Black and White Elders Attacked-and Were Brought to Their Knees!

County Magistrate Fang Ping was the first to step into the room.

Jiang Tian had expected a tense standoff the moment they entered, with a fight breaking out at the slightest provocation. But the scene before him was nothing like he'd imagined.

Thousand-Household Official Zhang Wei and the heads of the other Three Great Families all wore genial smiles, as though today truly were nothing more than an ordinary banquet.

"County Magistrate!"

Zhang Wei rose first, greeting him with clasped hands and a beaming smile.

A smile appeared on Fang Ping's somewhat sickly face as well. He exchanged pleasantries and walked in at an unhurried pace.

Behind him came the seven Martial Arts Hall masters, followed by Jiang Tian.

"Oh?"

Zhang Wei's gaze fell on Jiang Tian. His brows lifted slightly, his pupils widening with surprise.

Transformation Energy at such a young age?

That was truly rare.

Jiang Tian was also sizing up the Thousand-Household Official who had lingered in his thoughts all these past few days.

The man was nothing like the burly, fierce figure he had imagined. He was rather young, dressed in a black robe, and wore a refined smile. He looked less like a military commander and more like a schoolteacher.

What caught Jiang Tian's attention even more was that, just like County Magistrate Fang Ping, Zhang Wei had three purple entries hanging above his head.

"Extract."

[Extraction successful. Obtained 3,000 entry points!]

His gaze shifted to the two men at Zhang Wei's sides.

He had never met them before, but they looked somewhat familiar. Their entries appeared, identifying them as Wang Yun, head of the Wang Family, and Li Yuanhao, head of the Li Family.

Wang Yun had Transformation Energy cultivation, with one purple entry and one green.

Li Yuanhao had Manifest Energy cultivation, with only one blue entry above his head.

Jiang Tian extracted them one by one.

Perhaps the news had already spread. Both men wore smiles, but the chill in their eyes was almost impossible to conceal.

So it really was that brat.

After a round of pleasantries, everyone took their seats and began to eat.

They raised cups and exchanged toasts, the banquet warm and convivial, with no sign of anything amiss.

After three rounds of drinks, Zhang Wei suddenly raised his cup and toasted Fang Ping from across the table. His manner was respectful, and his tone carried a hint of a request. "County Magistrate, I have a small favor to ask. I wonder if I may speak of it?"

"Please, Lord Zhang!" Fang Ping raised his cup in return, his expression sincere.

"If it's within my power, I, Fang Ping, will do everything I can!"

"Good!"

Zhang Wei tipped back his head and drained his cup. Then he set it down, his gaze gradually growing more solemn.

"Since you've put it that way, County Magistrate, I'll get straight to the point."

He paused, slowing his words as he spoke, one by one. "You know that the Poison Wolf Gang has been entrenched around Blackwater County for years. It's like a poisoned thorn lodged in my heart, keeping me awake at night and ruining my appetite."

"That's true." Fang Ping's gaze shifted, and he replied in a low voice. "When I took office as magistrate of Blackwater County all those years ago, I wanted to govern this place well, so every commoner could put food on the table. But the Poison Wolf Gang has been robbing the trade routes for years, causing Blackwater County's tax revenue to plummet. They've also slaughtered several villages in the surrounding area..."

He spoke slowly, as if recalling the past.

When he finished, Zhang Wei stood and clasped his hands slightly, his expression utterly earnest. "Lord Fang, the Great Zhou Dynasty is already gravely ill. Destroying a single Poison Wolf Gang won't be nearly enough to cure it at the root."

He looked Fang Ping in the eye, his gaze burning. "I have a good plan. Would you care to hear it?"

Fang Ping smiled faintly. "Go on."

"Why not hand over all the resources and manpower in Blackwater County to me to manage? In three days, I can subdue and bring the Poison Wolf Gang to heel!"

"Bring them to heel?" Fang Ping gave a derisive laugh, his contempt plain on his face. "They're a bunch of bandits. Shouldn't you wipe them out completely? Why bring them to heel?"

"Not everyone in the Poison Wolf Gang is bad." Zhang Wei's expression didn't change. "Some had nowhere else to turn and were simply trying to find a way to survive."

