Chapter 199: Danger in the Rain

Chapter 199: Danger in the Rain

At the Inspection Bureau.

In the main hall.

As Hong Minghu's aura erupted, the entire hall fell silent, and no one made a sound.

Those before him seemed to be facing a terrifying storm, their bodies swaying as if about to fall.

However, one person remained unmoved, a gentle smile on his face.

This person was none other than Liu Lintang, the leader of the Yellow Heaven Sect.

After a few breaths.

The invisible pressure suddenly receded like a receding tide, disappearing in an instant.

"Well done, Lord Hong! Such profound inner breath!" Liu Lintang said calmly, "I heard from elsewhere that Lord Hong had entered the fifth rank by relying on external objects and mastering the inner breath."

"Now it seems that this rumor may not be entirely true!"

At this moment.

Hong Minghu looked at the serene-faced leader of the Yellow Heaven Sect before him, and his heart became heavy.

He had intended to intimidate Liu Lintang with his display of power.

However, as his inner breath pressure subsided, he realized that he couldn't see through Liu Lintang's true strength.

The unleashed inner breath was primarily directed at Liu Lintang.

As for the others, they were merely affected by the aftermath.

But even from the aftermath, one could sense the immense power of the inner breath pressure.

Those powerful individuals swayed, their faces turning red, barely able to withstand the pressure.

However, when the inner breath pressure fell upon Liu Lintang, it was like a gentle breeze brushing against a mountain, unable to move him an inch.

This display instantly made Hong Minghu lose his composure.

What level had Liu Lintang reached?

Was his inner breath like a river?

Like a lake?

Like an ocean?

Like a deep abyss?

Like a vortex?

Hong Minghu paused for a moment, his thoughts racing.

Then, he spoke calmly, "The Yellow Heaven Sect can only preach in the eastern district of the outer city. If any incident occurs, I will show no mercy!"

"Thank you, Lord Hong!" Liu Lintang bowed deeply, his kind smile growing warmer.

A moment later.

After Liu Lintang and his group left the main hall and gradually disappeared into the heavy rain outside.

"Lord Hong, what do you think of Liu Lintang's strength?" Ye Qiu spoke up, voicing his curiosity.

Hong Minghu frowned slightly upon hearing this.

After a moment of contemplation, he replied, "According to the information, Liu Lintang has long entered the fifth rank of the Inner Fortitude Realm! I also tested him briefly, and he showed no reaction to the inner breath pressure, so I couldn't gauge his depth."

"But I estimate that his inner breath has reached the level of an ocean."

"An ocean?" Ye Qiu's eyebrows furrowed, "That powerful?"

"Very powerful!" Lord Hong nodded.

At that moment.

Jiang Ning stood up.

"Lord Hong, I have some family matters to attend to, and I need to return home for a while," he said, interrupting the conversation.

Everyone's gaze turned to Jiang Ning, their attention captured.

Especially the commanders like Li Changkong, their eyebrows furrowed.

It was impolite to interrupt like this, especially when it was their superior's conversation, which was a serious breach of etiquette.

But thinking of Jiang Ning's current strength and performance, the words they had intended to say were swallowed back.

Hong Minghu's frown softened, and a smile appeared on his face.

"Family matters?" He nodded, "Then Commander Jiang can go back first!"

"Thank you, Lord Hong!" Jiang Ning bowed.

Hong Minghu said, "It's raining outside, do you need an umbrella?"

"No need!" Jiang Ning smiled, "A little rain won't harm a warrior."

As he spoke.

Jiang Ning stepped out into the heavy rain, disappearing into the downpour.

After Jiang Ning left.

Someone said, "Lord Hong is being too lenient with him! We haven't finished our discussion, and he's already left."

Hong Minghu laughed, "Commander Jiang said he had urgent family matters! It's normal for him to leave early."

On the other side.

Jiang Ning exited the Inspection Bureau.

He immediately switched from walking to running.

With a leap, he was flying between rooftops.

At this moment, the heavy rain fell, and under the cover of clouds blocking the moonlight, only occasional candlelight from the low houses provided illumination.

For ordinary people, most places were pitch-black.

Even for powerful martial artists with enhanced senses, visibility was limited to a few yards in most areas.

But in Jiang Ning's perception.

The surroundings were vividly presented in his mind.

If it were just his eyesight, he could see as far as two or three miles.

The rain-covered world was his domain.

Following the direction Liu Lintang had left, Jiang Ning continued to race forward.

Amidst the lightning and thunder, he wasn't afraid of being discovered.

Crack!

A bolt of lightning split the dark sky, illuminating the small town in a flash of white.

