50x Scorching True Intent! Hands Like Molten Lava, Black Crow Army

Thud...

Ning Da's arms, locked in a bear hug, never reached Shi Wen.

His flesh and bone were melted through by Shi Wen's palms, which glowed red like molten lava, and his head rolled onto the ground.

Blood sprayed several yards high, dyeing Shi Wen's face crimson!!

Thud.

Two bodies collapsed in opposite directions.

Shi Wen, exhausted, slumped onto the ground, gasping for fresh air.

His skin and flesh were sunken deep into his bones, and his face was ash-gray; the state of his depleted essence, energy, and spirit was clearly visible.

Had his gaunt chest not been rising and falling, anyone would have assumed he was already dead!

After the intense battle ended.

His tightly coiled nerves finally relaxed, and as the adrenaline faded, he felt an indescribable pain for the first time.

Aching and swelling radiated throughout his entire body; his joints throbbed, many of his bones were fractured, and more importantly, the moment he activated the 50x Scorching True Intent, it had drained every ounce of his essence, energy, and spirit!

Even for just a second, he had nearly squeezed himself dry!!

"It seems I can't even manage five seconds as a 'real man.' The 50x Scorching True Intent is truly absurd. If it had lasted even one second longer, it would have sucked me into a husk. I must be cautious about using high-multiplier True Intent in the future."

"Hah... if not for True Intent being my trump card, and if not for the opponent's carelessness in letting me close the distance to fight, I would have died here today."

"True Intent is not a panacea. If I cannot even get close to the opponent's body, it is like a clever housewife trying to cook without rice. It seems I must find a movement technique to train in when I have the chance."

Shi Wen took a deep breath.

He struggled to circulate the blood and qi within his body to heal his wounds.

As he replayed the fight in his mind, he pondered, "When I unleash my full power, every strike carries thousands of pounds of force. If, as Senior Sister Li said, the weakest in the Origin Blood Realm have a base strength of a thousand pounds, I shouldn't be unable to move them."

"Yet this man, when even slightly serious, had strength no less than ten thousand pounds. If he had unleashed his full power in that three-meter-tall form, he could likely have easily exerted tens of thousands of pounds of force, right?"

"An ordinary Origin Blood Realm expert definitely couldn't reach this level!"

"This man was definitely not as simple as the single Blood Membrane he kept talking about. Before he died, dense, black-blooded veins surged across his entire body; that was likely a manifestation of his Origin Blood Realm. Unfortunately, I don't know enough about the Origin Blood Realm to know exactly what stage he was at."

"Origin Blood warriors are truly terrifying. Without Scorching True Intent, I would never have been able to shake an Origin Blood Realm expert!"

After a moment.

Shi Wen sat up, gasping for breath.

A look of survival flashed in his eyes.

He felt a touch of bitterness.

Who could have guessed that it would start with killing a few attackers, only to have the numbers grow, eventually leading to an encounter with an Origin Blood Realm warrior?

If not for Scorching True Intent, he surely would have died at the hands of this mysterious soldier!

"Damn it, didn't Zhang Sheng say that only second-rate factions have Origin Blood Realm warriors? The Xingshui Gang, a boat gang that doesn't even have a Blood-Coagulation Realm warrior and isn't even third-rate, actually gathered over a dozen Blood-Tempering Realm, two Blood-Coagulation Realm, and one Origin Blood Realm expert? A faction like this would stand firmly among the second-rate factions, wouldn't it?"

"As expected, much of the information is inaccurate. Only by experiencing it myself can I know the true situation."

"Origin Blood Realm... it seems only by stepping into the Origin Blood Realm can one have any self-preservation power in Black Cloud County. Blood-Coagulation is still too weak."

Shi Wen coughed, spitting out some fragments of his internal organs.

Enduring the intense pain and soreness.

He set his broken bones one by one, using wooden splinters to pin the palm-sized tears in his flesh so they wouldn't fall away.