Fang Ping narrowed his eyes and, with a genial smile, spoke words that struck like thunder: "From the sound of it, you're trying to seize power?"

At those words, Zhang Wei froze. He hadn't expected Fang Ping to say it so bluntly.

"You may understand it that way." Zhang Wei's posture was exceedingly humble, almost as if he were begging.

Fang Ping was still smiling as he slowly asked, "And what if I refuse?"

The instant the words fell, the atmosphere in the private room froze.

The air grew heavy, as if an unseen hand had closed around everyone's throat.

"Rumble—"

A bolt of thunder split the sky. Pale lightning shone through the window lattice, turning every face stark white.

Then raindrops as large as beans came pouring down from the dark clouds, hammering the roof tiles with a rapid, drumming patter.

The smile on Zhang Wei's face slowly faded.

His refined mask fell away, revealing the coldness and killing intent beneath.

"Refuse?"

His voice was not loud, yet it sounded as if it had blown straight out of an ice cellar.

"Then I'll have no choice but to send you to... your death."

"Boom—!"

The top floor of the Drunken Wind Pavilion exploded with a roar. Splintered wood flew everywhere, and broken tiles scattered in all directions.

The storm poured through the gaping hole, drenching everyone in an instant.

Several figures tangled together, fists whipping through the air and forces colliding, sending circles of white shockwaves bursting through the rain.

Wang Yun was locked in a fierce fight with someone, his eyes bloodshot as he roared at the top of his lungs, "Elder White, Elder Black! You two—capture that brat alive! Leave him breathing! I want to use his blood to pay tribute to my dead son!"

"Understood!"

As soon as he spoke, two figures shot out from the streets on either side.

One wore black, the other white. Their faces were gaunt and their eyes sunken, like two dried corpses that had crawled out of their coffins.

Seeing them charge at Jiang Tian, Yuan Long moved. "Disciple, I'll help you!"

"Yuan Long, it's been a long time since we sparred—let me test you!"

A figure stepped in front of him.

It was Xia Qiushan, the master of the Through-Back Martial Hall.

"Old Xia?!" Yuan Long was stunned, then flew into a rage. "How dare you betray the county magistrate?!"

Xia Qiushan's expression was calm. "There's no question of betrayal. I'm just securing a way out for myself."

With that, he sprang forward and attacked Yuan Long.

Three Martial Arts Halls had turned traitor at the critical moment: Through-Back, Thunder, and Coiling Dragon.

Each of the three Martial Arts Halls had two Transformation Energy fighters.

The situation had turned in an instant.

No one could spare a thought for Jiang Tian.

Yuan Long was frantic. Taken individually, the Black and White Elders were not especially strong.

But together, there was hardly anyone in all of Blackwater County who could stand against them.

They were twins, their minds in perfect sync, and the combined martial art they practiced was maddeningly difficult to deal with.

At that moment, Jiang Tian was surrounded by the two Transformation Energy elders.

The rain poured down in sheets, streaming from his hair and blurring his vision, but his heartbeat remained remarkably steady.

His expression was grave as his gaze swept back and forth between them.

Judging by their auras alone, neither seemed particularly powerful. But standing together, they were linked by some strange force, forming a seamless whole. The energy steaming from their bodies was exactly alike, blending together until they instinctively seemed dangerous.

"Boy." A hoarse voice came from the black-robed elder. "If you break all four of your limbs yourself, we might at least let you die quickly."

The two old bastards didn't take Jiang Tian seriously at all.

"Haha!" Jiang Tian laughed out loud, his voice ringing especially clear through the rain.

"You two boastful old fools! Let's see if you old geezers actually have what it takes!"

Before his words had even faded, energy surged from his entire body.

Colorless yet visible, it streamed from him and took shape behind him: fierce birds, a tiger, a giant bear, a spirit ape... Their shifting forms looked vividly real.

"Don't forget to add this book to your shelf if you like it, so you can find it again next time."

"Arrogant!"

The two elders shouted in unison. They stamped hard on the ground, their bodies shooting toward Jiang Tian like arrows.

Their movements were uncannily alike—even the foot they stepped forward with was the same.