If someone looked up at the rooftops, they would see a ghostly figure swiftly darting between the houses.

Boom—

After the flash of lightning, a deafening roar followed.

"Found them!" Jiang Ning's gaze intensified.

Two li ahead, at the end of the street, he suddenly spotted Liu Lintang and his group of seven.

Among them was a familiar face.

At that moment, the group hurried along, occasionally wiping the rain from their faces to maintain some visibility.

Suddenly—

Liu Lintang raised his hand.

"Wait!"

As his words fell, the other six abruptly stopped in their tracks.

"What is it, Sect Leader?" one of them asked.

Liu Lintang's expression turned solemn, "Something's not right!"

Upon hearing this, the other six became alert, looking around cautiously.

However, under the heavy rain and dark clouds, all they could see was endless darkness, a darkness that seemed to devour anyone in its path.

"Sect Leader, could it be the Inspection Bureau?"

"I don't know!" Liu Lintang replied, scanning the surroundings.

On the other side.

Jiang Ning, having located the group, took out a longbow and an arrow from his Narsimha Ring, slowly drawing the bowstring.

As he did so, he also observed the changes in Liu Lintang and his group, and overheard their brief conversation.

"Impressive, Liu Lintang!" Jiang Ning was secretly amazed.

At that moment, he was still about two li away from Liu Lintang and his group.

Under the cover of the rain and night, he was confident that Liu Lintang would not detect him.

But as he slowly drew the bow, aiming in Liu Lintang's direction, Liu Lintang immediately sensed something.

It was like a cicada sensing the wind before the storm.

After observing for a moment, Jiang Ning's tense heart relaxed.

From Liu Lintang's reaction, it seemed he had only vaguely sensed something, rather than discovering Jiang Ning.

The next moment—

Boom—

Jiang Ning released the bowstring, and the arrow burst forth with powerful wind and thunder force.

Boom—

The arrow's sonic boom echoed in Jiang Ning's ears.

As the arrow broke through the sonic barrier, it left a distinct trail in the air.

At the same time—

Liu Lintang's hair stood on end, and his heart was filled with vigilance.

"Not good!"

He shouted, his eyes scanning the surroundings rapidly.

Even though he sensed something amiss and felt the danger, he still couldn't pinpoint the source of this crisis.

The arrow, having broken through the sonic barrier, moved faster than the speed of sound.

Relying on hearing alone was insufficient to track it.

Only visual perception could capture its trail.

But in the midst of the stormy night, even Liu Lintang's vision was greatly reduced, allowing him to see only about ten zhang around him.

Beyond that, there was only endless darkness and heavy rain.

The next moment—

As the arrow, having broken through the sonic barrier, entered Liu Lintang's field of vision, his expression changed dramatically.

In such an environment, combined with the arrow breaking the sonic barrier, he suddenly realized the trouble he was in.

Under normal circumstances, facing an arrow that had broken through the sonic barrier would not have been a matter of individual opinion and the specific context.

Essence Breath could easily deflect the arrow.

Then, by closing the distance, he could directly kill the enemy.

But in this environment, with these burdens, the situation suddenly became extremely unfavorable.

The hidden enemy had clearly gained the advantage of time and location.

Facing the arrow that appeared in the blink of an eye, Liu Lintang burst his Essence Breath, striking it with his palm.

Boom—

The arrow exploded, emitting a loud boom.

Thud—

Under the powerful blast, Liu Lintang involuntarily took two steps back.

"So strong!" His expression changed once more.

Just then—

Two more arrows appeared before his eyes.

This time, with his guard up, he saw more clearly.

"Not aimed at me, but at the people behind me?"

"In that case, I can't let you have your way!"

He continued to burst his Essence Breath.

With the enhancement of his Essence Breath, his palms were as powerful as divine weapons.

He waved his palms continuously.

Boom—

Boom—

The arrows were once again deflected by his palms.

The powerful blast only caused his body to slightly sway.

On the other side—

Jiang Ning furrowed his brows, and upon witnessing this scene, his understanding of a true Fifth Rank expert deepened.

With his Seventh Stage of Martial Dao cultivation, coupled with his mastery of Intermediate Martial Art and Gale Thunder Arrow Art, and the element of surprise, he had given Liu Lintang, a Fifth Rank expert, less than a breath's time to react, yet Liu Lintang effortlessly intercepted the arrows Jiang Ning had shot.

Jiang Ning hesitated for a moment.

Then, he continued to draw and shoot arrows.

Boom—

Boom—

Boom—

Arrows rained down, changing targets, all aimed directly at Liu Lintang.

