Chapitre 19: Chapter 19: Sneak Attack!
Translator: 549690339
"What? We're supposed to work alongside those clan parasites?"
"Cooperate, I absolutely refuse to cooperate with the mastermind responsible for the demise of my Wu's Office brothers!"
"Is it the Li Family or the Yang Family?"
"Humph, neither of them are up to any good!"
"..."
Voices of dissent arose. The Li and Yang families had a notorious reputation, especially in the Wu's Office. Several of their colleagues lost their lives due to the plots of these two families.
Upon hearing that they had to cooperate with these two families, opposition instantly arose.
"Silence!"
Wang Long roared, sounding like a heavenly thunder exploding by their ears. Everyone instantly quieted down.
"Although this mission is to assist the Wu'an Army in quelling the rebels, ridding the people of this menace is also our responsibility in the Wu's Office!"
"Are we to ignore the villains and let them run rampant just because we disagree with certain people?"
"How the Wu'an Army conducts its business and who it invites is none of our concern. When the time comes, all you need to do is follow my command. Focus your energy on capturing the criminals, and don't let the authorities of Wu'an Army look down on us!"
"Yes!" Despite their reluctance, upon hearing Wang Long's words, their minds were somewhat mollified, and they all gave their assent.
...
As Wang Long issued orders and made arrangements, at the same time, in Heyuan county town, at the Li Family residence.
In one of the luxurious rooms, a young man was sitting cross-legged in meditation. Surrounding his head was a cloud of blood-colored mist forming the shape of a skull, within which there were many small, grimacing infants crying. This man was Li Ming, the heir of the Li Family.
After a while, feeling the disturbance outside the door, the blood-colored mist retreated into his body and Li Ming opened his eyes.
"Young Master, there's a secret report from the county government office," a servant outside the door said.
"Come in."
A servant entered the room and handed a sealed letter to Li Ming.
"Hmm? What's happening at the county office?"
Li Ming opened the letter and saw it contained a list.
Seeing the end of the list, Li Ming's mouth curled up into a cold smile: "Good, they are finally willing to come out of the city. After hiding in the city for half a month, I was starting to think you'd never leave."
"Go and call over Third Uncle." Li Ming waved his hand.
After a while, the servant left and a bald, brawny man entered the room.
"Ming'er, you wanted to see me?"
Li Ming immediately stood up and respectfully said: "Third Uncle, this morning the Wu'an Army sent someone over, inviting the Li Family to send an Innate expert to assist them in a matter."
"Indeed this has happened." The bald man nodded.
"Before Father entered seclusion, he specifically ordered me not to offend anyone from the Wu'an Army, so I was thinking of asking you to go."
"Besides, I also want to ask Third Uncle to take care of something."
"What is it?" The bald man asked casually.
"Eliminate a ninth-rank post-celestial martial artist who is accompanying the county government unit, or at the very least cripple his Dantian."
"Eliminate a ninth-rank post-celestial?" The bald man frowned in thought. "This won't be easy with the people from the Wu'an Army involved and Wang Long also joining them. Besides, is just a post-celestial ninth-rank martial artist worth your utmost attention?"
"Third Uncle, you are not aware." Li Ming clenched his teeth. "This man's name is Shen Zhui. Initially, he was only a post-celestial seventh rank, and I didn't pay him much mind."
"But a while ago, he broke through to the eighth rank, not only managing to break out of the encirclement of my elite squads, but also killing a post-celestial ninth rank. What's more, he even attracted the attention of Wang Long, who saved this man."
"Afterwards, I thoroughly investigated this man and discovered he only started practicing martial arts three years ago. However, he already perfected his techniques and boosted his agility to an intermediate level. Now, he has even broken through to the post-celestial ninth rank!"
"What?" The bald man was slightly surprised.
Getting to the post-celestial ninth rank in just three years was not too much of a shock, as post-celestial martial artists could be easily cultivated given sufficient resources.
However, perfecting his techniques and reaching an intermediate level in agility in just three years was absolutely terrifying!
This indicated that once this man entered the Innate Realm, he could potentially become another Wang Long, invincible amongst his peers.
"What do you need me to do?" the bald man asked in a deep voice.
Li Ming handed the list to the bald man and whispered, "Third Uncle, when you all... "
......
When Wang Long, leading his party of fifteen from Wu's Office, met with the official from Wu'an Army, Shen Zhui felt a hint of danger looming in his heart.
Especially when he saw that there were a total of four Innate experts participating in this pursuit operation, he knew that this would be a troublesome case.
As he listened to the Wu'an Army official, named Lin Ze, explain the mission, he realized that the four Innate experts were each positioned in different directions, surrounding the villa where the Wu'an Army defector was hiding.
Meanwhile, members of their martial squad were stationed in all four directions around the perimeter of the villa, prepared to block any enemy escaping through the tunnels and to eliminate any possible reinforcements.
"Gentlemen, the culprit's strength is not considered substantial. He is merely quite adept at evading and preserving his life. I requested your assistance to prevent his escape. As long as everything is arranged properly, there won't be any danger. If we can successfully capture the traitor, I, Lin, will undoubtedly express my gratitude."