A stinging gale of force rushed at him, like countless tiny iron needles pricking his face. Jiang Tian's expression turned stern as three forms of Momentum manifested around him at once: [Tiger in a Cage], [Bear in the Cave], and [Deer in the Snow].

He didn't underestimate them for a moment.

Since he began practicing martial arts, no opponents had ever given him such a crushing sense of pressure.

Elder Black struck first. He threw a punch, and his energy formed the phantom of a pitch-black tiger, which roared as it pounced at Jiang Tian.

Before the fist even reached him, its force had already blown the rain backward, bursting it into a cloud of white mist.

Jiang Tian didn't dodge. He met the punch head-on with his right fist, the three forms of Momentum weaving together across his knuckles and colliding with a deep rumble.

"Boom—!"

When their fists collided, Jiang Tian felt a tremendous force surge toward him like a flood. His arm went numb, and his body slid backward several feet against his will, his shoes gouging two deep tracks into the slick bluestone slabs.

Before he could steady himself, Elder White appeared at his side like a ghost. His fingers curled into claws, reaching straight for Jiang Tian's throat.

His five fingers were as dry as sticks, but their tips gleamed with a sinister chill, like five poisoned daggers.

Jiang Tian twisted aside to evade, then smashed an elbow toward Elder White's ribs.

Elder White's body twisted like a slippery loach, narrowly evading the blow, but his fingers still left three shallow bloody scratches across Jiang Tian's shoulder.

"Interesting." Elder White licked the blood from his fingertips, a chilling smile spreading over his bark-like face.

The two elders pressed in again, one on each side.

This time, their coordination was even tighter.

Elder Black attacked head-on, his punches as fierce as thunder. Each one carried astonishing force, making the air explode. Elder White circled to the side, targeting the gaps in Jiang Tian's defense, his fingers hooked like claws and every strike aimed at a vital point.

Caught between them, Jiang Tian struggled to defend himself, danger looming at every turn.

He blocked one of Elder Black's punches, and Elder White's claws went for his back; he forced Elder White back, and Elder Black's fist came crashing toward his face.

Their attacks surged in wave after wave, seamless and airtight, pressing down on him until he could hardly breathe.

Jiang Tian fought as he retreated, constantly shifting his footing as he tried to open some distance.

But the two elders clung to him like bone-deep parasites. No matter where he retreated, he couldn't shake them.

"Thud!"

Caught off guard, Jiang Tian took a palm strike to the back from Elder White.

The force pierced to the bone, sending his blood surging. His throat turned sweet, and he nearly spat out a mouthful of blood.

He used the force to lunge forward, then spun and threw a punch, forcing Elder White back just as he was about to pursue. But before Jiang Tian could catch his breath, Elder Black leaped high into the air, clasped both fists together, and brought them down on Jiang Tian's head like a mountain falling from the sky.

Jiang Tian crossed his arms to block.

"Boom—!"

The tremendous impact drove him down onto one knee. His knee smashed through a bluestone slab, sending shards flying.

His arms went numb, the web of his thumb split open, and blood trickled through his fingers.

"Boy, ready to admit defeat?" Elder Black looked down at him with a mocking smile.

Jiang Tian gritted his teeth and suddenly exerted force, knocking Elder Black away.

He rose to his feet, shook out his numb arms, and took a deep breath.

No. If this continued, he would lose without a doubt.

He had to find the flaw in their coordinated attack.

Jiang Tian closed his eyes, then opened them again.

The five forms of Momentum revolved within him, and his senses sharpened to their utmost.

The sound of raindrops falling, the rhythm of the two men's heartbeats, the direction their energy flowed through their bodies... Everything came into clear focus in his mind.

He saw it.

Their teamwork was flawless, but it had one fatal weakness: their attacks followed a fixed rhythm.

Elder Black would attack three times, then Elder White would always cut in from the left; after Elder White tangled with his opponent for a while, Elder Black would always launch a head-on attack.

Again and again, the same cycle.

The corners of Jiang Tian's mouth lifted slightly.

"Come again."

He took the initiative, his form swift as a deer as he left a string of afterimages in the rain, heading straight for Elder Black.

