Chapter 286: Shockwaves Across the Realm

Chapter 286: Shockwaves Across the Realm

By the Luo River.

Jiang Ning's heart grew heavy as he watched the black-clad woman before him slowly turn cold.

In just a few short sentences, the Black Lotus Elder had revealed a wealth of information during their brief conversation.

Firstly, the Flesh-and-Blood Deity and the Black Lotus Elder were not the only exceptions in the current era, as there were other gods like them.

According to the Black Lotus Elder, the environment of the heavens and earth had changed, and the ancient gods that had survived from ancient times were awakening.

The key to this was the restoration of the Heavenly Earth Spirit.

Furthermore, the Black Lotus Elder made it clear that she could not yet appear in the mortal realm.

However, once the Heavenly Earth Spirit was abundant, they too would have the opportunity to return to the mortal realm one day.

Undoubtedly, the return of the gods would further disrupt the already chaotic situation in Daxia.

At the same time, Jiang Ning also understood the reason behind the Black Lotus Sect's rebellion—it was all due to the Black Lotus Elder's needs.

The only thing that puzzled him was the Black Lotus Elder's change in attitude towards him.

When she first arrived, she addressed him as a Little Wild God.

This wasn't surprising, as he could sense the aura of divinity, and being a deity himself, it was normal for the Black Lotus Elder to perceive his divine aura.

This was a recognition between similar beings.

What surprised her was that in less than a moment, the Black Lotus Elder changed the way she addressed him.

She now referred to him as a Venerable Deity.

This indicated that the Black Lotus Elder perceived his aura as that of a deity superior to her, a being of far greater status and reverence.

It seemed that the aura of the Flesh-and-Blood Deity's authority alone was enough to cause this shift in the Black Lotus Elder's perception.

The Black Lotus Elder gave off an air of power that seemed far greater than the Blood-and-Flesh Deity of the Worshipping God Sect.

Whether it was her ability to descend upon the Saintess of the Black Lotus Sect from a great distance, or the scale of the rebellion she incited, affecting two mansions and seven counties, all of it was a testament to the Black Lotus Elder's immense strength.

Thinking of this, Jiang Ning felt a sense of unease.

Just before the Black Lotus Elder departed, she left him with a final message.

"When the Heavenly Earth Spirit recovers to a certain level, I, as a minor deity, will descend upon the mortal realm and personally come to beg for your forgiveness, seeking the mercy of the Venerable Deity."

These words left Jiang Ning with a sense of unease.

Today, the Black Lotus Elder had mistaken his identity, believing him to be a resurrected deity who had taken human form and walked the earth.

When the Black Lotus Elder, a true deity, descends upon the mortal realm in the future and personally seeks him out, how could she possibly make such a mistake again?

If she became embarrassed and enraged, he would find himself in an extremely dangerous situation.

He didn't know how powerful the gods were.

But he knew they weren't weak.

In ancient times, when immortals and gods coexisted, mortals had no right to sit at the same table.

Only those who had attained immortality through their mortal bodies, along with gods and great demons, were worthy of such a privilege.

Once the Black Lotus Elder could descend upon the mortal realm, even if her strength wasn't as formidable as the gods of ancient times, she would still be beyond the capabilities of ordinary mortals to resist.

"This is going to be troublesome!" Jiang Ning muttered to himself.

He then rubbed his forehead in deep thought, wondering if the Martial Sage of Daxia, with his Martial Sage body, would be able to contend with a true deity.

"If I have the chance, I should find out more about that Martial Sage who suppressed the world for eight hundred years. What level was he at, and could he rival the immortals and gods?"

"If I can, then I won't fear the arrival of the Black Lotus Elder."

After coming to this realization, Jiang Ning took one last look at the now-cold and stiff body of the black-clad woman.

In the next moment—

Boom!

Jiang Ning stomped his foot, shattering the thick layer of ice beneath him.

"A water burial is still a dignified end. After all, you are indeed beautiful, and it's better that certain perverts don't see you like this!"

With these words, Jiang Ning turned and left.

The Outer City

Jiang Ning returned to the outer city.

Soon, he witnessed the Black Mountain Army being surrounded and slaughtered, their soldiers fleeing in all directions.

"How useless!" His expression turned solemn.

He had thought that with the Black Mountain Riders' main force eliminated, the remaining dozen or so riders would be quickly dealt with by the county's defensive forces.

But upon reaching the outer city, he realized after just a few glances that he had overestimated the county's regular forces.

