On the Rooftop
Guardian Star, his white fur cloak blending seamlessly with the snow, watched the scene unfold in the courtyard below.
After a moment, he shook his head slightly and thought to himself:
"Without the Divine Embryo, it's not worth risking exposure for an empty idol shell."
Having made his decision, he retreated silently.
He knew all too well that if he provoked Hong Minghu, he stood no chance against him.
As for Divine Descent the more he understood it, the more he hesitated to use it.
Every activation brought him one step closer to losing his sanity.
The sect had already seen numerous warriors who had completely lost their minds after overusing this power.
Meanwhile, in the Courtyard
As the figure on the rooftop withdrew, Jiang Ning's focus locked entirely onto the man before him.
The man met Jiang Ning's gaze with unshakable confidence and composure.
But this composure wasn't born from faith in his strength
It stemmed from his absolute trust in Guardian Star's imminent intervention.
Guardian Star was a Fifth-Rank (Inner Refinement) expert, his Inner Breath having reached the stage of Materializing the Ethereal, with a depth as vast as a flowing river.
Such profound reserves of Inner Breath far surpassed those of ordinary Fifth-Rank warriors who had only just begun refining it.
And this boy before him?
Just a practitioner of Internal-External cultivation.
At his age, achieving Materialized Qi was indeed impressive.
But so what?
Internal-External cultivation was still just that Internal-External.
How could it compare to a true Fifth-Rank powerhouse?
Let alone one like Guardian Star, whose Inner Breath was as deep and mighty as a great river.
Just as his thoughts raced
Jiang Ning moved.
"So fast?!"
The man's pupils contracted as he instinctively raised his arms to block.
BANG!
Fist met fist.
RIIP!
The sleeve of his right arm exploded into shreds, torn apart by an invisible force, the fabric scattering like blossoms in the wind.
The impact sent him skidding backward, his feet carving grooves into the ground.
"He's... this weak?" Jiang Ning frowned in surprise.
Without hesitation, he pivoted his right foot
CRACK!
The stone tiles beneath him shattered, dispersing his backward momentum as he lunged forward again.
Meanwhile, the man's face twisted in horror.
He could feel two opposing forces raging inside his right arm
Expanding.
Tearing.
His flesh split, his tendons ruptured, and even his Mystic Bones already beginning their transformation into Jade Bones screamed in agony.
In less than a breath, his once-unharmed arm became a bloody ruin, muscles splitting apart, veins bursting under the violent energy.
As Jiang Ning closed in, true fear flashed in the man's eyes.
"I'm no match for him!"
BOOM!
Another fist collided with his.
Seeing the man's body beginning to mutate, Jiang Ning unleashed his full power.
This time, his fist met no resistance.
It struck the man's skull directly.
SPLAT!
The head exploded like a watermelon.
Jiang Ning withdrew his fist and shook his head.
"Sixth-Rank (Bone-Forging)... too weak."
"Putting on such a confident front I thought he was someone formidable."
At this realization, Jiang Ning couldn't help but smirk.
"I nearly fell for his bluff."
Then, his gaze shifted to the headless corpse, and a surge of satisfaction rose in his chest.
The last time he had killed a Sixth-Rank (Bone-Forging) Worshipper Sect member, it had earned him a staggering 50,000 Contribution Points.
Now, he had taken down another one who had undergone Divine Descent, no less.
In the Inspection Bureau, eliminating Worshipper Sect warriors of this caliber was always a major merit.
And that wasn't all.
The courtyard also held five more headless, mutated corpses four at the Eighth Rank and one at the Seventh.
A decent haul on its own.
But the real prize?
The idol hidden in the tunnel was the very one that had once been enshrined in the City God Temple.
Recovering it would net him another 50,000 Contribution Points.
"This operation turned out far more profitable than I expected," Jiang Ning mused inwardly.
As the dust settled, the Inspection Bureau agents exchanged awed whispers.
"Incredible..."
"Commander Jiang's grown so much stronger in just a few months."
"What rank do you think he's reached now?"
"Beyond Eighth Rank, at least Seventh-Rank Peak, if not higher."
"Did you catch what that guy said earlier?"
"Hm?"
"'Internal-External Unity… Materializing Qi into Substance.'"
"..."
Ignoring the murmurs, Jiang Ning turned his attention back to the house.
The tunnel entrance lay ahead and with it, the idol the Inspection Bureau had been searching for.
"Commander!" Xie Xiaojiu and Feng Jiuge stepped forward.
"Follow me into the tunnel," Jiang Ning ordered.
"Yes, sir!"
The three entered the shattered building, where a dark opening gaped in the floor.
Jiang Ning retrieved a torch from his Spatial Ring. With a casual flick of his wrist
Whoosh!
Flames erupted from the tip, illuminating the room.
Feng Jiuge shot him a puzzled glance. Even with her keen eyes, she couldn't decipher how he'd lit it so effortlessly.
"Stay behind me," Jiang Ning said, then descended the steps.
Though he already knew the tunnel's layout, a little theatrics were necessary.
The other agents relaxed slightly once Jiang Ning and the two captains disappeared inside.
"We're in for a windfall today, eh?" one chuckled.
"Damn right," another grinned, nudging a mutated corpse with his boot. "Six Worshipper Sect mutants that's major merit."
"Even the scraps will make us rich!"