After a breath—

The arrows reached Liu Lintang's impressive!"

Boom—

Boom—

Boom—

In his prepared state, he easily deflected the arrows with his palms, one after the other, sending them flying.

The powerful blasts only caused his body to slightly sway, and he easily dissipated the impact.

As Liu Lintang became familiar with the rhythm, his movements became increasingly relaxed.

He immediately pondered the situation at hand in his mind.

"According to my knowledge, only Cao Rong in Luoshui County should be able to break through the sonic barrier with his arrows!"

"But Cao Rong should still be in the military camp in Dongling City!"

"Moreover, Cao Rong is only at the peak of the seventh rank. How could he shoot such a formidable arrow?"

"The impact and explosive force are enough to kill most sixth-rank martial artists."

"It's raining tonight, how could they find me without being detected?"

"Strange! Too strange!"

As these thoughts crossed his mind, Liu Lintang became slightly distracted.

Just then, at the spot where his attention was focused, the falling raindrops underwent a change.

The next moment—

Ah—

Liu Lintang let out a painful cry, his eyes tightly shut, and blood instantly appeared in the corners of his eyes.

At that very moment, an arrow grazed past him, piercing the person behind him.

In that instant, the person behind Liu Lintang realized that the hidden attacker's target was actually him.

"Could it be him?!"

The image of Jiang Ning from earlier suddenly flashed in the attacker's mind.

In the blink of an eye, there was no time for further contemplation.

Roar—

A shocking beastly roar erupted from his mouth.

His body sprouted bone spikes, and his muscles began to rapidly swell, covered in blackened keratinized skin.

Boom—

But just as his transformation was beginning, an arrow pierced his skull.

With the burst of Wind and Thunder Force, his head shattered into pieces.

The transformation of his body abruptly halted.

All this happened in the blink of an eye.

As the headless body slowly fell to the ground, the person beside him wiped away the blood and white matter splattered on his face, regaining his senses, and looked at the corpse on the ground with a terrified expression.

"It's over!"

Jiang Ning, who had been watching from a distance, muttered to himself, his heart that had been hanging finally settling down.

He felt a sense of relief.

After less than a breath's pause, Jiang Ning nocked another arrow.

Boom—

The arrow pierced through the air, instantly creating a shock wave that was clearly visible in the rain curtain.

On the other side, Liu Lintang, having experienced the sudden change, quickly regained his composure.

"Retreat, find cover!" He blinked away the blood in his eyes, barely able to make out the blurry scene before him.

With both eyes injured, Liu Lintang abandoned the idea of finding an opportunity to counterattack.

Hearing this, the people behind him began to retreat.

However, just as the arrows had momentarily ceased, they appeared once more without a sound.

Wherever the arrows passed, they created shock waves, tearing through the rain curtain and leaving visible traces.

"Sect Leader, ahead!"

Someone shouted a warning.

Liu Lintang acted first, and even though his vision was blurry due to his injured eyes, with his powerful perception, he could still barely track some traces.

Boom—

Boom—

As he acted, the arrows were once again knocked away.

Just then—

Ah—

A scream was accompanied by a loud boom.

The powerful explosive force instantly shattered one person's body into pieces.

"Retreat quickly!" Liu Lintang's urgency as he continued to urge the group to retreat.

At this moment, Jiang Ning kept shooting arrows.

Boom—

Boom—

Boom—

With each sound, an arrow pierced through the air.

After a few breaths, Jiang Ning retrieved his arrows and turned to leave.]



Because at this point, the distant group had already taken cover behind buildings.

Although this made no difference to him.

But since the target had been eliminated, there was no point in further entanglement.

The key point was that Liu Lintang was also approaching along the trajectory of the arrows.

Jiang Ning had not yet considered facing Liu Lintang at this moment.

The fifth rank of the Inner Fortitude Realm was far beyond his current ability to handle.

In the blink of an eye, Jiang Ning disappeared into the boundless rainy night.

This was his home turf.

If he didn't want to be discovered, no one in Luoshui County would be able to find him in the rain.

After a moment, far away, Liu Lintang let out a frustrated roar.

He had suffered heavy losses tonight.

Not only were his eyes injured, affecting his vision, but their group of seven was now reduced to four, with the other three perishing in the rainy night.

The crucial point was that he still didn't know who the enemy was.

Moreover, the death of those three would undoubtedly cause a stir, especially since they had come to Luoshui County to help the leaderless believers of the Yellow Heaven Sect find a new leader.

The Yellow Heaven Sect had recently been recruited by the Fleetmaster, and each new member would further strengthen their influence.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end