aura surged. In the blink of an eye, the air around him stirred without wind, streams of Yuanqi swirling at his side. His spirit, energy, and essence merged as one, and the wrinkles on his face vanished at a visible rate.

Before long, he had transformed from a middle-aged, aging state back into a youthful appearance.

Eyes closed, feeling the vibrant life force within him, He Tong spread his arms as if embracing heaven and earth.

In that moment, He Tong had returned to the Xiantian Martial Artist realm!

"Traitor!" Seeing that He Tong had truly regained Xiantian with the Li Family's help, Wang Long's fury burned hotter.

"Do you think that just because you're back at Xiantian, I can't do anything to you?" He pointed his longsword, ready to strike.

Just then, a commanding voice rang out from afar.

"Senior Brother, let him go."

"Junior Brother, how could you..." Wang Long froze. Wei Wenhe had appeared beside him without his notice.

Wei Wenhe glanced at He Tong. "He Tong, you're on your own from now on."

He Tong, who had already steeled himself for a fight to the death, heard this reply and his expression grew complicated.

He let out a soft sigh. "He Tong thanks the Young Master for sparing my life."

Watching He Tong drift away, Wang Long said urgently, "Junior Brother, you're just letting him go? You treated him well—removed his slave status, regarded him as a brother, even trained him all the way to Xiantian Martial Artist..."

"Senior Brother." Wei Wenhe shook his head. "He Tong's wife and children in Youzhou were tricked out of the city by the Li Family's schemes and taken hostage in Liangzhou."

"What?! That..." Wang Long was left speechless. "Then why didn't he say..."

He stopped mid-sentence. He knew that even if He Tong had told Wei Wenhe, there was no way to rescue his family.

Wang Long could borrow the power of the City God Temple, but noble clans also had Yin God ancestors protecting them. While not as mighty as the Zhou Dynasty's officially sanctioned temples, they could easily block Divine Law from probing.

Moreover, the hostages were likely hidden outside Heyuan County. The County Magistrate could only control the local temple and had no authority elsewhere.

If He Tong refused their terms, telling or not telling—the outcome was the same either way.

"Senior Brother, Shen Zhui is fine. I left a trace 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 piercing, drilling pain assaulted Shen Zhui's consciousness.

He lay in a pit three to five meters deep, feeling as if his entire body was about to shatter, ready to explode at any moment.

Though he had managed to disperse part of the attack earlier, nearly half of the Xiantian Spiritual Energy had still blasted into his body along with that cyan fist.

Unlike the gentle infusion from Elder Cang before, this Xiantian Spiritual Energy rampaged through his flesh the moment it entered, wantonly destroying his body.

His skin was cracked all over, blood covering every inch, with hardly a patch of good flesh left.

Just as Shen Zhui thought his end was near, a mysterious, vast power shielded his internal organs and dantian, swiftly expelling the rampaging energy and gently nourishing his wounds.

"This—it's the Yuanpin Pearl!" Sensing the change, Shen Zhui grew excited.

Between life and death lies great terror. The feeling of survival against all odds made Shen Zhui tremble uncontrollably.

Then, a deep voice entered his mind.

"Calm down. Focus your mind and control your Yuanqi to heal."

"Captain Wang." Shen Zhui could barely open his eyes now, but his heart steadied, and he immediately followed the instruction.

Streams of Yuanqi coursed rapidly through his body. Once the energy was fully expelled, the majestic power faded as well.

Then, waves of heat radiated from his chest. The Yuanpin Pearl grew scorching hot, pouring pure energy into Shen Zhui to help repair his injuries.

The divine power left by the County Magistrate protected his vital organs, the Yuanpin Pearl's pure energy healed him, Wang Long also channeled a thread of Xiantian essence to assist, and Shen Zhui's own recovery ability kicked in.

His wounds mended at a visible rate. Blood quickly clotted and formed scabs. After an unknown time, Shen Zhui finally managed to open his eyes fully and regained some mobility.

"He's awake, he's awake! Brother Shen is awake!" As soon as his eyes opened, he saw Zhao Hu shouting excitedly nearby, with a dozen or so men from the Martial Arts Department standing around.

"Keep it down." Wang Long shot Zhao Hu a glare. From the County Magistrate, he had learned that Shen Zhui had achieved Unity of Heaven and Man—a talent rarer than even a Xiantian Master. His regard for Shen Zhui had naturally changed.

"Captain, that He Tong..." Once recovered, Shen Zhui immediately wanted to tell Wang Long that He Tong had turned traitor.

"Focus on healing. I already know." At the mention of He Tong, Wang Long's face darkened again.

Those around had long heard the story from Zhao Hu, but no one brought it up now.

He Tong had been the second-in-command of the Martial Arts Department. When he first arrived three years ago, he was a Xiantian Martial Artist like Wang Long, though he later fell to Peak Houtian for reasons unknown.

But whether in status or strength, He Tong was second only to Wang Long in the Martial Arts Department. Many of the men had even received guidance from him.

His defection was hard for the brothers in the Martial Arts Department to accept, and their hearts felt heavy.

"Whoosh~"

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." The men of the Martial Arts Department quickly bowed.

Lin Ze waved his hand and walked over to Wang Long. Seeing Shen Zhui's miserable state, he sighed and pulled a small box from his bosom.

"Captain Wang, this is a Vitality Nurturing Pill. It strengthens the foundation, nurtures vitality, and heals injuries."

"Earlier, I was preoccupied with military affairs. I hope Captain Wang won't hold it against me. This brother was injured helping me, so I can only offer this small token. I hope Captain Wang won't refuse."

Wang Long nodded and accepted it, feeding the pill to Shen Zhui. Seeing that Shen Zhui's recovery speed immediately increased after taking it, and that he could now circulate his technique on his own, Wang Long's opinion of Lin Ze improved somewhat.

Earlier, Lin Ze had seemed a bit cold-blooded, but Wang Long knew that in the Wu'an Army, military affairs came first...

Besides, they hadn't actually helped Lin Ze catch his target.

This couldn't be blamed on Lin Ze.

Now that Shen Zhui was fine, Wang Long wasn't the type to hold a grudge over nothing.

"Lord Lin, what about the fugitive..."

"I wounded him badly, but he still got away." Lin Ze shook his head.

The man was skilled in escape techniques; otherwise, Lin Ze wouldn't have needed to invite experts to cooperate.

"Lord Lin, what are your plans next?"

Lin Ze snorted coldly. "Ordinarily, matters within the county are none of the Wu'an Army's business. But the Li and Yang Families ruined my plans—how could I let them off so easily?"

"I've spent months working on this mission, and they wrecked it. Of course, I'm going to demand an explanation!"

In the Wu'an Army, missions came with military merit rewards, and military merit was the most fundamental resource for cultivation. It could be exchanged for anything and was also the most direct path to promotion.

For this mission, Lin Ze had invested nearly half his savings, all for the big payoff after completion. That was why he cared so much about it.

The Li and Yang Families had promised to help him, yet they backed out at the last moment. During the four-man siege, only Wang Long had genuinely helped him with full effort.

The other two had been respectful in attitude, but in actual combat, they'd just gone through the motions. Did Lin Ze think he couldn't see that?

Not only did they fail to help, but they'd also schemed to use others to kill him, causing his mission to fail.

Lin Ze, a High-stage Xiantian Qi Cultivation True Person, was proud and arrogant. How could he let this slide so easily!

A transitional chapter—bear with me, everyone. The secrets of the Divine Law will soon be revealed. Also, please bookmark and recommend!