Their cheerful banter was cut short by shouts from the lookout:
"Saluting Vice-Commander Yuan!"
"Saluting Vice-Commander Yuan!"
The courtyard fell silent.
In Luo River County, only one man warranted that title Yuan Hua, a Seventh-Rank martial artist.
Moments later, a group strode through the gates.
"Saluting Vice-Commander Yuan!"
The agents bowed stiffly.
In the Inspection Bureau, they could ignore other captains but Vice-Commanders demanded respect, even during field operations.
Yuan Hua's gaze swept the bloodied snow, lingering on the headless, mutated bodies.
"Commander Jiang has quite the talent for stealing credit," he remarked coolly.
The agents tensed.
No one was fooled Yuan Hua was here to claim his cut.
Yuan Hua was a graduate of the Prefectural Academy an elite institution directly under the Martial Sage's Office, tasked with grooming geniuses.
Since the Inspection Bureau's founding, graduates from the Academy, as well as its superior Dao Colleges, have been appointed to key positions nationwide.
These individuals leapfrogged over years of struggle, their alumni networks ensuring mutual support.
Cross one, and you cross them all.
Even among peers of the same rank, their influence was unspokenly greater.
"Where is Commander Jiang, by the way?" Yuan Hua asked, smiling.
Silence.
Then
Cheng Ran stepped forward.
"Reporting, Vice-Commander. Commander Jiang entered that building likely pursuing enemy remnants underground."
"Ah." Yuan Hua nodded. "Do inform him that I'd been tracking this Worshipper Sect cell for days. It's unfortunate he… intercepted my operation."
"But I'm magnanimous. I won't dispute the bulk of the merit."
"However" He gestured to three corpses. "These, I'll be taking."
"The rest can remain Commander Jiang's spoils."
He moved toward the bodies.
"You can't!" Cheng Ran blocked his path.
Yuan Hua's eyes narrowed. "You dare obstruct me?"
His aura crushed down like a physical weight, forcing Cheng Ran to swallow hard.
Inside the Tunnel
"Commander, don't look directly at it! That's the Idol of the Flesh God!" Xie Xiaojiu warned urgently, turning her head away.
Jiang Ning studied the statue calmly.
The nearly twenty-foot-tall idol was identical to the one he'd seen in the golden box.
Three heads, six arms, four legs.
As his gaze lingered, whispers seeped into his mind:
"Worship me… and your flesh shall be eternal…"
"Serve me… and your flesh shall ascend…"
"Devote yourself to me… and your flesh shall never perish…"
The three familiar voices drifted like echoes from a distant void, though far weaker than the whispers from the golden box.
Suddenly
A pair of cold, small hands covered Jiang Ning's eyes.
"Commander, you mustn't keep looking!" Xie Xiaojiu pleaded. "The Idol of the Flesh God whispers divine words to those who gaze upon it."
"These words distort reality and corrupt the mind."
"Prolonged exposure warps one's will… until they become the god's devout follower!"
Feng Jiuge shot them a glance but remained silent.
Jiang Ning chuckled, gently pulling Xie Xiaojiu's hands away.
"No need to worry."
"This level of mental corruption is meaningless against me."
He strode forward, stopping at the base of the idol.
When his palm touched its foot
[Divinity Detected.]
[Authority Detected.]
[Absorb?]
"Divinity? Authority?"
Jiang Ning's mind reeled.
This was the first time his Panel had ever reacted this way.
The terms alone Divinity, Authority radiated profound mystery.
After only a brief hesitation, he willed:
[Yes.]
Instantly, he felt something drain from the idol.
The whispers in his ears vanished.
At the same time, his Panel flickered violently, like an old television screen glitching with static, its text momentarily unreadable.
Xie Xiaojiu and Feng Jiuge watched in confusion as Jiang Ning stood motionless.
Then gasped as the massive idol floated one foot off the ground.
"Heavier than it looks," Jiang Ning remarked mildly before setting it back down.
BOOM!
The impact shook the tunnel, dust raining from the ceiling.
"Let's go back," Jiang Ning said. "Someone's upstairs trying to steal our credit."
The mention instantly diverted his subordinates' attention.
"Who dares?!" Feng Jiuge's brows knitted in anger.
"Vice-Commander Yuan Hua," Jiang Ning said, already walking past them.
"Jiuge."
"Yes, Commander!"
"Go to the Inspection Bureau and fetch Commander Ye Qiu. Then inform Prefect Hong about the idol's recovery I'm sure they'll be very interested."
"Understood!"
"Xiaojiu."
"Here!"
"Visit the Magistrate's Office. Have Chief Constable Xu Zhengnan bring men here. The Black Tiger Gang's crimes are undeniable if no one else will clean this up, I will."
"Yes, sir!"
With his orders given, Jiang Ning headed for the stairs, his subordinates following closely.
As he walked, his updated Panel materialized before him:
[Name: Jiang Ning]
[Divinity: 1]
[Authority: Flesh Regeneration (Incomplete - 0%)]
[Source Energy: 370.15]
[Skills:]
Literacy (4th Breakthrough: 2413/5000)
(Traits: Photographic Memory, Enhanced Senses, Quick Thinking, Exceptional Comprehension)
Five Beasts Fist (1st Breakthrough: 811/2000)
(Trait: Essence Stored in the Five Organs)
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