Chapter 132: Elite

As Ling Chi's voice fell,

"Hahaha, pfft..."

Several men beside the scrawny fellow burst into uncontrollable laughter, entirely disregarding his feelings.

"You sharp-tongued brat, don't think that just because you managed to cut down a decrepit old man makes you invincible. Ask anyone present here, which one of us couldn't slay a Spirit Pearl realm cultivator?"

The scrawny fellow's face turned beet red as he pointed at the men around him.

"I can't. Don't drag me into your bragging, I'm incapable of that."

A man clad in the brocade robe of the Pacifying Peace Bureau waved his hands repeatedly, making his hands blur in the air.

"Neither can I. Zou Ji, stop talking nonsense. What do you think the Spirit Pearl realm is? Something you can just kill whenever you please?"

Another man rolled his eyes and quickly offered an explanation, afraid that Ling Chi might misunderstand.

"Exactly. Have you ever slain a Spirit Pearl realm cultivator yourself? Why are you being so bitterly sarcastic here?"

The final bearded man looked at Zou Ji with a sinister gaze and mocked him right to his face.

Zou Ji was dumbfounded. Hadn't these fellows been chatting amiably with him just moments ago? How had they all defected to the other side in the blink of an eye?

"I, Zou Ji, have personally witnessed a Qi Sea Ninth Layer cultivator of the Sky-Surveying Guard defy the odds and slay a Spirit Pearl realm warrior. Their target wasn't some bumpkin Spirit Pearl realm cultivator from the borderlands like the ones you lot are used to!" Zou Ji said with the haughty demeanor of someone who had seen the great wide world, his nostrils flared upward.

"After all this flapping of gums, I thought you were some kind of elite. You aren't even at the Spirit Pearl realm yourself, yet you dare to spout such utter bullshit here!"

[Eight Extremes - Mountain-Climbing Elbow]

Ling Chi's patience had reached its absolute limit, erupting instantly.

He stepped forward into a bow stance, his elbow cocked back.

The crowd saw only a flash of lightning, followed immediately by a violent tremor in the ground.

By the time they recovered their senses, Zou Ji had already been sent flying far away, his breastbone shattered by a single elbow strike from Ling Chi.

Ling Chi's figure reappeared in his original spot, as if he had never moved at all.

A chill ran through everyone's hearts. What terrifying speed, and what an overwhelmingly fierce technique!

Cao Hubao had not expected Ling Chi to strike without warning, completely bypassing any consultation with his master. Earlier, he had seen Ling Chi press down on Zhao Qing's shoulder and assumed he was urging Zhao Qing to remain calm.

He never imagined that Ling Chi wasn't trying to calm his master at all, but rather intended to take matters into his own hands.

Cao Hubao immediately ordered his subordinates to retrieve Zou Ji, a look of anxiety on his face.

This Zou Ji was a man of the Sky-Surveying Censor. If this matter wasn't handled properly, it would trigger a massive disaster.

"Lord Cao need not be nervous. This subordinate only used thirty percent of his strength. With Zou Ji's Qi Sea Ninth Layer cultivation, he isn't so fragile as to die from that," Ling Chi said nonchalantly.

A fight was a fight—who was afraid of whom? If it weren't for the crowd here, Ling Chi would have wanted to butcher him right then and there!

Several banner officers hurriedly carried back Zou Ji, who was coughing up mouthfuls of fresh blood, and placed him before Cao Hubao.

Before Cao Hubao could speak, Ling Chi's figure flickered and reappeared in front of Zou Ji.

Seizing Zou Ji by the collar, lightning flashing in his eyes, Ling Chi spoke with thunder in his voice:

"I don't give a damn if you're a man of the Censor or a man of Prefect Fu. Remember this: if you ever dare to show your face in front of me again, I will pound you into bloody paste."

With his breastbone collapsed and blood continuing to spill from his mouth, Zou Ji had accepted bribes from Fu Zun, believing he could use the prestige of the Sky-Surveying Censor to bully the youth before him just as he had done in the past.

Little did he know that this young man was an absolute hothead who would attack him directly without a second thought. Now, the youth was issuing an undisguised threat to kill him upon their next meeting.

Already severely wounded and terrified by the might of the thunder, Zou Ji lost control, a pool of yellow liquid staining the ground beneath him. Disgusted, Ling Chi took two steps back and kicked him flying once more.

Cao Hubao shook his head helplessly and had no choice but to order his men to fetch Zou Ji once again, placing him into a horse-drawn carriage. Zou Ji represented the Sky-Surveying Censor here; he had to be present to participate in the encirclement.

To prevent Ling Chi from causing further trouble, Cao Hubao immediately ordered the march to resume, unwilling to tolerate any further delays.

Ling Chi and Zhao Qing exchanged glances without a word, then leaped onto their horses to follow the vanguard.

The Pacifying Peace Bureau had fewer men, moved quickly, and consisted entirely of elite forces. Within moments, they caught up to the advancing main army.

"Report!"

A banner officer galloped forward on a swift horse, halting abruptly before Cao Hubao to present an official tally and seal.

"Lord Cao, Lord Sun has issued an order commanding you to lead the Pacifying Peace Bureau forces ahead to coordinate with the Brave and Resolute Camp's vanguard for reconnaissance."

Upon receiving the order, Cao Hubao immediately commanded the troops to advance at full speed.

Combining his past and present lives, Ling Chi had never officially stepped onto a battlefield, and his combat intent and killing intent were already boiling uncontrollably.

Feeling its master's will, the large black steed reared its front hooves high and let out a resounding neigh.

Transforming into a streak of black lightning, it left the other mounts far behind, rocketing to the very front of the formation in an instant.

At that moment, He Zixian was pacing anxiously back and forth inside his tea room like an ant on a hot pan; the shattered tea set scattered across the floor reflected his current state of mind.

The corpse of the young maid lay on the floor, her beautiful eyes staring blankly at the sky outside the door. Her attachment to life and yearning for freedom had frozen at the very moment before her death—she had died with eternal regret.

"Is there still no news?" He Zixian asked anxiously.

"Reporting to the master, Old Wang and the Second Young Master's trail went cold at Qijiang Town in He County. The men sent to investigate have yet to return."

The personal guard spoke at a breakneck speed, terrified that if he were a moment too slow, he would end up just like the maid before him.

"He County again! That damned He County! The Third Young Master is still being held captive there and hasn't been ransomed, and now the Second Young Master has folded inside as well!" He Zixian kicked a table in half, shouting in fury.

"Where has the eldest reached with his men?" he continued, his voice laced with exasperation.

"Major He is personally leading men to reconnoiter and establish defenses around Feng County."

He Zixian nodded; at least the eldest son still handled matters with steady reliability.

"What about the men from the Heaven-Illuminating Gang? Where have they reached?"

"Gang Leader Chen Tianxiong sent his eldest disciple, Chen Fang, to lead men here. A message received an hour ago indicates their forces have already entered Guan County."

The guard replied quickly and precisely while flipping through a secret missive.

"Report any news of the eldest young master immediately. Dismissed!"

He Zixian nodded in satisfaction, then waved his hand to signal the guard to drag the maid's corpse out and burn it. If there hadn't already been no space left beneath the flowerbeds, he would have turned her into flower fertilizer. Who told her to step across the threshold with her left foot first? She was practically courting death.

Even without Wang Li, a Ninth Layer Qi Sea expert, by his side, he felt not the slightest bit of fear. With all the years the He family had spent building their foundation, how could they lack one or two trump cards?

He still remained unaware that Cao Hubao had broken through to the Spirit Pearl realm, nor did he know that Ling Chi had slain a Second-Layer Spirit Pearl cultivator in battle. Above all, he did not know that Sun Xuan had personally arrived to steady the forces—otherwise, he would have already packed his valuables, gathered his concubines, and fled.

The large black steed was utterly thrilled, its four hooves flying as it carried Ling Chi across the imperial road in a solitary dash of dust, its sturdy body plowing forward uninhibited.

Cao Hubao and the various captains and banner officers of the Pacifying Peace Bureau dared not gallop as recklessly as he did and could only form a tactical formation to chase fiercely behind.

"Little Black, slow down a bit. You've left Master and the others so far behind they're out of sight!" Ling Chi patted the large black steed's neck with a helpless smile.

The black horse immediately slowed its pace, letting out a snort of dissatisfaction.

Surveying the surrounding environment, Ling Chi made a swift judgment: they were already fast approaching Feng County in He Province.

When he previously traveled to Feng County to slaughter the monks of the Virtuous Faith Temple, he had deliberately chosen mountain paths and small trails to avoid traveling the imperial road and being discovered.