He forced himself to gather his spirit, stood up, and took the several waterproof bags from the waist of the headless corpse.

He scavenged the ruins once more, taking everything he saw that might be useful!

The sack on his back was bulging, clearly indicating a significant haul.

Afterward, Shi Wen piled the bodies together and gathered some firewood.

He intended to burn them all.

But who could have known.

Just at that moment.

The sound of a group of people approaching echoed from the street in the distance.

Shi Wen had no choice but to hurriedly throw a torch onto the pile of dry wood and corpses.

He then vaulted into a deep alley.

And vanished from the scene.

"My lord, the sound of constant fighting came from here, but it has gone quiet now."

A massive wave of torches surged in like a long snake.

The firelight soared into the sky.

The pitch-black ruins were illuminated.

The moment they saw the scene clearly, everyone present gasped, fear flashing across their faces as their scalps tingled. Some bailiffs and martial artists, unable to handle the visceral shock, turned to the corners to vomit!

Sounds of retching echoed one after another.

"What is going on?"

Zhou Hongzhi walked in with his saber at his waist, barking, "You are all seasoned officers; how could you be scared into such a state by a mere sight like this?"

He scanned the area, then suddenly froze in his tracks.

His pupils constricted!

Within the collapsed courtyard walls, the ground was pitted and scarred everywhere.

Chunks of flesh and pools of blood hung from every surface.

Broken corpses were piled up like small burial mounds.

Severed heads, their eyes wide open in death, stared directly back at them!!

Faced with such a horrifying scene, even he, a martial artist in the Blood-Coagulation Realm, felt his scalp go numb!

Brutal!!

The methods were extremely savage; every corpse had been shattered by immense force.

He even accidentally stepped on an intestine. Such a nauseating and bloody scene was something even he had never witnessed before!!!

"What's the situation? I heard you all retching from a distance."

"You are all veterans of the office; is this how you honor the uniforms you wear?"

"Who could be so vicious? Hiss... so many corpses. Damn it, these bodies have either had their heads twisted off or been smashed to pieces. Who on earth is this cruel..."

Four or five Capital Office Envoys walked in and saw the scene.

They all gasped in unison!

"What are you standing there for? Do you know who was fighting here?"

At this moment, a burly figure strode in.

The man had a face full of thick whiskers and a scar from a blade across his forehead, giving him a fierce and menacing appearance.

"Lord Yang!"

"Greetings, Lord Yang."

"Greetings, Deputy Lieutenant Yang..."

The surrounding bailiffs bowed one after another, and even Capital Office Envoys like Zhou Hongzhi greeted him.

The newcomer was Deputy Lieutenant Yang Chengwu of the County Office, one of the Origin Blood experts in the office. He was specifically responsible for managing the Origin Blood martial artists in this district of the city. Rumor had it he was an expert who had condensed three Blood Membranes, and he held a resounding reputation in Black Cloud County.

This man was extremely brutal and greedy.

He often colluded with gangs and the Boat Gang to exploit the common people and squeeze them for wealth.

He kept thugs and corrupt clerks under his command, specializing in running usury, gambling dens, and brothels; his notoriety was widespread!

"My Lord, we heard movement here earlier, but the disturbance was too great. Not daring to act rashly, we reported to you and waited for your arrival before handling the matter."

One of the Capital Office Envoys reported hurriedly.

"Hmm."

Yang Chengwu scanned the area, hooked his foot to flick a steel saber off the ground, and examined a special mark on it, his expression turning to one of surprise. "Black Crow Army? These people are deserters from Tiannan Prefecture!"

This saber was longer, thinner, and sharper than those seen on the market, featuring a blood groove along the blade.

On the steel surface was a crude, ferocious bird-like mark—this was the Black Crow Emblem, symbol of the Black Crow Army.

A look of greed appeared on Yang Chengwu's face.

These heads were nothing but cold, hard silver!