The county's regular forces were incapable of quickly eliminating the Black Mountain Riders and the Black Mountain Army that had infiltrated the city.

The main reason for this was that there were too many local martial artists who had retreated to their homes to enjoy the warmth of their wives.

"It's a good thing I didn't go straight home!"

Jiang Ning felt a sense of relief.

He knew that if these soldiers were allowed to scatter and infiltrate civilian homes, it would lead to countless tragedies.

If such a situation were to occur, he would also bear some responsibility.

The next moment, he drew out a long bow and gave it a casual, gentle pull.

Boom!

The arrow shot through the air.

Pfft!

The sound of the arrow piercing flesh and blood was barely noticeable amidst the chaos of the night.

Then, Jiang Ning walked through the outer city, illuminated by the bright moonlight, his movements as light and agile as a wild goose on the rooftops.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

The bowstring in his hand vibrated continuously, and arrows flew through the air.

Pfft!

Pfft!

Pfft!

The dull sound of arrows piercing flesh and blood kept ringing out.

Then, one after another, bodies fell.

Each fallen body had the same wound, a heart-piercing injury that went straight through.

In less than the time it takes to breathe, the Black Lotus Sect's Holy Maiden, veiled in black, suddenly appeared.

If not for this unexpected turn of events, they believed that with Jiang Ning's archery skills, he could have eliminated the remaining Black Mountain Riders.

Even those riders hiding behind cover would not have been spared.

With the addition of such a powerful ally, the risk of the siege would be greatly reduced, naturally lifting their spirits.

In less time than it takes to brew a cup of tea, with Jiang Ning's Heavenly Eye activated, the Black Mountain Army and the remaining Black Mountain Riders in the outer city were all shot down by him.

Having completely resolved the disturbance on this New Year's Eve, Jiang Ning headed towards his home.

"One man guarding the city, exterminating over thirty Black Mountain Riders and dozens of Black Mountain Army soldiers, lifting the crisis in Luoshui County, this should be considered an extraordinary achievement, right?"

On his way back, Jiang Ning felt a sense of joy at this thought.

With such a great achievement, rewards were sure to follow, unless someone dared to claim his credit.

But he didn't believe that anyone in Luoshui County would dare to do so, nor did he think anyone had the ability to steal his credit.

A moment later, Jiang Ning returned to the front gate of his home.

He looked down at his body; the long-distance sprint had caused his clothes to become slightly damp from the night's moisture.

The next moment, with a thought, the moisture on his clothes instantly dissipated.

Knock, knock, knock!

He knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" Jiang Li's voice, filled with caution, came from inside the house, along with the sound of light footsteps.

"Big brother, it's me!" Jiang Ning spoke up.

As soon as he spoke, the footsteps in the front yard became louder and more chaotic.

Soon, the door was opened.

Jiang Ning saw his older brother, sister-in-law, and their family of four, with Lu Yi standing slightly behind them.

"Little brother!"

"Little Ning!"

"Are you okay?" Jiang Li and Liu Wanwan asked simultaneously.

Jiang Ning smiled and replied, "It's nothing serious, just a minor matter, and it's already been taken care of!"

"That's a relief!" Jiang Li exhaled in relief.

At that moment, Little Beanbag, the nickname for the young girl, crossed the threshold, hugging Jiang Ning's legs and looking up at him with wide eyes.

"Did Uncle go to fight bad guys?" she asked.

Hearing her concern, Jiang Ning bent down and picked her up, pinching her little nose gently, "Yes, Uncle just went to fight some bad guys!"

"Did Uncle get hurt?" Little Beanbag asked.

"How could Uncle get hurt?" Jiang Ning smiled.

"What about the bad guys?" she inquired.

"The bad guys are all taken care of!"

"Wow, so amazing!" Little Beanbag exclaimed, clapping her small hands with excitement.

Seeing this, Jiang Ning couldn't help but laugh.

Soon, they entered the front yard, and Lu Yi closed the gate behind them.

That night, the county town was sleepless.

The news of the Black Mountain Army's attack spread throughout the town in less than half an hour.

Everyone knew that the absence of major chaos that night was thanks to Jiang Ning's efforts.

At Cang Lang Martial Arts Academy, Wang Jin shook his head and sighed, "This kid..."

"Indeed, truly remarkable!" Sitting in front of him was a burly man in battle armor, also expressing awe.

If anyone were there, they would recognize the identity of the man sitting before Wang Jin—the captain of the Luoshui County's garrison, the second most powerful figure in the county.

