Luo River County – Outer City
In a secluded courtyard in the northeastern district...
"Holy Emissary! Inspection Bureau agents have entered the eastern district their target might be us! Our recent tunneling to dig an escape route outside the city walls may have drawn their attention!"
"Stay calm." The man addressed as the Holy Emissary remained unperturbed as he regarded the burly subordinate before him. "With me here, those small fry from the Inspection Bureau won't cause trouble."
"And let's not forget the great one who accompanied me. If he intervenes, he could overturn the very skies of Luo River County!"
Hearing this, the burly man bowed deeply. "Then we place our faith in the Emissary!"
"Relax." The Holy Emissary patted his shoulder. "Serve the Worshipper Sect well, and you'll be rewarded. Once we transport the idol beyond the city, you'll accompany me to headquarters. I'll see to it that your contributions are recognized."
"Thank you, Holy Emissary!" The man's face flushed with excitement.
Moments Later
"Commander, that's the courtyard." Feng Jiuge pointed ahead as she and Jiang Ning stood alone on the snow-covered street.
The rest of their team waited hidden in nearby alleys, ready to move at Jiang Ning's signal.
Following her gesture, Jiang Ning observed the open gates of the compound.
Two disfigured children one with gouged-out eyes, the other missing both ears shuffled inside, their tattered clothes barely shielding them from the cold.
Noticing Jiang Ning's gaze, Feng Jiuge explained quietly: "This is one of the Black Tiger Gang's schemes. They maim children, exploit loopholes to smuggle them into the inner city, and profit from wealthy citizens' pity."
"And no one stops this?" Jiang Ning's brow furrowed.
"Who would?" Feng Jiuge sighed. "This is common in major cities. Children with fair looks and good bones are sold to brothels for grooming. The unlucky ones... end up like those two."
Jiang Ning exhaled sharply.
He'd read about such atrocities in his past life historical accounts of beggar syndicates mutilating children to maximize alms.
But seeing it firsthand was different.
"Commander, shall we move? We could save these children while we're at it." Feng Jiuge studied Jiang Ning's expression, recognizing his simmering anger.
"Not yet." Jiang Ning closed his eyes.
Instantly, his spiritual sense unfurled, blanketing a hundred-meter radius enough to cover three-quarters of the courtyard.
Invisible to mortal eyes, tendrils of mist coalesced amidst the snowfall.
Through this aqueous medium, every detail of the compound is imprinted onto his consciousness.
He located the hidden tunnel in a corner.
The mist seeped underground, becoming an extension of his senses.
Within moments, the tunnel's layout crystallized in his mind.
"So it's here." His mental gaze locked onto the ten-foot-tall idol concealed within.
Feng Jiuge's intel was correct this was indeed a Worshipper Sect stronghold.
The tunnel's trajectory confirmed their goal: smuggling the idol beyond the city walls.
And they were close. Just days from breakthrough.
Jiang Ning reopened his eyes.
"Call the team. Surround the courtyard no one leaves."
"Yes, Commander!" Feng Jiuge dipped her head and relayed the order via hand signals.
Elsewhere in the City
Guardian Star, having received an alert, raced toward the compound like a specter through the blizzard.
His footfalls, nearly silent, left vanishing imprints as fresh snow erased his trail.
Back at the Courtyard
"Who goes there?!" Two guards charged out, blades drawn, at the disturbance outside the gates.
"Subdue them." Jiang Ning flicked his wrist.
Xie Xiaojiu's sword flashed like a crimson streak.
"Agh !"
"My hand !"
Two screams pierced the air as weapons clattered to the ground.
The commotion sent the courtyard into chaos.
Jiang Ning strode forward, unfazed. His team swiftly restrained the disarmed guards.
Then
"Dare cause trouble on Black Tiger Gang turf? You've got a death wish?!" A new voice roared as another armed thug burst from a side building, face twisted in false bravado.
The moment Jiang Ning's group stepped into view, the Black Tiger Gang members knew they were dealing with formidable opponents.
At that moment, the burly gang leader the man who had earlier reported to the Holy Emissary burst out from the main hall.
"Boss!"
"Boss!"
"Boss!"
His subordinates bowed in deference as he strode forward.
"Commander Jiang," the gang leader greeted stiffly, his voice tense.
Jiang Ning didn't waste words. "Take them all down. Kill anyone who resists."
"Yes, sir!" Xie Xiaojiu and Feng Jiuge responded instantly.
In the next breath
Xie Xiaojiu's sword flashed like lightning, her blade aimed straight at the gang leader's throat.
Feng Jiuge raised her voice, cold and clear: "By the Commander's order show no mercy to those who resist!"
The moment the command left her lips, a dozen Inspection Bureau agents vaulted over the courtyard walls, weapons drawn.
"Commander Jiang, this is tyranny!" the gang leader bellowed, his face paling.
But his protest died in his throat.
Xie Xiaojiu's swordplay was relentless. In their first exchange, her blade carved a three-inch gash across his shoulder.
Blood splattered onto the snow, blooming like crimson ink on parchment.
Meanwhile
Against Inspection Bureau agents each at least a Ninth-Rank (Skin Tempering) martial artist the Black Tiger Gang's so-called "elites" stood no chance.
Like wolves among sheep, Jiang Ning's squad tore through them.
Snow turned scarlet underfoot.
Feng Jiuge fought with particular ferocity. Heads rolled at her blade's touch, arterial sprays painting the air.
The sight of more mutilated children inside the courtyard some missing limbs, others blinded had erased any restraint.