"Looking for death!" Elder Black sneered and threw a punch.

Jiang Tian didn't dodge. He took the punch head-on. At the same time, he stamped his left foot on the ground. A fragment of stone sprang up, and he flicked it backward like a hidden weapon, sending it toward Elder White just as he moved in.

Elder White hadn't expected him to pull that trick. His body faltered, and he was half a beat late.

That half-beat was enough to break the two men's coordination for an instant.

Jiang Tian seized the opening. Three forms of Momentum—[Tiger in a Cage], [Bear in the Cave], and [Ape in the Cliff]—burst forth together, and he slammed a punch into Elder Black's chest.

"Boom!"

Elder Black was sent flying by the punch. He flipped through the air and staggered two steps when he landed, a trace of blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.

But Jiang Tian was in no better shape.

Though Elder White was half a beat late, his attack still landed.

His five fingers raked viciously across Jiang Tian's left arm. The sleeve was torn to shreds, exposing his flesh. Five deep gashes split it open, blood running down his arm only to be diluted at once by the rain, then covered again by fresh blood.

If Jiang Tian's body hadn't evolved several times through his entries, becoming far tougher than an ordinary person's, the flesh on his left arm would likely have been torn away in a large chunk.

"Good!" Jiang Tian gritted his teeth. Far from retreating, the fighting spirit in his eyes burned even brighter.

Elder White landed a successful strike and gave him no chance to catch his breath before lunging at him again. Elder Black steadied himself and circled in from the other side.

The two regrouped, their attacks even more ferocious than before.

Fists blurred into overlapping shadows, and claw winds cut sharply through the rain, weaving into an impenetrable net. Trapped inside it, Jiang Tian darted left and right, but he could never break free.

New wounds kept appearing on his body—flesh was torn from his shoulder, his back was bruised purple by the force of a punch, and a slash opened along his ribs. Blood mingled with rainwater, staining his clothes a dark red.

But his eyes remained bright.

As he fought, his understanding of the five forms of momentum deepened.

The killing intent of Tiger in a Cage, the ponderous strength of Bear in the Cave, the nimble grace of Ape in the Cliff, the swift speed of Deer in the Snow, the keen awareness of Bird in the Rain...

The five forms of momentum revolved and intertwined within him. They no longer fought separately, but were gradually blending into one.

He could feel it: the moment when the five forms would fuse was right before him.

Bang!

The two joined forces in a punch. Jiang Tian was sent flying, crashing hard into the wall behind him.

He looked as if he had been embedded in the wall itself, cracks spreading around him like a spiderweb. Pebbles pattered down, splashing into the rain and mud.

He could not have looked more wretched.

His chest heaved, his breathing was ragged, and blood covered his body. He looked like he had just crawled out of a battlefield of slaughter.

But—

Jiang Tian's eyes were brighter than ever.

At that moment, the five forms of momentum finally fused completely.

Not far away, Wang Yun was locked in a fierce battle with a hall master. He glanced over and saw Jiang Tian pinned in the wall, unable to move. A triumphant, vengeful laugh spread across his face. "Black and White Elders! Smash all four of that brat's limbs! Leave him breathing!"

"Understood!" the two answered in unison.

Elder Black cracked his neck and slowly approached Jiang Tian, who was embedded in the wall. A chilling smile appeared on his face, as wrinkled as dried tree bark.

"The two of us learned this combined martial art by castrating ourselves." He licked his cracked lips, his voice shrill. "Since the Wang Family brat wants me to smash your limbs, I'll start by smashing your—"

He paused, his grin growing more vicious.

"Third leg!"

"Haha!"

Jiang Tian, still hanging in the wall, couldn't help laughing.

"So you're both old eunuchs!"

"You're asking for death!"

Elder Black's expression changed. His five fingers curled into claws, and he lunged straight for Jiang Tian's chest!

Squelch—

The scene Elder Black had imagined never came to pass.

His body jolted. It felt as if a cold breeze had blown into his chest.

He looked down instinctively.

An arm, sharp as a sword, had pierced straight through his chest.

Blood ran down the arm, spreading into a glaring red stain in the rain.