After that, Captain Wang looked at his older brother.

"Brother, you're lucky to have such an outstanding disciple."

"Indeed, I'm lucky!" Wang Jin nodded.

Then, he sighed, "But his performance is too outstanding. Now, I can't even count on him to support me in my old age!"

"Does Brother still need to worry about this?" asked Captain Wang.

"Yes!" Wang Jin suddenly snapped out of his thoughts, and a smile appeared on his face, "Now that my inner strength has improved, my organs have recovered, and my martial arts have made new progress, I don't really need to worry about this problem anymore."

Xie Family Residence.

Upon receiving this information, the head of the Xie family's hand trembled, and the delicious wine and dishes before him suddenly lost their appeal.

"Second Brother, gather the elders of the clan to discuss important matters!" He spoke to the black-faced man beside him.

"Big Brother, what important matter?" The black-faced man looked puzzled.

"It's a matter of life and death for the Xie family!" The head of the Xie family explained.

"What could be a matter of life and death for the Xie family?" The black-faced man was still confused.

"Second Brother, do you remember what I told you a few days ago?" The head of the Xie family sighed, "Before, the Cao, Liu, and Xie families were in a three-way standoff in Luoshui County. Now, the Cao and Liu families have been exterminated. Do you think our Xie family can remain carefree?"

"Big Brother, are you saying that Jiang Ning might also take action against our Xie family?" The black-faced man's eyes widened in shock.

"I don't know. Only he knows his intentions!" The head of the Xie family shook his head and continued, "But would you dare to gamble? I wouldn't! I wouldn't risk the lives of hundreds of our clan members on a single thought of that Jiang Commander. He could move against the Cao family, and he could move against the Liu family. Who's to say he won't do the same to our Xie family?"

"Big Brother, but we have Little Nine!" Upon hearing this, the black-faced man immediately brought up Xie Xiaojiu.

"Little Nine?" The head of the Xie family shook his head again, "Second Brother, with Jiang Ning's abilities, what beautiful woman couldn't he have?"

"You're too naive to think that he'd turn a blind eye to our Xie family's past actions just because of Little Nine!"

"Think about it yourself, what reason did he use to move against the Liu family?

"Our Xie family, although slightly better than the Liu family in recent years, has still committed many wrongdoings, and our clan's members have done many evil deeds, oppressing the common people. Jiang Ning, because of the beggar incident, took action against the Liu family. Can you guarantee that he won't do the same to our Xie family one day?"

"If our Xie family ends up in such a situation, there will be no difference from the Liu family's fate."

"By then, will regret be of any use?"

At this moment, the black-faced man, upon hearing his brother's words, nodded heavily.

"Big Brother, I understand. I'll gather the clan's elders to discuss this important matter."

Ten Thousand Flowers Tower.

Lin Qingyi was alone in her room, drinking wine under the moonlight.

"Being alone at this moment is truly lonely!" She murmured, taking a small sip of wine.

Then, she picked up the intelligence report on the table.

"This little brother Jiang Ning is quite impressive! His archery skills are so divine that if he joins the military, achieving military merits should be as easy as turning his hand!"

"But the path he's on now isn't bad either!"

"The newly established institution offers greater opportunities!"

"Moreover, the Inspection Office is directly under the Martial Sage Office, which is even more beneficial for his martial arts journey."

"Indeed, Shen Congyun's vision was precise. He could foresee Jiang Ning's potential so early on."

". . ."

Alone under the moonlight, Lin Qingyi, dressed in a green silk robe, murmured to herself.

That night, when the news of Jiang Ning single-handedly suppressing the Black Mountain Army reached various factions, they were all deeply shocked.

No one had expected that Jiang Ning, who had been cornered by the Cao family and sought refuge in Canglang Martial Arts Academy, would now possess such terrifying abilities.

One man defending a city.

With a single bow and arrow, he effortlessly neutralized the assault of over thirty Black Mountain Riders, transforming the crisis in Luoshui County into nothingness.

They all knew that if it weren't for Jiang Ning's presence in Luoshui County and his divine archery skills, the thirty-four Black Mountain Riders who entered the outer city would have been a terrifying force. Thirty-four eighth-rank martial artists, armored and armed, riding warhorses, and battle-hardened veterans who had crawled out of the dead. If they had broken through the inner city gates and entered, they would have become merciless killing machines.

Even the top-tier warriors in the county, seventh-rank martial artists, would have been instantly slain by these riders.

Such a chaotic invasion would have been a disaster for any faction.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end