Jiang Ning spared a glance at Cheng Ran, noting with approval how the man's Five Beasts Fist had reached mastery. Every strike shattered bones; no gang member lasted a single exchange.
Satisfied, Jiang Ning turned toward the building hiding the tunnel entrance.
The Black Tiger Gang's foot soldiers were beneath his concern.
But the Worshipper Sect operatives below?
That was another matter.
Few in number, but undoubtedly elite especially the so-called Holy Emissary, whose aura pulsed with restrained power in Jiang Ning's spiritual senses.
That one, he mused, will be mine.
Above Ground
The skirmish had lasted mere seconds when
Shriiiiek!
A flare rocketed into the sky, exploding over Luo River County in a burst of red sparks.
Seeing the signal, the bleeding gang leader dropped to his knees.
"I surrender !"
"I surrender !"
His surviving thugs followed suit, wailing pleas as they kowtowed in the bloodied snow.
"Commander, your orders?" Feng Jiuge materialized at Jiang Ning's side, her blade still dripping.
"Kill them all," Jiang Ning said mildly.
"All of them?" She blinked.
But Xie Xiaojiu had already moved.
Her sword traced a crescent moon in the air
Thud.
The gang leader's head hit the ground before his body did.
"Slaughter them!" Feng Jiuge barked.
The Inspection Bureau agents obeyed without hesitation.
The courtyard became an abattoir.
Below Ground
The Holy Emissary's head snapped up at the muffled carnage overhead.
"No negotiations... They came specifically for us."
"E-Emissary! What are your orders?" A disguised Worshipper Sect member whispered urgently.
The Holy Emissary's lips curled. "Wait. If they find the tunnel..."
He cracked his knuckles.
"We kill our way out."
Inside the courtyard, the Black Tiger Gang members were swiftly eradicated under the Inspection Bureau's relentless assault.
Within moments, silence fell.
Only the mutilated children remained, huddled in corners, trembling too violently to even whimper.
The Tunnel Entrance
Jiang Ning stood before the hidden passageway, his gaze fixed on the floorboards of the dilapidated house.
Beneath them lay the tunnel already extending beyond the city walls. A few more days of digging, and would breach the perimeter entirely.
"Commander, the area is secure." Feng Jiuge approached, clasping her fists.
Jiang Ning waved her off. "Fall back. All of you."
Feng Jiuge blinked. "You've located them already?"
"Mn." He nodded. "There's a tunnel in that house. The Worshipper Sect operatives are inside including at least one elite. This isn't a fight for your level."
Without another word, he ascended the steps.
Exchanging a glance with Xie Xiaojiu, Feng Jiuge signaled the team to retreat.
They understood.
Against true experts, even Ninth-Rank (Skin-Tempering) warriors were little more than sacrificial pawns.
The Breach
BOOM!
A section of the wall exploded outward, debris scattering like shrapnel.
Several figures hurtled through the gap.
"The Commander!" Xie Xiaojiu's grip tightened on her sword, tendons standing stark against her knuckles.
Jiang Ning's eyes narrowed at the five monstrous forms now barring his path.
Each had undergone the same grotesque transformation as Shi Xiaoyuan months prior
Hulking ten-foot frames, muscles bulging like tumorous growths.
Blackened veins snaking across their bodies like parasitic worms.
Auras were so oppressive they could make infants wail in terror.
Behind them, the Holy Emissary stepped through the ruined doorway, his gaze locking onto Jiang Ning's.
"No path to hell? Yet you charge in headlong." His tone was eerily calm.
The five abominations lunged.
The Rooftop Observer
Perched on a snow-dusted rooftop, Guardian Star watched invisibly, his white fur cloak blending seamlessly with the winterscape.
As the mutated warriors closed in, Jiang Ning moved
And Guardian Star's pupils contracted to pinpricks.
"Internal-External Unity… Materializing the Ethereal?!"
A cold weight settled in his gut.
"This complicates things."
"Even if I intervene, subduing him won't be quick. If Hong Minghu arrives mid-fight…"
His fingers twitched, hesitating.
Jiang Ning's Retaliation
Water-Fire True Force surged through Jiang Ning's meridians as he struck.
CRACK!
A fist projected from a foot away
The lead monster's head detonated in a spray of gore.
Even for creatures with regenerative "immortality," losing their brains was fatal.
Jiang Ning didn't pause.
BOOM!
A second skull vaporized.
BOOM!
A third.
In the span of a lightning flash, all five lay dead
Including four Eighth-Rank and one Seventh-Rank warriors.
To Jiang Ning, their strength was irrelevant.
Second Breakthrough Water-Fire True Force dwarfed its perfected form.
The conflicting forces of water and fire channeled through his strikes, could shatter tempered steel let alone flesh.
The Holy Emissary's Calm
"To achieve such mastery of Internal-External cultivation at your age… Impressive."
The Holy Emissary's tone remained unruffled as he emerged from the wreckage.
Jiang Ning's wariness spiked.
He'd never underestimated the Worshipper Sect.
A faction capable of breeding deities through mortal worship, even false ones, commanded respect.
Yet this man showed zero reaction to Jiang Ning's display of Materialized Qi.
That spoke of absolute confidence.
Moreover
Jiang Ning's heightened senses had already detected Guardian Star on the rooftop.
The man's near weightless footwork marked him as a Fifth Rank (Inner Refinement) expert someone who could manipulate Inner Breath to erase his presence.
That's why I revealed my full strength.
A warning.
A deterrent.
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