Lin Ze spoke up once more when they were about forty miles outside the city at a small hill.
A few miles away was a fiery red maple forest, and within that forest was a villa that appeared intermittently through the leaves, their destination - the Red Leaf Villa!
"Sir Lin, you're too polite." A robust man carrying a mace replied with a smile. "Being able to cooperate with a young talent like Sir Lin is my fortune."
"Indeed, eradicating evil for the sake of the people is also an act of good karma. There is no need for Sir Lin to be so modest. We will definitely give our best." The bald man also politely replied.
"Hmph, what a 'good karma' indeed." Wang Long sneered. Eradicating evil for the sake of the people, performing acts of good karma, could these two even speak of such things?
Lin Ze noticed Wang Long's cold attitude toward the Li and Yang families, reminding him of the word on the street about the continual disputes within Heyuan County.
"I've heard that the public office of Heyuan County and the clans are at odds. It seems to have become even more serious..." Lin Ze thought. "However, I only need their cooperation, they do not have to exert too much effort, so there shouldn't be any problems."
Lin Ze did not concern himself with their disputes. The fact that he could invite these innate warriors was entirely due to his status as a member of the Wu'an Army. As for actual strength, he was slightly stronger than Li Zhong, but as for Wang Long, this county office's expert, was certainly not weaker than him, and even seemed somewhat stronger.
"Gentlemen, maintain your aura, let's move."
......
The martial squad, comprised of fifteen people, was divided into four groups, encircling the villa from four directions.
"This time, the culprit is a Qi Cultivator, slightly stronger than a martial artist. Do not let your guard down. If you notice the culprit's movements, shout immediately, do not get entangled."
Shen Zhui, Zhao Hu, and He Tong formed a team guarding the back, while the other areas were each led by an expert of the Ninth Rank, with at least three at the Eighth Rank.
"Understood," Shen Zhui and Zhao Hu both nodded.
They had no qualification to take part in a battle between innate warriors. They were only afraid that the enemy might silently escape, hence they were brought along.
"Especially you, Shen Zhui, you are someone the Count values. Do not be reckless," He Tong advised.
"Thank you, Uncle He," Shen Zhui was somewhat grateful. He Tong had previously taught him some martial skills. Normally, He Tong was relatively friendly but somewhat reticent.
However, in their team, He Tong was a warrior who had slipped from the Innate Realm to the peak of the Acquired Realm. Wang Long made special arrangements for Shen Zhui to stick with He Tong. Two people working together, even if they met face to face with the enemy, Shen Zhui felt they wouldn't be instantly killed.
......
The encirclement gradually tightened, and just when they were less than three miles away from the villa, a long cry sounded from within the villa.
Shen Zhui lifted his head to look while a burst of fire light suddenly flashed in the distance. A figure engulfed in flames shot up into the sky.
"Lin Ze!!! I'll fight you to the death!" The fiery figure expanded rapidly, his entire body transformed into a ball of flames. He levitated in mid-air, then suddenly condensed into a huge fireball and crashed down toward the villa.
"My God…" Shen Zhui watched the scene unfold from a distance, practically holding his breath. "Is this the power of the Linggan Realm?"
The violent fluctuations of elemental energy and the rolling flames burning fiercely seemed powerful enough to burn through the heavens, creating a distorted blur in the air.
Shen Zhui finally understood why a Qi Cultivator is stronger than a martial artist. This long-range Daoist technique naturally had a significant advantage.
"Traitor, meet your death!" Lin Ze shouted.
From another direction, dozens of ice walls suddenly sprung up, extending infinitely upward, reaching over ten meters in height seemingly in an instant.
It was as if a frozen mountain prison had formed, trapping the flaming figure inside.
In the other three directions, Wang Long charged with his sword. The burly man wielding the mace also leapt into the sky. The bald man dispatched by the Li family attacked with his bare hands, his robe swelling as if inflated, enveloped in an aura.
The four Innate Realm warriors joined their forces for a collective attack!
"Boom!"
The ice wall shattered violently, and the flaming figure turned into a streak of light—torching left and right—hoping to escape.
In the short time that followed, it was impossible to break through the encirclement formed by the four men.
Seeing the flaming man being cornered under the four-man assault and about to be driven to the ground, Shen Zhui subtly noticed the battlefield slowly moving.
It was as if it was gradually moving closer to him.
On realizing this, Shen Zhui felt a sense of danger and attempted to retreat.
And then, without warning, something unexpected happened!
The bald man, whose defense had been solid up until now, suddenly let out a cry and stepped aside, allowing a fireball to head directly towards Shen Zhui.
"Swish." At the same time, a bone-chilling wind and the gleam of a blade drew closer.
The blinding speed of the blade was so fast that it reached Shen Zhui's face the moment he attempted to retreat.
Shen Zhui stared in wide-eyed disbelief as the blade descended upon him.
"He Tong!"
Cadeaux
-- Cadeau
reçu État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone