Chapter 191: Striding on the Earth, Shaking the Ground

Chapter 191: Striding on the Earth, Shaking the Ground

Cao Family Manor.

Tonight, the Cao Family Manor was brightly lit and bustling with people.

Today was the 50th birthday celebration of the head of the Cao family, the first major clan in Luoshui County.

Not only that, but this head of the Cao family had also given birth to a remarkable son, Cao Rong.

At just over thirty years old, Cao Rong had already reached the peak of the Seventh Stage of the Martial Dao, so who would dare not give face to the father of Cao Rong, the head of the Cao family?

In the future, if Cao Rong were to advance further in the Martial Dao and also climb the ranks of officialdom, he would instantly become an untouchable high-ranking official, a figure on par with the County Governor of the Seventh Rank.

Military authority, a true power in itself.

On this joyous occasion for the head of the Cao family...

Several dozen men had already quietly arrived at a small alley not far from the Cao Family Manor.

The night had already descended, and in the distance, the lake surface was filled with flashes of lightning, thunder, and the sound of wind and rain.

This display of nature's might covered any noise made by the group.

The dark clouds also blocked out the moonlight, making the night even darker.

"Commander Jiang, do we need to go in?" a middle-aged man with a square face stood next to Jiang Ning and asked.

This man was the second-in-command of the City Guard Army, tasked with assisting Jiang Ning tonight.

Jiang Ning replied, "No need! I've already sent Deputy Commander Liu to surround the Cao Family Manor and not let anyone escape."

"I'll do my best!" the square-faced man said.

Jiang Ning nodded slightly and then turned to look at the three captains behind him.

Xie Xiaojiu, Ran Hongmei, and Feng Jiuge.

The members they led totaled twenty-seven, and among them were several Martial Artists of the Eighth Stage of the Martial Dao.

This force, coupled with the Eighth Stage peak strength of Xie Xiaojiu, Ran Hongmei, and Feng Jiuge, was not to be underestimated in Luoshui County.

Not to mention, the higher-ranked Jiang Ning was also present.

However, Jiang Ning did not dare to be the slightest bit careless.

According to the intelligence provided by Hong Minghu, the Cao family was connected to the Cult of Malevolent Gods, and the Cao family was even a base for the cult.

This information made Jiang Ning take the matter very seriously.

He didn't know the extent of the Cult of Malevolent Gods' strength, but he had witnessed the strange and powerful transformation of Shi Xiao Yuan, a Martial Artist of the Eighth Stage.

Not only did Shi Xiao Yuan's strength and speed increase significantly, but his physical body also became akin to an immortal, indestructible body.

And this was just Shi Xiao Yuan, an Eighth Stage Martial Artist.

If a Seventh Stage Martial Artist were to receive blessings from the gods of the Cult of Malevolent Gods, how powerful would they become? Anything connected to the gods could not be taken lightly.

Jiang Ning did not dare to underestimate this mission.

The so-called Seventh Stage Martial Artist of the Cao family was nothing to him; he could handle it.

After all, the head of the Cao family was an old and frail man.

But it was the members of the Cult of Malevolent Gods that Jiang Ning truly feared.

"Sir, shall we make our move now?" Feng Jiuge asked, seeing that Jiang Ning wasn't taking any action.

Jiang Ning raised his hand, "Wait a moment!"

He looked up at the clouds behind the Cao Family Manor.

The heavy rain that had started in Luoshui had now spread to Luoshui County.

This was the second heavy rain in the past few months, and it was also caused by Jiang Ning.

In water, his strength increased manifold.

And rain was also water.

Soon, the dark clouds that had been spreading towards Luoshui County reached above the Cao Family Manor, and torrential rain poured down.

In an instant, the entire Cao Family Manor was shrouded in heavy rain.

Numerous torches were extinguished.

"Let's go!" Jiang Ning waved his hand.

The next moment, he led the team out of the alley.

At the same time...

Tweet!

Deputy Commander Liu put two fingers in his mouth, and a sharp whistle that pierced the clouds rang out.

A large number of men who had been hiding nearby emerged instantly.

"Who are you?" The four guardian Martial Artists guarding the Cao Family Manor's entrance became alert at the appearance of Jiang Ning and his group.

Meanwhile, in the backyard of the Cao Family Manor...

"Retreat! Quick, retreat!" The head of the Cao family, who had just disappeared from the banquet, now appeared in the backyard.

They had just received news that the Inspection Bureau was taking action against the Cao family, and the information that one of the Cult of Malevolent Gods' bases was located in the Cao family.

Upon hearing this, the head of the Cao family was shocked.

He then led several core members of the clan away from the banquet quietly.

Under the sudden heavy downpour, the important figures of the Cao family gathered in the backyard.

Then, the underground passage entrance in the backyard was opened.

This passage led straight out of the city.

It was a secret escape route left by several generations of the Cao family over generations.

Today, after learning that the Inspection Bureau had taken action, they knew there was no room for negotiation.

Hong Minghu, with his fierce and domineering personality, was a member of the Cult of Malevolent Gods.

The Inspection Bureau was the primary target of this organization.

And now, the Inspection Bureau was in Luoshui County, and they needed a target to establish their authority.

How could the Cao family, who had crossed paths with the Inspection Bureau, have a good outcome?

After realizing this, the head of the Cao family did not hesitate and immediately notified some important members of the Cao family to gather in the backyard and escape through the secret passage.

As for the others, they were left outside to delay Jiang Ning and the others.

At this moment, the entrance to the secret passage had already been opened, and with the heavy rain falling, several young members of the Cao family had various expressions on their feet, ranging from confusion, bewilderment, to fear, knowing some of the reasons.

However, under the urging of their elders, they all rushed into the passage.

Among them was Cao Zijian, who was also a member of the Inspection Bureau.

In just a few breaths, the more than ten people originally gathered in the backyard had all entered the passage.

The torrential downpour outside became the best cover for their escape, masking any noise they might make.

From beginning to end, it seemed that not a single person noticed the changes in the Cao family's backyard.

However, at the entrance of the Cao family manor, a pair of eyes, like an omniscient perspective, clearly saw everything happening in the backyard through the rain and water mist, as well as his keen senses.

As the water mist entered the passage, he also clearly detected everything happening within.

His gaze suddenly froze.

"There's indeed a Cult of Malevolent Gods base!" Jiang Ning thought to himself.

Then, Jiang Ning shouted.

The powerful Five Viscera gave him a deep and resonant voice, instantly drowning out the howling wind and heavy rain.

"Jiang Ning of the Inspection Bureau, by order, is arresting all 385 members of the Cao family. Those who resist or obstruct will be killed without mercy!"

These words, like rolling thunder, instantly echoed throughout the Cao family manor.

The four guards watching over the Cao family manor's entrance were shocked by what they saw.

"Let's go! Those who resist will be killed without mercy!" Jiang Ning said as he rushed into the manor.

He couldn't help but feel a sense of urgency.

Because he could clearly sense that the people in the underground passage below the manor were moving at high speed.

At their speed, they would be out of his detection range in no time.

And at this moment, as Jiang Ning's voice rang out, the entire Cao family manor was in an uproar.

Especially in the main hall, where guests attending the Cao family head's fiftieth birthday celebration were all surprised.

"Jiang Ning, is that him?"

"The Inspection Bureau is taking action against the Cao family, and it's Jiang Ning who's making the move. Is he taking this opportunity to settle a personal grudge?"

"It must be so! Don't forget that the Cao family had a grudge with Jiang Ning! Now that Jiang Ning has risen to prominence, it's normal for him to find a reason to take revenge on the Cao family!"

"That's right! How could he endure the humiliation the Cao family inflicted on him back then? If not for Shen Congyun's intervention, Jiang Ning might not have made it past the day Cao Rong made his move."

". . ."

The many guests of the Cao family, upon hearing Jiang Ning's words that had just echoed through the sky, immediately started discussing among themselves.

As natives of Luoshui County, they were naturally aware of the history between Jiang Ning and the Cao family.

Before Jiang Ning's rise to prominence, Cao Bin had some significant disputes with Jiang Ning.

Later, it even escalated to Cao Rong's intervention.

If not for Wang Jin's intervention and Shen Congyun's active involvement, Jiang Ning might not have made it this far.

At this moment, a loud bang sounded as someone suddenly rushed out, heading towards the courtyard.

"Let's go and see what Cao Bin is up to!"

"Okay, but we'll have to stay out of the way later!"

". . ."

Amidst the discussions, everyone started moving towards the courtyard outside the main hall.

In the courtyard of the Cao family manor, Jiang Ning quickly located the direction of the group's movement in the underground passage below.

With his powerful hearing, he could even discern that there were thirty people in the passage below.

Jiang Ning quickly devised a plan.

He rushed towards a corner of the courtyard's main hall.

In the corner of the courtyard's main hall, there was a section of the underground passage below.

Just then, a loud shout rang out, "Jiang Ning!!!" and Cao Bin suddenly appeared before Jiang Ning.

"You despicable man, settling personal scores and breaking your promises!" Cao Bin said as he raised his hand to grab Jiang Ning's clothes.

"Get lost!" A clear shout came from beside Jiang Ning.

The black sword hilt instantly struck Cao Bin like a serpent, sending him flying heavily into the corner of the courtyard.

At this moment, the crowd that had just exited the main hall witnessed the intimidating approach of Tianyuan.

There were over twenty people, all dressed in standard black robes.

Upon seeing this, they instantly realized that these individuals were from the Inspection Bureau.

Each one of them was at least a Ninth Rank Martial Artist in strength.

As for Jiang Ning and Xie Xiaojiu's group, they were dressed casually.

This was the freedom that came with being a Squad Leader and Deputy Commander.

"The Cao Family is in trouble! A Deputy Commander, three Captains leading three teams, this is going to be a tough one for the Cao Family!"

"Indeed, it's not going to be easy!"

"Brother Xie, isn't that your Ninth Daughter? You married the Cao Family's Third Daughter, why don't you go and plead with your daughter?"

Hearing this, a middle-aged man in the crowd gave the speaker a faint glance, "Do you think I'm crazy?"

At this moment, in the front courtyard of the Cao Family Manor.

Seeing Xie Xiaojiu taking action and sending Cao Bin flying, Jiang Ning nodded slightly.

Then, he immediately lifted his right leg, gathering all his strength, and the powerful force accumulated within him.

Boom—

He stomped his right leg hard on the ground.

This kick was not just a mere ten thousand pounds.

In an instant, the ground shook, and the soil layer collapsed and surged.

The sturdy blue bricks cracked, with Jiang Ning's foot as the center, the surrounding area was in turmoil.

The crowd swayed, and the nearby buildings also shook, with dust flying everywhere.

As they steadied themselves, their faces showed shock.

"What is he doing?" Someone swallowed hard, still unable to hide their astonishment.

The kick landed, causing the ground to shake as if an earthworm was turning over.

"Is this still a human?" someone muttered, almost in a groan.

This kick shattered their understanding in an instant.

There weren't many Eighth Rank Martial Artists, but there were some in Luoshui County with such strength.

However, they had never seen or imagined that an Eighth Rank Martial Artist could cause an earthquake and make the ground collapse with just one stomp.

And at this moment, in the secret tunnel.

The group that had been hurrying along the tunnel suddenly halted.

Looking at the broken wooden boards above the tunnel and the supporting beams on the walls starting to twist and deform, their faces paled.

Just then, Jiang Ning gathered all his strength for another kick.

After entering the Seventh Stage of Martial Dao, not only had his physical qualities slightly improved, but his explosive power had also greatly increased.

So, every kick now carried even more explosive power than several days ago.

When this kick landed.

Boom—

The ground shook, and the collapse became more apparent.

Spiderweb cracks spread again, and broken stones flew.

The crowd steadied themselves and dodged.

Crack—

Just then, a beam in the main hall cracked.

At this moment, in the tunnel, the wooden beams supporting it could no longer bear the force and snapped, causing rocks to fall from above.

"Not good!"

"Someone above wants the tunnel to collapse!" an old man with a protruding temple said.

Immediately, another boom sounded from above.

The entire tunnel shook violently under this force.

The people in the tunnel had just steadied themselves when they were shaken again.

Then, boom—

Boom—

One kick after another.

Dust flew, the ground collapsed, and the sturdy blue bricks had long turned into broken stones.

The Cao Family's main hall in front also had its beams cracking, starting to collapse, with bricks, tiles, and broken wood falling continuously.

"Hurry, let's get out of here!" someone shouted.

The crowd, with their bodies swaying, ran towards the front courtyard of the Cao Family Manor.

Even if they had to brave the heavy rain outside, how could they not run when the main hall looked like it was about to collapse?

Boom—

As Jiang Ning gathered all his strength for another kick, he also mobilized the inner breath from his dantian.

With the support of his inner breath, this kick unleashed even more terrifying explosive power.

Boom, boom, boom—

In the tunnel, rocks tumbled, the tunnel collapsed, and the falling rocks completely blocked the entire passage.

Jiang Ning's body also sank half a zhang into the ground.

Then, he leaped out of the collapsed ground, landing lightly in front of the crowd.

In the heavy rain, Jiang Ning could feel his previous exhaustion rapidly recovering.

At this moment, he was also fully focused on the exposed tunnel entrance below.

According to his perception, there were still thirty-four people in the tunnel.

Among them were over ten people from the Cao Family and another ten or so from outside the Cao Family.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end